Startup connection attempt

[jemail]

Why does Sigil attempt to connect to 8.8.8.8 (Google) on port 53 (DNS) on startup?
Sigil should respect my DNS settings not decide to use it's own.

[theducks]

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[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by jemail

Attachment 176900
Why does Sigil attempt to connect to 8.8.8.8 (Google) on port 53 (DNS) on startup?
Sigil should respect my DNS settings not decide to use it's own.

Sigil is merely checking to see if there IS an internet connection or not before it wastes time checking to see if there's a newer version of Sigil available or not. Sigil usage does not require dns, so we're not going to waste even more time/code trying to figure out what every user's preferred dns server is before checking for updates. Get over it.

I know you feel like you've discovered some great evil plot here, but my advice to you is this: block it, deal with it, or use something other than Sigil. Or compile Sigil yourself and edit out the offending connection attempt. We provide instructions for building Sigil yourself. That's the beauty of open source.

[jemail]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Sigil is merely checking to see if there IS an internet connection or not before it wastes time checking to see if there's a newer version of Sigil available or not. Sigil usage does not require dns, so we're not going to waste even more time/code trying to figure out what every user's preferred dns server is before checking for updates. Get over it.

I know you feel like you've discovered some great evil plot here, but my advice to you is this: block it, deal with it, or use something other than Sigil. Or compile Sigil yourself and edit out the offending connection attempt. We provide instructions for building Sigil yourself. That's the beauty of open source.

It was a simple question.
No need to be so hostile.

[stumped]

just as a quick devil's advocate- there are scenarios where a user will deliberately block google DNS at router level ( one such is when a user trying to outsmart NETFLIX geo restrictions, because the netflix apps are hard coded to call up google dns and go aha- we know where you really are). some Roku devices are also hard coded to do that.

So some vendors of smart DNS advise their customers to put hard blocks on 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 in order to get multi region netflix etc. working
anyone with such a block could be missing out on newest sigil updates. because sigil will conclude there is no reachable google dns and therefore no internet ( heck, they may even still have book view working - just saying )

i see no need for changes, but this thread may help explain the next obscure sigil cant find updates complaint..

googling "block google dns for netflix" will show that it is a popular query and bring up various references

[jemail]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Sigil is merely checking to see if there IS an internet connection or not before it wastes time checking to see if there's a newer version of Sigil available or not. Sigil usage does not require dns, so we're not going to waste even more time/code trying to figure out what every user's preferred dns server is before checking for updates. Get over it.

I know you feel like you've discovered some great evil plot here, but my advice to you is this: block it, deal with it, or use something other than Sigil. Or compile Sigil yourself and edit out the offending connection attempt. We provide instructions for building Sigil yourself. That's the beauty of open source.

Where is the option to disable checking for updates?
I cannot see one in Preferences.

[KevinH]

It only checks if an updated version is available, it does not actually update anything. It just lets you know if one exists. Therefore, there is no preference setting to prevent updates as it is just an alert.

As DiapDealer said, if this still bothers you, build you own version without this check if updates exist. Simply remove the UpdateChecker lines in Sigil/src/main.cpp. Or block outgoing connections from Sigil in your firewall.

[DiapDealer]

Yes. I did not mean to imply there was a setting to turn off the check. I meant you could change the source and compile Sigil yourself.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by stumped

just as a quick devil's advocate- there are scenarios where a user will deliberately block google DNS at router level ( one such is when a user trying to outsmart NETFLIX geo restrictions, because the netflix apps are hard coded to call up google dns and go aha- we know where you really are). some Roku devices are also hard coded to do that.

So some vendors of smart DNS advise their customers to put hard blocks on 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 in order to get multi region netflix etc. working
anyone with such a block could be missing out on newest sigil updates. because sigil will conclude there is no reachable google dns and therefore no internet ( heck, they may even still have book view working - just saying )

i see no need for changes, but this thread may help explain the next obscure sigil cant find updates complaint..

googling "block google dns for netflix" will show that it is a popular query and bring up various references

I'm perfectly OK with people who are trying to outsmart geo-restrictions (of any kind) outsmarting themselves right out of knowing about Sigil updates being available.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by jemail

It was a simple question.
No need to be so hostile.

But it wasn't a simple question. You were looking for nefarious activity and hoping to find it within Sigil. You also suggested there was a level of disrespect in the way Sigil was operating.

Originally Posted by jemail

Sigil should respect my DNS settings not decide to use it's own.

A simple, unassuming question would have been something along the lines of: "Looking through some logs and I saw Sigil hitting up a Google dns server on startup. What's that about?"

I chose Google for my ping because it's always up and won't be affected by a few thousand extra pings. I chose port 53 because it's common enough that most people wouldn't be alarmed by a ping to well known service port. And at the end of the day, it's not even dns communication that's going on in the first place. The idea is to bail on the update-check as quick as possible so as not to delay the launch of Sigil.

[stumped]

I have not staged a test but I assume that sigil works quite happily if the internet is down.

I.e. I can add "edit books" to my much too short list of " things to do when there's no internet"?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by stumped

I have not staged a test but I assume that sigil works quite happily if the internet is down.

Yes it does. That's part of what the process in question assures. If there is no internet connection available, bail immediately on the update-check and launch. If there is, hit up github to see if there's a newer version of Sigil available (but only if the retrieved version of Sigil does not match the version last retrieved online, and at least 6 hours have passed since the last check).

Basically, with an internet connection available, you get prompted once per new version available.

[KevinH]

All except for css2 and css3 validation which works over the net.

[The_book]

So when people in countries where connecting google is not allawed by the goverment try to use Sigil, they can neither get the information that an updated version is available nor have sigil's preview or book view owing internet resources working?
I can't think this is a good idea.

[DiapDealer]

It has absolutely nothing to do with Preview. Book View doesn't exist any more. Been dead for several releases.

The only thing this will affect is the notification that there's a new version of Sigil available. That's it. Nothing else. Zero, zip, zilch, nada.

So yes. If you live in a country where google's dns servers are blocked, you may have to occasionally check for a new version of Sigil manually. Funny thing is, the update notification was completely broken for years and we didn't hear a peep about it. Now we've been pinging a google server for years to determine connection status and it's suddenly the end of the world. Can't win for losing, I guess.