Posts by msknight

GPT-5 bests human judges in legal smack down

True. And how is AI to know if a witness is reliable or telling complete porkies? So many judgements seem to weight not only on the evidence, but the worthiness of the person giving it.

Oracle Java licensing worries are percolating through the userbase

Re: Still?

Some vendors who are using it, are pushing the cost onto the customer.

In that case, the customer is on the hook for the Java costs, because they have to stick with the vendors product. Either that or shift vendor, and some markets have very little viable competition.

Summoning the spirit of the BBC Micro with a Pi 500+ and a can of spray paint

Re: Cheaper to get an original Beeb

They've done an awful lot to that system. It can be used for many retro systems.

When I saw they'd upgraded it for audio... I started hopping up and down in my chair, wondering whether I can afford a couple!

Re: Cheaper to get an original Beeb

There is the RGBtoHDMI project. There has been some great work going on. I made a few of them and stupidly soldered the chips by hand. Nightmare... but the results are well worth it - https://msknight.com/bbc/rgbtohdmi.html

UPDATE - The project apparently now does sound as well - https://github.com/hoglet67/RGBtoHDMI/wiki

Cheaper to get an original Beeb

...and recap the power supply.

OK, yes, floppy disks and all that with the Gotek USB drive system... and yes, he was probably doing it for the hell of it... and yes, he can probably play Doom on it as well... and he doesn't need a co-pro... and ... er... I'll just... um... stand over here....

DWP finds Copilot saves civil servants a whopping 19 minutes a day

How many man hours...

...were spent working that out. Or did they employ AI to do it?

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

Banning things is useless

... because they do things their own way which ends up making things worse. I thought they would have learned that lesson by... er... no, they're politicians, they don't learn anything.

"we want the industry to set the direction of travel" ... so that'll be straight to hell in a handbasket then.

CES 2026 worst in show: AI girlfriends, a fridge that won't open unless you talk to it, and more

Re: AI Girlfriend

That is a monthly subscription feature.

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

Re: "seems like a rare use case"

"retro-future of compute" ... Can I bring my TheAmiga to work now?

(disclaimer... when it's eventually released to buy)

New Jolla phone and Sailfish 5 offer a break from iOS-Android monotony

Re: Once bitten...

That is the one thing about Sailfish. Lack of support and difficulty getting banking apps, shopping apps, car parking apps, etc. to work.

It is something which caused me serious pain, even as a Sailfish backer in 2013 and still Sailfish throughout.

I did manage to get the UK competition authority and Jolla talking, however, so something might come of that.

I'm a bit miffed that I missed the launch this time around, but hey. Can't afford a new phone at the minute and my Xperia running Sailfish is still going strong and I would definitely miss a headphone post. Maybe next year... when they reintroduce headphone jacks.

Good to read that the backs might make a comeback. They have serious potential, and I loved how I change the back and it instantly changes behaviour/ringtones/volumes/etc. (although it was a bit plastic-snappy, etc. and didn't feel good.)

Legal protection for ethical hacking under Computer Misuse Act is only the first step

Ah, yes, Comrade. I am totally ethical hackings you. Just ask my boss Mr Putin. Same for my colleage Mr Chan and his boss Xi. We are totally government legit organisations.

The serious note being... who determines when hacking is ethical or not. Still sounds like a whole load of grey to me.

China using AI as ‘precision instrument’ of censorship and repression, at home and abroad

Re: Sure, Let's Trust That Chinese LLM

They don't need to. They've been stealing the children themselves.

Apply here to win a Microsoft Ugly Sweater. It's uglier than ever

Me too. I'd actually pay someone NOT to send me this sweater!

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

Re: Because Microsoft (Azure) is not a potential adversary?

And plug-pullable from the Orangutan enclosure in Washington DC.

Outdated Samsung handset linked to fatal emergency call failure in Australia

What?

Since when does a phone's handset software prevent a call to emergency services?

Someone please educate me here. And also possibly educate the wider population ... who might just go, "Eh?"

Foxconn hires humanoid robots to make servers at Nvidia's Texas factory

Re: Why humanoid?

I agree. If they have server rooms with connectivity backplanes, then a simple rolling and lifting robot could slide servers in and out of bays as needed. The humanoid thing tends to make me think that maybe they haven't put enough design effort into the datacentres themselves.

Game on! Penguin levels up as Linux finally cracks 3% on Steam

Re: Oh how I wish...

I agree, there are things about Microsoft Office that Libre won't touch... and some that it shouldn't IMHO. But there will be a time when you quit hanging there, let go of the rope and trust that there is something below that will catch your fall. I had to say goodbye to a lot of things, like Halo (emulation works to a point but the mouse is an arse) and other games that I'll never be able to play again (... there is a discussion to be had on whether I could play them before... but hey...)

Being honest, if you're waiting for Office to run on Linux, you'll never move. There will always be regrets... but there will also be benefits... so make the jump.

From Intel to the infinite, Pat Gelsinger wants Christian AI to change the world

Re: Bring out the comfy chair!

But surely an AI would take scripture literally... and then eat itself on the conflicting scripture.

Meta to sell $30B in bonds to build AI datacenters

Just give me the digital burger.

(dang it, why isn't there a burger icon.)

Linux vendors are getting into Ubuntu – and Snap

It's not snap that bothers me...

...it's Apparmor. It's a pain to control and debug when things are going wrong. And there seem to be a number of bugs which are driving me insane.... that's why I was running Mint for some time until they went that way as well.

Make apparmor easier, and that'll mark it a winner in my book.

(particularly giving apps permissions to things to access files which are on remote mounted SMB shares... but I think they may have fixed that.)

Smile! Uncle Sam wants to scan your face on the way in – and out

I'm not planning to visit the United Hell Holes any time soon

Given my personal circumstances, they'd just put me on a return flight anyway. Maybe after a spell punching number plates in a crocodile infested facility.

AI browsers face a security flaw as inevitable as death and taxes

Yes, it's the right mouse click in the latest Ubuntu interface. When you release the right mouse button, it then interprets it as a left click and actions whatever is beneath the mouse. A bit messy.

Right click and hold, then guide the mouse to where you need it, and release it to left click on it.

I really hope they get this sorted soon as it's driving me nuts, but the devs have probably got loads of people complaining at them so I'll just sit and wait it out.

Just don't take it for a spin on Ubuntu at the moment, because there's a GUi issue with mouse clicks. Bit of a mess.

Instruction to browser...

"Transfer x bitcoin to wallet y for me please." ... or "Can you book me an appointment at Bodgeit and Scarper hairdressers and pay the up front booking fee of a million dollars."

Amazon's AI specs aim to stop delivery drivers getting lost between van and porch

Re: Delivery Instructions.....

More like what's happening here. "Instructions say the porch is white and you're leaving it at a black door. Err...." (electric shock follows) ... Amazon drivers seem incapable of delivering to the correct address around here.

Apple’s AirDrop makes weird latency spikes for Wi-Fi wonks, researcher finds

Re: "do the Apple way of networking"

I chose the highway. I only have one ten year old Macbook Air, and that's running Linux. (that does speak positive to apple's hardware, however)

X to combat bot problem by showing more info about users

Re: Another security feature in X

Does anyone care? The whole of X is untrustworthy as far as I'm concerned. That's why I'm on Bluesky.

Shadow AI: Staffers are bringing AI tools they use at home to work, warns Microsoft

I asked Copilot a technical question about AD functionality. It got the answer wrong. Sorry Microsoft... if your own AI can't even get questions about your own product right, then go to hell. Oh, and yes, other AI got it right.

Taiwan gets chippy about US request it shifts manufacturing

Re: Please shut down your companies

Or in this case, "We won't stop the Cheyna from bombing you."

I've never heard something so ridiculous. America protects Taiwan because of the chips. If chips move to USA, there's no need for USA to protect Taiwan. It's probably easier for Taiwan to let USA impose the 100% and let Americans suffer the cost impact. I mean, there's a reasonable tightness on chip supply that others would come in to mop up.

Let's face it. Trumps promises aren't worth the social media paper they're not printed on.

No chips for you! Senator wants Americans to get first dibs on GPUs, restrict sales to others

Just look to China

They restricted chips to China... all it did was develop its own until it doesn't need the USA any more.

Given that a lot of the tech and machinery to make these originates from outside the USA anyway, all he's going to do is isolate the USA from the rest of the world as they'll go their own way.

Serious footbullet. Mind you, even despite their love of guns, the republicans can't shoot for toffee anyway... they couldn't even hit a target as large as Trump.

Reg readers have spoken: 93% back move away from Microsoft in UK public sector

Re: His credentials..

I think the whole thing is beyond tech anyway. With Trump holding a tariff gun to our heads over how we negotiate with big tech, this is very far from being a ring fenced debate. "Let our american tech companies charge you through the nose and dictate how you operate, or I'll hike tariffs and wreck your industry."

Should UK.gov save money by looking for open source alternatives to Microsoft? You decide

Re: Extra option?

The whole allocation of funding in the public sector needs an overhaul. You are allocated £x and if you don't spend it, you get less next year, so the wastage in order to ensure that £x is spent, is considerable. That needs serious investigation throughout public sector.

Investing in in-house dev teams, in my personal view, is long overdue. Hard work, sure. Needs experienced and focused management, definitely. A price worth paying for independence, control and freedom from US influence? Yes, in my personal opinion.

Robots can program each other's brains with AI, scientist shows

There's nothing to worry about. They do so much hallucinating that in a couple of days you'll find them in the corner on a pile of beanbags, smoking dope.

Banning VPNs to protect kids? Good luck with that

There is only one way, has always been only one way, and always will only be one way

Educate the kids about sex and relationships.

Edge case: Opera claims Microsoft still playing dirty with defaults

Microsoft is an easier target than Chrome

I'd guess because MS also run the OS, it's easier to target them with the action, other than Chrome. If they win, then Chrome will be dragged in by default.

"We've won this but... oh look... Google are doing the same on their chromebooks."

Datacenter lobby blows a fuse over EU efficiency proposals

Killing the goose that lays the AI golden eggs

Financially, it seems that in a good number of cases, those eggs are quite rotten and are only useful for burning investor money. If that's the case, then break its neck and have it for a more traditional christmas dinner.

Australia bans kids from signing up for YouTube accounts, angering Google

Re: Oh bless

I believe Germany and other EU countries already have this policy, so I can't understand what Google are bleating about.

How Google profits even as its AI summaries reduce website ad link clicks

I use Perplexity for more search

I also use Perplexity for search where the query lends itself to it. When the search is basic I use DuckDuckGo, only reverting to Google as a last choice... knowingly scrolling past the AI overview, because I don't trust it.

There is an issue about to come up because my employer is moving to ban all AI except CoPilot, because they believe Microsoft are the most secure of the bunch in terms of query data storage location... but it seems that the question over data sovereignty has taken priority over quality and accuracy of results. (some of which can be accounted for by tailoring the question to account for it)

We are in for interesting times.

UK needs to pick up handsets for troubled Emergency Services Network project

Well they're certainly not on this planet. Maybe not even this universe.

Firefox 141 relieves chronic Linux pain in the neck

Re: Disable AI bullshit

Ask the AI :-D

Brit watchdog says public service TV must 'urgently' join Team YouTube

I don't understand the financials of this. I viewed the BBC content as a competitor to YouTube.

How is the BBC going to survive? Nix the license fee and get advertising income from Alphabet? I can't see that working. I'd either be paying my license fee, or I'd be paying more in Red subscription to view BBC content without ads.

If someone has more details on how this is supposed to work I'd be grateful.

Firefox is fine. The people running it are not

They understand...

" The snag at Mozilla is a management layer that doesn't appear to understand what works for its product nor which parts of it matter most to users."

...they just don't care. They think they know best and everyone else can suck it up or move. I switched to Vivaldi because of a run in with Firefox devs some time ago.

Sorry to say, but this isn't news to me.

808 lines of BBC BASIC and a dream: Arm architecture turns 40

I would like an ARM 1

I saw one on e-bay go for more money that I could afford, years ago back in the days before people were paying silly money for retro equipment. I have a battered 6502 cheese wedge, and I can play Elite Executive Edition on that, but I'm happy :-) I have three Beebs and they keep me busy. Along with my six ZX81's of course. ;-)

Oh Brother. Printer giant denies dirty toner tricks as users cry foul

HP is the way to go?

Didn't I read recently that they're losing money and shedding staff? Really? Is that the way Brother want to go?

Oh yes. It was here. https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/28/hp_cuts_jobs_as_profits_slide/

Strange times I guess. Oh Brother.

'Cybertruck ownership comes with ... interesting fan mail'

El Reg...

...can we have a Norbot in Evil Mode icon please?

Rather than add a backdoor, Apple decides to kill iCloud encryption for UK peeps

Re: Without an understanding

This will likely spread. Other governments will request the same for their own country, until the only one left encrypted is America.

Meta's pay-or-consent model under fire from EU consumer group

You won't get ads...

...but they're still using your data. Just... not to serve ads... by them... on facebook.

This declaration has more holes in it than Swiss cheese.

HPE may have bagged $1B order from Elon Musk's X for AI servers

Order only worth it if he pays

I agree. Musk has such a reputation for not paying his bills at the moment that I'd be very wary of doing any financial dealing with him.

The ultimate Pi 5 arrives carrying 16GB ... and a price to match

Needs more processing power

I attached an M.2 to a Pi5 8gig and tried to run it as a desktop. No getting away from it, it needs more oomph especially to watch a decent ripped DVD. (even with recompiling VLC) and at this price they are now crossing into cheap laptop territory. So I won't be making the jump.

Huawei's farewell to Android isn't a marketing move, it's chess

Can't understand the apps

I am an outlyer but I've been using Sailfish for more than ten years now. I only need a handful of apps which I use on a regular basis. I've never understood the sales pitch of gajillions of apps when I only need a few good basic ones.