Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions

[jaclaz]

Steve Ballmer: Longhorn-Vista was the "single biggest mistake I made" as Microsoft CEO

Expect by end of 2019/early 2020 the same statement applied to Metro/NCI, it seems like 7 to 8 years are needed to Steve Ballmer to exit denial mode about what are self-evident truths to the rest of the world.

jaclaz

[Aero7x64]

First to those looking alternative to Firefox: has anybody tried Pale Moon?

http://www.palemoon.org/

Developer has said that he is ready if necessary even rewrite whole UI to later Gecko version , if necessary to avoid Australis if current UI can't be ported.

I'm using it currently and I like it.

Second take look at this interesting tablet concept: http://reymond-p-scene.deviantart.com/art/Table-UI-Concept-ver-1-210402043

More interesting to me personally than current surface interface (and more innovating looking as well), which is ok to tablet but can always be improved.

These black squares to me look like there could be currently opened, minimized apps, user could then touch middle of minimised title and it would then zoom to full screen, to minimize full screen app user could touch upper border of app and that could minimise open program and to close open app user could touch reasonable sized close button in edge of app.

Edited December 16, 2013 by Aero7x64

[Tripredacus]

I've used Palemoon at home for a while now. Its basically the same as Firefox now, I can't tell the difference except some of the UI buttons are in different places.

thats why I fake output browser string, as I'm using Opera 11 some sites block it coz it is "outdated" yet it isn't
so my fake output string is Firefox 25, then when I reload the page they let me in, or in case like this the annoying warning goes away

Neat trick, I'd like to try it! Any tips on how to do this, or is it considered un-kosher?

--JorgeA

Its a User Agent switcher. I have those mods in Firefox/Palemoon too. I primarily use them for development/debugging and don't actually use it on a constant basis.

[Monroe]

Someone mentioned the Qt Web Browser maybe two months ago in an XP thread. I have been using it along with K-Meleon and I actually like it. If anyone wants to check it out ... maybe it won't be what you're looking for.

Qt Web Browser

http://qtweb.net/

Qt Web Internet Browser - lightweight, fast, secure & portable browser for web

QtWeb Internet Browser - lightweight, secure and portable browser having unique user interface and privacy features. QtWeb is an open source project based on Nokia's Qt framework and Apple's WebKit rendering engine (the same as being used in Apple Safari and Google Chrome). QtWeb is so compact and self-sufficient (not much dependencies), that it operates perfectly in bootable Windows (WinPE-based) and Linux environments (LiveCD) and has been used in many freeware and shareware projects, like Active@ Boot Disk.

Customizable User Interface:

* Change Application Style on the fly, and see how the program and websites look under different versions of Windows and Unix environment

* Move Navigation Bar and Bookmarks Bar anywhere within a mainframe, or even undock and place them on the Desktop

* Customize web search providers, menu titles, assign hot keys and your favorite shortcuts to any menu commands

* Show/Hide toolbar buttons and toolbars themselves (Menu Bar, Navigation Bar, Status Bar, Bookmarks Bar, Tab Bar)

* Tabbed browsing by default. User Interface can be switched to non-tabbed

Privacy and Security features

* Turn on Private Browsing mode to avoid leaving traces of browsing, even UserAgent which is being sent to the web server is masked
* Easy access to most privacy functions via toolbar buttons, Privacy menu and customizable keyboard shortcuts

* Supported SSL to access secure sites. Certificate information and certification path can be displayed

* Full Reset feature - clears all caches and restores all local settings to the state just after installation, as it was never run on the machine

* AdBlock function allows to hide most disturbing advertisements and block web counters which slow down browser's performance while webpage loading

Lightweight, fast and portable browser:

* Size of executable is 6 MB only, no additional DLLs and other configuration files required

* Single portable EXE file - QtWeb.exe, that can be copied to and run from USB

* Scripting support allows any web page (including JavaScripted ones) to be loaded and dumped into a file from a command line

* Can be run in limited Windows environment (Win PE), like Active@ Boot Disk, or BartPE running from CD/DVD/USB

* Buit-in Torrent client allows to download files via torrents exchange protocol

[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:

Amazon accidentally removes Disney Christmas special from owners' accounts

Prep & Landing has been removed from sale on Amazon so that Disney can show the film exclusively on its own channel – but the company also removed it from the accounts of users who had paid for the show

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

Edited December 16, 2013 by bpalone

[JorgeA]

Well I can't remember the tech world being as busy as its been for this past month or two. It's quite dramatic. I'm trying to catch up after shoveling endless sh** I mean freaking snow, not to mention regular work, both running way ahead of schedule. After a couple days I turn around to find another thousand tech stories and articles out here. I hope everyone is okay, I see you guys have gotten hammered down there too Jorge. Anyway, here goes nothing ...

Yup. Down here it began as snow, but then turned to a freezing rain that changed everything under it to ice. It's not fun having to shovel ice, I'm still recovering...

Start Menu to Make a Glorious Return in Upcoming Windows "Threshold" Update ( Maximum PC 2013-12-10 )

Microsoft May Bring Full Start Menu Back in Windows 8.2 ( Tom's Hardware 2013-12-11 )

Start menu rumors are heating up, currently referred to as 'mini-Start' internally ( NeoWin 2013-12-11 )

More coverage of the Start Menu rumors mentioned by Thurrott and MJF. More cheers from the hopeful. More tears from the fanboys.

Back to the Start: imagining a better Windows ( The Verge 2013-12-12 )

Designer's concept for Windows 8.2 brings Modern UI to the Desktop ( NeoWin 2013-12-13 )

In today's edition of 'ramblings from the short bus' a NeoKid has spent his time illustrating his own fantasies of what the next Start Menu should look like. By all means Microsoft, copy these mockups and screw over the Windows desktop users yet again!

Start Menu fantasy of a MetroTard! And yes, he is serious. ( Image Source: NeoWin )

That image recalls some of the Start Menu replacements we list over in that thread, which chose a Metrofied look.

And it might yet turn out to be more than a MetroTard fantasy. Not to spoil the Start Menu party, but we may want to hold off celebrating until we see what this revived Start Menu is actually like. The reason is found in the first Neowin article that you linked to above:

The same report claims that Microsoft has not decided what kind of a design the Start menu should have. The project apparently has an internal name "mini-Start" because it's not designed to take up the entire display like the regular Start screen does in Windows 8 and 8.1. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft comes up with a UI for the menu that is similar to the classic Start menus in Windows XP, Vista and 7 or something that looks more like a list of Windows 8.1 Modern tile styled apps.

So there's the possibility that we may end up with something that's not unlike the "Start Menu fantasy" you showed: that is, simply a Metro Start Screen that doesn't take up all of the monitor's real estate. Calling it "mini-Start" adds to my suspicions. Another article that you'd linked to from Tom's Hardware runs along the same lines:

So what will this Start Menu look like? How will it work? The name seems to imply that the Start button will pull up a miniature version of the Start Screen, which will have Modern UI app tiles and tiles for desktop applications. This may be where the "floating" aspect comes in. Click on the miniature Facebook tile and launch a "floating" app on the desktop.

Given what they did with the pseudo-Start Button in Windows 8.1, I wouldn't put it past Microsoft to come up with a similarly insulting, grudging halfway "solution" in place of the real Start Menu.

In the meantime, here's another cry for the return of the real Start Menu.

--JorgeA

Edited December 17, 2013 by JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Steve Ballmer: Longhorn-Vista was the "single biggest mistake I made" as Microsoft CEO

Expect by end of 2019/early 2020 the same statement applied to Metro/NCI, it seems like 7 to 8 years are needed to Steve Ballmer to exit denial mode about what are self-evident truths to the rest of the world.

jaclaz

I'll mark the date on my Outlook 2007 calendar (in Vista, of course!) to check for Ballmer quotes around that time.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

First to those looking alternative to Firefox: has anybody tried Pale Moon?

http://www.palemoon.org/

Developer has said that he is ready if necessary even rewrite whole UI to later Gecko version , if necessary to avoid Australis if current UI can't be ported.

I'm using it currently and I like it.

Second take look at this interesting tablet concept: http://reymond-p-scene.deviantart.com/art/Table-UI-Concept-ver-1-210402043

More interesting to me personally than current surface interface (and more innovating looking as well), which is ok to tablet but can always be improved.

These black squares to me look like there could be currently opened, minimized apps, user could then touch middle of minimised title and it would then zoom to full screen, to minimize full screen app user could touch upper border of app and that could minimise open program and to close open app user could touch reasonable sized close button in edge of app.

@dencorso uses Pale Moon and also recommends it, IIRC.

I tried it and it looks good -- I like it that they're providing an alternative for people who aren't desperate to follow along with every UI change the Mozilla folks throw their way.

The thing I'd need to get used to, is that Norton doesn't support the Norton Toolbar (which gives me an instant visual idea of a website's safety as it's loading) for Pale Moon. Presumably, Norton would still warn or stop me if I did try to visit an unsafe site.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

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:

Amazon accidentally removes Disney Christmas special from owners' accounts

Prep & Landing has been removed from sale on Amazon so that Disney can show the film exclusively on its own channel – but the company also removed it from the accounts of users who had paid for the show

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

+100

I, too, feel comfortable only if I have my purchased files safely stored offline, out of their reach.

And, Merry Christmas!

--JorgeA

[TELVM]

First to those looking alternative to Firefox: has anybody tried Pale Moon?

http://www.palemoon.org/

Developer has said that he is ready if necessary even rewrite whole UI to later Gecko version , if necessary to avoid Australis if current UI can't be ported.

I'm using it currently and I like it.

Been using happily Pale Moon for a long time, both x32 and x64. It's a lightened for speed, no-nonsense variation on Firefox. Noticeably faster.

There is also a classic 3.6.32 version for ancient comps (pre P4/Athlon64) that is EOL but still works OK for me.

[dencorso]

@dencorso uses Pale Moon and also recommends it, IIRC.

Yes, I do. I currently use the classic 3.6.32 on my main machine (which CPU is an Athlon XP Barton). As of now I also have Opera 12.16 (which I rarely use), IE8 (used mostly for manual, custom Microsoft Update access) and FireFox ESR 24.2 which became necessary because all the 3 others were becoming somewhat old and unable to depict correctly some sites. Pale Moon 3.6.32 is really great, and very reliable, but unless one is using a non-SSE2 processor, I'd recommend using the newer version of Pale Moon. The above refers to use on Win XP SP3, of course.

[JorgeA]

Facebook can see what users type even if status is not posted

Facebook has said that it is within its terms of service to see what users are typing even when the status or comment is never posted on the social network.

Why anybody with even a single working brain cell would EVER go on this site, is beyond me.

127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com [how ironic that the forum software turns this into a link]

--JorgeA

EDIT: More (and more technical) information here:

Facebook is tracking what you don’t do on Facebook

In addition to that information, Das and Kramer took note of the users’ demographic information, “behavioral features,” and information on each user’s “social graph” like the average number of friends of friends or the user’s “political ideology” in relation to their friends’ beliefs. They used this information to study three cross sections with self-censorship: how the user’s political stance differs from the audience, the user's political stance and how homogenous the audience is, and the user’s gender related to the gender diversity of their network.

.

Facebook seems to be placing increasingly heavy weight on the roads not taken: the site also recently indicated that it would start tracking minute non-interactions like mouse movements over its webpages. As Slate points out, even information not explicitly submitted to Facebook, including passive actions like typing in a box, is covered as collectible by the data use policy. Users who are wary of being tracked, be warned: services like Facebook can see what you start, in addition to what you finish.

Edited December 18, 2013 by JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Someone mentioned the Qt Web Browser maybe two months ago in an XP thread. I have been using it along with K-Meleon and I actually like it. If anyone wants to check it out ... maybe it won't be what you're looking for.

Qt Web Browser

http://qtweb.net/

Qt Web Internet Browser - lightweight, fast, secure & portable browser for web

Thanks, I hadn't heard of that one. Will look into it.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Forget Gmail, Google announces Blackmail service [NSFW warning]

Pretty funny and on the mark, but do pay heed to that NSFW notice...

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Big Brother approaches in the land of Orwell:

Report accuses BT of supplying backdoors for GCHQ and NSA

A paper released earlier this month by a group of security researchers has outlined the technical details behind a potential Computer Network Exploitation (CNE) program likely used by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and their American counterpart, the NSA.

Moreover, the researcher's say that one of the largest telecom providers in the world, BT Group (formerly British Telecom), ships hardware to the home and office with firmware that enables this secretive surveillance on a massive scale.

[...]

The Hack:

According to the paper, a secondary hidden network and IP address is assigned to a BT user's modem, which enables the attacker (in this case the NSA or GCHQ) direct access to their modem, and the systems on their LAN from the Internet.

The researchers tested BT Open Reach modems Huawei EchoLife HG612 and ECI B-FOCuS VDSL2. In a side note, they point out that BT developed the firmware, so claims of Huawei being responsible for the backdoors are false.

[...]

Once the connection is made, the secondary network cannot be detected at a glance, as it isn't visible via the modem's web interface, and isnt subject to firewall rules or other limitations, as far as the switch portion of the modem is concerned. Even before the PPPOE request is issued, and an IP assigned by the ISP, the secondary network is fully operational, even if the modem is believed to be offline.

The authors discovered that the secondary network in question (CDIR: 30.0.0.0/8) uses a block of IPs maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense (USDOD), and that traffic on this network is hidden due to the usage of a VLAN. Although the IP addresses are owned by the USDOD, the paper adds, a ping time to the gateway is less than 8ms from within the U.K.

[...]

The access and control granted via this secondary network, the paper's author assert, enables its operators to steal private keys (VPN/SSH/SSL/PGP), install malware or other monitoring software such as keyloggers, copy or remove content, perform passive traffic monitoring, and perform traffic routing, including controlling traffic based on protocol or port. Furthermore, the paper outlines other granular attacks on VoIP, mobile devices (as long as the device is connected to the customer's wireless network). The authors also warn of Tor User/Content discovery via LAN packet fingerprinting.

The report's findings aren't uncontested (see the last page), but with any luck it will spark a round of healthy and highly technical debate.

--JorgeA