Posts by Falmari

Apple's Safari browser runs the risk of becoming the new Internet Explorer – holding the web back for everyone

Re: clearly you don't pay for the developers

@Michael “I want to run on a selection of browsers that run on my developer machine and verify that it works. I can automate testing easily and quickly.”

Oh, how I wish testing was only done on the developer’s machine. No longer will I and my fellow developers utter the cry to testers ‘’well it works on my machine’. ;)

But seriously you can’t just test on your machine, you can’t just assume that it works on other platforms even if it is a browser/web app.

Let’s assume your dev machine is windows using the latest release of Firefox as an example. Just because your app passed all your tests on your machine for Firefox. Does not mean it will for Firefox on Android, Mac or Linux.

Maybe Firefox’s release point is different maybe in front or behind your dev machine. Even if they are the same it is still a different build of the browser. There is no guarantee that just because it works on yours, it will pass all the tests on those other platforms.

Re: clearly you don't pay for the developers

@gilphilbert I have not voted up or down on either yours or Michael’s posts. I understand the value to a developer of writing a single application that will run everywhere that the support is available. But browser/web apps are not the way this should be done.

Browsers and web standard were originally designed to display data from the internet in the form of a web page. There was no thought in that original design for running apps and security that having that functionality would require. We should not be trying to shoehorn in and bolt on functionality to create apps. This just creates security risks, by adding APIs that bad actors on the web can use to get out of the sand box to access other parts of the computer.

For write once run everywhere we need something that was designed and built for that purpose. Now I am not a web or Java dev but maybe Java (JVM) or something like it is the way to go. Now Java may not be up to the job, but that is the approach we should take. Not trying to co--opt a system to do something it was never designed to do.

Now before you say it as I think this maybe the case Java (JVM) does not run-on Android or IOS only on desktop OSs like Windows, Mac, Linux, etc. But can you really have a UI that works for both touch screen Phones and WIMP?

Unvaccinated and working at Apple? Prepare for COVID-19 testing 'every time' you step in the office

Re: @Howard Sway

@mevets "Urine tests for drug screening."

Seriously mevets, or are you just taking the piss?

Google trims the cut its Play Store takes from digital subscriptions, ebooks, music streaming

3% pay costs for the other 97%

3% pay costs for the other 97% hardly seems fair.

Also why should the million+ revenue generators pay twice as much per download transaction (30% v 15%). When the costs to the store are the same for security scans and the same per download bandwidth costs. The more they generate the more they already pay.

Windows 11 Paint: Oh look – rounded corners. And it is prettier... but slightly worse

Inconsistent UI

My biggest problem with Microsoft’s UI is it does not work in a consistent way across their applications. Take the ribbon for example. I have no problem with the ribbon I use it in the same way as dropdown menus by not having it pinned. In current paint click on the menu ribbon drops down click tool and ribbon disappears. In Word you click menu click choice, but the ribbon does not disappear until focus is back in the document mouse click doc or start typing.

With Paint for Win 11 they have managed to get the UI to not work in a consistent way in a single application. Home > ribbon, View > Dropdown menu!!!!

Minimalist tooltips useless. Tooltips are meant to inform you what a selection does not just give it a bloody name. Also show the bloody shortcuts.

Looking at the screen shots it looks like the ribbon is fixed can’t be unpinned if that is so that is another step backward.

Missouri governor demands prosecution of reporter for 'decoding HTML source code' and reporting a data breach

Re: The Register - Organ of Record

@AC "He reported it to BT, who covered their ass by seeking his conviction and labelling him a "hacker" under the "Computer Misuse Act"... and he was convicted."

Not quite how I remember it. He ran his tests because he had not receive a confirmation of his payment. As far as I can remember he did not report anything to BT. His tests set off BT intruder alarms and BT called the police.

When he was questioned he lied about what he had done which made it harder for BT to find out what had happened which added costs to BT's and the police's investigation.

He got convicted because he had lied. The Judge even said he would have been inclined to dismiss the case if he had not lied.

At the time I thought the conviction was harsh but if he had not lied chances are the case would have been dismissed.

Computer scientists at University of Edinburgh contemplate courses without 'Alice' and 'Bob'

The names hint at role

Quite a few of the names allude to what the character’s role is.

Eve, "eavesdropper"

Faythe, “trusted advisor”

Mallory, "malicious"

Trudy, “intruder”

Bob and Alice have a wiki page linked in the article https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alice_and_Bob&oldid=1048184437

Client-side content scanning is an unworkable, insecure disaster for democracy

Re: Isn't it wonderful

@Ken Hagan "The best bit, surely, is that the victims pay for the infrastructure"

Not just the infrastructure they also pay the running costs. The scan runs on the victim's device so it is using their resources. Also the results from the scan will be sent with the image, using the victim's data allowance.

All I want for Christmas is a delivery address that a delivery courier can find

Re: Sounds like the perfect solution to Christmas gift-giving

I would just as happy if it was the container with the drugs. Now that's what I would call a White Christmas. ;)

Google's VirusTotal reports that 95% of ransomware spotted targets Windows

Re: The hubris of Apple (oops I meant Google)

@ST "Do you have any direct knowledge of ransomware attacks on ChromeOS?

If you do, please post references here."

I did post a reference, a quote from the article quoting from Googles own report which is what the article was about. I assume you never read the article so here it is again.

""Our Chrome OS cloud-first platform has had no reported ransomware attacks … on any business, education or consumer Chrome OS device," brags Google."

So no ransomware attacks. Now that might be because Chrome is such a secure OS no one has created ransomware for it. Or maybe not much of a ransom can be got for encrypting little Johnny's school Chrome book.

Re: The hubris of Apple (oops I meant Google)

@ST "It was only a matter of a very short time before someone came up with the "Yeah, but Linux | FreeBSD | UNIX | Chrome ..." whataboutism."

The post by Cybersaber is not whataboutism when Google in their report brag about no ransomware attacks on Chrome.

""Our Chrome OS cloud-first platform has had no reported ransomware attacks … on any business, education or consumer Chrome OS device," brags Google."

Hence Cybersaber's comment "but that statement doesn't say anything useful at all about the security of Chrome".

The planet survived six hours without Facebook. Let's make it longer next time

Re: Without Facebook...

Take the advice of the doctor above;-

"Email. Phone. Snail mail." (Doctor Syntax)

Opt-out is the right approach for sharing your medical records with researchers

Public good!!

Dr Katherine Hanks main arguments are that the data can be anonymised and is for the public good.

The problem with anonymised data is that it can always be deanonymized. You will not be able to identify an individual from a single data set but once combined with all the other data sets out there that an individual falls into the easier it becomes to deanonymize and identify an individual.

What I really have a problem with the public good argument. It is for the greater good, it will reduce health care costs etc. Why would individuals not want to give up their private medical data for research and the benefit of society?

Well, I will when the medical industry also works for the benefit of society and not for profit. That is what will happen from the research on our medical data. From private health care to big pharma huge profits will be made from research on our medical data.

The best way to reduce health care costs for the benefit of society is to reduce the bloody huge profits that are being made by the medical industry.

If you want to use our data for the good of society then for the good of society you should not be making a profit from that data.

EU readies 'antitrust charges' against Apple Pay for locking rivals out of iPhone NFC chip

Re: I agree

@Fred Daggy i agree there is a cost to the merchant with cash certainly in the UK. I get some of my motorcycles serviced by a local mechanic. He is a small business a garage that just services and repairs motorcycles.

He would rather be paid by card than cash. The reason it saves trips to the bank. Also the cost of card is not much different as he is charged ((colour me shocked) to pay cash into his business account anyway. But when it comes to cards a bank debit card is best as it charges the merchant less than credit cards.

Re: While this is a real concern, it is only half the problem

@rjsmall the total is now £250

Intel's €80bn European chip plant investment plan not bound for UK because Brexit

Brexit changes nothing

UK would never have got the factory even if they were still part of the EU. Intel will choose the cheapest option for them.

It will be in one of three countries. Ireland for cheap tax, Spain for cheap labour cost and factory build cost, but most likely Poland for cheap labour cost and factory build cost and in this field a better skilled labour force as opposed to Spain.

Chiptune to brighten your afternoon: Winning 8-bit throwback music revealed

CNC lathe

Dragon32 Spectrums hah the mahine that led to my programming career was a CNC lathe.

Euro Parliament backs ban on cops using blanket facial-recognition surveillance

Re: LGBTI?

@AC Since when can sexual orientation be identified from a person's bone structure? What next identifying criminals by their cranial structure.

@AC I am sure that was not what you ment by androgynous facial structure and it was just how I read it.

Hell even the use makeup can't indicate sexual orientation otherwise all Goths are gay where in reality they are just pretentious, attention seeking bastards.. ;)

Google won't fight South Korea's new app store payment laws requiring third-party payments

using Google and Apple!!

@jollyboyspecial "There is a fine line to tread here. EA and their ilk are using Google and Apple to make money but they don't want to give Google or Apple a cut of that money."

No they are not, they are using the software they write to make money the platform is irrelevant. For example Epic's Fortnite is coded for multiple OS's, should Microsoft be entailed to a cut for the Windows version or Apple for the Mac version? Of course not, any more than a company that make after market exhausts for Ford cars or Honda motorcycles should pay a cut to Ford or Honda.

Netflix sued by South Korean ISP after Squid Game fans swell traffic to '1.2Tbps'

Re: Old timer here

@Noel Morgan "I seem to remember electricity usage going up when an episode was over." The time for a cup of tea power surge caused by millions of electric kettles being switched on. Not really the TV companies fault.

I blame the freeloading electric kettle manufacturers they should have been paying to upgrade our electricity grid. ;)

But seriously a good analogy.

Years of development, millions of lines of code, and Android can't even run a toilet

Re: Isn't this a solution looking for a problem?

@Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells "A PIR sensor would be simpler."

PIR sensor, is that a Piss Intensity Recognition sensor?

Reboot required!

Reboot required, words that should strike fear into the heart of any man standing with tackle out trying to take a piss. The very thought of it sounds painful, be it a soft reboot or heaven forbid a hard reboot. :0

Now if it had been ios not Android a painful reboot would not have been required, you're just holding it wrong. ;)

Texas cops sue Tesla claiming 'systematic fraud' in Autopilot after Model X ploughed into two parked police cars

Re: Insurance?

@Snowy “I would assume if your drunk and driving your insurance is going to be cancelled.”

Would it, I not sure. I can see it being cancelled from date of conviction but I m not sure they can rescind cover for the time of the accident.

I know in the UK the insurance company still has to pay out even if the driver is convicted of a road traffic offence like dangerous driving or speeding. I imagine that would also hold true for drink driving which is a lesser offence than dangerous driving.

Of course, it may well be different in the US.

Fake 'BT' caller fleeces elderly victim of £30k in APP app scam

Flagged the transfer as unusual behaviour

@Cuddles What the bank should have done is flagged the transfer as unusual behaviour and not allow the transfer to proceed. Then phone the account owner and ask why they are making the the transfer. Only after they have conformation that the account owner wants to make the transfer will they let the transfer proceed. If they don't receive an answer they should text the account holder to contact the bank.

Doing that would almost certainly allowed the bank to spot it was a scam and persuade the account holder not to authorise the transfer.

I am pretty sure my UK bank would have done exactly that. It has happened to me for genuine transactions a lot less than 30 grand.

@vogon00 "I'm in my mid-50s now, and look upon ALL youngsters (Not just Bank Clerks) as patronising knobs"

Why just youngsters, no matter what my age I've always looked upon everyone as patronising knobs.

Amazon delivery staff 'denied bonus' pay by AI cameras misjudging their driving

Re: AI driving assessment

@Eclectic Man Wow that's brilliant. I was chuffed I got 15 right then they mention the gorilla! Never saw it!

Indian state cuts off internet for millions to stop cheating in exams

Cheating or thinking outside the box?

@W.S.Gosset but were they cheating, did they break any rules for the assignment?

Maybe they did break the rules or maybe they were just thinking outside the box and got the information for the assignments in an unanticipated way.

I had a similar experience in the 90s, first year of my degree. I was reported for cheating on an assignment to produce a population density map of the Netherlands. From a supplied map and population data we were required to produce a 3-layer map on drawing film. The expectation was we would get our drafting pens out and hand draw the layers.

But I digitised the map and population points and fed them in as vector data into Coral Draw. Then in Coral Draw added a density symbol layer and an annotation layer and printed each layer out on drafting film.

Now too some it was viewed as cheating as I had not drawn the map. But in my lecturer’s view it was thinking outside the box and using the facilities and resources available to me to solve the problem.

To me if you have not broken the rules, then it is just solving the problem in an unexpected way.

One-size-fits-all chargers? What a great idea! Of course Apple would hate it

Re: Apple Cars

Cheers for reply DS999 :)

Re: Apple Cars

@DS999 Let's hope that is the case. But is that the case now is there a standard electric car charger?

I ask because from what I have seen in UK motorway service stations there are more than one type of charging station. I have seen Tesla and others each with their own bay.

Facebook overpaid FTC fine by up to $4.9bn to protect Zuckerberg, lawsuits allege

Insider trading

"The second suit, specifically, alleges the execs divested themselves of more Facebook shares between "June 26, 2013 through July 23, 2019" (the latter date being the day before the FTC fine was declared) than they otherwise would have."

Seems to me that there is a case to be made for Zuckerberg and the exces to be charged with Insider trading.

"Zuckerberg himself, had exploited the company's "non public information" (insider trading)."

Remember when UK watchdog spent a bunch of cash with Google warning people about ad scams ... on Google?

Re: Confused

@Throatwarbler Mangrove "Why should they be reimbursed?"

Because Google offered to reimburse them. From article.

"Back in June, as we've previously written, Mark Steward, director of enforcement and market insight at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), said Google had offered to repay the hundreds of thousands of pounds the authority spent on online ads warning people about the dangers of money scams. ..."

Amazon UK business swelled by 50%+ in 2020, and taxes soared. Lol, no, it means those paid by its staff

Re: Hmm

@codejunky “Would the gov prefer Amazon to not be around to pay so much tax?”

Yes, if it meant the return of local companies that Amazon has displaced who would pay more tax collectively because they do not shift profits out of the UK.

“Would the workers not want Amazon around so they dont have a job?”

They would not care they would have jobs with someone else. Amazon don’t create jobs they just shift them from other companies. The employment rate has not changed that much since Amazon arrived.

“Would the customers prefer Amazon to leave?” They would not care they would buy elsewhere.

Is it OK to use stolen data? What if it's scientific research in the public interest?

@Sub 20 Pilot “For those who say 'NO' unreservedly, what about the stolen / captured machines and codes which eventually led to the end of the second world war. Is this still stolen data that should not have been used ?”

Now without trying to justify war your argument is not relevant. In war the rules change, that’s how both sides justify killing each other. If they can justify that, they can justify using their enemy’s data against them.

That aside, on the issue of, “the stolen / captured machines and codes which eventually led to the end of the second world war” or did they prolong the war. Maybe the war would have been shorter just with different victors. Just playing the icon.

Apple's M1 MacBook screens are stunning – stunningly fragile and defective, that is, lawsuits allege

Re: M1 hARM

Up vote for Good Omens

Bepanted shovel-toting farmer wins privacy payout from France TV

Re: Don't get it

@oiseau “In your rather narrow view of what happened (to which you are entitled), journalists at the scene of such an incident would need to get everyone at the site to sign the proper release forms before turning on their cameras?”

Well in the courts probably not so narrow of view of what happened his privacy was breached.

There is a lot that cannot be known from the article, or the linked article that was in English.

Was the violence the only thing he was charged with? If so, then filming on his land without permission and then broadcasting it was breaching his privacy.

Was the film broadcast before the conviction? If it was then not pixelating him out was a breach of privacy. Pixelating people out is what normally happens and no release form is needed to broadcast, we see it all the time for investigative journalism.

“What was filmed and later broadcast by France Télévisions was not news?”

Would it have been any less news if he was pixelated out?

News that they were part of because they were trespassing. France Télévisions were taking the law into their own hands. Maybe there would have been no violence if they had reported their suspicions to the police and came with the police and filmed.

App Annie fined $10m by the SEC for deceptive practices around how it presented data

Not the same as found guilty

@Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse "effectively guilty as charged."

While that is true, effectively guilty is not the same as found guilty.

When it comes to breaking the law it should not be possible to settle a case without admitting guilt, being found guilty and the verdict recorded.

The general public can't agree to settle can they? When was the last time someone was charged with something like say, car theft agreed to settle for a lesser punishment, say a year in jail, without admitting guilt and not being found guilty.

Catch of the day... for Google, anyway: Transatlantic Cornwall cable hauled ashore

No gain for Sennen

@wolfetone "Well that'll please all the London wankers holidaying in Cornwall no end."

Not really there will be no benefit for Cornwall's internet.

My mum lived in Sennen and those cables probable run right past her front door just like FA:1.

When they laid FA:1 around 2201 they dug up the A30 as far as her road. Did a right and dug up her road for the last 1/2 mile to the bay. At that time she could not get a decent internet service not even basic as she was too far from the exchange.

After the work was finished could she decent internet? No still too bloody far from the exchange.

With the transatlantic cable running within 7 meters of her front door, she could not get speeds much better than dial-up.

Linus Torvalds admits to 'self-inflicted damage' with -Werror as Linux 5.15 rc1 debuts

@gnasher729 “It is stupid to think that I should write a range check for 1 <= I <= 10 in a different way to a check 0 <= I <= 10.”

It is also stupid to think you should write a lower bound test for a range that starts at 0 when the variable is an unsigned integer. Unsigned integers can never be less than 0, therefore a test is not needed.

I would hazard a guess that was what the warning was trying to tell you.

Off yer bike: Apple warns motorcycles could shake iPhone cameras out of focus forever

Re: What did you expect?

@ShadowSystems I agree why would you want to expose your smart phone to an environment it was not designed for. Most smart phones are consumer grade electronics not designed for the harsh environment of a motorcycle’s handlebars. It is not only vibration the phone will be subjected to.

I live in the UK I have often ridden in torrential rain, hail, sleet and snow. In below freezing temperatures that with the addition of wind chill factor cause ice to form on my motorcycle clothing. Smart phones are not designed for that environment.

If you need to have sat-nav or a camera then buy one designed for that environment. I keep my phones in my jacket’s top inside pocket and they have not seemed to have suffered any adverse effects.

RAF chief: Our Reaper drones (sorry, SkyGuardians) stand ready to help British councils

Re: Time to get tough

@AC "graffiti" Banksy, your days are numbered, 18 Brimstone is the number ;)

UK.gov is launching an anti-Facebook encryption push. Don't think of the children: Think of the nuances and edge cases instead

@Charles 9 "Um...didn't that actually happen during World War II?"

No it didn't. Logistics alone would have prevent that. There would not be the man power :- "Royal Mail will be opened, scanned, copied, kept, and scanned for key phrases."

But they were able to without warrants, do that to mail they suspected. But even those restrictions in peoples rights required a country to be at war and fighting for their very survival. "Think of the children" hardly falls into that category.

DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats sue NYC for trying to permanently cap delivery fees

Increase delivery prices for customers!

"increase delivery prices for customers" how?

No matter how the delivery cost are spread the customer will end up paying it. The more the restaurant has to pay the higher their food prices will be to maintain their profit margin.

Maybe a better idea for NYC would be to ordered the price charged for delivery (restaurant and customer) be itemised alongside the actual cost for the food.

Sort-of Epic win as judge kills Apple ban on apps linking to outside payment systems

Pyrrhic victory?

It is more than a pyrrhic victory.

If Epic pay the 30% on the previous sales then Apple have no argument not reinstate them in their app store. From then on Epic can offer their 10% cheaper purchase options. This also applies to new apps Epic makes.

I am sure companies like Blizzard have been watching this case I expect that their game Hearthstone which is also free to install will now offer their own cheaper in game purchase options.

If this judgement is not appealed by Apple what do Apple do next as a lot of the app stores largest revenue providers will offer cheaper options? Continue an app store that provides little revenue from the largest revenue generators. Or allow other ways to install apps (side loading or other stores).

Epic Games asks for Apple's help to put South Korea's alternative app payments law to work

Re: We allow alternative stores...

@John Robson "Apple aren't stopping any developer from publishing an app with an alternate store option."

Yes they bloody are.

The only way to install an app is through Apple's store. As Fortnite is banned from the store it cannot be installed. Therefore no alternative payments can be offered. Apple has two choices if they want to comply with S. Korea law.

1) Allow an alternative method to install, side loading or allow alternative stores.

2) Add Fortnite to their store.

Indonesian President's COVID jab cert leaks – authorities argue that's perfectly reasonable

Transparency

I have no sympathy for politicians. But in this case it seems transparency is dammed if you do dammed if you don't.

Apple stalls CSAM auto-scan on devices after 'feedback' from everyone on Earth

People have rights too!

@gnasher729 “1. Apple has the right to keep illegal materials off its servers.”

They do but that right is not a pass to do anything they want. People have rights too. I think the right not to have spyware install on their phone to scan images using the phone owner’s resources trumps Apple’s right.

Lenovo pops up tips on its tablets. And by tips, Lenovo means: Unacceptable ads

Re: Radio days

@Trigonoceps occipitalis "So pushing BBC programmes and podcasts etc is not advertising?"

It is not commercial advertising, Daedalus said commercial. Informing the public of up coming programs and podcasts could be classed as adverts, but not commercial.

In much the same way as short public information films could be classed as adverts.