* Posts by Andy Parker 1

9 publicly visible posts • joined 3 Aug 2010

Don't believe the hype: UK's £455m Government Digital Service lacks a clear role – fresh audit

Andy Parker 1

Since UK government departments can't agree on a single system of how to identify an individual, using paper or otherwise, I don't expect any digital system will necessarily work any better.

However, and as a major plus for us techies, I understand that there's still plenty of money to be made from the use of sealing wax, string, and various other adhesive substances, in an attempt to try to cross-reference the various population-scale databases that exist within the UK.

At last count I had about 7 or 8 "unique" identifiers that tell various government departments that I'm me. And I'm just a regular Joe :-).

Sticky Tahr-fy pudding: Ubuntu 14.04 slickest Linux desktop ever

Andy Parker 1

Re: with regards to menus

RE Risc OS - You took the words right off my keyboard :-)

Andy Parker 1

"Previously the windows would show a yellow box indicating its size as you dragged, but it didn't re-draw itself in real time."

Risc OS 3 achieved this feat in 1991. Have I misread today's date?

XBOX ONE ROUNDUP-of-the-ROUNDUPS: Everything YOU need to know

Andy Parker 1

Re: A 1.3 GB download

> 1.3gb takes 1 hour 20 mins, on tmobile 3g when its running at 600kbs

1.3 GB over a 600 kbit link in 80 minutes?! I assume your shift key is knackered :-)

Windows 8 tablet freezes in Microsoft keynote demo

Andy Parker 1
Facepalm

The wired-tablet experience?

Crashes aside, just look at the number of cables connected to the thing. There are some major fundamentals that MS still don't understand in this market.

Path runs screaming from privacy snafu

Andy Parker 1
Pirate

OS sanctioned Grand Theft Addressbook

Any application on iOS can mine the native Address Book for whatever purpose, without notifying the user. I discovered this last year when a friend contacted me by email and signed off saying, "Linked-In knows we're connected somehow..." I'd recently installed Linked-In's app on my iPhone and my friend's email was in my address book. Following a quick check of the public interfaces to iOS' Address Book API, the penny dropped.

Tony Sale, 'Colossus' crypto machine rebuilder, dies at 80

Andy Parker 1

A great man

Echoing Adam's comment, I also enjoyed the privilege of meeting Tony six years ago and I found his enthusiasm highly infectious. His spirit of tenacity, curiosity, and persistence belied the fact that he was well into his seventies. Whilst I am saddened at his passing, I am grateful to you for recognising his many achievements and publishing this piece El Reg. I am sure others will feel the same way.

Toshiba AC100 Android smartbook

Andy Parker 1

Ubuntu AC100

Good news Jonathon: it's already been done. I saw Ubuntu running on an AC100 last week at ELC 2010 and it looked great.

http://ac100.gudinna.com/

Enjoy,

Andy

Apple as a religion: How the iPhone became divine

Andy Parker 1

experience

Do Mac user values exist? It's tempting to think so. I use Macs both at home and at work. I'm hardly an evangelist but I recognise that Apple users, despite being a minority, can be enthusiastic supporters of the company's products. However, a more relevant question could be, "Do most owners have a good user experience with their Apple products?" and I'd speculate that the answer is yes.

Now compare this with Windows. Lots of people use Windows (me included). Have people, by and large, had a good user experience? Viruses, failed updates, slow performance, abysmal UI, useless and endless dialog boxes... As Charlie Brooker succinctly put it, "Windows is like a lift that smells faintly of piss."

I also sense an emerging "great experience" being reported from home-friendly linux distro's like Ubuntu and after trying it recently at home, I can see why. It's stable, fast, and does most of what I need with the minimum amount of fuss. Most people come to other OS's after using Windows and improving their experience isn't really that difficult. It shouldn't come as any surprise that people are subsequently enthusiastic.