* Posts by adrian sietsma

41 publicly visible posts • joined 17 Sep 2007

Nearly 2 MILLION US Facebook users quit social network

adrian sietsma
Mushroom

Re: Meh

"And, as a bonus, the general level of discourse here usually exceeds Farcebook's and Twatter's by a considerable margin."

That means FB and TW must be REALLY inane : the general level of commentary on El Reg has definitely gone a long way downhill over the last 5-10 years, with a few honourable exceptions.

Greenpeace calls out cloud names on green claims

adrian sietsma

To be fair, if company x says "we are as green as grass", that is meaningless without adequate metrics, and the report attempts to address that. It's worth a glance.

quote :

There have been increasing attempts by some

companies to portray the cloud as inherently “green,”

despite a continued lack of transparency and very

poor metrics for measuring performance or actual

environmental impact.

And running telecoms on diesel generators is FAIL on so many levels.

Android Trojan distracts Japanese with anime and porn

adrian sietsma
FAIL

The Android trojan scene is made much worse by Google's landgrab for all permissions on all apps. I have a growing list of useful apps which I refuse to update, because of their insistence on needing _far_ too many permissions. And Google leads the pack.

Why does the current release of Google Maps need to be able to make phone calls - what do I gain from this ?

Why do 90% of apps want access to my contacts ? I can see what _they_ might get out of hoovering up my address book, but why should I let them ?

Google are rapidly going downhill in my estimation : now only a tiny bit less evil than the other two.

Apple as a religion: How the iPhone became divine

adrian sietsma
Flame

i

<rant>

I don't generally care much one way or the other, but there is one dead iFanboy giveaway - "You're just jealous because you can't afford one"

- give me a break.

That is such a smug piece of crap - subtext "You are not as rich and successful as me".

Maybe I am, maybe I am not, maybe I spend all my dosh on puppies to feed to my crocodile - but that has nothing to do with the merits or otherwise of the iProduct in question.

</rant>

Apple reels as Steve Jobs Flashturbates

adrian sietsma
Troll

Here we go again

Clearly being an apple fan doesn't require reading comprehension skills :

"Apple ... if they manage to move the web to open standards where everyone wins, hooyah! "

The move to open standards has been going on for a long time, and some of the current fuss is about Apple mis-representing this. But, if you want to believe that SteveJ invented everything good, go ahead. It makes a change from hearing that BillG invented the PC and BASIC.

Some of us use a variety of kit from a variety of companies, without needing to link our self-image to the "coolness" or otherwise of any one co. You don't have to be a unix/windows "fan" to see flaws in Apple (or MS, or *nix).

Aussies rage at 'strings attached' iPad sales

adrian sietsma

one word

Bullshit.

Apple's HTML5 'standards' hype debunked

adrian sietsma
Flame

Get a clue

You say "Apple isn't responsible for other browsers".

This "demo" is HARD-CODED to only run on Safari/Webkit, and misleadingly implies that other browsers aren't HTML5 compliant enough to run it.

Apple marketing BS obviously works, though, judging by your post.

I use a multitude of products from a multitude of vendors, all with good and bad points, and admit they all have failings. Why are so many Apple purchasers so prone to get all frothy and angry when Apple kit is criticized ? Too much "I am what I buy" identification ?

Queuing for an iPad? Why?

adrian sietsma
Megaphone

Oooh shiny

Why do people have to add "sent from my iGadget" at the end of every comment / email ? Afraid we won't be impressed if we don't know what toys you have ?

And why does AC hate iGadget dislikers so much ?

It's just a new shiny toy, some people want one, others don't.

But queue up to be an early adopter ? A bit sad if you ask me - consumerist overload, aka "My whole being is defined by my latest purchase"

Sent from my 5 year old but still functional laptop. It's just a tool.

Hawking: Aliens are out there, likely to be Bad News

adrian sietsma
Coat

From Gustible's Planet

Maybe the alians will be like Apicans, ie very tasty when roasted whole ?

My coat is the one with a complete Cordwainer Smith collection in the pockets.

Patch Management: Should it even exist?

adrian sietsma
Badgers

I blame the Net - no, seriously!

Back in the day, before bulletin boards (remember them?) and the net, we had to get it right before shipping. Fixing a bug involved not only building a patch, but mailing out a disk to _every_ customer, with a follow-up phone call to explain why and how they had to fix something they had already paid for. Much embarrasment and expense to the s/w developer, and a time-consuming process that we avoided at all costs.

I still recall my disbelief / disgust when I bought my first app that needed patching from new. Now that we have conned the customer into taking patches for granted, developers/management can rush unfinished product out the door, and let the customer do the final (unpaid) testing.

Can you imagine MS, or anyone else, mailing out patches (on floppy disks with a 2% chance of failure) to every windows user ?

Badgers

Don't blame Willy the Mailboy for software security flaws

adrian sietsma
Grenade

Enough C++ bashing, FFS

I can write insecure code in _any_ language. And, jlocke, a load of avionics and medical code _is_ written in c/c++. As the original article pointed out, Java has it's own security issues as well, as do all languages. What language is SE linux written in again? And your firewall ? And your VM ?

Draconian new electoral laws for South Australia?

adrian sietsma

Get a grip

These laws have applied to letters to newspapers for a long time, and not just in Australia. They are supposed to limit unfounded smear campaigns etc. It doesn't control what you say, but does introduce a degree of accountability. I'm not sure how you apply it to the internet - that's obviously what this case was about.

posted non-anon for this one.

Apple's iPad - fat iPhone without the phone

adrian sietsma
Thumb Down

Why bother ?

We have a (linux) AA1 here as the "coffee table" machine. Ok, no touch screen, but it wifi's to the home router, runs anything *nix, supports flash / java / any web page I've tried, has 2 x SD cards, multitasks, recognises my USB drives, etc., etc.

And you can tilt the screen to a sensible angle.

And it has a forward facing cam for skype.

And I have a 3rd party broadband dongle for using on holidays, with a cheap multi-Gb data plan.

Finally, it was cheap as chips, with a universe of free software.

So apart from the touch screen (I hate touch screens - fingerprints meh), what does an iPad do that my AA1 can't ?

ebooks ? the missus has a palm and loves it : it fits in a pocket, and can be read in the sunlight.

Enormous raygun-on-a-lorry project acquires lorry

adrian sietsma
Badgers

The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

Surely the lorry has a tank for the shark to swim in ?

The australian version is a ute with a crocodile in the back, armed with the laser and a cold stubby.

Badgers coz they're sort-of stripey wombats.

Bumbling NJ firemen, cops blown up in 'huge fireball'

adrian sietsma
Flame

Acellerant

When I was in the firies, we used a diesel/kerosene mixture in our drip torches (fire lighting gadget for burn-offs etc.)

Too much kero in the mix is a very bad idea...

Mitsubishi preps 'versatile' plug-in hybrid e-car

adrian sietsma
Thumb Up

Beer Fridge on wheels !

<quote>

In the event of PX-MiEV users finding themselves up the creek without a paddle, the vehicle's domestic charge plug doubles up as a power socket, allowing the battery and/or engine to be used as a power source.

</quote>

So I can go camping for the weekend and plug the fridge in while parked.

Brilliant !

Does the Help Desk have a future?

adrian sietsma
Badgers

Lockdown

When corporate IT policy locks down user PC's so hard you can't do anything that requires "admin" access (like installing necessary software), and locks you out of half (or all) of the internet, the helpdesk is a necessity.

Having said that, I have found our IT support acceptable for all my workstation issues so far. (Including replacing dead mice).

Badger because my work pc is badgerproof.

IE, Chrome, Safari duped by bogus PayPal SSL cert

adrian sietsma
Happy

Last Word ?

@neil 5: "the Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Apple Safari browsers"

MS wouldn't have written any of those, would they ?

Either way, MS have a problem.

ps Yes, the author of the article is a one-eyed Firefox zealot, but he'll get over it one day.

<Smug> Written by a long-time Opera user. </Smug>

Now let's all have a nice cup of tea.

adrian sietsma
Flame

@neil 5

"Unfortunately I have to share this with you, why is it Microsofts fault?"

Because the CryptoAPI appears to have a security hole.

<quote>

The certificate exploits a security hole in a Microsoft application programming interface known as the CryptoAPI, which is used by the IE, Google Chrome and Apple Safari for Windows browsers to parse a website's SSL certificates....

</quote>

Can we PLEASE have a RTFA icon ?

adrian sietsma

Opera

Is Opera vulnerable ?

Researchers forge secure kernel from maths proofs

adrian sietsma
Black Helicopters

@vincent himpe : re c

c is _just_ a language. It allows one to code instructions for a cpu. Get it wrong and it'll hurt you; so will running with scissors. You want I should write a microkernel in vb.NET because it's "manged" and "foolproof" and hides all those scary memory allocations from you ?

meh

(that's not a helicopter, it's a squashed bug)

Blade Runner tops sci-fi movie poll

adrian sietsma

Gattaca

see title

Toyota preps plug-in Prius for mass production

adrian sietsma

@FAIL

"Won't Toyota just admit that the petrol + leccy thing was a huge mistake and continues to be a monumental failure?"

Not while they can sell as many as they can build.....

Look at the prius etc. as the new Ferrari - a bit impractical, a bit "look at me" flash, lots of high-end tech that will filter down to us plebs eventually.

I investigated converting my MR2 to electric : it's all pretty straightforward, if you have $20k+ for batteries (down from $40k+ a year or two ago).

Ford talks up the e-car's future

adrian sietsma

@Martin Lyne

"Best way to improve EV penetration? Cheap, high quality"

So that rules out Ford (US) and GM then.

Ford Europe may have a chance.

And safety ? At least Ford's electric SUV's won't catch fire when they roll over...

Prof: People reject news which conflicts with beliefs

adrian sietsma

Has no-one linked this research to iPhone buyers yet ?

x

Porsche bites back at e-car proponents

adrian sietsma
FAIL

Porsche sour grapes

Maybe Porsche are just sorry that they jumped on the 2 tonne 4wd bandwagon just before it drove off a cliff ?

Didn't they make sportscars once ? You know, light-weight , nimble, etc.

(think 356, 912, 914, 911 RS : and that's just the rear-engined ones)

How many cayenne v8 turbos are they selling now ?

Pirate Bay sells out to Swedish software firm for $7.7m

adrian sietsma

Real Pirates..

are only too happy to take the money and run.

Where's the "pile of doubloons" icon when you need it ?

A Google monopoly today means packet snooping tomorrow

adrian sietsma
Troll

@b ws 23:21

<quote>

so to all you good folks who aren't citizens of the US, you should all get down on your hands and knees that he's not trying to muck with your income, health benefits, auto industry, banks or whatnot...

</quote>

Ahh yes. The US Auto industry, banking system, and healthcare......all shining examples of free enterprise at it's best.

Hint - it's a little like iron.

Prof: Global windfarm could power entire human race

adrian sietsma
FAIL

@Jason Bloomberg

"Let's see : 46,000,000 - 100 ~= 46,000,000"

That would be the 1-hour year maybe ? You are only out by approx. 3 orders of magnitude.

100W * 24 Hrs * 365 days = 876,000 Watt Hours ~= 0.9 MWh

0.9/46 ~= 2 %

And there's the IT (or at least arithmetic) angle.

NZ couple do bunk with £3.9m bank error

adrian sietsma

but wait...

Surely they haven't committed a crime until / unless they refuse to return the money.

They don't know it was an error (cough cough) until the bank asks for the money back; they are just on holiday (indefinitely).

US admiral wants pain-rayguns for Gulf fleet

adrian sietsma

bacon gun

That would just be more pork for the military budget, no ?

OMFG, what have you done?

adrian sietsma

and another one...

Trivial / Style issue : The new Icons are crap, especially the 'boffin'. Seriously crap. A five year old child would think them too cute - why not just have a Barbie icon, if that's your intended audience.

If I want to flame, I want a FLAME icon, not that cutesy piece of shit. And where is the "shark with frikken laser" icon we have needed for ages ?

More importantly, fixed width : WTF? Some of us have had wide screens for years now.

(As an aside, what is it with web2.0 and fixed size pages ? Why ?)

And the smaller font is annoying.

And it has minor display glitches with Opera.

And why split articles over multiple pages ?

As others have commented, you can no longer sneer at web2.0-ification, as you appear to have followed the herd away from functionality towards fashion.

FAIL - please re-submit.

Obama bloats Vista by 11MB

adrian sietsma
Flame

Dictionary != Names

If a dictionary should be stuffed with names, it becomes useless. Who decides which names are important ? How can you determine what is a _real_ word, and what is a miss-spelling ?

I'm going to sue MS 'coz MY name is not in the dictionary, which has caused a loss of self esteem.

Bah!

MS takes Windows 3.11 out of embed to put to bed

adrian sietsma
Flame

BOFH : Boring Old Fart Here

WFW 3.11 - the first usable windows version ? I remember it as being a huge improvement over Win 3.1, from a s/ware developer's point of view.

I'm therefore waiting for Vista 3.11 - it may be sorted by then.

ps Everyone is long gone ? sheesh you lot have short memories : it was only 15 years ago. My car is older than that.

Mine's the one with "Grandpa Grumble" embroidered on the back (for any Tove Jansson fans)

Microsoft chases satnav market

adrian sietsma
Gates Halo

MS GPS : Please Please Please

It would be a (real) hackers paradise : imagine what fun you could have. Persuading people they are in another country; Left-Right reversal of selected maps; Bogus speed limits (with warnings about speed cameras) ;

bonus points for DDOS'ing an entire freeway.

St. Bill, for providing a new and entertaining hobby for nerds.

Adrian

What hell hath science wrought lately?

adrian sietsma
Linux

@Mark McC

"It's the Australian space programmes we need to fear."

Ours is the shuttle straddling the center line & throwing empties at passing asteroids, interspersed with crazy tailgating.

Tux because he'd make good roadkill.

EC threatens legal action against airline websites

adrian sietsma

@what's the problem

"Don't blame us for your foolish system."

Why ever not ? You are to blame for everything else.... it saves valuable brain cycles to just blame the US, leaving more time/energy for important things like.. ummm..

Oh look - a dog with a funny tail.

Windows random number generator is so not random

adrian sietsma

random...

They could seed the RNG with MS' next OS release date

Boeing, Ford in hydrogen engine fanfare

adrian sietsma

ROTM

" - indeed, BMW has a demonstrator car that can run on hydrogen now (though its fuel does all boil away in a matter of days, potentially causing the garage to explode if you've rashly parked it inside)."

I (and the lizard army) would like to see that.

A.

US mercenary outfit shoots 11 Iraqis - and self in foot

adrian sietsma

@Andy Cummings

".. it's real simple: don't shoot at a PSD-team and we won't shoot either"

From the reports, that is exactly what this is about.

I agree that it's accountability that's the real problem. Soldiers get court-martialled, and potentially locked in the stockade or shot - contractors get fired (if they're unlucky)

Adrian

McLaren fined $100m for spying

adrian sietsma

@Tony Marvin

The current world superbike championship has _always_ had differential capacities for 2 and four (and three) cylinder bikes, from day one.

Disclaimer - I used to own a 1976 Ducati v-twin, so I may be biased.

remember : check facts before posting, or appear ignorant.

AAS