Dr. Bill | The Computer Curmudgeon

Cross-posted from VirtZine – A company called Skylabel has released an open-source version of the Amazon S3 service which can be installed in a data center and be used just like Amazon S3 with the same tools such as Dragondisk, etc. Both source code and binary packages are available for download.

They have a quick start guide which will get you started very quickly, they claim you can be up in minutes!

LibreS3 Information

Microsoft announced yesterday an update to Internet Explorer thT patches the security issue that the government has been warning about. And, in an unusual move Microsoft is allowing this patch be deployed to Windows XP, which as of April 8TH is no longer supported. However, they wisely decided that this was not only a good move on their part from a security point of view but from a publicity point of view.

Even more unusual this was an out of band patch not issued on a Patch Tuesday. That’s how serious this is!

However, I am hearing all kinds of good reports from people personally as well as in print, that they are moving off of Windows XP, and on to some distribution of Linux! How I love the smell of Linux in the morning!

Mozilla has released a new version of Firefox, version 29. It was announced today, and has new customization options, and a new cleaner, more modern look!

It also has an updated sync feature that allows you to add multiple devices on to your Firefox account on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android.

Upgrades include the ability to customize a “swipe-able” history, top sites, bookmarks and the reading list home screen pages and you can also choose one to make your mobile default page.

You would need to go to the Mozilla website and download the new Firefox version which comes is a stub file, and then downloads the rest of the files to install, and or upgrade your existing version.

Check it out! I tend to use several different browsers anyway, with Google Chrome as my default, and Mozilla Firefox as my backup, because I like the way it does RSS feeds. In that sense, I tend to use Mozilla Firefox almost entirely as an RSS reader. I know that’s a little strange, but then many people have pointed out that I’m a little strange!

It’s official, gang! The cast for Star Wars VII has been announced!

Star Wars: Episode VII Cast Announced

StarWars.com – April 29th, Pinewood Studios, UK – “The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.

Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.

Director J.J. Abrams says, ‘We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud.’

Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.”

I do! Faster, higher memory, and a neat little toy! I NEED one!

Banana Pi: The next generation of single-board computers?

ZDNet – By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols – “The maker community loves the Raspberry Pi Single Board Computer (SBC). But, the $35 Raspberry Pi, which was introduced in 2012, with its 700MHz ARM11 processor and 512MBs of RAM, is looking a little dowdy these days. So, Lemaker.org has introduced the faster Banana Pi.

Before launching into the technical details, you should know that the Banana Pi is not, in way, shape, or form, an official successor to the Raspberry Pi. It’s a Raspberry Pi clone from a Chinese educational group. That said, with its 24-pin header layout, the Banana Pi is designed to be mechanically and electrically compatible with Raspberry Pi add-on modules.

This new credit-card sized SBC costs just over $74 after shipping. That’s a good deal more than the $35 Raspberry Pi Model B it takes after. On the other hand, Banana Pi comes with a dual-core, Cortex-A7-based Allwinner A20 system-on-chip running at 1GHz,. That’s much faster than the Raspberry Pi’s 700MHz, ARM11-based Broadcom BCM2835 processor. It also includes a more powerful Mali-400 GPU.

The Banana Pi also comes with 1GB of RAM and built-in Ethernet that can handle up to 1Gbps (Gigabit per second). That’s ten-times as fast as the Raspberry Pi. This brand-new SBC also includes a SATA port and a micro-USB port. It’s also, at 92 x 60mm, a trifle larger than the 85 x 56mm Raspberry Pi.

In theory, the Banana Pi should run all of the software that Raspberry Pi can run In practice, Lemaker only states that their SBC can run Android 4.4, Ubuntu, Debian, Raspberry Pi Image, and the Cubieboard Image. On top of the operating system, the only application the group claims that it will run is Scratch, an educational program from MIT.

This is a very new product from a little-known group, so it’s hard to say if will prove just a flash in the pan or a long-term project. The group does have what appears to be a useful quick start guide and active online forums. So, if you want to try your hand at mini-computing with a more powerful system than the Raspberry Pi, I think it’s both supported and cheap enough to give it a try. Enjoy!”

I’ve told everyone I have known for years, and years, that Microsoft Internet Explorer is not safe to use. It has ALWAYS been unsafe. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Opera are FAR safer.

But now, even the US government, and even the UK government, are telling us all to forgo using Internet Explorer! It was announced today that the Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) is encouraging us to STOP using IE!

The flaw that was found by security firm FireEye is being used with a known Flash-based exploit technique to attack financial and defense organizations in the US via Internet Explorer 9, 10, and 11.

55% of the Internet still uses Internet Explorer and are now at risk. Don’t be a follower of the Evil Empire. Be a leader! Tell your friends to save themselves from Microsoft’s unsafe browser!

I strongly encourage you to use Google Chrome. It is free, and it is more secure than any other browser. Let’s be safe out there!

A disturbing trend showed up this week in the cyber world concerning companies and the fine print that they’re putting into their privacy policies on their websites. They’re basically making it possible to deny a customer’s right to sue the company based on the users “consent” which they unknowingly give when they “like” a brand on Facebook.

General Mills, which makes cereals like Cheerios and Chex, have quietly added language to their website to alert customers that they give up their right to sue the company if they download coupons or “like” online communities on Facebook.

The idea is that any favorable interaction with the company or its products that confers a quote “benefit” to the consumer is treated as an acceptance of the company’s terms, which includes a waiver of any legal rights against the company.

The bottom line to you as a consumer is that you should carefully read any explanations on company websites if you’re concerned about losing these kinds of rights.