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All Sourceforge.net Being Blocked by SmartFilter
An unnamed reader writes: "I just noticed that all sites. '*.sourceforge.net' are being blocked by all corporations using SmartFilter including mine. SmartFilter lists all of them as 'MP3' sites. Below is the error I get. How come they do not block Microsoft? I can download an MP3 player from there, too (Media Player does play MP3s)." Here's the error: "Access is restricted to the site (http://www.sourceforge.net/) you requested. Per the firm's Information Security & Privacy Policy, all Internet browsing is monitored and logged. Please contact the Information Security Center at ext 7114 for more information. SmartFilter Control List category MP3 Sites is restricted. " The aptly named SmartFilterWhere tool shows which sites are painted over by SmartFilter's broad brush; in this case, software development site (and Slashdot sister site) SourceForge is blocked by the latest SmartFilter versions -- 3.0, 3.0.1 and 3.1 -- but not version 2. You might also be interested in The Censorware Project's analysis of the efficacy of SmartFilter as applied to Utah schools and libraries, or Peacefire's explanation of how and how well SmartFilter works.
SmartFilter is accusing Sourceforge of doing something (trading MP3s) that Sourceforge is not doing. It doesn't matter whether trading MP3s is legal or not. SmartFilter is publishing false statements about Sourceforge in such a way as to damage Sourceforge's business interests. That is libel. Case closed.
I'm a practicing Baptist, and have some strong issues on some things. However, when my church was passing around a petition in support of mandating censorware on school computers, I spoke out against it. People looked at me like I had suddenly turned into a gorilla.
Honestly, when public schools are underfunded, and hardworking teachers are underpaid and under-rewarded, should schools really be spending money on software that has been proven time and again to be ineffective? I haven't got this program to test, but how much of google's cache do they block, I wonder? And the Usenet archives? Between those, I imagine you could get anything you wanted anyways. My experience with the censorware at work has been it even blocks Slashdot on some days, but never anything else. It blocks a few online game sites, like Sony's Station, but not much else. I don't sit at work and browse porn, but I've loaded pages before that had plenty of it (people really need to identify whats in the links they email me) and the censorware didnt stop it at all.
So I ask you: Censorware that arguably does as much harm as good? Or raises for teachers and administrative staff who could better nuture teens' growth away from questionable sites as it is? It doesn't take much for someone to walk thru a computer lab now and then, and anyone turning their monitor off quickly is rather obvious. Censorware is a leech-like entity, and rates only slightly above spam mailers in my opinion (only because they once had, deep down inside, an urge to do something good--or so I like to believe).
But taking an active role in childrens education about such things, and occassionally checking in on them while they're surfing are far better alternatives than spending money thats going to limit so much of the good with only a little of the bad.
http://thechubbyferret.net - Ferret pictures and informative links.
Anyway, I checked it out and you're right. They have miscategorized Brewnix as an MP3 site. I've submitted a request that it be reclassified as a Drug site, along with Budweiser, Miller, and Samuel Adams.
Nothing for 6-digit uids?
1. The people categorizing URL's and sites are not much better than trained monkeys. Just because a site gets blocked isn't part of a conspiracy. Just a TMIF (trained monkey input failure) event. Usually they correct it within a week.
I work for a company that delivers web based training & knowledge development. If one of our customers experiences an outage of a week because of some TIMF, the damage can not be repaired because of lost momentum. It could easily kill our company in a week.
So they've delegated that task to a retarded electronic babysitter.
Suck it up and be a good drone or update your resume and start looking for a better place to work.
A competent professional doesn't need to have his/her time and efficiency wasted by this kind of crap. Competent management doesn't hire people who need electronic babysitters.
Tech Public Policy stuff
A good programmer is not necessarily a good manager. Unfortunately, when the average company promotes someone, they take the best programmer to manage the department.
My solution to this problem: make pay independent of position. A good programmer should get paid more than an average manager.
This in in accordance with the rest of the blocks on the site. Edonkey2000, kazaa, imesh, gnutella, all are blocked as MP3 sites ...
are they mp3 sites? NO.
Do they have software for the p2p sharing of files? YES.
Does sourceforge have any p2p appz for d/l? YES.
Following that resoning, should it be blocked ? YES.
I am NOT saying i would block it. But according to those rules it should be. Its might be easier to block the ports all of these use but it helps to prevent ppl waisting company time and bandwidth neither of which are cheap.
Not intended as a flamebait, just facts.