Posts by Zippy´s Sausage Factory

National Public Data files for bankruptcy, admits 'hundreds of millions' potentially affected

Re: No, absolutely not

That's not really how insurance works, though. You agree what you're insuring for beforehand, not after something happens, and clearly they didn't read the small print.

For example, If I have pet insurance, it won't cover my new kitten until I change the policy to explicitly add Meowzilla The Great, and I can't claim for the four hundred quid of vet's bills because he decided next door's dog needed to be taught a lesson in violence* if it happened before he was covered.

It's the same as if you insure your Honda Accord and then buy a BMW, that won't be covered until you change the insurance. And if you never put any oil in your BMW and the engine explodes, there's almost certainly a clause about regular maintenance and due care and attention (or something like that) that means they're not going to cover you anyway.

* yes, this is an Exodus reference. I do enjoy a bit of 80s thrash.

Uncle Sam may force Google to sell Chrome browser, or Android OS

iCloud I forgot about. They should open the APIs so you can replace iCloud with any cloud storage provider. Not that there are any I actually like any more, since Barracuda shut down "Copy", but there you go.

I'd argue they should make Google, Microsoft and Amazon sell off their cloud divisions. You want to make search engines, Office software and sell tat? Great, but you can't sell cloud services at the same time. Not gonna happen. And that includes Google Drive and OneDrive.

OpenAI says Chinese gang tried to phish its staff

"The ChatGPT-maker downplayed the use of its AI, writing that the threat actor’s use of its models did not help it to develop novel capabilities that couldn't be sourced from public resources."

I actually feel for their PR department here. Because if they imply that their own AI isn't powerful enough to help them hack its creators, should anyone else consider it clever enough to be ready for prime time? But then on the other hand, if it is powerful enough, isn't it too dangerous to deploy in a corporate context?

Internet Archive user info stolen in cyberattack, succumbs to DDoS

Copyright lawyers will now have the chance to match user names with emails. They're going to have a field day

Microsoft sprinkles AI 'magic' and additional storage tiers on OneDrive

"Any sufficiently advanced technology looks like magic" - Arthur C Clarke (or words to that effect, anyway)

The only magic I can see with AI is how lots of snake oil salesmen have convinced lots of previously sane software companies to spend billions on half-baked nonsense that isn't ready for prime time yet.

Eric Schmidt: Build more AI datacenters, we aren't going to 'hit climate goals anyway'

"Google's former chief Eric Schmidt thinks we shouldn't let AI's ballooning power consumption worry us, because putting AI to work on climate change issues will be our best shot at solving them."

Except none of those AIs are going to be put to work on climate change, are they? They're going to be put to work making money by ripping off movies, music and books and destroying the creative industries, offering half-baked code examples to coders, writing soulless corporate emails and scheduling meetings nobody wanted to attend in the first place.

Sigh.

Two years after entering the graphics card game, Intel has nothing to show for it

Re: their integrated graphics

For office work and web browsing, maybe. But they're trying to target games.

And drivers for Intel graphics have always been a nightmare. You download them from Intel and they say "these won't install, go get them from your vendor". But they won't tell you who the "vendor" is, and if you've no idea which Chinese OEM was used for the specific chipset on your motherboard, you're stuck with Windows' default drivers.

Honestly, the main reason they don't sell is, imo, their reputation. Which is awful.

Probably because their integrated graphics have been such poor performers, they have a mountain of bad image to overcome before any of the target market for add in cards would consider them.

Three and Vodafone: We need to merge because our networks are rubbish

It raised two major concerns: that consolidation would result in increased prices for users,

Consolidation always results in increased prices for users, especially when they say it won't.

and the post-merger company might not have an incentive to follow through on its proposed investment program to deliver network upgrades.

But why would they invest money when the merger is supposed to cure all their problems? Profit first, customers last, that's the modern way of business.

If Dell's Qualcomm-powered Copilot+ PC is typical of the genre, other PCs are toast

Re: the hot little jets of air it quietly emits

Don't give them ideas. Stuffing Copilot into a Roomba feels like a recipe for disaster.

AI agent promotes itself to sysadmin, trashes boot sequence

Re: Not so sure about this....

I'm not sure about live updating weights, just a kind of "working memory". Like humans have when having a real conversation. I guess we're still far away from actual intelligence then.

Re: Not so sure about this....

I've always wondered why they went for that arrangement, and why nobody seems to have opted for maintaining a stateful session? (The cynical side of me thinks that would require more memory than they can be bothered to buy and wasting electric is probably cheaper as it comes under the revenue budget rather than the capital budget or whatever the accountant speak is now.)

Saying goodbye to the tech dreams Microsoft abandoned with Windows 11 24H2

Re: Great idea, Redmond

I remember when WordPad was basically demo code for the Microsoft MFC libraries.

That said, it was never a patch on "Write". "Write will eat anything." Happy days. Apparently they lost the source code for it and that's why it never made it into Windows 95. Which suggests to me they were using SourceSafe...

Latest in WordPress war: Automattic says it wanted 8% cut of WP Engine revenue

While I've run Wordpress self hosted, Automattic has always made me twitchy. Seems I was right on that score.

Anyway, time to look for an alternative and migrate my sites. Not that I post much these days, but it feels nice to keep them around.

UK's Arm-based Isambard 2 supercomputer powers off for good

Re: Average job 345 cores

I suspect they're smaller jobs where getting an answer in three seconds is preferable to getting an answer in five.

Not only that, but I suspect they're trying to ensure it gets as much use as possible (maybe even selling access to third parties to help towards costs), because why wouldn't you?

AI code helpers just can't stop inventing package names

Of course all this LLM comes with no warranty, express or implied, etc etc. So if you use it as a chatbot and it hallucinates deals to your customer that don't exist, you have to honour them. And the "AI" vendor gets off scot free. I just wonder how many similar lawsuits are brewing now that Air Canada lost...

Germany is monitoring Microsoft to thwart 'anti-competitive practices'

"Google claimed Microsoft charges four times more for customers to license on-premises software such as Windows Server in rival cloud infrastructure than with Azure"

Four times? Four times?

Wow, Microsoft's really been dropping their price differentials lately. I mean, compared to what they used to get away with...

Imagine a government that told Big Tech to improve resilience – then punished failures

Re: Imagine that

It makes a refreshing change, doesn't it?

No chance of a law like that in the US, because the techbros would funnel millions into killing it while telling politicians "trust us, bro".

Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to see if I can sign up for a @naver.com email...

UK Ministry of Defence gets into chipmaking game, buys gallium arsenide fab

So how can they protect and grow the supply chain if they won't tell anyone what the factory actually makes?

That doomsday critical Linux bug: It's CUPS. May lead to remote hijacking of devices

Printing. Why is it always printing?

OpenAI in throes of executive exodus as three walk at once

Never has a quote been so aptly placed as this:

AI expert Dr Gary Marcus described the events at OpenAI as a "slow-motion train wreck."

I'd disagree that the motion is quite that slow, however. That said, given the nature of the bubbles, if OpenAI pops the "AI" industry is going to start looking shady pretty quickly, and anyone who's invested very heavily in it is going to be entering what's generally known as the "find out" phase.

India extends IT hardware import license scheme that enraged Big Tech

Re: make the rules

It's the US companies who usually make the most noise about these things, though.

OpenAI to reveal secret training data in copyright case – for lawyers' eyes only

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request to explain why such secrecy is required. One likely reason is fear of legal liability – if the extent of permissionless use of online data were widely known, that could prompt even more lawsuits.

Suggests to me that OpenAI didn't acquire their content by orthodox means, but that there's a suspicion they might have been sailing the seven seas for it. If that got out, I'd imagine they'd be in a very large quagmire* of legal trouble.

* giggidy

UK government's bank data sharing plan slammed as 'financial snoopers' charter'

The social security system currently costs the taxpayer almost £10 billion a year, and since the pandemic, a total of £35 billion, according to the government.

so who's going to enforce this snooper's charter. And how are they going to make it work? Let's guess, Capita gets a contract and suddenly "the social security system currently costs the taxpayer almost £11 billion a year"...

Google files first ever complaint with European Commission against Microsoft

Microsoft: "yeah we'll fix that"

raises Azure prices by extortionate levels

Everyone: no, not like that.

Admins using Windows Server Update Services up in arms as Microsoft deprecates feature

Re: Not a surprise

And I wonder if the main driver behind "cloud based" is "we can charge an extra, separate subscription fee for it". Or is that just me being cynical?

Capita wins £135M extension on much-delayed UK smart meter rollout

Re: What could possibly go wrong?

The French run their smart meters over the powerline network

I seem to recall that being illegal in the UK. It doesn't stop powerline networking kit being rolled out, but I have a feeling if it interferes anything Ofcom have the power to lock you in a room while using their budget for rubber hose in the intended manner (metaphorically speaking, of course).

AI to power the corporate Windows 11 refresh? Nobody's buying that

The constant incremental difference that keeps them coming is the camera system. People may not be taking better pictures and videos than they did with previous generations of iPhone, or against the opposition's flagships, but the new features and capabilities are instantly understandable and the results immediately appreciated.

The only camera "improvement" I'd like to see is a button that turns all the AI nonsense off. Seriously considering getting a separate digital camera with no AI nonsense built in to take actual pictures again.

Huawei to dump Windows for PCs in favor of its own HarmonyOS

Sounds like Microsoft is being banished from China, bit by bit.

I can't say I blame them, most other countries should do the same as by this point it's clear the end game is to become an advertising billboard with a side order of spyware for American three letter agencies.

Microsoft on a roll for terrible rebranding with Windows App

The problem with the whole idea of a "unified experience" can be summed up in the phrase "jack of all trades, master of none"

Disney kicks Slack to the curb, looks to Microsoft Teams for a happily ever after

Re: Element isn't going to attract many customers

They did recently totally rearchitect the Teams client so it used a bunch more memory and took away some of the features people were using, so there's that.

Dutch watchdog wants more powers after EU drops Microsoft Inflection probe

This makes sense. If the EU doesn't want to investigate, this shouldn't prevent the member states from investigating if they are concerned about the acquisition.

Tor insists its network is safe after German cops convict CSAM dark-web admin

Running out of date software leads to vulnerabilities. Who ever could have predicted that?

On the other hand, given who it happened to, this is one for the "oh dear, how sad, never mind" file.

California governor goes on AI law signing spree, but demurs on the big one

On one side is the AI industry, which has resisted the bill and called it heavy-handed; on the other side is the public, which has largely supported the bill as written.

I guess that says a lot about the law, when the lambs support it but the wolves don't.

Microsoft unveils Office LTSC 2024 for users that remain stubbornly offline

Re: So, long term is five years in Redmondland

Because they plan to release another, eye-wateringly expensive LTSC update in a few years.

Of course, there's always Open Office, Only Office and Libre Office if people want something that actually works properly.

Open source maintainers underpaid, swamped by security, going gray

I'm sure this report will be welcomed with hearty cheers and drinks all round. By Microsoft, Oracle, and anyone else who thinks software should be paid for by the bit.

Oracle urged again to give up JavaScript trademark

Oracle could mess this up and start suing everyone. In truth what they are actually after is probably an annual licensing fee for the trademark from everyone. It's kind of depressing to think that if they play it right, they could get it.

HPE CEO: 'Best interest of shareholders' to pursue $4B damages from Lynch estate

Re: A storm off the coast of Sicily

there is an access door on the side that was "never" used but could foment fast ingress of water.

That seems familiar. We saw a similar issue on the Herald of Free Enterprise in the 80s if I recall.

The fact that he fought the criminal charge in the US and won, suggests one thing. Both of the suspects being acquitted and then dying within days looks like an interesting coincidence. The company wanting to keep trying to recover the money from the estate now that the best person to defend the claim has died is also quite interesting.

If I were a criminal investigator, this would be making me twitch about maybe having another look for criminal activity... but maybe not in the same place as last time.

Objections to datacenter builds may be overruled now they are 'Critical National Infrastructure'

Personally, I think we need a worldwide ban on data centers, and a maximum legal limit to their power and water usage, with the proviso that is has to diminish every year until 2030.

Can't run your AI that writes bad poetry? Well, we already have a glut of bad poetry, maybe you should be prioritising the world's diminishing resources for something more useful. Like designing more power efficient computing devices, for a start. We're going to need that leccy for all the new electric cars we're supposed to be buying, replacing all the gas stoves and tea. Especially tea.

Besides, we all know that these new bit barns aren't really critical infrastructure and that in truth they are going to be 50% AI hopium startups, 45% crypto currency mining and 5% doing actual (potentially useful) work.

Of course the Internet Archive’s digital lending broke the law, appeals court says

You think the wording "significant set of challenges" wasn't strong enough then?

There's a significant set of challenges to this that would need to be ironed out, but I've often thought a complete ban on corporate ownership of intellectual property would be the best way forward. Extremely expensive to implement and very difficult to make it work, and you'd have to stop agreements where unknow bands go into the studio and their manager owns all their intellectual property, but in theory a very good idea.

Windows 11 users still living in the past face forced update, like it or not

Re: Windows 11, version 23H2 keeps your device supported

"MS need to rethink what they are doing and make the supposed extra boot / TPM security features an option."

A cynical part of me thinks that those are to prevent people loading other operating systems on their laptops, like Linux - or really anything that doesn't make money for Microsoft.

A more sensible part of me believes the EU and FTC should be looking at the anti-competitive angle on this very very closely, with a view to whether they need to replace Microsoft's role in secure boot by a neutral third party.

The future everyone wanted – in-car ads tailored to your journey and passengers

I can imagine it now. You're sat at a red light... it goes green...

"Before you set off, here's an unskippable 30 second advert"

By the time it finishes, lights are red and every driver behind you is annoyed at you.

Oh well, the EU are banning touch screens in cars, which is at least a start, probably.

We're in the brute force phase of AI – once it ends, demand for GPUs will too

Brethenoux described the period from late 2022 to early 2024 as a "recess" in which IT shops "stopped thinking about things that make money" and explored generative AI instead.

There. There's the key phrase: "stopped thinking about things that make money". That's the bit executives hate, and that's what'll doom the current bubble, because the demands for ROI will start soon - if they haven't already - and when it's clear that chatbots are turning away customers, or generated content is just being ignored, or the "AI" is just giving the wrong answers, there will be a demand to know why. And whenever the question "why are we losing money" comes up, executives look for someone or something to throw under the bus. That's just how business is - shark eat shark.

Thanks, Edward Snowden: You propelled China to quantum networking leadership

The issue here is a simple one: China develops QKD. China's comms "go dark" for intelligence agencies worldwide.

Meanwhile, nobody else has QKD. Everyone else is easy pickings for China.

That makes me think that everyone pushing the "think of the children" angle trying to nobble encryption is basically doing the same job as a Russian or Chinese espionage agent; they just don't know it.

AI bills can blow out by 1000 percent: Gartner

Vendor price hikes are one reason for such blowouts.

Especially given that right now AI is being charged as a loss leader. It's going to take a while before pricing reflects costs, but it'll happen eventually.

What do Uber drivers make of Waymo? 'We are cooked'

"To put it bluntly, we are cooked," said one person posting to a forum for San Francisco Uber drivers, in response to my solicitation for thoughts about Waymo. "We're done for. In the age of artificial intelligence and automation, we're the first to be impacted in a major way."

I'm sorry but wasn't this always Uber's gameplan? Didn't they once say publicly (in their SEC filings?) something about their end goal being an end to taxis, public transport, and private ownership of cars, where everyone would just take a self driving Uber everywhere. Everyone driving for them ahs been fuelling their own extinction and Uber openly told you so.

AI-pushing Adobe says AI-shy office workers will love AI if it saves them time

So Adobe decides that the solution to document storage, filing, scanning and ensuring compliance with paperwork retention regulations is... to subscribe to an AI to summarise the paperwork?

I assume this can also be bundled with their range of chocolate fire engines and magnesium fire guards?