Practical Technology

for practical people.

March 2, 2012
by sjvn01
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Web browser measurements changed and Google’s Chrome rating suffers

After months of gaining Web browser market share, Google’s Chrome Web browser numbers have gone down according to Net Applications. It’s not however that Chrome has grown any less popular, it’s how Net Applications is measuring Web browser usage.

Google’s Web browser, starting with Chrome 13, uses a technique called ‘pre-rendering’ to speed up Web page loading. This pre-loads page or pages “while the user is typing in search queries in order to load that page faster when the user clicks on the associated search result link. Chrome pre-renders pages based on either HTTP headers inserted by the site creator or based on an algorithm that predicts the likelihood the user will click on the search result link.” Google started using this technique more aggressively in the latest version of the browser, Chrome 17.

This results in faster page loads for users, but Net Applications believes “this traffic varies significantly by browser and should not be included in the usage share for the browsers.” At this time, “Chrome is the only major desktop browser that currently has this feature, which creates un-viewed visits that should not be counted in Chrome’s usage share. However, the pages that are eventually viewed by the user should be treated normally. Therefore, “Within the sites in our network, pre-rendering in February 2012 accounted for 4.3% of Chrome’s daily unique visitors. These visits will now be excluded from Chrome’s desktop browser share.”

The bottom line is Chrome is still in third place, by Net Applications’ measurement.

Web browser measurements changed and Google’s Chrome rating suffers. More >

March 1, 2012
by sjvn01
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Linus Torvalds snarls at openSUSE desktop Linux’s security

Linus Torvalds was not a happy man. He’s been using openSUSE Linux as his desktop Linux, he explained in a Google+ posting, “because it worked so well at install-time on the MacBook Air, but I have to say, I’ve had enough. There is no way in hell I can honestly suggest that to anybody else any more.” What enraged Mr. Linux? OpenSUSE’s demand that you use the root password to make what Torvalds thinks are trivial desktop setting changes.

Torvalds started by saying that “I don’t think I can talk about “security” people without cursing, so you might want to avert your eyes now.” A long time Fedora user, Torvalds recently switched to openSUSE [German link], because of his intense dislike for Fedora’s GNOME 3.x desktop.

Sharing, as I do, his feelings about GNOME 3.x, I’m sure he still doesn’t want to go back to Fedora with GNOME. But, he’s sure not happy with openSUSE, which uses the KDE desktop by default, either.

Torvalds was enraged that it took weeks of “arguing on a Bugzilla that the security policy of requiring the root password for changing the time zone and adding a new wireless network was moronic and wrong. I think the wireless network thing finally did get fixed, but the time zone never did – it still asks for the admin password.”

Linus Torvalds snarls at openSUSE desktop Linux’s security. More >

February 29, 2012
by sjvn01
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What is a Raspberry Pi and why you should care

Today, February 29th, 2012, the technology world’s eyes are on the release of the Consumer Preview of Windows 8 or on the latest iPad 3 rumors. We don’t know exactly how these products will turn out but we can be sure of one thing: They’ll cost a pretty penny. On the same day, the non-profit Raspberry Pi Foundation released a bare-boned, Linux-powered computer that costs between $25 and $35.

When I say “bare-boned,” I mean just that. The Raspberry Pi, which is the creation of UK-based academics and technology companies, is a credit card sized board with a Broadcom 700Mhz BCM2835 System-On Chip running a lightweight Remix of Fedora Linux for ARM. It doesn’t come with a keyboard, mouse or monitor. Heck, it doesn’t even come with a hard drive or a case. It’s a single board computer without even a case for the bare board.

What is a Raspberry Pi and why you should care. More >

February 28, 2012
by sjvn01
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New ‘HTTPS Everywhere’ Web browser extension released

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has launched the new and improved HTTPS Everywhere 2.0 for the Firefox browser . HTTPS Everywhere helps keeps you safe on the Web by encrypting connections to more than 1,400 Web sites. The program uses carefully crafted rules to automatically switch sites from HTTP to HTTPS whenever possible, This new version also includes an important new update that warns users about web security holes and there’s also finally a version for Google’s Chrome Web browser.

The new feature, the “Decentralized SSL Observatory” is optional. It’s designed to detect encryption weaknesses and notifies users when they are visiting a website with a security vulnerability. This is meant to let you know that the “secure” site you’re visiting may be leaving you open to eavesdropping or “man in the middle” attacks.

In addition, thanks to the EFF’s partnership with the Tor Project, an Internet anonymity program and network, HTTPS can help steer you clear of sites with fake or forged Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates.

New ‘HTTPS Everywhere’ Web browser extension released. More >

February 28, 2012
by sjvn01
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Google bets million bucks its Chrome Web browser can’t be busted

Google is putting its money where its Chrome Web browser is. In a Chromium blog posting Chris Evans and Justin Schuh, two members of the Chrome security team, announced that Google will be offering ‘multiple rewards per category, up to the $1 million limit, on a first-come-first served basis’ for demonstrated security breaches of Chrome on Windows 7 .

That may be the safer bet than it sounds. Chrome, while not bullet-proof, is widely regarded as the more secure of the Web browsers. In CanSecWest Pwn2Own hacker contests, Chrome has never been broken.

In Google’s security challenge, which is not connected with 2012’s Pwn2Own competition, Google is looking for “full end-to-end exploits.” That way, “not only can we fix the bugs, but by studying the vulnerability and exploit techniques we can enhance our mitigations, automated testing, and sandboxing. This enables us to better protect our users.”

So, “To maximize our chances of receiving exploits this year, we’ve upped the ante. We will directly sponsor up to $1 million worth of rewards.” Here are the rule for the Chrome exploit competition:

Google bets million bucks its Chrome Web browser can’t be busted. More >

February 28, 2012
by sjvn01
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Virtually Windows 8: How to set up the Consumer Preview in VirtualBox

With the Windows 8 beta, excuse me Consumer Preview, due out on February 29th it’s time for those of who love bleeding-edge operating systems to consider how to test it. Now, you can run the Windows 8 Consumer Preview on its own PC, but this is beta software. While I have PCs just for software that I know darn well isn’t ready for prime-time, you probably don’t For you, I recommend the use of virtual machines (VM).

The best of these, in my experience, are:

  • Parallels Desktop for Mac
  • VirtualBox 4
  • VMware Fusion 4
  • VMware Player 4
  • VMware Workstation 8

    • Of these, my particular favorite is Oracle’s VirtualBox. In my years of working with virtual machines, virtual operating systems just tend to run faster under VirtualBox. Over the years, I’ve also found that VirtualBox works well no matter what host operating system-Linux, Windows, whatever-I have running under it.


    Virtually Windows 8: How to set up the Consumer Preview in VirtualBox. More >