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2326

General Software Discussion / Re: The Best Security Suites (2013/2014)

« Last post by 40hz on February 13, 2014, 11:50 AM »

The one area I think Neil gave himself (and the tech support of these companies) huge amounts of completely unnecessary pain, and colored his results as well, is how determined he was that these tools should be able to do their initial install on an already virused system.

That's asking too much, and no one should turn to an antivirus/security app after an infection to rescue them from it.  If you are trying to recover from an infection you should use a dedicated self-booting repair tool, or something similar.

-mouser (February 13, 2014, 11:31 AM)

This x 1000!

The real goal is interception and prevention - not scrubbing a system after it's infected.

I'm always more interested in how effective the realtime scanner is. Not how well the cleaner works. Especially since (with some of the root level  and MBR infections running around) disinfecting a system (even with a bootable antimalware disk or key) leaves the system inoperable after the clean-up finishes. At which point you’re now left doing data recovery, and then reinstalling your OS - and all your apps. Not fun. Even with an image available.

 

2327

Non-Windows Software / Aptik - a system backup and migration tool for Ubuntu-based distro users

« Last post by 40hz on February 13, 2014, 11:35 AM »

Aptik is a handy tool that, in keeping with the traditional Unix/Linux philosophy for utilities, does only one thing - but does it extremely well.

I was going to write an article on this very useful tool. But its developer beat me to it with a very nicely done post that goes over all the features - and includes screenshots. So rather than duplicate effort, here's what TeeJee has to say about Aptik:

Introducing Aptik

Aptik is a new tool to simplify re-installation of packages after doing a clean installation of an Ubuntu-based distribution. It can be used while re-installing or upgrading to the next Ubuntu/Linux Mint release.

Upgrading to the next release of an Ubuntu-based distribution can be a painful task.

While most Ubuntu-based distributions provide an option to upgrade your existing installation, it can cause a number of problems.

    It sometimes results in broken packages.
    If proprietary graphic drivers are in use, the system may boot into a black screen after the upgrade.
    The look and feel of the new release is lost since the previous desktop settings are used.

In order to avoid problems most people prefer to do a clean installation. They download the ISO image, format the system partition, and then install the new release.

You get a good feeling when you boot into your shiny new system. Then you realise that you need to re-install all your softwares again and your excitement goes down. Aptik is a new tool that will make your life easier. While it won't eliminate all the work that needs to be done after a fresh installation, it will reduce it greatly.

Read the rest and find installation instructions here.

I've tested it fairly heavily under Linux Mint 16 and I'm happy to report it works like a charm.

Go read about it. Then grab a copy.

2328

Non-Windows Software / This is impressive - 1700 PCs rolled out to 1700 students in 2 days

« Last post by 40hz on February 13, 2014, 10:05 AM »

Pennsylvania High School Rolls Out 1,700 Linux Laptops to Students
By Libby Clark - February 11, 2014 - 6:00am

A few weeks before Penn Manor High School gave Linux laptops to every student, stacks of the unboxed machines filled a cafeteria. There the Lancaster, Pa. district's IT staff, high school apprentices and volunteers spent winter break configuring and testing all 1,725 laptops in assembly-line fashion, in preparation for the start of the second semester.

Penn Manor students unboxing laptopsWhen they were done, every student, grades 9-12, came away with an Acer TravelMate laptop pre-loaded with Ubuntu 13.10. Then after a roughly 5-minute orientation, students were let loose with sudo access and a mission to tinker, study, and create to their hearts' delight.

“We encourage our students to install software and lift the hood of the system to better understand what makes it tick,” said Charlie Reisinger, the district's technology director. “I hope our students run local webservers, toy with Python or simply explore graphics programs such as GIMP. Linux offers so many opportunities to explore computing, programming, and the arts.”
Switching to Open Source

Linux has been the backbone of the Penn Manor School District's IT infrastructure for a decade – powering servers and providing the platform for its websites, storage, and learning management systems. So when the district set out to give every student a laptop, installing Linux was a natural choice for the IT staff.

Reisinger also did some personal soul-searching on the role of technology in the classroom, he says, and realized that many of the “fad” devices embraced by other schools didn't align with his educational goals for computing. (See his full rationale in his recent blog post on OpenSource.com.)

“It concerns me that we tend to chase the new silver tech bullet without thinking philosophically about what we want our students doing, or the freedom we want to give them with the device,” he said. “My fear is we're losing the art of computing. Then we lose a generation of engineers.”

Linux allows a level of exploration and control that other closed devices don't, he said. The cost savings in switching to all open source software is an added benefit. Reisinger estimates the district will save at least $360,000 in licensing fees on the high school's 1:1 laptop program alone.

Three years ago, the district set out to replace all of its classroom Windows and Mac machines with Linux and open source software. Elementary and middle school computer labs and classroom computers were the first to run Linux. And this month marked the end of the transition with the launch of the high school's 1:1 laptop program.   <more>

What's even more impressive is that the unboxing, inventorying, and configuration of all 1725 of these machines was accomplished in "a two-day setup marathon" with a 13-20 person crew comprised of the school's IT staff, community volunteers, and student help desk apprentices using a system cloning tool developed (in true "think global act local" style) by local high school senior Andrew Lobos. (More on that story here.)

That's a pretty impressive achievement, whether you're looking at it from an administrative, political, technical or philosophical viewpoint.



So much for Microzaftig-FUD and those who say  this can't (or shouldn't) be done!

2329

General Software Discussion / Re: The Best Security Suites (2013/2014)

« Last post by 40hz on February 13, 2014, 08:59 AM »

I tend to shy away from the suites on my personal PC since they often include things I don't want or have the patience for. I'm running Bitdefender AV Plus on almost everything I have using Windows right now and I'm happy with the performance and protection level it provides. They also provide a free version with fewer options and capabilities that still offers excellent protection for people who are short on cash. Download page for that here. If you're running Microsoft Security Essentials, Bitdefender AV Free  is a very good alternative. It's literally "set & forget."

FWIW I'm also boycotting anything from AVG (and badmouthing them every chance I get ) because of the hamfisted way they pulled CrossLoop off the market.

2330

Living Room / Re: Stop NSA Spying!

« Last post by 40hz on February 12, 2014, 01:34 PM »

They should all should be given, and be required to carry at all times a book with only one page. On that page should be written:
What Part of NO Did You Miss?

-Stoic Joker (February 12, 2014, 11:58 AM)

Amen!

I'd add a second page: Unless you've specifically been told "you may" - you shall not. (See page 1)

2331

Living Room / Re: Movies or films you've seen lately

« Last post by 40hz on February 12, 2014, 01:30 PM »

Not so much a movie as a half-bio half-documentary on master magician Ricky Jay called Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay.




Absolutely fascinating look behind the curtain at the education and psychology of those who practice the art of illusion for their living.

The beauty of a film like this is how the lessons of magic can apply to so much more than just the performance of tricks and illusions.

You can see it on Netflix streaming or Amazon.

Highly recommended.

2332

General Software Discussion / Re: Mind mapping software

« Last post by 40hz on February 12, 2014, 01:08 PM »

Such discussions would be more fruitful, weren't it for people who steal ideas in one forum and present them as their own in other ones.

-peter.s (February 12, 2014, 08:45 AM)

Umm...

The discussions that take place at DoCo generally are quite fruitful thanks to people (mostly) parking their egos at the front door and generally not competing to see who's the smartest - or claiming ideas as their "own." What's being said is considered far more valuable, by this forum's participants, than establishing who said it "first."

Just sayin...  

2333

Living Room / Re: Arduino/Raspberry Pi - The perfect bonding experience for geek/techie couples?

« Last post by 40hz on February 11, 2014, 09:46 PM »

I got into arduino due to trying to make some conductive fabric art (I'm making a cody with lilypad right now!).

-vrgrrl (February 11, 2014, 04:41 PM)

I'd be really interested in hearing more about that. Keep us posted please?

2334

General Software Discussion / Re: Hidden Files

« Last post by 40hz on February 11, 2014, 02:22 PM »

I think the warning is there to keep somebody from doing something silly - like deleting something Windows wisely keeps hidden under normal circumstances in case a user doesn't recognize it for what it is. One very good reason to hide a file (on the user level) is to keep busy human fingers from messing with things that should only be touched by the system in order to avoid rendering the PC inoperable.

Cookies are just text files that sit in a cache that's normally in  a hidden directory. You can unhide it with no ill effect if you like. But there's really no reason to do so. FWIW - any time I'm doing a virus scan, I'll run CCleaner and nuke all the temporary files and cookies just to save scan time. YMMV

2335

Living Room / Re: Project Christine - Modular PC from Razer

« Last post by 40hz on February 11, 2014, 01:45 PM »

What we need is open CPU, BIOS and chipset designs more than anything else. Otherwise it's still vendor lock-in once you make it to the board level. And that lock-in is getting more intrusive and obvious as time goes on. I try not to be overly paranoid or suspicious, but from what we've learned about certain operating systems and key apps, there are more weasels running around inside our PCs today than you'll find in cages at a mink farm. And I don't think it's much different on the hardware level.

At least not any more...

2336

Living Room / Re: Arduino/Raspberry Pi - The perfect bonding experience for geek/techie couples?

« Last post by 40hz on February 11, 2014, 01:33 PM »

Awesome!   Of course it pays when you have two geek types operating as a team, although I have yet to meet a woman who didn't display a flair for technology once she got her hands on something 'techy' and decided it was worth her time. My GF is the gadget and database design wonk in our relationship. I go to her for tech support when it comes to those sorts of things.

FWIW I really enjoy watching the young ladies in my family whenever they get around a computer or workbench. They put the boys to shame. And I'm not the least bit surprised.

2337

Living Room / Re: Glenn Grenwald's "The Intercept" is now online

« Last post by 40hz on February 11, 2014, 06:24 AM »

It would be nice if their TOS was a little less restrictive about use of their content considering they insist on claiming broad rights on anything somebody else may submit to them. But "so it goes." They apparently come from a "big media" background and use the same law firms, so it's to be expected.

Looks like it might be interesting to follow. For however long it lasts, at any rate.  

2338

Post New Requests Here / Re: Does "DimScreen" work under GNU/Linux?

« Last post by 40hz on February 11, 2014, 05:48 AM »

Virtually every Linux distro has a dockable screen brightness control. Look under whatever controls your settings. "Screen Lock & Brightness" or "Display" if it isn't a separte setting.

2339

Living Room / Re: Knight to queen's bishop 3 - Snowden charged with espionage.

« Last post by 40hz on February 09, 2014, 07:38 PM »

Awesome! (both for the argument and use of the word 'defenestration')

I think the analysis is spot on even if I'm not sufficiently sanguine as to agree about the inevitability of his conclusion.

2340

General Software Discussion / Re: Veoh Player

« Last post by 40hz on February 08, 2014, 07:11 PM »

Suggest reading the Wikipedia entry for Veoh. There's a whole section on countries it's blocked on. Veoh had more than its share of legal issues (being somewhat ahead of its time when it came out) because the content providers weren't ready for it. 

2341

Living Room / Re: Reader's Corner - The Library of Utopia

« Last post by 40hz on February 08, 2014, 06:49 AM »

(By the way, nice surrealistic picture of the library.)

-IainB (February 08, 2014, 12:54 AM)

It's by Ron Gonsalves, one of my favorite magical-realist illustrators. He combines a bit of René Magritte, M.C. Escher, James C. Christensen, Chris Van Allsburg, and Kit Williams - but in a style still very much his own. It's from a picture book he did with Sarah L. Tompson titled Imagine a Day.

The caption reads:

Imagine a day...

...when a book swings open
   on silent hinges
   and a place you've never been before
   welcomes you home.

Here's another from its companion book Imagine a Night that, to my mind, captures the essence of storytelling:



Imagine a night...

...when the space between words
   becomes like the space
   between trees:
   wide enough
   to wander in.

Wonderful illustrator. Most wonderful books!

2342

Non-Windows Software / Re: Steam: now has working beta of in-home streaming capability for games and apps

« Last post by 40hz on February 07, 2014, 11:06 AM »

The people who are capable of streaming aren't the target market for porting games to Linux.  If someone has a Windows box to stream off, chances are they'd be willing to use that box for the game anyway.

-kamahl (February 07, 2014, 09:58 AM)

I think that's the point being made. There isn't enough of a current market to pursue Linux porting - and now that an alternative is available, there's even less incentive to pursue it at this point.

FWIW I've found almost every Linux user I know keep some Windows capability in-house. Even if it's just a VM, hand-me-down laptop, or a PC picked up cheaply second-hand. And since a diehard Linux zealot is far more likely to pick up a SteamBox (if they're an avid gamer) and stream from that, there's not much reason reason to create a native Linux port.

IMHO the biggest 'problem' Linux has for gaming is it's refusal to willingly allow any DRM mechanism into its environment. Something all the big game companies mostly insist on. So... No DRM on your PC? No game for you!

2343

Living Room / Re: Reader's Corner - The Library of Utopia

« Last post by 40hz on February 07, 2014, 10:53 AM »

I can't believe that I never knew of this until now, nor that DC Forum hasn't already listed it (well, I can't find a reference here to GEgeek anyway) - it's a large and useful categorised collection of links to information, knowledge and tools - http://www.gegeek.com/. I am sure that a lot of the content will have been collected from other sites that we know of, but this looks like someone has independently taken the idea of an IT categorised index of useful information, knowledge and tools rather seriously.

Maybe this could be an opening into what I referred to as Cayce's mythical Atlantean "Hall of Records" - here.

-IainB (February 07, 2014, 02:19 AM)

@IainB - That's an awesome find! This could save a lot of people hours and hours of research and web browsing. Took a quick look and he apparently has ALL the good stuff in one convenient, well-organized site. Brill for sure!

2344

General Software Discussion / Re: Continuing with XP

« Last post by 40hz on February 06, 2014, 01:09 PM »

Ending support also ends patches, doesn't it?

-wraith808 (February 06, 2014, 12:26 PM)

It ends free patches and support. Volume licensing plans with a "Windows retirement" option will still get support for another year last I heard.

This also arrived a few days ago...

Per Windows Secrets newsletter- an always reliable source

Spoiler

A last reprieve for the enduring Windows XP?
By Woody Leonhard

By now, every Windows XP user and his third cousin should know that on April 8, the clock runs out on the venerable OS.

But recent developments might give XP users a bit of a reprieve. When and how Microsoft will blink are the open questions.
Microsoft's original stance: The end is the end

The folks in Redmond continue to insist that XP is well and truly done on April 8. But there could be half a billion XP computers still out there humming away, depending on how you count them and what assumptions you're willing to make. Getting an accurate count is exceptionally difficult, because many of them aren't connected to the Internet via a browser. Consequently, they don't appear in independent Internet stats. But whatever the precise number, a huge number of PCs are officially end of life in just over two months.

Contrary to what some XP users believe, "end of life" doesn't mean that XP computers will stop working, that XP can no longer be installed, or that existing security patches will be pulled from Windows Update. It means that officially, on April 8, Microsoft will no longer support XP — there will be no more updates for the OS.

Regular Windows Secrets readers have seen numerous stories on living with XP for the long term. See, for example:

    Preparing Windows XP for the long haul – Aug. 12, 2010, Top Story
    Building your own XP Service Pack 4 – Dec. 1, 2011, Top Story
    PC security after XP's official end of life – Sept. 19, 2013, LangaList Plus
    Securing XP PCs after Microsoft drops support – Dec. 19, 2013, Top Story

If you've been reading this newsletter, you know that XP's end is coming. But you probably didn't know that Microsoft's moved the goalposts — repeatedly. What end of life means, precisely, has been redefined by Microsoft at least three times in the past couple of months. And there's a strong possibility that the definition will change again before April — to the confusion of most XP users.

So what did end of life mean? Back in the good old days — say, three months ago — Microsoft's description of the April deadline suggested nothing less than the complete end of any XP support: no tech-support help, no new enhancements, and no security updates. (That, as it turns out, isn't quite correct. As I'll discuss below, Microsoft will no longer give away updates — but businesses with corporate-licensing plans can pay for them after April 8.)

Then, in early January, Microsoft altered its official XP obituary page, adding that "Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP." That certainly sounds threatening!
Backpedaling a bit on a hardline stance

To date, I've not seen an official clarification of what "stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials" precisely means. For example, it could mean that you can't download MSE using an XP-based browser. If so, it's silly — you just download MSE on a different machine and install on XP. Or perhaps MSE's installer might simply block XP. In that case, what happens if you reinstall XP? (Microsoft will require XP activation, even after EOL.) You can't reinstall MSE, either? Even Microsoft wouldn't be that callous — I hope.

To add to the confusion, in mid-January Microsoft's Malware Protection Center announced in a TechNet blog that it would continue to provide updates to MSE for XP machines for another 15 months. The blog states, "To help organizations complete their migrations, Microsoft will continue to provide updates to our anti-malware signatures and engine for Windows XP users through July 14, 2015."

That's certainly a customer-friendly development — although I'm still scratching my head about blocking MSE downloads on XP. It's possible that somebody at the Malware Protection Center ran a simulation of the fallout from some nasty virus compromising half a billion XP machines after April 8. That could cause something of a hiccup on the Internet!

That MPC statement is noteworthy because Microsoft will not only update MSE signatures but the MSE engine, too. Bravo.

In a more recent development, Computerworld broke the news in a Jan. 26 story that Microsoft will update the Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) for Windows XP through July 14, 2015. MSRT isn't a first-line-of-defense AV tool, but it's effective at removing existing infections. It's also delivered via Microsoft Update, so most XP machines will get it.
Some safe assumptions, some wild speculations

If Microsoft's backpedaling were limited to just those two AV products, I'd not be very impressed. Many third-party vendors offer better anti-malware protection and have publicly stated that they'll continue support for XP. But I am impressed by Microsoft's willingness to soften its XP end-of-life stance. The company has nothing to gain and everything to lose if it completely alienates its millions of XP users.

Many believe XP deserves to die because it's been around for 12 years. I take issue with that. XP was first released in October 2001, so technically it's 12 years old. But it was rewritten for Service Pack 2, which appeared in August 2004. And Microsoft sold XP through its System Builders program until Jan. 31, 2009. That's just five years ago.

During the unfortunate Vista era, many PC buyers went out of their way to get XP. So as far as I'm concerned, XP hit the bit bucket only when Windows 7 shipped in July 2009. That makes XP, by my admittedly jaundiced reckoning, a sprightly four and a half years old!

That said, there's no doubt that those running XP are living on borrowed time. Windows 7 and 8x offer enhanced security and better compatibility with modern software and peripherals. Most XP users should be planning to replace XP.

But it's also a bit disingenuous to effectively force Windows users to buy Win7 or Win8 — then force them to line Microsoft's coffers once again a few years later when those operating systems are made obsolete.

Here's a parting tip: If you work for a company that has a Microsoft volume license and a suitable Windows retirement contract, you can buy "Custom Support" for XP, as reported in a Computerworld story. That service costs U.S. $200 per PC per year and includes updates to XP itself. Rather than cut off individual XP users, I think Microsoft should offer a personal "Custom Support" option for, say, $20 or $30 a year. That would do a lot of good for the millions of XP users — and earn Microsoft some much-needed customer loyalty.

Hey! I can always hope.

-What WinSecrets said

Also +1 w/Stoic on not being overly concerned or crazy right now about a personal machine. A bit of caution when webbing and opening e-mail should not pose too serious a risk on a personal XP machine after April. And probably not for quite a while. As was pointed out, eventually the netbook will fail and need to be replaced - and new hardware is when most Windows users upgrade their OS anyway. At least if Windows7 was anything to go by.

2345

General Software Discussion / Re: Malwarebytes is moving away from lifetime licenses

« Last post by 40hz on February 06, 2014, 10:31 AM »

^Probably be easiest to just email them with license numbers for clarification.

2346

General Software Discussion / Re: Continuing with XP

« Last post by 40hz on February 06, 2014, 09:36 AM »

@chrisk - Could you provide fuller hardware specs for that netbook?

I know we've got 2Gb of RAM.

What about Make, CPU type and speed, HD size, native screen resolution, info about the graphics and sound subsystems, etc.?

Knowing that would make alternative OS recommendations easier.  

2347

Living Room / Re: Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Beagle Bone: Choosing between tiny DIY computer kits

« Last post by 40hz on February 06, 2014, 05:59 AM »

these should not be confused with compact PC ie the RPI/BeagleBone/etc are more like dev platforms than PC's and provide access to a range of peripherals not normally accessible from a 'normal' PC, while CuBox appears to be 'just' a compact PC

-Target (February 05, 2014, 07:35 PM)

Agree up to a point. Although in practice I don't think it's all that big a distinction considering how the majority of buyers tend to use the Pi and similar SBCs "as is" - which is to say they put them in some sort of case and slot them into single use roles (i.e home theater, webserver, NFS, router, etc.)

Very few people plug in a breakout cable or take a soldering iron to one of these little buggers (the Arduino being the exception) So regardless of whether or not these are considered to be more development type systems, in reality they're used mostly to build micro PCs. But it's still good to know the capability to do more than that is there. Especially since most of the really interesting projects I've seen involve additional hardware and/or some board mods.

I guess it's all what you want one of these things for.

The real beauty is that you can use them for virtually anything. And that might be the single best feature of all.

-------------------

BTW - the CuBox has a much better design in that all the (except for one) I/O ports are on the same side of the device. The one thing I really don't like about my Pi is that the cables come out of every side of the board. Something that makes mounting difficult in many instances and IMHO looks extremely kludgy. If I had to fault the Pi for anything, it would be for its board design -  although I'm sure they went with it because it kept the board smaller and the cost down.

as opposed to this ---->

2348

General Software Discussion / Re: Malwarebytes is moving away from lifetime licenses

« Last post by 40hz on February 05, 2014, 03:52 PM »

I love how they handled this announcement: honestly, fairly and logically. I'd guess you'd call that acting with honor and integrity.

It's rather refreshing to see a company behave like that for a change.

2349

Living Room / Re: Satya Nadella becomes Microsoft's new CEO - will things change?

« Last post by 40hz on February 05, 2014, 03:32 PM »

My favorite parts -
(1) he's nice.

-wraith808 (February 05, 2014, 02:50 PM)

+1!

I know from first hand experience that 'nice' is an approach that works.

Having worked for GE, I'm also glad somebody finally called bullshit on the "Forced Ranking" process mentioned in that first article. Rob Enderle got it spot on the sugar. It was yet another blunt-instrument "Neutron Jack" solution to a unique problem at GE. Unfortunately, it was adopted - and then became institutionalized - in far too many other places. With predictable results.
 

2350

Living Room / Re: Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Beagle Bone: Choosing between tiny DIY computer kits

« Last post by 40hz on February 05, 2014, 03:26 PM »

SolidRun's CuBox-i  is generating a lot of buzz in the Linux community of late. It's less DIY than the SBCs, and slightly more expensive (from $50 to $125 USD depending on the model) - but it's a ready to go 2x2x2 inch box suitable for just about any embedded system project you can think of. It's capable of running Android Jelly Bean or Linux as it's OS.

   

For a lot of people who just want to get down and do something with one of these microcomputers, this might be a better choice since it's more than just a bare board. And the price for the CuBox isn't really an issue, because by the time you trick out and accessorize a Beagleboard or Pi, you'll have added about $20-$30 to their base sticker prices. So with power supply, case, and SD card they're all roughly coming in around the same price.

Product website here.
Details here.

The Linux Action Show also did a review on it. Fast forward to the 32:00 mark to get right to the review:

Good time to have fun with this stuff. It's inexpensive. And more importantly, there's plenty of choices.