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Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions


JorgeA

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Love it!!! :thumbup

What movie is that clip from?

Nah, polishing turds is a waste of time. It's much easier to purge the crap and switch to Pale Moon.

I've tried Pale Moon and kinda like it. The only drawback for me is that the Norton Safe Web add-on doesn't work on it -- it only works on IE, FF, Chrome, and (I think) Opera. Over the years I've gotten used to seeing the little green "OK" boxes in search engine results and at the top of Web pages warning me that the site has security problems, or reporting it as safe. But I may have to get over that.

--JorgeA

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I've tried Pale Moon and kinda like it. The only drawback for me is that the Norton Safe Web add-on doesn't work on it -- it only works on IE, FF, Chrome, and (I think) Opera. Over the years I've gotten used to seeing the little green "OK" boxes in search engine results and at the top of Web pages warning me that the site has security problems, or reporting it as safe. But I may have to get over that.

--JorgeA

I am pretty sure that if you ask (nicely) some of the resident programmers could put together a small plug-in (or whatever) that creates a little box which at random becomes a little green "OK" one.

On average you will have the same (false :whistle:) sense of security that Norton Safe Web gives. :w00t: but without any slowing down.

Flippism is the solution. :yes:

jaclaz

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What movie is that clip from?

Anger Management.

I've tried Pale Moon and kinda like it. The only drawback for me is that the Norton Safe Web add-on doesn't work on it -- it only works on IE, FF, Chrome, and (I think) Opera. Over the years I've gotten used to seeing the little green "OK" boxes in search engine results and at the top of Web pages warning me that the site has security problems, or reporting it as safe. But I may have to get over that.

The Pale Moon guy has this to say on the subject, whatever its worth: http://forum.palemoon.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3205#p18210

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I've tried Pale Moon and kinda like it. The only drawback for me is that the Norton Safe Web add-on doesn't work on it -- it only works on IE, FF, Chrome, and (I think) Opera. Over the years I've gotten used to seeing the little green "OK" boxes in search engine results and at the top of Web pages warning me that the site has security problems, or reporting it as safe. But I may have to get over that.

--JorgeA

I am pretty sure that if you ask (nicely) some of the resident programmers could put together a small plug-in (or whatever) that creates a little box which at random becomes a little green "OK" one.

On average you will have the same (false :whistle:) sense of security that Norton Safe Web gives. :w00t: but without any slowing down.

Flippism is the solution. :yes:

jaclaz

LOL

I do like it that Norton will tell me if a website is known to serve up malware, so that I can make a more informed decision.

But -- so long as the protection modules themselves work properly to stop actual attacks, I suppose that it's not critical to have a little box telling me the site is OK. IIRC correctly, Symantec claims that Vulnerability Protection works on Pale Moon, it's just the "Safe Web" add-on that doesn't.

Anybody else out there run their browser without a "safe web" type of add-on?

--JorgeA

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What movie is that clip from?

Anger Management.

I've tried Pale Moon and kinda like it. The only drawback for me is that the Norton Safe Web add-on doesn't work on it -- it only works on IE, FF, Chrome, and (I think) Opera. Over the years I've gotten used to seeing the little green "OK" boxes in search engine results and at the top of Web pages warning me that the site has security problems, or reporting it as safe. But I may have to get over that.

The Pale Moon guy has this to say on the subject, whatever its worth: http://forum.palemoon.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3205#p18210

Thanks, TELVM. Maybe I'll rent the movie...

They make many good points on that Pale Moon forum thread. However, it's getting harder and harder to use AV that's not bloated. They were complaining about AVG (in addition to Norton); I myself have just uninstalled Avast 9 Free from another PC because the latest program update broke IE -- clicking on the red X at top right no longer closed the window, while opening a new tab caused the program to crash. And I refuse to use AVG because their EULA gives them the right to enter my home to inspect my usage of their product. Scr*w that.

--JorgeA

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Google stung by Canada’s privacy commissioner for ads linked to personal health history

TORONTO — Google has been caught afoul of the law by displaying web ads linked to a person’s health history, according to Canada’s interim privacy commissioner Chantal Bernier.

An investigation by her office backed up a man’s complaints that he was seeing so-called behavioural advertisements based on his web browsing history. After searching for information about devices to treat sleep apnea, he began to see ads for those devices as he browsed the web.

While behavioural advertising is not illegal, Canada’s privacy law does not allow consumers to be targeted based on “sensitive personal information,” including their health.

--JorgeA

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Well to be fair, it based the ads based on what he searched. If he was searching for bird cages instead that day, he'd see ads for those and not even notice. Just hope he doesn't have Facebook, where it also shows you ads based on what you put into status and replies. That's why I just post pictures there now.

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Microsoft is the boy who cried wolf -- will issue IE update for Windows XP

"At approximately 10 a.m. PDT, we will release an out-of-band security update to address the issue affecting Internet Explorer (IE) that was first discussed in Security Advisory 2963983. This update is fully tested and ready for release for all affected versions of the browser", says Dustin Childs, Group Manager, Response Communications.

Childs further explains, "we have made the decision to issue a security update for Windows XP users. Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft, and we continue to encourage customers to migrate to a modern operating system, such as Windows 7 or 8.1. Additionally, customers are encouraged to upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer, IE 11".

:o:w00t:

--JorgeA

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Well to be fair, it based the ads based on what he searched. If he was searching for bird cages instead that day, he'd see ads for those and not even notice. Just hope he doesn't have Facebook, where it also shows you ads based on what you put into status and replies. That's why I just post pictures there now.

TBH, I wouldn't care that private companies do this sort of thing, if it weren't possible for government agencies to use the same kind of information to hone in on individuals and see what they're up to. What's Google going to do -- offer to sell me something? Three-letter agencies are a different animal, though. They are already way too prone to acting on half-baked patterns.

End-to-end encryption, that's the goal to shoot for.

--JorgeA

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ExtremeTalk: What would you pay for a Windows 8 or 9 subscription?

What do you think? Would you accept a subscription OS model where your Windows system would get crippled or deactivated entirely if you stopped paying tribute at each specified period?

I know, I know, I've loaded the question... :P

--JorgeA

Well if you really think about that, we have been doing that since windows XP :ph34r: . The windows genuine update, makes us in a way "rent" windows from Remound.

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Good for them:

Apple, Facebook, others defy authorities, notify users of secret data demands

Major U.S. technology companies have largely ended the practice of quietly complying with investigators’ demands for e-mail records and other online data, saying that users have a right to know in advance when their information is targeted for government seizure.

This increasingly defiant industry stand is giving some of the tens of thousands of Americans whose Internet data gets swept into criminal investigations each year the opportunity to fight in court to prevent disclosures. Prosecutors, however, warn that tech companies may undermine cases by tipping off criminals, giving them time to destroy vital electronic evidence before it can be gathered.

Fueling the shift is the industry’s eagerness to distance itself from the government after last year’s disclosures about National Security Agency surveillance of online services. Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google all are updating their policies to expand routine notification of users about government data seizures, unless specifically gagged by a judge or other legal authority, officials at all four companies said. Yahoo announced similar changes in July.

As this position becomes uniform across the industry, U.S. tech companies will ignore the instructions stamped on the fronts of subpoenas urging them not to alert subjects about data requests, industry lawyers say. Companies that already routinely notify users have found that investigators often drop data demands to avoid having suspects learn of inquiries.

The one caveat about this is that...

The changing tech company policies do not affect data requests approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which are automatically kept secret by law. National security letters, which are administrative subpoenas issued by the FBI for national security investigations, also carry binding gag orders.

...but it's something, at least.

--JorgeA

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ExtremeTalk: What would you pay for a Windows 8 or 9 subscription?

What do you think? Would you accept a subscription OS model where your Windows system would get crippled or deactivated entirely if you stopped paying tribute at each specified period?

I know, I know, I've loaded the question... :P

--JorgeA

Well if you really think about that, we have been doing that since windows XP :ph34r: . The windows genuine update, makes us in a way "rent" windows from Remound.

I'm not happy about Genuine Advantage, but I can understand their wish to make sure that I paid for their labor at SOME point. What would bug me would be a requirement to pay for using the OS over and over and over again. Over time, that would become a price increase for zero additional benefit, unless they priced the yearly subscription at like $10 a year, which ain't gonna happen.

And, today, while our OS might go EOL, it won't quit working altogether, as (for example) Norton Internet Security does if you don't renew your subscription.

I've gone this far without ever opening an actual Microsoft account. I'd like to keep it that way. :)

--JorgeA

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On the other hand (after the post above re: tech companies resisting secrecy):

Search warrants extend to emails stored overseas, US judge rules in Microsoft case

Email providers have to turn over a user's emails and other data to U.S. law enforcement when issued a search warrant, even if the data is stored overseas, a U.S. judge ruled Friday.

Microsoft must hand over a user's emails stored on a server in Dublin, Ireland, ruled magistrate judge James Francis of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York.

In December, Francis authorized the search and seizure of the contents of all emails, records and other information regarding the identification of one of Microsoft's webmail users.

While Microsoft's Global Criminal Compliance (GCC) team turned over so-called non-content information stored on U.S. servers, such as the user's name and country as well as address book information, it refused to hand over the contents of the emails because they were stored on a server in another country. For this reason the company sought to quash the search warrant, arguing that U.S. courts are not authorized to issue warrants for extraterritorial search and seizure of emails.

Judge Francis, however, disagreed and denied Microsoft's motion to quash the verdict.

If the long arm of the law can reach into other countries, then efforts by U.S. tech companies to grow their cloud services could be seriously impaired. (Hmm, maybe not such a bad thing...)

--JorgeA

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More info about the "subscription Windows" model:

Microsoft's Windows as a Service comes in to focus with new job posting

Microsoft is in the process of moving all of its major platforms to a subscription based model. Office has already made the jump with Office 365 and the next major platform to make this move will be the company's flagship software, Windows. Windows as a Service, or WaaS, has been on the development roadmap for some time but we are starting to see more and more of this project unfold and with a new job posting, we can understand a tiny bit more about the OS.

--JorgeA

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Windows XP usage is declining ever so slowly, despite all the FUD.

According to new data from Net Applications, Windows 7 continues to be the top Windows operating system with a 49.27% share, which is an increase compared to the previous month's 48.77% share. Windows XP, which has already reached its end of support, has dropped to 26.29% share. Windows 8, on the other hand, has a 6.36% market share as of April 2014. Windows 8.1 accounts for 5.88%. Combined, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 now own a 12.24% share.

The link in the above excerpt takes you to the wrong page, for browsers instead of OS's. Here's the right page.

And here is a table showing how usage of various operating systems has fluctuated over the last year or so.

As the WinBeta piece notes, Windows 7 share has also been increasing. This is all the more remarkable in light of the fact that, on the consumer side, it's gotten a lot harder to find Win7 systems to buy -- you have to realize they're still available, and then know where to look.

I guess there's a lot of people out there who are motivated to see if they can buy a PC with anything other than Windows 8 on it. :)

--JorgeA

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