Posts by Doctor Syntax

Openreach reshuffles top brass, brings in BT bods to make biz more independent of BT

I think they're preparing to do what I suggested in an earlier post. Float off Retail. Float off or close all the non-comms stuff they've been trying to do ('cause it doesn't fall under OfCom) and failing at for the last couple of decades or so. Then all that's left is Openreach and that then is BT.

Welcome to my world of The Unexplained – yes, you're welcome to it

Re: My colleague has just returned from Excel training...

He just went on the wrong training course. He should have gone on the one to train him how to choose the right training course.

Cattle that fail, not pets that purr – the future of servers

"Cash flow is gonna affect you no matter what. If not cloud fees then the electric bill and other subscription fees and utility bills."

You'd be paying those anyway. This is yet another set of costs to add to those, one that might even have to take priority.

"Thats the entire purpose (and challenge). That data is resiliently held, so you can kill one cow, but as long as you maintain the herd, you'll always have milk."

What happens if there's a cash flow problem, the cloud fees can't be paid for a couple of months and the whole herd gets slaughtered? You may have exchanged CAPEX for OPEX but suddenly that OPEX starts to gain priority over a lot of other stuff.

Re: Say goodbye to your jobs

"but wish as I may I don't think those days are likely to return."

Of course they will. They tell me even flares are coming back into fashion. And IT is, to a surprising extent, a fashion business.

Re: Cloudiness: No Silver Lining

"Time to stop denying the fact the inevitable will happen."

You mean the cowboy with the back-hoe who takes out all your comms just down the street?

It's not the server that matters, it's the data on it. Your cattle have just been slaughtered; where are the stock management, orders, accounts, payroll...?

Grumpy Trump trumped, now he's got the hump: Muslim ban beaten back by appeals court

Re: Shame on you all

"Spectacular :-)"

But probably going over a few heads. It took Melanoma to make sure it landed right side up.

Re: Although ...

"Leader of the Free World"

I'm not sure I approve of that term. It seems to be a contradiction in terms. If the world is free it'll make its own way.

Re: It turns out that, in the US of A ...

"Trump works within the system"

He's discovering that he can't do otherwise, but not for want of trying.

Re: "SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!"

"Trump can't be elected for more than two terms."

Whoosh.

Re: "SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!"

"even if it transpires they're from Jersey"

I didn't know the Channel Islands were a hotbed of terrorism.

Want to come to the US? Be prepared to hand over your passwords if you're on Trump's hit list

Re: Tech not politics!

"if we techs want to talk politics, we will."

And make a better job of it than politicians talking tech.

Re: More ignorance

"ask WHY something is being done."

It's a good question and we'd like a sensible answer.

I'll put to you a little exercise inn critical thinking that I put in repsonse to a similarly stupid post on a previous thread. After all, you seem keen on critical thinking.

Change the attribute from a particular country or religion and see how much sense your argument makes.

Most rape offences are committed by men therefore all men should be refused entry.

Does it make sense? What's wrong with it? Have you learned anything from your brief attempt at thinking? If so, go back and apply it to your original argument and see if it still makes sense.

And by the way, remember that some of us out here have experience of a terrorist campaigns extended over decades, campaigns financed in part from the US, a financing operation the USG did little to stem. We do not take kindly to attempted lectures on the evils of terrorism from US citizens or even presidents.

Re: Tech not politics!

"Disappointing article - this is meant to be a tech magazine"

So you don't think password security is a tech issue? Let me guess, you work in IT security in FileSilo?

Re: Language?

" If the criteria really did have to do with countries with a history of terrorism, then the Irish nations would be on the list too, wouldn't they?"

Nations plural? Maybe you're including the US.

Re: Me Too please

"So if I can be proactively banned, will save me from going through the explanations time and again."

It sounds as if getting her proactively banned will be more effective.

Mag publisher Future stored your FileSilo passwords in plaintext. Then hackers hit

Re: Those pesky lawyers

"7. Security: In accordance with our requirements under the Data Protection Act 1998, we *will* adopt appropriate security procedures to help prevent unauthorised access to your information. Neither Future nor any of its group companies shall be liable for any attempt to hack or crack or otherwise gain access to any part of this website including any of your information. "

The tense actually makes sense. They're initiating an agreement with you. The agreement is about what you and they are going to do in the future; it has not past so the future tense is right.

However I don't think the ICO will be over-impressed with their disclaimer and come May next year it certainly wouldn't save them from a big fine.

"El Reg asked Future for some comment on the breach and the reason why the passwords were stored in plaintext and not encrypted. "

I'd have been a bit more pointed. I'd have also asked them to explain how this was taking their customers' security seriously. In a case like this they just shouldn't be given a free pass to come up with this junk, not even if it's printed with a pointed comment. They really should be pressed on the point.

SQL Server on Linux? HELL YES! Linux on Windows 10? Meh

Re: POSIX subsystem

"If Microsoft had built a good POSIX subsystem back then, then Linux may never have gained a foothold."

If SCO had realised they had to compete on price back then Linux may never have gained a foothold. We're talking way before the Litigation-as-a-Service lot took over.

Re: Well

"M$ office on Linux.....

Imagine that.... no more insecure wondering about if staff open a mal-ware email"

I'm not sure. It's more likely to be "Office on Linux ain't done till malware on Linux will run".

If a company is a Unix only company

FTFY - and no thunderbolts descended on me.

" Perhaps the best things about SQL Server is the plethora of tools around it, particularly tools that allow those with little to no SQL knowledge to build powerful databases and run queries without learning how to do table joins."

Just enough rope...

USMC: We want more F-35s per year than you Limeys will get in half a decade

Re: Not completely stupid

"Whatever happened to the brilliant aerospace expertise and engineering talent that Britain once had?"

Whitehall.

Brought to you by UK.gov: 'Most ambitious programme of change of any government anywhere in the world'

"I don't, however, understand how they can print lies"

They believe them. That's the worrying thing.

Revealed: 'Suicide bomber Barbie' and other TSA quack science that cost $1.5 billion

Re: just a quick question

"have the terrorists won by making our flying experience hell?"

Yes.

GDPR: Do not resist! Unless you want a visit from the data police

Re: VG article.

"Should be mandatory reading for every CEO."

CEOs reading el Reg?

Following on from my previous comment, and much as I hate powerpoint presentations, maybe the first chance anyone gets to do a presentation for upper management or marketing should start off with a slide saying in large letters:

IN MAY 2018 WE BECOME LIABLE FOR A FINE OF €20,00,00.00

That should get their attention.

Re: Keeping an eye on you right pondians

"Don't envy anyone over there in IT."

The core problem is often marketing wanting to gather too much information and then handing processing of it over to some friendly spammer digital marketing agency. Alternately it's top management wanting to scrimp on IT. In either case pointing out the possibility of €20m fines should give IT a useful line in to put in any powerpoint.

Re: Fines for companies etc... Yes!

"But I don't believe schools or NHS/Trusts should be fined, it just takes money away they desperately need."

OTOH public bodies handling personal information, especially that from people who virtually have no option but to give it, should not get a free pass if they fail. It's a difficult issue and needs a solution.

Re: The new PPI

Please let us know how you get on.

But be warned "First their solicitor told me that she had fully answered my questions but in her defence, she argued that she did not have to answer my questions." The two are not mutually exclusive and this sort of defence in depth is normal. If the court rules they didn't answer your questions fully they'll fall back on they didn't have to and vice versa.

"After all, nobody wants to be the first to get a €20m fine."

Is anyone running a book on who it'll be?

Dublin court to decide EU's future relationship with Trump's America

Re: Don't hold your breath Europe

"If anyone in the rest of Europe is hoping this case will set a positive precedent for privacy or data rights, be prepared to be disappointed!"

I'm not sure that the result of this case will be final. It'll be a steppingstone to the ECJ.

I don't know what the DPC will be arguing but given that the primary weakness in the system still remain it's difficult to see how the case can be defended. There seems to have been an added assurance from the US DoC which doesn't have any real ability to restrain other arms of the US Govt.

There's also a so-called provision for redress which fails on several counts. It's not in the injured party's jurisdiction and will, therefore, be very difficult to enforce; it would rely on the IP to detect than an illegal disclosure had occurred, a very unlikely event given that the data handler would be under no obligation to disclose and possibly legally obliged not to; and there are no criminal penalties for disclosure.

In order to be anything but a Privacy Figleaf the following should be required:

1. The EU-based organisation shipping the data to the US should remain responsible to the data subject in the data subject's jurisdiction in both civil and criminal law.

2. The US data handler should be legally obliged to notify their EU counterpart of any breaches including disclosures to official bodies and this requirement should override any gagging orders.

3. In the event of a breach the EU-based organisation should be obliged to act as if it were a breach on their part.

If this makes transatlantic trade in data commercially infeasible, tough. There's a perfectly workable solution: ensure proper arm's length arrangements to ensure data sovereignty in the EU.

The DPC's office told The Register that "it is expected that the case will run for three weeks, during which time we do not anticipate making daily comment on the matter."

Will an ongoing commentary be available from anyone else?

Samsung battery factory bursts into flame in touching Note 7 tribute

Re: Fake News

The link says a minor fire. If it needed 19 fire engines I'd hate to see their idea of a major fire.

Conviction by computer is go, confirms UK Ministry of Justice

"We have considered the responses in full and think it is possible to prosecute low-level cases via an automatic online conviction procedure and impose an automated, standard penalty in these cases without compromising the principles of our justice system.

Translation: we've ignored the consultation & will go ahead with whatever we feel like doing.

"Train fare evasion is nominally a private matter between the privatised operating company and the passenger but is enforced through archaic 19th century laws that make it a criminal offence."

Given that it's effectively a form of fraud it's not surprising that it's a criminal offence.

Australia wants to jail infosec researchers for pointing out dodgy data

"Wow, I guess we Americans don't have the stupidest politicians after all."

The race to the bottom is one with many winners.

Re: Hmmm

"Seems like a new take on 'Shoot The Messenger'."

It might have been better if the dissenting report had simply said "don't shoot the messenger". It might be a cliché but clichés are an effective means of getting simple ideas into the heads of simple people.

There needs to be an induction process for people entering high office. Learning not to shoot the messenger would be one part. A recitation of Ozymandias would be another. The pail of water experiment* would be a third.

*Dip your hand into a pail of water. Take it out again. Examine the impression you left behind.

Eee by gum! Aye up, Microsoft, what's tha y' got? Cloud for accents?

Re: Accents

"Mind you, the word "cunt" is easy enough to understand I suppose."

As in "They cunt understan' a word on it."?

Vivaldi and me: Just browsing? Nah, I'm sold

Re: Developer Tools

"It uses the Chromium engine, so the dev tools are pretty much identical to Chrome's."

Does it also have the Bluetooth snooping?

Intel Atom chips have been dying for at least 18 months – only now is truth coming to light

Re: EU Customers don't need warranty

"2)Where the seller sells goods in the course of a business"

The problem here is that the seller is the retail outlet. Not the vendor of the kit it was in. Not even the vendor of the motherboard that went into the kit. And certainly not a component vendor. That's a whole chain of businesses that can get screwed when a component maker supplies a duff batch of components. And a whole chain of businesses who might then wonder whether to buy from the competition in future if the component maker doesn't see them right.

Re: Insider's View

"Very difficult to get down to brass tacks with a supplier when you have an incestuous Board of Directors relationship like that"

it would depend. A board member in that position should be able to short circuit a lot of internal obstacles on the vendor side in the short term and persuade them that quality issues matter in the long term. The long term benefits would be mutual.

Last Concorde completes last journey, at maybe Mach 0.02

Re: Saw in Action Twice

"Once while in a departure lounge at Heathrow waiting for a flight to Belfast or somewhere equally exciting."

I can beat that: queued up waiting for take-off - to Belfast - and Concorde was just a few places in front so we saw it on the runway from close quarters. The captain pointed it out. I don't think other flight crews ever tired of seeing it. Whilst it was in development we'd hear the occasional sonic boom in Belfast when they went supersonic over the Irish sea.

I also saw it a couple of times from Kew Gardens. I think it had its own approach path different to most planes; it never seemed to come in over High Wycombe like so many others.

Re: "Can do" species

"plus cheaper and better antibiotic"

Let's pick out one of those. We've abused the cheaper antibiotics by careless use and bred populations of resistant bacteria. That in turn means that "better" are effectively no better than the last and we're in danger of the best becoming not good enough.

We haven't got smarter in the last few decades. In fact we've not been anywhere near smart enough.

Another of the things we've done: taken one of our most versatile raw materials, fossil fuels, and wasted in in static power plants when for decades we could have used nuclear in place of it, leaving fossil fuels to be used as chemical substrates, a role for which there are no adequate substitutes available in similar quantities. Again, because we lacked ambition.

Once upon a time men flew to the moon.

Once upon a time civilians cold fly supersonically.

Somehow it seems we've stopped being a "can do" species and become "can't do" instead. Whatever happened to our sense of ambition?

Who's behind the Kodi TV streaming stick crackdown?

Re: I'm worried they'll outlaw Kodi in some unenforceable way...

"I have like 9 raspberry pi's"

What's like 9? 8? 10? 8 Raspberry and a Banana? Or just plain 9?

At least the greengrocer's apostrophe seems at home.

"a conspiracy needs two people."

So does a sale: a seller and a buyer. So if a sale is made it shouldn't be too difficult to argue that two people were involved.

IBM's Marissa Mayer moment: Staff ordered to work in one of 6 main offices – or face the axe

Re: Creative way to get many US employees to voluntarily quit

One of the flaws with this approach is that the people who will leave voluntarily are those most able to get a job elsewhere. Those who you end up keeping will be those you should have got rid of in the first place, including, of course, whoever came up with the dumb idea in the first place. And so the average IQ of the business gradually drifts downwards due to Niwradian (reverse Darwinian) selection.

Re: So IBM wants to make its money in the Cloud now

"Not free to actually run the DB... or migrate back out again."

The first one is free...