...with HRMC's abandoned outsourcing deal with EDS? EDS owes HMRC £71 million, but EDS has so far only managed to pay back a
quarter of a million.
Could it further have anything to do with HMRC's £2bn replacement deal with CapGemini that
promptly tripled to £8bn?
Fleeing former Revenue employees are
not surprised. "Morale is non-existent. Mistakes happen continuously. Rooms full of unopened post are not uncommon. It doesn't matter if you make mistakes because you won't be held accountable".
I agree with the other guy that your posting needed correcting. You meant to write:
A friend recently bought a Dell and Vista for his home (no not me), and he found out that:
* USB Lexmark printer was useless.
* AOL connection needed a router rather than a USB modem.
OK so printers are cheap, but there was nothing wrong with the Lexmark USB printer he owned (they're not bothering to support their 'legacy' printers), and the router cost him $100 from AOL I understand.
If my friend worked out what vista cost him, I am not sure he would have bought it, yes he should have done more research, but if he is any indication then Vista means some pretty usable stuff is going to get obsolete.
Yes much of this does not apply 'proper IT' but Vista TCO for my friend became at least +$200 more than he thought it might.
...I would give the Wine Project (http://www.winehq.org/) all the money they need. Then we could say, "Debian GNU/Linux: Runs Windows applications better than Windows does". My philanthropic contribution to mankind would be better than Bill Gates', because people wouldn't have to die in hospital any more just because the flaky hospital computer crashed again.
Original Windows XP Pro SP2 OEM packs with the installation CD and the product key / licence sticker are hot sellers on eBay. They're going for around GBP 50 (100 USD), while the Buy It Now price is up to GBP 75 (151 USD). Plus postage. See here:
Dude, the corporate IT departments are on your side. In my experience, the top three favourite IT department activities are:
1. Searching company PCs for unlicenced software. It makes the IT dept feel important. 2. Collecting reassuring official-looking licence documents that show the corporation has bought licences for X copies of Y product. 3. Compiling spreadsheets that show the number of software licences purchased versus the number of installed copies.
So dude, don't get in their way, don't give them unpleasant jobs to do, let them concentrate on what they enjoy and they will love you.
You don't need any copy protection if you're after corporations. Why?
1. Corporations are terrified of the Business Software Alliance. 2. Corporate IT departments have an incentive to search the company for unlicenced software - it gives them something to do. Licence compliance is a nice, simple, easy-to-explain and wonderfully time-consuming activity. It provides a marvellous way for the IT department to justify its own existence and be seen to be busy bees.
So, just let them get on with it. All you have to do is issue nice licence documents that says "X copies of [your product] licenced to [company name] at [address]" followed by the product key. Then, the typical corporation will spend ages doing all the licence checking for you. Some won't be very good at it but do not worry, just ignore it. If they make mistakes with their licencing, the worst that can happen is they might get into trouble and you won't.
I recommend this removable keyboard cover which provides larger, easier to read key caps on a standard keyboard. Colour coding distinguishes character keys from other keys and that helps to build confidence:
A trackball mouse is easier to use than a conventional mouse. A trackball mouse can be used two-handed, so the mouse pointer is less likely to be moved accidentally while clicking. Plus a trackball doesn't fall off the table. I found the Kensington Optical Trackball is ideal. It has a nice symmetrical shape, and it has no rollers so it doesn't need cleaning:
Has this got anything to do with the BBC's two-billion-GBP computer outsourcing deal with Siemens? Way back in 1999 the BBC had its own Linux-savvy wizards who did a fantastic job on the BBC website and other tasks:
I'd like to thank them for making sure the BBC's watch/listen pages work on my GNU/Linux/Mozilla/Realplayer computer at home. Now, it's all gone to Siemens, apparently:
In the UK, TalkTalk is a combined telephone and Internet service. After signing up, you should have:
1. The TalkTalk Broadband Start Up Pack. 2. A BT line with TalkTalk broadband activated on it. The date when you should be able to use the broadband service for the first time is called the Commencement Date.
If you don't have items 1 and 2 more than 28 days from the end of the month you were given in TalkTalk's online "Availability Checker", then you are allowed to cancel all of your TalkTalk services completely at no charge. Refer to Section 11.13 of your TalkTalk contract.
Sounds like what happened to the "Girl With A One Track Mind". It's a (formerly) anonymous blog and book about sex from a female point of view. A newspaper printed extracts from her book, and then went on to reveal her identity without her permission. This is the email that she received from the newspaper:
Aug 5, 2006 11:08 AM
Dear Miss [my name],
We intend to publish a prominent news story in this weekend's paper, revealing your identity as the author of the book, Girl With a One Track Mind.
We have matched up the dates of films you have worked on - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Batman Begins and Lara Croft Tomb Raider - and it is clear that they correlate to your blog. We have obtained your birth certificate, and details about where you went to school and college.
We propose to publish the fact that you are 33 and live in [my address] -London, and that your mother, [her name], is a [her address] -based [her profession]. The article includes extracts from your book and blog, relevant to your career in the film industry. We also have a picture of you, taken outside your flat.
Unfortunately, the picture is not particularly flattering and might undermine the image that has been built up around your persona as Abby Lee. I think it would be helpful to both sides if you agreed to a photo shoot today so that we can publish a more attractive image.
We are proposing to assign you our senior portrait photographer, Francesco Guidicini, and would arrange everything to your convenience, including a car to pick you up. We would expect you to provide your own clothes and make up. As the story will be on a colour page, we would prefer the outfit to be one of colourful eveningwear.
We did put this proposal to you yesterday, but heard nothing back. Clearly this is now a matter of urgency, and I would appreciate you contacting me as soon as possible. To avoid any doubt we will, of course, publish the story as it is if we do not hear from you.
Yours sincerely,
Nicholas Hellen
Acting News Editor
Sunday Times
The author had to leave her job and home. Both she and her parents had photographers camped outside their houses. Even her friends were pestered by journalists. Here is how she felt about it:
http://girlwithaonetrackmind.blogspot.com/2006/08/ thoughts.html
After arrival at Epsilon Eridani...
on
Interstellar Ark
·
· Score: 1
Thanks for your interesting post AC. However I could not help noticing that you should have written "the effect of spontaneous radioactive decay" not "affect". Generally speaking, when you affect something, you produce an effect upon it. http://www.englishforums.com/English/AffectEffect/ vdk/Post.htm
This works faster than dd for me, to create a blank unformatted memory card:
shred -v -n 1 -z/dev/XXX
where XXX is the device name, eg: sda for the first SCSI drive, assuming there are no other SCSI drives in the system. -v means be verbose and show progress, -n 1 means overwrite with random data once, -z means then overwrite with zeros once.
Linux is already gorgeous - it's based on Unix. And Unix is a recursive acronym for Unix Is Sexy. Have you seen her picture? She's kinda hot. See article here:
> the driver... for the USB stick... on the USB stick?
Don't laugh. I also have the Windows 98 driver for the USB stick on my USB stick. I use Knoppix to copy the driver onto the Windows 98 partition. It's surprising how often copying the driver for the USB stick off the USB stick via Knoppix comes in handy...
Slashdot Mirror
...with HRMC's abandoned outsourcing deal with EDS? EDS owes HMRC £71 million, but EDS has so far only managed to pay back a quarter of a million. Could it further have anything to do with HMRC's £2bn replacement deal with CapGemini that promptly tripled to £8bn? Fleeing former Revenue employees are not surprised. "Morale is non-existent. Mistakes happen continuously. Rooms full of unopened post are not uncommon. It doesn't matter if you make mistakes because you won't be held accountable".
I agree with the other guy that your posting needed correcting. You meant to write:
A friend recently bought a Dell and Vista for his home (no not me), and he found out that:
* USB Lexmark printer was useless.
* AOL connection needed a router rather than a USB modem.
OK so printers are cheap, but there was nothing wrong with the Lexmark USB printer he owned (they're not bothering to support their 'legacy' printers), and the router cost him $100 from AOL I understand.
If my friend worked out what vista cost him, I am not sure he would have bought it, yes he should have done more research, but if he is any indication then Vista means some pretty usable stuff is going to get obsolete.
Yes much of this does not apply 'proper IT' but Vista TCO for my friend became at least +$200 more than he thought it might.
The guy with the money, and without the knowledge - has to ask us for advice.
...I would give the Wine Project (http://www.winehq.org/) all the money they need. Then we could say, "Debian GNU/Linux: Runs Windows applications better than Windows does". My philanthropic contribution to mankind would be better than Bill Gates', because people wouldn't have to die in hospital any more just because the flaky hospital computer crashed again.
Because mobile phones are primarily used for lying. For example, telling your wife you're late at the office, while in bed with your mistress.
Original Windows XP Pro SP2 OEM packs with the installation CD and the product key / licence sticker are hot sellers on eBay. They're going for around GBP 50 (100 USD), while the Buy It Now price is up to GBP 75 (151 USD). Plus postage. See here:
http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=windows+xp+licence
A space-mutated human virus would make an excellent area-denial weapon.
You believe your customers are thieves. I suggest you treat them accordingly.
Excellent post, pilaftank. Succinct and totally right.
Dude, the corporate IT departments are on your side. In my experience, the top three favourite IT department activities are:
1. Searching company PCs for unlicenced software. It makes the IT dept feel important.
2. Collecting reassuring official-looking licence documents that show the corporation has bought licences for X copies of Y product.
3. Compiling spreadsheets that show the number of software licences purchased versus the number of installed copies.
So dude, don't get in their way, don't give them unpleasant jobs to do, let them concentrate on what they enjoy and they will love you.
You don't need any copy protection if you're after corporations. Why?
1. Corporations are terrified of the Business Software Alliance.
2. Corporate IT departments have an incentive to search the company for unlicenced software - it gives them something to do. Licence compliance is a nice, simple, easy-to-explain and wonderfully time-consuming activity. It provides a marvellous way for the IT department to justify its own existence and be seen to be busy bees.
So, just let them get on with it. All you have to do is issue nice licence documents that says "X copies of [your product] licenced to [company name] at [address]" followed by the product key. Then, the typical corporation will spend ages doing all the licence checking for you. Some won't be very good at it but do not worry, just ignore it. If they make mistakes with their licencing, the worst that can happen is they might get into trouble and you won't.
I recommend this removable keyboard cover which provides larger, easier to read key caps on a standard keyboard. Colour coding distinguishes character keys from other keys and that helps to build confidence:
R 593132&rid=63&cid=7
http://www.tts-group.co.uk/Product.aspx?cref=TTSP
A trackball mouse is easier to use than a conventional mouse. A trackball mouse can be used two-handed, so the mouse pointer is less likely to be moved accidentally while clicking. Plus a trackball doesn't fall off the table. I found the Kensington Optical Trackball is ideal. It has a nice symmetrical shape, and it has no rollers so it doesn't need cleaning:
http://us.kensington.com/html/4771.html
Has this got anything to do with the BBC's two-billion-GBP computer outsourcing deal with Siemens? Way back in 1999 the BBC had its own Linux-savvy wizards who did a fantastic job on the BBC website and other tasks:
/
/ 205660/bbc-completes-2bn-outsourcing-deal-with-sie mens.htm
http://linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reports/1176/1
I'd like to thank them for making sure the BBC's watch/listen pages work on my GNU/Linux/Mozilla/Realplayer computer at home. Now, it's all gone to Siemens, apparently:
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2004/10/01
Anyone inside BBC or Siemens care to comment?
In the UK, TalkTalk is a combined telephone and Internet service. After signing up, you should have:
1. The TalkTalk Broadband Start Up Pack.
2. A BT line with TalkTalk broadband activated on it. The date when you should be able to use the broadband service for the first time is called the Commencement Date.
If you don't have items 1 and 2 more than 28 days from the end of the month you were given in TalkTalk's online "Availability Checker", then you are allowed to cancel all of your TalkTalk services completely at no charge. Refer to Section 11.13 of your TalkTalk contract.
It is dark. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
...Duke Nukem Forever will finally be released.
So the shuttle launches, and lands safely, and each time it's world news? Bah. This isn't the Dan Dare future we were promised in the 70s.
Thanks for your interesting post AC. However I could not help noticing that you should have written "the effect of spontaneous radioactive decay" not "affect". Generally speaking, when you affect something, you produce an effect upon it. http://www.englishforums.com/English/AffectEffect/ vdk/Post.htm
Now is a good time to read and print...
6 48
The good news about nuclear destruction
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51
What to do if a nuclear disaster is imminent!
http://www.ki4u.com/guide.htm
This works faster than dd for me, to create a blank unformatted memory card:
/dev/XXX
shred -v -n 1 -z
where XXX is the device name, eg: sda for the first SCSI drive, assuming there are no other SCSI drives in the system. -v means be verbose and show progress, -n 1 means overwrite with random data once, -z means then overwrite with zeros once.
> People don't talk how they write
:-)
Dude, you've never seen RMS giving a speech in a lecture hall.
Linux is already gorgeous - it's based on Unix. And Unix is a recursive acronym for Unix Is Sexy. Have you seen her picture? She's kinda hot. See article here:
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Unix
Ali G's West Staines Massive.
> the driver... for the USB stick... on the USB stick?
Don't laugh. I also have the Windows 98 driver for the USB stick on my USB stick. I use Knoppix to copy the driver onto the Windows 98 partition. It's surprising how often copying the driver for the USB stick off the USB stick via Knoppix comes in handy...