* Posts by Steve Davies 3

7136 publicly visible posts • joined 24 Jun 2009

More tech companies join anti-Trump battle, but why did some pay for his inauguration?

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Seriously, what do you expect them to do?

Or you keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

I expect there is a lot of gritted teeth amongst a fair number of US CEO's at the moment.

They know that they will have to go along with the 'great dictator' otherwise they'll feel his wrath on Twitter and that won't do their stock price any good at all.

ITU-T wants video sizes to halve again by 2020

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

The only winners here

will be the Patent Lawyers.

There are lots of patents out there that describe compressing a video signal to reduce the bandwidth during transmission with the all important "with a Computer" and "Over a network"

These owners/troll will want their cut of the money.

Why do I say this?

Even Google is having a hard time with getting VP9 accepted and there have been reports of patent suits filed against Google despite their claims that their thing is patent free.

The ITU might want this but the lawyers will have a big say in stopping/delaying/encumbering any new codecs etc.

That is the sad state of play as I see it.

Android Wear: The bloatware that turned into gloatware

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Apple Claims...

As they don't release sales figures for the Watch it is hard to justify either that they are claiming or anything else. They are saying that sales are good but if the plan was to sell 1,000 and they sold 2,000 then yes, sales are good.

Other people (Apple Watchers(sic)) are claiming that the Apple Watch is taking up to 80% of the market. Again, there really is little evidence to support these claims one way or the other.

I'd even go futher and say that I've never seen anyone wearing a 'smart watch'. I saw plenty of FitBits in San Francisco last year but that's it.

I have no inclination to even try a smart watch.

Now if there was a Half Hunter (or proper Fob) version then I might think about it.

I suspect that I am not alone in going 'Meh' to the whole smart watch thingy.

I suspect that Google knows this and this is the Android Wear swansong. Get one (if you are interested) while stocks last.

Speaking in Tech: So. Hard-boiled Brexit... will tech firms scramble?

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

So have you...

Hedged your Euro's for your 2 weeks on the Costa's yet?

or are you expecting the crash to 1 GBP < 1 EUR to happen later in the year?

What is your crystal ball saying?

GDPR: Do not resist! Unless you want a visit from the data police

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Joke

How about....

Talk-Talk for starters.

They've got form.

Last time out they were a clear winner by almost a furlong.

No need for Blinkers and more either.

Android's February fix-fest flings 58 patches

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

What about Pixel owners?

Or have sales been so bad that like many Google products and services launched with a wave of publicity that are later quietly axed when sales/users don't meet their loft internal targets?

We deserve to be told the fate of this latest iPhone killer device.

If there are no patches then it seems that it is destined to go the way of the Kin and Zune, oblivion.

Google gets smooth early Android releases. OEMs are struggling

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Joke

Loss of battery life???

Hey, that functionality belongs to Apple. Stop copying it!

Te-he

Canadian telco bans a little four-letter dirty word from texts: U B E R

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Coat

Makes sense

Uber is a four letter word after all.

Oh wait, so is Coat.

Mines the one with a bus map and timetable in the pocket.

{this is not meant to be serious ok}

Ubuntu Linux daddy Mark Shuttleworth: Carrots for Unity 8?

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Quotes from the windows playbook

This

"Unity 8 delivers a unified set of experiences across all the kinds of personal computers,"

could have just as easily been

"Windows 10 delivers a unified set of experiences across all the kinds of personal computers,"

How many Ubuntu users will actually use (or want to use) a touch interface?

I guess he wants the Ubuntu Phone/Table to sweep all before it.

Desktops with a touch interface are still very much in the minority and many of them will never run Ubuntu if MS has their way (i.e. running anything but Windows on a Surface)

We had a conversation about this at a LUG not that long ago. Many expressed the opinion that expecially on the desktop touch is a PITA.

I will be pleased though if I am proved wrong. Canonical has put a lot of effort into all this.

Microsoft's DRM can expose Windows-on-Tor users' IP address

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
FAIL

Is it just me

or is MS getting more and more restricting and evil almost every day?

MS seems intent on transforming itself into Big Brother and the day when W10/Cortana says

"I'm sorry Dave I can't let you do that"

are getting closer and closer.

As has been said, use vlc or any of the other far better media players to view your content.

Brexploitation? Adobe gets creative with price hikes

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Darktable

Thanks for the pointers.

Sadly there is no Windows version

http://www.darktable.org/2015/07/why-dont-you-provide-a-windows-build/

For the reasons.

If I can get my hackintosh running then I'll give the MacOS version a go. None of my Linux system have a GUI, command line only.

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Inevitbale

I'd be Adobeless is I could find a decent replacement for Lightroom that can handle a catalogue of 110K+ photos (1.3TB)

any suggestions most welcome.

HPE raises 'at risk' flag over hundreds of Brit services techies

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Even more appropriate is

Will the last one out of HPE please read the Leccy Meter and send the bill to Meg.

How many are going to be left after this round of bloodletting?

Not many who are any good that's for sure.

No matter Meg and her cronies will never have to work (as if they ever did any) again.

Microsoft's device masterplan shows it's still fighting Apple

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

All nice words Redmond

but around these parts you won't find much Windows 10 love.

There are good number of users who have you use your crappiness every day and do so with gritted teeth.

Some people love it. Can't for the life of me figure out why but they are entitled to their opinions.

As has been said, people will go back to Window 7 just to escape your silliness.

Now that you have basically abandonded the mobile space the surface (an a few copycats) are the last vestiges of your one size fits all stratedgy.

As for still taking on Apple well you may have a point. AFAIK, the iPad is still selling lots more (by volume) than the surface but in my opinion, Chromebooks are a bigger threat.

Facebook's dabblings in TV suggest Zuck isn't actually a genius after all

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: "either creating great content"

Have an upvote for mentioning 'Play for Today'.

The last thing the world needs is YABSSTB (Yet Another Bloody Stupid Set Top Box).

Facebook is obviously well behind the times unless I was wrong in thinking that streaming was where it is hip to be today?

Apple weans itself off Intel with 'more ARM chips' for future Macs

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Apple Dropping Intel?

no mention of the adoption of the Intel Baseband Chip in certain iPhone 7 models.

Without this they (IMHO) probably would have not filed suit against Quallcomm. They would need a second source of BB chips for their precious gold plated iDevices.(sic)

So, is this a case of apple taketh and apple gieveth

or is it someone who does not like particularly apple penning an article?

It would help to know the authors POV in this

Broadband internet in New York is so garbage, the state's suing Charter

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Telecoms company failing to deliver?

on promises made?

Business as usual then.

Move along now. This is not news.

In China, Apple's gegenpress doesn't scare the locals

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Have an upvote

For saying that the UK is an emerging market.

Only if it were true ... or perhaps it is?

Google mistakes the entire NHS for massive cyber-attacking botnet

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: I would not be surprised is there is some issue inside the NHS network...

I offer in evidence this here Linksys WiFi router. Perhaps there are more than a few unpatched ones on the NHS network and they have been made part of a botnet?

Samsung is on fire, overtakes Apple as world's #1 chip-shifter

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Million$?

Don't you mean Billion?

Sales in the region of $30M is a mere drop in the ocean.

Then, I have to ask what chips Apple sells to others. Apple does not posess a foundry so everything it makes has to be made by others. So Samsung and others are used to make them for Apple but I really struggle to think of what chips they sell on the open market.

Samsung on the otherhand makes chips for many people including Apple. Do these count in the sales figure? Many companies use Samsum Ram in their products. I find it hard to think that Someone the size of Samsung has only sold just over $30M worth of chips in the past year.

It would be really nice to know the real metrics for the calculation of these figures.

Cerber tops Windows 10 ransomware charts

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Joke

Re: Thank Dog Microsoft has...

Well, I am sure that there are more than a few people here who think that MS is a Dog and should be put down to save humanity.

Free smart fridges! App stores in fountains! Plus more from Canonical man

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Wishfull thinking

It'll be OK. There'll be a thriving cottage industry doing up old, dumb kit to run another 20 years and reselling it.

Until the makers of new kit buy a few politicians and laws are passed to make it illegal to fix anything you own. At least one state in the USA is trying to pass a law allowing you to repiar your own stuff rather than forcing you to use a dealer repair centre.

Companies like John Deere will take legal action under the DMCA if you tinker with your JD tractor.

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Welcome to our new Fridge Overlords

I did write that with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek.

However I rented a Jeep in the USA in 2016 and it needed a service every 6K miles. The same model here has a service interval of 12K miles. I wonder why? Perhaps for the same reason that several states won't let Tesla sell cars directly. Big Money talks big in the US Auto Industry.

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Welcome to our new Fridge Overlords

Sounds like this guy is a candidate for Trumps Cabinet. I'm sure he will find like minds there.

Naturally that fridge will be made in America and require servicing at twice the frequency of similar models built in Korea and Germany.

Parliamentary Trump-off? Pro-Donald petition passes 100k signatures

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

The Solomon Islands

Perhaps the threat of Global Warming and rising sealevels and complete islands disappearing might be the reason for people there wanting to show their displeasure with Trump?

Millions of Brits stick with current broadband provider rather than risk no Netflix

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

No

Hunter 1234

you really have to be of a certain age to get that one.

With net neutrality pretty much dead in the US, your privacy is next

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

don't you mean?

Alternate facts instead of lies?

Ok, I'll go and sit on the naughty step now.

God save the Queen... from Donald Trump. So say 1 million Britons

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Invite him to do Desert Island Disks

with the recording to take place on Rockall.

Oracle effectively doubles licence fees to run its stuff in AWS

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Yet another

footgun moment from Oracle.

I guess they are just left milking the current accounts.

I wonder how many new accounts have been signed up in the past few years? Will it exceed the number that have deserted Larry's Ship (before it sinks that is)?

Tesla sues ex-manager 'for stealing 100GBs of Autopilot secrets'

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Didn't Elon make all the Tesla stuff

open source?

All the patents were opened up and made royalty free.

I guess that like the Apple vs Qualcomm case one party seems to need the money. (Sic)

National Audit Office: UK's military is buying more than it can afford

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

MOD-Pe

Have always been run by idiots. Nothing new there.

the MOD should get the Gubbermint to cancel the F-35 and startup building Harriers again. At least we'd have something to put into the air and use those two carriers.

I'm sure that a Harrier won't cost £100M each. Oh wait we need BAE to build them so perhaps they wiil.

Apple eats itself as iPhone fatigue spreads

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: Listen and Charge at same time

You obviously didn't look very hard did you.

there are many available at very reasonable prices on Amazon and other sites. They'd be a lot cheaper than buying from Apple anyway.

Anyway, like others I have no reason to upgrade my iPhone 6 bought secondhand from a Pawnshop.

At the risk of getting slapped hard, most phones these days are fine for most users. It does no matter if it runs Android or iOS, the functions avaible in the basic device or with a few apps are more than enough for 99% of users.

But security is possibly another issue altogether.

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

The timing of this 'release'

just before Apple releases its results (31st Jan) tells me that the people who make a living from shorting APPL stock may well be out in force. The stock is currently at $121.91. I think they'll be betting that it goes below $110 in Feb 1st as (IIRC) Apple release their results after the market has closed.

Devonians try to drive Dartmoor whisky plan onto rocks

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Should have made it look like...

A Prison. After all, they have/had one there.

Precident and all that.

'I AM TWEETING TRUTH TO POWER: AND YOU CAN'T STOP MY FACTS, MR PRESIDENT!'

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Facepalm

Alternative Facts

reminds me of 'Intelligent Design' and that other bit of bunkum 'Creationisn' (where everything in Genesis is true)

BT's profits plunge 37% following Italian Job

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: "improper accounting practices"

Remember that this is Italy we are talking about.

If a certain philandering PM can escape jail then why bother going after this lot?

Just making their names public might be enough to make it hard for them to find another job well, at least in a properly managed company that is.

The Italian Justice system is also an issue. There is no certainty of jail time even with an guilty plea.

President Trump tweets from insecure Android, security boffins roll eyes

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: What's up, El Reg?

We are watching someone who's obviously read 1984 and watched Dr Strangelove work out their fantasies on the unsuspecting citizens of the USA.

Newspeak is the order of the day in his world.

America is at war with Eurasia (The Moslem part) and he'll invade Mexico just so that they'll pay for the wall.

What's not to like eh?

Now where is that ad for a Nuclear Bunker that was for sale??????

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Mushroom

Re: It's quiet... too quiet!

The doomsday clock has been moved to 11:58pm since he came to power.

Just saying.

Windows code-signing tweaks sure to irritate software developers

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

How long before...?

Developers say, 'can't be bovvered with Windows any more' and stick a finger (or two) up in the general direction of Redmond?

Next it will be that W10-2018 edition will only let apps be installed via their App store and devs are expected to pay lots of £££ to get their app into the store. Oh, and MS will take no responsibility if apps loaded this way contain Malware etc.

MS obviously needs the money.

President Donald Trump taken on by unlikely foe: Badass park rangers

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

all he needs to do is

Issue and order killing all funding to the NPS. Problem solved (in his eyes)

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Trump, "Newspeak" and 1984

With Trump continuing to pronounce on just about everything (incuding wanting to bring back Torture) we are seeing a war waged in the media (real and social)

What's the top seller on Amazon?

1984

Newspeak is alive and well in the USA in 2017.

An Orwellian society is being created right in front of our eyes.

Interesting times.

Apple goes global in Qualcomm license war: Patent spat hits China

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: @Steve Davies 3

Nah, this is a new company of lawyers. After all how many Harvard Law Grads would be able to practice law in China?

Still gonna cost a packet for Apple.

However, they must think that the fines that QC have given gives them a better than even chance of winning.

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Last throw of the dice for Cupertino?

They must be running out of money... (sic)

US govt can't stop Microsoft taking its Irish email seizure fight to the Supreme Court

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: @Oh Homer ... So basically...

How to get these pesky emails under US Jurisdiction?

Simples really, the new El Presidente will issue an Executive Order telling the likes of MS, Google etc to bring all their DC's home. More servers in the USA means more jobs for Merkins.

Once that is done all your data is theirs and there is SFA that you can do about it.

So beware all you MS and Gmail users.

I expect that it might also apply to Office 365 hosted servcies as well.

After promising Donald Trump jobs will come home, IBM swings axe

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: The last trump?

don't worry, he's still gonna build that wall.

Getting Mexico to pay for it is another matter entirely.

I do wonder how many Mexicans will be used to build the wall?

Penguins force-fed root: Cruel security flaw found in systemd v228

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

Re: @Gerhard

Yes it was possible to start things up in a defined order with SystemV startups but it was sometimes a little iffy when it came to dependencies. Checking for say a file lock or existence didn't always work in a clustered setup.

Since we moved to SystemD these sort of things have not happened.

Yes some of SystemD is a real PITA and yes debugging it is even worse but after getting through the pain, it was worth it.

For 90% of systems it is a total overkill. SystemV would do just fine but where you have multiple dependencies then I've found SystemD a better bet.

Plump Trump dumps TPP trade pump

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Facepalm

Re: HOLY CRAP!

Re The Wall and Hillary : goes to jail

Patience grasshopper.. There is plenty of time to do at least one. Choose one, the easiest please...

Jailing Hillary would be a lot easier than getting Mexico to build 'That Wall'. Unless he wants to invade Mexico first.

Make America, wait, what again? US Army may need foreign weapons to keep up

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
Joke

Re: Military-industrial 101

The Merkins tried but got lost in the Roundabout(rotaries for you left ponders) maze that is Milton Keynes.

Resistence is futile: HPE must face Oracle over Solaris IP

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

HPE & Oracle??

A plague on both their camps.

Is it to much to ask for this case to result in MAD for both?

heres hoping.

Trumping free trade: Say 'King of Bankruptcy' Ross does end up in charge of US commerce

Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

That's far too complicated

for a genius like DT to even begin to understand let alone anyone in his cabinet.

Yet everything will be 'Tremendous' in the end.

I forsee lots of plants planned and even construction started but never finished. After all a workforce consisting of one man and a dog can't build a HDD plant in 4 years now can they.