Data Storage, Gift Vouchers, Telemetry

• The database post made me read the Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) article, which was new stuff to me. Yet nobody mentioned the classic dbm, gdbm and ndbm, which are still available with Python dbm, yet even the database is in quotes. Also a flat file database is working option. And sure, it can be fully transactional. Also SQLite with one table key,value works beautifully and is very easy and simple in many cases. Anyway, the Wikipedia article about ESE was quite nice description of generic database features. Email storage is also classic database problem. That's why there are formats like Mork and MH Message Handling System (mh / nmh) formats. I've personally taken a few looks at Mork and every time it ranked high on WTF per minute scale.
• In one movie they kept USB flash storage in massive bank vault? Why? Due to modern encryption, there's no point of storing devices in safe places. You can have multiple copies as well as those copies can be encrypted so that the data on the devices is totally useless, without the encryption key. Which means that you don't actually need any special security for the devices. If device is stolen, they can't access the data anyway, and you still got the alternate copies available. -> Making storage in a bank vault basically pointless.
• Had once again discussion with colleagues about file systems. I think best approach would be making proper fsck for exFAT. It's guaranteed to be a file system which isn't "dead" and will be probably used for decades to come.
• Gift vouchers from (PresentCard.fi | GoGift.fi) - Awesome job boys. In the gift voucher menu there's a bad font selection, character spacing is so narrow that some letters join, which makes readability really hard. Then they used. Used 3472872 bytes to transmit 7 digits. Nice efficiency. Requirement to print the electronic gift voucher is meh. The process from usability point is as bad as it can get. Of course I understand, you can keep money in the case you manage to drive the customers away. Usability on mobile is also very bad. The delivery latency of the electronic voucher to email (to be printed) is ridiculously long. Anyone using your business services should just feel ashamed and they're fools. - Totally generally saying, buying a gift voucher is one of the stupidest things you can do. You're simply devaluing money. Never buy a gift voucher, it makes no sense whatsoever. Try to think like an economist.
• Is Firefox only browser not spying on users? At least Firefox lets you disable the spying features if you prefer that in configuration under data reporting and telemetry. Yet it seems like there's a lot of stuff under datareporting* and *telemetry* in the configuration. When using default settings should all web-browsers be called spyware?
• Horrible hack in Windows using registry allowing mapping paths as drives using "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\DOS Devices" and Key, Value = "X:", "\DosDevices\C:\Mapped-as-X" or similar path. Afaik, volume manager doesn't offer this good old subst option in any sane way. If it does, please let me know! - Thanks!
• Read stuff about Spectre NextGen (malware). Yet, it was totally obvious that this stuff was going to pop-up, after the previous Spectre issues.
• Something slightly different: Random Wikipedia surfing: I didn't even know that there was a F-16XL, history is full of interesting planes like F-20 Tigershark, unsurprisingly seeing it reminded me immediately about T-38 Talon.

2019-10-13