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Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions


JorgeA

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Only thing I can think of is default behavior is read only, but you have the option to open it in edit mode?

ie as a default it opens as a viewer, but you can also open it in the editor. But that's just a guess.

Cheers and Regards

Most probably that is what the blogger meant, still, for all these years if a file was read only, you would have needed to run ATTRIB on it to change it's attributes (or do the same through GUI) in order to save it (or you would be forced to save the edited version to another file name).

jaclaz

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The last few desperate gasps of the Windows XP FUDpocalypse ...

Speaking of XP EOS and FUD, here's something I just came across:

2013 Microsoft Vulnerabilities Study

If this report is representative of reality, then using a standard (not administrator) account on an XP system would protect against 96% of "Patch Tuesday"-type vulnerabilities affecting Windows and 100% of vulns affecting IE. Since this protection would operate all the time, then conceivably a standard account on XP is safer than an administrator account on Windows 7 or 8, given that those OS's remain exposed to the flaws that are fixed on Patch Tuesday until the fixes get released.

--JorgeA

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Of course the predominant characteristic that defines Windows XP is that the operating system was developed before 9/11 and all the subsequent spook developments. Years ago this was a "tinfoil hat" tidbit of information, but since last summer only a fool would advance that line of reasoning. The fact is that every subsequent Windows generation ( Longhorn/Vista forward ) was written under NuWorld rules, likely with spook oversight and with huge concessions given to the Feds. They had no choice, I'm sure it was do it or else. The 9/11 NuWorld paradigm is noticeably absent from the infographic and all the FUD and propaganda perpetrated by Microsoft and her sycophants. Just say no to lies, deceit and propaganda.

Suspicion is growing that something similar may have been done with Apple OS's:

Extremely critical crypto flaw in iOS may also affect fully patched Macs

A critical iOS vulnerability that Apple patched on Friday gives attackers an easy way to surreptitiously circumvent the most widely used technology for preventing eavesdropping on the Internet. That made the security bug about as dire as one can be. Now, there's strong evidence that the same flaw also exposes sensitive e-mail and Web communications on fully patched versions of OS X, with no indication that there is a patch currently available for the millions of people who use the Mac operating system.

At this early stage, the vulnerability has been confirmed in iOS versions 6.1.5, 7.0.4, and 7.0.5, and OS X 10.9.0 and 10.9.1, meaning it has silently exposed the sensitive communications of millions of people for weeks or months. Security researchers haven't ruled out the possibility that earlier versions are also affected. Readers should immediately update their iPhones and iPads to versions 7.0.6 or 6.1.6, preferably using a non-public network.

[...]

The flaw, according to researchers, causes most iOS and Mac applications to skip a crucial verification check that's supposed to happen when many transport layer security (TLS) and secure sockets layer (SSL) connections are being negotiated. Specifically, affected apps fail to check that the ephemeral public key presented by servers offering Diffie Hellman-supported encryption is actually signed by the site's private key. Attackers with the ability to monitor the connection between the end-user and the server can exploit this failure to completely decrypt and manipulate the traffic by presenting the app with a counterfeit key.

An attacker "can basically set up a connection and pretend to be Google.com," Matt Green, a Johns Hopkins University professor specializing in encryption, told Ars. The attacker "can basically say: 'Hey I'm Google, here's my signature. And since nobody is actually going to check the signature, [the attacker] just puts nonsense in there."

Security expert Bruce Schneier elaborates on this, and asks:

Last October, I speculated on the best ways to go about designing and implementing a software backdoor. I suggested three characteristics of a good backdoor: low chance of discovery, high deniability if discovered, and minimal conspiracy to implement.

The critical iOS vulnerability that Apple patched last week is an excellent example. Look at the code. What caused the vulnerability is a single line of code: a second "goto fail;" statement. Since that statement isn't a conditional, it causes the whole procedure to terminate.

The flaw is subtle, and hard to spot while scanning the code. It's easy to imagine how this could have happened by error. And it would have been trivially easy for one person to add the vulnerability.

Was this done on purpose? I have no idea. But if I wanted to do something like this on purpose, this is exactly how I would do it.

Security expert Steve Gibson points out that,

...it was just a month after this was introduced into the code base for Mac OS X and iOS 6 that the NSA slides that Edward Snowden disclosed indicate that Apple joined PRISM. This is like, okay. Well, again, we don't know. But, ooh, does that timing look painful.

[emphasis added]

:whistle:

--JorgeA

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Why The Microsoft Surface Just Died Last Week

[...] The whole appeal that justified the extra price for the Surface was that it was a Microsoft device running Windows and therefore would be a better device for Windows applications. But that argument was rendered moot by the company’s decision to write software like Office for the iPad and to focus on writing applications for all devices, whether they’re running Windows or not. Which means I don’t have to own Microsoft hardware. And that’s a good thing – I’d rather just use the company’s software to be as productive as possible on whatever device I choose.

--JorgeA

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Of course the predominant characteristic that defines Windows XP is that the operating system was developed before 9/11 and all the subsequent spook developments. Years ago this was a "tinfoil hat" tidbit of information, but since last summer only a fool would advance that line of reasoning. The fact is that every subsequent Windows generation ( Longhorn/Vista forward ) was written under NuWorld rules, likely with spook oversight and with huge concessions given to the Feds. They had no choice, I'm sure it was do it or else. The 9/11 NuWorld paradigm is noticeably absent from the infographic and all the FUD and propaganda perpetrated by Microsoft and her sycophants. Just say no to lies, deceit and propaganda.

Suspicion is growing that something similar may have been done with Apple OS's:

Looking back, we lose even when we win these big issues. Clipper-Chip, Carnivore, SOPA, whatever. They never stop. I recall the argument in the 1990's to be either we quadruple the spook budget to let them make massive supercomputers to brute force decrypt on demand, or, we bend over and accept backdoors on everything and taps placed on every single segment of communication pipe. Instead, after 9/11, they just did both, and everything in between.

Wikipedia: Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA)

Provisions of CALEA

In its own words, the purpose of CALEA is:

To amend title 18, United States Code, to make clear a telecommunications carrier's duty to cooperate in the interception of communications for Law Enforcement purposes, and for other purposes.

The U.S. Congress passed the CALEA to aid law enforcement in its effort to conduct criminal investigations requiring wiretapping of digital telephone networks. The Act obliges telecommunications companies to make it possible for law enforcement agencies to tap any phone conversations carried out over its networks, as well as making call detail records available. The act stipulates that it must not be possible for a person to detect that his or her conversation is being monitored by the respective government agency.

Common carriers, facilities-based broadband Internet access providers, and providers of interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service – all three types of entities are defined to be “telecommunications carriers” and must meet the requirements of CALEA.

The CALEA Implementation Unit at the FBI has clarified that intercepted information is supposed to be sent to Law Enforcement concurrently with its capture.

On March 10, 2004, the United States Department of Justice, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration filed a "Joint Petition for Expedited Rulemaking"[2] in which they requested certain steps to accelerate CALEA compliance, and to extend the provisions of CALEA to include the ability to perform surveillance of all communications that travel over the Internet — such as Internet traffic and VoIP.

As a result, the FCC adopted a "First Report and Order" concluding that CALEA applies to facilities-based broadband Internet access providers and providers of interconnected (with the public switched telephone network) Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) services.

In May 2006, the FCC adopted a "Second Report and Order", which clarified and affirmed the First Order:

  • The CALEA compliance deadline remains May 14, 2007.
  • Carriers are permitted to meet their CALEA obligations through the services of “Trusted Third Parties (TTP)” — that is, they can hire outside companies, which meet security requirements outlined in CALEA, to perform all of the required functions.
  • Carriers are responsible for CALEA development and implementation costs.
Technical implementation

USA telecommunications providers must install new hardware or software, as well as modify old equipment, so that it doesn't interfere with the ability of a law enforcement agency (LEA) to perform real-time surveillance of any telephone or Internet traffic. Modern voice switches now have this capability built in, yet Internet equipment almost always requires some kind of intelligent Deep Packet Inspection probe to get the job done. In both cases, the intercept-function must single out a subscriber named in a warrant for intercept and then immediately send some (headers-only) or all (full content) of the intercepted data to an LEA. The LEA will then process this data with analysis software that is specialized towards criminal investigations.

All traditional voice switches on the U.S. market today have the CALEA intercept feature built in. The IP-based "soft switches" typically do not contain a built-in CALEA intercept feature; and other IP-transport elements (routers, switches, access multiplexers) almost always delegate the CALEA function to elements dedicated to inspecting and intercepting traffic. In such cases, hardware taps or switch/router mirror-ports are employed to deliver copies of all of a network's data to dedicated IP probes.

Probes can either send directly to the LEA according to the industry standard delivery formats (c.f. ATIS T1.IAS, T1.678v2, et al.); or they can deliver to an intermediate element called a mediation device, where the mediation device does the formatting and communication of the data to the LEA. A probe that can send the correctly formatted data to the LEA is called a "self-contained" probe.

In order to be compliant, IP-based service providers (Broadband, Cable, VoIP) must choose either a self-contained probe (such as made by IPFabrics), or a "dumb" probe component plus a mediation device (such as made by Verint), or they must implement the delivery of correctly formatted for a named subscriber's data on their own.

That began in 1994 and naturally was greatly enhanced since 9/11.

Why on Earth would anyone even pretend to doubt that all the software companies ( PRISM! ) have done the same thing? The operating systems are compromised people!

I'm keeping some Win9x and older systems mothballed, and won't decommission any WinXP computer ever again.

EDIT: "Clipper" not V-Chip. Doh! old brain indeed.

Edited by CharlotteTheHarlot
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whooptydooptydoo !!

check out new err i mean return of old start menu, this was demonstrated in win BUILD session 2014

http://blogs.windows.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-59-23-metablogapi/Windows_2D00_8_2D00_1_2D00_update_2D00_1_2D00_screen_2D00_for_2D00_media_2D00_UPDATED_5F00_6E6977C2.jpg

it seems this will debut in winblows 9 thought, users of 8.1 won't get this

my mistake, the the guy presenting it said it will come to users of 8.1 as an update

Edited by vinifera
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Wikipedia: Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA)

Provisions of CALEA

In its own words, the purpose of CALEA is:

To amend title 18, United States Code, to make clear a telecommunications carrier's duty to cooperate in the interception of communications for Law Enforcement purposes, and for other purposes.

The U.S. Congress passed the CALEA to aid law enforcement in its effort to conduct criminal investigations requiring wiretapping of digital telephone networks. The Act obliges telecommunications companies to make it possible for law enforcement agencies to tap any phone conversations carried out over its networks, as well as making call detail records available. The act stipulates that it must not be possible for a person to detect that his or her conversation is being monitored by the respective government agency.

[...]

That began in 1994 and naturally was greatly enhanced since 9/11.

Why on Earth would anyone even pretend to doubt that all the software companies ( PRISM! ) have done the same thing? The operating systems are compromised people!

I'm keeping some Win9x and older systems mothballed, and won't decommission any WinXP computer ever again.

Wise policy IMHO.

For what it's worth, CALEA seems to be intended for the pinpoint surveillance of specific people, as opposed to the mass bulk monitoring that the NSA enages in. So it's not so bad, relatively speaking. Still, the means for intruding on people's communications is baked into all new tech, thanks to this law.

Suffice it to say that Samuel Adams and Thomas Jefferson probably wouldn't have wanted to talk via VOIP or use e-mail to coordinate their plans, unless their notes were encrypted locally with software that had been written in, say, Spain.

--JorgeA

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whooptydooptydoo !!

check out new err i mean return of old start menu, this was demonstrated in win BUILD session 2014

http://blogs.windows.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-59-23-metablogapi/Windows_2D00_8_2D00_1_2D00_update_2D00_1_2D00_screen_2D00_for_2D00_media_2D00_UPDATED_5F00_6E6977C2.jpg

it seems this will debut in winblows 9 thought, users of 8.1 won't get this

Fantastic!! :thumbup

The Vista/7 Start Menu is still better, as I can click on Recent Documents and get, in fewer clicks, to projects that I'm currently working on. But this is definitely an improvement and it shows that Microsoft's finally listening to users (even if reluctantly).

Thanks very much for telling us about this! With a little digging, I found the blog post where the image was given. It was by Terry Myerson and he says it's based on his keynote address at Build. About this screenshot he says:

Finally, I previewed some work we are doing for the next iteration of Windows, which builds on the journey we began with Windows 8 just over a year ago as well as the releases we’ve done since then. In particular, I showed some early thinking on how the user experience in Windows will evolve in a way that will help developers’ apps make their way to users across devices and form factors.

We set out to do this is a thoughtful way – one where we could enable more productivity for customers working in desktop mode, while building smart bridges to the new modern user experience and ensuring customers can get access to all your great apps in the Windows Store no matter where they are in the experience, or which device type they’re on.

Already, a commenter is asking something along the same lines as what I wrote above:

will there be "control panel" and "devices and printers" on the start menu as i use those 2 options frequently but they aren't in your screenshot? If they aren't by default will you allow us to customize the start menu to do that with a few user changeable settings?

We shall see...

For now, I'm just delighted that the Start Menu seems to be making a comeback. Now if they also bring back native Aero Glass and 3D UI elements (at least as a customization choice), maybe I can find a way to live with Metro apps cluttering up the Start Menu. :)

--JorgeA

Edited by JorgeA
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I don't like metro coz its their only excuse to embed IE deep into system again

also metro in long run might be killer for normal apps, since its way of working is downloading it from app store

and again it is yet another platform to work for while forcefully abandoning win32 which is superior to that crap

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You'll forgive me if I don't break in applause but that Start Menu is seriously defective:

- There is an extensive Metro crap infection completely occluding the right half.

- Search windows and the web?

- (Not mission critical, but 'All Apps' just doesn't sound serious)

Instead of pulling the Metro crap that nobody wants out of focus, they double on force-feeding it.

All I see is another ominous step in the metrofication and eventual liquidation of Desktop/Win32.

Every 'concession' to usability is now just poisoned bait :angry: .

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Uh-oh, it looks like I'm the squishy moderate when it comes to the revived Start Menu! ;)

This is the big news of the day, making the rounds of the tech sites:

Future Windows 8.1 update will finally bring back the Start menu

Microsoft to bring back Start menu, windowed apps to Windows

Microsoft reveals windowed Modern UI apps and Mini Start

Microsoft changes its mind yet a-bloody-gain, shows off resurrected mini Start menu

Start Menu Will Return In A Future Windows 8.1 Update, Microsoft Confirms

Threshold Revealed: Microsoft Talks the Future of Windows

Check out the articles above, they provide additional details, analysis, speculation, images, and videos. Oh, and tons of feedback in the comments sections.

--JorgeA

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It appears that at least half start menu is returning. Now I would like to know following things: it is possible disable titles in start menu and it is possible to set locations ( computer, control panel etc.) to side of start menu? Locations fit there so they don't clutter my desktop in Windows 7 so I would like to continue putting them there. Also I don't want them clutter taskbar either. Locations fit best to start menu to my usage anyway. So yeah I want that there would be possibility to use locations with start menu. Also bring back full Windows Aero. Flat UI to desktop PC is just outdated. I have no intention to upgrade without full Windows Aero and possibility to use locations on side of start menu.

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Yay.

But as I said earlier, I predict a "we were never at war with".. scenario.

The metrotards may moan now for a a few days, maybe even weeks, but eventually they will parrot the line that they never had something against the start menu or the desktop in the first place. And that "choice is good". Just watch.

I also think that Dotmatrix will slowly but surely vanish (at least the user name). His gig didn't work out, there is no reason to keep him around.

Edited by Formfiller
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Yay.

But as I said earlier, I predict a "we were never at war with".. scenario.

The metrotards may moan now for a a few days, maybe even weeks, but eventually they will parrot the line that they never had something against the start menu or the desktop in the first place. And that "choice is good". Just watch.

:D:D:D:D:D

And it has already happened!

heatlesssun (the more annoying version of Dotmatrix) proclaims smooth sailing:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1040742236

And another former W8 lover joins in saying that Windows 8 was "only an experiment".

Edited by Formfiller
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