Shamil's Blog. Software Engineering Processes, Android, CI, Devops.

Sometimes Google locks my secondary accounts (email at my own domain), only to ask then to "confirm it's you" via SMS to phone. But there's no security phone registered for that account! So the procedure is:

1. Lock account.
2. On log in, check for password and then ask for phone.
3. Accept OTP via any phone. Note: the phone is not stored as security phone! It's only one time random phone.

Hey, Google, what's the point in that? It's clearly not for security. Is that all to verify that my Jira sending-mail account is not bot? Well, I got news: it's bot, actually. And I need it. And seems you don't like that fact.

So I expect more problems with using gmail to send automatic notifications from my small service installations like personal devops. This means it's much better to discover and move to custom mail server from Gmail. Sounds like a paradise: no more worrying on email account locking, no more "look into spam folder". This is how email is supposed to work :)

The only real big problem is that Google is actually implements fake security, with fake like in "fake news". Something in the shell called "security" but not actually that. So it lies its users covering intentions with "security" topic, like "we've blocked your account to increase security". Or wait, that's not account's security, but a Google one (like secure our infrastructure with getting rid of bots)?

Labels: account, email, fake security, google, lock

In light of google disabling adblocking-related API parts for Chrome extensions and lots of other shit about Chrome I started to look for an alternative.
What I came into is "ungoogled chromium" which can be downloaded as many other chromium variants from here. Not sure on next step, can possibly compile it myself with importing latest patches or reverting patch related to API cut (I'm sure they'll make it impossible. though).
There're some challenges in process of moving to Chromium from Chrome, though. Copying profile is not enough ;)

• If you want to move to Chromium smooth and save your opened tabs, the trick is to copy user profile while Chrome is opened (as Chromium resets some of settings while opening newly copied profile it starts with "Open with new tab" option effectively forgetting all your tabs
• In Chromium passwords cannot be imported. At all. Or saved. Until you delete "Login Data*" files (DB itself and -journal).
• Extensions cannot be set up from chrome store. Download process is manual using download URL below or here with pictures (if you don't mind some Japanese).
• Look through 

Download link for chrome extension is below, replace version (in format: 74.0) and extension ID with actual values:

https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx?response=redirect&prodversion=[PRODVERSION]&acceptformat=crx2,crx3&x=id%3D[EXTENSIONID]%26uc

PS Speaking of privacy and adblock-related extensions, I'm using uBlock origin (gorhill's one) and Tampermonkey with some Medium-related scripts. Cannot imagine browsing without them - internet is just hell (from my point of view I can compare it with popups and blinking banners of 90s).

Labels: chrome, chromium, extensions, google, opensource, privacy, security, ublock

Last week I downgraded Google Play using "Uninstall updates" button (on android ver 2.3.4), so I got fast Market app back (v. 2.3.4). Old Market app worked good and installed apps without problems, but when I needed to test In-app-billing, it for sure did not work :-) (Google requires ) So I tried to force it autoupdate (usually Market and Play apps updated automatically). I even installed all-hated Google Services Framework and Play Services, hoping that they will help Market to autoupdate. They did not. I followed recommendations to clear Market cache and data, but it only cleared list of "My apps". $%$#$&!

So the only way was to manually update Market to Play. As this is original apk signed with Google keys, all went OK. IAB working now.

Labels: android, autoupdate, downgrade, evil, framework, google, market, play, services, update, upgrade

If you have same main account on more than one android device, C2DM delivery will only work for last logged in device (seems that google acc logon happens on system restart). This is a problem for testing park devices for which is hard to create and support unique google accounts :-(

Labels: android, c2dm, google, opensource, push, shit

In new version of text editor of GDocs it's very hard to maintain aspect ratio of drawings to keep text readable. Drawing is rendered at server side and the aspect ratio of drawing when rendered in document now does not correlate with its content size. Renderer tries to calculate the text scale from drawing aspect ratio. But size is not correlated to drawing content. So anytime you insert or change drawing you have to manually adjust its size just to make text readable (which is very hard, because text is not rendered in a stylish way for any scale incompatibility).
It's impossible to use previous version of drawer with new version document, but you can create documents in old version of editor. Also, It's impossible to copy drawing from new version to old one via web clipboard.
In comparison to GDocs tricks MS Office is just as solid as stone. Just checked: 2007 Word has almost same cool drawings editor.
I need solution to simplify sharing of DOCs (svn seems to me very heavy for such an easy task, cause it's impossible to use web interface to share or publish one document). Do you know one?

Labels: docs, evil, google, ms, office2007, question

We actually have confirmation why Google needs to destroy our privacy by making those who use their services online enabling 3rd party cookies: yesterday they announced that they are "...making ads more interesting":

...we can make online advertising even more relevant and useful by using additional information about the websites people visit.

- so, combining this fact with grasp at and only at the 3rd party cookies when using their services (even blogger logging in now require it) one can understand that this is a public announced total recording of the browsing and interests of internet users.

Labels: 1984, evil, google, save our souls, total control

Discovered several days ago that in order to use GMail Google requires that the 3rd party cookies is enabled in browser! As often said, it hurts the online provacy, but why does google require this? The answer is very simple: to track you by its adsense/doubleclick engines! They can track your path in web only if you enable the 3rd party cookies.
What to do to save your privacy?
1) Use different browsers for web browsing and working in GMail (i.e. Opera for browsing/Firefox for GMail)
2) Use "Enable 3rd party Cookies" setting for all these sites: gmail.com, google.com, google.*/, *.google.*. (You can do this in Opera AFAIK). The default setting for Cookies should be "Accept cookies only from site I visit" (=no 3rd party cookies).
Take care!
PS Do you believe in "Don't be evil" anymore?

Labels: cookies, evil, google, privacy, security