JorgeA

Stop using Microsoft Edge's InPrivate mode if you value your privacy The commenters are having a field day with this discovery: And the most incisive comment: --JorgeA

Ah yes, I remember that thread now. I remember the ZoneAlarm firewall for Windows 98 used to ask you the first time every program wanted to access the Internet. You would look up the program, decide whether it should get access, and over time ZA would learn what was allowed and what wasn't. But more recently, firewall vendors seem to have leaned in the direction of making things "easier" by taking away most or all of the of decision-making from the user. Are there any firewalls out there that work like ZoneAlarm did (or maybe still does)? A curious thing is that the Norton firewall leans in entirely the opposite direction, with all sorts of arcane and confusing-sounding rules that seem to be worded as gotchas. For example, there is a rule listed as follows: [emphasis in original] Not being a networking professional, I've always wondered what "blocking" the "default block" might mean. Would that "block the blocking," i.e. allow the connection? What if I "allow" the "default block," does that mean I'm blocking comms via this protocol? Or maybe the two lines are independent of each other, where the first line reports what the default value is, and the second line indicates which value is currently set. I've never been sure, it's presented in a way that i find mind-numbingly confusing. Then there's a pair of rules, "Default Allow Windows File Sharing (Shared Networks)" and "Default Block Windows File Sharing." Aren't they simply contradicting each other?? Not sure where or how that "shared networks" idea comes into play here. It's hard for me to fathom what one rule is allowing that the other one is blocking, let alone why. Yeah, that old ZoneAlarm firewall was much easier to understand and use, at least for a non-professional like me. OTOH, today's modern firewalls that leave the user with no decisions to make, go too far the other way. You can use the Norton firewall that way, too, by not tinkering with the firewall rules, but as I've said that is also unsatisfactory. --JorgeA

And speaking of dead or dying MS mobile-oriented products: Tencent bins Windows 10 Mobile app as Microsoft 'isn't showing any effort' to retain users --JorgeA

Sorry 'pundits', but Windows Phone was never alive And this stillborn concept is the one for which MSFT dumbed down desktop Windows. --JorgeA

Dedoimedo test-drives build 1511 and reviews another Windows 10 privacy protector: More Windows 10 privacy with W10Privacy Igor's bottom line about all those tweaks: --JorgeA

I had a vague notion that Microsoft had released Office apps for Android and iOS somewhere along the line. Turns out they did also make them for Windows phones and tablets. My search led me to this article, which gives a rundown of "Universal" Office apps for Windows and some screenshots to compare with Office desktop applications. If you tried to work with an Excel spreadsheet of any considerable size on a phone, it looks like you'd be doing a lot of swiping up and down and back and forth. Break out the skin lotion for that thumb. --JorgeA

Setting up the case for prohibiting the loading of alternative operating systems: Ubuntu's Secure Boot support vulnerability threatens even Windows PCs Which would make it all the more important to know that Secure Boot may be a sham after all, as SemiAccurate reports. --JorgeA

Huh, that's interesting (and a bit frightening). What sorts of security tweaks are actually frowned upon by security experts? Excellent points. Are you (or anybody else reading this) aware of any published reports yet, comparing real-world infection rates for Windows 10 vs. Win7, Vista, and XP? We've been seeing a lot of talk and boasting about features to "improve security" in Windows 10, but no actual figures that I know of. The proof is in the pudding. Wasn't the Titanic supposed to be unsinkable, thanks to its modern safety features? --JorgeA

Here's a link leading to the detailed report on what Charlie Demerjian was discussing. If this is in fact a flaw, and if Intel has in fact not fixed this in the years since it was disclosed, then we are basically witnessing an example of "security theater" -- for the sake of which millions of users and non-Windows OS developers are being inconvenienced with this Secure Boot stuff. --JorgeA

An informative report that may shed some light on what's going on with the Win10 requirement for new processors: Intel puts out ‘secure’ CPUs based on insecurity The Microsoft connection: --JorgeA

Since they now seem to keep tabs on the apps people are using, they might actually notice if the apps are not being used. --JorgeA

It begins: Brace yourself for a Windows 10 crapware explosion -- pre-installing TripAdvisor is just the start What really set off my alarm bells was the following: Maybe this has to do with what happened to @BudwS in another thread. --JorgeA

(bolding/highlighting is mine) jaclaz Unbelievable. --JorgeA

Your Smartwatch's Motion Sensors Can Reveal Everything You Type (Including Passwords) --JorgeA

Demerjian gets to the nub of the issue yet again -- PC sales do Whaaat!? They crater again --JorgeA

It's gonner, IIRR... LOL, I'm not touching that one with a ten-foot pole... --JorgeA

As @Drugwash noted, there is a fifth alternative, that of switching to a different OS family altogether. In addition to Linux, there's OS X. At this point, my intention is (like you) to stay on Vista/Win7 for as long as possible. If and when that becomes untenable, my next choice will be to migrate to Linux. Trying to whip Windows 10 into semi-acceptable shape comes in in third place. --JorgeA

Nice analogy. --JorgeA

Did you have any trouble with the compatibility of add-ons or extensions? BTW, I was thinking about this change while out this afternoon, and I couldn't remember the name of the new PM engine. Guano? Gonad?? --JorgeA

As they say: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" --JorgeA

[emphasis added] --JorgeA I can't tell you how credible this is, but I have heard that Windows 7 won't be getting new Skylake features backported, but it still will run. For example, I have XP SP3 x86 and XP x64 running on my Arrandale Core i3 laptop from 2011 with no issues. I personally don't see how MS could restrict installation of Windows 7 without crippling the processor itself, therefore restricting Linux and other OSes from running on the CPU. If these new processors are valid x86 and x86_64, Windows 7, along with all previous releases including MS-DOS boot disks, should install and run with no issue. If these new processors are NOT valid x86 and x86_64, we have bigger problems we have to worry about... @JorgeA: Sorry that I couldn't help you with your PDF issue in SeaMonkey, but if you can't get Acrobat to work, I did find an alternative that works. It looks like it can screenshot whole web pages into a PDF (as well as popular image formats) You can look into it more here. You can also try modifying the Acrobat XPI yourself. If you need help, you can always PM me, as this is kind of OT for this thread. Fortunately (for now), the concern is that Windows 7 won't receive updates on selected Skylake processors beginning next year, rather than that it won't install at all on those processors. Although the pressure from Microsoft is obviously on, that still gives you and me some measure of choice. I feel like going out and getting me one of them Skylake thingies just to give the 'Softies the finger. "Scr*w you and your f@#$%^g updates!!!" I suppose that, at some point, Microsoft could decide to shut down the Win7 activation servers, such that nobody could install it fresh on any computer. Wonder if there's anything in the EULA to stop them from doing that. BTW not a problem about Acrobat on SeaMonkey. I'll give it a shot as soon as I get the chance to, probably on Friday. We'll see what happens. I'll definitely look into that screenshot add-on no matter waht, it sounds promising! --JorgeA

Woody weighs in on the Skylake/Win7 controversy: Microsoft won't support many Skylake PCs without Windows 10 [emphasis added] --JorgeA

Is it still true that Defender doesn't pick up the EICAR file? Is this what you're thinking of? (See the box on the right.) --JorgeA

--JorgeA For me, no difference! if blocked, edge started happy as ever.... Commenters on the betanews page are starting to report that it doesn't work. Wonder if the betanews blogger actually tried it? Meanwhile, my trip back to that page yielded the following interesting observation from a commenter on that 200-million adoption figure for Windows 10: --JorgeA

Thanks for confirming, dencorso. And thanks, too, rn10950, for the offer to help. I'll try installing the add-on myself and keep my fingers crossed. --JorgeA