Posts by MacroRodent

Re-volting: AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization undone by electrical attack

Re: Really?

The whole point of SEV is to defend against an untrustworthy host (either because its owner is evil, or his organization has been penetrated by some three-letter agency). So it should resist also physical attacks.

Thunderbird 91 lands: Now native on Apple Silicon, swaps 'master' for 'primary' password, and more

Re: O365 and IMAP

Yes, O365 is the most successful vendor lock-in known to mankind.

Apple responds to critics of CSAM scan plan with FAQs, says it'd block governments subverting its system

Re: Kiddie porn? how noble

>Still its nice to know my Nikon D330 photos are safe from scanni.. oh I'm using windows to store them

Better use a film camera to be safe... most of my pictures this summer were shot with a classic Asahi Pentax SLR.

No upside for Apple, so... draw your conclusions

As expected, Apple comes out looking bad in this, and I am pretty sure they knew it ahead of time. This means there must be mighty arm twisting going on behind the scenes. Speculating Apple has been told by U.S gov in no uncertain terms to do something about child abuse pics, with the threat of legislation to force mandatory backdoors, if they do not comply.

Perl's Community Affairs Team chair quits as org put on ice by code language's foundation

Re: FFS

Python and Perl have different goals and design philosophies.

Perl as it is is more useful in many cases than Python: You don't wear down you fingers into stumps writing it, and you don't have to import lots of libraries to perform common tasks. It is the ideal language when your program massages text, files and processes, and is not too complicated to fit into one source file of reasonable size.

Python is certainly better for larger applications.

US labor official suggests Amazon's Alabama workers rerun that unionization vote

Pretty good demonstration

Amazon keeps providing us with examples of why strong labour unions are needed.

Israeli authorities investigate NSO Group over Pegasus spyware abuse claims

Re: How does it work?

I have wondered about the origin and reason for the existence of that famous list of phone numbers. Being part of NSO:s license control is one reason that makes sense. However having a plaintext master list of targets feels like bad security.

Windows 11 still doesn't understand our complex lives – and it hurts

web Teams works on Linux

I have been the web interface of Teams on Linux all through the pandemic. Works (even camera). There is supposedly a Linux Teams version, which is essentially a web browser running a single app (an Electron monstrosity), and some of my colleagues who have tried seem to have trouble with authentication all the time with it, so I never bothered. Web Teams works for my needs.

My spouse has tried to work with Teams on Windows, with scarcely less problems (and as the IT support of our house, these immediately are my problems, causing grey hair). Yes, it really has trouble comprehending a user may have to access Teams as a member of different organizations, or as a "consumer" Windows ID user. How can it be so hard?

Latest patches show Rust for Linux project making great strides towards the kernel

Re: Another language?

Most Windows programs still run on Windows 7, because it still is widely used, and developers don't want to cut support for it. That is not going to be the case for long. ReactOS will reactively have to add APIs in response.

Re: Another language?

The problem with ReactOS is it is chasing a fast-moving target, Windows is whatever MS says it is, and nobody will use a Windows clone that does not run recent Windows software. Linux started out as a Unix clone, but that was a much simpler and stabler target, and nowadays some OS'es (even Windows) are trying to provide Linux compatibility, instead of the other way round...

Re: Next to learn

> I wouldn't describe D as new.

First version is from 2001, which makes it much newer than C, C++, or Java.

Next to learn

I had been wondering which of these new-fangled languages like Go, Rust, D, Swift etc. one should study in more depth. I guess Linux starting to actually use Rust for some bits (with even Linus blessing it) decides the choice.

Age discrimination case against IBM leaks emails, docs via bad redaction

Wonder if the redactors ever learn

"Redactions" that are easily undone with copy-paste have been objects of ridicule for decades now. One would expect by now that people have learned. But fortunately, for the amusement of TheReg readers, it continues.

Radioactive hybrid terror pigs break out of nuclear hellscape home and into people's hearts

Rovio Ltd should be interested

Radioactive Hybrid Terror Pigs would be a worthy nemesis for the Angry Birds.

Microsoft tells US lawmakers cloud has changed the game on data privacy, gets 10 info demands a day from cops

True, but the bank will nevertheless forcibly open the box in certain circumstances. For example, if the police turns up with a warrant for a particular box, the bank has reason to believe the box contains something hazardous, or the customer stops paying rent and cannot be contacted (the terms of my bank say they will wait for a year in that case, but then they will open it).

> Would anyone store their most private letters at some strangers house just because they offer it?

Actually, that happens all the time. Ever heard of safe deposit boxes at banks?

Rocky Linux release attracts 80,000 downloads as ex-CentOS users mull choices

Outrage

I don't think there is anything "mock" about an outrage caused by the manufacturer retroactively removing a documented feature some customers had come to rely on.

Scientific Linux etc

I actually used White Box Linux when I needed a RHEL clone, but it was a one-man band (or nearly), so after a year or two its maintainer gave up, and recommended CentOS, to which I moved.

Scientific Linux was a bit different, it survived until fairly recently, and the reason is it was not just a RHEL clone, but bundled software that RHEL did not have (I think OpenAFS support was one notable addition).

Radioactive hybrid terror pigs have made themselves a home in Fukushima's exclusion zone

Waiting for the anime version...

Sounds like a good premise for an Anime film.

(A suitably kawai icon is needed ->)

IBM's 18-month company-wide email system migration has been a disaster, sources say

Re: Bean counters?

> But the (no doubt patented) Philips track following

Didn't that later become a feature in VHS, too? Only older decks needed manual track adjustment, newer ones did the trick automatically, unless the tape was really bad.

Video wars (Re: Bean counters?)

> Thing is Betamax was/is way better than VHS

A beloved tech myth. Actually there was very little difference. Both improved with time, but VHS obviously had more time to improve. "Late" VHS was certainly better than early Betamax was.

I used to have also a S-VHS deck, a backward-compatible extension that required slightly different tape (it could also play back and record regular VHS). THAT was a clearly visible improvement, almost DVD-quality. The fact it did not take off shows VHS was good enough for most people.

Researchers find evidence that stress does turn your hair grey, and it can be reversed – you just need a holiday

Re: Its not the colour that's the problem

More likely Picard just likes it that way. After all, even today there are men who keep their heads shawed bald.

Chromebook boom won’t outlive COVID-19 pandemic, says IDC

Re: Oh it will outlive the pandemic

Helsinki schools had gone to Office365, but that is pretty usable via web. My kid did pandemic home school with it and with some school website from Google (forget the name right now). Assignments were submitted that way. Chromebooks would have worked just as well (although he did already have a PC), no Windows stuff was actually installed.

UK urged to choo-choo-choose hydrogen-powered trains in pursuit of carbon-neutral economic growth

Re: My thoughts

> That said is someone fitting 3rd rail to the highland lines? I have seen the pictures of the Southern region electrics there.

The Swiss solution. I recall decades ago traveling there by Interrail and they seemed to have everything, even narrow-gauge trains electrified. Some had 3rd rails, particularly those going up mountain sides, some a bit flimsy-looking overhead lines.

Re: Huh

Or run on battery packs. In the case of trains, it would be straightforward, since weight is not as big an issue as in cars, and the battery pack could be quickly swapped with a recharged one at stations, so would not even have to last the entire journey.

The problem with hydrogen for energy storage is the process of making and using it is not too efficient.

Now that China has all but banned cryptocurrencies, GPU prices are falling like Bitcoin

Re: I am no lover of the Chinese political system

> I'm making the big assumption here that the digital coins they wish to introduce will not be mineable per se?

I would say that is a safe assumption. The Chinese Governement will only tolerate digital coins whose supply they can control, the same way as that of ordinary money.

The planet thanks the banning of mining!

Racist malware blocks The Pirate Bay by tampering with victims' Windows hosts file

Misfiled article

Why is this under the "Science" topic? "Security" would be more accurate.

Debian's Cinnamon desktop maintainer quits because he thinks KDE is better now

Re: Lightweight and easily portable

XFCE for me too. Desktop managers are just a tool to launch and manage apps, not an end in themselves.

Having loved it for years, I can say there are some places, where the usability of XFCE could be improved (like adding an app launcher to panel could be simpler), but these are minor niggles. Could probably be fixes without adding bloat, though.

In this round of 'Real life or Black Mirror episode', drones that hunt down humans by listening to their screams

Re: the HK-Aerial Terminator

Obviously we now need to develop autonomous killer drones that are programmed to kill hostile autonomous killer drones...

Two such swarms fighting each other to death would be an interesting sight.

FBI paid renegade developer $180k for backdoored AN0M chat app that brought down drug underworld

Re: Stupid cops

Yes, reportedly a security researcher had actually already found earlier this year that ANOM is broken and BCC:s everything, although he did not know law enforcement was using the backdoor. His pages about it got taken down quickly... This must have been one sign that the secret could not be maintained much longer.

Australian cops, FBI created backdoored chat app, told crims it was secure – then snooped on 9,000 users' plots

Re: Rozzers: 1, Ne'er-do-wells: 0

Seems they managed to co-ordinate cops globally, a major achievement. Media here in Finland today also reported about ANOM-related busts.

Wyoming powers ahead with Bill Gates-backed sodium-cooled nuclear generation plant

Re: Thankfully, the world is simple

Just bury them deep into stable rock.

No need for a religion: If technical knowledge is not lost, people will know about the site and its dangers, and will not go digging. If we get the "A Canticle for Leibowitz" scenario (new dark ages), people will not even be able to dig there, until enough technology is rediscovered. At which point they will know about radioactivity (or will learn pretty soon), hopefully also have deciphered old scriptures describing waste repositories.

Of course geological processes can also bring the waste up, but with careful design and site selection, it can be ensured this is not likely to happen before the waste has decayed to safe levels of radioactivity.

Re: Na Reactors

Fun fact: Thorium oxide was used in the "mantles" of oil and gas lamps. This is a kind of net that surrounds the flame, and greatly increases the light output, compared to a naked flame. Probably the most important previous industrial use of Thorium.

Windows for Nuclear Power

... is probably the OS for the control system.

(mine is the one with a copy of "Just For Fun" in the back pocket).

Re: Thankfully, the world is simple

> Germany is decomissioning all atomic power plants,

One of the most disastrous decisions for environment, ever (after the introduction of leaded gazoline).

Germany is one of those countries that could run nuclear power plants safely, and they are much better for climate than coal or natural gas (the use of which is increasing in Germany as a result of this stupid decision).

Seagate finds sets of two heads are cheaper than one in its new and very fast MACH.2 dual-actuator hard disks

Re: Conner Chinook

From the article: "In 1996, Conner Peripherals was acquired by Seagate."

Maybe the multi-head ideas came from there. Or at least the related patents, so they don't have to worry about some troll coming after them because someone had patented the obvious idea of speeding up drives with multiple heads.

The Audacity: Audio tool finds new and exciting ways to annoy contributors with a Contributor License Agreement

Re: Forking Hell

True, looks like it is:

https://www.audacityteam.org/copyright/ "The name “Audacity” is a registered trademark."

So any fork has to find a different name. Same thing as LibreOffice is now the name of the OpenOffice fork (OpenOffice being nearly a dead project, but still clings on to the trademark).

Re: Forking Hell

Just for fun, Googled(tm) for "audacity forks", the top result was this: https://github.com/yonderbread/foss_audacity

FOSS Audacity? A bit unimaginative, but works.

Selling

> GPL doesn't prohibit the sale of GPL'd software though. [...]

True, and that is much how many open source companies work, although the value they provide is support. "Make a deal with us, then we provided copies of the software and respond to your support tickets".

What you cannot do is sell a copy of GPL'd software and also prohibit resale, or giving it away, or add any other restrictions. You also must commit to providing the source code for the software in usable form. (Not on paper or clay tablets).

> It sounds to me like this move is to create a clearer chain of responsibility. I may be daft and naive though.

No. The aim is to increase ownership, not responsibility. The company wants to be able to relicense new versions of Audacity on different terms than GPL.

Fork time.

Nobody expects the borkish bank-wisition: When I said I wanted some notes from the ATM, I never thought I'd see...

Old Windows

The translucent window borders of Notepad suggest it is running either Vista or Windows 7.

USB-C levels up and powers up to deliver 240W in upgraded power delivery spec

Re: Gaming laptops

> I hate to imagine what the thermal throttling would be like with those components in a laptop enclosure.

Maybe add a pair of plugs for circulating cooling water? We need a standardized H2O plug specification.

Nature is healing: Shhh. It's a lesser spotted Pi Bork nesting behind the bushes at IKEA

Börkäge

If you are going to write fake Swedish, remember the only non-seven-bit-ASCII characters it uses are ä, ö and å. The æ and ø appear only in Danish and Norwegian (in them they substitute for ä and ö, respectively).

Beijing bashes Bing and lashes LinkedIn over improper data collection and storage

They don't want competitors

The Chinese governement just wants to make sure it is the only one collecting information on the Chinese.

Microsoft embraces Linux kernel's eBPF super-tool, extends it for Windows

Re: The obligatory abbreviation (TOA)

Actually, the amusing thing here is that typically the abbreviation "API" is defined as in the example, but never used again in the same text. So why define it?

(I definitely agree it is a good idea to always define your TLA:s when you really use them).

The obligatory abbreviation (TOA)

> and application programming interfaces (APIs) on

Again. I have seen innumerable announcements and other texts, where the abbreviation API is defined in precisely this way, and never used again in the text. Besides, by now everyone knows what it stands for.

Sort of obligatory shibboleth to mention it.

The quest for faster Python: Pyston returns to open source, Facebook releases Cinder, or should devs just use PyPy?

Re: C and then some

The 64-bit version of x86 actually has twice as many general-purpose registers as the PDP-11.

In any case, the number of CPU registers is irrelevant for any language that works at higher level than macro assembler. Don't be misled by the "register" keyword in C. Modern C compilers actually ignore it, except for enforcing the restriction that you cannot take the address of a "register" variable, and it never was more than a hint to the compiler that it should give some priority for optimizing this variable.

Audacity 'scared and excited' to be bought and brought under Muse Group's roof, promises to stay free and open source

Re: Cash is a powerful motivator

I think Audacity is popular enough that if they tried anything objectionable, there would soon be a fork. The Audacity-specific code is licensed under GPL, and it includes components with various other open-source licenses.

BadAlloc: Microsoft looked at memory allocation code in tons of devices and found this one common security flaw

Re: Need trapping

The funny thing is the 64-bit x86 still supports INTO, AAA etc. in 16 and 32 bit modes. Just not in 64 bit mode. There the opcodes are only made illegal, instead of being reassigned. This solution does not really save any silicon.

Re: Need trapping

Sad indeed. Now that I look at it, more user-level instructions are gone in the 64-bit mode than I thought (shows my age, I did a lot of 16-bit and 32-bit x86 low-level coding, not so much with 64-bit). I mean, AAA, AAD, AAM and AAS are also gone...

Re: Need trapping

Disagree, sorry. At the hardware level, all integers are unsigned. CPU:s do provide support for interpreting them as signed when needed, with features like the overflow flag and sign-extending instructions. Programming languages of course may support both signed an unsigned integers, with the compiler imposing the appropriate interpretation.

malloc() argument and size_t are naturally unsigned, because a negative memory allocation size makes no sense, and a signed argument might not be able to specify the largest possible allocations. Not so relevant in the 64-bit world, but in the 16 and 32 bit CPU:s you could actually want to specify malloc arguments that exceed the largest signed 16 or 32 bit integer.