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A critical and trivial to exploit vulnerability has been revealed in a tool called polkit (pkexec) that you likely have installed if you run Linux. The current mitigation requires manual intervention. bit.ly/3H3FpV1
sudo chmod 0755 /usr/bin/pkexec

#Windows10 error vent 

I've been suffering from Microsoft Store error 0x80D02017 on Windows 10 2004 for months, preventing me from upgrading any metro apps, and it followed me to 20H2. I tried every single straw-grasping solution but one with no success at all.

The only one I haven't tried? The closest thing Windows 10 has to a nuke-and-pave: System Reset with the DFE option.

World class software engineering, folks!

crypto, nft 

Cryptocurrencies in general & NFTs in particular have all the signatures of a scam, but I struggled to put my finger on how. This 2 1/2 hour video articulates it, & it book-ends it with the '08 mortgage bubble: youtu.be/YQ_xWvX1n9g

Fruit-free because the last Apples I obsessed over were the Mac SE/30, Mac Classic, IIgs, and IIplus.

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Even though I fix PCs for a living, my perspective is rather uniquely that of a (fruit-free) Unix user who constantly wonders how Windows is considered an OS ready for desktop use.

The problem Microsoft has to clean up is that users of its most successful products were taught by an endless stream of ads (and obvious lack of user education) to click everything, without caring that very few of them were taught the social skills necessary to spot and question the weaselly behavior inherent in advertising.

The locked down nanny of a Web browser that Edge is, seems to be a brutally excessive way to do that, though.

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It took three times of allowing the Firefox installer, all via hidden options, before Microsoft actually allowed the installer to run.

This ain't no fly-by-night, Microsoft!

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Microsoft, I know you're trying to shake your reputation as malware-friendly, but doing this when downloading a popular Web browser is over the Edge.

introducing: the brand new start menu! now, with the added power of our brand new IP candy crush, to launch a program you must match 3 of the same icon c: good luck!

It seems the hardware was fine, but a brand new ethernet-free lappy fresh-installed with a manufacturer-supported OS according to the manufacturer support phone desk's instructions didn't have a compatible driver. Does anyone even think about driver availability?

Insert the generic dongle, pick a wifi network, lock up for lunch. Come back, eject dongle, and presto! The on-board wifi does what it should've done if the manufacturer thought for five seconds about the driver.

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Y'know, @hp@twitter, in an age when everything needs to access a network to get anything done, integrating a network device that doesn't have driver support built in to a supported OS is not smart.

I shouldn't have to buy a generic wifi dongle to download & install a wifi driver.

Did you know you can dual-boot on a PC? Boot Win10 installer, Shift-F10, use "diskpart" to shrink the Win11 partition, then install Win10 in the free space.

The installer will helpfully detect both versions and give you a dual-boot menu! 🙆‍♀️​

The installer will also helpfully call both bootable Windows partitions "Windows 10" for you! 🤦‍♀️​

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I'm installing for a customer. It needs me to connect to the Internet, but the only option I can click on is "I don't have internet".

Yes, really.

"Network:"
"Let's connect you to a network
To finish setup, you'll need to connect to the internet."

"I don't have internet"

There is literally nothing else on the screen or in the tab order.

World class quality product from the corporation that wants to be the only *micro*computer *soft*ware company in existence.

Anyway, it was and is a great computer, but the single worst thing ever about the Commodore 64 personal computer is the Commodore 1541 floppy disk drive.

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I was reminded today about the worst backup mistake I ever made.

Way back when hard disks were luxuries, I was making a backup of a floppy disk by copying it to another floppy. I verified which disk to copy and which was blank, but while the disk copier was loading, I got them mixed up.

The disk was halfway through quietly formatting away, in the slowest floppy drive ever invented, when I noticed the disk in my hand was the unformatted blank.

Profane lamentations for days.

RT @BadGameHOF@twitter.com

'Fight for Life' released on this day in 1996.

A half-finished 3D fighter for the Jaguar, developed by one Francois Yves Bertrand. After Atari missed several payment milestones, Francois held back the finished version until they paid up. Instead, Atari sold an earlier prototype.

🐦🔗: twitter.com/BadGameHOF/status/

The 40th anniversary of the Commodore 64 is this month. Watch out for nostalgia grifters, and double check that post and poster before you RT, boost, or share that trip down memory lane.

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Computer Fairies is a Mastodon instance that aims to be as queer, friendly and furry as possible. We welcome all kinds of computer fairies!