Posts by a_yank_lurker

Want a job that pays at least $90,000 a year? Get into ransomware

Re: Cybercrime...

The vacation facilities in the Mother Land might leave a little to be desired. I hear they are a bit drafty and can get rather cold especially in Siberia.

Western Digital to axe 507 California staffers

Re: New Song Title

Especially since the original is about how Hollywierd destroys dreams.

Windows 7, Server 2008 'Convenience' update is anything but – it breaks VMware networking

Re: I am not surprised at anything MS do anymore

Slurp is a badly run pseudo-monopoly. Winbloat is not the only game in town. But the PHBs seem to bent on making all Winbloat users seriously consider other options even if for their sanity.

Oracle pulled made-up cloud figures out of its SaaS – whistleblower

Coverup?

With traditional licensing and sales basically flatlining or falling it is not surprising that someone would try Hollywood accounting to make the books look good. The problem with Hollywood accounting is it not about padding numbers but inflating costs in such away to move the actual profits to the studios pockets in such a way movies show a paper loss. Leisure Larry's minions forgot the first rule of creative accounting - you have to have actual profits to move.

'Windows 10 nagware: You can't click X. Make a date OR ELSE'

Re: Fit for purpose

The Mint fetish is based on real experience with Cinnamon not Mate. It is similar enough to Winbloat that many users can easily switch. Some of the others mentioned are also very close to Winbloat 7 look and feel that transition is relatively easy.

Re: Windows 10 Pondering

My solution is build my own and install Linux or buy and do complete wipe and Linux install (laptops).

Re: Fit for purpose

Actually a 60+ was probably 20+ during the disco era. Depending on their field, the first computer they actually used (or owned) may be as late about 2000.

EU wants open science publication by 2020

Bravo

I would go further, all scientific papers and research should be freely available. To achieve this will require some major changes in how scientific publishing is done. As one noted, running servers is not particularly expensive, peer review and editorial review is done for free. So the major cost is will be running a smallish server farmer.

Google pays $65k to shutter 23 Chrome bugs

Re: Outsourcing the security

Fresh set of eyes as noted earlier which means a fresh set of tests and ideas. Google is at least admitting that they, like all other software providers, tend to be blind to certain bugs. This is natural. No matter how good, one will not think of all the weird ways the code be stressed.

Rats revive phones-and-cancer scares

Replication

The study needs to replicated several times on the very real statistical chance it is a fluke.

Re: How convenient...

Never said the ferals would not stir the pot to favor a little home cooking.

Re: Live longer with cellphones? (or boffin mafia?)

There was an effort recently to replicate results, I believe in psychology, and the replication failure rate was horrendous. Having read some on the basic experimental design problems, often these studies suffered from poor design, improper use of statistics, very small sample sizes, poorly chosen samples, and worst of all a failure to understand correlation does not equal causation.

You deleted the customer. What now? Human error - deal with it

Re: Never delete anything.

At some point, the information in the documents only is historical at best. Either archive it or delete it. Not so much make space but to not have to keep track of it.

The Windows Phone story: From hope to dusty abandonware

Slurp's Biggest Problem

Winbloat phones and various W10 stupidities actually point to a fundamental misunderstanding of the market. Customers use devices that conveniently solve their problems. They are not particularly loyal to Winbloat, OS X, Android, Chrome OS, or even Linux or to specific hardware manufacturers. If they find something that solves a set of problems at price they like they are likely to bite. They will stay loyal as long as they believe the vendor(s) are willing to provide workable solutions to their problems. Apple, Google, and weirdly many Linux distros grasps this - it is the users' needs that the define success or failure not what the vendor wants. Slurp is ignoring a basic marketing premise.

Slurp has blinded themselves by thinking users want Winbloat because it is Winbloat on any and all devices. In reality, many never really cared what the OS is only that the device ecosystem solves their problems. If is Winbloat, Slurp gets a piece of the action. If it is Android, iOS, or OS X, Slurp does not get a piece of the action. The fact that many seem content with different OSes on different devices points to the fact customers are loyal to themselves first not to Slurp, Apple, Google, etc.

Re: As a consumer - 2 key issues ...

I partially disagree with the lack of apps. It is more accurately the lack of good useful apps that users want. The absolute numbers is relatively meaningless since most apps are not that good. On Android, Google has provide a set of solid apps so the phone is useful to users. There are often better ones available but one has solid set to start with.

Re: "Universal" anything is always a disaster...

The allure of "write once run anywhere" is reduces the development time. But as noted by many others, each device and device class has a set of unique capabilities and requirements. Either one exploits those capabilities or they are ignored. In the first instance, the software is basically crippleware on all devices because it has to run on what is common to all. In the second case one is deliberately providing crippleware and a superior bit suitable for the device will always be preferred.

The real key is to focus on how the software is going to be used and the best devices for that use.

Major Issue

Slurp failed to understand that mobile devices serve a very different need than a PC/laptop. On a phone, one wants apps that allow one to do certain (limited) things very easily. Most are not going to write the great American novel on it; wrong tool. But Slurp, being run by idiots, decided everyone has to use Winbloat and cross platform apps. The cross platform apps either will be useless on a PC, overwhelm the phone, or more likely do something in a half-arsed manner.

Boring SpaceX lobs another sat into orbit without anything blowing up ... zzzzz

Good Job

Space X seems to be on the brink of making space launches cheap. This has lost of implications such as the ability to have standby rockets ready for space rescues and other emergencies.

MySpace 'passwords dump'

Re: Methinks

Forgot Geocities

Feds raid dental flaws dad

Re: FBI

It's seems that ferals could teach the Stasi a few lessons.

Re: Unless you password protect...

The major problem with feral case is the guy reported the problems, apparently, appropriately (or at least tried to). The fact that both problems are caused by the incompetence and (criminal?) negligence of others makes this a dodgy case. More than likely the feral shyster is taking the easy way to protect criminal cronies by hanging the white hat out to dry.

SWIFT finally pushes two-factor auth in banks – it only took several multimillion-dollar thefts

Only a decade behind now

SWIFT is moving from 30 years behind to 10 years behind. Most of the stuff mentioned competent people having been doing for years now; audits - a must, 2FA - been done by many. The question is will they continue or call this good.

Surface Book nightmare: Microsoft won't fix 'Sleep of Death' bug

Re: Suggestions

Small claims court sounds like a very good idea, check statute of limitations.

Feinstein-Burr's bonkers backdoor crypto law is dead in the water

Round 2

Tech won round 2 over America's "native criminal class" (Mark Twain). But the criminals will not give up until the US is another full-blown banana republic like Venezuela. They do not care about what is right only about power for them and their cronies.

Lenovo: Markets for our products 'will remain challenging'

An Option

If Slurp refuses to fix Winbloat then maybe Lenovo should pick a solid Linux distro and market it hard as a alternative to Winbloat without the spyware.

Two more Twitter execs quit

I never cared for twitter and not seen much value in it. It seems to a site that panders to narcissist. However, I can see real value to people with sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.

$10bn Oracle v Google copyright jury verdict: Google wins, Java APIs in Android are Fair Use

The Jury

What is overlooked is this should have a friendly jury for Leisure Suit Larry and his minions. The jury had no IT skills, just ordinary Joes and Jills. They should have been dazzled by his shyster BS merchants. However, Leisure Suit forgot one thing; many ordinary Joes and Jills are very intelligent and can smell a stinking pile miles away.

Hillary Clinton broke law with private email server – top US govt watchdog

Hildabeast to Hildafelon

This is crucial because Foggy Bottom has stated she lied, violated various required administrative procedures, and broadly hints that she committed multiple feral felonies. Blowhard will have a field day with this and ramp up the pressure to indict her by ferals before the election.

90 days of Android sales almost beat 9 months' worth for all flavours of Win 10

Re: They are not comparable.

The key is that Android devices far out sell all Winbloat devices no matter what Slurp says. This has several implications for Slurp and Winbloat. They are not the dominant force they were about 10 years ago but just another vendor heavily concentrated in business. Also, this means many are used to the idea of using multiple OSes which means they no longer see a need to be all Winbloat or even consider Winbloat if they perceive another is better suited. Slurp is in danger of losing the home market entirely which means they will need to fight hard to keep the business market.

Troll seeks toll because iPhones work

Re: If this doesn't shake up the patent system...

Mars it too close, another galaxy maybe. The problem with these patents is that combining the various features itself is fairly obvious but the real problem was one the hardware and infrastructure side

Guccifer fesses up to Clinton hacks

Re: Lesser of two evils

He probably has a deal to plead but has to cooperate with the feral investigation of Hildabeast. His testimony is rather damning about Hildabeast's email antics. It implies that the every spookhaus has all her emails and has read much highly classified US information. This puts her in the bullseye for very serious felony charges with a near certain conviction; that is if the US is not a very large, nuclear armed banana republic.

Walmart sues Visa for being too lax with protecting chip cards

Re: "...should have been disbanded at first light."

Shot, you are too kind.

SWIFT moves on security in wake of hacking attacks

@robidy - While 2FA will stop many attacks it will not stop all. But there is a related issue of what transaction size will automatically trigger human intervention/interaction. It seems like there is none at the current time so one is dependent solely on perfect security/use of the credentials.

China caught astroturfing social networks

Re: Every big company does this.

Add that every large organization and government does this with varying degrees of ineffectiveness.

Bold stance: Microsoft says terrorism is bad

Re: "Redmond vows to pull terror content from services"

Unfortunately, Winbloat is spyware/scumware not explicit terrorware unless one defines Slurp as terrorist organization (a bit of a stretch).

@ moiety - I see the same major problem, who is defining what as terrorism? I think the knee jerk reaction is great they are doing something but the more subtle question is who the authoritative source for what constitute terrorism? Truthfully, some of the groups/agencies they might use are lacking in integrity that any list they produce will have a political bias depending on what the PHBs want.

US government publishes drone best practices

The media exceiption

The media exception is pretty broad and basically makes the suggestions essentially meaningless. All someone has to claim is they are a freelance journalist.

Theranos bins two years of test results

Re: How to get in on these scams

Actually point 5 should be woe greedy VCs looking for the next unicorn. I read that none the normally VC specializing in medicine or pharmacy invested any money in Theranos. Apparently they were not enamored with the hype and like of any good data.

Now Suzuki admits cheating

Re: Another car manufacturer cheated

I wonder how good the EPA tests actually are. I suspect the real problem is a badly written test protocol that leaves room for honest, differing interpretations. But only one has the force of law, whatever is convenient for the shakedown artists in the EPA.

SEC warns cybersecurity is biggest threat to financial system

Re: The #1 threat??!!

Some have argued the biggest threat to the finance markets is the financial industry itself with its very complex, opaque derivatives.

FTC's Jerk ruling against ex-Napster boss upheld by court

@Grease Monkey - The difference is the source of the information; it is publicly available. Extortion is difficult to prove when someone can find the information with a little from Facebook and Google. What the FTC nailed him on was fraud and false advertising; serious enough to make him very damaged goods. He now has a permanent record of a serious enforcement action against him. In some industries, this could lead to no job offer or a firing if found out.

Boffins achieve 'breakthrough' in random number generation

Re: Not new at all...

It depends on what the paper actually covers, which I have not read. Prior may have been based on noticing that the results are more random but was it based on sound math? The paper may be giving a sound math basis for using and how to use 2 random number sources to make a better random number. This could be the difference between solid engineering (it works but we are completely sure why) and solid math explaining how it works.

The PC is dead. Gartner wishes you luck, vendors

@Doctor Syntax - Gartner is ignoring the fact that PCs are still useful for many people and many purposes. They are not looking at basic economic history of what happens when a market matures. Unit sales do not grow and sometimes decline for a period. There will be a vendor shakeout because the manufacturing capacity is too large for the market and some will not make it through the contraction.

Microsoft and Hewlett Packard Enterprise salute EU flag, blast Brexiteers

The real reason

If the UK leaves, companies will need to increase their bribe fund which hurts the bottom line and increases the risk of getting caught.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise hiring temps to cover for redundancies - sources

Re: Well deserved

The average PHB is very clueless.

First ATM malware is back and badder than ever

Re: Looks like it's time to invest in an embedded Linux solution

The question is how they getting the malware installed? Even a properly set Winbloat system should be using user accounts not admin accounts.

US work visas for international tech talent? 'If Donald Trump is elected all bets are off'

Re: Who wants to work in the US anyway?

There are many places in the US (and Canada) that are very reasonable places to live. One common mistake many make is underestimating the size of the US or Canada compared to say UK or France. For example to drive across the US or Canada is a multi-day journey, the distance is roughly the same as crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Also, parts of both are very sparsely populated, particularly northern Canada and the western US.

Blowhard can not drop the bombshell that convicts Hildabeast. He is not POTUS nor does he have any access to the information the ferals have that would destroy her politically. The mostly likely non-feral source of such a bombshell would be from the Russians or Chinese if either publish the emails from Hildabeast's email server. Contrary to her claims, I would be shocked if both did not have all her emails. If Hildabeast is indicted it would by current donkey administration deciding to make her toast for internal donkey reasons. They are not overly fond of Hildabeast and Bubba.

Kill Flash now? Chrome may be about to do just that

Re: Off-topic (almost)

The same problem has occurred before with Flash. There has been a tendency for idiots to have audio or video on a site to be hip when the site should be simple html/css. Ten years ago it was Flash now it is JS embedded garbage.

Is uBeam the new Theranos?

Hype

A major problem with many is ideas is the hype machine gets a hold of them while they are still in the early development. I am not familiar with uBeam and their idea but it sounds like it is not ready for commercial release. It may prove to be an idea that sounds good on paper but will not be a market success even if it works reasonable well.

The hype machine is looking for the next major financial windfall but is badly underestimating the difficulties of bring a product to market.