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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 30 DECEMBER, 2024 - 04 JANUARY, 2025
Hello and Welcome,
Happy New Year for 2025!
Dear Members of the Sydney PC and Technology User Group,
As we bid farewell to another year and welcome a new one, we want to extend our warmest wishes to all of you. May the coming year bring you joy, prosperity, and plenty of tech discoveries!
Thank you for being part of such a vibrant and supportive community. We look forward to many more exciting meetings, discussions, and innovations in the year ahead.
Happy New Year!
Best regards, Newsletter Editor via COPILOT.
Meetings This Week
NO MEETINGS
Meetings Next Week
NO MEETINGS
Schedule of Current & Upcoming Meetings
First Tuesday 18:00-20:00 — Main Meeting
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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ASCCA News:Tech News:
MS Addresses Win11 Upgrade On 'Incompatible' PCs
See the InfoPackets article by John Lister on December 16, 2024, at 01:12 pm EST.
Windows 11
Microsoft has explicitly warned users that it's not responsible for damage caused by running Windows 11 on an "incompatible" computer. At the same time, it's making it slightly easier for people to upgrade their machines to Windows 11 even though it's not officially supported.
While previous new versions of Windows have essentially only had minor changes to minimum specifications, such as slightly higher RAM or hard drive space minimums, Windows 11 is much more demanding. It requires specific types of processors and a hardware security tool called Trusted Protection Module, otherwise known as TPM 2.0.
That's angered users who are unable to officially run Windows 11 on their machine, which would otherwise require purchasing a brand new (or slightly used/supported) computer. That feels excessive, given that Windows 11 is not widely viewed as a dramatic improvement or alteration to Windows 10.
Most Windows Users Hold Out
The issue is coming to a head with the official withdrawal of updates and security patches next October when Windows 10 is at end-of-life. Given that around 60 percent of Windows PCs are still on Windows 10 (almost double the share of Windows 11), it seems that the risk doesn't put many users off or they don't believe Microsoft will pull the plug. (Source: statcounter.com)
Indeed, Microsoft has confirmed it will offer a year of paid security updates for Windows 10 through 2026, the first time it's done so for home users.
What Microsoft doesn't shout about quite so much is its support page which acknowledges that some users will attempt to run Windows 11 on an unsupported computer. Two key changes have now been made, giving mixed messages.
Disclaimer Warning
The first change is an updated disclaimer that users must acknowledge before installing. It now includes a specific warning and reads:
"This PC doesn't meet the minimum system requirements for running Windows 11. These requirements help ensure a more reliable and higher quality experience. Installing Windows 11 on this PC is not recommended and may result in compatibility issues. If you proceed with installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and won't be entitled to receive updates. The manufacturer warranty doesn't cover damage to your PC due to lack of compatibility. By selecting Accept, you acknowledge that you have read and understand this statement."
However, Microsoft is also making it slightly less daunting to proceed with the upgrade, as the support page now has a direct shortcut link that will run a Recovery process and restore Windows 10 if something goes wrong. This process, available up to 10 days after the upgrade, was only previously available by finding and following a series of menu options. (Source: neowin.net)
What's Your Opinion?
Have you upgraded to Windows 11 despite not meeting the hardware requirements? Is Microsoft clear enough why you could or should not put Windows 11 on an incompatible machine? Are the security benefits of forcing people to use computers with a Trusted Protection Module outweighed by the risks of people sticking with an unsecured Windows 10?
Comments
Just Plain Wrong — Submitted by drobinson_nc_16614 on Wed, 18/12/2024 — 17:49.
It requires specific types of "processors and a hardware security tool" called Trusted Protection Module, otherwise known as TPM 2.0.
MS appears to collude with "Processor and hardware" manufacturers to force people to purchase their products.
What does TPM do? Does anybody know?
MS should focus on their OS and keep their nose out of the computer processor and hardware business.
Microsoft Confirms That Windows 11's Recall Feature Can't Be Uninstalled
See the Nasdaq article on September 03, 2024 — 04:07 pm EDT | Written by RTTNews.com for RTTNews.
Windows 11 Recall
(RTTNews) — Microsoft's artificial intelligence tool, known as Recall, is currently not available for public use and is integrated into Windows 11 so that users cannot completely remove it.
Recently, a report from the German website Deskmodder highlighted a potential change in the latest 24H2 version of Windows 11, indicating that the update KB5041865 might allow users to uninstall Recall through the Windows Features menu.
However, Brandon LeBlanc, a senior product manager for Windows, clarified this information in a statement to The Verge. He explained that the appearance of Recall as an option in the 'Turn Windows features on or off' section of the Control Panel was a mistake and assured users that this error would be rectified in a forthcoming update.
While users cannot completely uninstall Recall from their Copilot Plus PCs, they have some control over the feature. Specifically, they can disable Recall or limit its monitoring capabilities, which may alleviate some concerns regarding privacy and data collection.
Recall is designed to operate in the background, capturing screenshots of user activity on the PC. This functionality aims to allow users to search for and revisit past moments, providing a richer context that goes beyond traditional browsing history.
Recall was initially slated for release alongside Copilot Plus PCs in June; however, Microsoft postponed the launch after security experts raised alarms about potential vulnerabilities and privacy issues associated with the tool.
In response to these concerns, the company has significantly updated Recall. In October, it plans to offer a preview of the feature to Windows Insiders on Copilot Plus PCs. This preview will allow selected users to test the tool and provide feedback before a wider rollout.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Do You Think 2025 Will Be the Year of the Linux Desktop?
See the How-To Geek article by Jordan on December 18th.
TUX and Linux
It's the perennial question in the Linux community: will this year be the year of the Linux desktop? Some say it's never coming. Some say it's already here. What do you think? With Windows 10 endiing in 2025, will the masses figure out how to install Linux on bare metal and start waving the Tux flag?
THREAD (1st ten Posts)
Tinkicker: As long as my year of the Linux desktop came oh, about ten years ago, I'm good. Those who don't use it are the ones missing out.
HTGMember: I wish it could be. I have tried Linux on VM; I'm pleased and excited. I want more apps to come to Linux.
Edwin: I cannot say whether 2025 will be the Year of Linux for a more significant population segment, but it seems it is getting more attention. Of course, it could just be that I'm more attuned to all things Linux these days because, for me, 2024 has been the Year of Linux. After casually experimenting with various Linux distros on and off since the beginning of 2009, I finally became a daily Linux user in the fourth quarter of 2023 and fully accepted it as part of my computing zeitgeist by the beginning of 2024, letting go of both Windows and Mac OS in the process. I still use Windows at work — because I'm required to — but I'm solidly on Team Penguin for personal use, and I'm not looking back.
Joe: For those with older desktops that Microsoft is abandoning by failing to support Windows 10 users who have desktops that do not meet the upgrade requirements for Windows 11, 2025 will be the year for the Linux Desktop. Rather than performing costly upgrades to their desktops, many will find it beneficial to change their OS to Linux.
JohnOh2025: While Linux is very stable, games have been the mainstay of Microsoft followers. Having established itself as the most-used OS, game developers have ignored the potential income that Linux provides. I think also that it is time for a Linux reassessment. The gamers must now see that a stable OS is a computer user's dream. The day of the Geek might be over if they could convince all the software to be fully compatible and usable. It is a vast market, and it needs to understand that the customer's needs are just as important as their income. Build it, and they will come? Yes, Sim City never uttered a more solid comment in their game.
Mike: No, but it might overtake Android in about 5 years.
Peter: Unlikely. It's a behavioural issue more than anything. Until a critical mass is achieved, which can be painfully slow, there is unlikely to be any great Linux uprising. People are creatures of habit who tend to follow the masses.
I have been trying to convince friends of mine to try Linux for the last 10 years with no success. I even built a Manjaro-based laptop for a friend, who took one look at the Manjaro desktop and promptly went out and bought himself an Acer / Windows laptop. I think the Manjaro-based machine is languishing in the back of a drawer somewhere. He actually asked me to create a Linux machine for him, but he freaked out at the actual experience.
So, nope, not any time soon, I'm predicting.
Jim: It very likely will be for me. I have a desktop that won't upgrade to W11, and I don't need to replace it. Besides, I'm tired of MS's games.
Linux keeps getting better and easier for Windows users. I still struggle at times between Office 365 and Libre Office, but everything else is usually simple.
Francis: I do not intend to discard our old laptop and desktop just because MS no longer supports Windows 10. I have tested Linux Mint on both systems and plan on converting both systems to Linux Mint in 2025. I used Linux in the past before I retired and will set up my wife's desktop to bring up Firefox for her.
Paul: There is still nervousness about Linux Desktops amongst many of my friends who are still on Windows 10 or earlier, but once I show them (on my laptop ... I have been on Linux on ALL my computers now for over 15 years) what it is like and in particular LibreOffice tweaked to look as close as possible to MS Office they are convinced. I also assist them installing and taking over their entire machine after backing up their data and configuring any applications.
In short, personal users will likely need some encouragement/support to switch.
...
Fun Facts:
Is there any science behind 'grounding' or 'earthing'?
See the ABC article by science reporter Jacinta Bowler | Sun 10 Nov, 2024.
Foot Grounding
After a long day, there's little doubt that walking through nature or sitting in a park can be restorative.
However, according to proponents of "grounding," it's not the environment that makes you feel better but the current from the Earth instead.
Also known as "earthing," grounding is a growing practice that suggests putting your bare feet on the Earth to balance your electrical charge. This can help fix inflammation, mood problems, and more.
But is there any science behind this?
Norman Swan recently called the practice "complete bloody bullsh**" and the health claims "nonsensical" on ABC Radio National's What's That Rash?
Grounding is a word scientists use — just not in a health-rebalancing way.
According to Karen Livesey, an associate professor of theoretical physics at the University of Newcastle, "grounding" has long been used as a physics term. It refers to removing a build-up of too much positive or negative charge.
However, a lack of grounding is unlikely to make a human sick.
"The fact that we've been building up charge for many thousands of years through human history seems to indicate that it's not going to be harmful to us," Dr Livesey said.
Grounding requires a conductor
Most people will have experienced static electricity, which occurs when negative or positive charges build up on your skin.
This is a regular occurrence, and it happens due to the friction of two objects sliding against each other. One object gains electrons, and the other loses them. This creates one slightly positive object and one slightly negative object.
Walking on carpets, playing with balloons, or slipping down playground slides can all result in these charges, sometimes leaving your hair on end.
We've known about static electricity since at least ancient Greece.
"They didn't have balloons back then," Dr Livesey said.
"They had rabbit fur and sticks of amber, and they knew they could rub them together and create this magic static electricity to impress three-year-olds."
Static Electricity
But these excess charges don't stick around forever.
These extra electrons try to escape each other by spreading out as far as possible, ending up in your hair, which causes it to stand up.
"The excess charge goes to the edge of your body," Dr Livesey said.
It will zap out of you when you touch a conductor, anything from a piece of metal to an unsuspecting friend. This is what physicists mean when they talk about grounding.
But metal or other objects can also act as conductors. The Earth itself does this.
"The Earth has an overall negative electric charge … and because the overall Earth atmosphere system has to be neutral, that means there are positive electric charges up in the atmosphere," Dr Livesey said.
"When we touch the Earth, there'll be a transfer of electrons so that we have the same electric potential."
What about the practice of grounding?
For grounding proponents, Earth can wick away extra electrons and — which they call "vitamin G," — which supposedly produces the practices's positive effects.
While going outside and spending time in nature have been linked to mental health benefits, the idea that chronic illness could be caused by an electrical imbalance between us and the Earth "makes no sense", Dr Swan said.
Those who practice grounding believe you can also reap the benefits of using several different products, including what's known as a grounding mat.
These mats plug into the power point but only connect to the third bottom hole.
In a house, that bottom hole on a power point doesn't provide electricity but instead connects to the Earth to protect against electrical faults.
But Dr Livesey said grounding — using a mat or anything else — was unlikely to have any health benefit.
"From a physics point of view, there is no process I can think of where a surplus or lack of electrons on the surface of our body could influence our health," she said.
"There are 10 octillion [a 1 with 28 zeros after it] electrons in our body. Being short by a few electrons — when compared to the charge of the Earth — is highly unlikely to change how our bodies use electricity to work."
Electrical charges are vital
Nature has been working with positive and negative charges long before humans invented a way to make it power our modern lives.
The interaction between bees and flowers is one example.
As part of the Earth, flowers are slightly negative, while bees flying produces a positive charge.
Bees can sense the electrical field of the flower, and it's this static electricity that causes them to become covered in pollen.
When the bee visits the next flower, that now-positively-charged pollen returns to the plant.
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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