Posts by JohnFen

Mobile networks are killing Wi-Fi for speed around the world

Re: Cost?

As a USian, I am incredibly jealous that you have access to 4G service that is both cheap and reliable enough to make that a realistic usage scenario.

"What would be handy would a 'disable WiFi for 20 minutes' button."

If you're running Android, install Tasker. It would take about 5 minutes to create a Tasker script that would give you such a button.

Irrelevance? Really?

"Ofcom's top tech bod, Mansoor Hanif, recently gave the Wi-Fi industry a roasting, telling them to shape up to 5G or face sliding into irrelevance."

Not a chance.

It makes no sense to me to replace one already hard-to-secure technology (WiFi) with an even harder-to-secure technology (5G). I absolutely don't want my LAN to be using the same transport as the internet. Period.

Great Scott! Is nothing sacred? US movie-goers vote Back To The Future as most-wanted reboot

Not just no

But hell no.

It'll probably get made, and if it does, I'll ignore that it exists.

Talk about a cache flow problem: This JavaScript can snoop on other browser tabs to work out what you're visiting

Re: Completely Different Browsers

"there's a difference between paranoia as an affliction and paranoia as a hobby"

It's only paranoia if the fear is about nonexistent dangers. In this case, the dangers are very real. So it's not paranoia at all.

Re: Claims of spying are overblown

"Hypervisor attacks ARE a thing, you know?"

Oh, yes, I know very well -- which is why I cringe whenever I hear people advocating VMs as some sort of security panacea. I was not claiming they are! My primary defense against client side scripting is to disallow it and avoid websites that require it. There are one or two that I need to access, though. I acknowledge that it puts me at risk, but running inside a VM does reduce my vulnerability. It certainly doesn't eliminate it, though!

Re: Claims of spying are overblown

"If I was really paranoid I suspect I'd disable tabs and possilby even run each browser instance in a VM"

I guess that I'm half-paranoid. I am not really a user of tabs in the first place (not for security reasons, but because I find it better from a usability standpoint to run multiple instances of a browser rather than having a bunch of tabs in a single instance), but if I have to use a site that doesn't function without allowing Javascript, I always do that from inside a VM.

Re: JS - just for a change

"problem is most sites which "rely on JS", use it for functionality that could be achieved without JS"

Yep. And well-designed sites will continue to work properly even if they can't run scripts in the browser -- they just drop the bells and whistles (which, half of the time, makes the web site faster and easier to use anyway).

My standard practice is that if a site doesn't work properly without Javascript, then I just don't use the site. There are very, very few websites which are actually indispensable.

Re: JS - just for a change

"Let's go back to static pages where you have to keep clicking next page to scroll through thousands of items instead of dynamically loading them then."

For this particular example, I really, really wish that sites would go back to behaving that way. Dynamic loading is something that gets in my way on a daily basis.

Re: Not with NoScript it isn't.

The way I use NoScript is that I disallow all Javascript by default. Then, if needed, I'll selectively allow specific scripts. No site gets blanket permission to run any and all scripts they want.

Yet another example

This is yet another example of why I do not allow Javascript (or any client-side code) to execute in my browser except under certain controlled circumstances. The security issues with it are well known, numerous, and there is no really effective defense.

Microsoft: You looking at me funny? Oh, you just want to sign in

Re: Excuse me for being thick

This is a great point. TPM is not required for server deployments, though. Perhaps that's why?

Re: I Don't Get It...

"so be careful that when a person steals your phone they don't also take your finger."

No need to take your finger. Anyone's fingerprints are easy to obtain (they're probably on the case of that stolen phone), and once you have them then it's pretty simple to fool the fingerprint reader and unlock the phone.

It effectively doesn't exist

"Microsoft's implementation obviously requires Edge"

In that case, the feature effectively doesn't exist, then.

Can you trust an AI data trust not to slurp your data?

Re: Turkeys' discussions before Thanksgiving...

"Honestly, how likely is that?"

In the long run? Very likely. It is all but inevitable that the ubiquitous surveillance being forced on everyone will cause, at some point, widespread harm. When that happens, the shit will truly hit the fan.

At this point in time, though, I figure the only reasonable approach to take is that of self-preservation. When the disaster comes, I would prefer not to be a part of it, which means subverting as much surveillance as possible right now. There's no point in expecting the law to protect you at this point in time. Only tears lie at the end of that path.

Re: "post-data-ownership"

"That's BS for people who want to make money out of your data without paying for it."

I don't think paying for it is the important qualifier here -- I think getting your permission is (paying for it might be a condition you require to give permission, though).

Without them doing that, they aren't just people who want to make money from your data, they're straight-up thieves.

Re: Easy answers to easy questions

"The slurping is one thing... it's what is done with the slurped data that's the troubling part."

I consider both of those aspects about equally troubling, but the slurp is arguably the more important part. If the data isn't slurped, then it can't be abused. Once the data is slurped, there is literally no way of knowing what is being done with the data, so you can't know whether or not it's being abused. That makes the whole thing a matter of trust.

But note that when I use the term "slurp", what I mean is "spy" -- data which is collected without my consent. If I have given my informed consent, then I have decided that I trust whoever I give consent to. Without consent, there can be no trust.

Fox/Henhouse

"If large data processors like Google and Facebook help write the "ethics", they are writing the law that governs themselves."

Having two of the least ethical companies in the tech industry (where there is plenty of competition for the "unethical" crown) help to determine what is and is not ethical sounds like a fantastic idea!

Easy answers to easy questions

"Can you trust an AI data trust not to slurp your data?"

Absolutely not.

A 5G day may come when the courage of cable and DSL fails ... but it is not this day

The more I learn about 5G

The more I learn about 5G, the more it seems that it really only works for densely populated areas. A question for those who know this stuff: am I right?

I hope so, because if it's true then it means I can completely ignore all this 5G stuff.

But that statement gives no indication that it will be cheaper for the end user. Anyone who thinks (in the US, anyway) that any of the telecoms would actually reduce their prices because they have reduced costs are people who have never actually dealt with telecoms.

Re: Dead birds?

"4) Publicly announce that the mast that all the loonies have been protesting about and camping outside is in fact a dummy mast and that their illnesses are all psychogenic."

That would accomplish nothing at all. It won't change any minds or reduce the unwarranted fears even a little.

However, if you changed step 4 to "Remove the dummy mast with a lot of fanfare and moaning about how much it hurts to do so" would likely work. Everyone nearby would feel better (both physically and emotionally) and you'd still have the real, functioning sites.

Is Google's Pixel getting better, or just more expensive?

Re: RE: Topperfalkon

"whilst the Pixel is a better phone, being 2 years newer"

Huh? This implies that the reason that you consider the Pixel a better phone is because it's newer -- but that makes no sense. "Newer" does not, all by itself, mean or even imply "better". It only means newer.

It depends

If the features that the Pixel is focusing on are ones that are important to you, then it's getting better. For the rest of us, it's not only getting more expensive, but worse due to the removal of important features.

LastPass? More like lost pass. Or where the fsck has it gone pass. Five-hour outage drives netizens bonkers

Re: This is why

Yes, I know why people do it. I'm just saying that it's a bad idea -- gaining a little bit of convenience in exchange for reduced reliability and increased security risk.

This is why

This is why I don't use any password manager that requires the use of a server, whether I run it or not. Critical systems like that should never be dependent on network connectivity.

Germany pushes router security rules, OpenWRT and CCC push back

Re: ...and no mention of ugly "cloud" management features...

Yes, that's what made me stop even considering Linksys equipment for future purchases. I got burnt by it too, and ended up using the router for parts.

Re: ISP?

"I'd like to see a test/certification offered for users who don't want the basics"

Ummm, but savvy users are probably not using the equipment Comcast is supplying anyway. Why pay Comcast rental fees on that stuff when it's easy (and not terribly expensive) to buy and use your own kit instead?

I have to use Comcast as my ISP, but there isn't a single piece of Comcast-supplied gear in my house.

Re: "Support for open firmware is, arguably, a niche consideration at the moment"

"However TP-Link routers now contain most of the bits I was using in DD-WRT."

Do you actually trust the firmware that comes with a consumer level router? I 100% don't. Even if the factory firmware did everything I needed, the first thing I'd do is still replace it with something that I can have a bit more faith in. If I couldn't replace it, then I wouldn't use that router.

Meh

I've learned through hard experience not to trust any appliance routers, particularly those aimed at the consumer or SOHO markets. Nothing in the proposed security rules makes me trust them any more than I current do.

Big Falcon Namechange for Musk's rocket: BFR becomes Starship

Heh, good point. I believe their are a couple of other planets in our solar system that have much deeper "gravity wells" than Earth.

Linux kernel Spectre V2 defense fingered for massively slowing down unlucky apps on Intel Hyper-Thread CPUs

Hooray!

"So a patch in progress will allow admins to turn on STIBP if needed, but not by default."

This is great news. My long-term mitigation plan is to get rid of my Intel-based machines entirely, and until then I want to pick and choose which mitigations I'm willing to accept. This is one I am not.

Microsoft slips ads into Windows 10 Mail client – then U-turns so hard, it warps fabric of reality

Re: You paid

"I used to, then I got fed up with running an unfunded helpdesk for my entire extended family."

Wouldn't it have been easier to learn how to say "no"?

Re: Got Linux?

"And they are "broken" if you try to use PGP or it's variants."

Whaa? That implies that they are actually scanning your emails and processing them in a buggy way. Why would they care what your email consists of?

Re: Windows Mail gets worse and worse

"there seems to be an element of adjusting the package to fit how they think people ought to be using the system."

Excellent point. This also seems to be turning into an industry-wide problem.

Re: Windows Mail gets worse and worse

"I don't really quite understand why features vanish. It's not like old features increase raw materials cost or some such."

I think a lot of this comes from the "simplicity" fad that's all the rage right now, by developers who confuse "simplicity" with "eliminating features".

That said, every feature a product has does have an ongoing cost. More features mean more lines of code, and every line of code comes with an ongoing cost in terms of maintenance and increased complexity of the code base (which makes future changes more expensive to implement).

Re: "There are plenty of good freeware email clients out there."

"Even Thunderbird didn't go far, and it has an ill-thought GUI that is far from intuitive (i.e., why you have to drag a file to a small are of the screen to attach it???). "

While it has plenty of faults (although the attachment issue you cite isn't one of them -- I've never attached anything to my emails that way), Thunderbird remains one of the best email clients around. That's not praise for Thunderbird, it's condemnation of the state of email clients these days.

Re: WTF?

"This business model certainly seems to work for Google, Facebook, etc."

The business model may "work" in terms of generating revenue, but it has societal downsides that seriously outweigh the benefits. Google, Facebook, etc., shouldn't be doing this (in the way they are) either. We don't want others joining this awful trend.

Re: "But if you received Windows 10"

"So those who got a free upgrade to Windows 10 should get the ads to cover the costs?"

Given that so many people were unwillingly forced into that "upgrade", I think the least Microsoft can do is to pay them.

OnePlus 6T: Tasteful, powerful – and much cheaper than a flagship

Re: Dumb dumb dumb

A company may have solid reasons why they'd want the phones they issue to their employees to have limited capabilities. That doesn't mean that we should accept similarly limited capabilities for our personal phones, though.

Re: No headphone socket - no sale

"Yes, you're paying more, but you're getting something for that money."

I don't care about warranty and support, but I do care about the loss of important features. I'm certainly not going to pay a premium for a phone that doesn't, at a minimum, do at least what my current phone does for me.

Re: Dumb dumb dumb

"are you guys really copying that volume of data on and off your phones that often that it's a such a chore?"

Yes.

"what exactly is this multi gigabyte data that people are capturing so frequently on their phones??"

The music I carry with me, mostly, but also document collections, and large datasets of various sorts. Oh, and I also run a webserver on my phone that I use to quickly distribute information to others. This isn't data captured on my phone, this is data I want to access on my phone, or data I'm moving to a different place.

Microsoft menaced with GDPR mega-fines in Europe for 'large scale and covert' gathering of people's info via Office

Re: What about Windows 10 that Office is sitting on?

"it's no different at all to what Google do"

It's not? So Apple has weaponized all of their products to be surveillance machines, and is following me around both the internet and meatspace, spying on everything I do that they can see in order to compile an ongoing dossier about me even if I don't use any of their products?

Somehow, I seriously doubt that.

"At least Google location services can be switched off."

Yes, and doing so doesn't actually make that data collection stop.

Visual Studio 2017 15.9 is here! Fire up your Windows on Arm laptops. All four of you

Not anytime soon

I'm forced to use Visual Studio at work, where we've just finished the exceedingly painful process of upgrading to Visual Studio 2015. After that nightmare, we'll certainly put off another upgrade for as long as humanly possible.

Alexa, cough up those always-on Echo audio recordings, says double-murder trial judge

"Except Facebook. Because they don't always get our permission..."

And Google. And Microsoft.

Re: What could be better....

¿Qué?

Re: re Overbroad.

"in a civilised society, Amazon should be falling over themselves in their rush to assist the authorities in such circumstances"

This argument assumes that the government is reasonably sane and just. I don't think that's the case in the US right now, and until/unless it becomes so, I think this argument is a nonstarter.

If at first or second you don't succeed, you may be Microsoft: Hold off installing re-released Windows Oct Update

Re: Schadenfreude

"Unfortunately the Linux community is in denial about the reasons for the continued Ubiquity of Windows."

I don't agree. I think that the Linux community tends to be fully aware of those reasons. I think where people get confused is that they think there is a great yearning in the Linux community that it topples Windows. Outside of a small (but vocal, since tech journalists are a major portion of this) group, I don't think that the Linux community is willing to compromise Linux to the degree necessary to achieve that goal.

Re: Schadenfreude

"We need the community to finally stop masturbating on their own fantasies and instead join together in a creative orgy of cooperation on one distro to finally push Windows aside forever."

I sincerely hope this doesn't happen. The variety of Linux distros is a strength, not a weakness. A distro aimed at being a drop-in replacement for Windows is likely to include an awful lot of things that will only make Linux worse for those of us who currently choose it. Having some distros with that as the goal is fine, as long as there are other distros that I can use.

Re: Schadenfreude

"I'd argue _not_ running embedded JS from a PDF is a feature :-)"

I could not agree more, and not just for PDFs.