COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

[Sue]

Ok Ian. I have downloaded the google chrome app for iPads and accessed the site through that. Watch this space!

[PanBiker]

Good, post how you get on Sue.

[Pluggy]

Is this about teaching Apple which way is up when it comes to images ?

[Sue]

Is this about teaching Apple which way is up when it comes to images ?

Ha ha

[Sue]

So far so good Ian

[Sue]

Well that was an interesting one, I accidently used my old method of getting on one guy to find I was logged out. Rather than log in I went on the google chrome and found I was still logged in

[PanBiker]

It looks like its an issue with the Safari browser then Sue.

[Sue]

That is the conclusion I came to, as well.

[Tizer]

One day we won't have to make any decisions, Someone Out There will make them all for us, whether we want it or not!

[Stanley]

Tiz, I have news for you.... it's happening now!

[Pluggy]

I don't think its too far away when machines start thinking for themselves. Doesn't bear thinking about, I'm glad I'm at this end of my life.......

I got over 'brave new world' decades back.

[Stanley]

That's one of the reasons I like Mrs Harrison...... She hasn't a thought in her head!

[Tizer]

Tiz, I have news for you.... it's happening now!

Facebook and Google are doing it all the time and making a lot of money out of it too. The Times has been running excerpts from this new book and it's both fascinating and depressing to read. A lot about how the tech companies use `permissiveness' and blitzkrieg tactics to get what they want - like when Google ignored all copyright law and went ahead with putting every book on its web pages for free. There are many similar examples.

[Stanley]

Reminds me of Dennis Wheatley (The Beast 666). His motto was "do what you will".

[Stanley]

Looking on at the IT debacle exposed by the ransom hacking attack this week reminds us all of the dangers of running outdated OS systems in this day and age. It also brings security to the fore. As a Ubuntu user I get regular security updates, many of them small and all of them free. In addition I do not pay for any other security services and have never heard the term 'firewall' applied to Linux systems. Apparently we are still too small a community ad so well protected that we aren't worth attacking. Long may this continue, it's so nice to have this sense of security.
If any of you are thinking of upgrading I'd urge you to consider Ubuntu, it totally changed my computing life. What had been a constant pain and expense suddenly became enjoyable, no hassles and free! Can't be bad......

[Pluggy]

You can have a firewall applied to Linux if you want, essential if you're running a server, but stock desktop Ubuntu doesn't have any Internet ports open, so theres nothing for a firewall to protect.

The NHS (and many Private companies) are still awash with Windows XP. Its got past just plain insecure now, its a downright liability.

[Big Kev]

The NHS (and many Private companies) are still awash with Windows XP. Its got past just plain insecure now, its a downright liability.

Tell me about it...

[Stanley]

Janet used to cite me as an example to members of her various teams. She loved the fact that I was chasing independence from Microsoft and all their works by seeking the latest OS but funnily enough ran Windows on her own computer.....

[Tizer]

She probably ran it on Windows because she needed proprietary software that was designed only for Windows. That's always been one of the main factors holding back Linux from more general use. When we were running our publishing business we did it primarily on Ubuntu Linux from about 2006 but I kept an old PC offline because I needed access to Pagemaker software. At the time when I was switching to Linux I read a long detailed article in a Linux magazine warning how the Royal Navy used so much Windows software in its systems. The concern partly to do with it being foreign-owned and the code kept secret by Microsoft, and partly the vulnerability. I hope the RN and the rest of our military are better prepared now.

[plaques]

Remember Microsoft is an American outfit. In times of real international conflict when ballistic missiles are on the move they will switch everything off. Computers, satellite guidance systems, communications. everything.

[Stanley]

Exactly right Tiz. Funny thing is that she and Big Harry used Linux for all their serious programming. The biggest bullet to bite when you switch to Ubuntu is that you have to ditch the familiar and learn new programmes. At my level I have never found this a problem.

[Stanley]

PE has some interesting facts about the use of Windows XP in the NHS and also the police services. Up to 2010 the government paid Microsoft £65million annually for the licenses in the NHS and also extended support. The Tory government stopped this. Step forward the culprit, one Andrew Lansley. Did that bloke ever get anything right?

[Tizer]

This could be useful for those in rural Britain who can't get fast broadband...
`Google owner Alphabet balloons connect flood-hit Peru' LINK
"“Tens of thousands” of Peruvians have been getting online using Project Loon, the ambitious connectivity project from Google's parent company, Alphabet. Project Loon uses tennis court-sized balloons carrying a small box of equipment to beam internet access to a wide area below."...

[chinatyke]

I've been having difficulties with my Mac computer not behaving as it should and I suspected the mouse was playing up and sending spurious requests. Today I spent the princely sum of 10 rmb (£1.11) on a new mouse, I'm the last of the big spenders. The difference is amazing and everything is back to normal! I was considering buying a new computer when I pop down to Hong Kong next month and had done some research on Ubuntu OS, but maybe my Crapple will last another few years even though it won't run the latest Sierra OS, which is a free upgrade.

[Stanley]

China, the best thing about Ubuntu is they don't want to imprison you or make money off you. Not a bad start! Add in a reliable OS with constant free automatic upgrades and you have a strong contender!