* Posts by codejunky

7085 publicly visible posts • joined 24 Oct 2011

Squirrel away a little IT budget for likely Brexit uncertainty, CIOs warned

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Could a brexiter please explain...

@Jamie Jones

"Could a brexiter please explain why all the news and advice these days regarding brexit is not how to enjoy and spend our new wealth, but how to best mitigate it's effects?"

Because we had a result, to leave. We passed the deadline twice and still there is massive uncertainty of how we will leave. Every attempt to remain instead of leave has brought a delusional situation where MP's even vote against a hard brexit, the legal default they actually cannot stop!

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Opportunites, we don't need no steenkin' opportunities!

@Loyal Commenter

"Glad to hear you finally acknowledge that there isn't a better deal availalbe than the current one (Eu membership)."

I dont think I have ever suggested we could get a better deal with the EU than being in unless the EU was somehow thicker than they already demonstrate. I do think we can get a trade deal as a third party and possibly more but its the freedom from the protectionist block that would benefit us.

"Whether the individual countries of the EU are struggling is a moot point"

Or the area in general. The EU proper (eurozone) being particularly afflicted badly and so a problem in the global recovery. It isnt moot to say the protectionist trade block we are tied to is sinking while others growing.

"Many businesses currently trade with people in those countries, buying and selling goods and services. If it costs those companies more to do business with those nations, then it costs those companies more"

Very true. Incentives matter. Being walled in and protectionist policies pushing trade with those who cannot compete at market makes things more expensive but causes more trade within the walls. Take away the walls and trade changes.

"Either way, trading on less favourable terms will cost businesses money. There is no benefit to them."

If their existence is entirely reliant on the walls then no they wont see the benefit of the protectionism being removed. But their over expensive existence is based on that protectionism. By saying there is no benefit to such businesses is to show the harm of the protectionism (they cannot survive in the market). Someone else is better or cheaper or both.

"In fact, loss of access to, or a reduction in access to, the EU labour market will likely also cost businesses money, as they will lose access to that pool of talent."

Why? Are we banning talent from coming to the UK?

"Nobody is saying there isn't, but some skills are rarefied, and limiting the pool from which you can draw such resources is an obvious handicap"

Very true. And I agree with you that we shouldnt block talent, from the entire world!

codejunky Silver badge

Re: 2019?

@Loyal Commenter

"Tim Worstall writing an article on Forbes is not primary evidence. Try again."

Oh wow. No wonder you dont see any evidence, even when I hand it to you you dont see it! Read the article. Read the quoted law. Read the freaking link to the law. Its not hard. If you cant do it ask a child to help.

Once you read the evidence, the actual EU law, then come back and explain yourself.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: 2019?

@Loyal Commenter

"Let me clarify for the hard of thinking - you suggested the EU was formed in response to the cold war"

Ah I see the mistake. No that is not what I ment (but I see how you got there). The EU is designed around an old world of high trade tariffs and hiding within trade blocks. The world has moved on since then and tariffs have fallen and globalisation and trade has taken off.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

codejunky Silver badge
Childcatcher

Re: "UK’s departure from the UK"

@Loyal Commenter

"If you do so with passengers in the car, and survive, you will be going either to prison, or a secure mental health unit for a very long time."

Solid advice. Hope the remainers listen and take it on board.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: 2019?

@Loyal Commenter

"FTFY, no charge."

I wouldnt pay for you to get it wrong.

"As I'm sure you are well aware"

So according to your fix (where you are wrong) you seem to imply the law doesnt exist. Then spend a lot of words explaining how you are wrong and the law does exist.

"and prevent produce that doesn't meet minimum standards being sold (like chlorine-washed chicken, or hormone-fed beef)."

Minimum standards of what? Not food standards as chlorinated chicken has been cleared by US and European food agencies as safe.

"You didn't reply the last time I called you out on this, or indeed the time before."

Either I didnt see your bull statement or you are lying. I have torn the chlorinated chicken argument consistently, and the banana law (that you have just been stating is true!). But for you here you go again (and probably again)-

https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/05/12/to-properly-explain-the-eus-bendy-bananas-rules-yes-theyre-real/

That link not only explains the law but links to it and quotes it. So after incorrectly changing my comment while claiming to fix it, then explaining to me that you are wrong you now also have a link I have posted regularly to people claiming the law doesnt exist. Are you going to continue with your mistake or do you finally realise you are wrong?

codejunky Silver badge

Re: 2019?

@Loyal Commenter

"enturies of Eurpiean conflict are "the cold war now"? Mmmmmkay..."

Eh? Think you have read that very wrong.

"Would've thought you'd have given up with the historical revisionism by now, but I suppose you can't fix zealotry..."

You do seem to prove your statement

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Opportunites, we don't need no steenkin' opportunities!

@Loyal Commenter

"To state this perfectly clearly; we are never going to get a better trading relationship with our partners in Europe as a country external to the EU, compared to the trding relationship enjoyed by those within."

Ok. Reasonable point. So we get a worse trade relationship with a block that is economically struggling since it failed to deal with the recession of 2008 (and actively pursued self damaging actions) and more freedom with the rest of the world.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: "UK’s departure from the UK"

@Tom 7

"If you drive your car into a brick wall after we've warned you your bumper could come off a bit dented doesnt mean we're hoping your bumper will get dented. We were hoping you weren't going to be so stupid."

However its no help if there isnt a problem yet your clinging to the door handle crying and screaming we are all gonna die.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: I blame Borris

@MJI

"Well it is his fault isn't it?"

There is plenty blame to go along this cock up. Boris, May, Cameron, Osborne and plenty others. Worryingly Boris seems the most interested in doing something. Will be interesting to see if its anything good.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: 2019?

@Just Enough

"You're forgetting that Brexit policy is fundamentally about returning to 1935 and the return of the Empire"

I hear this from remainers who obviously want to be part of the EU empire in an institution designed around the cold war.

"randomly shaped bananas"

I never have found why the EU had such a problem with bananas. For the most part I had to explain to some remainers such laws were real because they didnt think the EU would be so stupid.

"This is just reverse gear being engaged. All going to plan, we'll hit 2018 by March."

Economically the EU is stifling the global recovery. Are you sure they are at 2018 yet?

codejunky Silver badge

Re: "UK’s departure from the UK"

@Flocke Kroes

The UK breaking up seems to be one of those remainer dreams. Maybe he is considering the possibility of Scottish independence. Although I expect they will still need to give the English the vote for them to win such a vote.

World's richest bloke battles Oz catastro-fire with incredible AU$1m donation (aka load of cheap greenwashing)

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Taxes versus Philantropy

@Tabor

"Amazon (not Bezos, Amazon), will deduct this from the taxes they hardly pay and thus the government will need to borrow whatever amount that can be deducted by Amazon anyway."

So the gov who spends more than it takes would take less if it stole more? That has never been demonstrated. The gov spaffing money on shiny toys and their pet projects has been demonstrated. Amazon putting the money where they consider it needed by their own choice.

Put another way you consider your money well spent looking after you and your family? Is anyone dumb enough to think if the gov had that money they would think the same?

codejunky Silver badge

Wow

I bet he now wonders why he bothered. Hopefully the people in Aus will be more grateful than this lot. So many green eyed *so many options* who want to put their grimy fingers in someone elses pocket.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Taxes versus Philantropy

@fpx

"When rich people claim that philantropy is better than taxation, their argument is essentially that their causes are more worthy and/or that they can manage them better than governments"

Which is generally demonstrated as true. Since the earned money being directed towards a cause vs the gov borrowing even more on the heads of its population for whatever it desires spaffing money on.

"They are putting themselves over governments."

Good. There was a time of kings over people but the concept of people over government has been hard fought for a long time as tyranny is not considered a good thing. People should be over government to reign in the excesses and retain the freedom governments would take away. Wars have been fought over this.

"Sure, there may be some benevolent ones, but history has proven that they more often than not invest in causes that are more important to them, their family, and their friends, and not the needs of the pauper."

That there is the very description of government as well as people. But individuals can direct what they have, govs direct what they take from individuals.

"It's sure nice that some bazillionaires donate to worthy causes like eradicating tuberculosis, measels or cancer, but if we hauled in more tax money, we as a society could invest more in those efforts as well."

Yet wouldnt. Governments are massively in debt, they waste money on fiefdoms and pet projects for their mates and gratification.

"Let them blow their money on rockets and flying taxis, and donate to issues they believe in, but only after proper taxation."

Proper taxation? What is that? Obviously its not a figure nor method nor anything tangible. Should it be to extract the most from people? Should it be to encourage more economic growth which increases the tax income? Should it be for the government to make everyone the pauper?

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Much jealousness here

@Roj Blake

"Does he deserve it all though?"

Yes. He earned it.

"Amazon didn't get where it is today solely because of Bezos."

Not only Bezos gets paid by amazon

"It also got where it is by paying shitty wages to its workers, and it got where it is by taking advantage of publicly-funded infrastructure."

So people chose to work there and the public infrastructure thing is no different from everyone and every business.

"The idea that Bezos works 10,000 times harder than other people or is 10,000 times more talented than them is wrong."

The proof would need to be numerically calculable. Like maybe worth, income. Of course anyone can prove themselves his equal, by going earning it.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Not exactly a reasonable comparison

@HildyJ

If the health system is something that concerns you then dont wait for the gov to sort it out (they got it into this mess) instead donate to a hospital or pay off some peoples medical bills or something. If you give the money to the gov to spend as the gov pleases they will do what they want, not what you want. They believe they can spend your money better than you and more tax will go the same way.

However you in your freedom to make a difference can do so. If it matters to you go ahead and do something. If your belief is that the gov should have more money give them more, they wont turn it down.

Windows 7 and Server 2008 end of support: What will change on 14 January?

codejunky Silver badge

So

I either run my unsupported win7 system (which exists just for gaming) or ditch windows for my ubuntu gaming system. Of course I can VM for single player games requiring windows (not many).

At the moment I am putting off reinstalling windows after it updated and borked its boot sequence. Even recovery cant fix the issue. Will have to see if I care enough.

Microsoft engineer caught up in sudden spate of entirely coincidental grilling of Iranian-Americans at US borders

codejunky Silver badge

Re: And the consequenques fo failing to act?

@Just Enough

"Anyone could be a ISIS sympathiser, a communist, a terrorist."

Amazingly yes. However with some profiling of similarities of a group you can narrow down those more likely to be such.

"Close the borders"

Has that happened?

"detain everyone"

Has that happened?

"search them"

Using the same protocols for drug smugglers and weapon smugglers? People get searched for that yes?

"ignore their rights"

Has that happened?

"We must all live in fear and surveillance."

Now that is where I will agree with you. The war on terror being impossible to win and ill defined. The idiot Bush allowing such serious changes and Obama enjoying them. So yes Trump is continuing with it.

"All this must happen, otherwise the terrorists have won. (And Donald may not get re-elected.)"

Donald will probably be re-elected I expect and I dont see it for any good reason but for lack of an opposition. Even the impeachment is flailing.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: And the consequenques fo failing to act?

@TsVk!

"One can just imagine the backlash if border security did not tighten itself against potential Iranian threats and there was an attack on sovereign soil."

Unfortunately you are getting a kicking for saying that while it is a logical move to make.

@Malcolm Weir

"This is naive in the extreme. Any notion that US residents travelling with US citizen kids might be threat because of their (often ancestral) country of origin is... bizarre."

Totally naive. Just like thinking that schoolgirls want to go shack up with some ISIS bloke in the middle east warzone instead of staying in their country. Or that a nurse working in the NHS would also think going there to join ISIS would be a good idea. How many protesters burning flags were citizens of the country they protested in? Or those who killed for the foreign soil they felt more loyalty to?

Long-term Linux Mint: 19.3 release unchains the Gimp, adds HiDPI, is kind to your older, less-beefy kit

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Introduction to Linux for Windows refugees

@Admiral Grace Hopper

I have also done this for a number of people who have win7. Lots of happy users and very few support issues.

From Soviet to science fiction icon, the weird life of Isaac Asimov 100 years on

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Asimov was a letcher

@Rich 11

"It wasn't everyone though, was it? It was primarily men pinching women's bottoms, not everyone pinching everyone else's bottoms"

Judging by actions over the last 20 years toward me I dont think women of a certain generation had any problem pinching the arse of a guy even if I am considerably younger. Through school there was always the groping by girls if they wanted to try it on in the classroom (consent? Ha!). The bladdered girl at the party trying to drag you off for a snog (yes late teens). None of this goes back 50 years, try less than 30.

I have never found it difficult to illicit the opinion of a women on a guys looks. Often without asking for it. While things get painted as a one way street the truth is often more colourful.

EA boots Linux gamers out of multiplayer Battlefield V, Penguinistas respond by demanding crippling boycott

codejunky Silver badge

Re: 2020 will be the year of linux on the desktop!

@Avatar of They

Unfortunately rainbow six siege has given up on linux. Upset me as I am trying to ditch windows due to the EOL of win7. I only use windows for gaming and would love to move that to linux.

Stack Overflow makes peace with ousted moderator, wants to start New Year with 2020 vision on codes of conduct

codejunky Silver badge

Why?

This pronoun thing has surely gone too far now. I am sure this started as a bad joke that some kids latched onto or something.

Snakes on a wane: Python 2 development is finally frozen in time, version 3 slithers on

codejunky Silver badge

Hmm

About the only python project I care enough about (I use it so I care) was written in python2 because the code ran faster. I know this because I coded to support an easy change over so I will probably migrate it over when I get chance.

I am impressed with their running two separate versions for so long.

Senior health tech pros warn NHS England: Be transparent with mass database trawl or face public backlash

codejunky Silver badge

Ha

The issue here is a really good idea of sharing this important data to improve healthcare vs the government being so cynically untrusted that we would check if they said the sky was blue.

Not an easy problem to solve I suspect.

LibreOffice 6.4 nearly done as open-source office software project prepares for 10th anniversary

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Usability

@Philip Storry

"Speaking more generally, the side panes are a far better use of space than the Ribbon on modern monitors."

One of the reasons I prefer libre over MS is to avoid that ribbon interface. Kudo's to MS for trying something but personally I preferred the MS office 2000 interface which libre seems to be very close to

Email blackmail brouhaha tears UKIP apart as High Court refuses computer seizure attempt

codejunky Silver badge

Re: @NeilPost

@paulc

"it was sarcasm... just not with an /s tag."

I would hope so but unfortunately Dr_N is my troll. Trying to distinguish his humour and trolling isnt easy.

codejunky Silver badge
Pint

Re: @NeilPost

@John Brown (no body)

This is why I asked the question. No point torching the belief if it turns out that wasnt what he meant.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: @NeilPost

@Spanners

"After all, they defined a centre-right politician called Barack Obama as a dangerous far left crazy"

Centre right?? Left wing- yeah. Left of centre- maybe. Right or centre right- in what universe?

codejunky Silver badge

Re: @NeilPost

@Cav

"And yet it is rampant, unchecked American style capitalism that has crashed the global economy on numerous occasions."

Market corrections. Business cycle adjustments which have seen the general prosperity of capitalist countries generally trend upward while socialism has consistently dragged down economies. No contest.

"An amalgam of capitalism and socialism provides the best outcomes for the most people. Both are necessary."

As the definitions are different I am not sure how the two merge. Capitalism with welfare is entirely acceptable while socialism without central planning hasnt really been achieved for a sustained period of time.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: @NeilPost

@Dr_N

"Education and healthcare for people who can't afford it? That's the real disgusting ideology. The sooner it is brought to an end the better."

Why? Or are you mistaking and thinking that is the outcome of capitalism instead of socialism?

"The only true ideology proven to work is to be an amoral, lying, mysoginist douchebag who pisses on poor people and hates the young and those foreigner folks. That is now the proven winning transatlantic political philosophy."

Not quite sure who your directing that at as various politicians have those traits worldwide regardless of ideology.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: @NeilPost

@graeme leggett

No. For the most part unregulated. This is where socialism starts to run into economic problems as production, distribution and exchange needs to be determined by market forces. Socialism applied at government level runs into problems of over controlling something which they can never have enough information to understand or regulate.

Granted it is something governments tend toward- increased control, but that isnt a good thing. Basically a government is supposed to facilitate the few things that open market cant achieve and to enforce the basic rules of dont lie, cheat or kill your customers. Everything else is just icing (and govs that cant achieve those few also have economic problems).

codejunky Silver badge

Re: @NeilPost

@Mark Dempster

"I think you'll find that most of the scandinavian countries (you know, the ones with the highest happiness index in the world) have democratic socialist governments of the type that labour represent."

Labour as in Corbyns labour here in the UK?

codejunky Silver badge

Re: @NeilPost

@Mark Dempster

"Communism & Socialism are very different things"

Only if you consider socialism the theory and communism an implementation (which it was). Praised as the socialist paradise and rejected as not socialism after it failed.

"Communism : The state owns everything & provides you with the basics required to survive."

That is the result yes, and also the outcome of almost all of the experiments to implement socialism. It seems to be the outcome even if it is not the desired hope of the theory.

"Socialism : The state provides basic services that we all use, & ensures that everyone leads a decent quality of life, while the private sector competes for the other things we might want."

Definition of socialism (very quick and lazy google search)- a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: @NeilPost

@Rich 11

"You clearly have a very limited knowledge of socialism"

You may need to point toward a mistake. We all have limits to our knowledge so go on.

"I expect you equate it with Soviet-style communism."

Aka socialism, yes. And Maoism for China. Venezuela and the rest. Socialist principals applied to countries and crashing them hard. Not a single success. Of all the attempted variations the most successful has been N.Korea.

codejunky Silver badge

@NeilPost

"You can be moderate whilst remaining socialist."

I dont know how that can at all be possible. Socialism is an extreme, one that has failed every attempt. It has never been demonstrated to work on a country level for an entire century of trying to make it work.

If a 100% failure rate for an ideology is extreme and not possibly moderate.

Space Force is go, go, go! Because we have a child as President of the United States

codejunky Silver badge

Re: What I don't get is

@Captain Obvious

"Lately, I think the comments are getting worse and worse to Daily Mail standards...."

Being anti-western surely that would be guardian standards.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: So, back to the Soviets for a moment...

@defiler

"Again, this is not borne of experience, but from what I've read on the subject and my interpretation of that - I'm happy to be corrected."

Sounds similar to my understanding of it.

"US military spending exceeds the next 10 countries combined, more than half of which are allies"

This is an interesting issue of NATO that a lot of its members cant be bothered meeting the 'required' military spending anyway. What use are allies when they cant do anything? Germany couldnt even get plains and pilots to Iraq to fight ISIS, only the war minister managed to arrive. The US spends huge amounts on military, but when the EU upset Russia the EU hid behind the US. All the while the US cant afford its current welfare state and has others pushing for more.

"I'm just sitting back on the other side of the ocean idly wondering "how much is too much" and "when does it become too expensive to sustain"?"

Me too and me too. If it does happen I wonder how the western world will cope.

codejunky Silver badge

Re: So, back to the Soviets for a moment...

@defiler

"didn't the Soviet Union collapse because they tried to keep up with the USA and ran out of money?"

Sort of. Money is information so how much is printed doesnt change the value of the backing country instead it changes the value of the money. One of the great differences between socialist countries and non-socialists is they are not very good at growth (increasing the value of the country) and are restricted by the resources/production they have and can 'acquire'.

The USSR could only sustain itself by expansion and taking existing resources and production from conquered territory. Eastern Germany was about the richest success story of socialism and thats because of how successful it started, Western Germany leaving it in the dust.

"Without prejudice, I can't help but idly wonder if the USA is going to run out of money keeping up with the ego of their own government..."

Without disagreeing with you, is there a contender to Trump? Obama spaffed money (Bush too), the democrats are offering to spaff money on retarding the country. Trump is spaffing money on soldiers, defence and the protection of the people (agree or not that is the framing). Which candidate of either side promotes prudence?

What's that? Encryption's OK now? UK politicos Brexit from Whatsapp to Signal

codejunky Silver badge

Ha

Maybe they will start to see how important it is? Naa I dont hold much hope either

Poor, poor mobile networks. UK's comms watchdog plans to stop 'em selling locked-down handsets

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Why?

@Roland6

"Not a stupid idea, but yes not a major problem now in the UK."

So if its not a problem it doesnt need the regulation

"Ofcom gets a (much needed) piece of positive publicity about how consumer friendly etc. it is."

Aka does nothing useful.

"The nice part about this is that Ofcom are made backsliding ie. a return to restrictive practises, much harder."

Which is an awful idea. The lockdown practice was in response to market forces and the move away is due to market forces and so it would seem the guiding hand of regulation in this matter is nothing but a dumb fist doing nothing useful but potentially damaging.

What happens if through the future iterations of hand held devices that lockdowns become the solution again? What about people who may prefer their current lockdown arrangement? My must the control freak stick their nose in?

codejunky Silver badge

Why?

This is a stupid idea. Why do we need more regulation and more intervention when this is a solved problem? If you dont want a locked handset, dont buy a locked handset. And its not like there is any reason to buy locked if you dont want to, because there is an amazing choice of phones out there nearly all (if not all) unlocked.

Buying a locked handset is the method of purchase which is a choice and people should be free to make their own decisions.

Hate speech row: Fine or jail anyone who calls people boffins, geeks or eggheads, psychology nerd demands

codejunky Silver badge

Hmm

For those who would agree with nutty snowflake woman- no. Grow up. If you are seriously struggling with this then your parents obviously didnt do a very good job.

https://dilbert.com/strip/2019-10-02

Another senior Gov.UK bod makes a dash from public sector, falls into AWS's arms

codejunky Silver badge

Hmm

Thinking about it I see 2 obvious possibilities-

1. At least our public sector has some people worth hiring

or

2. If we worry about public sector workers jumping to private sector work due to some 'wonky advantage' maybe the public sector should not be involved in whatever that work is

I dont know which it is or if either is right but a positive and negative view of the situation all the same.

EU wouldn't! Uncle Sam brandishes 'up to 100%' tariffs over France's Digital Services Tax

codejunky Silver badge

Re: Poor America, the shallow version

@Reg Reader 1

"Companies that make their money in higher cost centers should not be allowed to outsource to or buy goods from any country that doesn't have equivalent pay, safety, or benefits of the developed economies or buy products from them."

This would be a terrible mistake. Out of all the efforts of history it is globalisation which has so far managed the vast reduction of poverty (actual absolute poverty) in the world and made more of the worlds population richer. Even China which was dragged into peasantry and destitution through communism is catching up to the developed world by embracing capitalism and global trade.

Banning jobs from the poor only keeps them poor. And our minimum benefits and pay are often too expensive for such poor countries.

Take Sajid Javid's comments on IR35 UK contractor rules with a bucket of salt, warns tax guru

codejunky Silver badge

Re: @Paul Crawford

@AC

Why would we want them to raise tax? Not just against big business but anyway? The gov isnt better at spending the money than the people, hell the gov gets railed for wasting it or spaffing on mates. Taxation in this country is pretty high already.

I was agreeing with Paul Crawford that the gov will screw everyone but their mates. But mentioning that it applies to all the parties.

codejunky Silver badge

@Paul Crawford

"They wont. If they win the election they will do exactly the same as they have for the past 9 years - i.e. screw over everyone but their big-money mates."

Not much difference in the main parties then

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, so the EU is investigating Google to get some more money in its hat

codejunky Silver badge

Re: The EU Commission tells google not to pay taxes in the EU, but tip them off instead

@naive

"I am sure google will be happy to toss some change at the EU Commission in return for taxation of less than 5% for its profits, in a market where the average middle class worker is taxed between 50%-70%."

That would be comparing a company (not a person) against workers (people). Companies of course dont pay tax, it is people that do so any company taxation at all is taken from people. So if the average middle class worker is taxed as you say, their pension being invested in companies, their employment likely dependent on companies and a large part of economic transactions done by companies then surely we want companies to pay less tax?

Silicon Valley Scrooges sidestep debt to society through tax avoidance to the tune of $100bn

codejunky Silver badge

@Chris Miller

The reg really lost out when they lost Tim