To you it's "dumbing down". To me it's making computers accessible to people who don't live and breathe computing. Not knowing how to hack BitTorrent doesn't mean you're stupid -- it means you have other priorities.
I wonder what you do for a living. Do you write bad software and then call people idiots when they can't figure it out?
As for your girlfriend -- but no, given your expressed attitude towards people in general and women in particular, it makes more sense for you to handle sexual issues single-handedly. Forgive the pun!
Slashdotters need to start understanding that "It works for me," is not an argument. The typical Slashdotter has a level of hacking skill that is neither available nor desired by the world at large.
It gets old. You talk about email clients, and someone will insist that you can get by with a plain text mailer -- MIME attachments are passing fad. You talk about off-the-shelf routers, and somebody will wonder why you don't just use an old laptop running BSD. You discuss the problems of providing reliable downloads, and someone will insist that BitTorrent, a tool you need to be a total hacker to use, is a universal solution.
And of course there's the dude who asks, "I have no trouble working with Fedora, why is it a problem for IBM?" Of course it doesn't even occur to him that Red Hat gets the same amount of revenue for Fedora as they get for SuSE. Which is to say, none.
Repeat after me: "OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS FROM ME."
And indeed, why should they, when they can download the ISOs for free? Which is why Red Hat didn't just end RH Desktop, they made it impossible to obtain the Enterprise version without paying for it.
It is possible to survive on a charityware business model. The prime example is NPR, which survives on contribution from maybe 10% of its listeners. (And yes, government and grant money, but that's maybe a third of the budget.) However, NPR is a non-profit, and thus lacks VC harpies screaming "Maximize Income! Lower Costs! Increase Margins! Your jobs are in our hands!"
You're right about IBM's attitude towards legacy products. But the Selectric is not a good example. First, IBM spun off the printer and typewriter business back in 91. Second, the Selectric typewriter, though out of production, is still widely used ("I need it to fill out forms!"), and you get "support" for it from any office supply store.
It's been a while since I read The Making of Star Trek, but I seem to recall that the form of 3D chess you link to (known as "Tridimensional Chess" or "Star Trek Chess"), was in fact invented for the TV series. They needed to show Spock and Kirk playing chess, but they decided that existing forms of 3d chess weren't sufficiently futuristic, to say nothing of the old-fashioned 8x8x1 chess board.
As it appeared on the show, Tri-D chess didn't have any actual rules. That was invented later, by chess loving trekkies (or maybe trek loving chessies).
Blackmail: she refused to give back equipment suck as a laptop + desktop computer or she would expose more proprietary business information to competitors
You know, blackmail is illegal. Except you're not describing blackmail, but extortion, and that's even more illegal. Perhaps you have practical considerations that preclude your going to a cop or a lawyer, but it's something to think about.
This can't be a co-incidence, HP and Novell making big Linux announcements, and IBM stepping up its own Linux push. I smell conspiracy! Do you think Dick Clark is behind it?
Yep, first thing I tried. This isn't an allboutsearching trojan (they have their own), it's a generic trojan that downloads other peoples spyware. Allaboutsearching is always first on the list of stuff that comes back after I clean it out, but there are others. Doesn't leave any tracks in the registry, that I can detect.
One of the other adwares it downloaded did something I was able to detect this way. It used random names for its components (like the search bar it wanted me to use instead of Googlebar) so it wasn't visible to my Adware scanners. But the random names were in the registry, which enabled me to find and remove the files by hand.
But wait, you've just given me an idea. It has to stash its trojan links somewhere. If not in the registry, then it must be inordinary files. A little grepping would seem to be called for. Hope that the designer hasn't heard of hash functions!
I could also try logging my network traffic. But that's a lot of stuff to log and go through.
The ultimate solution is to simply re-install XP, and be more careful what and how I download. But aside from being a pain in the ass, that would leave me never knowing what this evil piece of software is. Not acceptable!
Re:the thing that sucks however
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· Score: 1
Interesting problem. But it has nothing to do with the fact the Az is written in Java.
So hackers should just use whatever works for them, and not worry about what non-hackers use? That's fine, as long as you don't design, program, document, support, or sell software used by non-hackers.
Re:best simply to block all ports
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You could do the same with the obvious unnecessary protrusion on your own body. The world would be much safer then.
But some piece of spywhere keeps changing it to http://allaboutsearching.com/passthrough/index.htm l?http://about:blank. And yes, I've run ad-aware, HijackThis, CWShredder, and SpyBot S&D. This puppy seems to have a mutating signature, so it's not in the databases. At least spybot is able to keep it from downloading any more spyware, something it keeps trying to do. And Spybot also manages to prevent it from doing any popups, so life is tolerable. I just wish I could figure where this software is. Maddening (and scary) that it can hide so thoroughly.
Yes, I know about Mozilla. Still too slow (even Firefox) and the XUL version of the Google toolbar has serious problems.
If you were about to tell me to switch to Linux, you really need to get a life.
But I digress. Why about:blank? Because there's absolute no web page I want to see every time I open a new browser window. Something I do 100 times a day. That's not hype -- 100 is a conservative estimate!
Re:the thing that sucks however
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I've just installed Az. Not a great piece of software, but it doesn't seem to impact my system performance at all. Are you sure you don't have other performance issues? Java programs have a reputation for being slow, mostly a bad rap. Part of it was a lot of cruddy VMs back when Java appeared. Part of it is just misunderstanding about how Java wokrs.
Why do you suppose KDE and GNOME exist? It isn't as if there were no Linux or Unix desktops before these projects appeared, and most of them have a much higher hackability factor. Problem is, we want non-hackers (which is most computer users, believe it or not) to use Linux too, and that means standardizing the user experience. It might be uncool and anti-creative, but it's what it takes to appeal to people for whom software is something they use to get their work done, not a way of making a personal statement.
Every Slashdot user should say to himself at least once a day, "I am not a typical computer user."
Re:the thing that sucks however
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· Score: 1
Now I have to try Az, to figure out what's going wrong for you. I don't see how a BitTorrent client can suck up all your cycles that way, even with a Java implementation. Have you tried fiddling with priority settings? Reducing the number of streams? I'm talking through my hat, never having actually used the product, but you know what I mean.
I think the main problem with Passport is not the idea itself, but who's behind it. I personally don't trust any infrastructre backed by MS. It's not just that I don't trust them to misuse their status as gatekeeper. (This is a problem you have to face no matter who the gatekeeper is.) I don't trust them to make an infrastructure that works. Not when they've shown that they can't build public databases that scale. (Their anti-piracy measures that are such a pain to deal with would work a lot better if they didn't discard all their activation records after 3 months!) Or web applications that are reliable and secure. And absolutely not when they do stupid things like forget to renew the passport.net domain!
On the other hand, exactly how is the Liberty Alliance "competing heavily" with Passport? As you point out, they've produced nothing but specification that nobody seems to have implemented. Or if they have, they haven't been obvious in any product I've used.
And believe it or not, we really do need some kind of universal sign on system. Actually more than one, since you don't want everybody dependent on a single vendor. Right now we have millions of people managing dozens of passwords, using sticky notes and other methods equally insecure. Plus it's much too easy to intercept passwords, or con people into giving them to you.
Not to mention that an identify infrastructure would do a lot to eliminate spam.
I'll say it again: I want a smart card that I can plug into any machine and establish my identity, without sending passwords over insecure media. The technology's there: when will somebody actually use it?
As you suggested, I looked at the docs. The end-user portion of which is a pretty unhelpful FAQ sheet. Still, it was enough to make me understand that I had to tell the router to pass through 6881. (UDP or TCP? Doesn't say. I tried UDP, and it works.) I also realized that BitTorent had been working all along. It just seemed to hang, because it was taking a long time to find a server. Which happensed because servers didn't like me because I was "refusing" uploads.
I have to say I'm not impressed with the "standard" BitTorrent client. I don't mind Bram nagging me to send him money. But would it have killed him to add code that said, "I can't seem to bind to an upload port. Fix it or your download speed will suck"? If I ever become a serious BitTorent user, I'll probably use another client, like Azeureus.
Re:Speak for yourself
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· Score: 0, Flamebait
I'm paranoid because I believe in worms and script kiddies? They're real, I tell you! I asked Elvis, and he agrees!
I actually agree that people shouldn't be allowed be allowed free downloads if they're not willing to share. Except I'm perfectly willing to share, if I can do so in a safe way. I don't care for firewalls (complicated, unreliable, and life-complicating) so it has to be compatible with my private-network scheme. Fortunately, other posters have suggested ways I can do so without exposing my machine to the unclean outside world. I'm going to have to give it a try, for educational purposes if no other reason.
Re:Speak for yourself
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· Score: 1, Insightful
Thanks for the tip. But while I might concede ignorance and stupidity, I find "hysteria" a tad patronizing.
Slashdot Mirror
Fans are nice, but I'm not sure I care for the responsibility. I have to KEEP SAYING CLEVER THINGS. Hard to deal with!
I wonder what you do for a living. Do you write bad software and then call people idiots when they can't figure it out?
As for your girlfriend -- but no, given your expressed attitude towards people in general and women in particular, it makes more sense for you to handle sexual issues single-handedly. Forgive the pun!
It gets old. You talk about email clients, and someone will insist that you can get by with a plain text mailer -- MIME attachments are passing fad. You talk about off-the-shelf routers, and somebody will wonder why you don't just use an old laptop running BSD. You discuss the problems of providing reliable downloads, and someone will insist that BitTorrent, a tool you need to be a total hacker to use, is a universal solution.
And of course there's the dude who asks, "I have no trouble working with Fedora, why is it a problem for IBM?" Of course it doesn't even occur to him that Red Hat gets the same amount of revenue for Fedora as they get for SuSE. Which is to say, none.
Repeat after me: "OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS FROM ME."
It is possible to survive on a charityware business model. The prime example is NPR, which survives on contribution from maybe 10% of its listeners. (And yes, government and grant money, but that's maybe a third of the budget.) However, NPR is a non-profit, and thus lacks VC harpies screaming "Maximize Income! Lower Costs! Increase Margins! Your jobs are in our hands!"
You're right about IBM's attitude towards legacy products. But the Selectric is not a good example. First, IBM spun off the printer and typewriter business back in 91. Second, the Selectric typewriter, though out of production, is still widely used ("I need it to fill out forms!"), and you get "support" for it from any office supply store.
...don't add to the flames!
But they don't care what Language Nazis think?
As it appeared on the show, Tri-D chess didn't have any actual rules. That was invented later, by chess loving trekkies (or maybe trek loving chessies).
This can't be a co-incidence, HP and Novell making big Linux announcements, and IBM stepping up its own Linux push. I smell conspiracy! Do you think Dick Clark is behind it?
One of the other adwares it downloaded did something I was able to detect this way. It used random names for its components (like the search bar it wanted me to use instead of Googlebar) so it wasn't visible to my Adware scanners. But the random names were in the registry, which enabled me to find and remove the files by hand.
But wait, you've just given me an idea. It has to stash its trojan links somewhere. If not in the registry, then it must be inordinary files. A little grepping would seem to be called for. Hope that the designer hasn't heard of hash functions!
I could also try logging my network traffic. But that's a lot of stuff to log and go through.
The ultimate solution is to simply re-install XP, and be more careful what and how I download. But aside from being a pain in the ass, that would leave me never knowing what this evil piece of software is. Not acceptable!
Interesting problem. But it has nothing to do with the fact the Az is written in Java.
You could do the same with the obvious unnecessary protrusion on your own body. The world would be much safer then.
Yes, I know about Mozilla. Still too slow (even Firefox) and the XUL version of the Google toolbar has serious problems.
If you were about to tell me to switch to Linux, you really need to get a life.
But I digress. Why about:blank? Because there's absolute no web page I want to see every time I open a new browser window. Something I do 100 times a day. That's not hype -- 100 is a conservative estimate!
I've just installed Az. Not a great piece of software, but it doesn't seem to impact my system performance at all. Are you sure you don't have other performance issues? Java programs have a reputation for being slow, mostly a bad rap. Part of it was a lot of cruddy VMs back when Java appeared. Part of it is just misunderstanding about how Java wokrs.
Every Slashdot user should say to himself at least once a day, "I am not a typical computer user."
Resource usage is a state secret!
Now I have to try Az, to figure out what's going wrong for you. I don't see how a BitTorrent client can suck up all your cycles that way, even with a Java implementation. Have you tried fiddling with priority settings? Reducing the number of streams? I'm talking through my hat, never having actually used the product, but you know what I mean.
On the other hand, exactly how is the Liberty Alliance "competing heavily" with Passport? As you point out, they've produced nothing but specification that nobody seems to have implemented. Or if they have, they haven't been obvious in any product I've used.
And believe it or not, we really do need some kind of universal sign on system. Actually more than one, since you don't want everybody dependent on a single vendor. Right now we have millions of people managing dozens of passwords, using sticky notes and other methods equally insecure. Plus it's much too easy to intercept passwords, or con people into giving them to you.
Not to mention that an identify infrastructure would do a lot to eliminate spam.
I'll say it again: I want a smart card that I can plug into any machine and establish my identity, without sending passwords over insecure media. The technology's there: when will somebody actually use it?
I have to say I'm not impressed with the "standard" BitTorrent client. I don't mind Bram nagging me to send him money. But would it have killed him to add code that said, "I can't seem to bind to an upload port. Fix it or your download speed will suck"? If I ever become a serious BitTorent user, I'll probably use another client, like Azeureus.
My mistake for actually cracking a book on computer security. Ignorance is bliss, practical countermeasures are hysteria. Is that how it works?
I still have a hard drive that's only 10 meg. Keep wonder what I should do with it.
I actually agree that people shouldn't be allowed be allowed free downloads if they're not willing to share. Except I'm perfectly willing to share, if I can do so in a safe way. I don't care for firewalls (complicated, unreliable, and life-complicating) so it has to be compatible with my private-network scheme. Fortunately, other posters have suggested ways I can do so without exposing my machine to the unclean outside world. I'm going to have to give it a try, for educational purposes if no other reason.
Thanks for the tip. But while I might concede ignorance and stupidity, I find "hysteria" a tad patronizing.