* Posts by Alastair McFarlane

63 publicly visible posts • joined 3 Dec 2008

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Street View stalks Swiss data protection bureau

Alastair McFarlane
Go

@AC 14.06

The Swiss numberplate system works differently, as each plate is registered to one person. When you sell the car, you keep the plate and put it on your new one. AFAIK people have long been able to find out who owns specific plates there - though whether it's always been as easy as that I've no idea!

I liked the Captcha too...

New gizmo means working electropulse rayguns at last

Alastair McFarlane
Stop

@Brian 6

Not an expert, as some people here obviously are (no sarcasm intended), but isn't that voltage, as distinct from power (which is the voltage multiplied by the current in its traditional definition)

James Martin apologises for cyclist outrage

Alastair McFarlane
Joke

@Jason 71

...and 73.9% of people don't believe them

Alastair McFarlane
Stop

@James Micallef

I agree. I said on the other article that I was just as annoyed at inconsiderate cyclists for giving us *all* a bad name, but it's the dangerous driving and/or incitement to dangerous driving that he should apologise for, not his opinions - which are his to do with as he likes and express in a humorous fashion if he wants. I'd have found it funny apart from the shit driving.

He's still a d*ck though.

Cyclists give TV chef a Wikikicking

Alastair McFarlane
Coat

@steogede

Admittedly I thought of that particular example after the rest, and is something that used to annoy me but doesn't as much these days. It is of course different if one was to *cycle* over the corner of the pavement. (not attempting to backtrack *too* much here...I admit that last one was stupid)

Alastair McFarlane
Stop

The point is fair...

but the article completely irresponsible.

As a responsible cyclist (and one who wears lycra too - I just prefer it for cycling), I can fully sympathise with anyone who complains about cyclists that cycle on the pavement, or through red lights, even those who get off at red lights, wheel around the corner, and get back on again and cycle away. I hate those sorts of people because it gives others the chance to generalise their opinions on the subject, as seen repeatedly above, in James martin's article, and in Clarkson's article of some years ago (basically: don't use the advance stop lines at traffic lights or I'll run you over). It's annoying both to you and to me, but that's no excuse for breaking the law yourself or encouraging others to do so by writing about it.

Brown apologises for 'appalling' treatment of Turing

Alastair McFarlane

@northern monkey, Paul 4

I'm with him on that one. TO use your example: I would *not* expect the German government to have apologised. I would expect them to regret that it happened, but that is short of an official apology.

Paul: Ignore it, no. However an "apology" is different from expressing publicly a regret that something happened.

The government of the time may have been responsible, but just as Gordon Brown wasn't present in it at the time, neither was any of the rest of the Government.

I'm glad that a statement was made, and I'm glad that Turing's descendants take some comfort from it. I just, personally, don't feel it means anything.

Microsoft tells US retailers Linux is rubbish

Alastair McFarlane
Coat

Broadly...

...MS are correct. To a retailer, the majority of their customers want Windows. However to put plain wrong values on the cards is, well, plain wrong.

Currently MP3/camera/printer support is fantastic for Linux, with many devices working straight out of the box with the drivers in the kernel. Does that count as "few"? I think not.

Disclaimer: My main OS in Windows XP, though I dual boot Ubuntu 9.04. I run a webserver on Ubuntu 8.04, and am upgrading my windows install to Windows 7 soon (I would have waited 6 months but it was less than half of the retail price!).

I also work in a retailer part time and am rather used to these misleading material from suppliers. I am lucky enough to know when what I'm reading is wrong - many of my colleagues are not.

Getting my coat because I never thought I'd comment on a Linux vs. Windows comment article, it's just two damn infuriating reading all the closed-minded arguments (on *both* sides)

Intel tears up CPU branding scheme

Alastair McFarlane
Thumb Down

Star rating systems - my two cents

I saw a load of posters for the star rating schemes at work the other day. I think it's a silly idea. Have we not been conditioned to think that if a product has 1 star out of 5 it's bad? I understand what Intel is going for, but I only get it because of my existing knowledge about the chips. Someone with no prior knowledge is going to look at the 1/2 star processors and refuse to buy them, even if they're more than is necessary for their particular use.

Microsoft: Windows 7 release in August '09

Alastair McFarlane

@Rob

Try programming a piece of software with zero holes in it. It's not easy, even in a small release, to cover all the holes without testing. However, internal testing is never enough, as most of those involved in the test process will already be familiar with the system and its idiosyncrasies. Most of the bugs will be found by novice users using the system for the first time. Even expert users aren't as useful as testers, since they often find problems then try to work around them themselves. This has always been Microsoft's testing strategy, and while they certainly shipped Vista with more than its fair share of bugs, every version has had them, and each new version will too.

Microsoft rebrands WGA nagware for Windows 7

Alastair McFarlane
Stop

Killswitch

Didn't Windows XP prevent you form logging in at all after 14 days "unactivated", and revert to that status after 3 minor or one major (eg. motherboard) hardware upgrade?

No FreeRunner follow-up, says OpenMoko

Alastair McFarlane
Thumb Up

@james: That's not open source...

Open source doesn't *necessarily* mean you take ideas from the community and do them yourself...

Open source means the source is available for all to use. You can go to the website and download the circuit diagrams and CAD files for the casing, then make your own with a camera if you really want to/can be bothered. *That* is open source.

I have a freerunner, and once the software stack was upgraded a couple of times (to the release before this one), it's been great, keyboard is excellent and the platform is, for the most part, stable. My only complaints are the absence of a terminal by default (you need to find and install one), and the fact that it's *still* a bit dodgy for wifi connectivity. So, those last two points in mind, I'm all in favour of them fixing the GTA02 instead of building the GTA03. Go for it openmoko!

Intel denies Core i7 glitch

Alastair McFarlane
Thumb Up

Ha!

They copied AMD's chip design so faithfully that they took the errors along too!

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