I have always used a web browser to connect to the newsgroups here (I currently
use the latest version of Firefox, on Windows 7). Beginning around June of 2020,
Firefox decided to deprecate some older https security protocols, called "TLS
1.0" and "TLS 1.1"-- replacing them with "TLS 1.2"-- the result being that
Firefox will no longer connect to the newsgroups. See this link...

https://hacks.mozilla.org/2020/02/its-the-boot-for-tls-1-0-and-tls-1-1/

At present, Firefox allows a user to 'roll back' to those previous TLS versions
(which is how I connected for this post), but it is only a temporary fix;
Firefox plans to fully eliminate those earlier protocols in the future. It seems
that the POV-Ray newsgroup page(s) need to be upgraded to the TLS 1.2 protocol,
if possible.

By the way, this problem does not seem to affect the main povray.org site or the
downloads page, just the newsgroup portal.

I've included a screenshot of the Firefox error message that shows up, when
attempting to access the newsgroups.

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Preview of image 'firefox_warning.jpg'

"Kenneth"  wrote:

> I have always used a web browser to connect to the newsgroups here (I currently
> use the latest version of Firefox, on Windows 7).

Welcome back  :)

The last year or so has been a rough ride.  I hope things are - better.

I have switched to using Brave browser, and it seems to work very nicely.

It's good to see you back, and I hope you get all of your technical issues
sorted out.  ;)

- Bill

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On 30.08.2020 10:48, Kenneth wrote:
> I have always used a web browser to connect to the newsgroups here (I currently
> use the latest version of Firefox, on Windows 7). Beginning around June of 2020,
> Firefox decided to deprecate some older https security protocols, called "TLS
> 1.0" and "TLS 1.1"-- replacing them with "TLS 1.2"-- the result being that
> Firefox will no longer connect to the newsgroups. See this link...

Ehm, the web news interface does not use HTTPS. It uses plain HTTP and 
works in the current Firefox without problems.

Thorsten

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Thorsten <tho### [at] trfde> wrote:

>
> Ehm, the web news interface does not use HTTPS. It uses plain HTTP and
> works in the current Firefox without problems.
>

Hmm, then there is a mystery somewhere ;-)

The URL I see when I go to the 'main'(?) newsgroups page (the one I always
access) is this...

https://news.povray.org/groups/

....uh, not HTTP.

I'm currently running the latest Firefox update, that I downloaded several days
ago-- v80.0 -- which blocked that newsgroups page, with the warning I mentioned
earlier (that is, until I instructed Firefox to 'roll back' to the older
security protocols).

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"Kenneth" <kdw### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> Thorsten <tho### [at] trfde> wrote:
>
> >
> > Ehm, the web news interface does not use HTTPS. It uses plain HTTP and
> > works in the current Firefox without problems.
> >
>
> Hmm, then there is a mystery somewhere ;-)
>
> The URL I see when I go to the 'main'(?) newsgroups page (the one I always
> access) is this...
>
> https://news.povray.org/groups/
>
> ....uh, not HTTP.
>
> I'm currently running the latest Firefox update, that I downloaded several days
> ago-- v80.0 -- which blocked that newsgroups page, with the warning I mentioned
> earlier (that is, until I instructed Firefox to 'roll back' to the older
> security protocols).

Just use http://news.povray.org/groups/

Cheers
Ton

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Op 30/08/2020 om 18:23 schreef Kenneth:
> Thorsten <tho### [at] trfde> wrote:
> 
>>
>> Ehm, the web news interface does not use HTTPS. It uses plain HTTP and
>> works in the current Firefox without problems.
>>
> 
> Hmm, then there is a mystery somewhere ;-)
> 
> The URL I see when I go to the 'main'(?) newsgroups page (the one I always
> access) is this...
> 
> https://news.povray.org/groups/
> 
> ....uh, not HTTP.
> 
> I'm currently running the latest Firefox update, that I downloaded several days
> ago-- v80.0 -- which blocked that newsgroups page, with the warning I mentioned
> earlier (that is, until I instructed Firefox to 'roll back' to the older
> security protocols).
> 

The problem started a few Firefox updates ago. I have the same issue as 
you and the solution(?) indeed is to switch to http instead of https. 
You probably bookmarked the newsgroups as https in an earlier stage; it 
is what happened to me.

-- 
Thomas

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THANKS, Ton and Thomas (and my apologies to Thorsten)-- I didn't know that there
are TWO 'identical' web portals to the newsgroups, one with HTTP and one with
HTTPS. I seem to remember long ago that Clipka (or one of the other developers?)
decided to 'secure' the newsgroups with HTTPS, which is when I started using
that URL-- and I then eliminated the original 'HTTP' link from my Firefox
booksmarks list, thinking that it was deprecated or no longer useful, duh.

But I would still suggest (humbly!)that the HTTPS sign-in page be updated to the
'newer' TLS security protocol :-)  Although, I would guess that Firefox/Mozilla
is simply trying to stay 'ahead of the curve' when it comes to security, and is
attempting to gently(?) 'force' web developers to keep up.

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"Bald Eagle" <cre### [at] netscapenet> wrote:
> "Kenneth"  wrote:
>
> > I have always used a web browser to connect to the newsgroups here (I currently
> > use the latest version of Firefox, on Windows 7).
>
> Welcome back  :)
>
> The last year or so has been a rough ride.  I hope things are - better.
>
> I have switched to using Brave browser, and it seems to work very nicely.
>
> It's good to see you back, and I hope you get all of your technical issues
> sorted out.  ;)
>
> - Bill

Thanks, Bill! I have a LOT of catching-up to do with POV-Ray. What's the latest
version now, v9.9? :-p

Yes, my 'old problems' have been solved, thankfully-- but then along came the
Covid-19 near-global lockdown, woe is me! But that's no excuse for my absense
from the newsgroups; simple procrastination and laziness is a more accurate
description, ha. (Along with some minor computer problems that I eventually
solved.)

It's good to see lots of old friends here on the newsgroups-- as well as some
new faces (uh, names).

And I'm *still* tweaking my buildings/cityscape scene from my last major burst
of POV-Ray activity! One idea begets another...as usual.

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> 
> The problem started a few Firefox updates ago. I have the same issue as 
> you and the solution(?) indeed is to switch to http instead of https. 
> You probably bookmarked the newsgroups as https in an earlier stage; it 
> is what happened to me.
> 

That's only a temporary workaround as support for http is bound to 

http is now deprecated and all browsers have announced their plans to 
drop it entirely. I just don't have the timeline for that.

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On 01.09.2020 00:53, Alain Martel wrote:
> That's only a temporary workaround as support for http is bound to 

> http is now deprecated and all browsers have announced their plans to 
> drop it entirely. I just don't have the timeline for that.

They have not.

Thorsten

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