Fairly recently I enabled my FTP and email to use secure connections between the servers. It was stupidly easy to do, and surprised this is not promoted more by internet providers versus the "traditional" way of setting up email and FTP.
Why have your FTP and email user names and passwords flow around who knows where as clear text, when it can be encrypted?
Maybe it should be explained that sending/collecting email in the "normal" way is like sending a post card to your house, with a copy of your front door key taped to the post card, so anyone can use it if they wish. Computer nerds / geeks are guilty of not being able to put our knowledge into simple forms that regular joe and jane can understand (no car analogies used in this demonstration).
I recently bought a wireless mouse because using the pad on the eeePC is annoying (just like for all laptops and netbooks). Whilst I decided on a USB wireless mouse based on it's looks and how it feels in the hand, one bit of information I looked for was VERY difficult to find online. There is no discussion on the security of using a wireless mouse as opposed to a wired one.
I would never use a wireless keyboard in case your keypresses could be intercepted, but there is so little information on the security of wireless devices like mice or keyboards. Range is not mentioned, transmission power is not mentioned, is it really a good idea to bathe yourself with more radio waves all day?
The "Home Office", is interested in Phorm because the current mentally retarded government can see the potential of the system. Today it's re-writing web pages replacing adverts for their own on-the-fly, tomorrow it's re-writing whole web pages by government edict to write the gospel according to the government.
The UK government are with the whipped ISP's collusion, intercepting all websites anyone visits for their log files to prove you're a "terrorist" (by whatever convenient definition they used for terrorist yesterday or decided on today or tomorrow). Phorm are intercepting all your web traffic and serving up different advertising content.
How long before the two join forces and your web pages you looked for are re-written on the fly by the government for more favourable coverage, and to kill off opposition?
The EU is really the EUSSR / Moscow 2.0. The EU are too asking European Internet service providers to log everything. Europe is not free, they just pretend they are fighting for the consumer of the UK, the people with ISP's that have or will use Phorm, but they are all in collusion with each other to snuff out opposition.
The Internet is under attack because of the power of people who can search for what they want, and bypass the whipped and paid for traditional media serving up biased news (BBC bias springs to mind).
Luckily* for Linux and Skype users, Skype hasn't been updated in about 2 years, and definitely no 64 bit version. So the vulnerability will be there for who knows how long until Skype (or is it eBay) gets their finger out of their backside and gives Linux/Skype users a better deal.
It's seems the UK government is constantly trying to do some and more to stop it's citizens having any kind of privacy.
Privacy? That really depends on who you are. If you're a "nobody" then expect none, but if you're the rich and powerful that set the bullsh*t laws then you hold all the aces on privacy.
From The Daily Mail newspaper
Google was at the centre of new controversy last night after pictures of Tony Blair's London home were mysteriously removed from its Street View web service.
Images of the House of Commons, the entrance to Downing Street and several Government departments were also blacked out.
And it also emerged that Google's own boss in the UK does not have his London house on Street View.
Firefox plus any number of anti-advert plugins stop most adverts, so the system would be self-defeating to what is an ever larger percentage of people dumping browsers like Internet Explorer.
Don't expect the UK's privacy head to do anything, he makes a lot of noises like over the adding of 1 million innocent people to the DNA database (which is the largest in the world and larger than all 26 other European countries combined), but has let the government carry on. Deliberately toothless, a good PR job is all he does.
What is more worrying though, is that this technology has the ability to re-write web pages on the fly per users requests. So today it's just adverts being changed, tomorrow it's whole content and history changed to suit a governments propaganda. It must be made MUCH easier and cheaper for any website no matter how small to be able to use HTTPS instead of standard HTTP. This will help to put one over the evil that is Phorm and the governments and media who want to control content.
If the UK's Data Protection Act had any teeth at all, they would have ruled the IP packet inspecting / changing Phorm system illegal under existing laws, and not have the situation that the Phorm company is going around trying to suppress knowledge of their system to subscribers of the three scumbag internet providers that will roll out this system (BT, Virgin Media, TalkTalk).
I read the article, Microsoft contest their FAT patent. But why would anyone need a translation table from 8.3 FAT names to the longer versions, that was only for dumb Microsoft systems that needed this translation for backwards compatibility. There is no need for such backward compatibility these days surely, long filenames are used these days???
I would support the measure for blocking "child porn" (although I wouldn't ever call it porn), we all know that governments would NOT stop at just one thing, they will find something else objectionable, as the UK government already has. And so it will go on and on, until eventually, they will get to ban something that the rest of the idiots that use the internet ARE bothered about. Then it will be too late, and all the population will have is the state broadcaster pushing out government propaganda and lies (what the BBC does for the current government).
Besides which, the IWF are a private body getting taxpayers money, accountable to nobody. Who trusts them, I don't.
Here is the privacy you can expect from an ID card:
NONE!
Thank you for your tax money to aid the state oppression of Europe's citizens. We knew you'd never consent to having ID cards, that's why we sneaked in ID laws under disguise of other laws (see UK as an example of how state oppression is pushed through).
Just a random ramble, but why change the name from LinuxBIOS, surely it would have been easier to point out the irony of Windows needing Linux to start itself. Maybe it would have got some people to think more of the capabilities of Linux then?
My experience. When I first tried KDE4 from a live DVD I didn't rate it much, that was 4.0 release. Eventually I bit the bullet and installed 4.1 over the KDE3 version of my latest distro update, I could thus switch back to KDE3 if I wanted.
KDE4 has a tonne of things missing, it is MUCH less customisable then KDE3, I can't change the width of the new kicker bar (I don't want 100%), useful things like kbfx do not work any more, so you're stuck with the other replacement "start" menus which ALL suck eggs. Hover over the time and you can't see the time in different time-zones any more.
Some applications have not been ported to KDE4, so the old libraries need to be kept, as much as possible I've got rid of KDE3 to avoid problems with the two code bases and various applications. My update kept both KDE3 and installed KDE4 versions of applications which is a problem in the menus with duplicates.
My biggest problem was with Amarok for KDE4 which should be an improvement, it lasted half an hour before I gave up on it. (more in my journal on it).
We all clean our computers regularly, right? I noticed this on an offloaded pc I cleaned up to pass on. The processor fan and cooling vents was heavily caked in dust and it was clocking slower so it would not heat up so much. Cleaning the dust off the processor cured the problem.
I will tell you about the UK experience of computerised medical records.
The government wants everyone's medical records on a database, searchable by who knows who for whatever fishing expedition they want (including giving this private data to drug companies and the EU), no justification of their actions is required. The records are not secure, we already know that because the government lost 26 million taxpayers records in one go, and that's supposed to be a secure system.
So far the scheme has burnt through £16bn (about $24bn), it still mostly does not work, is years behind schedule, and is expected to burn through another £8bn.
If like me you object to your medical records being computerised and being available to any member of the state for their fishing expeditions, your doctor will tell you to get lost.
Like it or not, the state will do whatever it takes, and will not care what laws are already in place (like data protection laws) to stop such schemes.
With this system it would be prudent for more people to use encryption of their communications. But from personal experience, 99% of people just don't care. They are perfectly happy to use a website for credit card purchases if there's a little padlock in their browser.
But when it comes to email or IM, they are happy for their thoughts to be in plain text. As a test, I tried sending a signed email to people I chat with, and they mostly complained what the hell is this crap in the email. Most were using MS-Outlook which trashed the formatting of the original message, so I had to remove it, so no email is guaranteed to be from me as it's not using my key.
For company emails, I've only ever got one email which attached their key to say that you paid your bill, and by the way, the email REALLY did come from the company, not some phishing attempt.
As for IM, there are applications that can encrypt the text, but nobody I've met uses these applications, so everything is in plain text. They are happy to stick with MS-Messenger or AOL-AIM.
It appears that people do not want to take basic precautions for their personal life remaining personal. I would say more fool them, but their arrogance also affects the wider community.
In stopping P2P, Australia would stop Linux distribution, Microsoft would be able to crush all other operating systems as their more efficient P2P distribution model is cut off. Thus Australia prove they are anti-choice in the market place. The message is clear, pay Bill Gates or else!
Since the advent of the internet, we are no longer subjected to have biased news of television, radio, or newspapers. If we want to have an argument with anyone, there are plenty of on-line forums to do it on, without getting censored by a party line of a particular newspapers editor. The age of buying influence by what is printed in the press is doomed.
Add to that, the internet also allows people to follow news from around the world, and are no longer restricted to the news the local/national newspapers (or other media) wish to push out. And if it's specialist news like on Slashdot, then it will always be more current on-line than any print media.
Newspapers are dying, but they only have themselves to blame for not keeping up with the modern world.
Whilst I watched this and other similar types of weather related shows on tv with interest, the value can be boiled down to cheap tv. No set to build, a small appearance fee, and a tank of gas for the storm chasers.
As for scientific value, you don't know until you explore the objects of interest. However I would say there's a cut-off point between curiosity and cost. The Large Haldron Collider is a huge project eating it's way though money at considerable rate, with not much to show for it as the end goal.
Slashdot Mirror
Fairly recently I enabled my FTP and email to use secure connections between the servers. It was stupidly easy to do, and surprised this is not promoted more by internet providers versus the "traditional" way of setting up email and FTP.
Why have your FTP and email user names and passwords flow around who knows where as clear text, when it can be encrypted?
Maybe it should be explained that sending/collecting email in the "normal" way is like sending a post card to your house, with a copy of your front door key taped to the post card, so anyone can use it if they wish. Computer nerds / geeks are guilty of not being able to put our knowledge into simple forms that regular joe and jane can understand (no car analogies used in this demonstration).
Hypothetical situation which seems to pass as high quality news these days:
In news today, Paris Hilton has had another sex tape released, here's a clip of it here........
Click here to order the last Paris Hilton sex DVD 'leaked'
Are Microsoft trying the Linux business model? LOL
I recently bought a wireless mouse because using the pad on the eeePC is annoying (just like for all laptops and netbooks). Whilst I decided on a USB wireless mouse based on it's looks and how it feels in the hand, one bit of information I looked for was VERY difficult to find online. There is no discussion on the security of using a wireless mouse as opposed to a wired one.
I would never use a wireless keyboard in case your keypresses could be intercepted, but there is so little information on the security of wireless devices like mice or keyboards. Range is not mentioned, transmission power is not mentioned, is it really a good idea to bathe yourself with more radio waves all day?
The "Home Office", is interested in Phorm because the current mentally retarded government can see the potential of the system. Today it's re-writing web pages replacing adverts for their own on-the-fly, tomorrow it's re-writing whole web pages by government edict to write the gospel according to the government.
The UK government are with the whipped ISP's collusion, intercepting all websites anyone visits for their log files to prove you're a "terrorist" (by whatever convenient definition they used for terrorist yesterday or decided on today or tomorrow). Phorm are intercepting all your web traffic and serving up different advertising content.
How long before the two join forces and your web pages you looked for are re-written on the fly by the government for more favourable coverage, and to kill off opposition?
The EU is really the EUSSR / Moscow 2.0. The EU are too asking European Internet service providers to log everything. Europe is not free, they just pretend they are fighting for the consumer of the UK, the people with ISP's that have or will use Phorm, but they are all in collusion with each other to snuff out opposition.
The Internet is under attack because of the power of people who can search for what they want, and bypass the whipped and paid for traditional media serving up biased news (BBC bias springs to mind).
Luckily* for Linux and Skype users, Skype hasn't been updated in about 2 years, and definitely no 64 bit version. So the vulnerability will be there for who knows how long until Skype (or is it eBay) gets their finger out of their backside and gives Linux/Skype users a better deal.
* Being sarcastic
For a minute there I thought there was a problem, but nerds have no friends so nobody calls you on Skype anyway.
To Thompson I would say you had your chance with rubbish MP3, so FLAC off!
It's seems the UK government is constantly trying to do some and more to stop it's citizens having any kind of privacy.
Privacy? That really depends on who you are. If you're a "nobody" then expect none, but if you're the rich and powerful that set the bullsh*t laws then you hold all the aces on privacy. From The Daily Mail newspaper
Google was at the centre of new controversy last night after pictures of Tony Blair's London home were mysteriously removed from its Street View web service. Images of the House of Commons, the entrance to Downing Street and several Government departments were also blacked out. And it also emerged that Google's own boss in the UK does not have his London house on Street View.
Firefox plus any number of anti-advert plugins stop most adverts, so the system would be self-defeating to what is an ever larger percentage of people dumping browsers like Internet Explorer.
Don't expect the UK's privacy head to do anything, he makes a lot of noises like over the adding of 1 million innocent people to the DNA database (which is the largest in the world and larger than all 26 other European countries combined), but has let the government carry on. Deliberately toothless, a good PR job is all he does.
What is more worrying though, is that this technology has the ability to re-write web pages on the fly per users requests. So today it's just adverts being changed, tomorrow it's whole content and history changed to suit a governments propaganda. It must be made MUCH easier and cheaper for any website no matter how small to be able to use HTTPS instead of standard HTTP. This will help to put one over the evil that is Phorm and the governments and media who want to control content.
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/UK_media_suppressed_Phorm_survey_and_article%2C_2009
I read the article, Microsoft contest their FAT patent. But why would anyone need a translation table from 8.3 FAT names to the longer versions, that was only for dumb Microsoft systems that needed this translation for backwards compatibility. There is no need for such backward compatibility these days surely, long filenames are used these days???
I would support the measure for blocking "child porn" (although I wouldn't ever call it porn), we all know that governments would NOT stop at just one thing, they will find something else objectionable, as the UK government already has. And so it will go on and on, until eventually, they will get to ban something that the rest of the idiots that use the internet ARE bothered about. Then it will be too late, and all the population will have is the state broadcaster pushing out government propaganda and lies (what the BBC does for the current government). Besides which, the IWF are a private body getting taxpayers money, accountable to nobody. Who trusts them, I don't.
The police generally can't carry guns.
What do the British police need guns for when they are being provided with 10,000 TASERS? The Times or CNN.
Dear citizen of the EUSSR,
Here is the privacy you can expect from an ID card:
NONE!
Thank you for your tax money to aid the state oppression of Europe's citizens. We knew you'd never consent to having ID cards, that's why we sneaked in ID laws under disguise of other laws (see UK as an example of how state oppression is pushed through).
Have a nice day.
Just a random ramble, but why change the name from LinuxBIOS, surely it would have been easier to point out the irony of Windows needing Linux to start itself. Maybe it would have got some people to think more of the capabilities of Linux then?
My experience. When I first tried KDE4 from a live DVD I didn't rate it much, that was 4.0 release. Eventually I bit the bullet and installed 4.1 over the KDE3 version of my latest distro update, I could thus switch back to KDE3 if I wanted.
KDE4 has a tonne of things missing, it is MUCH less customisable then KDE3, I can't change the width of the new kicker bar (I don't want 100%), useful things like kbfx do not work any more, so you're stuck with the other replacement "start" menus which ALL suck eggs. Hover over the time and you can't see the time in different time-zones any more.
Some applications have not been ported to KDE4, so the old libraries need to be kept, as much as possible I've got rid of KDE3 to avoid problems with the two code bases and various applications. My update kept both KDE3 and installed KDE4 versions of applications which is a problem in the menus with duplicates.
My biggest problem was with Amarok for KDE4 which should be an improvement, it lasted half an hour before I gave up on it. (more in my journal on it).
We all clean our computers regularly, right? I noticed this on an offloaded pc I cleaned up to pass on. The processor fan and cooling vents was heavily caked in dust and it was clocking slower so it would not heat up so much. Cleaning the dust off the processor cured the problem.
I will tell you about the UK experience of computerised medical records.
The government wants everyone's medical records on a database, searchable by who knows who for whatever fishing expedition they want (including giving this private data to drug companies and the EU), no justification of their actions is required. The records are not secure, we already know that because the government lost 26 million taxpayers records in one go, and that's supposed to be a secure system.
So far the scheme has burnt through £16bn (about $24bn), it still mostly does not work, is years behind schedule, and is expected to burn through another £8bn.
If like me you object to your medical records being computerised and being available to any member of the state for their fishing expeditions, your doctor will tell you to get lost.
Like it or not, the state will do whatever it takes, and will not care what laws are already in place (like data protection laws) to stop such schemes.
With this system it would be prudent for more people to use encryption of their communications. But from personal experience, 99% of people just don't care. They are perfectly happy to use a website for credit card purchases if there's a little padlock in their browser.
But when it comes to email or IM, they are happy for their thoughts to be in plain text. As a test, I tried sending a signed email to people I chat with, and they mostly complained what the hell is this crap in the email. Most were using MS-Outlook which trashed the formatting of the original message, so I had to remove it, so no email is guaranteed to be from me as it's not using my key.
For company emails, I've only ever got one email which attached their key to say that you paid your bill, and by the way, the email REALLY did come from the company, not some phishing attempt.
As for IM, there are applications that can encrypt the text, but nobody I've met uses these applications, so everything is in plain text. They are happy to stick with MS-Messenger or AOL-AIM.
It appears that people do not want to take basic precautions for their personal life remaining personal. I would say more fool them, but their arrogance also affects the wider community.
In stopping P2P, Australia would stop Linux distribution, Microsoft would be able to crush all other operating systems as their more efficient P2P distribution model is cut off. Thus Australia prove they are anti-choice in the market place. The message is clear, pay Bill Gates or else!
Since the advent of the internet, we are no longer subjected to have biased news of television, radio, or newspapers. If we want to have an argument with anyone, there are plenty of on-line forums to do it on, without getting censored by a party line of a particular newspapers editor. The age of buying influence by what is printed in the press is doomed.
Add to that, the internet also allows people to follow news from around the world, and are no longer restricted to the news the local/national newspapers (or other media) wish to push out. And if it's specialist news like on Slashdot, then it will always be more current on-line than any print media.
Newspapers are dying, but they only have themselves to blame for not keeping up with the modern world.
Dear Viagra user,
We have a great new product that goes by the name of Cialis ...
Whilst I watched this and other similar types of weather related shows on tv with interest, the value can be boiled down to cheap tv. No set to build, a small appearance fee, and a tank of gas for the storm chasers.
As for scientific value, you don't know until you explore the objects of interest. However I would say there's a cut-off point between curiosity and cost. The Large Haldron Collider is a huge project eating it's way though money at considerable rate, with not much to show for it as the end goal.