* Posts by Giles Jones

2536 publicly visible posts • joined 13 Dec 2006

Adobe heats up iPad Flash bash

Giles Jones Gold badge

Flashblock

I run flashblock on all computers I use, I only see a handful of sites where I see blank spaces.

It's usually used for video or some horrible navigation panel, in some cases really irritating flash adverts.

Fujitsu: 'iPad? That's ours'

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It's a PC

It's a PC, it's not a device in-between a smartphone and a computer, it is a computer in tablet form.

Complex, slow to start up and a UI designed for a mouse and keyboard.

I've seen a Windows tablet PC at a customer's site, he was trying to take notes with it, but had to restart it. Hardly convenient when everyone is waiting to begin the meeting.

Giles Jones Gold badge

OSX

I think you'll find that OSX is based upon the NeXT OS and technologies.

The Mach kernel was developed by two main developers, one now works at Microsoft, the other Avie Tevanian worked at NeXT and was at Apple until March 2006!!!!!!

Ripped off the kernel from somewhere? give me a break.

Steve Jobs uncloaks the 'iPad'

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Hmmm

I think it looks ok, but it's still a niche product.

The problem it will have is it doesn't use an epaper screen. So as a reading device its appeal is limited.

I think basically what Apple thought was rather than create a desktop surface computer, why not make it mobile? being sat at a desk using a computer is so old fashioned now, outside of an office anyway.

iPhone OS update sticks customers with premium call bills

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Damned if they do, damned if they don't

Which all goes to show how Apple's control freakery is there for a good reason.

Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

If they provide developers with APIs to make calls then it can be abused.

If they don't provide access to such APIs then developers and user complain.

Apple preps touchy-feely iMac

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Touch screen PCs

Touch screen PCs already exist. I would find them pretty annoying since I've spent ages trying to stop people touching the screen when pointing at something on the screen. It leaves greasy spots all over the screen.

So unless the screen has some sort of coating to stop greasy marks then I won't be bothering.

Personally I think lifting up your arm to touch a computer will be quite annoying. Having a tablet in your hand or flat on a desk is a more useful configuration.

It's about time Microsoft stopped hyping Surface and got a product out.

Nokia posts proposal for next year's smartphone UI

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Only about 5 years late

Symbian has been without a touch screen UI for phones for years. Sony Ericsson filled the gap with UIQ for a while but that died.

I seem to remember them designing Symbian Touch in 2007? but from what I could see you still needed a silly stylus for some things (screen too small).

So why they delay in competing with Apple and Android? perhaps this is why Nokia is suing Apple, it's mere jealousy and publicity?

Discounts damage for Microsoft Windows 7 PC boost?

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A mature marketplace

People now realise that if their computer can render near believable landscapes in games, encode video quickly and play blu ray that something simple like an OS should easily run on the hardware they have.

It's a tough sell to get people to upgrade their hardware now. They're more likely to wear it into the ground before getting another one.

People don't have systems with ugly CRTs they want to off load either.

McKinnon: The longest ever game of pass the parcel

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We could say no

What would the US do if we said no and kept him in the UK?

They're not going to bomb us or implement sanctions against us. We're their partner in two wars.

Ghost of Gates' tablet haunts Microsoft's future

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What are they for?

What's the killer application?

In meetings you might as well just take in a laptop if you want access to software, if you want to take notes then why not type? beats any hand writing recognition.

A paper and pencil is hard to beat in terms of reliability.

A desktop OS is great in terms of running the software you know on the move, but the GUI really isn't ideal for the job, no matter what extensions the OS provides.

A decade to forget - how Microsoft lost its mojo

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What they need to do is pretty simple

They need a roadmap and they need consistent policies and opinions on various subjects.

All to often there are people at Microsoft who build bridges with the open source community and competitors only for Ballmer to come along and start sounding off about GPL being a cancer and Linux stealing all their code.

The top brass at Microsoft are too opinionated, they would find they would make it into more markets if they thought before sounding off about the competition.

Googlephone specs uncovered?

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Uninspired

Looks like some junk PDA from a few years ago.

Is this the best they can do? I'd give up now and concentrate on the software otherwise.

Google contradicts self, confirms own Googlephone

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WIll be interesting..

Will be interesting to see what it turns out like. Google have no track record of designing consumer products.

It's a lot easier to write web services than it is to design hardware.

What are the chances that it will just be a case design and some specs which they will get some far east company to finish for them?

Apple said to snub Intel's next-gen mobile chip

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One possible reason

Apple has the OpenCL technology in OSX to think about and that doesn't work on these low end chipsets.

The return of the Psion-sized PC

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Just another UMPC

PSION was about the hardware and software.

The hardware isn't unique, the software isn't unique.

Just another UMPC trading on nostalgia. I'm amazed they didn't call it an Amiga or Commodore something or other.

Ellison compromises on MySQL control?

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Re: Effects on competition? HAH!

Larry didn't become one of the richest people on the planet by giving away software.

Naturally he will want to steer MySQL users towards paying for Oracle.

PayPal mistakes own email for phishing attack

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HTML Email

HTML emails screwed everything up. If everyone had stuck to plain text then maybe so many junk emails and adverts wouldn't be sent. Spam would look boring and uninviting as well.

Of course you can disable viewing it in some email clients.

iPhone upgrades - a one-way control-freak street

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Sony PSP

Can't do it on that either!

Why? simply because people who downgrade their PSP firmware are doing it largely to use exploits in the software used to run pirate software (or homebrew).

On the iPhone people would want to downgrade to unlock the phone and run unofficial software or pirate software.

A few might be unhappy with a new release, but much of these problems are often due to restoring backups.

Macs not all that for reliability

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Heat

Given how hot some Apple laptops run it's pretty good that they are so high up the list.

My Macbook Pro is almost always silent. Even quieter than the Amiga 1200 I used to own (and that only had one motor, in the hard disk).

Fanbois Apple buyers howl over crocked iMacs

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While it may be a case weakness

It doesn't mean it was like that before it was shipped.

Couriers are pretty rough with packages, I had a Dell machine delivered to work which had a smashed up case.

Apple cult leader emails outside world

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Microsoft

Oh and Microsoft has never sued anyone for trademark infringement?

Remember Lindows? it was an invented word similar to Windows but Microsoft didn't like that and forced them to change it to something else.

Yes, Windows, a dictionary word can't be used by anyone else?!?!

Google open sources flash-happy Chrome OS

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@No HDD

Many people stream audio and video these days. With Google Office, mail and other tools there's many possibilities for using a computer with little or no storage.

This is for netbooks, the clue is in the name, netbook = Internet appliance.

Google target slips ads into iPhone apps

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Time element

Mobile web can be painstaking on the move, so any adverts or content that gets in the way will be loathed to the point of making people avoid it completely.

Internet on the move is a much different market to Internet at home. People are not going to tolerate anything that wastes their time, they'll throw the phone at the wall or go to another site.

iPhone worm hacker gets death threats, job offers

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Sophos

I found it odd that the consultant at Sophos would say that the worm contained loads of bugs.

So what? do you want a worm or virus that has no flaws and creates even more damage?

If the people at Sophos were so wonderful they wouldn't be writing anti-virus software.

Sony Ericsson Satio 12.1Mp cameraphone

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Noise noise noise

Looked at the review pictures, chroma noise in the sky and shade, rather lacking in detail or sharpness.

Only when the images were scaled down to the equivalent of a few megapixels did they look detailed.

Google Chrome web protocol seeks 2x download speeds

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@Si

Let IE stay in the slow lane while everyone else benefits from SPDY.

If servers fall back to HTTP for IE then IE will have a slow web experience until Microsoft supports it.

Of course with their usual EEE strategy they would release MSSPDY which will work well with IE and have quirks with anything else.

MS patent looks just like Unix command, critics howl

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Monopolists

Convicted monopolists should not be allowed to patent anything. Abuse of power and all that.

Patents were originally conceived to help the little guy build up a business.

Sony Reader PRS-600 Touch Edition

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They'll take off when

1. The price drops to £50.

2. You can use them as a PDA or electronic drawing pad.

Legendary McLaren F1 designer talks up e-car plan

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@Tiny death traps on wheels

>but it's not going to ever be appropriate in mixed traffic with larger vehicles

Simple, eco car lanes.

The torque from an electric motor beats many combustion engines. If you don't phase in the power gradually to the drive shaft then it would shear it off.

Windows 7 sales leave Microsoft coffers unstuffed

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Win7 should be cheaper

It was developed in a fraction of the time of Vista as they didn't spend 3 or so years travelling down a dead end only to scrap it and start again.

Surely development costs were much lower on 7? so either M$ is practically giving it away or they're doing some creative accounting?

115,000 nabbed for in-car calling

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@Ca$h in!

It's not about the distraction, it is about the fact that you can't drive a car properly one handed.

You need to change gear, indicate and steer when driving. You simply can't do that safely and effectively while driving, even with an auto gearbox.

Plus there's looking at the screen to dial, etc..etc..

In the split second you're looking down a child could walk out into the road.

UK drivers can be pretty awful as it is, phones make it even worse. Especially younger drivers who have an attention span so low that they have to text people while driving!!

Sony Bravia KDL-46Z5500 200Hz 46in LCD TV

Giles Jones Gold badge

Hertz myth?

200Hz? the human eye can't see much more than about 50Hz,

100Hz technology made sense on CRTs as 50Hz refresh was flickery. But LCDs don't work using scanlines, electron guns etc.

Conservatives promise 'lights on, lights off' IT policy

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Open Source?

What has open source got to do with it?

If the Tories are thinking open source programmers will do IT work for government projects for free then they're deluded.

If they're talking about hosting using open source software abd components then that's the case already with many projects.

Who cares if data is stored using proprietary software like Oracle or SQL Server? the data can with extracted and migrated. It is file formats they need to make open source, to do so they need to banish PDF and Microsoft Office formats.

Whitehall plans 'White Noise' phone network collapse

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Cable robbers

There was a case of phone cable being stolen recently, so I think that the phone network has more to fear from criminals than terrorists.

Yet another reason why we need more fibre and less copper. You can't really sell glass fibre for scrap.

Adaptec CEO on the ropes after dreadful results

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Who?

Who are Adaptec?

Oh yes, people who used to do SCSI cards when that was popular in the 1990s.

Do they have any products? if so they're certainly not in the news. Nothing to interest the consumer.

Big Blue red-faced over Congestion charge crash

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@An advantage to being a northerner

Or cycle and don't get screwed for any taxes, parking charges. Plus it is good for you and you can park your bike in the town/city centre.

Of course many car owners constantly bleat about their 'victim' status despite the actual cost of motoring and fuel being comparably cheaper compared to years ago.

Amazon's EC2 brings new might to password cracking

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Problem is..

Who can really remember a 12 character password?

Maybe once, but LAN policies often require a new password each month.

T-Mobile Pulse

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Not bad

Someone has actually designed an attractive Android phone, shame about the 2.5mm socket, who uses 2.5mm headphones or headsets? Bluetooth is widespread now.

I would wonder if the touchscreen can do multitouch or if this is a software limitation.

Can't really go wrong for £180. But will it get updates?

Apple said to have axed Atom support from OS X 10.6.2

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Hackintos*ers

Who is saying these guys buy OSX?

If they're breaking the licence agreement by messing about with it then why would they go to the trouble of buying it?

More than half of touchphone users will go back to buttons

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Not very useful

Unless they break it down into which handsets disappointed people then how are they going to determine if it is the touch screen or the implementation that is to blame?

There are many generic touchscreen phones that are pretty awful and are just jumping on the bandwagon. Some aren't capacitive touch screens and so are useless when used with fingers.

Apple MacBook Late 2009

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Remote

I've barely used the remote. It's handy if you want to browse tunes while you workout at home on a treadmill, but that's not something many people will do.

Besides, you can use an iPhone or IPod touch as a remote over wifi now. No line of sight issues either.

Facebook awarded $711m in 'Spamford' Wallace case

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Military hacks

If he did the same to military computers he would be rotting in jail somewhere.

The only way to stop spammers is to treat their activities as hacking. Many of their methods are dubious at best.

Nikon D3000 digital SLR

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Feature suggestion

If there's one feature a beginners SLR needs to have it is a message to say:

"You are using the kit lens. To achieve good photographs buy a decent lens"

The lenses are what matters, too many beginners buy the best SLR body they can afford and forget about the lens.

World Wii sales slump by 43%

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Simple

It has reached saturation point.

Anyone that wants one has bought one now.

Windows 95 to Windows 7: How Microsoft lost its vision

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@What a stupid article

>"Win 3.1/95 created the industry standard for how people would interact with a personal computer via a GUI."

Utter tosh. Xerox Parcs created the industry standard WIMP environment. They also invented the mouse. Apple licenced this work when they created the Lisa and Mac, Microsoft didnt!

I suggest you read this to get yourself up to speed on computer history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_graphical_user_interface#Xerox_PARC

Apple unbans banned 3G TV app

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I can see why Apple blocks 3G so much

As time goes on the O2 data performance seems to fluctuate a lot more. I can only imagine how bad it much be in parts of the US.

Data on mobiles should be kept for communication IMHO, not streaming music or TV.

Tories would scrap 50p broadband tax

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Fibre in towns?

Plenty of non-rural towns have no fibre or plans to get it. So how about sorting that out first?

DARPA, Microsoft, Lockheed team up to reinvent TCP/IP

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USS Yorktown

Microsoft's record in the military is hardly good:

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/1998/07/13987

Apple plans turbocharged Mac Pro speedster

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@Surely all the big players are in the doing the same

Yes, others will have the same processor. Have you ever owned or used a Mac Pro?

They are quiet, well designed and very weighty. Open a typical rival and there's wires all over the place, flimsy plastic clips holding in the hard disks etc...

It's a workstation aimed at professionals and people who don't care about the price (if you have to ask you can't afford).

A workstation is only as good as the software it can run, you can run Windows and OSX on a Mac Pro legally, can't do that on a rival brand.

Palm Pre smartphone

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WebOS

I want WebOS to succeed as it looks a damn sight better than anything else out there. But why can't Palm get some decent hardware?

You really need an amazing piece of hardware to launch a new platform, good software isn't enough. No point adding a hardware keyboard that sucks.

Please Palm, licence the OS.