JorgeA

It's easy to convert a cheap webcam into a network backdoor --JorgeA

Great question. Maybe the whole universe is one big Wi-Fi network and we are all only executing commands from (really) far-off servers... --JorgeA

Another Win10 improvement tool sees the light of day: Not a fan of Microsoft Edge? Here's how to block the new browser in Windows 10 --JorgeA

I was going to do that, but then I realized it's a proprietary (Adobe) file, so I'm not sure it would be kosher. I'd like to check on that first. Since I did manage to install it on Pale Moon, maybe I can download SeaMonkey and try the same installation technique. But of course if it did end up requiring modifications, then I couldn't get it to work by myself. The main driver behind my search for a FF alternative (and for my annoyance with Mozilla) is their recent decision to disallow "unsigned" add-ons starting with version 44. Like Microsoft, they're accelerating changes to their software, and it's getting tiresome. I doubt that Adobe will have any interest in going through the signing process for Acrobat X -- they'd probably rather I went out and spent $299 on the current version. I refuse to stay on the upgrade treadmill, just because they want me to. You might wonder why try installing this Acrobat add-on on yet another browser, if I already have it working on PM. Well, the PM project is much smaller and who knows how long they'll stay interested in maintaining it, so this is my backup plan. --JorgeA

--JorgeA

Thanks, that does look interesting. I had heard of SeaMonkey in my travels, but I didn't know it was associated with the Mozilla Foundation. It's a well-hidden secret. The most important browser add-on for my purposes is Adobe Acrobat's "Create PDF." That's not merely a "print to PDF" function, it converts the whole Web page to a PDF file. This is important because it seems like websites are increasingly rigging things such that if you print an article, all sorts of formatting problems crop up to make the printout useless: banners that cover chunks of text, text missing around the page breaks, and so forth. Acrobat's Create PDF extension somehow gets by these hurdles to produce a file that contains and shows the entire text. So for me the question would be, can SeaMonkey handle the Create PDF add-on for Firefox? I know for example that there's a method for installing it in Pale Moon. --JorgeA

On a lighter note, Symantec/Norton thinks that a Windows 10 system using Windows Defender has no protection! --JorgeA

Yeah, there are no perfect solutions unfortunately. Look at Mozilla -- a non-profit foundation, and yet they're every bit as contemptuous and disregarding of their users' preferences as Microsoft ever was. Their share of the browser market is (IIRC) hovering barely above 10%, and still they keep plowing ahead with unwelcome and constant changes. --JorgeA

Did you move directly from IE8 to IE11? Maybe (I'm not sure) you need to upgrade step by step from IE8 to IE9, then 10 and only then 11. Is that conceivable? --JorgeA

Talk about "brand confusion": Microsoft Abandons 'Windows 8': Everything You Need To Know --JorgeA

Do you mean: 1) what to do if you're currently running Windows 10; or 2) what to do if you don't want to run Windows 10 ever? If (1) above, then you can try to get as close as possible to a Windows 7 experience by installing Aero Glass, using a privacy-control tool such as ShutUp10, and installing the Microsoft tool to hide updates. You can get a bit closer to what we currently enjoy by getting Windows 10 Pro, which will give you additional options for controlling the telemetry (privacy), but IIRC it won't give you much in the way of added control over Windows Updates. If (2) above, then you can stay on Win7 and set up a digital fortress with multiple layers of security such as discussed here, here, here, and here. If and when Win7 becomes untenable for whatever reason (security, technology), then you can consider switching to Linux or another non-Microsoft OS. My plan is #2. Hope this helps. --JorgeA

Microsoft's strategy to take over the mobile world, in action: Developer: Windows Store is a disaster Sometimes you have to wonder if they're wrecking things on purpose for some mysterious reason. It's hard to believe that they are that incompetent. --JorgeA

Yikes, that's exactly who I was thiking of as I read the text before the spoiler! And yes, sometimes, even Paul T. will stumble on the truth. --JorgeA

You will upgrade to Windows 10: Inside Microsoft's strong-arm upgrade tactics --JorgeA

I'll have to check the CPU meter next time there's a big update to see how big the performance hit is, but I too have noticed that my Win10 system gets sluggish when installing updates. --JorgeA

Interestingly, his polls for "Will you upgrade to Windows 10" had a high affirmation level. I guess those people "upgraded" and then found out what a mess Windows 10 is! Thank you for sharing—I got my vote in too. Easy link for anyone else who wants to do the same: http://www.windowsobserver.com/2016/01/04/observed-tech-podcast-episode-185-otp/ Since the day NoelC posted his screenshot, the No vote count has gone up by a further 14 while the Yes votes are up by 2. Wonder if MSFN members had anything to do with that. And no, despite my philosophy professor's long-ago advice to "Vote early and often," I haven't voted again in that poll. --JorgeA

No, of course not -- it doesn't make any sense!! That's where many of the ads and the links to uninteresting "related" stories are located. --JorgeA

Most TV's nowadays have the one or the other version of Linux, why do you think they - unlike good ol' TV's - take a few seconds to switch on (actually boot), it is years that there is modified software for some of them, *like*: http://samygo.tv/ And (JFYI), not exactly *news*, already been there: http://reboot.pro/topic/9915-the-good-thing-is-that-engineers-never-stop-to-surprise-me/ jaclaz TBH, I had never given much thought to this -- probably nothing more profound than that it's "modern technology," like the water-saving dishwashers that don't clean. I will, however, take a look at that SamyGo project. We happen to have a Samsung TV. Even though we already have a Windows Media Center PC hooked up to it, it would still be really cool to record a show off the air onto a USB stick. And it would gain geek cred with my nerdy friends. --JorgeA

Knowing how to do that would have made it possible to play some appealing practical jokes on your friends and neighbors. --JorgeA

LOL to that last one! --JorgeA

Smart TVs pose huge security risks I want the dumbest TV I can get that still offers a high-definition picture. Interesting to learn, though, that a TV might have Linux inside. Wonder if there's a way to run WINE on a TV set? --JorgeA

For what it's worth, here's the result of an online poll on Windows 10: What makes this result more interesting is that the website's owner is a big-time Microsoft cheerleader and Win10 apologist, so you would think his audience would skew in that direction. --JorgeA

It kinda figures, doesn't it. I'd be curious to know what made them realize Win10 was a bad idea. Best of luck to them getting back to Win7. --JorgeA

The few times I've had to go into a recovery partition, it seems to have worked OK. However, a couple years ago my Vista laptop's HDD developed some kind of electrical connection problem and it would no longer boot, or even be readable when removed and connected to a different PC. Needless to say, the recovery partition was useless here. (I didn't have a backup image as it's a lightly used machine with nothing irreplaceable on it.) Fortunately, back when I first bought the laptop I had created a set of recovery disks -- on CDs, 17 of 'em! (What can I say, I was ready to create the disks and I didn't feel like driving out to the store for blank DVDs.) The recovery disks saved the day when the replacement HDD came in the mail and I installed the OS on it off the recovery disks. I got to see again what Vista was like before the first Service Pack. Didn't look or act so awful, really. --JorgeA

My understanding is that this is intended to become universal or nearly so. And you're right to count yourself lucky. Secure Boot is a PITA -- I have one machine with it, and it won't boot live CDs (usually Linux-based utilities) unless I turn Secure Boot off. Then again, I hesitate to turn it off permanently because of the FUD created around not using it. --JorgeA