* Posts by Steve Davies 3

7136 publicly visible posts • joined 24 Jun 2009

ReactOS 'a ripoff of the Windows Research Kernel', claims Microsoft kernel engineer

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Remember 'errno.h'

Groklaw is still there as a research archive thankfully. The death threats against PJ were well beyond the pale IMHO.

More households invite creepy smart speakers indoors: Arch-slurper Google top dog for Q1

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Orwell imagined the State installing Telescreens

Too bad that the likes of Google and Amazon have decided that 1984 is not fiction but V1 of a surveilance state instruction manual. They are working from V10 now.

In their world

Walls really do have ears

Careless talk will cost you money and lots of it.

A plague on both of them.

Delphi RAD tool (remember that?) gets support for Linux desktop apps – again

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Embacadero drove me away

With their very silly verging on downright stupid licensing server model. It made working offline next to impossible.

Then their costs. You need Enterprise edition to get database access. Madness.

Went to Lazarus and not looked back. Sure it has its faults but it is free and is free and runs on more platforms and is free.

I've been writing Pascal since 1980 so it is second nature for me and in its original form, Delphi was brilliant but... having to pay an arm and a leg just to get DB access is stupid and the pay almost the same amont again when a new version comes out meant that I just stopped using it.

Lazarus is where it is at for me. I run it on times a week mostly on CentOS.

IVE HAD ENOUGH! iQuit. Jobs done. Jony cashes out at Apple to run his own design biz

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Box, slab, or cylinder; expensive, premium, or ultra elite

This mentality spilled over into Android cellphones and killed their sales too

ROFL

The likes of Haweui and the rest of the Chinese makers would very much like to disagree with you.

Phones are now approaching the same level of acceptance as say all your 'white goods' are. Everyone has them who wants them in most of the world.

The increases in sales of phones that we have seen in the past had to come to an end simply because of the very large number of people who wanted one and could afford it already had one.

Don't blame Ive for the notch. It is an engineering solution to a problem where the market wanted bezelless phones but the technology was not ready to allow it without some compromises.

As a non-dedicated follower of fashion, I'll carry on using my secondhand iPhone 7 thanks.

The seven deadly sins of the 2010s: No, not pride, sloth, etc. The seven UI 'dark patterns' that trick you into buying stuff

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: another pattern missed completely

Is for the Big 'A' to send you emails with the wording

Amazon has new recommendations for you based on your browsing history.

One of these had things related to gaming consoles.

I have never even touched a gaming console let alone looked at buying one or anything to do with consoles.

What a load of cock.

Posting A/C as I really don't want any more of these emails.

McAfee sues ship-jumping sales staff over trade secret theft allegations

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

And Number 4

Don't sue your former employees as Nos 1, 2 & 3 will get exposed in court for all to see and jeer at.

Google 'doing a Ratner' and you will see the result.

HP is in danger of doing this in the Autonomy trial.

Out of Steam? Wine draining away? Ubuntu's 64-bit-only x86 decision is causing migraines

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Facepalm

This is not a surprise

So why aren't Steam etc prepared for this?

Mind you Adobe is still using 32bit binaries on MacOS 10.14 and they have known for years that 32bit is on its way out but will they do anything about it? Do pigs fly?

The Windows Terminal turns up in the Microsoft Store

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Beta?

Nah.... .json is the new .cmd

DXC: We've told UK government that up to 2,150 heads could roll in latest job cuts

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

DXC the laws of diminsihing returns

seem to apply at the moment.

Why don't they just file for Chapter 7 and be done with it.

We asked readers what DXC should be known for... and of course you came up with the goods

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Mushroom

Re: DiXie-Chicks

Have an upvote for Damn eXpensive Crap

DXC (or whaever they are called this week) really do need to make more staff cuts. The entire BOD and 'C' level execs for a start. Then 50% of the 'B' level execs who still can't organise a piss up in a brewery unless their secretary does it for them.

The poor grunts on the ground are being shafted by the bosses who should [see icon]

Nope, we're stuffed, shrieks Apple channel as iPhone shipments enter a double-digit spiral

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Don't worry Apple

You can rely on "theRealDonald" to help you fight off Chapter 11 by bannig anyone carrying a Hauwei device from entering the god goven USofA. He's gotta keep those commies out now hasn't he (/s)

MAGA (Sic)

Another reason for the drop in sales is that people are just not upgrading as frequently as before. I have an iPhone 7 that is doing everything I want from it. Didn't pay Apple a bent penny for it. I got it from the local pawn shop. However, I will be upgrading it to an iPhone 8 next month as I use TouchID a lot especially when on the motorbike. FaceID and Full face helmets really don't work well together.

If the bring back under screen TouchID then who knows... I might even shell out for a new phone. {better rinse mouth out with soap for suggesting buying anything directly from Apple, that well known tat reseller}

Top websites screwed over in WordPress.com super-outage: VIP Go? More like VIP No Go

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Oh dear

This sort of reinds me that I really do need to update the version of Wordpress that my blog uses. It must be nearly a year since I last updated it. I think a relase from abour 3 months ago will be pretty solid by now. (sic).

Perhaps next month?

IBM raising axe for 'significant workforce balancing in Europe', says staffer rep council

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: The Unbalanced Desire 'Balance'

It will only be balanced when 100% of the workforce is paid a pittance in some offshore sweatshop.

The same goes for most other big IT companies these days.

There IS NO FUTURE IN IT IN THE UK. Get out while you can.

Praise the lard! Police hook up with Microsoft to school us on National Phish and Chip Day

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Pint

Re: I've never seen wine in a british seaside chippy

I was in a Chippy last night in Inverness (the one in Scotland) and it even sold a 'wee dram' as well as bottles of St Andrews Ale. The latter went down a treat with a 'fish supper' (Haddock and Chips. Cod was extra!). Too bad that is was on an industrial estate but you can't win them all.

Hoping for even better tonight as I'll be in Ullapool.

Judge slaps down Meg Whitman for accusing Autonomy boss of being a 'fraudster who committed fraud'

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Quote by Meg "a certain due diligence"

It applies to buying things as well you know. You failed to do proper due diligence on Autonomy. Admit it and save yourself a whole heap of trouble.

Mad King Leo pulled the wool over HP shareholders' eyes, ex-CEO Whitman tells court

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

The more this goes on...

The more it seems like HP + Autonomy looks like a dogs breakfast and a very messy one at that with lots of smelly stuff coming out of both ends of said dog.

HP Screwed up big time. Autonomy's game didn't surface until far too late. It really is time for HP to say, 'we screwed up big time' but they won't naturally ans will still try to get Lynch and co back to the USA and to serve jail time for most of the rest of their natural.

HP was once a company you looked up to. No longer. A series of bean counters have ruined the company like many before and since. About time that BOD's all over the world took notice of that and... well just don't do it.

Devs slam Microsoft for injecting tech-support scam ads into their Windows Store apps

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Joke

Re: How am I supposed to avoid something I have no contact with?

I'll add a common reply. [see icon]

You really do need to get out of Mommy's basement a bit more often.

[see icon]

There are a lot of us who have avoided using anything bearing the MS logo where we have control over the choice for years. Linux, Android and the Apple world make it easy to do it where we are in charge.

OThers have made the IMHO mistake of going with Windows Embedded for a variety of reasons but most of them really don't hold up to serious examination but as the saying goes, 'There's Nowt as queer as Folk'.

Software from Redmond ? Snog, Marry or Avoid? And the answer is Avoid like the plague unless there really is no other choice.

Thrown Huawei: Chinese leviathan's subsea cable biz to be flogged off

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

spot on

but the new company does not have the same attraction that Huawei does to the Red-top press.

"Do it My Way and not Huawei" really takes some beating.

One man went to mow a meadow, hoping Trump would spot giant grass snake under flightpath

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Childish Dick Move.

There is nothing wrong with being childish from time to time.

The problem with Trump is that he's never properly grown up.

The Secret Service really should take his phone away. There is a distinct possibility of starting WW3 with one of his tweets.

His name calling does not work here. It just makes him the playground bully.

Please, please just go home we really do not want you here (Except for Boris and Farage that is)

I'm so glad that I'm in a different country at the moment (Kernow).

Dell's reasons to be fearful (1,2,3): Intel chip supplies, trade tariffs and slowing server sales in sagging Chinese economy

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re:would it have to do with the 'B' word?.

Nope.

Dell in days gone by would not sell a PC to a consumer in the uk without some form of Windows.

Yet, if you bought a server you could get it with no software provided you were a VAT registered company (this was around 2002/2003)

So we bought cheap servers and put RedHat 7 or 8 or SUSE on them and everyone was happy apart from Microsoft that is. They got zilch in terms of revenue (good thing).

Microsoft seems to have most UK PS makers by the short and curlies. Novatech will sell you a device without software but don't tell MS or they'll get heavy with them. It is probably illegal but who has the guts to go up against MS and their £1000/hour scumbag lawyers.

What's a billion dollars between friends? Uber tosses match on mound of cash in first results since going public

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: This:-

and screwing those who sort of work for them into the ground in the process.

I have no objection to ride sharing but the way they screw their drivers IMHO is as bad as the worst of the really bad company bosses ofthe Industrial Revolution.

The more enlightened of them realised that looking after the workforce meant more profit. Exactly the opposite to Uber but the drivers are not employees are they? yeah right.

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

This:-

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said: "We are now focused on executing our strategy to become a one-stop shop for local transportation and commerce

That means they will continue to lose money hand over fist until every other form of transportation including ALL public transport and ALL delivery and trucking companies have been driven to the wall. Then they will quadruple prices. Then Profit. All done with zero proper employees.

Is this what we want for the future?

Oh wait... That million robotaxis that Elon Musk has promised to hit the roads next year and make a cool $100K for each owned (yeah right) will get in the way of Uber. Quick short Tesla Now! Drive them out of business.

Yes, I'm a cynical grumpy old man.

Planes, fails and automobiles: Overseas callout saved by gentle thrust of server CD tray

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Happy

Re: Mitcheldean

Why not Cinderford?

How do you like dem Windows, Apple? July opening for Microsoft's first store in Blighty

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Empty Stores

One busy(Apple), one blowing tumbleweed(Microsoft). Sounds about right.

Sad fact of life really.

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Joke

re: uninstalling Groove

Shhhhh. Don't tell anyone or MS will put it back in another update

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

re: MS and Physical Stores

Microsoft's investment in physical stores dates back to the Windows 7 era, with a shop opened in Scottsdale, Arizona, in October 2009, the day Window 7 launched

ROFL...

No it wasn't. They had stores long before that. Try a couple of decades earlier. Still a place where tumbleweed blew around due to the number of customers. They had one store that was either in the Mall of New Hampshire or one of the many Malls dotted along I-495 or Rte 128 around Boston. It was around the time DEC also had a few stores. As a DEC employee at the time and on a visit to the US, I went to look at it and the MS one almost next door.

The 2009 opening was from memory their third attempt at running stores.

Truth, Justice, and the American Huawei: Chinese tech giant tries to convince US court ban is unconstitutional

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Facepalm

Re: Spying

Remember folks, China is KNOWN for spying....

And the USofA isn't?

Everyone spies on everyone else. Has done since the early 1880's if not before.

'Evolution of the PC ecosystem'? Microsoft's 'modern' OS reminds us of the Windows RT days

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: to mould Linux into what Microsoft wants.

And the Linux diehards would just fork the hell out of any MS Controlled Linux and do their own thing.

It has been done before and I'm sure that it can be done again.

I for one will never touch an MS Linux.

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Mommy Microsoft

know best.

Now go and suck your dummy.

Well, that's how it seems they want to treat their users.

I'm sure that the number of negative comments here would drop to zero if there was a feature to:-

1) Turn off all assistants

2) Declare your user as a Super Uber Geek user. Be it on you if you do the equivalent of

"cs /; rm -fr ."

3) Trun off all telematics

4) Properly disable updates unless you want them. Like wot Windows 7 did.

etc

But Microsoft is in full 'Mommy knows best" mode.

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Childcatcher

Big Brother will be loving this

Always connected. "All of a user's devices are aware and connected to each other."

The spyware/malware people are probably rubbing their hands with glee.

Then there will be the Ads. Ads everywhere and no hope of blocking them. Then the rebirth of Clippy saying

That is about a billion reasons NOT to use Windows.

It's the curious case of the vanishing iPhone sales as Huawei grabs second place off Apple in smartmobe stakes

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: The new phones are simply too expensive for what they offer

Yep. Totally agree. I'm using a secondhand iPhone 7 bought from a local Pawn Shop three months after it was released. Just over half the original price. Does everything I want from a phone... i.e. makes calls and runs a few apps.

DXC: We axed 10k staff, shut nine data centres, closed 4.6m sq ft of office space... and sales tumbled, funnily enough

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Paris Hilton

Re: Bets, anyone?

They are in a classic death spiral yet somehow Wall St hasn't twigged yet...????

Avoid anything to do with DXC unless it is to send in the Bailffs. /s

I doubt anyone will be shedding tears for them on their inevitable demise.

It's all in the RISC: Arm legs it to Computex with a head full of Cortex-A77 CPU, Mali-G77 GPUs

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

re Huawei

When?

Probably next week. If Trump is to be believed, the Chinese have all the IP from the west before it gets released or even announced.

In reality?

Give it a couple of months for Google to release the innards that will allow Android to make full use of this new chip. Then Huawei and all the rest of the Chinese makers will hitting the market with new devices.

Don't forget that Huawei are still advertising their phones on UK TV.

I'm sure the POTUS will be twisitng a few 'arms' (pun intended) next week during his visit to get that stopped.

Uber JUMPs at chance to dump load of electric bikes across Islington

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: I was born in Islington

Islington?

Oh yes that was where Tony Blair lived before he became PM.

Remember those staged shots of Mrs Blair?

If there ever was a blot on the landscape of the UK, it is Islington.

{I have to admit living there for a bit in 1973 bit I escaped to Finsbury Park}

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Joke

Re: But I guess the person who posted the press release here hasn't bothered to look outside London.

You mean there is a world outside of London that is not inhabited by savages wearing war paint?

[see Icon]

WikiLeaks boss Assange acted as a foreign spy, Uncle Sam exclaims in fresh rap sheet

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

The next question is...

Will Trump be demanding to take him home on Air Force One when he comes to visit next month?

Personally, I hope that he stays away but he loves being in the limelight and there is an election to fight in a short time. What it is 17 months away. That's like tomorrow.

Cynical? You bet.

No Huawei out: Prez Trump's game of chicken with China has serious consequences

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: America's mental illness

If you of a certain age you can remember the

"Are you now or were you ever a member of the Communist party" questions of the 1950's. The reds under every bed paranoia of that age is alive and kicking.

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

re: Bloomberg Journalism

Remember it was Bloomberg that published the article about motherboards that were made in China having an extra chip that 'leaked' stuff back to china.

Apple and Supermicro were the main targets (amongst others).

Both companies undertook extensive investigations and found no evidence of these chips.

Despite repeated appeals Bloomberg refused to relase their evidence to the world.

To me this implies that it was a bit of fiction designed to make certain stocks go down so that shorters could make a killing.

Who would you rather believe eh?

Apple arms web browser privacy torpedo, points it directly at Google's advertising model

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Mushroom

I'll carry on as before

and

1) limit the searching I do on my phone to next to nothing

2) use Adguard and ublock origin on my MacBook

3) block 90% of Google and 100% of FB etc on my firewall.

Ads? You see them? How quaint... /s

Now if some sites were to stop trying to sell me stuff that is only usable in the USA with embedded adverts (insideevs.com is one) I'd be even happier. It does not need a genius to see the IP address that my request is coming from and find out that it is outside of the USA after all how many sites stop you from watching videos for the opposite reason eh?

To all ad slingers --> see icon

Now Chinese-made drones rubbing US govt up the Huawei: 'Strong concerns' DJI kit threat to national security

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Montorey Jack

Ah... you mean barely edible rubber then.

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Britain will agree with the americans

Not when Corbyn gets into Number 10. He'll be on the phone directly to his pal Putin rather than going through the sockpuppet that is Trump.

/s /s /s

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Holmes

In other words...

anything not made by 'good ole boys' in the 50 states is plumb full of spyware, malware and other bad things.

Carry on building that wall 'Merika. You are pissing off your allies right left and centre.

if developer_docs == bad then app_quality = bad; Coders slam Apple for subpar API manuals

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Cost and shortsightedness are the reasons

A very good post especially if you read the article about the salvage of the IBM 360 where they found a complete set of schematics for the beast. Those were the days. When the documentation shelf weighed more than the computer that came in 19in racks. Or when pretty well every printer in a country was use to print OS manuals prior to a major release (Dec VMS V5.0)

Writing good documentation is not easy or quick. It also requires dedication. Much like writing proper tet plans. All a dying art IMHO.

Those were the days eh?

Microsoft Windows 10 'Burger King' build 1903: Have it your way... and it may still leave a nasty taste in your mouth

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Big Brother

You will comply or...

Come June, Microsoft will automatically update devices running the Home and Pro editions of Windows 10, version 1803 (Windows 10 April 2018 Update) to ensure service continues past November 12, 2019.

Mommy Microsoft knows best then... Get your nappy changed before having something else to eat.

That's what all this seems like to me.

I'm so glad that I got off the leaky old tub that is SS Microsoft a good time ago. Much more of this and it might actually sink.

Swedish prosecutors request Assange detention: First step to European arrest warrant

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

re: The charges on the US sheet only carry a maximum of 5 years.

ROFL

ROFL

The US will want to get Assange and basically put him the deepest darkest solitary confinement cell and throw away the key. No comminication with anyone even his lawyer (Should he be able to afford one that is)

So, it will be 5 years per offence. 200 offences of 5 years each to run consectively and no chance of parole. That will see him rot in a US jail which is what the current POTUS wants as part of his 2020 re-election campaign

All starts to make sense IMHO

Let adware be treated as malware, Canuck boffins declare after breaking open Wajam ad injector

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Mushroom

Adverts and Malware

I don't want either on my systems thanks.

Nuke the lot of them [see Icon]

Make the people responsible be forced to watch adverts 24/7 for a whole year. Then they might see that like Google, they are Evil!

Intel budges Samsung out of its seat at the top of silicon-slinger league

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

re: Intel and Apple

I guess that'll turn around again this year, now that Apple have dumped Intel

Should that not be something like

I guess that might around again this year, now that Apple rumoured to in the process of dumping Intel

It's 50 years to the day since Apollo 10 blasted off: America's lunar landing 'dress rehearsal'

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: The 60's

Yep plus Tomorrows World, the sky at night and then the live broadcast of the Apollo 11 landing.

I rush home 50 years ago today after my CSE Maths exam to check on the launch. My final day at school was the day Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon (conspiracy theories notwithstanding)...

Them were the days all right. People were not afraid to make decisions. MBA's didn't exist (oh, bliss) and people were really more concerned with getting the job done and not covering their asses.

Tesla big cheese Elon Musk warns staffers to tighten their belts in bid to cut expenses (again)

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Car Reviews

Tesla does not advertise so there are no advertising revenues to protect.

Others have said many times...

the best thing about Tesla is Elon Musk

the worst thing about Tesla is Elon Musk

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: tesla & dealerships ??? WTF?

Tesla has many, many faults and problem but having 'dealerships' or if you prefer, 'stealerships' was never their thing. They did direct sales. That has caused them problems in places like Michigan and Connecicut where the Stealerships have made sure that only they can sell cars to the public.

Their showrooms were only ever staffed by Tesla employees. Most of them had a service centre attached. It was the showrooms that they closed or rather tried to close. Many got a repreive.

Would you part with £100K+ for a Model X without having sat in one or going for a test drive? That's what Elon Musk wants to happen.