* Posts by Michael Fremlins

186 publicly visible posts • joined 19 Nov 2007

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Corporate hospitality is OK, says new Bribery Act guidance

Michael Fremlins
Stop

"Guidance" is not law

The anti-terrorist legislation was not ever designed to be used by councils against parents trying to get their children into better schools.

A politician's word is not worth much these days, about as much as a banker's.

Ruskie Java coder lifts inaugural Facebook Hacker Cup

Michael Fremlins
FAIL

And that perhaps explains why there were no UK entrants

Give the people who set the tasks some credit. They knew what they wanted. All we can come up with in the UK is "the question is wrong".

HP cutting 1,300 (more) UK jobs, union claims

Michael Fremlins
Stop

Employment law, or costs?

"Lax employment protection in the UK..."

Well maybe that is true. But also costs, in the form of just about everything we buy, are higher here too. Taxation, which Unite is keen to increase, is higher here than in other countries. I wonder if they realise that. By supporting additional and higher costs here, they are causing jobs to be sent overseas.

MySQL price hikes reveal depth of Oracle's wallet love

Michael Fremlins

Postgres - the hurdle

The one hurdle that has been there for years is replication. There are several ways of doing it, they are all ugly and not as trivial as MySQL.

London tenders for speed cameras

Michael Fremlins

Bastards

Really.

DTrace co-creator quits Sun, hits delete on Oracle

Michael Fremlins

Sad, really

I suppose Larry loves his database, and that's enough for him. But Oracle, the database, just seems to be getting bigger and more cumbersome with every release. Automatic Storage Management is hardly automatic. Not a lot about Oracle makes we say "I'm glad to be using it".

Solaris, OTOH, is grrreeeaaattt. Some things on Solaris are done extremely well. It is a pleasure to use. It reflects the quality of the staff who put it together.

Oracle need to show some very public support for Solaris, as well as internally too.

Linux police offer deviant Android return from exile

Michael Fremlins

Do Google really care?

They are selling lots of phones. I have one. It works, and I don't care what locks or anything else it is using.

Top Solaris developer flees Oracle

Michael Fremlins

Err, eff off.

Linux is crap compared to Solaris. Linux = reinvention of the same old wheels time and time again, then pretending it is new.

Every "good" thing about Linux has already been done elsewhere. Linux devs then just implement the same thing on Linux. That is neither original nor inventive.

Romford coppers try to stopper young snapper

Michael Fremlins

I welcome the forthcoming cuts to "frontline" policing

If it removes morons like this.

It is time to simply sack them. Get rid of them. No more "words of advice" or any other weasel words. Sack them. And sack the morons who keep on making excuses for them. We don't need them. They serve no purpose whatsoever.

First MeeGo Linux needs love and scrub up

Michael Fremlins
FAIL

Another Linux distro

What the world really needed. Not.

Tech resource woes won't be solved with Afghan minerals

Michael Fremlins

Who is the "we" ?

"We can just flog off a few mineral concessions".

Adobe euthanizes Flash 10.1 for 64-bit Linux

Michael Fremlins

What about gnash?

There was me thinking that freetards could fix everything. What about the 10th rate heap of nonsense called gnash? Like GNU Hurd, it'll be ready some time next century.

Understand this: Adobe doesn't have to build a product for you. Your market share is miniscule. Don't like it? Too bad. Pay up, like Sun did for a Solaris version of Flash. Or shut up.

New Nominet chair: I’ll start by listening

Michael Fremlins
Stop

Why do we need a Baroness?

An example of jobs for the boys/girls. There's no stopping these people, it seems. No doubt she will on a large salary, with pension "contributions" to match.

Fedora 13 – Linux for Applephobes

Michael Fremlins

3D

"the open-source Radeon and Intel drivers in Fedora and together the three open drivers pave the way for a more complete 3D stack."

In other words, use the open source 3D drivers for an incomplete 3D stack. Any sane person would stick with the excellent proprietary Nvidia drivers and not bother wasting time on the open source incomplete foobars.

Linux gets jiggy with more filesystems in 2.6.34 kernel release

Michael Fremlins

Ceph is still experimental...

"and is not yet ready for use in a production environment. " Words straight from Ceph's mouth.

Software makers fall in behind Lucid Lynx

Michael Fremlins

AIX, HP-UX, and Solaris

These are all serious operating systems, and they are supported on serious hardware.

Anyway, I thought the supposed "target" for Linux (GNU/Linux - shut up Stallman) was Windows. Ubuntu is not going to get me to shift off Solaris for things I run on Solaris.

Facebook rejects CEOP 'panic button' demands (again)

Michael Fremlins

Jim Gamble...

is a man trying to justify his job.

Legal high fire sale starts now

Michael Fremlins

Shut up, Johnson.

You just want to stop people enjoying themselves. Shove your determination where the sun doesn't shine.

Opera Mini hits iTunes, awaits Apple verdict

Michael Fremlins

What is a "user programmable platform"?

There are a bazillion apps for the iPhone. Why not have an alternative browser?

Michael Fremlins

Apple doublespeak

If Apple really believes that "offering multiple ways of doing the same thing just confuses users without adding value", why does it offer Safari for Windows? Why is Safari part of the Browser Choice popup thingy?

Nominet to get unelected board members

Michael Fremlins

A nice day for democracy

Unelected board members. Tomorrow, unelected MPs.

Firefox-based attack wreaks havoc on IRC users

Michael Fremlins

Ports unrelated to HTTP and web browsers

OK, the standard port for HTTP is 80. But I've occasionally visited sites running on other ports.

So is Robert "RSnake" Hansen saying that should no longer be allowed? I suggest before making such statements he does a quick Google search for "inurl:8080". It returns 203 million results. And that is just for port 8080, a common non-standard HTTP port.

And what about FTP? All the web browsers I use have built in FTP clients. So would that be disallowed too?

What makes a port "related" to HTTP? Until the browser actually makes a request, it can't know that site it is connecting to is not running HTTP.

Solicitor General takes fresh pop at PunterNet

Michael Fremlins

Well how about a non-IT solutiion?

I will state up front that I am a very liberal person. What two people (or more) get up to with their own bodies and their own money is their business, if there is mutual consent. And if somebody charges for a "service" and somebody is willing to pay, so what? That is no different from buying another professional "service", like legal advice.

Now to some practicalities. Prostitutes rent houses and flats, and the owners of those flats turn a blind eye to what goes on within them. Perhaps they are libertarians like me. But the difference is, they are receiving money while turning a blind eye. The landlords are living off immoral earnings, to use that nasty phrase. (Why is banking, or arms manufacturing, not considered immoral?)

So perhaps Harperson, if she really wants to do something about prostitution, should prosecute the landlords for living off immoral earnings. If there is no existing law which does this, I am sure this legislation-hooked government can pass one. The properties could be seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

But I think this would be a step too far for Harperson. Big chunks of the central London are still owned by very wealthy aristocrats. Like the Earl of Onslow and the Duke of Westminster, and they let out their properties, almost never sell freeholds, turning their blind eyes towards the tenants. I don't suppose that the Earl or the Duke let their properties personally, of course not. But the money ends up in their pockets. There is no way that Harperson would dare to upset bigwigs like them, even if she wanted to. Instead she tries to cause a ruffle about a lurid web site, because that is a very easy target.

If Harperson has any moral integrity, let's see her go after the really big boys. Otherwise, live and let live.

Bloated Office 2010 kicks dirt in face of old computers

Michael Fremlins

Who needs a 64 bit word processor?

Really, please tell me who actually needs it.

Are you going to have a 4GB word document open? And NEED to be able to switch to any part of it?

64 bit has its place, and has done for years. But for flipping word processor documents, it's just bragging rights.

Universities avoid Kindle over accessibility barriers

Michael Fremlins

Americans are so parochial

Why do they have an "Americans with Disabilities Act"? Why not just a Disabilities Act? Or is it that Americans really just don't care about anything beyond its borders? Or do non-Americans with disabilities within its borders no count?

Brit firm aims to make airport perv scans obsolete

Michael Fremlins

They will strike where security is weak

Who remembers the IRA bombing Heathrow with mortars back in 1994? It's only a matter of time before somebody repeats it. I'm surprised it hasn't been so far.

I have no idea how large the perimeters of Heathrow, Gatwick, etc., are, but they are not small. What next? Nobody will be allowed near an airport without having a gun shoved up his nose.

I must be honest and admit a slight sadness that the IRA didn't hit an American airline at the time. It might have shut up all those Americans who spoke up (and still do) for the IRA, who gave them money and support.

European court pulls plugs on terror stop and search

Michael Fremlins

I see it now

It's all part of the "big plan". The government makes laws in this country, which are alien to our way of life. We appeal through the courts and get nowhere. We go to the European Courts and get a result. Therefore we all fall in love with Europe, the EU, etc. Eventually we will actively want to throw away our courts, our parliament, etc, because we see they don't protect our rights.

Michael Fremlins

David Hanson MP said

”Stop and search under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 is an important tool in a package of measures in the ongoing fight against terrorism."

So please explain why there has not been a single terrorist conviction as a result of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been (illegally) stopped and searched.

”we won all other challenges in the UK courts, including at the House of Lords."

Yes, because they are all your placed men. Who appoints judges in this country? That's right, the government.

Mozilla tries to silence add-on developers' scream

Michael Fremlins

He has a point

I can't actually remember a time when I have updated Mozilla and one or two add-ons are not available for the new version at that time. Alas I find out the hard way - update Mozilla, then get a warning that so and so add-on is kaput.

Perhaps the Mozilla people should add something to the update process that informs users before updating that George's or Bill's add-on won't be available. I could do this myself, by why should I need to?

Of course, some of the blame for this shenanigans is down to the add-on writers. As I look now, Mozilla Firefox is at version 3.5.7. Adblock is shown as "not compatible". I wonder what a straw poll would show for incompatible add-ons.

Top Tory strategist arrested in Brum

Michael Fremlins

He's not Cherie Blair

She travelled without a ticket and was given a £10 fine. But the person who gave her the penalty was later sacked.

I suppose that is the difference between being in power and being in opposition.

TJX sniffer author jailed for two years

Michael Fremlins

American justice = joke

Where is this fellow going to get $171 million? It is that sort of sentence that makes American justice a joke. It's the sort of thing thought up by a 2 year old.

Monty launches frantic 'save MySQL' web campaign

Michael Fremlins

Is this not a tacit admission...

that "open source" is not the be all and end all that some people make it out to be? If open source is so good, why can a fork not be made and development carry on there?

Don't get me wrong. I use a lot of open source software, and most of the time it is good. I know I am using the labours of other people and paying them nowt. What I don't get, and never have done, is people like Richard Stallman and his intolerance. MySQL is available under Stallman's beloved GNU licence. Stallman keeps telling us GNU is like the word of God. So what is the problem?

Now we have Monty, the man who walked away from MySQL (or Sun, at least), telling us his baby cannot be sold to the big bad wolf called Oracle. Even though he doesn't own this product, he doesn't want somebody else to own it either.

Why doesn't Monty simple work on a fork, proclaim to the world "MontySQL is based on an old release of MySQL", and move on?

Or is the truth that a lot of "heavy" open source programming only happens when a fairly large company is involved? Would Linux be where it is without RedHat taking a gamble that paid off? If RedHat walked away today, I guess Linux would shrink. Being put together by volunteers, no matter how well, would not result in it being certified by certain application vendors (including Oracle). If IBM didn't spend a reputed $1b, where would Linux be? I am not saying that the work of volunteers is worthless - far from it. But without commercial backing it's a different story. Stallman knows it, so does Monty W.

Religious arguments aside for two seconds, FreeBSD and Linux are both good OSs. Why would some netbook vendors (and mobile phone makers) choose Linux rather than FreeBSD? Cos Linux has the backing and FreeBSD doesn't. It has that nice cosy feeling that if IBM supports it, it can't be that bad.

I use MySQL, and have done for years. I don't want to see it disappear.

Department for Transport pours millions into eTicketing

Michael Fremlins

"get punters onto public transport"

If any more "punters" get on public transport I think they will all die of suffocation. I wonder how often Lord Adonis takes a bus, and not just to get his photograph in the newspapers.

Police snapper silliness reaches new heights

Michael Fremlins

Time for a new offence

Any police officer who stops somebody who is taking photographs in a public place, unless there is clear intention that said photography will be used for terrorist purposes, shall be guilty of an offence.

The sentence will be 6 months imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

RAF's new military airlifter finally lumbers into the air

Michael Fremlins

Buying from America is not guaranteed to be cheeper

Dare I say it, the Joint Strike Fighter...

Lord Carlile: Police are taking the proverbial on terror

Michael Fremlins

The police never do anything wrong...

"perceived heavy-handedness". No, you flipping morons, it's just "heavy-handedness".

I've been stopped by some moron (my new name for the police) who wanted to search my bag. He was very rude, acting as though he owned me. He asked if there was anything sharp inside. I told him he'll have to find out for himself.

The police do not have a difficult job to do. And they often do it very badly.

High Court: Software dev agreement did not transfer copyright

Michael Fremlins

Instead of software...

how about a mop and a bucket of disinfectant?

Generators and UPS fail in London datacentre outage

Michael Fremlins

@Maliciously Crafted Packet

A very good question!

I have seen successful backup power working at Level 3's building in Goswell Road several times. I have also seen a 7 hour outage there.

Telehouse, seen a power outage there. Telehouse reps said it didn't happen, but couldn't explain why every piece of our equipment, in several racks, suddenly decided to turn itself off and on at the same time.

Harbour Exchange Redbus (as it was then), seen a loss of power during "testing of the backup power system". Not successful, I would say. This was after another power outage when the backup systems didn't work. I recall several power outages at this site.

Power outage at BT's Ilford POP. We were the first to notice and call in about it. Not sure if they have backup power, but I would be surprised if they did not.

Basically at every site where we have equipment, where backup UPS and generators are supplied, I have seen outages. I think it's fair to say backup power works sometimes.

UK jails schizophrenic for refusal to decrypt files

Michael Fremlins

Metropolitan Police's elite Counter-Terrorism Command

What is "elite" about them? We've seen one innocent man killed on the Tube, and another person the recipient of a negligent discharge. On both occasions, these "elite" police walked away free of charge.

Mandelson to get Nominet reform powers

Michael Fremlins

I don't believe them

"Officials said they believed it is unlikely the powers will be used". Yeah, right.

Here's the future for Nominet:

1. Some minor thing occurs, something like a fire extinguisher is out of date.

2. The government steps in because "Nominet is not functioning properly".

3. Government cronies get the top jobs.

4. Government crony IT companies are called in as consultants. Let's have a big cheer for EDS.

5. Prices of domain registrations now cost £200, because they are a scarce resource. As such, only people with lots of money should have them. And MPs, who are specifically allowed to put them on expenses.

6. Some years later, Nominet is sold off to government cronies who keep milking it.

7. Ofdom, that is the Office of the Domain Regulator, is formed. It has a staff of 500, headed by numerous government cronies. It costs millions a year to run.

Nominet works, it is cheap and it is efficient. All things that the government is incapable of delivering.

Users howl as Fedora 12 gives root to unwashed masses

Michael Fremlins

Oh dear

"Fedora developers participating in the online discussion have so far defended their action." That's a major problem in itself. It's major because they just don't get it. Not only do they not get it, but they are defending something they don't get.

Then they have dug their heels in, because can't bring themselves to admit it is so horribly wrong. No amount of polishing will change that turd into gold.

Windows 7's dirty secrets revealed

Michael Fremlins

Minwin

"It amounts to around 150 binaries, and requires 25MB disk space ..."

A little way to go yet, Microsoft. I remember a QNX demo FLOPPY a few years back that had a windowing system, TCP/IP, a web browser, etc. On a fricking floppy.

I always like playing around with minimal installations. I've wasted countless hours doing trial and error Solaris minimal installs. Just for fun. I wouldn't know where to start with Windows.

Edward Woodward dies at 79

Michael Fremlins

@EW

What do you call a man with a piece of wood on his head? Edward.

What do you call a man with two pieces of wood on his head? Edward Wood.

What do you call a man with three pieces of wood on his head? Edward Woodward.

What do you call a man with four pieces of wood on his head? I don't know, but Edward Woodward would.

RIP.

Opera in top secret iPhone talks?

Michael Fremlins

@Simon Banyard

Did I say it was a religion or a political movement? No, a choice is a choice. When you bought your car, if you have one, you presumably CHOSE one brand. Was that a religious or political decision on your part? Were you glad you had the CHOICE? Or would you prefer that there was only one make and model of car? Painted black, naturally.

I use the same browser on my desktop and laptop. That is what I CHOOSE to do. If I had a GodPhone I might CHOOSE the same browser there too.

Michael Fremlins

@McMoo

At least if Opera was there you would have a CHOICE.

UK Supremes question vetting scheme

Michael Fremlins

I'm not a lawyer but...

I don't understand the logic.

"In future, "the police must give due weight..." That basically means it's OK for the plod to get it wrong once but not in future. If it's wrong from now, what has changed since yesterday?

Law. It's an ass.

Games developers demand tax breaks

Michael Fremlins

Key competitors and tax breaks

I would suggest that in almost every industry our foreign competitors enjoy tax advantages. Or state handouts, which is much the same thing. Or lack of enforcement of costly rules and regulations. Or no such regulations in the first place. Or cheaper fuel, which means cheaper products across the board.

The games makers haven't smelled the coffee yet. They don't understand that we aren't meant to make anything any more, we are supposed to outsource it. We are here to be taxed so our MPs can enjoy hanging baskets, bookshelves and moat cleaning. And second houses. Oh, and to bail out the incredibly wealthy but stupid and greedy bankers. So they can pump up the London house prices with their bonuses, so nobody but bankers and MPs on expense fiddles can afford them.

Sorry guys. I see your point, but you are no different today from the foundry workers of yesteryear. They just want our money.

Anti-filesharing laws revive crypto fears for spooks

Michael Fremlins

The solution will be

to require everyone to register their passwords, passphrases, etc., with a government body. Let's call it "MI5.5". Then the spooks can monitor at will, but only because we trust them.

Raytheon unveils Linux 'Insider Threat' rooter-out routers

Michael Fremlins

Can it stop...

me with a pen and paper?

Former FBI agent slams defence tactics in McKinnon case

Michael Fremlins

The problem is...

the American legal system is extremely vindictive. It is quite easy to see a sentence of 60 years being imposed.

Let's all keep in mind that America has 2 million prisoners, about a quarter of the world's total. It has 5% of the world's population.

America should be re-nicknamed "the land of the unfree".

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