I object to this article. It is too centric to the US. What about the rest of the world that reads slashdot. Articles need to be relevant to the international world that is the internet. ---- Geez, you people in the US have such a collection of boneheaded politicians. ---- Ug.
The only solution that I could come up with, was the one that I mentioned above, not allow consumer level ISP accounts from send SMTP mail.
That in combination with SPF, and limiting the ISP to sending out 500 messages/machine/___insert your preferred unit of time___ would be much more powerful.
I think people misinterpretted me. I don't think SPF is bad. I just don't think it is going to reduce spam in any significant manner.
The biggest weakness of this system is that it doesn't protect against some user's system sitting on a broadband DSL/Modem line that has a Trojan Horse used to e-mail the spam. AOL's system probably would only encourage more viruses/worm designed to make computers email relays.
Of course if all non-business accounts were prevented from hosting an SMTP server that would help solve that problem, but I don't think that would go over very well with the Slashdot crowd. I'm not even sure where I stand on that issue.
I disagree. I seriously doubt that they would go after those items, because, as mentioned earlier, they have a different context, and there would be no chance of brand confusion.
When Apple first came out with the "Mac" McDonalds sued because of infringement on the "Big Mac". That case was thrown out, and the Mac name has lived on (in computers).
Seems pretty similar here. Adult content: No. Toys for children: Yes.
IANAL, but: To put a rather brutal, but analogous comparison in place. If someone breaks into your house, steals a gun, and then shoots someone on the street. The owner of the house would not be guilty of murder. They may be guilty of negligent storage of a firearm, but not much else.
And since there currently is no crime for keeping a computer unsecured on the internet, I doubt there is much that can be done.
Who is your supervisor. Does that person have any sway within the company? If yes, then have that person set your priorities. Go to that person with a list of projects and time frames, and ask them to set them.
If you are getting requests from 2 different groups, especially people who are at or above the level of your supervisor you will probably have to do it differently. Whether you or your supervisor do the following is dependant upon your relationship with him/her. I will assume that you can do the following.
Find an org chart. Find all of the people in the company that are requesting things from you. Go up that org chart until you hit a common supervisor for all of them. If that is the President/Owner so be it. Present your current list of projects, along with expected time frames. Have that person decide your priorities.
If you can't determine who in upper management should be doing this. Or they won't help you. Then there comes the final attempt. Get the various people to decide amongst themselves. State clearly that you are working an such and such an item for so and so. If the new person wants to get in line before the project you are on, then you will need approval from so and so.
Bottom line: It really isn't IT's responsibility to set company priority. Is the marketing project more important than the development project? It is inappropiate for an IT person to be deciding these things. Especially for someone as new on the job as you.
IT people make the mistake of trying to set company priority, and that is one of the reasons we are frequently viewed poorly outside the department.
Please, Please, Please don't compare the two. Being an Windows administrator (a minor devil in some pantheons?), I wouldn't wish SP4 equivalent instability generating changes/autoupdate problems upon anyone.
I think it is the lack of knowledge that is the key. Far too many people who are responsible for these things don't even realize the issues.
I know people hate the idea of being charged for bandwidth usage. I do think though, if people were charged for all outgoing bandwidth usage, this problem would dramatically drop.
"Honey, why do we have a $2000 Internet bill this month..."
Within the last 6 months I went through a phone system evaluation process. I was focused on IP telephony to a certain degree, so it was limited.
I agree that most items are being ported to Windows (scares the heck out of me, it's one thing for your web server to be down 6 hours, try having your phone system down for 6 hours).
The primary area where new development was being done, that wasn't Windows, I found to be in VxWorks. This makes sense to me since a RTOS really is a better platform, and at the same time, bypasses all of the Windows worms, etc.
I must whole heartedly agree with this. I have an MS in Chemistry (I was on track to get a PhD, but found I didn't really want to, so I left as soon I a got my masters).
I am now working as a sys-admin for a company that make cancer treatment equipment. While it's not as pure helping as the above, I get to do my sys-admin stuff to help people find a better cure for cancer. Yes, we're also in it for the money, but it's a step closer to doing pure good than most jobs.
If you follow through with shoppa's suggestion, you'd be going one step further than I would.
I remember my BioChem classes (10+ years ago), and it seemed even back then that to some degree the technology was already there. It does make you wonder if this is truly the first one, or just the first one to be formally announced.
Currently I am an IS Manager. Though college classes didn't directly teach me my trade, they did teach me much else (organization, project planning, etc.), and while there I worked part time as at the helpdesk. That experience was great.
Some people will say college is worthless, but it really depends on where you go. College is probably the best example of getting out what you put in.
Long term not having a degree can hurt your ability to advance in system administration, it will be harder to get into managerial positions.
That said, I have also made 2 job offers to people without degrees, one of whom I offered a salary high than mine, he was that good.
Background: Mother teaches high school bio, wife teaches high school bio. Religion=none.
If they had gone about half way and said that Evolution is only a theory, and not to be treated as fact I would actually agree with it. The biggest problems scientists have today is that they feel that once they have a theory that fits the bill, it is the only way that works. In fact there is pretty good evidence that when a new scientific idea comes out that shatters old theories, old scientists don't adopt it, they just die off (nuclear atomic theory, being one of the prime examples). If they KS had said that it should be emphasized as only a theory and not treated as a fact (which many scientists do), that would have been cool by me, the problem is they said it wasn't a theory of modern biology which is patently false.
------------------------------------ Microwho? Oh yeah, don't they make game software or something like that.
Slashdot Mirror
I object to this article. It is too centric to the US. What about the rest of the world that reads slashdot. Articles need to be relevant to the international world that is the internet.
----
Geez, you people in the US have such a collection of boneheaded politicians.
----
Ug.
AAAAAAAAAARRRRRrrggghhh.
Please don't every do that again. The mental image will haunt me for days.
The only solution that I could come up with, was the one that I mentioned above, not allow consumer level ISP accounts from send SMTP mail.
That in combination with SPF, and limiting the ISP to sending out 500 messages/machine/___insert your preferred unit of time___ would be much more powerful.
I think people misinterpretted me. I don't think SPF is bad. I just don't think it is going to reduce spam in any significant manner.
The biggest weakness of this system is that it doesn't protect against some user's system sitting on a broadband DSL/Modem line that has a Trojan Horse used to e-mail the spam. AOL's system probably would only encourage more viruses/worm designed to make computers email relays.
Of course if all non-business accounts were prevented from hosting an SMTP server that would help solve that problem, but I don't think that would go over very well with the Slashdot crowd. I'm not even sure where I stand on that issue.
I disagree. I seriously doubt that they would go after those items, because, as mentioned earlier, they have a different context, and there would be no chance of brand confusion.
When Apple first came out with the "Mac" McDonalds sued because of infringement on the "Big Mac". That case was thrown out, and the Mac name has lived on (in computers).
Seems pretty similar here. Adult content: No. Toys for children: Yes.
IANAL, but: To put a rather brutal, but analogous comparison in place. If someone breaks into your house, steals a gun, and then shoots someone on the street. The owner of the house would not be guilty of murder. They may be guilty of negligent storage of a firearm, but not much else.
And since there currently is no crime for keeping a computer unsecured on the internet, I doubt there is much that can be done.
Who is your supervisor. Does that person have any sway within the company? If yes, then have that person set your priorities. Go to that person with a list of projects and time frames, and ask them to set them.
If you are getting requests from 2 different groups, especially people who are at or above the level of your supervisor you will probably have to do it differently. Whether you or your supervisor do the following is dependant upon your relationship with him/her. I will assume that you can do the following.
Find an org chart. Find all of the people in the company that are requesting things from you. Go up that org chart until you hit a common supervisor for all of them. If that is the President/Owner so be it. Present your current list of projects, along with expected time frames. Have that person decide your priorities.
If you can't determine who in upper management should be doing this. Or they won't help you. Then there comes the final attempt. Get the various people to decide amongst themselves. State clearly that you are working an such and such an item for so and so. If the new person wants to get in line before the project you are on, then you will need approval from so and so.
Bottom line: It really isn't IT's responsibility to set company priority. Is the marketing project more important than the development project? It is inappropiate for an IT person to be deciding these things. Especially for someone as new on the job as you.
IT people make the mistake of trying to set company priority, and that is one of the reasons we are frequently viewed poorly outside the department.
In related news, their e-mail servers were down for a day or so due to the Sobig Virus. Apparently over 2200 machines were infected.
Nope, wrong lake. That would be Lake Mendota that UW is right next to.
Why do they need to do this? You have obviously never dealt with company lawyers. They would NEVER let something through without modifying it.
Please, Please, Please don't compare the two. Being an Windows administrator (a minor devil in some pantheons?), I wouldn't wish SP4 equivalent instability generating changes/autoupdate problems upon anyone.
I log in, the story is a few hours old, and there are 4 posts. Slashdot implementing the theory?
I think it is the lack of knowledge that is the key. Far too many people who are responsible for these things don't even realize the issues.
I know people hate the idea of being charged for bandwidth usage. I do think though, if people were charged for all outgoing bandwidth usage, this problem would dramatically drop.
"Honey, why do we have a $2000 Internet bill this month..."
Within the last 6 months I went through a phone system evaluation process. I was focused on IP telephony to a certain degree, so it was limited.
I agree that most items are being ported to Windows (scares the heck out of me, it's one thing for your web server to be down 6 hours, try having your phone system down for 6 hours).
The primary area where new development was being done, that wasn't Windows, I found to be in VxWorks. This makes sense to me since a RTOS really is a better platform, and at the same time, bypasses all of the Windows worms, etc.
I must whole heartedly agree with this. I have an MS in Chemistry (I was on track to get a PhD, but found I didn't really want to, so I left as soon I a got my masters).
I am now working as a sys-admin for a company that make cancer treatment equipment. While it's not as pure helping as the above, I get to do my sys-admin stuff to help people find a better cure for cancer. Yes, we're also in it for the money, but it's a step closer to doing pure good than most jobs.
If you follow through with shoppa's suggestion, you'd be going one step further than I would.
Good luck.
I remember my BioChem classes (10+ years ago), and it seemed even back then that to some degree the technology was already there. It does make you wonder if this is truly the first one, or just the first one to be formally announced.
My history:
BA Chemistry.
MS Chemistry.
Currently I am an IS Manager. Though college classes didn't directly teach me my trade, they did teach me much else (organization, project planning, etc.), and while there I worked part time as at the helpdesk. That experience was great.
Some people will say college is worthless, but it really depends on where you go. College is probably the best example of getting out what you put in.
Long term not having a degree can hurt your ability to advance in system administration, it will be harder to get into managerial positions.
That said, I have also made 2 job offers to people without degrees, one of whom I offered a salary high than mine, he was that good.
Hope this helps.
:MAC were never able to boot from a floppy
Um, they used to ONLY be able to boot from floppy. In 1984 hard drives weren't too common on the desktop. Or am I dating myself here.
Background: Mother teaches high school bio, wife teaches high school bio. Religion=none.
If they had gone about half way and said that Evolution is only a theory, and not to be treated as fact I would actually agree with it. The biggest problems scientists have today is that they feel that once they have a theory that fits the bill, it is the only way that works. In fact there is pretty good evidence that when a new scientific idea comes out that shatters old theories, old scientists don't adopt it, they just die off (nuclear atomic theory, being one of the prime examples). If they KS had said that it should be emphasized as only a theory and not treated as a fact (which many scientists do), that would have been cool by me, the problem is they said it wasn't a theory of modern biology which is patently false.
------------------------------------
Microwho? Oh yeah, don't they make game software or something like that.