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smileybarry

1,831 karma · joined August 21, 2015

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smileybarry··on Windows native app development is a mess
WinJS was a bit different, where your app was genuinely just a bundle of JavaScript and a UWP host process dealt with the rendering. (No Electron-esque to deliver with your app) Made for some tiny, succinct apps.
smileybarry··on Meta will shut down VR Horizon Worlds access June 15
It's funny that Horizon Worlds will shut down before its actual launch here. Meta Quest headsets are sold here but the Horizon Worlds part of the OS was entirely blocked off. (The mobile app shows it, but I could never get the headset to navigate anywhere, just stuck in the homeworld lobby)
smileybarry··on I fixed Windows native development
I would also read "Windows Native Development" as driver development or compiling directly with `nmake` (neither of which are described there).
smileybarry··on I fixed Windows native development
Windows SDKs, WDKs (driver dev), Visual Studio releases, and .NET SDKs all coexist peacefully on a machine. If a project build breaks due to newer SDKs, it's because it was configured with "use newest version". (Which is usually fine but sometimes requires pinning if you're using more "niche" things like WDK)
smileybarry··on I fixed Windows native development
> You don't have to install executables downloaded from an unknown GitHub account named marler8997. You can download that script and read it just like any other shell script.

You do because the downloaded ZIP contains an EXE, not a readable script, that then downloads the compiler. Even if you skip that thinking "I already have VS set up", the actual build line calls `cl` from a subdirectory.

I'm not going to reconstruct someone's build script. And that's just the basic example of a one file hello world, a real project would call `cl` several times, then `link`, etc.

Just supplying a SLN + VCXPROJ is good enough. The blog post's entire problem is also solved by the .vsconfig[1] file that outlines requirements. Or you can opt for CMake. Both of these alternatives use a build system I can trust over randomgithubproject.exe, along with a text-readable build/project file I can parse myself to verify I can trust it.

1: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/install/impor...

smileybarry··on JuiceSSH – Give me my pro features back
If you haven't already, you can ask Google for a refund on that (the second, recent) in-app purchase:

https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/15574897?hl=en

The policies are "up to 48 hrs after purchase" but I'm sure "purchase does not work at all" is an exception. (It is on iOS)

smileybarry··on Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops
It could also just pretend to encrypt your drive with a null key and not do anything, either.

You need some implicit trust in a system to use it. And at worst, you can probably reverse engineer the (unencrypted) BitLocker metadata that preboot authentication reads.

smileybarry··on Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops
BitLocker recovery keys are essentially the key to an at-rest, local copy of the real key. (I.e., they need access to the encrypted drive to get the real encryption key)

When you use a recovery key at preboot, it decrypts that on-disk backup copy of the encryption key with your numerical recovery key, and uses the decrypted form as the actual disk encryption key. Thus, you can delete & regenerate a recovery key, or even create several different recovery keys.

smileybarry··on Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops
No, you can just revoke and regenerate the recovery key with `manage-bde`.
smileybarry··on Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops
Not anymore, modern hardware running Windows 11 Home now also has FDE, technically running on BitLocker, just that it's called "Device Encryption" and doesn't have the same options:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/device-encryptio...

> For reference, I did accidentally login into my Microsoft account once on my local account (registered in the online accounts panel)

Those don't usually count as the "primary" MS account and don't convert a local account. For example, you can have a multiple of those, and generally they're useful to save repeated signins or installing stuff from the Microsoft Store that require a personal account.

smileybarry··on Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops
> so they can never target just one individual

You assume the binary can't just have a machine check in itself that activates only on the target's computer.

smileybarry··on Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops
That's for Entra/AD, aka a workplace domain. Personal accounts are completely separate from this. (Microsoft don't have a AD relationship with your account; if anything, personal MS accounts reside in their own empty Entra forest)
smileybarry··on Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops
That's actually a misunderstanding that blew up to an outright lie:

The Start Menu is fully native. The "Recommended" section (and only it) is powered by a React Native backend, but the frame & controls are native XAML. (I.e. there's a JS runtime but no renderer)

smileybarry··on Microsoft gave FBI set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops
Just Teams in a browser tab instead. Does it actively require running as a full app to do anything?
smileybarry··on Microsoft will give the FBI a Windows PC data encryption key if ordered
This is all paraphrasing. The closest paraphrase of the original statement to Forbes, from Forbes' article, is:

> Microsoft confirmed to Forbes that it does provide BitLocker recovery keys if it receives a valid legal order.

I suspect the FBI part was added editorially since this specific legal order came from the FBI.

smileybarry··on Steam "Offline" status leaks exact login timestamps (Valve: Won't Fix)
I know that, I meant: Steam is preventing it from going into that sleep phase (it's still a sleep phase after all) and keeps the OS awake.
smileybarry··on Steam "Offline" status leaks exact login timestamps (Valve: Won't Fix)
Nope, going into standby is the same as logging off, since your client doesn't send keep alive packets anymore. (Not sure if macOS is an exception, because I think my MBP doesn't go into proper sleep if I keep Steam running)
smileybarry··on Anti-cheat evolution in Windows 11
There's some ML image-based cheats out there but they're much worse (and have been for years). Some games have sidestepped this with tiny imperceptible color changes to nametags & outlines to throw off the cheats while not bothering a human player.
smileybarry··on Anti-cheat evolution in Windows 11
Okay, then I don't get the point you're trying to make. You "slippery slope"'d the Secure Kernel TPM attestation used for multiplayer games into "what if you can't do banking anymore". Like I said (and you agreed), we're already using hardware attestation. So what's the problem with this approach that gets rid of the requirement of anticheat drivers, freeing your hardware? (You can now use that one app that Vanguard preemptively blocks for using a vulnerable driver)
smileybarry··on Anti-cheat evolution in Windows 11
> It's perfectly accurate, as Microsoft could let you use Riot's servers without using the secure kernel if they wanted to.

And then you're back to needing to load vgk.sys at boot time to play a Riot game. And that's dramatically worse as anticheats like Vanguard do PCIE & DMA screening, vulnerable driver blocklist enforcement, and other hardening at boot time.

The fence you're trying to maintain is already broken on both sides: media DRM (Widevine) does hardware attestation. TPM attestation already exists. Macs don't let you connect to some Apple services without a hardware-sourced ticket. Secure Boot enforcement and requirement by some apps is already a thing.

smileybarry··on Anti-cheat evolution in Windows 11
We already have media DRM using other methods that aren't as restrictive as you make it out to be. This slippery slope doesn't work.
smileybarry··on Anti-cheat evolution in Windows 11
This is entirely used for anticheat purposes. Ergo, if you want to play with other people in a multiplayer setting, you're required to abide by certain rules: some logical and social, some technical. It's a careful balance between a fully locked down platform (Xbox/PS OS) and just zero measures to prevent cheaters. (No, server-side anticheat is not sufficient, as proven countless times)

You're free to use your hardware as you wish, but if you want to disable the Secure Kernel et al, don't be surprised if the gameserver rejects your connection.

smileybarry··on My Snapdragon Dev Kit was healthy and working fine until a Windows update failed
I recall one of the issues leading up to their abrupt cancellation was fulfillment, so I can't help but suspect there's some potential (long-term) issue they couldn't work out for this dev kit's chipset. Maybe some part of the chain was held together with glue and "this shouldn't fail but continue anyway" and whatever hardware issue eventually hit something critical. (And they intended to fix this some time after shipping, and gave up halfway through fulfillment)
smileybarry··on PNG in Chrome shows a different image than in Safari or any desktop app
The white line is just because the four quadrants are four separate images, and the four images are HTML-aligned together to make one.
smileybarry··on Hardware Touch, Stronger SSH
The generated FIDO keys with "[...]-sk" are hardware-only too, the "key" you load is only an "identifier" associating the onboard passkey, allowing you to add it on multiple computers but still requiring the FIDO key present to use[1]:

> ssh-keygen(1) may be used to generate a FIDO token-backed key, after which they may be used much like any other key type supported by OpenSSH, so long as the hardware token is attached when the keys are used. FIDO tokens also generally require the user explicitly authorise operations by touching or tapping them.

> [...]

> This will yield a public and private key-pair. The private key file should be useless to an attacker who does not have access to the physical token. After generation, this key may be used like any other supported key in OpenSSH and may be listed in authorized_keys, added to ssh-agent(1), etc. The only additional stipulation is that the FIDO token that the key belongs to must be attached when the key is used.

IMO the baseline Security Key ($20) series is now enough, unless your setup uses PGP, legacy SSH that doesn't support these key types, or if you're using a real certificate for e.g. code signing.

1: https://www.openssh.org/txt/release-8.2#:~:text=The%20privat...

smileybarry··on Unifi Travel Router
All the videos I've seen show it adopted by an existing UniFi site, I wonder if I can still set it up as a standalone device? Hopefully even set up the VPN functionality to some WireGuard server (which was implied somewhere where it listed OpenVPN & WireGuard, can't find it now).
smileybarry··on Nvidia Puts 100-Hour Monthly Limit on All GeForce Now Subscriptions
This was announced a while ago, and it's just now going into effect:

> The company is implementing its long-lasting promise revealed in 2024, with the option for users to purchase additional play time as needed.

There's also some rollover between months (up to 15 hours)[1].

Previously:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42078726

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42085089

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42090845

1: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-performan...

smileybarry··on FIFA Arrives on Netflix Games
They don't exist anymore. They've all been delisted when the partnership expired.
smileybarry··on FIFA Arrives on Netflix Games
Don't worry, it'll be the #1 FIFA-branded game when it comes out. That's nothing to do with it being the only one, of course.
smileybarry··on FIFA Arrives on Netflix Games
No, it started ~4 years ago when FIFA hiked the license cost for EA, and 2 years ago EA had enough & didn't renew the license.[1] Since then, EA basically rebranded their series to "EA Sports FC" and dropped the FIFA branding altogether. This didn't change much as they kept/renewed the licenses for players, teams, stadiums, etc.[2]

1:

https://twitter.com/syacvg/status/1706815482744238221

https://www.ea.com/en-gb/news/ea-sports-and-fifa-extend-lice...

2:

https://www.ea.com/news/ea-sports-fc

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