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See this forum to learn about installation and posting questions like this.

See here.

Does this look like a legitimate product to you? If a company resorts to tricking a user into installing their product, then takes active steps to prevent removal, that's enough to put them well into the "scumware" category.

http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,12666 517~mode=flat

I believe the Java security warning only appears if the application wants to run outside of the sandbox. Thus, clicking OK on that security warning will allow the applet to access your hard drive.

For example, BroadbandReport's speed testers don't show a security warning, since they don't need full access. On the other hand, the file transfer utility on a Webmin server does show a security warning, since it needs to access files on your hard drive in order to upload or download files.

In short: Don't click "YES" on any unintended security warnings, regardless on where they came from.

This is from a person called "Southpaw018" on BBR:

Re: Nice tool for parents to keep eye on kids

This isn't about teaching kids right from wrong, it's about the MPAA using FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) to get their way. This amounts to a fear-based campaign. I ran it on my system, and it highlighted something like 10,000 files. Most of them were audio files that were legitimate parts of programs installed on my computer - including Windows itself.

Some copyright detector this is.

Ok, we all know the type of user I'm talking about... those windows folks who have 18 quirky sounds, some obnoxiously colored background/desktop, who change 'themes' every two days (often after I remove them so I can save my sanity while I fix their latest screw-ups), and who think the Internet is what a computer "is."

What's going to happen when these folks run the 'MPAA scanner' and it recommends that they delete these 'bad files' - whammo ! away go the freaky grunts and squirts and squeaks they love so dearly, and they race to phone to call me to 'fix their Internet' again... Oh my.

So this means that public schools in the US permit every shady business to slip in its personal agenda to the official curriculum, provide they bribe enough politicos.

This is a fucking scandal and a disgrace for the US school system. Since I'm a foreigner there's nothing I can do, besides urging you to act on this outrage.

The full post can be found here

I scoured their user agreements CAREFULLY for mention of a bandwidth cap and found no mention of such a thing. If they try to tag me with one, and it's still not in their subscriber agreement, they will be hit with a class-action false advertising suit.

I do agree with you 100% but Comcast IS sending out warnings. Quite honestly, I don't think they would care a single bit if the people they flagged as high useage would quit or not so the court trip would be your only recourse. You can be the Guinea Pig..

Microsoft and SBC are supposedly teaming up to provide IP television someday. SBC has test sites in Missouri running adsl2+, reporting speeds of 24 mbit connections...

Wonderful, the telco Allendale Communications is already offering IP television with adsl 2+, with actual production speeds of 19-23 mbits. However, end users are limited to 2 mbits for surfing and the rest is used for IP telvision.

Broadband Reports was one of the first stories I saw about this.

Yeah, here's a Broadband Reports Security thread about the incident.

I can't wait to hear what AA's response to Doctorow is.

Those mail sending agents that do not listen on port 587 aren't following the RFC, and they may eventually end up on the RFC-ignorant blocking list.

And how long until SBC blocks that too?

The stated excuse for blocking 25/tcp out is to stop the spread of e-mail viruses that use 25/tcp out. It'd be a lot harder for e-mail viruses to use 587/tcp out because most e-mail servers that listen on 587/tcp use SMTP AUTH and possibly TLS. Blocking 587/tcp out would raise red flags among members of Broadband Reports, possibly cutting into business.

Verizon does not care how you use it, as long as it is legal, so servers for web, email, ftp, etc., are all allowed

Do you have information to back this up? Verizon's TOS for residential DSL is very similar to Comcast, and most other broadband providers, with servers in particular being forbidden. Have you seen an official TOS or FAQ for residential FIOS that indicates otherwise?

The most informative information I've found so far about Verizon FIOS has been at broadbandreports and at the curiosly "unofficial" FTTP Deployment Center website.

I got Vonage a few weeks ago at a new house where I had no intention of paying for a landline (went from DSL to cable). My wife was pissed after we learned that our entire end of the cul-de-sac is in a cell hole from hell. We couldn't make/receive cell phone calls for longer than 2-3 minutes in our home. Oops!

So, we debated for 1-2 weeks after we moved and finally got Vonage. Forthwith -- the pros/cons from a new user:

VONAGE PROS:

- easy setup (took 10 minutes to install Motorola VT1005)
- call quality is good so far (using QoS on a Linksys WTR54G router w/ voice terminal BEHIND router)
- no trouble dialing most local and long distance #'s
- straightforward billing
- very clean web interface
- nice basic features

VONAGE CONS:

- voice mail is choppy/hard to hear over the phone
- hard to find the better-reviewed Motorola VT1005 (Radio Shack tried to make me ACTIVATE IN STORE???)
- instructions for using services are in FAQ format mixed with a lot of technical installation stuff
- basic features are limited compared to AT&T

Now, I got Vonage, and then the next day after telling my boss about it, he got AT&T Callvantage for his home business line. He let me call in and access his web-based interface.

AT&T PROS:

- SUPERB feature set -- many more features than Vonage
- web-based interface integrated with phone (click-to-dial -- no outside apps required)
- call quality is good from boss' overloaded DSL connection (some servers behind his router)
- faxing is officially supported, from what I could tell (have to jerry rig it sometimes with Vonage)
- voicemail interface is really powerful
- automatic phone book setup based on incoming calls that become part of account (click on # to add it after you ID the caller)
- WebEx-ish conference call scheduling/notification feature

AT&T CONS:

- web-based interface is buggy (Javascript errors w/ FireFox -- no problems with MSIE)
- cost is higher
- really cool features aren't included standard -- expect lots of side charges

So far, my boss likes AT&T for his business line. He's thinking about getting all of us AT&T voice terminals for our small business. The conference calling costs $.35/minute for 10 people, which isn't really bad, I guess, considering that you're doing it from your own network + an outside call-in line from AT&T.

Vonage seems, to me, to be good for the home. It's simple and works, but I've read many a report of bad customer service and other weird issues. If you don't have to have the features for a business, then it's probably a better deal, but AT&T CV is close with only a $5/month difference for a more fully featured unlimited calling plan.

I did my research on Vonage at http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/voip before buying in. The regulars in the forum are very helpful and have a lot of diverse consumer-grade VoIP experience. For example, I learned that, in my new house, I can unwire my outline phone connection at the box and then plug in the Motorola VT1005 into a jack inside the house to power my phones. Going to try that in the next 2-3 days, I think, barring weather issues.

IronChefMorimoto

You have a really shitty understanding of economics.

Your biggst problem is that you couch your response in terms of morality. The marketplace doesn't give two shits about your morality, it only cares about maximizing value and minimizing cost. Right, wrong or sideways, piracy is marketplace competition and the end result of increased competition is always reduction in pricing.

And if abstract economic theory is too hard for your little shitty mind to comprehend, read this for actual hard proof that the music industry has been reducing prices. If your morality-laden theories were correct, with the increase of music piracy costs would have gone up and so would have prices. Clearly you are incorrect and your beliefs false.

One of them got convicted of a felony.

http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/33596

http://www.google.com/search?q=uncapped+cable+mode m+%22convicted+of+a+felony%22&hl=en&lr=&filter=0

There is a discussion in Broadband Reports/DSL Reports' security forum about this.

You paying customers are getting screwed by the companies themselves. Even before it was as "rampant" as it is claimed to be today, they were building in copy-protection techniques, which made it harder for the paying customer to use their media their way. This is even truer now, with cds like "Break the Cycle" (classic example cd) unable to work on many players.

I highly reccomend a read of The hard-to-find truth about piracy, which includes excellent parts such as:

The leisure corporations are conducting, in fact, a war not against pirates, but on their own customers. For many years now, honest consumers paying full price for legitimate products have been saddled with crippled, inferior versions of what the pirate users get for free:

- Pirate users don't have to keep their precious PC game discs spinning endlessly and noisily in the drive (and being subjected to repeated handling) while they play the game.

- Pirate users don't have to sit through all those infuriatingly long, unskippable splash screens / trailers / adverts before they can watch the actual movie on their new DVD, while the poor saps who paid for it in a shop do.

- Pirate users don't get their brand-new music CD home only to find that it won't play in their computer because it's been made in a non-standard-compliant "anti-piracy" format which prevents legitimate users from legally listening to music they've paid for.

- Pirate users can use their game consoles to play games originating from any country, while legitimate purchasers of, say, a game from Japan will be unable to play it on their legitimate, but UK-bought, Playstation 2.

- Pirate users don't have to uninstall perfectly legal software applications from their PCs, or put up with the secret installation of damaging programs if they want to play their new games, unlike the unfortunate legitimate consumers.

And so on. But astoundingly, the entertainment business still doesn't think it's made life miserable enough for its honest, paying customers.

Found that nice link in NTK for Sept. 9, 2003. I'd say that as a customer, you're getting screwed over. I'm not saying don't buy what you want, please do, but I'm saying it should also be ok for you to download a "Pirated" version so that you get to use the media your way instead of theirs. No-CD Cracks should be fine, but companies are now making your $50 product useless for using them. Sad, I think.

This is typical of Pennsylvania's legislature to bendover backwards in favor of Verizon.

Verizon struck a landmark deal with the state of Pennsylvania to provide 45MB/s Symmetrical Fiber to the entire state. Verizon recieved over $2 Billion from Pennsylvania but Verizon did not come close to meeting its agreement - wire 50% of PA with 45MB/s Symmetrical Fiber by the end of 2004. The state allowed Verizon to completely ignore the original agreement and keep all the financial incentives. http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/30544

That would be great -- to have Richard Dean Anderson (RDA) in a lesser SG-1 role. Perfect. It's not as though he doesn't already look bored off his ass as it is. Jeez -- I mean the highlight of this past half of 8th season was the guest appearance of a Conan O'Brian stage hand/production assistant with RDA in the gate control room:

http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,10284 524?hilite=conan

And now he might have a lesser role? Uh -- no. That would be Starge SG-0.75 or SG-3/4. Wait! Maybe they'll bring back Parker Fucking Lewis. He can't lose, right?

As a fan of this series, I must admit that I'm concerned about where the 9th season will go. I thought they were pushing it to do an 8th season and still get in an SG-1-casted movie. Now, I'm even more dismayed that the series might end as badly as The X-Files did.

One more thing -- Amanda Tapping should've kept her legs closed until the series was done and the movie was in production. 'cause if she bails on SG-1 to be a mommy, she's going to really regret looking at preggie on friggin' Proof Positive when she has no other work (sans minor chick flick appearances).

IronChefMorimoto

In arguing about the recent actions of Aluria, the discussion will inevitably be steered toward whether WhenU (is, is not) malware/spyware/crapware/*ware, i.e. whether it is right or wrong for Aluria to decide they don't fit Aluria's definition of a threat, and de-list WhenU. This conveniently sidesteps larger and much more ominous issues:

1) The amalgam (Aluria+WhenU) is now a competeting product to other spyware removers. (Aluria+Whenu) could more legitimately bring suit against AdAware/Spybot/etc. for the "anti-competitive" practice of removing WhenU.

As Eric L. Howes notes,

"It now appears that the Aluria scanner is actually bundled or integrated into the WhenUSearch Toolbar. In other words, by removing the WhenUSearch toolbar, other anti-spyware vendors will effectively be removing a competing anti-spyware product. Still worse, WhenU itself is now a competitor to other anti-spyware vendors."

2) The amalgam (Aluria+WhenU) can worm onto a click-happy user's system due to its existing title of "spyware eliminator", and summarily remove competing ad-belchers from that system (how convenient!). Now WhenU's promotions aren't being drowned out by Gator/Claria, Bargain Buddy and all their other popup-spewing friends you are likely to find on a spyware-prone (read: novice user) computer.

Do note that AOL is partnered with Aluria; AOL version 9 bundles Aluria Spyware Eliminator--so we're talking about a potentially enormous market here.

Here is what it does.

Dogg

FYI. http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,11653 142~mode=flat. Not sure why Zonk removed that URL from my submission. :(

See this forum discussion on BroadbandReports. On my office Dell Dimension 8250, its support program (support.exe) phones home. I consider this a spyware.

See this Adelphia forum thread on BroadbandReports.com.

See this Adelphia forum thread on BroadbandReports.com.

Broadbandreports forums

It sounds very interesting and might give it a try myself, but I'm not quite ready to dump all the POTS lines into the house just yet.

"Do the Right Thing. It will gratify some people and astound the rest." - Mark Twain

BroadBand Reports has a huge listing of reviews of VoIP providers.

You might check out DSLReports for some opinions on that router. One guy seemed to have trouble with P2P on it. In my experience a lot of these home-networking boxlets seem to choke on P2P.

You might check out DSLReports for some opinions on that router. One guy seemed to have trouble with P2P on it. In my experience a lot of these home-networking boxlets seem to choke on P2P.

From MS:

By default, software-enforced DEP only protects limited system binaries, regardless of the hardware-enforced DEP capabilities of the processor.

--

I'm guessing MS runs its own software NX because it knows what memory these system binaries should and shouldnt be using. So even if it worked for DCOM/RPC it probably wouldn't work with the SQL server hole.

Hardware DEP is a whole different story.

Short and sweet thread on DEP here.

Actually, you can enable software DEP for all programs. There's a button you can click on in system properties under advanced. Might be fun playing with to see if it breaks anything. Might be good to leave on if it doesnt.

That would make you a liar.
It seems to be you are a bit of a fanboy and SPEWS zealot. It's ok, you are free to use whatever you want to filter your mail. Hell, man, as far as I am concerned, you might as well redirect everything to /dev/null.

A reference would be nice, though I'm not surprised that you didn't support this claim with evidence. After all, you already established earlier that you are a liar.
I just googled for SPEWS, must of the stuff that came up were real jewels exposing the facts I mentioned above, but if you really insist on having them plastered on your face, let me help you out:

• SPEWS will block entire countries
• without any consideration to the spam to ham ratio.
• Their blacklist is poorly maintained
• their policies regarding entry and removal from it is a joke and prone to verbal abuse
• Even they advise upone their usage as experimental and not reliable enough for production.

If you have any more requests, please make sure to accompany them with baseless and trollish accusations. I will be more than happy to reply to you.

1. The only service I have heard of under 1mbit in recent memory is Qwest DSL here in Minnesota that is only 640k.

There are plenty. Check Broadband Reports and search by speed range. Last I heard, many of the regional Bell companies peg DSL at ~750k; if you want something faster, you have to use cable or buy DSL through another company.

So don't do anything illegal. Be serious, look at any of the forums on http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/voip regarding VOIP. Do you really think these companies have the time to keep up with monitoring your conversations and such when they barely stay afloat with user demand?

Just remove the space /. inserted for this URL

This posted software was issued by a disgruntled employee with virii infesting therein, or at least so claims some of the pages you've found..

http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,10804 029~mode=flat~days=9999~start=320

Frankly I think exiting the open source development world is the next step. I have been a developer for about 25 years and I do remember Bill Gates screaming in 1979 when someone stole and copied MS BASIC. So this kind of activity has been going on for many years.

I had stumbled in the Linux world last November and it is an absolute free-for-all. No wonder companies are exiting in droves, 99.99% of GPL projects sit fallow after 1-2 releases, and the Linux desktop looks like GEM OS from the year 1987.

Also, the alleged email exchange hopping around the net right now, appearing on new sites as soon as some dumb web provider is convinced that providing GPL software is "pirating". Currently at:

http://www.30mb.com/x/annejuul/

Also, the alleged revocation of subscriptions on the posting of MD5 sums (swapped by subscribers in order to check that their binaries weren't tagged, which, as it turns out, they apparently are).

Smoothwall anyone? All if this may be cleverly skirting the edges of the GPL, but do you really want to give this project $20? With 2000+ subscribers, it already has 40k+ from this.

That's actually legal enough... you're basically being offered two licenses when you get the code

It may or may not be legal, but it's certainly deceitful marketing.

About 3 months ago I decided that I needed a QOS(quality of service) solution for my network so I could use VOIP reliably over my DSL connection. After looking around I came across articles like these which describe how to convert the relatively inexpensive Linksys WRT54G router into a viable QOS solution for VOIP. Most of these articles will explain how wonderful Sveasoft is for releasing thier QOS firmware for free.

What Sveasoft is actually doing is charging for thier software, and using the GPL/free software reputation as marketing hype(very underhanded in my opinion). If you read Sveasoft's policy carefully you'll see that you need to subscribe to thier site($25 annually) in order to have access to the latest version of the firmware. But thier policy is changing all the time. Now you actually have to order a CD to get the latest version, and the website has changed to subscriber only.

Maybe this isn't Sveasoft's fault, but I bought the WRT54G just 2 months ago with the expectation that I'd be able to download QOS firmware for free without any hassles. Now I'm locked in and at Sveasoft's mercy because they are the only ones building a QOS solution for my router. Most articles describe them as white knights to the rescue of people who want VOIP on a budget, but they are using the GPL and the term 'free software' to thier own financial advantage.

IP Address are now portable

Also, see these security forum folks.

Microsoft disputes the notion that there's a problem with the way Windows XP works with Wi-Fi.

This may be another case of MS patches causing more harm than good... although (thankfully) I think this particular patch is "recommended" and not part of the critical updates.

A client of mine had his wireless connection drop every three or four minutes, even though the base station was under the desk at which he was working. After some research on Google, I removed the MS Hotfix for WPA (826942) and all is well.

Maybe XP tries to negotiate WPA after it's connected via WEP, and since the AP doesn't support WPA, Windows disconnects. I'm not a wireless expert so I'm guessing on that...

Note that disabling IEEE 802.1x authentication didn't help; only removing the WPA patch fixed the problem.

Solution was found here:
[wireless] Connection drops every 2-3 minutes

I have just started working with Broadvoice. So my opinion may seem slanted. I have enjoyed using Broadvoice for the most part. I have notice some problems with the service while downloading large files, but you get with any service you would use. According BroadBand Reports we are number one in the VoIP Market. We are also lauching into new markets and new features soon.

The only bad thing I've heard about Vonage is that it can take a long time if you want to transfer your current phone number to vonage. Check broadbandreports.com for more Vonage reviews

See section 3.1 in Broadband Reports' FAQ. I had to deal this on a Windows 2000 SP4 machine (not mine) recently. Very annoying!

Here. It is an interesting discussion.

from Broadband's followup :

Seven of the uncappers were indicted in September of 2002. One case was dismissed. Two offenders struck deals and went through a diversion program (Wirtz being one), and were not prosecuted. Two others were charged with reduced misdemeanor charges and placed on probation, while one other was convicted of a felony and placed on "community control".
...
Eventually he (Wirtz) wound up agreeing to pay $3200 in Restitution, $300 for a "diversion program" class, and forty hours of community service. Another offender wound up settling to the tune of $30,000, and others still walked away without paying a dime. Broadband reports.com

Ah, the BBS days... I still have my old 300/110 external Zoom telephonics modem for the Apple ][ that I used to use... not sure what good it'll do me, but last I checked, it still works :)

take a look at Broadband Reports and see what other options are in your area. I did a zip search and your area (49085) and it looks like there are several options, including ADSL. Even satellite has some good options now, including two way. The bad thing about satellite is lag due to signal distance, so don't expect low ping times if you need them.

Personally, I like DSL better in many ways - like my provider letting me operate a semi-private wireless network (requires a key, but I've given the key to several neighbors) and having a static IP. I actually could get a 1500/256 connection (but pay $70 for 1500/768 and a couple of static IPs) for $45 (same as Comcast for me), my download speed is a constant 1380, which actually was an improvement on Comcast's peak thoroughput for me (about 300 during peak times, and maxing at about 1200 late on school nights, but that was back when only 1500/128 was offered in my area - Comcast switched to 3000/256 in December [which, incidentally, was what ATTBI was offering in my area before Comcast cut speeds to "standardize" and was one of the reasons I dumped Comcast]).

according this. YIKES.

According to this thread and thread, 9,200 objects was the record. Now, I don't know if that is possible to get that many. At least the screen shot with 2,022 items looks legit.

If you live in the right areas, you can even get high speed internet, either from the DSL via the telecom (or from companies that specialize in rural service like New Edge networks), cable, satellite, or cellular.

Rural may even be better - I live in a suburban high speed black hole - the space between rural services that New Edge and others offer and a major city where everyone offers. There were at least 8 options for internet 5 miles north of me (a semi-rural outer ring but developing suburb, as well as 7 options in the rural suburb just north of that) and 12 just south (urban) when I looked non-locally last year (at Broadband reports and other places) and I had 4 (none of these include cellular). Cable isn't really a choice for businesses, or at least not for web sites unless you host the site externally.