Are they kidding? Here in America people think they can drive responsibly with a cell phone in their ear. Now they want to take our eyes off the road, too?
1) Sadly, the applications (and the developers) aren't there (yet).
2) Currently MacOSX supports only Apple hardware, and not the myriad quagmire of hardware that Microsoft has to deal with. This fact alone might be the long pole in the tent against this ever happening.
Other minor problems--
1) What makes anyone think Apple will be any cheaper? They currently charge a premium price for their products; why should they change?
2) I don't see the embedded corporate bigwigs switching anytime soon. Where is Apple's enterprise software and hardware? The rest of us corportate drones would rather use applications and datafiles that are compatible with what we use at work.
Individually, I would do it, but only because I think Microsoft products are not state of the art; and I am disgusted with the stench of their corporate ethics. But winning over one or two geeks who are knowledgable of MacOSX advantages is not the same as winning the hearts and minds of the rest of the unwashed populace.
Let's look at the average home PC. Most owners treat it like any other appliance, like a toaster or a refridgerator. They never consider the security implications. They see these bright shiny advertisements on TV for hyper-speed DSL or cable downloads and they hook right into the Internet, without any security forethought.
It's like walking out onto the Dan Ryan expressway blindfolded during the morning rush hour. Your survival rate is measured in seconds.
Of course, in a perfect world, this would not be a problem, because the good people would exercise netiquitte and leave the security-ignoramauses along. But unfortunately, there are bad people out there-- ones that write viruses; send spam; and use other peoples machines to wreak some imagined vengence against some site. What's a mother to do?
OK, here is what I want on my machine-- developers, wake up!
1) I want a zombie detector running at all times. I want it to tell me if someone is trying to get into my machine from the outside (regardless of port). I want it to tell me if some process on my machine is trying to reach a remote machine on the Internet (regardless of port). I want this to have an icon in my startup tray that will check for updates every x minutes, and blink if there are any. I want it to check for updates when I boot up anyway. And I want it to have the option to remove the zombie it finds.
Yes, I know this looks a lot like some commercial products (like from Symantec) but I want it free. And hacker-proof.
Does anyone out there have a zombie detector??
2) I want a utility that will check my incoming email, and check for a valid senders IP/hostname. If it fails, dump the email into the spam folder. This is in addition to any Baysian filters and other spam traps that almost work.
3) I really want an appliance computer. Not something where I need (a) a friendly neighborhood computer expert, or (b) a comp science degree (as if that helps), or (c) a hacker mentality to keep my machine vermin free and configurable. To you computer manufacturers / OS designers / application developers: Make it EASY for us, EVEN IF IT MAKES IT HARD ON YOU!! Apple, you are the closest right now.
When my wife feels comfortable on a computer, you have succeeded.
In the story, the stalker was discovered by the victim when the stalker was found under the victim's car replacing the battery on the cell phone that was attached to the GPS device.
I guess somebody will now complain that the next revolution in battery technology will see the downside as being able to aid stalkers.
sigh.
Re:ipv6 vs ipv4 inaccuracy in CNN article
on
The Internet At 35
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Actually, one of the lesser known goals of IPv6 is to DECREASE the size of the routing tables. This happens because of better allocation of IP routes.
This article is yet another story that proves there are bad people on the Internet. They bend the rules of privacy designed for decent netizens, and hid behind those rules to launch their semi-anonymous attacks.
We've seen it before on the Usenet groups where a civilized discussion over some issue dissolves into a flame war. It has happened right here in this discussion area, where people's words are twisted beyond their original intent, just for the purpose of making the original poster look like a racist or a nazi.
There are varying degrees of 'badness' out there on the Internet, from the casual responder who slanders a poster; to the scum-of-the-earth virus writers and spammers who have the deluded opinion that they are doing good. There are a lot of shades of grey between black and white.
My response to attacks on my person from the Internet? Suck up the anger to retaliate, and don't even respond. The attackers (who have no other life but to harrass others) will all eventually troll for other victims to argue their rants. You really don't want to get black-holed into a war of words against some sociopath who has nothing better to do than to raise your hackles further. Just back away. It's the worst you could do to them.
(1) Out of all the classes I took in high school, the one that served me the best was the half year I was taught typing. (The other half year was shorthand, which was forgotten approximately 10 nanoseconds after the final class bell). I have found typing to be extraordinarily useful. It has gotten to the point I can almost type as fast as I can think (and no, I am not a -=slow=- thinker). It is my preferred way to write; especially if someone sees my handwriting.
(2) I often teach UNIX at a local technical college, so I teach mostly from the command line (the way God meant computers to be run, not from some weenie GUI). Few things are more painful then to have students type in commands, and watch the one (or more) student who doesn't know how to type struggle to hunt and peck the command line in. It just slows the class to a crawl, and eventually the frustration level gets very high; on my end, the other students end, and finally on the typing-impaired student who knows he is slowing the rest of the class down. UNIX command line may be becoming history, but there will still be a need to type.
Lets face it, keyboards are not going to go away until they hook electrodes directly to our brains and the computer can just jot down what we are thinking. On second thought, maybe that is not such a good idea.
Which was exactly my point. Since there is no centralized authority, there will never be a 'sheriff in town' When like-minded people decide that they must band together and go after the bad guys (because the bad guys are operating with impunity) then we may see a decrease in spam, viruses, etc.
It only levels the playing field if the good guys also don't follow implied rules of etiqutte. If the bad guys can't get caught, then the good guys going after them can't get caught, either.
But herein lies the dilemma. What is keeping the bad guys from grouping together to create even more evil on the net? When does the escalation stop?
Someday in the future this problem will have to be addressed. When someone or some entity takes total control of the net, then we will have a sheriff. What will it cost us? Just some of our freedoms. WIll we like it? Probably not. Look for it someday.
The internet is not centralized; there is no one central authority. It is like the Wild West. Good citizens keep to themselves and operate under common decency and common sense. But there are always some malcontents (spammers, virus creators etc) that feel they can do whatever they feel to whoever they want with small fear of retribution.
Some governments are just now awakening to the threats of these malcontents, and have passed laws against them. Of course, these laws are next to useless, because the net transcends international geopolitical boundaries.
So what is a decent net citizen to do? Nothing? Scream and cry until the lawmakers listen?
Until there is a real sheriff on the net, vigilante groups may be the only answer. Small groups of net-aware individuals who can root out the bad guys and administer some well-deserved justice. Some may call them net terrorists, but if they leave the good people alone, I would call them patriots.
Will the law go after these patriots? The law may turn a blind eye if these groups keep the peace. Besides, what can the law do to the net patriots that are trying to make things better when they can't even go after the malcontents?
I'm all for vigilantes, until we get a real sheriff in town.
At the technical college I teach at, I am the only Unix (Linux) instructor on staff. I get to teach very low level intro to UNIX and elementary UNIX systems admin classes, but nothing higher than that. There are about 8 Microsoft Operating Systems instructors who teach every aspect of systems admin, and several other instructors who are well versed in (and teach) most major Microsoft applications.
Microsoft is well aware that that people who learn on Microsoft products in school (especially college) will continue to use those products once they graduate to the real world, as paying customers. A *BIG* reason why many colleges use Microsoft products is because the colleges get these products at a highly discounted rate; and Microsoft is always glad to subsidize computer hardware purchases (of boxes that will run their product) so they can propogate their own dominance of the market.
At times I feel I am the only voice of reason in the crazed Microsoft controlled world at my school. I feel redeemed, though, when students (and those Microsoft instructors) see how cool Unix/Linux really is. Another thing I like is that just my presence as a Unix/Linux instructor gives our college bargaining power with Microsoft to get even more discounts on Microsoft products, as we threaten to move entirely to Linux. (Yeah, I can only dream...).
-------
As for MAC hardware and software-- unless Apple gets a program going like Microsoft has (and I think they did at one time) they won't ever compete with Microsoft.
In the past, MacOS8 was a great desktop/consumer interface, but it would not stand up to the rigors of an Enterprise level system. Microsoft is moving in that direction, as they are trying to displace the heavy UNIX (Solaris/AIX/HPux) top ends. Now that Apple has moved to a BSD (UNIX) based OS (i.e. OSX) they are now in a position to move to the Enterprise level also. But again, Apple must free up some hardware and software to schools to keep in the game.
-------
Why is this hard on Apple? Because the hardware is sole-source (their own hardware) while Microsoft is a software company mostly. As every hacker knows, making another copy of software is a LOT cheaper than acquiring another machine. Still, I would LOVE to see a lab of MAC gear in my college. (Are you listening, APPLE???)
Granted, I am biased because I was a SUN instructor, but there were very few days that went by when a student didn't say something like "I never knew that". And I am not talking about the beginning classes either; this was from the more seasoned and experienced students taking advanced classes. We didn't make good programmers/sysadmins/other, but we did make them better.
Were the classes worth it? Depends on your perspective. Sure they were expensive. But they paid my light bill. SUN got a lot of cash for those who were willing to pay. And students DID come back. Often.
For some people, computers come easy and intuitively. Others can learn from a book. Others learn from online classes. And yet others learned from instuctor-led, hands on training from a qualified instructor who could answer your questions. I just don't see that last type of instruction ever going away, despite the qualities of the others mentioned.
--------
My point from the first post was that SUN wasn't just dragging itself down, but several of the companies that associated themselves with SUN.
The company I came to work for in 1994 was a training partner with SUN. We taught SUN classes; system admin, maintenance, some programming, etc. In 1995 Java came on the scene and we ramped up to teach that too. The demand for SUN instruction boomed so much we eventually branched out into 8 other locations around the country and the money was just pouring in. We almost had to beat back excess students with a stick. SUN also had their own training centers, but we (along with other training partners) got a lot of the overflow, or students who couldn't travel to SUN sites. (SUN did certify us as qualified instructors, if you must ask, and we often travelled to teach in their centers).
When the dot-com bust came, it came hard on training. Nobody wanted to learn any more. Most all of the training partners folded, and SUN absorbed a few of the more profitable ones for itself. Eventually, SUN divested itself of the education part and sold it off to a 3rd party named Accenture, while keeping only 3 centers for themselves (San Jose, Broomfield CO, and Burlington MA). Accenture has many of the other former SUN sites, and there are still a few struggling and starving training partners waiting for an upturn.
The demand for training is ever so slowly and painfully rising, about as fast as SUN's fortunes are now. But the heyday of the late '90s is long gone. And most of the instructors I personally knew were either released or they quit. These were some mighty bright people, too-- it was hard to see them go.
My outlook is wait and see. I myself am hibernating while teaching at a local technical college. Maybe things will get better, maybe they won't. Time will tell.
Being late into the cell-phone game, I got my first cell-phone only 2 years ago. I was a Samsung phone/PalmPilot combo, just a few months before the TREO came out.
At any rate, I have received 2 spam SMS mesaages. (I use Sprint) Seeing I have never sent an SMS message in my life, I had no idea how someone got my SMS name.
Before we start running amok with rage, perhaps there should be some Spam-cell research.
In the 1980's I'm pretty sure that IBM would fight tooth and nail for any patent infringement. But those were the days when IBM was the 800 pound gorilla and what Microsoft wanted to be (and eventually became).
Nowadays IBM is on the rebound, and wants to put forth a kinder and gentler face. In as such, along with the almost impossible task of enforcing a practically public domain standard, it would be politically correct for them to just look the other way on GIFs.
... and not the spirit of the law all they have to do is make access available over a single 300 baud modem line where no one entity can be on for more than 5 minutes.
Security through obscurity. A government tradition.
> "Myostatin blockade," Dr. McNally wrote, "will probably work its > way into professional and amateur athletics, as well as into the > ever-growing business of physical enhancement."
Slashdot Mirror
Hot cookies for sale!!!
Are they kidding? Here in America people think they can drive responsibly with a cell phone in their ear. Now they want to take our eyes off the road, too?
Yep, this is just BEGGING for a lawsuit.
1) Sadly, the applications (and the developers) aren't there (yet).
2) Currently MacOSX supports only Apple hardware, and not the myriad quagmire of hardware that Microsoft has to deal with. This fact alone might be the long pole in the tent against this ever happening.
Other minor problems--
1) What makes anyone think Apple will be any cheaper? They currently charge a premium price for their products; why should they change?
2) I don't see the embedded corporate bigwigs switching anytime soon. Where is Apple's enterprise software and hardware? The rest of us corportate drones would rather use applications and datafiles that are compatible with what we use at work.
Individually, I would do it, but only because I think Microsoft products are not state of the art; and I am disgusted with the stench of their corporate ethics. But winning over one or two geeks who are knowledgable of MacOSX advantages is not the same as winning the hearts and minds of the rest of the unwashed populace.
JMHO
That way, we could match the user level to the level of the computer.
..... Ah, just a thought.....
Level 1 users (dweebs) would only use level one computers (toys).
Level 7 users (gurus) would use level seven computers (supercomputers).
Firefox.
Enough said.
Let's look at the average home PC. Most owners treat it like any other appliance, like a toaster or a refridgerator. They never consider the security implications. They see these bright shiny advertisements on TV for hyper-speed DSL or cable downloads and they hook right into the Internet, without any security forethought.
It's like walking out onto the Dan Ryan expressway blindfolded during the morning rush hour. Your survival rate is measured in seconds.
Of course, in a perfect world, this would not be a problem, because the good people would exercise netiquitte and leave the security-ignoramauses along. But unfortunately, there are bad people out there-- ones that write viruses; send spam; and use other peoples machines to wreak some imagined vengence against some site. What's a mother to do?
OK, here is what I want on my machine-- developers, wake up!
1) I want a zombie detector running at all times. I want it to tell me if someone is trying to get into my machine from the outside (regardless of port). I want it to tell me if some process on my machine is trying to reach a remote machine on the Internet (regardless of port). I want this to have an icon in my startup tray that will check for updates every x minutes, and blink if there are any. I want it to check for updates when I boot up anyway. And I want it to have the option to remove the zombie it finds.
Yes, I know this looks a lot like some commercial products (like from Symantec) but I want it free. And hacker-proof.
Does anyone out there have a zombie detector??
2) I want a utility that will check my incoming email, and check for a valid senders IP/hostname. If it fails, dump the email into the spam folder. This is in addition to any Baysian filters and other spam traps that almost work.
3) I really want an appliance computer. Not something where I need (a) a friendly neighborhood computer expert, or (b) a comp science degree (as if that helps), or (c) a hacker mentality to keep my machine vermin free and configurable. To you computer manufacturers / OS designers / application developers: Make it EASY for us, EVEN IF IT MAKES IT HARD ON YOU!! Apple, you are the closest right now.
When my wife feels comfortable on a computer, you have succeeded.
Off my soapbox.
In the story, the stalker was discovered by the victim when the stalker was found under the victim's car replacing the battery on the cell phone that was attached to the GPS device.
I guess somebody will now complain that the next revolution in battery technology will see the downside as being able to aid stalkers.
sigh.
Actually, one of the lesser known goals of IPv6 is to DECREASE the size of the routing tables. This happens because of better allocation of IP routes.
This article is yet another story that proves there are bad people on the Internet. They bend the rules of privacy designed for decent netizens, and hid behind those rules to launch their semi-anonymous attacks.
We've seen it before on the Usenet groups where a civilized discussion over some issue dissolves into a flame war. It has happened right here in this discussion area, where people's words are twisted beyond their original intent, just for the purpose of making the original poster look like a racist or a nazi.
There are varying degrees of 'badness' out there on the Internet, from the casual responder who slanders a poster; to the scum-of-the-earth virus writers and spammers who have the deluded opinion that they are doing good. There are a lot of shades of grey between black and white.
My response to attacks on my person from the Internet? Suck up the anger to retaliate, and don't even respond. The attackers (who have no other life but to harrass others) will all eventually troll for other victims to argue their rants. You really don't want to get black-holed into a war of words against some sociopath who has nothing better to do than to raise your hackles further. Just back away. It's the worst you could do to them.
JMHO
(1) Out of all the classes I took in high school, the one that served me the best was the half year I was taught typing. (The other half year was shorthand, which was forgotten approximately 10 nanoseconds after the final class bell). I have found typing to be extraordinarily useful. It has gotten to the point I can almost type as fast as I can think (and no, I am not a -=slow=- thinker). It is my preferred way to write; especially if someone sees my handwriting.
(2) I often teach UNIX at a local technical college, so I teach mostly from the command line (the way God meant computers to be run, not from some weenie GUI). Few things are more painful then to have students type in commands, and watch the one (or more) student who doesn't know how to type struggle to hunt and peck the command line in. It just slows the class to a crawl, and eventually the frustration level gets very high; on my end, the other students end, and finally on the typing-impaired student who knows he is slowing the rest of the class down. UNIX command line may be becoming history, but there will still be a need to type.
Lets face it, keyboards are not going to go away until they hook electrodes directly to our brains and the computer can just jot down what we are thinking. On second thought, maybe that is not such a good idea.
Which was exactly my point. Since there is no centralized authority, there will never be a 'sheriff in town' When like-minded people decide that they must band together and go after the bad guys (because the bad guys are operating with impunity) then we may see a decrease in spam, viruses, etc.
It only levels the playing field if the good guys also don't follow implied rules of etiqutte. If the bad guys can't get caught, then the good guys going after them can't get caught, either.
But herein lies the dilemma. What is keeping the bad guys from grouping together to create even more evil on the net? When does the escalation stop?
Someday in the future this problem will have to be addressed. When someone or some entity takes total control of the net, then we will have a sheriff. What will it cost us? Just some of our freedoms. WIll we like it? Probably not. Look for it someday.
The internet is not centralized; there is no one central authority. It is like the Wild West. Good citizens keep to themselves and operate under common decency and common sense. But there are always some malcontents (spammers, virus creators etc) that feel they can do whatever they feel to whoever they want with small fear of retribution.
Some governments are just now awakening to the threats of these malcontents, and have passed laws against them. Of course, these laws are next to useless, because the net transcends international geopolitical boundaries.
So what is a decent net citizen to do? Nothing? Scream and cry until the lawmakers listen?
Until there is a real sheriff on the net, vigilante groups may be the only answer. Small groups of net-aware individuals who can root out the bad guys and administer some well-deserved justice. Some may call them net terrorists, but if they leave the good people alone, I would call them patriots.
Will the law go after these patriots? The law may turn a blind eye if these groups keep the peace. Besides, what can the law do to the net patriots that are trying to make things better when they can't even go after the malcontents?
I'm all for vigilantes, until we get a real sheriff in town.
At the technical college I teach at, I am the only Unix (Linux) instructor on staff. I get to teach very low level intro to UNIX and elementary UNIX systems admin classes, but nothing higher than that. There are about 8 Microsoft Operating Systems instructors who teach every aspect of systems admin, and several other instructors who are well versed in (and teach) most major Microsoft applications.
Microsoft is well aware that that people who learn on Microsoft products in school (especially college) will continue to use those products once they graduate to the real world, as paying customers. A *BIG* reason why many colleges use Microsoft products is because the colleges get these products at a highly discounted rate; and Microsoft is always glad to subsidize computer hardware purchases (of boxes that will run their product) so they can propogate their own dominance of the market.
At times I feel I am the only voice of reason in the crazed Microsoft controlled world at my school. I feel redeemed, though, when students (and those Microsoft instructors) see how cool Unix/Linux really is. Another thing I like is that just my presence as a Unix/Linux instructor gives our college bargaining power with Microsoft to get even more discounts on Microsoft products, as we threaten to move entirely to Linux. (Yeah, I can only dream...).
-------
As for MAC hardware and software-- unless Apple gets a program going like Microsoft has (and I think they did at one time) they won't ever compete with Microsoft.
In the past, MacOS8 was a great desktop/consumer interface, but it would not stand up to the rigors of an Enterprise level system. Microsoft is moving in that direction, as they are trying to displace the heavy UNIX (Solaris/AIX/HPux) top ends. Now that Apple has moved to a BSD (UNIX) based OS (i.e. OSX) they are now in a position to move to the Enterprise level also. But again, Apple must free up some hardware and software to schools to keep in the game.
-------
Why is this hard on Apple? Because the hardware is sole-source (their own hardware) while Microsoft is a software company mostly. As every hacker knows, making another copy of software is a LOT cheaper than acquiring another machine. Still, I would LOVE to see a lab of MAC gear in my college. (Are you listening, APPLE???)
Just my humble opinion.
Granted, I am biased because I was a SUN instructor, but there were very few days that went by when a student didn't say something like "I never knew that". And I am not talking about the beginning classes either; this was from the more seasoned and experienced students taking advanced classes. We didn't make good programmers/sysadmins/other, but we did make them better.
Were the classes worth it? Depends on your perspective. Sure they were expensive. But they paid my light bill. SUN got a lot of cash for those who were willing to pay. And students DID come back. Often.
For some people, computers come easy and intuitively. Others can learn from a book. Others learn from online classes. And yet others learned from instuctor-led, hands on training from a qualified instructor who could answer your questions. I just don't see that last type of instruction ever going away, despite the qualities of the others mentioned.
--------
My point from the first post was that SUN wasn't just dragging itself down, but several of the companies that associated themselves with SUN.
The company I came to work for in 1994 was a training partner with SUN. We taught SUN classes; system admin, maintenance, some programming, etc. In 1995 Java came on the scene and we ramped up to teach that too. The demand for SUN instruction boomed so much we eventually branched out into 8 other locations around the country and the money was just pouring in. We almost had to beat back excess students with a stick. SUN also had their own training centers, but we (along with other training partners) got a lot of the overflow, or students who couldn't travel to SUN sites. (SUN did certify us as qualified instructors, if you must ask, and we often travelled to teach in their centers).
When the dot-com bust came, it came hard on training. Nobody wanted to learn any more. Most all of the training partners folded, and SUN absorbed a few of the more profitable ones for itself. Eventually, SUN divested itself of the education part and sold it off to a 3rd party named Accenture, while keeping only 3 centers for themselves (San Jose, Broomfield CO, and Burlington MA). Accenture has many of the other former SUN sites, and there are still a few struggling and starving training partners waiting for an upturn.
The demand for training is ever so slowly and painfully rising, about as fast as SUN's fortunes are now. But the heyday of the late '90s is long gone. And most of the instructors I personally knew were either released or they quit. These were some mighty bright people, too-- it was hard to see them go.
My outlook is wait and see. I myself am hibernating while teaching at a local technical college. Maybe things will get better, maybe they won't. Time will tell.
Being late into the cell-phone game, I got my first cell-phone only 2 years ago. I was a Samsung phone/PalmPilot combo, just a few months before the TREO came out.
At any rate, I have received 2 spam SMS mesaages. (I use Sprint) Seeing I have never sent an SMS message in my life, I had no idea how someone got my SMS name.
Before we start running amok with rage, perhaps there should be some Spam-cell research.
Always a favorite!
ben.dover@upyours.com
In the 1980's I'm pretty sure that IBM would fight tooth and nail for any patent infringement. But those were the days when IBM was the 800 pound gorilla and what Microsoft wanted to be (and eventually became).
Nowadays IBM is on the rebound, and wants to put forth a kinder and gentler face. In as such, along with the almost impossible task of enforcing a practically public domain standard, it would be politically correct for them to just look the other way on GIFs.
Just make sure Will Smith isn't a patient.
80-Micro
Creative Computing
Byte
Does anyone alive here still remember these?
... and not the spirit of the law all they have to do is make access available over a single 300 baud modem line where no one entity can be on for more than 5 minutes.
Security through obscurity. A government tradition.
> "Myostatin blockade," Dr. McNally wrote, "will probably work its
> way into professional and amateur athletics, as well as into the
> ever-growing business of physical enhancement."
Lookout! Another round of SPAM is on its way.
> So, have any Slashdotters done this before? Did you modify an
:-)
> existing lawnmower or build a whole new one from scratch?
Naw, all that obstacle-avoidance and guidance is too much of a pain.
I was just thinking of something simple, like a robotic vacuum cleaner...
> I'd say 1% is very, very high. A good response rate for "legitimate" direct mail marketing is in the 2-4% range.
And you would know this, how??
...usually requires a review of ethics.