Slashdot Mirror


User: john.wingfield

john.wingfield's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
39
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 39

  1. Sounds familiar on Meet "Ophelia," Dell's Plan To Reinvent Itself · · Score: 1

    I already have a device that I carry around with me that runs on Android and can connect to an OS in the cloud. A couple of tweaks from the manufacturer and future models could have proper USB and HDMI. Oh, and it’s got a really handy “phone call” function too.

  2. It works on Ask Slashdot: To AdBlock Or Not To AdBlock? · · Score: 1

    The fact is that advertising works, and on-line advertising works best. It's true that for some people, constant bombardment through on-line ads detracts from brand perception, so you probably don't mind that those people block your ads. From a business perspective you want to reach each person just the right amount, and they will certainly play a role in deciding what the amount is.

  3. If QR codes can't be trusted... on Malicious QR Code Use On the Rise · · Score: 1

    how do we protect unsuspecting users from QR codes, where you can't see the destination

    ... tell people not to scan them.

  4. Re:I don't see the point on FSF Suggests That Google Free Gmail Javascript · · Score: 1

    ... but what about chat logs, mail I send, tags, contacts, etc. and a bunch of other meta data that isn't just the mail? Can I backup all that? And even more importantly: Can I actually restore it? If GMail decides to delete my account tomorrow, can I open a new one and restore my backup into the new account?

    Yes, except the tags. Very easily.

  5. Re: Not in England on UK Government Wants to Spring Ahead Two Hours · · Score: 1

    "United Kingdom" (a country) "England" (a province)

    Slashdot removed my less than/greater than sign...

    "United Kingdom" (a country) is not equal to "England" (a province)

  6. Not in England on UK Government Wants to Spring Ahead Two Hours · · Score: 1

    "United Kingdom" (a country) "England" (a province)

  7. Re:Horrible name on OpenOffice.org Declares Independence From Oracle, Becomes LibreOffice · · Score: 1

    Amazing the number of xenophobic comments on this thread, if only in jest. Adoption in the US isn't any more important than in the rest of the world. In fact, given the market penetration of Microsoft Office in "western" countries, the biggest potential market is going to be in developing countries. I'd also remind readers that OpenOffice.org began as StarOffice from Star Division, a German company.

  8. Customisation cycles take too long on Will Android Flavors Spoil the Platform? · · Score: 1

    Android 2.2 was released in May 2010 just after the launch of the HTC Desire in the UK. It took HTC until July to customise Android 2.2 for the HTC Desire, and we are told that T-Mobile UK will finish their layer of tinkering later this month (September). That's over four months to apply branding and load customised apps. With Android 3.0 promised in Q4 (from October), it look's like we'll be a whole version behind. Again.

  9. Data Protection Act 1998 on Schools, Filtering Companies Blocking Google SSL · · Score: 1

    At first face, there is no issue with the Data Protection Act 1998: the computer and network belongs to the school (or university) and there is no "right of access" to the Internet. The situation might be different if staff or students were obliged to use the school's computers to access certain resources that required the sharing of personal data. Examples might be registration or HR systems run by a third party. The seventh data protection principle requires that:

    "Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data."

    The Act goes on to say that:

    "Having regard to the state of technological development and the cost of implementing any measures, the measures must ensure a level of security appropriate to... the harm that might result from such unauthorised or unlawful processing or accidental loss, destruction or damage as are mentioned in the seventh principle..."

    The usual interpretation of this requirement with respect to web traffic is that HTTPS/SSL is required for the transmission of personal data. In fact, this has been an explicit requirement for public authorities in the UK since the high profile loss of data by HM Revenue & Customs in 2007.

    Therefore, in the specific circumstance where a public authority required the sharing of personal data electronically by its staff or clients, it is likely that blocking HTTPS/SSL would lead to a breach of the Act.

  10. A third music mark-up language? on Beautifully Rendered Music Notation With HTML5 · · Score: 3, Informative

    We already have MusicXML and TeX/LilyPond for music mark-up. I'm not sure what benefit there is in a completely new mark-up language. However, an open-source web rendering tool for these languages would be extremely useful.

  11. Maths is essential on Math Skills For Programmers — Necessary Or Not? · · Score: 1

    There are two very important parts of computer programming: the ability to follow a logical process; and the ability understand maths well, to at least high school level. The first enables you to write a program that flows and the second means that you will be able to work with (e.g.) arrays without creating overflows. Put simply, computer science is a branch of applied maths.

  12. Re:90 percent? on Humans Continue To Be "Weak Link" In Data Security · · Score: 1

    I meant "the other 10 percent".

  13. 90 percent? on Humans Continue To Be "Weak Link" In Data Security · · Score: 1

    Reported to whom? Internally or externally?

    If this is meant to be a statement that only 90 percent of companies have lost a laptop then the other 1 percent are lying. Loss is one thing, reporting is quite another matter.

  14. Re:Suspicious on UK Politician Criticised For Using Hotmail · · Score: 1

    Quite right. How much would it cost him to register jackstrawmp.org.uk?

  15. Re:How Many People Even Use Chrome? on The Future of Google Chrome · · Score: 1

    But isn't it nice to have the choice? For a while back in the browser dark ages, on Windows you had a choice of bloated Netscape Communicator and broken Internet Explorer.

  16. Re:annoyed on The Future of Google Chrome · · Score: 4, Insightful

    To be fair, we've butchered Latin as well as German.

  17. Re:annoyed on The Future of Google Chrome · · Score: 1

    It's a *pair* of trousers. I can't recall ever seeing anyone wearing just the one trouser, mind.

  18. Re:Now can we all please just shut up about it? on Vista SP1 Released to Manufacturing · · Score: 1

    What do you mean by agnostic? I can only assume you mean that you don't understand the benefits of different operating systems. Unusual for slashdot reader!

  19. Re: Vista Startup Sound to be Mandatory? on Vista Startup Sound to be Mandatory? · · Score: 1

    Surely this is not a problem for /. readers? Just rename or remove the .wav file.

  20. Re:GNU/Linux? on A Mind Map of Linux Distributions · · Score: 1

    GNU/Linux distributions are based on the Linux kernel. BSD distributions are based on the BSD kernel. For completeness, GNU/Hurd distributions are based on the GNU Hurd kernel.

  21. Re:Looks very nice on ThinkFree Online Review · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm sure if you put both Microsoft Office and ThinkFree in front of a user (the secretary/receptionist where you work, for instance), they wouldn't even be able to tell the difference.

    How sure? They work in fundamentally different ways. You're either saying that secretaries are so dumb that they wouldn't notice the difference between one "complicated" piece of software and another, or you're saying that they don't use the software in enough depth to be able to tell the difference. I think either argument is seriously off the mark.

    Secretaries and PAs are your core users. If the software they use isn't up to scratch, you would soon know about it!

  22. Re:Yessh.. on Britons Unconvinced on Evolution · · Score: 1

    No. The big bang theory states that nothing exploded into matter and anti-matter in equal proportions. The difficult thing to explain is why there is now less antimatter than matter.

    Nothing within this universe existed before the big bang; time began at the big bang. Things outside the universe may exist but we can never know about those, just as they can never know about us. If there was a "creator", all it did was light the fuse. The rest was random and not controllable. Of course, a creator could have lit the fuses for many such universes. There is nothing special about the random existence of this universe just as there is nothing special about our own random existance within it. It exists and so do we. Let's enjoy it while that's still the case.

  23. Re: Extinct Wildflower Found In California on Extinct Wildflower Found In California · · Score: 0

    Extinct practice of electing actors to be politicians found in California.

  24. Re:Prescott? Surely Not ! on Intel Begins Shipping 64-bit Prescotts · · Score: 1

    The Blunkett chip would require a full set of fingerprints and an iris scan before it would allow the computer to boot. It would then log all of your activities and transmit this information to a central location where it would be held indefinitely. An additional processor would be required for visual output.

  25. Re:Prescott? Surely Not ! on Intel Begins Shipping 64-bit Prescotts · · Score: 1

    Exactly. So what a wonderful opportunity this is to upgrade to a 64-bit Prescott from the 2-bit version we have now.