Meitu has been taking off – everywhere I look on my Facebook, Twitter, I see pictures run through the app.
But do you actually check to see what permissions it asks for? A crazy amount it seems. I just checked on Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mt.mtxx.mtxx) and these are the current permissions
Source: The Meitu selfie app unlocks your anime beauty and personal data
Cyanogen’s fork is beginning to take shape. Currently my devices aren’t showing but fingers crossed it will.
Few points worth noting from their site:
The build roster is ever growing, but we are supporting Marshmallow and Nougat capable devices.
- We’ll list the 80+ devices in a separate post.
Our release cadence will be ‘weekly’ by default (to be nice to all the donated hardware).
We will NOT be shipping root baked into the ROM.
- Root will be a downloadable zip based install similar to gapps installation (only need to flash it once).
- Home builders that want to bake su back into the ROM can use the command ‘export WITH_SU=true’ prior to building.
Our official builds will all be signed with a private key for authentication and signature permission control
This will not break, prevent or stop any ‘unofficial’ builds.
Key verification info can be found on the wiki Verifying Build Authenticity page
However, also notable and I’m really happy about this:
Regarding installation, we recommend that users wipe when switching to LineageOS, and reinstall their gapps. However, we recognize that this can be time consuming, so we are offering an EXPERIMENTAL (read as, if it fails, you’ll have to wipe anyways) solution.Given the EXPERIMENTAL nature of this process, we are going to remove this option in two months time.
- Alongside the ‘weekly’ release for your supported device, we’ll provide an EXPERIMENTAL data migration build.
- This build will allow you to ‘upgrade’ from CM to the signed LineageOS weekly
- This build may wipe permissions (you’ll have to re-allow app permissions), but should retain all user data
- This build will be watermarked with an ugly banner to ensure that you don’t permanently run this EXPERIMENTAL release, and upgrade to a normal weekly after.
- The process for this installation will be as follows:
- Install EXPERIMENTAL migration build on top of cm-13.0 or cm-14.1 build (don’t try to install LineageOS 13.0 on top of CM 14.1, that will not work).
- Reboot
- Install LineageOS weekly build
- Reboot
- Re-setup your application permissions
All systems operational
Source: Update & Build Prep – Lineage OS – Lineage OS Android Distribution
Also in today’s open source roundup: Ultimate Edition 5.0 Gamers distro released, and Android versus iOS for business
Source: Why a MacOS user switched to Ubuntu Linux | InfoWorld
Despite being a library that most people outside of the technology industry have never heard of, the Heartbleed bug in OpenSSL caught the attention of the mainstream press when it was uncovered in April 2014 because so many websites were vulnerable to theft of sensitive server and user data. At LinuxCon Europe, Rich Salz and Tim Hudson from the OpenSSL team did a deep dive into what happened with Heartbleed and the steps the OpenSSL team are taking to improve the project.
Source: OpenSSL after Heartbleed | Linux.com | The source for Linux information
Open source Android ROM project dies, developers launch fork.
Source: Cyanogen Inc. shuts down CyanogenMod in Christmas bloodbath | Ars Technica
So, CM is dead, but like with most things in the open source world, things will be forked, especially if there’s a disagreement between the two. In this case, rather than compete, it’s a desire to keep the project going.
en.support.wordpress.com/embedding…
Technology still has a way to go it seems.
I remember when trying to get back into Heathrow from Germany - and the automatic barriers wouldn’t let me in because I was wearing glasses :/
New Zealand man of Asian origin has “no hard feelings” after passport system said eyes were closed.
Source: New Zealander says passport photo rejection ‘not racist’ - BBC News
A lot of projects are corporate, but some, like NTP are small, or even solo projects. When these small projects become really important and still not have enough resource to maintain, the security issues can’t be patches as fast as, say Oracle, Microsoft or Google.
Everyone benefits from Network Time Protocol, but the project struggles to pay its sole maintainer or fund its various initiatives
Well… “stealing”? I guess it depends on how you interpret the GPL. Nonetheless bottom line is – if you are going to use GPL code, your code and product must follow the same license. i.e.
“… if you’re going to embed GPL stuff in your code and produce a derivative product, you’re going to have to make that derivative compliant with GPL—either by shipping the code with it or providing the code on request”
So, the headline of “stealing” GPL code? Can you actually “steal” code that is open source? Using open source in a closed source product would be a violation of the GPL (which I believe is what’s being talked about here), but is that “stealing”?
I’m not siding with either side here, I’m just not sure the word “stealing” is the right phrase to use in this headling here, quoted or not. Guess that’s clickbait for you….
Source: Wix gets caught “stealing” GPL code from WordPress | Ars Technica
An attempt to bust some of the myths that surround Linux. Not a lot of them, but still some of them - some of which I see a lot in Windows communities. And the old classic “Linux is CLI only” (facepalm)
Source: Some Myths About Linux That Cause New Users To Run Away From Linux - LinuxAndUbuntu
Akamai Technologies broke ties with Internet security researcher Brian Krebs, his website was attacked.
Saya may look like a young, beautiful schoolgirl, but she is actually just an ultra-realistic computer generated model created by Japanese duo Telyuka.
Source: Meet Saya, the Japanese Schoolgirl Who Doesn’t Exist | Oddity Central - Collecting Oddities
Previous Post: http://blenderfox.com/2015/10/16/bet-you-cant-tell-whether-or-not-the-girl-in-this-picture-is-real/
This shows how out of touch the justice system is with the requirements of the users. I agree that some users want to be able to use the computer immediately. I am NOT “some users”.
If the computer doesn’t come with the OS I want, I don’t want it to come with any OS at all, so I can install it myself.
My laptop and my computer both have Linux (my desktop has Linux Mint, my laptop has Ubuntu). Both came with Windows 7 Home Basic when I purchased it, because there was no option for “No Operating System”. If I can save £50 on my machine by not having to install crapware by Microsoft, I’d take it if it were an option.
CJEU rejects French citizen’s complaint, rules consumers want an OS on their PCs.
Source: Sony wins battle over preinstalled Windows in Europe’s top court | Ars Technica
Linus has his moments. He’s well-known for having a short-temper, lashing out at a contributor, but he is also known for creating Linux which a significant number of devices these days use, in some form or another. I work with it on a daily basis both at work and at home. Without this guy, I wouldn’t be where I am now. Well, possibly I would still be here, but dealing with cough Windows cough servers instead….
On August 25, Linux creator Linus Torvalds will be in a plane somewhere between Canada and the United States as his handiwork, which has completely changed the world of computing, marks its 25th birthday.
Source: iTWire - No highs, no lows: Linus Torvalds on 25 years of Linux
Also, here’s a TED talk he did
[ted id=2464 lang=en]
You’ve probably seen articles inducing panic around the number of android devices vulnerable to this Quadrooter bug. But read through the below first.
Another day, another overblown Android security scare. Who’s ready for a reality check?
Source: No, 900 million Android devices are not at risk from the ‘Quadrooter’ monster | Computerworld
Guys, gals, aardvarks, fishes: I'm running out of ways to say this. Your Android device is not in any immediate danger of being taken over a super-scary malware monster.It’s a silly thing to say, I realize, but we go through this same song and dance every few months: Some company comes out with a sensational headline about how millions upon millions of Android users are in danger (DANGER!) of being infected (HOLY HELL!) by a Big, Bad Virus™ (A WHAT?!) any second now. Countless media outlets (cough, cough) pick up the story and run with it, latching onto that same sensational language without actually understanding a lick about Android security or the context that surrounds it.
To wit: As you’ve no doubt seen by now, our latest Android malware scare du jour is something an antivirus software company called Check Point has smartly dubbed “Quadrooter” (a name worthy of Batman villain status if I’ve ever heard one). The company is shouting from the rooftops that 900 million (MILLION!) users are at risk of data loss, privacy loss, and presumably also loss of all bladder control – all because of this hell-raising “Quadrooter” demon and its presence on Qualcomm’s mobile processors.
“Without an advanced mobile threat detection and mitigation solution on the Android device, there is little chance a user would suspect any malicious behavior has taken place,” the company says in its panic-inducing press release.
Well, crikey: Only an advanced mobile threat detection and mitigation solution can stop this? Wait – like the one Check Point itself conveniently sells as a core part of its business? Hmm…that sure seems awfully coincidental.
TL;DR: A “mobile threat detection and mitigration solution” is already present on practically all of those 900 million Android devices. It’s a native part of the Android operating system called Verify Apps, and it’s been present in the software since 2012….. Android has had its own built-in multilayered security system for ages now. There’s the threat-scanning Verify Apps system we were just discussing. The operating system also automatically monitors for signs of SMS-based scams, and the Chrome Android browser keeps an eye out for any Web-based boogeymen.
Source: This clip of a man trying to close an online pop-up ad will make you seethe
I am actually not that surprised with Microsoft’s behaviour on this. Forcing an upgrade onto people without consent. In fact, it was using malware-like tactics to make you (or persuade you) to upgrade.
Some other references:
Meet the new BSoD – the Blue Screen of Despair
Source: Microsoft’s Windows 10 nagware goes FULL SCREEN in final push • The Register
Ready to give up on Windows? You’re probably not alone
Looks like my weekend is going to be filled with tinkering again. ^_^;
I need to reinstall windows on my laptop as I think there must be some graphics conflict somewhere and it’s lagging when it gets taxed (didn’t normally). Most commonly, it happens when I’m playing Final Fantasy XIV, but has lagged a bit on Alice: Madness Returns and Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed. I figured it might be my connection, since FFXIV is an MMORPG, so I switched from my WiFi to my 4G connection via tethering and it still lags. I then switched from DirectX 9 to DirectX 11, amd still nothing. I even downgraded my Nvidia driver to a REALLY old version (since Nvidia ran into a huge bug with one of their drivers, if you recall), so I’m planning to run my Clonezilla backup tonight (which should take a few hours since I’m also backing up my Ubuntu install), and then run my Windows install then then boot-repair to get grub back (凸(>皿<)凸 Microsoft)
And then, I have to go through the process of installing drivers and updating Windows, though I will probably skip updating Windows since I only use it as a gaming environment. And downloading my Steam games again. Including the Heavensward expansion, Final Fantasy XIV is probably about 20-30GB. With the spikes and dips in download speed on my 4G, it’s going to take about 3 hours.
Whilst I totally respect Mark for coming out and saying this, that’s not to say that in future, Canonical could be bullied into implementing a back door, or Ubuntu cracked by some untoward government agency….
VIDEO: Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical and Ubuntu, discusses what might be coming in Ubuntu 16.10 later this year and why security is something he will never compromise.
Jack Wallen reviews the bq Aquaris M10 tablet and he’s impressed. If you’ve been on the fence about Ubuntu Touch, this might just assuage those unpleasant feelings.
Source: Magic happens with the Ubuntu tablet - TechRepublic
Canonical tried to do this with their last attempt to crowdsource their Ubuntu phone, but it didn’t make enough money. This one looks pretty good too. Now I wonder if I could run Android apps on there too. :D
If ever there was a time you wish you could click ‘undo’, this would be it.
But while most people are often rescued by the quick ‘control+z’ command - seeing their entire document return to the screen after inadvertently deleting it all - there was no such saving grace for Marco Marsala.
The hosting provider wrote on help forum Server Fault that he had accidentally entered a code that seemed to have wiped his computers, including the websites of his customers.
The command, “rm -rf”, deletes everything it is told to and blocks the helpful warnings that usually inform the user that something is being deleted. In this case, because he hadn’t specified what he wanted deleted, it erased everything.
With super-user permissions comes great responsibility, which unfortunately doesn’t help with stupidity.
Source: Man ‘deletes his whole company’ after typing wrong bit of code
With the roll out of a new version of Chrome, Google is saying goodbye to a few old favorites. Maybe “favorites” isn’t the right word. The browser will no longer be updated to support Windows XP, Vista, and OS X 10.8. Goodnight, sweet Vista, and your glossy menus.
RIP XP. Finally. Although I say finally, but I’m pretty sure some places are still using XP because they can’t/won’t recode applications to support Windows 2000
Source: Remains of the Day: Google Chrome Drops Support for Windows XP
Photoshopping is normally frowned upon for making things “fake”, but sometimes, it can provide really nice sentimental value to pictures…
Source: Woman finds a stunning way to include late husband in maternity photos
As with all writers - myself included, we are prone to going back and changing something I… (backspace, backspace, backspace…) we write. With this website, if you stop typing for an extended period, everything is deleted. This stops you going back and changing things, and encourages words to flow, without hindrance. It’s dangerous, but also allows you to be creative.
Give it a try, but don’t do your essay on it, unless you know you can flow your ideas :D
The blank page is a common, intimidating hurdle for writers. Sometimes it helps to just start typing your first draft, allowing words to flow without over-thinking them. This app will help you do just that, namely because if you don’t, it will delete any and all of your progress.
Source: “The Most Dangerous Writing App” Destroys Your Progress if You Stop Typing
