September 2017 - wlug - list.wlug.org.nz

Re: [wlug] Tesla Remotely Extends The Range Of Some Cars To Help With Hurricane Irma
by Eric Light 13 Sep '17

13 Sep '17

Let's keep it on the list, thanks gb. noun: snark; 1. snide and sharply critical comments. I called out your behaviour for what it was, and I would have done so in-person too. I'm not singling you out, either - I did the same with someone else in July. The entire community suffers when that type of behaviour goes unaddressed - and it's the community's job to speak up if we want to protect the high standards we've enjoyed for the last fifteen years. E -------------------------------------------- Q: Why is this email five sentences or less? A: http://five.sentenc.es On Wed, 13 Sep 2017, at 10:59, gb wrote: > On the contrary, I was merely pointing out that insulting people on a > public forum is not something you would do to their faces. > > On Tue, 2017-09-12 at 15:02 +1200, Eric Light wrote: > > Did.... You actually just threaten me? > > > > E > > > > -------------------------------------------- > > Q: Why is this email five sentences or less? > > A: http://five.sentenc.es > > > > On Tue, 12 Sep 2017, at 14:39, gb wrote: > > > > > > "snark" ... "being a dick" ... would you like to say that to my face? > > > > > > > > > On Tue, 2017-09-12 at 14:04 +1200, Eric Light wrote: > > > > Is that snark really necessary, gb? I'm not sure about the rest of us, > > > > but I'm in this group for interesting news, tips, guidance, etc. > > > > > > > > The diversity of information here is one of the reasons that I've been > > > > on the list for almost a decade. I'm sure a full 30% of Peter's posts > > > > aren't Linux-specific, for example. That only adds to the benefit that > > > > we get as a group. > > > > > > > > Lawrence's post is fascinating, and could be the starting point for an > > > > interesting discussion if we could go ahead and not be dicks - either to > > > > the poster, or about the content. > > > > > > > > E > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------- > > > > Q: Why is this email five sentences or less? > > > > A: http://five.sentenc.es > > > > > > > > On Tue, 12 Sep 2017, at 12:51, gb wrote: > > > > > Well that's got zero to do with linux, or Waikato ... unless someone > > > > > owns a Tesla in Waikato? (I doubt it). > > > > > > > > > > I've got some cool anecdotes on crappy things banks do with our money > > > > > supply, shall I share them here too? > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, 2017-09-12 at 12:02 +1200, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote: > > > > > > Tesla sometimes sells cars with more hardware battery capacity than > > > > > > is initially available for use by customers, offering the > > > > > > additional capacity as a subsequent software update. > > > > > > > > > > > > ... > > > > > > > > > > > > But last week, Tesla decided to temporarily make this extra > > > > > > capacity available even to Floridians who hadn't paid for the > > > > > > upgrade to ensure they had enough range to get out of Florida ahead > > > > > > of Hurricane Irma. > > > > > > > > > > > > ... > > > > > > > > > > > > Presumably, their vehicles will get a downgrade once hurricane > > > > > > season is over. > > > > > > > > > > > > <https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/09/tesla-remotely-extends-the-range-of-so…> > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > > > > > Unsubscribe: https://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > > > > Unsubscribe: https://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > > > Unsubscribe: https://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > > > > > > > > > > . > > _______________________________________________ > > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > Unsubscribe: https://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > > .

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“Mr Inkscape” Explains How To Pronounce His Name
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 12 Sep '17

12 Sep '17

In the comments to an article on an “Inkscape hackfest” from earlier this year, I asked, and he answered <http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/inkscape-hackfest-planned-for-late…>.

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Bruce Schneier On Securing A Raspberry π
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 12 Sep '17

12 Sep '17

Make magazine has an article about securing it. Reading it, I am struck by how much work it is to secure. I fear that this is beyond the capabilities of most tinkerers, and the result will be even more insecure IoT devices. <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2017/09/securing_a_rasp.html>

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mailing list etiquette
by Peter Reutemann 12 Sep '17

12 Sep '17

Hi everyone In light of recent events, a little refresher on the mailing list etiquette seems to be appropriate. You can find it here: https://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug Yes, there are topics which can kick off a flame war (vi/emacs, systemd). Some things are like politics or religion and cannot be discussed objectively. But calling other people names and/or posting snide, demeaning or threatening comments (on- or off-list) is below this list. I usually have a very hands-off approach to moderation, considering that we are all (or at least most of us are) adults and should know what is considered acceptable social behavior. However, if inciting behavior should continue, I reserve my right to ban people from this list. Last but not least: if you don't like the actual content being posted here, no one forces you to be a member of this mailing list. Simply unsubscribe. Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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Re: [wlug] Tesla Remotely Extends The Range Of Some Cars To Help With Hurricane Irma
by Eric Light 12 Sep '17

12 Sep '17

Did.... You actually just threaten me? E -------------------------------------------- Q: Why is this email five sentences or less? A: http://five.sentenc.es On Tue, 12 Sep 2017, at 14:39, gb wrote: > > "snark" ... "being a dick" ... would you like to say that to my face? > > > On Tue, 2017-09-12 at 14:04 +1200, Eric Light wrote: > > Is that snark really necessary, gb? I'm not sure about the rest of us, > > but I'm in this group for interesting news, tips, guidance, etc. > > > > The diversity of information here is one of the reasons that I've been > > on the list for almost a decade. I'm sure a full 30% of Peter's posts > > aren't Linux-specific, for example. That only adds to the benefit that > > we get as a group. > > > > Lawrence's post is fascinating, and could be the starting point for an > > interesting discussion if we could go ahead and not be dicks - either to > > the poster, or about the content. > > > > E > > > > -------------------------------------------- > > Q: Why is this email five sentences or less? > > A: http://five.sentenc.es > > > > On Tue, 12 Sep 2017, at 12:51, gb wrote: > > > Well that's got zero to do with linux, or Waikato ... unless someone > > > owns a Tesla in Waikato? (I doubt it). > > > > > > I've got some cool anecdotes on crappy things banks do with our money > > > supply, shall I share them here too? > > > > > > On Tue, 2017-09-12 at 12:02 +1200, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote: > > > > Tesla sometimes sells cars with more hardware battery capacity than > > > > is initially available for use by customers, offering the > > > > additional capacity as a subsequent software update. > > > > > > > > ... > > > > > > > > But last week, Tesla decided to temporarily make this extra > > > > capacity available even to Floridians who hadn't paid for the > > > > upgrade to ensure they had enough range to get out of Florida ahead > > > > of Hurricane Irma. > > > > > > > > ... > > > > > > > > Presumably, their vehicles will get a downgrade once hurricane > > > > season is over. > > > > > > > > <https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/09/tesla-remotely-extends-the-range-of-so…> > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > > > Unsubscribe: https://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > > Unsubscribe: https://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > _______________________________________________ > > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > Unsubscribe: https://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > > .

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Tesla Remotely Extends The Range Of Some Cars To Help With Hurricane Irma
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 12 Sep '17

12 Sep '17

Tesla sometimes sells cars with more hardware battery capacity than is initially available for use by customers, offering the additional capacity as a subsequent software update. ... But last week, Tesla decided to temporarily make this extra capacity available even to Floridians who hadn't paid for the upgrade to ensure they had enough range to get out of Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma. ... Presumably, their vehicles will get a downgrade once hurricane season is over. <https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/09/tesla-remotely-extends-the-range-of-so…>

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Google Chrome Will Soon Detect Man-in-the-Middle Attacks
by Peter Reutemann 10 Sep '17

10 Sep '17

'Google Chrome 63 will include a new security feature that will detect when third-party software is performing a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack that hijacks the user's Internet connection.... Most MitM toolkits fail to correctly rewrite the user's encrypted connections, causing SSL errors that Chrome will detect. The new Chrome 63 feature is in the form of a new warning screen. This new error will appear whenever Chrome detects a large number of SSL connection errors in a short timespan, a sign that someone is trying -- and failing -- to intercept the user's web traffic. This includes both malware and legitimate applications, such as antivirus and firewall applications. The new Chrome error won't show up for all antivirus and firewall software, but only for those that do not rewrite SSL connections in a proper way, resulting in SSL errors. Chrome 63 is set for release on December 5, but users can already test it by enabling it in the Google Chrome dev branch' -- source: https://it.slashdot.org/story/17/09/10/1928232 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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OBS Studio – Record and Live Stream Videos from Linux Desktop
by Peter Reutemann 10 Sep '17

10 Sep '17

'OBS Studio is a free and open source cross-platform app with which you can create video records of your desktop screen and also live stream directly. You can use it to conveniently share your gaming, art, entertainment activities with Twitch.tv, YouTube, Hitbox.tv, DailyMotion, Connectcast.tv, CyberGame.tv, CashPlay.tv along with custom streaming servers free of charge! It comes with many in-house features that allow you to produce professional videos e.g. Studio Mode lets you live preview and adjust your scenes and sources before making them available for public viewing; you can choose to set any combo of hotkeys to start/stop streams or recordings, switch between scenes, mute audio sources, e.t.c.' -- source: https://www.fossmint.com/obs-studio-record-and-live-stream-videos-from-linu… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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Document Liberation Project Announces Initial QuarkXPress Support
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 10 Sep '17

10 Sep '17

Libre Graphics World may not update very often, but its articles are usually worth reading. Like this one <http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/document-liberation-project-announ…>: Initially, Scribus was pretty much modeled after QuarkXPress, and the two projects still share some similarities. Early in the history of Scribus, it made a lot of sense to introduce support for QXP files. Users got mad with Quark's continuous quirks and bad user support, they would jump ship at the very next opportunity. Paul Johnson, former Scribus contributor, actually started working on support for QXP files in 2004. But after he had posted to a public mailing list about his progress, he reportedly received a cease and desist letter from Quark. Scribus was nowhere near its current fame at the time, and even now it would not be able to handle legal expenses (save for a theoretical FSF intervention). Back then Paul just stopped working on that project. The good news is, Quark no longer seems to be in a position to be such a bully.

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Vodafone Ending Its E-Mail Service
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 08 Sep '17

08 Sep '17

Vodafone will no longer be offering e-mail service to its customers after November <http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11919531>. It doesn’t seem to have notified some of its customers; certainly I didn’t receive any notification. Of course, I just have to figure out where to get a new server to handle my existing address. The real headache is for those who have been using the ISP’s domain for their address; that has been a bad idea for the last 20 years.

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How to hurricane-proof a Web server
by Peter Reutemann 08 Sep '17

08 Sep '17

'I had enough to worry about as Hurricane Harvey plowed into the Texas Gulf Coast on the night of August 25 and delivered a category 4 punch to the nearby city of Rockport. But I simultaneously faced a different kind of storm: an unexpected surge of traffic hitting the Space City Weather Web server. This was the first of what would turn into several very long and restless nights.' -- source: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/09/how-to-hurricane-pro… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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How to use speedtest on a Linux server to check, store and report internet speeds graphically
by Peter Reutemann 08 Sep '17

08 Sep '17

'Following on from a set of problems of poor broadband connectivity I was experiencing I decided that I wanted to monitor the Mbps speed I was getting from my provider on a regular basis. I was seeing especially poor figures when trying to download files in the evening, with much faster speeds achieved very early in the morning. I have a Linux Debian server sitting in a corner, which is my test and development machine for ISPConfig-hosted websites, as well as some Let's Encrypt code I like to play around with, so I looked for some software that would enable bandwidth testing, runnable from a linux command line, which could form the basis of an automated shell script system to produce the raw data I needed. I wanted to store the data in a SQL database to make querying simple (I could then easily gather more data and just extract a smaller subset for time periods I was interested in) and to have a web front-end that could produce a simple chart to visualise the data and help highlight the connectivity issues.' -- source: https://www.howtoforge.com/tutorial/how-to-use-speedtest-on-a-linux-server-… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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Android Oreo Bug Eats Up Mobile Data Even When On Wi-Fi
by Peter Reutemann 07 Sep '17

07 Sep '17

'An apparent bug with Android Oreo has been discovered which means Google's mobile operating system could be munching its way through your data allowance, even if you're connected to a wireless network. A thread on Reddit highlighted the issue, with many people pointing out that it could prove expensive for anyone not using an unlimited data plan. Google is apparently aware of the problem and is working on a patch, but in the meantime Oreo users are being warned to consider disabling mobile data when they are at home or using a wireless connection elsewhere.' -- source: https://it.slashdot.org/story/17/09/06/2240208 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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Linux Kernel 4.13 Officially Released
by Peter Reutemann 06 Sep '17

06 Sep '17

'As expected, the Linux 4.13 kernel series was made official this past weekend by none other than its creator, Linus Torvalds, which urges all Linux users to start migrating to this version as soon as possible. Work on Linux kernel 4.13 started in mid-July with the first Release Candidate (RC) milestone, which already gave us a glimpse of the new features coming to this major kernel branch. There are, of course, numerous improvements and support for new hardware through updated drivers and core components. Highlights of Linux kernel 4.13 include Intel's Cannon Lake and Coffee Lake CPUs, support for non-blocking buffered I/O operations to improve asynchronous I/O support, support for "lifetime hints" in the block layers and the virtual filesystem, AppArmor enhancements, and better power management. There's also AMD Raven Ridge support implemented in the AMDGPU graphics driver, which received numerous improvements, support for five-level page tables was added in the s390 architecture, and the structure randomization plugin was added as part of the build system.' -- source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/17/09/05/1637226 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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Use Aircrack-ng To Test Your WiFi Password
by Peter Reutemann 05 Sep '17

05 Sep '17

'Most people have terrible passwords, and WiFi is no exception. Your WiFi password is your primary line of defense against unwanted access to your network. That access can result in a whole host of other nasty things because an attacker can monitor the traffic on your network and even gain direct access to your computers. The best way to prevent such an intrusion is to use the same tools an attacker would to test the security of your WiFi password. [...] Remember this process should only ever be used to test your own security. Using it on someone else's network is illegal.' -- source: https://linuxconfig.org/use-aircrack-ng-to-test-your-wifi-password Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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Geo – A Simple BASH Utility To Get Network And Geolocation Details
by Peter Reutemann 05 Sep '17

05 Sep '17

'A while ago, we wrote a blog post about “Bash-Snippets”, a set of BASH scripts for heavy command-line users. Those scripts consists of many useful utilities such as crypt, geo, cheat, weather, ytview and more. Using bash-Snippets, you can install all utilities or a particular one. In this brief guide, we are going to discuss about only one utility in the Bash-Snippets called “Geo”. It is used to display wan, lan, router, dns, mac address, and geolocation output, with clean stdout for piping.' -- source: https://www.ostechnix.com/geo-simple-bash-utility-get-network-geolocation-d… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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Oracle Finally Killed Sun
by Peter Reutemann 05 Sep '17

05 Sep '17

'The news from the ex-Sun community jungle drums is that the January rumours were true and Oracle laid off the core talent of the Solaris and SPARC teams on Friday (perhaps hoping to get the news lost in the Labor Day weekend). With 90% gone according to Bryan Cantrill that surely has to mean either a skeleton-staffed maintenance-only future for the product range, especially with Solaris 12 cancelled, or an attempt to force Solaris workloads onto Oracle’s SPARC Cloud offering. A classic Oracle “silent EOL”, no matter what they claim as they satisfy their contractual commitments to Fujitsu and others. ' -- source: https://meshedinsights.com/2017/09/03/oracle-finally-killed-sun/ Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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Linux Mint 18.3 to Launch with Revamped Backup Tool, Window Progress, and More
by Peter Reutemann 05 Sep '17

05 Sep '17

'Last month, we reported that development of Linux Mint 18.3 kicked off with HybridSleep support for the Cinnamon desktop environment, HiDPI support and GTK3 porting for the Software Sources tool, as well as the revamp of the Software Manager graphical package manager, which was also ported to latest GTK+ 3 technologies. And now, the Linux Mint creator reveals the fact that Linux Mint 18.3 will be shipping with a revamped Backup Tool that won't require root anymore, offers a much easier to use interface that no longer requires you to select the type or source of a backup, and it's capable of backing up your entire Home directory. The tool will restore files in their initial location, with the same permissions and timestamps.' -- source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/linux-mint-18-3-to-launch-with-revamped-back… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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To Linux Mint KDE 18.2… and back
by Peter Reutemann 05 Sep '17

05 Sep '17

'Linux Mint KDE is just one of several flavours of Linux Mint, and obviously not the flagship of this distribution. However, I liked that distribution in my test of the Live version of Linux Mint KDE 18.2. I liked it so much that I decided to give it a go in installed mode. How was that? Let’s check.' -- source: http://linuxblog.darkduck.com/2017/09/to-linux-mint-kde-182-and-back.html Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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Vulnerabilities Discovered In Mobile Bootloaders of Major Vendors
by Peter Reutemann 05 Sep '17

05 Sep '17

'Android bootloader components from five major chipset vendors are affected by vulnerabilities that break the CoT (Chain of Trust) during the Android OS boot-up sequence, opening devices to attacks. The vulnerabilities were discovered with a new tool called BootStomp, developed by nine computer scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Researchers analyzed five bootloaders from four vendors (NVIDIA, Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Huawei/HiSilicon). Using BootStomp, researchers identified seven security flaws, six new and one previously known (CVE-2014-9798). Of the six new flaws, bootloader vendors already acknowledged five and are working on a fix. "Some of these vulnerabilities would allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code as part of the bootloader (thus compromising the entire chain of trust), or to perform permanent denial-of-service attacks," the research team said (PDF). "Our tool also identified two bootloader vulnerabilities that can be leveraged by an attacker with root privileges on the OS to unlock the device and break the CoT."' -- source: https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/17/09/05/0257221 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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Android One Is Anything But Dead, Google Reaffirms With Xiaomi Mi A1
by Peter Reutemann 05 Sep '17

05 Sep '17

'Google executives shared the stage with Xiaomi chiefs at a media event in New Delhi on Tuesday as the Chinese phone maker unveiled its "new flagship" Mi A1 smartphone. Google's presence at the event was essential. Xiaomi's Mi A1 is the latest phone to be launched under Google's Android One program, a three-year-old initiative from Google, which in the past year has been presumed dead by many. It's anything but that, Google executives said. The Xiaomi Mi A1 smartphone features a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display. It also offers a duo of 12-megapixel rear cameras, one with telephoto capability and 2X optical zoom feature. On the front, for the selfie enthusiasts is a 5-megapixel shooter. The dual-SIM capable Mi A1 smartphone houses a Snapdragon 625 octa-core SoC, 4GB of RAM, 64GB internal storage, IR blaster, a 3080mAh battery, a fingerprint scanner, modems for 4G LTE bands in its gold- and black-coloured thin, full-metal unibody form factor. It is priced at $235, and will be available in dozens of markets including Mexico, India, Indonesia, Russia, and Singapore.' -- source: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/17/09/05/1014235 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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With Android Oreo, Google Is Introducing Linux Kernel Requirements
by Peter Reutemann 05 Sep '17

05 Sep '17

'As is easy to tell by comparing versions of Android from different handset manufacturers, developers are -- broadly speaking -- free to do whatever they want with Android, but with Oreo, one aspect of this is changing. Google is introducing a new requirement that OEMs must meet certain requirements when choosing the Linux kernel they use. Until now, as pointed out by XDA Developers, OEMs have been free to use whatever Linux kernel they wanted to create their own version of Android. Of course, their builds still had to pass Google's other tests, but the kernel number itself was not an issue. Moving forward, Android devices running Oreo must use at least kernel 3.18, but there are more specific requirements to meet as well. Google explains on the Android Source page: "Android O mandates a minimum kernel version and kernel configuration and checks them both in VTS as well as during an OTA. Android device kernels must enable the kernel .config support along with the option to read the kernel configuration at runtime through procfs."' -- source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/17/09/03/1653227 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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78 Open Source Replacements for Expensive Applications
by Peter Reutemann 04 Sep '17

04 Sep '17

'Back when Datamation first started making lists of open source software that could replace expensive proprietary applications, most commercial software came in a box and required a flat fee for purchase. These days, with the advent of cloud computing and software as a service, most applications require a regular monthly or yearly subscription. Those subscriptions make it seem like software has become more affordable. After all, $10 or $20 a month doesn't seem like a lot. But when you add up those repeating fees, users often pay more under the new subscription plans than they did under the old flat-fee arrangements. If you use a lot of different applications, those fees can quickly add up. And it can be particularly hard to justify the expense for a piece of software that you only use once in a while. Open source software offers an alternative to paying those high fees. And in many cases, the open source options are as good as or better than the comparable commercial, proprietary solutions. In fact, in the most recent BlackDuck Future of Open Source Survey, the top reasons why people said they use open source software were because of the features, freedom from vendor lock-in and the quality of the solutions. Price and total cost of ownership weren't even on the list. In other words, people are using open source because the software is so good, and the fact that it is free is just a side benefit. The list below includes a variety of open source software for home users, SMBs and large enterprises. All of these applications can replace commercial products that can carry high prices. Even if buyers choose to purchase support or other services for their open source software, the open source options are generally much more affordable than the comparable proprietary solutions.' -- source: http://www.datamation.com/open-source/78-open-source-replacements-for-expen… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

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Almost-OT: Linux Comic
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 02 Sep '17

02 Sep '17

There is this peculiar subgenre of art featuring characters called “OS-tans”. These are personifications of operating systems. I’m not sure how their characters and adventures relate to the OSes for which they are named, but anyway here is one about a character named Linux: <https://bellacielo.deviantart.com/gallery/33067628/Linux-Comic-Complete>.

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The Most Epic Tech-Support Call In History
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 02 Sep '17

02 Sep '17

Scott Manley tells the story <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSSmNUl9Snw> of how the Apollo 14 mission was saved by a truly remarkable bit of computer hacking. You might be thinking: “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” Apollo 10 did that. And there were the computer crashes (“1202 alarm” and “1201 alarm”) during the Apollo 11 landing. But 14 was being stymied by an intermittently-shorting abort switch: if that triggered at the wrong time, the mission was over. And the software couldn’t be reprogrammed, since it was all woven (literally) into ROM. So a bright young guy named Don Eyles was woken up in the middle of the night, and over the space of a couple of hours he put together a sequence of manual patches to the writable memory to temporarily disable the abort switch at crucial moments, with further patches necessary to deal with the consequences of this elsewhere in the code. The astronauts had to follow the instructions and key in the numbers exactly as given. (Upload? What upload?) This included having to manually crank the descent engine up to full thrust at the right time, because the automatic program for doing so would not be working. Anyway, as history records, they successfully made it down to the lunar surface, and back home again. Mission accomplished.

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