Hacker News Reader

fghtron PureBoot, the High Security Boot Process

> But, what concerns me is that they don't seem to acknowledge that parts of the system contain proprietary software.

They do acknowledge it:

https://puri.sm/learn/software-freedom-in-perspective/

https://puri.sm/learn/freedom-roadmap/

fghtron Linux Desktop Setup

https://theinvisiblethings.blogspot.com/2011/04/linux-securi...

fghtron Linux Problems on the Desktop (2018)

Does it mean that the developers of GNU/Linux must provide compatiblity with every piece of hardware in the world?

fghtron Linux Problems on the Desktop (2018)

Everyone for some reason expects that GNU/Linux should work on every hardware configuration. I don't understand that, honestly. Why is there no such requirement for MacOS? Why do Windows-certified hardware have to work flawlessly with GNU/Linux? Just buy a Desktop/Laptop certified for GNU/Linux and stop complaining.

fghtron Google Maps: Bird Mode

Exactly what Stallman has been saying for decades. Exactly from what he is trying to protect users.

fghtron Librem 5 Smartphone: Massive Progress, Exact CPU Selected, Shipping Adjustment

RAM: 3 GB minimum (subject to change)

https://puri.sm/faq/what-are-the-phone-specs/

fghtron Indonesia reports reduced deforestation, triggering carbon payment from Norway

Reference: http://www.kimnicholas.com/uploads/2/5/7/6/25766487/fig1full...

fghtron WiFi Hides Inside a USB Cable

Qubes is designed for laptops, so your first keyboard does not need any confirmation (it's not connected via usb).

upd: Alternatively, for installations with a usb keyboard, this defence is disabled.

fghtron WiFi Hides Inside a USB Cable

Another reason to use QubesOS, where usb devices are connected to a separate virtual machine without any networking. And any usb keyboards are only activated after a confirmation.

fghtron Skype is better, but still problematic

There are also https://meet.jit.si and https://jami.net/.

fghtron Skype contact lists may have been exposed (2017)

https://meet.jit.si

fghtron Android Phones Can Be Hacked Remotely by Viewing Malicious PNG Image

> So how does that solve a problem lineage os doesn't?

LineageOS depends on the proprietary drivers and/or undocumented devices, which will never get any updates. If there is a security bug in your WiFi driver, game over. This phone is being designed to work with free software, anyone could do updates.

>assuming the company survives, and

Again, free software gives us the freedom to do updates ourselves (or pay to someone to get them). GNU/Linux supports most of the old computers quite well.

>There will be little to no mainstream app support

"We will test the capabilities of powering Anbox or Shashlik to allow users the ability to run Android applications within PureOS on the Librem 5", https://puri.sm/faq/

>It seems to be relatively underpowered

True, but one has to start somewhere. Personally, I think this phone brings a lot of hope for the future.

fghtron Android Phones Can Be Hacked Remotely by Viewing Malicious PNG Image

>You do realize that phone is only available for preorder?

Yes, it is only for preorder, but the devkit already exists [0].

> They may not even be around in 3 or 5 years.

If they manage to make the final version of the phone (which is quite likely), it won't matter anymore, since the OS is just GNU/Linux. Correspondingly, the updates do not so much depend on the phone manufacturers.

[0] https://puri.sm/posts/how-we-designed-the-librem-5-dev-kit-w...

fghtron Android Phones Can Be Hacked Remotely by Viewing Malicious PNG Image

Here you go: https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/

fghtron Ask HN: Alternative HN-Like Communities?

https://habr.com/en/

Russian hacker community; this year they started an English version of the website (announcement: https://habr.com/en/company/tm/blog/435764/).

fghtron If Software Is Funded from a Public Source, Its Code Should Be Open Source

It should also concern scientific software. Right now many research groups close their software written using the tax-payers money. Some even try to sell it.

fghtron Bye, Bye, Google

1. Their revenue comes from the users, i.e. they are not the product.

2. Compare the privacy policy of Google and these companies.

fghtron Dotfile madness

I solved this problem by switching to Qubes OS.

fghtron Why isn't the internet more fun and weird?

Ask HN: What are some niche communities you enjoy?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17690852

fghtron Ask HN: Who is the most positive impactful person you know?

Here is the answer: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stallman&redirect...

fghtron Strongest opponents of GM foods know the least but think they know the most

>I don't think it's unreasonable to want to eat real food, the same we've eaten for thousands of years, or to think it's the healthiest option for us.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_fallacy

fghtron Ask HN: Who is the most positive impactful person you know?

Richard Stallman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stallman

fghtron Ask HN: I think I want a divorce

Do you really need to divorce in order to try "working days straight hacking out a rough idea for a project"? Can you just try to live separately for some time before making such a decision?

fghtron CERN wants to build a particle collider that’s four times bigger than the LHC

"Understanding exotic matter" is not a boolean ("understand vs not understand"). We know enough about the world to be sure nothing disastrous can happen. See Standard Model on Wikipedia for more details.

fghtron Ask HN: What was the Internet like before corporations got their hands on it?

I guess you can enjoy a similar situation in I2P today: https://geti2p.net

fghtron A decade-long boom is ending as consumers hang on to devices for longer

Here you go: https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/

fghtron Privacy Tools – Encryption Against Global Mass Surveillance

I would say that privacy helps to hide crimes which should not be crimes and therefore to change the laws in the future. For example, gay relationships or pot smoking.

fghtron Ask HN: What is your favorite HN post?

This question was already answered several times here:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1487605 (2010)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3996652 (2012)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12496558 (2016)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16846229 (2018)

(possibly more)

fghtron Why Telegram is insecure (2015)

https://prism-break.org/en/all/#instant-messaging

fghtron 50 CVEs in 50 Days: Fuzzing Adobe Reader

If you have a PDF document on your web site, please consider putting a link to https://pdfreaders.org/ instead of unfair advertisement of Adobe Reader.