Ummm

"Crucially, they also dispensed with needing to grapple with another language: SQL. CouchDB devs can code using Erlang instead while MongoDB uses C++."

SQL is the language used to interact with a SQL database. Erlang & C++ are the languages used to develop those DBMSes you mentioned.

To interact with MongoDB you use a variety of Javascript. I don't know about CouchDB but I suspect something similar.

Facts, instead of FUD

FACT: "The desktop Widget requires Adobe AIR version 2.5 or above" - http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/desktopwidget.html

FACT: "The last version to support desktop Linux distributions is AIR 2.6. AIR 2.6 is available from the AIR Archive." - http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/408/kb408084.html

AIR 2.6 download for linux is here: http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/853/cpsid_85304.html

This took me about 5 mins to establish. This is a sensationalist report with a list of kneejerk comments. Please can we grow up?

51st State

Hello, people slagging of the US Government:

You do realise that UK police are also in the business of seizing domains without judicial oversight? Over 1,200 in December 2009 alone.

http://www.nominet.org.uk/digitalAssets/45676_Dealing-with-domains-associated-with-criminal-activity.pdf [PDF]

1200 .uk domains already seized

What everybody seems to have missed is that the police have *already* seized more than 1200 .uk domains with the cooperation of Nominet and other registrars. See here [PDF] http://www.nominet.org.uk/digitalAssets/45676_Dealing-with-domains-associated-with-criminal-activity.pdf

What SOCA are now asking for is that Nominet be *contractually obliged* to do this at their say-so.

So the current voluntary system is clearly not enough for them. Why? Because currently a registrar can refuse to comply if they believe the request is mistaken or politically motivated.

SOCA wants full control. With no judicial oversight. Or any mechanism for appeal.

Journalism

Reprinting a press release because it appears to confirm your prejudice isn't helpful to your readers, all of whom (judging by the comments) appear to have swallowed this unlikely story wholly uncritically.

Presumably you write this stuff for a living? Perhaps you could have tried to get some first-hand information for your story and subjected it to some common-sense tests before trotting it out.

Alt+Tab?????

Really? Alt+Tab?

Like *that's* a key combination that's never been used before. Oh, wait.

<checks date for April Fools>