* Posts by azaks

139 publicly visible posts • joined 19 Aug 2014

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That 70s Show: Windows sprouts Sets and Timeline features

azaks

Re: Y'all lost me at...

You lost me at "Y'all"...

Munich council finds €49.3m for Windows 10 embrace

azaks

Re: 100 MIO.?

>> The decision to move away from Linux was not a factual but a political one.

The decision to move to Linux was the political decision - saying "fuck you" to a large US corporation and being in control of their destiny. A noble goal, but a massive risk given that no other complex IT org has managed to pull this off. They gambled with tax payers money, and it didn't pay off. Now its time to cut losses and get back to business

azaks

Re: "They'll be back."

I'll help out with your questions Bob.

1. can the "windows only" applications be re-written for *LESS* *MONEY* than completely revamping everyone with Win-10-nic boxen?

Your suggesting that they ask all of their vendors to learn how to port their app to Linux, implement it, and then pay for ongoing custom support arrangements as the sole customer? And then repeat this for all vendors? The polite answer is "no", the probable one is to laugh you out of the room.

2. just how CRITICAL is "that particular application" anyway? In other words, can the same job be done with SOMETHING ELSE?

Maybe the should just change the business of government to suit the software they have?

Your questions suggest the usual fantastical thinking by many in OSS where the software is the end rather than the means to it.

Munich council: To hell with Linux, we're going full Windows in 2020

azaks

Re: Not sure about Office?

Hübner said "no final decision has yet been made" on whether LibreOffice will be swapped out for Microsoft Office. "That will be decided at the end of next year when the full cost of such a move will be known."

Hübner meant "we are waiting for the dust to settle on how we wasted millions of tax payers money on this experiment. When we think that you have moved on from this, we will announce the switch back to Office, (and the millions more that will be required to do this)"

Teen girl who texted boyfriend to kill himself guilty of manslaughter

azaks

clutching at straws

" her defense team focused on the fact that two years earlier she had sought help for Roy and repeatedly encouraged him not to try to kill himself."

That's a bit like arguing that someone had spent their whole life not robbing banks and so should be forgiven for their recent mishap...

74 countries hit by NSA-powered WannaCrypt ransomware backdoor: Emergency fixes emitted by Microsoft for WinXP+

azaks

Re: Risk Management

so the 2 choices are:

1) pay millions for the upgrade off XP and be safe

2) leave the whole company on XP and take a huge risk

Nothing in between? Sounds overly simple (simplistic?) to me.

what about:

3) block all inbound access to your MRI scanner to only what is required, don't allow surfing for pron on it, and upgrade the rest of the company to a supported, patched version?

Microsoft promises twice-yearly Windows 10, O365 updates – with just 18 months' support

azaks

Re: Dear gods...

>> If this doesn't drive some people to Linux, I don't know what will.

it absolutely will drive some people to Linux. And they will both be dearly missed...

Munich may dump Linux for Windows

azaks

Re: Sales

But why are you banging on about this one small customer and extrapolating to the rest of the world to prove your point? Was it just a "handful of computers" or are you just making that stuff up? (the settlement amount would suggest otherwise). For all you know, no-one gave licensing a second thought and they just installed whatever they had originally bought on everything they had.

If I get fined by the IRS for a mistake on my return, my argument that the whole thing is too vague and complicated and it was an honest mistake is pointless. If my accountant makes that mistake, its still my fucking fault for not spotting his mistake. Its how the world works - get over it.

Lets face it Bob - your rabid, no-compromise hatred of "Micro-shaft" makes all of your posts about them somewhat pointless...

azaks

its not rocket science chaps...

Businesses don't share your ideology around Linux/oss.

A PC is nothing more than a tool to get shit done, and like all businesses, they are choosing the most cost-effective way of meeting their needs. You don't need to be a genius to understand that labor costs are one of the highest many businesses have - a few hundred (or even thousand) dollars per seat for licensing is always going to be less than the costs of retraining, hiring from a smaller talent pool, replatforming, integration etc.

They don't care about the choice provided by thousands of distros and things forking into a million directions, gaining and losing support at the whim of people outside of their org. Where you see this as pure innovation and choice, they only see instability and risk.

Best to take off the geek glasses occasionally and view the world from other people's perspective.

azaks

Re: Sales

>> maybe Micro-shaft is slipping some deuch-bucks to the right bureaucrats to get their 'hooks' into the gummint computer systems

Always someone else's fault isn't it? Next it will be that the users are too stupid to appreciate what they had. Or that "Micro-shaft" had paid them to make a fuss and get it thrown out. Looks like you've been listening to that ginger lunatic that you seem to admire for too long...

Windows 10: What is it good for? Microsoft pitches to devs ahead of Creators Update

azaks

Re: Getting bored of Linux bores clogging up MS discussions.

Your slipping Bob.

You managed to type the name of something from MS ('Outlook') without any of your witty, never-tiresome spellings.

You had them on the ropes, and you let them back up again? The yank lurker is mortified.

Couldn't you have written 'Outfuck' or something equally clever?

Antivirus tools are a useless box-ticking exercise says Google security chap

azaks

in the real world....

where does all of this stupid binary thinking come from?

AV = bad, whitelisting = good...

AV definitely has its uses protecting users from commodity malware. The only problem is people thinking it will protect them from ALL malware. Doesn't make it useless though.

Whitelisting is a better approach, but unrealistic except in tightly regulated environments. Want to implement it in a large, diverse organization with finite support budget? - good luck with that.

Let's praise Surface, not bury it

azaks

Re: Bah!

I don't understand the down votes. Have an up vote

CD/DVD drives were indispensable when most people got music and movies on shiny discs, and bandwidth was too slow to distribute apps and data.

Those BLOODY IDIOT DESIGNERS obviously realized that most people rarely use them any more, and those people would prefer a smaller/lighter/cheaper laptop, or fill the space with battery cells, extra drives etc.

I have a single external usb dvd drive that I use (very rarely) across 5 machines

azaks

Re: Surface?

>> Surface? It's a niche between basic tablets and real laptops and PCs. More style than substance.

I have a surface book - feels very much like a real laptop to me (or a tablet on the rare occasion I am so inclined).

which one have you got? Yeah... didn't think so.

azaks

Re: Your looking at the market wrong

Couldn't agree more.

I cant understand why the people who are supposed to be following state of our industry cant see beyond a single metric. The PC is ubiquitous - no longer shiny or sexy, but not going anywhere.

New MacBook Pro beckons fanbois to become strip pokers

azaks

and who said Apple were out of ideas...

Function keys now configurable soft keys? Gosh! That will set the creatives collective pants on fire.

Just another thing to stop working imho

Windows 10 market share fell in September

azaks

Re: Margin of Error

>> The acid test is the next few months.

Is it really? Do you honestly believe that the majority of computer users consciously upgrade their OS (if it aint broke and all that). Now that forced upgrades have ended, the majority of new win10 installs from home users will come from new devices. I imagine most businesses planning deployments will be looking at win10, but most will do nothing until end of support of win7 looms in 2020

Official: Windows 10 has hit the 400 million device mark

azaks

Re: How many

>> businesses may be buying pc;s with win 10 on them, but i bet most of them get sent straight to the imaging machine for a lovely windows 7 repaint.

Its actually 400 million active devices, but nice try anyway.

No doubt when it hits 500m, 600m, 700m it will still be the unmitigated disaster, hated by all and only days away from the start of a rapid decline. I admire your tenacity in sticking to your rhetoric after being proven wrong time and time again - the adults that make the decisions just don't swallow your bullshit...

Windows 10 backlash: Which? demands compo for forced upgrades

azaks

>> they routinely avoid established terminology for standard items and features, and instead employ their own choice of names

perhaps just 1 example might be useful to illustrate your point?

(and I think they chose "notepad" because they couldn't decide which of the really intuitive "established" names like vi, vim, emacs, joe, nano etc. to choose from)

azaks

Anyone can sit in front of a Linux desktop distro, browse the web, view their media etc. Just as most people could use a new tablet, phone, smart tv etc. without any help.

The problem is when things go wrong, or you want to venture off the reservation (install new devices, new software, change config etc.)

All of the Linux GUI tools I have seen are a thin veneer on top of an alien world that is completely incomprehensible to a non-experienced user. So while you crow that nan is rocking her bingo numbers on Mint with that wicked gleam in her eye, she is really just a web user that happens to be using a Linux device that you set up and maintain for her :-)

azaks

Re: Damage is done

>> Why is it that not even Valve can convince the major developers or publishers to support Linux?

Simple economics? No profit-motivated company is going to spend money targeting a tiny sliver of the market, unless they can charge a hefty premium (and I doubt Linux gamers are going to be prepared to pay $1000 per game). Why do you expect a company to lose money on the work it produces?

azaks

Re: Damage is done

which has absolutely nothing to do with this topic.

all it does is expose your rabid, anything-but-microsoft fanaticism

azaks

Re: Non Functioning Touchpad?

>> Yes the mainstream press ignores it.

Either that or they realize that MS probably didn't make the touchpad, and rather than bitching about the OS, the solution is probably as simple as getting a driver from the hardware vendors web site

azaks

Re: if my primary school maths serves me correctly...

your right - everyone upgraded when they finally pulled support for XP. oh hang on a sec...

azaks

Re: Damage is done

wow - strong words (I particularly liked "swan dive into the dirt of irrelevance" - were your hands shaking as you typed that?)

what about those numbers? All the numbers I see is micrsoft losing share in 1 os and gaining it in another - there is no appreciable migration to apple or Linux. But don't let that stop you...

azaks

if my primary school maths serves me correctly...

12% reverting back, and half of those because they had post-upgrade issues = 6% of users reported upgrade issues.

6% - not the "overwhelming majority" you would believe from reading El Reg. I always wondered how I managed to dodge a bullet with every single upgrade I did, as I never experienced any real hassles.

And then I remembered that a lot of El Reg readers are whiny OSS fanboys on a religious crusade to rid the world of microsoft (hows that working out for you?).

I agree - the "forced upgrades" thing is unpalatable and I understand why people are pissed off, but the alternative (as seen from XP) is them supporting a lot of old versions till the end of time (and certainly not something any other vendor can claim they do).

Given the infinite software combinations and hardware of varying quality, I am actually surprised that the failure rate isn't higher than 6%

Inside our three-month effort to attend Apple's iPhone 7 launch party

azaks

Re: Applespeak

"reaching out" (not to be confused with "reaching around") is the formal form of address - "touching base" is the more casual. Being "super excited" however spans both, and is usually used in concert.

e.g. "hey, thanks for touching base, I'm super excited to get the opportunity to talk to you about..."

azaks

Re: All this talk of Apple "not admitting the truth" and yet..

I think you might be missing the point here

>> You have to be a member of a media organisation Apple works with.

If I were cynical, I would call this a total corruption of the process for disseminating impartial information. When a vendor gushes about their product, grains of salt are liberally applied - when a respected and supposedly impartial non-affiliate does the same, it carries far more weight. Cherry-picking media orgs by how much smoke they blow up Apple's arse and calling it "impartial" is just another shining example of how the company operates. Great for the bottom line too - next-to-free advertising for the cost of a few bits of shiny.

azaks

hmmmm.....

I'm about as far as an Apple fan as you could get. I dislike most things about the company - from their over-hyped and over-priced products, blatant tax evasion, and "our shit doesn't stink" attitude to the problems that accompany tech products.

But I have to question your approach to getting the desired outcome (unless the desired outcome was just writing this article). You come across as passive aggressive and self-righteous - I wouldn't be inclined to help you out (FFS - lecturing the guy about his OOO?)

Unless the guy is really slow-witted, he knows what you are really asking and trying to trap him into admitting it. Why play games? - just ask him directly.

Windows 10 now rules the weekend, taking over from Windows 7

azaks

Re: Logical fallacy

>> I have no idea why Mr Sharwood thinks data from US government websites is any more representative of global trends than data from El Reg.

I would have thought it was obvious - the only people that visit el reg are folks in IT or with an interest in IT. That's a pretty small % of the population. Its also a more tech savvy population, and would heavily skew the Linux numbers up from the rounding error it is today. But I guess that's the point, innit?

Want a Windows 10 update? Don't go to Microsoft ... please

azaks

Re: How is this a new feature

Who would have thought you would be against Obama Care Bob?

Bet your just frothing at the mouth waiting for Nov so the Donald can make America great again :-)

Tim Cook: EU lied about Apple taxes. Watch out Ireland, this is a coup!

azaks

as an AAPL shareholder, I'm furious...

you pissed away 0.005% of EU profits on tax?!

I was assured you would be registering Apple as a religion, making profits tax exempt.

That would certainly be stretching the truth a lot less than funneling proceeds through sham companies that serve no purpose other than tax evasion.

Windows 10: Happy with Anniversary Update?

azaks

Re: That'll be a NOPE

>> Yes it can be declined - just stop the Windows Update Service and you will never get it!

are you a bot herder, or just a bringer of bad advice?

azaks

Re: They can't win.

>> They chose short-term money instead.

And got lots of it, Lots and lots of it.

Doesn't hurt to occasionally remind yourself that most software is written in the hope of a financial return, not the utopia of creating stuff in your spare time for others to use without payment. Capitalism and all that...

azaks

Re: Don't care!

Its ironic though, innit?

People who proudly claim that they don't use w10 showing up time and time again to comment on it to people that do. And telling them over and over again how bad their experience must be, when it isn't.

Your a bit like the annoying, overly-flamboyant drunk at the bar. One part of me wants to give them a swift punch to the face to make the world a better place. Another part feels pity, and wants to take them aside for a quiet word to help them save the little dignity they have left. But the greater part of me just wants them to fuck off, and go and bore someone else. A bit like you lot ;-)

Windows 10 Anniversary Update: This design needs a dictator

azaks

Re: I HAD Win 10...now I don't. You can't get there from here.

You will be amazed what offends people around here (my guess is that it is because you dared to try to use w10 at all).

I don't know exactly why your install failed, but its a pretty unorthodox method. Given that you are prepared to blow away both your Linux and win OS partitions, I would recommend getting bootable windows media 10/8/WinPE etc. and using that to do your partitioning, and then launch the w10 install

azaks

Re: why the constant fixation on start menu, settings, icons etc?

The style criticism I get - not having a consistent look and feel bothers some more than others. Tiles may bother people if they obsess over neatly organized, cascading start menu items instead of using the more efficient alternatives.

But give me an example of something where you cant find a setting that used to be available in win7/8. Maybe there are, but I cant remember any.

(in fact the stupidest UI decision of any OS ever was putting the shutdown menu under "settings" in win8 - I actually had to use google to find that!)

azaks

Re: MS is still fundamentally stupid...

>> Windows Update... What the hell is it doing? Why does it need such vast amounts of time? How about a different algorithm based on date stamps. Could be done in three seconds.

MS is, fundamentally, stupid. And they don't seem to even realize it.

You don't know whats its doing, but whatever the hell its doing, it isn't fast enough for your liking - therefore MS is fundamentally stupid. Thanks for your wonderful insights (and your sense of irony :-)

azaks

>> As a result of that one machine loaded with Redmond's insecure garbage, I spend my spare moments wondering what gaping security hole will next be discovered by a teenager with an IQ 2sd above normal (and 3sd above the average Microsludge security-layer coder)

Given your superior intellect, you should probably spend less time "wondering" and more time finding these gaping holes and claiming the lucrative bounties on offer. Let us know how you get on ;-)

azaks

Re: crowdsourced - by ARROGANT FANBOIS

There are limits to crowd-sourcing Bob.

For example, when crowd-sourcing the design of a new boat, the LOTS of VERY vocal 'insiders' that suggest that building a helicopter instead may be perceived as unconstructive little fucktards, and removed from further input. Crowd-sourcing doesn't mean building what everyone in the crowd wants, otherwise nothing would ever get built.

I'm also guessing by the way you cant write a single post without writing things like "micro-shaft" may have granted you admission to the "unconstructive little fucktard" category quicker than most.

Just food for thought.

azaks

why the constant fixation on start menu, settings, icons etc?

FFS - a PC is a tool for getting stuff done. Do most people really panic when they see different style settings boxes or sub-par icons? Why the constant attention on these things?

Is it a work or art? - no. Is it improving? - I honestly couldn't tell you because I don't really give a shit. All I know is I find things when I need to, and it allows me to get my work done.

And let me help you with your confusion Andrew - its called the anniversary edition because it is 1 year since its release. Subtle innit?

Apple gets judge to hit ctrl-alt-delete on $625m FaceTime patent troll

azaks

dont know or care...

...whether apple ripped off FaceTime (wouldn't be surprised either way). But I have 2 peevs.

1) the entire US "justice" system that exists only to make lawyers rich, and provide a "get rich quick scheme" encouraging people to sue each other for any infringement - real or imagined.

2) that low-life companies are allowed to buy patents for things they had no involvement in, for the sole purpose of abusing the above.

I'm off to my corner now for a little cry...

Windows 10 grabs 22 per cent desktop market share in a year

azaks

Re: Great Table

>> The "Jeff Albertson" image and associated superciliousness/sanctimony is actually holding Linux back.

No, the fact that Linux relishes in being too hard to comprehend for the average user and the confusion created by having more distros than users is what is holding Linux back. Just sayin'

azaks

Re: Great Table

Yes, yes Richard. There is actually over a billion Linux desktop users - they are just too smart and too discrete to be noticed. Not smart enough to outwit you though, you old fox...

Windows 10 pain: Reg man has 75 per cent upgrade failure rate

azaks

definition of insanity?

Wasn't Einstein's definition of insanity doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result? Or did the author think the Acronis app compat messages were just a joke and the upgrade would just magically work on the other machines?

Still, 3 out of 4 does make 75%, and it made a catchy headline. Just a shame he didn't try it on a 100 machines for a 99% failure rate. Doesn't quite mask the authors display of incompetence though.

What's losing steam at Apple? Pretty much everything

azaks

peak Apple?

The trend continues - no surprises here.

Much of the world has woken up to the fact that they make nice products, that are over-hyped (and priced) compared to the competition. Consequently the number of people willing to pay a premium or upgrade to a slightly shinier version of what they already have is shrinking.

This is good news for Apple fans. Now that there is no real differentiation from the competition, they will have to lower their prices to prevent erosion of their large base.

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

azaks

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?

I had Weetbix for breakfast - do you think anybody fucking cares or I would bother posting about it? FFS...

azaks

you pay 7 bucks for a coffee?

didn't I pick the wrong industry to be in...

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

azaks

Re: 'Free' update to end.

>> Linux to succeed as a regularly used desktop OS for non-geeks

Not going to happen without some big corporate getting behind it to give some semblance of predictability and supportability, which will bring instant revile from the OSS community. You can have a hobby OS, or a successful (desktop) OS - not both.

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