PC Pro-October 2021

@PCPRO FACEBOOK.COM/PCPRO The Network Business Focus

fAAVsPoeDnaprtIrparusafelpfoilmocllaureaondtlttdisaoeiobpnRwleneterohSmafraenektocdr’istntvslegyeeeapcrsouy1irst8eeod

SCORE
PRICE From £80 per concurrent user/
year exc VAT from parallels.com

While the darkest days of for us, and pre-loaded all necessary ABOVE Parallels 25 metrics for monitoring user
lockdown are hopefully components and services, such as providesweband experience, including time between
behind us, many businesses Azure Active Directory (AD) for desktopmanagement a user loading a resource and the
plan to continue supporting work role-based access control. andmonitoringtools response, connection quality and
from home. The ad-hoc approach The desktop console app provides latency. You can set alerts and
won’t do as a long-term solution, access to management services; here thresholds to warn of any issues, and
though; virtual desktop infrastructure you’ll find wizards for adding export data for further analysis.
(VDI) services provide a secure and Windows Remote Desktop session From the user’s point of view,
manageable alternative. hosts to your site, publishing getting started with RAS is almost
It’s a market with plenty of applications and sending email effortless. Once they’ve installed the
mature products to choose from, but invitations to users, which include client they just need to authenticate:
Parallels Remote Application Server client download and login RAS supports multifactor, SAML SSO
18 (RAS) stands out with a wealth of instructions. Parallels is developing a or smart card authentication, and
features aimed at improving life for web-based portal too – it’s a work in policies with custom settings can be
both workers and administrators. progress right now, but as more pushed to users and groups. The RAS
The platform takes care of all VDI and features are migrated across, it’s Windows client integrates with the
application delivery services, with intended to eventually become the standard WVD client, so users can run
support for FSLogix Profile Containers primary management tool. RECOMMENDED Windows virtual desktop sessions

for easier user configuration, and the Publishing apps is simple. You just and access published apps from the
whole thing integrates with Windows need to choose which servers to same console. We found we could
Virtual Desktop (WVD), so it can be publish from, then pick the desired start apps directly from the client or
managed from a single console. apps from the list presented. RAS pin shortcuts conveniently to our
Even better, users can keep the defaults to permitting app access to local desktop, and open them by
benefit of working on their preferred everyone, but a filtering option lets either double-clicking or dropping
hardware: Parallels provides clients you lock this down to specific AD local or remote files onto them.
for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, groups or users. We also appreciated that during
Android and Chrome OS, and there’s From the Farm tab you can view all Windows virtual desktop sessions
even an HTML5 client for accessing sites, deploy Azure WVD providers our local drives were redirected for
services using a compliant browser. and add other VDI hosts, with support easy access from within
If you want to test-drive RAS, it’s for all popular hypervisors. You can A“TdhveannceewdUSXesEsviaolnuDateotraialsnd the session, and we could
keep close tabs on site performance umfeseaettrrueircxespsfeporrrioemvnoicdneei”toovreinrg25 create remote shared
available as a free 30-day trial, and too, with graphs showing server CPU, folders for everyone to
can be hosted either locally or on AWS memory and storage utilisation. To use. This latest release of
or Azure. We tested using Azure and help further optimise performance, RAS includes a new
found deployment admirably swift: the new UX Evaluator and Advanced accelerated file retrieval
the setup procedure created a new
Windows Server 2019 VM in the cloud Session Details features provide over feature for Windows and
macOS, which uses caching on
redirected drives to improve
copy performance.
Parallels RAS 18 is a great choice
for businesses transitioning to hybrid
working. It’s easy to set up, with fully
centralised management and strong
access security. Workers meanwhile
get seamless access to the apps they
need on the devices of their choosing
– and costs can be easily managed, as
pricing is based solely on the number
of concurrent users. DAVEMITCHELL

LEFT Userscanaccess REQUIREMENTS
VDIservicesfrom Parallelsclient Windows7/2008R2,macOS
anywhereviadesktop 10.11,iOS11,Android4.4upwards ChromeOS,
and mobile apps Linux, HTML5

101

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pFwieverebfssoitrteempsintgoabetter
DtohfaatvhteeGyocWrouigncldeiaewlroognnol’ietnsteeinilnyssoeiguahrtcsh
W ay back in 1996, when
the web was young,
Bill Gates publis
article about e web
entitled “Content is Kin hat’s a
maxim that remains tru this d
– no matter how hard y work
maximising traffic to r web te,
t re’s no substitute great ntent oo a ’ e be
that kes people comi back. talki d ital ketin
Even so, tak rgeted exp rts to out, i e onse
timisation to ma e your ebsite
eff ctive as it can . You , hen
kno how visito are in ractin e ac on and t
wit our pages, identif what’s ffectiveness o b e.
ng them in – and in oin
anything that might drive the . - oog e uses o ac

GINESTIBGEHTTTSERthis is with Google Analytics. In the 16 visitor activity.
1years since its launch, this freemium To test the impact of this, TopLine
Don’t treat GA as gospel submitted a Freedom of Information
tool has become the go-to for online request for the ICO’s own website.
marketers the world over, providing a The breadth and clarity of
simple way to monitor and analyse information you get from Google “We hypothesised that very few
your web traffic. Analytics can be compelling, but our people would voluntarily opt into
Yet while Google Analytics makes experts agree that you shouldn’t rely marketing analytics – and year on
a great starting point for digital solely on this one source. year, the ICO recorded an 85% session
marketing, that doesn’t mean it’s “Google Analytics traffic is drop off. The new cookie rule had
where online businesses should end broken,” declared Luke Budka, head destroyed the ICO’s own ability to
their efforts. There’s more going on of digital PR and SEO at B2B agency track website users.”
than just what Google Analytics will TopLine Comms (toplinecomms. wsts“oieYmhaboarpuutclysyyh,howianounugardlnfdpwtorurihonnwesfdopnehretremchsntetaslayotanioordknei”ng That implies that
show you, and if you can’t see the big com). “It died a death in the UK, and
picture then online opportunities are across EU states abiding by GDPR, in Google might only be
likely to pass you by. July 2019.” That’s when the giving you information on
So, what are these other metrics Information Commissioners’ Office around 15% of your users
your online business should be made “non-essential” marketing – so Budka suggests you
focus on keyword

102

@PCPRO FACEBOOK.COM/PCPRO The Network Web analytics

rankings too using Google’s free referring domains and
Search Console tool, which can backlinks,” said
expose the keywords that bring users Morrish. “From here,
to your website (see search.google. you can see which links
com/search-console/about). have been lost and
“Different keywords are suited to create a strategy to
different parts of the buying journey,” regain them – if they’re
he said. “You should understand worth it, based on the
what your prospects are searching for metrics it shows – or
when looking to buy, and what they remove irrelevant links
search for when they simply want or spam. If need be, you
information. Then make sure you’ve can use the disavow tool
got great content on your site that will in the Search Console to
rank for both types of prospect.” tell Google that you’re
Budka also pointed to Google’s not affiliated with an
beta Search Console Insights tool external site.”
(search.google.com/search-console/
3on your best-performing pieces of searching for. This will give you the toolkitrevealshow Ccoommppeatrietowrsith
insights/about).This provides detail what potential customers are ABOVE TheSemrush

content, plus valuable information opportunity to better target keywords yoursiteisperforming Ahrefs isn’t just limited to checking
such as what people were searching through existing content or by againstyourrivals your own site. “You can also use the
for on Google before visiting your site. creating new pages.” tool to look at your competitors,”
“Search Console Insights will Anna Morrish, a director at digital Morrish pointed out, “and identify
give you detail on your content that’s marketing agency Quibble Content sites linking to them that might also
trending, the content that your (quibble.digital), concurred on the be encouraged to link to your website.
website visitors spend the most time importance of ensuring your site By targeting high-authority sites with
engaging with, and your content that content fits with people’s searches – good metrics, you can increase your
ranks in the top five organic results,” and she noted that mismatches aren’t own rankings, boost traffic and get
explained Budka. “This helps you add always to do with the wrong content. further brand exposure.”
the right calls to action to your most “Some sites are let down by simple Lydia German offered additional
popular pieces of content.” Search spelling and grammatical errors,” advice on this front: “Another great
Console Insights doesn’t require any Morrish warned. “If your website has tool for measuring your online
technical expertise to use, so it’s numerous errors such as these, your business performance is
perfect for small businesses without keyword rankings are likely to be “mtcsoiYotimgloeihnusptklceianattloinkstiyoolnoorbgousektraoeanwnttdcheyioebodumsuerinrttatehgi”afeytd Semrush (semrush.com),”
dedicated marketing teams. affected. One tool we use for checking German told us. “After
the content on a website is Screaming entering your own URL,
Budka’s thoughts are echoed by Frog (screamingfrog.co.uk). It has a you can check the sites of
Lydia German, marketing and function that allows you to select a your known competitors
outreach coordinator with Tao Digital language and scan an entire website. – or allow the tool to
Marketing (taodigitalmarketing.
com). “The Performance report in “Along with identifying errors, automatically identify
Google Search Console is incredibly Screaming Frog provides a wealth of likely rivals based on relative
valuable,” German noted. “It allows data that can highlight pages that keyword and SEO performance.
you to see the average ranking of have little to no content on, which “This helps you to identify trends
your pages, their impressions and will struggle to rank. It provides a in the industry – for example, in one
click-through rate, and other special clear list of your existing metadata particular year all companies might
features, such as rich results.” and title tags too, so you can see see a dip in traffic. And it also enables
whether any information is missing, you to see which of your competitors
2 Ccohnetceknytoursite duplicated or unoptimised, all of are gaining market share.”
The Search Console isn’t just about which can affect your rankings.”
And Semrush isn’t just about
External factors can play a part tracking your rivals’ performance –
passively tracking your numbers: you too. If your site has recently seen a dip it can also help you compete, by
can use it to direct your SEO strategy in traffic then, Morrish pointed out, conducting a keyword and content
and improve the overall performance “it’s possible that bad links are gap analysis. Simply put, that means
of your site. “If queries have high negatively impacting your website”. BELOW TheMozsuite it can identify the specific search
impressions and low CTR, that means A tool that can help here is Ahrefs cancrawlyoursite terms for which someone else is
your site is visible in the search (ahrefs.com). “Simply enter your andgenerateinstant ranking above you.
results, but isn’t receiving as many URL, and Ahrefs will generate a list of recommendations “Using this information, you can
clicks as it should,” said review and update the content on
German. “That means you need your website, using your competitor
to improve your page title and as a comparison,” said German – “or it
meta description to better may be that you need to create a new
match what users are looking page entirely. Since the tool
for, and make the page content will provide you with information on
more enticing. how many monthly searches each
“The queries list also keyword and term receive, it can help
provides a gold mine of you prioritise new content too: you
keyword data. If you don’t see can identify questions that your
your expected keywords on this target audience is actively asking, and
list, that suggests that your site build blog posts that provide answers
content doesn’t square with into your content calendar.”

103

The Network Web analytics @PCPRO FACEBOOK.COM/PCPRO

Another recommended tool for LEFT TheBingwebmastertoolsare
staying on top of online performance easily overlooked but very powerful
is Advanced Web Ranking
(advancedwebranking.com). “You and profitable relationship.
can add your own details, but you can Larry Kotch, founder and
also add details of your competitors director at digital agency
to keep up to date with any gains they The Brains (thebrains
see, allowing you to adjust where marketing.co.uk), urges
necessary,” German said. businesses to focus on the
For Cameron Lyall, senior SEO long term.
manager at search agency iCrossing “For any B2B, going off
UK (icrossing.co.uk), the issue boils analytics alone is actually
down to keywords– specifically “what incredibly dangerous,” he
keywords you rank for, the position told PC Pro. “What matters
and the average monthly search to businesses that deliver
volume. This is going to give you the services or have a sales team
best insight into what your are marketing-qualified
customers are searching for and leads, sales-qualified leads
what they want from you.” He and customer lifetime value.
also pointed out that Microsoft’s Knowing how your channels
Bing offers its own set of contribute to leads, and the average
webmaster tools (bing.com/ profitability of each channel based on
webmasters), which may give the customers it generates, is how
you a more rounded view than you really understand which
you’d get from Google alone. marketing activities are working.”
“Both of these services will Kotch added: “With Google
tell you the number of clicks and Analytics you can get reports of traffic
impressions you’re getting from and conversions by channel, but you
a keyword. The data won’t be really need a CRM like HubSpot
100% accurate to the traffic you (hubspot.com) or Salesforce
are getting from search engines, (salesforce.com) that can import the
but it can help you identify analytics information and ad IDs and
peaks in searches and explain any agency Red Evolution (redevolution. ABOVE There’snothing track the progress of those leads
change in traffic. It’s also useful to use com) drew our attention to another hystericalabout down the sales pipeline.
third-party tools like Semrush and free Google service, named Google ScreamingFrog’ssite “With HubSpot we are able to do
Ahrefs: these will help track the Optimize (optimize.google.com), analysisfunctions this all automatically. The key thing is
keywords you really care about, and which lets you field-test different combining your website analytics
also give a wide range of non-branded page designs and technologies in a data with your CRM data. Most B2B
terms you might not find using the real-world context. businesses have a three-to-twelve-
search providers’ own tools.” “This tool takes the guesswork out month sales cycle; if you focus only
of establishing the most effective on a channel’s ability to generate new
SI4MTAPRNODVINEGYOURsCirteeattheatthGeosoogrlteolifkes words, design layouts and even leads, you’re missing a
button text and colours,” he told us. “cpgmIheaifnrasystneoionrnuafegtftl’aeohscevnaueepbsrwiiclyoittlniueymlraytpedooo”snr,atyaonut’re very important part of the
“To take your SEO strategy to the next “Essentially, Google Optimize lets picture, which is what
you clone your existing pages and edit happens to these leads
the clones. Then, once the edits have over time.”
been done, you can choose what
proportion of search traffic to send to Kotch points out that
tracking real business
level, you need to understand the each of the page variations: for outcomes by advertising
experience your customers are having example, to carry out a simple A/B channels can paint a very different
with your site,” said Lyall. “Core Web test, you could send 50% of search picture to lead attribution by
Vitals is the latest update from traffic to the original page and 50% to channel. “In our case it guided us to
Google, which is all about measuring the experimental page. invest in channels that generated
your site speed and usability “As the experiment runs, you can fewer leads by number, but which
performance. Customers like use a predefined metric to decide ultimately led to larger retainers.
fast-loading pages, so that’s the type which version of the page is more This way, we’re optimising for
of site that Google wants to rank.” effective, such as which one what really matters, not just
This means you need to test the generates the most enquiries or leads. the vanity metrics available
speed of your pages. It’s not hard to It takes the guesswork out of creating through GA.”
find site-performance tools – if pages that perform and add So, there you have it: five ways
anything, the challenge is that there value to a business.” to take your website analytics
are so many to choose from. “I suggest beyond what Google tells you,
starting with Google’s Page Speed KweitehpCcRuMstomers and make your online
presence work as hard as
5Insights tool,” said Lyall. “This is possible. If you have any other
where you get the best understanding The self-evident purpose of
of how Google rates your site. The tool all of this optimisation is tools or ideas you would like
scores you out of 100, but it’s the bringing customers to your to share with fellow PC Pro
metrics it uses that you really want to website, and hopefully getting readers, email them to
pay close attention to.” them to make a purchase. [email protected] – and let us
Dave Robinson, the founder and Ideally, though, that ought to know if any of these suggestions
strategy lead at digital marketing be be just the start of a long work for you.

104

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www.parallels.com/ras





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Expert advice from our panel of professionals

J“boOTNyfHhmOtNihEseYeBmAsLoLsefatsgesinnisdguibsnyjouMisnuitcaerldloyssptoaofnot”dr,aervdesn
Jon Honeyball channels his inner Dickens as he shares his thoughts about
Windows 11, the iPad Pro memory limitation and wireless jammers

“It was the best of times, it was bunch of recent hardware because of Jon is the MD of an IT So let’s get down to the shipping
the worst of times, it was the their CPU would be one. Not talking consultancy that beta. Which is exactly what you
age of wisdom, it was the age to the Microsoft Surface group about specialises in testing would expect, now that Microsoft has
of foolishness, it was the epoch of which ones were “in” and which ones and deploying kit come clean about what it intends to
belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, were “out” would be careless. Not do with Windows 11: Windows 10
it was the season of light, it was the checking that the current and very @jonhoneyball with a new paint job. A big refresh,
season of darkness, it was the spring expensive Surface Desktop product is BELOW Theeasiest lots of little tweaks and adjustments.
of hope, it was the winter of despair.” “out” is doubly careless. Stating that way to give Windows A bunch of stuff that could have been
So wrote Charles Dickens of the grand you need to have a TPM 2 security 11 a trial run is through slipstreamed into Windows 10, had
announcement of Windows 11, by the chip is fine, but then having others a virtual machine the will been there. Some stuff, such
team bosses and The Big Cheese like AMD saying that TPM 1.x will do as the tarted-up user interface, that
Nadella himself. Let’s cover the worst too is not fine. could easily been a Plus Pack, for
of times first. those who remember back to the
And if it requires TPM, how come Windows 95 days.
What went wrong? A lot. The live it will happily install into a virtual
stream from Microsoft was an machine that doesn’t have TPM (but As Mr Dickens’ report indicates,
unmitigated disaster of stalling video, could if required)? however, there is much to like here.
disconnections and technical issues. The new user interface has a crispness
The very thing that a demonstration Having a compatibility checking to it that Windows 10 was lacking.
of your world-leading competence in tool is a good idea (aka.ms/ There was nothing wrong with 10,
cloud services should not do. “Scale GetPCHealthCheckApp). What’s not but it had become like a pair of
out! Scale up!” has been the common such a good idea is it to reject your well-worn slippers.
rallying cry. It didn’t, and didn’t. computer without telling you what’s
wrong. What’s doubly not so good is Although I can rant and moan
Fortunately, I found a feed on then issuing a new version of the tool about the historical debris that litters
YouTube that gave me access to the within 24 hours. Windows 11, right down to the old
ongoing event. We’ll skip over the Microsoft Management Console, the
over-wrought emotional nonsense, Having a hardware compatibility reality is that most home and SME
about how Windows is all about list is good. Revising it, almost by the
bringing together *croaking throat* hour, looks sloppy.
loved ones and their dogs. Instead,
let’s dive into the beta that’s now I could go on and
available for all to play with. You have on. If ever there was a
to sign up to be a Windows Insider demonstration of how
build tester (insider.windows.com), one part of a company is
but this is easy enough. Once you’ve so stuck in its own silo
done this, the new build trundles and didn’t think of the
down onto your computer and the big picture, let alone its
upgrade is done for you. customers, this is it.

Well, that’s the theory. Let’s get on Maybe the decision
to the real “worst of times” about all came together in a big
of this. Of all the things that Microsoft rush. Maybe it wasn’t
could have got wrong, detailing the supposed to be this
hardware requirements would be way, and Windows 10X
pretty high on the list. Ruling out a was still a contender
until even a few months
ago. Who knows?
What is clear is that
this mess is unusually
poor, even by the often
disconnected and
disjointed standards of
messaging by Microsoft.

108

@PCPRO FACEBOOK.COM/PCPRO Real worldcomputing

Jon Honeyball Paul Ockenden Lee Grant David North Davey Winder Steve Cassidy
OpiniononWindows,Appleand Uniqueinsightintomobileand Talesfromthefrontlineof Howthepandemicchangedhow Keepingsmallbusinessessafe Thewidervisiononcloudand
everything in between – p108 wireless tech – p111 computerrepair–p114 wehireprogrammers–p116 since 1997 – p118 infrastructure – p120

users will rarely, if ever, have to dig the operating system
that deep. Corporates won’t care – runtime by a
they know and love this stuff, because hypervisor?
it’s very much a known quantity. And A good VM
in corporates remote-managed environment such as
computers are now the norm. Parallels supports
Still, I would have liked more for TPM 2 if you add in
my 11. I would have liked to have the TPM software
seen really deep application runtime solution to the
protection. I would have liked to hardware definition
have seen a Windows that didn’t of a VM. To prove
require antivirus software because this, I just took a full
it had been hardened. I would have copy of my Windows
liked to have seen a method of 11 VM. And yes, I
running important legacy code in a love being able to
way that kept it locked away in its take a full copy of
own private space. And for unknown Windows installations in less than a ABOVE So,Microsoft, So how is this going to work in the
code to be properly handled, second, and treat it as a scratch doesWindows11really future? I’ve avoided TPM in VMs
possibly even in a fully hardened environment. Do things that make it needTPM2–andhow because of this issue; I want to be able
virtual machine. blow up and die? Who cares? Just willyouhandleVMs? to fire up a Parallels-hosted VM on
copy another version back in and I’m any of my Intel Mac boxes, including
up and running. the old but still hugely impressive
Having got the TPM module Mac Pro, my 2020 Mac mini and my
working, I fired up the Windows 11 2020 MacBook Pro. I can move VMs
session in the virtual machine and around between them with no issues.
went to the Bitlocker settings. Here I Add TPM into the mix and, according
was able to confirm that the TPM to Parallels, this gets a lot more
platform was indeed version 2. And “Maybe the complicated. If Windows 11 is really
that I could encrypt the local hard Whaisnnd’otwqusitteeam going to mandate the use of TPM,
disk with Bitlocker. Of course, I how are we going to manage the
wasn’t encrypting the underlying movement of VMs running Windows
Mac storage – I was encrypting the file TienmunfbenrreaNlcyieegdte?lit”s 11? I don’t know the answer to that –
ABOVE TheWindows11Updatetoolappearsto that contains the virtual file system and I suspect nor does Microsoft.
for that VM. After a few seconds, it
was done and I had TPM 2. Big memory on big iPads
beconfusedoverwhichOSit’sactuallyrunning I could ponder out loud how it is Remember I expressed concerns
that I managed to get the Windows 11 about my shiny new iPad Pro 12.9in
Much of this was promised for beta working with no TPM installed, with 2TB of storage? That it has
Windows 10X. Maybe it will come given that Microsoft is proclaiming 16GB of memory on the M1 processor,
with 11 at some point in the future. TPM 2 to be a requirement. But I leave and yet the iPadOS platform is still
In the meantime, there is a lot of that as an exercise for the reader. architected for the older “A” iPad
New Shiny to look at in Windows 11 TPM does throw up an interesting platform, which is limited to around
beta. My favourite new thing? thought, which I haven’t really 5GB of RAM for an app? This came
Microsoft has finally integrated all managed to get to the bottom of. In a BELOW IntheiPadOS about because the original iPad Pro
the command line technologies into VM environment, the TPM module is 15beta,appscanask shipped with 6GB of RAM.
one window – PowerShell, Command a software wrapper in the VM to the formorethanthe My concern was that my new iPad
Prompt and Azure Cloud Shell. And underlying hardware. Parallels default5GBofRAM Pro’s expansion to 16GB might not
about time too. rightly points out that actually be useful
As for Windows Update, it has just the underlying TPM to an app. Well, it
informed me that there’s an update keys are obviously seems that Apple
to this new beta. Apparently it’s for locked to the security pre-empted this: in
“Windows 10 Version Next”. Maybe infrastructure of the the latest betas of
the Windows team hasn’t quite Mac on which the VM iPadOS 15, there’s a
embraced its inner Nigel Tufnel from is running. You can’t developer feature that
This Is Spinal Tap yet? take a TPM-encrypted lets any app request
VM and move it access to more RAM.
TPM in VM straight to another It’s a property list
The question of TPM hardware is Mac because the keys entitlement called
interesting, especially when it comes won’t align, and so “com.apple.
to a virtual machine environment. the system can’t developer.kernel.
Do you need to have a TPM when the unlock the encrypted increased-memory-
physical device is disconnected from file system. limit”.

109

Apple goes on to say: “Add this It’s going to be interesting to see ABOVE This£14tool progra will work for this. And then
entitlement to your app to inform the which apps take advantage of this. could help you sniff to wand r around taking
system that some of your app’s core out all of those Wi-Fi measurement samples. It doesn’t
features may perform better by Wi-Fi heat maps on Macs dead spots support Perf, meaning that the
exceeding the default app memory graphin is limited to signal-to-noise
limit on supported devices. If you use Doing a survey of Wi-Fi around a “thTihnegraes’sanroasduioch ratio. H wever, the signal level of
this entitlement, make sure your app building is not an easy task. Ideally, de‘wbqilshuaaicicpvkhpahealeoallnlrset”i’ogifnnataols Wi-Fi is reasonably good predictor
still behaves correctly if additional you’ll walk around taking samplings of likely efficacy. For the money, it’s
memory isn’t available.” of the Wi-Fi signals, and then the BELOW Theanswerto certainl worth a punt: you might
software can build up a heat map of misuse of phones in find out ll sorts of things regarding
In essence, the app is still limited the quality of the signal, creating a schools isn’t magical your ho e or office Wi-Fi that
to its 5GB allocation as before, but it coloured gradient map that’s based blocking technology weren’t bvious before.
can politely ask the operating system on the underlying data but fills in
if it can have some more via this the gaps. Mobil phonesinschools
entitlement value. This is the iPadOS
equivalent of a certain author’s Oliver I still use VisiWave (visiwave.com) Over the past few days, there has
Twist saying: “Please sir, I want some on Windows 10. I have a hardened been a lot of public chatter in the
more?” And iPadOS saying: “MORE?” Dell laptop with a shoulder strap, and newspa ers about the use of mobile
I can trundle around impervious to phones i schools. Their use is being
This sort of “ask nicely and you the odd British summer shower. It’s
might get what you want” is typical not a particularly nice piece of all sorts of unpleasant
of iOS and iPadOS. If you remember, software to use, landlocked in old UI behavio r, whether it’s “upskirting”,
when the iPhone shipped and then design and operation, but it does a
enabled the App Store, it wasn’t good job. online chatting behind
possible for an app to run in the others’ backs, or just all
background. Apple was paranoid that I use NetSpot (netspotapp.com) the sort of various
badly written apps from third-party too on a MacBook Air M1. unpleasant things that happen.
developers would kill the battery life This has the advantage of Grown-up schoolboy-turned-
by churning away in the background being able to do full education-minister Gavin
and so the operating system round-trip speed testing Williamson has proposed that schools
automatically paused them when of both TCP and UDP should be a phone-free environment.
they didn’t have focus. When Apple using a local iPerf3 server. How one would manage this, without
determined that it was probably okay Again, it creates heat maps getting each child to drop off their
for apps to run in the background, it that can provide a strong phone in the morning and collect at
allowed developers to set a flag visualisation of the likely the end of the day, is really not clear
requesting this capability on the app. throughput across an office to me. I know that schools have
Exactly the same thing is happening or a larger home. robust policies in place over phone
here – an app can ask for more RAM. use, acceptable-use policies and so
It might get it and it might not, but it Both of these tools forth, but policing them is never
has to work well without the aren’t exactly cheap, so it going to be easy.
additional memory. was nice to come across a Some have suggested that schools
new tool called AirSurvey should instead have “phone-blocking
that sells for the princely technology” to prevent children
sum of £14 in the Mac making use of their phone. It was at
App Store. this point that my bile began to rise.
There’s no such thing as a phone-
Like most of these tools, blocking tech, a radio equivalent of a
it allows you to import a “black hole” into which all signals
diagram of the building; can disappear.
any cheap CAD or drawing

110

@PCPRO FACEBOOK.COM/PCPRO Real worldcomputing

PAULOCKENDEN
Well, to be strictly correct, you
could do this: you could install a
3G/4G transmitter in the school that
appeared to be on the Vodafone, EE

“In anagewhen we’ve becomeand so forth networks, and the phone

would automatically switch to the

increasingly reliant on tech, most“nearest cell tower”. Which would

then conveniently cut them off from

userinterfacesareshocking”thenetwork.
Now you might think that this isn’t Paul laments the user experience being offered with modern-day
possible, but I have strong reason to technology, but on a brighter note finds a nice buon to press
believe it can work. And work very
well, and is relied upon by those who
handle state-level matters in a, shall Creating good user interfaces kitchen revamped a couple of years
we say, covert manner. The problem is an immensely skilled task. ago, I bought a built-in microwave
is that no school could afford this sort You need to come up with from Miele. It cost me two grand, and
of technology, nor will the telcos ever
entertain the idea. something that’s functional yet needs several prods of temperamental
Worse still, there is always the simple. An interface that’s naturally touch-sensitive buttons and two
problem with radio: how do you intuitive, where you don’t need to different dials turned before I can
contain the footprint? If you made a keep referring to the manual – more even begin to nuke my frozen spag
school into a phone-no-connect zone likely a PDF these days – to work out bol. Needless to say, Mrs O still curses
by having a local cell, what about the how to do something. Paulownsanagency me for “upgrading” to these new-
nearby neighbours? And how will It’s a level of simplicity that Apple thathelpsbusinesses fangled appliances.
parents react at the thought of a mast largely mastered around the time of exploittheweb,from And don’t get me started on smart
within the school itself? I can sense the original iPhone, although sadly salestomarketing home technology. Yes, I’m a great fan
the apoplexy from here. those skills seem to have faded @PaulOckenden of home automation as regular
The other suggestion is that alongside Steve Jobs. Apple user readers will know, but take “smart”
schools use blockers. A blocker in interfaces are now full of “you need light switches as an example – most
this sense is essentially a noise to know how to” where they used to of them have utterly appalling UX.
generator that blasts out radio noise be more “it’s immediately obvious Many use touch plates rather than
across the relevant parts of the radio how to”. physical buttons, and these can be
spectrum. But there are many It’s not just onscreen stuff, either temperamental even at the best of
excellent reasons why this is illegal – physical user interfaces can also be times. Especially so if you’re wearing
under section 68 of the Wireless intuitive if well engineered. As an gloves or have damp hands. And they
Telegraphy Act: to quote Ofcom, “at example, I have two pocket DAB aren’t anywhere near as ergonomic
best a radio frequency jammer could radios sitting in my desk drawer: one as a traditional light switch. For
cause you to miss a call; at worst, it made by Pure, the other by Sony. The example, I can nudge a light switch
could facilitate crime or put life at Pure radio has an okay user interface. with my elbow if I’m carrying a heavy
risk”. Head to pcpro.link/324jam for Well, okay-ish. The Sony, on the box – you can forget that with most
more details. other hand, is superb. I can remove it smart switches. Also, with physical
You can buy such jammers on from the drawer with my eyes closed, switches there’s a visual indication of
various online sales platforms. I switch it on, change station, adjust state: you can look at the switch and
confess I have been tempted to get the volume. All without opening my BELOW MyPureDAB see whether it’s on or off. That’s very
one, to put inside our Faraday cage, eyes. I can just about switch the Pure radiohasanawfulUI useful for things like a light switch
and then to see just what horrible radio on in the dark, but that’s my whencomparedtothe outside a bathroom where you can’t
noise they squirt out across the limit. Yet both of these radios light inside
airways. It’s one thing to do this exactly the same job. They’re not all)
within the confines of a lab Faraday similarly sized, similarly on’t have that
cage, but it’s quite another thing to priced, and aimed at the same Or else they
do this by buying some unknown audience. They ought to show which of
black box and turning it on within a the difference between these see in the dark!
school canteen. two radios at design school. mes out after a
So if anyone suggests that fixing In an age where we’ve are all such
the problems that mobile phones become increasingly reliant on the people
have undoubtedly created within technology, the quality of most uff that they
schools requires the roll-out of phone user interfaces is shocking. So epper our
jammers, or some other magical much home technology is ardly appear
phone-blocking technology, please plagued with bad UX too (we sidered
explain to them that this is a very bad call user experience UX in the at all.
idea indeed. web business). As an example, u might have
[email protected] at home we used to have a TV drama
cheap and cheerful microwave earlier this
in the kitchen – I think it cost a chap who
£50 – where you just turned a mart house
knob and it went “ding” when hen promptly
the timer ran down. Dead . A running
simple. But when we had the e was that his

111

family couldn’t fathom the packed with tech like self-steering ABOVE Mycaris Cutting a Dash
technology needed to open and auto-parking, and stuffed with packed with tech, but
curtains. Except it isn’t a joke sensors – five cameras, five radar theUI almostmakes I always thought that Amazon was
As you might imagine, I sensors, plus 12 ultrasonic distance the techie stuff vanish really onto something with its Dash
various online forums that de sensor – the controls are always in a buttons, which it offered cheaply (and
with home automation. In so really logical place. Whatever I think “mIa’vkeetsruierde ttohat often freely) a few years back. Press
of them I’m an active about doing I just seem to move my aIois’luvleteoaafisbntilslheyte”artlielpec-dh one in the loo and the next day a new
contributor, but in many hand and the relevant control is right supply of bog roll arrives at the house.
others I simply lurk. One there. Sometimes that’s kind of BELOW Amazonkilled Or prod another stuck to the washing
common fear amongst many spooky. The complicated stuff just off its physical Dash machine and it orders detergent. Very
the participants, especially vanishes. Perhaps the designers have buttons and replaced simple ideas, single function, no fuss.
some of the older members, the same Sony pocket radio as me! them with virtual ones I thought it was both elegant and
is how their family is going But again, a bit like my house, the clever, but Amazon obviously
to cope with all the technolog technology isn’t essential. Despite the disagreed, and killed the physical
controlling their houses if th myriad driving modes and setup dash button, replacing it with a
or lose mental capacity. That’s a options, you can just hop in and drive, virtual button that you can swipe on
genuine fear for a lot of people. completely ignoring the technology. your smartphone. You can probably
guess what I think about that idea.
I have that worry too, to a certain To my mind, one of the best
extent. Mrs O is fine with most elements of good interface design is a Thankfully, other buttons are
technology, but she would readily nice button. It has to be tactile though available. If you’ve invested in
admit that she isn’t an IT expert and – none of that will-it-won’t-it- Z-Wave or Zigbee-based home
wouldn’t have a clue about rebooting respond touch panel nonsense like I automation, you’ll find buttons
a Raspberry Pi if it hangs or editing a have on my ovens. Buttons are great available from all of the usual players.
config file. Such things are common because they usually just have a I particularly like one from Fibaro
with “home brew” automation, but single function. Press the power that’s modestly called The Button. It
even the big budget appliance-based button and your computer wakes up. looks like the kind of button that a
kit still needs occasional tweaks, Prod one of the presets and your radio president might have on his desk to
reboots and firmware updates. changes station. Poke a doorbell and order a missile strike, or perhaps a
it rings. Well, unless it’s one of those can of Diet Coke. And yes, it’s
So I’ve tried to make sure that all internet-connected doorbells, in available in bright red.
of the technology I’ve installed is which case someone might get a
easily rip-outable. For example, notification on their phone in half an If you’re more into Wi-Fi control
although I use Evohome to control my hour – I’ve tried most of them and then check out the Abutton V3
heating there’s still the old-fashioned wouldn’t recommend any. (pcpro.link/324abutton), which you
thermostat on the wall and time clock should be able to pick up for around
in the cupboard, and I have the smart £15 if you shop around wisely,
stuff wired in parallel with it.
Normally the old time clock is set to although there are places
not come on, so Evohome controls selling these for four
everything, but if you unplug the times this. It’s based on
technology the old-fashioned stuff EspressIF’s ESP32-
will work perfectly well as before. PICO-D4, and is from a
Likewise there’s a box of traditional Chinese company called
thermostatic radiator valve heads in April Brother Technology
the garage, which can replace the (aprbrother.com).
Evohome smart TRVs. It would take
around 15 minutes tops to switch The ESP32-PICO-D4 is
back to the pre-Evohome heating a system in a package
system. Much the same is true for all (SiP) as opposed to the
of the other smart home technology more usual system on a
I’ve installed: as far as possible, it’s chip (SoC). SiP is slightly
always been done with me not being more flexible because it
around in mind. can contain multiple
stacked chips, so it means
Buttoned up that not everything has
to come from the same
So far this month it probably sounds silicon die as the main
like I’ve got a bit of a downer on
technology, but that’s far from the
truth. I love technology when it’s
done well, with great design and good
UX. One of the reasons that I love my
car (a Beemer, and yes, I do use the
indicators) is that although it’s

112

@PCPRO FACEBOOK.COM/PCPRO Real worldcomputing

CPU in the package. The ESP32- to each button: one for a sing
PICO-D4 contains the main ESP32 another for a double press
chip (as you might have guessed from action for a long press.
the name), which incorporates the There’s a whole heap of
CPU plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth that you can assign to a butt
capabilities alongside 4MB of SPI flash Things such as controlling
RAM, a crystal oscillator, filter (Ikea, LIFX, Philips Hue and
capacitors and RF matching amongst others) or controll
components. All of this means it’s (Spotify, YouTube, Sonos, B
even easier to integrate into a simple Chromecast and so on). For
product than a normal SoC approach. more advanced use, you
The AButton V3 is simple: when can integrate with IFTTT
you press the button the SiP powers or do your own HTTP
up, boots, and then sends a message requests for integrating
to an MQTT broker. It then powers with your own software.
back down again. As it’s based on Plus there are silly things
the ESP32, you programme it using like a fart machine. You
the Arduino IDE, but that’s a one-hit can see a full list of what’s av
operation usually. The internal on which platforms by headi
battery life obviously depends how flic.io/all-functions.
often the button is pressed, but the Also built into the app is t
power demand is quite low, so I don’t concept of Tasks. Using tasks you can
see battery life being a problem. chain a number of actions, including ABOVE TheFlic the long-range Bluetooth stuff
If you don’t fancy all that the ability to add a delay between starter kits come with built-in. Not all of the Flic functions
hardware hacking and IDE-based the steps. It’s quite simple to set up stickers to customise work with the hub (see that link to
configuration then you might like to but very powerful. You could, for your buttons the list above), but most of the
take a look at the Flic 2 smart buttons example, have a Flic button set up to BELOW There’saMac important ones do. Plus the hub
available from the Swedish company draw the curtains, dim the lights and app for Flic, but it’s brings the added bonus of Apple
Shortcut Labs AB (flic.io). These are switch on the TV and audio system. limited and there’s no HomeKit compatibility. There’s also
Bluetooth 5 LE buttons that you can Although the Flic buttons work Windows support yet Alexa compatibility – the button can
pair with either a special hub, your well with a phone, there are some trigger any routines that you’ve set
smartphone or a Mac. Note that you limitations. Firstly the app needs to up – although strictly speaking you
can’t have a button paired with a be running all the time, which can don’t need the hub for this, as Flic
combination of devices, so you can’t impact your phone’s battery life. The buttons connected to your phone can
for example have one that triggers an phone always needs to be within also trigger Alexa.
event on both your phone and your Bluetooth range of the buttons too.
Mac, but that’s really not a big deal. That’s normally not a problem if your The hub also has an IR blaster
The buttons themselves are just phone supports the long-range stuff facility. You need to plug your own
under 3cm wide and 0.75cm high. built into Bluetooth 5, but not all blaster in as there isn’t one supplied,
They look a lot like a typical BLE handsets do. which seems a bit mean seeing how
beacon. The Flic 2 buttons are an This is where the Flic Hub comes cheap they are, but you’ll easily pick
update of a similar-looking original into play. It means the buttons one up online. Just be aware that it
Flic button. The V2 buttons are more always talk to the hub rather than needs a 2.5mm plug (many IR
robust, have better range, and longer your phone, and the hub does have emitters come with a 3.5mm plug).
battery life. Pretty much all the things There’s also an audio output socket
that you’d want to be upgraded in a that can be used for things like sirens
battery-powered button. or button click sounds.
Using the buttons with your phone
is dead easy. You just download the The tiny hub will connect either to
Flic app from the Google Play or Apple your Wi-Fi or via a wired Ethernet
app store, and during setup make sure connection. Setup is very simple: for
you give it the required permission to things such as providing the Wi-Fi
run in the background. credentials the phone app makes a
Adding a button is simply a matter Bluetooth connection to the hub. I’ve
of clicking the “Add Flic” button in been using mine over Wi-Fi without
the app, and then folding down the any problems.
Flic button for around ten seconds.
This initiates a pairing procedure and During my testing I’ve been really
happens really smoothly. Your only impressed with Flic. On my wishlist
challenge is to name the button. would be better support for the Mac
After that’s done, each time you app (it’s quite limited compared to
press the button you’ll hear a “ding” the phone or hub support), and a
from your phone, and if you have the Windows version. I also wish the
app open you’ll see the image of the system was cheaper – a single button
Flic button bounce. The real magic will set you back £22, and a starter kit
comes when you configure actions with three buttons and hub is £177.
that happen when the button is However, given the quality and the
pressed. You can add three functions flexibility it’s still a product that I’d
recommend. After all, who doesn’t
like a nice button to press?

@PaulOckenden

113

LEEGRANT boot USB would start the Windows
installation, but that’s as far as I go on
r“mIefupycaohiuri,n’rgfeiovtreamkthianetgitoeancmahsancpichoiiasnnseiabfsoler” a first date.

Felix’s father collected the
machine and indulged me as I droned
on about screw placements. It’s
always heart-warming to see PC
building used as a bonding experience
and these two were obviously
relishing their moments together. The
Lee is all in favour of people following (good) YouTube advice when building joy lasted another 24 hours.
PCs, but even he can’t perform miracles for free if things go wrong
They arrived back with Felix’s
father explaining that Windows
Felix is a lucky boy. Although he’d breeze and the PSU was upside down, wouldn’t complete the installation
never built a PC before, he had but nothing obvious that was and that his son was bored with
done his research. YouTube and rendering the power button inert. building computers and just wanted
Reddit are crammed with resources to play Call of Duty. Tragically, their
After confirming that the PSU brief time of familial unity had been
to help the untrained navigate the was functional, the next step was to curtailed by a rogue RAM module. I
basics of most everyday tasks and PC strip the machine down. The prime tried to fan the flames, suggesting
building has a vibrant community suspect, a loose screw, appeared as I that as I’d found the fault, they could
ready to offer advice. Felix followed shifted the motherboard. If by pure continue, but the moment had
the approved four-step PC Pro LeeGrantandhiswife misfortune this, somehow, became passed, and it was now time to shoot
guidelines of fix a goal, set a budget, AlisonrunInspiration sandwiched at just the right point and kill things. Oh, the humanity!
check compatibility and find a bargain Computers,arepair between the motherboard and the These situations can be tricky. I’m
so, about a week after delivery, he shopinKirkheaton case, it would cause a short circuit. paid to provide solutions, but when a
called me: despite his best efforts, the @userfriendlypc A visual inspection didn’t raise client deliberately asks me to use a
machine refused to work. any concerns, so the next step was to light touch, it feels unnatural to put
I also watch YouTube videos as rebuild the principal components the brakes on. The argument is that I
it’s often the only way of seeing kit outside of the case and cross some should have pushed the diagnostics
before purchase: think of a product fingers. The guts of the system fired further and discovered the faulty
and you will find an online unboxing, up and a reassuring POST screen RAM but the customer wanted a small
reaction or review video. The problem appeared, which should mean that no bill. If we ignore the financials, the
is that many of these are forms of lasting damage had been caused. extra diagnostic time impacts on the
advertorial, designed to showcase the With Felix’s father’s warning in pile of PCs queuing for my attention
goods and have us reaching for my mind, I decided this would be as whilst their owners wait patiently for
the plastic. far as I would push it. Naturally, I my call. As my children wisely say:
It wasn’t always thus: the UK was inverted the PSU (99% of ATX desktop “Daddy, you can’t win – now give us
once a hotbed of trade shows with fans point towards the floor) and the remote control.”
opportunities to get touchy-feely adjusted the IO shield but that was all.
with the kit and ask awkward Apart from refitting the case wires so The £600 CPU rescue
questions to a sales rep. h“bwDeoosuartrddwshstahtrdhiylaesintpugesnhintisg that the machine no longer started via The pendulum swings the other way
But enough reminiscing and back the reset switch. Also moving the M.2 too. Tommy’s machine encapsulates
into the correct slot but, seriously, precisely why I love desktop
to Felix and his non-working PC. nothing else. Except to check that a computers. He’s built it up over the
Felix was keen to learn and my
instructions from his father were a Alexa wouldn’t
little different to the norm. I was to countenance”
get the system to start, but nothing
else. The machine was a joint build, a
father and son bonding activity
played out nightly on the kitchen
table with love and care. Felix’s
mother also told me that once the boy
was in bed, Dad had spent hours
trying his best while using words that
Alexa wouldn’t countenance.
The build looked sound enough.
The IO shield on the rear wasn’t fitted
correctly (always make sure it goes
around the sockets and not inside
them), some of the motherboard
connections were dangling in the

RIGHT Ittooknearly
an hour to bend the pin
back into shape – and
remove the dog hair
114

@PCPRO FACEBOOK.COM/PCPRO Real worldcomputing

years, changing this, tweaking motherboard socket and it
the other but like many looks really easy. Would you do
youngsters, he’s been lured to it for £30?”
the shiny side by RGB lighting “No” was the polite answer.
and it would seem that his The extremely skilful
ultimate aim is to make the technician in the now deleted
machine twinkle like a disco video was using an infrared
ball in the Gobi Desert. reballing machine that
Tommy’s parents coughed probably cost more than my
up for a new AMD Ryzen 9 car. He made the process look
3950X CPU and a 16GB Radeon simple and straightforward, but
RX 6900XT. This is a shopping that’s the sublime pleasure of
basket worth about £2,000 and watching an artisan at work.
is a gold standard upgrade. It’s It’s not unusual for a
the equivalent of me being machine to require work that
handed the keys of an Escort neither myself nor the client
XR3i on my 17th birthday, which in the answer was that he hadn’t ABOVE Withthe have discussed. In the week before
the spirit of openness, never mentioned this game, or any game requesttonotdotoo Christmas, I was contacted by a
happened. Fiscal barriers aside, my having problems. To Tommy’s muchringingmyears, family who were expecting their
parents were aware of the statistical credit, he admitted that we’d never Iemptiedthecase… eldest son back for the holidays. The
probability that behind-the-wheel discussed this issue, but he’d snag was that he was refusing to come
inexperience would cause me to crash expected that I’d randomly stumble home until the PC in his old bedroom
a phenomenally powerful car and across the fault. was repaired. I wouldn’t contemplate
Tommy, constrained by the same I can understand Tommy’s passing any comment on these
rules of our ever-cyclical universe, thought process as he’s not to know domestic blackmail arrangements,
had also wrapped his new Ryzen 9 that not all repair shops have a but parental pressure was now being
CPU around a lamppost. magical set of tools including the applied to me – unless I wielded the
He’d bent one of the CPU’s pins. I’ll much sought after USB Drive of m“shNaoogptiscaahlllarsveeeptaaoifr screwdriver, Tiny Tim’s chair would
happily admit that I’ve done this a Omniscience (available in a set ttohoelUsSinBcDlurdivinegof be empty at the Christmas feast.
few times over the years, but it’s usual alongside the Soldering-Iron of
to notice this when the chip is being Destiny and Boot-Disk of Fate). If The not-worth-mentioning fault
fitted and not as it’s being removed. you’re taking a machine for repair, was a failed hard drive, but of slightly
He’d inserted the CPU into the socket, give the technician as much more interest was the aromatic smell
somehow misaligned a single pin and information as possible. A good tech Omniscience” of blueberries wafting through our
shop. Once the covers were off, the
continued to bolt a heatsink to it. It’s will squeeze more out of you with Ghost of Christmas Past appeared.
a miracle that it didn’t snap off. questions but if there’s a specific Charles Dickens never revealed
This was a high-tension repair and issue, be sure to mention it. that Tiny Tim’s cough and limp were
it took the best part of an hour to use a due to him hoofing a tub of vape juice
clamp, microscope, pliers, tweezers What they don’t tell you through his PC’s front grille on a
and a hot-air gun to straighten out the Like Tommy, many builders learn previous visit to Château Cratchit.
mess. I also removed the dog hair that from YouTube and even experienced Apparently, juice is often based on oil
was wound around some other pins old-timers like me use it to see how or glycerin, which spreads evenly
and promised myself that I’d remain certain things function. My when passing through an air-intake
unconcerned about how it got there. advantage is that I can usually fan, covering all surfaces in a
Tommy’s great machine had other spot the difficult bits of the sweet and sticky goo.
build problems that, in no particular process that the influencer is Every component needed
order of severity, were thermal paste being paid not to mention. stripping and cleaning with
in the CPU socket, no IO shield or This was epitomised by isopropyl alcohol and as
blanking plates, SSD held in by a John who called up to say Mrs Cratchit was paying
woodscrew and a side panel bulging that his new CPU upgrade the bill, I had to explain
at the seams due to too many power wasn’t working and he why the machine required
and lighting cables being squeezed wanted me to test it. As it so much work. Sadly, it
behind it. These aren’t showstoppers, was an Intel chip, there are appears that Tiny Tim had
but there was trouble on the horizon no pins on the CPU to bend developed amnesia, but as
because Tommy’s PSU wasn’t up to out of shape because they’re his PC hadn’t been powered
supporting his wonderful upgrades. within the motherboard socket up since he was last home, I’d
I returned the machine to Tommy aligned in small, neat rows. I pulled inadvertently started the Cratchit’s
having fulfilled the brief of saving a out the chip, popped it into another ABOVE Theair-intake Christmas on a frosty footing.
£600 CPU and explained my concerns motherboard and watched it behave fanhaddrawninthe To make amends, I’m compelled
about the build. If you’re building, perfectly normally. Looking at John’s blueberryvapour, to tell you that the trendsetter Ghost
rebuilding or upgrading and the motherboard, I couldn’t work out leavingastickygoo of Christmas Yet to Come has already
process seems cloudy and vague then exactly how he’d mangled so many of named a PC Pro subscription as its
more research is required. Read the pins inside a socket. “must have” gift of 2021. Dazzle your
manuals, watch videos or give your John went quiet for a few days friends this December by calling 0330
local computer shop a call. then dropped me the type of email 333 9493 today and avoiding the
A week later, he called and asked that any technician would be inevitable seasonal rush.
why I’d failed to resolve the problem gratified to receive. “I’ve seen this God bless us, every one!
of Rocket League hanging, of which guy on YouTube replace the [email protected]

115

Guestcolumnist Business Voice licences for Teams,
DAVIDNORTH which allow the meeting organiser to
dial in arbitrary phone numbers – so
“wrWeecnertwuiinettirnoegtihanedthfeiervsemtloildopdcelkredaoosfwthne”UK we just add the candidate’s mobile to
a Teams call.
How do you hire high-quality programmers during a pandemic? And what
lessons should we learn for the future? David shares his experiences While we’ve all become more
familiar with other people’s kitchens,
living rooms and spare bedrooms
over the past year, it helps to avoid
distractions in an interview situation.
To this end, Teams has a “blur my
background” feature that works
well and is less of a distraction than
Goodhelp, as the clichégoes, is and wearing masks, are not the virtual backgrounds that Zoom
hard to find. That’s always conducive to a pleasant experience made popular.
been so, but by March 2020 I for either side.
thought I had figured out the One side effect of the pandemic
challenge of finding new software has been that the suspension of
developers for my team. We had a So we needed a new process. The commuting for many has resulted in
process: an initial phone call followed first step could still be a phone call, different (or longer) working hours.
but rather than faff about with And while some candidates find it
arranging work phones for staff to convenient to squeeze in an interview
by a face-to-face interview. After use at home, we found it easier and outside their normal working hours,
that, our new hires were in the office DavidNorthruns cheaper to switch to video calls for we’re quite strict with ourselves
with us, where getting them up to thesoftware both stages. (Don’t be tempted to use about not scheduling interviews too
speed was a well-trodden path that developmentteamat your personal phone for this sort of far outside of the 9-5. They’re hard
we were practiced at walking. Then CoreFilinginOxford. thing, though – the boundaries work and don’t deserve to be
everything changed. between home and work have been squeezed in at the end of a busy day
We were in the middle of blurred enough over the past 18 when people are not at their best.
recruiting a new developer as the UK months without risking your personal
went into the first lockdown, so there number ending up in the hands of Second steps
wasn’t much time to stop and think. candidates and recruiters.) So that largely solved our first
In common with all but the biggest Our video calling platform of interview problems. Now the tricky
companies, the majority of our new choice is Microsoft Teams, mostly second album.
hires are sourced via recruiters. because we already had Microsoft
Although several recruiting firms we 365 subscriptions. Other than the A large part of our second stage
work with furloughed staff because somewhat ropey Linux and Mac interview involved working through
a couple of programming problems
of a general drop in activity, we clients, we’ve found it very reliable. with the candidate on a whiteboard.
experienced no more than the usual c“ttlpehoCartenososegdidynerieodterheuasPortrsaweve”dimpetlwhaaedye Our practice is to send the URL for the We’d been pondering changing this
difficulty in sourcing plausible Teams meeting out to the candidate for a while anyway – particularly for
candidates for interview. But, how to (usually via the recruiter) in advance. more experienced candidates, it
interview them? Although some of the candidates would seem more realistic to use an
installed the desktop Teams client actual computer.
Even at the worst points of the beforehand, it works so well in a
pandemic, travel and meetings for browser that we stopped asking We considered screen-sharing a
work purposes were still allowed. people to do that. I can only recall one full IDE, but it didn’t feel desirable to
However, some candidates were give candidates the ability to run
shielding or had household members candidate among dozens having a arbitrary code on our laptops. We
doing so – discriminating against problem connecting. could have rustled up a machine, but
them by insisting on a face-to-face For those who find it easier to take in the end we paid for a subscription
interview would have put us on a phone call, we have a handful of to CoderPad (coderpad.io). This
dangerous ground ethically and
legally, as well as restricting the
available talent. Even those who
could have ventured out were
understandably reluctant to do so
during lockdown, and the same
concerns applied to our staff carrying
out the interviews.

We have done a handful of
in-person interviews over the past
year, but having to open the windows
to achieve good ventilation
(regardless of how cold it is outside),

RIGHT CoderPadin
action – beware
candidates with a
dual-monitor setup
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@PCPRO FACEBOOK.COM/PCPRO Real worldcomputing

provides a choice of all the major for, and back it up
programming languages, and gives a with the wider team
shared environment that candidates being available to
can access via a URL. They can write advise over instant
code and run it, with access to the messaging.
standard library for the language, We also pay
and all participants can see what’s particular attention
being typed. to giving new staff
CoderPad also lets you replay the good reading
interview afterwards to see how the material – both on
candidate made progress. It even has screen and off. Books
a drawing mode – not as good as a still have a place,
whiteboard, but as good as any and in these days of
environment where you have to draw back-to-back video
with a mouse or trackpad. calls, reading one
We did find it useful and fair to can be a respite.
drop a hint to candidates about the All of our staff
old process, though – “if the solution have a weekly
to this problem fits on a whiteboard, one-to-one meeting
it can’t be very many lines of code”. with their manager,
In face-to-face second interviews, but we try and take
we usually call in a colleague part these especially
way through if things are going well, seriously for new
to provide a second opinion on the starters. There’s a
candidate. When doing these over great temptation to
video, we have found it best to have have a superficial
two or more interviewers from the 90-second
start, so one person can handle the conversation,
tech while the other is engaging with especially if it’s the
the candidate. fifth video call of the
Debriefing with the rest of the day. So we do our
interview panel after a call is in some best to make it the
ways easier than after an in-person first or second, and
interview: as long as you start a fresh involved lots of pair programming, ABOVE Distributionof encourage both sides to say what’s
call, there’s no risk of the candidate as a good way to bring new staff up to staffatthepeakofthe on their mind.
overhearing you. Not necessarily the speed with the tools, and also to pandemiclastwinter. It’s not all new challenges to
case when in a ground-floor meeting transfer knowledge about the code. Wemadeitwork tackle, of course: there have been
room with the windows open. Meanwhile, it was easy in an open- some benefits to the fully remote
Many of our candidates, like us, plan office to spot when people were process. Recruiting for graduates
have multi-monitor setups. This getting stuck and easy for them to especially is a bit easier without
does lead to one downside of video ask for help. geographical constraints. We’ve
interviews: the camera is usually Step one of doing this remotely interviewed people from all corners of
above one monitor (especially if it’s has been sorting out the equipment. the UK, and it’s much more efficient
built into the laptop), and the Our existing staff were all working for both us and the candidate not to
temptation is to have the other parties on laptops anyway, but we had to have to ship them down from (for
on one monitor and the CoderPad perfect our process for setting them example) Aberdeen for the sake of a
session on the other. So you can end up in advance and shipping them to 90-minute conversation.
up with the candidate not looking at new starters – including having them s2hu“iI0ninrnd2cete0edhr,Afewsipvyimeree’iavimllreaorre With the threat of Covid receding,
you for three quarters of the time. set up to access our VPN back to the circumstances”
This can usually be solved by tiling office network. We also had to think we’ve already decided that we won’t
the people and the code side by side about how to get people’s login be sticking with 100% remote
on one monitor (if it’s big enough), credentials to them for day one in the working, but equally we won’t be
but it’s a minor point as long as you most secure way possible without reverting to five days a week in the
understand what’s happening. personal interaction. office. Will we keep our remote
Lenovo has been our laptop brand interview process?
Hired or fired? The current answer is “at least
of choice for a long time – two things some of it”. If we’re asking candidates
So, after some trial and error, that’s we like about them are that they’re to work in our office for some of the
been our new hiring process. Does it possible for ordinary mortals to apply week, a face-to-face interview
work? Well, in April 2020 we took at least some upgrades to, and the provides a useful opportunity for
the plunge and made our first ever webcams are reasonably serviceable. them to see it and meet more of the
developer hire without having met Step two has been continuing team. On the other hand, sticking
the person face to face. And in the with the pair programming approach, with video calls for the first interview
year since then, we’ve hired five more but this time using a screen share/ (and potentially a second one for
under similar circumstances (and so remote control (again via Teams). We candidates with long distances to
far, retained all of them). find it significantly more draining, travel), and using a computer rather
Hiring is only the first step, of physically if not mentally, to do this than a whiteboard to do coding
course. In the before times, our remotely, so we try to limit the interviews, are likely to stay.
onboarding process for new staff number of hours in the day we do it [email protected]

117

DAVEY WINDER or data, so as to include the hacker
who accesses a computer without
h“rSaaoncmskoeemro,wtnheaewrye’hraoetuatanncdakettirsatnca’kkteaers”a any clear idea of what he will find
there,” the CPS guidance states.
It’s time to reset our cyberaack vocabulary, says Davey Winder, as he Quite apart from the gender issues
explains why hacking is not a crime here, this amplifies the negative
hacking narrative.

(cSTyohbweerhcclaurteismihsioninualtldhbaeeqcualelsetdi?on)

Okay, by now I’m sure there are
plenty of readers recalling that I’ve
If you’ve ever attended an infosec unauthorised use of or access into written lots of articles across my
or cybersecurity event, you will computers or networks by using thirty years in print and online that
no doubt have noticed the security vulnerabilities or bypassing refer to hackers in a criminal context.
preponderance of “Hacking is NOT a Am I guilty of using hacker in a
usual security steps to gain access”. headline when cybercriminal would
Crime” stickers. In 2018, some 500 In truth, the establishment of bug have been more appropriate? Sure,
such stickers were handed out at the bounty programs and vulnerability hands up, I’ve done that in the past.
DEF CON 26 event, the following discovery platforms has meant that I haven’t set out to engage in a
year 5,000 were distributed. Who hacking often embraces the pejorative narrative, though. Like
knows how many real and virtual Daveyisajournalist “authorised use of or access into” – many people in the media, and even
stickers will be handed out at this andconsultant but not all the time. Vulnerability in the cybersecurity industry, I
year’s event, which is going hybrid specialisinginprivacy after vulnerability has been didn’t know any better. Most of the
due to Covid. andsecurityissues uncovered by hackers without such time my use of the word in a headline
Yes, you did read that right: @happygeek authorisation, but does that make is positive now. Indeed, having just
Hacking is NOT a Crime them bad people? Hell no, quite the checked my Authory page I find
(hackingisnotacrime.org) isn’t just a opposite. The world would be a much plenty of recent results from a search
sticker or meme, it’s a non-profit more dangerous place – from the on hacker or hackers return stories
organisation on a mission to advocate perspective of privacy, fraud and about bug bounty platforms,
global policy reform to both recognise crime –were it not for these hacking security researchers, vulnerabilities
and protect hacker rights. And yes, heroes, be they using an officially and so on.
you did read that right as well. authorised platform or going it alone. But that’s not always been the
If you’re thinking, “why should I agree with the CPS definition case and I need to do better, I need to
any organisation be arguing that nmhwp“Tlaooaohctcrukefeeloidwndwrbgaoteenhhrrgaleeedesrmireotuoecush”s where it states that “criminals may strive to be better. By which I don’t
people behind ransomware, data hack systems or networks to steal mean using differentiators such as
breaches and cybercrime are money or information, or simply to the cowboy movie white hats, black
deserving of safeguarding” then, disrupt businesses”. This gets closer hats and grey hats, either. While
sorry, but you’re part of the problem. to where we should be regarding those served a purpose some years
You have been conned by the cultural terminology: criminals can hack ago to try and separate the good from
references, misled by the media things, but hackers are not criminals. the bad and the hard to pigeonhole
narrative (mea culpa, by the way) legally, that time has long since
and, therefore, only see hackers The Computer Misuse Act (CMA)
itself doesn’t define what a computer passed. As, I would venture, has using
through the lens of a negative is (which is an acknowledgment that “cracker” to describe those engaged
stereotype. This isn’t just a sticker- technology changes rapidly), but the in criminal acts of hacking. It’s
selling exercise – there’s more to it CPS guidance (cps.gov.uk/legal- far better, surely, just to come to
than paying lip-service to a cause. guidance/computer-misuse-act) terms with the fact that hacking
There are real-world consequences of when referring to criminal intent isn’t a crime and hackers aren’t
the negative association with some (mens rea) continues to frame criminals. Period.
hackers unwilling to disclose, at least hackers with a negative narrative. So, what should the media and
publicly, the vulnerabilities they find The two elements of criminal intent business itself be using instead of
for fear of legal consequence. under the CMA being: knowledge that hacker? After all, with ransomware
intended access was unauthorised on the rise, no sign of data breaches
Semantics matter and an intention to secure access to a exiting stage left and cybercrime
I’ll stick to home territory for the BELOW TheCPS program or data held in a computer. increasingly featuring on the global
purposes of this column. The Crown definitionofhackingis “Section 1(2) explains that the security agenda, there has to be
Prosecution Service (CPS) in the UK somewhatdated,to intent of the accused need not be nomenclature that’s accurate,
defines hacking as being “the say the least directed at any particular program descriptive, easily understood and

118

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not harmful. Luckily, there is. a data breach at the hands of TOP TheHackerOne need to get it right all
Someone who undertakes a cybercriminals. It didn’t take long for 2021 report should of the time, while
ransomware attack isn’t a hacker, the cybercriminals to start posting be required reading attackers need to get
they’re an attacker or, if you prefer, congratulatory messages on invite- for all it right once.
a cybercriminal. It’s really not that only criminal forums. They listed ABOVE “Hackingis
difficult to get your head around source code and tools related to the NOT a crime” is NOT The upside of this
when you start thinking about it. We Frostbite engine behind a host of simply a sticker or particular breach is
don’t call someone who has broken games such as Battlefield. EA later trendy logo that it doesn’t appear
into your house by picking the lock confirmed the “network intrusion” any personal or
of the front door and stolen your and admitted some game source financial player data
TV and laptop a lock-picker, we code was stolen. Am I surprised? Yes was accessed. Nor
rightly call them a burglar or a thief. and no. does it appear to have
Why should it be so different in an been ransomware
online, an information security or Yes, because EA is well-respected actors behind the
“cyber” context? in the infosecurity community as attack, instead the
having a strong security culture and data was seemingly
I first got into writing about team. And no, because the games immediately put up
bulletin boards, online “comms” industry is hugely profitable and for auction to the
tech, the internet and ultimately therefore a primary target, but also highest bidder.
specialising in cybersecurity by being because the oft-repeated adage
a hacker 30-odd years ago. I did what applies: cybersecurity defenders Here’s the thing,
I did back then for much the same though: gamers and
reasons I do now: I hacked because I the gaming industry
wanted to learn about and explore the itself don’t just have
emerging online world. I write to be fearful of a
because I want to learn more about singular threat. In
newly emerging technologies and, that regard they’re
hopefully, explain them no different than
enthusiastic and any other sector. In
accessible way. this case, it was a
network breach with
That’s not so data exfiltration, but
different to the it could easily have
hackers of today, as ransomware or a
Luke Tucker, vice ributed denial of service
president of S) extortion threat.
community at bug Indeed, according to
bounty and hacker- Akamai research, the
powered vulnerability video game industry is
discovery platform increasingly under attack,
HackerOne told me. – more so than other
“Often, when we see industries during the
the term hacker it is pandemic last year. That
associated with illegal research found the
acts and perhaps not gaming industry had been
surprisingly, much of inflicted with some 240
the world’s attention million web application
has been focused on attacks across 2020, up by
the negative behaviour 340% on the previous
of illegal hacking. and some 11 billion
However, we have been challenging credential stuffing attacks for not so
this notion and see hackers as a form good measure. Mobile gaming, or at
of doing good. least those with an in-app purchasing
element, are also subject to what
“Hacking just means to find a Akamai calls “a consistent barrage
solution to a problem, and we already of attacks.”
have a term for those doing this Again, that’s no surprise to me
illegally – a cybercriminal. Our recent because I’ve written about the trade
2021 hacker report looked into the in stolen gamer accounts driven by
motivations of the community with in-game items owned such as skins
85% admitting they hack to learn, 76% and special weapons, before.
to make money and 65% or so to have Steve Ragan, an Akamai security
fun. We are starting to see attitudes researcher who authored the report,
towards hackers evolve with every wrote: “We’re observing a
passing year and more and more remarkable persistence in video
hackers are being recognised as a game industry defences being tested
force for good.” on a daily – and often hourly – basis
by criminals probing for
Game over? vulnerabilities through which to
breach servers and expose
Earlier in the summer, it was reported
that Electronic Arts (EA) had suffered 119

Continued from previous page STEVECASSIDY

information. We’re also seeing “sthWoeluebt’reioesntinsr,eaaspnpedorhniousdmeowafnelohhwaab-vteiet”schare
numerous group chats forming on Steve provides advice on how to fight the invisible ransomware war,
popular social networks that are before blasting his way through a friend’s folder full of locked files
dedicated to sharing attack
techniques and best practices.” The big problem with this war is effective measures come from this
that it’s invisible. Cybersecurity institution any time before we put a
Perhaps the most bizarre, and has rushed to the centre of the human on Mars, but its creation is an
certainly highly unusual, gaming- stage in 2021, but you have to look for indication of the growing idea that
related threat was discovered by peripheral signs that obliquely point many attacks we see are transnational
Sophos Security Labs researchers. to it. Take my email inbox. A third of and often cut off from any law
This was no password-stealing thing, the press releases sent to me are rather enforcement purview or responses.
no ransomware attack, it was what unsavoury attempts to gain coverage I may not be completely au fait
you might call, and Sophos did call, for some security product or service, Steveisaconsultant with every twist and turn of inter-EU
vigilante malware. by claiming that someone else’s whospecialisesin relationships, but I’m reasonably sure
disaster could have been averted or networks,cloudand that when a Belgian hacker collective
The malware itself came better cleaned up if they had bought in humanresources attacks a coffee importer in Vienna, it
disguised as cracked versions of to the latest smart security product. @stardotpro takes quite a lot of cajoling and
online games, including Minecraft I don’t buy into the premise behind persuading before the Belgian police
and Among Us (Microsoft Office was these releases. I’m expected to believe will agree that they have a duty to
also used, which can almost be that, by stumbling into a hosting assist in the investigation. The Joint
thought of as a survival game, I relationship with some marginally Cyber Unit is designed to get over
guess), which used a modified HOSTS competent cloud providers, a global those local reluctances – and they are
file to prevent access to pirate business would be protected by the gt“aoPnodohCdawPvfrreroiidtereunerrdasisdnaegrres the major stumbling block that I had
software sites. Oh the irony, huh? right security product mix, and that it aransomware expected to find, based on the various
Sure, a HOSTS file modification isn’t could then delegate any responsibility attack” meetings I’ve attended.
exactly a new way of doing things, for the intrusion, encryption and
quite the opposite, nor is it complex. destruction that would follow from a “What, you, Steve, are invited to
But you know what, it works and can major attack? Please. anti-ransomware meetings?” Yes,
cause much scratching of heads for even me. This isn’t grounds for false
even those who consider themselves Global businesses can take advice modesty; it’s an indication that the
technically savvy. from many sources, spend money in wider PC Pro community do turn out
many different ways, rely on radically to matter a lot here. We – readers,
It seems that the malware in different types of defence. writers, subscribers, podcasters –
question was able, in most but not Unfortunately, they still have to hire are good friends to have during a
all cases, to elevate Windows and work with human beings. When ransomware attack. The EU task force
privileges to admin in order to edit they parade through the world’s is being put together specifically to
the HOSTS file. However, as Andrew peanut galleries because someone handle the stage that none of the
Brandt, principal threat researcher claims to have copies of some of their BELOW TheEU’snew software products can properly
at Sophos, explained, while business data, it’s almost certain that JointCyberUnitaims address: that period of remediation,
sometimes it’s straightforward to see the actions of the workers will have totacklethethreatof when the line of communication
the threat actors’ end game, this contained the opening through which transnationalattacks between the IT room and the
wasn’t one of those times. “On the the bad guys got their prize. The chief
face of it, the adversary’s targets and information security officer in a big
tools suggest this could be some kind brand-name enterprise won’t be
of crudely compiled anti-piracy found in the server or switch rooms:
vigilante operation. they’re more likely to be in the staff
canteen, trying to spot the loud-but-
“However, the attacker’s vast misguided types who think that
potential target audience – from they’re employed by a ship of fools
gamers to business professionals – who merely lack their pearls of
combined with the curious mix of wisdom to plug every hole and fix
dated and new tools, techniques and every bug.
procedures (TTPs) and the bizarre list
of websites blocked by the malware,
all make the ultimate purpose of this
operation a bit murky. There might
not even be an overall purpose to this
attack at all. But that doesn’t reduce
the level of risk or the potential
disruption for victims.”

[email protected]

Although it’s not just the shop
floor that ought to be within the
checklist of a CISO. It looks like 2021
is the year when the politicians arrive.
One of the press releases in my inbox
announces the launch of the EU’s
Joint Cyber Unit. I don’t expect to see

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boardroom stays open and the really tidied up and readied for the
impactful and expertise-driven next rising risk alert.
decisions happen at warp speed. This Looking across this
is when real sources and real trusted picture, and thinking too
contributions are called in to help. about the grass-roots
And that’s us. behaviour I’ve described in
It’s okay, I’m not about to start the “Stop the lock” section
PC Pro Consulting Limited. I’m trying below, makes this sound
to point out that the ball is in our like a very low-tech
court. It’s not something that needs response to a large scale,
vast workforces, or coders: having a highly sophisticated threat.
resilient plan that includes what you I agree that it’s a little
are going to do after the ransomware disconcerting to remark
crew have been cut off from access to that the subject isn’t being
your servers isn’t something that addressed by some
requires a huge army of IT workers. beneficent AI app that you
Instead, it requires the properly can leave on your network
skilled and experienced diagnostician like a rottweiler in the
to make the right call over some car park. But that, in my
strange behaviour of the entire opinion, is the reality. We are in a ABOVE AhumbleUSB the technology. Venting wider
network, or to make the short phone period of low-tech solutions, and flashdrivecanbea frustrations at the IT guy is a trap for
call that signs up the company human habits and procedures are life-saveriftheworst both the IT guy and the supplicant
domains to the Cloudflare traffic the best response we have. comestotheworst user – but being under the stress of
management service portfolio. lockdown makes it more likely that
Knowing that Cloudflare has the Stop the lock this will happen. (Is it bad of me to
easiest onboarding procedure is one Getting users to agree on what the consider those who have no spare
of those simple bits of knowledge problem is with their PC has been a computer at home to be somewhat
that makes all the difference in those perennial bugbear for IT types. Back eccentric in 2021?)
dark hours of the post-ransom in the 1990s, when computing could For me, the strangest part of
recovery process: and it’s our place as still be thought of as a hobby, we’d all dealing with those obliged to work
collectors of such isolated snippets swap our favourite war stories of from home on their personal
that makes us so valuable in the users with strange ideas about what equipment is the apparent need to
ransomware recovery process. goes on inside their machines. predict and own the eventual cause
Understanding how your own A quick track-seek across the 4D of their woes. “It’s always been a bit
employer will react when the ransom fabric of the universe and here we are Om“fyaIoSatsuttkdrtyeoeaoeerpupsphnrlsoo’PtwacCnkidisngif slow on this rubbish memory,” they
attack comes is going to get more in the early 2020s. While the status you out” say, or “yes, I borrowed the idea of
important. If you haven’t thought of “computing” in people’s lives has four antivirus products installed
about keeping your work-in-progress changed enormously, there’s still the together from an article on security
on a keyring USB flash drive before same old brain structures, the same chaining, you know” (that last one
then a bit of what-iffing at the next psychology and the same wetware took hours to explain, because the
company meeting need not take up a using the kit. That means I still get poor chap didn’t understand that the
lot of time, in providing just the most plaintive calls and emails from people “chain” is a literal physical collection
basic of recovery options. I know telling me in great detail about how of PCs, each one specialising in one
the objectors will say that this isn’t extremely important it is that they detector package and the data
something that one can keep up get their documents back, and then flowing through the whole chain).
forever. But, from the government maybe four lines of description of the That guy’s mistaken assertion was
meetings I’ve attended about actual problem. founded on a basic truth about our
ransomware, it seems pretty clear Everyone seems to be in agreement personal computers: one that hasn’t
that we will get “threat assessments”, that lockdown has made this effect changed singe Windows for
with periods of higher risk during worse, whilst adding new and Workgroups, or even before that.
nation-state spats and lower risk unexpected challenges that on the It’s all about the locking.
periods when those USB keys can be surface have nothing at all to do with I was reminded of this incident by
another plaintiff suffering from
John McAfee, 1945-2021, RIP unintended outcomes as a Microsoft
,thgirypoc606.22A3S8-5Y0B2C9C72r/eedrnoumdedsikUs.eegroamg/dsiokStoehgpa/Gm©oc:e.rgkacmilIf The IT entrepreneur hall of fame isn’t short of curious characters, but 365 user. 365 now installs (and is
installed by) a service called Office
Click-to-Run, a noble idea scuppered
John McAfee was surely one of the most curious of all. Despite parting by a 30-year-old simple truth. That
company with the product that uses his name many years ago, McAfee the being, it doesn’t matter how fast
man had an unfortunate habit – actually, several unfortunate habits – that your PC is if your apps and operating
kept him in the news. system keep locking you out of
McAfee’s outlook on the security industry he helped start would be accessing a file.
remarkable enough on its own, but it forms only a small part of his quotable A lock, for those who never
output. My favourite is “a good example is more irritating than a bad one”, struggled with dBase or Novell
but that doesn’t mean he was always right – his claim that he could live and servers, is a file system marker that
work without any security software because he stayed away from porn restricts access to files or folders
sites is a charming reminder of a much simpler, more clearly-cut era. according to the identity of the
accessing machine. Files have

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Real worldcomputing

owners, and even access control lists earlier files; it’s as if th
(ACLs), but they also become to finger-count its way
effectively temporarily “owned” by most recent logfile. Sto
other entities – processes, apps, other nuke the contents of th
computers and so on. Being able to and a miracle is declare
issue a lock on a file is a central part The problem unde
of the ability of ransomware to exert is that none of the activ
any power over anybody: it’s using operating system belie
the operating system against the ever be anything as
owner and their data. Locks are made directory that contains
fractionally easier to handle by high- useless files, held lock
performance PCs and storage, but antivirus product that
only the most entrenched fool would been deactivated. So,
try to claim that this made the directory needs to be
problem of locking somehow solved. written to, saved and
So, my unhappy user had a very the OS isn’t using a
slow computer. An all-in-one “defensive” access
machine from Lenovo, with a 1TB method. Those
SSD and an Intel Core i5 processor, who were taught
plus a small selection of freebie trial programming at sch
copies of software that the 1990s will remember the exci
retail computing buyer would have following a file-access
had no trouble recognising: McAfee coding exercise: even h
Internet Security, several app store green-screen BASIC would quickly ABOVE Itwasasif least for the purposes of deleting a
utilities, and a brand-new copy of teach a painful and irritating lesson theCorei5Lenovo load of chuff.
Office. It ran like an absolute dog. about the sheer inefficiency available all-in-onewasrunning To understand the causes of
One would be forgiven for observing in picking up basic, everyday ideas throughporridge unhappiness in most home computer
just how little had changed over the like reading from and writing to files. users, one has to be completely clear
decades when it comes to startup Doing it in interpreted loops was about the nature of something called
delays, app launch malaise and possible, of course, but excruciatingly “emergent behaviour”. Just because
outright inaccessibility of a whole lot slow. And those lessons still apply the person who coded the Click-to-
of parts of the OS and the data. today. The same goof-up coding Run directory access didn’t think
The surface culprit was McAfee – your file access will have the very about the almost open warfare
or at least, once I figured out that same effect on a brand spanking environment common on home and
there was a licenced, downloaded new, solid-state Lenovo as it does on o“‘nLaocwkheodl’etankeews SME marketplace delivery
and different antivirus product also an IBM PC at 4.77MHz with floppy nidmroaptmyacoatuawwnhdheondiitd’s configurations, does not mean they
installed, I was able to show that disk storage. thelocking” “wanted” their code to run slow or
McAfee was in a curious, half-active “sells better hardware this way” (this
“end of demo” configuration. Icon Explaining this problem to my type of slow iteration in file access
still in the taskbar, but everything’s friend took a long time. She found it results in speeds staying about the
allegedly turned off because the free incredible that any modern-day
trial period had expired. I assume function would be guarded by a half- same no matter the spec of machine).
century history of different ways of It means that the faulty behaviour
that someone inside the Windows dev doing the same job, and being one of only becomes apparent once two or
team is very pleased with the work those people who can’t leave a matter three other contributory factors are
that permits more than one security alone until all the relevant angles also present.
product to be mostly active most of have been explored and pain shared, The locking behaviour gets more
the time. The bit I have trouble with is I had enough time to actually empty attention under a security heading, I
the insistence on a dirty departure: if the offending folder. And fully think unfairly. Maybe because
your licence runs out, your machine remove McAfee, and disable Click-to- “locked” takes on a whole new drama
will be prone to slowing down and the Run services, and blow past the BELOW Youhaveto and impact when it’s not you who did
culprit software won’t make its various warnings telling me I had no understandemergent the locking – and there’s always the
contribution at all obvious. permissions in this or that folder, behaviourtogettothe powerful impulse in security circles
This develops teeth once Office because I most certainly did, at bottomofusers’woes to over-dramatise the problem. There
and Click-to-Run are added to the used to be utilities that let you see
mix. I found thousands of files in / locks being issued and released, but
windows/temp, all with Click-to-Run these days there has been a bit of a
names and only the last few actually jargon overlap, with the result that
in use by the Click-to-Run service. searching for a “lock utility” shows
Whatever bit of code was responsible you zillions of pages of little apps that
for writing those files (mostly logs) purport to protect your files by hiding
didn’t cope well with temporary and locking them, preventing access
folders containing large numbers of to those who don’t know which app
was used or don’t have the right
password(s). The last thing most
people need is to browse through the
locks flooding their OS, let alone
delete them. So don’t be tempted.
[email protected]

122

iFhPerholpomendeth:bteuhiPeldEgSTaimtlioceotrnhweShpoaInspirationalstoriesfromcomputing’slong-distantpast
SKHtlDouwaeorvktnaieidlnLellDgeesaafD–umraclriivontnihmdggetpCfrooarnaunofnSioieedpksleeadtdsihnCwatotohdhy“eaShmvieleiac’shsoteanellpwrSespadaayn”s.d
itting in a beautiful kitchen, More than that, Arts for $1.2 billion earlier
the sun shining bright the company this year, it promised to
through a large window, helped establish continue investment
David Darling turns his head the picturesque in the area. Then
away from his screen and, for the first regency town there are all the firms
time during our conversation, looks a of Leamington Spa as an unlikely yet created by former
tad uncomfortable. I’ve just reminded booming tech hub – named as one of employees, not to
him that Matt Western, the Labour the five happiest places to live in mention studios that
MP for Warwick and Leamington, Great Britain last year. have flocked to the
recently drew a comparison between Darling still lives in the area, Midlands town to tap into
his family and the endeavours of having upgraded to an imposing 17th the wealth of talent there.
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. century property some eight miles This is why Leamington
“I wouldn’t compare myself to south of Leamington, and the legacy
Steve Jobs,” he said, wincing slightly. of Codemasters continues despite has been dubbed “Silicon
“But he was somebody who inspired he and his family selling their 70% Spa”, where one in 50 people
me; somebody who carried on share in 2007. For a start, when the works for a game developer.
fighting. He was such a determined company was acquired by the US Darling employs a fair few of them at
and visionary character.” giant Electronic Kwalee, the development and
It’s easy to see where publishing company he formed in
Western was coming 2011, which is nestled amid the likes
from as Darling co- of Ubisoft, Playground Games and
founded the video game Sumo Digital.
company Codemasters 35 Pre-pandemic, Kwalee had 60
years ago along with his members of staff. Now, thanks to the
brother Richard, and opening of new offices in Bangalore,
father James. While at India, and taking on homeworkers
the helm, Codemasters around the world, it employs more
published a host of iconic than 160 people in 13 countries.
titles such as Dizzy, Such expansion could be seen as a
Brian Lara Cricket, Colin LEFT DavidDarling threat to one of Britain’s most
McRae Rally, Micro (left) with Philip celebrated business clusters, but
Machines, Operation Oliver, co-creator of Darling reckons it’s a natural step.
Flashpoint and TOCA. the Dizzy series Leamington Spa will remain the focal
point for Kwalee but now he wants to
bring the world to his company’s
doorstep. Virtually at least.
“I was personally sceptical about
working from home because I
thought it was much better to have a
team of people collaborating together
in person,” he said. “But embracing
remote working has enabled us to
find really talented people all over the
world – people we wouldn’t have if we
insisted they move to Leamington.”

123

Making a move first encountered arcade k. Galactic Software
It seems a far cry from the early 1980s games, playing classics rformed so well it
when the video game industry was such as Space Invaders, ught the attention of
still finding its feet. Darling recalls Galaxian and Asteroids t Richard astertronic, a company
those times well. “At first we were school in Vancouver they were and David Darling ith roots in the home
working with computers that had introduced to programming – albeit made BMX Racers
limited amounts of memory and using punch cards. for Mastertronic o industry.
there were many different machines “We were in the right place at the ABOVE TheDarlings’ “There was a guy
such as the Oric, Dragon 32 and right time and we had opportunities Galactic Software ed Frank Herman –
Commodore 64,” he says. “It was that others didn’t,” Darling said. “I sold Vic-20 games via good business person
quite a fragmented market.” think of my grandfather who was magazine ads ut a box-shifter,”
The focus back then was primarily an electronics engineer designing rling said. “I think it
to sell games in local territories. “If colour televisions and who was also BELOW Gushing
you were based in the UK, you tended in the Australian Navy in the praise from David hard for him to
to sell in the UK and that was the communications room doing Morse Darling on the back of elate to what players
case for the US and Japan,” he said. code. He’d taught me and my brother
Indeed, when the Darling brothers electronics but he didn’t have the ed whereas I loved
set up their first company, Galactic opportunity that we had to code king games and
Software, as teenagers in 1982, they computers. He always said he was lt it was good to have
placed adverts in Popular Computing born 100 years too early.” at foundation.”
Weekly magazine and orders The brothers’ breakthrough of The Darlings agreed
generally came from within the UK. sorts came when their father asked to co-create a new
These would be fulfilled by the them to use his new Commodore PET development company
brothers, with David jumping on his to convert the algorithms and with Mastertronic
moped, visiting a local tape duplicator equations for lens curvature. In ed Ar cial Intelligence Products,
and journeying back balancing return they were producing exclusive games sold for
cassettes stuffed in a couple of allowed to use the just £1.99. Titles included BMX
cardboard boxes. computer at Racers, Jungle Story and The Last V8.
Among the games they sold were weekends and they “I remember going to the shops and
those advertised as “top quality took the time to watching people pick up Space Walk,
software from N. America”. They develop a host of te looking at the box and going to the
were sourced from a talented friend in adventure games. cash register to buy it,” Darling said.
Canada – someone the Darlings had But then the boys “It felt very rewarding.”
met during their nomadic childhood. were sent to Englan In 1986, the Darlings sold their
Since their father was the designer of to live with their share in Artificial Intelligence
the world’s first disposable contact grandparents in the Products and founded Codemasters
lenses and a successful entrepreneur, Somerset village of in the Beaumont Business Centre in
they would journey across the world. Shepton Beauch Banbury. “That’s where my mum and
“When my dad was about 20, he Their career in g dad went to live when they returned
worked at a printing company where was about to take of from Canada,” Darling explained. “It
he had a massive row, and was like, wasn’t to do with business strategy;
‘screw you, I’m going to set up my heCiglihmtsbing diz we just happened to be living there.
own business’,” Darling laughed. When we outgrew the Banbury
“He had lots of businesses after that “If you see famous office, my dad bought a farmhouse in
– some successful, some that went actors, often they Southam, halfway between Banbury
bankrupt – but it meant we just kept are the son or and Leamington, and we converted
moving to different countries.” daughter of another
Over the course of their childhood, actor and they think es before
the Darlings lived in the Netherlands, acting is normal,” erting other
Australia and France. “When my dad Darling said. “So arm buildings.” The
landed in Canada, he only had £14 in for us, being an demasters office
his pocket but he built a business entrepreneur felt till there.
from scratch there too,” he said. It right.” They Gradually, more
was in Canada where the Darlings certainly had the nd more developers
tled in Leamington
“The Oliver
s who made
y moved up from
bridge, Peter
amson who
eated Supersonic
are moved from
tland and Paul
son, of Big Red
ware, moved from
acclesfield,” Darling
of just three. “It
’t by design and I
ine it was the
as the original
icon Valley.”

Lettoinugt the

ny incomers worked
h Codemasters

124

@PCPRO FACEBOOK.COM/PCPRO Retro Silicon Spa

which, like electronic
Mastertronic, initiall stribution,”
concentrated on the rling said.
budget end of the “Woolworths
market. Lots of game d buy a game
had “simulator” in r £25, double the
the title – a way of ice to £50 and
attracting eyes by lain when we
tapping into themes ed to sell it
such as skiing and gitally for £25. We
BMX riding despite won that
bearing only a ggle.”
passing resemblance The challenge
to reality. The back is to get noticed.
of the boxes often e had to unlearn a
proclaimed that of what we
the games were ned and realise
“absolutely at making a great
brilliant” – in quotes on mobile is
sometimes part of the battle.
attributed to David agine if you needed
Darling himself! ew toothbrush
d someone sent you
All very Tesco at 2am
charming, but the h the lights turned
family could put up following his stint a odemasters – “ ABOVE ColinMcRae out. would be hard to find that
a fight if need be. And so it was when had to sign a non-compete clause Rallybecamean toothbrush. And that’s what the app
Nintendo sued after Codemasters which lasted for three years but I was iconicgameseriesfor stores are like.”
developed the cheat cartridge, Game quite happy to take a break” – he was Codemasters Kwalee appears to be on top of
Genie, with US toy maker Galoob that determined to do things differently things, though, with more than 650
would allow gamers to gain infinite upon his comeback. million downloads of games such as
lives and the like. Draw It, Let’s be Cops 3D, Teacher
“Setting up Kwalee wouldn’t Simulator, Jetpack Jump and Bake It,
“We’d designed the electronics, have been as attractive if the industry with the latter developed entirely
been to Taiwan to get them reduced wasn’t moving towards digital during lockdown and attracting 50
on a chip so they could be mass- distribution in 2011,” he said. “It’s million installs.
manufactured and spent a year-and- hard to describe the headache of There are no plans to move away
a-half on the project,” Darling physical distribution but look: from casual gaming, that’s for sure.
recalled. “We were fully committed Codemasters’ first number one in the “Triple-A games are great if they’re a
and our lawyers believed the case US was Operation Flashpoint and a massive success like Grand Theft
could be won. We felt it was worth year-and-a-half later Toys R Us Auto or Colin McRae but they can
fighting for.” shipped back 40,000 units. It’s stuff take 100 people two or three years,”
you have to destroy.” Darling said. “If they don’t succeed,
Codemasters did indeed win and it’s a massive disaster and if
Game Genie’s revenues helped the It’s why Kwalee initially oro“gWeffaamtwehlieheshaoeabtndtawhmtttaoeolteulbm”enialaleerkainisrneongdnaaalynlgodprtaeratt they do, everyone is roped
company level up, create full-priced concentrated on making games for into doing them for
console games and make the lucrative the iPhone, why it progressed to decades! It’s more
move to PlayStation. It also developed Android and why, in developing for rewarding to find a new
a J-Cart device for Sega’s Mega Drive the Nintendo Switch console and PC, game idea and develop it in
that allowed two more gamepads to the company only makes use of a few weeks or months.”
be plugged in. The Aladdin Deck digital distribution channels. In that sense, Darling
Enhancer let Codemasters bypass the is more than happy continuing to tap
lockout chip on the NES and produce “In 2001 or 2002, Richard and I into his budget game roots where
unlicensed games. pushed Codemasters to distribute games would be developed quickly
digitally rather than physically but and then sold cheaply. He’s also
An important switch there was enormous resistance confident having game developers at
because the salespeople were dealing
Today, Darling has no time for with retailers and didn’t want
physical media. After resting

the helm makes it easier to identify
what’s likely to work. “A lot of our
senior people are developers,”
Darling pointed out.
“We’re now the biggest UK-based
mobile games publisher by
downloads and that’s quite a good
milestone,” he said, adding that
employees have shared a bonus
payout of more than £1.5 million of
profits so far. “The markets will
continue to change and platforms will
LEFT Kwalee evolve but we’ll continue making
portedTENS!to great games and reaching large
theNintendo audiences here in Leamington Spa
SwitchandPC and beyond.”

125

Futures

We explore the trends and technologies that are set to shape the future

tKuesecienhpgnioonfglofw-gthyaetc-shhoenlfoceans

NrOecicseoealanersKcahorbeeriesmrbaeesvtsetiaevlreswbthuaettcdhhrigowhnh-efaslyleainsng,dbfAueIatuacrrheeesohfeamlnpdainrsgienaebsircdiesn.ce understanding about how they
T o count how many seabirds interact socially – in short, to see
lived in a colony, David professor of marine conservation at how they choose their friends. In
Johnston and his team at Duke. Nor was it accurate. “If we Australia, drones are used to spot
Duke University used to walk were both asked to count all the sharks at beaches, helping to keep
among the black-browed albatrosses albatross, we’d probably come up swimmers and surfers safe while
and southern rockhopper penguins with different numbers.” avoiding destructive practises such
with a clicker, like bouncers at a bar. as culling. South of South America,
When one small section was finished, If wasting the talents of marine in the South Sandwich Islands,
that number would be extrapolated biologists by methodically, boringly researchers from Oxford and the
across the total area. and inaccurately counting birds on British Antarctic Survey are using
a screen makes you think that there drones for aerial photography of
If the colony on the Falklands has to be a better way, you’re right. seabirds and seals, allowing more to
Islands was in a spot too difficult for Thanks to the arrival of drones for be counted without disturbing the
humans to easily access, planes would data collection and artificial animals. And underwater footage is
be sent up for aerial photography that intelligence for analysis, much of this being stitched together and analysed
would be painstakingly examined on work can be automated, making it by AI to help monitor at-risk coral
a computer display – counting the easier for scientists to keep a careful reefs, thanks to work by Arizona
tens of thousands of birds, one by one. watch on our oceans. State University.
“Trying to sit there counting those
damn birds on the screen, you just go Alongside Johnston’s seabirds, It’s not just images. Ben Milner,
crazy,” said Johnston, an associate researchers at the University of lecturer in computing science at the
Exeter have used overhead drones to University of East Anglia, uses deep
capture videos of orcas, giving more learning to remove interference from
audio to better track and identify
endangered right whales. That idea
has also been echoed in the Bay of
Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada, where
researchers repurposed a facial-

126

@PCPRO FACEBOOK.COM/PCPRO Futures Oceans

recognition model to automate the “It reduces the effect of humans on ABOVE Labelsteach trained on relevant data, which at
filtering out of background noise sensitive habitats,” he said. theAIthedifference Duke was largely done by team
from acoustic monitoring data. Drones can also cover a wide area betweenanalbatross technician Maddie Hayes. To achieve
Indeed, alongside seabirds, quickly. Measuring ocean and a penguin that, photos of bird colonies were
Johnston and his team use that temperatures through colour is a labelled by humans to show the AI
combination of drone photography core part of modern marine science, what to look for. The model was then
and AI to watch over blue whales, but satellites can only manage areas run against that dataset, teaching it
track changes to beaches after larger than 5km wide. Drones can the difference between an albatross
hurricanes and monitor temperature cheaply and easily get more detail, and a penguin.
changes to the sea. Here’s how and be sent out to investigate sudden To check accuracy, the results are
off-the-shelf drones, open-source changes. Surveying a beach compared to traditional methods.
AI and other clever ideas are being previously required a laser scanner; “In almost all cases, we find that the
reworked and combined to help the same work can now be done in a neural network does a better job than
better monitor and protect the watery tenth of the time with a suitably people,” said Johnston. Plus, it’s
bits of our world. equipped drone. That means it’s consistent: if the system makes
possible to not only cover more area, mistakes, it makes the same ones –
From whales to seabirds but do so in a timely manner. If a and that consistency means it’s easier
Johnston has always been interested hurricane is incoming, a team can to track changes and replicate results.
in the clever ways people find new collect data on the shape of the beach “We know what its bias is, so we can
ways to use technology. After seeing before the waves and wind hit, and apply it very efficiently every time…
how precision drones were being used do the same immediately after the reducing the uncertainty
at farms and vineyards, he wondered storm passes. “There’s an amazing “It was very obvious associated with the values
how the same ideas could be applied quality of immediacy,” he said. after we did our first few we produce.”
to his own monitoring work, be that Drones just offer data, and that’s mcwoiausssldtiohdneos”litmhaittotnhewshkayt we Not only is the AI more
counting animals, surveying a beach in turn interpreted by AI, which is key accurate at counting birds,
or looking for marine debris. “The to the success of the seabirds project. but it’s unsurprisingly
potential was dramatic,” he said. “It Such colonies are massive, making faster than a human staring
was very obvious after we did our first them difficult to count, but these at a computer screen, trying to
few missions that the sky was the particular birds cause extra confusion decide if that’s an albatross, penguin
limit on what we could do.” because of how they build their nests. or oddly shaped rock. Previously,
Traditional animal counting “These albatross, they create these counting a seal colony on the ground
methods are expensive, inaccurate really cool nests on little pillars, with would have taken a few days, while
and difficult – and can potentially the egg on top where they sit,” seabird colonies would take at least a
harm the animals. For example, to Johnston explained. “The penguins week. “With this model, you could
measure blue whales, scientists stagger around underneath that.” run it in an hour or an hour and a
turned into whalers, hunting and In other words, researchers have half,” said Johnston, depending on
killing them to size them up. It was to count a double layer of birds. what hardware you’re using.
possible to fly planes overhead for Doing that quickly and easily is key to
photography, but that comes with a track population fluctuations, which Listen up
high cost and low success rate, as can be caused by climate change or While Johnston’s work shows how
whales don’t surface on demand. overfishing. “Our biggest challenge is automation can collect better quality
Drones change that. Now, trying to detect those changes before data and analyse it using AI, Ben
Johnston says, it’s possible to go out it’s too late,” he said. “And if we can Milner’s project solved a different
on a small boat, seek out the whales, do a better job of counting them, that problem: cleaning up the data we
and within minutes send the drone up means uncertainty levels are lower.” have. Rather than drones
for measurements – without any photographing the ocean, beaches
hunting and killing. On shore, drones Training bird AI and animals, Milner works with
can also measure marsh grass rather Humans aren’t left out of this loop. sound. It’s the main way whales are
than human researchers trampling it. Such algorithms still need to be tracked underwater.

127

Futures Oceans @PCPRO FACEBOOK.COM/PCPRO

There are only 350 North Atlantic detect and remove background noise, the difference between a blue whale
right whales left in the world, and pairing that with a secondary system and a right whale,” Milner said. “It
they’re at threat from human activity that can identify whale noises. “If you can then detect either of them.”
such as getting caught in fishing can remove the background noise, Accomplishing that requires a set
equipment or being hit by ships. then it leaves a cleaner signal for you of labelled training data, and that’s
When a pod of these whales traverses to detect the right whale without the hard bit: if the researchers make
through an area, researchers can try missing it and avoiding a false mistakes classifying the dataset of
to steer them a different way while trigger,” he explained. sounds used to teach the AI, those
warning industrial users of that area To train the AI, thousands of sound errors will be baked into the system.
to be careful of the animals, or even clips of whales, as well as background “If the human expert was incorrect,
halt operations to let them pass safely. noise such as shipping and drilling, then the model will not learn
To do so, researchers need to know were turned into images called correctly,” explained Milner. “It’s just
the whales’ location. Traditionally spectrograms, rather than feeding like with a human – if you’re told the
this has been done using observers on audio into AI. Those were all classified wrong thing then you’ll learn wrong.”
ships, but that’s difficult, expensive and labelled, letting the deep- But with the right datasets and
and misses plenty of whales. “They’d learning system understand what accurate labelling, this mix of
be looking to see the whales break the each sound represented. A selection background noise scrubbing and
surface, or for spray patterns,” Milner of clips were held back to test the classification could have uses well
said. “Obviously you can’t do that at system, ensuring it learned well and BELOW TheAIcuts beyond whales. One of Milner’s
night or in fog or low visibility.” was accurate. down the bird- students is adapting the system to
This type of right whale makes two The system doesn’t spit out an countingtimefrom track small mammals near Chernobyl
distinct noises. “An ‘upcall’ is quite answer of whale or not a whale. weeks to hours using passive sound monitoring
devices, to monitor their activity
and recovery.
That reuse of scientific techniques
mirrors how researchers are reusing
existing technologies to help monitor
the animal world. While Milner’s
team had to develop these AI models
themselves, the ideas at their core
come from speech processing and
recognition, which is Milner’s
research background, rather than
whales. “Those technologies apply
just as well to right whales or small
mammals or bats because they’re just
acoustic signals that we represent as
images in spectrograms,” he said. In
short, the same sort of systems that let
you ask Alexa or Siri a question are
being repurposed to save endangered
whales in the North Atlantic.
low frequency but we can just about Instead, it gives a probability that the That reuse of existing innovations
hear it with our own ears,” he said. sound clip is a right whale. A figure of is exactly how Johnston’s projects
“And there’s the ‘gunshot’, which is 0.9 means the system is very certain, came about, too. The idea was
the sound of a gun going off.” while 0.1 means it’s very uncertain. sparked by the use of drones to
Underwater microphones, called Researchers can then set a threshold capture agricultural data, and the
hydrophones, have helped to for which clips the system should equipment used is often off-the-
automate the process, either placed flag, erring on the side of either shelf, consumer products.
permanently on buoys or temporarily higher or lower certainty. “You might Some drones are specialist and
run underwater using flying drones say that anything above 0.3 is a right customised, but some of the work
called gliders. While underwater whale, so you’ll get anything that’s done by Johnston is
equipment meant listening for those similar to a whale,” Milner said. “Or if “soWitekcnaonwacsttuhaelldyiftfrearinenitce possible with a drone
key sounds could be automated, you want to reduce false alarms, you picked up at a Best Buy, he
those distinctive vocalisations can be might set a probability above 0.8 – dbaeerttigewhcetteewnithahabelelru.oeIftwtchhaeanmlteh”aennd says. Even the AI is
masked by other sounds, including you’re going to miss some, but you’ll pre-made. The algorithm
the ships or offshore work such as oil be more certain.” used by Johnston and his
and gas drilling, that researchers are team was released as an
The whole system helps increase open-source project,
hoping to keep away from the the amount of data that can be
animals. “They suffered from a lot of examined, while also boosting meaning it could be downloaded for
false alarms,” said Milner. accuracy. “It will reduce the number easy use. “If someone before us hadn’t
False alarms aren’t helpful when of missed whales and reduce the been committed to open science and
you’re asking industry to halt number of false alarms,” said Milner. had their code up… we would not have
operations to help animals. “If you been able to do this as efficiently,”
end up shutting something down, Reuse and recycle Johnston explained.
that may be costing thousands of As with Johnston’s work, this right The future of innovation in marine
pounds a day. A false alarm is bad, as whale detection system can be reused research isn’t necessarily invention,
is missing a right whale.” across other animals simply by but creative remixing. “So many of
training the model on a new dataset. the tools for scientists to excel are out
Cleanup operation “We could train our classifier so it there and available,” explained
Milner’s solution was to create a knows what a blue whale sounds like Johnston. “It’s just assembling them
deep-learning algorithm that can – we can actually train it so it knows in unique ways.”

128

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LABS

Workstations

Whateveryourbudgetortask,our
roundupofthelatestworkstations
willholdtheanswer.Expect
recordstobebroken.

aHnoywthtiontgryaocukown Wprienpdaorwesfo11r:thhoewuptograde youEnxeperdetsosk:envoewrything
Applehasbreathednewlifeintothetracking Whetheryouwanttotrythebetaorprepare What’sthedifferencebetweenGen3and
worldwithitsAirTags,butothertracking forthefinalversion,weexplainhowtomove Gen4?Whataboutslots,lanesandconnection
technologiesmayserveyourneedsbetter. inasslickandsafeawayaspossible. types?Findoutnextmonth.

Please note: Labs and features are subject to change 129

Onelastthing... @PCPRO FACEBOOK.COM/PCPRO

hcdInriagsyvitietnaaJlglloesinirngtsHnowoahitnitusehrpyoeibunsattll

T he phone rang in that way it I continued onwards to run the time that we called them out on it.
has. “I’ve got a problem, Jon, application itself. To my delight, I Microsoft can’t ignore this, either:
maybe you can help?” This found that this wasn’t digitally signed the warnings inside Windows simply
call was from a friend in the either. Muttering rude things under aren’t strong enough. A casual user
village. He’s a nice chap, but his my breath, I did a hard reset of the should not be able to install
follow-up statement of “the Wi-Fi extender and set it up again. After something unsigned just by clicking
doesn’t appear to be working” this, it was working as adequately as the OK button. Instead, there should
inspired an immediate sense of such a device can manage. We retired be pages of red warning screens,
sadness and gloom, not helped by the to the pub for a couple of pints of followed by a final scream of “You
follow-up of “could you pop round Doom Bar. really should not be doing this!”
and take a look?” I did my very best to That part should have been a onscreen. In fact, just make it
sound joyful whilst agreeing a time pleasant enough experience, but I impossible to install unsigned
through gritted teeth. There was an couldn’t shake off the feeling of deep applications on the platform.
upside, though – hopefully a beer or annoyance that a very well-known The legacy and history of the
two at the pub. vendor is shipping out configuration personal computing platform is a joy
I trundled round to his house and tools that aren’t digitally signed. Sure, to behold, and something we should
fired up my Dell rugged laptop, this is an older product, perhaps even treasure. In doing so, we must accept
chosen for this task because the end of life. But the
shoulder strap and waterproofing configuration tool is there itonhfserAteOacdlKlawssbouaumarttlneouitnnshg.einTrsghcseruhrenoeesunislgdshnnoeuodltdjbubesetapbbaylegcteloiscking
meant I wasn’t bothered if it started for the customer to
to spit with rain on the walk to and download and use.
from his house. The main router was
working fine, I soon established, so I We have spent years
enquired as to the problem. trying to tell users that they
should not just randomly
“Ah, that’s in the shed,” came the click OK when presented
reply, so we trudged off down the with the Windows security
garden to the man cave. Here I found dialog box. That this is the way by that for every shining example of
the utter delight of an aged 802.11ac which malware gets into their good work, there’s some nastiness
Wi-Fi repeater from said unnamed computer, often from apps that have lurking in the shadows. However, the
company. It has an Ethernet port, so been compromised and then larger companies, with their billion-
it allowed for a desktop computer to recirculated via a dodgy source. Or dollar revenue streams, don’t get a
be used in the man cave, presumably pushed to the user through a less than free pass on this.
for research purposes into how to clean website. It’s time for such behaviour to be
correctly grow your tomato plants. And yet here we have an example stamped out. I should be able to
Or, more likely, to watch football of a big-name vendor that simply return a product to the manufacturer
away from the family. There was, of can’t be bothered to keep its estate of for a full-ticket refund in such a
course, a kettle in residence. apps up to date. Which evidently has situation, on the grounds that it’s
I decided the best thing to do was no meaningful process for auditing simply not fit for purpose. And for
to download the configuration app for the app library, and keeping a proper this to apply until the vendor stands
this extender. So I went to the website check on what is public-facing. up and formally says that this
and downloaded the latest version. I can just about accept an unsigned product isn’t supported, and pulls
I ran the setup program, and was, installer for a beta product, when everything associated with it. Then
shall we say, perplexed to discover the development is rushing to get a companies might start to take
that the installer wasn’t digitally fix out to a particularly nasty issue. lifecycles seriously.
signed. Being of a cautious nature, I You know what you’re getting, it Still, the Doom Bar was excellent.
checked my Dell carefully – I ran should be plastered in appropriate As always.
Windows Defender to see if anything warnings and it’s acceptable in
unpleasant had landed on my disk. I exceptional circumstances. Jon is a contributing editor to PC Pro. He
ran some DNS lookup tests to ensure But there is too much of that has been digitally signed ever since he had the
nothing was poisoning my download. rubbish out there, and it really is [email protected]

130

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