Google

And We’re Back…

After over a year hiatus, I am finally getting the blog up and running again. The Blog has been moved to a new hosting provider SiteGround and is now served over a secure connection (https).  The blog is loading a little slow right now, but the speed should start improving as caching and speed optimization to fully kick-in. After 13-years with GoDaddy, I started parting ways with them back in September 2019 by moving all my domains to a new Registrar, NameSilo. Overall, been impressed with both providers. NameSilo site is very simplistic and has been described as stuck in the…

Read More

Microsoft Issues Internet Explorer Upgrade Warning

Long article short, Microsoft is telling people to stop using Internet Explorer. It is old, outdated, doesn’t have the functionality of newer browsers (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) and they have no interest in updating Internet Explorer. Yet, there are many companies (including the one I work for) that seem to be “stuck” on Internet Explorer. In our case, it is not because they can’t find someone to update the coding in the web application to work with a more “modern” browser, rather they don’t want to. When I ran into some issues last month when I was forced to switch over…

Read More

Understanding Extension Permission Requests

Those who have used Google Chrome are already familiar with permission requests when a browser extension is installed. However, this is a relatively new feature in Firefox, which was added with Firefox 57 released in Mid-November 2017. The Mozilla Add-ons Blog gives a very thorough explanation about extension permissions and even address the ‘scary’  Access your data for all websites permission.

Read More

Google Android 8.0 Oreo has Arrived

Earlier this week Google released the next version of Android with 8.0 aka Oreo. If you have a Google Pixel phone you can get the update a lot sooner by registering your phone in their ‘Beta’ program. Samsung phones on the other hand it could be a good six-months or more (especially for those who recently took out a loan for the Galaxy Note 8 which will not be getting this update anytime soon).  Even the LG G5 (my current phone) and G6 will eventually get this update in the future. Pretty much any phone released in the last year…

Read More

Google to Ban WoSign and StartCom Certificates

Following in the footsteps of Mozilla and Apple, Google is going to be removing all trust for WoSign and StartCom Certificates with Chrome 61 (current  version is 59) as well as Android browser. Mozilla has been very aggressive in enforcing their Mozilla’s CA Certificate Policy as was the case in April 2015 with the Firefox 37.0.1 release which Mozilla banned China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) issued Certificates. Once again another China based CA has ‘misbehaved’: About a year ago, Mozilla uncovered that a Chinese Certificate Authority (CA) called WoSign had a number of technical and management failures, which included…

Read More

Adobe to pull plug on Flash

Adobe ADBE 466,89 +1,87 +0,40%  has announced they will no longer release updates for Flash at the end of 2020. Flash has been around since 1996, then a product of Macromedia until 2005 when Macromedia (and Flash) were acquired by Adobe. 20+ years later, Adobe has announced the end of Flash: Adobe, along with partners Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp. MSFT 400,96 +1,84 +0,46% , Alphabet Inc.’s Google  GOOGL 156,28 +2,19 +1,42% , Facebook Inc. FB 196,64 +0,99 +0,51%  and Mozilla Corp., said support for Flash will ramp down across the internet in phases over the next three years. Apple’s AAPL…

Read More

iPhone 8 May Not Be Fully Ready at Release

With the expected release of Apple’s AAPL 165,00 -2,04 -1,22% newest iPhone only a couple months away it may not have all the new featured ready at release. Priced at a hefty $1200 USD (and former Microsoft Microsoft Corporation 400,96 +1,84 +0,46% CEO, Steve Ballmer was criticizing the $500 USD price tag back in 2007 saying “there is no chance the iPhone is going to get any significant market share‘) the ’10th Anniversary’ edition is supposed to be packed with some big new features when it is released sometime in September. Problem is Apple seems to be having some software integration…

Read More

New Ad Blocking coming to Chrome and Safari

The New Chrome and Safari Will Reshape the Web – WIRED www.wired.com Apple and Google are cracking down on obnoxious online ads. And they just might change the way the web works in the process. Last week Google confirmed that Chrome … Came across this article today while doing some research on claims that some websites will deny you access if your using the browser’s ‘reader mode’. There are already many sites that will block you if you are using an AdBlocker type of extension. There are even some that will not allow you to access the site if you…

Read More

Oracle to Deprecate Java Plugin

Earlier this year Oracle ORCL 115,09 +0,56 +0,49% announced starting with JDK 9 (eta September 2016), they will remove the plugin support. They are encouraging developers to move towards the plugin free Java Web Start technology. Oracle’s reasoning for this move has to do with more and more browsers removing support the 20+ year old Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface (NPAPI) plugin technology. GoogleGOOG 159,92 +1,97 +1,25% Chrome no longer supports NPAPI plugins such as Java and Silverlight. Google has partnered with Adobe ADBE 466,89 +1,87 +0,40% to include an integrated version of Flash within Chrome. The Windows 64-Bit version of Firefox also does not…

Read More

Windows 10 Anniversary Update

It has been about 3-months since I last posted. I had to retire the machine I was running Windows 10 on, an old Dell Optiplex as it was having hardware issues. I did not want to be putting money into a system that is over 10-years old, especially since I only paid $25 for it last year. Yet, I currently do not plan on upgrading anytime soon to Windows 10 on either of my two machines (Gateway Windows 8 Desktop and HP Windows 7 Laptop). Still not sure what I am going to do as I would like to try out Windows 10…

Read More