Root Access

allquixotic

00:00

well I now have a Galaxy Note 8 - I bought a Certified Refurbished one from Amazon, and the vendor who sold it had to get certified by Amazon that they don't just take stolen phones and resell them... I looked up the IMEI and it's about 6 months old and not blacklisted

I updated it to Oreo (:D!!) and the thing I like the most is the ability to have multiple accounts on apps

either using the Dual Messenger feature, or using the Secure Folder

the latter appears to be some kind of containerization technology

also the S Pen, which is the original reason I bought it

bwDraco

Something I've noticed with most X display managers under Linux: When the system is locked, you cannot programmatically shut down or reboot the system without entering your password to unlock the screen. With Windows, anybody can reboot without authenticating, unless you modify group policy to block it.

1) Is this Linux behavior by design?
2) Would you consider the Windows configuration to be an insecure default?

ToxicFrog

The only security implication I can see there is that if someone manages to RDP to the lock screen or something they can't reboot the machine

If they're physically in front of it they can just push the reset button

bwDraco

Assume the computer itself is physically secured and in a semi-public location (which I often see at my college).

There's a keyboard and mouse attached, but the computer proper is physically secured. The computer also cannot be unplugged. Additional USB devices cannot be attached.

(this is how some of the PCs are set up at my college, e.g. computers for student use in the cafeteria)

allquixotic

00:40

@bwDraco it all depends on your setup

default secure is a more likely policy for something that would run in enterprises; in fact, IIRC, Windows Server has that group policy setting disabled by default, so you can't just reboot without logging in

default convenient is more likely if the user has physical access to the system anyway

TML Cat

01:32

@allquixotic it's called Knox, it's been around for a while, and tweakers and power users hate it.

allquixotic

@TMLCat I'm a power user and I love it, sooo

I don't see a need to root... it provides good security and isolation which I want

TML Cat

03:45

@allquixotic nothing preventing a rooted phone providing good security and isolation other than Samsung's decision to e-fuse off all secure functionality "just because".

It's not like a PC with a root account is automatically insecure, fucking every OS has them by default except Android.

Fighting against Knox to access basic functionality on your phone like switching 3G off or changing bands to avoid congestion is a PITA.

That said it's only really Samsung that blocks Android's built in advanced network controls from working without root, most other manufacturers don't fuck with it.

Journeyman Geek

07:37

ooh

Looks like I slept through chat being down

14

Q: Chat Seems to be Down

When I view any URL under https://chat.stackexchange.com, I get the following error: It was working about 10 minutes ago. When attempting to access https://chat.stackexchange.com, I get redirected to https://chat.stackexchange.com/error?aspxerrorpath=/. This is true regardless of whether I co...

> We'll have a postmortem report when everything is completely fixed. The short version was a lack of disk space but, of course, that's just part of the whole story.

Maaaaaybe I should chat less ;p

DavidPostill

08:50

lol

Journeyman Geek

(still 3rd chattiest user in chat.se though apparently smokey overtook cerebrus)

Bob

09:07

@JourneymanGeek where was that list again? :P

Journeyman Geek

chat.stackexchange.com/users

djsmiley2k

'[+9+*60.86589*.

396+

83.5/##

Journeyman Geek

Just wiped my old server. Went with 16.04 to test some stuff for the main server, then might play with 18.04.

(I doubt I can do a dist-update with zfs root, can I @Bob? ;p)

Bob

@JourneymanGeek sure you can

Journeyman Geek

0_0

really?

Bob

09:13

yes?

Journeyman Geek

ooh

Anyway, going to set up the other server for testing ngnix unit, and a few other things

then give it a shot.

At worst, new server can act as a redundancy

Bob

@JourneymanGeek zfs on the new server? :P

Journeyman Geek

naw

Bob

@JourneymanGeek take a snapshot before upgrading

worst case you can restore

Journeyman Geek

I literally want something as simple as possible

Bob

09:14

@JourneymanGeek :(

Journeyman Geek

I might wipe once done.

So no point going through all that effort for a box that might be up less than a week or two

Basically, test, fully document, decide on some form of config management, try, see if I can get it on the better server.

also want to test getting a mail server up, though the management options on flurdy's docs are terribad

djsmiley2k

10:39

hmmm

the Mrs almost lost 40Gb of photos

from long ago

/me sighs

fortunately the external drive she'd copied them to still works

[email protected]/s :D

DavidPostill

@djsmiley2k "For all you Super Users out there. You have backups, right?"

djsmiley2k

@DavidPostill :) I do, yes.

She told me previously she'd given me 'all' the photos

"Trust, but verify" I guess.

DavidPostill

:)

djsmiley2k

I bet there's a lot of duplicates and stuff

will try and 'sort' them before i upload em all.

bertieb

jdupes is a better-than-fdupes replacement for fdupes fwiw

djsmiley2k

10:46

:O

bertieb

(you didn't ask, but I like it enough to suggest it unbidden)

djsmiley2k

yeah, that's great, I'll take a look

bertieb

👍

djsmiley2k

hmmm odd

not in portage

/me goes looking

oh, it's windows?

bertieb

Don't think so?

I've used it on Linux

Oh, it does work on Windows

djsmiley2k

10:51

oh right ok

bertieb

Phone, y u no use pihole for queries when it is the only DNS server set for you?

irritated noises

user226528

11:09

Me hates domain controller update

DavidPostill

@djsmiley2k I use dupeGuru | finds duplicate files

Bob

11:41

@bertieb how's the hand?

hope everything's going well

DavidPostill

lol

> A Belgian driver was fined £5,700 after speed cameras recorded him driving his Vauxhall Astra at over 400mph through the centre of a countryside town.

...

> After reporting the apparent mistake to police they admitted there had been an error and cancelled the fine.

However, the motorist was not yet off the hook.

Police then issued him with another speeding ticket for driving at 37mph in a 30mph zone - accompanied by a fine of about £40.

bertieb

@Bob Not too bad, thanks for asking :)

Inconvenient and occasionally achey, but could be worse!

user226528

@bertieb I was frightened to ask exactly what happened... or go back and read about it.

user226528

I hope it is no permanent damage?

bertieb

I have a review at the fracture clinic on Wednesday where they'll actually look at the wound and hopefully xray

@EUserNameError Hopefully not, yet to find out

user226528

11:54

Er... "hopefully"?

bertieb

Well, the fingers haven't been shortened

But the nerves may have been affected

And/or extensor tendon

(the one that straightens the tip out)

So after the wires come out in ~4 weeks will see how much function there is

Might get physio to improve range of movement and power

But atm it's hard to tell - the tips of the fingers feel different when I poke 'em; but then i) it's early days yet and ii) there's big steel wires in there, healing going on etc

Cheers for asking :)

Bob

@bertieb being able to feel them at all is a good sign :)

user226528

There seems to be a CSS error in the chatroom code: An ignored user causes the first row of the icon bar to have 16px space below it. (And presumably the second row, but I've never seen three rows of user icons here.)

bertieb

@Bob For sure!

All in all, things could have been much worse

If they take x-rays on Weds I'll get a copy to show y'all for comparison :D

DavidPostill

@EUserNameError After having ignored you (for science) I cannot reproduce your problem.

user226528

12:04

jokerdino

13:00

status-norepro

user226528

raise EStatusMyAssessFail

user226528

13:50

Bye, everyone. Thanks for the very exciting day today. :)

allquixotic

14:43

I want the best of both worlds of iOS and Android

Burgi

ignored users have a smaller icon

there are some chavs in an audi taking nitrous oxide outside

allquixotic

I want the Secure Folder and Dual Messaging features of Android, the S Pen of the Note 8, the front facing Touch ID of the iPhone, the iOS keyboard, the non bloatiness of the iPhone, the high RAM of Android flagships, the great in store / US depot in-warranty repair experience of Apple, the US-based chat support of Apple, the Multi-Window and Autofill Framework features of TouchWiz / Android O, iMessage from iOS, and the best features of all smartphone cameras combined into one phone

Burgi

the ios keyboard is the worst mobile keyboard

Journeyman Geek

lol

I er... like my oneplus ;p

Other than that I keep needing to buy slightly dodgy grey market ones.

allquixotic

@Burgi then why can I type on it 2x faster than Swiftkey, the Google keyboard or the Samsung keyboard?

And more accurately too

Journeyman Geek

14:56

cause you're used to it? ;p

Burgi

because you have the £300 extra Bluetooth iFingers

also wireless and aren't compatible with standard mark 1 fingers

Bob

@allquixotic apparently you get ubreakifix in-store repair for samsung now, so there's that

but that's US-only for now afaict :(

allquixotic

15:09

@JourneymanGeek no I used the Samsung and swiftkey keyboards extensively on Android for years

About as long as I’ve used the iOS keyboard actually

I’m so indecisive

bwDraco

roar

Any hints on how to address my arrogance issues?

allquixotic

I can’t decide if I want to keep my Note 8 or return it. It doesn’t work well at all with the Apple Watch so I’d have to get a Gear S3 Frontier

@bwDraco you’re probably too arrogant to take the hints even if we suggested them :P </joke>

bwDraco

I tend to be showoffish, and I often openly defy my parents.

lol

allquixotic

@bwDraco nothing wrong with “openly defying your parents” unless you’re still living in east Asia - in the US it’s fine if you have a good reason for it

bwDraco

Increasingly stringent discipline (including immediate monetary fines without warning) have not helped.

I'm evaluating zero-tolerance disciplinary options for arrogance because it's making me fear for my own safety.

jokerdino

15:20

@allquixotic hey

don't ignore South Asia

Bob

@allquixotic Buy one of those china ios clones. you can have the worst of both worlds!

I tried typing on one. Still not entirely sure if it was the clone keyboard that was shit or if it accurately mimicked the real thing.

...wait, no, typing on that iPad sucks too, if slightly less :P

Journeyman Geek

xiomi does that

not too bad and cheap

bwDraco

Also, I'm seeing myself tell mom, "I don't need to be reminded" on things I tend to forget.

Journeyman Geek

@allquixotic I'd wait on the smartwatch

bwDraco

This will get me in trouble sooner or later.

Bob

15:35

@JourneymanGeek xiaomi doesn't really do the software cloning thing

vivo, on the other hand...

Journeyman Geek

@Bob eh, I hated the lack of drawers on my mom's old redmi

Bob

@JourneymanGeek I'm not sure if the redmi software is different... is it still MIUI?

you did flash the global one right? :P

Journeyman Geek

Last I checked ya

now its running lineage

its a very EOL phone ;p

@jokerdino south asia is differently neurotic ;p

@bwDraco you're an adult

your parents do not have absolute power over you

A little defiance can be handy

jokerdino

I didn't think Redmi or xiaomi were popular in other markets.

@JourneymanGeek don't remind me

Bob

@jokerdino ozbargain.com.au/search/node/xiaomi

Journeyman Geek

15:39

@jokerdino they were a decent, cheap option a few years back

mom went with a oppo this time

Bob

speaking of xiaomi, it's been a while since they last updated their headphones hasn't it

Journeyman Geek

er

the most recent ones were the 3 driver "HD" ones?

Bob

I think so?

bwDraco

@Bob Look for 1More Design.

Bob

@bwDraco ..why?

I'm specifically interested in the ones branded by Xiaomi

Journeyman Geek

15:43

@Bob IIRC they're the ones who design the xiomi bullets.

Bob

@JourneymanGeek I know. They also have a number under their own brand, but I don't really care about those.

Journeyman Geek

ah

I picked up the paperback equivilents - though they're a bit nicer

bassy as heck tho

Bob

@JourneymanGeek the cheap end of xiaomi headphones is more or less the same as supermarket headphones :P

Journeyman Geek

oh these have pretty decent built quality

Bob

@bwDraco 1more has a few but really there's millions of other options

xiaomi is special because of the attention they get (easier to find reviews, and much easier to actually buy from aus)

Journeyman Geek

15:46

they just sound terrible unless you match them up with something weak ;p

djsmiley2k

15:57

found the wifes missing photos

uploading them, upto 7000+ photos so far.

Bob

hmm, I might need a new watch in a month, with pebble servers shutting down (@allquixotic)

Journeyman Geek

waiting for that new android watch platform seems like a good idea

Bob

@JourneymanGeek ...new?

Journeyman Geek

ya, qualcomm is working on a new chip for those after 2 years

Bob

o.O

gah, idk if I can wait that long

and it'll probably be pricey too

maybe a ticwatch can tide me over

Journeyman Geek

16:12

lol

Bob

wish someone else used the e-paper display though

it's awesome

Journeyman Geek

well, I use one ;p

though its the older non AW one

and IIRC they have a bundle with those and their earpod clones for about 140usd

djsmiley2k

16:54

Google's gonna hate my misses.

And the power company loves me?

Not so bad on gas tho

and as gas is expensive... hbmm

Nikkou

17:08

https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/7046/how-do-i-get-attention-for-one-of-my-own-questions-without-a-good-answer

It only analyzes situation of me having asked the question originally and wanting to do it again. I do know that duplicates are also closed though.

Journeyman Geek

sigh

I'd take what Sonic says with a pinch of salt

Personally I think the trick is to show awareness of the other question and to differenciate yours enough

nvm. I got that confused with something else

Its early ;p

DavidPostill

17:26

@djsmiley2k Really? it's usually about 1/3 to 1/4 the price of electric per kWh (that's why it's much cheaper to heat using a gas CH system rather than electric fires or storage heaters). Looks like your tariff may need to be changed ;)

bwDraco

@DavidPostill Gas is sold per kWh in the UK?

Utility companies use "hundred cubic feet" here in the US.

I know, odd measurement unit, but that's how natural gas is sold here.

djsmiley2k

17:58

@DavidPostill oh maybe I remebered wrong

@DavidPostill tho I'm looking at tariffs

everyone spretty much identical :/

djsmiley2k

18:36

@bwDraco the 'quality' of the gas can vary

selling it by measure ignores that fact

100 cubic feet of gas may give you varying amounts of kWh.

So ours is sold by it's 'usefulness'

DavidPostill

19:22

@bwDraco It's metered by volume (either cubic feet or cubic meters depending on how old the meters are), converted to kWh using the calorific value of the gas (which varies slightly depending on where the gas was sourced) and charged by the kWh.

bwDraco

Ah.

Here, we tend to treat all natural gas as equal; AIUI all gas is refined to the same standards here.

DavidPostill

> Calorific Values by Supplier

These values vary a little by each supplier, are governed by legislation and provided by the National Grid. The values provided are always rounded down to the next decimal place.

The current values are British Gas 39.3, EDF 39.1, EON 39.2, ScottishPower 39.0 and SSE 39.6.

Gas kWh Conversion Calculator to Estimate Bills

bwDraco

Natural-gas processing

Natural-gas processing is a complex industrial process designed to clean raw natural gas by separating impurities and various non-methane hydrocarbons and fluids to produce what is known as pipeline quality dry natural gas. Natural-gas processing begins at the well head. The composition of the raw natural gas extracted from producing wells depends on the type, depth, and location of the underground deposit and the geology of the area. Oil and natural gas are often found together in the same reservoir. The natural gas produced from oil wells is generally classified as associated-dissolved, meaning...

> in the United States, it should be about 1035 ± 5% BTU per cubic foot of gas at 1 atmosphere and 60°F (41 MJ ± 5% per cubic metre of gas at 1 atmosphere and 15.6°C)

DavidPostill

^^^ why the calorific value varies slightly - different sources for our gas.

bwDraco

Huh.

And 39.0 to 39.6 is a much narrower spread than "1035 ± 5% BTU".

bertieb

20:23

Speaking of gas, Moneybox on R4 is doing a segment on them at the mo

Allegedly, between the meters, formula for conversion and so forth we're all slightly overpaying

£50/household/year across England, on average#

So the claim goes

rahuldottech

20:43

Sigh. All this adult talk is boring.

DavidPostill

@bertieb Hmm. Well the meters are pretty accurate and the calorific value is set by legislation and provided to the suppliers by the national grid. So any attempt to blame the suppliers (which they will presumably try to do) is pointless.

bertieb

Aye, they mentioned that, interestingly

(YMMV on 'interestingly')

DavidPostill

@rahuldottech Ahem. It's my job to know this stuff.

bertieb

Apparently the law says that ALL GAS EVERYWHERE IN THE UK is supplied at 12°C at a certain elevation (I can't remember which? 16 feet? metres? shrug)

rahuldottech

@DavidPostill You clearly do it well then :)

bertieb

20:48

The point was that the errors at every step, while small, all add up and overall disfavour customers

OTOH, the people doing the research have better measuring equipment to sell everyone

OTOOH (other, other hand) their stuff is being peer-reviewed and they claim they used the most conservative figures

shrug

Truth probably lies somewhere in the middle

rahuldottech

Oh, can one of the adults please TL;DR what an arbitration policy is?

bertieb

(I don't reckon there's a Big Gas Conspiracy, but there's probably a bit of margin of error here and there)

DavidPostill

Arbitration in the United States

Arbitration, in the context of United States law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution. Specifically, arbitration is an alternative to litigation through which the parties to a dispute agree to submit their respective positions (through agreement or hearing) to a neutral third party (the arbitrator(s) or arbiter(s)) for resolution. In practice arbitration is generally used as a substitute for litigation, particularly when the judicial process is perceived as too slow, expensive or biased. In some context, an arbitrator may be described as an umpire. == History == Agreements to arbitrate...

rahuldottech

@DavidPostill bah. legal speak.

bertieb

@rahuldottech The sticky does a reasonable job of discussing, but tl;dr in the event of a dispute between you and SE, y'all get a team of people to figure out if anyone owes anyone anything remediation-wise

As opposed to courts

rahuldottech

20:52

I see

bertieb

The devil is in the details, as ever

DavidPostill

> In practice arbitration is generally used as a substitute for litigation, particularly when the judicial process is perceived as too slow, expensive or biased.

rahuldottech

I don't think I can sue SE in my country anyway, since it's based in the US?

DavidPostill

Explains it in simple terms.

bertieb

People are/were/will be unhappy as arbitration favours/is seen to favour the corp/bigger party

rahuldottech

20:53

@DavidPostill I see. It's optional?

DavidPostill

@rahuldottech It does have a presence in a few other countries. The UK and DE IIRC

bertieb

@rahuldottech As long as your courts hear the case / grant a venue, you can file a suit

DavidPostill

@rahuldottech You can opt out, A lot of the complaints are about how opting out works.

bertieb

Whether SE will show up, whether the court agrees with you and whether you can collect any judgement are different matters

DavidPostill

Anyways, bedtime for me. Night, night all.

bertieb

20:55

Tara o/

rahuldottech

'night

thanks for the explanation

bertieb

It's worth double-checking the arbitration terms in this case actually, as I think they said a case could be heard somewhere that works for you

(ISTR Tim Post responding to complaints people had that it was locking them into US_based arbitration)

Ah

Yes and no

> There were concerns that users had to come to New York to pursue arbitration. This is not the case. While the arbitration will be based out of New York, you’re entitled to participate from your hometown. JAMS rules say “The consumer must have a right to an in-person hearing in his or her hometown area.” There are also provisions for attending remotely, if that’s what is required.

Burgi

22:07

If you get chance go and see The Dark Room

its fracking hillarious

Journeyman Geek

22:39

@rahuldottech more or less you're agreeing to talk to SE in a private venue, with a panel of specialists, rather than going to civil court.

There's a few reasons its controversial - you're basically waiving your rights to say, a class action lawsuit or other civil measures, its new, and it may not be legal, according to a few keyboard lawyers, in many places in the world

A few folks have also reported a few banks misused arbitration to get away with things

so you have a mix of folks who legitamately feel their rights are infringed and hate the new clause

and a few people who see this as a way to cause more drama

bwDraco

Journeyman Geek

In a practical sense, this dosen't matter very much unless you need to sue SE

bwDraco

DOCKERIZE ALL THE THINGS!

Michael Frank

22:57

This compulsory training on Privacy that I'm doing has an interesting way to display progress.

Michael Frank

23:44

Here's a good thing to DO when ensuring you protect the privacy of your clients:

"Lock your laptop when you leave it unattended (CTRL-ALT-DEL)"

Bob

morn

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