Oracle finally does the right thing

Dave Farquhar security

So if you didn’t drop everything and uninstall Java last week, I need another favor. Oracle released a patch for Java, so go patch it.

Sometimes community outcry and pressure works. It looks like this time it did. I just wish Oracle had made a bigger deal about it. Yes, you’re eating crow, but people need to know that this is something they need to do. One of the most frequent questions I get is whether it’s really necessary to patch Java. The answer is yes, it’s just as important as the monthly Microsoft patches. But nobody seems to know or care. They’re afraid they might break something, so they don’t do it.

If you need a deal on a Nook Simple Touch, they’re on sale

Dave Farquhar Hardware , , , , , ,

Sears has the Nook Simple Touch on sale for $70. That’s about a 30% discount. (Thanks Dealnews!)

I guess I’ve had mine for about six weeks, and I like it. It’s the #2 e-reader, and I’ve run into problems in the past buying the #2 just on the basis of technical superiority (Amiga, anyone?), but if being able to load books on an SD card and the availability of free public domain e-books isn’t enough, you can root the device, load the Kindle Android app, and turn it into a Kindle.

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Why your write blocker doesn’t work with the IDE cable backwards

Dave Farquhar security

I’m reviewing and revising policies and practices at work, including data forensics, the unfortunate necessity caused by employees misusing their company-issued machines.

Early in my career, I had to make the phone call to HR on occasion when I discovered something on an employer-owned PC that shouldn’t be there. I even did forensics once, guided by a lawyer. I had a sector editor and knew how to use it; the lawyer knew what she was looking for. That wasn’t the right way to do it, but this place wasn’t willing to go to the expense required to do it right.

But now I work someplace that is. Read more

What to do about a router dropping connections

Dave Farquhar Hardware , , , , , ,

A former classmate and coworker contacted me with a question.

My router is about 5 years old. I have a cable modem and a router. The cable modem is fine. The router keeps connecting and disconnecting from the internet…used to happen occasionally, now happens all the time. I reset it and it works for a while, then disconnects. Is it time for a new router or do you think something else is going on?

I see two options. Read more

Yes, ramdisks still make sense, especially with memory so cheap

Dave Farquhar Windows , , , , ,

A former classmate and industry colleague dropped me a line a few weeks ago. He pointed out that memory is dirt cheap, and he bought 16 GB of RAM, just because it cost him around $100 to do, and was wondering what to do with it. A ramdisk, perhaps?

My search logs prove that ramdisks are the best-kept secret in the industry (virtually nobody knows or cares about them), but they’re still the best way to increase the longevity or life expectancy of an SSD and an outstanding way to pep up performance. A ramdisk is 80 times faster than a hard drive, 60 times faster than a RAID array, and 10-20 times faster than an SSD.
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