Posts by Doctor Syntax

Re: only the driver – be it the vehicle or person – is accountable

Human drivers are all different. That's why they're tested individually. The automated drivers for the same model of car should be all alike. If they're not there's an even bigger problem - how to certify the model.

Re: 38,000 new skilled jobs

"Where do they get these arbitrary numbers from?"

Sitting round a table shouting out numbers until someone says "That sounds about right.".

Re: 1985

Technical illiteracy is no block on her intentions. Quite the opposite, I think.

"They'll be a personal transport unit that you hire or rent."

So on Monday morning you'll rent or hire the unit that took last night's party of drunks home? I doubt it.

Re: only the driver – be it the vehicle or person – is accountable

"is it then forbidden to move"

If the software is common to all the vehicles of that type then presumably the ban should apply to all of them.

Re: £42 billion and 38,000 skilled jobs

I was thinking more about the 2035 target date. Safely in the future - nobody in government today will be there to be held to it, even if anyone remembers.

Specifically written for the target audience.

Re: Excellent!

"This is so that metrics can be gathered accurately for future forecasting, and so I don't mind too much."

Is this really accuracy or empty precision? The two are frequently confused.

Is it time to reanimate the probable urgent legend about DEC being asked for a copy of VMS back in the 1980s, the big bang, etc? DEC asked why someone wanted to buy a copy of VMS without buying hardware. The answer - they had found a MicroVax in a skip.

Re: Sounds vaguely familiar...

Nice one, but how do ceiling panels and trunking go EOL? I can envisage trunking having had its contents stripped out but I'd just regard it as being in wait for its next occupant.

Re: Excellent!

My boss at the time who, despite being an accountant, was quite reasonable, was having a dispute with one of the unreasonable accountants*. His exasperation surfaced as "This business has a surplus of accountants!". Ever since I've regarded that as the correct collective noun.

* I sometimes described this one as going into cannon mode. His first reaction to any problem was to want to fire someone.

"And that external drives are a great option for storing data if you don't want to entrust it all to cloudy services."

That sounds reasonable, at least as a backup.

Re: I was gonna say...

What would raise eyebrows would be comparing the spec of the laptop with that of servers one which we used in the past to support the database and the applications served over terminals to multiple users. A Pi will have more memory than those old boxes did. These days it's not the basic task that's the problem, it's the bloat.

Re: *Placed*

Hmm how do you *place* that memory? Hmm blue-tac? tape? superglue?

1. Find a dictionary.

2. Look up the many definitions of "place.

Re: Insult to injury

I don't know what's happening to the el Reg commentariat these days.

All he has to do is put in an appropriately sized expense claim for secure disposal of redundant IT equipment.

Re: 8GB is plenty if your walled garden is small enough

"My personal server"

I'm not sure what sort of form factor your personal server is running on but most people don't chose a laptop for that purpose. And for a many people's requirements a personal server may well be NextCloud on a Pi.

Re: Must, not, say

"Feeling old yet?"

All too often.

Re: Dumb Project

Agreed. I can't avoid thinking if it's a car it should be driven by its wheels.

His dad should be able to provide some sponsorship.

"Repeat after me: An untested backup is a worthless backup."

Also repeat after me: Cloud is just somebody else's computer data centre and they control it.