*banned 4 MarkDown love* @design_RG@qoto.org

@freemo It's still there, see it on m.s. control panel options.

@freemo Ohhh -- let me go check at mastodon.social. I looked at Renato's Brazilian instance and he has it still, but maybe it's an added feature (as he runs his own fork).

@freemo I still see it on Renato's 3.0.1 Preferences panel. Preferences -- Other -- Language Filters.

@freemo An auspicious day -- January 20, 2020 sounds like a good one. Hope it goes well! 😄

@Ilsa Each instance (or server) is maintained by a person or a group that decided to start it. There are always some costs, and these are covered by these people, sometimes they might have a fund raiser, or sell some merchandise, things like that.

since the goal is to create a social environment and not making profits, people are usually not here to make cash, but to enjoy conversations with like minded people.

The Mastodon project itself, which is led by Eugen R., has a Patreon account that has received some generous support from a variety of people. That allows Eugen to work full time in this project, as well as paying the substantial costs of operating his own instance - mastodon.social, which is one of the largest Mastodon servers and must cost quite a bit monthly in hosting fees.

@Ilsa

I would suggest doing some reading -- things will make mroe sense and you will feel more comfortable using Mastodon then.

There are some good guides I usually recommend here for new users (I was one too, just joined here in the beginning of November, 2019). Here are some links:

If you are new to using Mastodon, there's a good guide here: https://lifehacker.com/a-beginner-s-guide-to-mastodon-1828503235

We also have another new users guide, posted here : https://write.tedomum.net/rgx/suggestions-and-guidelines-for-new-users-written-by-mastodon-art-administrator

@ErikaDesign

@realcaseyrollins 20 degrees would be balmy and enjoyable in Celsius, but I know you are in Fahrenheit scale. It's a nice sunny morning here but equally cold -- minus 10 Celsius, earlier on.

Not going out unless I must.

@ErikaDesign @Krinkle
Hello Krinkle and welcome to Qoto. (Erika as well!)

Enjoy the network and all it has to offer. If you are new to using Mastodon, there's a good guide here: https://lifehacker.com/a-beginner-s-guide-to-mastodon-1828503235

We also have another new users guide, posted here : https://write.tedomum.net/rgx/suggestions-and-guidelines-for-new-users-written-by-mastodon-art-administrator

Casey Rollins made a video to explain the Fediverse, here :

"I made this video awhile back to help explain how the #Fediverse works."

https://www.bitchute.com/video/XOtRcgIdqihs/
https://invidio.us/yBRrqbRQ3tM
https://youtu.be/yBRrqbRQ3tM

Any question, just ask, and someone will try and help out.

@severian @Tulikaa Trunk would be a good place to look indeed.

I wrote a blog post that explains and links to it : https://write.tedomum.net/rgx/to-help-new-users-set-up-todon-101-page

@ErikaDesign @Ilsa You are welcome. 😄

I have it on my Possible Blog Posts list, to prepare a long post documenting the various ways people can Filter their timelines. This one is an awesome, power tool to remove whole swaths of annoying people.

@11112011 @snow Thanks, Blitz, I will. 😃

@freemo @snow LOL, I could have broken one, or even two, but there's more computers by far here than people. So could switch to another one without problem.

Just been quiet and reading a lot, which I hadn't done since got really busy with the fediverse. Spent the whole weekend catching up on The Guardian, NY Times, The Atlantic, New Yorker...

And this morning started a nice book, Steampunk short stories, quiet enjoyable.

@11112011 @snow Hi guys, thanks for the heads up, I have been quiet and mostly reading.

Winter Blues, yes. Sucks.

Blitz, would like to but later, when Spring has arrived. Not too enjoyable to be backpacking in cold weather.

@miguel31416 @astoriamike41 Hello Mike and welcome.

Enjoy the network and all it has to offer. If you are new to using Mastodon, there's a good guide here: https://lifehacker.com/a-beginner-s-guide-to-mastodon-1828503235

We also have another new users guide, posted here : https://write.tedomum.net/rgx/suggestions-and-guidelines-for-new-users-written-by-mastodon-art-administrator

Casey Rollins made a video to explain the Fediverse, here :

"I made this video awhile back to help explain how the #Fediverse works."

https://www.bitchute.com/video/XOtRcgIdqihs/
https://invidio.us/yBRrqbRQ3tM
https://youtu.be/yBRrqbRQ3tM

Any question, just ask, and someone will try and help out.

@ErikaDesign @Ilsa

Hello Erika, welcome to Fediverse, Qoto and Mastodon.

I have read your posts above and you have been learning quite fast, well done.

To Block a Whole Instance :

1. find a post from any user with an account there.

2. click on the users name, and it will take you to their profile page.

3. At the top, right corner, you will find a dots menu "..."

4. select that, and one of the options is to "Hide everything from instance.name" --- this is the one you want if Blocking their instance is the goal.

A quick screenshot (with an innocuous account, just for show and tell) is attached.

Have fun you won't see their posts anymore.

@khird I think the NA is afraid of a hostile agent having acquired an exploit for this, and that is why they came out and disclosed it.

Rumours are floating around, I have heard something along this line. State sponsored cyberwar won't be fun.

Verifying that the Update is done?

Windows Key -- Updates -- View Update History.

In the list, you should see an entry similar to this one. The KB (Knowledge Base) number could be different, as it is a different patch and KB issue for the different sub-versions currently out there.

* Regarding the Windows 10 January Vulnerabilty and the Importance of patching it! *

The NSA came out in public to announce this vulnerability, a sign of their concern and how serious this could potentially be.

Microsoft has made patches for the various versions of Windows affected.

However -- it's possible that your own machine hasn't received the update yet, as there sometimes other pending updates, etc and things might get blurry.

A user has posted a direct link to the Microsoft Advisory page for this, and the page has links to each of the correct fixes to be downloaded and applied, depending on what version of Windows you have running, the patch level, processor type (x86 32 bits, or x64 64 bits ones)

Please consider checking your own system - and manually getting and installing the proper patch if not installed yet.

Steps I would suggest :

1. Find out the current Windows version you have running. This might very even if you do have Windows 10 running. Open a commmand line --> Windows button, then type "Winver", which will run a Windows Version program, that displays on a new window your current system info.

2. Write down the Version and processor type. E.G., version 1809 64 bits, or 1903 32 bits, etc.

3. Open the Microsoft Advisory page here : https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-0601

4. Locate the proper version of patch for your system -- based on the current version level you are running.

5. Click on that type, and a new window will open, offering download options. Select the file with the proper processor architecture to match yours; either x86 which is for 32 bit versions, or x64 for 64 bit versions (more likely on newer computers and laptops).

6. Click on the correct file and it will download. It is a LARGE file, so wait until it's completed.

7. Once the download is completed, you can click on the file and allow it to install as a "manual update".

8. Since the patch files are fairly large, the installation will take a bit of time. Wait for it to finish, you can do other tasks while waiting.

9. Once it completes installing, it will prompt you for a Restart. Do it. Now.

10. Done? It will reboot, installing the patches during the shutdown process.

11. Verify the Install? You can go into the Windows -- Updates -- Show Update History list, and you should see a new update with today's date installed in the list.

Good luck, and please make sure to have all your home and work machines updated ASAP...

@sbjohnsrpi

Thanks for the link, Sam. I did read the article, and it seems to recommend the same method as on the more detailed ArsTechnica post.

I enjoyed reading the explanation and it does make sense. 😄

@freemo

@activenoisecontrol

You are very welcome, I am glad you enjoyed reading it. There are a variety of guides to the Fediverse and I love reading them and learning more.

@snow