FSF Certifies A USB Microphone For Respecting Your Freedom Plus Some Network Adapters

[Almindor]

well the problem is this, is open source really more secure that proprietary software? one will tend to think that yes, but on the other hand there are some examples that is not always like that , one being WPA2 encryption vulnerability which windows was mostly unaffected.

I'm not sure why you're arguing this point. I'm not saying OSS is fundamentally more secure by definition. I'm saying accepting binary blobs full of backdoors, trackers and worse is not "normal" and anyone who does the whole tinfoil hat thing is in my mind looking like



Also even if some specific OSS drivers turn out to be say less secure or bugfree than a proprietary one, we should always push for full openness on OUR hardware out of principle, reviewability and accountability of what the piece of hardware does and can do. Anything less is being sheepish.

So I find it really perplexing when people react to someone adding hw. switches or demanding full OSS on drivers with tinfoil hat comments, especially after Snowden, IntelME, AMD PSP and the other crap that's going on. It's ridiculous.

[starshipeleven]

I used to care about wireless tech and even bought a couple routers with the best and latest tech. Them I realized that there was a race to extract the biggest amount of money from tech nerds like me, with some routers getting north of 300 dollars, and it was not fun anymore.

For those wondering, actually professional AP hardware (no, not Cisco, that's the same overpriced bs, I mean Ubiquity or mikrotik) would actually be cheaper and far more powerful. With like 60-70$ you get a waterproof and long-range directional AP that blows holes in walls and that also supports PoE so you don't need to place power cables for it.

That was years ago, before even AC Wifi was launched. Now I just use what I have since all those great promised speeds and ranges where never achieved in real life. When I need speed, cable is the the only one delivering the promise.

Yes.

And if your better half is allergic to cables, well, that is not my problem :-)

You can setup a serious directional wifi bridge with 2 professional APs. Won't reach gigabit, but will actually have a decent shot at reaching what wifi AC promises.

I'm glad to see that my money which goes to the FSF is put to good use, and that they're delivering on their promises.

While USB microphones might seem silly to some, FSF should rating everything so people can pick hardware based on their suggestions (and people who bother to apply for RYF rating probably care about free software and support it, so it's a double win).

[starshipeleven]

And that's what was I was getting at: I'm a FOSS supporter and all, but when it comes down to security, it's not safer PER SE as someone still needs to audit it.

Yes, but the end result in projects that do have a high enough profile to warrant enough attention is that they are more secure than a closed source counterpart where:
-auditing is harder
-only the main software developer can fix the issues.

[starshipeleven]

There's this thing called "fuel is scarce in war zones". So yeah, they *do* need to replace their generators. (also, what is this "buying" thing? I'm pretty sure ISIS just steals new ones)

I'm not convinced that finding new generators (with fuel) is easier than finding just fuel on its own.

[Vistaus]

Getting a work done requires someone doing the work, more news at 20:00.

With opensource code there is a much lower barrier to entry for anyone that wants to audit or fix stuff. Of course someone needs to do it.

And that's what was I was getting at: I'm a FOSS supporter and all, but when it comes down to security, it's not safer PER SE as someone still needs to audit it.

[Vistaus]

There is this thing called fuel. You don't usually need to buy a new generator unless it breaks.

There's this thing called "fuel is scarce in war zones". So yeah, they *do* need to replace their generators. (also, what is this "buying" thing? I'm pretty sure ISIS just steals new ones)

[starshipeleven]

Yeah, but how do you know someone is actually going to audit the code? There's a difference between being able to audit the code in the open and actually doing so. Not saying that proprietary software is better than that. Both FOSS and proprietary software requires willingness from people to actually audit the code.

Getting a work done requires someone doing the work, more news at 20:00.

With opensource code there is a much lower barrier to entry for anyone that wants to audit or fix stuff. Of course someone needs to do it.

[starshipeleven]

They could just use generators and smuggle new ones when the old ones are out of electricity?

There is this thing called fuel. You don't usually need to buy a new generator unless it breaks.

[starshipeleven]

Or like our government: they complained and cried to the moon and back when it was revealed that the NSA was spying on everyone, but a few years later, our intelligence agency now has NSA-like capabilities thanks to a new law.

The issue is NSA spying on them, of course.