Entries for GoddersUK

Even Microsoft do not know the features or Windows Properly it seems... [Even Microsoft do not know the features or Windows Properly it seems...]

GoddersUK — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:32:06 GMT

From the official "Microsoft Windows" Facebook group:

http://www.facebook.com/windows?ref=nf#/posted.php?id=30968512668&share_id=328149250555&comments=1#s328149250555

To see the myth that "Hibernate" is not a zero power consumption (give or take whether your PSU and mobo actually power down completely) mode hurts so bad. Especialy when it's from people that should know better - Microsoft themselves...

Please replace the people in PR with people that actually know what they're talking about. Please, for the sake of my sanity.

in reply to Even Microsoft do not know the features or Windows Properly it seems...

What's up with this? [What's up with this?]

GoddersUK — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:46:29 GMT

I know Microsoft filter some URLs from messages, but seriously... filtering the URLs of one of their own offerings... that's meant to be part of the same line of products that are supposed to work together?

That's just epic fail....

in reply to What's up with this?

UK to disconnect "pirates" from the internet [UK to disconnect "pirates" from the internet]

GoddersUK — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:57:34 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8328820.stm

I guess it was inevitable but the UK government has now announced that it expects ISPs to spy on their users and then act as judge, jury and executioner by cutting them off when they start downloading all that "Ubuntu" from bit torrent.

I'm not quite sure how the government expects to force unwilling ISPs to do this and it seems that at least one (Talk Talk) intends to fight this in court if they're made to do it.

I guess this is what happens when you let the deparment for business have authority over the internet. In case you hadn't notice, government, the internet is neither a bussiness nor for bussiness nor provided by bussiness.

The internet can fight back and, I hope, it will. Not because I pirate but because I truly believe that the internet is none of the governments bussiness. IMHO the only thing the government should investigate/remove on the internet is child pr0n. I really believe that everything else should be up to the various organisations that wield "power" on the internet (such as ICANN) who are able to, and do, take action against the technical abilities and activities of criminals such as phishers and the conficker writers and where a "real world" crime (including filesharing) has been comitted they can notify the nesecary legal authorities. Why? Because governments around the world have repeatidly shown they are technically ignorant and don't know what can and can't be pragmatically enforced.

I really think that the internet is no more the business of the government than a conversation I hold with one of my friends is.

in reply to UK to disconnect "pirates" from the internet

INDECT [INDECT]

GoddersUK — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:49:16 GMT

INDECT is "

an EU-funded intelligence gathering system ("INDECT work package 4") designed to comb webblogs, chat sites, newsreports, and social-networking sites to inorder to build up automatic dossiers on individuals, organizations and their relationships.

http://88.80.13.160/wiki/EU_social_network_spy_system_brief%2C_INDECT_Work_Package_4%2C_2009

Now I don't have a problem with the security services using social networking etc. but this raises two main problems for me.

There is absolutely NO reason whatsoever for crawling social networks and building up automated dosiers. I don't trust the automation and I don't trust the security services with the information. We are still "innocent until proven guilty" are we not, technicaly even if not pragmaticaly. Forget police DNA databases etc., this could be even more invasive and all seeing.

Secondly I'd be concerend if inteligence services begin to rely too heavily on such systems that terrorists et al. would simply not use them and hence drop of the radar - making this database cost us freedom and liberty without achieving anything for us.

So yeah, thoughts?

in reply to INDECT

741 [741]

GoddersUK — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:14:35 GMT

Windows 7. Students. US. $30.

Launching internationaly soon.

Win741

All I can say Microsoft is great one! You may just have another Windows 7 customer on your hands :D

Hope all the other students here find this useful too. :)

http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windows7/archive/2009/09/17/student-offer-for-windows-7.aspx

http://www.win741.com/

EDIT: http://www.microsoft.com/uk/windows/studentoffer/default.aspx

in reply to 741

Windows Live Web Messenger... [Windows Live Web Messenger...]

GoddersUK — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:00:09 GMT

Has this been out a long time and I've missed it or have Microsoft finally decided to upgrade MSN Web messenger?

http://webim.sg.msn.com/

(note this is different to the IM function in WL People)

in reply to Windows Live Web Messenger...

An unexplained phenomenon [An unexplained phenomenon]

GoddersUK — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:01:57 GMT

http://www.google.co.uk/#q=unexplained+phenomenon&hl=en&ct=go_gle&oi=ddle&fp=7b0c7eda66a2283c

in reply to An unexplained phenomenon

Should Microsoft Apply the IE SmartScreen Filter to MSN messages. [Should Microsoft Apply the IE SmartScreen Filter to MSN messages.]

GoddersUK — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:36:31 GMT

After recieving, for the umpteenth time, a link from a friends compromised messenger account that directed me to a messenger password stealing/trojan downloding site an idea popped into my head.

I tend to report these site, when they're spammed to me, into IE, Firefox and Opera's Phishing/Malware filters (well FF only has phishing...) and I've noticed that a good number of times IE or Firefox (Opera less so, smaller userbase perhaps?) block accesss to these site as they've already been reported.

Hence I think the propagation of this crap would be greatly reduced if messenger passed all URLs sent through its SmartScreen Phising/Malware filter; removing those that were detected, replacing them with a message to that effect.

(I've already submitted this as feedback to the WLM team via the feedback link on the Windows Live site, I just wanted other people's opinion on the idea)

in reply to Should Microsoft Apply the IE SmartScreen Filter to MSN messages.

Poweroint 2010 to use DirectX [Poweroint 2010 to use DirectX]

GoddersUK — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:19:25 GMT

Yes, you read that right - PowerPoint will now render all presentations using DX and your GPU.

I'm really not convinced that this will hold any benefit for my presentations whatsoever, but just provide more crap for PowerPoint n00bs to abuse - we don't just get dodgy cash register and applause sounds with each side, followed by annoying animated GIFs and letter by letter text transitions - we can now have full 3D animation used destroy our sanity.

Another concern I have is what happens if you're trying to project on non-DX compliant hardware (I don't know if this exists, but it wouldn't surprise me if some netbooks have it). Are you relegated to Open Office?

That said some of the stuff that can be done with it does look pretty cool - check this teaser video - which, although it looks more like a video is actually a powerpoint presentation:

http://blogs.msdn.com/powerpoint/archive/2009/08/25/a-brand-new-slide-show.aspx

It really does seem to me that this is just adding technology for technologies sake (not that I have anything wrong with that in principle), with no tangible benefit.

So... overkill or not?

in reply to Poweroint 2010 to use DirectX

What are you reading? [What are you reading?]

GoddersUK — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:50:11 GMT

Thought it would be interesting to see what's on niners bookshelves at the moment, and perhaps pick up a few recomendations of good books along the way.

So, what are you reading? Fiction, non-fiction, technical or otherwise.

I'll start.

I've just finished the book "Do polar bears get lonely?" - a book of the weird and wonderful questions posed, and answered, by New Scientist readers around the globe. Contains loads of interesting little factlets - the kind of thing that comes up in discusions at lunch/down the pub/wherever. And it's great for dropping in and out of too - there's no need to read more than one question (and answers) or two at a time.

I'm now starting on the free ebook "Ubuntu Pocket Guide" - I'm hoping that this will give me a good basic grounding in Linux. All of what I've read so far I already know from poking about and general use, but I'm hoping this book will cover areas where my knowledge is thinner - such as the command prompt. What I've read so far is easy to read and clear to understand without being patronising. By and large the author manages to avoid the annoying I'm better than you because I use linux/Windows is bad because it's Windows etc sentiment that is rife among the linux community.

What are you reading?

EDIT: Woops my linked picture are trying to open in the pop out picture box thingy... the link for the ebook is http://ubuntupocketguide.com/index_main.html

in reply to What are you reading?

Microsoft's biggest failure for years... [Microsoft's biggest failure for years...]

GoddersUK — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:51:25 GMT

Could this be the new ME?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8221896.stm

in reply to Microsoft's biggest failure for years...

Browser ballot screen to be applied to all PCs (XP/Vista) (via WU?) [Browser ballot screen to be applied to all PCs (XP/Vista) (via WU?)]

GoddersUK — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:52:21 GMT

Wow, hadn't realised this before:

The consumer ballot screen is designed for existing Windows PCs too, not just new ones. If our proposal is accepted by the Commission, we will update Windows XP and Windows Vista machines throughout Europe with the consumer ballot screen. Once installed, the consumer ballot screen will work as described above—users with IE set as their default will be presented with the browser choices, others won’t.

Is this just not going to horribly confuse and annoy the many, many users who just don't know, or don't care, that much about this stuff. They'll try and get on the internet one day and instead of their homepage they'll see a screen that they just don't understand asking if they want to use some other crap they don't want to use. They just want to get on and visit their website.

EDIT: Source - http://microsoftontheissues.com/cs/blogs/mscorp/archive/2009/07/31/windows-7-and-browser-choice-in-europe.aspx

in reply to Browser ballot screen to be applied to all PCs (XP/Vista) (via WU?)

Is anyone monitoring the C8 forums for spam? [Is anyone monitoring the C8 forums for spam?]

GoddersUK — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:22:50 GMT

I have just been through and used the report as spam link, but I have no idea if anyone's sat on the other end of that or not...

in reply to Is anyone monitoring the C8 forums for spam?

For goodness sake Microsoft :( [For goodness sake Microsoft :(]

GoddersUK — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:12:55 GMT

I cried. I really did. What is the point? When will you get it?

in reply to For goodness sake Microsoft :(

(old news) Be (Demon>) sysadmins can view IWF CleanFeed list [(old news) Be (Demon>) sysadmins can view IWF CleanFeed list]

GoddersUK — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:51:31 GMT

Forgive me that this is old news, but I'd not come across it before and I thought that there may be people here to whom this would be of interest.

It appears that, using slightly less than offical methods, sysadmins at Be (or Demon? blog post says Demon, but looking at the forum postings looks like he's with Be?) can apparently view the IWFs secret blacklist.

I guess it's nice to know that some ISPs don't just do what they government say just because...

http://www.jaduncan.com/2009/02/demon-do-directly-view-iwf-list.html

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/7931/beforumpostxy0.png

in reply to (old news) Be (Demon>) sysadmins can view IWF CleanFeed list

Would (do) you pay for online news? [Would (do) you pay for online news?]

GoddersUK — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:05:52 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8188802.stm

Maybe things are different in countries that don't have such a strong level of public service broadcasting as we have in the UK but I never understand why anyone would by an online news subscription when you can get it all for free. Why would I pay for Times Online when I can just go to the BBC for free? Especialy when the content quality from people such as the BBC, Reuters and ITN is far, far higher than any of Murdoch's papers. Is this a realistic buisiness model? How does it fit with services such as wikinews?

But yeah, I'm interested in how many niners would consider, or do, pay(ing) for online news content and what you'd require if you were to pay for it.

in reply to Would (do) you pay for online news?

Why do people believe everything you tell them/ Idiots on YouTube [Why do people believe everything you tell them/ Idiots on YouTube]

GoddersUK — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 23:56:01 GMT

I was browsing the BBC earlier when I came across this - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8189231.stm

What shocked me was the fact that people actually take this crap seriously. Surely the more alarming/frightning/sensational a stastic appears to you the more likely you are to check it? What's happened to having a credible source for information? What happened to common sense? The statistics they (the BBC) quote from the video just seem untrue - why would you believe them without checking them? What happened to having to make propoganda and spin (BNPesque in this case) look like truth?

Why, oh why, don't we have an internet driving licence?

in reply to Why do people believe everything you tell them/ Idiots on YouTube

Installed my updates, installed them not? [Installed my updates, installed them not?]

GoddersUK — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:21:07 GMT

So check the image, are my updates installed, or are they not?

Can anyone tell me?

Thankees.

in reply to Installed my updates, installed them not?

You expect this to happen in China, not the UK... [You expect this to happen in China, not the UK...]

GoddersUK — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:48:04 GMT

The blog of a British policeman has been taken off the internet for, seemingly, no more reason other than that he critiscised the government. Are we begining to see an attempt of state control of the internet? Is the right to hold an opinion being eroded?

http://nightjack.wordpress.com/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8103731.stm

Then again should we be surprised after he's made posts such as this - http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:z0e2kGWBmkMJ:nightjack.wordpress.com/2008/06/08/secrets-and-lies/+http://nightjack.wordpress.com/&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

Post attached in Word file for when google reindexes as it ain't on the wayback machine...

in reply to You expect this to happen in China, not the UK...

Is UAC a security feature or not? [Is UAC a security feature or not?]

GoddersUK — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:26:10 GMT

Colour me confused, but in simple n00b language (yes or no :p) is UAC there to improve the security of my computing experience or not?

in reply to Is UAC a security feature or not?

How does an anti-virus company respond to this? [How does an anti-virus company respond to this?]

GoddersUK — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:22:47 GMT

Imagine you're an anti-virus company. How do you repsond to legitimate, state sanctioned, spyware installed on every computer in the country? Do you take the moral high ground and remove it, potentially getting yourself banned in a market consisting of 1/6th the world's population or do you keep the market and ignore the program?

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8091044.stm)

in reply to How does an anti-virus company respond to this?

Access to online services a "human right" [Access to online services a "human right"]

GoddersUK — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:15:30 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8093920.stm

French courts have blocked the countries "three-strikes" anti-piracy rules. Hopefully this will set a precedent for the rest of the world. I know the UK government has already says it considers internet access "as valuable as other utilities such as water and electricity".

Does this mean the end to the hopes of music etc. companies to get anyone using p2p (even, it seems, for legitimate reasons) cut from the web?

in reply to Access to online services a "human right"

UK proposes "technical solutions" to tackle online piracy [UK proposes "technical solutions" to tackle online piracy]

GoddersUK — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:51:58 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8083866.stm

In a moment of great clarity and openness the UK government have proposed using the explicity named "technical solutions" to tackle piracy.

The article hints this could involve traffic shaping but once again betrays the governments complete and utter failure to understand anything even remotely related to computers.

"We know that ISPs currently use a mix of technical solutions to manage traffic at peak times," he said. "The ISPs already have the technical infrastructure to implement this kind of stuff."

Aside from the fact that asking ISPs to implement "stuff" is unlikely to get the government very far (unless the ISPs can read minds) all the "stuff" that the ISPs currently have does is detect p2p traffic, it doesn't have a clue whether or not the traffic is actually legal or not. The government aren't going to make themselves popular shutting down p2p iptv or voip services. And what about those linux distros that we all know make the bulk of p2p traffic ;)

in reply to UK proposes "technical solutions" to tackle online piracy

Yet Another Bing Thread (YABT) (a review) [Yet Another Bing Thread (YABT) (a review)]

GoddersUK — Sun, 31 May 2009 12:46:02 GMT

I got my hands on a Bing preview code yesterday and I must say, I'm impressed. It provides better results than the current live search (an example of this (from Liveside) is that a search for Liveside on Live search takes you to a page on their site other than their homepage, while a search on Bing yields their homepage). Also awesome are the mouseover popups - done in such a way as to not be obtrusive or annoying while yielding useful information (I must admit I was queasy when I first found out about these, but now I've been able to try them I'm not).

Another feature that I love is that it seems to know what you're searching for (when you search for something on Google, Live Search, Yahoo! etc. it just searches for a series of words, Bing is different). An example of this is a search for "The Italian Job" - as well as just trawling the web for the phrase "The Italian Job" a series of film related options appears to the left of the search results. And, what's more, the search results are sorted into criteria such as "Quotes" "Reviews" and "Posters":

The video search results screen is also greatly improved - contrast:

All in all, great work Microsoft! Just one major issue: localisation: if I have my country set to UK instead of Bing shopping I get ciao!, I don't get the reliable medical information, I get multimap instead of Bing maps (I know at least maps is consistent with current Live Search), heck it even doesn't organise my "Italian Job" results in a nice, movie related way, like the US version does. I'm wandering if this is something to do with the fact that the UK localisation names itself "Bing Beta" while the US localisation names itself "Bing Preview" - but please Microsoft, don't deny your international customers all the coolness of Bing, please bring the international locations up to feature parity by launch. Thank you.

I'll now leave you with a few other screenshots :)

in reply to Yet Another Bing Thread (YABT) (a review)

European Elections [European Elections]

GoddersUK — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:41:10 GMT

Here's hoping I won't be disected for starting a thread about politics... but I thought it would be interesting to see what type of political alignments we have on c9 so those of you within the EU (and those without can too :)) get answering the questions... let's see where you stand: http://euprofiler.eu/

in reply to European Elections