Posts by JohnFen

Re: I will not use this

How will I not always have a choice? The worst that could happen is that the bulk of the web will be unacceptable for my use, but honestly, that's already true.

"I do not have any "web apps" installed on my devices nor will I have any in future"

Yes, I'm in this camp. Web apps are inferior and present far more difficult security problems.

Re: No Chrome,...

"What are we users to do?"

I'm already resigned to the fact that it's likely that the web will become unacceptable for me to use at all in the next several years.

Re: No Chrome,...

"Is there hundreds or even dozens of any program?"

For most types of programs, there are indeed dozens.

Re: "Managing Customer Expectations"

I do. We use it often where I work. But what we mean by that is "make sure the customer isn't expecting more than we can deliver".

Re: One Not-As-Rich-as-Bill-Gates Loser Called Larry Ellison

"Wouldn't surprise me if he was proud of it"

Most assholes are proud of being assholes.

Re: At a Loss For Words

Since Trump lost the popular vote, I think it's hard to say that he was elected democratically. He was elected by the electoral college, which is more of a republic sort of thing.

Re: Not surprising

Hmm, I chose the word in an attempt to speak truth through snark. But I guess I didn't snark hard enough!

Nobody will step out and ask to see your papers. They won't have to, because you'll already have been surveilled within an inch of your life. That's the entire point.

Yes, so what?

Re: Not surprising

Well, "against" was my word, not theirs. But your underlying point is well-taken nonetheless.

Re: HTML local storage hole - GDPR fails?

I'm not saying it doesn't have legitimate uses. All of the things that were added to HTML5 have legitimate uses, even the aspects that I find objectionable.

Re: HTML local storage hole - GDPR fails?

"Well, now, we have official 'super-cookies' -- html5 local storage can be used not just as a super cache, but to store data that javascript can read and send back to the server.... aka super-cookies."

Indeed. This is one of the many things that are part of HTML5 that make me truly despise HTML5.

Re: why it works

Yes, this. It's a mistake to confuse resignation with not caring.

Re: tracker tax

"Last but not least, the younger generations don't really feel concerned"

My observation is that the younger generations tend to be more concerned than the older generations. However, they're also more transactional, and are willing to trade personal data for services under the right circumstances. Their concern is not necessarily total privacy, but that they want to have control over who gets the data and who doesn't.

Re: "The problem is complex"

The problem with that is that when you put a tax on something, you've legitimized it. Tracking people without their informed consent shouldn't be legitimized, it should be very illegal.

Re: Isn't this also usually followed by...

Eh, this is a matter of taste. I have used Notepad++ in the way you're talking about, and it's OK, but I prefer other solutions.

Re: Isn't this also usually followed by...

Notepad++ is clearly good for lots of people, and it is well-implemented.

For me, though, it falls in a weird "in-between" place that doesn't really do me much good. It's too featureful to serve as a replacement for what I use Notepad for, and it's not featureful enough to serve as a replacement for the full-fat text editor I use for larger jobs.

Re: A good u-turn

"Problem with the store is that not everyone has access to it."

The other problem with the store is that it's simply unacceptable for a lot of people. I know that I'd never install anything from it, and I know lots of other people who feel the same way.

Re: Levying fines is hard

All of the times the FCC technically levied fines on domestic companies, but never bothered to actually collect them, indicates that they aren't interested in mitigating the bad behavior of US telecoms.

It's also not really necessary to chase after international robocalls. It would be effective to require domestic telecoms to put mitigations into place, and fine them if they aren't making a good faith effort (which is the approach the legislation appears to be taking). It wouldn't eliminate robocalls, but it could reduce them enough to make it possible to start answering the phone again.

Re: Biassed much?

"So, the question might be, if GitHub and, by extension Microsoft, isn't going to care about git, then who is?"

Everyone who uses git, maybe? There are a lot more people using git than are using GitHub.

Re: product-specific compilers, product-specific SCMs...

"These days, I explicit block..."

The insane trend for software to phone home has made me even more strict with my firewall rules. All outgoing traffic is blocked by default, and I selectively allow programs to talk in a restricted way if needed, on a case by case basis.

Re: "GitHub has to be both independent and neutral"

"Personally, I do not understand what made them accept being bought. [...] GitHub was not in need of money, so it's just basic greed that made them sell out."

So then, you really do understand what made them accept being bought.

Re: Boy genius

Indeed. And, as much as people don't like to admit it, success is also more about luck than hard work. Perseverance and hard work are needed, of course, because you have to keep trying in order to catch the lucky break.

That is an entirely valid and rational stance.

When considering the adoption of any technology, the key question to ask is: will this cost me less (in terms of time, money, hassle, etc.) than the benefit I'll get? Excluding the people who enjoy this sort of things as a kind of hobby (which is a valid benefit), I don't see that the cost/benefit ratio is favorable for the vast majority.

Re: SMS

I can do this with my homebrew automation system. I can text my home and get status reports and snapshots from cameras, as well as send commands to change things. It's true that SMS is not really secure, but I have some protection: when I text my home, I need to include a password that is computed based on the time of day. If the password is wrong, then the text is ignored.

Although I can't say as I really use that functionality, so I should disable it. 99% of the time, my portable devices are hooked into my home's VPN anyway, so I can just talk directly with my automation server.