* Posts by Geoff Mackenzie

744 publicly visible posts • joined 7 Jul 2007

Vatican declares 'the internet is blessed'

Geoff Mackenzie

Hmm ...

"the enormous potential for manipulation and moral corruption that are nested in the modern social communications" - so that's the potential they see in it: a new vector for their mind-virus.

Malware infested MPs' PCs inflate leak risk

Geoff Mackenzie

@Nick Palmer

Cleaned by AV does mean pwned. Successful defence is keeping the malware out in the first place.

Microsoft: Windows 7 release in August '09

Geoff Mackenzie

Very optimistic ...

... to think that a "hidden architectural flaw, overlooked security hole, or coding gotcha" would delay the release. It's never stopped them before.

Microsoft teams up with US gov on double 'ard XP

Geoff Mackenzie

"You can make XP pretty damn secure"

Power off, disconnect the cables, seal the box in concrete and sink it to the bottom of the ocean.

In fairness though, Linux isn't *that* secure. It's just all right. If you want real security from a modern OS readily available to everyone, there's no alternative to OpenBSD as far as I know.

Microsoft rebrands WGA nagware for Windows 7

Geoff Mackenzie

"WGA is not going away"

Beg to differ. Installed Ubuntu, and it seems to be gone now.

UK gov squeezes 'best pricing' pledge from MS

Geoff Mackenzie

Oh dear

"It also reinforces the Government’s commitment to its Open Source Action Plan by setting up a facility to reuse and share licences across the public sector."

It would be funny if it wasn't so depressing...

SCO threatened with Chapter 7 destruction

Geoff Mackenzie

That was just a test run

Now for MS. :-)

Microsoft: Don't rush to download Windows 7 RC

Geoff Mackenzie

Don't rush to download ...

No probs, I wasn't going to :-)

Also: "Starting on March 1, 2010, your PC will begin shutting down every two hours" - how does this differ from normal Windows behaviour?

Windows XP Mode: Certify like you mean it

Geoff Mackenzie

"native capabilities, such as reduced memory space"

I need Windows 7 now! How else can I get reduced memory space?

Microsoft's TomTom patents under scrutiny

Geoff Mackenzie
Thumb Up

Yes!

I'm so glad someone's actually doing this! FAT may be terrible but killing Microsoft's patent would make it more of a universal format, which in itself would make it useful. Also, anything that loosens their grip on the industry and makes it easier for others to innovate has got to be a good thing.

Gov figures show IT jobs crisis

Geoff Mackenzie

Great!

I can do ActiveX *and* COM, not to mention SQL *and* SQL SVR! Something about these results suggests a survey composed without much input from techies...

Microsoft records first ever revenue drop

Geoff Mackenzie

Oh dear

"The Windows 7 Starter edition planned for netbooks will only run three applications simultaneously"

I just don't even know what to say to that. Astonishing.

Pirate Bay loses trial: defendants face prison time, hefty fines

Geoff Mackenzie

Oh no!

I may as well uninstall my Bittorrent software now.

Oh, actually, hang on, I'll just use a different tracker.

I wish TPB the best of luck with their appeal.

Pirate Bay server becomes museum artefact

Geoff Mackenzie

Depreciation

The authorities recently returned servers seized in January '08? I hope they paid for them - they've spent their useful lives in captivity at this point.

Mac and Linux Bastilles assaulted by new attacks

Geoff Mackenzie

Er ...

You can't write /dev/mem unless you're already root. Not exactly very scary in itself - or new.

Govt powers up electric cars with £5k subsidy

Geoff Mackenzie

Based on CO2 emissions, eh?

I take it this will apply to small petrol engines too then. Looking forward to my 5K, I'm sure my 12 year old 250cc Honda is cleaner than a Prius (say) by any sensible measure. I'm sure I could strap a large, pointless battery to it if I need one to qualify.

Microsoft gets second extension in IE EU antitrust brouhaha

Geoff Mackenzie

A get-out for MS

Couldn't they argue that since IE doesn't conform to web standards, it's not (strictly speaking) a web browser?

Microsoft's online Office variant preps for business

Geoff Mackenzie

"Silverlight will provide sharp images"

I find images do that. Why do they keep pushing this crap?

Microsoft to offer Windows 7 downgrade to XP

Geoff Mackenzie

Oh noes!

I just got my first Windows XP machine last week, and they're discontinuing it next week?! Back to Linux all round for me then.

Seriously, why don't they just switch to free support for the 'old, boring' version when they introduce the trivial respray to sell to the morons? Some people are trying to do some work here.

Vatican researcher claims Templars worshipped Turin Shroud

Geoff Mackenzie

Er ...

The shroud's a fake. The blood is paint, and it's the wrong age.

Failed Nork rocket bits straddle Japan

Geoff Mackenzie

Nothing to worry about

That took way more than 45 minutes.

Unpatched PowerPoint flaw spawns Trojan attacks

Geoff Mackenzie

OpenOffice

Yes, this is another reason to download OOo. Mind you, given that it's free, how many reasons do you need?

Bucks village repels Street View spycar

Geoff Mackenzie

Blurs number plates?

Street View's number plate blurring is a bit patchy I find. There's a classic van in my street with a black number plate that has no blur effect on it at all. If it was mine I'd be pretty annoyed with Google (but I would also own a pretty awesome van, which would cheer me up).

G20 police demand ID as train staff ordered to spy on passengers

Geoff Mackenzie

@Tom

"If they have no legal right to stop you walking to your house and walking to your house is not suspicious activity so they have no right to conduct a search or stop you in any way, in which case people should just walk straight past the police and ignore their requests for ID"

Unfortunately, I can't second your suggestion. They'll shoot you repeatedly in the face at point blank range without warning in a crowded confined space and claim you ran.

EU launches pirate talking shop

Geoff Mackenzie

Arr!

I misread the headline. Shiver me timbers.

Microsoft and TomTom settle 'Linux' kerfuffle

Geoff Mackenzie

@Anonymous Hero

Funny, last I heard it was Vista that had driver compatibility problems. Last week I bought a cheap (and I do mean *cheap*) USB WiFi adaptor, plugged it into my Ubuntu box and was connected within 5s without any hassle - just entered my network encryption key and away it went. Tried to set up a Windows XP box - two hours of hassle and it still won't 'activate' for some reason, necessitating a phone call to MS, who'll treat me like a pirate even though I own a CoA. Once I eventually squeeze activation out of them (he said optimistically) I'll still only have a borderline useful toaster whose entire purpose in life is to work with their proprietary formats every now and then while my 'loonix' boxes get on with the real work.

Germans announce: Revenge is inefficient

Geoff Mackenzie

@duncan campbell

True, but, on the other hand, they often have more fingers and toes.

Busted! Conficker's tell-tale heart uncovered

Geoff Mackenzie

@AC, Re: Realy (sic)

Please, can we stop using this stupid argument now? Linux's superior security record is not down to obscurity. It is the majority webserver platform after all.

It comes down to massive, continuous source code peer review and good kernel design. Windows NT lacks both and unless they open source it (and wait a couple of years for the massive refactoring effort that would follow) the writing's on the wall for this decrepit VMS clone.

Microsoft: Judge us by our deeds on open source

Geoff Mackenzie

Microsoft has a right to create IP

Sure it does. Any time it fancies having a crack at some actual innovation.

Still waiting, here.

Novell boss in semi-apology over Microsoft pact

Geoff Mackenzie

@Charlie Mason

I believe that 'grass roots' MS advocates are generally either MS, paid by MS, or unaware of the facts. Obviously since I'm a FOSS advocate (oh, all right, fanboy) you could be forgiven for having a chuckle at that paranoid-sounding statement, but there are plenty of well-documented cases of MS astroturf and anyway, this doesn't need to be an accusation of foul play. MS has a marketing budget, and FOSS effectively doesn't - most of its advertising comes from its advocates, who advertise it for free.

Of course, sometimes we're more part of the problem set than the solution set. I'm not an advertising type, I'm a software developer, and because I feel strongly about FOSS as a concept I know I rant a bit. If I was good at pushing a product, I'd probably be more diplomatic and be better at avoiding sounding like I was suggesting that users of MS software are idiots.

Finally, that there are advocates for both sides does not mean the sides are of equal merit. Consider the fact that there are people who believe, and work to spread the notion, that a sky fairy takes an interest in their daily lives, while others argue that there is no such entity; each side has advocates, but one is clearly more correct.

I suppose it comes down to whether you would prefer to be tactlessly given good advice, or diplomatically manipulated into a particular choice by someone who is very good at it, and does so for financial reward, regardless of their actual opinion (if they have one).

I wish I could say I could see both sides of this argument, but an efficient, stable and moderately secure OS you can use, modify and redistribute as you wish, and for which you need not pay, is vastly superior to a defective, fundamentally insecure, expensive proprietary system with outrageous hardware requirements you need to pay to use and never own and may not copy or fix.

Microsoft follows Google to Mars

Geoff Mackenzie

That's funny ...

... the 'innovator' who implements a particular technology second doesn't seem as cutting edge as the one who does it first. They could at least have included more planets; Venus would be quite interesting.

TomTom countersues Microsoft

Geoff Mackenzie
Happy

Best of luck to 'em

Much as I'm generally opposed to software patents, I'm pro TomTom here.

Google inspires behavioral ad-zapping Firefox add-on

Geoff Mackenzie

A better plugin

What about one that caused FF to report a different apparently valid but randomly generated ID each time? If it caught on it would slowly poison the database.

Science-boosting thickie questionnaire backfires

Geoff Mackenzie
Boffin

Re: Lies, damned lies ...

and arithmetic.

It's all in the way you set up the questions.

You can *prove* anything with arithmetic, you just have to ask the *right* (or in this case, the *wrong*) questions.

Arithmetic is not, IMHO, a science. Its an art. A bit like magic. Looks impressive if done well, but deep down you just KNOW it's all smoke and mirrors.

Which is just another term for Bullshit!

Goggle guy, closest arithmetic will come to real science.

Designers mock up bonkers 'leccy car concepts

Geoff Mackenzie

I want the KTM!

Awesome, a 10/1th scale model of my old RC car! :)

Microsoft tempts enterprises with 'temporary' license cuts

Geoff Mackenzie

A little typo there:

"Sever Management Suite Enterprise"

On topic, they can call me when it's 100% off, and I get source code, and I can redistribute.

Microsoft promises 'first' relational cloud storage

Geoff Mackenzie

If I want ...

... an old version of Sybase Adaptive Server, I'll run one myself.

In the meantime I'll stick with Postgres.

UK IT should 'fire men first', says Kate Craig-Wood

Geoff Mackenzie

Imagine the reaction ...

... if someone was to make the reverse recommendation.

eBay scammers work unpatched weaknesses in Firefox, IE

Geoff Mackenzie

A little unfair

This article is a little unfair. These are not browser vulnerabilities, but holes in a specific web application (which doesn't exactly have a gleaming security record).

Also, I whole-heartedly agree with the next post, below this one.

Last call for UK liberties

Geoff Mackenzie

@kain preacher

"Hell the Germans had it all wrong. They should of did a few terrorist attacks and we all would of fell in line"

Actually, the Nazis did use this method - they set up secret prisons, a secret state police, a department for homeland security and set fire to the seat of Parliament (the Reichstag) in Berlin as their mini 9/11.

It's all very familiar.

IE8 for Windows 7 beta in 'reliability update'

Geoff Mackenzie

@Adrian Esdaile

Power plugged in, Vista crashes. Power disconnected, no crashes at all. The problem is electricity, not Microsoft's code.

Microsoft talks open-source love amid TomTom Linux 'war'

Geoff Mackenzie

Thanks for the love, MS

And while you're at it, f_ck off.

Microsoft boffins devise 'secure' Gazelle browser

Geoff Mackenzie

Typical of MS

Server OS doesn't do well with several different services running on it? Set up virtual servers to make life simpler for each of them. Huge waste of resources? Get a bigger server.

OS so riddled with holes it's a matter of time before malware and crackers creep in? Let's run a resource-hungry service to crank through every file checking it for known threats. Huge waste of resources? Buy a faster processor.

Can't write a secure browser? Sandbox the whole damn thing in a dedicated virtual machine. Huge waste of resources? Add some more RAM.

Microsoft courts customers for search help

Geoff Mackenzie

"Some key features of PubCenter are still on the whiteboard"

Obviously ready for a release then.

California to get 'space age' three-wheel EV

Geoff Mackenzie

Actually ...

I love it. The motorcycle license requirement could actually be a plus for it - it's one of the reasons Reliant 3-wheelers* did OK for a while (although it wasn't actually a requirement for those of course - either license was acceptable**). Compared to a car it's very small, low, and minimal - but compared to a bike it's enclosed, comfy and electric, so maybe that's a better way to look at it. I do wish it was cheaper though.

* actually, small 4-wheelers (e.g. Kitten, Fox) also, it was a weight thing, not a wheel count thing

** note past tense; relatively recent bike licenses are unfortunately no good

Don’t let Microsoft timescales dictate your Windows migration

Geoff Mackenzie

"the consequences of choosing one route or the other are not that great"

Hmm, my thoughts exactly.

Microsoft says it again - no second beta for Windows 7

Geoff Mackenzie

Re: Mark H

"from what I've read it is more secure than XP" - that's what they said about Vista too. And XP come to think of it, but 2k is still the most secure release of Windows to date, last I heard. And that is a bit like saying it's their most pleasantly scented turd in the first place.

Microsoft IE8 rolls out the astroturf

Geoff Mackenzie

Friends don't let friends

run MSIE.

Facebook-based privacy campaign to spam Wacky Jacqui

Geoff Mackenzie

@Ash (Feed the machine)

It wouldn't be garbage, just irrelevant, uninteresting trivia.

Disabling Windows Autorun - there's a right way and a wrong way

Geoff Mackenzie
Joke

Lay off Aunt Mildred!

A lot of these comments are totally unfair. Aunt Mildred has been using Linux since '93, and quite likes it (although she thinks a microkernel architecture would be more modern, she finds HURD to inconvenient for most of her day to day work).