* Posts by HieronymusBloggs

408 publicly visible posts • joined 27 Oct 2015

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If we're in a simulation, someone hit it with a hammer, please: Milky Way spews up to 100 MEELLLION black holes

HieronymusBloggs

Re: No, they are a quick way to become tall and thin

"Spaghettification"

Maybe the Pastafarians are on to something.

NotBeingPetya: UK critical infrastructure firms face huge fines for lax security

HieronymusBloggs

Re: ...could be fined as much as £17m of 4 per cent of global turnover...

"shouldn't the 'of' be an 'or' "

It is 'or' according to other reports I've seen.

UK waves £45m cheque, charges scientists with battery tech boffinry

HieronymusBloggs

Re: Supercapacitors...

"today’s upper average supercapacitor can get around 28 Wh/kg"

How far a day could you drive on that?

iRobot just banked a fat profit. And it knows how to make more: Sharing maps of your homes

HieronymusBloggs

Re: Pinocchio

"Benjamin Franklin once said (paraphrasing) 'any society that would give up a little security to gain a little freedom will deserve neither and lose both'."

Franklin actually said the opposite, ie. "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." The inverted version is quite apt here though.

Why you'll never make really big money as an AI dev

HieronymusBloggs

"my dad invited expert systems".

...but they were late to the party.

FreeRADIUS fragged by fuzzer – by invitation – and fifteen fails found

HieronymusBloggs

Re: @AC C is an excellent language for security...

"then comes a fuzzer and finds fifteen bugs in a few hours."

So a useful tool exists for improving the security of C code.

HieronymusBloggs

"There's a whole OS (redox?) coming along nicely, with a kernel written in RUST. The speed with which it's been written is pretty impressive."

How about the speed it runs at?

Linus Torvalds may have damned systemd with faint praise

HieronymusBloggs

Re: no systemd here

"So what happens if there's only ONE way to fix something AND it REQUIRES breaking everything?"

You "fix" it on your own systems and leave everyone else alone.

HieronymusBloggs

Re: How to get rid of systemd on Debian.

"uncaught changes to udev in the run-up to Stretch"

This is not looking good. I'm still on Debian 8 with sysvinit-core and haven't had too many problems (I don't use a heavyweight DE, and tend to use CLI programs for CD/DVD burning etc.). I've been putting off trying Debian 9 but depending on the outcome when I do get round to it, it could mean a parting of ways for Debian and me. A pity after 18 years.

HieronymusBloggs

Re: no systemd here

"explain busybox"

https://git.busybox.net/busybox

HieronymusBloggs

Re: He works for RedHat

"haters are going to carry on hating."

If my own observations mean anything you're describing a small but vocal subset of those who don't want to use systemd. A larger number have valid technical and/or practical reasons for not liking it.

Nearly three-quarters of convicted TV Licence non-payers are women

HieronymusBloggs

Re: See me...

"Sorry; that's a very basic error."

It's a dreddful error.

Kerberos bypass, login theft bug slain by Microsoft, Linux slingers

HieronymusBloggs

Re: Many eyes!

"But all looking at pr0n..."

There's that echo again.

Create a user called '0day', get bonus root privs – thanks, Systemd!

HieronymusBloggs

Re: Where are they?

"We're waiting for one of you drooling systemd haters"

Sorry, but I'm not a systemd hater. I just choose not to use it.

Your post is quite interesting. You imply that you are a fan of systemd, but obviously despise the operating system it runs on. Cognitive dissonance?

HieronymusBloggs

Where are they?

There seems to be a distinct lack of posts from angry systemd defenders in this thread. I wonder why.

Microsoft boasted it had rebuilt Skype 'from the ground up'. Instead, it should have buried it

HieronymusBloggs
Joke

Modern Day Professional

I don't know what everyone's complaining about. We live in a world where the most powerful leader in the western hemisphere makes official policy announcements via Twitter. The new Skype is modern day professional.

Feelin' safe and snug on Linux while the Windows world burns? Stop that

HieronymusBloggs

Market share? What market?

What "market" is he talking about? Not everyone buys their software through commercial sales channels. The figure of 12% for non-MS servers looks bogus. Did they use OS-fingerprinting to arrive at that figure? If not I'd be interested to find out what methodology they actually used.

GnuPG crypto library cracked, look for patches

HieronymusBloggs

Re: It's important that it's been fixed..

"WebAssembly has NOTHING to do with executing code on your processor"

Doesn't sound very useful.

Fresh cotton underpants fix series of mysterious mainframe crashes

HieronymusBloggs

Re: Don't give me no static ...

"someone thought aluminium, being metal, was also safe"

It probably would have been if it wasn't attached to polyethylene foam insulation. PE is chemically similar to paraffin wax, and even if mixed with flame retardent will still burn very efficiently given the right conditions. The building was effectively a giant candle.

Don't panic, but Linux's Systemd can be pwned via an evil DNS query

HieronymusBloggs
Joke

Re: If THIS isn't a reason to hate systemd...

"Yet another rant fuelled by ignorance."

I'm sick of all the unfounded FUD about systemd from the haters and luddites on this forum. Oh, wait...

HieronymusBloggs

Re: If THIS isn't a reason to hate systemd...

"the real problem here is coding in a language that allows overruns to happen, isn't it?"

The real problem behind the popular opinion you have repeated here is young programmers who learned to program in languages that handle memory management for them, and consequently have not developed the mental discipline necessary to do it themselves.

US engineer in the clink for wrecking ex-bosses' smart meter radio masts with Pink Floyd lyrics

HieronymusBloggs

Re: Well, at least he has good taste in music

Careful with that access, Eugene.

Canadian sniper makes kill shot at distance of 3.5 KILOMETRES

HieronymusBloggs

Re: Am I missing something?

"If the bullet followed a ballistic path and was in the air for 9.7s, using s = 0.5at**2 it would rise and then fall ~115m wouldn't it? What am I missing here?"

Air resistance?

Hotheaded Brussels civil servants issued with cool warning: Leak

HieronymusBloggs

"Does Guinness count as a light or heavy meal?"

That depends on the number of courses.

Stack Clash flaws blow local root holes in loads of top Linux programs

HieronymusBloggs

Re: Why am I not surprised to see sudo there?

"Agreed! The last thing Linux needs is to be easy to configure, then all sorts of plebs will start using it."

Sarcasm aside, you made a valid point here. I find the more "desktop user friendly" Linux gets, the harder it becomes to set up a server or workstation the way I want it. For many long-term users, Linux is a victim of its own success in this regard.

Software dev bombshell: Programmers who use spaces earn MORE than those who use tabs

HieronymusBloggs

Re: Just let the IDE do it.

"Costs zero time or effort."

So abandoning vi, then installing and learning an IDE will cost me zero time or effort?

Who will save us from voice recog foolery from scumbags? Magnetometer!

HieronymusBloggs

Re: Not sure the hate is deserved

"Most bike locks are completely useless against someone equipped with a £20 set of bolt cutters, but they're still very good at preventing theft because most people aren't wandering around carrying bolt cutters"

Cracking people's bank accounts is probably more lucrative than stealing bikes. Defeating the "easy" methods will not solve the problem. No serious criminal would give up so easily.

Shoebox-sized satellites made by civs win trip on NASA's newest rocket

HieronymusBloggs

"Is there a word for that sinking feeling boffins get when they find a small box of electronics where their new shoes should be, the day after the launch?"

Two words: sole destroying.

Whisky snobs scotched by artificial tongue

HieronymusBloggs

Re: waste of a taste

"You sir are a disgrace to your father-in-law."

Shurely shome mishtake. I think you might need to read that post again.

Init freedom declared as systemd-free Devuan hits stable 1.0.0 status

HieronymusBloggs

Re: If you want to know what's wrong with systemd, try other bits from the same stable

"also hostnamectl is the agreed replacement for "lsb_release -a" "

Agreed by whom? None of my Linux systems have (or ever have had) the lsb_release command. Guess I didn't get the memo.

HieronymusBloggs

Re: No - systemd doesn't offend me

"I'm sick of the systemd crap people post online, out of 1000's of posts I have seen maybe 1 or 2 issues that were genuine issues with systemd"

Presumably those "1000's" of posts were somewhere else on the internet. Most of the posts about systemd problems on this forum have been from experienced people who certainly don't need to be given a "dummy's guide" to how to write a unit file. It's Friday. Calm down and have a beer.

How to remote hijack computers using Intel's insecure chips: Just use an empty login string

HieronymusBloggs

Re: noob or arrogant...

"No, it's C fault the lack of a string type with proper operators"

Blaming C here is like blaming a hammer for hitting your thumb.

HieronymusBloggs

Re: noob or arrogant...

"Come off it, everyone who has ever written software has done something like this"

Sure, but it's disappointing that their system for reviewing code before it makes it into firmware didn't catch such an obvious mistake. Human error happens, but the review process should be designed to cope with that.

systemd-free Devuan Linux hits RC2

HieronymusBloggs

Re: Most of the complaints about it...

"... are because those sysadmin need to learn something new"

My complaint isn't about learning something new, it's about being expected to learn something I consider technically inferior. I don't hate or fear systemd. I have just chosen, after research and testing, not to use it. If it becomes unavoidable on Linux I'll switch to *BSD. I can't understand why that generates such disapproval. My systems are mine. Use what you like on yours.

HieronymusBloggs

"they didn't yet manage to demonstrate a single compelling technical reason to make anyone follow their luddism."

They have not yet managed to demonstrate a single technical reason comprehensible by certain participants in this thread. That's no loss IMO. Why do you assume that anyone would want others to "follow" them? That seems quite a strange perspective to me.

A reminder of history: the Luddites broke things to make their point. That is occurring now, but not by the people you think.

HieronymusBloggs

"Show me one of these "rational and legitimate reasons" that I've responded to that you consider my response was unfair please."

This and other threads have plenty of examples. You've ignored them. Not only that, you repeatedly dismiss the concerns of experienced people who have to run reliable systems to get their jobs done. What makes the opinion of a small group of developers following the corporate agenda of their employer more valid than those of numerous experienced sysadmins and independent developers?

This isn't the black-and-white issue you seem to think it is. If someone wants to use systemd good luck to them. Just don't try to force me to use it.

HieronymusBloggs

Re: It's fascinating that Linux now has the same problem as Windows

"A compiler translates one into the other and there's no reason at all why the compiler cannot compile a local variant of a programming language (eg АЛГОЛ 68) in exactly the same way that a local variant of a configuration file can be compiled into a culturally-independent one."

How would you apply this to a multi-national collaboration like the Linux kernel (or any other large FOSS project for that matter)? Sometimes a lingua franca is the only practical solution.

HieronymusBloggs

"So your argument against systemd boils down to slackware."

Classic straw man. If you bothered to read jake's posts you would see he has several valid arguments against systemd. Slackware is merely his chosen method of systemd avoidance (and a sensible one given long term experience with the distro).

Don't mind me though, your debating style is doing the anti-systemd crowd a lot of favours.

HieronymusBloggs

"No, it's a statement of someone who's bothered to read about systemd, use it, and has the ability to type"

DrXym, what makes you think that doesn't also apply to those here who don't want systemd on their systems? You keep ignoring rational and legitimate reasons for not using it, and banging on about how "ignorant" everyone who has reservations about systemd is. Is adult discussion really that difficult?

HieronymusBloggs

Re: It's fascinating that Linux now has the same problem as Windows

"If you want text files in addition to or instead of binary it is a simple matter of reading the man page to enable them if you so desire."

The problem if you don't want binary logging is that it can't be removed, only redirected. Corrections welcome if I'm wrong.

HieronymusBloggs

"People moaning about systemd are acting like conspiracy theorists parroting the same debunked nonsense over and over again"

Two questions:

1 - Do you own a mirror?

2 - Are you a Red Hat employee?

HieronymusBloggs

It's software, not a fashion statement

"modern software requires modern solutions which is something rabid luddites don't seem to understand."

See title. Something inexperienced people who can't see past the latest shiny distraction don't seem to understand.

You only need 60 bytes to hose Linux's rpcbind

HieronymusBloggs

Re: Many eyes...

"But all looking at pr0n!"

That echo is going on for a long time.

Fortran greybeards: Get your walking frames and shuffle over to NASA

HieronymusBloggs
Joke

re: CODGER

I think they should get a PFY to recode it in Python so it runs 10x slower and then tell them to get a faster supercomputer. That's the "modern" solution isn't it?

Linux kernel security gurus Grsecurity oust freeloaders from castle

HieronymusBloggs

"If anyone releases products with a GPLv2 kernel they are *obliged* under the terms of the GPL to make source code available to those they sell the products to."

They are not obliged to provide you with new versions if you break the terms of the commercial agreement however. That agreement is orthogonal to the license.

systemd-free Devuan Linux hits version 1.0.0

HieronymusBloggs

Re: geez, the ignorance about systemd here is astounding (rtfazeberdee)

"some people came charging along to shout about the bug after it was fixed"

True. The bug itself illustrates the developers' disdain for (and ignorance of) POSIX standards, however. That's enough on its own to make me reluctant to use systemd, regardless of other problems.

HieronymusBloggs

Re: geez, the ignorance about systemd here is astounding

"No, they're outnumbered by a lot of whining, a handful of anecdotes..."

One person's "anecdote" is another's practical experience.

"If you have a specific problem, go look up your problem on superuser.com or a similar site..."

Some on this forum might consider such advice patronising.

"It's funny how for all the people whining about systemd Red Hat and other major dists manage to use it without the world collapsing around them."

Not funny at all. Those people have made their own decisions about their own systems. I've made mine. I don't see why anyone would have a problem with that.

HieronymusBloggs

Re: They missed a trick

"You can turn off the storage in journald by adding Storage=none to the conf file and it logs nothing. Set a flag and it sends the text to someplace else if you like or the console. It isn't as though logging takes much resources in the first place though."

I've had a system hang due to journald generating absurd amounts of data. It was fixable, but that's not the point. I don't want that data generated in the first place.

"It's just an example of the knee jerk reactions that people hate on it without bothering to check if supports what they're trying to do."

I don't hate systemd; I'm happy it exists for those who want to use it. I've made what I consider to be a sensible engineering decision to remove it from my own systems. Don't take it personally.

HieronymusBloggs

Re: They missed a trick

"You can have ASCII logging. A simple Google would show you how to set it up, assuming your dist doesn't already."

Unfortunately it doesn't tell me how to turn off binary logging, only mask it or redirect it to /dev/null. I don't want the extra processing overhead of generating a redundant set of logging data only to dispose of it.

The problem here isn't that alternatives can't be used, but that a lot of the stuff built into systemd can't be _removed_ .

HieronymusBloggs

Re: Why not switch to FreeBSD?

"Hardware support stinks, especially for end users."

Hardware support for desktop/laptop systems isn't as good as in Linux, but I don't see it being a problem for most servers.

Judging by the number of commenters here who have problems with systemd (who I suspect represent the tip of quite a large iceberg) I expect *BSD use to increase substantially if it becomes impractical to avoid systemd on Linux. That should provide some incentive for better hardware support.

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