COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

[Pluggy]

I gave up on email client software about 10 years ago when i was having problems with mail not being delivered. Because the mail server had been black listed for spam. Apple are notorious for ignoring conventions and what has transpired in the 10 years since I gave up on client email (Thunderbird was the last one I used) is something of a mystery. This is a global thing as most service providers nowadays don't provide any email system at all for new customers. Its less for them to have to do and they assume people are using a big system like hotmail/live/outlook (all the same now) or gmail/google. mail. Personally I'f recommend gmail which you can set up to collect your existing email and even continue using the same email address. Its very good at removing 'junk' so you never have to deal with it. Move on Tiz, leave thunderbird to the annuls of history.

My main email is not gmail but I sign into gmail with an actual gmail address which I can use if I wish or continue with my old @stsr.co.uk address. I have a little used ancient hotmail addesss that gmail collects and put it in the same ststem.
Moving awat from client softwaew is you can get your email on nay device anywhere, not just the one you set the client up on.

[Tizer]

Thanks for the advice Pluggy. I'll give it some thought. We've been using Thunderbird ever since we moved from Windows to Ubuntu and have never had any problems before. Our BB provider is Plusnet and we get almost no spam or scam emails- perhaps a few in a month, sometimes months without a single one. We have our own domain name and get all messages to that so we see each other's mail. That's a legacy of having run a business together! We also each have our own operamail account which we use for things like Amazon, ebay, etc. I'll probably continue with TB at the moment and keep an eye on message size and presence or otherwise of attachments.

[Stanley]

Peter, I use Tbird, how do you see size of message?

[Tizer]

Peter, I use Tbird, how do you see size of message?

Look at the top pane where it shows the titles of all your new messages. You'll have columns for Subject, From, Date etc. At the r.h end of those you'll see a little square icon. Click that to drop down a list of things you can add. Tick `Size'. If it's already ticked but you can't see the column then widen the TB window and it should appear.

[Stanley]

Done it Peter. Thanks for the heads up.

[Tizer]

I've just noticed that there's another useful item in that dropdown list - `Attachments'. If you click that it adds a column that shows a paper clip symbol if the message has an attachment. It's column will appear at the far left but you can drag and drop the columns to where you want them. If you have other main message folders besides Inbox you'll need to do these settings there too. If you have sub-folders you can adjust them individually or, if you have a lot, make them act like the top folder like this: go into that dropdown list in the main folder and click `Apply columns to folder and its children'.

[Stanley]

I've always had that one in the display Peter.
Another question, is there any way of inspecting suspect data? And how do you ensure your mails are in plain text?

[PanBiker]

Never used Thunderbird but in most mail clients the plain text option will just be in the mail settings or preferences. Shouldn't be to hard to find.

[Tizer]

Click the `three bar' icon at top right in your TB window to get the dropdown menu, click View, click Message Body As, click Plain Text.

Some of the tricks the Russians have been up to in the past...
`Five Russian hacks that transformed US cyber-security' LINK
`The latest hack, allegedly by Russia, is a reminder that Moscow is America's oldest adversary in cyber-space. For more than three decades, hackers linked to Moscow are believed to have tried to steal US secrets online. Those breaches of US systems have done much to define how America sees cyber-space, and how it defends itself. And they have learnt it is not always possible to predict, or stop, Moscow's efforts...'

[Big Kev]

Thunderbird Plain Text

Tizer got there first

[Stanley]

Thanks, sorted...,.

[Tizer]

Now Secretary of State Pompeo is blaming Russia and President Trump is blaming China. Trump tweeted: `"The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality. I have been fully briefed and everything is well under control. Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is, for mostly financial reasons, petrified of discussing the possibility that it may be China (it may!).' He didn't mention his own secretary of state's comments and supplied no evidence on any Chinese involvement.
`US cyber-attack: Russia 'clearly' behind SolarWinds operation, says Pompeo' LINK

[Stanley]

I've reached the point where my default position is to discount anything Donald Trump says. So far it has served me well.

[Tizer]

This will be industry's response to Trump who's saying the hacking is `fake news'
`US cyber-attack: Around 50 firms 'genuinely impacted' by massive breach' LINK

[Stanley]

And from what I understand, even though they knew it was happening they could do nothing about it.

[plaques]

For those who are reading the Enigma book they will see quite a number of references to 'Five Eyes' (FVEY). The book makes it sound as though its a passive signal listening organisation who limit their spying to listening to what's being transmitted. Edward Snowden has different views. (Wiki Leaks) Five Eyes

ReF: Documents leaked by Snowden in 2013 revealed that the FVEY has been spying on one another's citizens and sharing the collected information with each other in order to circumvent restrictive domestic regulations on surveillance of citizens.

Perhaps all this hacking and stealing of intellectual property is considered acceptable but hacking and holding companies to ransom is beyond the pale.

[Big Kev]

Countrywide broadband issues for Sky customers yesterday, I was aware of mine dropping out a couple of times yesterday. They did post in their Twitter feed that they had identified an issue and were 'working hard to fix it'. Seems OK this morning.

[Stanley]

Hope it's healed up Kev.
Today is annual backup day to two independent external drives. All done, that's my year end from now on I am working in 2021.

[Tizer]

As the man said, `I just don't believe it!'...
`Brexit deal mentions Netscape browser and Mozilla Mail' LINK
`References to decades-old computer software are included in the new Brexit agreement, including a description of Netscape Communicator and Mozilla Mail as being "modern" services. Experts believe officials must have copied and pasted chunks of text from old legislation into the document. The references are on page 921 of the trade deal, in a section on encryption technology. It also recommends using systems that are now vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The text cites "modern e-mail software packages including Outlook, Mozilla Mail as well as Netscape Communicator 4.x." The latter two are now defunct - the last major release of Netscape Communicator was in 1997..'.

[Big Kev]

As the man said, `I just don't believe it!'...
`Brexit deal mentions Netscape browser and Mozilla Mail' LINK
`References to decades-old computer software are included in the new Brexit agreement, including a description of Netscape Communicator and Mozilla Mail as being "modern" services. Experts believe officials must have copied and pasted chunks of text from old legislation into the document. The references are on page 921 of the trade deal, in a section on encryption technology. It also recommends using systems that are now vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The text cites "modern e-mail software packages including Outlook, Mozilla Mail as well as Netscape Communicator 4.x." The latter two are now defunct - the last major release of Netscape Communicator was in 1997..'.

[Stanley]

Brilliant Peter. They won't let it hold them up and will come up with a good explanation...Whoever did the cut and paste didn't read what they had done. Question is what does that do for confidence in the rest of the text?

[plaques]

I'm convinced that much of the 'padding' that gets built into reports is there simply to bulk it up so that people give up reading it. Pendle Council are past masters at this. The recent Colne's Neighbourhood Plan Consultation has pages devoted to the history of Colne and other side issues that don't reflect on what may happen in the future. The 'Plan' isn't a plan just a load of aspirations with no mention of the effect of restrictions they have put in place. Naturally my objections have been registered. The Brexit agreement is no different. How many of Joe Public have read the 30 page summary? The we hear that it will take months of 'swarms' (can't think of the collective term) of legal eagles to unravel the content of the agreement that Parliament will be signing into law in the next few days. The blind leading the blind.

[Stanley]

I agree Ken. It's all part of a system of information management that we have been gradually exposed to over the years. It has reached the stage now where a matter like the one Peter raised would just be greeted with a shrug of the shoulders. This is the route to surreal actions like arresting reporters for being journalists and this being allowed without a wave of international protest. (I refer of course to the Lady in Wuhan.)
I think of it as a complicated gavotte that the practitioners understand and actually enjoy.

[Tizer]

...Then we hear that it will take months of 'swarms' (can't think of the collective term) of legal eagles to unravel the content of the agreement...

Would `packs of legal beagles' do?

I agree with the comment about `bulking up' reports but also suggest that the majority of people now don't know how to write a report, especially a concise one. Electronic copy & paste of text also makes it easy to create a `collage' report and there's a temptation to add more and more because it's so easy. Modern reports suffer from obesity!

[Tripps]

I just got an email from webmaster@oneguyfrombarlick.co.uk.

Just in my copy/personal email but not in the private messages on the site itself.

Title is " Heaton (Stockport) Men in Sheds 6.30pm link "

Not opened - just hovered. Doesn't seem sinister, but it's a puzzle.