Discussions

@1001011: sellout?

5 hours ago, evildictaitor wrote

WinRT won't be replacing Win32 in the next decade at least for this reason.

No, WinRT won't be replacing Win32 because Win32 never had any significant foothold. On personal touchscreen tablet devices that is.  

7 hours ago, evildictaitor wrote

These applications are unlikely to be built for Metro, and there are no restrictions for non-metro applications.

640 K much? 

7 hours ago, evildictaitor wrote

Don't use Windows8 appstore if you don't agree to the terms of use.

Or go to Cuba?

7 hours ago, evildictaitor wrote

In those cases, don't use WinRT or the Windows8 appstore. Legacy development for the desktop will still be an option. Just not for Metro or for WOA.

In other news DOS applications will too still be an option, why don't we write those? Customers don't want them? 

I have to agree with you, we do live in democracy and Microsoft has every right to screw its customers, but we don't have to not complain and be idle until they release it. People complain in early stages and you and Paolo get annoyed because "Microsoft has not divulged their plans" but after it hits beta and when Microsoft does finally announce all the details it'll be all over because feature changes in those stages won't be accepted and we will be forced to to wait 4 years for another version, when the cycle repeats. 

I have a feeling (but that might be just me) that people want to write serious business applications for tablets, unfortunately Apple doesn't care for that (for reasons unknown to mankind), Android doesn't work well with tablets and classic linux is still a joke on anything non-server. WinRT was supposed to be solution to the tablet problem, but it seems MS is going to screw it in a very Apple-like fashion (technical brilliance with any defects introduced consciously and on purpose). People have investments in Windows, it's not like "Microsoft is going to shoot themselves in the foot, what is it to you?" - it will affect people. 

@androidi: They already have AAAA CEO, AAAA as in 'what are you doing, oh no, for the love of everything that is holy don't do that, no, AAAaaaa, the horror!' 

So I discovered that Chrome lets Google.com and Youtube.com communicate my login information even with third party cookie blocking. So we are back to square one with none of "modern" browsers doing anything to prevent user tracking. Great. I guess I should go torment myself by finding out how horribly UAC got implemented this time in Windows 8? Because I doubt they've fixed it to my satisfaction. wastingtimewithforums?

@blowdart: Which is an incorrect behavior, or at least the browser is insufficiently protected (In My Opinion™). Facebook should not be allowed to track me, I would even support EU if they chose to ban this sort of activity. I think what Facebook does is equally harmful to other forms of web tracking which IE already protects against. 

Although I don't know much about Microsoft Account (formerly Windows Live Account) I would imagine the same problem which is manifested in Facebook tracking also pests MS Account - if an website can access your personal information and a browser does not have a way of protecting that information then we should be even more concerned for our privacy as with Facebook people can at least delete cookies / use different browsers / etc while MS Account is needed for host of other things (Store, Syncing, etc) and thus logging out is not an option. The solution I see is adoption of Chrome like blocking of cookies and/or a version of UAC inside of IE that would let user decide if he wished to allow a website access to MS Account and/or disabling IE (in both Metro and Desktop) access to MS Account information (which might already be implemented, I'm very new to Windows 8). Further, blocking IE access to MS Account enforced from OS itself is really needed as IE is often targeted by malware writers. 

@blowdart:Thanks for reply. 'Privacy' tab (in IE9 on Vista at least) does not have per zone settings, 'Security' tab does - this makes me think you wrote that from your memory and didn't go and check settings. In privacy tab there indeed is an option to block cookies - blocking first party cookies I assume means blocking cookies that are from the same domain as JavaScript and third-party cookies are those of other domains. Blocking first-party cookies in large part cripples web experience while blocking third-party cookies *somehow* does not prevent facebook comment box from acquiring login information. I realized that the web page I supplied for testing does not demonstrate the problem correctly (I originally used another post from the same blog for testing) - here is link which does work.  Bellow is an image that demonstrates the issue I am talking about: 

In blacked out areas is displayed my name under which I login to Facebook and an icon of my profile picture - I do not wish for that blog to have access to such information. 

Little intro - so I thought the relevant settings to turn off privacy concern (unrestricted access to MS Account can be abused for unwanted web tracking so what follows is imo relevant to the thread) that wastingtimewithforums found are just a few clicks away, but now after well over 3 hours I seem not to be able to disable simple XSS tracking. 

Now a fun <blink> CHALLENGE </blink>: Prove that IE9 or IE10 on any version of Windows isn't complete and utter joke by providing me with the right potion of IE settings changes which would accumulate in what this little prominently-visible-and-not-at-all-hidden checkbox does in Google Chrome: 

I've tried many things - enabling XSS filter and disabling ActiveX controls won't help, as doesn't blocking third party cookies in 'Privacy->Advanced'. Disabling JavaScript does stop XSS, but it's not-solution for reasons that are obvious. I even went so far as disabling -everything- but JavaScript and IE9 would still let websites track me.

Don't even suggest TPLs as they are laughable blacklist solution or even more laughable Do Not Track headers as their enforcement relies on http servers honoring the header. 

Test case: Facebook comment box integrated inside third party websites. Google Chrome with third party cookie blocking will prevent those websites from accessing my Facebook login information while IE apparently can't do that. You can test your anti-XSS settings with any website containing Facebook comment box or with some other XSS websites, although I won't be satisfied with an answer if it doesn't prove to be able to stop Facebook tracking. Some random website (edit: updated link) with Facebook comments that you can use for testing.  

You can start your photocopiers any day now, Microsoft!

8 hours ago, spivonious wrote

*snip*

That's very interesting. It would definitely cut down on the malware.

Not necessarily. 

@vesuvius:

You could plug keyboard into it and run it as a laptop. Also, I wish at least one manufacturer built tablet with hybrid capacitive-resisitive screen. Taking handwritten notes on tablet would then become joy, something iPad is not very good at with its capacitive screen.