I know this is a industry journal, but are we really going in the right direction with the general, "toss out the hardware, get a new printer" approach to IT?
I have no credentials with the organic knitted lentil sandal wearers but...
I am using an 8yr old gigabyte motherboard, with PATA and SATA, dual NIC, firewire, 8 usb 2.0, dual channel 1GB PC2700 (a gimmick IMHO, but it was £18/stick) Athlon 3200, Geforce 6200 (5 years old) soundblaster audigy to replace on board sound.
I'm running full fat KDE 4.4.1 on openSUSE, with no sign that I need 64 bit, dual core or faster I/O. Device compatibility only gets better. All applications have worked from version to version.
Does hardware bloat and software bloat never need to end? What am I missing?
I currently own an N800 and a 5800, so i've got my 3G modem in case of emergencies. But I haven't had any yet.
The N800 has a nice screen size and can do lightweight office stuff while sitting, e.g., in the Southbank complex using their free wifi (well, £40/year but I also get a great view over the Thames)
I prefer the maps on the N800 and the GPS on the 5800 is a bit slow but it all "just works" and of course I can doodle on the web while getting a boring phone call, the upside of two devices.
If anything, as free wi-fi has got more ubiqitous, my N800 has got close to being indispensible. When I first got it, 3 years ago, I found it to be a bit "so what" (not much free wi-fi) but now it's definitely better than a netbook in an urban environment for simple staying in contact, reading large attachments to emails, getting train times etc.
Music player, relatively decent video replay, radio, internet radio
All day battery life helps there, and it weighs less than a notebook power supply.
With a bluetoothed GPS receiver, it's useful everywhere else too.
It's good to see they are reading the Cabinet Office's strategy on considering Open Source Software, then using it to scribble Microsoft's phone number doewn somewhere.
I would have thought, despite the potential technical difficulties, that Parliament IT should be a hetrogenous environment rather than being a flagship advertisement for a single company's products.
Moreover, in the light of the desire of some to exclude convicted criminals from e.g., the House of Lords, I would have thought there would be a simialr enthusiasm to exclude convicts from other areas of Parliamentary life too.
...that an automated phone call from your favourite soap star ("oop north" and all that) would be slightly better than being photographed next to a waxworks dummy of your favourite pop star, innit?
Almost feeling sorry for the mindset of the idiot that came up with that one.
...is that I went to a local tax office to obtain a form.
"We don't just issue them" quoth he (Why not?) faintly aggressively (Why?)
As I went to walk out, he said, "You can use that helpine over there"
As I approached the phone he continued "but you'll need your 10 digit UTR"
(a) Why? (b) Unlike many I suppose, I don't carry it around with me (c) had he tried using his own system?
Later on I phoned the the helpline, which not only didn't require my UTR, but was just an automated message telling me to go to the website.
So prithee, what alternative reality did you experience?
Further, I do apologise that the system was not obvious to me - unlike my bank, my insurance, Amazon, John Lewis, and so on
And since you know so much, perhaps you could tell me how many people amended their tax return
(a) this year
(b) last year, which was clearly such a small number that the error wasn't tested for when the system was changed
and therefore how much of the system overload was caused by people trying repeatedly to do something impossible, merely because the error message was so uninformatiive?
Penultimately pehaps you could advise as to what were those people actually supposed to do?
I know, ring up, did you see the NAO report? There's a link here on El Reg.
Finally, even for those that did know how to use the system, but amended their tax teturn, (or whatwever else causes an error) can you explain why it was easier than doing it on paper?
If you want to file on paper, you can only download the form from the website. So far no problem.
Exceopt the use a nice aquamarine backgorund that doesn't print unless you are using a million poung laser printer or something (perhaps on photo-res on something cheaper it might also print out on a printe you actually own, except then of course you have to use special paper.
That is to say, it would be cheaper to employ an accountant than print out a paper return to do it off line.
So this year I filed on line for the first time, because I had no alternative if I didn't want tp pay to file my tax return. (complex circumstances not multi-millionaire, in case you were jeering)
You don't need another "getting my fscking government gateway pin" story so I'll move on.
Except, because I've only been using a computer for around thirty years, it wasn't exactly obvious how to navigate through the pages
And of course I made a mistake on the form leading to a huge overassessment
You don't need another "trying to get some sense from the telephone helpline story" so I'll move on.
Eventually I discovered it was possible to amend and resubmit. So I did.
However, what I didn't appreciate was that amending and resubmitting (that will only be the two of us then) leads to a system error so I couldn't then log back on to retrieve the amount I owed and pay it.
But it's alright, HMRC knew all about tis problem and on 15th January they posted a notice to the effect that: "unfortunately their 'software partners' won't be fixing it until February.
Actually, today, I notice that it seems to be fixed, so one is then caused to ask why it could be fixed sooner.
Not it mention, wondering if this system actually saves HMRC any money.
It's not that Linux "get's people to do it" it's that Linux both incrementally improves and doesn't cause you to have to throw out older versions in order to interoperate with newer versions. You're free to take them if you have need of the new features or you can stay with what you've got.
... this looks like a big improvement over the previous version of the "same" policy. Someone, somewhere seems to have cottoned on. I'm curious. Will it make a difference?
Two cavils:
remind me again which product supports ISO 29500? (Other than OOo)
It would have been good to see "unencumbered" included in the Open Standards bit, pre-empting any rotting of the European position on software patents.
Novell also are serious contributors to the Linux Kernel. They employ the most KDE developers (IIRC) Oracle have just given the world Btrsfs. Then there are all the others.
Novell, of course, are in the front line defending the Linux stack against SCO. That's hard money, time and effort too.
Building market share by price cutting suggests to me nothing more than they think Red Hat are overcharging. Maybe they are right and maybe they are wrong. It's called the market.
"Red Hat plans to hold a webcast on Understanding the Risks of Free and 'Low Cost' Linux."
Sounds remarkably similar to one of Microsoft's marketing messages.
More generally aren't the concerns expressed the natural product of a market in which there are no barriers to entry or exit? Once FLOSS has forced proprietary to reduce cost, it turns on itself and starts taking cost out of its own offerings.
It sounds like a good thing to me, as a potential customer. A supplier will feel differently but will keep margin only by differentiating the offer.
As with most things in life some people want to buy their food in Harrods but many more are happy with Aldi.
There's a lot of Google bashing going at El Reg at the mo' and while I'm sure they can defend themselves, I'd like to understand the editorial perspective here.
Is it that as Google proclaimed to do no evil they're not allowed the St Augustine defence whereas as Microsoft didn't promise anything we can admire their principled stand?
How many of those awards were sponsored by the industry groups to whom government contracts are awarded and how many of those awards were by groups representing the public and users of public services (y'know Patients Associations, Ctizens Advice, Charities etc)
This initiaitive is reminiscent of why iPlayer originally only supported MS Windows, "because there's no demand for alternatives" aka "because we reinforce the need to have MS Windows people will continue to assume that there is no point considering alternatives" thus proving the original assertion.
People like me will say "of course if you were to encourage platform neutrality, innovation, price reduction through competition and so forth or invest in some of the ARM based stuff that looks like it's going to get interesting" (and the IP is still sort of UK-ish)
Likely, vested interest will jump in and say "LOTD ROFLMAO 1%, fanboi" or something.
As long as the public sector seems to reinforce computing == Microsoft then the opportunity to benefit through competition is reduced as is the opportunity to discover alternatives.
Large organisations form pacts against mutually assured destruction through cross-licensing. Then along comes a small organisation, no submarines or trolls involved, and wins a case and won't be bought.
Suddenly large organisations get all righteous about software patents (while trying to slip them into Europe via the community patent)
Excuse me, there's a tear in my eye.
I'm just hoping Bilski delivers the right result and throws it all out.
"Google has indeed expanded consumer choice. And that suits its advertising-happy business model quite nicely."
I may be misreadind your intent but it reads asthough you think expanding consumer choice is a bad thing. Doesn't that increase consumer power and isn't that a good thing?
Disney defended that it "believed that the ad was not offensive and that the image of the woman lifting her top should be viewed in the context of the film trailer and the medium in which it was made available to the public", adding that "ads featuring womens' breasts were fairly common".
Disney don't seem to understand that it's only by complaining about something that challenges it as being the norm.
I don't think wearing dangy earrings is a pre-requisite to thinking the complainants might be right.
I despair of "nothing to hide", do these people have two brain cells to rub together or has nothing ever gone wrong in their lives, in spite of their best efforts.
This together with e.g., smart meters (and whatever else is coming along) then with one database error (c.f. woman who had to leave the NHS system in order to regain control over her incorrectly maintained medical records) not only do you become a non-person but you'll be in the dark eating cold food to keep warm. It doesn't have to be about having done something notable. In fact you'll probably be in a better position if you have, because someone somewhere will have other information about you.
I'm not promoting one distro over another, however, in openSUSE this problem is automatically solved in YaST update (add nvidia repository) If it's yet not in Karmic Koala, then Lanky Llama or Musty Mongoose will have it as standard, I'm sure.
But in a no-you-don't kind of way you have to admire how Microsoft seem to planning to get their customers to pay for this.
I find it difficult to believe disgruntled existing Vista users (or XP users thinking they need new hardware) will not consider trying a Linux distro first to see if they can stop paying again, ever, for something they thought they had bought already.
Mine's the one with an openSUSE distro on a USB stick in the pocket.
However as someone so left handed I've never successfully used the numeric keypad, I have a keen interest in the statistics. According to an Economist article a couple of years ago, the proportion of left-handers in the population is rising to about 1in 6.
If we were any other kind of minority group we'd have a Government Minister (so there are some upsides) but yes I choose products that don't discriminate against left-handers and no there would be no point using this device.
It wouldn't even be difficult as everything is in software to reflect the operation of this device so it could have a left-handed option
It even happens. As soon as I click the "wrong" button on my mouse both openSUSE (installation) or KDE (use) ASK me if I'm left-handed.
Mine's the one with the left-handed chequebook in the pocket
There Lloyds were described as "penguin huggers" which while not strictly true certainly indicates that they were not dependent upon peculiar Microsoft code then. This still seems to be the case.
As someone that has banked online with them since 1999 with various flavours of SuSE/openSUSE I can tell you the site has only ever got more Linux friendly (now even the instant messaging thingy works on Konqueror whereas I had to use Netscape and then FF for that.) I only used Konqueror out of obduracy, it always worked flawlessly with Firefox.
While I'm no great fan of any help desk, when I was badgering them about the IM thingy I did get a "we do know what you're talking about but we've got no plans" drop dead, as opposed to "use IE" drop dead.
For those of you questioning security, more recently Lloyds survived a Which? examination
last time I looked they were on NT4 - which if I recall correctly, along with 2000, was a least worse Microsoft option.
I hold no shares in Lloyds, they haven't kidnapped my teddy bear, they have seriously annoyed me in so many ways, but if you are having a problem with their internet banking it seems to me that it's a PEBKAC thing or the more delightfully offensive 1 - D 10-T problem
Mines the one with the horse in the pocket (can we have two logos please? If it were OK for Monty...)
By extending the life of your computing hardware and not diverting society's economic resources unnecessarily into purchasing software produced for marketing reasons and itself requiring extra hardware, you will indeed be freeing up resources for tree planting,k eradicating poverty, producing clean water, curing malaria and cancer..."
The one you missed out (a simple oversight on your part, I'm sure) was that by extending the life of the hardware Linux also directly contributes to reducing landfill
tick - parcel order from Amazon two days ago, arrived this morning mid phone call, courier politely held gadget for signature as I had phone in other hand
Royal Mail?
@Stef 4:
Brightly coloured envelopes going missing?
tick - I cannot send separate birthday cards to my friend's twins. It's a competition as to which one won't arrive.
Neighbours get my mail?
tick - or at least I get regular deliveries of my neighbours' mail
Parcel posted 23rd Sept arrived yesterday
Private Eye, despite correct address and 1st Class post now arriving six days late. So I will be canceling my subscription because it isn't funny and I am disgusted.
Government?
Even they think RM is rubbish. So they gave the mail contract to someone else
The law and Ofcom are supposed to keep the spectrum clean.
That ships in the middle of the Atlantic are unaffected is not surprising unless they are using an old Sinclair C5 washing machine motor and a long extension lead as we are discussing the effects arising from using BT Powerline kit used on domestic wiring.
There are people that do DX listening that are affected by this device, it wipes out shortwave listening.
It seems that unless you are a large organisation affected by any of this then Ofcom won't do anything. Large organisations can usually fend for themselves.
Perhaps Ofcom could get out of their expensive offices for reasons other than multiple attendances at telecommuncations or broadcasting beanfeasts or offer themselves up for abolition to help close the public sector funding gap.
gerryg
Would that be the same performance-lite kernel... →#
(I know, I know, that LBS Chair in Business Studies beckons)
I think I read recently that 80% of PCs in the USA end up in land fill. Why? They could all run a fairly decent up to date Linux distro (using KDE, Gnome or if necessary LXDE)
Unless you are a hardened games player, these refurbished PCs could chunter on for years with LOTD - as "blog of Helios" seeks to illustrate. (The parallel argument is that Microsoft's greatest competitor is Windows XP)
None of this news is good for companies that sell either hardware or software. Of course they are not going to talk up LOTD, (nor ensure that Windows XP will carry on forever)
The same old tired arguments get trotted out by these companies, their marketing departments and fan clubs.
_If_ the consumer (anyone, actually) gets real about the environment then it's a no-brainer that they will turn to software that enables them to reuse or enhance what hardware they've already got (which could include sticking with Windows XP, but I think Microsoft will continue to work against that)
HP already fully support all their printers and other gadgets on Linux. Others will follow.
I have no reason to think it's different for any other distro, but this "is on the DVD" for openSUSE. Yes, perhaps it will be your techie friend that will convert your hardware. It used to be your techie friend you asked about cars, hi-fi, cameras, whatever. It's how it works.
Friends I have converted remain happy, (all rational average users, no hardened games players). If anything need to be sorted out (usually the network, printer jam, occasionally how to use something) so what? It would be no different whatever they were using. Of course I'd get invited around more often (dinner, alcohol, mmmm) if they were running Windows
The only tricky hardware I've ever encountered is 3G dongles, and they are solvable.
How did we manage to be convinced that we need quad core and 4GB RAM for desktop work? How many people are actually doing home weather forecasting and/or real time cartoon animation?
Me: Athlon 3200, 1GB, 80GB, nvidia 6200, (all over five years old) happily using KDE 4.3.1 with bling
My understanding about copyright and patent, is that these are limited monopolies granted by the state in return for something happening that might not always happen.
Eventually they both expire.
Once a book goes out of copyright, e.g., a old classic, suddenly it's republished by someone, been going on for years, no-one cared.
The BFI are desperate to republish old films with no monetary value but are hampered by the complexity of orphaned copyrights and the belief by some that there's a goldmine once BFI get involved.
Chandos was a small record label that used to record out of copyright obscure stuff for afficionadoes but got stiffed (IIRC) by someone claiming copyright because they'd rewritten the score for the label and they won royalties, net result, Chandos made a loss on a recording that would not otherwise have happened. Net outcome, new recording of such work becomes financially unviable.
I'm sure Google do all the things they do for sound financial reasons, there is a possibility of some philanthropy too, no doubt (how many billions does one person need? Google Summer of Code?)
They're paying hard cash to do something that wasn't happening, I get to use it whatever technology I've got.
If I want to watch those Feynman lectures now, I have to use and pay for Microsoft technology.
The coalition up against Google don't seem to have a similar track record of openness and living and dying by the market.
I don't need to worry about the morality of any party, but soon as Google do something, that it wouldn't have happened otherwise is simply passed over by those who can see a deep pocket. That's how it goes.
From over here, on balance it feels like Google are acting directly or indirectly for the wider benefit.
But in the realm of cui bono, let's not invoke Robin Hood, neither discuss the long forgotten author of the important but specialist text nor cite the pension needs of the person that played the triangle on the once soon to be out of copyright sixties rock anthem.
This thing against Google isn't about defending poor people or wider society it's about vested interest, monopoly and control.
With my bank, they have introduced another measure. If you want to take money out of my account then you'll have to set yourself up as a payee. And then they will phone me to auto complete the process.
I thought I'd find it a bit annoying, but actually, it's OK.
Of course, if you've burgled my house, and you are using my landline as well as my computer (which you've password cracked), or you've stolen my mobile phone and I haven't noticed, and so on and so forth.
Of course I'd be impressed if you'd managed to get a key logger on to my computer at all, because, as Which says in in September issue, Windows XP [...] is more vulnerable to viruses [than Linux].
Samsung UN55B8000 55" LED TV (Widescreen, 1920x1080, HDTV)
LG Electronics 42LH30 42" LCD TV (Widescreen, 1920x1080, HDTV)
Samsung UN55B8500 55" LED TV (Widescreen, 1920x1080, HDTV)
Sony BRAVIA KDL-40EX400 40" LCD TV (Widescreen, 1920x1080, HDTV)
Samsung UN40B6000 40" LED TV (Widescreen, 1920x1080, HDTV)
55 posts • joined Wednesday 19th August 2009 09:43 GMT
Page:
gerryg
Upgrading hardware → #
Posted Friday 19th March 2010 09:56 GMT
In Hidden Windows 7 costs worry upgraders
I know this is a industry journal, but are we really going in the right direction with the general, "toss out the hardware, get a new printer" approach to IT?
I have no credentials with the organic knitted lentil sandal wearers but...
I am using an 8yr old gigabyte motherboard, with PATA and SATA, dual NIC, firewire, 8 usb 2.0, dual channel 1GB PC2700 (a gimmick IMHO, but it was £18/stick) Athlon 3200, Geforce 6200 (5 years old) soundblaster audigy to replace on board sound.
I'm running full fat KDE 4.4.1 on openSUSE, with no sign that I need 64 bit, dual core or faster I/O. Device compatibility only gets better. All applications have worked from version to version.
Does hardware bloat and software bloat never need to end? What am I missing?
gerryg
pseudo's corner → #
Posted Thursday 18th March 2010 14:28 GMT
In Google extends ARM to browser natives
Come back Pascal, p-code and Dijkstra, all is forgiven.
gerryg
YOU ALL ARE WRONG!!! → #
Posted Wednesday 17th March 2010 16:38 GMT
In Muso turfed off train for 'suspicious' set list
It was highly suspicious, the story alleges the PCSOs could actually read.
gerryg
Try escaping from the hamster wheel? → #
Posted Wednesday 17th March 2010 13:42 GMT
In Microsoft confirms IE9 will shun Windows XP
This is a risk-free opportunity to try a modern Linux distro. You are planning to replace your OS, so why not take a sideways step first?
If you don't like it, you can carry on as before. It won't cost you anything to try.
gerryg
when parasites... → # ↑
Posted Friday 12th March 2010 10:20 GMT
In Google, Facebook cop for preposterous patent potshot
...stop employing parasitical lawyers in an attempt to scam the system, so not any time soon, then.
gerryg
I think you are right → # ↑
Posted Tuesday 16th February 2010 15:43 GMT
In Microsoft made a phone, and I hate it already
I've wanted to lust after an N900.
I currently own an N800 and a 5800, so i've got my 3G modem in case of emergencies. But I haven't had any yet.
The N800 has a nice screen size and can do lightweight office stuff while sitting, e.g., in the Southbank complex using their free wifi (well, £40/year but I also get a great view over the Thames)
I prefer the maps on the N800 and the GPS on the 5800 is a bit slow but it all "just works" and of course I can doodle on the web while getting a boring phone call, the upside of two devices.
Maybe the N910 will drive me into its arms.
gerryg
What's not to like? → # ↑
Posted Monday 15th February 2010 15:59 GMT
In Intel joins Nokia in Android attack
If anything, as free wi-fi has got more ubiqitous, my N800 has got close to being indispensible. When I first got it, 3 years ago, I found it to be a bit "so what" (not much free wi-fi) but now it's definitely better than a netbook in an urban environment for simple staying in contact, reading large attachments to emails, getting train times etc.
Music player, relatively decent video replay, radio, internet radio
All day battery life helps there, and it weighs less than a notebook power supply.
With a bluetoothed GPS receiver, it's useful everywhere else too.
Give us a clue, what don't you liike?
gerryg
While we all know Parliament isn't Government → #
Posted Monday 15th February 2010 14:41 GMT
In Westminster politicos told to grasp Vista nettle
It's good to see they are reading the Cabinet Office's strategy on considering Open Source Software, then using it to scribble Microsoft's phone number doewn somewhere.
I would have thought, despite the potential technical difficulties, that Parliament IT should be a hetrogenous environment rather than being a flagship advertisement for a single company's products.
Moreover, in the light of the desire of some to exclude convicted criminals from e.g., the House of Lords, I would have thought there would be a simialr enthusiasm to exclude convicts from other areas of Parliamentary life too.
gerryg
What an unreal set of postings so far → #
Posted Friday 12th February 2010 14:20 GMT
In OpenOffice 3.2 is on tap
en_GB version bit difficult to find
PPC version bit diifficult to find
Still no R1C1...
Is this the best that can be done these days?
Why not try, "look, we like paying stupid money for software we are eventually going to be compelled to buy again?"
Just a thought
gerryg
It was done in the belief... → # ↑
Posted Tuesday 9th February 2010 18:15 GMT
In Labour Party told to stop spam-calls
...that an automated phone call from your favourite soap star ("oop north" and all that) would be slightly better than being photographed next to a waxworks dummy of your favourite pop star, innit?
Almost feeling sorry for the mindset of the idiot that came up with that one.
gerryg
was, not now → # ↑
Posted Tuesday 9th February 2010 10:54 GMT
In OpenOffice is the new David Hasselhoff
OOo was Star Office opensourced but now new versions of Star Office are developed from the OOo code base FWIW
gerryg
It appears that the difference between you and me... → # ↑
Posted Thursday 4th February 2010 01:14 GMT
In Record year for online tax filing - and phishing mails
...is that I went to a local tax office to obtain a form.
"We don't just issue them" quoth he (Why not?) faintly aggressively (Why?)
As I went to walk out, he said, "You can use that helpine over there"
As I approached the phone he continued "but you'll need your 10 digit UTR"
(a) Why? (b) Unlike many I suppose, I don't carry it around with me (c) had he tried using his own system?
Later on I phoned the the helpline, which not only didn't require my UTR, but was just an automated message telling me to go to the website.
So prithee, what alternative reality did you experience?
Further, I do apologise that the system was not obvious to me - unlike my bank, my insurance, Amazon, John Lewis, and so on
And since you know so much, perhaps you could tell me how many people amended their tax return
(a) this year
(b) last year, which was clearly such a small number that the error wasn't tested for when the system was changed
and therefore how much of the system overload was caused by people trying repeatedly to do something impossible, merely because the error message was so uninformatiive?
Penultimately pehaps you could advise as to what were those people actually supposed to do?
I know, ring up, did you see the NAO report? There's a link here on El Reg.
Finally, even for those that did know how to use the system, but amended their tax teturn, (or whatwever else causes an error) can you explain why it was easier than doing it on paper?
gerryg
I was wrong, sorry → # ↑
Posted Wednesday 3rd February 2010 17:14 GMT
In Record year for online tax filing - and phishing mails
They haven't fixed the problem, merely removed the notification from the website.
gerryg
Do you know why the numbers are higher? → #
Posted Wednesday 3rd February 2010 16:55 GMT
In Record year for online tax filing - and phishing mails
Let me explain.
If you want to file on paper, you can only download the form from the website. So far no problem.
Exceopt the use a nice aquamarine backgorund that doesn't print unless you are using a million poung laser printer or something (perhaps on photo-res on something cheaper it might also print out on a printe you actually own, except then of course you have to use special paper.
That is to say, it would be cheaper to employ an accountant than print out a paper return to do it off line.
So this year I filed on line for the first time, because I had no alternative if I didn't want tp pay to file my tax return. (complex circumstances not multi-millionaire, in case you were jeering)
You don't need another "getting my fscking government gateway pin" story so I'll move on.
Except, because I've only been using a computer for around thirty years, it wasn't exactly obvious how to navigate through the pages
And of course I made a mistake on the form leading to a huge overassessment
You don't need another "trying to get some sense from the telephone helpline story" so I'll move on.
Eventually I discovered it was possible to amend and resubmit. So I did.
However, what I didn't appreciate was that amending and resubmitting (that will only be the two of us then) leads to a system error so I couldn't then log back on to retrieve the amount I owed and pay it.
But it's alright, HMRC knew all about tis problem and on 15th January they posted a notice to the effect that: "unfortunately their 'software partners' won't be fixing it until February.
Actually, today, I notice that it seems to be fixed, so one is then caused to ask why it could be fixed sooner.
Not it mention, wondering if this system actually saves HMRC any money.
.
gerryg
@Alistair → # ↑
Posted Thursday 28th January 2010 19:51 GMT
In Windows 8 possible July 2011 release?
It's not that Linux "get's people to do it" it's that Linux both incrementally improves and doesn't cause you to have to throw out older versions in order to interoperate with newer versions. You're free to take them if you have need of the new features or you can stay with what you've got.
True of the entire software stack, too.
gerryg
Grudgingly... → #
Posted Wednesday 27th January 2010 14:14 GMT
In UK.gov tweaks open source policy small print
... this looks like a big improvement over the previous version of the "same" policy. Someone, somewhere seems to have cottoned on. I'm curious. Will it make a difference?
Two cavils:
remind me again which product supports ISO 29500? (Other than OOo)
It would have been good to see "unencumbered" included in the Open Standards bit, pre-empting any rotting of the European position on software patents.
gerryg
Ask me another... → #
Posted Sunday 24th January 2010 05:41 GMT
In Brits left cold by mobile internet
Do I use my phone to access all the (legally) free wifi all over London? yes
Have I been known to choose my coffee shop by wifi price? yes
Does my phone include free GPS? yes
gerryg
Am I missing something.. → # ↑
Posted Thursday 21st January 2010 14:40 GMT
In MPs frozen out of super-secret copyright talks
...it's not even particularly subtle.
gerryg
Oh dear... → # ↑
Posted Thursday 21st January 2010 11:24 GMT
In Rattled Red Hat battles support impostors
Novell also are serious contributors to the Linux Kernel. They employ the most KDE developers (IIRC) Oracle have just given the world Btrsfs. Then there are all the others.
Novell, of course, are in the front line defending the Linux stack against SCO. That's hard money, time and effort too.
Building market share by price cutting suggests to me nothing more than they think Red Hat are overcharging. Maybe they are right and maybe they are wrong. It's called the market.
Luckily we'll be able to watch and find out.
gerryg
Random musings → #
Posted Thursday 21st January 2010 01:01 GMT
In Rattled Red Hat battles support impostors
"Red Hat plans to hold a webcast on Understanding the Risks of Free and 'Low Cost' Linux."
Sounds remarkably similar to one of Microsoft's marketing messages.
More generally aren't the concerns expressed the natural product of a market in which there are no barriers to entry or exit? Once FLOSS has forced proprietary to reduce cost, it turns on itself and starts taking cost out of its own offerings.
It sounds like a good thing to me, as a potential customer. A supplier will feel differently but will keep margin only by differentiating the offer.
As with most things in life some people want to buy their food in Harrods but many more are happy with Aldi.
gerryg
And your point is? → #
Posted Tuesday 19th January 2010 01:01 GMT
In Ballmer: no China exit for Microsoft's Bing
There's a lot of Google bashing going at El Reg at the mo' and while I'm sure they can defend themselves, I'd like to understand the editorial perspective here.
Is it that as Google proclaimed to do no evil they're not allowed the St Augustine defence whereas as Microsoft didn't promise anything we can admire their principled stand?
I'd just like to know.
gerryg
We haven't had a Gandhi quote for a while → #
Posted Thursday 14th January 2010 13:47 GMT
In Microsoft tells UK schools: buy our software, save money
Clearly Microsoft have moved on from ignore, through ridicule now they are fighting.
We know what happens next.
gerryg
In a parallel universe... → #
Posted Thursday 14th January 2010 00:13 GMT
In Microsoft predicts Linux will fail mobile 'quality' test
...Microsoft concede that Stallman and Torvalds were right, adopt Linux kernel forthwith and GPL their entire code base
This is hardly a "man bites dog" story, or am I missing something?
gerryg
@Richard 125 → # ↑
Posted Wednesday 13th January 2010 19:35 GMT
In HP loses massive DWP contract
How many of those awards were sponsored by the industry groups to whom government contracts are awarded and how many of those awards were by groups representing the public and users of public services (y'know Patients Associations, Ctizens Advice, Charities etc)
gerryg
circular reasoning problem → #
Posted Tuesday 12th January 2010 10:39 GMT
In Brown offers free laptops to deprived UK schoolkids
This initiaitive is reminiscent of why iPlayer originally only supported MS Windows, "because there's no demand for alternatives" aka "because we reinforce the need to have MS Windows people will continue to assume that there is no point considering alternatives" thus proving the original assertion.
People like me will say "of course if you were to encourage platform neutrality, innovation, price reduction through competition and so forth or invest in some of the ARM based stuff that looks like it's going to get interesting" (and the IP is still sort of UK-ish)
Likely, vested interest will jump in and say "LOTD ROFLMAO 1%, fanboi" or something.
As long as the public sector seems to reinforce computing == Microsoft then the opportunity to benefit through competition is reduced as is the opportunity to discover alternatives.
gerryg
Software patents → #
Posted Sunday 10th January 2010 06:25 GMT
In Microsoft petitions for second look at Word XML decision
Large organisations form pacts against mutually assured destruction through cross-licensing. Then along comes a small organisation, no submarines or trolls involved, and wins a case and won't be bought.
Suddenly large organisations get all righteous about software patents (while trying to slip them into Europe via the community patent)
Excuse me, there's a tear in my eye.
I'm just hoping Bilski delivers the right result and throws it all out.
gerryg
A bad thing? → #
Posted Wednesday 6th January 2010 10:19 GMT
In The Googlephone - there's more where that came from
"Google has indeed expanded consumer choice. And that suits its advertising-happy business model quite nicely."
I may be misreadind your intent but it reads asthough you think expanding consumer choice is a bad thing. Doesn't that increase consumer power and isn't that a good thing?
gerryg
@IT specialist → #
Posted Monday 21st December 2009 11:37 GMT
In A decade to forget - how Microsoft lost its mojo
It seems worth noting that Webkit was born out of KHTML.
The KDE project is worth a mention, I think.
gerryg
I think this was the issue... → #
Posted Wednesday 16th December 2009 15:08 GMT
In Watchdog mauls Disney woman's breasts
Let's watch Dsiney not "getting it"
Disney defended that it "believed that the ad was not offensive and that the image of the woman lifting her top should be viewed in the context of the film trailer and the medium in which it was made available to the public", adding that "ads featuring womens' breasts were fairly common".
Disney don't seem to understand that it's only by complaining about something that challenges it as being the norm.
I don't think wearing dangy earrings is a pre-requisite to thinking the complainants might be right.
gerryg
@The First Dave → #
Posted Wednesday 16th December 2009 00:53 GMT
In Free software lawyers hit Best Buy et al with GPL 'violation' claim
The big picture is that if the licence isn't enforced it becomes unenforceable - was that OK for you?
gerryg
@The Original Ash → # ↑
Posted Thursday 10th December 2009 12:21 GMT
In Durham police demonstrate DNA will stuff you
"It's a common misconception"
If you have a moment could you pop down from your lofty perspective and explain the common misconception to this bloke?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/17/gossip_work_check/
I'm sure in the parallel universe you inhabit, he's employed, been promoted and got an MBE
gerryg
@Martin 6 → #
Posted Monday 7th December 2009 15:08 GMT
In Gordon Brown declares another new era in gov IT
Is this and example of "GOTOs considered harmful?"
gerryg
add this to smart meters → #
Posted Thursday 3rd December 2009 13:44 GMT
In Manchester journo gets first ID card - late
I despair of "nothing to hide", do these people have two brain cells to rub together or has nothing ever gone wrong in their lives, in spite of their best efforts.
This together with e.g., smart meters (and whatever else is coming along) then with one database error (c.f. woman who had to leave the NHS system in order to regain control over her incorrectly maintained medical records) not only do you become a non-person but you'll be in the dark eating cold food to keep warm. It doesn't have to be about having done something notable. In fact you'll probably be in a better position if you have, because someone somewhere will have other information about you.
gerryg
@James Hughes 1 → #
Posted Thursday 29th October 2009 16:53 GMT
In Ubuntu's Karmic Koala bares fangs at Windows 7
I'm not promoting one distro over another, however, in openSUSE this problem is automatically solved in YaST update (add nvidia repository) If it's yet not in Karmic Koala, then Lanky Llama or Musty Mongoose will have it as standard, I'm sure.
gerryg
@Christian Berger → #
Posted Tuesday 27th October 2009 00:02 GMT
In Nokia N900 delayed
"4rd"? Has FSF released a suitable licence for 4rd generation software?
gerryg
@AC 20.41 → #
Posted Thursday 22nd October 2009 00:19 GMT
In Microsoft thinks it can sell one copy of Windows 7 for every four people
But in a no-you-don't kind of way you have to admire how Microsoft seem to planning to get their customers to pay for this.
I find it difficult to believe disgruntled existing Vista users (or XP users thinking they need new hardware) will not consider trying a Linux distro first to see if they can stop paying again, ever, for something they thought they had bought already.
Mine's the one with an openSUSE distro on a USB stick in the pocket.
gerryg
@Steve Davies 3 → #
Posted Tuesday 20th October 2009 23:48 GMT
In Philips GoGear Muse
You beat me to it.
However as someone so left handed I've never successfully used the numeric keypad, I have a keen interest in the statistics. According to an Economist article a couple of years ago, the proportion of left-handers in the population is rising to about 1in 6.
If we were any other kind of minority group we'd have a Government Minister (so there are some upsides) but yes I choose products that don't discriminate against left-handers and no there would be no point using this device.
It wouldn't even be difficult as everything is in software to reflect the operation of this device so it could have a left-handed option
It even happens. As soon as I click the "wrong" button on my mouse both openSUSE (installation) or KDE (use) ASK me if I'm left-handed.
Mine's the one with the left-handed chequebook in the pocket
gerryg
Those that do not remember history... → #
Posted Thursday 15th October 2009 15:12 GMT
In Lloyds TSB's online banking system shows no love for Firefox
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/10/23/online_banks_retailers_shut_out/
There Lloyds were described as "penguin huggers" which while not strictly true certainly indicates that they were not dependent upon peculiar Microsoft code then. This still seems to be the case.
As someone that has banked online with them since 1999 with various flavours of SuSE/openSUSE I can tell you the site has only ever got more Linux friendly (now even the instant messaging thingy works on Konqueror whereas I had to use Netscape and then FF for that.) I only used Konqueror out of obduracy, it always worked flawlessly with Firefox.
While I'm no great fan of any help desk, when I was badgering them about the IM thingy I did get a "we do know what you're talking about but we've got no plans" drop dead, as opposed to "use IE" drop dead.
For those of you questioning security, more recently Lloyds survived a Which? examination
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/27/online_banking_fraud_survey/
last time I looked they were on NT4 - which if I recall correctly, along with 2000, was a least worse Microsoft option.
I hold no shares in Lloyds, they haven't kidnapped my teddy bear, they have seriously annoyed me in so many ways, but if you are having a problem with their internet banking it seems to me that it's a PEBKAC thing or the more delightfully offensive 1 - D 10-T problem
Mines the one with the horse in the pocket (can we have two logos please? If it were OK for Monty...)
gerryg
@toastan butter → #
Posted Tuesday 13th October 2009 14:40 GMT
In Linux Foundation woos with lifetime linux.com handle
Excellent. Took me a couple of seconds to work out what you were talking about :)
It might even have been a freudian slip, since I only use KDE
gerryg
@Charlie Clark: I salute your perspicacity → #
Posted Tuesday 13th October 2009 09:25 GMT
In Linux Foundation woos with lifetime linux.com handle
By extending the life of your computing hardware and not diverting society's economic resources unnecessarily into purchasing software produced for marketing reasons and itself requiring extra hardware, you will indeed be freeing up resources for tree planting,k eradicating poverty, producing clean water, curing malaria and cancer..."
The one you missed out (a simple oversight on your part, I'm sure) was that by extending the life of the hardware Linux also directly contributes to reducing landfill
gerryg
@Martin 19 → #
Posted Monday 12th October 2009 09:23 GMT
In BT to push fibre to 1.5m more homes and businesses
Excellent
gerryg
Government consistency...left and right hand → #
Posted Friday 9th October 2009 00:05 GMT
In Amazon eyes wander as Royal Mail strike looms
@Alex 66
HDNL?
tick - parcel order from Amazon two days ago, arrived this morning mid phone call, courier politely held gadget for signature as I had phone in other hand
Royal Mail?
@Stef 4:
Brightly coloured envelopes going missing?
tick - I cannot send separate birthday cards to my friend's twins. It's a competition as to which one won't arrive.
Neighbours get my mail?
tick - or at least I get regular deliveries of my neighbours' mail
Parcel posted 23rd Sept arrived yesterday
Private Eye, despite correct address and 1st Class post now arriving six days late. So I will be canceling my subscription because it isn't funny and I am disgusted.
Government?
Even they think RM is rubbish. So they gave the mail contract to someone else
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/jan/08/immigrationpolicy.post
which no doubt increases the subsidy required
gerryg
Go RSGB - It's not only ham radio → #
Posted Thursday 1st October 2009 14:09 GMT
In Radio Society to Ofcom:
HearSee you in courtThe law and Ofcom are supposed to keep the spectrum clean.
That ships in the middle of the Atlantic are unaffected is not surprising unless they are using an old Sinclair C5 washing machine motor and a long extension lead as we are discussing the effects arising from using BT Powerline kit used on domestic wiring.
There are people that do DX listening that are affected by this device, it wipes out shortwave listening.
It seems that unless you are a large organisation affected by any of this then Ofcom won't do anything. Large organisations can usually fend for themselves.
Perhaps Ofcom could get out of their expensive offices for reasons other than multiple attendances at telecommuncations or broadcasting beanfeasts or offer themselves up for abolition to help close the public sector funding gap.
gerryg
Would that be the same performance-lite kernel... → #
Posted Tuesday 22nd September 2009 11:15 GMT
In Linus calls Linux 'bloated and huge'
...that runs on 19 0f the 20 fastest supercomputers and the vast majority of the next 480?
Oh, it's customisable, you say? You don't need to use everything it comes with?
Who'd have thought it?
gerryg
The desktop where Linux should succeed → #
Posted Tuesday 22nd September 2009 11:12 GMT
In IBM Linux chief: Chasing desktop Windows a 'dead-end'
IBM, Microsoft, whomever, want to sell you stuff
(I know, I know, that LBS Chair in Business Studies beckons)
I think I read recently that 80% of PCs in the USA end up in land fill. Why? They could all run a fairly decent up to date Linux distro (using KDE, Gnome or if necessary LXDE)
Unless you are a hardened games player, these refurbished PCs could chunter on for years with LOTD - as "blog of Helios" seeks to illustrate. (The parallel argument is that Microsoft's greatest competitor is Windows XP)
None of this news is good for companies that sell either hardware or software. Of course they are not going to talk up LOTD, (nor ensure that Windows XP will carry on forever)
The same old tired arguments get trotted out by these companies, their marketing departments and fan clubs.
_If_ the consumer (anyone, actually) gets real about the environment then it's a no-brainer that they will turn to software that enables them to reuse or enhance what hardware they've already got (which could include sticking with Windows XP, but I think Microsoft will continue to work against that)
HP already fully support all their printers and other gadgets on Linux. Others will follow.
I have no reason to think it's different for any other distro, but this "is on the DVD" for openSUSE. Yes, perhaps it will be your techie friend that will convert your hardware. It used to be your techie friend you asked about cars, hi-fi, cameras, whatever. It's how it works.
Friends I have converted remain happy, (all rational average users, no hardened games players). If anything need to be sorted out (usually the network, printer jam, occasionally how to use something) so what? It would be no different whatever they were using. Of course I'd get invited around more often (dinner, alcohol, mmmm) if they were running Windows
The only tricky hardware I've ever encountered is 3G dongles, and they are solvable.
How did we manage to be convinced that we need quad core and 4GB RAM for desktop work? How many people are actually doing home weather forecasting and/or real time cartoon animation?
Me: Athlon 3200, 1GB, 80GB, nvidia 6200, (all over five years old) happily using KDE 4.3.1 with bling
gerryg
you don't understand... → #
Posted Friday 11th September 2009 09:53 GMT
In IBM claims patents promote open-source love
...if you read the brief backwards, actually, IBM are against software patents
http://www.opensourceconsortium.org/content/blogcategory/25/89/
gerryg
@JWS → #
Posted Tuesday 1st September 2009 14:22 GMT
In Sony snubs Microsoft in Google Chrome browser deal
Yes, you did miss something.
1) Microsoft was about "use my browser -> use my operating system"
2) Google has almost no market share so not a dominant incumbent
In the future it might be different.
gerryg
Old wine in new bottles → #
Posted Saturday 29th August 2009 22:27 GMT
In Google Book Search - Is it The Last Library?
My understanding about copyright and patent, is that these are limited monopolies granted by the state in return for something happening that might not always happen.
Eventually they both expire.
Once a book goes out of copyright, e.g., a old classic, suddenly it's republished by someone, been going on for years, no-one cared.
The BFI are desperate to republish old films with no monetary value but are hampered by the complexity of orphaned copyrights and the belief by some that there's a goldmine once BFI get involved.
Chandos was a small record label that used to record out of copyright obscure stuff for afficionadoes but got stiffed (IIRC) by someone claiming copyright because they'd rewritten the score for the label and they won royalties, net result, Chandos made a loss on a recording that would not otherwise have happened. Net outcome, new recording of such work becomes financially unviable.
I'm sure Google do all the things they do for sound financial reasons, there is a possibility of some philanthropy too, no doubt (how many billions does one person need? Google Summer of Code?)
They're paying hard cash to do something that wasn't happening, I get to use it whatever technology I've got.
If I want to watch those Feynman lectures now, I have to use and pay for Microsoft technology.
The coalition up against Google don't seem to have a similar track record of openness and living and dying by the market.
I don't need to worry about the morality of any party, but soon as Google do something, that it wouldn't have happened otherwise is simply passed over by those who can see a deep pocket. That's how it goes.
From over here, on balance it feels like Google are acting directly or indirectly for the wider benefit.
But in the realm of cui bono, let's not invoke Robin Hood, neither discuss the long forgotten author of the important but specialist text nor cite the pension needs of the person that played the triangle on the once soon to be out of copyright sixties rock anthem.
This thing against Google isn't about defending poor people or wider society it's about vested interest, monopoly and control.
.
gerryg
@ Gary 23 → #
Posted Friday 28th August 2009 21:06 GMT
In UK media: 'Met Office computer will destroy the world'
While perhaps a slight exaggeration to say that NPL invented the internet, they did invent one of the key underlying techiques, packet switching
www.npl.co.uk/npl-historical-videos
gerryg
Are they sure? → #
Posted Thursday 27th August 2009 13:09 GMT
In UK banks 'not doing enough' on internet fraud
Log in is just one measure.
With my bank, they have introduced another measure. If you want to take money out of my account then you'll have to set yourself up as a payee. And then they will phone me to auto complete the process.
I thought I'd find it a bit annoying, but actually, it's OK.
Of course, if you've burgled my house, and you are using my landline as well as my computer (which you've password cracked), or you've stolen my mobile phone and I haven't noticed, and so on and so forth.
Of course I'd be impressed if you'd managed to get a key logger on to my computer at all, because, as Which says in in September issue, Windows XP [...] is more vulnerable to viruses [than Linux].
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