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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 04 - 09 DECEMBER, 2023
Hello and Welcome,
Meeting This Week
2023/12/05 — 18:00-20:00 — December, Tue — Main Meeting
Greetings, Members,
The December 2023 Main Meeting will be a 6 pm Face-To-Face meeting at the SMSA Building, Pitt Street, Sydney.
All Members are invited to a REAL meeting on DECEMBER 5th from 6 pm to 8 pm.
[ Members were invited to answer a poll to gauge the attendance numbers. ]
Steve South (President)
— Ed.
Meeting Next Week
2023/12/12 — 18:00-20:00 — December, Tue — Programming
Schedule of Current & Upcoming Meetings
First Tuesday 18:00-20:00 — Main Meeting
First Saturday 13:00-14:00 — Penrith Group
Second Tuesday 18:00-20:00 — Programming
Third Tuesday 10:00-12:00 — Tuesday Group
Third Saturday 14:00-16:00 — Web Design
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Go to the official Sydney PC Calendar for this month's meeting details.
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Penrith meetings are held every 2nd month on the 1st Saturday from 1-2 pm.
The following meetings are in January, March and May 2024.
ASCCA News:Tech News:
Windows Copilot AI is the new Start button, says Microsoft CEO
See the PCWorld article by Mark Hachman | Senior Editor, PCWorld | OCT 25, 2023, at 6:52 am PDT.
Could Windows 12 remove the Start button and put Copilot in its place?
Copilot
We may not know how Microsoft will redesign Windows 12, but we do know how Microsoft thinks about it: The company is putting AI first, to the point where Windows Copilot could be the new Start button.
During the announcement of the shocking performance claims surrounding Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite and its Oryon CPU, Qualcomm chief executive Cristiano Amon sat down for a pre-recorded video chat with Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella. The two have worked together to enable Windows on Arm to run on Snapdragon-powered PCs and to spur the creation of software that takes advantage of the neural processing units (NPUs) being integrated into modern computers.
For Nadella and Microsoft, the centrepiece of AI is Copilot, which runs on Windows or various apps like Microsoft 365. "And so, in some sense, there is a new generation of AI PCs that I think are getting created," Nadella said. "So the work we're doing together, you know, it's sort of going to bring together these experiences that cannot be done without a new system architecture."
Nadella needed more time to spell out what he meant here, but he was talking about the next Windows iteration, which would logically be called Windows 12. So far, the only reports we've had are that it could be very modular — and, with all of the work Microsoft has done on AI, heavily tilted toward Microsoft's AI technologies.
And that's what Nadella talked about next.
"The Copilot is like the Start button," Nadella said Tuesday. "It becomes the orchestrator of all your app experiences. So, for example, I go there and express my intent, and it either navigates me to an application or brings the application to the Copilot, so it helps me learn, query and create — and completely changes user habits."
That's a reasonably telling statement. We know people will "search" for websites that they already know by simply using the URL bar as a navigational tool in a web browser like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. So, too, do people search within Windows for a given app rather than finding it in the Start menu.
Nadella seems to think that users will do the same with Copilot — but maybe they won't even ask it to open an app. The notion of "intent" leaves open the possibility that a user is searching for an app or simply asking for something like "a way to edit a photo" or "help me with financial planning." Maybe Copilot is a way to launch apps. Perhaps it's a way to suggest apps.
Either way, Nadella thinks that Copilot is a better way of asking Windows to help you do what you want rather than searching for a list of apps. Could it replace the iconic Windows Start button someday? We'll see what the future holds.
Security Glitch Undermines Encryption Keys
See the InfoPackets article by John Lister on November 24, 2023, at 08:11 am EST.
According to researchers, around one in a million computer encryption keys are faulty and could be compromised. While it sounds like an obscure issue, it could be exploited by security agencies at both friendly and hostile governments.
The problem is with the RSA encryption widely used for online security. It works by users having two security keys (lengthy codes), one public and one private. The public key encrypts data, while the private key is needed to decrypt it. The system also allows users to "sign" encrypted messages so that recipients know the supposed sender is genuine.
Researchers at the University of California in San Diego found that while the system is still robust, some hardware devices produce digital signatures incorrectly. In some cases, this exposes the private key.
Devices Withdrawn
Proportionally, the problem appears to be rare. The researchers looked at 5.2 billion records from data servers, of which 600,000 have incorrect signatures. From those, they found 189 different private keys across 4,962 data records. (Source: newscientist.com)
According to the researchers, the devices were made by four companies. Cisco and Zyxel say they've now either fixed the problem or stopped selling the devices. Two unnamed companies have yet to respond to enquiries. It appears the devices are only widely used by consumers. (Source: techradar.com)
Although the issue is scarce, it poses a couple of problems. One is that the concern should not exist and undermines a significant plank of online security, even if only in a few cases.
Spy Agencies Could Be Interested
The other problem is that although the issue could only be exploited at scale, that's only partially implausible. Somebody with enough resources and patience could continually scan for an example of the incorrect signatures, find the private key, and use it to intercept data without detection.
It's unlikely such an approach would be worthwhile for trying to spy on a specific individual. However, a government agency with a relaxed attitude to individual privacy rights could theoretically use the keys for a "trawling" exercise. That would involve playing the numbers game and hoping that some compromised users were people of interest.
What's Your Opinion?
Do you trust online security? Are the researchers right to highlight this problem even if it's rare? Is withdrawing the affected devices from sale enough, or should the manufacturers track down users and warn them to stop using them?
Fun Facts:
The Five Best PC Upgrades to Improve Performance
See the How-To Geek article by IAN PAUL | UPDATED Nov 24, 2023.
Looking for an upgrade?
PC-Upgrade
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Adding a solid-state drive (SSD) is an easy and effective upgrade for desktops or laptops with aging systems, significantly improving responsiveness and boot times.
Increasing RAM can be beneficial depending on your activities. For casual computer use, 16 GB is sufficient, while gamers and media-rich tasks may require at least 32 GB.
Upgrading your graphics card can enhance performance, especially for gaming at higher resolutions with higher screen refresh rates.
Are you upgrading a PC? Your choices range from installing more RAM to custom building a case designed for a DIY liquid cooling system. Which upgrades are the best depends on your PC. What specs does it have right now? Are you gaming, editing 4K videos, or browsing the web?
Here are five standard PC upgrades and which systems will see the most improvement from them. We're also marking how hard these various upgrades are. Most are easy to do, though some require more thought and planning.
Add a Solid-State Drive
— Upgrade difficulty: Easy
— Device type: Desktop or laptop
PC-SSD-Upgrade
This classic rudimentary upgrade makes a dramatic difference, especially for aging systems. If your laptop or desktop computer is running off a hard drive, then grabbing a 2.5-inch SSD will make a big difference. Your PC will feel more responsive, and boot times can shorten dramatically. Given the current state of flash storage, you're better off with a triple-level cell (TLC) drive than a quad-level cell (QLC).
If you're already rocking a 2.5-inch SATA-based SSD, upgrading to an NVMe M.2 drive is the next step. This will also improve general responsiveness and boot times, but less dramatically than with a hard drive.
M.2 drives come with one caveat: Your PC needs a special M.2 PCIe slot. Most modern desktop motherboards should have it, but laptop capabilities will vary greatly. Check your motherboard or device manual to see if your system supports these drives.
More RAM
— Upgrade difficulty: Easy
— Device type: Desktop or laptop
PC-RAM-Upgrade
Should you add more RAM to your setup, or will it be pointless? That depends a lot on what you're doing. If you use a PC to stream video, write documents in Microsoft Word, and edit the occasional photo, then 8 gigabytes (GB) might be all you need. Gamers will often be happiest with at least 16 GB, especially when playing modern video games. Some AAA games have pushed the recommended amount of RAM to 32 GB. Any media-rich tasks, like video editing, call for at least 32 GB of RAM these days.
Given the relatively lost cost of RAM, 64 GB setups are increasingly common on high-end systems.
The bottom line is that your system needs an optimal amount of RAM to do its job. If you add more RAM beyond that, you will see a slight improvement, if any.
Using these general guidelines, you should be able to estimate how much RAM you need. If it's not enough, try doubling it and see how it goes.
Also, consider the limits of your motherboard and CPU. They can handle only a certain amount of RAM---though it's usually quite a bit. Remember that when you buy new RAM, it must all be the same speed (measured in MHz), or you'll have to do some fiddling to get it to work. That means unclocking or overclocking one set of RAM to match the speed of the other set. Replacing your PC's RAM should be easier than that. Do yourself a favour and buy matching RAM from the outset—it'll save you some trouble.
Once you're organized, changing RAM on a desktop is as simple as slotting in the new RAM modules and turning on the machine. Laptops are more complex and usually require opening an access panel on the bottom or removing the keyboard. Be aware that some laptops cannot accept RAM upgrades because the RAM is soldered onto the motherboard's PCB.
Swap Out Your Graphics Card
— Upgrade difficulty: Easy
— Device type: Desktop PCs
PC-GPU-Upgrade
If you have the right amount of RAM in your system and your games are running off an SSD, upgrading the graphics card is the next step to improving performance. Before you swap your GPU, ask yourself what resolution your monitor is. If you get a graphics card that's awesome for 4K gaming, but you only play at 1080p, you could've done with a far cheaper graphics card.
There is one notable exception: high refresh rate screens. It is standard to see screens with 144Hz and above these days. If you want your FPS to be good enough to take advantage of those refresh rates, you'll need a more powerful GPU than if you were playing at only 60Hz.
If you're looking at buying a GPU for AI or machine learning tasks, like Stable Diffusion, remember that your GPU's amount of video RAM is critical. You could easily use 16 GBs, and you'll want 12 GB as a minimum.
If your CPU is ancient, you might need a newer one before upgrading your graphics card. However, you can get surprisingly far with an older CPU and a more recent graphics card. Besides, if it's time to upgrade the CPU, it's likely time for a total system overhaul.
Once you've got a new card, undo the slot latch, remove the old card's power cable and take it out, slide in the new one, and reconnect the power if your card requires it. Then you have to install the card's latest drivers, and you're off to the races. For a more detailed look at the upgrade process, check out our tutorial on upgrading and installing a new graphics card in your PC.
Upgrade Your CPU
— Upgrade difficulty: Intermediate
— Device type: Desktop PCs
PC-CPU-Upgrade
Upgrading your CPU is simple but more complicated than slotting in new RAM modules or changing your graphics card. Before you get a new CPU, check which models are compatible with your motherboard. The motherboard CPU socket must be compatible with the processor you want---the socket is the space where the CPU fits on a motherboard.
Beware, however, that CPU makers (notably Intel) can have different versions of the same socket type. For example, a SkyLake-compatible LGA 1151 socket is incompatible with the LGA 1151 sockets that Coffee Lake processors use.
In general, it's better to upgrade your motherboard and CPU simultaneously. However, it may make sense to upgrade the processor. For example, you might catch an excellent CPU sale.
If you upgrade your motherboard when changing the CPU, there are often some trade-offs---especially if the newer processors have more advanced features. For example, anyone with an AMD X470 motherboard could use a Ryzen 3000 CPU. However, they would lose out on PCIe 4.0, which the CPU and motherboard must support.
Changing the CPU depends on whether you have an AMD or Intel motherboard. However, you remove the old CPU, gently drop in the new one, and secure it. Then it's just a matter of attaching your CPU cooling fan or liquid cooling solution.
Add an All-in-One Liquid Cooler
— Upgrade difficulty: Intermediate
— Device type: Desktop
PC-COOLER-Upgrade
Heat: It keeps custom PC builders up at night, or at least awake enough to contemplate how to lower computer temperatures. Keeping your PC cool helps your components last longer and makes it easier to overclock your system.
Standard air cooling fans are great, but there's nothing like a liquid cooling system when you want to get serious about overclocking---or your PC is generally too hot all the time. An all-in-one (AIO) cooler is an excellent first step. These pre-built devices circulate liquid from a radiator to a block over your CPU. Installing an AIO cooler into an existing PC requires removing the current cooling fan and any existing thermal compound on the CPU. Next, install the radiator into your case and place the cooling block over the CPU---thermal compound is usually pre-applied to the block. Fit a few cables onto your motherboard or the power supply, and you're good to go.
Make sure your case can hold your AIO cooler. The typical AIO sizes are 120 mm, 140 mm, 240 mm, and 280 mm. These are all based on radiator fan sizes. A 120 mm AIO has one 120 mm fan; a 140 mm has one 140 mm fan; a 240 mm has two 120 mm fans; and a 280mm fan has two 140 mm fans.
Whether or not a liquid cooler suits your PC depends on how hot your machine tends to get. If you can find an AIO on sale, there's something to be said for how nice a liquid cooling system looks---especially if it's packing a little RGB razzle-dazzle.
You could carry out many other PC upgrades, but those are some of the most common and don't require much expertise to do well.
Meeting Location & Disclaimer
Bob Backstrom
~ Newsletter Editor ~
Information for Members and Visitors:
Link to — Sydney PC & Technology User Group
All Meetings, unless explicitly stated above, are held on the
1st Floor, Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney.
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