* Posts by Michael Greenhill

31 publicly visible posts • joined 4 Sep 2007

France leapfrogs past Australia in Big Brother stakes

Michael Greenhill
Unhappy

Please don't...

France, if you let this go through it will only encourage Stephen Conroy. We have enough trouble as it is showing our dimwitted politicians that the firewall scheme is half-baked...I hope that European politicians have even a little bit of sense.

Conficker borks London council

Michael Greenhill

Why upgrade to XP?

Six line reg file + WindowsXP-KB967715-x86-ENU.exe = no autorun!

NASA sat snaps LA wildfire

Michael Greenhill

Come to Australia

Wildfire shmildfire. The yank firefighters can come to Australia and learn how to fight real bushfires.

Jobs will return, says Apple's board

Michael Greenhill
Thumb Down

Jizzed in their pants

I feel sorry for the janitor who had to clean up the soggy floors and chairs after that circle jerk...

Digital divide looms again over superfast broadband for all

Michael Greenhill

What's the point...

...of having such a super-fast connection, when web servers won't be able to deliver content to you at anything near your line speed? Or (as in my case) your upload speed is 1/10th of bugger all, and it counts towards your monthly DOWNLOAD quota? No P2P for me...

British boffins perfect process to make any item '100% waterproof'

Michael Greenhill

You're all missing the point...

...it's not about making a shoe or a jacket waterproof, it's about waterproofing the surface of any exposed material/

If you're after waterproof shoes, buy a pair of gumboots (Wellingtons to you lot).

VMware admits 'time bomb' rolled past quality control

Michael Greenhill

@ timestamp and VMWare?

So have I. That's why - irregardless of virtualisation - all my servers sync their time with a multitude of time servers, every five minutes. Any good sysadmin should know that.

World's biggest ISPs drag feet on critical DNS patch

Michael Greenhill

Suprise suprise

At least one of Telstra's name servers are vulnerable.

203.215.3.43

Microsoft kicks Ubuntu update in the hardy herons

Michael Greenhill

Re security.ubuntu.com

"Actually by default ubuntu uses your country-selected mirror (us.archive.ubuntu.com for example) to download normal updates, but security.ubuntu.com for security updates. I assume this is to speed deployment, but it also makes everyone dependent on one server for security updates."

Dunno about you, but every copy of Ubuntu server that I've installed has the default "archive.ubuntu.com" in sources.list - I know this because it (along with the AU mirror) never bloody works. AFAIK it's only the desktop versions that change the mirror to a localised one.

And all you knobheads claiming that Windows update restarts your PC after every update and thus can't have 100% update, RTFA - it's about the availability of update servers. And to those moaning about load balancing being the reason MS can have 100% uptime, so what? If Ubuntu (and thus Canonical) are better than MS in every way that you freetards keep saying, why aren't they able to put in a simple load balancing setup, yet the slow, stupid giant can?

eBay told to stop forcing Aussies to use PayPal

Michael Greenhill

Rubbish

"However, the ACCC believes that consumers are in the best position to decide which payment method is most suitable for them"

Consumers don't know squat. While the ACCC finally got its act together and actually did its job for once (unlike the Toll / Pacific National fiasco), saying that consumers know what's best in this case is rubbish.

Yet another example of how the ACCC is run by a mob of mentally retarded chimpanzees.

Kremlin pushes Cyrillic alphabet net

Michael Greenhill
Stop

Net segmentation

An even better idea would be for registrars of non Latin domains to require a Latin translation of the Cyrillic/Kanji/whatever language - hence, http://www.российскиеневесты.com.ru would have a Latin translation of http://www.russianbrides.com.ru. Essentially, everyone wins.

Safari practices self-love, claims code monkey

Michael Greenhill

Code comments

Ahh, I remember the fun times at my old job. I pretty much documented all the bullshit that was going on that particular day - my boss's paycheque bouncing, and him then calling the beancounters and senior management"a bunch of useless tossers" was a frequent occurance.

I used to have conversations with our other devs in comment form. Most of them revolved around which torrents we should choke off the net connection with on that particular day, or which manager/beancounter was giving us the shits.

It was a very hostile workplace - devs + engineers vs senior managers + beancounters - which resulted in all the devs resigning on the same day, racking up a ginormous tab at the pub senior management favourited and leaving them to pay the bill.

Ahh...

Reg readers split on Vista readiness

Michael Greenhill

UI Confusion

"Have you ever tried any recent Linux distro? Gnome is intuitive, flexible and uncrufted. It's *kind of* a a crossing between XP and OSX and can be customized (easily) to look and feel as either of them... or better : like Vista. And the result is very surprising."

Yes, maybe it's intuitive for people with quick brains. But for the average Joe Luser , Gnome would scare the pants off them. "Where's the Start menu gone?!" is just the first question I can think of.

If somebody is unable to cope with the UI changes between XP and Vista, how are they going to handle a new UI with completely different usability concepts?

Apple okay with Safari 'carpet bombing' vuln for now

Michael Greenhill
Stop

@ Ivan Headache

"And the recent competition where the MacBook Air was famously "owned" - it was only owned because the operator let it be. If he hadn't clicked on whatever it was, the machine would still be on the stand"

So you operate under the assumption that PC/Mac users _know_ what they're doing? The overwhelming majority of computer users don't know squat the implications of clicking "Yes" to an unknown dialogue box.

So, to be fair the MacBook was won fairly, as in the real-world someone somewhere would've allowed that action to happen - ergo, security issue.

But that's beside the point, though. Safari looks like bollocks, especially on Windows, and does exactly the same things as the other leading browsers, but without the fugly-ness. Hell, I own several Macs and I don't even use it.

Oz driver sticks seatbelt on slab of beer

Michael Greenhill
Stop

Ocker, tinnies...

I'm Aussie, and I don't know a single person who actually says "ocker" or "tinnies"

Try "bogan" and "beers" next time.

Shit, we're weird down here - we're not _that_ weird though.

Apple punts 'Penryn' iMacs

Michael Greenhill
Stop

@ Note for Webster

Now let's list the people who care:

<queue tumbleweed>

Maybe some of us just want to discuss the merits of the CPU upgrade; not which OS is better

Apple unleashes monster patch batch on Mac faithful

Michael Greenhill

@ Microsoft's measured approach

You've missed the point of what the author was saying; MS create and release x bug patches per month, each month. Apple on the other hand, things "damn, we should fix that" and throws some resources at it.

At the end of the day, who cares about the mechanics behind the patching as long as it gets done.

Vista SP1 on track for mid-March release?

Michael Greenhill

SP1 = goooooood

Working for a volume customer does have its perks - I've had SP1 at home for a month and a bit now. It fixes a LOT of bugs with Vista, including the long, drawnout file copying issue.

Why I downgraded from Vista to XP

Michael Greenhill

@ article author

Hang on, you yourself said that you were impressed with the speed of Vista when you first bought your laptop, and that it wasn't until after four months of use that it started performing like rubbish.

Then you go on to say that after what, a day? a week? of a fresh XP installation, you're blown away by the speed?

Funny, I seem to recall my old 98, 2k and XP installs running like bollocks four months after installation, right until I re-installed the OS.

And another thing - I'm sick of these "Vista sucks!111onetyoeonnetwo" comments. Yes, it sucks if you run it on inadequate hardware. That's been the case for every Windows OS. More to the point though, SHUT UP about it! Nobody cares that XP runs better than Vista on a 3ghz wankfest, or that Ubuntu runs even faster. Or any other freetard version of *nix, for that matter. We already know. So shut up.

I run Vista on a 2ghz Athlon, with 1.2gb RAM and a 120gb SATA HDD. It runs fine. I do gobs of RAW image manipulation in Photoshop, and it's fine.

IT industry needs more women

Michael Greenhill

Re: I don't blame them

The thing is though, it's easy to spot those type of dungeon-dwelling IT goblins a mile off. The wide eyes and foaming mouth are a pretty big giveaway, as is the 24 hour game of pocket billiards they play.

I don't really care who I work with - male or female, black or white - as long as I enjoy working with them and more importantly, they're good at what they do.

Nine Inch Nails cracks net distribution (maybe)

Michael Greenhill

@ tom_mandory

In terms of what Trent was trying to achieve (grease up and fsck the music industry), an article in a mass-distrubuted paper like the SMH is better than telling a few hundred/thousand people at a gig - especially when half of them would either be too drunk or stoned to comprehend what he was saying.

Amazon to sell more stuff in 2008

Michael Greenhill

@ Webster Phreaky

Sure, Amazon might be great. It still doesn't excuse the fact that they won't ship _at all_ to my country.

Given that, they're about as useful as a condom vending machine in the Vatican.

Peter Jackson to lord over 'Rings' prequels

Michael Greenhill

@ Lotaresco

How can it be a prequel? Because The Hobbit details events that happened before those in LOTR. Ergo, prequel.

Look at the Star Wars fillums - the prequels were made 10-odd years after the original three.

NASA pondering electro-hypersonic jet boosters

Michael Greenhill
Joke

@Dom

It's called "taking the piss", mate.

Is the world ready for a 1TB iPod?

Michael Greenhill

@ adnim

Hooray for sweeping generalisations!

Hooray for lack of understanding on music file types, and how different types soak up different amounts of space!

While I don't see the point in lossless audio for consumer use, I DO see the point in high-kbps mp3s. The difference in quality over a mid-range stereo between a 192kbps mp3 and a 320kbps mp3 is amazing. My CDs are all ripped to 320kbps, and sound pretty spot-on through the PA setup at a theatre.

I will agree with you on one thing though - most of the music coming out these days IS crap. RnB, Pop, etc etc - there's no skill required, only the ability to look like a gang member, or a princess.

Microsoft pays $240m for tiny sliver of Facebook

Michael Greenhill
Happy

@ Replies to me

So because I think "social networking" is a pile of bollocks that makes me a middle-aged fisherman?

I was born in the mid-late 80s, and have never been fishing :)

I'm not disputing that Facebook etc are useful for finding old friends - what I despise is how they're becoming an alternative to, as I said, going down the pub and socialising _face to face_.

Michael Greenhill
Flame

Facewhat?

While I appreciate the effort the author has gone into writing the article, who the hell cares about Facebook? Just another outlet for emos to cry about how nobody likes them. "Wahhhhh, Daddy disowned me, waaahhhh, I'm gonna go listen to some Hawthorne Heights and write in my diary about how dark and mysterious I am, and how nobody understands me...

...

...wahhh"

"Social networking"...what the hell is wrong with going down the pub?

Windows update brings down TV newscast

Michael Greenhill
Thumb Down

@ B0z0

...that's why you turn OFF automatic installation of updates on Windows servers.

Led Zeppelin reunion opens with Communication Breakdown

Michael Greenhill

Re: Truth in Advertising

What a load of crock.

Bands like Slayer have not changed their music style in the 20+ years they've been together. The only thing that's really changed is the recording quality.

What about Iron Maiden's latest tour? The whole point of the tour is to play songs from the 80s that fans haven't heard live in 15-20 years. Do you think they'd put music from their latest album on the advertising? Hell no. They'd want to emphasise the point that they're playing _old_ music.

Novell fills Microsoft Silverlight hole

Michael Greenhill

@ Lance

"...Office for the Mac has always been behind the windows version..."

No kidding, sport. That wouldn't have anything to do with the marginal market share of Office for Mac, would it? Because prioritising development resources onto a marginal product instead of one of their biggest income streams makes complete financial sense...

Nuke-frying raygun 747 all ready bar the raygun

Michael Greenhill

Family Guy

Am I the only one who thought of this line from Family Guy?

"And, hey, would you also like a special satellite that can scratch your ass with a laser beam from space?"