Posts by Captain Scarlet

Updating in production, like a boss

Actually yes I'll always do this as well, however I also tend to just a select * into tablename_date just in case as well.

The server is down, money is not being made, and you want me to fix what?

Re: Tea

I know how much most consultants cost, screw that if you are doing something for our department, I'll be making the tea and telling people to bugger off with stupid questions, making sure we get our monies worth.

Just what is the poop capacity of an unladen sparrow? We ask because one got into the office and left quite a mess

Re: A cat

Unless the cat decides to bring you a live present, then its a bird flying around banging into everything

UK's competition watchdog gives £31bn Virgin Media and O2 merger the seal of approval

Re: Yeah Virgin customer service!

hmm I suppose I could have done, but at the time I had no script and I don't think I had ever encountered it.

We were a reseller for enta.net ourselves but we had our equipment we gave out next to us so we could tinker as and when was needed.

Re: Yeah Virgin customer service!

Only problem is when they have one script that is also the wrong script.

One of my first ADSL providers was a reseller, I used it with a router and one day it stopped working. The person on the phone had a script for a USB modem and couldn't respond to me going I don't have a USB modem I have a Router. After 30 minutes of getting no-where and trying to follow the script with the usual I don't have a USB ADSL Modem I can't create the connection that way I slammed the phone down. Phoned back that's when I realised it was a one man band outsourced helpline even back then.

As I worked for an ISP helpline at the time I thought I'll call next day, but first I put my number into the ADSL checker and that's when I discovered the problem was they had disconnected me. Phoned and got the same crap, asked for supervisor and apparently there wasn't one. Thought screw it signed up where I work, cancelled the direct debit and that's when someone called and asked why I had cancelled the direct debit. They threatened to disconnect me straight away, I obviously responded that they had already disconnected me which is why they were getting no more money from me.

Internet Explorer downgraded to 'Walking Dead' status as Microsoft sets date for demise

Re: Really? Really???

Yup have to agree, even now Google will say get a better browser when browsing on even other chromium based browsers

Visual Basic 6 returns: You've been a good developer all year. You have social distanced, you have helped your mom. Here's your reward

Re: I liked VB5/VB6

Except everyone then tended to use 800x600 monitors

Vivaldi update unleashes the 'Cookie Crumbler' to simply block any services asking for consent (sites may break)

Re: European websites

Don't we all, we are only human.

Re: European websites

To be fair I think he just forgot to add Union in his text.

"remember that the European Union does"

Home office setup with built-in boiling water tap for tea and coffee without getting up is a monument to deskcess

Re: instant tea and coffee

Kill instant tea with fire!

NASA sets the date for first helicopter flight on another planet – and the craft will carry a piece of history

Re: It'll hit a tree.

Who flew this mini helicopter into my window!

Someone defeated the anti-crypto-coin-mining protection for Nvidia's 'gamers only' RTX 3060 ... It was Nvidia

Re: Gamers also have to contend with bots and scalpers looking to make a profit

Half had CRT's by this point, but most of us had at least a 500W power supply.

Very likely to be displays as very little power savings on the cpu and gpu at that point.

Re: Gamers also have to contend with bots and scalpers looking to make a profit

I miss going to LAN parties (Although the village hall we rented, used to have to boot one at a time to ensure a fuse wasn't tripped)

OK, Google: Unshackled from Windows, Edge team is free to follow where Chromium leads

Re: Starting to see sites that only work right with Chrome

Yup lots of big customers have made demands for Google Chrome, we need to go back to where a website isn't designed so poorly it needs a specific browser.

OVH founder says UPS fixed up day before blaze is early suspect as source of data centre destruction

Re: UPS Engineer

I can't find it but when The Planet had an explosion in one of its data centres in 2008 there was a lot of recommendations then. They had an explosion in the electrical room if I recall correctly that weakened 3 walls.

Fear the Walking Edge: Desktop support pulled, but legacy browser lingers on in Surface Hub, Xbox, HoloLens

Re: edge

Yes, because I want my Presto powered browser back >_< and I am now lazy (Although Firefox is installed as a secondary browser).

Remember that day in 2020 when you were asked to get the business working from home – by tomorrow?

ended up with a device that could handle 1,000

"But somewhere along the line that mistake meant the company ended up with a device that could handle 1,000"

Sounds more like a Sales tactic to me to get a customer to buy something they don't need, but glad it was of use in the end.

Brave buys a search engine, promises no tracking, no profiling – and may even offer a paid-for, no-ad version

Re: I disagree with the article

I really wish the original Ask Jeeves search engine was still about, where you could ask questions and get results that way.

The wrong guy: Backup outfit Spanning deleted my personal data, claims Cohesity field CTO

Re: If you cannot touch it do not complain when it evaporates

Are you sure he isn't your secret nemesis?

Rookie's code couldn't have been so terrible that it made a supermarket spontaneously combust... right?

What you want to do if you haven't already, is say some comment that really annoys someone so much that every comment they see with your name on they will downvote you.

Oddly my unknown nemesis has stopped, I hope his ok (As I am 250 off 1k dislikes)

Groupware is not dead! HCL drops second beta of Notes/Domino version 12 and goes all low-code and cloudy

Re: Dedicated desktop clients will be less important thanks to improved web design

I must be missing something, all our nsf applications and IBM's own nsf applications worked in a web browser and looked the same as within the client (Lotus Notes 5 and 6 I am sure it was for our nsf applications before they were migrated)

Dedicated desktop clients will be less important thanks to improved web design

Eh that's weird, in my opinion ever since Version 8 the web browser client especially for email was pretty good (Also removed the odd occurrence where you pressed to press Ctrl + Break when an agent went belly up in the NSF).

Was very useful when 9 came out, there was a huge jump in requirements and the web client on lower end machines ran far better.

Want your broadband fixed? Best write to your MP, UK's Zen Internet tells customer

Re: Clearly a maintenance schedule issue

Also depends if they can get planning permission to replace, had an annoying neighbour who objected every time to our BT cabinet being upgraded so it wasn't upgraded and our street was left with poor internet speeds.

A Microsoft bork at the heart of The Oracle? Whatever next?

What do they expect with a consumer version

Most large companies have MS Volume Licenses Agreements (or whatever its called these days), for heaven sakes just take the pain of integrating so you don't look like a prat when the consumer version will nag in this way.

The Linux box that runs the exec carpark gate is down! A chance for PostgreSQL Man to show his quality

Re: I don't support the barrier sorry

My response would be there isn't a plug attached to it so isn't IT.

Very little helps: Tesco serves up 3-for-1 borkage special to self-scanning Tesco shoppers

Unlikely all their models have had the option of either OS the last time I looked.

Tab minimalists look away: Vivaldi introduces two-level tab stacks

Only two rows pfft

Presto was far more customisable with their tabs, I often had 4 rows simply especially at lunch time viewing The Reg.

I liked to see the description on the tab so 5/6 tabs a row

The Ultimate Collection of Winsock Software goes offline for good

Re: Nostalgia

Or the "free" programs which changed the dial up numbers to a premium rate number.

BOFH: Are you a druid? Legally, you have to tell me if you're a druid

At least it wasn't at ED-209

That would have got stuck on the stairs, although that stairway would have been nice and sanitised.

Games Workshop finds that in the grim darkness of the 3rd millennium, there is only ERP

Sage Line 500

Unless the integrater understands that its functionality can be changed hugely by the application of any one of a hundred licensed modules which can be enabled by company they are going to have a bad time.

Did anyone tell Logitech about lockdown? Biz launches pricey video chat kit for office conference rooms and 'huddle spaces'

Actually

Considering we are converting more space for meeting spaces as we don't expect everyone to come back, our office is being turned into more of a conference centre so we've brought some of this kit and shoved it and a screen on a cart so they can be used anywhere in the building.

I have to assume other companies are doing the same.

The CIA's 'entire' collection of UFO records has been made available for you to sigh at

Re: multipage .tiff files

Fantastic, I was worried I was considered outdated for prefering multipage tiffs to PDF's

Extreme Networks misses death-of-Flash deadline, suggests winding back PC clocks to keep its GUI alive

WING from Motorola/Symbol has always felt unloved

Original Motorola hardware, changed to Symbol and then Extreme has always felt unloved by the purple switchers.

Beware the ghost of operating systems past: In which our hero is visited by an old friend

Re: User Name: Administrator

Ah yes silly of me to jump to conclusions, thats actually a very good idea.

Re: User Name: Administrator

Its just lazy

Happy New Year: Jan 1, 2021 security cert expiration causes havoc for some Check Point VPN users

Re: not fully true

Oh wow thats pretty bad, if they are going to throw their customers under the bus I can only see the losing their custom.

Top tip from the original Task Manager taskmaster: Don't put your phone number on that debug message box

Still prefer original task manager

As old machines easily consume 10% cpu resources just to display the new version

World+dog share in collective panic attack as Google slides off the face of the internet

Re: Impressive

Office 362: Been there done that, oh no not again

Remember Ask Jeeves? It's still alive, kinda, and Google seems keen to show it the door once and for all

Re: Resets the home page? Installs browser toolbar?

Yay the return of Hotbar adware!

Pure frustration: What happens when someone uses your email address to sign up for PayPal, car hire, doctors, security systems and more

Apple

Yup I can't get rid of an Apple account someone signed up and set their phone to.

Why don't websites verify emails instead of blindy using them and why have an online support which tells you to phone only to be told use the online support.

I just click the report spam button on every Apple email I now get.

The nightmare is real: 'Excel formulas are the world's most widely used programming language,' says Microsoft

Re: Sorry but ...

If there is a COM dll library then it can be added to VBA for applications via tools --> references in the VBA for apps editor (Although for the love of the Queen don't!).

HP CEO talks up HP-ink-only print hardware and higher upfront costs for machines that use other cartridges

Re: Dictionary

Fellow 2720 user here, however I have found that I don't print enough at the moment (Hence I need to use the printhead clean function).

Still its worked out cheaper overall compared to going with a standard inkjet.

Currys PC World website crumples into unscheduled maintenance as shoppers chase latest gaming machines

Re: I wasted a month dealing with them in late summer:

I would say the same thing, however for my current Samsung tablet it was £20 than other eletronics retailers including Amazon.

Internet Archive to preserve Flash content for posterity with Ruffle emulator

Re: Badger Badger Badger

:O I never knew that, I seem to remember I was on Opera back then :S

Re: Emulation

I suspect they will only support the visual items, although Flash itself has a lot of powerful scripting hardly any of it should be needed for Strong Bad emails

Re: Badger Badger Badger

The YouTube video is the worst way to experience this, the animations don't even go out of sync!!!

YouTube is going to splash adverts all over your videos, and won't pay creators unless there's a big enough audience

Re: Use Vimeo

hmm never thought about that, I use Youtube a bit for some videos however its cheaper than me hosting it myself.

Excel is for amateurs. To properly screw things up, those same amateurs need a copy of Access

Re: Don't dis Access :-)

Have an upvote, done right Access is fine and I saw it being used in plenty of commercial software.

Special Reserve used to use Filemaker pro, ah uploading stock takes on those crappy Mac's I do not miss.

IT Marie Kondo asks: Does this noisy PC spark joy? Alas, no. So under the desk it goes

Worst fan noise on laptops

When the part number sticker of the HP cooling fan came off and got stuck, they made a high pitched sound and it happened where I work 3 times (I think most often in HP ProBook 6550b's).

First time found when replacing the fan and the sticker fell out, next 2 times I looked in the fan and it was the same.

Weird thing is one person couldn't be bothered to report it so drove everyone around them mad.