A random thread for small computing things that don't really warrant a thread of their own

[SteveC]

Adding a new Time Machine disk to the Mac.  Backing up...approximately 1 day remaining. 

[andrew_s]

Fitbit have sold out to Google

I got a random email ad for a Fitbit Charge 4, advertising 24/7 heart rate and sleep scores.

Google must have some good battery tech if it will run for a week.

[L CC]

Nah. It only runs for a week if the display is off. I get 24/7 HR & stuff and a 5+ day battery life. As soon as the display is always-on I get 2 days.

[Mr Larrington]

The random whiny fan noises being emitted by that PC over there ^^^^ are slowly but surely making me Very Cross.  Would someone please tell me that it would be a terrible waste of a thousand of Missis Kwin's pounds to buy one of Messrs Quiet PC's silent offerings?

[Kim]

The random whiny fan noises being emitted by that PC over there ^^^^ are slowly but surely making me Very Cross.

I get that with barakta's ork laptop.  Her hearing aid (if it's even switched on, and not receiving beepy euro-pop via it's proprietary version of The Devil's Other Radio) does a splendid job of filtering out the fan noises, which combined with the laptop's habit of coming out of sleep and thrashing the CPU for no apparent reason^[1] means it'll often be found just sitting there whining away when not even being used for something productive^[2].  My main line of defence is a pair of Bose QC-15s.


_{[1] I think it's related to their security gubbins.  No admin privs to disable that sort of thing, natch.  Means you have to shut it all the way down if you don't want to risk an unexpected batt flattery.
[2] Or PDF-wrangling.}

[Lightning Phil]

Adding a new Time Machine disk to the Mac.  Backing up...approximately 1 day remaining. 

That’s why it’s a time machine always a few days behind

[Jurek]

It is possible to unlock an iPhone from a contract provider without the intervention of said contract provider.
Well, it was news to me.

[Lightning Phil]

Discovered on Windows 10 that I can easily run commands from the Windows Linux subsystem against files located in the Windows file system.

Had a csv with 4 million rows I need sorting by the first column (as a number).  Windows PowerShell sort could not cope , but sort from WSL Ubuntu completed in a second or so.

Neat.

[woollypigs]

Interesting, moving some files about. Copied from raspberry Pi NAS to win10 and the files got tagged as hidden files. Never had hidden before, I have other rights/users attached to the files when copying to and from linux/win.

[Mr Larrington]

New Babbage-Engine for the Great Hall has arrived, but if anyone thinks I'm going to start rolling around on the floor unplugging old Stuffs and plugging in new Stuffs at that time of a night too hot and sticky to even contemplate post-prandial Tea they are Bonkers in the Nut.

[Mr Larrington]

Backing up the contents of old PC's data drive prior to installation of new one. Mr Creosote – the target NAS – is complaining of overheating and warns that he may shut down if he gets too warm.  If he does so before the copy completes I shall be this: cross.

[SoreTween]

Power cut -> everything shutdown cleanly when UPS got down to 50% -> power back on -> UPS won't start -> Soretween has everything crossed he set a high minimum charge level rather than the alternative, a dead UPS.  Given the time on power is over double the power cut which in turn was double the 25 mins it took to get down to 50% I may revisit that setting. If it comes back of course.

[ian]

So going through another fixit cycle with my parents, I'm struck that it's (a) difficult not to get frustrated and then (b) feel bad about it because there's no shared lexicon or understanding between those of us from the computerized generation and those before.

It's really hard work. Desktop? No. Taskbars, docks, menus? No. No. No. Download? No. App? No. You're forced into a space where everything has to be described as 'the words at the top of the screen' or 'on the left, the very left, at the bottom corner...'

And honestly, a special place is reserved in Hell for the idiots who still email should be set up by typing in long addresses and making decisions about SSL and ports. It's fucking 2020, not 1994, you clungemagnets.

It takes a while and leaves one with a lingering and persistent thirst for large quantities of gin.

[Feanor]

Following a HDD failure, I've just re-installed Win10 Home on a new SSD on Junior's laptop.

Using the latest Win10 Media Creation Tool to make a bootalbe USB.
This all worked fine.

But MS have ratcheted up the pressure to sign in with a Microsoft Account.
Previously, when you got to the Account Setup point, you were strongly guided down the Create / Sign up for MS account.
But there was a small link to 'Skip' this, and to create a normal Local Windows account.
This option is now gone.
You now *must* use an MS account.

There is a workaround.
Ensure there is no Internet connectivity at this point.
So unplug any LAN cable, and at the WiFi setup page which appears earlier, un-check all networks and select the option 'I don't have Internet'.

Then, windows will huffily ask if you wish to continue with a 'limited' install.
Limited my arse. Limited for them, not me.
Then the option to create a local account appears.

Once you get to the desktop, go ahead and connect to the WiFi or LAN as usual.

[Jurek]

So going through another fixit cycle with my parents, I'm struck that it's (a) difficult not to get frustrated and then (b) feel bad about it because there's no shared lexicon or understanding between those of us from the computerized generation and those before.

It's really hard work. Desktop? No. Taskbars, docks, menus? No. No. No. Download? No. App? No. You're forced into a space where everything has to be described as 'the words at the top of the screen' or 'on the left, the very left, at the bottom corner...'

And honestly, a special place is reserved in Hell for the idiots who still email should be set up by typing in long addresses and making decisions about SSL and ports. It's fucking 2020, not 1994, you clungemagnets.

It takes a while and leaves one with a lingering and persistent thirst for large quantities of gin.

I have to confess that I'm quite pleased with myself that recently  I somehow managed to, remotely, over the phone, navigate my 86 yo mother, who has dementia, to find the house us kids were brought up in on Streetview, using her Windoze fed laptop (I've never owned a Windoze machine - so I haven't a clue as to what goes on on the desktop, nevermind 'under the hood').
Nobody swore, and nobody threatened anyone.
I'm minded to apply for a job as a hostage negotiator.
I think it's a job I would enjoy.

[ian]

Following a HDD failure, I've just re-installed Win10 Home on a new SSD on Junior's laptop.

Using the latest Win10 Media Creation Tool to make a bootalbe USB.
This all worked fine.

But MS have ratcheted up the pressure to sign in with a Microsoft Account.
Previously, when you got to the Account Setup point, you were strongly guided down the Create / Sign up for MS account.
But there was a small link to 'Skip' this, and to create a normal Local Windows account.
This option is now gone.
You now *must* use an MS account.

There is a workaround.
Ensure there is no Internet connectivity at this point.
So unplug any LAN cable, and at the WiFi setup page which appears earlier, un-check all networks and select the option 'I don't have Internet'.

Then, windows will huffily ask if you wish to continue with a 'limited' install.
Limited my arse. Limited for them, not me.
Then the option to create a local account appears.

Once you get to the desktop, go ahead and connect to the WiFi or LAN as usual.

There is a way to do it while remaining online, but it's squirrelled away deep in the dense forests of non-obviousness, so much so I don't remember the precise breadcrumb trail I was forced to follow while blindfolded and in the dark. But a local admin I became. I'm probably now on a list somewhere at Microsoft.

I'm not that bothered per se, I just have no reason to want a Microsoft account on account that I don't have Windows computer and don't plan on getting one any time this side of the heat death of the universe.

[ian]

So going through another fixit cycle with my parents, I'm struck that it's (a) difficult not to get frustrated and then (b) feel bad about it because there's no shared lexicon or understanding between those of us from the computerized generation and those before.

It's really hard work. Desktop? No. Taskbars, docks, menus? No. No. No. Download? No. App? No. You're forced into a space where everything has to be described as 'the words at the top of the screen' or 'on the left, the very left, at the bottom corner...'

And honestly, a special place is reserved in Hell for the idiots who still email should be set up by typing in long addresses and making decisions about SSL and ports. It's fucking 2020, not 1994, you clungemagnets.

It takes a while and leaves one with a lingering and persistent thirst for large quantities of gin.

I have to confess that I'm quite pleased with myself that recently  I somehow managed to, remotely, over the phone, navigate my 86 yo mother, who has dementia, to find the house us kids were brought up in on Streetview, using her Windoze fed laptop (I've never owned a Windoze machine - so I haven't a clue as to what goes on on the desktop, nevermind 'under the hood').
Nobody swore, and nobody threatened anyone.
I'm minded to apply for a job as a hostage negotiator.
I think it's a job I would enjoy.

My mother got sick (literally, she had to go heave) because I made 'everything rush around.' This, in modern parlance, is I believe something called scrolling.

That said, the list of things that make her sick is quite long (any kind of cardboard toilet paper or kitchen roll innards, curry sauce [in the jar, god knows the tsunami of vomit an unleashed curry sauce would despatch], most kinds of foods*, etc.)

*she's lived primarily off cigarettes and very occasional cheese cobs since about 1983.

[Feanor]

Following a HDD failure, I've just re-installed Win10 Home on a new SSD on Junior's laptop.

Using the latest Win10 Media Creation Tool to make a bootalbe USB.
This all worked fine.

But MS have ratcheted up the pressure to sign in with a Microsoft Account.
Previously, when you got to the Account Setup point, you were strongly guided down the Create / Sign up for MS account.
But there was a small link to 'Skip' this, and to create a normal Local Windows account.
This option is now gone.
You now *must* use an MS account.

There is a workaround.
Ensure there is no Internet connectivity at this point.
So unplug any LAN cable, and at the WiFi setup page which appears earlier, un-check all networks and select the option 'I don't have Internet'.

Then, windows will huffily ask if you wish to continue with a 'limited' install.
Limited my arse. Limited for them, not me.
Then the option to create a local account appears.

Once you get to the desktop, go ahead and connect to the WiFi or LAN as usual.

There is a way to do it while remaining online, but it's squirrelled away deep in the dense forests of non-obviousness, so much so I don't remember the precise breadcrumb trail I was forced to follow while blindfolded and in the dark. But a local admin I became. I'm probably now on a list somewhere at Microsoft.

I'm not that bothered per se, I just have no reason to want a Microsoft account on account that I don't have Windows computer and don't plan on getting one any time this side of the heat death of the universe.

It was, but it's not any more if you install from a recent build.
In Win10 home now, the only way to complete an install without logging into or setting up an MS account is to force it off-line.

Random Internet link about this change:
https://www.howtogeek.com/442609/confirmed-windows-10-setup-now-prevents-local-account-creation/

[Kim]

So going through another fixit cycle with my parents, I'm struck that it's (a) difficult not to get frustrated and then (b) feel bad about it because there's no shared lexicon or understanding between those of us from the computerized generation and those before.

It's really hard work. Desktop? No. Taskbars, docks, menus? No. No. No. Download? No. App? No. You're forced into a space where everything has to be described as 'the words at the top of the screen' or 'on the left, the very left, at the bottom corner...'

The rot set in with GUIs, I think.  The older generation coped much better when computers were operated by command lines and arcane keypresses, as you could document a given workflow and having a list of "which buttons to press" made intuitive sense.  You had to work slightly harder to get into trouble, too.

I think this is perhaps what IOS does so well.  It's shiny, it's simple, it does modern graphical stuff and yet it makes sense if your understanding of technology is based on rote-learning specific actions.


(My mum went on several MS Office courses in the late 90s.  She could do all sorts of arcane text formatting stuff, and make Excel do something useful and so on.  One day, she happened to see me drag a window from one monitor to another, and suddenly the concept of 'windows' clicked for her.  I was astounded at how she's been confidently using computers for so long without that seemingly fundamental concept.  A couple of years later, I found myself at university surrounded by Social Science types, and eventually realised that the reason they all composed email in tiny windows is because that was $mail_client's last window size when the computing service created the default profile.  (These were the same people who objected to APA style because it was annoying having to press enter twice at the end of each line.))

[Kim]

My mother got sick (literally, she had to go heave) because I made 'everything rush around.' This, in modern parlance, is I believe something called scrolling.

My mum used to complain about "words walking around the screen".  I introduced her to the <insert> key, and persuaded her to enrol on a computing course at the local college (see above).

[Feanor]

So going through another fixit cycle with my parents, I'm struck that it's (a) difficult not to get frustrated and then (b) feel bad about it because there's no shared lexicon or understanding between those of us from the computerized generation and those before.

It's really hard work. Desktop? No. Taskbars, docks, menus? No. No. No. Download? No. App? No. You're forced into a space where everything has to be described as 'the words at the top of the screen' or 'on the left, the very left, at the bottom corner...'

And honestly, a special place is reserved in Hell for the idiots who still email should be set up by typing in long addresses and making decisions about SSL and ports. It's fucking 2020, not 1994, you clungemagnets.

It takes a while and leaves one with a lingering and persistent thirst for large quantities of gin.

https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/science-technology/how-to-deal-with-your-parents-it-problems-without-murdering-them-20200221193718

Even Mrs F uses terminology at random.
The words 'upload', 'download', 'install' are all used interchangeably to mean almost anything done on a computer.

'E-mail' is used to describe any form of electronic communication, be it SMS, WhatsApp or anything else.

Did you not see my e-mail?...
<checks e-mail> No..
I sent it by WhatsApp...

[rogerzilla]

Firefox has gone through a major upgrade.  It sucks ass.

(I don't use Chrome because Big Data).

[ian]

...
It was, but it's not any more if you install from a recent build.
In Win10 home now, the only way to complete an install without logging into or setting up an MS account is to force it off-line.

Random Internet link about this change:
https://www.howtogeek.com/442609/confirmed-windows-10-setup-now-prevents-local-account-creation/

Hmm, as far as I know, I reinstalled Win10 from scratch but it was from the Windows Recovery option (itself an exercise in non-obviousness). Regardless, Microsoft really didn't want me not to create an account. I think it took a journey through about dozen cryptic options rendered in small text at the bottom of dialogue boxes (not one of which till the last said 'create a local account'). It wasn't a lot easier creating just local user account without Microsoft accounts. Even Apple let you just let you hit 'skip' for the AppleID.

So going through another fixit cycle with my parents, I'm struck that it's (a) difficult not to get frustrated and then (b) feel bad about it because there's no shared lexicon or understanding between those of us from the computerized generation and those before.

It's really hard work. Desktop? No. Taskbars, docks, menus? No. No. No. Download? No. App? No. You're forced into a space where everything has to be described as 'the words at the top of the screen' or 'on the left, the very left, at the bottom corner...'

The rot set in with GUIs, I think.  The older generation coped much better when computers were operated by command lines and arcane keypresses, as you could document a given workflow and having a list of "which buttons to press" made intuitive sense.  You had to work slightly harder to get into trouble, too.

I think this is perhaps what IOS does so well.  It's shiny, it's simple, it does modern graphical stuff and yet it makes sense if your understanding of technology is based on rote-learning specific actions.


(My mum went on several MS Office courses in the late 90s.  She could do all sorts of arcane text formatting stuff, and make Excel do something useful and so on.  One day, she happened to see me drag a window from one monitor to another, and suddenly the concept of 'windows' clicked for her.  I was astounded at how she's been confidently using computers for so long without that seemingly fundamental concept.  A couple of years later, I found myself at university surrounded by Social Science types, and eventually realised that the reason they all composed email in tiny windows is because that was $mail_client's last window size when the computing service created the default profile.  (These were the same people who objected to APA style because it was annoying having to press enter twice at the end of each line.))

I was going to argue that GUIs make things easier, but then I remembered that GUIs make things easier for people who know GUIs. They rely on a certain williness to JFC* click and a learned nonintuitiveness. It doesn't help that Windows takes that the max, since Microsoft have retained every useability fail since Windows 3. I got the inlaws going with iPads and they're actually quite capable. I'd send my parents back to school but it didn't stick the first time around and none of them have every used a computer in their working lives. I figured that my niece could help them, she's seventeen and one would think a-ok with modern technology. Seems not, but then she can count her GCSEs on one hand and still have a couple of spare fingers.

*Just Fucking Click – this I'm doing now to undertake a mandatory application security requirements course on our godawful learning platform. Seriously, how do I open the bloody course? Clicking the icon and title don't do anything. Clicking the options button offers to add it to something called a playlist (it's already on my requirements list) or, erm, print (which prints the page). Ah, the way to start the course is to click the module title in the sidebar, open the relevant section and then the sublink in the list of course below and then from that page, there's a start option just below the banner.

[Mr Larrington]

Firefox has gone through a major upgrade.  It sucks ass.

(I don't use Chrome because Big Data).

If you think Mozilla pushed a broken Firefox Android build, good news: It didn't. Bad news: It's working as intended.. El Reg's take on the matter.

[Kim]

At risk of bringing cycling content into Ctrl-Alt-Del, I reported a bug in SeriesMgr last night, at about this time.

A little over an hour ago, That Nice Mr Sitarski responded to say that he'd fixed it and made a new release.  I installed it on the BHPC's jam-filled Babbage engine, and confirmed that the issue is resolved.

I checked on github, it wasn't just a single line fix, either.