Every time this topic comes up somebody posts the same tired old "SMTP is bad" blather and the mods keep modding it up. This is getting really tiresome.
It's perfectly possible to build authentication on top of SMTP without introducing needless compatibility problems. What's more, it already exists! All that's needed is for people to start using it.
Now if it takes this long for people to consider using authentication at all (and apparently even longer for the Slashdot mods to get a clue), what in the bleep are people thinking to suggest SMTP could realistically be replaced overnight?
Even the most heinous criminal has a way of justifying their actions to themselves.
That implies the criminal in question has a functioning conscience. Such criminals exist but there are also those without, i.e. psychopaths. They know their actions are bad, and they either don't care or like it that way.
...it becomes easier to see the "security through obscurity" really doesn't work.
The same is true for any x in "when you remove x, security through x doesn't work". That's not an argument against using x as a security strategy, it's an argument against removing x..
If there's anything I've learned, is how the BBSes make the internet look really good now.
Funny, I mostly see features that BBS's had that the Internet still hasn't caught on to and probably never will, like an efficient offline mail reading system. You'd select the areas you want to read, and the system would zip them up in QWK or BlueWave format and you'd read and reply to them offline at your leasure, then the next day you'd call back and upload your replies (also compressed) and download the new stuff that rolled in since. Didn't tie up the line and here (where we had and still have metered local phone calls) it saved a lot of money.
Also, compared to the FTN (Fidonet Technology Network) mail exchange protocols, STMP and NNTP are still a super-high-latency, bandwidth-consuming beasts. In Fidonet-style networks everything was (is) compressed and transfered as a simple ZMODEM file transfer. Can't beat that.
No other environment is quite as "folksy" as a BBS. Why do people post in the comments section on Slashdot? Because it's people reaching out and connecting with other people.
Exactly. In fact, using this sensible definition, Slashdot is a BBS.
...so that I could actually view a trailer on my computer every once in a while. Why, oh why, must the movie industry be in bed with Apple to such a degree that there actually is not even one trailer available in a non-quicktime format?
No app is going to mess with OS X system config files, no matter how much market share it has, because the user doesn't run as root.
So how does the user perform system administration tasks? Are they ever prompted to enter their root/admin password while installing something?
Yes, Mac OS X always asks for the administrator password for anythign which could modify system files, including any install process involving an installer (as opposed to just copying over an application directory).
If Windows would demand an administrator password before installing spyware/viruses/etc. instead of a mere click on a Yes button, I bet we'd see far less of it.
Of course, how could I forget GnuCash? Especially since I am compiling it right now. Talk of dependency hell - sheesh.
The UI is outdated because it still uses GNOME 1.x libraries. This may also be why the development is slow, since GNOME 1.x is dead and to make any improvements they'd have to switch to GNOME 2, which may be a lot of work. (Pure speculation on my part, this.)
what other good, solid business apps are available for Linux?
Abiword, Gnumeric, and Evolution are also cited a lot, these are GNOME packages. Then there is KOffice, part of KDE, which few seem to use or talk about, but which does seem solid and extensive.
Seriously... is there ANYONE in ANY part of this country anymore that just takes a little bit of responsibility for their own goddamn actions? The idea that the effects of drinking a cup of coffee could even be considered being classified as a "disease" is absolutely ludicrous.
Interesting that you would imply that having a mental disorder abdicates a person from being held responsible for their actions. In my opinion, that view reflects one of the most damaging prejudices against people with mental conditions.
It's a slippery slope you see. Soon the assholes will want backdoors to encryption programs or they will ban them outright. Obviously only a terrorist wouldn't want the government to see their traffic. [...]
VOTE IN NOVEMBER AND PUT AN END TO THIS HORSESHIT.
If you think that a Democrat government would have done any differently, think again. ISP's in my country, the Netherlands, have been compelled to install backdoors for government snoopers for a number of years now, and at their own expense. This policy was made before 9/11 and under the previous Labour Party-dominated coalition government.
Now the current Christian Democrat-dominated government (basically conservatives) is finishing the job by eliminating the need of a judicial order: anyone who is under suspicion (reasonable or not) can be snooped upon.
Does the right nut know what the left nut is doing over there?
As huge as they are, that would hardly be surprising. Governments are notorious for suffering from this problem, and Microsoft seems to be bigger than many governments.
Yes, this is actually a major problem with English's status as "the" international language: the absurd number of words you have to learn in order to be proficient. This is one of the reasons English is not at all an easy language to learn.
'visa' in Latin would be the plural of 'visum', which is the neuter form of 'visus' meaning 'seen', so you could translate 'visum' as 'something that has been seen' and 'visa' as 'things that have been seen'.
Yes, this is where the English word 'visum'/'visa' comes from, and yes, 'visa' should really be plural even in English even though it's mostly taken for singular now.
"FirePay is a Web-based cash account that can be used by anyone who has a U.S bank account." Woops, I'm in the Netherlands and I need to accept payments in euros. <sigh> Next...
or NETTELLER (google them for info).
Their site is so utterly content-free and/or badly designed I cannot even find a sign-up link or terms of service, so I have no way of knowing if they'd even accept me. But I doubt it since there's no reference to international accounts anywhere. Also it seems they cater to financial institutions and not mere mortals like me.
Seems PayPal is still the only choice I have. But if anyone has any other suggestions I'd appreciate them.
Shouldn't I be free to use whatever third party software to check my email?
Not if your e-mail is Google's property. Google has every right to do whatever they want with their property. Anybody stupid enough to use a so-called "free" e-mail provider for anything serious deserves what they get.
Slashdot Mirror
It's perfectly possible to build authentication on top of SMTP without introducing needless compatibility problems. What's more, it already exists! All that's needed is for people to start using it.
Now if it takes this long for people to consider using authentication at all (and apparently even longer for the Slashdot mods to get a clue), what in the bleep are people thinking to suggest SMTP could realistically be replaced overnight?
That implies the criminal in question has a functioning conscience. Such criminals exist but there are also those without, i.e. psychopaths. They know their actions are bad, and they either don't care or like it that way.
The same is true for any x in "when you remove x, security through x doesn't work". That's not an argument against using x as a security strategy, it's an argument against removing x..
Funny, I mostly see features that BBS's had that the Internet still hasn't caught on to and probably never will, like an efficient offline mail reading system. You'd select the areas you want to read, and the system would zip them up in QWK or BlueWave format and you'd read and reply to them offline at your leasure, then the next day you'd call back and upload your replies (also compressed) and download the new stuff that rolled in since. Didn't tie up the line and here (where we had and still have metered local phone calls) it saved a lot of money.
Also, compared to the FTN (Fidonet Technology Network) mail exchange protocols, STMP and NNTP are still a super-high-latency, bandwidth-consuming beasts. In Fidonet-style networks everything was (is) compressed and transfered as a simple ZMODEM file transfer. Can't beat that.
Exactly. In fact, using this sensible definition, Slashdot is a BBS.
I have found the Win98/ME version of Apple's QT player to work fine under Wine. If you run Linux on x86, you might find this useful.
And here are all 12,100 of them so far/a?.
If Windows would demand an administrator password before installing spyware/viruses/etc. instead of a mere click on a Yes button, I bet we'd see far less of it.
Of course, how could I forget GnuCash? Especially since I am compiling it right now. Talk of dependency hell - sheesh.
The UI is outdated because it still uses GNOME 1.x libraries. This may also be why the development is slow, since GNOME 1.x is dead and to make any improvements they'd have to switch to GNOME 2, which may be a lot of work. (Pure speculation on my part, this.)
Abiword, Gnumeric, and Evolution are also cited a lot, these are GNOME packages. Then there is KOffice, part of KDE, which few seem to use or talk about, but which does seem solid and extensive.
Interesting that you would imply that having a mental disorder abdicates a person from being held responsible for their actions. In my opinion, that view reflects one of the most damaging prejudices against people with mental conditions.
If you think that a Democrat government would have done any differently, think again. ISP's in my country, the Netherlands, have been compelled to install backdoors for government snoopers for a number of years now, and at their own expense. This policy was made before 9/11 and under the previous Labour Party-dominated coalition government.
Now the current Christian Democrat-dominated government (basically conservatives) is finishing the job by eliminating the need of a judicial order: anyone who is under suspicion (reasonable or not) can be snooped upon.
As huge as they are, that would hardly be surprising. Governments are notorious for suffering from this problem, and Microsoft seems to be bigger than many governments.
Who is going to guarantee that the company in question won't go belly-up before you do?
Nah...
...more is less.
Yes, this is actually a major problem with English's status as "the" international language: the absurd number of words you have to learn in order to be proficient. This is one of the reasons English is not at all an easy language to learn.
Ah? So when were they defeated? I must have missed that.
'visa' in Latin would be the plural of 'visum',
which is the neuter form of 'visus' meaning 'seen',
so you could translate 'visum' as 'something that
has been seen' and 'visa' as 'things that have been
seen'.
Yes, this is where the English word 'visum'/'visa'
comes from, and yes, 'visa' should really be plural
even in English even though it's mostly taken for
singular now.
Ah, thanks! That looks more interesting, it's at least something I can use. But a minimum $5 fee per transaction? Yikes...
"FirePay is a Web-based cash account that can be used by anyone who has a U.S bank account." Woops, I'm in the Netherlands and I need to accept payments in euros. <sigh> Next...
Their site is so utterly content-free and/or badly designed I cannot even find a sign-up link or terms of service, so I have no way of knowing if they'd even accept me. But I doubt it since there's no reference to international accounts anywhere. Also it seems they cater to financial institutions and not mere mortals like me.
Seems PayPal is still the only choice I have. But if anyone has any other suggestions I'd appreciate them.
I think my ISP might appreciate a call like that. :)
No.
Not if your e-mail is Google's property. Google has every right to do whatever they want with their property. Anybody stupid enough to use a so-called "free" e-mail provider for anything serious deserves what they get.
FYI, that's Philips with one "l". The two-l'ed one is a different beast altogether.