Posts by Andrew Ed 7 publicly visible posts • joined 26 Aug 2007
Or a boxed PC Task emulator for the Amiga with original dos 6 and Windows 286 (german) disks ? I am unlikely to use them unless I run UAE on modern hardware and want to run PC Task on UAE to see it still faster than my accelerated Amiga.
As for usb floppies I bought one two years ago soley to rebuild a Toshiba Portege It was the only way possible until I got Plop boot manager installed!
My Amiga 500 plus could do that or have every window different background image, only 20 plus years ago! Not only that but a single DD floppy could hold a working Workbench if powerpacked and it was hard work to fill a 40MB hard drive even with applications. Infact a 340MB one held Amiga OS and two lots of Dos and Windows for the PC cards installed.
OK Applications have more functions and things look slicker nowadays, but I couldn't fill even a small modern hard drive with all my games plus PD collections plus Aminet CD's altogether in one place. How much space do you really need for an operating system before you even install anything else.
I installed XP to an EEE 2G surf for the older daughter to use when she can't get on line any other way at her own house. After stripping out the help files and other never to be used programs it left approximately 450MB out of 2GB. That is of course with the Windows swap file disabled. basically it has a browser, antivirus and a firewall and that's it.
The PVR machine I built sitting next to my lounge TV multiboots:-
2 x Windows 7 (64bit and 32 bit)
1 x Windows 8 (64)
1x Mageia 2(64)
1 x Fedora 17 (64)
1 x Windows XP(32)
1 x Android ICS x86
My wife and 4 yr old grandson use only win 7 (64), my wife can't stand win 8 even with classic shell installed.
TV cards x 3 all workout the box on all bar Windows 8 which took 2 days to sort out and Android which they don't work at all.
I use Mageia and Win 7 the most. The kids when visiting use XP or Windows 7 (64)
I've spent time using Win 8 and still don't like it. I've tried Gnome 3 on Linux, I don't like it,I use LXDE. The family would rather re-boot and choose a different OS than use Metro or Gnome 3. They will use LXDE and only reboot if they need to for a particular program.
Strange how they all prefer things that look vaguely similar/familiar. Very few people like big sudden changes. Some don't like any change, some in small icrements. Win 8 Metro and Linux Gnome 3 for the majority is too big a change too quickly. However as per the lyrics of an old Doors song, Variety is the spice of life, that's what the Judge (Microsoft or developers) is gonna tell my wife. The trouble is when the wife/kids or indeed anyone doesn't agree with what the Judge's decree is best for them.
My boss thinks I should buy a new car simply because it is old (14 years), however, his new car has broken down more often,depreciates more quickly and he will be paying for it for another 4 years. Mine is paid for, reliable(193000 miles on original clutch) doesn't have any further to depreciate, holds the whole family when needed and does exactly what is needed of of it. Why change something that still does it's job well?
If the requirements change consider changing your tools an OS is simply a tool to let you do what you want. No change in requirements then no need to change the tools.
Well it doesn't have auto updates on Linux or Mac OS/X so I guess it only auto updates in Windows. The only time this causes an issue at home is on a kids computer when the firewall blocks the update because it sees an executable that is being changed from the Internet. Solution, block the update completely, set firewall to prompt you to allow/disallow or set firewall to always allow it if you really trust it.
You can always turn of google updates by setting a registry key to the right value. Stops it even trying to update.
Personally I prefer to get prompted on any Windows computers for updates. My Linux and OS/X boxes are also set up the same way, although Chrome doesn't even ask on Linux you have to update it via the package manager.
This caused an issue a year or so ago when I wanted to access my old employers Sharepoint site and it wouldn't in Chrome on my netbook or my phone unless it was the latest version.
get_iplayer still working fine here. It stopped about a week ago and then all it needed was a couple of lines changing in the scripts to work again.
That is on my Mandriva install on the wifes Windows desktop I haven't looked at it yet. The other half gets to use the TV and DVB recorder whilst I get to use get_iplayer = everyone happy!
I have ridden bikes and driven cars since I was 17, I currently have 6 motorbikes and 1 car. I have been stopped for doing 101.8mph on my VFR750 on the M40 over 10 years ago and the court went to three hearings before it was settled as I defended myself until the last hearing. At that hearing I was told that I could not be a technical witness as to quote the crown prosecution I wasn't qualified to be a technical witness. Strange being qualified in Maths, stats and computing, Mechanical engineering and automotive engineering and design and being involved with nephews that went on to be British kart, Formula Ford and Australian F3 champions. My manager at the time only took me to court because he beleived me when I stated I wasn't going that fast ( Including the growth rate of my tyres at the temperatures, pressure and speed on the day of the incident) He was concerned I may get a short term ban.
They let the police go back to duty before sentencing me, I got 6 points and a £200+ fine, if I had deniedspeeding I would of been let off as at the time radar guns didn't work on bikes and they used VASCAR. However, being honest i admitted to speeding but not the speed they claimed.
OK that's my 'qualification' for commenting on this case.
172mph on a British Public road is not safe. Even if on a dual carriageway that is empty in your direction and only cars on the other carriageway at that speed if your car hits the barrier it can be thrown over the centre, plough through fences in to houses or roads off the nearside all just through getting a blow out in a tyre.
The other falicy on the comments above state that bikes can stop quicker than a car. No they can't they may have far less mass and big fat tyres and big powerful disk brakes, however, Cars have a longer wheelbase, wider track, 4 rubber contact points with the ground each having a much larger contact area than that of a sports bike and in the case of sports casrs they also have very powerful brakes.
My VFR750 is quite capable of standing on it's nose under braking with the back wheel several feet in the air it's been known to happen down the M1 due to the numpties on the road. With only one wheel on the ground and a small contact patch it doesn't stop as quickly as a car that at high speed has all 4 wheels on the ground with nice fat contact areas all doing some braking.
At low speeds the difference between cars and bikes braking is minimal, at high/racing speeds they are not, this driver was caught doing 172mph - 252.27 feet per second if he has perfect eyesight he is blessed, if he only meets the minimum required of reading a number plate at 25 yards he has covered massively more distance than he can see clearly in just his reaction time.
Get a puncture, lose a wheel weight, have warped disks because of consistent heavy braking and at the speed he was going he would hardly see anything even the end of his own nose. If his car was immaculate in it's mechanical preparation then it may be safe to go that speed (on a suitable road or track). Speed limits are there to protect road users and the public for when things go wrong or are not in perfect order, they will always err on the side of caution. I don't always stick within the limits, however, I would save such speeds for the correct environment - which isn't British public roads.
Yes this driver should receive gaol time, but that is only my opinion, the driver himself would say he doesn't as he no doubts feels he was safe. The law is there to protect you from yourself as well as other people from your actions!
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
