Posts by DrBed

Another German state plans switch back from Linux to Windows

The Movement

Steve Bannon's "The Movement" likes it.

All your base are belong to us!

How to (slowly) steal secrets over the network from chip security holes: NetSpectre summoned

Re: Yup

"No nation state would ever take advantage of a flaw that took days. Ultra slow speed to lose the tiny packets in the mass of other traffic. Makes no sense at all."

Same thing could been said for Stuxnet - before awareness of damage at Natanz nuclear facility (Iran, 2010; Stuxnet have been in development since at least 2005).

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

e.g. NSA with a little help of some neural network AI could override that "slow speed/tiny packets" limitation.

from Ars Technica: "These data rates are far too slow to extract any significant amount of data; even the fastest side channel (AVX2 over the local network) would take about 15 years to read 1MB of data."

Indeed, but: only one, simple but crucial recovered password is sufficient for penetration, at least in theory. e.g. 1KB instead 1MB or 1:1000. Well trained AI will reconstruct it from bits of slurped garbage much more faster / successful then one could imagine.

"The AVX2 side channel is much faster—one byte every eight minutes—but still very slow."

hmm... 1B@8' == 1000B@8000' = 1KB@332d-12h-20min ==> worth trying for right thing, imho.

You wanna be an alpha... tester of The Register's redesign? Step this way

TIFKAM?

Seriously: What's the point of all those frames (boxing)? Reminds me of TIFKAM... or worse.

SQUARED.

Rest is OK, I suppose. Clean, maybe too much. Some beige somewhere, e.g. more retro-look?

Oh, and more Vultures, of course ;)

A fine vintage: Wine has run Microsoft Solitaire on Linux for 25 years

Re: Killer App (We live in a *nix world now)

> "You forgot PlayStation & Nintendo (Switch). "

> According to NetMarketShare that's currently at 0.01% if taken as a percentage of all computing devices, so yeah...

It was about "*nix world we living now", not about "desktop PC ("workstation") part of it".

NetMarketShare is inappropriate for that measuring.

Whole "IoT" market relies on *nix (smart TV, watches...). Mostly the same stands for automakers.

(e.g. AML: https://www.automotivelinux.org/).

"sales of current-generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony > 103 million at the end of 2017"

(73.6 PS <> 29.4 Xbox One)

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/05/report-ps4-has-now-sold-roughly-2-5-times-as-well-as-the-xbox-one/

"Console gaming is the second-largest segment generating $34.6 billion in 2018 while PC games will bring in $32.9 billion."

https://venturebeat.com/2018/04/30/newzoo-global-games-expected-to-hit-180-1-billion-in-revenues-2021/

Re: Killer App (We live in a *nix world now)

> Lions share of the market belongs to Android, iOS, ChromeOS, macOS and Linux.

You forgot PlayStation & Nintendo (Switch). Both are *nix based (FreeBSD). PlayStation alone holds over 60% of console market share (and rising).

Microsoft Edge bug odyssey shows why we can't have nice things

Micro Soft's Flying Circusss

Jake Archibald ... reported the issue though Edge's bug tracker on MARCH 1st

"Microsoft's security team don't have visibility into Edge security issues."

Microsoft couldn't investigate without the source code – which would have been evident for web code through the browser's "view source" command.

Finally, on JUNE 12th, Microsoft fixed the vulnerability in Edge, which could have been abused to force the browser to transmit private data.

"It means you could visit my site in Edge, and I could read your emails, I could read your Facebook feed, all without you knowing,"

The Register asked Microsoft to comment. We haven't heard back.

Budget Surface 'spotted' in Microsoft's crystal ball

Re: RT reborn?

> For the same reasons someone might want to install a browser that only allows extensions to be installed from its own store?

Actually, you don't have to worry about. At Win10S you can't install any browser beside Edge. No, even MS IE is not allowed!

Speaking of that other "browser OS", beside native & PWA apps, it runs Android & Linux apps also.

Surprise surprise, it also runs RT apps via Wine 3!

https://mspoweruser.com/wine-3-0-lets-chromebook-users-run-windows-apps/

So, actually, RT is reborn - but at Mountain View, not Redmond. ;-)

Arm emits Cortex-A76 – its first 64-bit-only CPU core (in kernel mode)

Re: Apple is already 64 bit only on iOS

>Fine, the CPU cores in the SoCs they use won't be ARM standard cores, they'll be Apple designed cores.

Fine, so it means that they will be even less compatible with rest of the world.

Own history lessons not learned.

Is Microsoft about to git-merge with GitHub? Rumors suggest: Yes

Re: And Google is just as bad (as MS)... NOT!

Wait, stop here.

"Google Summer of Code is a global program focused on bringing more student developers into open source software development". Since 2005.

Since this year, all new Chrome OS machines could run native Linux apps (chromebooks, chromeboxes, tablets), natively. By Google will.

Chromium OS is still here, as open source. Supported by Google.

Google Code died, but it was a good try in right direction.

...

I should stop here; find equivalents at Redmond. "All-In-One Code", "code share", "live share"? ReactOS?

ReactOS - name of the project speaks for itself: it is reaction to the closed proprietary spaghetti code product. It is not related (or promoted) from Redmond, just the opposite.

Google is parasite to the open source community, no doubt. As e.g. Canonical is, just much more successful! BUT: parasite could be a part of functional ecosystem, even with slurping stuff for it's own goods, as long as it allow (or support) other part of the system to exist. Btw, Google wanted to join in partnership with Nokia (and give Android + support for free), Maemo Linux was interesting project to Google... just Nokians were too greedy. Maemo/Sailfish runs Android apps at similar way as Chrome OS does today.

Actually, with Google, indy devs (e.g. for Linux) could become more self-sustain, by linking commercial versions of their open source stuff through Google Store, to Chromebooks etc.

We don't have to be neo-luddites, corporations are here to stay, unfortunately. Chocolate factory is significantly lesser evil IMHO.

'Clive, help us,' say empty-handed ZX Spectrum reboot buyers

Why so long? It's a chess game.

Just look who stands behind this swind.... project.

David Levy is International Master of chess.

Beside: "He has functioned as literary agent for the escaped Great Train robber, Ronald Biggs and claims to have masterminded his escape from British justice." (wiki)

Backers had to be scrwd, because they are just bots for him - other main project of Mr. Levy is "Love and Sex with Robots". :D

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Levy_(chess_player)

Microsoft's Azure green-lit for use by US spies

Re: Spitting, just because you can?

NO. it was not "attack on google" - it was bending of facts (and ElReg's previous articles).

Here are the facts:

"Global Cloud Storage Market 2018-2022: Major Vendors are AWS, IBM, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, HPE, Dell EMC, VMware, Rackspace, and Dropbox"

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-cloud-storage-market-2018-2022-major-vendors-are-aws-ibm-microsoft-google-oracle-hpe-dell-emc-vmware-rackspace-and-dropbox-300600027.html

ALL OF THEM are members of ITAPS group (IT Alliance for Public Sector).

ITAPS member companies (80+ members): https://itaps.itic.org/about/member-companies

80+ members, but I can't see a word in article about Oracle, IBM, HPE, Dell etc.

Google holds below 5% of that market. https://www.skyhighnetworks.com/cloud-security-blog/microsoft-azure-closes-iaas-adoption-gap-with-amazon-aws/

So again, what's the point of emphasizing Google in this article, related to DoD-Microsoft's Azure vendor lock in contract?

Background of this story is, mostly simplified, Oracle(+Microsoft)&co against Amazon, and Amazon&co against Microsoft.

This article is substantialy based on previous two Reg JEDI articles - QUOTES:

"However, the plan has come under fire from tech advocacy groups, which claimed it could damage competition, innovation and even security. There are also concerns from other vendors, such as Oracle, that AWS is a shoo-in."

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/05/15/multiple_cloud_vendors_would_slow_down_progress_cost_too_much_says_pentagon/

"ITAPS wrote to the House Armed Services Committee this week to voice concerns about the Department of Defense's plans for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) Cloud programme.

The group... includes a number of companies understood to be unhappy with the bid, such as IBM, Microsoft and Oracle – along with AWS, which is said to be the frontrunner for the contract."

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/05/02/us_lawmakers_told_to_make_pentagons_defense_of_winnertakesall_cloud_contract/

It's probably based on Bloomberg's article "Oracle Is Leading Anti-Amazon Lobby on Pentagon Cloud Bid". But not a ONE mention of a Google there! (obviously and reasonably)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-13/oracle-is-said-to-lead-anti-amazon-lobby-on-pentagon-cloud-bid

Actually, Trump is in open war with Amazon, so it could be interesting to put that fact in context with this DoD's JEDI contract which favorizes only MS.

But instead of that, "conclusion" of Reg article is, somehow, tied to - "slurping Chocolate Factory" (Google).

Google is working with DoD on "Project Maven", it could be worrisome, but that's totally different story.

Re: Spitting, just because you can?

"Google wants chance to get this contract, but they don't have it yet" - Which one of Google executives said that? Please, provide us some evidence, url...

"they haven't met the U.S. government's requirements" - Where is that statement from U.S. gov in text? You should provide link to that, at least.

"I could have used a few more details about why google doesn't meet the requirements" - no sheat, Sherlock?

So, Google does (or doesn't?) know that it does not meet the requirements, but (Google) still "wants chance to get this contract"... wow! Excellent logic.

Umm "does not meet the requirements, but still wants chance to get contract" > I suppose you're involved in Brexit EU negotiations think-tank.

Spitting, just because you can?

Microsoft blah blah blah... BUT

"The news will also be a bit of a blow to Google. The Chocolate Factory also wants a piece of that lucrative government dough but has apparently yet to meet all the demands required for its data centers."

???

Apparently, It's sexy to hate Google @Reg, but... what that bs ^ has with that Azure JEDI story at all?

Wanna break Microsoft's Edge browser? Google's explained how

>Who on earth would use Edge? It has been a security mess from day 1 and nothing changes.

"Resistance is futile"

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/03/18/windows_10_tests_forcing_use_of_edge_browser_for_links_in_windows_mail/

Surface Hub 2: Microsoft's pricey whiteboard gets a sequel

PiWall?

Raspberry PiWall is not near interactive etc as Surface Hub ...then again, it is not "$21,999 respectively". Not even close. Beside, modular design of PiWall allows using hundreds of screens in video wall (at least in theory: last news from site is "Working on a large scale wall (300 screens) for a private client").

http://piwall.co.uk/

Twitter signs for Google cloud at list price of about $10m a month

redmondview

> Even if it was three my choices in order would be Azure, AWS and Rackspace. Google? A long long way down the list.

Because Google will provide you with proper big data analytics, Cloud Machine Learning Engine (Cloud AI)... and with Azure you'll get Minecraft for free. Bargain. Don't be scroogled. Use Bing & Edge, don't believe the hype. ;-)

https://azuremarketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/apps/msftstack.minecraft-server

Penguins in a sandbox: Google nudges Linux apps toward Chrome OS

Google Just Forked a Popular GTK Theme

"Google is working on its ‘own’ GTK theme for Linux apps to use in Chrome OS.

Not just any GTK theme but one forked from the Material Design inspired Adapta GTK theme."

"Google Wouldn’t Need a GTK Theme for CLI Tools, Would It?"

"Would Google need a fancy theme if Crostini wasn’t aimed at regular users?"

from:

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2018/04/google-forks-adapta-gtk-theme

Re: @DrBed - It's not about just Linux apps...

> "I agree with you on all but the last sentence"

It was TWO sentences interrelated, so I will adapt it just for you:

"But with much more choice & user control THEN MacOS/iOS (not GNU/Linux)."

OK?

> "Linux is free while running Linux applications on Google Chrome"

WTF???

You really can't think out-of-the-box?

How about running Linux apps on (top of) Chromium OS / Gallium OS - at Chromebook? Or, flatpacked and Crostini-containered e.g. Inkscape is not free/open source anymore, just because of - hardware?

@RMS

...as IGnatius T Foobar said:

I'm sure there's plenty of "value added" data slurping and snooping, but it's still better than having Richard Stallman screaming at us that he thinks we should call it "GNU/ChromeOS"

It's not about just Linux apps...

It is how it is already done with Android apps. All (or most) of 3,7M apps:

https://www.appbrain.com/stats/number-of-android-apps

As R. Payne said @Chromeunboxed:

"whatever the delivery method ends up being (Chrome extensions, Play Store, Web Store, or something new), once I install an app on my Chromebook, I expect to be able to find it in my app launcher, see it on the shelf when open, and pin it to the shelf if I choose."

> "One OS to bring them all and in the container bind them, In the Land of Chrome where the apps lie." :D

Think about it as it's done with user friendly MacOS/iOS GUI & powerful *nix below. But with much more choice & user control.

Airbus CIO: We dumped Microsoft Office not over cost but because Google G Suite looks sweet

Re: LOL

"I can say with some certainty that they'll be back to O365 within 24 months. For many, many, reasons."

Go ahead, tell them all!

Tell them that you're still waiting for Delta Airlines and General Electric returning to Windows RT, crying. You stupd, stupd Airbus...

"Outlook could be a pain but at least it was never surprising."

ROFL... sure, if you're "expect the unexpected" MS-tamed already.

Here, I don't even need to mention compatibility problems between versions off Outlook / Windows; just google for MS official "Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Outlook for Windows", focus at 2018 and count how often is [WORKAROUND] vs [FIXED].

So, it is more like "NO-body expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

"There are countless features that GS doesnt have that O365 does."

Countless ribbons instead tabs?

Actually, "countless" (but mostly useless) features are the reason why I'm avoiding MS Office/365.

Still, I'm missing Clippy...not.

Microsoft says 'majority' of Windows 10 use will be 'streamlined S mode'

Re: Another good idea...

TIFKAM LOL... Idiocracy.

I bought Win 10 "Pro" 1 year ago, today I can't turn off telemetry, auto updates etc there.

It means useless Paint 3D, Candy Crush (again), Cortana etc shite reinstalled, against my will.

"Pro" means "we fooled you again".

Actually I'm not using that PC anymore for months, just because of Win 10. Mint at laptop suits me well. I will use s/n of that Win10 for virtualbox at next Linux PC, probably Mint again.

Go to hell with or w/o S edition, MS.

The Gemini pocket PC is shipping and we've got one. This is what it's like

Re: Far from complete

> "On a normal Debian I could just use imagemagick or gimp to scale it down."

Actually, you can use Gimp or Inkscape natively at Android - it's already compiled for years now.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.gimp.inkscape

But screen size will be issue (it should work on Chromebook imho; so you don't need crouton for those there).

Wine v3 (alpha) now runs on Android; just Gemini is ARM (= only Win RT apps), but, in theory, you can run even Paint.NET ;-)

https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2411497

But yes - Android makes sense but I'll rather use some real Linux, in container or as dual boot. As Samsung did it with Ubuntu few months ago, chrooted Galaxy S8 (Android):

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2017/11/samsung-linux-galaxy-video-demo

Stephen Elop and the fall of Nokia revisited

Jolla is now guilty instead of Elop?

"Some of the most talented people from Nokia went to work for another, new, telecom company - Jolla." ("Blaming one person (the CEO, Stephen Elop) is a bit too much."... "There are other things at play however"...)

TIMELINE? Causes?

Elop came as CEO 2010. Nokia (MeeGo) N9 was announced on 21 June 2011.

Elop anounced murdering of MeeGo even if succesful - on 23 June 2011 (just 2 days later!) http://mynokiablog.com/2011/06/23/nokia-n9-the-last-meego-device/

N9 was finally available - but only in e.g. Switzerland, but not any major country - in September 2011.

Part of MeeGo team left Nokia to become Jolla, because of all of that - on October 2011.

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

"Jolla was founded in 2011 by former Nokia staff of the MeeGo project team to use the MeeGo opportunities and its "endless possibilities"."

btw from wiki above: "'yolla', the company name is Finnish for dinghy (a small agile boat or life rescue boat). " < As I said before, Elop destroyed Nokia's escape pod / rescue boat (MeeGo).

MeeGo was here.

"With no immediate "successor" to offer the market – Windows Phone and Nokia's first Meego device were months away – Nokia's cash problems immediately worsened."

Not true.

1) Nokia N9 MeeGo was ready, but intentionally killed 2 days after public presentation. By CEO Elop himself, directly (Elop: "there is no returning to MeeGo, even if the N9 turns out to be a hit"). N9 was sold where ever it's offered, just - Elop shrinked it as much as he could.

2) MeeGo was designed to be Android compatible, so parachute (or escape pod) for MeeGo was already incorporated: if it fails, transition to "full" Android should be flawless.

Think about containers: it is how Chromebooks / ChromeOS run Android apps. It is all about Linux, after all.

Beside: "The authors point out that Nokia could have ported its own Ovi services to Android" - exactly.

Fast resurrections of Meego clone as a Sailfish OS (Jolla), and Android Nokia (under HMD Global) are proof: Elop's switch to Windows Phone was strongly forced move in the wrong direction.

3) Nokia's main cellphone profit, for years after first WP Lumia shows up (and even more after MeeGo!) was still - dumbphones. Asha dumbhones, based on old Nokia design, as repacked Meltemi Linux & Series 40 (with UI parts of Symbian, Maemo and MeeGo).

With that in mind, "Nokia's cash problems immediately worsened" sounds peculiar.

PC not dead, Apple single-handedly propping up mobe market, says Gartner

Re: Not rocket science

> Ditto, tasks like audio or video editing where you're working with multiple tracks, etc.

Gorrilaz made whole album at iPad. Just sayin'

btw, last wek I saw a guy with Acer 15,6" Chromebook, working seriously with Autocad Mobile. He must be delusional.

Mobiler devices are not replacement for desktop PC, but add-on. For now.

Re: Not rocket science

> If you're on an iPad, you might want to look into Affinity Photo

...and for vectors Affinity Designer + Inkscape instead Illustrator - still for desktop only (Mac, Windows), but there are other mobile solutions:

If you have powerfull Chromebook or Android tablet, try GIMP & Inkscape (native port). GIMP is not so inferior to PS, but also has specific advantages (beside, it's free).

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.gimp.inkscape

Or, for simpler (but pro) tasks, Autodesk's Pixlr (web app) could be sufficient (layers, .psd import/export etc)

Speaking of web apps, vector tools becomes quite useful.

Gravit designer is fresh breeze, and beside browser version, there are "native" ones (could be used offline) for: macOS, Windows, Linux, ChromeOs (iPad, Android "soon").

Vectr & Janvas should be mentioned too (as quality vector web apps).

Have three WINEs this weekend, because WINE 3.0 has landed

Re: Office 2016? (That leaves WINE and Photoshop 5)

PS5? Oh dear.

I run PS CS4 / CS6 regularly at Linux / Wine for years.

> GIMP can import simple layers, but can't do effects, and is iffy at importing masks.

For extended PS specific needs (effects, masks, cmyk .psd ...) just use Krita.

If you need pro effects at GIMP, take a look at G'MIC.

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

Re: I use Linux

I'm not sure now are you a troll or you just publicly admitted that you don't have a clue what you're talking about.

Those stupid arguments about "Vim & Emacs vs VS" - well, just came from last century, I don't want to mess with that FUD.

BUT THIS:

> Today, for example, I was doing web stuff. Linux has no answer to either PhotoShop or Illustrator, even if we set the coding aside. How do I know that? Because I just spent half the day in Gimp and Inkscape.

FYI, I run from Win few years ago. Last thing to keep me was PhotoShop. Then I realized i can use it @Linux under Wine or VirtualBox. But right now, for years, I'm using Gimp for every professional need I have, just with a little help of Krita and Scribus (for CMYK, PDF). It is far more superior then PS (which is a great tool), in many aspects.

And what about vectors? Inkscape has weird interface for newbies, but it is much superior then AI. Just take a look at the best tracer on market. Beside, accomplished with FontForge, you'll get all power you need for making pro fonts. And there's much, much more.

Friendly advice: you said "I was doing web stuff". Just try Gravit Designer, don't mumble about XX century tools. It runs equally great on platform you prefer (I didn't try it @Win, but it can't be so awfull).