Interesting Software and System News

[DavidR]

Firefox 91 introduces HTTPS by Default in Private Browsing
https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2021/08/10/firefox-91-introduces-https-by-default-in-private-browsing/
<snip>

Whilst the headline looks good, if a site doesn't support https protocol then it can't switch to it.  Some users also have the https everywhere add-on installed, but that too I guess would suffer the same fate if the site doesn't support https protocol.

Many sites that do support https also switch http connections to the https connection.

[Asyn]

Firefox now bypasses Windows 11's messy default browser settings
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/firefox-now-bypasses-windows-11s-messy-default-browser-settings/

[bob3160]

Firefox now bypasses Windows 11's messy default browser settings
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/firefox-now-bypasses-windows-11s-messy-default-browser-settings/

Considering the rash of lawsuits Microsoft faced the last time they pulled a stunt like this,
I'm sure changes will still happen to make changing the default browser easier
before the new OS is released on October 5, 2021.
There's also a tool available that can make this task easier
EdgeDeflector - https://github.com/da2x/EdgeDeflector

[Asyn]

HTTPS Is Actually Everywhere
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/09/https-actually-everywhere

[bob3160]

HTTPS Is Actually Everywhere
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/09/https-actually-everywhere

If that is used, can Avast still scan the website?

[Asyn]

HTTPS Is Actually Everywhere
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/09/https-actually-everywhere

If that is used, can Avast still scan the website?

Hi Bob, sure - but the point of the article is that it probably isn't needed anymore.

With these simple settings available, EFF is preparing to deprecate the HTTPS Everywhere web extension as we look to new frontiers of secure protocols like SSL/TLS. After the end of this year, the extension will be in “maintenance mode.” for 2022. We know many different kinds of users have this tool installed, and want to give our partners and users the needed time to transition. We will continue to inform users that there are native HTTPS-only browser options before the extension is fully sunset.

[Asyn]

Securing Connections: Disabling 3DES in Firefox 93
https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2021/10/05/securing-connections-disabling-3des-in-firefox-93/

Firefox 93 protects against Insecure Downloads
https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2021/10/05/firefox-93-protects-against-insecure-downloads/

Firefox 93 features an improved SmartBlock and new Referrer Tracking Protections
https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2021/10/05/firefox-93-features-an-improved-smartblock-and-new-referrer-tracking-protections/

[Asyn]

It's Windows XP's 20th birthday and way too many still use it
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/its-windows-xps-20th-birthday-and-way-too-many-still-use-it/

[DavidR]

It's Windows XP's 20th birthday and way too many still use it
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/its-windows-xps-20th-birthday-and-way-too-many-still-use-it/

If my XP system hadn't died (and I didn't have the time or inclination to find and fix the issue), I would probably still be using it for all of the software that I had on it that simply doesn't work on win10.  I wasn't going to buy more software just to run win10.  I had win7 on a netbook, completely skipped, Vista, win8, win8.1 and it looks like I won't be using win11 anytime soon.

[bob3160]

It's Windows XP's 20th birthday and way too many still use it
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/its-windows-xps-20th-birthday-and-way-too-many-still-use-it/

If my XP system hadn't died (and I didn't have the time or inclination to find and fix the issue), I would probably still be using it for all of the software that I had on it that simply doesn't work on win10.  I wasn't going to buy more software just to run win10.  I had win7 on a netbook, completely skipped, Vista, win8, win8.1 and it looks like I won't be using win11 anytime soon.

Some of us like the sharp edge of the knife and some prefer the dull side.

[DavidR]

It's Windows XP's 20th birthday and way too many still use it
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/its-windows-xps-20th-birthday-and-way-too-many-still-use-it/

If my XP system hadn't died (and I didn't have the time or inclination to find and fix the issue), I would probably still be using it for all of the software that I had on it that simply doesn't work on win10.  I wasn't going to buy more software just to run win10.  I had win7 on a netbook, completely skipped, Vista, win8, win8.1 and it looks like I won't be using win11 anytime soon.

Some of us like the sharp edge of the knife and some prefer the dull side.

Nothing to do with sharp or dull, culling a perfectly good system loaded with software that won't run on win10.  And a system that runs just fine under XP but would be likely to suffer under the load.  All in all a high cost impact, which is no doubt why many stuck with their XP OS and computer.

So it has zero to do with which edge you want on your knife, but how much said knife is going to cost and that decision lies squarely with the user  

[Asyn]

Introducing Meta: A Social Technology Company
https://about.fb.com/news/2021/10/facebook-company-is-now-meta/

[bob3160]

Introducing Meta: A Social Technology Company
https://about.fb.com/news/2021/10/facebook-company-is-now-meta/

IMHO. changing policy would have been a much better choice than changing the name.

[Asyn]

Introducing Meta: A Social Technology Company
https://about.fb.com/news/2021/10/facebook-company-is-now-meta/

IMHO. changing policy would have been a much better choice than changing the name.

Agreed. Here's a quite interesting article (in German, but you can translate it if needed).
https://www.heise.de/hintergrund/Facebook-Immer-mehr-Interna-beschreiben-verheerende-Unternehmensfuehrung-6236401.html?seite=all

[bob3160]

Introducing Meta: A Social Technology Company
https://about.fb.com/news/2021/10/facebook-company-is-now-meta/

IMHO. changing policy would have been a much better choice than changing the name.

Agreed. Here's a quite interesting article (in German, but you can translate it if needed).
https://www.heise.de/hintergrund/Facebook-Immer-mehr-Interna-beschreiben-verheerende-Unternehmensfuehrung-6236401.html?seite=all

Thanks.