Gmail users have been able to use https since 2008, however due to performance concerns the option was disabled by default.

Users who wish to collect their email over plain old http can still do so by selecting this option on the Gmail settings page.

It seems likely that Google was spurred into action by the malicious access of dozens of Gmail accounts used by human rights activists by suspected Chinese hackers.

On a side note – anyone tasked with administering any type of Squid proxy using NTLM Auth should be pleased too. Accessing Gmail over https eliminates an irritating authentication error when trying to upload a file attachment to the webmail service.

Bonus!

So far it seems to be pretty good, and although there are a few reports on the ‘tinterweb indicating poor battery life, later comments suggest that this has got better with recent updates to the software.

All of which leads me to the question of whether or not ‘email on three’ uses SMS messages to trigger email synchronisation or whether it keeps an data connection open back to three’s NOC?

Anyone happen to know?

http://ramonantonio.net/kde-firefox/

Secondly some people suggested that they found Gmail scrolling a little slow on some computers. Disabling the Ubuntu Firefox Modifications addon (anyone know what this does anyway?) seems to give you a little extra speed if you need it.

Finally ensure you that you have ‘performance’ selected in CPU Policy. It’s easy to forget that power saving mode is on and find yourself wondering why your laptop is slow!

It won’t be long now before mobs rampage through the streets destroying small businesses and legging it with pilfered tellys. This could be the end of the world as we know it!

Currently clicking on the result of any Google search brings up a page warning the user that the website is a potential risk, and does not allow the user to continue on to it.

Be afraid folks, be very afraid!

Update: A little while later Google started working properly again. Normality was restored. Sheepish looking folk gently placed nicked tellys back through the shattered windows of Currys and jogged home.

Karoo – the demon spawn ISP of Hull’s much bemoaned monopolistic telephone overlords KCOM – has managed to yet again destroy the city’s ability to connect to the t’interweb.

From piecing together odds and sods from various sources (and from being one of the poor buggers having to use KC) it looks like the outage downed all internet services delivered by KCOM.

The fault which lasted over 8 hours, is alledged to have downed essential services, residential broadband, and businesses utilising credit card equipment connecting back through an ADSL connection.

As usual users from the unofficial karoo forums have jumped onto the problem and are debating it, so if you’re interested, jump in and have your say!

Karoo last dropped Hull off the internet in January this year, and August last year. Bad times.

The Register are covering the story here.

No matter what I tried, in step 2 of the installation process I got an error about the writable session save path not being valid. I checked the path in the /etc/php.ini file, created a php test page using phpinfo() and checked that the php session location was writable. Still, the installer brought up the same error message.

Finally I resorted to hacking the install script. I thought I’d share the hack with you here just in case you suffer the same error as I! Open up the install/installSystemCheck.php file. Check out the example below, and notice that seventh line from the bottom, I have changed the variable $error_found = true; to $error_found = false;

That should move you onto install step 2.

// session save dir
$session_save_path = session_save_path();
if (strpos ($session_save_path, “;”) !== FALSE)
$session_save_path = substr ($session_save_path, strpos ($session_save_path, “;”)+1);
if(is_dir($session_save_path)){
if(is_writable($session_save_path)){
installLog(”Session Save Path is “.$session_save_path);
}else{
$save_pathStatus = “<b><span class=’stop’>{$mod_strings['ERR_CHECKSYS_SESSION_SAVE_PATH_NOT_WRITABLE']}</font></b>”;
installLog(”ERROR:: {$mod_strings['ERR_CHECKSYS_SESSION_SAVE_PATH_NOT_WRITABLE']}”);
$error_found = true;
$error_txt .= ‘
<tr>
<td><strong>’.$mod_strings['LBL_CHECKSYS_SESSION_SAVE_PATH'].’</strong></td>
<td class=”error”>’.$save_pathStatus.’</td>
</tr>’;
}
}else{
$save_pathStatus = “<b><span class=’stop’>{$mod_strings['ERR_CHECKSYS_SESSION_SAVE_PATH_NOT_SET']}</font></b>”;
installLog(”ERROR:: {$mod_strings['ERR_CHECKSYS_SESSION_SAVE_PATH_NOT_SET']}”);
$error_found = false;
$error_txt .= ‘
<tr>
<td><strong>’.$mod_strings['LBL_CHECKSYS_SESSION_SAVE_PATH'].’</strong></td>
<td class=”error”>’.$save_pathStatus.’</td>
</tr>’;
}

My brother just got a £7.50 a month deal with Three, for 3 GB per month of internet access over 3G (HSDPA). I installed Ubuntu onto a PC for him and had a bash at getting the 3G dongle up and running.

Here is the easiest way to get this up and running.

1.) Plug the dongle into a spare USB slot and restart the computer.

2.) Download the Vodafone Mobile Connect Card Driver for Linux. The version I’m using is 1.99.17 (Beta) and comes as a .deb package.

3.) After installing, run the Vodafone application that you’ll now find in Applications > Internet.

4.) If the application doesn’t detect your dongle restart your PC and try again (although it should).

5.) Insert these settings if you’re using the Three (UK) network.

Username: three
Password: three

Preferred connection: 3G preferred
Authentication mode: Default
APN host: 3internet

DNS Servers: 4.2.2.4 and 4.2.2.3 (Figured out by Alec Cawley in the 2nd comment of this post, thanks Alec!)

6.) That’s about it. You should be able to see a signal strength bar at the bottom of the app screen, and connecting to the internet is a simple as pressing the big green connect button.

The vodafone application itself is pretty good. Particularly useful is the usage indicator. It allows you to restrict the amount of data transferred to help ensure that you don’t breach your monthly limit. Check out the screenshot below. Cool eh?

Enjoy mobile internet on Linux!

After years of treating this as back page news, the local media really seem to have got behind the people to protest about the Kingston Communications monopoly here in Hull.

The Hull Daily Mail have published details of a poll on the Prime Ministers Petitions site urging:

“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to scrap the monopoly that Kingston Communications hold in Hull for broadband users.”

So far, the response has been pretty good. As I write this, there are 1,259 signatories. That’s over one thousand in the single day the petition was advertised by the Hull Daily Mail.

The BBC are helping out too. Check out this video giving some background on the problems we face here in Hull.

The more publicity we bring to this, the better our chances of fighting against the suppressive monopoly that stifles the economic development of Hull. If you can, I ask that you take the time to write on your website or blog a little piece on what’s happening here in Hull to help spread the word.

For more information, you can always check out the unofficial Karoo Forums website.

Thanks for reading.

Personally I see a performance hit when trying to drag a content box. Id find it interesting to discover whether or not this is because I’m using an old machine, because I’m using Firefox/Linux or if its just because this is a beta and isn’t ready yet.

Has anyone else tried it out? If you have access to a Windows machine check it out and compare the performance (I don’t at the mo as I’m not at work).

In the few days since Pandora closed its doors to UK listeners, a website has been created to circumvent Pandora’s IP address blocking scheme.

As you’d expect, the owner of the globalpandora.com site has registered the domain anonymously. No surprises there then. What is surprising however is that the web server is hosted by OVH.com, a French dedicated server company.

I wonder if this server is acting as a front end to access Pandora via some US TOR proxies perhaps?