In the beginning...

Should I be ashamed that in a long career in IT it's taken me until now to write a blog? Perhaps, but there's been too much excitement -- not all fun! -- for me to find a few moments to spare.

It all started with a few lectures in the Mathematical Laboratory in Cambridge. There were even practicals (on Brunsviga hand calculators) in methods of repetitive calculations, and an introduction to programming in EDSAC II autocode. As undergraduates we didn't get to see the computer itself or even to run our elementary programs, and perhaps that's why I had a wish to get my hands on after graduating.

 

Bad Software is Everywhere Because we Tolerate it.

... and we shouldn't

We tolerate it because the licence terms leave us powerless to resist it. Microsoft isn't the only culprit, but its monopoly position makes the situation dangerous for all of us.

Most software licences include exclusions of users' claims for loss or damage. They make it possible for the lawyers of "Big IT" (I draw a parallel with "Big Pharma") to laugh at suffering users and competitors. The licence terms should be declared unenforceable, and purchasers should refuse to accept them.

Only halting the revenue stream of Big IT will cavalier and reckless treatment of customers become a thing of the past.

Data Protection -- Good and Bad Examples

Some interesting (?!) cases:

Bad Examples

www.macworld.co.uk "We care about your privacy" requires about 250 mouse clicks to remove all "Vendor Consents" (whatever that means). No way to remove all consents with one action. This doesn't sound like caring to me -- more like "We'll make opting out so hard you'll give up".

Good Examples

www.staples.co.uk: Smooth as silk opt-out process. Addresses possible multiple registration using different email addresses.

Windows Woes

Today's woes:

Windows 10: restart after Windows update last night:
Starts up then shuts down, screen remaining blank. 3 times!
Finally starts, about 5 minutes to login screen.
Two minutes to log in
Lost time 10 minutes

Dropped strong wireless connection in client's premises.
Two remote sessions to Linux server dropped.
Lost time 5 minutes

Various apps not responding
Lost time 5 minutes.

"How do you want to open this?" -- "this" not named
"This app is preventing shutdown" -- which app?

Woke up from hibernation: Immediate reboot, followed by configuring more updates. (Lost) Time from waking up to usable: 15 minutes

Found WiFi hotspot turned on - how did that happen?

Cannot switch off "Highlight-follows-mouse" can lead to wrong action by Enter key.

Very slow to react to keystrokes and mouse clicks -- sometimes many seconds before anything changes at all, encouraging duplicate actions, some times dangerous.

Screen blanks before shutdown is complete.

Windows 10 GUI hides keyboard shortcuts previously hinted at from menus.