[Ed P]

Richard, although the HomePlug per se does not need a DHCP address the device attached to it usually does – put it down to my trying to make clear which bit needs on and offing!

A little bit of research shows that your post logic is correct but it would be fair to extend it by saying that HomePlugs are ‘non-intelligent’ switches that have a unique MAC address which is used by the router – I guess that on & offing both ends makes it clear to the router which HomePlugs are connected to the base and form a ‘wire’. HomePlugs are a bit weird in that unlike Ethernet cables they allow a star topology so I guess there must be some sort of MAC handshaking taking place.

All I can add is that if you do not switch off both ends good luck in getting rid of a 169.x.x.x!

[Ed P]

Boris wrote:

One of mine runs BitDefender Free A/V and it installed KB4056892 with no problems.

That suggests that the update interferes with the A/V rather than the other way around, though other reports suggest that currently M$ are only slowing down server installations.

[Ed P]

Good job that you do not use Bitdefender then as apparently they have not yet updated their AV! link

edit – reading the small print unless a reg key is set the update will not be offered. So if you use MacCrappy or the like you will not get an update.

[Ed P]

Bob – Teeth Arms ? The Arrsepdia includes the AAC in this category (who have a great entry in the reference Bible!)

[Ed P]

Richard was the update KB4056892,? If not then it is not surprising that you have seen no slowdown. If the earlier statement of this being an ‘opt-out’ option is correct then this should only appear in recommended updates, and not be foisted on everyone willy-nilly.

[Ed P]

It isn’t totally satisfactory but zapping all but the mandatory security updates seems to keep the PC on line over the patch Tuesday problem.

[Ed P]

Home Plugs (TP-LInk etc) work great while they work! However, if your Broadband fails at the ISP end for whatever reason, then there is the possibility that the Homeplug clings to an obsolete DCHP address or pick up the dreaded 169.x.x.x address – if/when that happens resort to the old IT mantra of power circling (switch off/on) at BOTH device ends.

[Ed P]

You MAY want to hold your horses in applying the Windows Slowdown Patch as Intel have announced chip level patches are being rolled out!

Intel

[Ed P]

REAUTERS state that all major chips are affected by a second flaw (Spectre) for which no fix is apparently available at the present time. link

[Ed P]

The slowdown patches start being rolled-out today.

[Ed P]

According to Ars We will be offered an opt-out on the patches.

“In the immediate term, it looks like most systems will shortly have patches for Meltdown. At least for Linux and Windows, these patches allow end-users to opt out if they would prefer. – Ars Technica

[Ed P]

‘Average User’ — well that starts a very different debate. If you mean someone who just uses a word processor, simple spreadsheet and trivial Internet browsing then of course I agree. Once you go beyond that (ex gamers) there are a number of common uses that are quite cpu intensive, and I’m not so sure that a (say) 30% CPU slowdown would not be noticeable to server operations. However as you say we will have to wait and see and mutter at Intel – who could well be heading for another FP div by zero disaster when replacement CPUs had to be offered.

[Ed P]

I have very distant memories of once doing a cross-channel hop on Silver Cities Airways who used something similar. It was novel climbing up onto an upper deck positioned over the loading bay. Noisy as hell is my other memory.

[Ed P]

Afraid I disagree Dave, I believe that users (especially gamers) WILL notice.

A car analogy is appropriate – if you are used to your car accelerating at a specific rate on a motorway slip road, and next day it cannot perform then you WILL notice! Whether you need that acceleration is moot but not relevant.

[Ed P]

Dave Rice wrote:

It’s going to affect all o/ses AFAIK.

+1, but although the impact on Windows is known from the Win 10 be5ta testers (see Gizmodo article), Linux is apparently yet to release their fixes outside a very closed group so we don’t know if the effects will be greater or less.

[Ed P]

Gizmodo fleshes it out a bit – this looks to be a really nasty issue for many.

Anyone know if AMD have fixed the Ryzen virtualisation pink screen  nasty?

[Ed P]

Tornado alley seems to pattern along the Motorways with the eastern end of the M4 having more of them. link

Scary things, I’ve only ever seen one once from a mile or so away, near New Plymouth  NZ and that was enough to last me!

[Ed P]

It is a good idea to use the smaller size for the Pi as the bigger ones seem far more fragile. I try and use 8GB max as a ‘boot’ SD if I can find one.

[Ed P]

Thanks for the link, shame about the Mag. There was a ‘golden period for tor tech mags from the 70s (Byte Mag, PC Plus etc) through to the early noughties but then the bottom slowly dropped out. Maker mags (Raspi etc ) seem to be soldiering on but it seems that no-one and no journo job is ‘safe’ in today’s environment.

[Ed P]

Overclocking is a possibility given fan+heatsink(s). Link

The only thing I have had to cool is my metal shrouded usb stick as my main application is r/w intensive and rapidly kills sd cards.

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