luv-talk August 2015

luv-talk@luv.asn.au

14 participants
15 discussions

by Rohan McLeod

Andrew McGlashan wrote: > On 8/04/2015 12:08 AM, Russell Coker wrote: >> At the meeting there was a mention of the fact that we now have a legal >> precedent for film companies to force ISPs to divulge the names of customers >> who might have torrented movies. > This was bound to catch up with iiNet [and other] users.... > >> Is there any good anonymous peer to peer software? Something that uses tor >> hidden services for all communications? > Much better to just keep to legal and proper downloads, don't you think? Well of course that goes without saying ! the very idea of owning movies which I haven't paid for; or even converting DVD's so they are playable outside of brain-dead DVD players, (which mostly also seem incapable of playing them); is abhorrent to my higher moral self.! I even believe there are some who have copies of that other OS what was it called .....; anyway they have not paid for it apparently. There seems to exist a whole category of software ..shareware ? where such behaviour is rife. This software philosophy, what's it called 'open-source' ?; why it's just encourages such an attitude ! Oh Andrew; how I concur with you regarding the wickedness of the world ! regards Rohan McLeod

6 years, 7 months

Anyone in need of any older computer gear?

by Anthony Hogan

Hey folks, Is anyone in need of more 'vintage' computer gear? There's a stack of stuff I've got: * BBC + assorted parts * 386 and up motherboards * 486 and up CPUs * Assorted RAM (FP/EDO and up) * 2x APC rack mount 700VA UPSs * Pentium, PPro, P3, P4, Cel D etc. and up computers (one even has a Video Blaster SE100 in it, with the cables) * Many assorted IO cards (ISA, VLB) * Labtam X term (might even be able to rustle up an AUI adapter for it) * Assorted tower cases (AT, ATX) * 2x Wyse60 serial terminals * Multiple 10/100 switches (a couple may be managed) of varying sizes (16-24 port I think) * Multiple WiFi routers with and without modems, one 3G * Cisco SHDSL modem (dumpster dive) * 3Com business routers (another dumpster dive) * HP DL380 (G3 I think) * IBM xSeries 336 * DLT IV (I think ... VS80?) drive * Assorted 33.6 and 56K modems * Parallel port scanner (UMAX Astra 600) * Assorted CRT displays * Assorted 3.5" and 5.25" drives I'm thinking a trip to local eWaste collection point might be in order, but before turfing stuff, like to see if it'll get another go. A lot of it's in the "I never got around to using it", or "I haven't used it in ages" category :)

6 years, 8 months

Interview with Lennart Poettring

by Peter Ross

http://www.linuxvoice.com/interview-lennart-poettering/#comment-281265 Two quotes: "So that’s a misconception that I’m always bemused about, and I’m pretty sure that most people who claim that have never actually played around with Unix at all." [others like Debian had very intense debates and resignations] "Then if you look at Gentoo, for example, they still haven’t done Systemd as default.They used to be like Arch Linux is now – they used to be the young people who adopted things quickly. But the Gentoo people aged, and they became more conservative. And Debian is probably an even more conservative bunch." Hmmh.. one moment the people with arguments have no clue what Unix is about, and later the people who argue are just too old and conservative (and still don't know what Unix is about, I guess) His statements are full of personal attacks - and very light on technical arguments. Well, obviously Linux development works like politics.. Regards Peter

7 years

Re: [luv-talk] Anyone in need of any older computer gear?

by David E Payne

On Thu, 27/8/15, Rohan McLeod <rhn(a)jeack.com.au> wrote: Get thee behind me Satan ! :-) regards Rohan Mcleod _______________________________________________ Rohan, that's a commendably brief summary of the feelings me, and probably many of us. Problem is, I feel rendering these works of craft back to dumb lumps of metals is a greater evil! Fortunately I know some collectors who will take almost anything. Unfortunately, not the ones who were interested in a public museum, which I think ought to have an example of some of these;- I'm thinking the (already claimed anyway) BBC with tube co-processor and the Labtam X-terminal (possibly the first company to sell them, based in Braeside, Melbourne, Oz < imagine a Norman Gunston style jingoistic hawk & spit>!). (Except the bloke planning a museum of anything that plays games might like the BBC(s). Actually, looking at the wicked pedia to confirm my impression that "The Tube" was the buss to connect another CPU, not a peripheral CPU unit as such, I see that Julian Barson's company in Abbottsford, Melb, Oz adapted the Econet filing system from Acorn's System 2 so another hawk & spit! (Sorry about the sound, but I have acute rhinitus, possibly related to my deviated septum.) Most people, as distinct from the weirdos who read LUV lists, might be surprised at how common collecting old IT has become in the last few years. Most of them are interested in what they had, or wished to have, when they were a kid/teenager. Many of them aren't interested in things they never heard of. Then you have those after the obscure, including the completists that mostly already have the common stuff they want. Some of them are the ones who've driven the prices of rarer stuff way up. Yes, you can get serious money for some items, if you are prepared to wait. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dav-id " .... We are just consumers to the huge corporations of the computer and telecommunications industry. They want to sell to us all right, but they won t sell us everything we need; that is, they won't make us powerful, unless we insist." Ward Cunningham http://c2.com/doc/forewords/beck2.html

7 years

1-4pm Sat, Kids creation Challenge #1 for ~8~14 yr olds

by David E Payne

http://www.meetup.com/footscraymakerlab/events/223013038/ Vague plans for future challenges include building vehicles from bike etc. parts. If future challenges happen, FML may by then be in a different locale as the factory buildings will be replaced by accommodation. Pity the showbiz prop makers probably won't be in the same building as FML then. Crocodiles, giant bed bugs and aliens in powered walking spacesuit/vehicles etc. add a lot of charm to the place. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dav-id " .... We are just consumers to the huge corporations of the computer and telecommunications industry. They want to sell to us all right, but they won t sell us everything we need; that is, they won't make us powerful, unless we insist." Ward Cunningham http://c2.com/doc/forewords/beck2.html

7 years, 1 month

Re: [luv-talk] Anyone in need of any older computer gear?

by Anthony Hogan

> What are these devices? > Thanks Okey dokey.. just done an initial pass of what I could see... > > * Multiple 10/100 switches (a couple may be managed) of varying > > sizes (16-24 port I think) DLink DES-1008D 10/100 8 port unmanaged DES-1008D Netgear FS516 10/100 16 port unmanaged DLink DES-3225G 10/100 24 w/serial management port + optical connections LANTECH FlexSwitch HUB 2400Pro unmanaged (needs a new DC cooling fan) > > * Multiple WiFi routers with and without modems, one 3G Telstra Bigpond Netcomm 3G9WB 802.11g 4 port 3G router Billion 741A GE 4 port+USB ADSL router Netgear DG834Gv4 ADSL2+ 802.11g 4 port router Belkin F5D7230-4 802.11g 4 port router (admittedly a bit flaky, truth be told) Netgear WGR614v5 802.11g 4 port router Netcomm NB1300+4 4 port+USB ADSL router Netcomm NB1300r2 1 port+USB ADSL router Siemens Speedstream 4200 1 port+USB ADSL router (iffy if it works, probably not any good) Somewhere I'm pretty sure I've got a DLink DI-624 and a DI-624+ Aside: I'm currently using a Linksys WAG320N (unpatched WPS bug) as a modem only in bridge mode with a Netgear WNR2000v2 running DD-WRT at the moment. I have a TPLink TD-8810 as my backup modem (ok in bridge mode, pretty average routing). Swapped out a few folks routers for Asus RT-AC3200 routers.. decent range, firmware based on DD-WRT and possible to swap over to other firmware from what I can tell. > > * 3Com business routers (another dumpster dive) 2x 3Com Router 5012

7 years, 1 month

Musing about backup solutions for the technically illiterate (parents) - a way perhaps to insulate against ransomware?

by Anthony Hogan

I should really poke my head about in here more often. That said, spending my days poking and prodding emulated vaxen does often leave one wanting to unplug. Anyway, recently my folks got an email from their ISP (Westnet) scaring them, thinking they'd been hacked (it turns out an old Westnet user database had been compromised, along with cleartext usernames and passwords... oopsies?). Before I figured out what it was, I was thinking suspicious activity had been detected on their accounts and was worried about whether or not they'd backed up recently... then my thoughts turned to cryptoware and how it basically spreads out to whatever it touches and encrypts everything (had someone else hit by a bug recently - and I'm moving them and their formerly Windows XP computer to Lubuntu as they only need Windowsish looking email, web browsing and printing). Anyway.. long setup aside, I was thinking, that perhaps the best way to deal with backups and cryptoware, was to have the system that needed to be backed up make itself available to an authorised backup storage provider by some restricted and secured means (over a LAN or encrypted link). That backup storage provider could be prodded by the client system to perform a pull, but the client would never have direct, unrestricted access to the backup server's archives. Most cryptoware, when it's in its initial stages, will, when beginning to encrypt everything, transparently decrypt it on request such that the user doesn't know it's happening until the encryption is complete and the software can hit the user up for ransom. Arguably speaking, that transparent decryption would cover any application accessing user data, including the backup system pushing the data out over the network or whatever connectivity means (I mean, presumably ransomware isn't going to stop someone emailing something, so unless it could identify the backup software..). Then, as a means of detecting whether or not a given system has been attacked, a "canary file" or files, nominated by the user, but not in any way "configured" on the client, and backed up along with all the user's other files. Something like a Word document, or a text document, or an Excel document.. whatever.. The backup system, separately, would be instructed to check this file every time a backup runs, and if it's been touched or corrupted (perhaps, it might be a file check, or a spell check, or just a checksum to see if any change), and if it has, to alert the user by alternate means (email, SMS etc.), ensuring that any backup rotations/data deduplication maintains at least the last snapshot prior to the alert until the data's been verified. I'm thinking, some linux based system could easily play the server.. presenting a web based interface of some sort or being remotely managed as a service or being a cloud service.. perhaps managed from someone's phone (arguably separate to their desktop and these days not always tethered to their computer, but connected via cloud services for syncing). Lord knows I have enough old iron floating about my garage to whip up something suitable for at least my folks :) I wonder.. surely.. there's gotta be stuff out there like this already? Eg. Backup dropboxes ... perhaps the "canary" element is new? Has anyone ever implemented something like this? Thoughts, comments? Anthony --

7 years, 1 month

Fw: Digital Marketing intro course

by David E Payne

A "Digital Marketing intro course" is on at Queens Collective co-working space, 6 pm tonight. There's no mention of fees, perhaps in the hope that people will decide to pay for a complete course. http://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Digital-Conversations-for-non-profits/event… 20 Queens street is the Art Deco? building with the staircase (including a wheelchair sort of rail-elevator) visible through the front glass. Queens Collective is on the street side when you get to the top of the stairs. Don't be fooled by Bing Maps, which a few weeks ago had it confused with (FBA?) 20 Queens Road, overlooking Albert Park Lake and golf course. (Bing always was obsessed with golf, according to Bob Hope! Lets see how many of you lot are old etc. enough to understand that remark.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dav-id Speaking of digital marketing ... I think "Hubzilla" is a misleading name for the website connection platform. (see pre-release brochure? at https://red.reticu.li/page/andrew/hubzilla ) It's not one big organism and there's multiple "hubs" so it should be more like, "NodeSwarm" or "WebsiteCluster". (GNU "Hurd" has been taken.) Unless you think of the hubs as cells that make up a (hoped to be) monster!

7 years, 1 month

Re: [luv-talk] spying

by David E Payne

<thinks> (Hmm this existing thread kinda fits what I came here to post about ... Hey! Why are my thoughts appearing in this post! Must be SPYS!) On Fri, 14/8/15, Rick Moen <rick(a)linuxmafia.com> wrote: Subject: Re: [luv-talk] spying [SNIP! ] ... At the moment, my wife and I are actually on the road to Seattle, Washington state, USA, where there's a well-known Scandinavian neighbourhood called Ballard. ... [SNIP! ] (Sorry if I misunderstood and it's Mr. Wallis that's gone to throw eggs at Microso.. er, I mean that is visiting Seattle! D.E.P) _______________________________________________ Ahem! On the general topic of being less spied upon ... System issues aside, we & our contacts can "social network" with more privacy than the likes of Facebook, Google and Microsoft or the advertisers they study us for want us to have. By instead using services and products such as Krowd, Matrix, IOS/AltMe and the soon-to-be-rebranded Red Matrix. "Hubzilla" https://github.com/redmatrix/hubzilla is the more efficient (finalising development & testing) re-engineering of the "Red Matrix" JSON & PHP based platform for *n?x based websites to securely connect as "Hubz" via "Zot Protocol". Somewhat comparable to the same developer's "Friendica, also Diaspora, Matrix, Pump.io, GNU social, possibly Carl Sassenrath's IOS & AltME etc. but Zot protocol is said to give it unique capabilities. "Nomadic Identity" enables a Red Matrix/Hubzilla member to use any services from any Hub, access all their content even if their original Hub is down and control sharing of any datum to particular individuals, whichever Hub they try to access the datum from. When the code is merged soonish the whole thing will be rebranded as "Hubzilla" (not a name I would have voted for, but I support developer Mike Macgirvin's right to decide how it was decided.) https://redmatrix.me/pubsites I haven't seen a list of public non-developer Hubzilla sites yet, perhaps there aren't any yet. The (as yet unfinished) documentation for Hubzilla is linked from https://macgirvin.com/help In order for a "Red Matrix" Hub to become a Hub on "Hubzilla", the administrator will need to clone the Hub, (then possibly a separate step to recreate the channels?) and then copy the content to the recreated channels. So some of those who don't want to continue running a public Hub are leaving around now. Charles Roth MPC - <could stand for M.obile P.hone C.leaner but I'm guessing Member of Privy Council>; besieged by deteriorating health, both mental and physical, announced recently that he would be closing his hub https://parlementum.net/page/encycl/welcome on Friday 21st August, Spokane, Washington State, USA time. (I think he's a coffee AND tea snob & in WA, USA too! He recently publicly posted his street address but as he may not have realised it was public I won't post it here. [Yet another co-incidence similar to last time I went to repost something here, and another time not long before that too! Must be the spies, or the medication ...] ;~) At one stage he offered the setup and Domain name to anyone wanting to takeover the Hub, then later posted that he would probably shut down before 21st, now it looks like it will close on 21st. He has saved the content but who knows if it will appear again on another Hub? So if you want to check out his eccentric, eclectic links mix, you'd better go look at https://parlementum.net/chat/encycl/1&JS=1 soon. (A lot of "Red Matrix" seems to require Javascript enabled in a graphical browser in a GUI.) There may be more content and links only visible to some or all members of Red Matrix or Parlementum too. I haven't swallowed the red pill yet so I don't know what they see.

7 years, 1 month

The 30th anniversary of a long wait for some ...

by spyder.king＠yahoo.com.au

7 years, 1 month

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luv-talk August 2015