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User: Ben+Hutchings

Ben+Hutchings's activity in the archive.

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  1. Re:Who needs them? on Verisign Certificate Expiration Causes Multiple Problems · · Score: 4, Informative

    Self-certificates are worthless except when distributed through an existing secure channel. Without a proper certificate, all I know is I'm encrypting the session key with someone's public key, but I don't know whose it is. I might as well send the contents in the clear.

  2. Re:null routing Certificate Revocation List Server on Verisign Certificate Expiration Causes Multiple Problems · · Score: 1

    Yeah, that's what I thought. I tried sending mail to hostmaster@verisign.net because I thought the non-routability was itself a problem. It bounced - as did mail to hostmaster@verisign.com.

  3. Re:I wouldn't bet on that on Memo Confirms IBM Move To Linux Desktop? · · Score: 1

    Yes, but UnixODBC sucks ass. Look at the code and run screaming. Look for documentation and give up!

  4. Re:Business Apps are what it's all about! on Memo Confirms IBM Move To Linux Desktop? · · Score: 1

    Pasting from IE to Excel works correctly.

    Pasting from Mozilla Firebird to Excel doesn't.

    Pasting from Mozilla to OOCalc (on Linux) does.

    Looks like it's a problem with Mozilla on Windows.

  5. Re:"Current directory" on The State Of The GTK+ File Selector · · Score: 1

    Use Handle from Sysinternals. There may be something similar in the Resource Kits.

  6. Re:Mixed response on Rumors of iPod mini, 100 Million Songs, Xserve G5 All True · · Score: 1

    I think what he means is that the iPod is the only one that can remember the position you got to in an track and return to that position next time you play it - even if you listened to other tracks in the intervening time.

  7. Re:Eureka 147 DAB is great, untill you listen to i on High Definition Radio is Here · · Score: 1

    I'm sure the BBC has plenty of competent engineers. Unfortunately they're not the ones making the decisions. The BBC DAB stations mostly get 128 kbps or less, and this with a codec that's less advanced than MP3 (MUSICAM = MPEG audio layer 2). Meanwhile the standard audio editing software for BBC Radio works with compressed files, so every editing session involves decompress-modify-compress with the resulting build-up of artifacts.

  8. Re:analog vs. digital on High Definition Radio is Here · · Score: 1
    There is also the problem that the usual vocoders for phone use are compressing the crap out of the signal - taking a 64 kb/second audio stream down to less than 4kb/sec.

    I can imagine that 4 kbps would sound really bad. However, GSM uses 13 kbps normally, though there is a half-rate codec that the network can force you to use if its capacity is strained.

  9. Re:Solution looking for a problem on High Definition Radio is Here · · Score: 1

    Possibly your cable provider is picking up an analogue signal and re-encoding it as digital. That's bound to look bad.

  10. Re:I really liked the original version better on The State Of The GTK+ File Selector · · Score: 1

    Furrfu! It's called a "current directory".

  11. Microsoft's response on Microsoft Word Forms Passwords Hacked · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft pointed to this Knowledge Base article. Choice quote: "Not all features that are found on the Security tab are designed to help make your documents and files more secure."

  12. Re:Pet peeve: "G-forces" on Swedish Flight Simulator Adds G Forces · · Score: 1

    Correction: One might as well call power "W-energy" because it can be measured in watts and if you know how long the power is applied for you can work out the energy involved.

  13. Re:Pet peeve: "G-forces" on Swedish Flight Simulator Adds G Forces · · Score: 1

    It is common to describe an acceleration as a multiple of g, the acceleration due to gravity. If you know the mass involved then you can work out the force on it, but so what? One might as well call power "W-energy" because if you know how long the power is applied for you can work out an energy and measure it in watts.

  14. This is not the same issue on What You Can't Say · · Score: 1

    The article was about suppression of statements, not suppression of names. But since you bring it up - a label such as "nigger" (or "geek") is exclusive (and so offensive) if used by someone who doesn't identify with the label but inclusive (and OK) if used by someone who does.

  15. Re:How do you patch? on Linux 2.4.24 Release Fixes Root Vulnerability · · Score: 1

    If you unpack an official 2.4.23 tarball and apply the official 2.4.24 patch, the result is the same as if you unpack an official 2.4.24 tarball. If you made any changes in between unpacking and patching (e.g. by configuring it or building it) then the result is not the same, but this is OK as long as you "make $CONFIG_METHOD_OF_CHOICE && make dep && make clean" in the new tree before building the new kernel.

  16. Pet peeve: "G-forces" on Swedish Flight Simulator Adds G Forces · · Score: 1

    Acceleration is not a force, nor does its name begin with the letter G.

    The force whose name begins with the letter G is, er, gravity.

  17. Re:it's about time some one did this on California Bans Front-Seat Computer Use · · Score: 1
    Vast tracts of dense residential space...

    Vast tracts of low-density housing, surely?

  18. Re:Do they really expect to win? on UK National Archives Divulge Secrets · · Score: 1

    There's plenty of damaging information about Kissinger already in the public domain. See The Trial of Henry Kissinger, a book that makes the case for his indictment.

  19. Re:Human-activated on New Worm Spreads Via MSN Messenger · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    So it's a virus, not a worm. Great piece of journalism there, guys.

  20. Re:SATA on The Best and Worst Technologies of 2003? · · Score: 1

    Serial ATA isn't the only way to solve the airflow problem. You can get parallel IDE and floppy cables which have the ribbon rolled into a tube in the middle.

  21. Re:Worst invention: OSDN Personals on The Best and Worst Technologies of 2003? · · Score: 1

    At least a few tens of thousands of those million guys are likely to be gay or bi, so there's still some opportunity for matchmaking.

  22. Re:Sampling Error on Will Cellular Phones Skew Survey Results? · · Score: 1

    Would you say that you were 90% or 95% confident that it's 95%?

  23. Parent poster is on drugs on Earth Travel On Time, Again · · Score: 1

    What the hell was I talking about? Forget it.

  24. Re:Slightly more informative story on Earth Travel On Time, Again · · Score: 1

    It seems to me to be misinformative. The need for leap seconds is due to an increase in the Earth's orbital period (year), not its rotational period. The story may be conflating the two changes.

  25. Re:Sampling Error on Will Cellular Phones Skew Survey Results? · · Score: 1

    What's the confidence level for the 3% margin? They never state it.