Posts by bombastic bob

Re: Now this would be a great idea...

aside from the "pay the toll" CA cert assignments for https, it's not a bad idea. It WOULD help to prevent MITM attacks on DNS. Not sure what DNSSec does to mitigate THAT one.

but yeah, why invent a NEW protocol if an EXISTING one does the job? Let's just implement the existing one first, and see if that needs to be fixed/updated/enhanced/whatever...

Re: Wrong title

"disabled by default on modern Windows versions."

a good number of people are probably STILL running XP because of how SUCKY "Ape" and Win-10-nic are. [yes, didn't take long to take the opportunity to get some 'digs' in on Win-10-nic]

and I wouldn't call anything newer than 7 "modern". That term has been used in such oxymoronic ways that it's lost its real meaning.

Re: Quantum? You couldn't even get the basics right, Microsoft.

"Remember WinFS"

My guess is that it smashed itself up against the wall of reality, and MShaft discovered how grossly inefficient it was [like the registry, not to be confused with 'El Reg'].

ReFS (the new 'WinFS' incarnation, apparently) doesn't sound like it's going to be much better. It sounds like MShaft's attempt to embrace, extend, and extinguish ZFS [which wouldn't surprise me]. but I can boot FreeBSD from a ZFS-only file system. I bet you [still] can't do that (boot windows) with ReFS.

Re: Racehorses? Gorillas? Any ideas ...?

"we'll have to refer to sheep, goats, and ..."

Ken's suggestion of 'cats' is a good answer.

Or we could use anything invented by the mind of Lewis Carol.

"Why not simply make a typescript compiler for Q#"

It's the "pound" part, like C-pound, F-pound, and now Q-pound, intended to lock you into using Micro-shaft solutions. And when I look at it I see too much "magic stuff" and it bothers me...

I'd prefer a lingo called 'Q' that had a gcc or clang back-end. I really do NOT want to be locked-in with a Micro-shaft "solution".

Re: Obviously this guy wants to emulate JFK

JFK was the last decent Democrat president (note I didn't say 'Demo-Rat' this time).

a) JFK was a SUPPLY SIDE ECONOMIST - like Reagan and Trump

b) JFK knew that space exploration was important, and that America should lead with it.

c) JFK was an anti-communist [unlike modern Demo-Rats, who are extreme socialists and might as well BE communists], and so was Reagan, and to some extent, Trump.

d) JFK was considered to be a bit of a 'maverick' within his own party, which is why they paired him up with LBJ (a "traditional Demo-Rat") so they could capture more Democrat votes. It worked.

JFK was right about a LOT of things like these. And so was Reagan. And so is Trump.

Yes, America SHOULD be challenged to develop better space propulsion, and a colony on the moon, and manned trips to Mars. [A moon base has a much better chance of allowing for construction of deep-space vehicles anyway, including atomic engines and developing other radical propulsion methods that can't operate in an atmosphere]

Re: Caveat

"We have known for a long time that CO2 is correlated with warming"

as an INDICATOR, not a CAUSE, like when a soda gets warm, it goes flat [because it can't hold as much CO2 in the water]. Hence, warmer water = higher atmospheric CO2 concentration (and NOT! THE! OTHER! WAY! AROUND!!!)

How come *I* know this instinctively, yet so many other people IGNORE this obvious FACT ???

icon, because, facepalm

Re: Caveat

"Current CO2 levels are less than a quarter of what they were in the late Cretaceous period (which wasn't an all-time high)"

And THIS suggestis that atmospheric CO2 concentration has NOTHING! TO! DO! with actual climate and/or temperature, which it can't ANYWAY, because CO2 doesn't absorb IR energy in the bands that correspond to actual temperaturs on the earth.

So CO2 doesn't act like a 'shield', nor does it act like a 'blanket'. It does NOTHING except respond to what temperature and CO2 production/depletion rates are, which shift the (equilibrium) concentration of CO2, mostly due to changes in CO2 concentration that can be absorbed by water at a given temperature, but that's about it. It's an INDICATOR, and not a cause, of temperature.

Re: Caveat

"also wants it to do less work looking at Earth"

they're NASA. it's not about GEOLOGY. It's about SPACE exploration.

besides, all of that "fake science" hasn't explained why temperatures are NOT boiling the planet right now, and NOT lowering sea levels right now, and NOT thinning polar ice right now, which AlGore apparently "predicted" in his book with the 'hockey stick' chart (starting in the 70's, when temperatures were at a 70 year cycle LOW point, and comparing to 30 years later, when they're at a 70 year cycle HIGH point, hence 'hockey stick', ignoring ALL past history to manipulate people with those "statistics"). To the best of my knowledge, he predicted these things, anyway...

Point is, the science (focusing on Earth) is interesting, but we don't need NASA to be funded to do it. Sure, let NASA (and universities) continue to build satellites and launch them, but let university professors and independent scientists do the analysis. Then, put it all up on 'teh intarwebs' for peer review, and get GUMMINT FUNDING OUT OF IT. Because when "the funders" are paying for "an outcome" (drain the swamp to get rid of those agenda-driven "scientists" I say), you'll get LOTS of research that's focused on "an outcome", because people are being PAID to do it. But if you just COLLECT THE DATA, and let science be SCIENCE, then we'll get better models and understanding, etc. out of it.

/me facepalms because it only took a few posts before it became politicized...

Re: 500 K at 350km below the surface

500K? yeah, that's kinda surprising. what's the energy source for that kind of heat?

it also legitimizes the possibility of liquid water and/or some kind of life in the vicinity of "the spot", like bacteria that live near (but not in) underwater volcanos...

Re: Lambda functions much be completely composable. No exceptions.

worthy of mention, it's "yet another definition" for what "lambda function" does...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_function

(note that I really don't like their usage and prefer the 'declared class member function' method in Java, or the use of virtual member functions and/or function pointers in C++ (or C for that matter)).

But yeah, THIS won't cause CONFUSION in the world of IT.

[It's almost as bad as calling 'SQL' "Sequel" and having people go 'sequel to WHAT?']

Re: I don't get it.

some games are like interactive movies. It's almost entertaining (almost) to watch a good game player breeze through everything, almost (almost) like watching an action flick...

just trying to explain - the word 'amuse' comes from 'a-' (not) and 'muse' (thinking/creating). So it's "amusing" i.e. entertaining without you having to do much thinking [or any at all, for that matter]

reading/commenting El Reg articles, on the other hand...

Re: Adverts?

I think "youtube-dl" skips them (so I don't see them, either)

Re: So?

"...and getting knighthoods for just Reading Out Aloud!"

Or a Nobel Peace Prize for "just being there"

Re: "vote for the better one of two very bad candidates.

"Banana republics have only managed to accomplish one or the other."

yeah, the idea of Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obaka, Clinton, Obaka, Clinton is rather FRIGHTENING, that's for sure...

None of these people are conservative, small government, nor libertarian-minded, they're ALL "globalists", and were willing to sacrifice the USA's strength for whatever global agenda they (or their puppeteers) had in mind.

NOTE: the above sequence is what *they* wanted: Bush I, Bill Clinton, Bush II, Barack O., Mrs. Clinton, Michelle O., Chelsea Clinton - do NOT doubt me, this IS what *they* wanted! And the grandmaster puppeteers remain safely behind the scenes, safely out of the public eye, and outside of the possibility of scrutiny or any kind of negative impact on their personal lives...

the thing about a banana republic is that their "dear leader" often _IS_ the puppeteer. But not always. I wonder, sometimes, about N. Korea, if someone else is pulling Kim Jong "Fatass" "Cartman" Un's strings.

Re: Despair over Brexit and Trump?

"many of us think they are the two best things to have happened in 2016"

AC - my sentiments as well. Nobody's seemed to notice that the world is actually improving at the moment... because we're deluged by Trump-hate reports (except on Fox News and Rush's radio show, things like that).

And when the USA does well, so does the rest of the world, "rising tide lifts all boats" and all of that kind of thing. People in the UK should be _happy_ about that.

I personally favor Brexit, because the UK shouldn't have to live with some of the stupid-stuff coming out of Brussels, so I was happy to see the Brexit vote.

But for some reason El Reg has a _LOT_ of VERY vocal people on the OPPOSITE side of the fence on these kinds of issues (readers AND authors), and like howler monkeys, they gang up on you, out-shout you, and sling poo, often in the form of massive down votes... [it makes their numbers look a LOT larger, and that's why they do it]

Personally I would have preferred it if the article had not even MENTIONED Trump nor Brexit. But it's in there, in the article and the title. It was kinda funny in the title, though, as it compares "desparing" about Trump/Brexit with "desparing" over youtube video producer incomes.

But then the article had to say: "Still, it has to be better than following Trump's Twitter feed."

Seriously? Saying that Trump's twitter followers are dumber than those who watch youtube videos of people screaming profanities while playing a video game?

That kind of statement is sort of like a fart in an elevator, lingering on and creating discomfort way after it "passes". And it wasn't funny. It was "pandering to the perception". [if it HAD been funny I would have laughed]

Now, here's a fix:

"Still, it has to be better than following despairing over Trump's Twitter feed."

Now, THAT's COMEDY!

(there are no 'get your digs in' with THAT version, which is why it IS funny!)

I'm surprised the editors missed the opportunity to make it thematically similar to the title, and funnier at the same time.

'facepalm icon' again

Re: If you think that is stupid

"Of course you may have to dumb it down a bit and show the Reg journos doing stupid things in the office but think of the money."

I think this sort of thing was tried with 'Salmon Days' - which (unfortunately) wasn't funny enough to survive. I still like the BOFH vs Clippy, uh, "clip". There are lots of other examples (not just 'Salmon Days') of what COULD have been uproariously gut-busting laugh-a-second material, which ended up being *yawn* *lame* .

(it's also why I don't watch sit-coms)

Anyway, GOOD humor/satire is based on truth. 'pander to the perception' stuff is lame. Too much of the latter these days. And it seems youtube has too many people trying to be 'Gumbies' (and doing it wrong) and getting money for it, anyway.

/me plays 'Money for Nothing' by Dire Straits

icon, because, facepalm

"Which is what you are supposed to do"

(etc. - snip rest of nauseating touchy-feely motivational phrases)

You forgot "work smarter, not harder". And all of the rest of them.

/me reaching for pink liquid now

icon, because, nausea

Re: By Bullshitters, For Bullshitters

some arsehole thinks that "testing starts at day one"

and even the TRIVIAL things, like 1+1=2, MUST have a test function to verify it STILL works!!!

if I developed test functions for EVERYTHING I wrote, the test suite would probably be LARGER than the actual code. AND, there would be no value added. Because, when testing is needed, I do that separately, then put the function in place ONE TIME, shelve the "test the algorithm" console mode program [in case I ever need to look at it, which I never seem to] and document how the function works in case someone ELSE has to work with it. No need to re-re-re-test it EVERY! STINKING! TIME! because it WORKS.

And, if all functions (that aren't trivial) are tested in this manner, are well documented, and guaranteed to do what's on the tin, then you're fine.

[and also assuming that the project isn't shotgunned across way too many files with way too many trivial functions calling even more trivial functions ad infinitum so you can't even see the code flow any more without having 67 files open at the same time, JUST so you can do "unit tests" on EVERYTHING]

icon, because, facepalm

Re: The main issue are those who turned it into a sort of religion...

"with the Scrum Certified High Priesthood and all the related dogmas."

Ah, yes. "The Scrum". Let's cram everyone into a single room and let JUNIOR PEOPLE get THEIR ideas heard, too. Because, as we all know, JUNIOR PEOPLE *ALWAYS* have "the best ideas"®©™ that us SENIOR and GURU level people *NEVER* think of... [or reject outright, because they SO reflect the inexperience of the person who said it].

But, but, but, we HAVE to let the junior guys "share their ideas" because THAT way, they'll FEEL better!

And once the 'F' word "FEEL' gets injected into the process, the INCOMPETENCE, INEFFICIENCY, and SLOPPY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES are predictable.

I have an idea: Let's get some SENIOR PEOPLE and MANAGERS in on PLANNING a project before you start working on it, with a prototype to work out most of the problems, and then SPEC IT OUT, and if you go halfway through and realize that you need to CHANGE THE SPEC, you just *DO* it. But you won't be changing it every day, and probably NOT without approval of the design team (i.e. the managers and senior people).

You know, like WATERFALL!!! Except waterfall doesn't have "a cool name" like Agile. Or blackjack. Or hookers.

Re: Agile

"I've seen maybe 2 or 3 projects that really do Agile correctly. They don't actually seem to turn out code that's any better, or any cheaper to do, than waterfall"

that would be my prediction just from reading ABOUT 'Agile', and not actually participating in it.

Although, at a used-to-company, I developed a prototype in 3 weeks for a potential product, doing it by myself [it involved a linux netfilter kernel module]. I spent another week (or so) tweeking it over a short period of time, because my proof of concept code was being used to DEMONSTRATE IT FOR POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS. Meawhile, 3 people (one manager, one senior guy, one junior guy) proceeded to 'start from scratch' using Agile-style principles for managing the project. A YEAR LATER [they were still demo-ing with my prototype] I'm brought back in to "help finish up" in a couple of weeks of 3-way programming effort (and then the junior guy was laid off) followed by nearly a MONTH of paired-up programming effort.

That's right, fixing the "Agile" code took LONGER than WRITING! THE! PROTOTYPE! FROM! THE! BEGINNING!!!

At that point, I had some cash stowed away, and I saw the writing on the wall, and left [after the project was 'working", that is]. Back to business for myself [no more commuting+wageslave].

Needless to say, I have a very *LOW* opinion of "Agile" and things like it. BUZZ-WORD of the day, market-speak and manager-incompetent-speak [manager hears a new word, MUST implement!].

Let's just call "waterfall" something else, in case the term has been POISONED too much by Agile-fanbois, and get people to go back to determining what the specs are FIRST, like is SUPPOSED to be done. Build a prototype, work out the bugs, and then SPEC UP THE PRODUCT, like is SUPPOSED to be done, and make it work according to the spec, as is SUPPOSED to be done.

We could call it: "Common Sense"®©™

Re: UUCP2

"ISPs will be able to just straight-up block VPNs (or any other traffic) if they desire."

ISPs *ALREADY* block certain ports as part of their normal practice, and tell you that you can't run a web server, and block incoming ports for mail, DNS, http, https, yotta yotta ALL OF THE TIME. And that's WITH the "net neutrality" rules in place.

So why the FUD?

Re: Why is this a surprise?

"It's called transfer of wealth."

the transfer of wealth to the "top 2%" (as you stated) usually happens when things are OVER-regulated, and NOT when they are DE-regulated.

Please explain how "allowing a fast lane" transfers wealth from the 98% to the 2%?

This whole "net neutrality" thing is NOT ONLY mis-named, it's become EMOTIONAL.

I'd also like to see proof of what everyone who complains about net neutrality seems to fear: the THROTTLING of traffic to the end user.

I've heard of this being done to business connections, so that you pay more to get a fatter pipe. But I've never heard of it being done to individual users, except those with extremely high usage rates [and then it would be 'throttled' to comply with whatever your contract allows for]. But that's being done NOW, under "net neutrality" regulations, right? Cell carriers do that when you reach your 'bandwidth cap' for the month. And of course, THAT would be "in the contract".

So I continue to read the hype, see the emotion-based arguments, and AGREE WITH PAI, that it's NOT the FCC's business to regulate CONTENT, but instead to provide for standards implementation, regulate frequency band usage, and avoid RF interference, so that "all of those services" using various wired and wireless media are cooperating with their signals, and not stomping on one another.

Socialism and excessive gummint regulation DOES separate the "haves" from "have nots". If you want the "have nots" (aka the '98%') to become MORE wealthy and have MORE cool stuff, get the gummint OUT OF THE WAY. Otherwise, if you try to equalize outcomes (in this case 'net neutrality' where EVERYBODY has the SAME QUALITY OF SERVICE) you're only going to make everyone have equally MEDIOCRE service.

And I don't want MEDIOCRE. And if some rich guy gets 10 times the internet traffic as me, because he PAYS for it, then so what. "Class Envy" is stupid. I'll just BECOME "that guy" so _I_ can have THAT level of service! (and interestingly enough, more revenue for faster means the telcos can compete for THAT market, and use the revenue to IMPROVE things OVERALL, which they do).

"Working as I do in a large company in Japan"

I would assume that SALARY employees don't get overtime pay in Japan, either?

in which case, the boss's paycheck won't be affected if you deduct overtime pay from his pay [because there won't be an overtime bonus for the employees staying late to finish up or whatever].

Also, is it that competitive for well-paying jobs in Japan, that people are COMPELLED to look like they're working harder/better/faster than everyone else? Just curious.

Re: How many points...

"I can hardly wait for Simon's take on all the opportunities here"

Simon would be at the local pub, when he leaves at 30 minutes before beer-o-clock. However, a cardboard cutout of him (mysteriously connected to an automatic timer device) will conveniently be in his chair, to be spotted by the drone between the hours of beer-o-clock and "time to go home".

Re: Nah. We were civilized, no rodeo in the data center.

industrial washing machines have (or had) a self-balancing feature that causes a flow of water into 'opposing' positions during the spin cycle. Basically, as the thing spins, it trips a switch when out of balance causing appropriate water flow to re-balance. As the thing spins up, you can hear the water jets balancing them, and then they smooth out. Maybe a similar system for centrifuges? Just a thought...

/me wonders where the IT angle is on this one...

Re: Recycle platters from modern hard disks

"I think a lot of the modern spinning-rust drives now use a glass platter"

a couple of decades ago I had a Kalok drive die on me, while beta-testing Win '95 [which was a BIT more disk-intensive than earlier winders]. It sounded like breaking glass when it ate itself. So even in 1994 I think this was being tried...

Re: Servicing a VCR was like playing with a Hellraiser puzzle box

I understand that cockroaches loved to infest those things - stories from repair techs of roach-infested electronics. Who knows, maybe they were eating the grease...

Re: "Cut the red wire..."

if _I_ had designed the thing, cutting ANY wire would detonate it.

I can think up many ways to defeat someone trying to disarm an explosive device by cutting a wire, like "cut any exposed wire, or remove any cover, and it goes BOOM". [real bomb disposal would probably just safely transport it in an armored container, then detonate it someplace away from people+things]

Good thing I'm not a terrorist, yeah - but it's the way white-hat hackers think - anticipate what is being done by thinking about how YOU would do it, muahahahaha!

/me thinking of 'Lethal Weapon 3' at the moment...

afterthought - I think the military deliberately detonates IEDs by use of claymore mines and/or C4

Re: "Not an uncommon story", you mean.

"hugely costly tenuous and superflouous value add stuff that DEC added that eventually put them out of business"

Actually, I think DEC went out of business (or value lowered until they were bought up, more realistically) because they were "old tech" and the computer market had moved along. They sunk a LOT of effort into "Alpha with NT" with little effort in making PCs and cutting edge peripherals. HP, on the other hand, "did that" and survived the 90's.

And Sun won where DEC once ruled. Maybe Solaris helped?

[shock indicators are cheap - a cost benefit if it helps you prove that someone kicked the cabinet causing a head crash, thus voiding the warranty]

Re: "Not an uncommon story", you mean.

I thought it was bad enough when you could actually see the "washtub" disk drive shake around during times of heavy disk usage...

[you KNOW there's a lot of centripetal force stored up in that 12" diameter spinning metal thing]