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* Posts by Mark

3397 publicly visible posts • joined 5 Oct 2007

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What the Freetard Photo book tells us

Mark
Paris Hilton

Shakespeare plays weren't copyrighted

The great classics from the Greeks were not copyrighted and in fact were EXPECTED to be listened to and copied to spread it about.

But your point about Shakspeare plays being unavailable if it weren't copyrighted (AC) is hilarious since they exist and there WAS NO COPYRIGHT. People would come to his plays and write down the play being performed and play it themselves elsewhere. Legally.

Yet despite this, we still have plenty of Shakespeare plays.

Oh, and ask the US why they made massive copyright infringement of Charles Dickens work so that he went on tour at his expense round the US to try to get them to stop. Ask whether Hollywood will pay for the theft of motion picture patents they moved to Hollywood to avoid paying for.

Yet, despite both "losses" of intellectual property, we still have "A Christmas Carol" and motion picture devices.

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Mark
IT Angle

re: Ummm...missing a few people?

What the fuck are you on about?

RMS: Emacs, etc

Linus: Linux

ESR: Linux drivers

I seem to be able to locate work that they have submitted.

I haven't seen MS produce any GPL3 work, though they have use MSPL licensed work that is "free" software.

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Photography: Yes, you have rights

Mark
Alien

re: Calm down...

Aye, the plod are just human when it comes to fuckups but they are infallible paragons of right and honour when it comes to giving them powers.

I

Don't

Buy

It

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Mark
Alien

re: Don't be fooled

And if the tories are just as bad, why does that mean we should keep the current crop of arseholes in power?

If they are as bad, then at least they start off on the back foot and we kick THEM out in four years.

But you want us to accept evil because all our options could be evil.

No.

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Record industry refused Jammie Thomas appeal

Mark
Pirate

@Ian

Other laws are being retroactively applied.

Like McKinnon's acts not being a crime when he did them yet still being charged with the new retroactively applied crime.

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Censored scenes from the Congress WMD report

Mark
Paris Hilton

@Jon Kale

Chlorine is a chemical weapon.

Boom.

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Royal Navy completes Windows for Submarines™ rollout

Mark
IT Angle

re: @Ed (and others) + Lewis

"Military hardware *does* have "limited or no accessibility" - it is locked down by security measures both physical and electronic."

Not if they're US DoD machines. There setting your password to "Admin" is about the height of security...

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Mark

re: XP - It will be the embedded version

So not the version of XP that has had all the years of finding and fixing bugs, then?

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Mark

re: Old technology

However, Windows 2000 is out of support. That's a shitload different from obsolete hardware, since copyrights aren't involved.

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G N' R blogger pleads guilty to copyright violation

Mark

@James Henstridge

Not necessarily. If it is not fixed, there is no copyright.

And why should such works get both copyright AND trade secret protection? They are antithetical to each other.

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Mark

If it isn't released

It's a trade secret.

And if he didn't release it but it was given to him, he has nothing to worry about.

And seriously, WTF is it with the punishment/torture?

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Quasar scrutineers use entire galaxy as telescope lens

Mark
Boffin

re: Someone explain redshifting

Hydrogen is the most common element in stars. There are only a limited set of ways for hydrogen to emit or absorb radiation from its electronic shell transitions. E.g. Hydrogen Alpha is an energy level shift that equates to a 650nm wavelength of light.

Similarly for helium or ionised oxygen (467nm).

They don't change.

So when you see the absorbtion spectra very deep and at the same relative position other absorbtion spectra such that the "fingerprint" of their ratios is what you would expect from a main sequence star, you know which one is the H-alpha line. And we know what that SHOULD be, and we know what it IS from that star/galaxy.

And it's shifted red.

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Mark
Boffin

@R Callan

But friction would take the light energy out and put it into dark matter.

Such friction would be even more evident with the friction between the planets and this dark matter.

So you have more warming of the dark matter (why don't we see it then?) and we would have a change in the motions of the planets (eventually spiraling in to the sun).

It's an idea but you have to forget to ask what the result you weren't looking for from that would be.

And, as such , you don't have an alternate explanation.

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Mark
Paris Hilton

re: As any fule kno

No, it either IS or IS NOT throwing out huge amounts of energy. Whether it does or not doesn't change based on distance.

Now the quasars have a redshift of ~10. This puts them a LOONG way away unless you have a theory that stands up to scrutiny that explains why the helium light is at ~500nm for stars in our galaxy but is waaay down into the deep IR for galaxies that are small but close.

Absent that, these galaxies are big but not orders of magnitude out and a LONG way away. Therefore the energy we DO get indicates a very bright source in the same way as knowing that the lighthouse is a long way away rather than at the end of your garden but still makes a shadow on the wall shows that the light is bright.

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The Year in Operating Systems: No battle of big ideas

Mark

@Thomas

Not really. The iPhone calls itself Macx OSX, IIRC, but in any case, it's always odd how the figures change DRAMATICALLY depending on who is making the attribution. That shows that "web impressions" isn't a good metric. The noise outshines the signal.

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Mark

best-selling UNIX by actual volume

Uh, that doesn't mean much. Mandrake has a free version, OpenSuSE and the biggest one, Ubuntu is free too.

Hard to have many ***sales*** when your product is free to use.

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Virgin Media to dump neutrality and target BitTorrent users

Mark

re: It's basic economics

So sell it at the cost.

Don't lie.

And most of the cost is because BT charge people running over their phone lines per MB. Why? Because they can.

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Mark

"The primary (only?) use for torrents is theft."

Nope.

Wrong.

Unless you mean it in the same way as the primary (only?) use for military defense spending is to pay your mates wodges of dosh.

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Mark

re: Very decent typres here on the Reg

Well, do you know anyone who does do it? If so, report them.

Oh, copyright abuse can only be raised by the copyright holder, can't it.

Which is why Sony UK is still solvent because I wanted to take them to court over the abuse of copyright of LAME. Couldn't because only the copyright holder can take action.

But you just *assume* that people are mostly doing wrong with it because you've been told by RIAA (who have disobeyed HUNDREDS of court orders, broken even more laws themselves and have broken the contract of copyrights to boot) that that is all it's done for.

I bet you believe both that porn is 90% of the internet traffic, BT is 90% of traffic and that Spam is 90% of traffic on the internet. Even though that adds up to 270% before you get your Daily Mail (internet edition) added into the mix.

Fuckwit.

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Mark

@Simon Neill

That's BT monopolising network costing you that. In the US, $4,800 pcm for an OC48. ~2.5Gbps if you're allowed to wholesale it.

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Mark

@Stu Reeves

"All you can eat, and no throttling ever. all for £1000 / month, Would you take it up? Thought no"

Of course not.

The wholesale price of an OC48 per month is $4,800. Entirely and wholly yours. 2.45GBps.

Divvy that up amongst 50 users and you get ~50Mbps each for $96.

Why spend £1000 for a mimiscule proportion of that?

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Mark

@Julian

Julian, you've swalloed too much ISP man-juice.

Canadian Comcast, who had told everyone that they needed to throttle traffic because of over-use had had documents revealed in court that Comcast had KNOWN that the occurrence of saturation of their network ONLY happened less than 3% of the time.

Unless Canadians are not freetards (you fucktard), and this can't be true because the RIAA said that Canada was responsible for the majority of illegal copyright infringement losses to the entertainment industry, this is unlikely to be any worse for you.

Your shit connection is due to your ISP being crap.

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Mark

@Piggy and Tazzy

And the direct debit mandate allows you to deny a payment or cancel at any time.

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Mark

@Charles

"I cannot speak for the UK's infrastructure investment, but it also helps that Japan, Korea, and the like are a lot SMALLER."

What about the density in London? Birmingham? Glasgow? That's the same lame-ass excuse the US give.

We are a WORLD SUPERPOWER!!!! Or at least that's what all the labour MP's want it to be, which is why they keep pissing about "on the world stage", scared shitless that someone may one day actually say "who the fuck are they?".

If we're a world leader, why the fuck are we behind ANYONE?

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Mark

@Conor Turton

How do you know that?

Is it "Common Knowledge"? Did "Some Guy Down the Pub" tell you?

Take that meme and sniff it.

That's shit you're smelling.

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Mark

BitTorrent is a huge boon to media companies

Such as Blizzard. Hell, they've been the standard choice for YEARS to hand out patches for games, OSs and other software sources.

I shall now enforce a QoS payment system. If I feel they are wasting money, I will reduce the direct debit payment to ensure that abuse of the fuckton of money they receive is not misused or used in an illegal or illicit manner.

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Microsoft knew about Xbox 360 disc-scratch problem, employee claims

Mark
Gates Horns

re: Srsly (part 2, return of the fanboi)

"But come on, blatant stupidity is blatant stupidity. Unless the units have laptop style drives with a press clip spindle, tilting any of them while the disk is spinning is asking for trouble."

And yes, it is. So why are you assuming there's no stupidity on MS's part here?

Desktop CD units can be used vertically. They aren't laptop drives. They work. PS2 doesn't use laptop units. Nor the PS3. They don't mind being moved in the slightest.

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Mark
Gates Horns

re: Fanboys *rolls eyes*

Good for you.

55000 people don't. And as has been said above, either idiots only buy the XBox or your characterisation of what is causing the problem is incorrect.

So, do you dance with idiots or are you wrong about what these people are doing?

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Mark
Gates Horns

re: WTF!!!

Indeed. So why are you assuming that it's shaking the XBox that's doing it? Because that allows you to assume blame on the users, not your beloved Microsoft? You're an NBMer.

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Mark
Gates Horns

re Nonsense

Well, since the complaint is that you DON'T have to shake it about but merely tip it to the left or forward and that misalignment from horizontal (not violent movement) causes the disk to unlock and drive into the laser head, which doesn't seem to be a problem for ANY OTHER CD drive in a computer IN THE WORLD, I would say that someone somewhere sourced the cheapest shit drive around and didn't check to see if it was degraded stock and then sold it to a front-room games playing public.

But if you want to exaggerate just so you can defend Microsoft, go ahead.

We don't believe you.

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Mark
Gates Horns

Re: Seriously?

Doesn't seem to be a problem with iPods which spin MUCH faster and have heads MUCH closer to the disk. Doesn't seem to be a problem with ANY CD walkman. Car based CD players don't rip your CD a new one when you go over a speed bump while playing Slayer.

So why should these drives be so picky?

Because their cheap resourced shit sold for premium prices?

Probably.

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Mark
Gates Horns

"Always keep disk based drives horizontal!"

Uh, what about micro towers, or the desktop cases that can be stood on its side.

CD Drives in them don't dig into the media when the drive is vertical.

Did MS buy some extra-special ones that nobody else buys? Why?

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Mark
Stop

WTF? a "fix"???

"It’s worth noting that Microsoft has already issued several ‘fixes’, including a disc replacement programme for gamers and a warning sticker placed on new Xbox 360s that titling the console with a disc inside could result in disc damage."

So could Ford have gotten out of the Firestone types problem by putting a warning label on them "WARNING: Using these tyres can cause you to crash"?

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Apologies after teacher's 'Linux holding back kids' claim

Mark

@Vincent

The only pain to get going is where you "know" windows rather better than you "know" computers.

for those who "know" neither, both linux and windows are osbcure magical beings manipulated by obscure rituals. For those who "know" both, they use the same logical progression.

Whether you like Linux or not has nothing to do with you being wrong. You're wrong whether you like or loath Linux.

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Mark

@TeeCee

"If you want your students to learn about computers, give 'em Linux. If you want 'em to stand a better chance of obtaining gainful employment on leaving school, Windows is probably the better option."

It is? The version of Windows available when my nephew was at school was Win98.

Please tell me how that helps him get a job.

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Mark
Paris Hilton

re: "learn" windows?

Yup.

Leanr:

How to open attachments safely

How to keep your viruses up to date

How to create a slipstream disk (so you aren't hosed in 30 seconds)

How to check whether a word document is safe to open

How to check whether an email is safe to open

How to check whether a media file is safe to open

How to check ANYTHING you click on is safe to open

Now, what's to learn with Linux?

Open Explorer? Click on the Web Browser Icon on the desktop.

Browse your files? Click on the File Browser Icon on the desktop.

Run an application that is installed? Click on the bottom left corner to bring up a menu with "Applications" "Settings" "System" and so on on it, select "Applications" and "Office Software" for example, then "Writing Documents". No different from Opening Office on windows.

"Learn" Linux???

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Mark

"class disruption"

But that could just mean "Student disagrees with Teacher". Could in my day and has been done several times this year (most recently the student union rep being done for spam because they didn't ask for the IT admin to do it).

Teachers don't get paid much and take it out on "lippy kids" whether it turns out not to be their fault or not.

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Mark
Paris Hilton

@Srsly?

1. They already do with putting XP (discontinued) on netbooks for free just so Linux doesn't get used

2. Sarcasm, read a book.

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Mark
Paris Hilton

@Steve Coffman

"Sure, you could run a Windows emulator on top of Linux, but if you were to look at what most school districts have for computers they just don't have the power to be able to do that... how well do you think Win XP would run on top of Linux with emulation with only 256MB of RAM?"

As well as XP would run native.

Seriously.

Virtual memory management is vastly better under a UNIX system than a Windows one. And Linux picked up the same VM system.

And WINE Is Not an Emulator. It implements the Win32 calls. So it isn't XP running on Linux, it's Linux running the application.

Seriously, before you start yipping, read what you're going to talk about.

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Mark
Paris Hilton

@Ashley Stevens

And if they HAD named her, you would be complaining that they shouldn't have outed her like that.

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Mark
Paris Hilton

re: Check out the follow-up

But why don't you lambast the teacher for mailing the president of a company and libelling him?

Is it OK for the teacher to be an dick (a state of mind rather than a physical presence) but not for the person being dicked about to return the favour?

PS: Plasma? Which sort? The one in blood? Nothing like mayo. The one in a flourescent lightbulb or sodium lamp or on a plasma cutter? Well, nothing like mayo either but I have seen them.

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Mark
Paris Hilton

re: She'd be right

So you've never used Clearcase or (worse even) Visual SourceSafe?

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Why the IWF was right to ban a Wikipedia page

Mark
Paris Hilton

re:re:hypocrisy?

But since ANYTHING is *possibly* illegal, that would mean that nothing gets printed.

Fine for me, buy the newspaper owners won't get very far with no content.

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Mark
Paris Hilton

re:To try to inject some sanity..

Problem is that they are illegal. Not "potentially illegal". And if the tabloids printed a girl of 16 nude or topless they would get into trouble.

They don't get into rouble for a young looking woman pictured because it "could be" illegal.

Laws change, but then that means you prosecute for illegal acts that weren't illegal. But you don't ban stuff because it MAY be illegal. Or could BECOME illegal. After all, we could be taken over as an islamic state and all of the Sun pictures would be rude. As would almost all the clothes available in the shops. And all the breweries. But we don't ban them.

Oh, and have a look at how "grandfather clause" works.

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Harvard prof slams US nut allergy hysteria

Mark
Paris Hilton

WON'T SOMEONE *PLEASE* THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!

No text necessary...

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Is filming someone in the street a breach of privacy?

Mark
Unhappy

I find Burqas offensive

After all, aren't they saying that I have so little self control that the mere glimpse of a woman's mouth turns me into a slavering perverted rapist?

Stop picking on me.

You know that old chestnut "a man thinks of sex once every 6 seconds" Several points about it:

1) How do they know?

2) That must mean less than 6 seconds is spent ON thinking of sex, else it's "once"

3) I wonder if women are thinking men are thinking of sex once every six seconds once every six seconds?

It can't be true.

When was the last time you sat down eating your sunday dinner and thought "these are great potatoes. Fnuh Fnuh"?

Never?

But it takes a good twenty minutes to eat your sunday dinner. HOW CAN THAT BE!!!!

So I reckon it's a load of bollocks. And same with the covering of all women all over. As long as the clothing is warm and isn't actively pronouncing the bits for private use only, what's the problem?

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Mark
Alert

@Sarah Bee

But that's because you want people to be nice to other people.

Now if I DEMANDED you be nice to me, would you feel the need to obey?

Even if you did, you'd feel annoyed about it, wouldn't you.

The TV people didn't ask, so they are a bunch of arseholes.

But illegal arseholes? If there's a law against being an arsehole, the last free person in the world died years ago (Ghandi). The rest of us would be in jail for persistent arseholery.

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US WMD report: Dirty bombs, chem weapons are bunk

Mark
Paris Hilton

re: Chemical Weapons are Bunk?

Yes, that IS a silly statement.

It wasn't made, but that doesn't stop it being a silly statement.

What WAS bunk (and is not a silly statement) is that we had to invade "NOW!!!!" because of WMD's and chemical weapons. Especially the idea that Iraq could have gassed London if we didn't take them out NOW.

That was a load of bunk.

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Tell Santa to bring more assault rifles

Mark

re: Ironic...

However, your government won't let you have the weapons they allow themselves to have, unlike when the 2nd was written.

Or have you tried to purchase armour piercing ammo, fully automatics, tanks and APC (and the ammo for the MBT), large calibre anti-tank, SAMs, AAA, and so on?

They don't like it when you ask for the weapons a millitia will need.

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HP puts Linux on business PCs

Mark
Alien

@Wally AC

"Nothing. It's just that it isn't fully functional and many times you need to drop down to the terminal to get things done. This is user hostile (at least to the neophyte)."

Like what?

What does KDE lack on the GUI that Windows manages?

Anything?

No, you're just pulling a stool out of your arse and calling it a strong argument because it stinks and makes your eyes water.

And this is how shit happens...

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