Posts by TheVogon

Re: Tightwads

Hopefully Microsoft will release a Windows Mobile installer for Android handsets via their work with Cyanogen, then at least there will be a more secure OS update option.

(From existing dual boot testing on the same hardware, we already know WM is faster and the battery lasts longer too.)

Re: Meh!

The people who are getting Windows 10 updates right now are those that signed up to get alpha and beta code via the Windows Insider process.

i.e. they agreed to test potentially buggy software.

We therefore can't draw any conclusions as to what might be released to production Windows 10 systems from what such early test users see.

Re: Crippleware

"Windows Server editions below "Enterprise" have limits on the number of HyperV VMs you can run"

No they don't. See https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=29189

Any install of Hyper-V supports up to 1,024 VMs per host (or up to 8,000 VMs per cluster)

"the number of RADIUS clients you have have"

Again - no - NPS is not scalability limited by version.

"Windows running on EC2 has a hard limit of 2 RDP sessions"

All Windows versions have a hard limit of 2 RDP sessions - unless you enable Remote Desktop Services.

Re: What should Microsoft's enterprise clients do now?

"Windows -> Linux

Active Directory -> OpenLDAP + Samba

Exchange/Outlook -> Zimbra, Google docs, etc

Office -> LibreOffice

SharePoint -> Liferay, Alfresco, etc"

That's sounds like a great list of what to do if you want to make life hell for all your employees...

"Windows Mobile 10 is already well polished even though its still in preview "

I'm a big fan of Windows Phone / Mobile - especially for business / enterprise use, but if you say it's well polished at the monent then I have to disagree. If you used it for 5 minutes you might think that, but if you use it as your primary phone for a substantial period then you woudl find that there are still many issues and shortcomings to be fixed.

Re: Bi-polar OS 2.0

What you say about the current state of Windows Mobile 10 OS is true, but what you don't seem to make very clear is that it not even really a beta yet. I woudlnt recommend it for day to day use and neither do Microsoft. The Mobile version of Windows 10 isnt RTM until ~ October. So we have at least another 3 months or so before we should be making any conclusions as to the final product.

Re: What's up DOC?

"The Gendarmerie did a full transition to Linux for their desktop environment in 2013"

I would imagine that their IT needs were extremely basic. Mostly filling in automated forms for instance. Open Source office software clearly doesnt cut it for any real business needs, or more companies would use it.

Re: If you can't beat them...

"Microsoft Office handles a previous version of ODF, either 1.0 or 1.1, I forget which.

It does not support ODF 1.2 recently ratified as an ISO standard (although in very long term use):"

Nope, Office 2013+ fully supports ODF 1.2 in Excel, Word and Powerpoint, and Office 365 supported it since May 2015.

"has recommended that French authorities ditch Microsoft Office tools in favour of the Open Document Format"

The best option for using the most recent version of ODF at the moment IS Microsoft Office. Also the first question it asks you when you launch Office 2010 is do you want to use ODF or XML formats.

This will likely be as successful as the French campaign not to use English words (not very)....

Re: Annoys me sooo much

"I pay myself a 'normal' wage and pay employers NI and tax etc"

Then you need a decent accountant. You absolutely shouldn't be doing that unless you want to give more of your money to the government...

"Try being a public sector IT worker!"

Try not being one then. In my experience of government employees, you can quickly tell why many of them haven't succeeded in getting a job in the real world. If that's not you then leave...

Re: "At which point, believe it or not, the government will get less tax, not more"

"I guess the Tories will just have to cut even more public services "

Great, I would rather choose to buy services I need rather than be forced to pay for those I don't.

"and sell off the NHS even faster"

Just to point out that the last Labour government privatised approx. 10 times the value of NHS services that the Conservative ever have.

Re: Annoys me sooo much

"they have to pay not only income tax and employees' NI but also employers' NI"

Not unless they have a useless accountant. They should not normally be paying ANY of the above as a contractor. They should be paying corporation tax and dividend tax only.

". I'm a contractor, and think the modest tax increase is not unreasonable."

+1

Especially as at the same time they are making life increasingly uncomfortable for scroungers that don't want to work, and those that are unreasonably subsidised by the state by being in social housing when they could afford commercial rents, or have extra rooms that they don't need.

Re: @The Vogon OpenSSH

"on the other - badly written OS pawned by displaying text"

Which if you read the details at least requires end user interaction.

The Open SSL exploit originally used by Slapper and the password issue above could be used to attack *NIX systems with no user interaction.

"the material difference is that an MS font rendering vuln gives root to the attacker whereas vulns such as Heartbleed compromise user processes"

Linux has had plenty of remote vulnerabilities that either give root directly or can be combined with numerous privilege escalation vulnerabilities to get root. For instance the original Slapper Worm - which spread via Open SSL!

I note that as well as the previously mentioned Open SSL remote get root exploits used by Slapper, today we find that Open SSH can allow 10,000 logon attempts per 2 minutes!!

It's a shame Linux doesn't have sensible and modular architecture that can control authentication centrally and not allow an application to compromise something so basic as account lockouts!

See http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/07/bug-in-widely-used-openssh-opens-servers-to-password-cracking/

"Closed source development hides faults so that the customers don't get scared off. "

Thanks to Open SSL etc, we know that the quality of Open Source code is often awful with zero proper security reviews in 18+ years...so being in public view doesn't mean anything is secure.

"that should tell you all you need to know about the accuracy of vulnerability counts for closed source."

It doesn't tell me anything about vulnerability counts for Microsoft OSs. However (seeing as Linux isn't really used on the desktop), try comparing defacement via remote exploit rates for internet facing webserver OSs, or malware levels on mobile phone OSs then...

Re: Adobe crapware again?

"NT was a server OS"

So I must have been imagining Windows NT Workstation 3.5, 3.51 and 4.0?

Re: Adobe crapware again?

Did you just get out of a Delorian? Windows Server has had a GUI free option since Server 2008 and it was the default install mode since Server 2012.

Should we kill Linux too then? The Linux kernel alone has had far more holes than any version of Windows. Or how about OS-X - that's on over 2,000 known holes now.

Windows might have it's holes, but it has fewer than most of the competition.

Re: Arctic sea ice extent for June 2015 was the third lowest in the satellite record.

"You realize that the two reports are measuring two different things, right?

Sea ice extent vs Sea ice thickness

Which one is more important?"

Likely extent as a smaller ice extent impacts how much of the ocean surface is less reflective and will absorb more heat from the sun.

However the sea ice isn't what we really need to worry about as it is floating and when it melts doesn't cause sea level rise. The real issue is the ice shelves and glaciers - some of which do seem to be melting - and even if we stopped emitting CO2 tomorrow will likely already cause an eventual rise in sea level of several metres.

"Clear evidence that Al Gore was right"

At least in regards to Anthropomorphic Global Warming, that hasn't been in any credible scientific doubt for at least a decade now.

"and government energy policies are having the required effect"

If the desired policy is to put heads in the sand and pretend it isn't happening, and the required effect being larger short term corporate profits then yes.

"Until it is crippled, disabled or removed by an update MS stuck on because they can or if you neber wanted it in the first place, tough."

I think you are confusing Microsoft with Sony.

Re: Microsoft were betting on Intel reaching 10nm sooner, for 'Phone' use.

"Windows Phone / Windows 10 Mobile is for ARM only."

Nope. Windows Mobile 10 fully supports Intel too, such as the upcoming X3 SoFIA chipset....

Re: So on the 30th...

"Windows Mobile 10. So that the code name for Windows 10 SP1?"

To a degree, yes. What will be released as Windows Mobile 10 will effectively be an updated release of Windows 10.

The majority of work still needed (speaking as someone currently testing Windows Mobile build 10166) is on the mobile specific stuff and core apps, but I'm sure the core OS will updated too as the RTM is allegedly somewhat later in Q4...

"you will have todo all permissions file by file, which is rubbish if you do the same on the windows folder"

No - no you don't. Just because you don't understand it doesn't make it broken. If you screwed up the permissions on your Windows folder, run this from an elevated Command Prompt:

secedit /configure /cfg %windir%\inf\defltbase.inf /db defltbase.sdb /verbose

"folder security permissions not inheriting on child folders and files is still probably broken like in windows 7"

This has never been broken as far as I know. You realise inherritance can be deliberately disabled? I suspect the actual problem is somewhere between your chair and keyboard...

"administrators group overrides authenticated users, and users,"

No, it can coexist as a separate permission. It doesnt override anything.

"you should`nt need one or the other or both"

Yes you should for a secure system. Admin / root rights should always require a different account from your normal use.

"take a new install, and program files, add administrators to the audio and ownership, and then administrators group to all child objects,"

Works fine for me. Adminstrators group has access to the Program Files folder by default though so you wouldn't need to add it unless you already screwed something up...

"and all permission will be broke in windows 7"

I assume you mean broken. Broke as an adjective only means out of money!

Re: Hell just froze over

That's more support on the end of a phone than you get from most Linux distros...