Damn Computers (in appropriate category)

LastPass has worked well for me. Not reusing passwords is the most important thing, as you mention.

So just to be sure, when I go to airports I always use their free wifi, which is probably silly, but its boring in airports, will lastPass incript all those passwords too, as when I first downloaded it gave me a list of all the places I have ever used and left a password, and all the airports were on the list, I am assuming they incript everything? I wish I had known about this password manager thingie before as its a really good idea.

Also the other day Mr Figg had a nasty surprise, someone had bought stuff on his credit card, so he had to block it, he only uses it for petrol and shopping, and Amazon, does anyone know how this is possible and how can you protect your credit card number from hackers, what I don't understand is how they got the number. Can people at the cash desks somehow copy your credit card number? or can they find it online? I know it happens every day but its horrible how seemingly easy it is. can you have a double protection for credit card purchases?

https://finance.yahoo.com/m/56b09b02-d82d-3ab9-99e5-277f7274dfc0/ss_with-daas-windows-coming%2c-say.html

I doubt if this is happening soon, but the author writes about microsoft's intention to move windows to a rental arrangement, where you can't buy to own. If it does happen it will probably be as a business option with private ownership still possible. If they do force the move to pure rental, it will be the end of microsoft as a personal option.

If so, most people will migrate to linux. I haven't used linux in a long time, but my sense is that when Mac went to a unix base a decade ago, it prompted the linux community to become more user friendly in order to migrate linux apps to mac. Mac OS is no longer the only user-friendly version of the unix variety, and the only reason everyone hasn't jumped to linux is familiarity and legacy MS apps. That may change.

My favorite old Windows 7 netbook recently died a sudden an sad death, so I'm now trying to housebreak a Windows 10 machine. I can't seem to uninstall, reschedule or turn off the #$%$^ automatic updates which is driving me crazy and hogging all my limited bandwidth

The best I've been able to do so far is tell it i'm on a metered connection, which seems to only delay the problem. Any suggestions? {{{I really miss XP. It's the last operating system that thought I was the boss if it }}}

{{There is a ton of stuff you should turn off ideally Dave- click on the windows button then the settings symbol, that'll open up a window- go into the apps, cortana, and finally updates and security sections one by one and switch off everything you dont want or need.
Specifically for your metered connection problem go into the updates section, then click on advanced options and you'll get an option to turn off it auto updating on metered connections. Hope that helps. }}

I used to be smug about mac not pestering for updates; sadly for the last year that has not been the case, and it's at least as bad as windows these days.

{{What I really hate about windows is that when you do decide to do an update it has a very sneaky habit of switching back on stuff you had selected to be off. So its best after ever update to go back into the settings again and check to see it hasn't been switching crap you dont want or need back on again . }}}

Yeah, I've got it pretty well muzzled while it's at home but if I try to take it out anywhere to upload/download anything it starts loading all its crap onto my harddrive until it overflows. Then i get a popup demanding that I delete MY crap to make room for ITS crap!!!
I've figured out how to go in and uninstall the new update file before it's had a chance to change anything critical [most of the time]. But it's all a bit tiring, like a dog that leaves piles of shit in unexpected places and insists on chewing on the furniture whenever you turn your back....

Yeah, that's pretty bad. I only get once a day messages asking me if I want to upgrade, with no way I can see to turn it off. Not too bad, but eventually it wears you down and you agree to upgrade to something with all the gizmos you're never gonna use while slowly deconstructing all the nicely designed stuff you were using. Thankfully equation editor is working as an independent application these days, since MS Office has abandoned anything beyond marginal support for those who use and write about math professionally.

hi,
I just wanted to check in and let you folks know I'm still around. I'm mostly lurking from other people's computers for now till I get mine sorted out, and it just doesn't make sense to log in most of the time.

So basically i'm invisible for now but i can still hear you all

Good to hear from you, Dave! Thanks for letting us know what's up; hope your computer troubles get resolved sooner rather than later.

{{I just assumed you'd collapsed into a post harvest heap and were drowning your pains in alcohol- I would be Good to hear your conscious and well though, if computerless. }}

Well as long as we're here, something that has been annoying me about MS word forever is that it has 10 pts set between each paragraph by default, and if you change it, it doesn't stay changed. Isn't there some way to freeze your preferences?!

One of these days I'll switch to libre office for good, but so long as my work provides free updates (though each version is worse than the last, I only change because eventually the OS no longer accepts 8-year-old versions) I'll stay with Office because it's always compatible with what other people send me.