* Posts by JDX

6847 publicly visible posts • joined 28 May 2010

WTF is... H.265 aka HEVC?

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Re: Ah, another patent encumbered format

I've looked at the H.264 license when we developed software using it and it hardly seemed crippling. I also see no particular reason why something that represents man-decades of work shouldn't require payment as long as that payment is reasonable.

The roots of the OSS movement, Stallman at least, were NOT about software being free but about it being open source so you could buy/license software and get the source-code in case you needed to alter it. That model of OSS is better in my view than the "software shouldn't cost anything" view most take now... I have no problem paying for software.

The gloves are on: Nokia emits super-sensitive £99 Windows Phone

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Re: Perfect phone

Could you comment on how slick it is at switching between apps, loading web-pages, etc? I have the 610 and like it but it doesn't support Skype (too little memory) and can be slow - if the 520 is better than the 610 I'm very interested.

Oh and also... does it work with iPlayer? Windows Phone 7 apparently does not but perhaps IE10 fixes that?

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Removable battery, SD support, fancy touch-screen, AND NFC?

Sounds like a bargain - maybe I'll upgrade my 610 sooner than I expected if El Reg would like to do a review of how the 520/620 stack up against the 'proper' Nokias? e.g. does it hang a lot or is it perfectly usable for web browsing?

Another 170,000 Freeview homes to be freed from reality TV - possibly

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I love how every story about TV attracts a handful of "I never had a TV"/"I got rid of my TV in 1934 and never looked back" replies. It's almost like having no TV leaves a massive amount of empty time in your life which you try to fill posting about how great your life is with no TV on the internet at every opportunity.

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Re: Why don't you...

Shame they din't raise you to be less of a prig.

Researcher hacks aircraft controls with Android smartphone

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Re: RE: There goes the use of in-flight devices....

And just as they were starting to see sense and I would've been able to use my Kindle during take-off..

Inuit all along: Pirate Bay flees Sweden for Greenland

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Re: Pirate Bay is one hydra of many

What about the vast number of people who don't really know much about proxies and all that, and simply want a site they can download stuff from? I could see them being affected by such activities - and they probably make up the majority just as most PC users struggle past finding the link to "the internet".

"Hardcore pirates" are like Linux users... the vocal minority only. No measures are likely to quell their piracy but if it is restricted to them, that pushes the whole thing into a much more marginal position.

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"may cost gigantic corporations a tiny fraction of their revenue."

And thousands of artists a huge fraction of theirs.

Is this how pirates assuage their guilt... delude themselves it's a victimless crime since only giant corporations are affected, who are 'evil', like tax fraud and fraudulent insurance claims?

Please don't get into a "$17 isn't FAAAAIIR" whinge. Learn that you're not entitled to own every CD you might want, or get a better job. CDs and DVDs and games are a luxury.

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Re: If TPB dies

Weren't there some stats in the news recently suggesting sales HAD increased due to strict anti-piracy laws? I forget the details, maybe someone can recall...

I think lots of people would buy rather than pirate if piracy was totally impossible/impractical. Obviously nowhere near as much stuff as they pirate now.

Review: Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2

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Like it or loath it, it seems the hardware available for Windows8 is maturing fairly quickly. It'll be interesting to see where things stand in 6-12 months.

Microsoft LOVES YOU: Free Wi-Fi on the British railways for a month

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<insert douglas adams reference here>

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Is that for real? I'm taking a 15-hour trainride from Helsinki to Kolari next week...

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Re: Things i dont want...

Where does it say MS are getting your surfing data?

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Sure, if you want to wait several hours and are lugging a full-blown laptop around with you. Meanwhile I could have done some actual work on my generic tablet (well I assume 365 works on tablet browsers... anyone?)

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Re: Dear MS

Freetards seem to have this overinflated fear that people are continuously straining to view their files. It's pretty similar to the way Americans used to be afraid of Communists hiding behind newspapers and equally silly.

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Re: On the other hand

You should be on TV with material like that.

Then we could turn it off.

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Re: Dear MS

Nobody is interested in your boring documents.

Microsoft's 'Gemini' project will be the Windows Blue of Office

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It only makes sense a subscription based suite should upgrade much more frequently and with less hoo-hah about new versions, only new features.

Does anyone know if IE10 is being included in this model or will that remain monolithic?

Free speechers want into Apple and Samsung sealed court filings

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Clearly they are keeping it secret if they are.

Torygraph and Currant Bun stand by to repel freeloaders

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Re: Tried papers on tablets

How about on Kindle (or Kindle App)?

Dragon capsule makes fiery entrance, safe splashdown

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Re: Dirty Laundry and Empty Packaging?!

It can't be fun being the guy who has to unpack it all, scientific equipment padded out with soiled underpants...

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Pint

Lots of these drunk no doubt

Facebook to filter angry comments in site tweak

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@Inachu

Ah, the typical teenage misunderstanding of the internet.... "it's the INTERNET, I can do whatever I want otherwise they're NAZIS oppressing my FREEDOM!!!1"

A website belongs to someone buddy. FaceBook is someone's property. If I own a website I can delete content on it as I damn well please if I don't like it - just like The Register deletes comments which it doesn't like.

A website gives you far fewer rights than the real world... no recourse, it's typically a dictatorship and you can't do anything to appeal.

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Re: This

>>Time to see Facebook for what it is, advertising.

You think it's a revelation that people using FB Pages for their business/product is advertising? You know, a bit like their own websites?

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While it allows owners to try and suppress bad comments, it is still a useful feature based on the way the other changes are described.

Also, how DO you expect a tool which allows users to fight trolling/spam not to also be usable to selectively promote/demote stuff?

But finally, it's worth noting that for companies using FB effectively as a webpage, this is way less control than they can use on their own site. Deleting unfavourable forum posts or what have you is very common when you own the site so this isn't actually changing anything except giving owners more control over things rather than letting FB be in charge as much.

Google improves Chrom’s spel checkr

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Re: Oh look, it needs a constant connection to the net

A web browser needs an internet connection? Whatever next....

It's almost as bad as The Register - everytime I post a comment those bastards store it on their server.

Microsoft splashes coat of paint on Windows 8 comms apps

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Re: Outlook and Taskline

I can't even remember Outlook crashing and I use it 8 hours a day...

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That is work, not life.

Work is a subset of life. A fairly important one as it takes 50%+ of your waking hours.

Roomba dust-bust bot bods one step closer to ROBOBUTLERS

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Re: Asimo...

Asimo is pretty big and isn't it connected to a bank of eternal CPUs? Either way, the difference between Asimo and a £1500 laptop is pretty massive.

Nanowires boost photovoltaics sunlight capture by 15X

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Re: >>unlikely to provide enough spot power for a 3kW kettle

I am not necessarily saying solar-only is a viable option for the UK. But if solar panels and a couple of lorry batteries could reduce your usage 30%, that's pretty significant and potentially worth doing. Or if you could go solar-only in a few months a year, normal power stations can adapt to that... they can't ramp up on a daily basis but can over weeks/months (I'm sure they already do in the winter).

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>>unlikely to provide enough spot power for a 3kW kettle

If only there were some way to store the energy harvested during the day at a few hundred Watts, for when you need a couple of kW for a short period. Someone should work on that...

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Re: Fantastic!!

I like the way you point out a few valid points in general terms and then conclude in hand-waving generalisations that logically this means you must "find yourself blanketing an equivalent area in solar panels".

What about the billions of people who live in sunnier climates? We'll just kill the research because it might not be viable at all latitudes?

And even then we'd need proper figures. You say 1KW/m^2 is maximal (where - UK, equator, 1 mile above sea level?) but even at 10% of that with lousy weather, well doesn't the average house have 50-100m^2 of roof? If you could consistently generate only 100W, that negates a LOT of the stuff you leave turned on all day.

iPads in education: Not actually evil, but pretty close

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"I find it hard to believe that the life expectancy is as long as two years..."

"I find it hard to believe that the life expectancy is as long as two years, since that’s about how long the average corporate laptop lasts when given to grownups."

a)just because a corp replaces things every 2 years, doesn't mean they only last 2 years.

b)You've not been in a school have you... they often have old PIIs chuntering away, struggling under all the 'security' software (that stops you changing the desktop wallpaper but happily lets you view hard porn), on which kids are supposed to learn about computers. Then the teachers might have 4-5 year old laptops.

The wife's school has some iPad 1 units that haven't broken yet.

For very young kids I think tablets are a great resource, you do not see 2-3 year olds able to use keyboard+mouse but they are very easily able to learn how to use an iPad (scarily so, almost - weird to see a kid who can't talk but knows how to find Cars in Video app).

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Re: Why do people put forward the idea that iPads are good for art?

You don't need accuracy for art. You need accuracy for some sorts of art. Loads of artists just fat brushes!

Movie, TV ads annoying? You ain't seen nothin' yet

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Re: Hey, I stopped reading on the first line because of asshattery.

Looks like I touched a nerve.

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Just wait until they can do it for audio...

Normal person watching

"Hey Billy do you wanna shoot some hoops after school?"

Reg reader watching

"Hey Billy do you wanna come and re-compile Mint after school?"

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Re: Hey, I stopped reading on the first line because of asshattery.

Really? So that's why in an era where main music sellers are selling music in non-DRM MP3 format, people have stopped pirating music?

Pirates will not stop simply because the content will run on all their devices because most pirates don't care about DRM any more than most paying consumers do.

Stop trying to justify why you're crusading for what's right, rather than just stealing. If it was the former you would pirate an 'open' version and then give a fair price to the author/publisher, or even to charity. But you don't, because you're a thief looking to justify it.

Bill Gates offers big bucks for better condoms

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In countries where hygiene is a problem, you want them to try washing condoms? Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Another con is that it would have to be much more durable and therefore it's harder to make it as comfortable as current disposables.

A pro, you can make it more expensive so different materials are in reach.

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Re: Just give us a male pill already

Then men will either use the pill or lie about being on the pill rather than use a condom, and continue to spread diseases.

Nvidia unveils Minority Report-style face-bot tech

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I suspect you will see these happen in our lifetimes:

I think that's a dramatically easy bet to make. I suspect you'll see that this DECADE, or start to.

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Re: It's all in the eyes

This seems like the kind of claim which ends up with declaring real photos and video are "clearly fake". When you know something is fake or are trying to find evidence, you can easily fake yourself into seeing fakery :)

Oi, Microsoft, where's my effin' toolbar gone?

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Re: Feedback?

That's right, they hire experts on this sort of thing. When you let a regular person - a manager running a startup project for instance - design the UI it ends up FAR worse. When you let programmers design the UI, you get 19 levels of menus, with options like "abstraction 4" and "go!!", or just a lot of key-codes you have to memorise.

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Other problem with the browser

Is it encourages people to make up any old interface rather than use the built-in components everyone understands. Buttons no longer have to press down, no consistent language of UX, etc.

GE puts new Nvidia tech through its paces, ponders HPC future

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The PCI-Express bus has been a bottleneck since...

How wonderfully, scarily fast things change.

Review: Renault Zoe electric car

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Re: Confrontational?

It's better to just learn to drive properly. Why are you starting from 0mph on a sliproad to join a 70mph traffic flow? You're not, you are already moving as you enter the sliproad. Even if you were, sliproads are long enough to do this anyway. For instance, you might have noticed that lorries and buses have no problem.

Granted 0-60 in 13.5s doesn't allow you to accelerate to 85 and undertake traffic before slewing out straight to the fast lane, but see original point.

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does your house wear out ? Do you sell it and get a new one every 5-10 years even ?

Are you actually retarded? A car is not a house. Even boats - which have FAR more longevity than cars - eventually wear out.

And your point still makes no sense because you still need new parts to replace the ones that wear out. You're still building new cars, just in bits. When your engine wears out, you can replace it with a new electric one.

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a)If you buy a car based on how fast it is, you're not the target market

b)If you buy a car based on how fast it is, you're a tit

c)don't you read how he said it "felt faster"?! Presumably like how a 900cc car feels fast due to the thrashing you have to give the engine to get going?

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completely useless beyond a few niche users

You mean the few million 'niche users' who live in cities and drive only a few miles every day? How many people exactly do you think live in Greater London alone and drive to work?

It's good to see that just as Londoners are ignorant of everywhere else, bumpkins also assume everyone is just like them with their 50mile commute.

Software glitch WIPES OUT listings of 10,000 eBay sellers

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Re: Effectively another "cloud" failure.

That's like saying that depending on selling your brand of ketchup in major supermarkets, or relying on selling your beer in pubs, is too risky. It's how things work.

Granted, ONLY using eBay or ONLY using Amazon is a bad idea, but not relying on 3rd-party portals in general. You can of course still sell direct, but expecting that to give the same sales is silly. Nearly anyone who manufactures anything is dependent on their reseller - lose them and you have to find another pronto.

Stephen Fry explains… Alan Turing's amazing computer

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Re: God I'm getting sick of Fry

I wonder if Feynman got this kind of stick too, for being able to articulate his thoughts and have hobbies outside science.