It uses the Dead man's switch technique: the monitored system must "check in" with Healthchecks.io at regular, configurable time intervals. When Healthchecks.io detects a missed check-in, it sends out alerts. Similarly, you can use this service too, to monitor a remote location that is not publicly accessible across the Internet because it does it's check outbound, and not inbound such as say UptimeRobot does. In this way, if the job has not checked in after a predetermined period, you'll receive a notification.

It is fully open source, so you can either self-host the monitoring service yourself, or their cloud service is free to use for up to 20 job monitors with e-mail alerts or 5 SMS / WhatsApp credits. If you are using the Dead Man's Switch service (open source clients), this is certainly an alternative to consider.

See https://github.com/healthchecks/healthchecks

#technology #opensource #healthchecks #alternativeto #deadmansswitch #monitoring

There are plenty of Linux phones to choose from out there. All kinds of options with different specs from different companies. Each Linux phone with its own unique set of features. In this article, we will guide you through buying the best Linux phone.

Essentially, if a smartphone is powered by a Linux OS, it’s a Linux phone. Technically, Android uses the Linux kernel too, but phones in this article also use FOSS software and modified Linux distros. Most phones here use the original (mainline) Linux kernel, not a heavily modified Linux kernel like Android uses.

Most of the Linux phones in this list use desktop-ready software. Convergence is the keyword here.

Most of the Linux phones here have a modular hardware design (easily replaceable parts) – although this is not a feature specific to Linux, it is a common feature among Linux phones.

Most Linux phones focus on privacy and security – just like most of the Linux desktop distros. Again, this is not a feature specific to Linux phones, but they do all focus more on privacy, so you might lose out on apps like Facebook and Google.

A key takeaway right now, though, is that most of these Linux phones can’t be used as a daily driver, and they can’t really replace your current daily driver. They do lack a lot of features and apps you’d need. They’re meant for developers and enthusiasts.

See https://linuxstans.com/linux-phone/

#technology #linux #mobile #librem5 #pinephone #fairphone

It's finally an official release from The Tor Project for iOS. But as all browsers on iOS must use Webkit (even Onion Browser on iOS), I'm wondering how exactly Orbot is functioning. I did not find a proper explanation on their Github site. Most of Tor's website documentation is also still aimed at Android.

From what I see after installation, it creates its own VPN service, and then offers various bridge services to circumvent censorship by various countries (a bit like Apple's Privacy Relay). You also have an option to configure it to use a custom bridge. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see some security reviews about how this works in practice.

Orbot does require an iOS device running iOS 15 and newer.

See https://apps.apple.com/us/app/orbot/id1609461599

#technology #security #privacy #ios #torbrowser

Ideally, you wouldn’t store any sensitive personal information in the cloud. There’s always a risk your online accounts will get hacked, so in theory you’re better off storing all your documents and data offline. But that’s not really how the world works anymore, and the convenience (or necessity) of maintaining easy access to financial records, IDs, and medical documents often means taking a calculated risk.

But lots of people risk more than they need to, and end up storing quite a lot of personal information on a cloud storage service like Google Drive, iCloud, or OneDrive. If you do too, consider better protecting the data by encrypting it with a password.

See https://lifehacker.com/how-to-safely-store-sensitive-files-in-the-cloud-1848529835

#technology #cloudstorage #encryption #security

Getting fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) Internet for your household will ensure you have the fastest and most reliable online connectivity on offer.

But there are various parties, several pieces of hardware, and some confusing terms involved in the process that might be a challenge for the less technically inclined.

Although the providers are South Africa specific, the terminology and components should be generic to any country, and it is useful to understand how it all fits together. Always shop around as often ISPs will have special deals if you switch to them, and remember you can choose any ISP that supports the fibre present in your area.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/fibre/433632-isps-fnos-onts-and-upss-what-you-should-know-about-getting-fibre-for-your-home.html

#technology #fibre #southafrica #ISP

The ZimaBoard is a small, fanless computer powered by a 6-watt Intel Apollo Lake processor with support for hard drives and SSDs. Apart from having an Intel CPU (vs an ARM processor) this computer also has 2x SATA III, 1x PCIe 2.0 and 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports to set it apart from a Raspberry Pi. So it is more readily usable with expanded storage capabilities and dual networking. It is also a lot cheaper than buying an Intel NUC with a single network port.

It can be used as a media server, software router, personal cloud, VPN and Firewall, smart home monitoring, file sharing and collaboration applications, embedded projects, or personal server applications.

Yes it will cost more than a Pi, and it is a Kickstarter project (with 20% off the final retail price), but I see DBTech has just received one to review on YouTube, so it does actually exist.

See https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/icewhaletech/zimaboard-single-board-server-for-creators

#technology #server #zimaboard #raspberrypi #hardware

I am continually updating this list of software as I'm posting about new software I find. So it remains a good resource for use at home, businesses and educational institutes. It is also archived at The Internet Archives' Wayback Machine so will be available even if my site goes offline one day.

Open source remains an excellent resource for helping bootstrap new businesses without cost (as well as for ongoing use in established businesses), for igniting creativity amongst learners, for fully legal operation of small and home businesses, helping developers understand how other code works, and for so much more.

My list is grouped into over 20 indexed categories covering for example document management, libraries, education, helpdesk, security, utilities, project management, video editing, finance, health, business, government, and many more.

See https://gadgeteer.co.za/opensourcesoftware/

#technology #software #opensource #education #business

Thula Solution’s CEO, Gary Davies, told TopAuto that BRV is looking to replace its diesel bakkies with Thula’s electric powertrains to create fully electric 4x4s.

The ESV was developed to refine the game drives in South Africa, providing safari-goers with noise and vibration-free experiences.

“Stringent battery management protocols and redundancies to leading European standards are part of the design,” Thula says on its ESV webpage.

The Thula ESV can charge to full capacity in two hours, which will provide the driver with 100km of range. “Based on the average cost for electricity and diesel in 2020, you could save up to 75% of your fuel cost for your vehicles,” Thula said.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/motoring/432986-thula-esv-an-electric-4x4-made-in-south-africa.html

#technology #EV #southafrica #safari #environment

Brave this week said it is blocking the installation of a popular Chrome extension called L.O.C. because it exposes users' Facebook data to potential theft.

"If a user is already logged into Facebook, installing this extension will automatically grant a third-party server access to some of the user's Facebook data," explained Francois Marier, a security engineer at Brave, in a GitHub Issues post. "The API used by the extension does not cause Facebook to show a permission prompt to the user before the application's access token is issued."

However, the developer of the extension, Loc Mai, told The Register that his extension is not harvesting information – as the extension's privacy policy states. The extension currently has around 700,000 users.

"Facebook just happens to have a legacy web permission hardcoded into a page on their 'creator studio' they built, which makes it possible for someone who controls one of these extensions to scrape hundreds of thousands of Facebook tokens, without ever signing up for the Facebook developer program and using the correct/native Facebook app/dev sharing features," explained Edwards.

So this really highlights a potential threat that bad actors could make use of. So nothing should have happened, as long as it is not exploited in the meanwhile. Only a browser itself can ban an extension, and Meta is looking into the issue too, apparently. The article below unpacks the potential vulnerability in a bit more detail.

See https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/12/facebook_god_mode/

#technology #privacy #facebook