* Posts by Doug Glass

1445 publicly visible posts • joined 11 Feb 2008

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Microsoft hopes third time is lucky with XP SP3 update

Doug Glass
Alert

So They've Fixed XP SP3 ...

... Now what are they going to do about the two XP security patches made available today: KB951748 and KB951978?

I could just be an isolated case, but one, or both, broke Zonealarm Pro. It took a few minutes to find, but what I had to do was lower the Internet Zone setting FROM "High" TO "Medium".

No matter, per www.grc.com I'm still "True Stealth" (via my router settings) so all is well in my internet world. Well, as much as Windows can be "well" anyway.

Europe drafts law to disconnect suspected filesharers

Doug Glass
Alert

Obviously Oppressive

Being from "The Colonies", I tend to understand the concept of taking measures to get out from under what is thought to be "oppressive" rule. Guys. why are there no organized groups whose purpose is to oppose these laws and promote counter legislation?

I've asked this same question on other boards and basically there has been no response. Over here, racial desegregation effectively started with a simple bus ride and our Viet Nam war was brought to an earlier end at least partially because of protests and marches. The process is long, hard, and requires a lot of work; the lazy need not apply. But the process can work. But no process of any kind works too; no process reinforces the situation.

In the last twenty years, I might have bought three or four music CDs (at Christmas only when I get sort of crazy). I don't download or share music and I stopped listening to music radio years ago too. I simply refuse to line the pockets of those I feel are grossly overcharging me. But that's a whole 'nother story.

But one thing is sure. If all anybody is ever going to do is bitch and moan about the problem, and take no concrete actions against it, well, it will continue and might even get more "unreasonable". You can't usually bring about this sort of change quickly so the fight would be years unfolding. But if you want things to change, doing no more than writing here will never make it happen.

Microsoft touts trustworthy browsing with IE8

Doug Glass
Happy

Brookland

RE: Tom "Could you point the way to Brookland? "

Aaahhhh sheet!!! I failed to read what I typed, and as usual my mouth outran my brain.

My bridge for sale is actually in Brooklyn, NY

Doug Glass
Gates Halo

I Still Have The Brookland Bridge For Sale ...

... for any sucker who believes this crap.

If they take the "Vista" approach to IE8, they'll promise anything to make it seem they're being responsible and then deliver little or nothing in a warmed-over dog.

I love Microsoft. I do love a good clown act and this is just one more act in their cadre of idiots, buffoons, and monkey boy acts.

Built-in browser expiry proposed to fight botnet menace

Doug Glass
Joke

O I C

The ultra intelligent gurus can't figure out to solve their problems so their solution is to force "corrective action" on others. Following that logic General Motors should install auto update features (no pun intended) in their cars that force the driver into the nearest dealership to "upgrade" their soon-to-be non-functioning vehicle to a new one. Maybe it would just have "reduced functionality" a la M$ and you can start the engine but the transmission wont engage. Of course that new vehicle would have new tires which are safer ... I guess.

Somehow the idea of being forced into an action, either good or bad, with a piece of equipment I own outright just doesn't sit too well. Of course I have the option of no surfing and going back to my real life. Which may be the ultimate answer to all computer related problems.

Microsoft targets online Office bundle at US cheapskates

Doug Glass
Joke

Dismal Security

Oh yeah, I can just see government agencies, research facilities, schools and corporations trusting their secrets, industrial or otherwise, to the security geniuses at Microsoft or their agents. Given Microsoft's security track record and today's dangerous, paranoid and super competitive world, they have no business asking anybody to trust them to hold data secure.

I wouldn't trust this bunch of miscreants to keep a surprise birthday party secret, much less anything of real importance such as financial data, nuclear plant safeguards information and, well, anything.

$5.8m payout draws line under FBI's anthrax screw-up

Doug Glass
Alien

Oh Where Oh Where

Where's Mulder and Scully when we need 'em???

Dell offers 'Windows Vista Bonus' to frightened customers

Doug Glass
Thumb Up

Finally !!

@ It's all a big con

So far, on all the various sites I visit often, I've read only two posts (one my own) where the writer actually sees the truth! It IS one big con ... MS gets to sell TWO (2) OSs for a single computer. Hooooleeee Sheeeet what a deal! In the world of boosting sales numbers this ploy is pure genius. And MS is laughing and playing dumb & stoopid all the way to the bank.

I have friends who thought I was so archaic to have actually built my family's computers (10 in all) from scratch a few years back. Now I'm giving them advice on what to do when their new Vista "powered" PC just isn't working for them. All are wanting to "upgrade" to XP Pro.

I try and be gracious; sometimes I actually am.

Microsoft says ‘hasta la vista XP’ - well, kinda

Doug Glass
Gates Horns

The Way We Were

The resistance to adopting Vista is no mystery. The move from Windows 98 to XP was eventually successful but that move was long, hard, and fraught with "new OS" mines. The buying public, and many corporations, don't want to go through that all over again. The move to Vista MAY in fact be a technological advance, but it's massive, overriding message is one of a step backwards in usability, adaptability, and affordability.

If Vista had been what it was originally promised to be, it likely would be the Windows OS of choice. But it's not, and given today's economy, the price of moving to Vista is simply to great for what's being offered. What benefits there may be do not justify the "cost" in many areas.

Regardless of where your individual sentiments are, the facts show Vista is not being adopted, and actually used, in numbers large enough to make it a product line success.

Doug Glass
Thumb Up

Scientific Terms

There's a term for the progression of Microsoft released products: BOHICA. That's pronounce, Bow (rhymes with "go") - Hick - Uh.

"Bend Over Here It Comes Again"

Get use to it people, buy a giant jar of petroleum jelly, take notes and learn to love it. Until such time as somebody's OS actually competes with M$'s 85% world-wide market share, this scenario will be repeated every time MS comes out with a major product revision.

Bill Gates has gone, what's his legacy?

Doug Glass
Boffin

Land For Sale in Florida, USA

If anybody actually believes Bill Gates will back out of Microsoft's business, well, I have some great "waterfront" property in Florida I'll sell you. I'll even throw in, at a reduced price, several bridges in large US cities I happen to have for sale also.

North Carolina targets WTF licence plates

Doug Glass
Black Helicopters

Suggestions

@ some missing info

Suggestions from government agencies are many times tantamount to orders. Especially when the suggesting agency has been embarrassed or at the very least made uncomfortable. But ah'll bet you uh bucket of grits WTF disappears from Nawth Calina's license plates. If not by direct replacement, then by refusal to reissue.

Doug Glass
Black Helicopters

WTF

I guess my buddy William Terrance Franklin is just SOL. Hmmmm.....SOL??? Looks like a real FUBAR to me. Hmmmm .... FUBAR??? I guess it's just too frakking bad for the WTF users. Hmmmmmm .... TFB??? Well, you know, for the national conscience it is a big frelling deal. Hmmmmm .... BFD???

Hmmmmmmm .......

Granite Jesus, blessed be thy gneiss

Doug Glass
Happy

The Farce of Granit

It's Darth Vader.

North Carolina will pay IBM $750,000 for 10 jobs

Doug Glass
Alert

IBD'd

WTF, IBM n NC?? SOB!!

Available to buy: your own frakkin' 7ft Cylon

Doug Glass
Happy

Wrong Model

I'd rather have a pair of sixes; and I ain't playin' cards.

Fired IT manager accused of venting spleen on organ bank

Doug Glass
Joke

Backed Up???

Backups? BACKUPS?? You mean to tell me there are people out there who actually understand the importance of backing up data?

From reading all the "humor" stories posted here, and on other sites, concerning the loss of years of data as a result of XP SP3 installation I thought that practice was passe'.

Buggers!! Papa needs a brand new paradigm.

Comedy UK social network berates moaning users

Doug Glass
Thumb Up

The Modern Consumer

Ya pays ya money; ya takes ya chances.

Oh frellin' well.....

Microsoft should buy Rackable instead of building custom computers

Doug Glass
Go

Bottom Line Strategy

Microsoft intends to build what they need, cause the ruination of HP, Dell, and etc. and then buy them all for a song. Simple

MSI Wind Windows XP Edition sub-notebook

Doug Glass
Go

Isn't IT Obvious?

You can bite the hand that feeds you only so hard. Past that point the body attached to the hand will cause you some amount of harm. El Reg is just taking the path of easy resistance and making disparaging comments that are limited in their real "bite".

All of those who review products have a vested interest in the continued monetary health of those making the products. If those makers fail, well, those doing the ratings will be out of work. And we just can afford for that to happen now can we?

The upshot is you'll never see really damning reviews and even the negative remarks will be presented in a politically correct, if not humorous, manner.

Just how hard do you really shoot your boss down? Not too hard and you do it nicely I bet in terms he or she will accept. I bet there are very few people who really speak their mind to those that control the purse strings.

So keep on venting here and then go back to work and do the job and take the crap and deposit the paycheck. El reg is no different.

Circuit City reports Q1 loss as US shoppers unplug

Doug Glass
Alien

Well, There Ya Are

Doesn't surprise me a bit. I stopped shopping at Circuit City months ago mainly because the people who work (worked??) at the one closest to me are insulting, less than helpful, and not well suited to sell "techy" goods. In other words, if they can operate and explain the use of an electric tooth I'd be surprised. And oh yeah, their prices suck too.

Long live newegg.com.

Big TV flips ad blockers the bird

Doug Glass
Happy

Why Do We Block Ads

Well, it has to do with personal freedom. We're free to not read ads in the newspapers or not buy the rag at all. We're free to go pee during TV commercials if we wish or turn the TV off during their presentations if we wish. Basically until such time as personal freedoms are revoked, people will find ways to block, or ignore, all sorts of things they as individuals find irritating. Means do vary.

Those of you who want to charge for sites, please do so. You certainly have that right and you have the right to choose whatever type of cheese you want with your whine.

Put you money where your collective [ad pushing] mouths are and either make your viewpoint prevail or grow up ... which ever comes first.

Doug Glass
Flame

WITN?

Why is this news? ABC (at http://abc.go.com/player/) has been doing this for months. Maybe years for all I know. You can watch all their shows you want to but you have to allow the "commercials" as they call the.

What are you guys at El Reg trying to pawn this off as something newsworthy? Can't keep up?

Firefox 3 Download Day falls flat on face

Doug Glass
Happy

Give The Devil His Due

RE:Firefox 3 Download Day falls flat on face

The site boasts over 6,500,000 downloads. Looks to me your shaft .. uh staff sort of E-jackulated a bit early. Do you guys know Jack? I know Jack. I don't think you guys know Jack.

Doug Glass
Thumb Down

<Yawn>

I guess I need 5,003 add-ons because the ones I really wanted aren't there. Oh well, I did get it and I did get my certificate ... I'm so proud.

Mozilla has the same problem others have (and some 30,000 people agree with me) it just ain't ready Jack. I know, 30,000 is a small number compared to the whole but still 30,000 is 30,000. And that's per the Mozilla site.

But hey, the boss of the outfit certainly earned his $500,000 salary today; he met the deadline. Well, he did meet 6/17/08. And that puts him in good company. It's said Mussolini, "He made the trains run on time". Very good Mr. Baker

Windows Vista has been battered, says Wall Street fan

Doug Glass
Thumb Down

Oh Paa-leeeease

"Those of us that use Vista don't seem to have any strange trouble that is typically talked about in articles like this. The naysayers seem to be the ones with journo badges, linux/apple fanbois, and luddites."

Where have you been? Under a damn rock? Sure it works for some people, it'd be ridiculous to think otherwise, but that's not the issue. The problem is the overwhelming number of people that have severe problems. The success of a very limited population of users doesn't support calling Vista a success or even a good program.

And of course MS will facilitate "upgrading" Vista machines to XP. Hello!! They get to sell two operating systems for each of those machines. Not to mention Linux being kept away.

The only things keeping Vista on the market at all are MS's stubbornness and their very deep corporate pockets. If Vista were almost any other commercial product, it'd have been pulled from the market long ago. But, Vista is not American tomatoes so it's own special poison keeps being sold.

Microsoft struggles to rid US shores of pesky pirates

Doug Glass
Happy

RE:David Barrett

Well said David. Both concise and accurate. The main problem is most people who complain simply aren't legal. MS has a right to protect their product, their bottom line, their legal customers, and their stock holders. That's just the way it works. No brag; just fact.

Virgin Media and BPI join forces to attack illegal filesharing

Doug Glass
Black Helicopters

'torrenter's Lament

"virgin are really pushing there luck with there service first they bust peoples internet speed now there joining forces with the bpi to stop downloading haha this gets worse by the minute i wouldnt waste my time with virgin i feel sorry for there customers if i were you id leave virgin quick and fast join another cable isp oh wait i think virgin is the only cable provider damn thats bad luck least sky dont report me for what i download have fun virgin youll end up out of buisness you will loose customers"

With literate, sophisticated comments like this one the downloaders will surely win.

Comcast rolls out brand new bandwidth throttles

Doug Glass
Heart

No No No, Don't Fine Comcast

Fines are a waste of time; they're never large enough to hurt. Force Comcast to cut customer bills by x% for a specified period of time. That would have to be followed by close monitoring to prevent "revenue enhancing actions" to recoup lost revenue but that's fairly easy.

I never want punitive actions to benefit government, I want them to benefit me.

Oh yeah, and castrate a few of their top executives for good measure. We need their sort of thinking out of the gene pool

Heathrow T5 security tackles Transformers t-shirt threat

Doug Glass

Image is everything; substance is nothing

Sure makes things simpler and easier now. Governments can be overthrown, people can be killed and wars can be fought with pictures of weapons. Wow, why didn't I think of that. Of course the admirals and generals will be pissed...no more toys to actually hurt people with.

The New Order: When reading is a crime

Doug Glass

Assumptions

And if you buy a pound of heroin, you're correctly assumed to be a pusher; some products do define the situation. Sometimes you actually have to think about what you're doing. And sometimes what you do is not always a good idea.

I feel sorry for the dude, but if you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough.

Ballmer and Gates defend Vista, drop Windows 7 hints

Doug Glass

What They're Good At

Bullshit

Microsoft urges developers to tag sites for IE8

Doug Glass

The Only Proper Response To MS IE8 Statements

Bullshit

Son of 419 victim contacts El Reg

Doug Glass

Sheep

Concerning something exceedingly stupid a mutual acquaintance once did, a friend commented, "If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough". Good people have been getting fleeced since time Immemorial because they just don't think straight or they are so emotional about the subject they can't think straight or they're just plain greedy.

I do feel sorry for those people who get duped, but if it looks to good to be true, it usually is. I got the email and simply deleted it.

It's a hard lesson to learn, but those who lose in these schemes do so of their own free will. And you can bet the bad guys will always prey on those who are willing to give away their money and possessions.

Do I believe the bad guys should therefore be allowed to continue just because people are so dumb? Absolutely not. When caught I think they should be castrated to prevent further pollution of the human gene pool.

Microsoft slams OEMs over XP SP3 install cock-up

Doug Glass

Created XP SP3 Installation CD

If you inspect the data on the XP SP3 installation disk created from the downloaded .iso file, you'll find the exact same file you get when you download the standalone XP SP3 installation file. Looks like the created installation CD does in fact contain 220+MB of data but not in the SP3 data file itself. Some of the "extra" files do look like supporting data, but an additional 220 MB???

I'd like for MS to explain what all this extra stuff is and if the installation CD is the best method why did they not say something about the difference? Oh wait, maybe it's just typical MS bloatware.

Windows XP SP3 sends PCs into endless reboot

Doug Glass
Heart

SP3's a Breeze Rev. 1

Uhhhh ... Forgot to say, ALL of my computers use AMD CPUs. I'm a relic and all are 3200 XP socket A.

Doug Glass
Thumb Up

SP3's a Breeze

Maybe I'm lucky, but I've installed XP SP3 on seven computers with only one glitch. That one problem is the apparent dislike SP3 has for D-Link wireless utilities. Installing the drivers only solved that problem.

On all seven machines (all 100% patched and updated; all XP Pro SP2) all morning startups and subsequent rebootings have been event free. Even seems a tab faster. But that could be wishful thinking.

I'm no M$ proponent by a long stretch, but my seven have been XP Pro SP3 Ultimate no-brainers and I'm just giving credit where credit is due.

Windows XP SP3 leaps into the tubes

Doug Glass

The Fix

So the fix is to declare victory, poison the well, and leave.

I love Microsoft. They are the very picture of a really successful corporation. As long as they grow their business, increase the bottom line, and make money for their stockholders the rest of us are simply left sucking hind teat.

Microsoft to punt pensioner-proof PC

Doug Glass

Older Computers

As a recent retiree, I'll be 62 in 23 days, I find the story presented here both insulting and comical.

Insulting in that when I retired I left an enormous "computer guru" vacuum in my work group. The younger workers, 40-50 years old, were adequate users but not a polished, age-proven, power user like I was/am. No brag; just fact. Oh well.....

I find it hilarious that Microsoft actually presumes to know anything about "old people". Most M$ personnel in the strategic decision making areas couldn't figure out how find their butts with both hands much less begin to understand me and my needs and wants. As an old geezer, I have built. upgraded and maintained computers and their networks for myself, wife, kids and grand children. You get the picture I'm sure.

It's easy to tell M$, and generally all companies, have not addressed the looming retirement problems they are just beginning to have. I'm in the first wave of American "Baby Boomer" retirements and I and my contemporaries are on the verge of the greatest brain and resource drain the world has ever seen. Oh well..... As I learned in US Military service: FIGMO . "Frell 'em I Got My Orders". You are free to substitute your favorite "F" word, I chose the "Farscape" variety for "publish-ability".

Life is good. I have XP and Ubuntu, a wife who is itching to travel, and all sorts of hobbies. I just may have to give up computers entirely. Too much really fun stuff to do and see as a [now] liberated old curmudgeon.

Ubuntu man says Microsoft's about to 'swallow a hand-grenade'

Doug Glass

Tail Wags Dog

Well, there you go. The man whose product has a dismal sales record is telling one of the world's most successful corporations how to run their business and stay afloat. Idiot.

IT depts under threat as City braces for 20,000 job cuts

Doug Glass

What's important

What jobs gets cut are not those that are less important. It's always those that senior management FEELS are less important. Those that can be eliminated with the greatest likelihood of causing the least immediate damage. That attitude always puts support staff at risk, even though it's the support staff that holds the business together.

Seagate lawsuit targets solid-state drive maker

Doug Glass

I wonder..........

I wonder if horse breeders sued Ford way back when the "horseless carriage" was first starting mass production?

This is an idea who's time has come; Seagate better take a lesson for the makers of typewriters. They never got the message on word processors and paid the ultimate price.

FCC builds giant text spam engine for terror warnings

Doug Glass

Oh Save Me

Let's hope the intel for these alerts will be better then that for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

DHS ponders microwave raygun missile defences at airports

Doug Glass

Oh Yeah, Makes Sense To Me

So the idea is to cause the device to veer off into [most likely] heavily populated areas? Yep, this is a good solution. Whatcha bet none of the Raytheon morons live within crash range of an airport.

Idiots, just fracking idiots. Highly paid forward thinking, pocket protecting, booger picking idiots.

Comcast: Our BitTorrent busting is 'best in class'

Doug Glass

Oh Yeah...YOUR bits!!

Well anonymous coward I supposed you believe it's your electrons and not the power company's too huh? Did you know the water delivered to you house, if you're on "city" water, is free?? No really, it's free.... you can't charge people for what falls from the sky. But they can charge you for the piping to get the water to your house. So yeah..... the bits are yours maybe, but the piping to get them to your house is theirs. All theirs. :+) So funny, you children are so ignorant and idealistic. Yea for the impotent kids...sooner or later they get me free toys.

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