Posts by eionmac

When management went nuclear on an innocent software engineer

Re: Next time

It is a long time since I read of folk eating folk a.k.a "long pig"

Hive to pull the plug on smart home gadgets by 2025

Re: Thanks for the money but your stuffed.

As HIVE controls our gas boiler, its demise will put death from CO poisoning a nor-remote possibility.

Choosing a non-Windows OS on Lenovo Secured-core PCs is trickier than it should be

while an organisation I work with has L______ computers, I only use De__ to ensure I can use Linux

distros. Maybe De__ market share will improve?

Rufus and ExplorerPatcher: Tools to remove Windows 11 TPM pain and more

Re: Just goes to show..

What is twitter? I have never used it, but see it referred to in a number of BBC reports of loss of data or announcements by folk.

Pentester says he broke into datacenter via hidden route running behind toilets

Re: False floors too

My mum's house and all houses in that street were on wooden suspended floors with a 2 ft 6 inch (say 75cm) 'crawl space' below the floors, in which the ancient lead water pipes were run from street water cock to under sink and water store (large diameter day tank holding at least two day's supply in case of water problems) built in mid 1850s.

Absolutely no problem in running modern electrics from room to room.

Firefox kills another tracking cookie workaround

Re: Sounds great

I attended a factory with a quarter of a million GBP machine tool which only works to Windows XP. Life of machine tool is greater than 40 years. Windows XP (7 years?) . I got then to buy quite a few XP machines being sold for scrap as owners switched to next Windows series. Try, see working , get spare batteries, get spare RAM, keep in store, Arrange for Windows XP on virtual machines of better newer machines. OH! VM Windows XP does not work in control cycle. VM does not work!

Um. This persuaded owner only in future to buy machine tools controlled by FLOSS software.

It was a somewhat bad experience.

Password recovery from beyond the grave

Re: Not happened to me, but

One reason I have kept to Royal mail postal account statement delivery.

The family will have account details.

Open source 'Office' options keep Microsoft running faster than ever

Re: Options are always good

I always get folk borrowing my laptop (uses LibreOffice.com) to type ONLY in pure text with a paragraph spacer, or a line spacer between paragraphs (Bold, Italic, hyphen, underline) only.

Then they can email to office.

Then open in MS Word save as transmitted and also under a different name (remember different versions of MS.Word do not automatically give same MS Word format) then do finish formatting and re-save under a new name. Keeping pure text and new formatted versions.

This i show I did docs for a MS Only office from home using LO.o for many years

Teeth marks yield clue to widespread internet outage in Canada

Re: Emergency credit?

Likewise my UK cards are fully embossed. Issued in 2021.

Re: Emergency credit?

That was the cheque [USA = check] guarantee card system in UK, where bank guaranteed payment of a cheque when the recipient copied the bank guarantee number onto the back of the cheque.

That time a techie accidentally improved an airline's productivity

A certain transport organisation can only now get spares from one third party manufacturer whose machine tools (cost say quarter of a million, ¼M£) have a 40 year life, but control software is 'fixed ' to Windows 98 time and inputs.

Manufacturer long since dead, so no one knows the software or code or how it works.

After his episode I always want printed copy of code, and if possible only free software in control systems of expensive machinery.

Only Microsoft can give open source the gift of NTFS. Only Microsoft needs to

Re: It's the same old story with Linux - it's just one more thing

I would much appreciate a link to your 'printed handouts; (URL or PD or whatever); as find some folk here in UK have the same attitude as you impute to Chinese students

We can bend the laws of physics for your super-yacht, but we can't break them

Re: I love demands to do the impossible

Ignorance here. What is meaning of "PBH"?

Re: I love demands to do the impossible

I have a computer at home, I do not think after many decades of Linux and LS OSs I can even start to know what I do not know. But I do 'know a 'little', like how to press the on/off switch.

IBM's autonomous Mayflower ship breaks down in second transatlantic attempt

Re: (sings)

Large Balls of Copper were hoisted as signals. Still used in 1970s at Leith. Dropping of ball indicated exactly (within a few seconds of 1pm at same time as one o'clock gun was fired from Edinburgh Castle to give a time signal to mariners in Leith Roads.

Refer

https://stories.miln.eu/graham/2014-01-09-one-oclock-gun-at-edinburgh-castle/2013-edinburgh-one-o-clock-gun.jpg

Europe proposes tackling child abuse by killing privacy, strong encryption

physical closeness

Most child sexual abuse is done by persons with close proximity to child, (family or family members).

Remote sexual abuse, such as a UK person paying a family in some remote country to show sexual abuse of a child, is fairly common, streamed abuse, but unless recorded or intercepted in live time , this is difficult to prove.

Connection to Connection can be proved. Cash trail can be proved.

But actual incident is very difficult to prove. See various reports from Philippines on this.

They try to raid during actual streaming as that is how they get proof.

Re: Slowly the EU slides into a CCP like dictatorship

I correspond with P R China.

Always encrypted.

Nvidia open-sources Linux kernel GPU modules. Repeat, open-source GPU modules

Lost sales

I set up Linux OSs for folks who cannot afford to buy a new computer on reconditioned laptops or who want to use their old (Visa ) machines without buying new. I have automatically rejected all machines that had NVidia cards, as these did not play well with Linux OSs.

I will wait awhile until it becomes clear which NVidea cards have Linux support. I tended to buy reconditioned machines with AMD graphics or Intel graphics, as both of these work with Linux OSs.

An international incident or just some finger trouble at the console?

Re: Typing is not a good idea. UNLESS

You do the correct thing, copy and paste into a Word processor document so you can read if "O" or "0" AND save it before action as a log record. PS make sure you word processor can accommodate Simplified Chinese Characters.

Mozilla browser Firefox hits the big 100

Re: Mozilla and its stupid numbering scheme

Thunderbird is very useful to me and has been so for many years.

Why the Linux desktop is the best desktop

Re: OS quirks. Unknown is always difficult

Each one of us is limited in our knowledge and ability. (What we have already learned)

That which we know we can use comfortably.

That which we do not know is always difficult.

SerenityOS: Remarkable project with its own JS-capable web browser

Re: "Just for fun"

Your novel. Publish to us readers of The Register via an e-book or PDF, some may read it, some may like it. Some may even thank you.

Client demo in 30 minutes. Just what could go wrong?

Re: What's in a name?

My rats loved the cable with plasticizer ingredients to allow bending, never touched copper large diameter in brown plastic.

The nibbled edges of cable are still visible in my office, but covered with blue electricians tape where bitten. Like the plasters used in food kitchens, visible and gives a warning.

RPI my rat. a 'man' Looks at cable icon

Half of bosses out of touch with reality, study shows

Re: Bollocks statistics

Funny. Perhaps, when working in office - time spent with others was most useful, easy to review drawings with a draughts-lady at her desk, but then sorting out the papers to be disclosed to client or suppliers was always done from home after getting home. Japan and USA folk just assumed I could answer phone at 2am UK time or 11 pm UK time.

So what has changed since I left full time employment in 2004?

Working from home is I assume just the same for hours but without that 'personal comment' by lady in office, "the designer got it wrong but see he corrected badly the drawings", a remark never to be put in writing or overheard in a VoIP chat with many folk.

Yes there are pros and cons to working from home, it depends on what is needed for that particular skill set.

Wood carving , painting, metal bashing, shipbuilding needs a workshop of many folk 'on the ground' supported by the office folk. Music needs rehearsal studios or places, apart from the actual live performance.

To each set of objective products, there is a need for both on premises and off premises requirements, it just varies from product to product, but do not "demand attendance" if it adds little to the outcome, so allow and change habits.

Re: Hybrid work ?

I am eagerly awaiting you published experience on setting up a Jitsi server. My problem, I work from home, do VoIP (Zoom, Jitsi , no MS Teams, as it does not play well with my set up).

So how cheap to host a Jitsi server / instance and install correct software and stuff for say 3 to 5 persons?

Are you doing a tutorial? Published - (You Tube or elsewhere)?

Meanwhile, also have to do Jitsi / email with actual folk who work hands on on machinery in many places.

Re: Employees hold all the cards, it’s too late…

Convert plot to affordable houses.

Mixing as used to be done living and work premises next to each other.

Think: the lads (chopped? knapped?) flints beside the hut fire a short walk from the hellhole flint mines.

ReactOS shows off SMP support in open-source take on Windows

IT OS need Versus Machine tool need

There are a number of machine tools in very advanced manufacturing (with a probable lifetime use of 40 plus years) which cost many thousands of time the cost of the Windows OS running the control systems. I have spent time buying up old but properly licenced Windows XO machines just to have spares to substitute when original XP machine dies.

React OS would solve this problem.

You've stolen the antiglare shield on that monitor you've fixed – they say the screen is completely unreadable now

Re: HAZMAT suit please, nurse, gloves please!

"If you want to reduce overall costs per-capita, encourage people to smoke, overeat, and generally get in very bad health so they die just before they reach retirement, before they stop producing income to put money in the system. "

example P R China

India takes Amazon’s biggest local e-tail alliance out of its shopping cart

Re: Reindeer can’t eat carrots

Better to leave out a plate of magic mushrooms so they can fly!

(Origin of Flying Reindeer leaping about in the landscape)

How do you call support when the telephones go TITSUP*?

Re: Beancounters not on the job

One paper filled locally, photocopy sent to HQ by post.To ensure records survive a local fire.

A tiny typo in an automated email to thousands of customers turns out to be a big problem for legal

Re: Fix the problem - safely - then worry about legal / senior management

This is the mark of a GOOD leader!

A lightbulb moment comes too late to save a mainframe engineer's blushes

Brilliant reply to comment. Brain freeze!

I'm diabetic. I'd rather risk my shared health data being stolen than a double amputation

Re: We love it? A single list

Could you make a single list for benefit of others. State how to use it for those who do not know how to do it.

Teaching others is better than 'bragging rights'.

Updating in production, like a boss

QUOTE

We've all been there, I certainly have. The sense of trepidation as you're about to hit Execute is enough to want to be absolutely sure that you're happy with what you're about to inflict on the database.

UNQUOTE

This is a gross understatement.

Now that China has all but banned cryptocurrencies, GPU prices are falling like Bitcoin

Re: Chinese government is not stupid

refer

https://www.clhg.org.uk/index.php/blog-reports/56-china-letter

Method of control has not changed in 3 thousand years.

Re: Mining...

Just like drug (Cannabis) farms in households in UK, 'tap' into a supply of electricity before the meter.

UK health secretary Matt Hancock follows delay to GP data grab with campaign called 'Data saves lives'

Re: Fix the existing problems before making a profit

The NON-transferability from military systems to civilian not-joined-up data health services has caused extreme problems to ex -service personnel.

It would be better to allow the military system to incorporate the civilian.

The extreme problem of who accesses what is easily solved by making the access via a personal passphrase given by patient to any health service worker needing it.

If it is "MY LIFE" at stake I can if conscious give authority. That works.

If unconscious or unable to communicate then access should be automatic.

NHS-backed org reacted to GitHub leak disclosure with legal threats and police call, complains IT pro

Re: Learn from the ransomeware bods...

Um! House door and software are very different fish.

I pinch your chair. (No chair left for you to use, sole unique thing)

I copy a publicly accessible data stream, also in archive files. Very different You made it available. No theft, you still have original data.

Just your carelessness, of a very different thing from a house door.

Ticker tape and a binary message: Bank of England's new Alan Turing £50 must be the nerdiest banknote ever

Re: Pound Sterling

Family had a shop near a showground and a hospital. Show folk were very credit worthy (much better than the local doctors & lawyers) getting a £200 odd 'fill the lorry with food for a trip' paid in pennies was not unusual. PS. we never bothered counting the bags of coin, it would be correct, our bank said the same and just accepted the bags as marked.

Prince Philip, inadvertent father of the Computer Misuse Act, dies aged 99

Re: Bad greek

Al na ban burn Stream on OS map (Water x 5)

You want me to do WHAT in that prepaid envelope?

standard practice in UK for over 70s.

standard practice in UK for over 70s for all of them to submit samples during a survey to find incidence of a couple of diseases that back then then placed an 'undue load' on NHS

Toxic: Intel ordered to pay chip fab worker almost $1m after he was gassed at its facility in 2016

Re: "H2S is more toxic than HCN (Hydrogen Cyanide)"

I was instructed when in a then Czechoslovakia refinery as a contractor, to immediately seek safety

(?how never explained) if background H2S smell disapeared.

We know it's hard to get your kicks at work – just do it away from a wall switch powering anything important

Re: Back in the days when cars had cassette players....

Car (not German) stopped many times on M6 at certain points in early 1970s. Engine just cut out. Learned to always at that point drive in left hand lane. Occurred for about 6 months, I never found out what transmitting device cut the engine. I thought peculiar to my car, but on an inter company meeting I found about three other folk with same problem and same model of company cars. Maker and service folk said 'it could not occur'.

DBA heroes don't always wear capes. Sometimes they just have a bunch of forgotten permissions

Re: Ouch. Memory trigger

In a purely non-working Windows environment, (botched update took out all machines) having the sole personal Linux system on an external Ethernet line (meant for 'guests'), makes one almost a 'vital spark'.

Windows' cloudy future: That Chrome OS advantage is Google's to lose

Re: Chromebook is particularly good at fulfilling its promise of looking after itself.

"The joy of Windows XP [& Vista & Windows 7] was when it died you just bunged Linux on it to bring it back to life for as long as the hardware hangs together. I must have half a dozen PC & laptops doing just that."

I maintain a few old Windows machines for charities with a Linux distro of up to date software for them. [Disclaimer: and some 4 or so in my house]

Main problem now, with all sorts of folk video chatting, many do not have in build cameras and microphones, so need a external USB mic/camera. They live and prosper within the limits these folk want from basic computing tasks

You would expect a qualified electrician to wire a building to spec, right? Trust... but verify

Habits die hard.

Not electrical but out of 'pipes'. Sometimes in my youth I trained "Young Officers" from a middle east country. Once part way through their course; we had to instruct in rifle range safety and practice. Issue each trainee with rifle, take to training ground, fire off a few rounds, inspect all rifles unloaded and bring men plus rifles back on truck.

As my normal practice, I physically had trainees in a line at practice end and have every rifle unbolted and open and stuck my little finger in chamber to ensure no rounds loaded before they got on truck (I had learned!). But you do not look behind you!

Guys climb onto truck at back end, part way through them climbing aboard , a Bang! Hole about 1 cm above drivers head [N1] in cab. (or roughly less than a thumb width). Getting into truck a guy hit rifle on truck edge & pulled his trigger.

Found out, in their country, it was a major criminal offence in their army to carry an unloaded weapon. They all had a spare round in their breast pockets they loaded into their rifle chamber after I had inspected rifles were empty and collected all 'issued' rounds.

I changed to having rifles issued at firing range by my native UK troops and returned to to my native UK troops after firing practice.

However I found the [N1] driver would never drive me thereafter. Strange.

Habits and culture can ruin any written procedure for safety.

As I worked internationally thereafter, it was a good lesson for my surviving, but with an awful reputation as "he lets the trainees kill one another". "He likes putting his fingers in holes" (without an explanation).

Re: Professionals built the titanic...

"bloke"? "S/He" probably

Pizza and beer night out the window, hours trying to sort issue, then a fresh pair of eyes says 'See, the problem is...'

Re: Proof reader

Leith some time spelt by natives as Lite (old Gaelic version). PS I am a Leither.

Marine archaeologists catch a break on the bottom of the Baltic Sea: A 75-year-old Enigma Machine

Re: Old typewriter

Quote There is also a fair amount of look at what WE did in that the Polish part tend to be forgotten like also the Russian part in taking Berlin and ending the war. unquote

The poles are NOT forgotten by any who understand the joint effort.

Russia's effort is remembered, but from personal experience, when Soviet Russia embassy in a foreign land was invited to join with other embassies' folk and others at a UK graveyard and memorial (where a Russian soldier was buried) they did not attend!

I will never forget that put down to an enlisted Soviet Sapper who gave his life in a very bad middle eastern theatre.

UK infoseccer launches petition asking government not to backdoor encryption

Re: Sign it...

.and make yourself a person OF interest to the authorities. (corrected it.)