I have a problem with that Andrew Thomas

Subject: BBC plays nice with YouTube

"WHETHER WE WISH TO VIEW THAT CONTENT OR NOT"

I heartily agree with you about the quality of the main BBC soaps and reality twaddle.

But I'm probably not alone in feeling the license fee is at least partially justified by the Natural History Unit of the BBC and the web content of same.

And the fact that it is one of the few news sources that you can rely on to report what is happenning around the world. Along with Aljazeera of course.

Beardy Buck

Subject: Everywhere girl spotted

Dear Inq,

I came home yesterday and found the Everywhere girl in my Kitchen! I was very surprised to see her in the flesh, as I've only seen her on the web. She was on my fridge, pictured on a magnet sent by the feds.

You can see it here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ronanred/EverywhereGirl/photo#5037411259133369554

Cheers,
Ronan

Subject: Thank you

Thanks Andrew for reminding us about the nature of hacker criminals.

Please do ensure that Charlie Demerjian, one of your Inquirer authors reads it long and hard. I've been exchanging many emails with him over the topic.

I agree that Activation was not implemented very well, a simple 3 tries and you must contact MS would have blocked the hacker. Charlie however does not recognize that if properly implemented, Activation protects the consumer from hacker / pirate scum who might otherwise steal their license. There seems to be much confusion. People (generally) don't walk into car lots and take a car without asking just because it costs too much.

And I'm Sure Charlie never fails to lock his car with his unique key (or lock his home for that matter) to prevent conventional thieves from taking over his property. He loves those locks, but not the Vista Activation lock. He's blind to the responsibilities and limitations (laws) he follows every day away from his keyboard. You can't do whatever you want with your car, and you can't do whatever you want with your house, even though you may truly own those items, rather than just owning a license to use them like Vista.

Format shifting (another arguement Charlie used in his emails to me) is another no-brainer. If your car stereo can't play CD's or MP3's then you chose poorly or have obsolete equipment. Fair Use is irrelevant, a CD was not meant to work in a tape player.

Don't like it, don't buy the products and dont use the products illegally.Put the financial pressure on the companies. Get yourself into public office and change the bad laws that other elected officials created (Not the corporations, they just did the lobbying).

Now that you've covered the Inquirer's ass with your statements on how the Inquirer does not condone hacking or piracy, will you take the proper action against the author that created this problem for you? You don't need that kind of writer spreading hacker / pirate FUD to the world under your great website's name. FUD is FUD, it doesn't matter what the source is, it must be destroyed.

Cheers,
Ken Lord

Subject: "Hummer"

I once saw a Hummer, I think. I was driving along the highway, reading emails on my smartphone while the incar dvd-player hooked up to my infocus projector was playing Terminator 2 on the windscreen, and suddenly, there it was. It was great big with glowing lights, and I couldn't help myself but head for the ditch. It flew right over me at maybe 200 feet, I could see the laser turrets scan for my heat signature and ran away from the car just before it was blown to bits. While recovering from the shock, thinking it had been an UFO, I remembered the stars and stripes flag it carried. Later someone told it was a car, but I can't believe that -unless it was driven by Arnold Schwartzenegger ofcourse.

b

Subject: AMD R600 delay causes partners to blub with dismay

"bitterly disappointed" They're taking it better than I would. I'd be fuming mad, and chucking chairs like confetti.

matt

Subject: RE:Christianized spelling

It's obvious. Encyclopaedia=Encyclopedia illustrates that Jesus saves. Letters.

woodchuk

Subject: A response to andrew's anti-piracy crap

Hi Andrew,

Let me tell you what I think about Vista and piracy in general. I would like to pay for Vista. BUT... I would do so only if they removed all protective and phone home features from it. Last time I checked a man is not guilty until you prove otherwise so why make an exception here? This way it turns out that we are all thieves by default.

I do not want it to run SPSYS.SYS, nor SLC.DLL, nor whatever else it has in there ticking encrypted in the background doing God knows what and communicating with their servers. Call me paranoid, but I believe in privacy. It is an essential freedom and is being taken away.

I want my dearly paid hardware to do what I want. After all it is MINE, not theirs, because I am the one who paid for it. If I have accepted their devilish EULA it didn't automatically transfer hardware ownership to Redmond, or did it?!?

All those stories about criminals -- what about people in countries where monthly salary is approximately equal to the price of Vista? Don't tell me you haven't heard of such countries, where people buy computers by asking for a credit from their bank? What about their children, should they be left out from the education loop to have even less chance to become usefull members of our society one day?

You really should not make people worry about wrong things like those filthy rich multi-national companies who piss on the individuals and their rights. Make them worry about other people instead.

Regards,
Igor

Subject: WS

can u make ur sight support widescreen innit like the register *cough*

Wibbles

Subject: F1 going green

Hi Andrew

First of all, you are like a lot of people who do not understand the appeal of F1, same as I have no idea why people enjoy football. Unlike you I accept that millions of people enjoy football, whether I do or not, I do not slag it off or give it a hard time, I could rant on about how they are overpaid idiots but I am not going to do that. Just because you do not understand the appeal does not give you reason to be so blase about its merit. I take time to understand the technology, the stresses and strains the F1 drivers endure under tremendous G forces, the training involved, the incredible teamwork that must be gone through etc. Anyway, if you do not enjoy F1, never mind, millions do.

You do highlight how F1 needs to recognise its responsibility in the crazy world of climate change we live in, well, you have missed the boat a bit on this one as they already have. This is not to say they are perfect, far from, as are so many organisations.

May I refer you to this article to give you some information as to how F1 is planning to change:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article1444145.ece

F1 is far from perfect but they have discussed and set plans in motion to make changes and deadlines for these ideas to be made common practise in the sport.

A more green attitude is where F1 is heading and new technologies, given the crazy money invested in F1 R&D will make their way into the public domain and into cars of the future. Granted, this has been some time coming and is probably long overdue, but at least, unlike most companies, it actually is coming.

Any kind of awareness and public support for combatting climate change should be supported, not condemned through misconception.

Sorry to rant a bit but if it were not for those not entirely green CPU's running at the Inquirer's website hosting company, you would not have this outlet ;)

Having said that, long live the Inquirer, my absolute favourite tech news site by a mile!

Kind Regards,
Alex

Subject: BBC plays nice with YouTube

"Non-UK residents might struggle to understand this but on this side of pond, TV owners must pay up a hefty annual sum for the right to receive BBC content. And get this: WHETHER WE WISH TO VIEW THAT CONTENT OR NOT."

True North residents don't have to struggle at all. Though (so far, for the moment, etc.) we don't have a licence fee per sé, the MotherCorp (a.k.a. the CBC) are a Crown Corporation, run by federal government appointees and paid for in three ways: 1. Federal Income Tax (a small portion thereof, relatively), 2. On-Air Advertising (included into "The National" news as of a few years ago, controversy over which still lingers), and 3. a portion of a levy placed upon Cable Television carriers, the proceeds from which being designated to the production of Canadian programming ("CanCon").

Recently a couple of the big cable fish have withheld or announced that they will withhold payment of this levy because they don't think it's at all fair. The chairman of the CRTC (airwave and media regulator) made it abundantly clear that he would go so far as to rewrite their contracts in a not at all favourable way (for them) if they didn't pony up the cash and that right quick.

Personally, I don't watch much CBC anymore, mostly for lack of content (the same reason I no longer listen to CBC radio, whereas up until a few years ago I was an ardent listener). Like Sir Humphrey Appleby's funding for the arts, however, I feel better knowing that the CBC is there and wish that others would, too. If they have a single saving grace it's the broadest and deepest news coverage in the country, an ever more difficult task given twenty-odd years of successive budget cuts. If we lose The News, the country will suffer, making it all worthwhile, even the bits that contradict the other bits. The most shrill critics of the MotherCorp refuse to get that, but one imagines they get their infotainment from Fox, which would explain a lot (to this day, so far as I'm aware, Ann Coulter will punch you in the face if you disagree with her that Canada sent troops to Viet Nam - which we didn't - but I digress).

mjhayman

Subject: BBC plays nice with YouTube

You forgot the cooking programs in your lineup, and the gardening ones, and the antiques shows. Oh and the 30 minute ads for vista of course :X

W.

Subject: DELL customer service

I agree 100%. The most awful experience I've had with any company in years. I would write about it but it would take me several hours. The lastest is you can get speakers for 5.1 Dolby digital and DTS. When you get them the sound card doesn't support them so they sound like crap.

You spend hours talking to one tech after another, them trying to convince you they aren't hooked up right. I took a digital photo, then they said the card won't support those modes. Went through a number of techs explaining the same thing. They finally admitted they don't so I was suppose to call Customer Care to get the right one. Bogus phone number of course. Still trying to get the right phone number. Absolutely rediculous. Need to team and file a suit of some kind but I think they can actually get away with it.

wdickens

Subject: AMD shows off Teraflop in a Box

I wonder when microsoft is going to tax those stream processors. lots of processing being done on a cheap os, Microsoft will have to stop that. Microsoft are not going to let a new revenue opportunity pass them by. Am I cynical.

Alexander Curry

Subject: A possible answer to Nero Bloatware.

Hi.

I must say as a former user and propagandist for Nero CD/DVD-burning program, I'm quite stunned of the size of the 7.X releases. Now, there is an alternative: SilentNight Microburner ( http://www.silentnight2004.com/)

Weighing in at 1,56MB and not requiring an install, you just copy it over on your memstick of choice, and burn away whenever the need arise. At $29 it's quite affordable too, for what it does. Fully functional with nagging at startup untill you decide to purchase, or stop using it. Just the way we like it.

Oh, not affillited with anyone at the company, just like apps to be as slim as possible (ASAP).

Enjoy,
Jon

Subject: Yes, consumers

As I read the article I already wanted one for myself. And then I stumbled upon this comment at the end:

"The firm also added "consumer" in its little list. Consumer? Sheesh!"

I know many consumers (not your ordinary computer user, but still an ordinary customer) who use opteron because of it's great overclocking capabilities. They use it for gaming.

And I will also suspect that they would love to have a dual R600 setup for their platform. Thomas

Subject: Vista activation crackers are criminals

Hi,

I have an issue with Andrew Thomas's opinion. I quote: "Hackers are not latter-day Robin Hoods stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. They are organised criminals, in it to make money for themselves, despite their vapid protestations that they are helping bring down da man and not harming anyone."

So what about those who develop on open-source projects calling themselves "hackers"? Who are they stealing from? How are they organised criminals? Come to think of it, they're barely "organised" in the traditional sense! (Its the chaotic nature of open development that makes them interesting).

How are they making money for themselves? Heck, they do it as a hobby! Sometimes its feasible, and they turn it into a legitimate business that puts food on the table...And maybe gives large corporations a serious run for their money. (You never know!).

The point of hacking is to explore and to address issues. (eg: interoperability). It can be achieved well within the bounds of copyright law. (which varies from country to country). For example: As in the case with DVD playback. All "DVD Jon" wanted to do was play DVDs on his Linux box. That's it. And despite the legal crap he went through, he eventually won. (although I doubt he would want to go through that again!)

Because of him, I get to play DVDs on my Linux box. Do I "rip and share" my DVDs on the web? No. Do I "rip and sell"? No. I actually buy them, back them up and store the backup in a safe place. It doesn't get viewed anywhere else except within the home.

What I'm trying to say is, hacking isn't itself, necessarily bad. The term was designated and portrayed as some mysterious technological evil by the clueless news media. (There isn't really anything mysterious about hacking.)

Hacking is like science itself. Its what you do with the knowledge gained, that matters. If the end result is to sell the copied content for profit, (and without the permission of the owner), then its obviously wrong. But if its used for good or legitimate purposes, then what?

Mr Thomas's view is no different to the RIAA portraying the message that ALL P2P is bad for the last few years. (Despite the fact that P2P can be used for legal purposes, as demonstrated recently by BitTorrent's new service). What I'm saying is, you can't just pull out some simplistic general view of the world. It just doesn't work that way. To do it, just shows arrogance and cluelessness. One must look at the whole picture before forming an opinion about something.

Wait a minute...Is this the same "Andrew Thomas" who couldn't even set up Linux despite his "I've only been playing with computers since 1972" experience? For the love of god! If The Inquirer had any respect for itself, they should simply stop posting this person's balony.

If you really want to "stick it to da man" (Microsoft), you should stop using MS products and solutions completely. Use open-source. Endure the initial learning curve and transition period. Hell, make a blog about it. Be very vocal. Let Microsoft know you no longer use their solutions. Everyone knows Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer absolutely hate open-source and Linux. Because it de-values their business model! Companies and organisations around the world use or threaten to switch to it as a form of "blackmail" to get MS to lower the licensing costs!

Personally, you wouldn't be able to get me to use Windows Vista, not even if you threaten to point a gun to my head or shoot my nuts off. No, not even to pirate it.

Regards
Stmok

Subject: video card 'TeraFlop in a Box'

I still don't understand how and why they won't make a '.NET Accelerator' that uses your Video Card to accelerate .NET.

And I don't understand why they don't make a 'SQL Server Accelerator' that uses your Video Card to accelerate SQL Server.

I mean-- a friggin teraflop-- what else would we want to use it for?

The PC Industry _EXISTS_ because of databases and databases are the only technology that 'really really needs a 10,000 increase in performance'

Aaron

Subject: for glen

mike on youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r94-N33mn7Q

spritly for an auld fella eh?

:)

Mr Orange Peel

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