Posts by Snapper

Boeing's Calamity Capsule returns to Earth without a crew

Re: uh oh

Plus it's only got 3 berths!

There's 7 crew up there now, so 4 would have to sit in the windy seats in a 'real' emergency.

Foot-thick wall workaround: Gigabit network links beamed through solid concrete

Done it.

To patch this server, we need to get someone drunk

Re: Reminds me of a claim by a sysadmin

What are these 'counters' you speak of?

Re: Prison

Hah! We drive on that side because most people are right-handed/brained and...

Could use their stronger right arm to put the brake on their horse-drawn wagon.

Could use their sword arm without having to reach across their body.

Can judge distance with their dominant eye, so better at passing something coming the other way.

Can change gear with their left hand and control the wheel/steering with their more controllable right, giving a noticeably lower accident rate than 'other' countries.

You're welcome.

The amber glow of bork illuminates Brighton Station

Re: Digital signage has it's detractors...

Same here at Waterloo where the flippy-panel signs went the length of the concourse. It was a LOT less stressful waiting for the audible clue to look up from your paper to see if your platform had been announced.

The tension is palpable at Victoria as some of the platforms are a good distance away from the main concourse and I'm convinced there is going to be a major incident one day at the barriers.

All y'all love AI, right? Get ready for Gemini in Nest cameras, Google Assistant

Re: Wait, wait, wait...

The principles will last 4 years, just like 'Do No Evil' and the rest of the discontinued Google stuff that people relied on.

'A moose hit me' and other ways people damage their gizmos

Re: Don’t people look after their devices?

Young spoilt brat of a seriously rich daddy handed me her 17" MacBook Pro.

Wet, sand inside and out and keyboard sharply dented in several places.

"I left it on the beach and a wave broke over it, then when I was trying to dry it out a friend walked across it in high heels.....how long will it take to fix?"

I cannot wait till lunchtime.....

Worn glasses sinc 10 as I was -6 in both eyes and couldn't see the blackboard. Obviously moved to contact lenses as soon as possible in the 70's.

Now, when I'm reading in bed I remove the contact lenses and don't use my glasses and everything within 30cm like fruit, skin, watch-faces etc, shows the most amazing detail that glasses and lenses take away.

Re: Dropping the phone while gardening

A certain company staffed almost entirely by 80 of the fair sex that I did the tech support for, had a visit from a team of their company counter-parts from another country including the second-in-command of the whole company.

This young lady could only be described as a fashion victim and a Queen Bee. Nearly everyone started copying her mannerisms and way of working, which included taking her office MacBook Air everywhere with her, and with the added frisson of using it as a clutch-bag to hold pens, keys and lippy between the keyboard and screen.

I'm sure everyone reading this is aware of how a nutcracker operates.

A week of her sailing round the office with her coterie resulted in eight broken screens and a very stern notice from THE BOSS that computers are precision instruments and should not be considered fashion accessories or indestructible or else!

For myself I favour the leather belt phone holder. I know exactly where my phone is at all times, can retrieve it and have it at my ear in less than 2 seconds, plus the phone is protected and can't fall out. Old fashioned yes, stylish no, but I don't really care about that. It gets the fucking job done even if I'm crawling around under desks. I obey my requirement.

CrowdStrike's Falcon Sensor also linked to Linux kernel panics and crashes

Re: Why use Crowdstrike when you have SELinux?

Ah, the famous 'fully locked down Windows system'!

That's the one in the sealed underground room under the ocean floor, turned off and unplugged?

Thought so.

With users mostly happy to keep older kit, Macs just ain't selling like they used to

I've just checked my Mac Pro (upgraded) and it's Early '2009' and running macOS 13 Ventura. It will probably outlast me!

Users rage as Microsoft announces retirement of Office 365 connectors within Teams

Re: A shower of shite

A young Steve Jobs famously said "They have absolutely no taste, and I don't mean that in a small way, I mean that in a big way, in the sense that they don't think of original ideas, and they don't bring much culture into their products,"

He also gave a lot of back-handed compliments to Microsoft and Gates. "Microsoft made a lot of applications for Macintosh and they were terrible," he said, before complimenting "but they kept at it and got better and eventually dominated the Macintosh application market."

Jobs' back-handed compliments didn't stop as he said that Microsoft are great opportunists but "I don't mean it in a bad way" he continued. "They are like Japanese and they just keep on coming," he said.

Jobs also said that he had no problem with Microsoft's success and that they "earned their success, for the most part," but what he had a problem was that Microsoft made "really third-rate products."

He didn't stop and continued lambasting Microsoft. "Their products have no spirit in them, their products are pedestrian." He said that what's said is that most customers also didn't have that spirit.

Jobs was then asked whether he was sad that Microsoft had "won" and Apple lost. He said, "what saddens me isn't that Microsoft had won but that their products lacked insight and creativity."

Microsoft Stores all close their doors in China

Microsoft Retail

I work in London and until a few months ago and for many years before that frequently used to pass the Microsoft Store on Oxford Circus (junction of Regents Street and Oxford Street, which must be one of the prime retail positions in London with a rent to match), about 200m from the Apple Store on Regents Street.

The Microsoft Store was an undisguised copy of the Apple Store, with almost the exact same wooden tables, lighting and layout. Funny thing was I very rarely saw anyone apart from bored looking staff in it, unlike the Apple Store that frequently had to restrict customers numbers and had a queue outside.

Police allege 'evil twin' of in-flight Wi-Fi used to steal passenger's credentials

Re: Airline revenge

Yup, a LOT easier than trying to do it in cafés.

Microsoft yanks Windows 11 update after boot loop blunder

Re: Don't blame MS

Yeah well, if you add up your time dealing with your computer over a few years you more than get your money back by buying Apple. They last longer and are more secure as OOB as well. Apple doesn't sell your data, unlike Microsoft.

And that's 3 recalls for Tesla Cybertruck in as many months

Re: It's not a Recall

I notice you don't state what you have liked to use the Valerie Singleton for.

America's best chance for nationwide privacy law could do more harm than good

Re: You get what you pay for...

Twas ever thus!

Microsoft admits to problems upgrading Windows 11 Pro to Enterprise

Solution

Better Recall it then!

Feds sue Adobe and execs for stinging subscribers with 'hidden' cancellation fees

Although....

If Adobe are hiding details behind graphic elements or literally the small print, they are effectively deliberately duping the end user.

Time for a class action and a large amount of bad publicity I think.

Microsoft cancels universal Recall release in favor of Windows Insider preview

Wheras.....

The problems start when the abusive partner finds out that a lawyer/refuge has been contacted.

The problems start when I want to send confidential quotes/contracts/medical information to someone else and THEY have it turned on.

Will I deal with that company or person again? Probably not *if* there is any way of finding out.

Will I add a disclaimer to the top of every email and .PDF I send to the effect that the recipient is is required to let me know in writing that they have switched Recall off, and if they intend to switch it back on for ANY reason they have to give me five working days notice before doing so and immediately destroy all and any documents including the original emails that I have sent them?

Fuck yes!

Am I a hypocrite because I have a computer myself. No, because I use computers and other devices that don't run Windows and I will never do so.

Microsoft's Recall should be celebrated as the savior of SMEs and scourge of CEOs

Re: Recall. No-one told me.

Does it matter? Windows computers will be opening information from Mac and Linux users on their screens via emails, so what does it matter what Microsoft products are affected by something in the Windows OS.

Re: Reliability

Just 'a distraction'!

If you send your health records to your doctor or a CV to a potential employer, do you really want your doctor or potential employer to have a relatively insecure copy of your data that companies like, um, take one at random, Microsoft getting hold of it?

What are they going to do with it? This is Microsoft remember, who changed the 'close window' click to 'close window and accept what it asked' in the not too distant past.

Did they ask MY permission to take a copy of MY data and did they ask MY permission to use it and, again, give me a valid reason for doing it?

Re: What happened to ask the user?

I think your comment really says a lot about the motorbike riders you know.

I didn't touch a thing – just some cables and a monitor – and my computer broke

Re: Yeah, sure. Nothing changed. Pinky promise.

Apple has been doing it since 2016. They used non-standard NVMe's from 2012 to 2016.

Re: Yeah, sure. Nothing changed. Pinky promise.

Back in the 90's I had a client call me in to the Apple server I'd installed the day before saying it was 'broken'.

Took about two nanoseconds to realise they'd disconnected the SCSI connection to the three external hard drives, and totally messed up the sequence of the cabling with one drive connected to itself!

'How could this happen!' said the brains in charge....

Microsoft Research chief scientist has no issue with Windows Recall

Re: Two thoughts spring to mind...

Just to put your post in context, Apple have had seconds available on their Mac clocks since 1984. I'm too stunned/shocked/laughing to check if the Apple II, III and Lisa had it.

Re: Avoidance of this is Only Possible for Hermits

If I could upvote you twice I would.

'Little weirdo' shoulder surfer teaches UK cabinet minister a lesson in cybersecurity

Re: Pride

The 'None of the above' is much better than a spoiled paper. It shows you have checked the various party's offerings (and history) and in your opinion found them wanting.

I think you'd see a much larger number of people get interested in politics if they could count on officially showing their disapproval at election time.

Intel, AMD take a back seat as Qualcomm takes center stage in Microsoft's AI PC push

Re: Dead end to me

'I hate what Windows has become'.

Are you surprised it's come to this? I think it's because they have the capability now rather than changing their spots.

Dream Chaser mini-shuttle set to take flight at last

Lifting body technologies live forever!

Spanish startups say 'no más' to Microsoft cloud dominance

Wut!

Anticompetitive!

Microsoft!

Surely not!

Another Boeing whistleblower comes forward – with receipts

Re: Dave Calhoun

Amen Bro!

Microsoft really does not want Windows 11 running on ancient PCs

When you are in Apple Land we don't have much to crow about. Apple start stopping upgrades to the originally installed OS after roughly about 7 years. Fairly easily extended with OpenCore Legacy Patcher though.

Of course the computers and apps still get security updates for a couple more years, but our good friends Microsoft and Adobe just love adjusting their installers so you need to be running macOS no more than two versions behind the current one to work and get all the lovely new features in things like Outlook and Word etc.

Two main rocks dropped in a small pool in the past few years have been Apple changing the System Preferences Pane for a thing of beauty that worked for 25 years, to a REALLY (compared to what it was) difficult to use piece of shit. The rumour is they hired someone who used to work for Microsoft to design it, and I can quite fucking believe it!

And anyone who purchased an iMac with a spinning HD or Fusion (larger HD + small M.2 SSD where the most used data and apps remain) and wants to use MacOS 10.15 Catalina and up will find their nice new iMac (ok, up to 2019, but that's considered new to Apple users) is running like a wet dish-rag. Apparently the new APFS drive formatting introduced in 2017 but with some big changes since, is heavily geared to SSD and in particular, NVMe/M.2 drives. I suspect that APFS causes heavy fragmentation and the computer really start to suffer speed losses. Apple MUST have known about the problem but continued to sell computers, mainly iMacs with HD's and Fusion Drives up until 2019.

I suspect Apple thought that the users would suspect their computers were just getting old, but if the HD or Fusion Drives are swapped out for fast NVMe drives (needs a small adapter because Apple) they fly. Just upgraded 2 x 2015 27-Inch iMacs for a client and he's really happy as he can still run his older version of a music-making app that has lots of plug-ins that would need a fuck-ton of money to update, but on a now much faster computer,

Also helps when OpenCore Legacy Patcher lets me not only change the drive to speed things up but allows me to install the latest macOS on basically any Mac since 2008. Having said that, have you seen the mess that is Sonoma?

Re: Alternative

Highlighter is the real bugger!

Wing Commander III changed how the copy hotkey works in Windows 95

50-year plus plot lines can be done if the writer is good enough.

Nah, it was because, as usual, Apple got there first in 1984 with Command + C (cut), Command + x (cut) and Command + V (paste).

Eleven years late with Win 95!

Britain enters period of mourning as Greggs unable to process payments

You know that's not really a recommendation, don't you!

The end of classic Outlook for Windows is coming. Are you ready?

Re: New outlook doesn't keep replies in the same folder

As most clients can't figure out anything larger than two I'd suggest it's the lesser of two Weevils.

UK finance minister promises NHS £3.4B IT investment to unlock £35B savings

Re: automating the writing and clinical coding of notes, discharge summaries and GP letters

They just don't need a sixth-former in a tight sweater as a leader.

Copilot pane as annoying as Clippy may pop up in Windows 11

Re: Is Micros~1's marketing dept. out of their ever-lovin minds?

Maybe Apple will have a clue on how to use it?

Microsoft drags Windows Subsystem for Android into the trash

Blimey!

Who do they think they are, Google!

Dell exec reveals Nvidia has a 1,000-watt GPU in the works

1,000w GPU = Cool!

See title above.

Multiple billions up for grabs as UK government launches cloud services tenders

Re: seeking a tech firm to help public bodies "transition to cloud software or hosting services."

Oh I dunno!

Just come across yet another new client who whose IT director locked their company in a five-year internet and phones deal with a con com..... sorry, that should say a 'comms' company. They now can't get out of it but just before she left she renewed it for another five-years.

It was eye-wateringly expensive so they reckon she was getting a very good taste.

Musk 'texts' Nadella about Windows 11's demands for a Microsoft account

Re: Some elements of the operating system simply do not work

One that has been set up incorrectly.

Nearly 40 years as a Mac consultant before you answer.

Re: If he thinks that's bad he should try MacOS

Agree, the latest version of Outlook for Mac left column can't even show how many unread emails there are in a folder if it's nested e.g 'Important Clients' > 'Biggest Client' > 'Head Cheese'.

If it does show any numbers they are in a small thin blue font that can't be changed.

Note to Microsoft's Interface designers, YOU HAD ONE JOB!

Work for you? Again? After you lied about the job and stole my stuff? No thanks

Re: Ah, Joy

Or, as one of my 'creative' clients did, created a high-end fashion catalogue with high-res photos using Excel with a total file size of 22GB.

Then tried to email it to all the fashion editors in Europe and USA/Canada.

Didn't work. Funny that!

So miss Sir Pterry!

China breakthrough promises optical discs that store hundreds of terabytes

Re: I thought we learned...

The 128GB M-Disks are still available.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-DISC

Microsoft Publisher books its retirement party for 2026

Re: Serif PagePlus...

And Affinity are just one (small) payment until a big version comes out when they give excellent upgrade rates, unlike Adobe who charge you for the full Adobe range (except for the Photography kit) irrespective of what apps you use and how many. Experience has told me the hard way that you can't trust anything outside the 5 core Adobe apps to still be there in a few years.