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User: SkunkPussy

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Comments · 745

  1. What about OOXML? on Open Document Format 1.2 Published As ISO/IEC Standard · · Score: 1

    Has the latest version of OOXML been submitted to a standards agency?

  2. Re:Infinity on Ask Slashdot: What's the Harm In a Default Setting For Div By Zero? · · Score: 1

    > When two different fields in different areas of your app accept 0 as a valid entry for legitimate use, its pretty dam easy to run into a divide by 0 condition or even a 0/0 condition.

    But why does the algorithm attempt to perform the operation of division with a divisor that can take the value of 0? Its not defined in mathematics.

  3. trivial to circumvent on Police Scanning Every Face At UK Download Festival · · Score: 2

    They're keeping it secret because its trivial to circumvent by wearing a hoody or a mask.

    It seems very likely that the prevalence of CCTV has driven the trend over the last 15 years towards hoodies - i.e. jumpers with a hood that may conceal a lot of your face.

  4. Bing toolbar! on Ask Toolbar Now Considered Malware By Microsoft · · Score: 0

    The bing toolbar gets bundled with directx or something so hopefully microsoft will be consistent with their policy!

  5. Re:just what we all love on Amazon Decides To Start Paying Tax In the UK · · Score: 1

    The tax raise can be dealt with in several ways or a combination of all:
    1) decrease outgoings (cost of raw materials, cost of staff)
    2) decrease outgoings (dividends to shareholders)
    3) increase incomings (raise prices).

    Where there is a monopoly (or similar types of market failure such as oligopoly) most of the tax raise will be dealt with by 3).

    If there is a competitive market then the tax raise will fall somewhat on 1) and 2) as well.

    This is one reason that breaking up monopolies is so important.

  6. How does the test distinguish between use and abuse? A certainly level of cocaine usage is arguably not abuse.

  7. risk is low on Windows XP Support Deal Not Renewed By UK Government, Leaves PCs Open To Attack · · Score: 1, Funny

    If these computers are within a secured network and particularly if they don't have access to the internet, then there isn't any great risk in continuing to use these XP machines.

  8. Re:meanwhile on UK Chancellor Confirms Introduction of 'Google Tax' · · Score: 1

    At the moment politicians serve almost exclusively those who choose to donate large sums of money. That's honestly not a better situation than your alternative, even if it came to pass as you describe.

  9. Re:meanwhile on UK Chancellor Confirms Introduction of 'Google Tax' · · Score: 1

    I totally agree we need pollution tax. However we have to be careful with its introduction as you may introduce a competitive disadvantage for your businesses. So the tax needs to fall on both domestic and foreign business (for example be applied at the point of sale).

  10. Re:meanwhile on UK Chancellor Confirms Introduction of 'Google Tax' · · Score: 2

    The dependence on campaign funding negates the idea that everybody has one vote and each vote is as important as the other.

  11. What is the alternative? on Moxie Marlinspike: GPG Has Run Its Course · · Score: 2

    Forward secrecy is desirable as we see the NSA hoover up messages then store them until they crack the keys.

    Has anybody attempted to bolt forward secrecy on top of SMTP? I would assume that it would need some kind of session key exchange between sender and recipient which would preclude the use of SMTP.

  12. Re:Pay us for other people's work on Elementary OS: Why We Make You Type "$0" · · Score: 1

    Writing an OS kernel is very tough work

    Writing a shell is very tough work

    Writing a graphics driver is very tough work

    Developing a package management infrastructure and packaging a large number of programmes is very tough work

    Developing a compiler is very tough work.

    I maintain that elementary OS have contributed no more than 1% of the effort of their distribution.

    I am not saying that elementary don't deserve money, but that they should get to the back of the queue and they absolutely should not demand money for other people's work.

  13. Pay us for other people's work on Elementary OS: Why We Make You Type "$0" · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Elementary OS' contribution to their own distribution is probably less than 1%. Almost all the effort into writing and packaging the software has been carried out by others. They are standing on the shoulders of giants. Why the fuck should they demand money for other people's work? It is disrespectful to call people cheaters, when they are grabbing money in exchange for other people's work! If anything, that is cheating. Elementary OS are so entitled its untrue.

  14. Re:Hate to piss on the parade... on VLC Acquiring Lots of New Features · · Score: 1

    Manually saving an application's state doesn't make sense

    But in summary your advice is not to use the application :)

  15. Hate to piss on the parade... on VLC Acquiring Lots of New Features · · Score: 2

    ...but its been missing some basic features for years (in the windows and android versions):

    1) preserve playlist between invocations of the programme (playlist resets every time you close vlc)
    2) preserve state of music library as soon as you make changes to it (add music to vlc library, don't close vlc, library never gets saved)

  16. Re:The "definition of broadband" did NOT change. on FCC Officially Approves Change In the Definition of Broadband · · Score: 1

    This is one time where survivorship bias is not a flaw. If someone who got elected says it costs this much, then it probably did. We don't hear from all the people who spent less, *because they failed to get elected*!

    Personally I think at least part of government should be drawn by lot (a la jury service), as elections really devolve to a spending contest, despite being at least theoretically democratic.

  17. Re:What are the practical results of this? on FCC Officially Approves Change In the Definition of Broadband · · Score: 1

    In the UK we have had majority governments formed from one of two parties for decades. At the last election (and almost certainly at the upcoming one) we had for the first time a coalition government where one of the main 2 parties had to team up with a minority party in order to form a government. This is a big improvement as by being forced to compromise with the minority party, the larger party has had to same some of its more extreme instincts.

    There is no reason it couldn't also happen in the USA. However if you convince yourself that it can never happen (and worse convince others that this is the case), then maybe it won't.

  18. Re:What are the practical results of this? on FCC Officially Approves Change In the Definition of Broadband · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Instead of mindless cynicism, don't resign to it, and don't joke about it. Campaign to stop it.

  19. first-sale doctrine on Ubisoft Revokes Digital Keys For Games Purchased Via Unauthorised Retailers · · Score: 1

    I hope Ubisoft are going to contact each of those players and give them a refund directly. Ubisoft's beef is with the seller not with the player.

  20. Pump and Dump until proven otherwise on Jim Blasko Explains BitCoin Spinoff 'Unbreakable Coin' (Video 1 of 2) · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Every new altcoin should be regarded as a pre-mined pump and dump scam until proven otherwise.

    The great strength of bitcoin is its network effect.

    Every new coin has to demonstrate how they will gather sufficient network effect to make themselves useful, the equivalent of overtaking facebook, google or amazon. It could certainly be done but think how many years it is since facebook overtook myspace! It doesnt happen very often.

  21. Outside the hotel as well on Marriot Back-Pedals On Wireless Blocking · · Score: 1

    The key thing here is that they're not just blocking inside the hotel, they're blocking outside the hotel as well as radio is a broadcast medium.

    Its utterly antisocial of them to do this as it will affect other properties near their hotel and they should be completely ashamed of themselves, along with the hucksters that sold them that shite.

  22. instant fines for negligent or malevolent claims on Porn Companies Are Going After GitHub · · Score: 1

    I can't believe there is still no comeback when companies interfere with other people's legitimate shit

  23. short playback on FLAC? on Sony Thinks You'll Pay $1200 For a Digital Walkman · · Score: 1

    Why is FLAC playback so battery-intensive? Is it because its not implemented in hardware while the mp3 playback is?

  24. Excessive powers granted by copyright on Netflix Cracks Down On VPN and Proxy "Pirates" · · Score: 2

    The fundamental issue here is that copyright is too powerful. Electronic goods should be a single global market, so the fact that copyright holders are able to use the powers granted by copyrights to slice the market shows that copyright law grants too much.

  25. Settlements != justice on Sony Hack Reveals MPAA's Big '$80 Million' Settlement With Hotfile Was a Lie · · Score: 1

    This is another example of how settlements can work against the public interest of justice. This blatant lying may influence other court cases differently to an open judgement.

    I think all terms of settlements should be public, for the sake of justice.