* Posts by Doctor Syntax

32773 publicly visible posts • joined 16 Jun 2014

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The D in Systemd is for Directories: Poettering says his creation will phone /home in future

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

"replace the very much legacy sysvinit."

Presumably to allow sysadmins with no shell skills to administer systems. That's called "solving the wrong problem".

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I use Linux on a laptop and I still don't want systemd.

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Re: If you really want that this system can come up on its own, don't use this stuff.

"I use devuan for a reason."

Me too but I'm getting worried as to how long it will be able to survive as this garbage gets further and further into the upstream. I came across this https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2019/09/msg00001.html from the current Debian project leader. Scroll down to "Init System Diversity". It's not very cheering.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge
Unhappy

Re: Good encapsulation, Dr S

"It'd be nice to leave linux design to Linus' group, methinks. It's not like they've done a bad job so far."

Yes, but as I'm sure you know Linus & Co are only concerned with the kernel. The rest of a Linux distro involves stuff from various Unix implementations, either directly or reimplemented by FSF or others.*

But the overall composition of a distro is designed by the distro's own maintenance team. We're told they like systemd because it's easier for them and if that's a problem for users it's just a problem for users. This is, to my mind a weakness of FOSS; it's purely developer lead. The theory is that if you don't like it you can just fork it.

But that's easier said than done, especially if your focus is on using it as a tool to do your every day job. What's worse it seems as if systemd and its dependencies have wormed their way into so much it might become impossible to do a simple systemd-less fork. On the one hand it seems to be taking Devuan a long time to get their Buster based version out (although Knoppix seems to have managed) and on the other I came across a Debian status email which floated the idea that they gave up attempting to provide a theoretically possible sysv option.

I think I might be coming to the end of the line with Linux.

* Hence Stallman's insistence on calling it GNU/Linux although this ignored many other contributions.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

Re: re: Once desktop processing power became sufficient to crack the encryption

"a paltry 20mb"

Back when.... No, that way we get to the four Yorkshiremen sketch.

Let's just say that punched cards are limited only by the amount you can carry.

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Re: re: Once desktop processing power became sufficient to crack the encryption

If lecturers couldn't be arsed to remember their own passwords I shudder to think what their security courses might have been like.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

Perhaps you need to pay attention. It's likely to be shoehorned in within the next couple of years or so. Maybe sooner than that, who cares if it's too buggy for release? It's probably intended to introduce enough dependencies into regular prorams to make the likes of Devuan and Slackware finally impossible. It's going to be BSD or nothing.

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"The [redacted to please Cloudflare who block anything that looks like a path] passwd database is not extensible, and therefore Linux has evolved numerous secondary databases that are stored elsewhere, such as [redacted to please Cloudflare] shadow, a privileged location used for encrypted password hashes and other password-related fields, such as the maximum time before a password expires."

Linux has evolved no such thing. It's simply inherited it from Unix

It was a necessary step for Unix to evolve in that way after the sort of incident described in "The Cuckoo's Egg". The password file has to be world readable because user programs such as ls and chown need to be able to map UIDs to user names and is small enough to be exfiltrated even over a dial-up modem link. Once desktop processing power became sufficient to crack the encryption then in use in passwd the actual passwords needed to be moved into a separate file which could be privileged because only a limited number of system programs needed access.

We now have a lot of fussing about state and configuration to satisfy some arbitrary scheme about directory usage. Stuff that. Unix directory usage, like the rest of the system, was designed on practical grounds. We're seeing the steady destruction of a working, practical system design to satisfy the ego of a Jonny-come-lately. If he wants to design a system to his own notions let him go ahead and do that from scratch and get out of everybody else's hair.

Consumer campaign to keep receiving printed till receipts looks like a good move – on paper

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"everything held online and accessed via a secure website"

Is that externally accessible? If so how secure?

Will you have access to it after you leave and HMRC/IRS/whoever challenge you about something?

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"I'm trying to remember the last time I actually needed a receipt and I'm coming up blank."

Look on it as a backup. You want to never have to use it but if you do have to you're in trouble if you don't have it.

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Re: Emailed receipts build up the same plethora of personal data that loyalty store cards collect.

Quite possible to deliver e-receipts anonymously if you the issuer wanted to.

FTFY

But otherwise, agreed.

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Re: The problem is there's no defined standard, so it's roll-your-own (again)

In order to not be challenged it would need to be digitally signed otherwise you could be accused of editing it. You would also need to be able to verify the signature. You would need all that before you leave the counter. It's hardly a speedy way to achieve throughput at the store.

You've got (Ginni's) mail! Judge orders IBM to cough up CEO, execs' internal memos in age-discrim legal battle

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Re: Does email discovery work?

You could walk straight into a contempt of court scenario like that. And from there into a small room with iron bars on the window.

Switch about to get real: Openreach bod on the challenge of shuttering UK's copper phone lines

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Re: Network impact

"Would be interested to see what they are actually planning to drop in"

Or just drop.

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Or there's just no signal.

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Re: cheapo wired phone

"except on days like today"

Does anyone know of micro-hydroelectic generators to fit onto downpipes?

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"everyone has a cheap wired phone handy at home in case of a power cut..."

Of course. It was the one that was there before we get the DECT. Not the DECT we have now, the long deceased one before that. It still works. In fact it rings before the DECT.

Can you code a way to foil online terrorist vids? The Home Office might just have £600K for you

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

track record of showing that state-of-the-art technology can be developed,... at relatively low cost

"At least she's only wasted £600K. So far."

Not yet. It's only been talked about. It'll be announced several more times. Maybe along the lines of £400k followed by an announcement of it being topped up by £200k. But "We're hoping to deliver the funding by 15 March 2020,". Don't plan on getting any of it.

And el Reg, if you're going to add "Re" onto a title, use different maximum title lengths for the two different variants. A little corner case to take into account. I doubt it would take £600k to sort out.

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Re: Solved problem

All the way back in 2003...

WeWon'tWork: CEO Adam Neumann enters Low Earth Orbit to declare, I'm outta here

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"a massive round of layoffs, as much as 5,000 people or one-third of the total workforce, will be rolled out later today"

Assuming they get the money due to them they might soon realise they're the lucky ones.

UK Supreme Court unprorogues Parliament

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

It's part of our long established constitutional arrangements that courts do rule on matters not covered by Statute Law. It's called Common Law. It's worked well for centuries. Apart from anything else it's enabled courts to adapt rulings to a changing world whilst Statute Law requires Parliament finding time to update or repeal obsolete laws.

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"There is a danger in this that once this precedent has been set, that it will be cited for some other prorogation in future"

The judgement said it was a one-off. I think this translates as "nobody's been daft enough to try on this before and we don't think anyone will be daft enough in the future". I hope they're right.

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Re: Surprising?

"Hopefully the EU will see sense and either give a deal that actually works (I dont see how)"

I don't see how a deal can actually work either. Not unless HMG actually intends to repudiate the Good Friday Agreement and that in turn would be a peculiar interpretation of "work".

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

Re: As the saying goes you get the government you deserve

If so the government's been repatriating them so they should all be able to turn up tomorrow.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

Re: Regardless of which side of the fence you are on.

Anyone remember why Privy Council members are to be addressed as "Right Honourable"?

That was covered right at the start of Yes Minister. It's called getting rid of the difficult bit in the title.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

Re: Regardless of which side of the fence you are on.

"Is this wrong ?"

Arguably yes, given that the referendum was by statute advisory.

Stupid certainly, rooted in the belief that the result would be Remain.

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Re: Regardless of which side of the fence you are on.

Sadly I'm not sure that they are so aware. That's the problem.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

Re: Regardless of which side of the fence you are on.

Upvoted for the "Not really"

But the Supreme Court is just the original Law Lords under a new name and with new premises. It's just a consequence of Blair thinking we should have something called a "Supreme Court". The whole HoL didn't hear cases, just the Law Lords and the members of the Supreme Court are just the latest holders of those posts.

It's rulings may be "unprecedented" unless they find an existing precedent to follow but that's the norm for courts dealing with appeals.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

Re: Regardless of which side of the fence you are on.

"Because a future supreme court may extend their powers over parliament."

Have you read this far and learned nothing?

The whole point of the court's decision is to re-affirm the power of Parliament.

A cornerstone of the British constitution is the sovereignty of Parliament. The PM has attempted to override that. All the court has done is to give effect to what has been the status quo in the face of that attempt.

Had the court ruled otherwise they'd have enabled a future government to extend its powers over Parliament.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

Re: Regardless of which side of the fence you are on.

"Normally, the inability for Parliament to act in this situation would result in an election has been the historical solution."

Elections have been known to give rise directly to the current situation*, namely a Parliament without an overall majority. In those circumstances an immediate further election is the last resort; normally there's an attempt to form a coalition or possibly a temporary government of national unity.

In the present circumstance May and BoJo have attempted to run down the clock to one of other Brexit that MPs as a whole either don't support for personal reasons or think is against the long term interests of the nation. That has produced a crisis situation in which case an election is untenable. The timing of it would present the incoming government with a dog's breakfast for the management of which he or she would be responsible.

* In fact the last election did just that. May only got a majority with the aid of DUP. The change since than is that what with MPs deciding to follow their consciences and what they considered to be the best interests of their country to change parties and BoJo chucking more out of "his" party, even that majority has gone.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

"The courts are the wrong place to be doing this"

What was the "this" you had in mind?

If you were thinking about Brexit the court explicitly rules that out as being up for consideration:

1. It is important to emphasise that the issue in these appeals is not when and on

what terms the United Kingdom is to leave the European Union.

Take a good look at that number. 1. It's the very first thing the court has to say in the judgement.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

Re: Remain MPs all broke the law and should all be in prison anyway.

"David Cameron made it law that the Referendum would be a legally binding vote and that Parliament COULD NOT do anything to interfere with the result being carried through."

Just because you can find numpties to believe that an Farcebook and Twatter you shouldn't believe you can get away with bollocks like that here.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

"Yes, the Brexit rabblerousers are already spinning this as being the judiciary being against Brexit and other such b*llocks."

Actually, to his credit (and this must be the only time I've said such a thing) even Farage has said "The calling of a Queen's Speech and prorogation is the worst political decision ever."

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

"I think it's reasonable to expect the UK to have left the EU before the end of this Parliament.

Don't you?"

No. I think it's up to MPs to take an informed view of what's in the best long term interests of the country, including their constituents and do that, irrespective of what their constituents want at the time, especially in respect of something that might prove difficult to reverse. To follow a referendum that binds future generations should require a much larger majority than it got and it should be explicitly binding.

However I suspect that the only way to put this issue to bed will be to leave, discover the consequences, and get back in with the best terms then available (which will probably be less agreeable to most of us than those we have now). That might not be reasonable but it would at least end the arguments.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

"British politicians were in fact part of the EU's governing bodies"

And the refuseniks who got themselves elected as MEPs weren't going to be much help in reforming anything except their own bank accounts.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

"What if Boris and the other idiots run an election campaign with a mandate to shackle them?"

With the fixed term Parliament Act he can't have an election now without their permission.

OTOH Parliament can pass a vote of no confidence in him and agree to get behind someone else to avoid an election right now. There are enough grown-ups still in the room, especially those who BoJo expelled from the Conservatives, to provide such a person.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

Re: IANL but...

"I'd be surprised if the Speaker can legally act on behalf of the Executive."

No but AFAIK he can act on behalf of Parliament. In fact, only on behalf of Parliament.

"I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as this House is pleased to direct me" was how one Speaker put it at another time when the sovereignty of Parliament was under attack.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

"Which is why they didn't vote to overturn the prorogation"

Not within Parliament's power. They can vote on a recess but not on proroguing.

"or to have an election"

Which would have presented BoJo with a fait accompli on a no deal Brexit and, as an additional benefit to him, left someone else to deal with the consequences. Not even Corbyn was going to fall for that.

They had time for one thing within their power. They chose to ban no deal.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

Probably about the only way to minimise it would be leave on the sparsest of no-deals. Then, once we've got back in, it would al be over apart from the recriminations against those who can't persuade the rest that they were really in favour of remain all along.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

"Always struck me as an odd and unattractive option."

But probably the next best alternative to staying in.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

"My point was simply that the MPs and the "political class" / "establishment" / whatever term you want to use are vastly more pro-EU than the electorate."

I'm not sure it's a matter of being pro-EU on a matter of principle but on informed consideration of the economic well-being of the country as a whole and being determined to do what's best for that well-being in the long term.

"And that in these specific circumstances that's helped create this log-jam."

Quite so.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

I'd rather MPs didn't simply follow their constituencies but acted intelligently, considered the long term welfare of the nation and, if need be, make explanation and even give leadership to their constituencies.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

@TRT

I'd add to you list of incompetencies a lack of ability, or perhaps knowledge of, such steps as impact assessments, feasibility studies and go/no go decisions in advance of proceeding with a major project.

Sadly that's been BAU for generations of British governments.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

"A few years ago, the appeal would have been heard in the House of Lords, which would have been interesting."

Not really different. The name and venue might have changed. But these are just the current law lords who would otherwise have sat in the name of the HoL. A case going to the Lords wasn't dealt with by the whole House, just by the senior members of the judiciary.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

"No-one knows what some bits of legislation mean in practice until they're tested in court."

I'm not sure it even goes that far in this case. It was simply a matter of BoJo thinking he could get away with it. Nothing very different to a young lad being caught scrumping but in this case it needed to go further up the legal food chain before he got the telling off he deserved.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

Re: Surprising?

"the newish (less than 20 yo?) UK Supreme court "

Newish? It's just the continuation of the HoL sitting as a court. They now have their own building instead of having to put up in some room in Westminster Palace. Its legitimacy as a forum descends directly from the medieval royal court.

Doctor Syntax Silver badge

"Rarely a good thing to tell judges what they can and cannot do"

When a case goes to appeal the issue is usually a point of law and the role of counsel is to present arguments about what legal principles the lower courts should have applied. In this case one of the issues was about the rights of courts over a particular aspect of prerogative. It would be one where the court itself expected such arguments to be presented. It's a subtle difference between telling the court and presenting an argument. If you read the judgement it discusses areas of prerogative where the court can and can't intervene.

Boffins build a tiny nanolaser that can be inserted inside our cells

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That would be ironic.

Why do cloud leaks keep happening? Because no one has a clue how their instances are configured

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"collectively should have served as a wake-up call."

Wake-up calls are more likely to be individual than collective.

Serverless neither magically faster nor cheaper, dev laments

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Elastic Beanstalk? For a brief moment I thought this was another example of el Reg's inventive vocabulary*, but no. What have we come to?

* OK, piss taking.

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