Posts by bombastic bob

Windows Store nixed Google Chrome 'app' hours after it went live

Re: I use Linux

" I write Linux software and am most productive on that platform"

ack - at first I didn't know how well 'gedit' (and then 'pluma') did as an editor, so I used VS. But within a short time, I discovered that syntax highlighting in 'gedit' (and then 'pluma') does a FANTASTIC job of making it posible to use those applications to edit things on Linux or BSD natively. I do miss "virtual space" though, which is why I'm [off and on] working on my OWN IDE. [I've got some time off for a month or so, maybe I can work on it some more].

It took a bit of a learning curve, to familiarize myself with autotools, to get the 'Makefile' syntax down pat [both for BSD-style and GNU-style Makefiles], to completely familiarize myself with how the gcc and clang environments work, etc. etc. but it's paid off and NOW very easy to set up an application that builds/runs under Linux, BSD, Cygwin, OSX, and maybe even Win32 if I bother to add the '#if' blocks for "the differences". And if I need GUI stuff, GTK and wxWidgets do pretty well for me.

I keep MSDN anyway because, you never know when you'll need it for something. [getting my IDE and toolkit to build cross-platform for winders would be a good reason]

Re: Store is a Verb

across the pond, we call them "stores" more than "shops".

So I'll go to the store, put the groceries in the trunk, get on the elevator, etc.

2 nations separated by one language [heh]

"one day maybe someone will post a story about Microsoft that wont get usurped by the penguins"

Micro-shaft would have to roll back their business strategies and internal policies NEARLY TWO DECADES for *THAT* to happen. Their current stupidity began when Ballmer took the helm, with the ".Not" initiative [which eventually morphed into the 'windows logon' that Win-10-nic practically STRONGARMS you into], which was originally called "Passport", and all of the big "dot com" people laughed hysterically at [as in 'why must we pay a toll to Micro-shaft for what we do already for FREE???'].

SO... as long as Micro-shaft continues to do STUPID THINGS and make STUPID POLICIES, I'm sure that the ratio of unfavorable to favorable articles will continue to be a value significantly greater than one. And "the penguins" (I guess I'm one too, even though I'm running FBSD for day-to-day things) will continue to point out, as a public service, the ~superior~ choice of alternative (and free) OS known as Linux.

MUST use engines provided by Windows

From the article:

"Apps that browse the web must use the appropriate HTML and JavaScript engines provided by the Windows Platform"

and (quoted from post I reply to)

"This is another decision, in the long line of recent MS decisions that are pushing users away, the users who are most easily pushed away are those with somewhere else to go"

The first quote (from the article) shows that "The Store" CRapps are [out of the box] *AUTOMATICALLY* *HOBBLED* by being forced into using a potentially *INFERIOR* system of HTML and JavaScript rendering/execution, with NO hope of providing your own tweeks and benefits [and filtering i.e. anti-spyware anti-malware] such that NOBODY can effectively compete with that "Edging" browser. So Chrome is _ALREADY_ on their "excrement list". But they wanted a presence in "The Store", so they made an INSTALLER instead. I totally get that.

And the 2nd quote is a BRILLIANT assessment of where Micro-shaft currently is.

I have to wonder if Micro-shaft is *ALSO* *HOBBLING* "The Store" UWP CRapps by (essentially) forcing them into having 2D FLATSO FLUGLY interfaces.

Some recent experiences between me Micro-shaft have shown me that the rank/file people are REALLY TRYING to make customers happy and be reasonable. But their overall infrastructure AND bureaucracy, *ESPECIALLY* dealing with "The Store", has shown me that it's a *COMPLETE* *CLUSTER* *BLANK*. What used to work (let's say renew MSDN), but now *MUST* be done through "The Store", has broken, in a bad way. And though good people at low levels do their best to try and "fix it", and I most definitely appreciate their efforts, they are up against an INTERNAL BUREAUCRACY that is as OPPRESSIVE as [here comes the politics] a SOCIALIST DICTATORSHIP.

But I've commented on that MANY times before, and I've experienced the effects of it first-hand. I've interpreted the results of "decisions from on high" within their corporation, and seen how a small number of "activist types" are driving the ship towards the rocks. I've seen (and then pointed out) specific people who are KNOWN to be responsible, none of whom seem to work for the company any more. And yet... STILL, the problems remain, and Micro-shaft CONTINUES to go down the SAME road to HELL as they were when they horked-up "The Metro", Win-10-nic, GWX, UWP, and "The Store".

Yes... those who HAVE an alternative already are moving towards it. I pity those who do NOT.

/me runs FreeBSD most of the time, with Linux and 'some windows' thrown in their, though I _still_ keep my MSDN subscription alive... I guess I'm nostalgically hopeful or something.

SCOLD WAR: Kaspersky drags Uncle Sam into court to battle AV ban

Re: it's its not it's

/me plays "Liberty Bell March" and goes PTTTHHHHH at the end (as a giant foot slams down).

Re: Interesting legal theory

@ST - 23 downvotes! welcome to the "howler monkey poo-sling target" club! (it's probably one or two real people, and 21 or 22 sock puppets)

"why they allowed Kaspersky's tools on their computers in the first place."

Old sheriff's rules. New sheriff in town. New rules. It's to be expected.

Re: Precedent

"If the US government successfully defends this, an ugly precedent will be made:"

you mean a precedent like NOT having to bow to every WHINER out there who BITCHES that the gummint isn't buying THEIR products, for "whatever reason" ?

don't tell me that YOUR boss (or I.T. department) doesn't say you can't use "certain software" on work computers... that would be VERY rare, from what I've seen.

Re: Well, that was obvious.

"to call out one specific company was just asking to be sued"

maybe, but to call it "unconstitutional" is completely ridiculous.

Any corporation or government has the authority to decide what products it wants to use. Otherwise, they'd be using public money to appease EVERY WHINER OUT THERE just because the gummint didn't purchase THEIR products. Like some form of 'political correctness' I guess...

Re: Windows

thanks for the mention. heh.

Twitter's not dreaming of a white supremacist Xmas: Accounts nuked

Re: Not applied to Government, of course

So Trump's tweets are referred to as 'trumps' now? [that's kinda funny in its own right]

I like his tweets. It also helps to distract everyone from the 'fake news' bombardment. 'Covfefe' notwithstanding... I've nodded of at work before due to frantic/manic coding for hours, keyboard2$*(skas///// - CRAP - low caffeine alarm!

/me gets some more popcorn to watch the 'trump-storm' and the highly entertaining reactions

Re: @AC

" but where does it stop"

It stops when someone creates their OWN twitter-like system, maybe "right-wing-extremists.com" or something, complete with whatever social media schtuff they want.

that way they won't have a reason to gripe. But they probably _WANT_ a reason to gripe. They're as bad as the uber-lefties. I bet BOTH extremes are deliberately putting themselves into situations where they can burden the court system (and everyone NOT them) with whatever agenda they're advocating at the moment...

refusing service

"don't you dare refuse to serve me because I'm an asshole"

that happens on occasion (and the asshole is asked to leave, right?).

Perhaps the customers that are (irritatingly) _INSISTING_ on "their rights", particularly those who are activists looking for a business to use as a test case in the court system, need to apply that same scrutiny to themselves. Are they simply "being assholes" ?

But if it were my business I'd be asking whether they want pink or blue on the 2 grooms...

It's like this: the only 'color' that mattes is the color of money that the customer spends in your business. Apply that across the board to everything *else* that SJW's are whining about, and that's how I see it.

(so if a business doesn't sell to homosexuals, or members of a particular race or religion, let them lose the business and the business of anyone ELSE who's pissed off by that)

slippery slope

a) it's Twitter's network, they can filter and censor if they want to

b) if you want unfiltered/unmoderated, there's still USENET and IRC

c) censorship is bad, so it's likely that Twitter will suffer some business loss as a result of their decision. It may also be made up for with people who agree with their decision.

if it were me, I'd say "let them say what they want, put content warnings on it". Then people who choose to not be able to view content that has a warning on it (including children, by default) wouldn't ever see it.

After all, if you let them say what they want to, they will be known by their own folly.

yeah, it's a libertarian argument.

But not so slippery of a slope, really, because it's a privately owned venue.

Seagate's lightbulb moment: Make read-write heads operate independently

Re: Old tech solved this decades ago

"The solution used two i/o request queues for each disk plus a record of where the heads were and which direction they were moving"

for this to have ANY kind of performance advantage, you'd need an OS that's aware of this feature, and could internally prioritize things for best throughput. But for desktops, at least, I'm pretty sure that Windows operating systems force a physical write to the disk way too often, and seem to be more like DOS in their "serialized" way of doing things than like a REAL operating system (say Linux or BSD, k-thx).

maybe a massively parallel or massively "async I/O" process would benefit, sure, but not your average desktop application. Users wouldn't see any difference, in other words, to justify the price.

it's like multi-core in a way - very few, if any, desktop applications even REMOTELY come close to leveraging this. And yet nearly every CPU sold nowadays is dual core or better. And is the *PERCEIVED* speed of those "modern" OSs (say Win-10-nic) any better than, say, XP or 7? *NOT* *BY* *MY* *MEASUREMENTS* !!! [and Micro-shaft's "OS background schtuff" is at LEAST a little disturbing anyway]

/me wonders just how much ZFS knows about the way the data is stored on the drive...

Top Silicon Valley tech judge hits alt-F4 under cloud of sex-pest claims

where people are treated fairly and equally

I'd like to THINK so.

Wasn't it Henry Kissinger who said "Power is the great aphrodisiac" ??

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/henry_kissinger_101648

ok you young whippersnappers probably don't know who that guy is - he was one of the best foreign policy gurus this nation has EVER seen, serving as Secretary of State under Nixon and Ford

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Kissinger

In any case, it may be that people with "too much libido" are seeking power, or perhaps the power ENHANCES their libido, or [the more likely scenario] power makes them ARROGANT enough to "feel" as if they can "get away with it".

Windows 10 bundles a briefly vulnerable password manager

Re: pfft who needs pwd managers

well, I'll put in a good word for KeePassXC <-- the C language version that doesn't need MONO nor ".Not"

Re: I'd rather know

"How to get rid of it from the Windows 10 machines in my Office."

1. Go to linuxmint.com, get latest DVD image

2. Save important files to external USB drive

3. Insert LINUX MINT (Cinnamon or Mate *) install DVD

4. Boot from DVD, install Mint, wiping out EVERYTHING Win-10-nic and replacing it with something worth having.

5. Restore important files from backup. Install additional software (like Libre Office, firefox, thunderbird) as needed.

* NOTE: KDE is an acceptable alternative to Cinnamon or Mate

also worth noting: the win-10-nic replacement process (with Linux Mint) will likely take LESS TIME than trying to fix the average Win-10-nic computer...

Container-flinger pushes Win 10 transformer for legacy apps

the howler monkeys are back slinging "downvote" poo and making lots of noise, to make their numbers look bigger. *sigh*

Re: if Windows 10 could run

well, there's NO reason any longer to write a UWP [CR]app for Win-10-nic.

I planned on NEVER doing that anyway. If I must write an application for windows, it'll be compatible with Windows 7. *PERIOD*

And if I'm in a particularly good mood, it will re-draw all of the non-client areas to *LOOK* like it's running on Windows 7!!! Because the 2D FLATSO FLUGLY nauseates me.

Funnily enough, no, IT admins who trash biz machines can't claim they had permission

Re: If it had been the 9th circus court...

I'm the one that caused the cops to become involved.

If it had been the 9th circus court...

If it had been the 9th circus court (San Francisco) he'd have succeeded in his appeal... because SOME of these activist judges [which infest the 9th circus court] would actually GO with something stupid like this.

(So yeah, I'm glad the appeal attempt failed)

criminals are idiots, and APPARENTLY believe the rest of us are the same way. And it wouldn't be the first time someone with a criminal mindset would try to wrap the world around his finger and manipulate like that.

when I was in Jr. High there was this one THUG [a short kid with a mean attitude and 2 oversized 'not so smart' goons following him everywhere] had the school counselor MANIPULATED around his finger, because the school counselor was a touchy-feely-liberal of the 70's, who FELT everything (instead of thinking) and wanted to UNDERSTAND the thugs, and not EXPEL them. Predictable things followed, and that included the involvement of the police. [the cops fixed it]

Engineer named Jason told to re-write the calendar

Re: Not IT related, but on topic ...

"change the batteries in the wind-sock"

Ah, yes, the n00b pranks in the military!

"Go down to the boiler/machinery room and get a BT/machinist punch"

"I need you to get 5 feet of water/chow line"

"This is the pressure test. Just put your thumbs in this vice, and we'll see how much pressure you can take"

"We're heading up to the surface to get mail from a mail buoy. Here's a lifejacket and a harness, put 'em on, you're going up the hatch"

"Oh, my GOD, the REACTOR is CRITICAL??? RUUUNNN!!!"

"I need some sound-powered phone batteries. See if there are any in the supply room."

"Make sure you press your eye really hard onto the rubber eye cup on the periscope/viewport" [invariably has been lovingly coated with something that leaves a 'black eye' pattern around your eye, like maybe this carbon-based lubricating material designed for stainless steel nuclear valve covers, and everyone ELSE knows better].

what ELSE would you expect, in a high testosterone environment, with most people in their early to mid 20s, that are somewhat bored most of the time?

Re: July and August must Go!

throw JUST August out, and we can get rid of JSON (may it die a horrible, painful, 'killed to death' death, to the death).

coat, please.

Ex-Microsoft intern claimed one of her fellow temps raped her. Her bosses hired him

Re: False allegations made by intelligent high-functioning employable delusional fantasists

@AC

"Have you any empirical evidence for the 'awash' with false accusations statement"

YOU apparently want to remain anonymous. Maybe the rest of us, who are NOT anonymous, would like to NOT divulge our personal life details in this forum, and have them snarked over and downvoted by the "Howler Monkeys". K-thx.

Re: So what did the police say?

"So regardless of guilt, he should be punished and be forced to change his job because allegations?"

amazingly, this sort of thing has been happening a LOT lately...

Re: "seriously sexually assaulted"

a quick grab of the ass is still not very chivalrous. but yeah, "degrees".

men who grab women's asses without permission need some form of appropriate punishment, though. A good punch in the face (from the woman) oughta do it. [which is why I don't go around grabbing women's asses without permission]

Re: "seriously sexually assaulted"

"isn't all sexual assault serious"

yes, and it should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, EVERY time.

But if no charges were ever filed, and/or no lawsuit was ever filed against the alleged perpetrator, then it's "heresay" as far as I'm concerned.

Microsoft is NOT a police department. And yes, sometimes women DO make this kind of crap up.

But if the guy really DID rape her while unconscious, he deserves a nice extended stay at the Iron Bar Hotel. And the victim's responsibility to society is to MAKE SURE THIS HAPPENS!!!

icon, because we SHOULD "think of the children". They need a proper example of how to deal with crime.

FCC douses America's net neutrality in gas, tosses over a lit match

Re: Steady on, folks.

" if Comcast sets up paid prioritization tomorrow, who do you think is going to do something about it?"

hopefully, nobody. because the end result will either be better equipment [bought with additional revenue] or lower prices for people with basic service. Either that, or someone will come along and COMPETE with them. And stopping the competition would be an anti-trust issue, where the FTC has domain.

And then competition will ensure we all get what we want and what we CAN AFFORD, without others paying for it, without slowing everyone else down just because we serve up torrents, yotta yotta yotta.

Re: Black arm bands for everyone

"That's how Trump got elected, and that's how Ajit Pai got to be FCC Chairman."

Actually Trump got elected because people in the USA are *SICK* *AND* *TIRED* of politicians promising one thing and delivering something completely different, particularly when it comes to domestic policy, foreign policy, immigration, and REPEALING OBAKA-CARE.

So Trump is doing what we want him to do: de-regulate, un-do Obaka's "legacy", follow the Constitution, drain the swamp, LOWER tax rates, bring business back to the USA, show STRENGTH to our enemies (like Iran and N. Korea) instead of bending over and apologizing to them, etc.. - Make America Great Again. So simple, yet so profound! And it involves CONSERVATIVE principles, not liberal stupidity.

Freedom works EVERY TIME IT IS TRIED. All gummint needs to do is keep the playing field level by preventing the situation that created the 'Robber Barons' of the late 19th and early 20th centuries [keep in mind Teddy Roosevelt was a REPUBLICAN] and let the people do what they do best. It works EVERY! TIME! IT! IS! TRIED!!!

Re: Black arm bands for everyone

"Next question?"

you actually BELIEVE that? *sigh*

so much angst over a complete mis-interpretation of the situation.

(You voted for Mrs. Clinton, didn't you?)

Doom, gloom, end of the world, the sky is falling, help me Mr. Wizard, oh my freaking god, dogs and cats living together...

5 reasons why America's Ctrl-Z on net neutrality rules is a GOOD thing

"I think that it is the Second Amendment, the Amendment that is also responsible for the fact that there are more weapons in the US than people to fire them"

it's more about the right to self defense, including the formation of a private militia (or a state one, like National Guard). It is ALSO based on the idea of individual citizens protecting themselves against an OPPRESSIVE GOVERNMENT. The basic idea is that when a government disarms its people, they are easier to OPPRESS. And so, to help prevent the U.S. gummint from becoming OPPRESSIVE [as governments are inclined to do] the citizens of the U.S. are *SUPPOSED* to be able to own weapons and NOT have this right "infringed" by regulations, etc.. What's screwed up, however, is that certain states (like California, New York) or cities (Chicago, Detroit) don't respect this, because they *ARE* becoming OPPRESSIVE, which is why they seek to DISARM THE CITIZENS so they can GET AWAY WITH IT.

besides, how hard is it to make your own guns, ammo, explosives, etc. ANYWAY when "teh intarwebs" exists??? And when you crminalize the ownership of weapons, even for self defense, you turn otherwise law abiding citizens, who ONLY want to PREVENT crime, into CRIMINALS. "The cops" can't be everywhere, except to DRAW A CHALK LINE AROUND THE BODY after you're KILLED by a CRIMINAL [who doesn't CARE about laws, and owns ILLEGAL guns ANYWAY].

in any case, the NRA has done plenty of studies on conceal/carry permits vs crime rates, and it demonstrates that private citizens carrying weapons is a DETERRENT to gun crimes. It should be EVERYWHERE, and even if conceal/carry requires some kind of a liability insurance policy, that's fine with me. Just let people who are NOT criminals carry weapons if they want to, LEGALLY, so that when some gunman points his insanity at the world, responsible gun owners can KILL HIM TO DEATH and prevent tragedies. And so on.

Re: Admit it, Kieren . . .

at first I'd thought someone at El Reg had finally "seen the light" on this one. Then it became obvious it was satire. At first it appeared to be GOOD satire, because it was based on truth. Yee Haw! Then it degraded into "getting our digs in" and stopped being an enjoyable read.

Not so much 'trolling', but nice try, maybe.

"Pandering to the perception" is *NOT* comedy. It's like a bunch of grade school children making fun of the kid that is different, making up stories about him, and laughing and satirizing at those stories as if they were true. But they're not. And teachers/parents would tell those kids to shut the HELL up and apologize for acting that way [or an equivalent thing].

Like I mentioned, it started off well, but then degraded into the usual tripe I'd expect from MSNBC or CNN. Too bad, because it could have been a good one, and I'd be laughing, too.

Re: @dan1980

"They also say you can't restrict tractor trailer traffic or limit any traffic across your network."

Let's take this one step further...

The government THEN says you must TAX people, but then give rebates "based on their annual income". Not only do you have to go through extra expense of determining what people's annual income is, you THEN have to levy the taxes, deal with customer complaints of "why is the price always going up", be faced with additional regulations under the public utilities commission, get sued ALL of the time over all of this because it's "NOT FAIR", be required to offer MORE EXITS and MORE ENTRANCES because it's not convenient to only enter and exit your road at places that keep the costs down, and NO! MORE! EXPRESS! LANES! because THAT is not fair, either. NOBODY is allowed to exceed the speed of an average YUGO trying to make headway against the wind, and you can't offer contracts to specific fuel vendors in order to make a little extra money on the side [and keep the prices lower so you can compete with the 'free' services].

just to expand on this, there ARE privately owned toll roads in Southern CA in the L.A. area. The price varies based on time of day and usage. This way, travelling on the toll road is "buying time" to avoid traffic, which is why you'd want to pay extra to use it. Charging MORE when traffic on the 'free' road is heavy is just good business, because it forms a basis upon which the traffic will be truly limited to a sane level on the toll road [making it ALWAYS a good alternative, not a traffic jam that you PAY EXTRA for].

The intarwebs COULD be like that, too. For people who don't want their traffic stalled, it might be a good alternative. If you don't care about stuttering and delays, then you can us the "el cheapo" version. If you want PREMIUM service, you pay extra. That's the way of CAPITALISM. It's how we end up with luxury vs standard vs "what you can afford" versions of EVERYTHING. And that's MUCH better than "everyone pays the same" or "based on your income" which is what SOCIALISM tries to SHOVE UP OUR ASSES.

The law of supply and demand. ONLY enough regulations to ensure a level playing field, and THEN let competing service provides do their thing, and customers will be the ones who benefit the MOST. This should apply from gasoline to cars to roads to medical insurance to telephones, internet, electricity, and even the brand of vegetables you buy at the store, or which store you buy them at [from Wal Mart to "Snooty Mart", whatever YOU want].

but yeah, "they" stopped teaching CAPITALISM and PROPER ECONOMICS decades ago, "indoctrinating" at least one full generation in the WRONG ideas of SOCIALISM and COMMUNISM, and making them *FEEL* *SMART* and *FEEL* *SUPERIOR* about it, too...

" what values instilled as a child - leads someone to be able to stand up in front of the entire nation and make provably false claims"

**_WHAT_** "provably false claims" are you referring to?

Sorry, I do not *feel*, I *THINK*, and I also think you're full of crap on this.

Ajit Pai is RIGHT. De-regulation is CORRECT. it is NOT the business of the FCC to take over internet as if it were a telephone system, using ~80 year old laws to govern it.

Question: If _YOUR_ ISP was filtering your content or not allowing you access to things, would you STAY with them? Do you not have a CHOICE? If ISPs in *MY* area were doing things like that, not only would I find a boatload of investors to create a NEW ISP, I'd *RUN* the thing myself and make sure that NEVER happens! The customer, not the gummint, not special interests, but THE CUSTOMER, would determine the level of service, and COMPETITION would quickly weed out the 'bad actors'.

Have you not considered the possibility that those who so loudly claim they want "net neutality" (and Obaka-era FCC regs were NOT 'net neutrality' at ALL) are often those who do not want to PAY FOR what they ACTUALLY USE ??? And the BIG BUSINESSES and CORPORATIONS that "the snowflakes" seem to HATE so much (Google, Facebook, Microsoft) have LOBBYISTS working for them, *CRAFTING* the Obaka-era regs JUST FOR THEM, while SELLING IT as "freedom" (when it's *NOT*), and then YOU ALL REALLY *FEEL* [not think] that THEY are not behaving as you FEAR the other corporations (ISPs) are???

The snark of the article was disappointing. Well, time will prove *ME* (and Mr. Pai) correct, I'm sure, because the principles of "light touch" regulation, smaller government, lower taxes, and MORE INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM *_ALWAYS_* works EVERY time it is tried! And heavy-handed socialistic "equalize outcome" "everyone gets the same" thinking ONLY creates MEDIOCRITY and DIS-SATISFACTION and DISAPPOINTMENT! And the "haves" will STILL ALWAYS have what THEY want [through lobbying and corrupt political maneuvers], but the have-nots will simply NEVER be able to get what the "haves" have, if they cannot BUY it. Heavy-handed regulation, SOCIALISM, and GOVERNMENT CONTROL will _ONLY_ make sure that individuals, YOU, stay IN YOUR PLACE, and *NEVER* advance to the point where you have ANYTHING that resembles what "the elite" get to have. You're not WORTHY of the "elite" life style, because THEY know what is BEST for YOU [so it becomes "shut up and eat your mediocrity"].

Critical US mass spying program scrutiny lost amid partisan nonsense

Re: I'm so sick...

"people cry out about their privacy then proceed to publicly post an incredible amount of personal data"

welcome to "teh intarwebs".

Here's something fun: ~10 years ago I worked for a company that did business with a company in Russia. People from Russia would come visit the U.S.. I shared an office with 2 Russian engineers for a month or so. It was kinda fun trying to figure out what they were saying, as we were all working on the same project.

What was funny is that they preferred using the ENGLISH version of Linux (and various software), as the Russian translations were ambiguous and often just wrong [the language is part of the reasons for that, I was told]. But they had Russian-made computers, which was interesting. I wouldn't mind buying one of those, if you could. Russia should export laptop computers, compete with China. and they'd probably be pre-loaded with Kaspersky software, etc. (or maybe come pre-loaded with LINUX ???)

Re: My take on spying

"All evidences from spying should be illegal"

True. And it should NOT justify a search warrant. [it COULD, however, be 'probable cause' for police action, particularly in the prevention of a crime - a fine line to walk, yeah, but could be justifiable].

The problem with post-9/11 thinking is the PARANOIA and the willing accomplices in gummint, because too many people are willing to give up their rights and freedom for even a SLIVER of a sense of security.

I miss just walking into an airport, buying a ticket, getting on the first plane that 'goes there', and going someplace just because I wanted to [without the lines and taking off my belt and almost losing my pants EVERY! TIME! because I have no ass, and the shoe removal, etc.] I've done that sort of thing a few times, in the past. Not any more.

But yeah. If you are convicted because of spying, or warrants granted because of spying, you should get off on appeal. If the spying led to additional police investigations (not the actual search warrants) that were INITIATED because of the spying, I'm willing to allow it.

On talk radio today the concept of 'unmasking' was brought back up again, and the idea that the FBI and other 3 letter agencies COULD (using their potential 'twisted interpretations' of the law) justify spying on U.S. citizens if they were in any way connected [even barely] to a foreign national. So let's say you do business with someone that has overseas connections, or talk on the phone to someone who occasionally talks on the phone to a foreign national (let's say). A 3 letter agency COULD try and justify spying on YOUR calls because of that 'once removed' foreign national, first spying on your friend and, consequently, YOU. If U.S. citizens are DELIBERATELY targeted in this manner, it's CLEARLY an abuse of the law that was intended to allow 'spying' on foreign nationals (for national security reasons, and that's SUPPOSED to be it).

And THAT kind of ABUSE must STOP. But I don't want to stop all spying. Sometimes you just need to do it. The U.S. Constitution is supposed to protect citizens from "blanket searches" and "fishing expeditions" by requiring certain legal procedures (like search warrants), but when the laws get twisted by law enforcement to allow ABUSE, we become a "banana republic" or a fascist regime.

Re: the so-called "partisan bickering"

"the DNC did pick up the tab after WFB lost interest."

interesting detail. I was unaware of that part. Also worthy of mention, the involvement by the Clinton campaign [which I did not mention earlier]. It was supposed to be part of an 'October Surprise' type of dirt on Trump, after all, along with the allegations of sexual stuff, etc. [business as usual in the world of filthy politics].

I mean - seriously - hiring Russian hookers in a Russian hotel to PEE ON A BED that Obaka had slept in?

Although it WOULD be funny, in a way...

the so-called "partisan bickering"

the so-called "partisan bickering" is REALLY about corruption within the department, and an exposure of how they (the FBI) used a FAKE DOSSIER (which is KNOWN to have been bought and paid for by the Democrat National Committee) as "evidence" to justify a FISA warrant to THEN "collect data" (aka SPY upon) the Trump campaign headquarters regarding "Rusian Meddling" in the 2016 election.

But "the dossier" is KNOWN to have been a FAKE. But it was TREATED as if it were REAL, by PARTISAN members of the FBI and justice department, to "get Trump" in the subsequent Muller investigation into alleged Russian election meddling based on a FAKE "Russian dossier", by a renegade small number of Demo-Rat partisan "hacks" within the D.O.J. that are hell-bent on undermining the Trump presidency. And the Muller investigation has turned into a 'witch hunt' that's designed to simply "get Trump" on whatever they can possibly find (like some kind of rectal exam looking for poo).

And THAT level of corruption, and the senior people involved, is a BIGGER scandal than Watergate EVER was!

So yeah, ABUSE of FISA is a BIG deal when it comes to the gummint spying on citizens. We can't avoid THAT part of what's going on.

And if the FBI and CIA want to spy on U.S. citizens WITHOUT the FISA warrant, that's even WORSE.

But as for the data collection I agree: it needs to STOP. Any evidence collected on U.S. citizens without a warrant violates the Constitution and would without a doubt result in acquittals and overturned convictions in the appeals courts if a proper warrant is NOT obtained for any evidence that is used to convict a U.S. citizen of a crime. And "unmasking" of U.S. citizens via the FBI, CIA, NSA, or any other '3 letter agency" is EQUALLY un-Constitutional and in violation of the law, and several g-men HAVE illegally unmasked people, including members of Trump's campaign, in 2016. And that, too, needs an investigation.

There's a stinky swamp at the U.S. Justice department, and it needs to be DRAINED. But don't think that the poignant questions from the Republican side of the isle are in any ways "partisan", except to uncover that DEMO-RAT partisanship has been driving the (now blatantly obvious) anti-Trump "resistance force" within the DOJ, and THAT is a serious violation of the law, and needs to be STOPPED immediately.

OK, OK, MIRA-I DID IT: Botnet-building compsci kid comes clean

Re: Not even Putler?

"Which is worse DDOS & click fraud or running huge paedo imagery websites for ages after uncovering them"

yeah, the grey areas of law enforcement. I'd like to look the other way, if the 'honeytrap' actually works. Otherwise maybe the high-up that authorized it needs a permanent vacation...

Intel to slap hardware lock on Management Engine code to thwart downgrade attacks

Re: AMD?

@Mycho

thanks for that article link (about firmware updates to allow disabling PSP). I'll put off making a particular motherboard and CPU choice until AFTER this is all ironed out...

/me wonders if Linux and the BSDs might some day include a method of disabling management engines...

Re: So...

(regarding AMD's management engine)

"But not their main stream desktop CPUs"

I certainly HOPE so, that AMD CPUs for desktops don't ALL come "equipped" with a management engine like Intel's!

This sort of thing makes it UNNECESSARILY hard for ME, having to do "that level of research" into new hardware...

(from the article)

"patches to kill off the security holes in the code are gradually being made available to organizations and people to download and install."

How about "patches to PERMANENTLY FLIP THE HAP BIT" (as mentioned as a solution near the end of the article).

I, Robot? Aiiiee, ROBOT! RSA TLS crypto attack pwns Facebook, PayPal, 27 of 100 top domains

Re: So..... People Using Libraries Are Liable To Get Pwned

"For a start many of them do not know how to program"

ack - I once had someone submit a patch to a simple stand-alone C language utility that consisted of badly written "unelegant" code and (worse) GLOBAL VARIABLES (rather than using function parameters).

I didn't even bother testing it, and wrote something better myself that implemented an equivalent functionality.

so, yeah.

icon, because, facepalm "everyone thinks he can code"

One per cent of all websites probably p0wned each year, say boffins

"What percentage of these were sold"

I would also be interested in seeing the kinds of spam-mailings they received (and from whom, and what the privacy policies were supposed to be, etc.).

he gets his 'facts' from the same place as Breitbart CNN and MSNBC, no doubt!

Fixed it for ya!

IETF protects privacy and helps net neutrality with DNS over HTTPS

Re: Chickens and eggs?

ok nice logic puzzle except that the DNS server is usually supplied as an IP address, not a name.

made me think a bit, though.

Re: DNS scales ...

(from the article)

If, for example, you're trying to download a Web page which embeds sa dozen external links, that's a dozen DNS lookups slowing down the load.

As I recall you can look them all up simultaneously with a single DNS query to a non-authoritative (cacheing) name server if your DNS request packet has multiple "questions" in it, but it's highly likely that most web clients don't actually do that (or won't) because they tend to split processes up into WAY too many pieces (like some kind of a coding bureaucracy), and so the pieces don't know what the other ones are doing...

But THAT particular problem (the 12 DNS lookups for a single web page) is REALLY between the web developer's chair and the keyboard.

read: WHY in the HELL must YOUR web page query 12 COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SERVERS in order to display YOUR content?

^^^ put THAT blame where it belongs

Re: Now this would be a great idea...

aside from the "pay the toll" CA cert assignments for https, it's not a bad idea. It WOULD help to prevent MITM attacks on DNS. Not sure what DNSSec does to mitigate THAT one.

but yeah, why invent a NEW protocol if an EXISTING one does the job? Let's just implement the existing one first, and see if that needs to be fixed/updated/enhanced/whatever...

Put down the eggnog, it's Patch Tuesday: Fix Windows boxes ASAP

Re: IE and Edge

"it was the only browser that gave 1080p on Windows 10."

downloading videos and watching them offline with VLC or mplayer gets me whatever resolution is available for the content on FREEBSD and LINUX [and without the slurping].