COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

[Stanley]

"I sent an email to a Baronet last night at about 8 pm." Now there's a phrase to toy with in your mind.......
I always remember when Janet had the task of moving the data from one incredibly secret and well protected network to the new facility she had designed and built. She was given an incredibly complicated set of instructions by her superiors in Fujitsu but told them to piss off, it was her responsibility and she was doing it her way. She personally downloaded the data sets onto transferable media and put them in her bag. Watched the old hard disks being physically destroyed (I believe oxy acetylene gas axes were employed!) and then went out to her previously arranged convoy of three police vehicles manned by armed sworn officers and a helicopter chase escort, got into the car and was taken to the new location where she personally input the data, tested the installation and watched the media she had used being physically destroyed. She said that her version was as near foolproof as possible. Fujitsu's method was digital and had so many bells and whistles it was vulnerable. She was not sacked.

[PanBiker]

Flawed procedure there Stanley or may be lost in the telling. Successful copy of the data onto the destination media should have been verified before destroying the source. If the original site was incredibly secure as described it would have been no detriment to the procedure and a lot safer. There was also the risk of losing the only existing copy of the data in transit in the event of accident. Basic backup rules would dictate more than one copy also.

[Big Kev]

A single point of failure there, our InfoSec team would have hit the roof if we'd even suggested that...

[Stanley]

I think she had more back-ups than she let on...... She wouldn't have told me everything, only the edited version. She was a smart cookie..... The police loved her to bits but did her for speeding a couple of months later!

[Tizer]

While searching for something else I came across these alternative smartphones and tablets. An Ubuntu OS version for such devices was being developed called Ubuntu Touch. The developer was Canonical which is the commercial side of Ubuntu but they've abandoned the project `due to insufficient market interest' which I think boils down to the usual suspects dominating the market. It's been taken over by UP Ports but I don't think their is anywhere you can find them in Britain. UB Ports

[Stanley]

What a pity they can't break into the market. I wish them luck.

[Tizer]

We've weakened and bought a Samsung Tab A tablet. I went to Tesco yesterday to buy a microSD card and a USB-to-microUSB cable. I got the cable but they hadn't got a microSDcard of any type or price, just an empty rack with labels, even though it's a big branch and has a Tesco Mobile in-store shop. So I left the car there and walked into town to WH Smiths. Same problem - no microSD cards, just an empty rack. In the end I got one at the Wilko shop. No wonder the bricks & mortar retailers are in trouble - if they don't have the stuff we want what's the point of being there?

[plaques]

Bought a micro SD card from Tesco on line cheaper than any others on offer. Picked it up at our small local shop three days later when I was in town. The whole shopping profile has changed. Just bought a garden gadget, again on line, from Aldi. Delivery free on items over £20. Not worth the trouble of going down to the local store to find out that they have sold out.

[PanBiker]

A few different models of the Samsung Tiz depending on facilities and size. Which one have you gone for?

[Tizer]

Tab A 10 inch 32GB...and black!

[Tizer]

This is the one Ian: LINK I'm beginning to understand it now. It felt strange at first because I'm used to everything being accessed via hierarchical file systems - remember I'm not a smartphone user except for the occasional texts on Mrs Tiz's Samsung. I don't like the way everything tries to mug me and get me to sign up to things but I do like the convenience of displaying our photos and browsing the web. Can you recommend a simple text editor app, a bit like Notepad? I just want to be able to write something short when I think of it and save it then transfer it to the PC at a later stage. The tablet has a Memo function which saves the text but I can't find it stored in a file anywhere.

[PanBiker]

I downloaded one called Fast Notepad. it allows you to create titled notes. Don't really know if you can save them out though must have a look. The beauty of Android is that there are thousands of apps in the store, trick is finding the one that does all you need. If you stick to the free ones though they are easy enough to try and just as easy to change.

[Tizer]

Thanks for the suggestion, it looks like it should do the job: Fast Notepad Their web page says: `In the options, you can change the font size and the folder where the notes get saved.' That sounds like what I need and I'll give it a try. I've already downloaded the Astro file manager which looks good, although it probably does much more than I need! At least it boasts `no ads'.

[Tripps]

I use Evernote for major note taking and info saving. The free version is fully functional, and enough for me.

I have now found Google Keep for simple quick notes etc. It has the major benefit (for me) of synchronising immediately to my PC.

As Ian says - there are hundreds of Applications available. Try until you find one that suits - they are mainly free, and very easy to discard if you don't like them.

[plaques]

Taking things to an extreme, is it possible to turn my laptop into a phone? Mainly thinking of things like Whatsapp or other texting facilities.

[Big Kev]

Taking things to an extreme, is it possible to turn my laptop into a phone? Mainly thinking of things like Whatsapp or other texting facilities.

You can use Skype or similar for voice calls, Whatsapp can be used on a Windows platform and there are various websites that provide the functionality to send text messages to phone networks. So, yes, it is possible

[PanBiker]

Thanks for the suggestion, it looks like it should do the job: Fast Notepad Their web page says: `In the options, you can change the font size and the folder where the notes get saved.' That sounds like what I need and I'll give it a try. I've already downloaded the Astro file manager which looks good, although it probably does much more than I need! At least it boasts `no ads'.

Yes, I had a poke round and can see that you can change where the files are stored. You will need the USB lead to get them transferred though. Don't need the facility myself. I use mine for stuff like the RAC breakdown built into my car insurance, they need the policy number and Insurer if you call for assistance, the notepad is ideal for that. No adds attached either.

[Stanley]

This all goes to demonstrate how far behind I am in mobile technology. I am not going into a decline......

[Pluggy]

You can use whatsapp on any computer via https://web.whatsapp.com/ It absolutely still needs the phone though since its dependent on the phone number to communicate. The standalone windows version also needs the phone.

[plaques]

Thanks for that Pluggy, Must give it a try. Mrs P has a cheapo phone with a relatively, compared with current models, screen. She tends to hit the adjacent key to the one she hopes to hit so the keyboard may be the answer.

[Stanley]

That's how Pluggy set mine up and it works flawlessly. The screen on the phone is no use to me, on the big screen via the computer it's a doddle.

[Big Kev]

You can use whatsapp on any computer via https://web.whatsapp.com/ It absolutely still needs the phone though since its dependent on the phone number to communicate. The standalone windows version also needs the phone.

It doesn't need to be a mobile phone though, you can get the Windows version to send the activation code via voice message.

[Pluggy]

I stand corrected.

[Tizer]

This should wind up Trump and might make US politicians get more firm with the big IT companies...
`Google bosses expected to snub Senate' LINK
`When Silicon Valley companies once again appear in front of the US Senate on Wednesday, there will be one major absentee: Google. The Senate Intelligence Committee wanted to hear from Sundar Pichai, Google’s chief executive, or his boss Larry Page, the chief executive of Google’s parent firm, Alphabet. Barring a dramatic, last-minute change of plan, the BBC understands neither will attend. It would mark the first time a technology firm has refused to comply with the wishes of Congress since the far-reaching inquiries into misinformation and meddling began in the wake of the 2016 election. Google had instead hoped to send Kent Walker, one of its top lawyers. The offer was abruptly shut down by the committee. Its vice chairman, the Democratic Senator Mark Warner, said an empty chair would be left out to represent Google’s non-appearance. Eventually, senators may issue a subpoena, forcing an appearance under the threat of prosecution. ...'

[Stanley]

They are the new Lords of the Universe......