Posts by Doctor Syntax

Waving Microsoft's Windows 10 stick won't help Intel's Gen 6 core

Re: Let me get this straight...?

"You may as well run a webserver in the kernel while you're at it"

Or in your init.

"run Windows 10 just fine."

Odd. It looks like plain English but it doesn't make sense.

IBM still on a (downward) roll with 15th consecutive quarterly revenue drop

Re: Transformation

"have no real clue what to do next"

Maybe not. Surely there are still a few techies left who can be fired to save money.

Bone-dry British tech SMBs miss out on UK.gov cash shower

Re: not so Smart

'i.e. you're a medium size company that can afford a full time "grants-getter"'

Or make being famous a full-time occupation http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/25/how_did_millionaire_supermodel_lily_cole_get_200000_of_taxpayers_cash/

"In addition, there is no market for the product as companies already strain to reduce the amounts sent to landfill and avoid excessive charges."

If they already strain to reduce the amount I'd have thought that that would make them a ready market for a product intended to help them.

"Where is the editor for this article?"

I don't know about the editor for this article but I've just been spammed on my private domain by the ex-editor. Anybody else?

It looks as if I'm going to have to set up a new alias for reporting typos or use my hotmail spam bin address.

For pity's sake, enterprises, upgrade your mobile OS - report

"a large percentage of users who's mobile phone manufacturer have not actually released the updates"

The whole thing reads like a thinly disguised attempt to flog new phones on the basis that you'll never get an update on your old one.

Ad-clicking bots predicted to rip US$7.2 billion from Mad Men

Re: It's entirely their own fault

"spewing out http requests to the far corners of the glove"

Otherwise known as giving the finger.

European human rights court rules mass surveillance illegal

Re: Who will rid me of the ECHR?

"Not at all; even if the most liberal governments need to be accountable to someone."

Which, in a democracy, should be its people. The fact that we need an external court to do that is something that both Conservative & Labour should be ashamed of. Both because both have form in this.

Bigger than Safe Harbor: Microsoft prez vows to take down US gov in data protection lawsuit

Re: Picking their principles

"One has to wonder why it is they've taken a stand on this particular issue."

That's an easy one. They want to be a big cloud player. Denial of access to the US govt. is going to be an item on any potential non-US customer's checklit.

Re: Very important case

'If Microsoft loses this case, there can be no "Safe Harbour"; all data held by American companies is outwith the protection required by European Law'

It's more subtle than that. The article makes reference to the trustee model that MS are exploring with Deutsche Telekom. Essentially it's possible to set up an arrangement where the US corp doesn't actually get access to the data. Access is controlled by an EU company with wholly EU ownership (not an EU subsidiary of the US corp) under a contract governed by the law of an EU country. The contract would need to exclude any rights of the US corp to demand access.

Recall: Bring out yer dead and over-heating Microsoft Surface Pro power cords

Re: Are "electronic" components involved in the failure?

"Blame that low-ball sub-contractor they tapped to make the cable..."

Certainly blame them. But a sub-contractor's faults don't excuse the principal who sub-contracted the work; that's where the buck stops.

Internet of Things 'smart' devices are dumb by design

I can only repeat a comment I've made before. Consumer items usually have various certifications before they go on sale, e.g UL. The certification authorities need to incorporate checks for crap like this in the certification process. Fail and they don't get their certifications.

Microsoft: We’ve taken down the botnets. Europol: Would Sir like a kill switch, too?

Re: Not invisible

"From the article they suggest using it if they detect an infection or a crime."

If they think they've detected a crime it's up to them to prove it in court (whoever they might be).

Re: Imagine

"but if this happened to me I would complain to the vendor"

If that happened to you you should blame yourself for being so daft as to buy a fridge that needed to connect to the internet.

"why not implement something like this at the ISP level"

Yes, this is the appropriate place. The ISP is the route for the user onto the net. There may well be something in the ISP's existing T&Cs that enable them to disconnect a user after due warning. If there isn't updated T&Cs re internet access from the ISP are more appropriate than MS changing its T&Cs to allow it to kill a customer's computer. A communication from the ISP is less likely to be treated as a scam than one from MS although maybe the users who get pwned are probably unaware of the Microsoft-calling scam.

The downside is that it doesn't deal with the laptop on the coffee-shop WiFi.

Adblock Plus blocked from attending ad industry talkfest

Re: It's even a problem on store sites!

"No, I don't want your light bulb newsletter. Just take my order and send it to me"

No, I don't want your light bulb newsletter. I'll find another site to take my order and send it to me.

FTFY

Re: Adblock's next step?

"There are three ways to look at this issue, from the viewpoints of the user, the site owner and the advertising agencies."

There's a fourth (and these days a fifth).

The fourth is the actual advertiser. He's been sold on the idea of advertising by some agency in the advertising industry. The poor sod is now paying the industry and the website to piss off potential customers. The advertising industry is very good at selling advertising. Providing that's good for their bottom lines they've got what they came for. Why should they worry about anyone else?

The fifth? That's the malvertisers.

Re: Adblock's next step?

"And I'm sure you will happily pay for *all* of the content you consume without charge to you? Glad you can afford that."

As far as the advertiser's concerned if they were advertising something I might want then they're better off if I block the advert. If I get the ad them I'll probably boycott them and look for another vendor. And the more obnoxious the ad then the more likely the boycott.

Communique from the conference

La la la la la. Can't hear you.

Snowden bag-carrier Miranda's detention was lawful – UK appeal court

Re: Democracy gone.

'"Lord Dyson also said that the publication of material can amount to an act of terrorism, as defined by the Terrorism Act, if the publication endangers life and the person publishing the material intends it to (or is reckless as to whether it does) have that effect."

And as governments decide what info "endangers life" saying something the government does not like can now brand you as a terrorist.'

It's not clear from the article whether that comment was part of his reasoning or obiter dicta (Google is your friend). It would in any case be up to the court to determine whether something endangers life, not the government. Publishing instructions on how to make a bomb might reasonably be construed as endangering life. Publishing something that merely embarrasses the government would make for a tough job for even the best prosecuting counsel. With that in mind and without a better account of the case I'd guess it wasn't part of the judge's reasoning.

Re: Freedom of speech dies

'Ah, that old canard. Shouting "FIRE!" in a theatre is, or should be, perfectly legal.'

In practice I'd expect a court to take intent into account. If there was good reason to believe that there was a fire or other danger and the shouter acted on that basis then fair enough. If the court believed the intent was to cause mischief or endanger life then it might convict accordingly.

Trump's new thought bubble: Make Apple manufacture in the USA

Re: I Feel Dirty

"So as wrong as I was regarding Peugeot"

Not really. They took over Chrysler UK who'd taken over Rootes who were a British company.

Re: If the American people want to put their trust in The Donald

"Best case, they continue to design the same quality and style of product they do now, only at lower margines."

Best case from whose point of view? Not necessarily Apple's. They could up-sticks and locate themselves in the most convenient country. If need be they could de-list from NYSE. So could any multinational - the clue's in the name, they can headquarter in any country they find convenient.

If this were to happen it would almost certainly prompt other multinationals to do the same. The shock-waves could affect us all.

Friends Reunited to shut down. What do you mean, 'is it still going?'

Re: Still chuckling

"the owners of The Beano"

Chuckle-ye-not.

They have a substantial online business including FindMyPast. One of their sites is GenesReunited. I took up their free trial long ago & backed out PDQ as they seemed not to be able to not send emails about the most unlikely matches of name.

Twitter goes titsup

"This is like unwrapping a fresh roll of bin bags and not having anywhere to throw the wrapper."

Or buying a new pair of scissors that came trapped in one of those toughened plastic packs that nee scissors to cut them open.

Microsoft herds biz users to Windows 10 by denying support for Win 7 and 8 on new CPUs

Re: Mint Imperial?

Are you by any chance based in Stockholm? You certainly exhibit the syndrome.

If something comes down the MS upgrade channel that overnight obsoletes the boxes those 3500 users are running on you'll happily put your hand in your business's pocket & write out an order for 3500 new boxes, won't you?

I once ran a Unix unit in a shop where the IT management had a similar one stop shop mentality. They were going to replace my system in 6 months time. For years and years. Eventually I retired. I regret not being there to see what happened in the end. Their one stop shop was for VAX/VMS.

Re: I just don't get the Windows 10 hate

"If the telemetry is of concern"

There's an implication that it isn't of concern to you.

Have you read and understood the T&Cs? Go back and read them again.

Read the bit that says they keep your login credentials. Can you find anything that limits it to login credentials to their services? The bit that days they won't keep login credentials for your bank or your work if they feel like it? If you can't find that doesn't it worry you, even just a little?

The same thing about keeping details of your transaction - can you find anything there that restricts them to just purchases from MS & not M&S?

Or did you think that this was just an oversight & MS couldn't find a lawyer to check them over?

Re: You *will* allow Win10 on your domain !!

If the business uses its own build of W7 it will expect the machines it buys to support that rather than whatever the standard vendor install is. They'll want to specify H/W that does that. If the H/W turns out not to do that it'll be returned PDQ.

Re: Question to Supplier of hardware...

"The usual problem on Register comments is that people think the whole work thinks like a Register reader."

I think you missed the article's headline: "Microsoft herds biz users to Windows 10" Business users tend to have IT staff advising them who are more likely to think like a Register user. They're also more likely to have legal advisors who might also think like a Register user if they look at the current T&Cs.

"I don't need to know all the intricacies of LDAP, KERBEROS, and NFS and SAMBA to have a working network."

Of course you don't. What was your point?

Re: The hate energy from El Reg is high today!

"now I laugh at you"

Mutual.

Re: genius!

"as long as you build your own chip to run it on"

There are plenty of foundries building ARM.

Re: @MacroRodent

"they're a good sized online seller."

And presumably growing. They used to be in a small unit just down the road from me. They've moved at least twice since then, presumably to bigger premises each time.

Re: The more they push

"it should be one of the better OS MS have shat out."

Is that damning with faint praise or praising with a faint damn?

Re: Enough of this.

'Business: "Fair enough. I'd better stick with Windows 10 then"'

Business: "Fair enough, your competition does."

FTFY

Re: Shock Horror new CPUs won't support 7 year old OS

"All the other moaners: its not exactly hard to configure the privacy settings. There are various other 3rd party apps which wll allow you to disable these settings (and telemetry) if it bothers you so much."

And all the 3rd party app makers have to do is keep up with the Microsoft in the arms race as the latter re-enable the settings via updates.

"To be honest, buying brand new hardware and expecting it to downgrade and run clunky old OS versions is something you shouldn't expect anyway."

That, of course, depends on which OS you decide is clunky and whether you regard the version change as an upgrade or a downgrade.

"end-users can just change to Linux; but businesses may not be able to so easily."

However, if business can't change to W10 so easily the choice becomes more balanced.

Re: You seem to have missed...

"Only if they know that they have an alternative."

I'm sure that today you didn't know a lot of things you didn't know in the past but now you've learned about them.

Other people learn too.

Re: Question to Supplier of hardware...

"You seem to have missed the bit where Intel and AMD promised to stop making such hardware."

OTOH they're not going to cut themselves off from the Linux server market are they? So the Linux drivers will be there.

Re: The more they push

"pretty much no one uses Linux on a PC desktop or laptop."

What you're missing out on here is that the more Windows breaks with its past the less the differentiation between a legacy Windows -> W10 and legacy Windows -> non-Windows migration.

The less the differentiation the more readily people will choose the non-Windows option.

The more people choose the non-Windows option the easier it becomes to choose it.

Re: The more they push

"Still a modest barrier to exit then, at least in the minds of the would-be apostates."

Is the barrier more or less modest in comparison with migrating to a new version of Windows?

Even for business users the barrier to migrating to non-legacy Windows has proved substantial if it won't run business-critical legacy Windows applications.

"some may move to Linux, more will move to Apple (in the end commercial support is considered king of compliance)"

Are you saying all those Linux servers dominating the web aren't compliant?

Ubuntu's Amazon 'adware' feature to be made opt in

Re: It's a start...

"Now all they have to do is kill Unity"

That was the other half.

Re: Either that or...

"I realised that 'she liked seeing the ads'.... she's got disposable income."

Has she also got malware?

Does “gracefully retired” mean "with weasel words"? If they'd come out & said "we got it wrong" it would have gained them some brownie points. I can't help feel that commercial search was half of what let Mint replace Ubuntu as the favourite desktop system.

Spoilsport scientists unstick Spider-Man

In other news

Several el Reg commentards miss the biological point about convergent evolution.

GCHQ summer schools to pay teenage hackers £250 a week

"Cyber Insider... will run from 4 July to 9 September in Cheltenham"

Conversation heard in Cheltenham on 9 September:

Dave: Thanks guys. I'm off back to Uni now. See you around.

Computer: I can't let you do that, Dave.

EU competition commish: We 'pay' for search and social media – with our data

I wonder what she'll have to say about http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/01/18/microsoft_vendors_join_in_perfect_harmony_to_praise_windows_10/