- wlug - list.wlug.org.nz

Emacs 25.1 Released With Tons Of New Features
by Peter Reutemann 19 Sep '16

19 Sep '16

'After four years of development there's a major new release of Emacs, the 40-year-old libre text editor with over 2,000 built-in commands. An anonymous Slashdot reader writes: Emacs 25.1 now lets you embed GTK+ user interface widgets, including WebKitGTK+, "a full-featured WebKit port that can allow you to browse the internet and watch YouTube inside Emacs." And it can also load shared/dynamic modules, meaning it can import the extra functionality seen in Emacs Lisp programs. This version also includes enhanced the network security, experimental support for Cairo drawing, and a new "switch-to-buffer-in-dedicated-window" mode. Emacs 25.1 is available at the GNU FTP server, and since it's the 40th anniversary of Emacs, maybe it's a good time for a discussion about text editors in general. So leave your best tips in the comments -- along with your favorite stories about Emacs, Vim, or the text editor of your choice. What comes to your mind on the 40th anniversary of Emacs?' -- source: https://news.slashdot.org/story/16/09/18/1715251 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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Vim 8.0 Is Released After 10 Years
by Peter Reutemann 18 Sep '16

18 Sep '16

New Features in Vim 8.0 - Jobs - Asynchronous I/O support, channels, JSON - Timers - Supports partials, lambdas, and closures - Enables new style testing - Viminfo merged by timestamp - Supports GTK+3 - Support for MS-Windows DirectX You can install it through an unofficial ppa with just a few commandlines. -- source: http://www.tecmint.com/vim-8-0-install-in-ubuntu-linux-systems/ 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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IPv6 Support Across NZ ISPs
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 18 Sep '16

18 Sep '16

Came across this document from last year <http://www.ipv6.org.nz/2015/01/27/ipv6-support-across-nz-isps-january-2015/>, which shows two ISPs doing IPv6 on a “trial” basis and three saying “yes” for full support, albeit one of them only for business customers, not residential ones.

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Windows 10 Haters: Try Linux On Kaby Lake Chips With Dell's New XPS 13
by Peter Reutemann 16 Sep '16

16 Sep '16

'Attention Linux enthusiasts. Your OS of your choice can finally work on laptops with Intel's Kaby Lake chips. Dell is releasing three new models of slick XPS 13 Developer Edition that will be available with Ubuntu OS and 7th Generation Core processors in the U.S. and Canada starting on Oct. 10, reports PCWorld. From the article: Prices for XPS 13 DE will start at $949. Dell also announced the XPS 13 model with Kaby Lake and Windows 10, which will ship on Oct. 4 starting at $799. Dell didn't share details on what version of Ubuntu desktop OS will be preloaded. It officially supports Ubuntu 14.04 in existing laptops, but could pre-load version 16.04 on the new XPS 13 DE. Dell has remained committed to Linux while major PC vendors shift to Windows 10 on PCs. Intel made a major commitment to supporting Windows 10 with its new Kaby Lake chips but hasn't talked much about Linux support. XPS 13 DE is perhaps the sexiest and thinnest Linux laptop available, with an edge-to-edge screen being a stand-out feature. It is the latest in Dell's Project Sputnik line of laptops, and it is targeted at computer enthusiasts who want a Windows or Mac alternative. A knock against Linux is that the OS has lagged behind Windows on driver development and on supporting the latest technologies like USB-C ports, 4K screens, and Thunderbolt. Project Sputnik started four years ago as an effort between Dell and the open-source community to bridge that gap, and since then, the resulting laptops have achieved cult status among Linux enthusiasts. A Dell XPS 13 with a Core i5 chip will have a full HD screen, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. Another configuration will have a 3200 x 1800-pixel screen, Core i5, and a 256GB SSD. A fully loaded model will have a Core i7 chip, a 512GB SSD, 16GB of RAM, and a 3200 x 1800-pixel screen.' -- source: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/16/09/16/1838202 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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Xiaomi Can Silently Install Any App On Your Android Phone Using A Backdoor
by Peter Reutemann 16 Sep '16

16 Sep '16

'Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer many refer to as the "Apple of China," can silently install any app on your device, according to a Computer Science student and security enthusiast from the Netherlands. Thijs Broenink started investigating a mysterious pre-installed app, dubbed AnalyticsCore.apk, that constantly runs in the background and reappears even if you try and delete it. The Hacker News reports: After asking about the purpose of the AnalyticsCore app on the company's support forum and getting no response, Thijs Broenink reverse engineered the code and found that the app checks for a new update from the company's official server every 24 hours. While making these requests, the app sends device identification information with it, including the phone's IMEI, Model, MAC address, Nonce, Package name as well as signature. If there is an updated app available on the server with the filename "Analytics.apk," it will automatically get downloaded and installed in the background without user interaction. Broenink found that there is no validation at all to check which APK is getting installed to a user's phone, which means there is a way for hackers to exploit this loophole. This also means Xiaomi can remotely and silently install any application on your device just by renaming it to "Analytics.apk" and hosting it on the server. Ironically, the device connects and receives updates over HTTP connection, exposing the whole process to Man-in-the-Middle attacks." ' -- source: https://news.slashdot.org/story/16/09/15/1923220 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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Fwd: BREAKING: The Link Tax is Officially on its Way
by Roderick Aldridge 15 Sep '16

15 Sep '16

Its understandable that the publishing establishment want to protect their content from those who would use it without contributing to generating it, but they should be promoting links which send viewers to their content.This measure would stifle the free flow of information and ideas. I invite members to take part. Should WLUG or NZLUG or NZOSS take part officially? Your thoughts. Rod ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ruth Coustick-Deal -OpenMedia <contact(a)openmedia.org> Date: 15 September 2016 at 04:22 Subject: BREAKING: The Link Tax is Officially on its Way To: rod.aldridge1(a)gmail.com *It’s official, Roderick.* The EU Commission has officially released some of the worst copyright laws in the world, including unprecedented new Link Tax powers for publishing giants.1, 2 Earlier today, the Commission presented these new rules to the world. Over the past few weeks, leaks suggested the rules were worse than originally feared,3 and today’s announcement proved it. *We have to stop this now. * Despite opposition from over 100,000 Internet users and dozens of other advocacy groups, the EU Commission has charged ahead with its wrong-headed plan. *This will affect Internet users around the world.* But we can fight back and win.* Share these hard-hitting social media images on Twitter and Facebook today!* <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=I0bSQvl4iPegV0aFW8SXE%2BCKfLkJB…> *Share on Twitter* <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=j6PCUhX2tFXXO2W1lh%2Bb9eCKfLkJB…>* | **Share on Facebook* <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=r4eiWVxKXvGtgMwx1UtMaOCKfLkJBGne> <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=w%2B8TZO3T1iKYWWuTMT7lg320JAhxO…> *Share on Twitter* <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2BhLRxVqNmLtJB0mgky1v2uCKfLkJB…>* | **Share on Facebook* <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=fqFY%2F7FFxDHeBHW4aYs1X%2BCKfLk…> This comes on the heels of a major court ruling that undermined our right to use hyperlinks.4 This means it’s more important than ever that EU decision-makers do what they can to stop this dangerous #LinkTax plan.5 The link tax could *make some of your favourite content virtually disappear* from search engines.6 Users all over the world will be impacted. Join us now <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=bKmMmxqTfKTzkNMenSUp%2FuCKfLkJB…> to give decision-makers a clear resounding ‘no to the link tax’. We’re only weeks away from releasing a hard-hitting new tool that will let you send pro-Internet messages to Members of the European Parliament to stop this reckless proposal dead in its tracks. That’s where we’re taking the fight next. But in the meantime, let’s raise hell on Twitter <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ZqFXncANqbo%2BCSLN6EF1NeCKfLkJB…> and Facebook <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=LMTErnjJVWARnEEo%2Fdx86OCKfLkJB…> and shame the Commission for ignoring our concerns and pushing on with this reckless plan. –Ruth Coustick-Deal, for OpenMedia *P.S. **Donate now* <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=4E4oSrg34LjNM9l9gYkkZeCKfLkJBGne>* so we can reach as many people as possible at this crucial moment. Every single bit helps.* *Footnotes* [1] Official announcement of EU DSM Copyright. Source: State of the Union address <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=IkS3990M7tGYWWuTMT7lg320JAhxOp3c> . [2] EU Commission formally proposes Link Tax to European Parliament as part of new Copyright Directive. Source: OpenMedia <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=hYnF54%2BemHlc1mI21KHvkeCKfLkJB…> . [3] Google snippet tax, geoblocking, other copyright reform shunned in EU plan. Source: Ars Technica UK <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=XyWhLZD6wxBOt8UV7WGhguCKfLkJBGne> . [4] Disappointing ruling by EU’s highest court sets worrying global precedent for how we share and access information online. Source: OpenMedia <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=3xPQS6KkwjKgyS6tYhlnkOCKfLkJBGne> . [5] Europeans deserve a better copyright reform Source: Communia <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=pt2xXcNSqTH0cDuMUNQxIOCKfLkJBGne> [6] Google stops displaying news snippets from German publishers that sued it. Source: ZDNet <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=IrdzBK7a8BI%2F2n1MlsljVuCKfLkJB…> . [image: OpenMedia] <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=PVymJXXIdSTuq3CVpUMwvuCKfLkJBGne> We are an award-winning network of people and organizations working to safeguard the possibilities of the open Internet. We work toward informed and participatory digital policy. You can follow us on *Twitter* <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=fgGjhtXZm736Zqri8dbigOCKfLkJBGne>, and like us on *Facebook* <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=v9tsIAW9sL7tgsYNavkPxeCKfLkJBGne> . You have received this message, because you have subscribed to OpenMedia's list with the email address rod.aldridge1(a)gmail.com. You can manage your email preferences. <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=tQXg5wXHn5CRpt9McM9OGHeIRo%2Fv1…> If you no longer wish to receive our emails, click here <http://qb.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=1wdSq2cc3QOaQczdMsEN8%2BCKfLkJB…> to unsubscribe.

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Android Users Need To Delete Google Maps and Google Play If They Don't Want Their Locations Tracked
by Peter Reutemann 13 Sep '16

13 Sep '16

'Google, it seems, is very, very interested in knowing where you are at all times. Users have reported battery life issues with the latest Android build, with many pointing the finger at Google Play -- Google's app store -- and its persistent, almost obsessive need to check where you are. Amid complaints that Google Play is always switching on GPS, it appears Google has made it impossible to prevent the app store from tracking your whereabouts unless you completely kill off location tracking for all applications. You can try to deny Google Play access to your handheld's location by opening the Settings app and digging through Apps -> Google Play Store -> Permissions, and flipping the switch for "location." But you'll be told you can't just shut out Google Play services: you have to switch off location services for all apps if you want to block the store from knowing your whereabouts. It's all or nothing, which isn't particularly nice. This is because Google Play services pass on your location to installed apps via an API. The store also sends your whereabouts to Google to process. Google doesn't want you to turn this off.' -- source: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/16/09/13/1634237 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] Building Your Own Laptop
by Ian Stewart 13 Sep '16

13 Sep '16

Hi William, Thanks for your ideas... > I would add the Raspberry Pi 7 inch touch screen. This is a 800 x 480 pixels resolution screen. The RPi is meant to be capable of 1080 vertical lines per frame. With a 16:9 aspect ratio then this is a monitor of 1920x1080 pixels. This seems to be a common pixel ratio with HDTV's. Thus I suspect that due to mass production rates to fill the digital TV market, the price of these monitors should be dropping the fastest. So I would like to see a RPi with a 1920x1080 pixel monitor. I see that these monitors are commonly available in 21.5 and 24 inch. It looks like the 21.5 inch seems to be less popular and prices have dropped below $200. However getting one of these monitors with touchscreen seems to be a bit expensive at the moment. I see there is a company called gechic. They make some touch screen 1920x1080 monitors at 15.6inch. Models include the On-Lap2501H and On-Lap 1502. If you look at... http://www.gechic.com/product_help_en.asp?s=14 ...then there is a photo of a RPi connected to one of these gechic touch-screens. So, maybe it won't be too long before there will be good-sized 1080p touch-screen monitors suitable for RPi at a low price. > Use power banks (super cheap from China). No power in classroom is needed. While it would be nice to be rid of all cables, I think that power banks may be a bit messy to manage. You'd need to put 28 of them onto chargers each night, then hope they lasted the 6+ hours of a school day. If they only produce +5V for the RPi, then you need to also get +5V monitors. Plus their life-span of delivering to specification may not be very long. So I figure having an AC to DC regulator for each row would be more simple and then having DC cabling distributing the power down the row. cheers Ian.

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meeting suggestions
by Peter Reutemann 13 Sep '16

13 Sep '16

Rowan posted the following meeting suggestion (http://www.meetup.com/WaikatoLinuxUsersGroup/events/233762057/) "regarding presenting the ubuntu m10 tablet; due to university i wont be available in september. its possible i could present in october; if not i will def be available in november. i could also demonstrate android on raspberry pi if it works (havnt found time to try it yet). or we could run through installing it together?" I'd suggest to have this meeting in November. As for September, how about we do a roundup of multi-media tools and giving them a quick spin. Here are some that I can think of (feel free to demo your own favorite tool!): - Gimp - Inkscape - Dia - OpenShot - Blender 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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Ubuntu Torrent Removed From Google Due To DMCA Complaint
by Peter Reutemann 13 Sep '16

13 Sep '16

"Cited in a DMCA takedown request filed against Google on behalf of Paramount Pictures is an innocuous link to a 32-bit alternate install image Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS. The takedown request seeks to remove links to a number of torrent URLS that are alleged to infringe on Paramount movie Transformers: Age of Extinction. Ubuntu clearly doesn't. All it takes is a quick glance at the URL in question to see that. It's very much a stock ISO of an old Ubuntu release. And yet Google has complied with the request and scrubbed the link to the page in question from its search index." -- source: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/16/09/12/1515229 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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Building Your Own Laptop
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 13 Sep '16

13 Sep '16

This article <http://www.computershopper.com/feature/build-your-own-laptop> originated several years ago, but says it was updated last year. I am pleasantly surprised to discover there are such things as “barebones” laptops, albeit they still come with somewhat more than you get with a “barebones” desktop box. While there are a range of such laptops available from different vendors, certain components (wi-fi cards and MXM graphics cards) may not be so easy to get. The total price for the build is quoted as USD1352, while “comparable systems with GeForce 8600M graphics were typically running about $250 to $300 more than our build”. Wonder if that included the Windows licence. Also, regardless of the revised article date, it still mentions installing Windows Vista...

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Self-Driving Cars Can Learn a Lot by Playing Grand Theft Auto
by Eric Light 12 Sep '16

12 Sep '16

Self-Driving Cars Can Learna Lot by Playing Grand Theft Auto Technology Review (09/12/16) Will Knight Several research groups are using the "Grand Theft Auto" video game to educate algorithms with potential application to self-driving vehicle navigation. The researchers say the game's scenic elements are extremely realistic, and can be used to produce data on a par with that generated using real-world imagery. A team from Intel Labs and Germany's Darmstadt University created a software layer positioned between the game and a computer's hardware, automatically classifying different objects in the game's road scenes. [...] "We showed that this synthetic data is almost as good, or sometimes even better, than using real data for training," Shafaei says. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602317/self-driving-cars-can-learn-a-lot… -- Securely sent with Tutanota. It's good, you should try it: https://tutanota.com

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Microsoft Fixes Bugs in Skype for Linux
by Peter Reutemann 12 Sep '16

12 Sep '16

'After neglecting Linux's Skype client for years, Microsoft released a new app of Skype for Linux in July, giving comfort to millions of users. The app, however, had a fair share of bugs. Microsoft today has updated the app to iron out those bugs, and introduced a handful of interesting options. An anonymous reader writes: There were plenty of users who complained that Skype for Linux was reconnecting automatically when not using the app for a certain amount of time and Microsoft has already acknowledged the bug. This new version fixes the problem, so everything should work correctly after updating. Additionally, Skype for Linux 1.7 introduces a new grid layout of the group calls, but also fixes the standard behavior of unread messages. According to Microsoft, this means that "when opening chat with unread messages, the view will focus on the first unread message and as you scroll, messages will be marked as read."' -- source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/16/09/12/1414222 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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On a similar DYI theme
by rowan schischka 12 Sep '16

12 Sep '16

>28 x wireless keyboards and mice You definitely should not use so many wireless mice in the same room. keyboards are ok but the interference and drops on the mice are frustrating. We used them in a room of about 16 poeple and we had to convert to wired. Also you might want to check if r pis bluetooth has drivers yet. >For each row have a wireless ethernet router pretty sure a hub/switch is cheaper, you can get 10/100 for under $20 -- Kind Regards Rowan Schischka

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IoT Devices With Default Telnet Passwords Used As Botnet
by Peter Reutemann 12 Sep '16

12 Sep '16

'IoT devices, like DVR recorders or webcams, which are running Linux with open telnet access and have no passwords or default passwords are currently a target of attacks which try to install malware which then makes the devices a node of a botnet for DDoS attacks. As the malware, called Linux/Mirai, only resides in memory, once the attack has been successful, revealing if your device got captured isn't so easy, and also analyzing the malware is difficult, as it will vanish on reboot. Plus the malware lays low at first, though "it is obvious that the main purpose is still for a DDoS botnet," according to MalwareMustDie, and it's designed to spread rapidly to other IoT devices using a telnet scanner. "According to the experts, several attacks have been detected in the wild," according to the article, which warns that many antivirus solutions are still unable to detect the malware, and "If you have an IoT device, please make sure you have no telnet service open and running."' -- source: https://it.slashdot.org/story/16/09/11/1155202 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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Ubuntu-Based Elementary OS 0.4 'Loki' Achieves Stable Release
by Peter Reutemann 12 Sep '16

12 Sep '16

'"Today, Elementary 0.4 (code-named 'Loki'), achieves stable status," BetaNews reported Friday, applauding the "clean and functional" app tiles in its software center. Elementary OS (stylized as elementary OS) isn't the most popular Linux distro, and it certainly isn't the best. However, this Ubuntu-based operating system is focusing on something that some competitors do not -- user interface, which ultimately contributes to the overall user experience. It is because of this that Elementary is so important to the Linux community -- it matters. Developers focused on internationalization for this release, part of an effort to "grow the market" for open-souce software, according to the elementary blog, which proudly points out that 73% of the 1.2 million downloads for their "design-oriented" OS came from closed-source operating systems.' -- source: https://news.slashdot.org/story/16/09/11/1912231 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 3.14 Series Has Reached End of Life
by Peter Reutemann 11 Sep '16

11 Sep '16

"it looks like the Linux kernel maintainers decided that there's no need to maintain the Linux kernel 3.14 LTS series anymore, so earlier today, September 11, 2016, they decided to release that last maintenance update, version 3.14.79, and mark the series as EOL (End of Life). Famous Linux kernel maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman was the one to make the big announcement, and he's urging users who want to still run a long-term supported kernel version to move to the Linux 4.4 LTS series, which is currently the most advanced LTS branch, or use the latest stable release, Linux kernel 4.7.3... Linux kernel 3.14.79 is a very small update that changes a total of 12 files, with 45 insertions and 17 deletions, thus fixing a bug in the EXT4 file system, a networking issue related to the Reliable Datagram Sockets (RDS) protocol, and updating a few HID, s390, SCSI, networking drivers." -- source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/16/09/11/2258223 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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mail servers
by rowan schischka 10 Sep '16

10 Sep '16

can someone please recommend a lightweight open source mail server. I'm looking at connecting up my old android phone to a solar charger and running services from it, so whatever i use needs to be small. the phone i have to work with that has 512mb ram. android itself uses around 220-230mb of ram, thats before i go silly on rooting it and removing stuff, not that theres much to remove. -- Kind Regards Rowan Schischka

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LinuxScreenshots.org Closes. All Screenshot Tours Released For Downloading
by Peter Reutemann 10 Sep '16

10 Sep '16

"LinuxScreenshots.org is closed. An archive of all screenshot tours from this site has been made freely available to the community, which consists of 2300 releases from 580 distributions. You may download this archive for fun, or to start your own Linux screenshots website. Please help seed torrents. " -- source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/16/09/10/1856227 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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10 Million Raspberry πs Sold
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 09 Sep '16

09 Sep '16

The π is definitely now the most successful British computer ever <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/08/rasberry_pi_sells_its_ten_millionth…>.

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meeting suggestions
by rowan schischka 08 Sep '16

08 Sep '16

>I've scheduled the meeting now for October 24 - you're OK with that? I can do October 24th -- Kind Regards Rowan Schischka

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How Windows Handles Pathnames
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 08 Sep '16

08 Sep '16

A Google engineer has published a detailed exposé on how Microsoft Windows handles file and directory pathnames (as opposed to how it is documented to handle them) <http://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-definitive-guide-on-win32…> (found from <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/03/01/windows_path_hacks/>). Most of it, it could be argued, makes some sort of sense from a backward-compatibility rationale. Except for the reserved device names (PRN, NUL, CON etc): Now if just specifying these paths explicitly was all that this process handled it would be annoying but not the end of the world. However it’s much worse. The conversion process actively tries to convert any path with the device name last, even if the path is a Drive Absolute path. To make matters even worse the device name can have arbitrary trailing characters as long the trailing characters are separated from the device by a dot or a colon. The name can then also have trailing spaces. ... Why it does the check is beyond me as it seems to serve no actual purpose. Also note the removal of trailing suffixes, which can come in handy if something is actively trying to guard against this behavior. For example, if an application was mindful and was checking for a filename that matched one of the reserved names you can just bypass that check by appending an arbitrary suffix.

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Sony Wins Battle Over Preinstalled Windows in Europe's Top Court
by Peter Reutemann 07 Sep '16

07 Sep '16

'The sale of a computer equipped with pre-installed software isn't an unfair commercial practice because most customers prefer to buy a laptop they can use straight away, Europe's top court has ruled in a victory for Sony. "Failure to indicate the price of each item of pre-installed software" isn't misleading, the Court of Justice of the European Union added in its ruling on Wednesday. The CJEU was asked to intervene after French citizen Vincent Deroo-Blanquart took Sony to court for failing to reimburse the cost of pre-installed software -- Windows Vista Home Premium operating system -- that he did not wish to use on a laptop. Sony refused and instead offered to cancel the sale altogether. ' -- source: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/16/09/07/1411229 Bummer... 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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Fujitsu’s Upcoming 64-Bit-ARM-Based Super
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 07 Sep '16

07 Sep '16

Some discussion about why Fujitsu chose ARM over SPARC or x86 for its “Post-K” machine: <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/23/fujitsu_arm_post_k/>. Basically, it offers a much more customizable platform. Goes without saying it will be running Linux...

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DNF Versus Zypper
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 06 Sep '16

06 Sep '16

Unlike the uniform dpkg+apt system in the Debian world, RPM-based distros have adopted a variety of approaches to add automatic management of dependencies on top of the basic functionality of the rpm tool itself: Red Hat originally developed Yum, which they have replaced with DNF; SuSE created Zypper, but before these, Mandrake had urpmi. Now Mageia (the successor to Mandrake) has also adopted Red Hat’s DNF <http://phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Megia-6-To-Have-DNF-Yum> as an alternative to urpmi. There are some interesting comments in the associated discussion by a Mageia developer with the handle “King InuYasha”, who did an evaluation of DNF versus Zypper before deciding to adopt the former.

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