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User: JohnFen

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  1. Re:"universally" *koff koff* on Android O Is Now Officially Android Oreo (theverge.com) · · Score: 1

    Oreo is a biscuit of some sort, possibly synthetic in composition.

    Yes, and a mildly unpleasant one at that. Unless you do as I do: eat the creme filling and throw away the rest.

  2. Re:Stupid product names confuse users on Android O Is Now Officially Android Oreo (theverge.com) · · Score: 1

    I agree. This trend of using code names is a serious pain in the ass. Debian is a huge offender here.

    But I have a solution for you -- I google for (err, excuse me, search for) "what version is debian codename" and one of the first hits that comes up is the cheat sheet from the debian.org site.

    But it always pisses me off that it's necessary to do that. Just go with version numbers, people!

  3. Re:And then, we could just have an expiry date.... on Scientists Create Smart Labels To Tell You When To Throw Away Expired Food and Makeup (sciencemag.org) · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Actually, the ordinary person's sense of smell and taste is incredibly good at telling if food is inedibly spoiled.

    With only a tiny number of exceptions, if food smells OK and doesn't taste funny, it's safe.

  4. Re:And then, we could just have an expiry date.... on Scientists Create Smart Labels To Tell You When To Throw Away Expired Food and Makeup (sciencemag.org) · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Expiry dates don't really work. You can't know in advance when food is going to go bad, because it depends very, very heavily on things like the conditions under which it has been stored.

  5. I hope that it works out.

    Food expiration dates stamped on products right now are worthless. It would be handy to have some actual indication of food going bad.

    Of course, I already have a pretty sensitive device to detect food spoilage: my nose. It works with a high degree of accuracy.

  6. Re:Without replaceable batteries on postmarketOS Pursues A Linux-Based, LTS OS For Android Phones (liliputing.com) · · Score: 1

    This is the primary reason why I refuse to buy any phone that doesn't have a replaceable battery.

  7. Re:Pernicious spymachines on postmarketOS Pursues A Linux-Based, LTS OS For Android Phones (liliputing.com) · · Score: 1

    No use to you, obviously. But personally, I find it very useful to have a powerful computer with me everywhere I go.

  8. Re:Re-inventing the wheel, again and again and ... on postmarketOS Pursues A Linux-Based, LTS OS For Android Phones (liliputing.com) · · Score: 1

    On the other hand, the start menu was garbage for PDAs.

    I agree, but I find it interesting that the resurgence of touch interfaces has brought the Start Menu back in a modified form. Now we call it the "hamburger menu".

  9. Re:Where are the security trolls? on Bug In Lowe's Site Sold Goods For Free. Couple Arrested For Exploiting It (bleepingcomputer.com) · · Score: 1

    How does that work in the States?

    I think it depends on what state you're in. In my state, anyway, if you encounter a systems flaw (it doesn't have to be a computer-based one) that lets you get deals that an ordinary person can see aren't intended, and you take advantage of that, you're engaging in theft.

  10. Re:Cord replacement != cord cutting on Cord-Cutting Still Doesn't Beat the Cable Bundle (wired.com) · · Score: 1

    Because this is the way the cable industry thinks.

    It never seriously occurred to me that the cable industry actually thinks that way. I simply assumed they were trying to play the public for fools. But what you say does make a lot of sense.

    And they're trying to play the public for fools.

  11. Re:Disingenuous Comparison on Cord-Cutting Still Doesn't Beat the Cable Bundle (wired.com) · · Score: 1

    Don't forget about free local channels via OTA antenna, which is a very good option for anyone in a (sub)urban area.

    Not in every suburban area. I've lived in two suburban and one urban area since the digital switchover, and in one of the suburban areas and in the urban area, you could get one station most days (two on good days). In the other suburban area, you could get 2 all the time.

    Digital coverage seems to be incredibly inconsistent. Some areas get excellent service, others get none.

  12. Re:Crash Reports? Seriously :-( on Plex Responds, Will Allow Users To Opt Out Of Data Collection (www.plex.tv) · · Score: 1

    I would call that an "opt-in" system, personally, because your software is not defaulting to reporting.

    So, may I say... kudos to you and your team!

  13. More so now than ever on Does the World Need Polymaths? (bbc.com) · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The value of specialization is obvious to most people, but it seems that somewhere along the line people stopped thinking of the value that generalists bring.

    Aside from general utility (the reason that you are more likely to carry a multitool with you than carrying a knife, even though the knife is much better at knifing), there is a more important thing:

    Generalists are better able to see interconnections between disciplines, and how to leverage them.

  14. Re:"search up" on Supreme Court Asked To Nullify the Google Trademark (arstechnica.com) · · Score: 1

    Excellent point.

    It also bothers me a bit when people say they're "searching the internet" and then use Google (or other such search engines) where they aren't so much "searching the internet" as they as "searching the web".

  15. Re:Google means search with google on Supreme Court Asked To Nullify the Google Trademark (arstechnica.com) · · Score: 1

    When they say they are going to google something, they mean they are going to use google to search the internet.

    Except when they don't.

    I have seen people say they were googling something when they were using Bing or Siri.

  16. Re:Sigh on Cord-Cutting Still Doesn't Beat the Cable Bundle (wired.com) · · Score: 1

    Because they're shilling for cable companies and need to work the numbers in whatever way is required to show that you won't save money.

  17. Re:Inventives on Cord-Cutting Still Doesn't Beat the Cable Bundle (wired.com) · · Score: 1

    I technically subscribe to Cable TV because, at least in my area, it's $20 cheaper to get internet+cable TV than internet alone.

    The funny thing is that not only did I never hook the cable box up, I returned it to Comcast immediately to avoid paying the rental fee. So I couldn't actually watch it if I wanted to.

    But I can't for the life of me think of a reason I'd want to.

  18. Weird reasoning on Cord-Cutting Still Doesn't Beat the Cable Bundle (wired.com) · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That looks like Cable Company Math, talking about the number of channels per dollar.

    That doesn't at all reflect what I've observed people doing when they cut the cord. Most of the time, they realize that they may have a hundred channels for their money, but they only watch two or three of them (and usually only a couple of shows on each).

    On a per show cost, for those people, cable is crazy expensive, and it's really easy to bring that number down.

  19. Re:bullshit on Supreme Court Asked To Nullify the Google Trademark (arstechnica.com) · · Score: 1

    Except occasionally online, whenever I hear someone talking about searching on the internet, they say "google" regardless of whether they're actually using google or not.

    Even I do it: I use DuckDuckGo, but when I'm talking about searching for something I'll say I'm "googling" it.

    But none of this automatically means that Google should lose the trademark. There are places in the US that call all sodas "coke" even when they're not even colas, but Coke hasn't lost its trademark.

  20. In the US, format shifting is legal. That's why the companies pushed so hard to get anti-circumvention into the DMCA: they couldn't make format-shifting illegal, but they could make bypassing the access controls (which you need to do to format-shift) illegal all by itself.

  21. Re:Not everyone is on board with disposable phones on postmarketOS Pursues A Linux-Based, LTS OS For Android Phones (liliputing.com) · · Score: 1

    My next phone will either be a basic feature phone or maybe an iPhone.

    Just as a point of interest -- it's totally doable to have an Android phone that does not contain or use any Google apps whatsoever, let alone phone home to the Google mothership.

  22. Re:Crash Reports? Seriously :-( on Plex Responds, Will Allow Users To Opt Out Of Data Collection (www.plex.tv) · · Score: 2

    I really hope that people don't opt out of reporting crashes and other anonymous usage data. Collecting and analyzing that sort of data ("telemetry" but that's a bad word here on /.) is an essential part of the software development lifecycle.

    Well, I think "essential" is overselling it. It's incredibly useful -- but excellent software of all sorts, simple and complex, managed to get produced and support before such reporting was even possible. It still can.

    It would be best to show enough respect for customers to make data collection and reporting opt-in rather than opt-out. That said, I am very pleased and want to praise you for at least allowing people to opt out.

  23. Re:Plex now trustful as Roomba and Microsoft on Plex Responds, Will Allow Users To Opt Out Of Data Collection (www.plex.tv) · · Score: 1

    It's sad to hear that one of the last trusted systems is now being lost to evil.

    What I think is really sad is that recent history shows that you cannot trust any software, no matter who produces it. All software must be treated as hostile until you can verify that it isn't.

    Saddest of all, this even includes open source software. The advantage of open source is still that you can examine and modify the code, though, so it's a little easier to verify whether or not it's safe or to fix it if it isn't.

  24. Re:Who?s Plex? on Plex Responds, Will Allow Users To Opt Out Of Data Collection (www.plex.tv) · · Score: 1

    And how do you know they will not collect your data?

    Proper firewall configuration.

  25. Re: Mobile phones on What Happened To Winamp? (arstechnica.com) · · Score: 1

    Plus, almost all of the software that automatically organizes them can also place them into your preferred directory structure.

    When I get new music, the effort required to properly tag and categorize it usually consists of clicking a button in an application. With very obscure music (my tastes seem to lead me to more of that than most people) that isn't in the databases, I may have to click a couple more buttons and maybe type in a string or two, but we're still talking, worst case, of about 5 minutes of work.

    Job done.