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Remote Code Execution on Most Dell Computers

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Re: Remote Code Execution on Most Dell Computers

#261

Post by hi5eyes »

elagost wrote: post #144

I don't think there will ever come a time when 1) savvy users will stop suggesting/recommending clean Windows installs on new computers and 2) OEM bloatware will stop being crap. I clean-installed Win10 recently. There was no driver installation I had to do - everything works great, and there are no unidentified devices in Device Manager. Say what you will about Windows 10, but that part is really cool. Save for vide…

recently reinstalled w10 onto a laptop (dual booting on with legacy/uefi is somewhat of a headache) the hoops you have to jump through during installation is downright hell

cortana just yells at you until you can turn it off, you have to deselect every invasive feature and then get to some windows sign into your ms account bullshit

just.... why... since when did installing operating systems turn into avoiding landmines

linux and mac install pretty quick, but windows? fuck off

Re: Remote Code Execution on Most Dell Computers

#262

Post by dethac »

Gene_Parmesan wrote: post #179
criddell wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My last two computers have been Lenovo ThinkPads (T520 and Yoga S1) and they bundle more crappy software than just about any other business computer maker. It's good hardware and once you reformat and reinstall Windows (or Linux) they are great machines.

I'm strongly considering the ThinkPad P1 as my next work machine -- any other issues you've experienced? I wouldn't have expected Lenovo to mess with the ThinkPad brand like that. My image of ThinkPad has always been no-nonsense, get-stuff-done, power-user-favored. Packing in a bunch of cruft doesn't seem to mesh with that image.

I own a T450s. Definitely no bloatware that persists through a reinstall (that was for a particular case with Lenovo's consumer lineup... completely unexcusable, but never touched ThinkPads), which I would recommend for any laptop regardless of the OS, especially if you're buying used. Doesn't matter if it runs MacOS (unless, of course, you implicitly trust Apple's supply chain to be 100% robust), Linux (which I don't think anyone except System76 or Dell actually sell out of the box), BSD (which I don't think anyone sells out of the box), or Windows (which has competent driver detection and management now, making most "system update tools" useless). Wipe it and restart.

Re: Remote Code Execution on Most Dell Computers

#264

Post by wtracy »

dethac wrote: post #259
iClaudiusX wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even a brand new, unlocked, $1000 Samsung Galaxy S10 comes riddled with adware and spyware, some of it unremovable: "There are apps from Flipboard and Spotify as well as a unremovable version of Facebook. McAfee Anti-virus is baked into the operating system as "security," and the Samsung Gallery app wants to share my location with Foursquare. The storage management settings, which is just a simple file-cleanup app, i…

These criticisms exist because Samsung does not offer first-party solutions to things such as malware detection, location sharing, storage management, caller ID, VPN, music streaming, and news aggregation. It's unclear how exactly these services are being used (Samsung should be more clear on this front) and what parts of it are integrated (Samsung should be more clear here as well). But, well, put it this way. If Go…

> If Google or Apple had offered first-party solutions to each of those services, would they be criticized for offering bloatware as well?

The tech community seems to assume that software from Apple and Google will be well-thought-out and useful, and will be easy to dismiss if the user doesn't want it. The community seems to assume the opposite of anything from any other hardware company.

Honestly, those assumptions seem correct about 80% of the time.

Re: Remote Code Execution on Most Dell Computers

#265

Post by dethac »

jake_the_third wrote: post #219
Gene_Parmesan wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm strongly considering the ThinkPad P1 as my next work machine -- any other issues you've experienced? I wouldn't have expected Lenovo to mess with the ThinkPad brand like that. My image of ThinkPad has always been no-nonsense, get-stuff-done, power-user-favored. Packing in a bunch of cruft doesn't seem to mesh with that image.

> I wouldn't have expected Lenovo to mess with the ThinkPad brand like that. My image of ThinkPad has always been no-nonsense, get-stuff-done, power-user-favored. I used to think the same until I got a T480. I was drawn to it because it was one of the few laptops that still has a direct hardware Function-key row (I use linux, so software Function Keys are not fun). The keyboard, while mechanically excellent, is horri…

The keyboard changes honestly make no sense.

While I never used the context key (and indeed neither my 60% layout nor the original IBM Model M layout seem to have it anyway), I don't see the purpose of a Print Screen there either.

The Fn/Ctrl swap is... confusing. I'm guessing Lenovo tried to copy the MacBook format without thinking it through. Personally, I prefer Caps Lock as Control, though. I never use Caps Lock.

Home and End on laptops have almost always (it seems) been up on the function row. On a traditional layout, they're to the right, which obviously would not work on smaller form factors. Even with the 7-row keyboard, it was on the top.

Having tried other light laptops including the MacBook 13, the XPS 13, the HP Spectre 13, the Razer Blade Stealth, and the Dell Latitude 73 something or other (this was pretty good)... they just can't compete mechanically. No concavity on the keycaps is a big bummer. Some of them are obnoxiously loud. Some of them have piss-poor tactile feedback. Some of them are okay, but lack travel. Some of them bottom out too hard. Some of them bottom out too softly. It's a rough keyboard game out there. None of the layouts work for me on their own, so I always have to end up tweaking them slightly to my tastes. Caps Lock is useless to me, and I prefer Backspace being one key down. I've considered swapping Right Shift, but I'm not sure what to swap it to. Any ideas?

Re: Remote Code Execution on Most Dell Computers

#266

Post by wtracy »

mises wrote: post #242
maxerickson wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know the current situation, but in the past most US carrier-sold phones have not had the antenna pin connected on the chip.

I'm not sure exactly what it is, though I know all the S7s do. I suppose it may be carrier-locked? I bought mine unlocked, not via a carrier. It's a handy feature, though. Free music and entertainment with zero data spent. I've got to wonder why people moved away from it. No signal issues either.

> Free music and entertainment with zero data spent.

That's probably why the phone manufactures were asked by Google and the carriers to remove that feature.

Re: Remote Code Execution on Most Dell Computers

#267

Post by saulrh »

petre wrote: post #257
saulrh wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

? I used a Nexus 5 up until last year. Ended up upgrading last year, not because it had issues or because lineage stopped releasing for it, but because IT at my new job refused to let six-year-old devices on the network. Meanwhile, my parents complained continuously about their three-year-old iPhones getting slower and slower. Anecdotes, yeah, but...

What did you replace it with? I also use a N5.

Pixel 2 XL, since I also had to stop using a Nexus 7 at the same time and I didn't want to have to deal with not having a large screen to read on. It's been good so far. I haven't had any issues with the lack of a headphone jack, mostly because that jack was also the one part of the Nexus 5 that'd also failed so I was already on bluetooth-only. I upgraded about eight months after the release so they'd hammered out the QC issues on the screen. I see some black smears when I'm scrolling over pictures with black backgrounds on dark themes with the brightness all the way down in a dark room, but that's not something I'd call an issue. The real problem is actually the curved screen, which is sensitive to touch all the way out to the bezel a millimeter or two around the side of the phone, so I get a few misclicks a month when my palm hits the side of the screen while I'm trying to type. I get about two days of battery out of it despite heavy use while I'm on the subway to and from work. It does not feel a sturdy as my Nexus 5, and the screen is not as nice to read on as the Nexus 7 was; the aspect ratio is far too tall. It's definitely better than my old Droid Incredible, though I still miss the physical keyboard. I don't know if it'll be as good as the Nexus 5. It's so far only a sixth as old.

Re: Remote Code Execution on Most Dell Computers

#268

Post by wtracy »

jrochkind1 wrote: post #218
LeoPanthera wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It works, too. This is partly why the iPhone was so popular, at first. It's been so long now that probably everyone has forgotten, but before the iPhone, essentially every smartphone on the market was fully loaded with trialware, crapware, and often had hardware features locked out by software so that you could pay extra to unlock them. I remember one particular phone that had four user-configurable hardware buttons,…

There were smartphones before the iPhone?

Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Maemo all predate the iPhone.

Re: Remote Code Execution on Most Dell Computers

#269

Post by beamatronic »

rohit2412 wrote: post #243
dontbenebby wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Funny, apple did this to iPod touch What feature did you pay to unlock on iPod touch? I'm struggling to remember...

https://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/iphone-20-and-ipod-... The first iPod touch had a broadcom chip that supported Bluetooth, but wasn't supported in the software stack. You needed to upgrade to use the Bluetooth hardware that you had already paid for.

For that matter, all iPhones contain an FM radio that you can’t use either. Even if you want to pay.

Re: Remote Code Execution on Most Dell Computers

#270

Post by ssheth »

petre wrote: post #257
saulrh wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

? I used a Nexus 5 up until last year. Ended up upgrading last year, not because it had issues or because lineage stopped releasing for it, but because IT at my new job refused to let six-year-old devices on the network. Meanwhile, my parents complained continuously about their three-year-old iPhones getting slower and slower. Anecdotes, yeah, but...

What did you replace it with? I also use a N5.

OnePlus phones (originally replaced N5 with a OnePlus 3 .. now upgraded to 6T) .. they have the same "flagship killer" ethos of the original N5
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