bpalone

More snow flakes from Mr. Snowden. From the Guardian: I have friends that think I am a bonafide member of the tin hat society. But, every day or week, there is more information revealed about just how deep into our daily lives, that the various governments have burrowed. The only reason that I even have a cell phone, is that it has become a necessary evil. Even at that, there are day or even weeks, that I don't even turn the thing on. What finally pushed me over the edge, was that Pay Telephones were no longer available. The brave new and without privacy world, is becoming quite scary these days. Hopefully, the sheeple will wake up and demand better. The whole article can be read here: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/16/nsa-collects-millions-text-messages-daily-untargeted-global-sweep bpalone

Now that makes just about as much sense as someone pulling up to the toll booth on a roadway in a completely restored 1957 Chevy (or pick your own classic vehicle) and being told that they are not allowed on the road. Because, the vehicle is to old to use the road. DOS is still very usable, as are some old COBOL programs that are still being ran today. I guess, that when one is young, that anything older than you are is totally outdated and can't be used. But, we all know better and continue to use our old OSes and programs. Andrew T. I am guessing that your first link of where it has happened was done by their hosting company, not them. That is assuming that they are not total Penguin addicts and that nothing else is any good, which is not the impression I got from the little I read. bpalone

Meanwhile back on the security front. Just saw this today and thought I would pass it on. The above quote is from an elected official, where said official is calling for tighter controls on online activity. Either highly misguided or promoted to just above their intelligence level. Or... maybe the system is getting nervous, since all the revelations about spookdom over the last few months. The short article is here: http://www.finegael.ie/latest-news/2013/odonovan-calls-for-crackd/index.xml bpalone

More on the turning on and using of the embedded camera without your knowledge, as was mentioned in this thread a few days ago. This is about a MacBook being used, but I'm assuming the same concept works on any platform, so here a couple of quotes and a link to the article. And then the REAL BIG disclosure: We should all be real proud of ourselves here. We had already mentioned that security measure. The full article is here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/12/18/research-shows-how-macbook-webcams-can-spy-on-their-users-without-warning/ bpalone

More news on the security front. Some researchers have discovered that they can learn a great deal by just listening to your computer. From their paper it appears that that what can be learned is quite alarming. I will quote part of the opening paragraph here, but I recommend that you go look through at least their web page disclosing the news. The website with a link to their full paper is here: http://www.cs.tau.ac.il/~tromer/acoustic/ Just makes one feel all warm and fuzzy. bpalone

More news for why we like dislike the cloud. It appears that Disney is very proud of their material, so much so, that it appears that when they allow another vendor to market their digital media/material (streamed type material) they keep the total rights to it. Amazon, had to pull something from them, in their online offering. And it appears that they whacked those that had purchased the item in question. In other words, it is yours and is available for viewing or listening only so long as the copyright holder thinks you should have access. Here is a quote: When I read the article, I didn't come away with a real good feeling about the "accidentally" part of the story. I am old school, I want what I purchase to be in my hot little hand. It might get converted into a more portable format, so that I can enjoy it when on the road, but I want the actual medium in possession. Here is a link to the article: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/16/amazon-disney-christmas-tv-special-prep-and-landing Merry Christmas everyone. bpalone

Well, my server isn't much different than his. In fact, mine has even less memory and is an Intel Atom single core. So, after seeing that blog post, I will be rethinking my thoughts. I would have to agree with him about the fact it should probably be ported to C or C++ (C would be my preference). I have never been a big fan of interpreted languages because of the high overhead. They have become popular again, because most everyone has a massively powerful computer setting on their desk, that doesn't really allow the user to notice just how much slower it really is. The same reason we have sloppy code written today, the horse power under the hood masks the performance hits. I agree they need to be followed. As for search results, it will require a large number of users to adopt and use the system for it to become good. But, like everything it has to start somewhere. I just tried their trial portal and got a timeout error, the same thing I got the other day when I tried it again after mentioning it here. Could be, that their idea is hitting up against the limitations of their chosen programming language. Especially since I would guess that we are not the only people in the world concerned about a little privacy. I am not totally against all of this information being gathered and made available. Not to long ago I was having trouble locating someone (something I have to do quite often in my profession) and found them because they built a garage. So, it is not all bad, as I was looking for them to buy something from them. But, in the same breath, just how much is enough and how much is to much? bpalone

I don't know if this was ever mentioned here on MSFN, but if it was I apologize up front. With all the current revelations of just how much all of us are being tracked by our friendly governments and the big corporations, I thought maybe it was time to mention this. I have not installed or used it, but have thought of installing it on a server. The item is YaCy, a peer to peer web search system. Go to their website to get a better understanding of how it works and what it is. Its time could of arrived. Here is link to their website: http://yacy.net/en/ bpalone

Now if Microsoft puts their money where their mouth is, and comes up with a practicable way of using e-mail and surfing the Web with end-to-end encryption -- that's one of the few things that could trump the insults and annoyances of the Metro environment. --JorgeA Let's not forget just who was in bed with and just how deeply they were involved here. Seems like I remember a mention here of a comment by the NSA of just how much more data they were getting after Microsoft purchased Skype. I don't know abut you or anybody else here, but Microsoft has blown their credibility with me. bpalone

More doomsday talk about the PC. It does appear that the sales are declining as per the figures from IDC. One interesting quote from the article: I didn't take time to read all the comments, but some were interesting. The article can be found here: http://www.zdnet.com/pc-shipments-to-decline-further-no-significant-recovery-expected-7000023851/ I have to confess that I am part of the problem. I have my old hardware and replacement parts and fully intend to keep on using it and my old OSes with my old software. bpalone

Well, it looks like everybody wants in on the act. LoJack just announced they are going to be providing a service to automakers and insurance companies to track driving habits, where the vehicle has been and certain conditions of the automobile. Now, they say that the system will be be able to be turned off by the consumer, and that they are not going to be harvesting data about you and then selling it to third parties. We all know that we can TRUST THE BIG COMPANIES AND GOVERNMENTS to keep their word. The full article is here: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9244338/LoJack_system_will_allow_parents_auto_makers_and_insurance_companies_to_track_vehicles It is getting to be a pretty scary place live these days. bpalone

Kind of like admitting on NEOWIN that you're using Linux?? Sounds like it is their plan to totally destroy the x86 culture and software. They may be handing the future to Linux, but if that starts to look like to much of a threat, they will TROT OUT THEIR LAWYERS and commence the Patent wars. After many of the revelations about security and just how far in bed everybody is with the respective spook agencies, I can't begin to imagine how anyone could even consider any of Microsoft's newer OSes for their companies computing systems. As mentioned here back up the thread, wherein the NSA bragged about how much more data they were getting from Skype after Microsoft bought it, to me that means that they probably have back doors in all the newer OSes. Maybe, I'm a bit paranoid, but my profession requires that information is kept confidential. At some point in the life of a project a large part of the information is no longer that confidential, but there are still parts that is nobody's business except mine and the client's. bpalone

Check out their forums for getting 2K to work. I'm guessing that you may have to turn off some hardware items in the virtual machine. I also recall there being a race issue with 2K and I am not sure whether they ever fixed it or not, as 2K was not as widely used/accepted as XP. I have not had any issues with 2K on a Linux host. But, I am using a pretty dated version of VirtualBox, 2.2.4. You can download older versions on their web site, or at least you used to be able to. But, do check out their Forum for an answer. I'm sure you will find an answer. bpalone

Don't knock the tin hats. I just bought two new rolls of tin foil! But, when I read that about the residing only in memory and being elusive, the first thing through my shallow mind was spook planted/originated. Sounds a bit sophisticated to be purely hacker created. Not that they don't have some talent, but really? One would think more along the spook lines, as they probably have all the source and the known exploits (probably before the MS staff even gets it). I used to think a lot of what we have discussed here was something that was to far fetched to ever be a reality. But, today, I put absolutely nothing past my government or any other government for that matter. People with power only want more power and it corrupts. bpalone

Sounds like some of the forced obsolescence used by our good friends from Redmond, and others in the industry. Do a search for VirtualBox and go download the Windows version from their site. It will handle 2K without a problem and can even be made to work with DOS and 98se, as guest systems, with some tweaking. bpalone edit for clarity.

Very true that it doesn't make any sense. But, if you are trying move a TURKEY you sometimes have to add something to make it more appealing. Now, we don't know but maybe a few changes in structure would make Xbox profitable. That is something we are not privy to, so we are speculating at best. But if they were to throw some the more questionable Patents (they all are in my opinion, but that is another topic), they might sweeten the pot enough to attract someone. One of the large cell manufactures might run the numbers and say, that it is worth money just to extinguish the royalty payment and then sell the Xbox unit for a deep discount or just terminate it. All speculation and worth just exactly what was paid for it. NADA. bpalone

Well, maybe they would be throwing in some of those lucrative Patents, that they hold over the heads of the Android phone makers? Just a thought. bpalone

Headed out the door, but just saw this: The article is here: http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-earns-2-billion-per-year-from-android-patent-royalties-2013-11 bpalone

I run 2K in a virtual machine pretty much daily. The host is Linux and the VM software is "Sun's" VirtualBox, so yes my VM is dated. It isn't broke, so I'm not going to fix it. As for performance, I don't really notice much difference between the VM and native on the same machine. But, it is used as a glorified word processor most of the time, so little hard to give real performance comparison, I could never out type a 1 MHZ machine. I do also have a geological application that seems to work almost as fast as it does natively on the same dual boot machine. On my VMs I don't run any anti virus, but I do run an old version of Zone Alarm for a firewall. On my native 2K I do run a current anti virus program, so that may make some of the difference not show up. I don't worry about virus infections on the Virtual 2K, as it behind two NATs and I don't use it to do anything on the web, except where absolutely have to have IE, which is only on one trusted site. Besides, if it gets hosed, I just have to copy the backup file I have for the VM hard drive. This is on an old AMD 2Ghz Athlon, single core, with 2 gig of ram and slow hard drives (by todays standards). I set the VM up with 10 gig hard drive and 512K memory. I try to put all output files out on the base system. That allows me to access them from either the Linux or 2K OSes without having the VM running. Hope that helps some. bpalone edit to correct some typos.

Rightfully so. A very large part of enterprise data, is very confidential. Who in their right mind would trust such information to anyone but themselves? Does this sound something like, TechNet going away? Good find formfiller. bpalone

@JorgeA and anyone else considering the change, If you are truly looking at making a move to Linux, please bear in mind that you can have many desktops. You can set up where you can have a different desktop environment every day of the week. I have a granddaughter that almost does that and it drives me nuts (most would say short trip). I made the switch about 5 or 6 years ago. I still use Windows 2K almost daily, but most of the time in a Virtual Machine. I had a hard time grasping some things, until I finally read somewhere that "everything is treated as file" in Linux. After that, things started to make more sense. It is a different OS and does things differently, so expect to have a steep learning curve. Has it been worth it? In my opinion yes. If you are looking for stability and slower upgrade cycle, then take a look at Debian or Debian Mint. I use an older release of Ubuntu, but I wouldn't recommend Ubuntu to anyone these days. I don't like a lot of change and the last thing I really need in my production environment is a broken system/software package on a busy workday. I live by the old rule of thumb "If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It!" something that our Redmond friends have not heard of or have forgotten. Here are couple of books that you might find of interest if you decide to go further with Linux: Linux In A Nutshell, published by O'Reilly, isbn # 0-596-00930-5, mine is the 5th edition, so there may be a newer version out now, and Running Linux, published by O'Reilly, isbn # 0-596-00760-4, also a 5th edition. When I started my migration, I installed Linux on a separate computer that wouldn't be a major pain if it became hosed. Then I installed on a laptop and then finally on my main desktop computer. All of them keep a dual boot ability, in case there is something that I need to do in Windows, that I can't do in a Virtual Machine. Most of them are Windows 2K, so I have now made it clear that I am Ludite. Above all, always remember this: What ever you use, it is ONLY an operating system. If your choice works for you and does everything you need to do, then by all means, use it. Don't change just to be fashionable. bpalone edited to fix my DS mistake in spelling Jorge's name.

Well it appears that the friendly folks at the NSA are having some problems with their new toy in Utah. Here is a quote that speaks quite a bit about the possible thought processes in creating this monster: Gee, I wonder if anyone thought to check with the local power supplier to see if they could meet the demand? From another article about the place: Sounds to me like they are real serious about tracking EVERYBODY. But, then maybe I'm a bit paranoid (not). The articles are reasonably short and there is quite bit of more information there. Some of which is either impressive or depressing, depending on whether you're an optimist or a pessimist. First one quoted: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-nsas-data-center-keeps-melting-down-2013-10 Second one quoted: http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-of-the-nsas-utah-data-center-2013-6 bpalone

On the issue of security, it appears that the spooks have the attitude that everything is their playground and that we will do whatever we want. It seems that Linux is or was considered for back dooring. The above quote came from http://www.eweek.com/developer/linus-torvalds-talks-linux-development-at-linuxcon.html Now for the fallout from all of this invasion of privacy, as was mentioned before in this thread. Brazil appears to be a little a miff at the United States, as they look to break from a U.S. centric internet. Here is a quote from the article: The entire article is at http://world.time.com/2013/09/18/brazil-looks-to-break-from-u-s-centric-internet/ Interesting times, that we live in. bpalone

What is with the "Arm Bands"? Was this a "COOL" event to attend and that was the entry pass key? Or... were they identifying their paid shills? I noticed them in a couple of the pictures. If this is the future, humanity is doomed. The two older women trying to be COOL and HIP just about made me loose it. But, I think the photos do represent the NuMicrosft's user base. I agree with jaclaz, about the designer. I think the entire Redmond crew must be on drugs these days. bpalone p.s. I don't know if it is just me and my set up, but I didn't have a cursor for this entire message.

A bit off topic, but not to much. It seems that Internet Traffic was off by 40% due to a short outage of service at Google. Maybe, we are already living in the cloud and don't really know it. The outage was for only a minute or two, but the numbers are staggering for that amount of time. You can read more about it here: http://news.sky.com/story/1129847/google-outage-internet-traffic-plunges-40-percent This new software, does leave a lot to be desired. bpalone