Posts by hoola

Microsoft Copilot to hijack your browser... for your own convenience

Re: You can take my Firefox

Err no, that is just the typical comment from a commentard on El Reg how does not work in the real world. I do and have done starting in IT in 1998.

Re: You can take my Firefox

With you except for the barbed comment on ignorance.

It is some Linux fanatics would do well to realise that for corporate uses there is no choice and the majority of consumers there is a choice of Windows, iOS or Android.

They simply cannot deal with the issues of switching to Linux when in reality they are faced with an incomprehensible variety of distributions that their current soft will not run on.

What is straightforward for an IT professional or Linux fan is not for the majority.

So much for power to the people – AI datacenters could jump UK grid queue

Re: Can't take the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero seriously

What many do not realise when talking about UK oil and gas is that it is very expensive to extract.

There is an assumption because it is "ours" it is cheap. I agree that it would be better not to put money into the pockets of most oil producing states.

Generating 49MW on site can only be gas unless they are proposing SMR.

The alleged queue for datacentre connections is more than the entire average UK power consumption. It us just utter bollocks and a complete environmental disaster with minimal useful gain.

Re: more madness

Backhanders and doing deals so that they do not pay the same energy costs at the expense of everyone else.

This us yet more if this crap, inept government baring it's backside to apease the orange one and the US tech companies.

Let's be honest, AI datacentres are not and never will be strategic.

UK watchdog eyes Meta's smart glasses after workers say they 'see everything'

Re: describing the allegations as "concerning."

Equally who are the completely clues idiots that use them.

With so much of the IoT and wearable crap it really does not add much value except for the people who want to show how up to date and on trend they are.

It is why we are in such a mess with privacy.

50 GW of datacenter demand queues up for UK grid access

Re: 50GW?

It is more than doubling demand for UK power. Putting it in that perspective makes you realise just what the insanity of these datacentres is. There never going to be that much benefit, it is just madness.

Presumably UK planing is a soft touch.

https://gridwatch.co.uk/

Sopra Steria sues UK government over £958M Capita outsourcing award

Re: In other news...

This is everything that is wrong on public sector procurement. These huge companies just suck billions of tax payer's money out for poor value. Then when they don't get their way the sue. Heaven forbid if they don't deliver, nothing is the company's fault. I hope the tender evaluation Haa been done properly (documented and due process in evaluation) and Sopra Steria lose .

Anthropic accuses China's AI labs of ripping off content – just like it did

Whilst that is correct a human read, understood and made use of that data. The sources will have been referenced & credited. Royalties will have been paid when books are purchased.

What the AI & LLM engines are doing is scraping huge volumes of material regardless copyright, ownership or accuracy. These companies have no care for anything other than amassing as much material as possible then using it to spew out dubious answers.

The big FOSS vendors don't eat their own dogfood – they pay for proprietary groupware

Re: Too much ideology makes Liam unproductive

However today email is a very tiny part of that collaboration suite.

It is also the easiest to make work.

Now add in all the stuff people have ( not saying actually use it all) with M365 and you see the problem. We moved from Teams to Slack corporately and it is a total abomination. I was surprised at how much better Teams is in comparison.

Machine learning could yield faster, cheaper lithium-ion battery development

Re: This is actually sensible and useful

Yes in principle, we need to move away from lithium particularlyfor tractionand storage. . Salt batteries are now viable in terms of capacity and size, they just need the volume to reduce cost.

For small portable devices lithium is still likely to be the better option for now.

Lithium is a complete environmental disaster from source thorough to disposal and recycling.

Amazon's European datacenter buildout blows a breaker as grid connection wait list hits 7 years

Re: But fusion......

It still needs cables and substations.......

UK watchdog to rule on £142M Post Office subsidy over Horizon scandal and IR35

Fujitsu?

And where is Fujitsu in this?

How about the Government claws back money from Fujitsu & better, stops giving then new contracts.

Given what has gone on it really cannot be that difficult to reduce the payments on existing contracts to recoup the money they should be paying up.

EU's fishy digital certificate system leaves exporters floundering

I have a solution:

Simply place a barcode on each fish......

It can be done with apples so why not fish? They just need to be encouraged to swim near an appropriate printer/laser/zapper to be barcoded.

Or better still if you prefer GM, modify the fish so the barcode is integrated from the start :)

Palantir declares itself the guardian of Americans' rights

Open Sourcing the software will not help, it is the data that is the issue.

Birmingham City Council's Oracle ERP fiasco now £144M and still not working

Re: The people involved

You have missed at one group (and probably the most critical):

The people who set the requirements the system has to meet. The same people that either require changes to be made or approve requests from others to make changes.

In my experience this is the group that can derail many implementations. To be fair this was going to be a disaster anyway, it is simply the scale that is up for debate.

You mean like the proposal to merge councils into unitary authorities.....

Something that appears to be going to not save any money and more likely end up costing far more than the current system.

NS&I's IT car crash considers cutting legacy links to stop the bleeding

Re: WHY?!

This is all down to the insane procurement rules.

When a tender is evaluated you can only go on the information that is supplied and the references included in the document.

You are not allowed to use prior direct contract knowledge or anything that you had read.

This is all so that unsuccessful responses cannot then sue because they failed to win.

Public sector procurement is all about protecting the public body from being sued by the private sector. Those bidding know this and it is why the entire thing is such a shambles. It is mostly the fault of the private sector who see any public body as a source of cash to be ruthlessly exploited.

This is also why it is so difficult to act on failure and cancel contracts, use legal means to enforce contracts and generally get those private sector organisations to deliver what they claimed.

That much of what the claimed is pure fantasy and is only to win a procurement process is largely lost in the noise.

Microsoft illegally installed cookies on schoolkid's tech, data protection ruling finds

Re: Default On.

But this is not just Microsoft. Anything that is accessed using a browser is setting cookies. Even if you decline them "Reject All" all the wretched 'Legitimate Interests' are still on, often hundreds of them.

Tech employees demand their leaders take a stand against ICE

Re: CSuite are doing the right thing

Here in the UK where I live we have the County Council controlled by Reform.

Two councillors have made statements on Social Media supporting in the last 48 hours supporting Trump, ICE and the shooting in Minneapolis. This is on the back of a list of what are borderline unacceptable statements.

This is the same party that gained huge numbers of votes at the last general election with a leading who appears aligned with Trump.

Then we have a succession of MPs defecting to Reform as far as I can see to hedge their bets and ensure the best chance or still being an MP at the next election. The Current PM appears to have no guts in standing up to Trump with the completely one-sided trade agreements and not denouncing the endless rhetoric that comes from the White House.

If people in the UK believe that Reform is the answer to all our current woes are really hope they are following what is happening on the other side of the Atlantic closely.

Who knows, maybe many do think this a good thing.......

Microsoft shifting to cloud management software brings possibility of it peeking into your estate

Licencing

In the article it mentions licensing as a negative.

Now whilst I disagree with the way commercial licensing is heading if one is using a product that has to be paid for then it should be licensed appropriately.

If you don't want to pay find a FOSS alternative.

Just not agreeing with a licensing model or cost does not make using the product without paying right.

If you cannot find a cheaper or FOSS alternative it rather suggests that paying is the only option.

How does going on prem help?

You have to remove US software and hardware from your infrastructure.

Good luck trying to do that.....

Most things now need to phone a friend at some point to work properly if you want it licensed or supported.

Patch or die: VMware vCenter Server bug fixed in 2024 under attack today

Re: 1/2 or cybersecurity bill

The trouble is they have all retired.

Those that are left are at the back end of a career seeing the writing on the wall approaching as young wizkids impress useless managers with bull.

With everything software defined, something as a service or outsourced most don't care about experience and skills.

We are too old and refuse to adapt when you point out failings and see the same car crash approaching that you have already fixed two or three times over the years.

House of Lords votes to ban social media for Brits under 16

Re: An analogy is swimming

The big difference is that it is proving impossible to bring the Social Media platforms to account.

They are outside the UK.

They have very deep pockets so any legal action is simply a delaying tactic that is lost in the noise of their operations.

Until there are effective ways to actually prosecute the platforms, the directors & enforce meaningful sanctions nothing is going to change.

Tories vow to boot under-16s off social media and ban phones in schools

Re: Just noise

Like Labour and the Tory-LibDem coalition.....

Pretty much any party now produces a manifesto that is fiction.

Ofcom officially investigating X as Grok's nudify button stays switched on

Re: Wat will Grok take down ?

If I understood one report on this some of the accounts creating this content are actually paying so there is a paper trail to at least a valid payment source.

Good luck to the authorities trying to make any progress on that because as we have seen so many times Big Tech just deny there is an issue or quote "Privacy".

What this actually equates to is that you can do pretty much anything with impunity unless it is so bad they have to take it down (executions spring to mind).

Brussels plots open source push to pry Europe off Big Tech

You are confusing two things here.

Linux is an operating system.

Microsoft is an entire stack from the OS up to cloud services like M365 and all the cloudy stuff in between.

I am sure it would be very easy to switch to Linux as the OS, that nothing much would work or you are simply using a web browser to access a US cloud platform makes the OS almost irrelevant.

Re: Why don't they...

And therein lies the entire problem with Linux and why it is always going to struggle.......

"Or make retailers sell laptops with either Windows or Linux, "

Linux is the generic term for hundreds of different distributions ranging from huge commercial offering like RHEL to tiny edge cases that are supported by one person in their shed.

Every time this comes up the comments are full of many different versions being recommended as everyone has their favourite.

Are the PC suppliers going to work together and put (as an example) Ubunto on?

If they did even if it was cheaper would enough but them?

Re: Software IP

We are in the endless loop of FOSS here,

Unless the people who use/consume the FOSS products are prepared to contribute to the development then adoption will be a struggle.

Large organisations want contracts and SLAs. It is irrelevant is that many of the support services are not great, it is a contract.

With FOSS unless there are organisations that will manage contracts and provide those services and in turn also fund the FOSS development we go full circle:

Just screaming "Use FOSS/Linux" does not solve anything if it is reliant on volunteers to do the work.

I agree that we need to move away from the US stranglehold on software and services but unless businesses are prepared to spend that money (or a proportion of the budget) supporting FOSS it is not going to happen.

We live in a culture where people expect first rate software to be supported and updated for free because it is "FOSS" but at the same time spend huge amounts on the likes of AWS, Microsoft, Oracle etc.

British Palantir rival, whose founder touted UK tech sovereignty, sells to Accenture

Re: WHY?!!!!

What is this to do with the aristocracy?

The other points are correct but you are just doing what is has been bloated by so many on Social Media and the news, all the UK's problems are the fault of "The Wealthy " and pensioners.

This is the owners taking the money and running because the only thing that matters in the UK is short term gain. Now combine that with rank stupidity and general incompetence from politicians and every of value is sold.

The list is endless with names like

ARM

Cadbury

Cobham

Bank of England's Oracle cloud migration bill triples as project grinds on

Re: Which is worse?

Anything worthwhile is simply hoovered up by the big US tech outfits and the execs that sold the company are laughing all the way to the Bank.

Baby's got clack: HP pushes PC-in-a-keyboard for businesses with hot desks

It is exactly the same as a laptop, just an external screen.,,,,,

Do you worry about that with a laptop keyboard?

It is no different. In my experience HP business class laptops rarely have keyboard issues. To be fair there PC keyboards last for ever as well.

Capita tells civil servants to wait for chatbots to fix pension portal woes

Re: "a website that works"

I am absolutely sick of websites and self-service portals that have these utterly useless chatbots that are incapable of doing anything. Most cannot even cope with directing you to a minimum wage outsourced "human chatbot" in the Far East.

Everything is designed to make people just give up. Chat Bots always have been and always will be useless, AI is useless and will continue to be because it has been fed on a diet of utter bullshit with no sane person actually checking anything.

The only winners on this route to complete breakdown (we are not far off as it is) are execs that just spout crap to other execs and if not public sector, shareholders.

Another perfect example of just how shite a chat bot/ AI is:

I needed to update my details for BUPA as the title was completely wrong.

I could not do it on the profile page.

I spent 30 minutes going in circles because the "Virtual Assistant" was incapable of directing me to link or real person.

Then I phoned and wrestled with some automated system to try and speak to a human.

That takes me to another gripe - voice recognition phone systems that cannot understand the simplest of answers, What is your postcode "llnn nll" "sorry I did not get that", repeat several times with each response "sorry I did not get that" please try another option. The only other sodding option was to put the phone down!!!!!!

Welcome to Wendy's! Before your order can be taken, you must first reset this kiosk

Yet people must be buying all this stuff......

Where I live there is a constant trail of packaging from MacDonalds, KFC & Burger King that has been chucked out of cars.

Although on a positive note apparently a Five Guys "restaurant" in Leicester is closing.

I really struggle with the concept that any of these places are restaurants. You buy a bag of fast-food junk and sit at a table if you can find one not covered in rubbish to eat a takeaway.

Maybe I am just old.......

Starlink to lower orbits of thousands of satellites over safety concerns

Re: strange idea

It is unclear however my impression is that the reduction in orbit is because they are concerned that the debris they caused is increasing risk to the rest of their currently functioning junk.

If this is the case then there is clear evidence that Starlink do not give a flying rat's arse about anything other than their stuff, something that has already been demonstrated. Basically it would appear that they will just keep filling orbits up until they are unusable for anyone.......

What could possibly go wrong.

The CRASH Clock is ticking as satellite congestion in low Earth orbit worsens

Re: Crash!

And sadly the mostly likely culprits to cause that in the first place are the likes of Musk and StarLink.

One suspects it has not occurred to them that with enough debris caused by their inaction and stupidity it also wipes out their services. They already treat the cubesats as disposable. The issue with a collision is the entire orbit becomes unusable if it sets of a chain reaction. It will take many years for the debris to decay out of orbit,

Look what happened when a StarLink got too close to an ESA satellite, they did sod all because they had nothing to lose whilst ESA ended up with no option but move and waste precious fuel or lose billions and the entire platform.

Porsche panic in Russia as pricey status symbols forget how to car

Re: "A while"

The article states the service is managed locally.

This looks more like a failure in the satellite or bills not being paid.

Re: More cloudybollocks

Same for an Austin Allegro.

Once in a carpark my Dad got in and drove out of the carpark. It was only when he reached for something in the door pocket the deception was revealed.

Two of these abominations parked close to each other.

Re: More cloudybollocks

And loss of parts revenue.

These types of vehicles are rarely stolen to drive but to break for parts. That said the route is normally theft here, break and sell the parts where authenticity is not a key criteria.

Re: More cloudybollocks

These will all be keyless entry that can be spoofed along with picking it up and putting it on a transporter.

Physically defeating the locks went yeas ago.

Another open source project dies of neglect, leaving thousands scrambling

I suspect the wider issue is that by making these contributions all sorts of contractual obligations start to creep in.

Finance and procurement want contracts to manage and use to make payments.

The resulting software or service now has to be legally supported with all sorts of protection for the maintainers and any other staff.

Then add in the usual problem that if one organisation puts in a large enough amount they believe they have more rights and ownership.

FOSS has now left that project.

Swiss government says give M365, and all SaaS, a miss as it lacks end-to-end encryption

Re: End to end encryption is not enough

The crucial part here is "End to end".

If you have the appropriate access at one or other end you will always be able to read the content. If you could not then the entire thing is pointless.

The wider issues surround the (mostly US) security services requesting access.

All providers have slight variations on the same wording.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/reports/government-requests/customer-data

Microsoft reviews every legal demand to ensure it is valid and complies with applicable laws. A subpoena or its local equivalent is required to request non-content data, and a warrant or its local equivalent is required for content data.

Microsoft discloses customer data only when legally compelled to do so.

Microsoft does not provide any government with direct or unfettered access to customer data.

Microsoft does not provide any government with our encryption keys or the ability to break our encryption.

https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/data-privacy-faq/

We will not disclose customer content (see How does AWS classify customer information? below) unless we're required to do so to comply with the law or a valid and binding order of a government body. If a governmental body sends AWS a demand for your customer content, we will attempt to redirect the governmental body to request that data directly from you. If compelled to disclose your customer content to a government body, we will give you reasonable notice of the demand to allow you to seek a protective order or other appropriate remedy unless AWS is legally prohibited from doing so.

https://www.oracle.com/cloud/sovereign-cloud/data-sovereignty/

Read this if you have time and want to increase you blood pressure.

I lost the will to live trying to find one for Google......

UK digital ID plan gets a price tag at last – £1.8B

It is also paper, more easily damaged and would soon become unusable for it's primary function.

Even driving licences wear.

OBR drags in cyber bigwig after Budget leak blunder

Re: I'll wait and see

Immediately being sacked would be better, cost less and have more impact.

Re: I'll wait and see

First thing is he needs to be sacked.

All too often now completely preventable cock ups like this occur and the response is an apology with no sanctions on any one at the top. We don't know about further down the chain it is also unlikely.

If the results of this stupidity were those responsible being sa ked it proveds a substantial incentive to take more care.

Britain plots atomic reboot as datacenter demand surges

Re: Hardly makes us meatbags feel better ...

Follow the money,

Although in the case of AI it is a fear of being left behind. I would be very surprised if the energy costs the datacentre operators pay covers the full cost yet they will want first access to x number of MW.

Just like Amazon buying the entire output of a wind farm so they could claim they are using renewables.

Firstly it is not 100% reliable and all that happens is the rest of us continue to use electricity generated from gas.

I am always puzzled by these energy companies that claim all their electricity is renewable. The simple answer it is not and I also suspect that the people being sold it and the resulting usage exceeds what is generated.

People keep demanding that electricity pricing be decoupled from gas costs. I am fine with that as long as those demanding it are happy to have reduced load or power cuts when demand outstrips renewable generation and short term backfill from batteries. The trouble is that they are not. They want a 99.9999 reliable source at bargain basement costs. Not that renewables are that cheap in the UK due to all sorts of other insanity like paying wind farms to no generate.

Manchester hits snooze again on joining Palantir-run NHS data platform

Re: Straight out of the Sir Humphrey playbook

No back-handers and NHS England will have written the contract that effectively made Palantir the only company that could bid.

Pen-pushers at the top bought into the snake oil that is Palantir, probably with some nice trips to "evaluate" the product.

Commodity memory prices set to double as fabs pivot to AI market

Follow the money

Manufacturers will switch to the units that make the most money. That has always been newer technologies it is just the insane demand for AI is skewing this to epic proportions.

The outcome of course is that we all end up paying one way or another.