Here are the references I took down from todays meeting.
Containers
- Request to re-run the containers talk, https://u3acommunities.org/event/virtual-machines-containers-and-related-technologies/
- Buildah, https://buildah.io/ can create containers
- Podman, https://podman.io/ can run containers
- SIM-H, https://opensimh.org/
- PiDP-11, https://obsolescence.wixsite.com/obsolescence/pidp-11
- Virtual OS museum – https://virtualosmuseum.org
- Proxmox – https://www.proxmox.com/en/
Office
- Libra Office – https://www.libreoffice.org
- Open Office – https://www.openoffice.org
- Only Office (used for EU office) – https://www.onlyoffice.com
- Script conversion – https://www.business-spreadsheets.com/vba2oo.asp (no clue if this works)
ISP’s
- My writeup so far – https://plord.co.uk/blog/isps/
- Toob (current ISP) – https://www.toob.co.uk … still recommended
- Olilo (New ISP) – https://olilo.co.uk
- Comparison site – https://directory.leafnetworks.uk
Firmware
- Linux surface – https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface
- Linux firmware updater – https://github.com/fwupd/fwupd
Backups
- restic – https://restic.net
Social media for under 16 year olds
- Real time bidding breach concerns – https://www.wardandsmith.com/article/going-once-going-twice-sold-real-time-bidding-data-privacy-breach
- Cyber risk – https://aisa.org.au/public/public/News_and_Media/Media-Releases/Social-media-ban-for-teens-poses-cyber-security-risks.aspx
- 70,000 hack – https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/oct/09/hack-age-verification-firm-discord-users-id-photos
I proposed to my MP –
One concrete suggestion is to use the fediverse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fediverse), for example :
- Each school sets up their own fediverse server (pretty easy to do it, I run https://u3a.social a small cheap server for my community)
- When a pupil joins the school, they are given the usual email address, web login but also a school fediverse account
- Younger pupils would only be allowed to interact with other pupils at the school
- Older pupils could be granted permission to interact with pupils at other schools and, perhaps, the larger fediverse outside of schools
- Teachers and parents can monitor and moderate the discussions
The difference being that the platform is “owned” by the local community, not a big company in another country, which is only out to sell you ads and push their political leaning.
Spydus
From John –
Re the commentator’s view on Spydus:
It looks like it is – at least in part – due the multi-authority and consortia membership on the Civica Platform into the ‘English Libraries Insight’ Platform (a new one on me) under ‘Libraries Connected’ (not new to me) for data gathering, there being no central control of Libraries in England (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have different) models and no national LMS, nor direct links to FE & HE Libraries or the British Library.
I speculate, but there may also be onward user authentication issues via the LMS onto other platform services such as newspapers and journals, which may differ between authorities and consortia on the Civica platform.
So possibly a Routing issue due to fragmentation, rather than a data-gathering conspiracy? – but still poor.
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/procurement/ocds-h6vhtk-06b3df
What did I miss ?