I spend much of my life sat in front of a computer, and for the last five or so years, those computers have - where possible - been those made by Apple. The main reason that drew me to Mac OS X was that, underneath the well designed user interface is the Unix command line [...]
Twenty years ago, finance in the UK changed fundamentally with the “Big Bang”, opening up and liberating the previously cosy world of finance in radical ways, leading it to become perhaps the biggest international marketplace. The BBC is marking the occasion with a great overview article about the changes, and the state of the financial [...]
I’ve just received a phone call from BT which I found really rather ominous. It seems, rather than sending out red reminder bills, they now pick up the phone and call to verbally harangue their customers about late payment. It just happened that I recalled I’d not paid the latest bill this morning, and would have [...]
The Sunday Mirror has an expose on BBC2’s Dragon’s Den programme, listing various examples of promises of money that have simply not appeared after agreements were struck. Whilst I admire the BBC’s attempt to make business and entrepreneurial skills a subject of interest, the format has deep flaws that undermine the very aim. Essentially, I don’t [...]
I long ago gave up with inkjet printers. Every one I’ve ever had the misfortune of using has had problems of one sort or another, mainly due to clogged heads, knackered print-head belts, or - and here’s a shock - extortionately expensive ink cartridges. I print colour so very rarely that I invested in a [...]
The Guardian has an article by Richard Stallman on the threat posed by the European Patent legislation. A campaign website also exists giving guidance on how this issue can be raised with MEP’s. This is a big issue in Information Technology, and if you’re not familiar with the subject, it’s worth a read to demonstrate the [...]
I’m convinced that music is undergoing a massive change at the moment, and the BPI (equivalent of the RIAA in the US) are taking the fundamentally wrong approach in suing people who are downloading and sharing music. The reason they are distributing files “illegally” is no different from the practices of the past, when - [...]
In a welcome return, Stefan Smalla has posted an interesting link and analysis of VC fund futures in Europe. I’m not sure it’s all doom and gloom myself. Certainly the larger VC’s with larger funds and a larger business focus face tough times in the dot com hangover, especially in Europe. But smaller “business angels” focusing [...]
Version control: A misunderstood technology
I’m pleased to publish an article I have been working on for the last few weeks. It is, in essence, an overview of version control, but I start from the premise that it is badly misunderstood by a large number of technology practitioners. Because it is badly misunderstood, I strive to address the “justifications” I [...]