Posts by Doctor Syntax

Student Loans Company burns £50 million in IT project superfail

"The Transformation Programme brings us the opportunity to become a standard-bearer for the government’s digital delivery agenda. We have already made progress here, becoming an exemplar Government Digital Service organisation."

BINGO!

Tupperware vehemently denies any link to storage containerisation

Re: "Kleenex"

"Band-aid. What's wrong with saying ... "plaster", I ask?"

In this part of the world it used to be a spetch.

Smartphones aren't tiny PCs, but that's how we use them in the West

"QR code is unsafe, and like URL shorteners a great way to lead to malware."

AIUI this system reverses the normal QR situation. The customer, via the phone, presents the QR code to the store. The customer is not at risk of a malicious code and, if the till software is in any way sane, it's not going to interpret the code as a URL. If the code doesn't make sense within the requirements of the payment system it's just going to decline the transaction.

What's not clear in all this is how the system guards against fake codes. I take it there must be some dynamic element in generating the code.

Brit Science Minister to probe Brexit bias against UK-based scientists

Re: FUD

'Anything short term before article 50 is even invoked is pure FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) based on pretty much nothing at all except "well something MIGHT happen"'

I think it's based on on "nothing might happen".

Re: Shock

"Hopefully now we have a new PM she will actually lay out a plan and get on with it."

I take it you were a Leaver. Don't you have any suggestions as to what a good plan would be? Other than hoping that the existing incumbents would be able to think of something which, AFAICS must have been one of the Leavers' plans; the other being "magic happens".

You can buy Windows 10 Enterprise E3 access for the price of a coffee

Re: And so it begins

"HINT: There's more than just the OS for $7 per month."

Yes, there's holding data on someone else's computers, for all you know outside the jurisdiction and a whole lot of legal complications as that mess matures.

Re: And so it begins

"Hell, I'd even offer to pay it out of my pocket is I was given choice between Windows and Mac/Linux."

That's generous. But what would you pay out of your own pocket when one of your business's customers comes along and wants to know why you've put personal data about him on computers, maybe in the US, that you don't control and he wants to see you in court about it?

Re: you pay 7 bucks for a coffee?

"Why is it not possible to have a single article that mentions microsoft or windows without some moron (or group of morons) telling us that they have either stopped or are planning to stop using it?"

Have you stopped to think why? Maybe you should start from considering the possibility that they're not morons and then carry on by asking yourself what it tells you about their experiences with Microsoft & Windows.

The outcome is a simpler approach to ensuringlock in customers have the technology they need to run a secure and productive enterprise and enable their digital transformation.

FTFY

Trial to store benefits claimants' personal data on blockchain slammed

Re: Why would the DWP need to use a blockchain?

"capable of processing transactions"

We've had that for millennia. It's called money. There's only one reason for using blockchain: fashion.

European Commission straps on Privacy Shield

Good. Bring on the ECJ challenge.

Don't doubt it, Privacy Shield is going to be challenged in court

"The European Union's attempts to make data transfers to the United States compliant with privacy laws are an opaque exercise"

They may be opaque to the author. The rest of us can see right through them.

Re: The problem here

"And thus companies like M$, FarceBook, crApple and the Chocolate Factory get to squaf all their data to the authorities and sell it to the highest bidder without concern."

Frankly, I'm less bothered about those companies. You deal with them direct if at all and as you should know what they're up to you can make your choices accordingly. The real problem comes with dealing with a local company that then ships the data overseas, maybe unbeknown to you. A company like your employer which might use an on-line HR system, maybe. Or a company that uses an on-line CRM system. Or a bank that shares data with a credit reference bureau. Those are cases where you haven't much choice at all or no informed choice.

Re: Only one answer

"right of access for Eu subjects to USA court"

That's not acceptable on practical grounds. The redress needs to be in the data subject's own jurisdiction against the entity that shipped the data into the clutches of the US. Each business will then have to think carefully about whether they wish to ship data there or insist on it being processed where they have effective control.

Re: No problem for the UK then

"I'm sure our nice new PM with her well-know concerns for data protection and individual privacy rights will swiftly negotiate a nice treaty with the US to allow them to take any UK data they like when they like and do whatever they want with it."

Not if she's any sense. UK service companies will want to do business with EU customers. Unfortunately that's a big if.

Re: The more it changes, the more it will stay the same

"Every five years or so"

I doubt it will take so long. I think we'll very quickly get to the state where the writ's issued the day after the current attempt comes into force, if not on the very day. At some point it will become clear that the only solution will be for the US to introduce proper privacy legislation (at which time selling double glazing and central heating in hell becomes profitable) or data has to stay in the jurisdiction at arm's length from any US corporation. Maybe European companies will supersede US ones in the market.

The smart US businesses will start restructuring there operations to do this before it becomes absolutely necessary.

A journey down the UK's '3D Tongue' into its mini industrial revolution

Can we agree that the intro was just dreadful?

Re: "take weeks rather than months or years to build an aircraft, claims BAE Systems."

"You're confusing design with manufacture"

And even more with the coding of the software. Are we there yet?

"...quantum physics are both rather vague areas, and I suspect that projects involving them are just not as consumer-visible"

Those LEDs aren't visible? There's a lot of stuff which depends on quantum physics - it's just been around long enough to be taken for granted.

Florida U boffins think they've defeated all ransomware

Re: Next gen ransomware

"Disks are way too big these days"

So there's the basis for a defence strategy - copy on write. Then apply the sort of approach these guys are taking to detect file changes - if the file changes look OK surplus old copies can be quietly garbage collected.

However, I still think the best approach is one where user programs don't get direct access to the files, they request a server and there should then be a means for the server to verify the requesting program - cryptowhatnot doesn't get the ability to read and write your spreadsheet and it's not the recognised client to get the server to do that for it.

A bad day for DBAs: MIT boffins are replacing you with a mere spreadsheet

Re: TL:DR Guy who does not use spreadsheets "invents" wizard that does nested queries.

"It has nothing to do with structuring data within one"

Maybe what they should have worked on is a spreadsheet-like interface to allow the user to design the database. Something that would quietly turn those spreadsheet-used-as-database monsters into real databases.

Facebook deleted my post and made me confirm pics of my kids weren't sexually explicit

I've thought of setting up a social media service called Prattle. I already have a slogan for it: "Why be a twit when with a little less effort you can be a complete pratt?".

Theresa or Teresa May? Twitter confuses nude model and new PM

Re: New PM

"Although this one is more like the mid-term Brown appointment, so perhaps not."

That was followed by a financial meltdown, although, to be fair, he'd been working on it for years before it happened.

Linus Torvalds in sweary rant about punctuation in kernel comments

Re: I used to have pretty squares around comments...

"occasional comment-gems buried in ye olde codebase"

I once used Microsoft (or maybe MicroSoft in those days) FORTRAN for CP/M which included assembler for some library stuff. In the middle of that was a note left by one dev for another to the effect of "I can't get this stuff to work, can you?".

"that they are more likely to be kept up to date."

Not necessarily, but at least they're where you want them.

"10 REM this is a comment."

Sorry, your newfangled BASIC stuff just doesn't work in Fortran and Assembler.

"For someone who is obsessively anal, it does make a difference."

Which is a good trait in someone maintaining an OS kernel.

Re: Code Rage

I always insist on consistency. It's just that what I'm consistent with seems to change over time.

Re: Yep.

"That is, if Linux is so good at his work"

Who is this Linux of whom you write?

"Using lots of asterisks was a common habit on monochromatic terminals"

Monochromatic terminals? Luxury! Kids, today! Don't know they're born! We used them with punched cards and fanfold. (I miss fanfold but cleaning out the "study" yesterday I discovered a whole box of it - but no music lines.)

Re: Well there is a point to this

"Or as we like to call it - Linux"

And then realised we'd confused Linux with Windows.

Wannabe Prime Minister Andrea Leadsom thinks all websites should be rated – just like movies

Re: Oh God, Oh God, Oh God...

'politicians managed to "miss" the internet'

Of course they haven't missed it. They just want control of it.

Thinking about it, if it were feasible, it would be useful. There are plenty of infantile sites to be avoided.

Re: Hmm

"I know we generally disagree (on the EU at least)"

Not necessarily. As I've written here a number of times the EU has a severe democratic deficit. Maybe we don't disagree about that. Maastricht and Lisbon should both have been validated by referenda in all countries - and not Irish style referenda of vote till you get the right answer. What might have passed such referenda would almost certainly have been very different to what happened; in fact we might still have just had the EEC as a trading arrangement.

However just walking out is economically daft and some of the areas which will catch the worst effects are those where foreign companies have set up so business so as to be in the EU and are major employers. Those seem to have voted leave - turkeys voting for Christmas. I also think that a referendum should require a large majority - another commentard mentioned the term "supermajority" - to effect a change in the status quo in such a major, permanent way. I'd also apply that to the unfortunately hypothetical referenda that should have validated the earlier treaties. Maybe we differ on those.

As to Blairalike that's been my term for him since he came to prominence. The Tories were so hypnotised by Blair that they went for the nearest thing in their own ranks. They could have done much better.

Re: Hmm

"Sorry two women PMs trump women only short lists."

Unfortunate choice of word in the circumstances.

Re: How about we start with age appropriate adverts.

'Gorgeous George would have had to quote an error range on his "you'll be £4300 worse off" figure.'

Quite, the falling pound must be playing havoc with estimates like that.

"it has happened 7 times since 1945"

Add Chamberlain > Churchill early in the war.

"The PM is 'leader' of the Conservative party and only leader of government and while the other Conservative party MPs put up with it."

Jim Hacker on comparing voters with MPs: "The voters can only vote against me in 2 years' time, they can vote against me at 10 o'clock tonight.".

"the existing government are already negotiating trade deals with India."

Are you familiar with the term "off-shoring"?

Re: @AC: What a choice

"I was pleasantly surprised by the vote"

And one of the more immediate non-economic consequences is that we get either May or Leadsom as PM. Are you pleasantly surprised with that?

Re: What a choice

"So voters get to vote on the leader and their understudy."

I remember Tricky Dicky having Agnew as his VP, presumably to discourage attempts at impeachment.

"Why are they so stupid?"

Part of the job description?

"We checked with Leadsom's office"

Good. It's much better than reaching out.

Hmm. Am I going to have to add Leadsom to my spill chucker word list?

You can’t sit there, my IoT desk tells me

"a wedding ... not really happy to be there"

What was your problem? Think of the father of the bride, knowing he's got to make a speech afterwards.

Bomb-disposal robot violently disposes of Dallas cop-killer gunman

"I suppose I'm being naive, but surely these bots could be easily equipped with some sort of incapacitating knock-out gas - perhaps with explosives as a final measure?"

If, as the article reported, this was a bomb disposal robot what they'd have available would be an explosive charge. Can they put the whole scene on hold whilst somebody knocks up an alternative gas dispenser and tests it to make sure it can deliver the required dose?

"The large bomb disposal robots we have seen in news and films are different to a bomb carrying robot."

According to the article this was a bomb disposal robot. They use a small charge to disrupt the suspect device (that was actually the purpose of the shotgun on the Wheelbarrow device) or blow open car boots etc. If the gunman is holed up it doesn't matter whether he sees the robot being rolled up or not, in fact it might be better if he does as it might encourage him to surrender.

Re: talking of the war

"Must also say when it said bomb disposal robot I had a vision of the British Army's Wheelbarrow as used in Northern Ireland which had a shotgun for shooting the detonating mechanism of car bombs."

That was my first thought as well.

Rolls-Royce reckons robot cargo ships are the future of the seas

Re: Anybody else think that humanity is reduced by this?

"Here in SF, a food robotics company is building a PoC restaurant that will product completely machine-made hamburgers."

Yes, but what about food?

Re: Anybody else think that humanity is reduced by this?

" If we all end up as ... hipster poets it just means we've eliminated want and need."

What about the want and need to eliminate hipster poets?

Win 10 Anniversary: 'We're beginning to check in final code' says Microsoft

Re: Their last hurrah

"but when you are over a barrel. What can you do ?"

Get off the barrel and walk.