Digital

Category: IT &Technology

  • Why do I dislike Facebook (Fb)? [Addendum – Jan 21st]

    I was challenged with this question last Thursday when I told my family about the intended changes to the WhatsApp Terms and Conditions of Use. I didn’t reply to my IT-savvy son until this morning when I was first asked to agree to these new Ts&Cs. This is what I wrote …

    “It starts with trust, and then you work away from that. It’s what a company does with information and whether you can then trust them to handle it properly. Google+ was a closed system that you opened up; Fb is an open system that even though it has Privacy Controls – which you need a degree to work out how to set them – essentially allows them to do anything with what appears on their platform.

    You take a photo – you don’t retain copyright, you assign that right to them when you publish to the platform. You have to struggle to find a way to opt out of adverts (understandably – that’s how they make their money) – you are conned into thinking that in allowing them, you will get a better experience.

    For whom? For you – no, they’re just an annoyance to me, but for others they just drive people to buy stuff they might not want/need. For them – yes, that’s how they drive income and more.

    So it’s the more that’s more interesting and insidious because what they do with that information leads to targeting people with posts, hence my reference to Brexit and Trump. [I had said in my brief first reply – Cambridge Analytica, Brext and Trump.] The algorithms behind the scenes work the data and susceptible people get targeted with posts as well, not just adverts. I could go on, but as I said – it’s all about Trust, and Fb as a company is one that I just don’t trust. [Addendum: Fb would say that it’s not them that uses the data; but we now have plentiful evidence that Fb Service Users have found ways of manipulating the data they have access to as Fb Business Users.]

    Getting data from WhatsApp was something they committed at take-over they wouldn’t do. Now they are starting to do just that. Next step targeted adverts on a platform which is advert free; then “posts from others you might be interested in” – not the encrypted ones, but ones from Public Figures. Then “oh! dear” we have to drop encryption because of new privacy laws in the US. [Aside: is it a coincidence that Google, Twitter and Fb appear to be more privacy focussed since the Republicans lost control of the Senate and they just might want to be on the right side of the argument that’s going to come in the US in the next four years ].

    So I always logout of Fb to stop them tracking me; I suspect that WhatsApp will have a mechanism that prevents a user from being disconnected so Fb with these new Ts&Cs will be tracking as well as getting the other personal info from users. [However, see the addendum below which has caused me to change my views on that.]

    Please feel free to comment either on the post, or in the Topic I’ve created to discuss the subject in the Privacy and the Internet Forum.

    Addendum: After posting this article, a former colleague provided a link to a page on Facebook’s website. That article is included in the many posts to Flipboard I’ve added in the past three weeks. However, it’s worth looking at, particularly as it affects the advice I’ve given many times to Logout of your Fb account. It would appear that Fb’s reach is wider than I thought, and so I can only now recommend that you logout. Some salient passages from the article …

    When does Facebook get data about people from other websites and apps?
    Many websites and apps use Facebook services to make their content and ads more engaging and relevant. These services include:

    Social plugins, such as our Like and Share buttons, which make other sites more social and help you share content on Facebook;

    Facebook Login, which lets you use your Facebook account to log into another website or app;

    Facebook Analytics, which helps websites and apps better understand how people use their services; and

    Facebook ads and measurement tools, which enable websites and apps to show ads from Facebook advertisers, to run their own ads on Facebook or elsewhere, and to understand the effectiveness of their ads.

    When you visit a site or app that uses our services, we receive information even if you’re logged out or don’t have a Facebook account. This is because other apps and sites don’t know who is using Facebook.

    I’ve added the emboldening to the last paragraph. So it means that if you do any of the above things on a site that uses Fb Services (ie pays to advertise on the Fb platform) personal information will be transferred to Fb.

    Finally, if you’re just a bit more curious about Facebook’s Data Policy, take a read of this and be just a little gobsmacked at what’s going on behind the scenes and just consider it might be worthwhile reviewing your security settings. In particular look at the last section which explains how your information will be shared and especially look at the last part where they describe what they do with third-party partners (eg Cambridge Analytica ???).

    Facebook have attempted to respond to the uproar about privacy with the announcement, and release of a Clear History Tool – and you should take a look at this page which explains What off-Facebook Activity means and describes how Fb’s third-party partners and business service providers may be interacting with Fb, and you.

    Now you might realise why I dislike Facebook – they’ve lost my trust, and it’s just too much effort to make sure I’ve closed all the doors to protecting the personal information they hold on me.

  • How do I know that a Password manager is not just a phishing site?

    Well … first you need to only download the software from the official links of the provider, eg LastPass, Dashlane or 1Password, or from the app store of your mobile device.

    Then be assured that the passwords (if you use these downloads) are not stored on a central server anywhere. They are stored in encrypted form on your device. When you open a different device the password is transferred from one “vault” to another in encrypted form. The service provider just provides the encryption algorithm which it can’t have access to itself. So rest assured as long as you use the “official” downloads they’re very safe.

  • How safe are iPads and other tablets without additional software protection?

    A good question! I certainly can state that mobile banking is safer from a mobile device than from an internet browser because the latter can be compromised because it’s more open to the internet and issues that you install anti-malware software to protect you.

    I would judge that the fact that as all software downloaded onto these devices go through a “shop” maintained and supported by the hardware vendor that they have done checks on the software and the supplier before releasing it through the shop. That’s a very powerful first step and is why I’m a strong supporter of these “shops” and would be distressed if some alternative means of downloading software onto a mobile device was allowed.

    However, nothing protects you against yourself and that’s where the hints and tips in the third part of my “Protect yourself online” talk come into play.

  • So you want a new laptop? [from Which?]

    How to buy the best laptop

    Five crucial questions you need to ask to find the perfect laptop.

    With hundreds of models to choose from, you’ll want to a laptop that ticks the boxes and will last the test of time. One of the biggest decisions will be how much you want to spend – what many don’t realise is that if you’re after a good all-rounder for day-to-day tasks, it doesn’t have to be a lot.

    We award Best Buys to our top-performing laptops, and our cheapest Best Buys costs less than £500. Plus if you’re willing to compromise you can find good models for as little as £150.

    Top five questions to ask before buying a laptop

    Before you start shopping for a laptop, it will help to know the answers to the following five key questions.

    1. How much should I spend on a laptop?

    • Less than £200 – Intel Celeron or Atom processors, 2GB of Ram and 32GB of storage. Won’t be particularly fast, but fine for note taking and browsing the internet.
    • Less than £400 – Intel Pentium, Core i3, AMD Ryzen 3 and 4GB Ram. Fast enough for web browsing and research work. Aim for a Full HD screen and an SSD if you can.
    • Less than £600 – Intel Core i5, i7, AMD Ryzen 5, 7 and 8GB of Ram. Should be ideal for photo editing and some light video work. Look for a thin and light design, a Full HD screen and an SSD.
    • Less than £800 – As above, but in increasingly high-end designs. Look for great battery life on premium ultrabooks.
    • More than £800 – Some stunning designs, great screens and good speakers. High-end laptops will suit more intensive tasks, such as video editing or playing games. You can buy Apple MacBooks from £950 and above.

    2. Operating system – what type of laptop do I need?

    There are three major players when it comes to the software (operating system) your computer runs on. Windows, MacOS, and ChromeOS.

    Buy a Windows 10 laptop if…

    • You prefer the familiarity of Windows
    • Have specialist software you can’t live without
    • Want a big variety of laptops to choose from

    Buy a MacBook if…

    • You have a budget of at least £950
    • Value longevity and build quality
    • Use other Apple products, or are happy to learn a new operating system

    Buy a Chromebook if…

    • You’re on a budget
    • Value simplicity
    • Don’t mind working in web-based applications

    3. How powerful does my laptop need to be?

    In short: If you need a laptop for light use and note taking, look for Intel Pentium or Intel Core i3 and at least 4GB of Ram for a great experience. Go for Intel Core i5 and i7 and AMD Ryzen 5 and 7 and at least 8GB of Ram if you’re a heavy user. Look for dedicated graphics from Nvidia and AMD if you want to game.

    Processing power really matters if you’re planning on using a laptop for photo or video editing, or are otherwise a very heavy user, opening lots of programs and browser tabs.

    When looking at laptop processors, you’ll see two main specifications beyond the product name: clock speed (measured in Gigahertz or GHz and number of cores) and Ram. Think of clock speed as the speed limit on a road and the number of cores as the number of lanes. As on a road, depending on traffic conditions – the tasks being done on your computer – a road might see a greater benefit from more lanes or a higher speed limit.

    In the simplest way possible, more of both is better, and all of our reviews describe what sort of tasks a laptop is good for.

    Think of Ram (Random Access Memory) like a desk and your hard drive like a filing cabinet. You pull files out of the cabinet and it takes a while, but once they’re on your desk, you can reach for them instantly. The same is true of Ram; once you have loaded a file from the hard drive, it’s now in the Ram and can be accessed almost instantaneously.

    The bigger the desk you have, the more items you can access more quickly, and the same goes for Ram. Most mid-range laptops come with at least 4GB of Ram, and we’d tend to recommend 8GB for people who are heavy web users or usually have lots of documents and pictures open.

    You can manage with less, but you’ll have to rein in your use. If you fill up your Ram, some of the things you’re working on will be moved back to the hard drive, making things feel a lot slower.

    Some cheap computers come with 2GB – this is usually fine on a cheap Chromebook, but some Windows 10 laptops will struggle.

    When you close a program or file, it is removed from the Ram and makes room for other things to be accessed immediately. This is part of the reason why closing programs you aren’t using can make your computer faster.

    4. Screen – what size and resolution of laptop display do I need? 

    In short: Unless you have a very low budget, don’t settle for less than Full HD, no matter the size.

    image072.jpg

    A laptop’s screen is one case where bigger isn’t always better. If you want a longer-lasting battery and a more portable device, you may want to go for an 11, 12 or 13-inch display; most of these will weigh between 1kg and 1.5kg.

    The largest you’re likely to see is 15 or 17 inches, with weight increasing to around 2kg to 3kg.

    Most machines on the shelves now have a Full-HD 1,920×1,080-pixel resolution display, and high-end models can have even sharper screens with even more pixels up to and beyond 4K Ultra HD. Generally, the higher the resolution, the sharper the picture.

    Only cheaper laptops should have a lower screen resolution of 1,366×768. This is fine for most people, but if you like to have lots of items on screen at once you’ll prefer a higher-resolution display.

    5. How much laptop storage do I really need?

    In short: Go for an SSD unless you really, really need more storage at all times. Storage capacity, measured in the size of the hard disk drive (HDD) in gigabytes (GB) or terabytes (TB, equal to 1,000GB), determines how many things your PC can hold.

    Documents, photos, music, movies, programs – they all take up space. Bigger is usually better, although solid-state drives (SSDs) are often more expensive for considerably less space. This is because they load much quicker and are completely silent.

    We’re also seeing a lot of cheaper laptops (including Chromebooks) carrying eMMC (embedded Multi-Media Controller) flash storage, which is slower than SSDs and gives you very little storage space.

    If you cleared out all the stuff on your computer you don’t actually need, how much space do you think you’d have? How much do you have now? Check ‘My Computer’ if you’re using Windows to gauge how big your next laptop’s storage needs to be.

    Laptop battery life: manufacturer claims vs reality

    In short: Manufacturer battery claims aren’t useful unless you’re only comparing models from the same brand. Use our reviews to get the full picture. Manufacturers often make heady claims about how long their laptops’ batteries last. Our tests ignore the manufacturer claims and involve multiple battery rundowns while simulating web browsing and watching videos.

    If you’re buying a portable laptop that you intend to use when travelling or on your commute, make sure the battery life is at least six hours based on our reviews. We’ve tested some models that last for more than 10 hours before they need recharging.

    But we’ve also found companies claiming 10 hours of battery life on average, while our own tests found 6.3 hours was closer to the mark.

    Battery stamina on large, desktop-replacement models won’t be as crucial, as they’ll almost always be near a power socket, but we still mark them down if they run out of juice in under four hours.

  • Screenshots on Windows and Macs

    It’s often useful to be able to send an image of your screen, or part of your screen to someone. In fact I use this facility all the time when creating these blog posts.

    On the Mac, it’s very easy …

    Press Cmd-Alt-3 to capture a complete screen

    Press Cmd-Alt-4 to draw a window that you want captured

    To be guided through the options you can

    Press Cmd-Alt-5 and from the Options screen decider where you want to save your Screen shots [I save them to a Dropbox folder so they’re available between my two machines], and also choose the option for the type of screen capture you want, or even to Record a series of actions.

    On the iPad/iPhone, it’s straightforward too. You can capture a screen by Pressing the Power Button and the Home Button together [It works best if you press the former just before you press the latter].

    To take a screen shot in Windows, I suggest you follow the advice in this post. Or alternatively watch this video …

    Jim has sent me this note as well …

    “It might be helpful for your notes if I run through my Windows 10 sequence. The relevant key on my laptop is labelled SYSRQ/PRTSC, so I have to press the ALT key at the same time to print the screen. This puts the image onto the clipboard, so I then have to save it somewhere. I usually go to Paint Shop Pro and paste it as a new image. One thing I am investigating is what happens if you have two pages at once on the screen. At the moment I can only print one of the pages, depending on which I click on.“

  • URL Shorteners

    I’ve annoyed a few people over the years (well – one person at least) by pasting overlong URL’s in blogposts, and on WhatsApp. Ever since Google stopped supporting it’s own URL shortener I’d forgotten to go and look for an alternative to setup as an extension in my browsers (Safari, Chrome, Brave and Firefox) and more importantly to have as an app on my smartphone.

    I’d used tiny.url for many years, but that generally meant you had to copy and paste the URL to a page you’d left open on the tiny.url page …

    … and then once shortened you could copy the shortened URL to the email, WhatsApp, etc message.

    But it would be much nicer if there was an extension which you could just click on from the page in question, and you’d get a shortened URL. That’s where bit.ly come in. It’s available both as an extension for Chrome, Brave and Firefox and as an app for iOS and Android.

    To install bit.ly as an extension on Brave, go to Brave > Window > Extensions …

    … click on Web Store …

    … and type bitly, or bit.ly in the Search Box. Click on the bit.ly box and agree that you want to install it in Brave (or Chrome) …

    … agree that you want to add the extension and then you will see it’s been added to your browser extensions …

    It’s as straightforward as that. Now any time you want to shorten a URL, all you need to do is click on the bitly icon and (after creating a bit.ly account), the following dialogue box will come up …

    … and you can then Copy the shortened URL that’s been created, wherever you want to.

  • Open Source and “free” software

    [Minor edits 27th April 2023]

    I was quite surprised to see when I reviewed the articles I’d posted over the years that I’d never written one specifically about Open Source software, and “free” software. Of course the topic has cropped-up quite a bit at Cardiff U3A Computer Group meetings, and I have referred to pieces of Open Source and “free” software on “Just thoughts …”, but I’d never put my ideas down about the reliability, philosophy, use and accessibility of Open Source and “free” software in general. Just as I write this – guess what popped-up on my screen …

    … Java – an example of a programming language that has morphed into a software development environment whose component parts are all, or can be replaced by, open source modules. Java is an accepted piece of the architecture of a huge number of the systems we use everyday, as is Apache – the web-platform that powers most of the Internet’s servers. I mention these two as examples because it demonstrates how deeply elements of Open Source thinking is embedded into so many of the systems we use every day. Other ones would be Linux,  and WordPress – a multi-platform  operating system, and web-publishing software which the Cardiff U3A Group has looked at before. So, in a nutshell – open source is respectable!

    What makes software open source then? Technopedia defines open source thus …

    “Open source is a philosophy that promotes the free access and distribution of an end product, usually software or a program, although it may extend to the implementation and design of other objects. The term open source gained traction with the growth of the Internet because of the need to rework massive amounts of program source code. When source code is opened to the public it allows for the creation of different communication paths and interactive technical communities; it also leads to a diverse array of new models.”

    … thus the code is generally very safe, because it can be inspected by anyone, and any changes in the code can be easily traced. The definition goes on to explain the following …

    “Open source revolves around the concept of freely sharing technological information so that it may be improved through multiple insights and viewpoints. Since the technology is open source, the amount of work that needs to be done is reduced because multiple contributions are added by many individuals. This concept existed way before the age of computers and even before the industrial age when people shared and improved recipes for food and medicine, for example.

    In terms of open source software, the code is often freely downloadable and changeable as long as the user sticks to what is agreed upon in the software license agreement. Open-source software is usually under the General Public License (GNU), but there are other free licenses like the Intel Open Source License, FreeBSD License and the Mozilla Public License.”

    That doesn’t make it necessarily FREE, because developers can charge for the software they develop on the base of open source, however generally if it’s made available under one of the above licences it’s often the Support and Implementation that’s chargeable, not the software itself. Look for the licences (as above) to determine whether the software is genuinely Open Source and thus you should expect it to be “respectable” and “safe”.

    So any open source software must adhere to the following criteria:

    • Free redistribution of the software.
    • The source code should be publicly available.
    • The software can be modified and distributed in a different format from the original software.
    • The software should not discriminate against persons or groups.
    • The software should not restrict the usage of other software.

    Then there’s Free Software. As I’ve explained most Open Source is distributed free of charge, and the intention behind it was freedom of code, and freedom from intellectual property rights. The subtle difference with Free Software is that in the latter the emphasis is on freedom for the user to do whatsoever they want to do with the code. It is truly FREE! As a term and as expressed by the Free Software Foundation it predates the Open Source initiative and was the driving force behind the licences mentioned above. Thus free software must adhere to the following four pillars of freedom (which are rights and not obligations):

    • The freedom to deploy the software for any use case without any restrictions. For example, saying that the license of a program expires after 30 days makes it non-free.
    • The freedom to study how the software works and modify it according to your needs and preferences.
    • The freedom to freely re-distribute the software to assist someone in need. The redistribution can be done at a cost or at no cost.
    • The freedom to enhance the performance of the software and release your enhancements for the community to benefit—both programmers and non-programmers. You can do this at a cost or at no cost.

    Now it starts to get a little bit more cloudy. There’s Freeware which might also be described as freememium, or shareware. I quote …

    “Typically, freeware refers to a software that you can use without incurring any costs. Unlike open source software and free software, freeware offers minimal freedom to the end user.

    Whereas it can be used free of charge, often modification, redistribution, or other improvements cannot be done without getting permission from the author.

    As such, freeware is often shared without including its source code, which is atypical to open source software or free software.

    Two of the most common types of freeware are Skype and Adobe Acrobat Reader. While both programs are free to use, their source codes are unavailable to the public.

    Most developers usually market freeware as freemium or shareware with the intention of encouraging users to buy a more capable version.

    Freemium refers to a program that is offered at no cost, but money (premium) is paid for extra, more capable features.

    Shareware refers to a program that is initially available without any costs attached, and users are encouraged to distribute copies. However, that cost-free period usually lasts for a certain period; thereafter, a user is required to pay for continued use.”

    Finally, you may come across the term “Donationware“. This is software that is distributed for free, but the author invites the user to make a contribution to the ongoing development costs (or the programmers coffee). It might also be described as “conscienceware”, or even “thankyouware”!!!

    So armed with that information, it’s time for me to provide a list of the free software that I treasure the most.

    Further reading

    What is Open Source software, and why does it matter?

    Free Software vs Open Source vs Freeware: What’s the Difference?

  • Covid-19 NHS Tracing App

    I will add more detail later, but just wanted to create this for the meeting later today.

    The long-awaited app is launched today (24th September).

    It’s a really positive step forward I feel, even though there’s the inevitable doom and gloom merchants already slating it.

    What is really a sad state of affairs (and here I stray into political waters – dangerous, I know) is that the Track and Trace (outside Wales, where we have tried to do things much more locally and involved local Public Health experts from an early stage much more) is that it does appear to be putting the cart before the horse. The app should have been in place before they allowed the pubs/hospitality outlets to be opened. It should have been made mandatory. You shouldn’t have been able to enter unless you scanned yourself in (or failing that supplied a verifiable name and address. Mini-rant over!

    So it’s available on iOS devices from the iPhone 6s onwards, and Android devices from 2017 (Android 6) onwards. You download it from the appropriate app store.

    This is how it works …

    I’ll get back on to this following the meeting. Please post Comments, or ask Questions below, or raise a Topic in the Covid-19 Forum.

    How does it work? This article from Wired UK provides a comprehensive explanation.

    The BBC’s explanation of how it works (as an infographic).

    Screenshots from installing the app on my iPhone 6s

    The app is highlighted on the App store (at least for Apple) today …

    … download and install, and start the app …

    You will be asked a couple of questions, including an age enquiry …

    … and then a Privacy section, which is actually very good and worth reading. The developers have done all they can to make you aware of what the app does, and how it protects your privacy.

    So if you click on the Privacy link you will be taken to the UK Government website that gives you more information, after first informing you that it uses cookies …

    You might like to click through to the Welsh pages to find out more about Local restrictions …

    … then you need to supply the first part of your postcode. The developers have acknowledged there’s a weakness in the app currently in that if you move your location, you can’t change it in the app. They are working on a workaround/fix/upgrade. This would apply if you were to go on holiday somewhere else, or if you were a student moving away from your home.

    Having done that you’re into the app, it starts scanning and you’re on your part of the Covid-19 Tracing community.

    You can see that north Cardiff is at a Medium risk level (as I believe the whole of Cardiff is) …

    … and then you have access to the other features of the app, as shown below …

    A recent article about the NHS app which addresses possible Security and privacy concerns.

    I wondered about creating a QR code for our house

    This is how you can do it

    … and this is what it looks like …

  • Great new Plugin from Ordnance Survey for Mapping Trails

    I’ve been using a WordPress Plugin called OS OpenSpace Maps for quite a while that allows the mapping of trails (I use .gpx format to record the trails) onto an OS Map.

    This has worked well, but in updating a blog post I came across the information that the Ordnance Survey has produced a new plugin that works with their DataHub Maps service. This is an even better service and if you’re a low-use user, you can upgrade to the Premium level subscription to get 1:25,000 scale maps.

    The map can be easily zoomed and can be clicked to take to full screen size.

    Here are a couple of links to help you along the way of installing and using the plugin.

    The Plugin Page on WordPress – https://wordpress.org/plugins/os-datahub-maps/

    Using the OS Maps API (which you have to obtain after creating an account – https://osdatahub.os.uk/docs/wmts/overview

    A guide to using the plugin – https://skirridsystems.co.uk/wordpress-plugins/os-datahub-maps/

    Really neat!

     

  • Mario’s laptop and Vista

    On the Computer Group Zoom call today, Mario advised that his Sony Vaio machine was running slow when connected to the Internet and using Firefox.

    The immediate suggestion was to clear the browser cache (Internet History and Cookies) but then it became apparent it was running Windows Vista as well.

    Should Mario upgrade his laptop to Windows 10? That depends on the spec. of the machine – let us know Mario and perhaps we can give some advice.

    Should the machine be upgraded to Linux rather than Windows 10. It might as well be because there’s no similarity between Vista and Windows 10, so there’s a learning curve anyway and Linux will run much quicker on an older machine AND the default browser on Ubuntu Linux is Firefox anyway.

    So here’s a topic which anyone can comment upon and give advice and experience. For me, I think the Linux route is worth exploring. I’ve just “upgraded” an old Dell Inspiron laptop running Vista to Linux and it runs much faster than it did using Vista and it would never have taken Windows 10!