Posts by LybsterRoy 2312 publicly visible posts • joined 6 Oct 2020
Don't forget that along side of the cost of a new PC there may be costs of new software. In my case it would have cost more to upgrade the software than buy the PC. I could have saved the money by switching to different software (eg Delphi -> Lazarus) but the "cost" of learning all the new stuff would have been high.
-- I don't think I have ever purchased anything from an advertisement that I stumbled over on a web page. --
It depends on your definition of "stumble". When I'm looking for something my process goes:
1. look on Amazon so I use the correct term for whatever it is I'm looking for (I can often decide what it isn't by looking at the pictures)
2. do a web search (which often throws up things on Amazon that Amazon didn't)
3. realise I didn't really want one of those but one of these
4. get directed to a web site and buy whatever it was
I remember one instance in which I cheated - I used the line separater character (MicroAPL) to create a "function on one line" I swear the interpreter cried a bit when it reached the line. It gulped but then it ran pretty fast. The line was basically a loop so I needed it to run well otherwise I'd have been waiting a long time for the program to finish. It was something to do with either financial reporting or fleet management - can't remember at this distance in time.
-- stop using bloated pictures that have no meaning --
OK you just hit my RANT button. So many websites (especially the beeb) have taken on board the adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words" and ignored the point that the picture has to have some relevance otherwise you might just as well take a thousand words at random from a dictionary. Hmm that might be better since it wouldn't take as much space unless you found some very long words!
I remember those in my native city of Kingston upon Hull. They were great. Quiet and not to fast so if you just missed one at the stop you could (being fit in those long ago days) chase it and catch it. They also had the benefit of the overhead lines providing electricity for the Xmas lights.
All these old systems, I just wonder is it the hardware thats out of date and can't be replaced or as usually seems intimated to me the software? If its the software then how have the systems and processes changed? Remember we're talking government which usually makes a glacier to be fast moving. Why should rewriting a piece of happily working software written in COBOL be so much better when written in "flavour of the month" software?
Asking for a friend you understand.
I can't comment about the RPi5 (I have both RPi3 & RPi4) but the main LibreElec/Kodi is running on a Dell i5 Optiplex sitting in a draw under the TV. I went for the Dell because I wanted a machine with the power to record two TV shows (using Hauppauge adapter) whilst watching a movie. The RPi4 which was the then current most powerful pi just didn't have quite enough oof
Being retired I've lost contact with many active developers. One thing that seems to stand out is those making the most use of AI are doing so in areas outwith their knowledge base. Some are using it to learn and extend their knowledge base others simply accept the output. So on the whole I agree with your last sentence so have an upvote.
The start to my computing life was a Dragon 32 which used a cassette player. Next came a Sinclair QL with microdrives I do not remember the capacity but they made a great introduction to Hell. I kludged an old 8" floppy drive onto it. Running the Psion software (Abacus, Easel , Quill, Archive) was very good
Whilst I love the idea of banning Facebook its an unfortunate fact that many businesses use it as their sole means of customer communication, many individuals use it as their means of connecting to life (yuck) so I think there may be a politically unacceptable from the populace if Facebook was closed down.
I downvoted you. I'm all for the rule of law but I also believe in common sense and I fail to see a linkage between any offence commited against a law in this country and a company's global turnover.The only potential is if a company's global activities enabled the deliberate breaking of the law in this country.
This from someone who would like to see most of the social media operations (excluding elReg which is why most) terminated (possibly with extreme prejudice!
