The week in your words: Sewers, Windows 7 and data loss

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 25 Jan 2008 at 15:47

In a week that saw a broadband solution rise out of the sewers, Windows 7 creep one year closer, and the government suggest a way out of its data loss woes, we take a look back to see what the PC Pro faithful have made of it all.

Sewer firm brings 100Mb/sec broadband to Britain

This week brought news that a UK company has decided that in the 10 years it will take to download the latest episode of EastEnders, it might as well get on with outfitting the UK with fibre through the sewers instead. While the promise of super-fast broadband clearly excited our readers, it was the punning-potential that really stirred them into action. The top three is no particular order:

"You would have to be flush to afford their service," suggest wolfie2.

"100Mb/sec broadband through the sewage network: that should be good for streaming media," cackles c6ten.

"How long before the ISPs are blaming Dyno-Rod for a 'cr**' service?," asks pcernie.

What do you think of it so far? Rubbish!

Windows 7 pushed forward

Speaking of things going down the pan, Microsoft has apparently decided to push Windows 7 forward by a year. Caught between optimism, scepticism and plain indifference our forum decided to talk about Apple instead.

"The biggest thing that is harming Microsoft now - and its customers - is trying to maintain backwards compatibility with everything," says marklar77. "They should just move on, start again on something new, with a clean architecture developed with the future in mind. It is what Apple did by abandoning OS 9."

Not so, argues scottuss. "Apple can easily overhaul their operating systems because they know for sure the new OS will work on the new hardware. How? 'Cos they control both hardware and software! Microsoft do not, they have the task of creating an operating system that will be installed on so many different configurations, old and new. I honestly don't think Apple could do the job Microsoft do, considering the challenges that it faces."

Civil servants banned from taking laptops home

Which brings us nicely to the government's travails in holding on to the public's personal data for longer than five minutes. In response it has now banned civil servants from taking laptops filled with unencrypted data home with them. Sarcasm swiftly ensued.

"Wow! Genius!," begins Grunthos. "Who'd have thought that would be a way to prevent security breaches? I guess it would have required some kind of gigantic mastermind brain to think that would have been a good idea from the start. At least they thought of it before any important data was stolen or went missing. Brilliant! I can sleep peacefully at night knowing that such vast intellects are in charge in Whitehall."

It's just an opinion, but we don't think he means it. mikepgood was slightly more succinct in his analysis.

"The horse has already bolted."

"Bolted? It's in another country supping on some nice vino having a chinwag with Lord Lucan and Shergar," suggests bobbdobbs.