* Posts by Jonathan 27

451 publicly visible posts • joined 21 Jun 2010

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Windows is now built on Git, but Microsoft has found some bottlenecks

Jonathan 27

Re: GVFS sounds super dumb

SQL Server for Linux is essentially running on a compatiblity layer (line Wine, but not Wine) and Visual Studio for Linux is Xamerin Studio renamed. Microsoft isn't even really attempting to change, they're just pretending they are. Using GIT is just the best option for them at the moment, they've used a lot of source control systems in the past.

Uber New York class action alleges passengers overcharged $7.43m per month

Jonathan 27

Re: Money's for a good cause

Contractors are not employees, if you don't like it stop contracting yourself out. I mean that, as a former independent contractor, people need to stop accepting contracts unless the price is much higher than what you'd make otherwise to compensate for the lack of employment benefits. It's upsetting the work market.

Intel pitches a Thunderbolt 3-for-all

Jonathan 27

Re: Dare I ask

Actually, at the moment, Linux actually has less desktop market share than it did 5 years ago. I wish that wasn't true, but it is.

To answer the OP's question. Thunderbolt 3 works pretty well for me under Ubuntu, other distros may be different and maybe compatibility is mixed, but the devices I've tried have worked.

Why Microsoft's Windows game plan makes us WannaCry

Jonathan 27

Re: Never trust a binary - and never trust a vendor who works with the NSA

Similarly devastating bugs in apache httpd, bash and other open-source software would like to have a word with you. Open source doesn't magically prevent security issues.

Jonathan 27

Microsoft released a patch for this vulnerability in XP on May 13, 3 days before this article was posted. Get it if you need it.

http://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4012598

Oracle crushed in defeat as Java world votes 'No' to modular overhaul

Jonathan 27

Oracle threatened to dissolve the committee if the vote didn't go their way. It I'll be interesting to see if they really do. I can see them doing it, even thought it will probably man that end of Java or at least a pivot to a different implementation that Oracle doesn't control.

Jonathan 27

Re: Sun was always a little arrogant about Java

Lack of unsigned integers in base Java is a design choice. C++ programmers have caused a lot more issues based on mistaking signed for unsigned and vice versa. What are you using Java for where that one bit is crucial?

Microsoft's .NET-mare for developers: ASP.NET Core 2.0 won't work on Windows-only .NET

Jonathan 27

You might considering writing a separate .NET Framework DLL (might need to call it via indirect means) or executable that your web application runs on the server(s) to import that file. That way you can move to .NET Core entirely.

Jonathan 27

I'm kinda surprised there were people running ASP.NET Core on top of the .NET Framework. I've found mixing Core and Framework to be a big problem. Better to go all one way or the other. Up until now I didn't know this combination was possible. We're still using .NET Framework and the older ASP.NET to avoid the compatibility and reliability issues and to avoid running multiple runtimes (we have legacy ASP.NET Forms applications).

I wonder how common this really is.

Rich professionals could be replaced by AI, shrieks Gartner

Jonathan 27

Without both significant increases in processing power AND significant improvements in AI this isn't too likely to happen any time soon.

P.S. AI that programs AI is how Skynet happens.

French drone bods Parrot wheel out 'prosumer' division

Jonathan 27

DJI is eating their lunch. No one is talking about Parrots products because they're being outperformed on every level.

Facebook fake news: Sort it out yourself, readers

Jonathan 27

I have a better solution, Facebook should stop pretending to have a news section. Relabel it "trending" or something else that actually represents what the section contains.

Russian RATs bite Handbrake OSX download mirror

Jonathan 27

That argument doesn't make sense because you can do that in just about any modern OS.

1. Windows, Windows+R type "powershell"

2. Linux, Terminal shortcut (CTRL+ALT+T in Ubuntu)

3. ChromeOS has a terminal too, but it's very unlikely it would be affected by an issue like this seeing as it doesn't actually run binary applications.

then run your commands.

P.S. Mac OS is based on BSD, which while being POSIX-compatible is not Unix. It's a Unix-compatible clone. Berkeley even got sued over it and won because they didn't use the Unix source code. Heck you could even argue that Mac OS isn't really BSD either because it uses the Mach kernel. The architectural history of Mac OS X is really interesting and can't really be summed up in the statement "based on Unix". If you want to be that direct it's really based on NeXTSTEP, the OS built by Steve's other computer company.

Linux homes for Ubuntu Unity orphans: Minty Cinnamon, GNOME or Ubuntu, mate?

Jonathan 27

For anyone coming off Unity who wants to switch to KDE, I'd recommend Kubuntu, which you can switch to just be installng (and removing) a few packages from your Ubuntu install. Even if you eventually decide to switch distros it's a good way to try it out.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FromUbuntuToKubuntu

Spend your paper £5 notes NOW: No longer legal tender after today

Jonathan 27

Oil is made of animals too (very old ones), so any plastics or synthetic materials also come from animals. It's functionally impossible to exist in our society without using something made out of animals.

Jonathan 27

Yeah...

It's interesting that the UK does this. Canada, where I live, switched to polymer bank notes for all denominations starting in 2013 and all the previous bills are still considered legal tender, including the old-format bills they discontinued 20+ years ago.

Windows 10 S: Good, bad, and how this could get ugly for PC makers

Jonathan 27

Windows 10 S makes the most sense on something like an HP Stream, maybe it will let them shave a few bucks off the price and it's a device for basic operations. Being able to run Windows Store Apps plus a web browser isn't a bad value proposition if the device is $200.

Jonathan 27

Re: Linux

And yet Linux market share is down. Care to explain why?

Jonathan 27

Re: So...

ChromeOS uses a proprietary bios, so only if the manufacturer specifically enables it.

What is this bullsh*t, Google? Nexus phones starved of security fixes after just three years

Jonathan 27

All phones should be supported for at least 5 years... from the last shipped date from the manufacturer (last sold anywhere would be very hard to track and would likely never actually happen). So if company A ships out Phone B until Jan 1, 2017. Then Phone B needs to get software updates until Jan 1, 2022.

Yes, this will cost money, but not that much money. I'd happily spend a bit more to have a longer update window on my smart devices. I have had to replace phones before, not because there is an issue with the phone, but because the software is out of date. That's really annoying and wasteful.

Jonathan 27

Re: Cool planned obsolescence bro

Several of the ASUS transformer pad tablets can run Linux. If you're looking for an official Linux-powered tablet, you might be waiting a long time now that Ubuntu has given up on the Unity idea.

Post Unity 8 Ubuntu shock? Relax, Linux has been here before

Jonathan 27

Re: Unity usage?

Unity never felt quite finished, the configuration options were never there, for one. You couldn't make the launcher autohide, so you were stuck with it forever and even if you set it up to use menus on the top it didn't work in every app and even in ones were it did you quite often ended up with a big wasted space between the application interface and menu, even when maximized. I know these are small things, but the small things are what kept me from using Unity. Unity was designed to be a my way or the highway interface and I just didn't agree with the designers on everything. It even forced me to try KDE, which is ok, but not for me.

I've been running Ubuntu GNOME for the last few years anyway, so nothing has changed for me.

Jonathan 27

Re: Losing Unity 7/8 is not the end of the world!

I think you're going to have to come to grips with the fact that the vast majority of the world disagrees with you and thinks Windows 10 is more polished than Linux Mint. Regardless of your reasoning, you'd have to agree that public opinion is against you.

Well, hot-diggity-damn, BlackBerry's KEYone is one hell of a comeback

Jonathan 27

I'm not sure it matters, how many people will ever see one?

Jonathan 27

Re: Android

Sailfish

J/K obviously.

O (n^2) Canada! Code bugs knacker buses, TV, broadband, phone lines

Jonathan 27

It's not much of a surprise the TTC is having problems, they're been massively underfunded for years and now it's over-packed and underfunded. Something's gotta give sometime. You have to feel for those people riding the buses today, that are normally packed to the brim and now will be overflowing.

Scratch the Surface: Slabtop sales slump takes the shine off Microsoft's 2017 so far

Jonathan 27

Re: Organizations are turning to Microsoft as a partner they can trust.

No, because you demonstrated the point I was making, not your point. Your organization used\uses has put their trust in a variety of Microsoft products, that you mentioned. You personally may hate them, but that's not relevant to organizational trust is it? It's the stuffed shirts at the top that make that decision.

Jonathan 27

Re: Organizations are turning to Microsoft as a partner they can trust.

Buying software from someone denotes a certain level of trust. OS software can literally do anything with your hardware, it has full rights to everything. If you really didn't trust it, you'd not install it.

Jonathan 27

Re: Organizations are turning to Microsoft as a partner they can trust.

Most companies use Microsoft for a wide array of things. Have you never worked in IT? Or do you work for the very small percentage of companies that use Linux or Mac workstations?

Apache OpenOffice: Not dead yet, you'll just have to wait until mid-May for mystery security fixes

Jonathan 27

If it gets too bad they can always switch to a "just pull all changes from LibreOffice strategy". At this point LibreOffice just feels like the most recent update to OpenOffice and OpenOffice just feels dated.

Linux Mint-using terror nerd awaits sentence for training Islamic State

Jonathan 27

"who also used voice modulation software to disguise his thick Welsh accent"

Didn't work, there is no voice modulation software in the world good enough.

BOFH: This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back

Jonathan 27

Does this mean the PFY is no longer a PFY?

What is dead may never die – how to get a post-BlackBerry BlackBerry

Jonathan 27

If BlackBerry hadn't stashed away a mound of cash when they were flying high they would have gone into receivership years ago.

Jonathan 27

Re: New Q10?

Try something different and be surprised that it took you so long to ditch the Blackberry. The other 99% of Blackberry's users are on to something you know.

Samsung Smart TV pwnable over Wi-Fi Direct, pentester says

Jonathan 27

Unfortunately, if you're buying a new TV that isn't really an option. Virtually all of them are "smart" now. I suppose the best option if you're really paranoid would be to disconnect the Wi-Fi antenna on your new TV (and never connect Ethernet, obviously).

We're 'heartbroken' we got caught selling your email records to Uber, says Unroll.me boss

Jonathan 27

Wow, that's pretty bad. That's exactly what I'm always worried that Google is doing with my Gmail.

Alaska dentist 'pulled out patient's tooth while riding a hoverboard'

Jonathan 27

Wow, it's like he was trying to get caught. The is his dental office at the corner of reckless and stupid?

P.S. This is exactly why I drive half-way across town to go to the Dentist. Once you find a good one, never change.

Web celeb product whores told to put on the red light – or else

Jonathan 27

I disagree, I believe that advertising would still exist even if ads had to be 100% truthful and verified by a council of old scientists. Why? The #1 thing you get from advertising is exposure. Customers won't buy your product if they don't know it exists. Sure, it will mean that a lot of commercials will be similar for similar products. Like toothpaste. You could say "My toothpaste contains sodium fluoride, which combined with brushing has been clinically shown to reduce tooth decay" and so could all your competitors. But only the ones who advertised that would get the exposure so potential customers looking at toothpaste in the shop would know the ones they were advertised definitely worked, other brands? They wouldn't. You could even argue that more accurate advertising would help companies that genuinely sell a superior product and encourage improvements.

Of course we both know this will never happen anyway.

Farewell Unity, you challenged desktop Linux. Oh well, here's Ubuntu 17.04

Jonathan 27

Well, nothings changing for me. I'm already running Ubuntu Gnome. Unity always felt half-finished, like a school project. It never got to the level of finish that I would really want in a shell. It took ages but I think the current versions of Gnome and KDE are finally back at that point. All in, there is little need for Unity anymore and it's different for differences sake attitude wasn't ever really sustainable. Canonical doesn't have the resources to develop their entire desktop system themselves without serious community support. And that support wasn't there for Unity.

Chap 'fixes' Microsoft's Windows 7 and 8 update block on new CPUs

Jonathan 27

Until Microsoft releases a patch that actually doesn't function on your new CPU, because they don't test them anymore.

Honestly, give up and move for a supported OS, doesn't matter which one. Microsoft is dedicated to making your life difficult, so why let them?

Microsoft raises pistol, pulls the trigger on Windows 7, 8 updates for new Intel, AMD chips

Jonathan 27

If you don't like Microsoft's tactics, now is the time to switch to an alternative OS, because running outdated operating systems just gets harder and harder.

Jonathan 27

Re: If you are forced into Windows 10

No, I saw that warning and navigated away. Even my personal website has a legitimate (and free) certificate these days.

Alert: Using a web ad blocker may identify you – to advertisers

Jonathan 27

I think this article is kinda misleading, yes you might get identified based on an ad blocker. But if you don't have an ad blocker you WILL be identified, immediately.

P.S. I did get a good laugh out of all the comments of people who are worried about being tracked online and the lengths they're willing to try not to be tracked... And still not doing everything necessary not to be tracked. I've given up at this point. The Web is basically unusable if you actually make yourself untraceable and doing so is an enormous pain.

Jonathan 27

Re: Rage! Fonts

Great, now they can track you uniquely. You know that's even worse than them being able to ID your OS right?

Cloud computing is bigger than AWS and Azure

Jonathan 27

At this point I'd argue that "cloud computing" is just a meaningless buzzword. We had remote hosted servers before the "cloud" and now that they're the norm, we don't really need a term for virtualized remote servers. Add that to the fact that every marketing department in the universe has stretched the term to the breaking point I expect we'll see it fall out of use soon.

Half-baked security: Hackers can hijack your smart Aga oven 'with a text message'

Jonathan 27

How many people would pay a monthly fee to connect their oven?

Apple finally teaches Android music app to validate certificates

Jonathan 27

Apple Music, on Android? Who uses that? Who even knew that existed before now? I wonder if it's as good as iTunes for Windows? In that case I'd avoid it like the plague.

Who really gives a toss if it's agile or not?

Jonathan 27

Agile is just today's favourite methodology, and it doesn't fit all cases. I'm sure that in 10-15 years we'll be all about something else. I also find that a lot of companies only implement the parts of agile methodologies that they find easiest to implement, which sometimes leads to unnecessarily complications or lack of any real benefit. Most agile proponents are all or nothing guys, so there is a case to argue that what these guys were doing wasn't agile at all.

Put down your coffee and admire the sheer amount of data Windows 10 Creators Update will slurp from your PC

Jonathan 27

Yeah...

This article seems pretty one-sided. Every other popular commercial OS records data like this, Mac OS, iOS, Android. And yet the last one to start rolling out functionality like this is the one you cover. It would be nice to see some coverage of all the data, for example, Android leaks out about you. I see a lot of people saying "I won't upgrade to Windows 10 because of the telemetry sharing" and then go on talking on an Android or iOS phone, using Google services and Facebook\Snapchat\Twitter.

Firefox Quantum: BIG browser project, huh? I share your concern

Jonathan 27

Re: I don't know about lynx and w3m

In my opinion, owning an Android or iOS device automatically makes an anti-javascript type a hypocrite. Guess a huge percentage of mobile apps (including bundled ones) are running behind the scenes?

Besides, there are so many sites now that require JavaScript to even be usable.

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