From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 9/18/26 06:07, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Keep a bit of PostIt over all my lap cams so
-a-a nobody can steal my face.

I just tried face recognition in a new laptop with Windows 11. It is
handy :-)

But for WHOM ??? :-)

Let 'Them' snatch your biometrics and
then you're in big trouble.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 9/18/26 06:08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Hell, STILL show up at my bank to do biz in
-a-a person several times a year even when I don't
-a-a really HAVE to ... WANT them to SEE me, know
-a-a who I am. My "look" and manner is a bit
-a-a distinctive, they won't forget.

We can't do that anymore without an appointment.

Yer kidding ???!!!

Can't even deposit a check ... or maybe you
are talking about a longer more-detailed
discussion with a banker ?

My banks DO like 'appointments', but sometimes
ask the teller and they can get you right in.
Had to do that twice over the past month at
two different banks. Pick a "boring", mid-week,
mid-afternoon, time to come in.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> writes:

On 9/18/26 06:08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Hell, STILL show up at my bank to do biz in
-a-a person several times a year even when I don't
-a-a really HAVE to ... WANT them to SEE me, know
-a-a who I am. My "look" and manner is a bit
-a-a distinctive, they won't forget.

We can't do that anymore without an appointment.

Yer kidding ???!!!

Can't even deposit a check ... or maybe you
are talking about a longer more-detailed
discussion with a banker ?

I donrCOt know about Spain but in Portugal my partner was able to go to a branch and talk with someone, no appointment needed but a bit of a wait
for someone to be available.

Here cheques are rather rare these days, electronic transfers are
quicker and easier. Even when they they do turn up you can deposit them
by scanning them with your phone.
--
https://www.greenend.org.uk/rjk/
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 2026-09-19 06:03, c186282 wrote:

On 9/18/26 06:08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Hell, STILL show up at my bank to do biz in
-a-a person several times a year even when I don't
-a-a really HAVE to ... WANT them to SEE me, know
-a-a who I am. My "look" and manner is a bit
-a-a distinctive, they won't forget.

We can't do that anymore without an appointment.

-a Yer kidding ???!!!

-a Can't even deposit a check ... or maybe you
-a are talking about a longer more-detailed
-a discussion with a banker ?

Anything.

Some branches accept people without appointments, but anyone with one
gets precedence, so you may have to wait long.

-a My banks DO like 'appointments', but sometimes
-a ask the teller and they can get you right in.
-a Had to do that twice over the past month at
-a two different banks. Pick a "boring", mid-week,
-a mid-afternoon, time to come in.

--
Cheers, Carlos.
ESEfc-Efc+, EUEfc-Efc|;
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 2026-09-19 05:57, c186282 wrote:

On 9/18/26 06:07, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Keep a bit of PostIt over all my lap cams so
-a-a nobody can steal my face.

I just tried face recognition in a new laptop with Windows 11. It is
handy :-)

-a But for WHOM ???-a :-)

-a Let 'Them' snatch your biometrics and
-a then you're in big trouble.

There was a tick to harden face recognition. I used it. The thing
rebooted. You always reboot in Windoze.

Face recognition uses infrared camera, I don't know why.
--
Cheers, Carlos.
ESEfc-Efc+, EUEfc-Efc|;
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 2026-09-19, Richard Kettlewell wrote:

c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> writes:

On 9/18/26 06:08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Hell, STILL show up at my bank to do biz in
-a-a person several times a year even when I don't
-a-a really HAVE to ... WANT them to SEE me, know
-a-a who I am. My "look" and manner is a bit
-a-a distinctive, they won't forget.

We can't do that anymore without an appointment.

Yer kidding ???!!!

Can't even deposit a check ... or maybe you
are talking about a longer more-detailed
discussion with a banker ?

I donrCOt know about Spain but in Portugal my partner was able to go to a branch and talk with someone, no appointment needed but a bit of a wait
for someone to be available.

It also used to take some time for funds to become available. I have no
idea if that's still the case with .pt banks. Besides bank-specific
ATMs, some interbank ATMs may also allow deposit of cheques, but that's
likely limited to users of cards from SIBS' own card network.

Here cheques are rather rare these days, electronic transfers are
quicker and easier. Even when they they do turn up you can deposit them
by scanning them with your phone.

.pt banks did get quicker transfers, some banks used to take several
banking days. Maybe this was EU imposition? But, probably because bank
account transfers aren't used that much compared to other countries, I
think some banks still charge for these, possibly after a small number
of free transfers. For .pt bank users, I think payment of e.g. bills is
usually done using SIBS' payment system with "entity" and "reference"
numbers.
--
Nuno Silva
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 9/19/26 05:12, Richard Kettlewell wrote:

c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> writes:

On 9/18/26 06:08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Hell, STILL show up at my bank to do biz in
-a-a person several times a year even when I don't
-a-a really HAVE to ... WANT them to SEE me, know
-a-a who I am. My "look" and manner is a bit
-a-a distinctive, they won't forget.

We can't do that anymore without an appointment.

Yer kidding ???!!!

Can't even deposit a check ... or maybe you
are talking about a longer more-detailed
discussion with a banker ?

I donrCOt know about Spain but in Portugal my partner was able to go to a branch and talk with someone, no appointment needed but a bit of a wait
for someone to be available.

Here cheques are rather rare these days, electronic transfers are
quicker and easier. Even when they they do turn up you can deposit them
by scanning them with your phone.

I still pref cheques/paper, esp for larger
transactions. More secure AND you get a piece
of stamped paper you can wave in their faces
in case of problems. That CAN be important,
ruins all bank BS they might want to throw
at you. "All the right numbers, right out of
your very machines. Make It Right !!!".

"Or I'll take it straight to the lawyers, TV
News and reg agencies" is the next sentence,
if necessary.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 9/19/26 15:50, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-19 06:03, c186282 wrote:

On 9/18/26 06:08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Hell, STILL show up at my bank to do biz in
-a-a person several times a year even when I don't
-a-a really HAVE to ... WANT them to SEE me, know
-a-a who I am. My "look" and manner is a bit
-a-a distinctive, they won't forget.

We can't do that anymore without an appointment.

-a-a Yer kidding ???!!!

-a-a Can't even deposit a check ... or maybe you
-a-a are talking about a longer more-detailed
-a-a discussion with a banker ?

Anything.

Some branches accept people without appointments, but anyone with one
gets precedence, so you may have to wait long.

Wow !!!

Time for the Press, Pols and LAWYERS.

In-person banking, esp with paper instruments
involved, is more secure than e-banking on
several levels.

Oh ... seems SOME bank could profit considerably
by emphasizing the 'friendly in-person banking
experience'. In USA, Chase-Manhattan has a huge
ad campaign built around that.

-a-a My banks DO like 'appointments', but sometimes
-a-a ask the teller and they can get you right in.
-a-a Had to do that twice over the past month at
-a-a two different banks. Pick a "boring", mid-week,
-a-a mid-afternoon, time to come in.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 9/19/26 18:37, Nuno Silva wrote:

On 2026-09-19, Richard Kettlewell wrote:

c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> writes:

On 9/18/26 06:08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Hell, STILL show up at my bank to do biz in
-a-a person several times a year even when I don't
-a-a really HAVE to ... WANT them to SEE me, know
-a-a who I am. My "look" and manner is a bit
-a-a distinctive, they won't forget.

We can't do that anymore without an appointment.

Yer kidding ???!!!

Can't even deposit a check ... or maybe you
are talking about a longer more-detailed
discussion with a banker ?

I donrCOt know about Spain but in Portugal my partner was able to go to a
branch and talk with someone, no appointment needed but a bit of a wait
for someone to be available.

It also used to take some time for funds to become available. I have no
idea if that's still the case with .pt banks. Besides bank-specific
ATMs, some interbank ATMs may also allow deposit of cheques, but that's likely limited to users of cards from SIBS' own card network.

BEWARE of 'ATM deposited' cheques !!!

MIGHT go to the wrong acct, MIGHT not
be properly read. IF you use an ATM
yer bank will say "Well, you should
have used one of our tellers ...".
This is a COMMON story.

Here cheques are rather rare these days, electronic transfers are
quicker and easier. Even when they they do turn up you can deposit them
by scanning them with your phone.

.pt banks did get quicker transfers, some banks used to take several
banking days. Maybe this was EU imposition? But, probably because bank account transfers aren't used that much compared to other countries, I
think some banks still charge for these, possibly after a small number
of free transfers. For .pt bank users, I think payment of e.g. bills is usually done using SIBS' payment system with "entity" and "reference" numbers.

"Electronic" is MOSTLY OK ... but CAN go
wrong, and will leave you with minimal or
no hard documentation.

For larger transactions, really REALLY like
PAPER transactions. Then you have a physical
bit of paper to wave in their faces ... to
present to yer lawyers if necessary.

No wonder they hate 'paper'/'in person' :-)

The paradigm these days seems to be "Who Gives
A Shit ?". Banks and such DON'T CARE if you
are totally ripped-off - "cost of doing
business with the unwashed proletariat".

So, LAWYERS and TV News exposure. Gotta
make them REGRET that approach. If they
rip you off for $10,000 or $100,000 ...
YOU gouge them for TEN TIMES that much -
and make it PUBLIC. Kind of a 'war' now.
What a sorry state of things !!!

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 2026-09-20, c186282 wrote:

On 9/19/26 18:37, Nuno Silva wrote:

On 2026-09-19, Richard Kettlewell wrote:

c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> writes:

On 9/18/26 06:08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Hell, STILL show up at my bank to do biz in
-a-a person several times a year even when I don't
-a-a really HAVE to ... WANT them to SEE me, know
-a-a who I am. My "look" and manner is a bit
-a-a distinctive, they won't forget.

We can't do that anymore without an appointment.

Yer kidding ???!!!

Can't even deposit a check ... or maybe you
are talking about a longer more-detailed
discussion with a banker ?

I donrCOt know about Spain but in Portugal my partner was able to go to a >>> branch and talk with someone, no appointment needed but a bit of a wait
for someone to be available.

It also used to take some time for funds to become available. I have no
idea if that's still the case with .pt banks. Besides bank-specific
ATMs, some interbank ATMs may also allow deposit of cheques, but that's
likely limited to users of cards from SIBS' own card network.

BEWARE of 'ATM deposited' cheques !!!

MIGHT go to the wrong acct, MIGHT not
be properly read. IF you use an ATM
yer bank will say "Well, you should
have used one of our tellers ...".
This is a COMMON story.

You're identifying with your card, if you choose to deposit to the
associated account, well, that'll be a bit harder to fuck up.

From what I've seen, ATMs often (if not always?) ask you to enter the
amount by hand, so if there's a mismatch, I expect there'll be some
attempt to contact the customer, or at least there'll be a trail of some
sort.

Here cheques are rather rare these days, electronic transfers are
quicker and easier. Even when they they do turn up you can deposit them
by scanning them with your phone.

.pt banks did get quicker transfers, some banks used to take several
banking days. Maybe this was EU imposition? But, probably because bank
account transfers aren't used that much compared to other countries, I
think some banks still charge for these, possibly after a small number
of free transfers. For .pt bank users, I think payment of e.g. bills is
usually done using SIBS' payment system with "entity" and "reference"
numbers.

"Electronic" is MOSTLY OK ... but CAN go
wrong, and will leave you with minimal or
no hard documentation.

Electronic wire transfers, or that SIBS payment system, is harder to
mangle, although in engineering one knows never say never unless there's
a sufficiently absolute guarantee. Still, these tend to happen in more controlled environments, at least when done on ATMs.

In my experience, it's CNP transactions over external bank networks (MasterCard, Visa) that can be more problematic in that regard, in the
sense that these can fail without you immediately getting feedback or a document of some sort.

For larger transactions, really REALLY like
PAPER transactions. Then you have a physical
bit of paper to wave in their faces ... to
present to yer lawyers if necessary.

No wonder they hate 'paper'/'in person' :-)

The paradigm these days seems to be "Who Gives
A Shit ?". Banks and such DON'T CARE if you
are totally ripped-off - "cost of doing
business with the unwashed proletariat".

So, LAWYERS and TV News exposure. Gotta
make them REGRET that approach. If they
rip you off for $10,000 or $100,000 ...
YOU gouge them for TEN TIMES that much -
and make it PUBLIC. Kind of a 'war' now.
What a sorry state of things !!!

--
Nuno Silva
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 9/20/26 03:59, Nuno Silva wrote:

On 2026-09-20, c186282 wrote:

On 9/19/26 18:37, Nuno Silva wrote:

On 2026-09-19, Richard Kettlewell wrote:

c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> writes:

On 9/18/26 06:08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Hell, STILL show up at my bank to do biz in
-a-a person several times a year even when I don't
-a-a really HAVE to ... WANT them to SEE me, know
-a-a who I am. My "look" and manner is a bit
-a-a distinctive, they won't forget.

We can't do that anymore without an appointment.

Yer kidding ???!!!

Can't even deposit a check ... or maybe you
are talking about a longer more-detailed
discussion with a banker ?

I donrCOt know about Spain but in Portugal my partner was able to go to a >>>> branch and talk with someone, no appointment needed but a bit of a wait >>>> for someone to be available.

It also used to take some time for funds to become available. I have no
idea if that's still the case with .pt banks. Besides bank-specific
ATMs, some interbank ATMs may also allow deposit of cheques, but that's
likely limited to users of cards from SIBS' own card network.

BEWARE of 'ATM deposited' cheques !!!

MIGHT go to the wrong acct, MIGHT not
be properly read. IF you use an ATM
yer bank will say "Well, you should
have used one of our tellers ...".
This is a COMMON story.

You're identifying with your card, if you choose to deposit to the
associated account, well, that'll be a bit harder to fuck up.

From what I've seen, ATMs often (if not always?) ask you to enter the
amount by hand, so if there's a mismatch, I expect there'll be some
attempt to contact the customer, or at least there'll be a trail of some sort.

Sorry, but BAD stories abound.

The banks will NOT help you, not worth
their time. They COUNT on you not having
enough Lawyer Power to DO anything about it.

NEVER, EVER, deposit via ATM.

Telling you True.

Gonna deposit to an acct in the next week
or two ... a couple of cheques. WILL do
it with a teller, NOT via ATM. WILL get
a stamped bit of paper they CAN'T deny,
can wave it in their faces.

They HATE that .......

Oh, USA, "checks" .........

Banks are now, well, NOT yer advocates.
It's MASS biz ... and they are willing
to accept X-number of FUCK UPS - at YOUR
expense of course.

LAWYERS, MSM ... your best FRIENDS here,
but not very prompt.

But DO get that stamped bit of paper !!!
"Hard Proof".

Just sayin'.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 19/09/2026 20:48, Carlos E.R. wrote:

Face recognition uses infrared camera, I don't know why.

So a photograph of your face won't work?
--
rCLPolitics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.rCY
rCo Groucho Marx

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 19/09/2026 20:50, Carlos E.R. wrote:

Some branches accept people without appointments, but anyone with one
gets precedence, so you may have to wait long.

Yes. Actual banks-in-a-building are increasingly rare, but invaluable
when all the automated shit simply doesn't work

I think I just turned up the last two times. There wasn't much of a queue.
--
rCLPolitics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.rCY
rCo Groucho Marx

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 20/09/2026 04:07, c186282 wrote:

I still pref cheques/paper, esp for larger
-a transactions. More secure AND you get a piece
-a of stamped paper you can wave in their faces
-a in case of problems.

I prefer direct transfer esp for larger transactions More secure AND you
get a piece
of stamped digital paper and a computer audit trail you can wave in
their faces in case of problems.
--
rCLPolitics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.rCY
rCo Groucho Marx

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 2026-09-20 11:46, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 19/09/2026 20:48, Carlos E.R. wrote:

Face recognition uses infrared camera, I don't know why.

So a photograph of your face won't work?

I haven't tried :-D

Maybe.
--
Cheers, Carlos.
ESEfc-Efc+, EUEfc-Efc|;
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 2026-09-20 05:26, c186282 wrote:

On 9/19/26 15:50, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-19 06:03, c186282 wrote:

On 9/18/26 06:08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Hell, STILL show up at my bank to do biz in
-a-a person several times a year even when I don't
-a-a really HAVE to ... WANT them to SEE me, know
-a-a who I am. My "look" and manner is a bit
-a-a distinctive, they won't forget.

We can't do that anymore without an appointment.

-a-a Yer kidding ???!!!

-a-a Can't even deposit a check ... or maybe you
-a-a are talking about a longer more-detailed
-a-a discussion with a banker ?

Anything.

Some branches accept people without appointments, but anyone with one
gets precedence, so you may have to wait long.

-a Wow !!!

-a Time for the Press, Pols and LAWYERS.

It is been in the press. I think there were demonstrations. Limited use.

-a In-person banking, esp with paper instruments
-a involved, is more secure than e-banking on
-a several levels.

-a Oh ... seems SOME bank could profit considerably
-a by emphasizing the 'friendly in-person banking
-a experience'. In USA, Chase-Manhattan has a huge
-a ad campaign built around that.

There is a small bank that says in their propaganda they do this. I
don't know if it works for them, they are small, thus few offices.

-a-a My banks DO like 'appointments', but sometimes
-a-a ask the teller and they can get you right in.
-a-a Had to do that twice over the past month at
-a-a two different banks. Pick a "boring", mid-week,
-a-a mid-afternoon, time to come in.

--
Cheers, Carlos.
ESEfc-Efc+, EUEfc-Efc|;
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On Sun, 20 Sep 2026 10:48:37 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 19/09/2026 20:50, Carlos E.R. wrote:

Some branches accept people without appointments, but anyone with one
gets precedence, so you may have to wait long.

Yes. Actual banks-in-a-building are increasingly rare, but invaluable
when all the automated shit simply doesn't work

I think I just turned up the last two times. There wasn't much of a
queue.

Recently a redditor was complaining about the number of different banks in town, with new ones being constructed. There are almost as many as
marijuana dispensaries.

The last time I was in a bank was about 3 years ago when I went in to rearrange a CD. For some reason 7 month CDs have a higher interest than
longer term. I can understand why they're preferred with a volatile
economy but 7 months? When I asked I didn't get a coherent answer but
didn't pursue it.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On Sun, 20 Sep 2026 10:50:16 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 20/09/2026 04:07, c186282 wrote:

I still pref cheques/paper, esp for larger
-a transactions. More secure AND you get a piece of stamped paper you
-a can wave in their faces in case of problems.

I prefer direct transfer esp for larger transactions More secure AND you
get a piece of stamped digital paper and a computer audit trail you can
wave in their faces in case of problems.

The last paper check I got was the government covid bonus. I remember it
since the lobby was closed due to the plague. I had walked to the bank and
had to stand in the line for the drive in tellers pretending to be a car.

In retrospect what a weird bunch of crap was accepted to 'flatten the
curve' and damage the economy.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

c186282 wrote:

-a BEWARE of 'ATM deposited' cheques !!!

I avoid those now, too many OCR failures ...

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Actual banks-in-a-building are increasingly rare, but invaluable when
all the automated shit simply doesn't work

I think I just turned up the last two times. There wasn't much of a queue.

After having closed many branches, Barclays are now opening new
branches, they are not traditional branches with tellers though, just
"meeting centres" where you can discuss stuff with them ...

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 9/20/26 13:14, rbowman wrote:

On Sun, 20 Sep 2026 10:48:37 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 19/09/2026 20:50, Carlos E.R. wrote:

Some branches accept people without appointments, but anyone with one
gets precedence, so you may have to wait long.

Yes. Actual banks-in-a-building are increasingly rare, but invaluable
when all the automated shit simply doesn't work

I think I just turned up the last two times. There wasn't much of a
queue.

Recently a redditor was complaining about the number of different banks in town, with new ones being constructed. There are almost as many as
marijuana dispensaries.

So far still PLENTY in my area. But the staffing
has become thinner.

The last time I was in a bank was about 3 years ago when I went in to rearrange a CD. For some reason 7 month CDs have a higher interest than longer term. I can understand why they're preferred with a volatile
economy but 7 months? When I asked I didn't get a coherent answer but
didn't pursue it.

Online/automated ... it's always "press ONE for ... press
TWO for ..." and whatever YOU really need won't be on the
list. Gotta show up in person, a human can figure out what
you need in a few seconds.


--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 21/09/2026 04:54, c186282 wrote:

Online/automated ... it's always "press ONE for ... press
-a TWO for ..." and whatever YOU really need won't be on the
-a list. Gotta show up in person, a human can figure out what
-a you need in a few seconds.

Absolutely spot on, for a change
--
You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a
kind word alone.

Al Capone



--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 20/09/2026 18:18, rbowman wrote:

In retrospect what a weird bunch of crap was accepted to 'flatten the
curve' and damage the economy.

I think it probably did 'flatten the curve' significantly, at least till
the first vaccines arrived.

Your life in very low population density Montana does not equate to e.g. central London where people were dropping like flies.

Or China, where the real mortality rates have never been revealed.

The UKs final excess deaths over average were high - higher than
predicted - but were spread out enough that hospital beds were available
- just.

Perhaps we should have just let people die. Might have made economic
sense, but it would have been political suicide
--
You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a
kind word alone.

Al Capone



--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 20/09/2026 19:56, Andy Burns wrote:

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Actual banks-in-a-building are increasingly rare, but invaluable when
all the automated shit simply doesn't work

I think I just turned up the last two times. There wasn't much of a
queue.

After having closed many branches, Barclays are now opening new
branches, they are not traditional branches with tellers though, just "meeting centres" where you can discuss stuff with them ...

Yes. I think that was what mine was. A floor above a shop.
--
To ban Christmas, simply give turkeys the vote.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On Mon, 21 Sep 2026, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Perhaps we should have just let people die. Might have made economic sense, but it would have been political suicide

It was a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation in the States.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:06:29 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Your life in very low population density Montana does not equate to e.g. central London where people were dropping like flies.

Not quite like the British 'scientist' and fear monger Ferguson predicted.
His past predictions show he couldn't build a Lego model, let alone a
medical one.

Montana had covid deaths, mostly the usual suspects, people with one foot
in the grave.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 21/09/2026 20:00, rbowman wrote:

On Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:06:29 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Your life in very low population density Montana does not equate to e.g.
central London where people were dropping like flies.

Not quite like the British 'scientist' and fear monger Ferguson predicted. His past predictions show he couldn't build a Lego model, let alone a
medical one.

Actually the total death toll was a lot worse, but spread out over
several months

Montana had covid deaths, mostly the usual suspects, people with one foot
in the grave.

As far as I know I never caught it. I live in glorious isolation. But
then I had *all* the vaxes.
--
"In our post-modern world, climate science is not powerful because it is
true: it is true because it is powerful."

Lucas Bergkamp

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 2026-09-21, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 20/09/2026 18:18, rbowman wrote:

In retrospect what a weird bunch of crap was accepted to 'flatten the
curve' and damage the economy.

I think it probably did 'flatten the curve' significantly, at least
till the first vaccines arrived.

Your life in very low population density Montana does not equate to
e.g. central London where people were dropping like flies.

Or China, where the real mortality rates have never been revealed.

The UKs final excess deaths over average were high - higher than
predicted - but were spread out enough that hospital beds were
available - just.

Perhaps we should have just let people die. Might have made economic
sense, but it would have been political suicide

That doesn't make economic sense at all. Unless for people with
extremist and radical views on what counts as "economy". The health of
those in a society and their ability to participate in the economy is a
key part of the economy.

What makes economic sense is to make sure everybody stays healthy, and providing incentives to avoid people from appearing at a workplace or on
a commute while infected.

It did flatten curves a lot, only foiled by people who thought they knew
better and made sure it *just* softened the bow instead of actually
having a chance at stopping the virus.

People who say it didn't flatten probably aren't aware of how contagious SARS-CoV-2 is, especially together with its ability to spread before
symptom onset, or also with no symptoms at all ever (was it one in five
cases that is asymptomatic?).

They might also not be aware of research on long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and their severity, meaning even if it only
softened the curve a bit, that could already be a significant net
positive for the economy.
--
Nuno Silva
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On Mon, 21 Sep 2026 23:38:09 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Actually the total death toll was a lot worse, but spread out over
several months

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/mrc-gida/ 2020-03-16-COVID19-Report-9.pdf?ref=theferret.scot

"In total, in an unmitigated epidemic, we would predict approximately
510,000 deaths in GB and 2.2 million in the US, not accounting for the potential negative effects of health systems being overwhelmed on
mortality.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

You would think that 5 years alter 'how many covid deaths were there in
the UK' would be a simple answer. No so.

That site claims 232,112 for the UK and 1,219,487 for the US. I hear the answer now. "but without vaccines, lock downs, social distancing, masks,
etc it would have been much worse."

Of course, like several of the US politicians, rules were meant for thee,
not Neil Ferguson.

As far as I know I never caught it. I live in glorious isolation. But
then I had *all* the vaxes.

As far as I know I never had it. I had none of the vaccines and that
includes the yearly flu vaccines. I noticed the supermarket is pushing the latest, greatest covid shot. I believe you get a $20 coupon if you roll up your sleeve. Someone is making money someplace. After breaking a hip I was tested in the ER. When I was later transferred to a rehab facility I was
again tested and quarantined for a brief period. Negative both times.

My ex also is a vaccine skeptic with cause. As a public librarian she had
to get the swine flu vaccine in 1976. The relatively mild case of GuillainrCoBarr|- syndrome didn't kill her.

She did have covid and survived that despite being sort of a walking
medical miracle. How she got it is a puzzle. She seldom leaves her
apartment and wears multiple masks for an expedition to the garbage chute.
She does have PCAs but during the NYC lockdown they were being tested
almost daily.


--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:58:06 +0100, Nuno Silva wrote:

People who say it didn't flatten probably aren't aware of how contagious SARS-CoV-2 is, especially together with its ability to spread before
symptom onset, or also with no symptoms at all ever (was it one in five
cases that is asymptomatic?).

I believe it was much greater than that since most asymptomatic people
aren't going to be tested.

https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2020/04/23/nearly-80-of-inmates-have- covid-19-at-two-ohio-prisons/

"At Marion Correctional Institution, 2,011 inmates of about 2,500 at the facility have tested positive for COVID-19, two of whom have died, as of Wednesday. At least 157 workers have been infected, one of whom has died."

"At Pickaway Correctional Institution, 1,555 inmates of roughly 2,000
inside are infected. Ten inmates have died from COVID-19, as of Tuesday.
At least 73 employees are infected as well."


Both Marion and Pickaway were crowded well beyond their designed capacity. Marion had a substantial number of elderly convicts and Pickaway is essentially a nursing home with bars.

Trying to determine the final total of deaths is difficult but as far as I
can tell it was under 50. The response of most of the 2011 positive cases
was "You shittin' me, man?'

Of course the liberals jumped on it. All those prisons will be death
camps! We have to free all the not-so-violent offenders!

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 22/09/2026 00:58, Nuno Silva wrote:

On 2026-09-21, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 20/09/2026 18:18, rbowman wrote:

In retrospect what a weird bunch of crap was accepted to 'flatten the
curve' and damage the economy.

I think it probably did 'flatten the curve' significantly, at least
till the first vaccines arrived.

Your life in very low population density Montana does not equate to
e.g. central London where people were dropping like flies.

Or China, where the real mortality rates have never been revealed.

The UKs final excess deaths over average were high - higher than
predicted - but were spread out enough that hospital beds were
available - just.

Perhaps we should have just let people die. Might have made economic
sense, but it would have been political suicide

That doesn't make economic sense at all. Unless for people with
extremist and radical views on what counts as "economy". The health of
those in a society and their ability to participate in the economy is a
key part of the economy.

Old people in care homes are a drain.

What makes economic sense is to make sure everybody stays healthy, and providing incentives to avoid people from appearing at a workplace or on
a commute while infected.

For the younger ones, yes.
Hence vaccines

It did flatten curves a lot, only foiled by people who thought they knew better and made sure it *just* softened the bow instead of actually
having a chance at stopping the virus.

People who say it didn't flatten probably aren't aware of how contagious SARS-CoV-2 is, especially together with its ability to spread before
symptom onset, or also with no symptoms at all ever (was it one in five
cases that is asymptomatic?).

People who say it didn't flatten don't actually know what it did, or was projected to do.
In fact they don't know much at all, but a la Dunning Kruger, they are
sure good at shouting that they do.

They might also not be aware of research on long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and their severity, meaning even if it only
softened the curve a bit, that could already be a significant net
positive for the economy.

Lot of people lost their smell and taste completely.

It was NOT a nice thing to catch.

No one know how many Chinese died. Or if they do, they ain't telling.
Some people think upwards of 300 million.

Other nations with less good health systems say very few people died of
Covid. They just buried them undiagnosed.

However as a long term watcher of the political elite, I have never seen
them that rattled.

It was real, allright...
--
"First, find out who are the people you can not criticise. They are your oppressors."
- George Orwell

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On Tue, 22 Sep 2026 07:04:29 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Other nations with less good health systems say very few people died of Covid. They just buried them undiagnosed.

In the US there were almost no flu deaths unlike most years. Everything
was marked up as covid, including death with covid but not from covid.
Pile u your motorcycle while testing positive for covid and it was a covid death. It paid better.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 2026-09-22, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 22/09/2026 00:58, Nuno Silva wrote:

On 2026-09-21, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 20/09/2026 18:18, rbowman wrote:

In retrospect what a weird bunch of crap was accepted to 'flatten the
curve' and damage the economy.

I think it probably did 'flatten the curve' significantly, at least
till the first vaccines arrived.

Your life in very low population density Montana does not equate to
e.g. central London where people were dropping like flies.

Or China, where the real mortality rates have never been revealed.

The UKs final excess deaths over average were high - higher than
predicted - but were spread out enough that hospital beds were
available - just.

Oh, right, this was also one of the goals of "flattening the
curve". There'd still be plenty of cases, but not with exponential
growth that drained hospital care capacity. (And also ECMO capacity.)

Perhaps we should have just let people die. Might have made economic
sense, but it would have been political suicide

That doesn't make economic sense at all. Unless for people with
extremist and radical views on what counts as "economy". The health of
those in a society and their ability to participate in the economy is a
key part of the economy.

Old people in care homes are a drain.

I'm not so sure about that, the care homes themselves are providing jobs
to staff, and these people have, at least if the state was functioning
as some are designed today, contributed to social security and health
services, paying for their care too. (Even though many end up having to
pay on their own too.)

What makes economic sense is to make sure everybody stays healthy, and
providing incentives to avoid people from appearing at a workplace or on
a commute while infected.

For the younger ones, yes.
Hence vaccines

A case can be made that's everyone, not just younger ones. Anyone
getting sicker will mean increased costs for health services (at least
in developed countries, where the bill isn't entirely or in big part
paid by the patient), and possibly also less availability of close ones
to work.

[...]
--
Nuno Silva
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 2026-09-22, rbowman wrote:

On Tue, 22 Sep 2026 07:04:29 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Other nations with less good health systems say very few people died of
Covid. They just buried them undiagnosed.

In the US there were almost no flu deaths unlike most years.

There was at least one flu wave that didn't happen because of
masking. It's entirely possible that the precautions in place did lead
to that decrease in flu deaths.

Everything was marked up as covid, including death with covid but not
from covid. Pile u your motorcycle while testing positive for covid
and it was a covid death. It paid better.

That seems to be an extreme case that at first sight would be unlikely,
but it totally depends on who did the accounting and how, I'm not going
to contest that such stuff can happen.

Now when there's a death where the person had another illness or
limitation that aggravated the effects of COVID-19, or if somebody was
in a car crash and then died in a situation where they'd normally be
expected to have much higher chances of survival in hospital care, and
they are infected with SARS-CoV-2... those are indeed deaths
attributable to this virus.
--
Nuno Silva
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 9/22/26 08:23, rbowman wrote:

On Tue, 22 Sep 2026 07:04:29 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Other nations with less good health systems say very few people died of
Covid. They just buried them undiagnosed.

In the US there were almost no flu deaths unlike most years. Everything
was marked up as covid, including death with covid but not from covid.
Pile u your motorcycle while testing positive for covid and it was a covid death. It paid better.

Yeahbut, there really were very few flu deaths. The isolation and
distancing measures used to reduce the Covid reproduction rate, wiped
out flu transmission in the community. Flu was less transmissible than
Covid.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

On 2026-09-20 11:46, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 19/09/2026 20:48, Carlos E.R. wrote:

Face recognition uses infrared camera, I don't know why.

So a photograph of your face won't work?

I haven't tried :-D

Maybe.

I think TNP meant "so that someone can't use a photo of your face to
log in". No IR signature, not a "living person", so no unlock.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> wrote:

On 9/19/26 05:12, Richard Kettlewell wrote:

c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> writes:

On 9/18/26 06:08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Hell, STILL show up at my bank to do biz in -a-a person several >>>>> times a year even when I don't -a-a really HAVE to ... WANT them
to SEE me, know -a-a who I am. My "look" and manner is a bit -a-a >>>>> distinctive, they won't forget.

We can't do that anymore without an appointment.

Yer kidding ???!!!

Can't even deposit a check ... or maybe you are talking about a
longer more-detailed discussion with a banker ?

I donrCOt know about Spain but in Portugal my partner was able to go
to a branch and talk with someone, no appointment needed but a bit
of a wait for someone to be available.

Here cheques are rather rare these days, electronic transfers are
quicker and easier. Even when they they do turn up you can deposit
them by scanning them with your phone.

I still pref cheques/paper, esp for larger transactions. More
secure

Hardly... The unspoken dirty little secret is that all those "magic
numbers" printed along the bottom of that paper check are all that is
needed to make a withdrawl from your checking account. The routing
number, and the full account number, are printed there for anyone to
copy. And checks are "pull" style transactions. The person "cashing"
the check pulls money out of your account.

So hardly "more secure".

AND you get a piece of stamped paper you can wave in their faces in
case of problems.

Not in the US since 2001 and the "Check21" law enactment. You now get
a scanned image of the check (if you are lucky and it gets processed as
a check deposit) and if not you simply get a line item on your bank
statement saying "withdrawl" and sometimes naming the instution doing
the pull.

Granted, Check21 did explicitly make that "scanned image" carry the
same legal weight as having the canceled check, but it forgot about the "convert to electronic debit" workaround where no scanned image returns
at all and you get nothing more than a "withdrawl" transaction in your statement at the end of the month.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 9/23/26 17:29, Rich wrote:

c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> wrote:

On 9/19/26 05:12, Richard Kettlewell wrote:

c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> writes:

On 9/18/26 06:08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-18 05:56, c186282 wrote:

-a-a Hell, STILL show up at my bank to do biz in -a-a person several >>>>>> times a year even when I don't -a-a really HAVE to ... WANT them >>>>>> to SEE me, know -a-a who I am. My "look" and manner is a bit
distinctive, they won't forget.

We can't do that anymore without an appointment.

Yer kidding ???!!!

Can't even deposit a check ... or maybe you are talking about a
longer more-detailed discussion with a banker ?

I donrCOt know about Spain but in Portugal my partner was able to go
to a branch and talk with someone, no appointment needed but a bit
of a wait for someone to be available.

Here cheques are rather rare these days, electronic transfers are
quicker and easier. Even when they they do turn up you can deposit
them by scanning them with your phone.

I still pref cheques/paper, esp for larger transactions. More
secure

Hardly... The unspoken dirty little secret is that all those "magic
numbers" printed along the bottom of that paper check are all that is
needed to make a withdrawl from your checking account. The routing
number, and the full account number, are printed there for anyone to
copy. And checks are "pull" style transactions. The person "cashing"
the check pulls money out of your account.

So hardly "more secure".

AND you get a piece of stamped paper you can wave in their faces in
case of problems.

Not in the US since 2001 and the "Check21" law enactment. You now get
a scanned image of the check (if you are lucky and it gets processed as
a check deposit) and if not you simply get a line item on your bank
statement saying "withdrawl" and sometimes naming the instution doing
the pull.

Granted, Check21 did explicitly make that "scanned image" carry the
same legal weight as having the canceled check, but it forgot about the "convert to electronic debit" workaround where no scanned image returns
at all and you get nothing more than a "withdrawl" transaction in your statement at the end of the month.

Checks/cheques are PHYSICAL instruments though.
Some human has to HANDLE them - and can thus be
tracked down in case of evil.

No, not perfect - nothing is - but for some
purposes still "safer".

ALL-electronic ... open to the entire cyberverse
easily.

Still gonna say, the days of e-commerce/operation/etc
are just OVER. With AI help it's now actually impossible
to positively ID a particular human online. Even
biometrics can be faked.

Back to the Sears Catalog ... mail in yer orders
along with a money-order.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 2026-09-23 23:19, Rich wrote:

Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

On 2026-09-20 11:46, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 19/09/2026 20:48, Carlos E.R. wrote:

Face recognition uses infrared camera, I don't know why.

So a photograph of your face won't work?

I haven't tried :-D

Maybe.

I think TNP meant "so that someone can't use a photo of your face to
log in". No IR signature, not a "living person", so no unlock.

There is a click on the configuration of face recognition in W11, where
it says "make face recognition more secure; needs reboot". I clicked.
Maybe that was the activation of the IR camera.

When I bought the laptop at Lenovo, there was a choice of 16" WUXGA (1920x1200) and another one with more resolution. A note said that the infrared camera was added. And somewhere else it said it was used for
face recognition.

When I am logged out, see the camera led blinking, I approach the camera
a lot, the machine recognizes me and automatically does both login and
pass equivalent and I'm inside. I mean, it would work (not tried) with
several people login the one that is there.

I like the feature. I would like this added to Linux "easily". And
finger print sensor. We are late.

(yes, I was told that fingerprinting is possible, but not easy to configure)
--
Cheers, Carlos.
ESEfc-Efc+, EUEfc-Efc|;
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:57:43 +0200, Carlos E.R. wrote:

(yes, I was told that fingerprinting is possible, but not easy to
configure)

I had the reader working on the Lenovo T480 when I was running EndeavourOS (Arch). It didn't last long since it also required a fingerprint for sudo.
I suppose there is some PAM configuration that would separate it out but I didn't pursue it. The laptop is on a shelf behind me and connected to an external monitor/keyboard so it was inconvenient 95% of the time when I'm
not using it as a laptop.

It did take some fiddling but that may have been Arch. I have Tumbleweed
on it now and haven't tried to set it up.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 9/24/26 05:57, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-09-23 23:19, Rich wrote:

Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

On 2026-09-20 11:46, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 19/09/2026 20:48, Carlos E.R. wrote:

Face recognition uses infrared camera, I don't know why.

So a photograph of your face won't work?

I haven't tried :-D

Maybe.

I think TNP meant "so that someone can't use a photo of your face to
log in".-a No IR signature, not a "living person", so no unlock.

There is a click on the configuration of face recognition in W11, where
it says "make face recognition more secure; needs reboot". I clicked.
Maybe that was the activation of the IR camera.

When I bought the laptop at Lenovo, there was a choice of 16" WUXGA (1920x1200) and another one with more resolution. A note said that the infrared camera was added. And somewhere else it said it was used for
face recognition.

When I am logged out, see the camera led blinking, I approach the camera
a lot, the machine recognizes me and automatically does both login and
pass equivalent and I'm inside. I mean, it would work (not tried) with several people login the one that is there.

I like the feature. I would like this added to Linux "easily". And
finger print sensor. We are late.

(yes, I was told that fingerprinting is possible, but not easy to
configure)

First off, note "infrared" means BARELY infrared ...
880/920nm. Almost all modern chips are sensitive
to that - have several, and IR floodlights, for
security purposes.

HARD to find lenses on Amazon that DON'T have the
damned IR filters. Some SENSORS have one glued on.
Think makers wanna charge you double for IR. Note
a little pick, like the smallest 'precision'
screwdriver, can, with care, break or pop off
lens filters safely. Just had to do that with
an 'ArduCam' package deal.

Common dyes that might be used to make a 'face
picture' likely will NOT look the same in that
IR band. Common "black" looks WHITE or RED.
Black isn't black - it's three color dyes mixed
together.

However, 'professional' frauds ... I can envision
an 'inflatable/configurable face' that IS painted
so even IR looks right. If you're planning to steal
tens of millions - a trivial investment.

Sorry ... really NO more 'security' these days.
It's all a farce, still promoted by vested
commercial interests. Very soon, "in person"
will become THE test just like in the Old Days.
No e-methods will suffice. They'll have even
stolen yer biometrics ... fake thumb-prints.

BIG impact for the over-50 crowd who might
have great difficulty appearing In Person.
That's a large, and growing, segment of the
western population.

IF you can think of a hack-proof fix - you
can make yer fortune ... BIG fortune.

Alas, as implied, pix of faces ... the
biometric data will be stored SOMEWHERE,
probably insecure. Once "They" GET it ...

Welcome to the modern world.

AI is making all this MUCH worse - quick.

Back to the Sears Catalog - mail ...
written form and paper money-order ....
1925 redux.

Hey, WE did it ! BELIEVED in e-security.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On 9/24/26 15:07, rbowman wrote:

On Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:57:43 +0200, Carlos E.R. wrote:

(yes, I was told that fingerprinting is possible, but not easy to
configure)

I had the reader working on the Lenovo T480 when I was running EndeavourOS (Arch). It didn't last long since it also required a fingerprint for sudo.
I suppose there is some PAM configuration that would separate it out but I didn't pursue it. The laptop is on a shelf behind me and connected to an external monitor/keyboard so it was inconvenient 95% of the time when I'm
not using it as a laptop.

It did take some fiddling but that may have been Arch. I have Tumbleweed
on it now and haven't tried to set it up.

Fingerprint units, USB, have been
available for a LONG LONG time.

Alas, IF you put that biometric "out
there" NOW ... it'll be stolen and used
against you.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.misc

On Sat, 26 Sep 2026 03:38:58 -0400, c186282 wrote:

Fingerprint units, USB, have been available for a LONG LONG time.

Lenovo uses a Synaptics Metallica reader that isn't recognized by fprintd.
You need to use open-fprintd and a Python shim. It's controversial since
the library contains a binary block.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2