Posts by 66663333

IT firing spree: Shrinking job market looks even worse after BLS revisions

Re: This has been an ongoing problem.

I mean, you have to admit that all IT does is play solitaire all day, and there are much smarter , more efficient IT methods (e.g. AI). Therefore they ought to fire all of them, we executives know IT doesn't do crap after all.

BLS Report data, from CNN:

Can other data replace the BLS’ report?

Alternatives to the BLS data have proven limited. Payroll processing company ADP produces a monthly private payrolls report that fails to capture government hiring and is notoriously out of sync with the BLS report. Its inconsistencies have led economists to largely ignore the report.

Why is that data revised?

The BLS considers its initial jobs numbers to be preliminary when they’re first published, because some respondents fail to report their payroll data by the BLS’ deadline. Low survey responses can make the report more challenging to estimate. But the BLS continues to collect the payroll data as it’s reported, and it revises the data accordingly.

The data are also revised because of the seasonal adjustments. If the more complete data comes in well above or below the preliminary data, revisions can be exacerbated by the BLS’ seasonal adjustments, which sometimes need to be recalculated.

The data is revised several times: in each of the two months following the initial report, and then a preliminary annual revision in August and a final annual revision in February.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/04/business/bureau-of-labor-statistics-jobs-report-explainer-hnk

Users left scrambling for a plan B as Dropbox drops Dropbox Passwords

Re: KeePass

Pass phrases are easier to remember. But I'm unsure if they are as safe as randomly generated. They're certainly safer than a randomly generated password that is too short.

Though with any password or passphrase, it's ideal to have 2fa. Don't want just 1 layer of protection , or if that service has a leak of passwords, hopefully the hackers can't log in as you because they don't have the 2fa method.

https://security.psu.edu/services/penn-state-accts/passwords/choose/

Re: KeePass

Well it seems like a good idea to remember important passwords , by typing them in manually.

But for unimportant accounts why not use a password manager to remember them? They are unimportant after all. I mean, you do you.

After clash over Rust in Linux, now Asahi lead quits distro, slams Linus' kernel leadership

This reminds me of the book "birth of a new machine" where they detailed the messy and grueling development of a new computer to beat all other computers, with less resources to make it.

And they were conflicts and disagreements and clashes of personality. And burnouts etc. The leader of the project, Tom West, was seen as distant and unappreciative of the employees, though it is possible he was actually trying to act as a punching bag for the employees' feelings by staying that way.

But any case projects can be messy, at least based on that book. And a bad leader or management can hurt rather than help

FBI wipes Chinese PlugX malware from thousands of Windows PCs in America

How were hundreds of PCs still infected by the malware years after it was discovered?

Windows 10 and up come with a pre-enabled free antivirus, Defender, so why would any windows 10 and newer PC still be infected with PlugX? A working Defender would've wiped PlugX from those computers years ago right?

Re: Cheering and Booing

Why wouldn't you be mad if they had accidentally destroyed PCs instead of helping them? Unless I'm missing a hidden meaning in your comment.

Re: USB infection is just a vector

But wouldn't having a signed driver auto install still be better than having the user manually download a driver that can be infected in the same way or have the user go through Google search links which are notoriously risky for downloads?

Security pros baited with fake Windows LDAP exploit traps

Re: It's fantastic..

You don't have to worry about security vulnerabilities and POCs on Linux?

Huawei's farewell to Android isn't a marketing move, it's chess

Re: Can't understand the apps

I found the nerd wallet app helps me a lot because I was able to link my bank accounts and get a net worth then link my one credit card to see my actual worth. It's only a small step in understanding my finances. But I have to learn more about managing finances which r/personalfinance 's wiki is really informative about.

But nerdwallet doesn't support PayPal with a 2fa enabled with is a big nono. So I stopped using my PayPal credit card.

Windows: Insecure by design

Re: Will most people know or care though?

I think it would be tough for Linux to beat Windows in the home market unless Linux is included preconfigured with new computers, has a similar user experience to Windows (UI, file system, etc.), and the programs home users want.

For Linux to succeed, hardware manufacturers must be forced to make good drivers, which they would presumably do if oems like Dell and HP push to sell computers with Linux, and popularize Linux enough that manufacturers need to write Linux drivers to sell their devices.

I had a TP-Link USB Wi-Fi card 10 years ago, and its Linux driver was a pain to install. They gave me a strange file and no instructions. I never figured it out.

So I don't think the average home user would want to deal with Linux unless computer works perfectly along with USB accessories.

Unless hardware manufacturers start doing a good job of Linux support, or industry forces them, Linux is a hard sell for home users. Dell even used to sell Ubuntu, which backfired on home users bad with tech. A college student bought one and couldn't run Microsoft office for school, not knowing how to use Libre office

Linux must also have an easy familiar user interface. Some Linux distros are a bit arcane to use. When a user needs to "sudo" to install something, on Windows it just asks "do you want to allow this program to change your computer, yes or no." On some Linux distros, you have to type a username and password every time.

And programs the users want are necessary. Drivers must be created for Linux just like software. For example photographers want Lightroom, but does Linux have that?

Their college runs office 365, can Linux do the same?

They need to use Microsoft Teams to collaborate with classmates, is that available?

Zoom call. Lab software etc. I am familiar with college computer requirements, so that's why I'm focusing on that example.

And if a user needs just a browser, then Linux would certainly fit the bill. But wouldn't a user rather get a Chromebox or Chromebook which is mainly a web browser? Chrome os has its own annoyances and oversights. And Linux can be seen as more private than Google or Microsoft products, but users are unaware and don't think the tradeoff in accessibility and compatibility is worth their time.

Re: I hear you loud and clear

That is already a thing. For example. Volvo charges a lot for its diagnostic software. $500 for the official computer to car adapter and $4800-7500 usd annually for a subscription package that includes repair documentation and diagnostic software. So what would you do if you're a car owner or small shop and wants to work on a Volvo.

The pre-2015 Volvos can be worked on with an older version of the software which is free because it was leaked and hacked. But the 2015 and newer Volvos require up to date diagnostic software.

And you also need to pay for each car software update using the diagnostic tool. So even for the much older Volvos, before you could customize behavior like locking headlights, etc. through the car itself, you have to pay and apply a software update to enable automatic door locking while driving. Or to make the horn chirp when locking, make lights flash a different way, turn on automatic puddle lamps, enable the fog lights (cars that were not equipped with fog lights still have working connectors and button, but they're disabled without a software update).

(Eventually Volvo did make automatic door locking added by holding the lock button to enable it)