* Posts by Wild Bill

119 publicly visible posts • joined 8 Jun 2010

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That Salesforce outage: Global DNS downfall started by one engineer trying a quick fix

Wild Bill

Re: "We have taken action with that particular employee"

I suspect that all the engineers use this "emergency" global rollout all the time to get things done quickly. In this case it went badly wrong, and now everyone's pretending they've never done it and just leaving the one person to take all the blame

Nvidia promises to shift graphics grunt work to the cloud, for a price

Wild Bill

I’m in the beta for this. I’ve got to say it works extremely well. I actually play Overwatch on it (a super twitchy fast shooter) and it plays great for me (though I’m not very good at the game, so maybe more hardcore players might notice a difference). This is on a 76mb down / 38mb up connection

I’ll definitely be interested in the service when it launches. All depends on whether they can price it right though (all those server farms can’t be cheap for them)

Deploying software every day is... actually... OK – what devs tell their real-life friends

Wild Bill

Where does it say that the work goes out without testing? Just because there are several deployments per day doesn't mean the work was done on that same day. The work for each deployment will have been done a few days earlier, gone through manual testing and then gone through integrated testing before being released

World's most complex cash register malware plunders millions in US

Wild Bill

"We have been examining POS malware forever, for at least the last eight years"

pedantic...urges...rising

Sony tells hacked gamer to pay for crooks' abuse of PlayStation account

Wild Bill

Re: ..

truedat. Sony have proved they cannot be trusted with sensitive data on multiple occasions. I don't understand why people give them their CC details.

Prepaid cards are available, or what I do is just use paypal to top up my psn wallet online

What do UK and Iran have in common? Both want to outlaw encrypted apps

Wild Bill

Really no effing way for the Greens? They seem to me to be the only ones talking any sense at the moment

NORKS? Pffft. Infosec bods BLAME disgruntled insiders for savage Sony hack

Wild Bill

Re: THe problem with the FBI...

I remain convinced it was an insider job. If this does turn out to be the case the FBI could always claim they deliberately went along with the Korean red herring in public so that the real perpetrators would be lulled into a false sense of security and continue with their email threats on Sony (maybe this is actually what the FBI did, as it's possible they might actually know what they're doing)

El Reg Redesign - leave your comment here.

Wild Bill

Seriously...

...everyone needs to calm down. You sound like petulant children. The site redesign is fine. A bit bland maybe, but I suspect that is actually an attempt by El Reg to placate it's stick in the mud audience. I found it a bit of a shock this morning when I first looked at it. This afternoon I'm finding I've adjusted a little to it. Next week I suspect that I, and most other users, will have forgotten what the old site looked like and will wonder what all the fuss was about. Like every website redesign ever.

One thing I miss - the most commented articles block. I do hope that comes back.

Word.

Sacre block! French publishers to sue Adblock maker – report

Wild Bill

I called this

(the functionality, not the suing)

http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/1/2011/02/16/funds_or_fun/#c_986739

EBay, you keep using the word 'SECURITY'. I do not think it means what you think it means

Wild Bill

Re: Can't paste in password

I just found this with ebay's password reset functionality. Ridiculous. To make it worse the form requires JS to work (great design there), so can't disable it to allow the pasting.

In the end I had to use firebug to edit the input's value to paste in my actually secure password rather than just using my cat's name. It's like they want people to use rubbish passwords!

BSkyB broadband growth chopped in HALF

Wild Bill

No time like the present

I jumped ship from Be to Plusnet after the Sky buyout, despite knowing I was going to be moving in a few months. I checked with Plusnet and they give one free address change per year so I decided to get out asap. The move went totally smoothly and I'm very glad I didn't stay with Be. Might be worth you checking whether you can change address with whatever new provider you're planning to use.

BT finally admits its Home Hub router scuppers some VPN connections

Wild Bill

Re: Plusnet

I did exactly the same. Really pleased with Plusnet. They actually feel a lot like Be in its heyday did to me. Much better phone support than Be ever had as well.

Fiendish CryptoLocker ransomware: Whatever you do, don't PAY

Wild Bill

From the detailed breakdown from Bleeping Computer, it appears that the encryption doesn't take place until the virus is able to phone home to one of its many servers, which have their domains automatically created using a Domain Generation Algorithm.

Is there not any software that can block all domains which are obviously gobbledygook and are therefore likely to have been automatically generated by a nasty? It appears DGAs are used by a lot of viruses to phone home, so such a blocklist could be a reasonably good last line of defence for a multitude of arseholery (obviously not getting a virus in the first place is the ideal approach).

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it ... Win Phone 8? No, it's APPLE'S iOS 7

Wild Bill

Haven't upgraded yet. Was at the pub with a friend yesterday who has updated and thought it looked pretty slick. One thing I realised was that after he'd unlocked the phone a few times to check Facebook / football scores etc. (I'm a pretty boring pub companion evidently) that I unintentionally knew his pin.

The large numeric buttons flash white when pressed, and you can't help but pick up on the pattern even in peripheral vision. Think that needs dialing back pronto.

Tor fingers Firefox flaw for FAIL but FBI's also in the frame

Wild Bill

Re: Why use Tor?

If you're after security and privacy, then you'd be an idiot to use a free VPN

Yahoo! gets animated GIF commendation for defending user privacy

Wild Bill

Considering their email services are still getting hacked left right and center it doesn't really make much difference.

Mint 15 freshens Ubuntu's bad bits

Wild Bill

Tried Mint on an old P4 machine the other day. Cinnamon kept crashing as soon as I booted. Installed Ubuntu 12 - works like a charm. I'm sure my experience was unusual, but first impressions count.

I have no problem with the Ubuntu interface either. It's just a desktop with a sidebar as far as I can make out. I never actually tried Ubuntu before Unity so really don't see what all the fuss about it is.

Adobe kills Creative Suite – all future features online only

Wild Bill
Joke

I've always felt my lead pencil didn't have enough input lag

UK.Gov passes Instagram Act: All your pics belong to everyone now

Wild Bill

So if I find an 'orphaned work', am I allowed to add my own ownership details to the metadata and sell it on iStock? Could I then sue anyone else using the original orphaned work (or perhaps even the poor schmuck who originally published their photo online without knowing anything about this law and the need to digitally sign your work).

Next Xbox to be called ‘Xbox Infinity’... er... ‘Xbox’

Wild Bill

That's when you get to do a 'back to basics' rebranding exercise a la Windows 7, so it'd be Xbox 4

Wild Bill

Can't see that logo being legit. It looks like a fallen over Windows 8 logo, which would surely be a bit too close to the bone for Microsoft.

Home Sec: Let us have Snoop Charter or PEOPLE WILL DIE

Wild Bill

Re: No

"The Anti-Terrorism act was massively miss-used." - so they've already shown us we can't trust them with this power. Nothing to think about.

Belgian finds missus was born a MAN after 19 YEARS of marriage

Wild Bill
Thumb Down

Re: Eh?

Totally agree. Really appalled by this article. The tone of it is actually worse than the shite you expect to find in the paper rags. "That evening came to blows" - LOL.

Domestic abuse is always funny right Reg? Oh those crazy transgendered types, they deserve everything they get. Poor violent, bigoted bloke getting duped. Chortle chortle.

This article is a huge editorial oversight, and to be honest you've probably just lost a reader (depending on whether you're actually going to rectify this error with a retraction / apology).

Peter Moore: IT consultant, Iraq hostage - Part Two

Wild Bill

Amazing article. The time sheet audit bit made me chuckle.

One week left before US faces clamp down on piracy

Wild Bill
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Re: Ho hum

"Turn encryption on in torrent, run peer guardian (or modern equivalent)"

This does absolutely nothing to hide your IP address from others in the same swarm, it only stops your ISP seeing what kind of traffic is running through your torrent port of choice. Peer Guardian can never guarantee to be blocking all rights holders tracking specific torrents (it's most likely that they would track using standalone lines, as opposed to their corporate masters' IP addresses).

Nobody knows what to call Microsoft's ex-Metro UI

Wild Bill

Makes me think of Newcastle

Granny upstages Microsoft, storms stage at Surface launch

Wild Bill

Re: Just 'cos this is a Win8 topic

Or just use Internet Explorer as a one off?

WTF is... Microsoft Xbox SmartGlass?

Wild Bill

Re: Dude

Ha, exactly what I was going to post about

BT and Virgin sue over £10m state-funded Birmingham broadband

Wild Bill
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Read the article

"The £10m that the council planned to plough into Birmingham's broadband comes from a £150m pot that George Osborne set aside to fund broadband in 20 cities across the UK, part of his "super-connected cities" initiative"

Councils don't get to just decide to spend that cash on something else if they feel like it.

What happened to the 'Most Read/Commented' list of articles on the front page?

Wild Bill
Thumb Down

I'm finding I'm spending a lot less time on the site than before as a direct result of the lack of Most Commented. My boss is probably happy about this but not sure that's El Reg's intention. Wonder whether the behaviour of other users will show a similar pattern.

Wild Bill
Thumb Up

+2

It was great for dipping in and out of content on the site. I mainly read for the comments so like being able to find 'hot topics' quickly.

'Your app will work on Windows 8 - but please rewrite it anyway'

Wild Bill

Re: You got that right mate

It's coming in 2016 last I heard. Please don't make any new web sites or services until then.

Microsoft promises two-step IE fix

Wild Bill
Thumb Down

Re: Just fix it quick please

RE: Chromium.

Goes to Chromium page -> Clicks link to Windows build -> http://www.chromium.org/developers/how-tos/build-instructions-windows

No thanks. Yes, I could spend the time going through the instructions and feel very satisfied with my new found knowledge and achievements two hours later. Or I could just download another browser, right now.

Is it seriously too much effort for them to put an actual compiled version on their site? Do they want people to use the software? Crazy.

Virgin Media STILL working on fix for SuperHub corrupt downloads glitch

Wild Bill
Joke

Port forwarding's not that useful anyway

Apple 'hasn't really run out of iPhone 5s AT ALL'

Wild Bill
Thumb Up

See also

http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/912172-wii-u-pre-orders-sell-out-in-america

Dredd movie review

Wild Bill

Re: Peckham

As in the Peckham Multiplex? Ha. That's my local. You're in for a treat. Be warned, patrons of the 'Plex tend to enjoy shouting along at the screen. As in, proper shouting. Especially during any quiet bits (I noticed they were showing The Artist there, so god knows what that must have been like).

I haven't been for years as I found the interaction quite grating after a while (although seeing Mean Girls on a matinee viewing was a laugh). It used to be £3 for any film, any time, which made the experience bearable. But since the price went up to a fiver I now opt to get the bus to the hoighty toighty Greenwich Picture House instead.

BBC dishes out fanboi-only telly downloads ahead of ITV plans

Wild Bill
Holmes

Morse

Why would anyone want to buy a digital episode of Inspector Morse for 99p when they can get an episode on DVD, plus a magazine and ring binder for only £5.99 each month?

Internet Explorer needs fresh dev infusion for a full recovery

Wild Bill
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Re: It's not cool to bash IE...

"Really? be careful what you wish for - the great thing about browser and now HTML5 fragmentation is the extra work and money. Write once, run anywhere, earn half."

I'd rather have twice the number of clients and not have to waste half my time pissing around with IE's fucking MENTAL bugs.

Wild Bill

z-index implementation

has been making me bash IE(7 &8) this afternoon

Ten 15in notebooks for under 400 quid

Wild Bill

Um, £499.99?

Organic food offers basically no health benefit, boffins find

Wild Bill

Weirdly written article Reg. Shouldn't have to click an external link to find out who a particular quote is attributed to (Prince Charles apparently)

UK ISPs crippled by undersea cable snap

Wild Bill

My Be connection was fine yesterday. I even successfully completed my download of every episode of Knightmare.

ICO has yet to begin probing cookie violators

Wild Bill
WTF?

Perhaps ICO should be fined for not having an investigative team ready in time? They had a year's grace period to get ready for the new enforcements to take effect after all.

Considering the amount of UK businesses' time and money they've wasted the least they could have done was get their shit in order before the agreed date.

Facebook sued by Chinese firm over Timeline

Wild Bill

Nice mildly NSFW link there Reg. Cheers for that.

Windows 8: Download it, then speak YOUR brains

Wild Bill
FAIL

HAVING TO CLICKING?

how embarrassment

Wild Bill

"click the corner, type the name of the program I want and up it pops"

Windows 7 already does this? Without having to clicking anything (Windows button -> type)

(also Launchy provides the same functionality for those still on XP)

Alleged 'Xbox 720' dev box eBay'd for $20,100

Wild Bill

Other than Sony, I can't see who could possibly be interested in buying this.

Scribe's mobe, MacBook pwned after hacker 'fast-talked Apple support'

Wild Bill

Here's my answer to any 'secret answer' / 'password reminder' questions on these sorts of things...

0gu9034n= 7b =30yperh erhg werhgp wehrgklwehrguipehrghekgdfbn.db ndb ddfjkdjdddfafg34349394tb

I then proceed to remember my actual password.

Success! Curiosity Mars lander arrives precisely on schedule

Wild Bill
Trollface

Obvious photoshop

I can tell by the pixels

Brits get to fondle Google Nexus 7 slab in just a fortnight

Wild Bill
Thumb Up

Re: Touch Paper

Upvoted because I can recognise sarcasm, even on the internet.

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