I'm very interested to know which are the best automation programs and
macro programs for Windows and for Linux.
Is Macro Express, mentioned in the
Slashdot article, the best?
For Windows automation, I've used the free AutoIt, which is amazingly
complete and well-developed. AutoIt comes with an autocompletion
IDE that automatically displays function usage information. The version
that includes the IDE installs easily. AutoIt also has a compiler, which is
also free.
I used WinBatch several years ago,
but I had a huge amount of trouble getting technical support for it.
Microsoft has released several scripting languages, but my experience
is that they are poorly documented.
At public computers, take a mini-10-key keypad with you. Avoid hardware key loggers by using your own keypad. This works only with passwords that have numbers in them, but all passwords should have numbers.
As others have said, avoid software keyloggers by booting to an OS on CD. This doesn't work at many cyber cafes, because booting to a new OS is not possible.
Enter some characters in the password field. Then use the mouse to erase some of those characters. Then put the cursor in a different position than it was originally, and enter some more characters.
ALL banks should be required by law to use randomly presented images in a challenge-response system.
It's a pity that the only things that can be done now in the U.S. government involve paying some politician, so needed changes aren't made.
More opinion: It looks to me likely that someone at Slashdot is taking money under the table to place ads as stories on Slashdot. The linked articles are ads for an internet security firm:
"The participating companies use security firm ScanAlert's Hacker Safe certification, a system that certifies Web sites as secure from hackers. It audits e-commerce Web sites and maintains daily remote security sweeps to make sure hackers and other Internet intrusions are locked out."
The writer of the articles is probably an employee of a public relations company. Clearly the writer has no technical knowledge. Clearly there is no issue here. People abandon their shopping carts because they have found that the company charges too much for shipping.
The articles appear to me to be written by a non-technical writer to try to take advantage of the lack of technical knowledge of most CEOs.
Exactly. Froogle shows many sites with very low prices that charge more than $50 for shipping a item weighing one pound. Companies believe they can play tricks, and no one will notice. Instead, with me at least, they ruin their name forever. I would never, for example, buy anything from ABES of Maine cameras, which charges $51.75 for ground shipping of a small camera. In Froogle, ABES looks like it has the lowest price on the camera I checked.
That doesn't work. In fact, it gives many, many people a bad impression long before they think of trying the distro.
To see this more clearly, just exaggerate. Suppose they called the developer release "stupid idiot". Many, many people who don't know anything about Ubuntu would learn to associate Ubuntu with something negative. Then, when the release version is available, there would be a huge amount of negativity associated with it, even if they call that "happy days".
The latency is probably due to your own Internet connection. I never had a problem calling the U.S. or France from Brazil, and my Brazilian DSL had 200 milliseconds of latency when pinging to the United States.
Interesting. But most people cannot take the time to get involved with a new programming challenge, even if they are skilled programmers.
That's why Skype is so popular. It works without a big investment of time.
Speak Freely has installation problems?
on
John Dvorak Hypes Skype
·
· Score: 2, Informative
It would be MUCH better to use software like Speak Freely rather than Skype. However, my understanding is that Speak Freely is a hassle to install when you are behind a hardware firewall. Skype just routes everything over port 80; no hassles.
Speak Freely is not in active development: "News
01/04/2002 - Version 7.2 released!" That's the latest version.
You said, "... Skype isn't technically better than other similar apps."
Skype is far better than other VOIP applications, because the audio quality is far, far better. They use a great codec and do other audio processing, too.
"If Microsoft made toilet paper it would be called Butt Wiper." Brian Briggs
If Microsoft made toilet paper it would be called Microsoft Wipe. Microsoft would then consider that other uses of the word wipe were possibly infringing on their trademark.
GoDaddy is extremely aggressive about pushing things people don't need, in my opinion. The company seems to me to take advantage of people with less technical understanding by exploiting their doubt. For example, there are sometimes as many as 30 ads on a GoDaddy screen at one time, so many it is difficult to navigate.
Slashdot Mirror
Which is an entirely good use of Slashdot.
Just below someone mentions AutoHotkey. Looks great, and mentions AutoIt.
I'm very interested to know which are the best automation programs and macro programs for Windows and for Linux.
Is Macro Express, mentioned in the Slashdot article, the best?
For Windows automation, I've used the free AutoIt, which is amazingly complete and well-developed. AutoIt comes with an autocompletion IDE that automatically displays function usage information. The version that includes the IDE installs easily. AutoIt also has a compiler, which is also free.
I used WinBatch several years ago, but I had a huge amount of trouble getting technical support for it.
Microsoft has released several scripting languages, but my experience is that they are poorly documented.
Also, use a browser on a diskette or USB device. Don't use an untrusted computer's browser.
More methods:
Number keypads on screen, drop down key entry fields.
More ideas:
At public computers, take a mini-10-key keypad with you. Avoid hardware key loggers by using your own keypad. This works only with passwords that have numbers in them, but all passwords should have numbers.
As others have said, avoid software keyloggers by booting to an OS on CD. This doesn't work at many cyber cafes, because booting to a new OS is not possible.
Also:
Copy and Paste your password into the password field.
Another security measure for banks would be to require that you call the bank to enable any transaction you just entered.
Good idea.
Enter some characters in the password field. Then use the mouse to erase some of those characters. Then put the cursor in a different position than it was originally, and enter some more characters.
ALL banks should be required by law to use randomly presented images in a challenge-response system.
It's a pity that the only things that can be done now in the U.S. government involve paying some politician, so needed changes aren't made.
More opinion: It looks to me likely that someone at Slashdot is taking money under the table to place ads as stories on Slashdot. The linked articles are ads for an internet security firm:
"The participating companies use security firm ScanAlert's Hacker Safe certification, a system that certifies Web sites as secure from hackers. It audits e-commerce Web sites and maintains daily remote security sweeps to make sure hackers and other Internet intrusions are locked out."
The writer of the articles is probably an employee of a public relations company. Clearly the writer has no technical knowledge. Clearly there is no issue here. People abandon their shopping carts because they have found that the company charges too much for shipping.
The articles appear to me to be written by a non-technical writer to try to take advantage of the lack of technical knowledge of most CEOs.
Exactly. Froogle shows many sites with very low prices that charge more than $50 for shipping a item weighing one pound. Companies believe they can play tricks, and no one will notice. Instead, with me at least, they ruin their name forever. I would never, for example, buy anything from ABES of Maine cameras, which charges $51.75 for ground shipping of a small camera. In Froogle, ABES looks like it has the lowest price on the camera I checked.
Your position is just not how the world works.
Anti-African?????
That doesn't work. In fact, it gives many, many people a bad impression long before they think of trying the distro.
To see this more clearly, just exaggerate. Suppose they called the developer release "stupid idiot". Many, many people who don't know anything about Ubuntu would learn to associate Ubuntu with something negative. Then, when the release version is available, there would be a huge amount of negativity associated with it, even if they call that "happy days".
Ubuntu is fine. "Grumpy Groundhog" is not. Not if you want to attract new users.
Choosing a bad name is self-defeating, pure and simple.
How to have a release that gets only 7 comments in one hour on Slashdot: Give it a foolish-sounding name.
Why not go all the way and call it the "stupid idiot" release? Why not have a distro called "You are a moron if you try this Linux".
It would be good if open source developers would learn the rudiments of communication. It's sad when they are self-defeating.
Oh well, at least open source developers don't bomb people in other countries to get the oil profit.
Sometimes DSL equipment at the ISP has a malfunction in which it periodically drops packets. Try a hundred pings:
ping google.com -n 100
The ping times should be very close to each other.
The latency is probably due to your own Internet connection. I never had a problem calling the U.S. or France from Brazil, and my Brazilian DSL had 200 milliseconds of latency when pinging to the United States.
I've had no problems calling NZ land lines using BroadVoice. $25 USD/month, unlimited.
Link that works: Skype-ready USB phone.
Interesting. But most people cannot take the time to get involved with a new programming challenge, even if they are skilled programmers.
That's why Skype is so popular. It works without a big investment of time.
It would be MUCH better to use software like Speak Freely rather than Skype. However, my understanding is that Speak Freely is a hassle to install when you are behind a hardware firewall. Skype just routes everything over port 80; no hassles.
Speak Freely is not in active development: "News 01/04/2002 - Version 7.2 released!" That's the latest version.
You said, "... Skype isn't technically better than other similar apps."
Skype is far better than other VOIP applications, because the audio quality is far, far better. They use a great codec and do other audio processing, too.
In this case he is saying the obvious. So, no effect on Skype.
"If Microsoft made toilet paper it would be called Butt Wiper." Brian Briggs
If Microsoft made toilet paper it would be called Microsoft Wipe. Microsoft would then consider that other uses of the word wipe were possibly infringing on their trademark.
MOD PARENT UP. Moderators, how can you call it a troll? It's someone's opinion, including mine.
How does Powweb compare for hosting?
GoDaddy is extremely aggressive about pushing things people don't need, in my opinion. The company seems to me to take advantage of people with less technical understanding by exploiting their doubt. For example, there are sometimes as many as 30 ads on a GoDaddy screen at one time, so many it is difficult to navigate.