* Posts by Miek

1574 publicly visible posts • joined 19 Jun 2009

Employers' group: New comp sci GCSE driven by vendor agenda

Miek
Linux

Re: Worst effect. Brain washing kids that Cisco and Microsoft are *all* there is.

I took a Computing A-Level back in 1996, it was all Science really, no mention of $MS or Cisco. We basically learned about Binary, Hex, How some of the technologies worked and of course, how to program in Turbo Pascal.

Nowadays, $MS has muscled in, you are expected (AFAIK) to be using $MS Orifice and such. The teachers don't understand "Open Standards" exist, they just want a .doc or .docx, full-stop.

MPs: Border Agency's own staff don't trust airport-scanner tech

Miek

"I knew there were biometrics on my (and my daughter's) passport but all I did was send off a photo that was nowhere near useful for anything past bone structure or whatever."

Sounds like you have a chipped passport that /*can*/ hold biometric data. By default only your photo and personal details are stored there. If you then get your fingerprints done or iris scanned; the biometric data can be put onto your passport.

AFAIK.

Miek
Trollface

Re: Garbage

Perhaps he resembled King Kong?

Vintage alien tech crash-lands in field

Miek
Coat

"because by our reckoning the type of vessel shown above would take 43,385,325 years to arrive from our nearest neighbour star Proxima Centauri"

I think that 'type' of vessel would be unable to travel through space actually, heaven help LOHAN!

MS Office coming for Symbian

Miek
Linux

"Third party apps can be good, but they often don’t feel quite like the real thing. " -- weird, I figured that Office would be considered a 3rd-party app in relation to Symbian ?

Android spanking iOS in world's BIGGEST mobile market

Miek
Linux

"Its just a operating system and both are capable of pretty much the same thing" , here here. Let the flame-wars die. You forgot to mention the WinPho camp who are also ardent defenders of their OS ecosystem.

"Yes even Maemo is quite good." -- I tried Maemo on my Nokia n810 and it was okay, not brilliant and at that time it was no where near good enough to use as an actual phone, perhaps it has improved somewhat since then.

Miek
Linux

Re: Does it really matter?

There's nothing wrong with licensing technology and paying a rival firm to use their technology. It's quite common you know.

Google is not "losing" when manufacturers pay Microsoft to use their technology, I see this as Google winning as basically $MS has lost a handset sale regardless of earning a royalty from their patents.

"is the patent licensing only in the USA?" -- No!

Miek
Trollface

Re: "basically they want iOS / iPhone"

"Android is a crap 2nd best product for nerds and people who cannot afford the quality APPL sells"

You have no idea Coward, high end Android phones completely wipe the floor with the iPhone in terms of specification As a user who likes choice I chose Android over IOS having tried them both out. Hey I even gave Windross Phone a blow and it certainly blew.

US ecosystems basically unaffected by global warming, studies show

Miek

Put head in sand and rev the engine!

Windows XP support ends two years from now

Miek

Re: @Graham

Alternatively install Ubuntu / Linux Mint and click "Upgrade" when prompted by the update manager - simples.

Miek
Linux

Re: Upgrade now before you have to get Windows 8!

"+1 and damnright! Buy whatever Windows 7 licenses you need to tide you over "

Done! I bought zero licenses thanks!

Miek
Linux

Re: Bah, humbug!

The downvotes were likely due to a lack of reading of the original article ... essentially XP Mode is a temporary stop-gap, don't rely on it.

"Even the virtual method keeping XP alive will vanish once Windows 8 appears in late 2012. While the new Windows will largely be Windows 7 beneath its Metro-fied skin, it appears XP mode will be omitted."

Miek
Trollface

Re: err..

Try actually buying the OS then! Windows Genuine Advantage was intended to prevent OS Pirates from gaining access to updates.

MPAA boss: 'SOPA isn’t dead yet'

Miek
Trollface

Re: There is no God given right to digital goods or service

And sanatoriums for those like yourself that can deal with the reality our politicians want to push.

Iran preps Internet cutoff

Miek
Thumb Up

Re: Sharia don't like it...

Nice one, a Clash reference.

Apple and publisher pals hold up US and EU watchdogs

Miek

"Apple and the publishers didn't like that model for ebooks because Amazon was selling books cheaply or even at a loss in order to promote sales of its Kindle ereaders. "

Here's a thought. Why not try to compete against your competitors instead of screwing over the customer.

Arizona bill makes it illegal to 'annoy or offend' online

Miek

This article has annoyed me, when can I get Arizona arrested?

Lords give automatic smut censorship bill the once-over

Miek

Re: So hows this going to work then?

I guess they are hoping the .xxx thingy will take off and then they can blanket block the entire domain.

SharePoint 2010 now supports Chrome, Firefox

Miek
Linux

I assume this news applies only if you are running Windows or Macintosh. I know that under Exchange 2010 your options under linux are Firefox only, even though fiddling with browser agents and developer tools can get chrome to work.

Why can't $MS just make a web-standards compatible interface and be done with it ? Google manage okay.

Google shows off Project Glass augmented reality specs

Miek

I was honestly expecting that to happen, or at the very least, a pop up from Google Shopping showing a price comparison.

Does anyone else feel a little icky after watching that corny video?

Samsung slips on Ice Cream Sandwich

Miek
Linux

Re: Anything like the S2, you're better off without it!

"and as for getting MTP ( now enforced on you! ) working with Linux desktops"

Tell me about it, but, I actually just use AirDroid (thanks El Reg). You can then access your phone via a web browser and batch upload /download files, apks and pretty much anything else you want to do. Best of all it costs nowt.

http://www.reghardware.com/2012/01/31/app_of_the_week_android_airdroid/

Miek

Re: They appear to be having problems with ICS

I put the LPQ firmware on my S2 using Odin (Rooting not required). It's not the *official* firmware, but, it is a Samsung sans-voda-crapware firmware. It works perfectly as far as I can tell. The suggestion that "they" appear to be having a problem with it, seems to be that "they" are the mobile operators and the "trouble" they are having is redesigning their bloat-warez and [tenous] spy-warez to run on ICS methinks. Discuss.

Brit pockets £100k in Samsung Bada dev compo

Miek

"TurboFlyHD app, which allows users to fly around a virtual race track in a specially designed aircraft" -- sounds like Wipeout HD

Home Sec: Web snoop law will snare PAEDOS, TERRORISTS

Miek

Re: Eat this.

Why?

Miek

Re: So what's the real story?

"I expect, because it is a Tory initiative," -- wrong, it is a security services push. The security service basically keeps coming back with the same proposal re-branded with a different name every couple of years.

O2 Wi-Fi slips into McDonalds, steals The Cloud's lunch

Miek

Re: Do they still have a stupid login page?

Advertising and Email address gathering.

Game chain sold

Miek

Re: Game On

I agree with Mr C Hill, sometimes when you want something sameday, shops are there to meet that need. I wanted a new PS3, I went out and bought one same day and paid (in Game, oddly) around £18 more than Amazon. It's a convenience thing.

What does the Titanic's sinking tell us about modern science?

Miek

I thought the Titanic sank because it hit an Iceberg.

UK.gov to unveil reborn, renamed net-snoop plans in Queen's Speech

Miek

Lol, I remember a Voda shop dismissing my Passport for I.D. They told me they specifically needed my Credit Card as passports could easily be faked!

Miek

Re: @IDoNotThinkSo @ Graham Wilson

Bill Hicks has the formula you seek

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MRykTpw1RQ

Any questions?

Miek

"Since lots of web based email services now turn on https as the default how are they going to monitor who emails who when its encryped unless they require Google, yahoo, Microsoft etc to give them an backdoor to their servers."

If you are watching a HTTPS connection from it's start you can basically pick up the cookie that is set by the server on the client's machine. This cookie can then typically be used to assume the unsuspecting user's HTTPS session.

Miek
Big Brother

Re: Don't give them ideas

"We should take the fight to them ..."

we shall defend our Privacy,

whatever the cost may be,

we shall fight on the switches,

we shall fight on the bulletin boards,

we shall fight in the server farms and in the data centres,

we shall fight in the interwebs,

we shall never surrender

Miek
Thumb Up

Re: We all in this together ergo be careful what you wish for.

A rare day that your posts actually make sense. Troubled times.

Miek
Big Brother

Re: Reg was a bit late with this one

"I can also see this being open to abuse by the government, how long before they are actively reading your emails and censoring or even completely blocking them from transmission, or altering content and redirecting you from the anti gov site you want to visit to their pro regime website."

Absolutely, and just think, our government don't even have a "Do no evil" policy!

Apple drops 'thermonuclear' patent bombshell

Miek
Linux

Re: Well, Huey Lewis is stuffed.

I guess it's far too easy a stereotype to fall into.

Munich's mayor claims €4m savings from Linux switch

Miek
Linux

Re: hmm

"Which is not what a typical secretary wants at all." -- We are usually not referring to Office packages when we say those things JDX. OpenOffice is just as horrific as $MS office.

Miek
Linux

Re: Saving or cost reduction ?

"Or, if we take the 15 / 16 million into account then the actual saving starts at 4 years." -- so they could have successfully completed the project and seen savings within the time-frame that our politicians are in office for? Still sounds like a win to me.

Miek
Linux

Re: eulampios

"It's amazing Linux is so good when you consider what a fawning idiot the typical Linux user appears to be.

What kind of saddo gets all emotionally involved with their operating system?!"

Resorting to personal attacks? consider your barrel well and truly scraped.

You are clearly getting a bit emotional that Linux has replaced Windows in this article, perhaps you are the kind of saddo that gets all emotionally involved with their operating system.

Miek
Linux

Re: Hmmm

"However what about the fragmentation issues, whereby different cities could all pick different Linux versions, etc? If/when a vulnerability arises, each is on their own. Maybe that's a problem for another decade though - not until Linux is roughly as popular as Windows."

What fragmentation issues ? FUD

"If/when a vulnerability arises, each is on their own." -- What are you talking about ?

"Maybe that's a problem for another decade though - not until Linux is roughly as popular as Windows [on the desktop]" -- There, fixed that for you

Sugar content now to be measured in Cadbury Creme Eggs

Miek

"Good stuff, although the idea of drinking two dissolved Creme Eggs is indeed "pretty gross". "

Sounds like someone hasn't tried Moo Moo's Cadbury's Cream Egg milkshake!

http://www.moo-moos.co.uk/

PlayStation 4 'Orbis' pegged for 2013 release

Miek
Linux

Re: Sounds shitty

"The sources also said there will be no backwards compatibility for PS3 games and that the brawny console will come with measures to prevent secondhand games being played without the prior purchase of an unlock code."

Sounds totally shitty. I quite like my Playstation too, won't be buying one of these though, they simply want to eradicate the second hand / rental / lend-to-friend market.

Hasbro fails to win Asus Transformer Prime ban

Miek
Linux

I can kind of see Hasboro's point, Asus are using "Transformer" and "Prime" in their brand names. While I am not confused as to whether this is related to the Transformers cartoon and film series; It is a bit cheeky of Asus.

Smoked by Android: Microsoft coughs up free laptop

Miek
Linux

Re: @Vic

using DHCP fingerprinting, works like a charm