6 ms·

Maybe treat yourself to the Thinkpad X1 Yoga gen 2?

by dm319 9y ago

singularity2001 9y ago
for some reaon Chinese spyware tastes appaling
- MikusR 9y ago
  It might, but do you have proof that it has it?
  - Pharaoh2 9y ago
    https://boingboing.net/2017/09/07/depraved-indifference-or-malic.html https://boingboing.net/2017/09/07/depraved-indifference-or-m...
    - MikusR 9y ago
      Those were not Thinkpad Yoga.
- che_shirecat 9y ago
  how does NSA spyware taste?
  - MengerSponge 9y ago
    Not great, but better
    - KGIII 9y ago
      Needs more salt.
- tensotors 9y ago
  for some other reason, the Thinkpad line was never affected.
- amongwhales 9y ago
  Linux runs great on Thinkpads
- scholia 9y ago
  (1) Superfish isn't a Chinese company -- it was founded in Tel Aviv and moved to Palo Alto; (2) Superfish wasn't installed on ThinkPads; (3) it wasn't on Lenovo laptops for long: they uninstalled it and apologised.
  - olyjohn 9y ago
    The fact that they did it in the first place is enough for most people. An apology hardly covers the potential for damage. All in the name of some bundled shitware to make them a few extra bucks. Totally inexcusable, and I don't see why people jump in to defend them at all.
    - Crespyl 9y ago
      Yeah, I wish I could like them, since Lenovo/Thinkpad has been putting out some pretty appealing hardware recently, but that kind of irresponsible behavior demands a response from people who understand the severity. I refuse to buy or recommend Lenovo for my family members for at least another three years yet, no matter how much they seem to have reformed. If they haven't had a repeat incident in that time I'll be glad to start considering them again.
      - scholia 9y ago
        You could boycott Lenovo-branded machines while not boycotting ThinkPads. As far as I know, ThinkPads have been beyond reproach. It's a valuable brand for Lenovo, and it acquired the whole IBM division, not just the name. I managed to be a ThinkPad fanboy for decades while despising IBM ;-)
    - scholia 9y ago
      You also don't see why someone should jump in to correct a wrong statement? Either way, the potential for damage wasn't that obvious: it could have happened to any company. (Employees often make commercial decisions without understanding the technical ramifications.) Also, Superfish said it wasn't its fault: it blamed Komodo's tool. This amounts to a similar type of buck-passing. I've bought a couple of Lenovo machines since Superfish, mainly because they were fantastic value for money. I also know that if I wasn't happy with the installation, I could download Windows 10 from Microsoft and do a clean installation.
- rbanffy 9y ago
  If you install a decent OS replacing the one it comes with, there won't be any malware (at leat not the kind we knew about)
  - milcron 9y ago
    Reinstalling the OS may be good enough for most people, but you also have to be aware of firmware.
    - rbanffy 9y ago
      For that, the metal shredder is probably the best solution.
  - wlesieutre 9y ago
    Just linked this in another comment, but I’ll post it here too: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150812/11395231925/lenovo-busted-stealthily-installing-crapware-via-bios-fresh-windows-installs.shtml https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150812/11395231925/lenov... Short version, manufacturers can use a feature called WPBT to load executables into your “clean” Windows installation from firmware. It’s intended for providing drivers.

Maybe treat yourself to the Thinkpad X1 Yoga gen 2?

by dm319 9y ago

Maybe treat yourself to the Thinkpad X1 Yoga gen 2?

singularity2001 9y ago

for some reaon Chinese spyware tastes appaling

MikusR 9y ago
It might, but do you have proof that it has it?
- Pharaoh2 9y ago
  https://boingboing.net/2017/09/07/depraved-indifference-or-malic.html https://boingboing.net/2017/09/07/depraved-indifference-or-m...
  - MikusR 9y ago
    Those were not Thinkpad Yoga.
che_shirecat 9y ago
how does NSA spyware taste?
- MengerSponge 9y ago
  Not great, but better
  - KGIII 9y ago
    Needs more salt.
tensotors 9y ago
for some other reason, the Thinkpad line was never affected.
amongwhales 9y ago
Linux runs great on Thinkpads
scholia 9y ago
(1) Superfish isn't a Chinese company -- it was founded in Tel Aviv and moved to Palo Alto; (2) Superfish wasn't installed on ThinkPads; (3) it wasn't on Lenovo laptops for long: they uninstalled it and apologised.
- olyjohn 9y ago
  The fact that they did it in the first place is enough for most people. An apology hardly covers the potential for damage. All in the name of some bundled shitware to make them a few extra bucks. Totally inexcusable, and I don't see why people jump in to defend them at all.
  - Crespyl 9y ago
    Yeah, I wish I could like them, since Lenovo/Thinkpad has been putting out some pretty appealing hardware recently, but that kind of irresponsible behavior demands a response from people who understand the severity. I refuse to buy or recommend Lenovo for my family members for at least another three years yet, no matter how much they seem to have reformed. If they haven't had a repeat incident in that time I'll be glad to start considering them again.
    - scholia 9y ago
      You could boycott Lenovo-branded machines while not boycotting ThinkPads. As far as I know, ThinkPads have been beyond reproach. It's a valuable brand for Lenovo, and it acquired the whole IBM division, not just the name. I managed to be a ThinkPad fanboy for decades while despising IBM ;-)
  - scholia 9y ago
    You also don't see why someone should jump in to correct a wrong statement? Either way, the potential for damage wasn't that obvious: it could have happened to any company. (Employees often make commercial decisions without understanding the technical ramifications.) Also, Superfish said it wasn't its fault: it blamed Komodo's tool. This amounts to a similar type of buck-passing. I've bought a couple of Lenovo machines since Superfish, mainly because they were fantastic value for money. I also know that if I wasn't happy with the installation, I could download Windows 10 from Microsoft and do a clean installation.
rbanffy 9y ago
If you install a decent OS replacing the one it comes with, there won't be any malware (at leat not the kind we knew about)
- milcron 9y ago
  Reinstalling the OS may be good enough for most people, but you also have to be aware of firmware.
  - rbanffy 9y ago
    For that, the metal shredder is probably the best solution.
- wlesieutre 9y ago
  Just linked this in another comment, but I’ll post it here too: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150812/11395231925/lenovo-busted-stealthily-installing-crapware-via-bios-fresh-windows-installs.shtml https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150812/11395231925/lenov... Short version, manufacturers can use a feature called WPBT to load executables into your “clean” Windows installation from firmware. It’s intended for providing drivers.