* Posts by SilverWave

275 publicly visible posts • joined 6 Mar 2008

Page:

Firefox update tackles critical memory bugs

SilverWave
Happy

Crashes?

hmm any one using a lot of extensions by any chance?

(I mean what's the chance of 29 extensions having any problems working together seamlessly, right?).

...are any of them meant for a previous version of ff? (but you force them with mr tech toolbox because you cant live without them *cough* slogger *cough*).

Oh just me then :P

Or it could be that the Ubuntu tweaked version I use is just not quite as robust?

Or the Linux ff version is the poor relation at mozilla?

Could it be that the changes from 2 to 3 were very large and it will take until 3.5 for things to bed down completely?

All of the above?

Fuck it, if ff crashes I am back up in 10 seconds with all tabs restored, I can live with that small hit for all the extra functionality *cough* Boox *cough*.

And FF3.5 is due shortly :)

Google backs EU's Microsoft antitrust battle

SilverWave
Happy

How To Make Ballmer's Head Explode

Can you imagine Ballmer being told that he had to distribute Firefox or Chrome!!!

Priceless.

oh please god make it so...

[maniacal gales of laughter]

-----------------

The cherry on the top is to address the previously sold MS OS’s in the EU.

MS to use their Update Service to offer this as a Critical Update (This is valid, as it is at least as critical as WGA).

This would need to be offered to any one in the EU

-----------------

More execs quit Phorm

SilverWave
Thumb Up

Die Phorm die!

This is so good :)

Almost out of money eh?

All those dreams of riches turning to ash?

hehe :P

Ubuntu documentation in shreds

SilverWave
Linux

Not a show stopper as you can just google "Ubuntu [Problem]" and you're sorted.

The rule is, 99% probable fix within the first 10 results.

To raise the odds look for hits from ubuntuforums.org/

^That's the beauty of FOSS, lots of people helping each other :P

TBH I have found the documentation on the Ubuntu site to be good, at least up to paid software standards.

If you want more - go buy a book and encourage the writing of more :)

Phorm: Our business is fine, honest

SilverWave
Paris Hilton

Yep this is a DEAD business model - Nice warm glow at the crap stock price :)

Got to say I had a a good laugh at the drop in the stock price yesterday :)

BT == Selling your privacy one IP address at a time.

ISP Spyware, Just Say No!

... still laughing at all the mercenary bastards who took a beating on the stock price yesterday :D

Paris because even she knows that the betrayal of trust like this means the death of any business.

Google releases open source browser

SilverWave
Linux

Choice is good - Firefox for the Geeks - Chrome for Googlers - IE for the Sheep.

It would take an act of God to get me to move from Firefox3 + Extensions.

But that's not the point.

The point it to take back control of the web from Microsoft.

Firefox is appealing to a larger and larger public but there is a huge installed base of IE users. These users may not know who Mozilla is but may be tempted by the trusted Google brand.

To a lot of people the internet is IE ... if this webkit offer from Google helps change that then its all good :)

John Glenn blasts Moonbase-to-Mars NASA roadmap

SilverWave
Paris Hilton

From the 2005 Authorization Act for NASA,

Mike Griffin speaks and takes questions <http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.nl.html?pid=26756>

---start quote

"The Administrator shall establish a program to develop a sustained human presence on the Moon, including a robust precursor program, to promote exploration, science, commerce, and United States preeminence in space, and as a stepping-stone to future exploration of Mars and other destinations." "The Administrator shall manage human space flight programs to strive to achieve the following milestones,

(A) Returning Americans to the Moon no later than 2020.

(B) Launching the Crew Exploration Vehicle as close to 2010 as possible.

(C) Increasing knowledge of the impacts of long duration stays in space on the human body using the most appropriate facilities available, including the ISS.

(D) Enabling humans to land on and return from Mars and other destinations on a timetable that is technically and fiscally possible."

---end quote

Manned missions are only really about national prestige...

...but what the hell - if that's the only way the Americans will fund space transport, go with that for the time being.

The key longer term, is to find a cheaper way to get off earth... so any work like this is useful.

Big production runs of disposable rockets, look to be the only viable solution with our present level of technology and material science... pity :(

Even Paris knows that reusable spacecraft(space shuttles) eat up too much money to be practical.

NASA: The Moon is not enough

SilverWave
Paris Hilton

Project Orion (nuclear propulsion)

@halfcut: "There will come a point (opinion varies on exactly when) when all the resources we produce will be needed to maintain the population; and we will have lost the option."

Nope! When things get tight, we just say stuff messing around with small loads and use Project Orion (nuclear propulsion).

Put a skyscraper on the moon in one fell swoop.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_%28nuclear_propulsion%29>

"the Orion design would work by dropping fission or thermonuclear explosives out the rear of a vehicle, detonating them 200 feet (60 m) out, and catching the blast with a thick steel or aluminum pusher plate."

Paris because (obviously) she likes things to be tight...

US retailers start pushing $20 Ubuntu

SilverWave
Linux

Great Idea and a Very Low Price for 60 days support!

I am running Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 and I have had no problems.

I think 60 days support for £10 is incredibly good value.

I wouldn't think of supporting anyone for less than £10 per hour.

Its another choice, which is what FOSS is all about.

Great advertising as well.

Hopefully a lot of people will give it a try now that tech support is included.

Virgin Media collects customer banking details on CD, then loses it

SilverWave
Flame

More bad practice at Virgin - what a shocker!

That's the problem with repeated cuts in IT costs...

eventually you inevitably get a cheap service.

... lack of trained IT personnel

... huge turnover of said personnel.

... unmotivated staff.

... technical illiterates who implement short-sighted decisions that destroy brand value.

i.e phorm web interception.

never had this problem with telewest - they always took the high ground :)

I now associate VirginMedia with incompetence and greedy opportunism... someone preprepared to whore themselves out to any old scum.

VirginMedia your local ISP Phormwhore

see http://www.badphorm.co.uk/

Firefox 3 downloads hit 7m despite server FAIL

SilverWave
Linux

No silly enlarged back button on Ubuntu :)

FF3 works fine with TabMixPlus but you need to pick up the dev version from the web site.

http://tmp.garyr.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7031

Got all my extensions working (even Boox!) and FF3 is fast and stable.

The places\history\bookmarks thing takes a little getting used to but is well worth the effort.

Not sure Google will like it though, as it has cut the searching I need to do by at least a 1/4.

Oh yeah the download stunt... it worked didn't it... you reported on it, but more importantly so did the BBC :)

Its FOSS a great product and stops all the shitty adds that so clutter up some sites... what's not to like?

:P

NASA chief: Europe should have own astronaut ship

SilverWave
Paris Hilton

Big Rockets and lots of them :)

Think of space craft as very expensive Jumbo jets with a very limited production run.

Make 10 of anything technically complex and it will cost more per item than making 1000 and gaining economies of scale (think Concorde/747).

The problem here is... where is the need for that number of rockets...

I think the idea of reducing the complexity of the shuttle and going back to a simpler more easily assembled rocket idea is the right approach.

Splitting things between a people and a cargo rocket means the extra safety requirements for the people side of NASA's business need not weigh down the overall project.

The ATV is the best thing I have seen come out of Europe in years, it is a great achievement and the people carrying idea has to have been in the back of everyone's mind for a while. The EU could even get Bill to pay for this one, another fine of $2billion for any issues they come across in the latest investigations...

Paris because obviously she loves big powerful rockets :)

Uncontacted rainforest tribe caught from the air

SilverWave
Paris Hilton

@Mark

Hmm interesting - you did read more than the title didn't you?

>You will die. There's NOTHING that will stop it happening.

>It's likely that you will have no descendants within five generations.

Not me I am going to give living forever a try.

>But we still don't like the idea of popping round your home and killing you and your family.

You are a great humanitarian, and that is a sentiment I heartily agree with.

>People get quite annoyed with people who do that.

Quite.

>So maybe we should refrain from interfering with people like this too.

Logic and reasoned augment not one of your strong points are they?

>Or give your address up here and if it's within a cheapday return...

I am thinking of contacting the police regarding that remark as it looks like it could be that you are threatening to kill me.

The Register has your IP and email so hopefully they will reach your address before you leave.

Paris Icon as even she knows that threatening people on the internet is likely to get you into a bit of trouble...

Of course if you really are 12 and a 1/2 as you appear to be judging by your post, I am sure the police will take that into account.

SilverWave
Boffin

The outside world is going to kill most of them... sooner or later.

Any outside contact will introduce them to the diseases we have learned to live with (we are the descendants of the ones that didn't die from things like the blackdeath etc.).

The only question is when, now or later :(

Still I don't go for that noble savage crap either, not being a racist, I expect them to be just like us...clever people, stupid people, good people, bad people.

The disease issue doesn't stop communications being made it just makes it more difficult.

Just explaining germ theory and advising them on first aid, health issues and providing them with basic medication could save them from a lot of suffering.

Education and warnings of their predicament are something that we owe them and the least we can do is to help forewarn them.

Doing nothing is not an option as the first loggers to meet them will destroy them.

They are adults, in a sometimes harsh world and need to be treated as such.

Mozilla pilots second release candidate for Firefox 3.0

SilverWave
Go

Just go for it! Extensions are the key.

Using FF3B and its working well and very fast!

New bookmarks/history/smartbar a real winner.

I cant blame the occasional crashes on FF3 as I have a lot of non approved extensions (see the list below) but it still works & I cant do without them. Stuff FF3RC2! Just go for it! The quicker FF3 is officially released the quicker the extensions will be updated :)

Enabled Extensions: [26]

- Adblock Plus 0.7.5.4 - All-in-One Sidebar 0.7.5 - Boox 2.0a1 - British English Dictionary 1.19 - BugMeNot 1.8 - ColorfulTabs 2.0.11- Configuration Mania1.09 - CustomizeGoogle 0.72 - Firefox Showcase 0.9.4.8 - Fission 0.9.7.1 - FlashGot 1.0 - Gmail Notifier 0.6.3.3 - Image Zoom 0.3.1 - Menu Editor 1.2.6 - MR Tech Toolkit 6.0a29 - No Squint 1.93.2 - NoScript 1.6.5 - Nuke Anything Enhanced 0.68.1 - Places’ Full Titles 3rc3 - Quick Preference Button 0.1.8.1 - Reliby 1.2.0 - repagination 2006.4.5 - Slogger 0.6.20061221 - Tab Mix Plus 0.3.6.1.080416 - Toolbar Buttons 0.5.0.4 - Ubuntu Firefox Modifications 0.5

Disabled Extensions: [4]

- Forecastfox l10n 0.7.2008050801 - Tweak Network 1.1.2 - Web Developer 1.1.6 - Xinha Here! 0.12

Installed Plugins: (9)

- Default Plugin - Demo Print Plugin for unix/linux - DivX Browser Plug-In - iTunes Application Detector - mplayerplug-in 3.50 - QuickTime Plug-in 6.0 / 7 - RealPlayer 9 - Shockwave Flash - Windows Media Player Plugin

Virgin Media distances itself from Phorm 'adoption' claims

SilverWave
Go

How to dump Virgin Cable

badphorm have linked to this and have some advice on how to dump Virgin and not reward BT here:

http://www.badphorm.co.uk/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?2888

"BT are offering to install new lines for £29.99 until the end of June 2008 - a saving of £95 - as long as you agree to an 18 month contract with them".

Once you have the BT number you can go to one of the none pimping ISP's

Check your exchange here:

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/checker2.php

Information Commissioner: Phorm must be opt-in only

SilverWave
Paris Hilton

Opt-in is the killer blow.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Phorm's business model is broken!

Opt-in is the killer blow.

90% of projected revenues just went south.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

Paris icon - as its not rocket science :)

Phorm admits 'over zealous' editing of Wikipedia article

SilverWave
Heart

"PHAIL" See: Phorm Public Relations

PHAIL or (Phorm FAIL)

See: Phorm Public Relations

ROTFL

Only Ubuntu left standing, as Flash vuln fells Vista in Pwn2Own hacking contest

SilverWave
Linux

Shouldn't laugh really :)

hmm I wonder if that exploit would get past firefox?

Or what about Ubuntu and Firefox?

Not sure I buy that guys throwaway line about Ubuntu being easy to crack... talk is cheap - *show me*

Oh and no I just cant resist it...

hahaha :)

Mozilla plugs 10 security holes in Firefox

SilverWave
Linux

noscript is your friend

Patching is just a fact of life with any large codebase and Firefox makes updates painless so stop whinging.

If you have a look most of the problems lately are JavaScript related... so noscript is an easy extra layer of protection. I would say 99% of sites I visit work OK without JavaScript... so I just turn it on when needed.

Anybody who still uses IE obviously likes spyware, what other explanation is there?

And TBH use IE if you want... its not my machine you are infecting by your stupidity, so knock yourself out :D

Just remember that laughing you hear... the next time you have to reinstall your OS because you have lost control?

Yeah thats me :D

Phorm launches data pimping fight back

SilverWave
Black Helicopters

Plan 'B' "Secure VPN Connection" - Any recommendations?

Most of the companies offering Secure VPN look worse than Phorm (if thats possible).

http://www.strongvpn.com - look legit, any one used them?

SilverWave
Paris Hilton

TalkTalk do the right thing - Now... what about the others?

http://www.talktalkmembers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=740&page=12

Quote:

There has been a huge amount of speculation about Phorm and the possible involvement of Talktalk with their service.

This is the current situation.

* There is no Phorm equipment in our network. We have never run any trials, nor implemented any aspect of this nor any of Phorm’s previous systems in our network.

* We are committed to running a trial with Phorm, but with two very important conditions.

o Firstly, it will be an Opt In, not an Opt Out service. This means you will have to proactively choose to be a participant of the service.

o Secondly, those who have not chosen to participate will not ever come into contact with any Phorm equipment hosted within Talktalk. Details of who has membership of Phorm will be maintained in our network, and only those who have chosen to participate will be passed to Phorm.

* We have been reassured by the advice of the Lawyers, Accountants and Home Office that the Phorm project is not an invasion of privacy, and that in fact the protection and integrity of anonymity provided is superior to that which we all experience from using existing Portals and Search Engines on the internet.

* Webwise, does offer real protection against fraudulent phishing sites, which are an increasing problem to our customers, particularly those who are new to broadband.

* By making the service Opt In, we feel the onus remains firmly with Phorm to make the service useful and compelling enough that subscribers will choose to join it. If it fails to do this, it will itself fail.

----

Paris Icon - 'cause now even the Tech illiterate's as Virgin don't have any excuses.

SilverWave
Alert

Other user-agents are ignored!!!

Q: And does the service ever modify information you receive via http that might not be a web-page, i.e. is it possible for it to accidentally break applications that rely on http for communication, especially if those applications work in a way that Phorm didn't anticipate?

We operate a whitelist of user-agents corresponding to major browsers (e.g. Firefox, IE, Opera). Other user-agents are ignored.

BT targets 10,000 data pimping guinea pigs

SilverWave
Boffin

From politicalpenguin

http://www.politicalpenguin.org.uk/blog/p,295/

http://www.freshpatents.com/Targeted-advertising-system-and-method-dt20060921ptan20060212353.php?type=claims

"Our first avenue of investigation available when trying to hunt down the information on this system should come from the hint on Phorms own website, that this technology is patent pending.

There are numerous repositories on the net that monitor and collect information on new patents. We also know the name of one of the directors of Phorm, Kent Ertugrul. A quick look around new patents reveals this.

As far as can be told, it is the only patent registered by Kent Ertugrul and is registered with the US Patent Office.

A quick look at the overview of the system and it’s title ‘Targeted advertising system and method’ not to mention the inclusion in the system of the use of ISP’s would clearly indicate that this is indeed the system that Phorm are planning to implement through their deal with UK ISP’s.

I’ll first reproduce the claims of the technology here then do a brief synopsis of what this actually means."

Data pimping: surveillance expert raises illegal wiretap worries

SilverWave
Flame

Cut and Paste to send to the "Non techie"

To make it easy for non techie's to see what is going on here, let me explain it in the context of a system everyone knows about... the phone system.

Imagine that your TSP (Telecom Service Provider) decides to make some extra money on the side by allowing "Targeted Advertising" in the same way that these ISP's (Internet Service Provider's) are with Phorm.

So here Goes:

You make phone calls to your Wife, your Doctor and your Daughter, with the new service, "The Gold Standard in Privacy" Phrom...

What happens is this:

Each time you call, someone from Phrom taps the line and listens in, they have strict instructions to write down all that you say, except numbers with more than 3 digits (to protect against the accidental collection of social security, telephone and credit card numbers), email addresses and calls to your Bank (if you use your scrambler) and to listen for certain key words (which they say will help them send you targeted advertisements tailored to you).

So they hear that you are talking a lot about "Top Gear" and mention "Audi" and "Bentley" so the Profiler writes down "Expensive Cars" - Not against your name but against a "Number" all of the time you are on the phone talking, the profiler keeps listening and adding to the different categories about you.

They also do the same if your children make a call or your grandparents or if you call your Doctor.

Now as soon as you hang up the Profiler is supposed to destroy the notes he took of the conversation

So all of the following should be destroyed:

The time of the call

The number you called.

The details of the call e.g. who you called and what you talked about.

Your Name and Number.

In return for you very kindly letting the Profiler listen in to your calls you get a SupaDuppaService from Phrom its called WebSpy and its free!

How WebSpy Works:

If the Profiler listening into your calls notices that you have called a dodgy number in Russia, which is suspected of terrible behaviour, (like bugging your phone), then the profiler will shout at you to hang up.

How Phrom Targeted Advertising Works:

From time to time the guys listening into the calls you are making will notice that you have called one of their members numbers.

The member will, without you knowing, pass the Profiler a note asking what you like.

Then the profiler will shout at you to buy a Expensive Car from this guy.

Wow what a great service that is!?

Its certainly worth giving up a little bit of privacy and having someone from Phrom listening in to all your calls isn't it?!

Notes:

"Phorm's systems collect browsing information such as URLs visited, search terms entered, OS version, relevant keywords of a particular page and randomly-generated unique Ids.

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