Quite a big "Ouch!" for those 'trusting' in 'Digital Restrictions Management' for their ebooks:


The day the e-books stopped working

Consumers who bought ebooks via Microsoft's online store are losing access to their libraries...

... Titles purchased or offered for free will no longer be available.

Out-of-pocket users are, however, being offered refunds including a $25 (£20) credit if they made highlights or notes, which will also be lost...



That is still little comfort or recompense for anyone that was relying on that service or had invested their own time in organizing what they might have assumed to be 'their' collection...

Beware all aspects of "DRM"!

See "Guide to DRM-Free Living: Literature" for if you can escape!


IT is what we allow it to be...
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

They told me Linux was secure and Android is Linux

Seems it's big business basically lying about what their apps can and cant do. Samsung for one, if you can't trust the number one Android phone supplier not to lie about it's app then who can you trust?

Hardly comparable to hacking or faults in code, as these apps are designed to do exactly what they do. They just do it silently.

Peoples data is the big new premium money spinner.

While Android is based on Linux, it is a much "simpler " version where the user has actually less control than Windows.

How many Android uses have a good security program, I do and it alerts me to apps that are "phoning home" so I can disable them if necessary.

They told me Linux was secure and Android is Linux

Seems it's big business basically lying about what their apps can and cant do. Samsung for one, if you can't trust the number one Android phone supplier not to lie about it's app then who can you trust?

Hardly comparable to hacking or faults in code, as these apps are designed to do exactly what they do. They just do it silently.

Peoples data is the big new premium money spinner.

While Android is based on Linux, it is a much "simpler " version where the user has actually less control than Windows.

How many Android uses have a good security program, I do and it alerts me to apps that are "phoning home" so I can disable them if necessary.

Well http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man7/capabilities.7.html is the Droid kernel stripped of these? Or does Droid automatically give too many of these to any installed program so they can go around "blocks?"

They told me Linux was secure and Android is Linux

Seems it's big business basically lying about what their apps can and cant do. Samsung for one, if you can't trust the number one Android phone supplier not to lie about it's app then who can you trust?

Hardly comparable to hacking or faults in code, as these apps are designed to do exactly what they do. They just do it silently.

Peoples data is the big new premium money spinner.

While Android is based on Linux, it is a much "simpler " version where the user has actually less control than Windows.

How many Android uses have a good security program, I do and it alerts me to apps that are "phoning home" so I can disable them if necessary.

Well http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man7/capabilities.7.html is the Droid kernel stripped of these? Or does Droid automatically give too many of these to any installed program so they can go around "blocks?"

"Android" is Google's (freely/freedoms made) modification of 'Linux' which is the Google "Bionic" (modified Linux) kernel running the Google Android Operating System on top.

Google have utilized full use of their freedoms to foist whatever 'Marketing' 'trickery' they wish into their system.

Hence why I have 'subverted' my mobile phone to the freedoms loving GNU/Linux by wiping out all the Google silliness to install the GNU/Linux postmarketOS. (Read very carefully, AND make a backup, BEFORE proceeding. Easier: Buy a user-freedoms loving phone in the first place!)


IT is very much what we allow it to be...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Hence why I have 'subverted' my mobile phone to the freedoms loving GNU/Linux by wiping out all the Google silliness to install the GNU/Linux postmarketOS. (Read very carefully,)

ROFLMAO

Alpha version. Calls don't work, etc. Only suitable for hackers.

Hence why I have 'subverted' my mobile phone to the freedoms loving GNU/Linux by wiping out all the Google silliness to install the GNU/Linux postmarketOS. (Read very carefully,)

ROFLMAO

Alpha version. Calls don't work, etc. Only suitable for hackers.

That all depends on what make/model of mobile phone you have...

I chose one of the better supported (and slightly more 'open') phones so that such as calls do work... It is a phone after all! :-)

As mentioned, read carefully the various comments for whichever phone you have...


At least there is a little choice,

IT is what we allow it to be...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Might this rebalance the web surfing 'arms war' between Marketing tracking and user privacy?


Mozilla takes swipe at Chrome with 'Track THIS' project

Mozilla is pushing Firefox's latest (and long-delayed) anti-ad tracking efforts, saying it protects user privacy better than Google's Chrome...


Microsoft Edge Introduces Tracking Prevention In Upcoming Update

In case you did not know, there are many websites that track you. This is mainly for advertising purposes where these ads can track users across multiple websites to better discern your browsing and shopping habits. Naturally, some people aren’t too comfortable with that which is why some companies have built in anti-tracking features ... Now it looks like Microsoft wants to do the same with its Edge browser...


What next?...


IT is what we allow it to be...
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Oops.

GDPR used to breach... GDPR

While Argent has defended its use of the technology, it has repeatedly declined to explain what the system is, how it is used or how long it has been in operation.
"I have no idea what they're trying to do in King's Cross," Prof Wiles told the BBC.
"There's no point in having facial-matching tech unless you are matching it against some kind of database - now what is that database?
"It's alarming whether they have constructed their own database or got it from somewhere else.
"There is a police database which I very much hope they don't have access to."

Big Brother is watching
Argent investigated

Does anyone know why sites that use adobe flash player are by default blocked by Google Chrome?

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Does anyone know why sites that use adobe flash player are by default blocked by Google Chrome?

Yes. Policy to prevent malware infestations.

So, does that mean that Adobe software can't be trusted or just flash player and if so, why?

---

Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

I don't even trust Google Chrome. ;-)

Cheers.

I did some reading and discovered, at least partially, why flash player is no longer a trusted plug-in. But now I wonder why the National weather service still uses it to animate their online radar weather maps. I have been referring to them for years to augment my knowledge of the local weather forecast.

---

Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

I did some reading and discovered, at least partially, why flash player is no longer a trusted plug-in. But now I wonder why the National weather service still uses it to animate their online radar weather maps. I have been referring to them for years to augment my knowledge of the local weather forecast.

Old habits die hard, especially old government habits. I wouldn't worry about setting a policy to allow flash to run from the NWS site because they keep their server clean. Same can't be said for advertising servers and porn sites.

Ain't technology grand. :-)
Northern Line shutdown due to a signalling failure at the control centre.
Metropolitan Line suffering severe delays due to a new signalling system being rolled out.

Ain't technology grand. :-)

Nothing wrong with technology, just needs the "human" part of the equation to work correctly. Which it often fails to do.

The Northern Line issue is an electronic failure.
The Metropolitan Line issue is a human failure (& possibly electronic once the rollout is completed) in not allocating sufficient time for the rollout.