Maxthon browser bad?

(Thanks to Justin for warning us…OK, me…about this.)

“…users of the browser…were reassured by the manufacturer that this type of content will not be transferred anywhere without their explicit consent.

“…information transmitted without the user’s knowledge between the Browser and the Maxthon server…about the user’s website browsing preferences, information about his Google searches as well as the complete list of software installed on the user’s computer…

“…the Maxthon browser is not secure.

“It is also worth emphasising that the Exatel’s SOC got in touch with the creators of the Maxthon browser, sending a detailed technical report, with a request for Maxthon to respond, either in the form of a notice sent to the users about the type of data transmitted from their browsers to the Maxthon servers in Beijing, or in the form of a Maxthon browser software patch which would enable the alarmed users to deactivate effectively the transmission of the UEIP files to their servers. This request was ignored.”

https://exatel.pl/advisory/maxthonreporten.pdf

=================================

Our Promise to Users

We at Maxthon take users’ privacy and information security seriously. We keep our users’ information secure and private…

Jeff Chen (CEO of Maxthon)

11:00pm EST, July 14, 2016

http://forum.maxthon.com/index.php?/topic/20208-security-and-privacy-are-top-priorities-at-maxthon/

 

Don’t lose your free OneDrive space!

In the past, Microsoft gave 15 gigabytes (GB) of free storage space to new accounts of their OneDrive service by default. They have changed that policy…

“Free OneDrive storage will decrease from 15 GB to 5 GB for all users, current and new. The 15 GB camera roll storage bonus will also be discontinued. These changes will start rolling out in early 2016.”

If you want to try to keep your 15 GB free storage space, and possibly more, Microsoft has posted:

“…we’re making it possible for you to keep your base storage quota and camera roll bonus, even after the changes roll out.

“Click…and your account will not be affected when the amount of free storage changes from 15 GB to 5 GB and the +15 GB camera roll bonus is discontinued.”

 

New Windows notebook to compete with Chromebooks?

It’s being reported that specifications for a Windows competitor to Chromebooks, for around $200, have been found…

I feel a strong need to comment on this issue. I’ve owned a Chromebook. And many “low-end” notebook computers. And have tried to use outdated computer hardware (notebooks and desktops) with various operating systems. Before you spend your money, I want to try to help you with your decisions about what to buy…and what not to buy.

The information about the possible upcoming HP Stream Notebook PC was publicized by http://www.mobilegeeks.de/hp-stream-199-dollar-notebook-kommt-mit-14-inch-display-amd-plattform-100-gb-onedrive-alle-details/

It should have a 14-inch screen. Anything less, and I have felt a bit cramped…as I do when using a netbook, or a large (10-inch) tablet with a keyboard. The keyboard on my Asus C7 Chromebook was smaller than a standard one. I was not comfortable using it over long periods of time.

The processor in the HP Stream is expected to be a quad-core AMD A4 Micro-6400T. When using Chrome OS, AND Windows, I have no complaints about the performance of dual-core processors…UNTIL:

I am trying to watch video, or stream something from the internet (including YouTube)…
I use multiple applications/programs and browsers…
I have multiple tabs open in a browser…
and I try to use some websites where they are heavy with whatever it is they feel the need to bombard me with (video/graphics, “dancing baloney”, etcetera).

I will never invest my money in any computer (or tablet) with less than a quad-core processor, and expect it to be able to reasonably render multimedia content. I’ve been very, very disappointed. (I have a notebook computer with Windows 7, 8 GB RAM, and it has a quad-core processor which I have no complaints about. I don’t like using my other computers that have Windows 7 and 8, 8 GB RAM, and dual-core processors in them: they lag and drag when I am using them with the internet.)

The HP Stream will probably come with only 2 GB RAM, that cannot be upgraded. We will all need to wait to find how this configuration might perform. There are Chromebooks available with 4 GB RAM, but none I’m aware of with quad-core processors.

If, as expected, it has at least a 32 GB drive…this will be a great incentive. I read a report from someone who was trying to download content from Google Play Movies & TV to his Chromebook ( https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-play-movies-tv/gdijeikdkaembjbdobgfkoidjkpbmlkd?hl=en ) but could not, because it had only a 16 GB storage drive.

A screen-shot of the specifications that were found is at http://1-ps.googleusercontent.com/h/www.mobilegeeks.de/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/605x1165xhp-stream-specs.gif.pagespeed.ic.YcCSaefr99.png

======================

I found a review that gave me answers to some questions I have about the more “powerful” Chromebooks…and I want to warn you about them:

“…Samsung…Chromebook 2 uses Samsung’s latest Exynos 5 chip…along with 4GB of RAM…It does fine as long as I’m only doing one thing at a time, but as soon as I open a bunch of tabs in rapid succession or try to stream music while I power through my RSS feeds, the Chromebook 2 starts to chug…

“…A number of manufacturers are working to put Intel’s latest chips into similarly priced Chromebooks, and every one I’ve tried works faster than this one. These devices don’t need to be exceptional, but before we’ll ever get any work done on Chrome OS they must keep up; the Chromebook 2 feels like it was running two steps behind me all the time, red-faced and breathing heavily.

“…I can’t imagine ever recommending a Chromebook without an Intel processor…

“…I can’t work on a laptop that can’t keep up with me — and I wouldn’t recommend anyone else do so either…”

http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/10/5788934/samsung-chromebook-2-review

 

 

No internet July 9…for some…

(I apologize: this post is LONG overdue. I have been actively battling other malware, which kept me too busy to warn you earlier about this one…)

July 9, if you have trouble with the internet…don’t be surprised:

Lots of computers, “servers”, that help to make the internet work were infected.

“The clean DNS servers will be turned off on July 9, 2012, and computers still impacted by DNSChanger may lose Internet connectivity at that time.”

From as many computers as you can, I want you to do some things:

Go to the “DNS Changer Check-Up” website at http://dns-ok.us/ . If the computer is infected with DNS changer malware, you might see a red background…

Next, consider going to http://www.dcwg.org/detect/ and read the section “Manually Checking if your DNS server have been Changed”.

Facebook and Google are trying to help with this problem. You can read more about it at these webpages:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-security/notifying-dnschanger-victims/10150833689760766

http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/2012/05/notifying-users-affected-by-dnschanger.html

To try to help you not become infected in the future, take a look at http://www.stopbadware.org/home/badware_prevent

It’s best to use the latest and greatest operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux, etcetera), and keep all of your software (and hardware) updated. But you also need to be careful when using technology, and the internet and other services you connect to.