COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

[Stanley]

That's a good result.....

[chinatyke]

We stayed overnight in Shenzhen whilst we were returning from Hong Kong. It's where they make a lot of computers and phones including Apple stuff. I picked up a laptop with Intel Core i7 7th generation chipset, like lightning for file transfers and things like that. It will eat anything I can throw at it. Now I have to refamiliarise myself with Windows as Windows7 and Windows10 are loaded. I'd love to investigate Ubuntu but don't feel confident enough to install it at the moment. Still using my old Mac at the moment.

[Tizer]

Find somebody who'll give you their old desktop PC for nowt. Download the Ubuntu 32 or 64 bit as appropriate. Burn it on a disk. Install it over the old Windows software. It's very easy and there's lots of information on the Web to help you. Before installing, you can use the disk as a ` live CD' and run the OS from it to find out what Ubuntu is like. Then you can install direct from the live CD session if you wish.

[Stanley]

Go for it China..... I promise you'll not regret it. (And all that free software!)

[chinatyke]

Find somebody who'll give you their old desktop PC for nowt. Download the Ubuntu 32 or 64 bit as appropriate. Burn it on a disk. Install it over the old Windows software. It's very easy and there's lots of information on the Web to help you. Before installing, you can use the disk as a ` live CD' and run the OS from it to find out what Ubuntu is like. Then you can install direct from the live CD session if you wish.

Thanks. I started reading up about the installation and the first obstacle I came across was a lot of new computers including mine don't have dvd drives, although I do possess a USB external dvd drive. My Mac is faulty and won't connect to this external dvd (one of the reasons I'm replacing the old Mac), but I'm sure I can connect it to my new laptop and burn a dvd, just haven't tried yet. I haven't got to grips with the memory card slot yet. The next obstacle I found was that the Intel i7 7th generation chipset is specifically designed for Windows10. I was running Windows 7 and some W7 updates couldn't be installed and warned me about my chipset. So now I'm messing with Windows 10, which I like so far and have set it as my default OS on boot-up.
Ubuntu isn't a priority but I definitely intend installing it soon.
Little by little we're getting there...

[Whyperion]

I find with Android on tablets/mobiles a real problem with easy to use cut and paste (am I missing some kind of keyboard etc shortcut) and also on browsing to 'go forward' ie return to, from a browse page I have gone back to, also on phone no multiple browser windows?

[Stanley]

"The next obstacle I found was that the Intel i7 7th generation chipset is specifically designed for Windows10."
Is that the case Pluggy? Sounds incredibly short sighted.

[Pluggy]

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/0 ... e_amd_zen/

In Windows land, the new fangled processors will only run Windows 10. But we're not in Windoze land.........

[Tizer]

..the first obstacle I came across was a lot of new computers including mine don't have dvd drives..

I did say `find an old computer'! There must be lots of them being given away.

[Pluggy]

Its fairly easy to make a bootable USB memory stick serve as a DVD drive / DVD. Its a real pain to do in windows but its dead easy from Ubuntu. Fire
up another computer from the UBuntu DVD.

Then follow the very simple instructions here : https://tutorials.ubuntu.com/tutorial/t ... n-ubuntu#0

Then you plug that into the DVD less special and set it to boot from USB drive.

Of course the broad assumption here is you have a spare USB stick......

[Pluggy]

..the first obstacle I came across was a lot of new computers including mine don't have dvd drives..

I did say `find an old computer'! There must be lots of them being given away.

Just put an old Laptop with a duff mainboard outside ready to dump, the DVD drive in that is probably serviceable.......

They usually still have slots to put 'em in, they just stick a lump of plastic in there to cover the hole.

[chinatyke]

Thanks, Stephen. I've bookmarked the links for when I get around to installing Ubuntu. I'm taking it slowly at the moment, I don't want to upset a functioning system. Windows 10 seems to have received some bad publicity but I like it, although I'm only scratching the surface with the tasks I throw at it.
My chipset ran Windows 7 but some of the updates warned me they weren't supported and couldn't be installed. 48 updates for Windows 7 OS and I'd only had the computer 2 days!
This was the first I'd heard about the 7th generation chipset being 'matched' to Windows 10. Anyway, I'm happy at the moment.

[Stanley]

I read that link on the new chips and W10 and it confirms all my doubts about Windows land!

[Tizer]

I noticed this news today:
`Router hack risk 'not limited to Virgin Media'' LINK
"A weakness that left thousands of Virgin Media routers vulnerable to attack also affects devices by other providers, security experts suggest. Virgin Media's Super Hub 2 was criticised for using short default passwords that could easily be cracked by attackers. But experts raised concerns that older routers provided by BT, Sky, TalkTalk and others were also at risk. They recommend users change their router password from the default."...."Many routers are sent to customers with a default wi-fi password already set up. Some use a long password with mixture of upper and lower-case letters, numbers and sometimes symbols. But others use short passwords with a limited selection of characters, and many follow a pattern than can be identified by attackers. The Virgin Media Super Hub 2 used passwords that were just eight characters long, and used only lower-case letters. That gives cyber-criminals a framework to help them crack passwords quickly, using a dedicated computer."..."Experts recommend that people change the default wi-fi password and router's admin password, using long and complex passwords to make life more difficult for attackers."

I decided to look up details of my Plusnet router and found this page: LINK
I notice it says `Your [wifi] password's ten characters long with letters and numbers.' At least that sounds a bit better than the Virgin Media passwords! But as well as the Plusnet router they fitted a BT Openreach router upstream of it. I wonder if that has a strong password?

[Stanley]

My Talktalk router has a long password with mixed characters..... It was changed when I went on to fibre. I suppose some older ones may be different.

[Tizer]

News just out...
`Google hit with record EU fine over Shopping service' LINK
"Google has been fined 2.42bn euros ($2.7bn; £2.1bn) by the European Commission after it ruled the company had abused its power by promoting its own shopping comparison service at the top of search results. The amount is the regulator's largest penalty to date against a company accused of distorting the market. The ruling also orders Google to end its anti-competitive practices within 90 days or face a further penalty. The US firm signalled it may appeal. However, if it fails to change the way it operates the Shopping service within the three-month deadline, it could be forced to make payments of 5% of its parent company Alphabet's average daily worldwide earnings."

[chinatyke]

Absolutely ridiculous ruling by the EU nutters. Of course you promote yourself on your own company website that was developed with huge investment. I hope Google/Alphabet win their appeal. Companies like Google need to be encouraged not stifled by silly rulings in Europe and China.

Google Earth, in my opinion this is the greatest free program ever.

[Stanley]

China, if you were to read 'Move Fast and Break Things' which lifts the lid off how Google operates and the considerable downside to their activities you might change your mind.

[Tizer]

`How White House officials were 'fooled by email prankster'' LINK
"A UK hacker reportedly fooled top White House officials into engaging in fake email exchanges. The self-proclaimed "email prankster" convinced a senior cyber security adviser he was the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, CNN says. He also goaded the then media chief, Anthony Scaramucci, in the guise of ex-chief of staff Reince Priebus."

[Stanley]

And the security of all of us could depend on flawed systems like these. A hand written letter delivered personally is still the most secure method of communication......

[Tizer]

I was complaining recently that our ISP, Plusnet, would charge us around £60 for moving our broadband to the new address even though there is no engineer's visit. Now I find that the people moving into our house are being charged £150 for the same thing! The broadband companies are out of control and making a mint out of all these charges and by tying customers into contracts. What's the point of the Government telling us to switch suppliers when we are tied into ever longer contracts?

[Tripps]

I went to Sainsbury's yesterday. When I got home I found a notification message on my smart phone asking if I'd like to comment on my visit. This puzzled me, since how did 'they' know I'd been there? I have no connection with them, and paid in cash.

A bit of clumsy research showed that it looks like Google are stalking me, and when I spend a bit of time in a business with which they have a deal - I'm asked for a comment. I stumbled across a list of places I'd been near at the same time, which included a hospital, and an Army barracks.

I'm not sure why they think this approach will produce a favourable result for Sainsbury's. It certainly won't next time. I'm not expert on smart phones, and I'm sure it could be stopped with a bit more skill than I have, but I find this whole business a bit sinister.

[PanBiker]

Turn off the location function on your smartphone, it will be in settings. It's that which turns it into a tracking device. If you are really paranoid you can turn of the GPS function as well but no good then for useful stuff like navigation apps and maps and other utilities that use the function. Location is the main one though.

[Stanley]

Big Brother David...... Janet was right, they are trying to take over the world.

[Tizer]

Lots of web sites now throw up a window when you first visit saying `Will you let us have your location?" followed by Yes/No buttons. They always get No from me.