Microsoft, Patches and updates, Windows 10

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 11082

Leave a comment

It could be argued that it’s unfair to talk about problems with Windows 10 preview builds, since they are provided to us for testing purposes and expected to have issues. I hold the opposite view: everyone is better off if we report problems as publicly as possible. But I’ll try to stick to the facts and avoid complaining.

With the arrival of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 11082, my test PC started doing some very weird things. The extent to which these problems are specific to my hardware remains unclear.

  • On logging in for the first time after the new build was installed, Windows reported that the application CCleaner was not compatible with the new Windows build, and had been removed. CCleaner (formerly CrapCleaner) is primarily a tool for removing junk and temporary files from Windows systems. The message pointed to this page, which says “If you try to use this app with Windows Insider Preview , it might not work correctly or might not work at all.” Not too helpful. I reported the problem to the CCleaner developers.
  • Normally, when File Explorer copies, moves, or deletes files, it displays a progress dialog. Those dialogs no longer appear. File operations still work, but there’s no visual indication of what’s going on.
  • Audio stopped working completely. A reboot didn’t help. Powering off the computer completely and then back on did fix the problem. There was nothing in the Windows events logs to point to a possible cause.

None of these issues are show-stoppers for me. I used the Windows 10 Feedback app to report the File Explorer dialog problem.

This is the first Windows 10 preview build with which I’ve had any serious problems, aside from privacy concerns. It will be interesting to see how quickly Microsoft responds.

Update 2015Dec21: The CCleaner developer responded to my report, saying that they have received similar reports and that they are looking into it.

Firefox, Flash, Patches and updates

Firefox 43.0.1

Leave a comment

A single minor change seems to be the only reason for the Firefox 43.0.1 release yesterday. The release notes describe the change as preparation “to use SHA-256 signing certificate for Windows builds”. This does not appear to be a security-related change, so there’s no hurry to update.

Mozilla has improved the look of Firefox’s release notes pages, but there has been no functional improvement. For instance, while there is a link to the ‘complete list of changes‘, that link goes to the Bugzilla bug tracking system, which is not easy to parse for non-technical users. Worse, it shows all changes in Firefox 43, not just 43.0.1, and there’s no way to search for changes to 43.0.1 only.

As usual, there was no proper release announcement for this version. There wasn’t even a vaguely-corresponding post on the Mozilla blog.

On my test computer, when the Firefox 43.0.1 update finished installing, Firefox displayed a web page with a brief video and an underlying announcement, about Firefox 43’s new privacy features, and ‘new’ Pocket integration. Which seems weird, because Pocket integration was also announced for Firefox 38.0.5 in June.

In other Firefox-related news, Mozilla recently pointed to an announcement from Netflix in a blog post titled ‘Firefox Users Can Now Watch Netflix HTML5 Video on Windows‘. This is an important change, because it’s no longer necessary for Firefox users to install and use Flash to watch Netflix content.

Firefox, Patches and updates

64 bit Firefox finally arrives

1 Comment

Something I neglected to mention about the recent Firefox 43 release: there is finally an official, 64-bit version of the browser. There have been unofficial and/or experimental 64-bit versions in the past, but they were abandoned for various reasons and never made it to prime time.

Those of you with modern computers who are running a 64-bit operating system have the option of installing the 64 bit Firefox or sticking with the traditional 32-bit version. The two versions look and act exactly the same, and I don’t think it’s likely that any particular advantage will be gained by switching to the 64-bit version. However, some people (you know who you are) are excited about this long-promised Firefox version.

Patches and updates, Security, WordPress and other CMS

Critical security fixes for Joomla

Leave a comment

Sites running the popular web Content Management System (CMS) Joomla have been targeted by large-scale attacks recently. Joomla’s developers have responded by publishing a fixed version, Joomla 3.4.6.

Anyone who operates a Joomla-based web site should stop what they’re doing and install the necessary updates immediately.

Update 2015Dec23: Joomla developers discovered that a bug in PHP – the language in which Joomla is developed – would likely lead to more vulnerabilities in Joomla. The PHP bug has been fixed, but that won’t help sites that are running older versions of PHP. Recognizing this, the Joomla developers released another update (Joomla 3.4.7) that addresses the underlying vulnerability.

Uncategorized

Firefox 43 lands

Leave a comment

Earlier today, Mozilla published an article on their company blog, titled Firefox Gives You More Control Over Your Data in Private Browsing.

I must be getting pretty good at detecting these cryptic Firefox version update announcements, because I spotted this one right away. Sure enough, despite there being no mention of a new version, there’s a link at the bottom of the post which reads Release Notes for Firefox for Windows, Mac, Linux. And the link clearly points to a version 43 folder.

So it’s not exactly a new version announcement, but there were enough hints there to figure it out.

Maybe I should talk about the new version of Firefox.

The ‘announcement‘ only talks about changes to the Private Browsing with Tracking Protection feature, which now has a ‘strict’ setting that may provide better privacy while breaking many popular sites. Not recommended unless you’re truly paranoid and don’t mind being frustrated.

The release notes get into more detail. But there’s not a lot that’s likely to excite much interest. About sixteen security issues were fixed as well, so you should go ahead and update Firefox ASAP.

Adobe, Flash, Google, Security

Adobe’s plans for Flash

Leave a comment

Adobe’s plans to phase out Flash continue. Early in 2016, the software used to create Flash video will be renamed from Flash Professional to Adobe Animate CC. The new software will still be able to produce Flash videos, but it will focus more on HTML5 video.

The ubiquitous and notoriously insecure Flash player – the one that lets you play Flash video in your browser – will continue to be developed and supported by Adobe for at least the next five (and maybe ten) years. But Adobe is making it easier for video producers to move away from Flash and toward HTML5.

Meanwhile, Google has announced that they will start blocking Flash-based advertisements, which should provide the necessary motivation for advertisers to move away from Flash.

References

Adobe, Patches and updates, Shockwave

Shockwave player 12.2.2.172

Leave a comment

According to FileHippo’s release history for Adobe Shockwave Player, Shockwave 12.2.2.172 was released on November 25, 2015.

The official download page for Shockwave confirms that the latest version is 12.2.2.172. Unfortunately, the official release notes for Shockwave show the latest version as 12.2.1.171.

Worse still, Adobe’s Shockwave version checker page tells me this: “Sorry, your computer does not have the latest Shockwave Player installed. Please go to step 2. (Your version:12.2.2.172 Latest Version:12.1.9.159)” It’s trying to tell me that 12.1.9.159 is the latest version (it isn’t) and that the version I’m running (which is in fact the latest version) is both out of date and somehow older than a version which is clearly the older of the two (12.1.9.159 is older than 12.2.2.172).

Hey Adobe: it’s hard enough to keep our software up to date without you sending us mixed messages.

Rants and musings on topics of interest. Sometimes about Windows, Linux, security and cool software.

Close

Ad-blocker not detected

Consider installing a browser extension that blocks ads and other malicious scripts in your browser to protect your privacy and security. Learn more.