Migrating to SSL (Encrypted) only access...

[W4GPL]

Hello Islanders! We need to talk about changes I want to make to this forum and how they may impact you.

In the very near future, I want to turn on SSL encryption exclusively for the entire site. Many sites have done this.. and normally it happens without most users even noticing a difference. However I have a couple of concerns, as I tried this briefly one day many months ago and I had to turn it off due to all the negative user feedback.

First of all? "Dude, what is SSL?" Is the simplest of terms, it's a secure encrypted connect between you and a server. SSL is used on HTTP (web), e-mail, and many other services all the time. In fact, if you're not using SSL when transmitting a password or otherwise sensitive communication, you might want to ask yourself why -- and how you can change that. :)

For those of you who are running an updated version of Firefox or Chrome, I could turn on SSL today and likely you wouldn't noticed any difference. For those of you running Internet Explorer and possibly other browsers, you might get an a scary ugly error message saying something to the effect of 'Not all content on this page is encrypted, be afraid, be very afraid.' For those of you running generally older browsers, you might get an even scarier error message saying this website's certificate isn't verifiable and you should run far far away...

Now we can correct these errors by doing one of two things -- telling you to suck it up and deal with the errors and/or telling you get a modern browser that understands mixed content and/or we can disallow all external linking of content. E.g. no more direct URL image linking or non-SSL YouTube videos, or the like. Personally, I think the latter sucks. I like being able to take an image from arbitrary websites and using the [ img ] tag. So as a community, we have to decide what is more important.

"Why is this important, aren't things working just fine as they are?" Well.. yes and no. Essentially if you're using an improperly secured wifi connection or cannot explicitly trust all the routers and gateways you run your connection through, it's possible for your password, content, and integrity to be hijacked. We recently had a brief scare with our administrative passwords -- and it was as a direct result of not using SSL. If we had already been using SSL, I would be able to cut back on my intake of Tums and Pepto by 10%. ;)

At this moment, this is merely a request for comments, suggestions, and even a proper 'fsck you'. My post is a little rambling, so I'm hoping some of the other IT/security minded people on this forum will jump in and help me clarify my position.

Thanks for your attention to this matter.

[KJ3N]

How recent of a browser does one need? On the main desktop, I'm currently on FF 12. Not sure how recent Safari is on the iPad.

[K7SGJ]

Personally, it doesn't matter to me. If you and the rest of the technical folks feel more secure with SSL, and the site and users will be better off for it, then do it. I think most everyone here is capable of making the necessary changes on their end to adapt. If not, I'm sure there are plenty of knowledgeable people on here that can help a person out, as long as they know which way you came in.

[W4GPL]

How recent of a browser does one need? On the main desktop, I'm currently on FF 12. Not sure how recent Safari is on the iPad.I can't quote specifics, but I know Firefox 3.x would support the certificate we use.. though I can speak to the warnings you might get, but they can be squelched.

Really, I'm most concerned about our IE users, because IE is stupid. And that's not just Microsoft bias talking -- it really just handles this stuff in a dumb and non-friendly way.

[NQ6U]

Go for it. I'm using FF 13.x, it should be able to handle whatever you want throw at it.

[K7SGJ]

Do you have a time frame in mind for the change?

[NQ6U]

FWIW, Chrome and Safari (OS X and iOS version) both use the open source Webkit HTML engine. They should be able to handle it as well.

[W4GPL]

Do you have a time frame in mind for the change?Soon. But I want to at least allow the majority of our members to see the notice and let them comment or at least note they may see some unexpected warning messages depending on the type of browser they use and the thread they're viewing. Most threads don't have external content so I wouldn't expect them to get any strange errors in those instances.

[N8YX]

We probably should test this with the various mobile browsers and identify any potential gotchas up front.

[W4GPL]

We probably should test this with the various mobile browsers and identify any potential gotchas up front.Unfortunately, due to technical (and absolutely absurd) limitations of vBulletin, it's really an on or off proposition. vBulletin uses absolute URLs from the configuration and you can't specify it to detect whether or not the user coming to the SSL port. *sigh*

[K7SGJ]

We probably should test this with the various mobile browsers and identify any potential gotchas up front.


I can try the Fire, and two other Android versions on a couple of other tablets around here if you like.

[W4GPL]

I want to clarify something..

All web browsers will be able to access the site, regardless of what you're running. You just may get some unexpected warnings that you need to tell to go away/ignore..

[K7SGJ]

Warnings? Huh. And here I was expecting them to burst into flame.

[NQ6U]

Warnings? Huh. And here I was expecting them to burst into flame.

If the browser in question is IE, that might not be a bad thing. Internet Explorer: What you use to download Firefox or Chrome.

[W4GPL]

In May 2012, Internet Explorer only represented 15.7% of our traffic. I'm not that worried, but I want to give everyone a heads up and know what to expect.

[KG4CGC]

I like it. Will this come with a hearty a$$ fisting from the TSA? What? Too soon?
Seriously, great idea on paper as well as in practice. I see no problem.

[KB3LAZ]

Im not an IT type person, I will take your word for it and just update my browser if need be.

[W4GPL]

For starters, https://forums.hamisland.net is now available, but it'll just redirect you mostly back to http:// because vBulletin sucks my ass.

[PA5COR]

Do it, i'm using I.E. archaic as i am, but as ham i adapt and overcome.
;)

[N1LAF]

In May 2012, Internet Explorer only represented 15.7% of our traffic. I'm not that worried, but I want to give everyone a heads up and know what to expect.

Maybe the solution is right in front of us, as you are doing now... leave a small, one liner banner that reads: If you are experiencing problems browsing the form, please click here...
... to a link, closed for discussion, that can go further in detail, such as "If you are using an older or unstable browsers, or Microsoft Internet Explorer, you may want to upgrade to one of these fine choices...
List the fully compatible browsers with links to their download page.

You can also keep a list of browsers that have known difficulties, and continue to explain what SSL is.

-- just an idea..

[n2ize]

It works fine here on Opera 12.01 but after a couple clicks I get dumped back to the standard unencrypted http:// site. I guess that has to do with the "vbulletin sucks" part. :(

[W4GPL]

It works fine here on Opera 12.01 but after a couple clicks I get dumped back to the standard unencrypted http:// site. I guess that has to do with the "vbulletin sucks" part. :(Well when I make this change, it'll FORCE you to https:// -- right now it's not configured that way. The static URL will be https://forums...

[W4GPL]

Maybe the solution is right in front of us, as you are doing now... leave a small, one liner banner that reads: If you are experiencing problems browsing the form, please click here...
... to a link, closed for discussion, that can go further in detail, such as "If you are using an older or unstable browsers, or Microsoft Internet Explorer, you may want to upgrade to one of these fine choices...
List the fully compatible browsers with links to their download page.

You can also keep a list of browsers that have known difficulties, and continue to explain what SSL is.

-- just an idea..Yeah, that would be my intent, at least for awhile.. I'll change the message to "We've made this change.. calm down & read.." :)

If you look at the main page source code, you'll find that I've had a "if IE" tag in place for several years now. What good is a forum if I can't promote my F/OSS agenda. ;) And what would you expect from W4GPL?


<!--[if IE]> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/"><img border="0" src="/images/firefox_200_32.png"/></a></div> <![endif]-->



http://forums.hamisland.net/images/firefox_200_32.png

[VE7DCW]

I'm using I E 8 and noticed that there were a slew of bugs using it to view anything on the Island ..... situation back to normal by using Chrome! .....I say to hell with I E ........no big deal here :mrgreen:

[WØTKX]

Well, I'll just have to make space somewhere to hold all those cartoons before I post 'em.

The embedded video issue kind of sucks too. Oh well, security is important.

[suddenseer]

FWIW, Chrome and Safari (OS X and iOS version) both use the open source Webkit HTML engine. They should be able to handle it as well.

I use Safari alot. It is the older 32bit system, but loads every web site quickly.

[suddenseer]

In May 2012, Internet Explorer only represented 15.7% of our traffic. I'm not that worried, but I want to give everyone a heads up and know what to expect.That should tell you something about Islanders in general.

[W4GPL]

Well, I'll just have to make space somewhere to hold all those cartoons before I post 'em.

The embedded video issue kind of sucks too. Oh well, security is important.Perhaps you misunderstood me. I'm in favor of mixed (non-SSL & SSL) content. IE just seems to spit on this idea.. Chrome & Firefox handle it with a very conservative warning that doesn't pop-up or make you agree 100 times that you understand. With 'mixed' secure & insecure content in Firefox, the locked icon goes from gold to grey. Google Chrome has a similar indicator. IE says "OMG THE WORLD IS ENDING, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!!?!!?"

[WØTKX]

I think you can set an exception up for specific URL's in IE.

[W4GPL]

I think you can set an exeption up for specific URL's in IE.I'm sure that's true, but I want people to be aware of this change before they see the scary error message and run away thinking we've been hacked.

[KJ3N]

IE says "OMG THE WORLD IS ENDING, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!!?!!?"

Then proceeds to shit itself. ;)

[N7YA]

I'm sure that's true, but I want people to be aware of this change before they see the scary error message and run away thinking we've been hacked.


I appreciate the info. Im still using Internet Exploder and have had no issues...so far. But i also have FF, and can get Chrome in a few easy steps. Im not worried. Ill just click their damn error messages a few hundred times if need be, before saying 'fuck it' and switching over to a real browser. Sometimes a small shakeup is good.

[K7SGJ]

I appreciate the info. I'm still using Internet Exploder and have had no issues...so far. But i also have FF, and can get Chrome in a few easy steps. Im not worried. Ill just click their damn error messages a few hundred times if need be, before saying 'fuck it' and switching over to a real browser. Sometimes a small shakeup is good.

Not to hijack the thread, but out of curiosity, and because I like planes, I looked around a little about your Cessna Citation. It really is a puzzler. It makes a couple of trips a week between Minnesota and Montana, is licensed to an LLC with an annual income of 140K, and has 1 employee. Still, it's a nice plane, worthy of bearing your call. BTW, you wouldn't happen to be the one employee would you?

[N7YA]

:lol:

No, sorry to say. I now play cover songs and my one original album isnt what i would call "raking in the bucks" (again, sorry to say).

I was driving past the airport a few years ago, and decided to take a back route by the executive terminal at McCarran and saw it parked there right next to the road, the tail was sticking over the fence so i couldnt miss it. I couldnt believe i just saw my own call on a plane. Whoever it was, they were in Vegas for some fun. Either way, i wish.

[ab1ga]

My uncle was a part owner of a plane with the tail number N1NC, which was later sold and I believe is still flying. It was a Beech Bonanza v-tail, and although my uncle was once slightly interested in ham radio, he was never licensed and it wasn't his call. When I told him to stop impersonating a ham operator, he would chuckle and said the plane came with the number, but he liked it because of it's rarity.

Fast forward 25 years. I have my license, and join the local club, and the club call sign is: N1NC.


Regarding SSL: I use IE, never got a thrill from using anything else, and am too lazy to switch. That being said, I have learned to ignore stupid messages from software from all makers. I'll live with it.

[kds]

Heck yeah, go for the SSL. I have been considering turning my site over to SSL, but with mixed content I was worried about browser warnings, so I haven't decided yet since I'd have to buy the certificate, of course.

I'm working on transitioning from Chrome to Firefox, because I had my wifi router loaded with Tomato set to SSL... Chrome was absolutely terrible about it. When I tried to go to https://192.168.1.1, Chrome would say the server's settings would not allow me to load the page because it wasn't trusted or some bullhonky. It wouldn't give me an option to bypass the message or turn this crap off, I had to go the unencrypted route. Obviously, I'm not going to get a certificate for 192.168.1.1. Chrome eventually stopped doing that crap about a month ago. But Chrome's overly-protective security settings are stupid. I wouldn't be surprised if they did something like that again.

[KG4NEL]

IE is teh suck.

[KJ3N]

IE is teh suck.

MSIE: MicroShaft Internet Exploder

[W7XF]

I'm super smart. My autistic head (and ass) uses a Mac... so my HDD has NEVER seen ANYTHING Micro$hit xD

I DL'd Firefox to my Android phone just incase the 'droid browser burps when the change is made...

[W5GA]

Go for it...if it causes a problem, FF is just around the corner.

[KJ3N]

Ok, first problem I see is the toolbar for the message editor is borked.

[WØTKX]

Me too, but if you reload the page and say NO to the IE dialog box it comes back.

Erratic tho.

[KJ3N]

Me too, but if you reload the page and say NO to the IE dialog box it comes back.

That's going to be hard to do under FF.

[W4GPL]

You may just need to do a Shift-Reload.. when I initially made the change, I screwed up the settings.

[WØTKX]

FF gives me no problems, really.

[KJ3N]

You may just need to do a Shift-Reload.. when I initially made the change, I screwed up the settings.

Yep. Seems back to normal.

[kf0rt]

Testes, 1, 2, 3...

Ola. OOOOOLA. ;)

[KJ3N]

Testes, 1, 2, 3...

Stop playing with your balls, you pervert.

[ab1ga]

Yeah, go play with someone else's!

[KJ3N]

Yeah, go play with someone else's!

My nuts itch......

[N7YA]

So far, i am on IE...i see absolutely no change at all. No warnings, no toolbar issues, nothing. Good deal. :)

[kf0rt]

So far, i am on IE...i see absolutely no change at all. No warnings, no toolbar issues, nothing. Good deal. :)

Running Chrome / Win 7 here. If Jeff hadn't mentioned the change, I'd have never noticed. Seems to be working fine.

[W4GPL]

So far, i am on IE...i see absolutely no change at all. No warnings, no toolbar issues, nothing. Good deal. :)Try viewing a thread with an externally hosted image. You will most certainly get a warning message.

http://www.davidstorey.tv/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/image.php_.jpeg

[ab1ga]

Try viewing a thread with an externally hosted image. You will most certainly get a warning message.

http://www.davidstorey.tv/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/image.php_.jpeg

I see the test message, with the test image, and got no warning. (IE9)

[W4GPL]

Well, good. When I went to the site in IE9, I got a message saying "some of the content is not encrypted, show all content?"

[N7YA]

Same here.

These arent the droids were looking for, i guess we'll move along.

[kds]

Looks good on Chrome on OS X. I do see an SSL warning icon in the address bar, but no pop-up warnings. No concern here.

Your connection to forums.hamisland.net is encrypted with 256-bit encryption. However, this page includes other resources which are not secure. These resources can be viewed by others while in transit, and can be modified by an attacker to change the look of the page.


The connection uses TLS 1.0.


The connection is encrypted using AES_256_CBC, with SHA1 for message authentication and DHE_RSA as the key exchange mechanism.


The connection is compressed with DEFLATE.

[W4GPL]

Looks good on Chrome on OS X. I do see an SSL warning icon in the address bar, but no pop-up warnings. No concern here.I presume you don't see that on the main page? https://forums.hamisland.net ?

[kds]

I presume you don't see that on the main page? https://forums.hamisland.net ?

Nope, don't see it on the main page, just a green padlock.

[W4GPL]

Yeah, because the main page is free from mixed content. Only the threads with external linking will show the cautionary message about not being fully encrypted. Hmm, I obviously expected that, but perhaps it's no big deal. Thanks for your feedback!

I'm on a very slow 3G connection, so it's hard for me to judge, but I presume no one is experiencing any slowness?

Please also note that most browsers do not cache SSL sites. So whenever you return to the site after closing your browser, it will likely have to re-download all the various images, but this shouldn't be too problematic for most people.

[WØTKX]

Just "image whores" like me. :wiggle:

[KG4NEL]

Stop playing with your balls, you pervert.

I find it more remarkable there's three to count.

[W4GPL]

OK, I don't normally become a topic Nazi, but since this is a thread highlighting a major technical change and hoping people will come here for assistance if they have problems, can we keep it on topic -- please?

[N7YA]

Image test....and an excuse to post a cat meme.


6446


edit: Images post just fine on my IE infected machine...i think were good at this qth.

[kf0rt]

OK, I don't normally become a topic Nazi, but since this is a thread highlighting a major technical change and hoping people will come here for assistance if they have problems, can we keep it on topic -- please?

Apologies....

[KJ3N]

OK, I don't normally become a topic Nazi, but since this is a thread highlighting a major technical change and hoping people will come here for assistance if they have problems, can we keep it on topic -- please?

Well, if you insist...... ;)

FYI, I pulled up IE9 for the first time in months. Didn't see anything unusual...... other than seeing IE9 on my screen. ;)

[NQ6U]

No problem with FF 13.0.1 on OS X. Safari on iOS is handling it just fine as well.

[KC2UGV]

Ok:

Chrome on Win 7 - All good.
IE 8 on Win 7 - Get the error you described
Chrome on LinuxMint 12 - All good
Firefox on LinuxMint 12 - All good

[TESLA]

OPERA- If you hadn't have told me I wouldn't have noticed.

[WØTKX]

IE on Windows Mango is AOK.

[VE7DCW]

Oddly enough ....my IE 8 on XP seems to be holding it's own .... Only saw the SSL certificate warning once!

The Chrome browser with XP works good other than the fact fonts look third world

The netbook IE 8 on Windows 7 is working extremely well on the Island ........

Take the rest of the day off! :-D

[KB3LAZ]

On chrome atm and the only thing I notice is that before https there is a lock. Sometimes this lock is gold, sometimes it is green, and sometimes it has a warning triangle symbol attached too it. If I click that it says "Show the content of this page". If I click that, nothing happens. I see externally hosted images just fine.

[N2CHX]

No problems from my laptop in windows using chrome, linux using ff and now from my droid 2 with the built in browser.

[ad4mg]

Chrome, Chromium, FF, running Windoze or Ubuntu, no difference at all noticed here. IE6 does seem to have spasms when I run it under Win2K, spittin' warnings out all over the place, but what idiot is still running IE6? Oh, that would be me, but just for testing.

6452

[KB3LAZ]

I do have to wonder if this means that I will not be able to use the island while at work. I know that when I switched to FB secure I could not access it at work IE the https vs http addresses. Opted to switch back and no issues. Will have to see in two weeks.

[W4GPL]

"What idiot is stilling IE6?" Not many, but the world is full of stupid people.

jQuery, a very popular, if not the most popular JavaScript/AJAX library around announced the other day that their newest 2.0 version will not support IE8. That's basically IE's death rattle, IMHO. IE9 isn't available on older Window platforms, which are still hugely popular. People will be making the switch to Chrome or Firefox as their favorite websites demand it.

[N2CHX]

"What idiot is stilling IE6?" Not many, but the world is full of stupid people.

jQuery, a very popular, if not the most popular JavaScript/AJAX library around announced the other day that their newest 2.0 version will not support IE8. That's basically IE's death rattle, IMHO. IE9 isn't available on older Window platforms, which are still hugely popular. People will be making the switch to Chrome or Firefox as their favorite websites demand it.

I wouldn't even have windows or IE on this laptop at all, except that our MLS system requires it. They've finally come out with a new version that will run on any platform, but it's still buggy and there are a lot of features missing. I've been bitching about it for two years now. For the money I pay to access it, it should run on Netscape with a 486 if I want it to.

[W4GPL]

For the money I pay to access it, it should run on Netscape with a 486 if I want it to.Well that's just a silly statement. Yes, they should build their web app around open standards that most/all modern platforms support, but there's simply no way you can accommodate that with browsers older than say.. ~2 years-ish?

[N8YX]

Accessing via RazrMaxx (Dolphin)...works well so far.

[KB3LAZ]

Well that's just a silly statement. Yes, they should build their web app around open standards that most/all modern platforms support, but there's simply no way you can accommodate that with browsers older than say.. ~2 years-ish?

What I can say is that current website standards accept multiple browsers much better than they did a few years back. I can remember when I first switched to FF I would get pissed that many websites would not load properly as they were designed to be viewed with EE only. These days on the few sites that I see a difference with from one browser to another it is very slight and I have to say that chrome seems to take the hit harder than FF at this point. However FF has been a standard browser for many years now.

[W4GPL]

What I can say is that current website standards accept multiple browsers much better than they did a few years backAbsolutely. And I presume Kelli was using an extreme example, but you have to at least accept the notion you need to pick a modern browser, whatever it is. We can't expect Netscape on old CPUs to load anything except maybe TheDrudgeReport [talk about a dude stuck in 1996].

[KB3LAZ]

Absolutely. And I presume Kelli was using an extreme example, but you have to at least accept the notion you need to pick a modern browser, whatever it is. We can't expect Netscape on old CPUs to load anything except maybe TheDrudgeReport [talk about a dude stuck in 1996].

Speaking of more current browsers, I am trying to like Chrome, really I am and for the second time. I just can not seem to enjoy it. I suppose there are some applications or plugins that I could get to make it feel more comfortable but I do prefer FF.

Big example:

When doing a google search with FF I have the ability to filter google at the bottom of the page to search for pages in english. This takes care of sites that run multilingual and will auto redirect me to the proper one. Example, it will give me a dot com rather than a dot es. It also searches the net in english via google dot come/NA English. Chrome on the other hand loses this option and replaces it with a "translate this page" option. This is just awful because it does just that, gives me a literal translation. I may end up buying a duck when I want to learn how to use my new phone!

Okay, so it is not that big of a deal, and I can get back to google in English with a few clicks but I hate the fact that it defaults back to Spanish due to my region code.

[n2ize]

This is working flawlessly on Opera 12.01. Matter of fact if the transition was never mentioned I wouldn't have noticed anything. I haven't even bothered to check using FF or Chrome, or Konqueror or emacs yet. Opera 12.01 has been working so well of late that I seldom give other browsers a thought.

[W4GPL]

Cool. Glad this is working so well. I didn't anticipate too many problems, but last time we did this there was a real shit fest with people who were running IE. Looks like IE8 & 9 handle the mixed content much better than previous versions.

[NQ6U]

Working perfectly on my CP/M machine running Mosaic.

[N2CHX]

Well that's just a silly statement. Yes, they should build their web app around open standards that most/all modern platforms support, but there's simply no way you can accommodate that with browsers older than say.. ~2 years-ish?

Sheesh, you don't realize I was being sarcastic? With their system, I'm forced to use Windows and ie and I'd rather use anything but. Is my sense of humor really that cryptic?

[W4GPL]

See... what I'm going to do here is edit my post before I hit save.

[N2CHX]

See... what I'm going to do here is edit my post before I hit save.

Good for you.

[N7YA]

How is this argument on two different threads? This is a computer thread...its bad enough that idiot Mike got everyone riled up on the other one.

[N2CHX]

How is this argument on two different threads? This is a computer thread...its bad enough that idiot Mike got everyone riled up on the other one.

The owner of this site apparently gets a hard-on following me around different threads so he can pick them apart and be my personal critic.

[KJ3N]

...its bad enough that idiot Mike got everyone riled up on the other one.

That's because people let him get everyone riled up. I love Ignore.... :whistle:

[N2CHX]

That's because people let him get everyone riled up. I love Ignore.... :whistle:

Yup. He got me riled at first and then I realized that's exactly what he wanted, which is why I then edited and started laughing at myself for letting him get to me.

[N7YA]

The owner of this site apparently gets a hard-on following me around different threads so he can pick them apart and be my personal critic.

Well, you two certainly have an interesting relationship here, thats for sure. :yes:

[N7YA]

That's because people let him get everyone riled up. I love Ignore.... :whistle:


You know, i just cant bring myself to put him on iggy. He's like the one guy at the opera who yells "WOOO!" during a quiet part, then plops back down looking at everyone else with a dumb grin on his face as if he's proud of it.

[N2CHX]

Well, you two certainly have an interesting relationship here, thats for sure. :yes:

I've tried telling him I don't do anal, but he just won't listen!

[NQ6U]

You know, i just cant bring myself to put him on iggy. He's like the one guy at the opera who yells "WOOO!" during a quiet part, then plops back down looking at everyone else with a dumb grin on his face as if he's proud of it.

I never look around after I do that.

[KJ3N]

You know, i just cant bring myself to put him on iggy.

Then I would suggest that those who don't, then react to his BS, don't have much to complain about. There's no sense in trying to reason with him. It's all about him. The first 2 initials in his name should be F. E.; Fuck Everyone.


He's like the one guy at the opera who yells "WOOO!" during a quiet part, then plops back down looking at everyone else with a dumb grin on his face as if he's proud of it.

There's no "as if"; he is proud of it. He strikes me as the type of person who would come into your house and shit on your floor, just for laughs.

[N7YA]

I've tried telling him I don't do anal, but he just won't listen!

Buttplay always seems to be a touchy subject.

[N7YA]

I never look around after I do that.


Me neither! What an amateur, i prefer to sit quietly and watch the performance...but i drink lots of black coffee and eat a pound and a half of raw cabbage, pinto beans and an omelette first.


And i drop a hit of acid too....for those in the know, old school LSD gives you the absolute WORST farts ever known to mankind! Huge, booming and purely evil incarnate!

[N7YA]

Then I would suggest that those who don't, then react to his BS, don't have much to complain about. There's no sense in trying to reason with him. It's all about him. The first 2 initials in his name should be F. E.; Fuck Everyone.



There's no "as if"; he is proud of it. He strikes me as the type of person who would come into your house and shit on your floor, just for laughs.


I never complain about Mike, hes a puppy...a simple minded puppy. Which, incidentally, leads to shitting on the floor, so it all ties in. :lol:


Reasoning with him is NEVER to be expected, its just never happened here, hes unreasonable, i just dont think he has it in him. It is what it is, and like i said before, he has a right to be here until he breaks certain rules. Mike is....well....Mike. Thats about all there is to that guy. :dunno: Certainly nothing whatsoever to get upset about.

[N1LAF]

Jeff, nice job on the transition to SSL. Was seamless for me (Firefox user).

[N7YA]

(ill stay on topic)

[XE1/N5AL]

!&5Nice Job, Jeff. The transition to SSL was seamless for me, also.(~~!28-=+

[N7YA]

Wow! Thats one tough captcha!

[suddenseer]

No problems with XP Pro SP3 running FF, and Safari.

[KC2UGV]

Well that's just a silly statement. Yes, they should build their web app around open standards that most/all modern platforms support, but there's simply no way you can accommodate that with browsers older than say.. ~2 years-ish?

Tongue in cheek. MLS is expensive for access, they should make sure runs in Lynx.

[kf0rt]

Fucking Kindle Fire still won't do quick replies.

Probably a Kindle problem.

Anyone rather go fishing instead? :lol:

[VE7DCW]

Fucking Kindle Fire still won't do quick replies.

Probably a Kindle problem.

Anyone rather go fishing instead? :lol:

I could never get a Kindle .....it sounds too close like spindle and I could'nt handle that !! ...... :snicker:

[WØTKX]

Afraid of spindles? Hello, is that you, Rumpelstiltskin?


:snicker:

[KB3LAZ]

Fucking Kindle Fire still won't do quick replies.

Probably a Kindle problem.

Anyone rather go fishing instead? :lol:

I have to ask, why a KF? From my understand and research they are rather limited in what they can and can not do. For a slightly higher price you can get a Tab that also functions as an eReader.

Just curious.

I know for a long time I have been anti Cellphone, anti tab, anti reader but as time progresses the ease of this device seems to be something that will actually be of use. Not so much as a PC replacement but as I now use public transport and have a lot of boring meetings I go to where I have to sit around for hours on end, it would help pass the time.

[kf0rt]

I have to ask, why a KF? From my understand and research they are rather limited in what they can and can not do. For a slightly higher price you can get a Tab that also functions as an eReader.

Just curious.

I know for a long time I have been anti Cellphone, anti tab, anti reader but as time progresses the ease of this device seems to be something that will actually be of use. Not so much as a PC replacement but as I now use public transport and have a lot of boring meetings I go to where I have to sit around for hours on end, it would help pass the time.


Wut, wait... The Fire IS an eReader (really, that's its primary function). It's not the best tablet PC out there, but when we got ours (have 2), it was about the cheapest, and it automatically ties into your Kindle account. That was a plus here; we must have 100-150 books on Kindle now and they're all shareable between the devices.

It's a hobbled Android device with no camera and no cell connectivity (obviously, no phone), but works quite well for what it is. Runs apps (just not from Android Market), surfs the web (but forget using it to reply on Ham Island). So yeah, hobbled a bit.

That said, I'd probably look around (again) if I was in the market today. A lot of price drops in the tablet market, and any of these will play eReader. When I get a chance, I want to dig into hacking mine into a true Android tablet. I hear it's been done. Out of the box, Amazon controls the Fire and it seems like a lot of cool Android stuff just isn't available for the Fire because of this.

[W4GPL]

Yeah, I can't understand why someone would buy a Fire and not a Galaxy Tab.. especially now that they're price matched.

[KB3LAZ]

Wut, wait... The Fire IS an eReader (really, that's its primary function). It's not the best tablet PC out there, but when we got ours (have 2), it was about the cheapest, and it automatically ties into your Kindle account. That was a plus here; we must have 100-150 books on Kindle now and they're all shareable between the devices.

It's a hobbled Android device with no camera and no cell connectivity (obviously, no phone), but works quite well for what it is. Runs apps (just not from Android Market), surfs the web (but forget using it to reply on Ham Island). So yeah, hobbled a bit.

That said, I'd probably look around (again) if I was in the market today. A lot of price drops in the tablet market, and any of these will play eReader. When I get a chance, I want to dig into hacking mine into a true Android tablet. I hear it's been done. Out of the box, Amazon controls the Fire and it seems like a lot of cool Android stuff just isn't available for the Fire because of this.

Yes, I know it is an eReader, that was my point. =) Tablets have the capability of functioning like an eReader and more. As Jeff said, these days the price of a Galaxy is pretty matched.

I didnt know you got it before the price match. =P

[kf0rt]

Yes, I know it is an eReader, that was my point. =) Tablets have the capability of functioning like an eReader and more. As Jeff said, these days the price of a Galaxy is pretty matched.

I didnt know you got it before the price match. =P


In a weak moment, I bought it on pre-order before they were available. Probably wouldn't make the same decision today. The Fire does quite a lot on it's own though, but the tablet stuff has changed a lot in a year and the Fire isn't as viable as it used to be.

Price match?

[KB3LAZ]

In a weak moment, I bought it on pre-order before they were available. Probably wouldn't make the same decision today. The Fire does quite a lot on it's own though, but the tablet stuff has changed a lot in a year and the Fire isn't as viable as it used to be.

Price match?

I just mean that the price difference is no longer astounding.

[W4GPL]

FYI - I made a slight change to how the SSL was working. No one should notice, but if you do.. say something. Thanks! :0

[KG4CGC]

Good solid charset over here.

[W4GPL]

This is a neat site, there's scripts that do this.. but this is handy if you don't have all that setup.

https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=forums.hamisland.net

[NQ6U]

This is a neat site, there's scripts that do this.. but this is handy if you don't have all that setup.

https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=forums.hamisland.net

What's that BEAST Attack thing?

[W4GPL]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/19/beast_exploits_paypal_ssl/

It's not too much to worry about... there's ways to prevent it, but a lot of people don't dig RC4.. so the option is a rather obscure and difficult interception of data or using a possibly less secure encryption cipher. Pick your poison at the moment.. TLS 1.1 is coming quick. It's already in most browsers up stream..

[KB3LAZ]

Hum, I do notice a change but I am unsure what it means. By that, I do not mean that it has any effect on functionality because it does not. Rather than the lock icon in my browser turning yellow in threads with pictures and links, it stays green. I have no idea what this means though. All I can assume is that the yellow lock means that the thread held unsecured material whereas the green lock was secured material? If that is the case then I have to make another assumption, that things have become more secure?

[W4GPL]

Didja install or enable AdBlock recently? That PayPal donate link at the bottom of the page is what makes it gray.. my changes wouldn't have had anything to do with that.

[KB3LAZ]

Nope. I have AdBlock but I have had it for a long time. Maybe I just didnt notice that before.

[KJ3N]

Didja install or enable AdBlock recently? That PayPal donate link at the bottom of the page is what makes it gray.. my changes wouldn't have had anything to do with that.

What PayPal donate link? :stickpoke:

[W4GPL]

Right at the bottom of the page. If you'd like me to provide the direct link.. ;)

[KJ3N]

Right at the bottom of the page. If you'd like me to provide the direct link.. ;)

Not visible under FF and ABP. :stickpoke: