Posts by Doctor Syntax

Re: et vice versa

IOW "few" isn't really that few at all.

Re: Not to whine about it ...

Duration of exposure might be a factor.

Re: A successful pathogen

Killing all the hosts would kill the pathogen. Eventually, given its persistence as spores.

Re: Survival characteristics

A bit like democracy being the worst system of government apart form all the others.

Re: Survival characteristics

Unix and its derivatives have survived remarkably well. The supercomputer in your pocket runs one of them. Not only was Unix not marketed by AT&T, marketing it was illegal. It spread because on its merits in spite of lack of marteling - or possibly because of it, the forbidden fruit syndrome.

Re: Survival characteristics

"no very successful pathogens"

A successful pathogen is one that doesn't kill its host, neither individual nor the host species. If it does the pathogen also dies, individually or as a species. We have lots of successful pathogens.

Re: Galena

"I wasn't allowed to muck about with the required voltages"

Sad when parents take that attitude. There's nothing like the warm glow of a row of heaters. The rather hotter glow from the anode of one of a pair of 807s that had gone unstable was a different matter. The solution to that was a spare, swap them round to find a stable combination. Repeat every few months as required.

Re: The creative maker ... has never had it so good

Both views are OK. The Pi and the like are fine at a higher level of integration but being able to fangle things at a lower level is something to be treasured too. I suppose it's a bit like software. High level abstractions such as SQL and assembler both have their place. OTOH the Z80 was the last assembly language I wrote in.

Re: 10

This is el Reg. They know what we make of announcements like that. We laugh at the triviality.

Re: there's nothing particularly wrong with Windows 11

"Even HP Laserjet printer works after three clicks: add printer, select found printer"

Even if it's a Brother or a Canon or an Epson or...

Re: This is why I abandoned Windows.

You seem to think that Linux provides a difficult user experience, It doesn't. You can set things up so it provides a similar user experience to Microsoft before the latter went off the rails with a few actual improvements that Microsoft took uears to catch up on. Useful things such as multiple virtual desktops. And you can have the long terms consistency.

Re: hardware requirements

Microsoft said "the network is the computer"

AFAICR it was Sun who said that. Microsoft were saying "Internet? What's that?"

Re: EU Competition Law - Abuse of Power or Dominant Position Unacceptable Behaviour

"Maybe Google or other are missing a trick - they could advertise a Linux based OS"

They do. But you're expected to use it with a Google account. Different name, same idea.

Re: it's 1030 and we have to open the bar

Not a good question in those circumstances.

Re: Plagiarism?

You've got to realise how difficult it makes his life when he's the only one marching in step.

Re: Three point one pints please

If you're an accountant you can get it to any figure that's required.

Re: Plagiarism?

"the UK's COVID inquiry where no one can remember anything clearly and no names will be named"

That depends on the witness. Those who took contemporary notes were able to remember and name names. Let that be a lesson to you all.

You do realise who the shareholders are, don't you? They're people who are members of pension funds and they like.

Maybe you are one, yourself. If you're in a company pension scheme you should check what shares it holds. You could always present yourself at the prison gates and tell them you're guilty as charged.

Re: Agree

Ultimately these things get decided in court by juries. Jury members are customers in their own right. They can imagine themselves in the plaintiff's situation and aren't likely to be sympathetic to weaselling even it - and may be especially if - AI is invoked by the weasel.

Re: Complain all you want

Not everyone.

True, but short-term thinking doesn't work that way.