Posts by Boothy

I've did a fresh install of Win 10 recently, on an old desktop PC I had (old i7 system I originally built around 2012), it had been gutted for parts, but I wanted a real test box, rather than just a VM. So I gave it a service (new CPU paste etc.) and threw some old parts back into it. Plan was dual boot, Ubuntu and Win 10.

I always install Windows without a network, it's faster and lets you set up local accounts easier, thus avoiding the MS live account mess.

I was aware of the pre-installed carp, so after booting up and logging in for the first time, and before connecting to a network, I went through the Apps & features page, and removed/uninstalled everything I could find that wasn't something I though I might use (so most of it).

Plugged in the network and left it to do its thing, updates etc.

Came back to find Candy f#*&ing stuff, and other apps I didn't want, need or asked for had turned up again! Despite removing them earlier. Went through it all again, and this time it stuck.

Seems a fresh Windows install queues up a bunch of stuff via the MS store, and ignores the fact you uninstalled some of these before connecting a network. It then promptly downloads and installs them all again as soon as it can!

I miss the days of being able to pick the features you wanted during install.

Even a 'minimal' option would be nice, like you get with most Linux distros.

Can we make custom Win 10 install disks?

I remember using tools years ago to make a custom XP install disk, that had SP1 and SP2 slipstreamed in, several extra drivers (RAID etc), some extra bits of software I always had installed, was locked to UK region and London time zone, and had a fixed name account, so was basically an unattended install.

Re: Coudn't they have specified...

Fun fact....(maybe?)

Not something a lot of people (outside the US) know, but technically you can get ~240v in US homes. It's usually used for things like air-con, electric ovens, washer dryers etc. If not hardwired in, these have a larger plug with two live connectors, one neutral, and in newer versions, an earth as well in it.

Unlike the UK, where we have 1 neutral and 1 live wire at nominally 230v coming into the home (ignoring 3 phase, as that's not common in residential places), the US normally uses a centre tapped feed into the house/building (often from a transformer outside), the centre being neutral, and then providing two live wires that are at opposite phases. i.e. live 1 and live 2.

Connecting between the neutral to either one of these lives, gives the standard ~120v AC.

The fuse box then typically alternates slots by live 1 and live 2, thus sharing the load. So regular sockets in a US home would be across only one of the live 'taps' from the inbound feed.

But you can then get double pole fuses that go over both live 1 and live 2, to feed the higher power items like the washer-dryer etc. As these lives are at opposite phases, using this gives you ~240v instead. Although you'd only usually find the heavier duty sockets for these, in utility rooms, garages, behind the electric oven etc.

Or sites like rockpapershotgun who won't enable some content unless you accept targeting cookies!

Quote: "To experience this #content, you will need to enable targeting cookies."

This seems to block images in some articles, and you can't use their built in search function to find articles either without accepting targeting cookies!

Is this even legal?

Quote : A new CPU is out, that's a bit faster than the previous one.

Technically, these are actually slower than the previous ones, at least on paper.

As an example, the top two Threadrippers', pro vs 'old'...

Plus the older X versions are all unlocked, so can overclock, whereas the WX pro versions are locked, so can't be overclocked.

As far as I can see, this about thermal stability for the OEMs, so making case design easier, plus warranty support etc. Plus the introduction of ECC memory, and the increase in the amount of RAM supported.

As I see it, existing X is basically aimed at enthusiasts and early adopters, that perhaps don't mind a bit of instability, or even building their own machines.

Whereas the new WX is aimed at people who want an off-the-shelf, solid system that can happily sit running at 100% all day long without cooking itself.

Re: I have to say...

Ah, never did Minidisc.

I basically went from cassettes to CDs & MP3 in one step.

Except for my last 3 cars, (which have all had modern fully integrated ICE systems that you can't really swap out), I'd always had older cars that had the standard letterbox sized hole for the ICE unit.

Pre 2000s I had a decent cassette unit that I moved from car to car, and then back in early 2000s I replaced that with a CD player, but it also included a USB socket and a SD card slot, it could also play MP3s from a CD. So all my music just ended up on SD cards for quite a few years.

Still have the ICE unit, sat in it's original box, just in case I ever got another car that might use it! (Always fancied building a Westfield one day, but life/family etc :-\ ).

The newer cars ended up being a step backwards in some regards (better cars, but poorer factory fitted ICE), as although they both had CD auto changers in the boot, neither could handle USB or SD cards, or digital files at all. Hence going back to burning CDs for a while.

Current car doesn't have an auto changer either, just a single CD slot up front, but it can at least use USB drives, so CDs gone, and back to MP3s again! Tried OGGs but no go :-(

Re: male/female

Quote: "My kettle has a chassis-mounted plug, and the cord has a cable-mounted socket on the end."

No it doesn't, at least not unless there is something seriously odd with your kettle!

A plug by definition is portable/movable, i.e if you can pick it up and push it into something, it's a plug, pin layout is irrelevant.

Whereas a socket is typically fixed in place. i.e. If it's mounted on the wall, or on the side of something like a PC case, TV, kettle etc, then it is a socket, again irrespective of any pin layout. [*]

Quote : "Male and female don't apply."

Yes it does, generally (although not always), if it has pins, it's male, if it has receptacles for those pins, it's female.

Therefore the kettle has a male socket, and the cord has a female plug.

If you don't believe me go lookup 'C16 male socket' on Amazon or somewhere. (C16 is the IEC standard code for the kettle type socket, i.e. the bit that goes on the kettle).

* There are exceptions to this, such as with mains extension leads, but even there, the 'socket' is usually still mounted on something, such as a cable drum, or a small box.

Re: HR droids...

Similar to when I moved into IT around 1998 (I was an electronics engineer before then).

I'd been asked to travel to a conference centre in Leeds for the day, where an IT agency was trying to recruit people from outside of IT. There was around a 100 applicants there that day, who were split into two groups. We were not told in advance what was going to be expected.

The day consisted of a presentation, then two exams. One was basically a multiple choice IQ type test, the other was a pseudocode test. The IQ test was time boxed to one hour in the morning before lunch, whereas you had up to three hours for the pseudocode test, which started at 13:00 after lunch.

For background, whilst I wasn't really a 'programmer', as part of one of my electronics engineering courses around 6 years earlier, I'd taken an optional module on machine code programming for control systems, plus I'd also messed around with machine code/assembly on a Sinclair Spectrum as a teenager, so pseudocode wasn't exactly taxing!

PS: I got the job.

Re: Mouse mats with logos -avoid, avoid, avoid

In the late 90s an aunt of mine bought me a Seven-of-Nine mouse mat for Christmas (can't imagine why!). Jeri Ryan was wearing a silver metallic looking jumpsuit, and of course the mat itself was very very shinny.

This worked fine initially, as I still had a mechanical mouse, but of course the late 90s was also when optical mice started to take off, and the mat became useless[*] fairly quickly.

* Except for aesthetic reasons of course!

Re: Latest Image

I'd also just remembered that some distros also have Internet install versions, with a minimal ISO, that then requires an Internet connection to download everything else live during the install.

So those should produce a more up to date install each time.

Re: Or...

Glances at the shelves above my desk.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, long since retired, still in it's original box.

A collection of phones, an S3, HTC Hero, T-Mobile MDA (aka HTC Hermes keyboard slider phone), and a box for my OnePlus 3 (still my current phone). Nearby a Nexus 7 tablet original box, tablet not inside as it's still in occasional use (custom ROM) from its Dock (which I also still have the original box for).

A few PCs from the 2000s, although don't think I've got one earlier that my 2002 Athlon.

I have an early gen Intel NUC, which has Ubuntu server running on it, for those times when I really need low level hardware access rather than a VM. I've also got a couple of working Amiga's as well, a A1200 (in it's original box, had since new) and an A4000, although these haven't been used for a while. I haven't even mentioned anything that's in the loft yet!

Me a hoarder, nah ;-)

My general view point is if it still works, I might find a use for it at some point. It only tends to go to recycling if its just no longer of use, simply doesn't work at all, and can't even be used as an ornament or for demo purposes.

As an example, behind me on a table, my previous PC (an Intel i7 system built in 2012, which was only replaced last summer by a Ryzen 3800X) is currently being used as a test bench, and is at this moment running a full system restore test (from a drive image backup from my current main desktop PC). You can't call it a backup, if you haven't tested the restore process!

(Going to be interesting to see how Windows 10 copes with booting up on a completely different motherboard, CPU, GFX card etc!).

Re: Could this become the official UK postcode and address database?

Just realised my own statement "The two companies have nothing whatsoever to do with each other." isn't strictly accurate, as they do obviously have a business relationship, i.e. you can use RM services in a PO etc. I just meant the two companies themselves are independent entities.

Re: So Google is upset

Quite: "I-Phones are encrypted by default, with Android you normally have to enable it manually."

Not true, at least not since late 2015 (for new devices).

Android has had full disk encryption on by default since Android 6 (late 2015). Google tried doing this (on by default) with Android 5 in 2014, but there were performance issues (mainly missing drivers for doing AES encryption/decryption in hardware, which meant many devices had to do this in software, which was very slow!).

By Android 6 Google tried this again, but this time made full device encryption a mandatory requirement of getting certified (needed if you wanted to pre-install Google apps like Maps and the Play Store etc).

So any Android 6+ device (so late 2015 onwards), that has Google Apps pre-installed has to be using full disk encryption by default. (The encryption is enforced on first boot, so even a factory reset won't remove it).

Looking at my Android 9 phone, there isn't even an option to turn encryption off.

Re: Better alternative, skip MS

i

Got used to vi on AIX boxes back in the late 90s.

I'm on Linux boxes regularly, so still use it to this day.

I don't even use vim!

Not really an expert with it, but i, /keyword, dd, L-Shift+a seem to get me through.

Other editors seemed to come and go, but as you say, vi is always there (Thankfully!).

:wq

Well, that is their Business model after all.

1. Run at a loss, in order to unfairly undercut local taxi services, gradually forcing them out of business.

2. Use investor money to keep the company going, and when the balance is looking low, ask for more.

3. Gain a near monopoly in a given area, due to the competition going bust, at which point increase prices, so you start making a profit in those locations.

6. Profit.

If any taxi firm manages to start gaining traction, just drop the price again in that area for a while, and the taxi firm goes under.

Ultimately this is bad for everyone (customers, drivers etc) except for the investors and shareholders, and even they are playing a long game here.

Fortunately a lot of local bodies, groups, politicians etc understand this, and so are tying to rain them in before it's too late.

Re: Little known company called Onkyo

Still got an old Onkyo TX-SR606 sat in the living room.

Was handy being able to basically throw any video signal into it, and get a single HDMI out of it for the TV, with the audio going to the 5.1 speakers, rather than to the TV.

Stripped it down to replace the caps on the HDMI board about 8 years ago (at ~4 years old I think), as it would no longer sync the HDMI video signals. Lasted a good few years longer after that.

I don't actually use the HDMI now, as the HDMI is so old on the Onkyo, my newer devices won't work through it anyway, but my TV has four HDMI inputs and a pass through optical, so I just use the TV as the switcher and the Onkyo basically acts as a plain 5.1 audio amp.

Re: Edge case

Which pretty much sounds like the Drake equation, a fraction of, then another fraction of, and another fraction of, etc.

Unfortunately too many unknowns, and so assumptions currently, so the Drake equation isn't all that useful really!

Re: Lift-off?

Current plan seems to be...

Perseverance takes samples, puts these in a sealed tube, and drops them on the ground, moving off to the next sample area (around 20 to 30 samples in total).

Another mission in a few years sends an orbiter, which includes an Earth return entry vehicle.

A 3rd mission has a collection rover and an ascent vehicle. The rover drives around and picks all the samples, loads them into the ascent vehicle, which then docks with the orbiter, which transfers the samples to the Earth return vehicle, and sends them on their way.

Everything past Perseverance still seems to be in concept and/or design, nothing actually being built yet. So may not happen at all, or may get changed around.

OnePlus are fairly good at updating phones.

I still use a OnePlus 3, which I bought in July 2016 (it was released in June 2016), which cost me £309 at the time, including delivery, and came with Android 6.

This was updated to Android 7 and 8, and the last update was expected to be 8.1, but even though a beta had been around for 8.1, they skipped it and went directly to Android 9 instead. (Apparently something along the lines of, "We were doing the work for rolling out Android 9 to the 3T anyway, and there wasn't much hardware difference between the 3 and 3T, so might as well roll out for the 3 while we are at it")

Last update was in November 2019, to security patch 2019.10, still on Android 9. So basically 3 major OS updates over its life, plus security patches for about 3.5 years. Not too bad really.

Main issue now is the price, with their cheapest phone being the 7T at £470 (current discounted price), but that's also last years September release. The 8 and 8 Pro came out in April this year (cheapest of those is £599).

But, all that being said, there are rumours about a OnePlus Z phone coming out soon™, aimed at the mid range. For comparison they did a mid range 'X' model back in 2015 for $249, so they have form here.

It was apparently due for launch in April, along with the 8 and 8 Pro, but it's been delayed till later in the summer, dates and details yet to be confirmed. But might be worth keeping an eye out for.

Re: 123ABCdef

Stick a dot/period in the middle (other characters are available), and most web sites would consider this a strong password!

As a bit of fun, I did a quick duckduckgo search for password strength checkers, and went through the first few with that password, and then added a dot in the middle. The first two checkers I used all went from weak/instant discovery, to strong/discovery in years after adding a single dot/period!

Only the third one I tried (@ my1login) actually noticed the character sequences, stating medium strength (with the dot), but also said only 2 days to crack, rather than years (it was ~3 seconds to crack for the original no dot version on the same site).

But that same site also considered correcthorsebatterystaple Very strong, and 65 years to crack, but with the first two sites stating weak and instant, with one even quoting xkcd, so go figure :-)

It also matches what the last client I worked for, used as their main git branch names...

Where...

release is the current release, and the only changes allowed here are to merge in the next beta once confirmed it's ready for release (or the occasional hot fix if really really needed).

beta the main next build, basically a pre-release of the next release.

dev the latest code.

New functionality, bugs etc would all have separate branches.

Also all three main branches must be buildable at all times (automated build and testing of course).

Re: 2004 update to blame?

I've updated one VM at home as a test, it didn't go well (gfx corruption issues), and one of my colleagues updated a work laptop, also had issues.

My main PC (home built last summer, all current tech, no legacy device), is currently blocking the 2004 update, stating on Windows Update "... your device isn't quite ready yet.".

What they actually mean of course is that "Windows 2004 isn't quite ready yet".

I've no idea why it's blocked, there doesn't seem to be any details, but personally, I'm in no rush for the update.

Re: Might be me

I did see some Foster's on draft one time, somewhere outside of Sydney, but I've never seen cans of it.

Re: Driven to Linux by M$...and Linux turns out to be wonderful!!

Ah, wasn't aware of that, I'd just picked the first 3 questions, and used the same answer each time.

Good tip, thanks.

Re: 5G Facts Summary So Far = Not Much

Ah, yes, true enough, I was just thinking along the lines of direct cell damage, rather than imparting energy. Plus hopefully you'd notice if you were being cooked!

Also worth mentioning that some studies do show things like cell DNA damage from radio, but this was basically being strapped directly to a transmitter 24/7 at full power, and even then the conclusion was it still wouldn't be enough to cause any health issues in people. Plus using a headset, or using the phone hands-free negated this completely anyway.