Posts by Joe Drunk

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes's arguments for new trial deemed spurious – just like her tech

Re: Baby baby

If her husband/father of the child is wealthy then a nanny will raise it.

Microsoft mulls cheap PCs supported by ads, subs

Cheaper to buy refurbished kit

and you get the same performance from mid-range used PCs versus brand new low-end. I suppose in some markets it may be difficult to find decent refurbs or just-off-lease but here they are plentiful.

Amazon CEO accused of trampling labor laws with anti-union comments

The main reason people want to unionize is because they don't like the way they're being treated.

Maybe if corporations would stop lying to potential hires with phrases like "great place to work" "opportunities for advancement" "exceptional leadership that recognizes and rewards outstanding efforts" etc.

If they would be more honest with phrases like "you will be exploited to the fullest extent" "you will never be viewed as anything more to the company than a disposable drone" "random firings are a regular occurrence" "ask for nothing from your immediate manager because nothing is what you'll receive" etc. then employees would have nothing to complain about since expectations were made clear during the hiring process. I imagine there would be a lot less potential hires.

'Baby Al Capone' to pay $22m to SIM-swap crypto-heist victim

Isn't social media wonderful?

/sarcasm

Microsoft delays controversial ban on paid-for open source, WebKit in app store

Windows Store does as good a job of vetting as Chrome Store

https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/super-media-and-dvd-player/9P57ZKWLZ6NJ?hl=en-us&gl=US

Take a close look at the GUI - look familiar?

I don't download ANYTHING from there.

Windows 11: The little engine that could, eventually

Re-added need for MS Account to download from Windows Store.

Windows 8/8.1 - need MS Account to download from Windows Store.

Windows 10 - removed need for MS Account to download from Windows Store.

Windows 11 - Re-instated need for MS Account to download from Window Store.

Hard pass on Windows 11 unless I'm forced to buy new computer.

Europol arrests nine suspected of stealing 'several million' euros via phishing

Average punter too naive

I get those emails all the time purporting to be from my bank, Paypal, etc. I never click on any link provided because I already have them bookmarked. I login to the same links I've always used, yup, all is well. Nice try fraudsters, you need to up your game if you want my logins, but you won't. It's easier and more profitable to go after the low hanging fruit.

Brave roasts DuckDuckGo over Bing privacy exception

DuckDuckGo TV Ad mocking Google

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWpPyYlZXNI

They've been airing this ad a lot lately. I'm curious as to how much royalties they have to pay every time they show it for using The Police's "Every Breath You Take" especially since they don't make money from ad revenue and don't charge for using their browser/search engine.

Cookie consent crumbles under fresh UK data law proposals

Re: Straightforward solution

Websites should not be allowed to set any non-essential cookies without the user opting in

They shouldn't but they do because you're just another revenue stream. Straightorward solution? Block all cookies, not just third party. You don't need them unless you're logging on to a website. Mozilla warns me that disabling all cookies will break websites but that's a load of BS - websites all work fine unless you need to log on. I cheerfully click 'Accept All Cookies' on websites that prompt me then check browser cookies - empty.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/cookiesnew/

This Mozilla browser extension toggles acceptance/blockage of all cookies. I enable cookies to login/shop/bank then remove them but otherwise all cookies are blocked.

No one cares about your privacy except you.

Microsoft's sought-after tabbed File Explorer gets closer to release

Sought after by who(m)?

With the vast, vast sea of Windows feature-rich File Explorer replacements that have been available since Windows 3.0 how is this relevant? I started with File Manager in Windows 3.1 but eventually moved to Total Commander. There are plenty of freeware that have had tabbed file browsing since Windows 95. Running out of ideas MICRO~1?

Clonezilla 3: Copy and clone disk images to your heart's content

Re: Windows imaging

Thanks but unlike Clonezilla Drivesnapshot is NOT free. Additionally, both Aeomei and Macrium have free versions for home use, have been tried and tested on various Windows servers/workstation editions and have support forums. I have tested Macrium extensively with Windows XP, 7 and 10 and have found it to be a reliable drive backup tool

Only tool that can successfully restore a Linux image backup

I installed Lubuntu 18/EXT4 on an old Dell PC I had. I imaged the drive with R-Drive, Macrium, Acronis, Paragon, Aeomei and Clonezilla. They all appeared to image the drive successfully to an external USB HD. Each time I wiped the source drive and booted off rescue media to restore with the above tools. They all appeared to restore successfully. Lubuntu would not boot. Repeating the same steps except this time I restored with Clonezilla and Lubuntu booted up to the exact same state as when the image was created. I also repeated the same steps except this time it was with Windows 7 x64. Wiped the drive, restored with Clonezilla, Windows 7 booted to the exact same state when it was imaged.

Clonezilla is definitely the most flexible imaging tool regarding file systems/OS I've used. Yes, the interface can be daunting to novices but El Reg regulars shouldn't have any problems. I'm not sure if it has the ability to restore an image to an HD that is a different size than the source, maybe someone else can chime in but Clonezilla live is definitely on my Ventoy USB drive alone with other bootable ISO tools I consider essential.

Original killer PC spreadsheet Lotus 1-2-3 now runs on Linux natively

Re: WordPerfect

Despite all the advanced features of Wordperfect 5.1 for DOS, the prevalent word processor of that era I was never a fan.

I needed at the time a WYSIWYG word processor and was introduced to Q&A by Symantec. It was nice to be able to see what your document would look like printed out as you typed (formatting, bold, underline, italics etc.) without having to go into a preview mode. Used it for many years during my university years with various dot matrix printers until I switched to Windows 95/Word 95.

Google makes outdated apps less accessible on Play Store

Re: Necessary abandonware

I have a lot of abandonware on my Android phone as well. One of my essentials is Extreme Call Blocker which, unlike other call blockers which send unwanted calls to voice mail, will pick up and hang up unwanted calls silently. I had backed up all those to my sd card so when I upgraded I installed all of them without Play Store. I don't upgrade any app unless I'm forced to (I.E., stops working like Shazam) so I rarely ever open Play Store.

The analogy of using PCs doesn't really apply since I have plenty of Abandonware on my PCs that can no longer be found anywhere on the web. If you like your software keep backups of them.

FTC sues Intuit for false advertising, says 'free' TurboTax isn't always free

US 1040 forms not as complicated as they are made out to be

If you can do addition/subtraction, calculate percentages and have the ability to lookup numbers on a chart you then have all the skills needed to fill out a US 1040. I used to fill out my own and still help friends and family fill theirs out even joint returns. Anything more complicated (investment income, 1099 etc.) I refer them to a paid tax preparer. I don't fill out my own anymore life got too complicated requiring an accountant to do it quarterly.

A basic 1040 is just that - basic. Single/no dependants? US 1040EZ (single page).

The forms are all downloadable PDF fillable forms from IRS website with detailed instructions and criteria for each.

Google's Chrome OS Flex could revive old PCs, Macs

I'll be excited when it runs Android apps.

No, you won't. As the vast majority of Android apps require ARM you will find that all but Google Apps and Firefox will fail to run (Force-close). I have installed several versions of Android x86 and found very few Android apps with x86 builds.

Three US states plus Washington DC sue Google for using UI design 'dark patterns' to harvest your location

Good for you. There are those of us that get lost in a long hallway. Which sucks. Before GPS, I just didn't go anywhere.

Yea I really like GPS/SATNAV - just not on my phone. This is why I purchased a dedicated unit (Garmin) that doesn't connect to anything except GPS satellites. It also came with free lifetime map updates. I still use Google Maps (not the app, in the phone's web browser) when I need to find points of interest. Location service etc. disabled which has boosted battery life and data usage significantly.

Throw away your Ethernet cables* because MediaTek says Wi-Fi 7 will replace them

Re: I'll Believe It When I See It

My Samsung phone's Wifi becomes useless when the microwave is on.

Yea, used to happen to me too constantly with any WIFI device that connected to my router's 2.4GHz band when using the microwave. That problem disappeared now that I connect exclusively to my router's 5GHz band.

I don't know how old your Samsung phone is but my Galaxy S3 can connect to 5GHz.

Buy your own router, not your ISP provided kit. Even if your ISP provides modem/router combo, plug your router into their ethernet. Makes your wireless life much easier.

Working overtime? Those extra hours might not be hurting your wellbeing after all – just don't tell Jeff Bezos or Jack Ma

Human Resources robot says working long hours is good for your health

Human Resources robot works banker's hours so has never personally experienced overtime but is certain that drones love their company so much they will not only sacrifice all of their personal life for it but cheerfully accept their fate when mass redundancies are made.

Silly Human Resources robot.

Canon: Chip supplies are so bad that our ink cartridges will look as though they're fakes

Well that sucks - I own and Epson CX9400Fax that refuses to send faxes if ink needs replacement but scan function still works. In fact, I haven't replaced ink cartridges in over a decade since I have a laser for printing. The Epson is a dedicated scanner now since I don't need the fax function anymore.

Notes on the untimely demise of 3D Pinball for Windows

Space Cadet Pinball works just fine in x64

Thankfully there are coders more talented than mickeysoft's that are able to port it to modern operating systems.

https://github.com/k4zmu2a/SpaceCadetPinball

What if we said you could turn any disk into a multi-boot OS installer for free without touching a single config file?

Longtime user of RMPrep, Rufus and Yumi here. Started using Ventoy earlier this year and was impressed. Haven't tried it for installing OSes yet (Rufus for that) but for multiboot USB with utility/PE ISO images. Macrium Reflect, Aomei Partition Assistant, Parted Magic, Sergei Strelec WinPE, Acronis True Image, Puppy Linux. All boot easily and once you create a Ventoy USB adding/updating is a breeze. Just copy your bootable ISO images over.

Didn't work properly with older BIOS PCs but no problems with UEFI.

Netgear router flaws exploitable with authentication ... like the default creds on Netgear's website

Re: A basic approach

My previous ISP supplied me with an AIO router/modem device which they managed.

Solution: I plugged my router into one of their device's ethernet ports. Never had any issues for 3 years. I switched ISPs for one that let me purchase my own modem. Best part: Didn't have to make any changes to my LAN since I am using the same router, no passwords/SSIDs had to be modified unless I wanted to.

I hope most Reg readers here use their own routers rather than ISP supplied. Makes life easier especially when troubleshooting connectivity issues.

Doesn't matter the vendor or device

Helpfully, Netgear itself publishes default login credentials for "most" of its products on its website. If you haven't been into your Netgear router's admin panel and changed these default creds, you're at increased risk.

If you haven't changed the default creds on any internet facing device you're at major risk since most vendors' websites publish the default logins with the assumption that they will be changed before use.

Yea, my router came with the option to manage it via a smartphone app so I could pretend to be cool, y'know, like a millenial.

Hard pass. Remote access denied. Once you have the router setup the way you want there's nothing else to manage except logging into it periodically from your LAN to check if there's any unauthorized connections.

When civilisation ends, a Xenix box will be running a long-forgotten job somewhere

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That would be my reaction If I got a call from some place I haven't worked at in 5 years complaining about some fix I put in that suddenly stopped working. Sure, I'll be more than happy to fix it... once we agree on compensation. P.S. My rates have increased since I last worked for you.

Reviving a classic: ThinkPad modder rattles tin to fund new motherboard for 2008's T60 and T61 series of laptops

Love the Lenovo Battery Manager

Something I haven't seen in other models. I use my Thinkpad mainly on AC power. Keeping your battery constantly at 100% is not good for the lifespan. Lenovo Battery Manager allows you to set at what threshold to start and stop charging (they recommend 50% to prolong battery life). This mean I can leave my Thinkpad plugged in but it won't charge the battery past 50% unless I want it to. If I plan to use it on battery then I set it to charge 100%.

These Rapoo webcams won't blow your mind, but they also won't break the bank

Re: Really?

Still don't get Millenials' obsession with video calls.

At the beginning of lockdown we jumped aboard the Zoom bandwagon but it was too much of a hassle with those with bad WIFI/limited tech skills.

I'm old fashioned. A dial-up conference bridge that we use for our weekly staff meetings, no tech knowledge or even PC needed, just a pad and pen. Don't need to see if you forgot to wear pants, hair is a mess, unshaven etc. Quick and painless, no software updates/guiding anyone through settings, why is my mic/camera not working, no, just no.

I haven't done a video call in months, haven't missed it and neither do my colleagues.

Canon makes 'all-in-one' printers that refuse to scan when out of ink, lawsuit claims

Re: Standard Industry Malpractice?

I too have an Epson AIO inkjet that won't print or send faxes if ink is low. Remarkably I am still able to scan so I can use it with a USB Faxmodem to send the occasional fax. I have a separate laser printer for printing (no, I won't mention brand names I'm not here to help $BLOATEDCORP$ make more money).

I won't buy another AIO anything from any manufacturer ever again.

Tech widens the educational divide. And I should know – I'm a teacher in a pandemic

Faulty parents

Kids who don't complete Home Learning Packs lack a role model at home that ensures these assignments get done. I did a stint upgrading teachers' desktop PCs at a high school a few years back before the pandemic. The students who had the most difficulty behavior wise and grade wise also had parents who wouldn't reply to emails or letters sent home requesting to meet with them. It's almost as if once they breed them they expect the school to raise their kids for them. Bad home life equals bad school life.

Age discrimination case against IBM leaks emails, docs via bad redaction

IBM - the Grand Masters of Bullshit Bingo

I am in awe after reading all the communique from their senior management.

London Greenwich station: A reminder of former glories. Like Windows XP

Re: How much longer will we have to endure this ?

You must be new to El Reg.

https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/14/bork/

Papa don't breach: UK data watchdog fines that other pizza place £10,000 over unsolicited marketing blitz

Re: Our intention was to reach only those potentially interested in our offers

If you want real pizza you don't get it from a chain restaurant, you get it at an independently owned family run place. You can even watch as they toss it in the air and spin the pizza dough into shape, add your toppings and put it in the oven. Chain places are the equivalent of frozen pizza with some added toppings.

Microsoft: Behold, at some later date, the next generation of Windows

Re: Most of my time is spent writing.

You guys are lucky. Most of my spare time is spent fixing things around the house!

Microsoft demotes Calibri from default typeface gig, starts fling with five other fonts

Re: Obviously

I've always preferred Tahoma.

Microsoft announces a new Office for offline fans, slashes support, hikes the price

Still on Office 2010

On a Windows 7 box. Have had no problems opening Word files with crazy macros or Excel spreadsheets with VB macros that are sent to me produced with O365/2019. Office 2010 opens much faster than its cloudy counterparts. Not a one drive user but until Mickeysoft makes upcoming versions of online docs incompatible with legacy versions I'm sticking with my 2010 offline.

Salesforce: Forget the ping-pong and snacks, the 9-to-5 working day is just so 2019, it's over and done with

Re: WFHSS

It can be just as stressful as coming to the office, you have to learn to adapt. As someone with a 90 minute commute each way WFH is a god send. No more leaving to work when it's dark outside and arriving home when it's dark outside. As others have stated, I do other things like laundry etc. but now I can wake up a little later and at the end of the day the day I logout and am already home. My work day has been reduced significantly with only the occasional after hours work. More me time equals more happiness. Truthfully the only time I am ever bothered after hours are by less technical colleagues having problems since our firm has greatly reduced IT support to the point where our team relies on each other rather than using the support portal.

As a consultant I don't miss the interaction in any way, we have email, phone and zoom.

Microsoft SolarWinds analysis: Attackers hid inside Windows systems by wearing the skins of legit processes

Re: What?

Having your PC behave as you wish is something Mickeysoft is going through great lengths to ensure is no longer possible with each iteration of its OS.

You can disable updates but they will be re-enabled against your will. This is due to the Windows Update Medic Service that monitors the status of Windows Update and will enable it if disabled. The Update Medic Service can't be disabled by ordinary means.

I had to use a third party tool (Windows Update Blocker) to disable Medic Service and now I am in control of updates, not Mickeysoft. No more "My PC was working fine until an update and now XXX doesn't work anymore" as one of the most common gripes on any Windows 10 support forum.

Loser Trump is no longer useful to Twitter, entire account deleted over fears he'll whip up more mayhem

Re: An elephant in the room

But what of Donald J Trump? There will be several volumes that will fill up shelves of the Library of Congress.

Forget volumes in a library - I can't wait for the mini-series to come out on a streaming platform, I will gladly subscribe just to watch it!

I wonder which actor they'll get to play Trump?

P.S. I live here in the US and I'm not concerned with President Stump pushing any button. He has painted himself into a corner, all alone with no allies save his rabid hate mongering supporters. He is a lame duck whose clock is ticking (12 days left).

Why make games for Linux if they don't sell? Because the nerds are just grateful to get something that works

I'm flabbergasted!

I've read about this elusive creature - the Linux Gamer but have always dismissed it as myth. I still can't believe it. It's not April 1st. Bah, I need proof otherwise it's just more Big Foot / Loch Ness Monster tall tales.

'Best tech employer of the year' threatened trainee with £15k penalty fee for quitting to look after his sick mum

"top business and technology professionals"

"Cheapest business and technology disposable employees" FTFY.

It's been a while but is 3 months without pay and then a 2 year indentured servitude the new standard for those entering IT? That would pushed me off to a different field!

Ad blocking made Google throw its toys out of the pram – and now even more control is being taken from us

This

I'm not stealing anything by blocking ads. All ads are lies. All advertisers will use any trick or blatantly lie to get you to part with your money. You simply can't trust any ad. PERIOD.

I block all ads and unwanted scripts. I say it with pride.

Rogue ex-Cisco employee who crippled WebEx conferences and cost Cisco millions gets two years in US prison

I wouldn't trust Cisco to secure my cookie jar

How does an ex-employee still have log-in access after 5 months?

I hope those of you still using Cisco gear for your secure infrastructure will re-evaluate and consider other vendors.

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

Yeah I remember Ask Jeeves

That would be that toolbar/browser homepage hijacker that came bundled with the majority of free/opens source software and would get surreptitiously installed if you clicked too rapidly on various 'I Agree' dialogs while installing.

Good riddance to bad garbage.

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

Hey corporate morons

Whenever I purchase any product and/or service it's done entirely for my benefit and my benefit only, not yours! I didn't purchase this printer so I can be a loyal customer of some faceless, soul-less corporation. I could care less if your corporation goes bankrupt as a result of my using third party consumables and the subsequent circumvention of any technology you have in place that would prevent me from doing so!

It somehow gives me a little pleasure to give the middle finger to the robot-like C-suites who follow the same playbook (Do everything as cheaply as possible and fleece your customers as much as possible).

I do hope those of you with wireless printers on your LAN have them configured with static IPs and the gateway set to 0.0.0.0.

New lawsuit: Why do Android phones mysteriously exchange 260MB a month with Google via cellular data when they're not even in use?

Disable background data

I noticed this too and was very annoyed that there was no way to prevent it. Worse still was Google's indifference to users' complaint on various forums.

This probably depends on your model handset but on all my Galaxy phones if you go to Data Usage it will show you all apps that use data sorted by usage. If you click on any app it will have a box labeled "Restrict Background Data". I unticked EVERYTHING except the Transparent Clock & Weather App which uses 205 kilobytes of data daily. All Google services gave a warning that they may stop functioning altogether but I ignored this since the only Google service I use occasionally is Play Store.

Works fine. Now the only time my mobile data is used is when I open an app that requires internet (I am now in control of my data usage, not Google). Two middle fingers to you Google.

We did NAT see that coming: How malicious JavaScript can open holes in your firewall for miscreants to slip through

Re: "visit a website containing malicious JavaScript"

I used to keep javascript disabled by default in Firefox. Unfortunately more and more websites either don't work properly or just give you a blank page (El Reg being the exception). Also WEBEX extensions refuse to work without javascript.

Alphabet thanks ads and AI for its $124m-a-day quarterly profit, and comes out swinging against antitrust action

It's Win-Win

I block ALL ads on all my devices.

Google still reports a 9.8 increase in ad revenue from last year.

As Amazon pulls union-buster job ads, workers describe a 'Mad Max' atmosphere – unsafe, bullying, abusive

Re: There's a simple solution

I know a few people who work at a local Walmart in non-management roles. It's a paradise compared to how Amazon treats their workers. I've heard places like UPS/FEDEX are similar in the constant stress of losing your job for no reason (I've known people who worked there as well).

Nobody's pointing a gun to your head and telling you to work at these shitholes. Given the skillset there are plenty of alternatives. There currently is an increased demand for sub-contractors/day laborers that pay competitive rates. You will work had, get your hands dirty but will be treated far better than any Megacorp and at the end of the day enjoy some well earned pints. I speak from personal experience.

Physical stress is much easier to overcome than emotional/mental stress. With physical stress you come home tired and sleep soundly whereas emotional/mental stress causes you to toss and turn all night.

'Get out of my office, you're being a pest!' Yes, son. Toymaker releases work-from-home-themed play sets

Have an upvote.

not just for drinking at lunch but the for absence of the 90 minute commute!

Dutch Gateway store was kept udder wraps for centuries until refit dug up computing history

Re: Relegated to the attic...

My Gateway MD2601u laptop from 2009 still chugs along, I mostly use it for testing OS installs.