Saturday, April 10, 2021
Which Gecko-based browser to choose for Android?
Published initially as a reddit post.
Much depends on what functionality you want.
There are three or four types of Gecko-based browsers, and one can have two or three, depending on desired functionality. In all cases, you'll have to switch off automatic app updates in order to prevent your device automatically moving to a version with less functionality.
If you want the latest and dark mode, there's Firefox or Fennec (the latter with a delay).
If you want automatic updates to most apps from the Google Play Store, and the latest Gecko-based browser, pick Firefox, and then Fennec or IceCat from the F-Droid app, where you can switch automatic updates off.
In this scenario, where you'd want to stick to a certain release, pick a version of Fennec F-Droid, and/or GNU IceCat. Fennec has more versions to choose from; IceCat has less versions, as it tends to stick to ESR branches.
If you want legacy/XUL add-ons, you might have to consider Firefox/Fennec 56.0 as the last version.
If you want the latest branch that still has about:config, pick version 68.x esr (extended support release). It has support for add-ons available at addons.mozilla.org that are no longer supported by the latest Firefox due to changes to the extension framework (yet again).
68.x esr also supports viewing local HTML files, as I haven't been able to do this with the latest Firefox.
Firefox 43.0 (really legacy) and older still support cookie prompting via extension, and has slightly better support certain other legacy extensions. But this is a really old version.
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Коротко о поездах Эстонии
Я всегда думал, что Эстония закупала поезда Stadler Flirt за прóданные квоты CO₂, но оказалось, что это вообще не так. Бóльшую часть денег (аж 85% от 80 миллиона евро) для закупки только электричек выдал фонд Европейского Союза, а дизельные брала Elektriraudtee (видимо сама) на капитальную аренду за 96 млн. евро.
Тендер для закупки объявили в 2009. году, и выигрышем оказался Stadler Bussnang AG, с кем подписали договор в августе 2010. года.
Перед их запуском отреновировали железные дороги, и перроны, стоянки. В местах даже вокзалы.
Когда в январе 2014. года на железные дороги ввели новые поезда, оказалось, что приобрели слишком мало поездных составов: они ездили намного быстрее чем старые DR1[ru] (DR1A, DR1B другие варианты оперируемыми фирмой Edelaraudtee). Популярность новых поездов повысилась за ночь, и настолько, что они часто сильно переполнены пассажирами.
А старые и до сих пор прочные DR1 зря вывели из эксплуатации, так как они были очень просторные и удобные. Мне бы понравилось, если старые остались бы ночными поездами, но увы.
I класс и был такой советский/восточный китч просторных DR1 с западным шиком — Wi-Fi, большие (для поезда/вагона) столы, розетки для портативных компютеров, кафе. Ну и закуски.
Вот, а у новых возможно зарядить смартфоны прям через USB порт в стене вагона (под столиком).
Источник: Delfi Forte, 20.02.2013: Stadleri FLIRT-rongid on kohal: Eesti esimene samm 21. sajandisse? (на эстонском, obv.)
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
The degrowth and stagnation of the United States and Russia, and the resilience of the European Union
In response to this tweet, collated from a collection of tweets written in response.
The referenced tweet claimed, that 'the EU [supposedly] loves degrowth'.
And my response thread:
Or living within one's means.
The degrowth paradigm is out of the window currently, as the EU has relaxed the restrictions on state aid, the famous "3% inflation-to-GDP" rule, and on individual member states taking loans (unwise), just to slow down a steep slowdown.[1]
The United States saw peaks in the 1980s, then completely peaked in the 1990s, and much of it and its society is now going through a stagnation, in part because of off-shoring, but not only.
The USSR variously peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, until Chernobyl happened.[2]
America has also peaked: it did in the 1960s (the space programme), was doing very well in the 1950s, and before that, it won WWII and had the capacity to underwrite the Marshall Plan to rebuild and protect Western Europe. That was huge.[3]
Ironically, the technologies developed during WWII created new industries (computers and then space stuff, viz rockets). Having a well-regulated market economy allowed for the growth of economies of scale for these.[4]
The off-shoring of manufacturing to a major non-democracy because of the cheap labor that it provided and subsidised, remains to this day one of the greatest sacrifices of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.[5]
Such off-shoring thus created a negative feedback loop of *unregulated* globalisation.
In and of itself, globalisation is a good thing, in that it variously facilitates the free movement of persons, labour, services, goods, and capital. But only when it's well-regulated.[6]
'Regulation' here is balancing any such open market economy with counter-cyclical protections. — This means a comprehensive stability mechanism and proper social safety nets.
The European Union is the best such example of successful globalisation.
The United States is not.[7]
Given the many policies that maintain the economic stability of the EU as a whole, and each EU member state, the European Union can in parts afford to 'degrow', as it were.
Whereas the United States, bereft of these mechanisms, and also paralysed by political bickering, cannot.[8]
The diversity of the EU has inevitably lead to multi-track development and a variable-geometry Europe, whereby some EU economies develop faster, and some slower.
A multi-speed Europe is not really a bad thing, as this diversity contributes to the EU's resilience.[9]
'degrowth' might happen to the EU as a whole (Brexit), and/or in some EU member states, but not because of any such planned policy, but merely due to the cyclical nature of the world economy, which does affect Europe, but to which the EU itself is reasonably resilient.[10]
At large, the United States is capable of protecting itself and its friends and allies from foreign threats.
The EU has been able to complement this capability, but must now develop it further within the NATO framework.[11]
In the States, care should be taken to further harden the U.S. economy and society from major shocks. The ACA is just 1 of the steps in that direction.
A Biden presidency would begin to mitigate existing inequities, and that in total should help in the recovery of the world economy.[12]
The economy of the USSR serves as a cautionary tale of ineffectual leadership and bureaucracy ruling over a stagnant economy that is one big disaster away from a major perturbation. In 1986, that was Chernobyl. In 2005, it could have been Katrina, and it was for Bush and the GOP.[13]
In 2020, it's the coronavirus and the ensuing economic fallout for Trump and the GOP.
Some of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's proposals do have an air to them, but they are meant to prevent a major disturbance in the Force, and then to improve the economy. Green shoots and all.[14]
Russia faces similar problems: economic stagnation, extensive political corruption, and a leadership that's mostly preoccupied with what it sees as its enemies.
Putting the dispute over Crimea aside, then the West itself is uninterested in taking any territory of Russia proper.[15]
And it is not NATO, or the EU, or Europe, or the West that Russia should really be concerned about. But that's very much a different story.[16]
But something similar to a CO2 quota exchange with a tax on each transaction would incentivize U..S states and companies to seek clean and cleaner solutions.[17]
For individuals, a gradual raising of the tax on petrol at the pump would incentivise people to choose petrol-saving, hybrid, or all-electric vehicles.
Also, perks to owners of all-electric vehicles: a smaller value-added tax on purchase, no car tax, and free parking nationwide.[18]
Owing to its total top-down model of government and state planning, the Soviet Union began to stagnate during the Brezhnev era, suffered a black swan event in Chernobyl and then the 1988 Armenian earthquake, and then collapsed totally.
Russia's problems are similar: it's run by a ruthless power vertical that oversees an undiversified economy that singularly depends on the export of oil and gas.
The society in European Union is not degrowing, while the EU can afford a degrowth both economic and even territorial (Brexit), if it, or each member state finds it more feasible in the short-to-mid-term.
Long-term, the less-effective EU member states would be wise to become more effective. Greece is has already decided on a path to progressive policies, while France has chosen stagnation.
The referenced tweet claimed, that 'the EU [supposedly] loves degrowth'.
And my response thread:
Or living within one's means.
The degrowth paradigm is out of the window currently, as the EU has relaxed the restrictions on state aid, the famous "3% inflation-to-GDP" rule, and on individual member states taking loans (unwise), just to slow down a steep slowdown.[1]
The United States saw peaks in the 1980s, then completely peaked in the 1990s, and much of it and its society is now going through a stagnation, in part because of off-shoring, but not only.
The USSR variously peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, until Chernobyl happened.[2]
America has also peaked: it did in the 1960s (the space programme), was doing very well in the 1950s, and before that, it won WWII and had the capacity to underwrite the Marshall Plan to rebuild and protect Western Europe. That was huge.[3]
Ironically, the technologies developed during WWII created new industries (computers and then space stuff, viz rockets). Having a well-regulated market economy allowed for the growth of economies of scale for these.[4]
The off-shoring of manufacturing to a major non-democracy because of the cheap labor that it provided and subsidised, remains to this day one of the greatest sacrifices of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.[5]
Such off-shoring thus created a negative feedback loop of *unregulated* globalisation.
In and of itself, globalisation is a good thing, in that it variously facilitates the free movement of persons, labour, services, goods, and capital. But only when it's well-regulated.[6]
'Regulation' here is balancing any such open market economy with counter-cyclical protections. — This means a comprehensive stability mechanism and proper social safety nets.
The European Union is the best such example of successful globalisation.
The United States is not.[7]
Given the many policies that maintain the economic stability of the EU as a whole, and each EU member state, the European Union can in parts afford to 'degrow', as it were.
Whereas the United States, bereft of these mechanisms, and also paralysed by political bickering, cannot.[8]
The diversity of the EU has inevitably lead to multi-track development and a variable-geometry Europe, whereby some EU economies develop faster, and some slower.
A multi-speed Europe is not really a bad thing, as this diversity contributes to the EU's resilience.[9]
'degrowth' might happen to the EU as a whole (Brexit), and/or in some EU member states, but not because of any such planned policy, but merely due to the cyclical nature of the world economy, which does affect Europe, but to which the EU itself is reasonably resilient.[10]
At large, the United States is capable of protecting itself and its friends and allies from foreign threats.
The EU has been able to complement this capability, but must now develop it further within the NATO framework.[11]
In the States, care should be taken to further harden the U.S. economy and society from major shocks. The ACA is just 1 of the steps in that direction.
A Biden presidency would begin to mitigate existing inequities, and that in total should help in the recovery of the world economy.[12]
The economy of the USSR serves as a cautionary tale of ineffectual leadership and bureaucracy ruling over a stagnant economy that is one big disaster away from a major perturbation. In 1986, that was Chernobyl. In 2005, it could have been Katrina, and it was for Bush and the GOP.[13]
In 2020, it's the coronavirus and the ensuing economic fallout for Trump and the GOP.
Some of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's proposals do have an air to them, but they are meant to prevent a major disturbance in the Force, and then to improve the economy. Green shoots and all.[14]
Russia faces similar problems: economic stagnation, extensive political corruption, and a leadership that's mostly preoccupied with what it sees as its enemies.
Putting the dispute over Crimea aside, then the West itself is uninterested in taking any territory of Russia proper.[15]
And it is not NATO, or the EU, or Europe, or the West that Russia should really be concerned about. But that's very much a different story.[16]
wrt the carbon tax:
A general tax on companies emitting carbon is unwise.But something similar to a CO2 quota exchange with a tax on each transaction would incentivize U..S states and companies to seek clean and cleaner solutions.[17]
For individuals, a gradual raising of the tax on petrol at the pump would incentivise people to choose petrol-saving, hybrid, or all-electric vehicles.
Also, perks to owners of all-electric vehicles: a smaller value-added tax on purchase, no car tax, and free parking nationwide.[18]
Conclusion
The United States has degrown in terms of its economy and society. It could ill-afford to do so, and cannot afford to degrow any further.Owing to its total top-down model of government and state planning, the Soviet Union began to stagnate during the Brezhnev era, suffered a black swan event in Chernobyl and then the 1988 Armenian earthquake, and then collapsed totally.
Russia's problems are similar: it's run by a ruthless power vertical that oversees an undiversified economy that singularly depends on the export of oil and gas.
The society in European Union is not degrowing, while the EU can afford a degrowth both economic and even territorial (Brexit), if it, or each member state finds it more feasible in the short-to-mid-term.
Long-term, the less-effective EU member states would be wise to become more effective. Greece is has already decided on a path to progressive policies, while France has chosen stagnation.
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
An ode to Google Hangouts
This was posted first, and this one a bit later.
Google Hangouts still works in Android 2.3, albeit without audio and video. That is, when Google Play Services and the Hangouts app are as up-to-date as possible within Gingerbread, and when a user bypasses the upgrade notification with the hardware menu button long-press.
Hangouts also works on Android 4.1, and presumably, on 4.0, too. While I have tried data-based audio/video on Hangouts once or twice, then audio/video do not seem to work on any of these versions of Android. (This could be due to having older hardware that is no longer capable of modern IP-based audio/video calls.)
Unlike Skype, Hangouts is to me the only reliable native app that works across Android 2.3-4.1 and beyond. The web-based Hangouts interface is much faster than that of Skype for Web.
I give huge props to Google for supporting Hangouts on older Android versions this far, though I do not know for how long this kind of support will last, as there is a slowish migration currently going on towards Google Chat.
The current version of Google Chat is meant only for G Suite customers (so far), and it requires Android 5.0, leaving users of older Android versions in the lurch. Chat does not transfer messages and contacts over from Hangouts, and reviews for Chat are poor.
After Hangouts, the second-best service with long-term support for older devices and operating systems is WhatsApp, though I do not use it. WhatsApp supported Nokia's S40-based phones up until the end of 2018. WhatsApp support on Android 2.3.7 stopped on February 1, 2020.
Unfortunately, Skype doesn't work reliably in Android 4.1, so I cannot use it in any capacity. Its main web-based version is extremely slow in mobile browsers of old devices (think anything with 512 Mb RAM), and official Skype snap-ins are also quite slow.
Google Hangouts still works in Android 2.3, albeit without audio and video. That is, when Google Play Services and the Hangouts app are as up-to-date as possible within Gingerbread, and when a user bypasses the upgrade notification with the hardware menu button long-press.
Hangouts also works on Android 4.1, and presumably, on 4.0, too. While I have tried data-based audio/video on Hangouts once or twice, then audio/video do not seem to work on any of these versions of Android. (This could be due to having older hardware that is no longer capable of modern IP-based audio/video calls.)
Unlike Skype, Hangouts is to me the only reliable native app that works across Android 2.3-4.1 and beyond. The web-based Hangouts interface is much faster than that of Skype for Web.
I give huge props to Google for supporting Hangouts on older Android versions this far, though I do not know for how long this kind of support will last, as there is a slowish migration currently going on towards Google Chat.
The current version of Google Chat is meant only for G Suite customers (so far), and it requires Android 5.0, leaving users of older Android versions in the lurch. Chat does not transfer messages and contacts over from Hangouts, and reviews for Chat are poor.
After Hangouts, the second-best service with long-term support for older devices and operating systems is WhatsApp, though I do not use it. WhatsApp supported Nokia's S40-based phones up until the end of 2018. WhatsApp support on Android 2.3.7 stopped on February 1, 2020.
Unfortunately, Skype doesn't work reliably in Android 4.1, so I cannot use it in any capacity. Its main web-based version is extremely slow in mobile browsers of old devices (think anything with 512 Mb RAM), and official Skype snap-ins are also quite slow.
Monday, August 24, 2020
Как быстро скачать современный браузер для "свежего" Windows xp
У, первый пост на русском :-)
Тут более-или-менее копия реплая
Итак, на этом видео видно, что у автора SuperGTOR не удалось сразу скачать Google Chrome с браузером Internet Explorer 6.0, версия которая уже очень устарела (скоро 20 лет будет), и ему надо было сначала скачать обновления для операционной системы, чтоб скачать Internet Explorer 8.0, а тем уже Chrome.
Вместо Chrome возможно так быстро (без обновлений) с браузером Internet Explorer 6.0 скачать Firefox, аж с официального FTP-сайта Мозиллы, так как тот сайт доступен и без https протокола, с простым протоколом http — http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/ — и скачать версию 52.9.0esr.
Ещё надо (т.е. очень рекомендую) скачать расширение NoScript для защиты от скриптов, тракеров, рекламы, фонтов, и подобного хлама. Для классического Firefoxa подходит и классическая версия расширения NoScript 5.1.9. Чтоб инсталлировать эту версию, надо на странице настроек about:config менять настройку xpinstall.signatures.required на false (неверен / неверный), чтоб Firefox на заблокировал бы инсталляцию расширения из-за отсутсвия цифровой сигнатуры. Вот и всё.
А оттуда с Firefox-ом возможно скачать другие браузеры: New Moon или MyPal и/или что угодно.
Отдельно, в настройках Internet Explorer надо выключить SSL 2.0, SSL 3.0, и включить TLS 1.0. Иначе все сайты с протоколом https с браузера IE совсем недостижимы.
Тут более-или-менее копия реплая
Итак, на этом видео видно, что у автора SuperGTOR не удалось сразу скачать Google Chrome с браузером Internet Explorer 6.0, версия которая уже очень устарела (скоро 20 лет будет), и ему надо было сначала скачать обновления для операционной системы, чтоб скачать Internet Explorer 8.0, а тем уже Chrome.
Вместо Chrome возможно так быстро (без обновлений) с браузером Internet Explorer 6.0 скачать Firefox, аж с официального FTP-сайта Мозиллы, так как тот сайт доступен и без https протокола, с простым протоколом http — http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/ — и скачать версию 52.9.0esr.
Тем же методом возможно скачать на старые версии Андройда APK-пакеты браузера Firefox для Android, из папки /pub/mobile/releases/ (пакеты под именем Fennec): Firefox 31.0 последний для Android 2.2, Firefox 47.0 для Android 2.3 (Android API 9), Firefox 55.0.2 для Android 4.0 (но Firefox 31.3.0esr, если архитектура процессора ARMv6). Расширение NoScript Anywhere, скачаемый с официалного сайта NoScript, очень поможет.52.9.0 самая последняя версия Firefox для Windows XP, и та поддерживает криптографический протокол TLS 1.2. Существует и поддержка TLS версии 1.3, но та по умолчению не вклюычена. Чтоб влкючить (а надо), тогда на странице настроек about:config у настройки
security.tls.version.max ставить цифру 4 (вместо 3).Ещё надо (т.е. очень рекомендую) скачать расширение NoScript для защиты от скриптов, тракеров, рекламы, фонтов, и подобного хлама. Для классического Firefoxa подходит и классическая версия расширения NoScript 5.1.9. Чтоб инсталлировать эту версию, надо на странице настроек about:config менять настройку xpinstall.signatures.required на false (неверен / неверный), чтоб Firefox на заблокировал бы инсталляцию расширения из-за отсутсвия цифровой сигнатуры. Вот и всё.
А оттуда с Firefox-ом возможно скачать другие браузеры: New Moon или MyPal и/или что угодно.
Отдельно, в настройках Internet Explorer надо выключить SSL 2.0, SSL 3.0, и включить TLS 1.0. Иначе все сайты с протоколом https с браузера IE совсем недостижимы.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
My BunsenLabs story
Posted as a reply in the BunsenLabs user forum.
I have an hp Pavilion dv5000 (dv5204ea), with Intel Celeron M 410 running at 1.46 GHz and 1 Gb of RAM memory, and a BIOS date from 13.06.2006., so the computer is 13 years old.
I use the CD version of BunsenLabs Helium as a LiveCD, and due to limited RAM memory, prefer that over the DVD variant.
NoScript is a huge amount of help when browsing the web, but YouTube is impossible to use with 1 Gb of RAM when BL is run from a LiveCD. In my experience, the LiveCD experience of YouTube is good with at least 2 Gb RAM and a dual-core CPU.
BunsenLabs (BL) meets several requirements:
BunsenLabs is one of the few that offers all that. I have a Knoppix 7.2 liveCD, but it's from 2013, is very old, has unreliable pointer drivers, and installing ID card software was cumbersome, and worked partially; I was only able to login and check my bank balance, but not make any transfers.
Ubuntu compatibility and modern Firefox are required for the latest supported software that uses the Estonian ID card. Upon tweaking the installation script, it installs the ID card software and a Firefox extension (both meant for Ubuntu Xenial) that helps with authentication and making electronic signatures online.
The Estonian ID card is a smart card and an identification document that's used for electronic authentication and electronic signing; it's used to access banks and make money transfers; to sign official documents (incl. contracts); to access government services, to conduct business and communications with the government; to vote online in local, general, and EU elections (expat or traveling Estonians can vote anywhere in the world, if they have the kit); to encrypt files, usually for transfer, to ensure high message secrecy; to remove oneself from party membership, and lots more. The ID card is a valid travel document within the European Union.
Estonia adopted the ID card system in 2002, but I got my first ID card in 2009, seven years after adoption. Until then, I used a passport, mostly to identify my person during elections, and when taking cash to the bank.
So, a year ago, after my bank stopped using non-electronic code cards (those with written numerical codes) for two-factor authentication, I finally got an ID card reader — nine years after I got my first ID card (I'm on a second one), and sixteen years after ID card readers became a thing in Estonia.
With some effort, it's possible to install Estonian ID card software meant for Ubuntu, so I could login into my bank and make transfers. Unfortunately, the ID card management software does not yet work properly. But I could vote! — Because the voting program is a separate package.
I'm not a luddite when it comes to technology, but am one of those who gets personal access to interesting stuff and technology much later than my reference group. Because reasons, but that's life, I guess.
So, in Autumn and Winter of 2018, BunsenLabs was essential just so I could check my bank balance at home, and make transfers.
The day-to-day need to use BunsenLabs waned in January 2019. On Christmas 2018, a relative got a new smartphone, and I asked for their old smartphone, explaining, that I could upgrade that old smartphone from Android 4.0.3 to Android 4.1.2, and install Smart-ID — so I could easily access my bank when in transit. Android 4.1 is the oldest version still supported by the Smart-ID app. The relative was convinced, and I got their old smartphone.
My earlier smartphone runs Android 2.3.6, and does not have any more upgrades available. Furthermore, in December 2018, the YouTube app also stopped working on Gingerbread. (There, the default browser would render the mobile YouTube page and thus allow playback in an external player until September 2019.)
Smart-ID is a new two-factor authentication system and app in Estonia and Latvia.
There is also Mobile ID (Mobiil-ID). It's equivalent to the ID card, and supports absolutely all kinds of phones, even featurephones dating back to early 2000s and even a bit before. One can vote with Mobile ID, but not with Smart ID. But — Mobile ID requires a phone contract and a specialized and more expensive SIM card, and is not exactly free, as it requires a small and regular fee.
Whereas Smart-ID is completely free, but has support for less services.
The newer device I got, is LG Optimus L5, which series was released in June 2012, a few months later than my Gingerbread phone.
I really didn't know if I could upgrade the LG phone from ICS to Jelly Bean. While information about upgrade possibility was up, off-the-air upgrades stayed within Android 4.0.3. This meant that I had to check if there was a computer-based upgrade possible.
At first sight, LG's official site had software available that would run on Windows 7 or greater, while I have Windows XP. Fortunately, LG's Australian section offered packages compatible with Windows XP, enabling me to make a backup of device data, and perform the upgrade to Android 4.1.2. Yay!
Getting Smart-ID registered still required use of the ID card, so BunsenLabs came in handy again.
I could login into my bank again. Yay!
As a result of installing registering Smart-ID, I could download my bank's app that just happens to also have Android 4.1 as the earliest supported Android, so with some effort (because this phone's RAM is only 512 Mb), I used Smart-ID to register my bank's app. My bank's app is crashy for most things, but at least allows me to check the balance quickly.
LG Optimus L5 has the same CPU and RAM specs as the phone with Gingerbread (Samsung Galaxy Mini 2), but sports a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash, while the Samsung smartphone has only a 3.15 Mpix sensor with just fixed-focus and without flash. This is really an upgrade to me, as the LG phone is able to scan more detailed QR codes, which has come in very handy.
Coincidentally, Android 4.1 is also the earliest/oldest Android supported by the Estonian online vote verification app, which scans a QR code displayed by the voting app in the computer after a user has finished voting. For some technical reason, the app wouldn't work as intended during the Estonian Parliament elections in March 2019. It's very possible, that the QR code to verify a person's vote has a very short lifetime. The app worked flawlessly during European Parliament elections in May 2019.
I have an hp Pavilion dv5000 (dv5204ea), with Intel Celeron M 410 running at 1.46 GHz and 1 Gb of RAM memory, and a BIOS date from 13.06.2006., so the computer is 13 years old.
I use the CD version of BunsenLabs Helium as a LiveCD, and due to limited RAM memory, prefer that over the DVD variant.
NoScript is a huge amount of help when browsing the web, but YouTube is impossible to use with 1 Gb of RAM when BL is run from a LiveCD. In my experience, the LiveCD experience of YouTube is good with at least 2 Gb RAM and a dual-core CPU.
BunsenLabs (BL) meets several requirements:
- LiveCD (not DVD), so uses less memory;
- Small memory footprint;
- Based on Debian, so is also compatible with Ubuntu;
- Can run X, with only a window manager;
- Touchpad and pointer drivers must work reliably;
- Has modern Firefox.
- Bonus point: SystemD allows me to limit the memory Firefox can use.
BunsenLabs is one of the few that offers all that. I have a Knoppix 7.2 liveCD, but it's from 2013, is very old, has unreliable pointer drivers, and installing ID card software was cumbersome, and worked partially; I was only able to login and check my bank balance, but not make any transfers.
Ubuntu compatibility and modern Firefox are required for the latest supported software that uses the Estonian ID card. Upon tweaking the installation script, it installs the ID card software and a Firefox extension (both meant for Ubuntu Xenial) that helps with authentication and making electronic signatures online.
The Estonian ID card is a smart card and an identification document that's used for electronic authentication and electronic signing; it's used to access banks and make money transfers; to sign official documents (incl. contracts); to access government services, to conduct business and communications with the government; to vote online in local, general, and EU elections (expat or traveling Estonians can vote anywhere in the world, if they have the kit); to encrypt files, usually for transfer, to ensure high message secrecy; to remove oneself from party membership, and lots more. The ID card is a valid travel document within the European Union.
Estonia adopted the ID card system in 2002, but I got my first ID card in 2009, seven years after adoption. Until then, I used a passport, mostly to identify my person during elections, and when taking cash to the bank.
So, a year ago, after my bank stopped using non-electronic code cards (those with written numerical codes) for two-factor authentication, I finally got an ID card reader — nine years after I got my first ID card (I'm on a second one), and sixteen years after ID card readers became a thing in Estonia.
With some effort, it's possible to install Estonian ID card software meant for Ubuntu, so I could login into my bank and make transfers. Unfortunately, the ID card management software does not yet work properly. But I could vote! — Because the voting program is a separate package.
I'm not a luddite when it comes to technology, but am one of those who gets personal access to interesting stuff and technology much later than my reference group. Because reasons, but that's life, I guess.
So, in Autumn and Winter of 2018, BunsenLabs was essential just so I could check my bank balance at home, and make transfers.
The day-to-day need to use BunsenLabs waned in January 2019. On Christmas 2018, a relative got a new smartphone, and I asked for their old smartphone, explaining, that I could upgrade that old smartphone from Android 4.0.3 to Android 4.1.2, and install Smart-ID — so I could easily access my bank when in transit. Android 4.1 is the oldest version still supported by the Smart-ID app. The relative was convinced, and I got their old smartphone.
My earlier smartphone runs Android 2.3.6, and does not have any more upgrades available. Furthermore, in December 2018, the YouTube app also stopped working on Gingerbread. (There, the default browser would render the mobile YouTube page and thus allow playback in an external player until September 2019.)
Smart-ID is a new two-factor authentication system and app in Estonia and Latvia.
There is also Mobile ID (Mobiil-ID). It's equivalent to the ID card, and supports absolutely all kinds of phones, even featurephones dating back to early 2000s and even a bit before. One can vote with Mobile ID, but not with Smart ID. But — Mobile ID requires a phone contract and a specialized and more expensive SIM card, and is not exactly free, as it requires a small and regular fee.
Whereas Smart-ID is completely free, but has support for less services.
The newer device I got, is LG Optimus L5, which series was released in June 2012, a few months later than my Gingerbread phone.
I really didn't know if I could upgrade the LG phone from ICS to Jelly Bean. While information about upgrade possibility was up, off-the-air upgrades stayed within Android 4.0.3. This meant that I had to check if there was a computer-based upgrade possible.
At first sight, LG's official site had software available that would run on Windows 7 or greater, while I have Windows XP. Fortunately, LG's Australian section offered packages compatible with Windows XP, enabling me to make a backup of device data, and perform the upgrade to Android 4.1.2. Yay!
Getting Smart-ID registered still required use of the ID card, so BunsenLabs came in handy again.
I could login into my bank again. Yay!
As a result of installing registering Smart-ID, I could download my bank's app that just happens to also have Android 4.1 as the earliest supported Android, so with some effort (because this phone's RAM is only 512 Mb), I used Smart-ID to register my bank's app. My bank's app is crashy for most things, but at least allows me to check the balance quickly.
LG Optimus L5 has the same CPU and RAM specs as the phone with Gingerbread (Samsung Galaxy Mini 2), but sports a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash, while the Samsung smartphone has only a 3.15 Mpix sensor with just fixed-focus and without flash. This is really an upgrade to me, as the LG phone is able to scan more detailed QR codes, which has come in very handy.
Coincidentally, Android 4.1 is also the earliest/oldest Android supported by the Estonian online vote verification app, which scans a QR code displayed by the voting app in the computer after a user has finished voting. For some technical reason, the app wouldn't work as intended during the Estonian Parliament elections in March 2019. It's very possible, that the QR code to verify a person's vote has a very short lifetime. The app worked flawlessly during European Parliament elections in May 2019.
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Chip supplies are not affected
Also posted as a story comment on Slashdot.
An LG spokesperson clarified, that the court situation does not affect supplies of Qualcomm chips to LG. Source.
Therefore, the 'concerns about rollout' is speculation (IMO) by an analyst whose assertion got a signal boost from Reuters.
Any possible delay — which is just a rumour — could be attributed to a thorough testing of hardware and software.
Judge Lucy Koh ruled, that Qualcomm has had onerous prices for use of its patents, and that Qualcomm should 'sign new patent licensing deals without Qualcomm's offending terms,' which is what LG wants.
But Qualcomm apparently wants the antitrust decision to not be enforced and to be set aside in licensing negotiations with LG (and possibly others) as one of the delay tactics in legal proceedings so as to demand the fulfilment of Qualcomm's previous and onerous terms on pricing. If LG caves, the ruling by the honourable Judge Koh will be pointless.
This would simply mean more expensive phones.
For LG, that would mean releasing kit with a bigger sticker price, which isn't exactly enticing to consumers, and, of course, LG either.
LG would still have a good position, because the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, who originated the case, also asked the court to deny Qualcomm's request for stay.
The pricing and antitrust issues notwithstanding, the LG mobile business has a decent opening with the ongoing brouhahae surrounding Huawei.
It should be noted, that like Samsung, LG is a Very Large(tm) company in South Korea, with 222,000 employees in 2012, and $147.2 billion in revenue plus a $2.4 billion profit for the year 2018.
It is strange, though, that LG terminated their previous patent licensing deal with Qualcomm instead of renegotiating that deal, or negotiating a new deal while the previous deal was still in effect. Currently, both have an interim deal.
There was a similar case with Apple suing Qualcomm over prices, and plenty of people whined, as if Apple and its consumers weren't rich enough to pay up.
Apple and Qualcomm settled, with 'Apple paying $4.5 billion to settle a case and obtain a license for 5G modem technology.' That settlement will stand, even if Qualcomm's request to stay is denied. Very suddenly, Intel announced that it was shutting down its modem business and the relevant research and development, while a rumour surfaced, that Apple wants to buy just that, and Intel is looking for a buyer (story at URL above).
The Apple and Intel story is interesting, but at this point, I do not know if regulators in the European Union will approve the sale, as the modem business is in Germany, and is based on Infineon, which was purchased by Intel. Apple would certainly be poised to have and develop competing modems, as some of the former Infineon employees are already at Apple.
Regulators should watch the movements closely. See, when Apple purchased AuthenTec, a company with the best fingerprint sensor in the market, then the other phone makers could no longer use it. As much was implied by Mr. Dennis Woodside, then-the-CEO of Motorola, who told The Telegraph, that Motorola and the others were left with the 'second-best supplier in the market, who weren't there yet.'
An LG spokesperson clarified, that the court situation does not affect supplies of Qualcomm chips to LG. Source.
Therefore, the 'concerns about rollout' is speculation (IMO) by an analyst whose assertion got a signal boost from Reuters.
Any possible delay — which is just a rumour — could be attributed to a thorough testing of hardware and software.
Judge Lucy Koh ruled, that Qualcomm has had onerous prices for use of its patents, and that Qualcomm should 'sign new patent licensing deals without Qualcomm's offending terms,' which is what LG wants.
But Qualcomm apparently wants the antitrust decision to not be enforced and to be set aside in licensing negotiations with LG (and possibly others) as one of the delay tactics in legal proceedings so as to demand the fulfilment of Qualcomm's previous and onerous terms on pricing. If LG caves, the ruling by the honourable Judge Koh will be pointless.
This would simply mean more expensive phones.
For LG, that would mean releasing kit with a bigger sticker price, which isn't exactly enticing to consumers, and, of course, LG either.
LG would still have a good position, because the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, who originated the case, also asked the court to deny Qualcomm's request for stay.
The pricing and antitrust issues notwithstanding, the LG mobile business has a decent opening with the ongoing brouhahae surrounding Huawei.
It should be noted, that like Samsung, LG is a Very Large(tm) company in South Korea, with 222,000 employees in 2012, and $147.2 billion in revenue plus a $2.4 billion profit for the year 2018.
It is strange, though, that LG terminated their previous patent licensing deal with Qualcomm instead of renegotiating that deal, or negotiating a new deal while the previous deal was still in effect. Currently, both have an interim deal.
There was a similar case with Apple suing Qualcomm over prices, and plenty of people whined, as if Apple and its consumers weren't rich enough to pay up.
Apple and Qualcomm settled, with 'Apple paying $4.5 billion to settle a case and obtain a license for 5G modem technology.' That settlement will stand, even if Qualcomm's request to stay is denied. Very suddenly, Intel announced that it was shutting down its modem business and the relevant research and development, while a rumour surfaced, that Apple wants to buy just that, and Intel is looking for a buyer (story at URL above).
The Apple and Intel story is interesting, but at this point, I do not know if regulators in the European Union will approve the sale, as the modem business is in Germany, and is based on Infineon, which was purchased by Intel. Apple would certainly be poised to have and develop competing modems, as some of the former Infineon employees are already at Apple.
Regulators should watch the movements closely. See, when Apple purchased AuthenTec, a company with the best fingerprint sensor in the market, then the other phone makers could no longer use it. As much was implied by Mr. Dennis Woodside, then-the-CEO of Motorola, who told The Telegraph, that Motorola and the others were left with the 'second-best supplier in the market, who weren't there yet.'
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