Cut off the users from outgoing port 25 connections... and perhaps other virus ridden ports. Allow general web traffic... or restrict it but all it to major antivirus sites.
There are lots of way to partially block out he users while still allowing core functionality
Knowingly infected internet users are like the kids that keep coming to school sick. They're not getting better, and at some point you have to send them home because they keep coughing on the other kids.
These people are blocked for a reason: think of it more like a quarantine for the safety/comfort of other net users. They pay too, and nobody wants your bugs.
Yeah, hopefully if this gets resolved then perhaps we'll see more customers moving from cable back to dish. I'm not on either, mainly because the US dish networks aren't available in Canada (legally), but it I were on cable I'd be looking to switch to dish once this is cleared up. Not many companies stand up for their customers like this anymore.
Where I work, we use Deep Freeze to keep people from installing unwanted software. You can freeze some sections of the hard drive (such as C:\windows), and unfreeze others. I find it useful to have an unfrozen D:, and set "my documents" etc to point somewhere there.
Of course, this doesn't work well with XP (needs updates for those nasty worms), but in that case you'd just have to make your family members underprivileged users.
My aunt is getting a new computer and High Speed. I'm putting strong consideration into turning their old box into a 'nix server/firewall... maybe with a proxy that blocks.EXE or.ZIP files (and a special username to download the ones they need). That gives me SSH access to their network, a way to have it call my server to update dynamic IP's, and I can tunnel VNC as needed. Email could also be fetched through here and stripped of nasties using mailscanner/spamassassin/others
A dumb question, yet a good one
on
Can Software Kill?
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
Can negligence in any area kill? Yes.
Software is no different from hardware in this aspect. If it is handling mission-critical or potentially-lethal equipment... great care should be taken to ensure its integrity.
Trusting those that make your irraditation software is no different from trusting the those that made your life-support hardware.
Human error, or mechanical, can mean death in both cases. If the error is glaring, it becomes a case of negligence.
Unfortunately in cases of software or even computer hardware operating environment becomes an often overlooked factor. Stress tests are needed... data collisions checked for, line noise, redundancy, etc. When we're talking about people's lives, that extra parity bit can be just as important as a backup-parachute...
Look at that Bob, the Apple panther rapidly overtook both the MS Paperclip and the Linux Penguin... this race is in the bag
But, wait... the panther is stopping. No, now it's crouching. It seems to be waiting for something. Ah, the paperclip is catching up and the penguin is right behind it...
Oh horror, the panther has attacked the paperclip. Look, it's biting and bending it. Oh, the poor paperclip. Meanwhile, the penguin is slowly but surely gaining ground.
The panther seems to be having some problems now... yes, the panther has eaten the paperclip, and now it's choking. It seems that the clip is just too much bloat for the panther to handle...
One of the problems with the human race is our tendency towards passivity in peacetime. That is to say, war seems to be a great motivator... we've come up with a lot of cool stuff in the name of blowing people up (jet engines come to mind).
However, if we could channel our destructive impulses elsewhere, perhaps we can go beyond "building a better gun" and make something more. This means the whole human race, not just the US, etc. The more countries that join together the less opposition there would be.
At this point, I somewhat liken things to a Larry Niven novel... human race finally reaces peace, we forget all about what war is like, and then some other race comes to kick our asses. At this point, we've got some advanced technology, and instinct allows us to quickly adapt it back to weaponry (in the case of the books, a propulsion laser also makes a dandy weapon). But by the same token, if global communication etc evolved to the point where you can talk to somebody in India as easy as next door, perhaps your opinion of that person wouldn't be as negetive... or their opinion of you
It's optimistic though... there will always be those that thrive on chaos, killing, and crime. I'm just hoping that one day we can minimalize the human focus on such things.
I'm considering it. Also the fact that being on crutches for 5 weeks does do nice things to one's upper-body muscles, I'd like to keep the extra bulk I've put on up here, so regular exercises and stretchings are probably going to become routine.
Photoshop is a nice program, but in linuxworld GIMP is catching up. Not that it will be a replacement for most professionals, but for the average person it's not a bad solution.
I've yet to, however, find a product that compares to Dreamweaver for linux. Yes, as with many linux users, I can manually code HTML without much problem - but I do miss the elegance of Dreamweaver. I'm hoping that the porting of flash will be a signal fo future things to come.
While I do have GnomeMeeting installed on several machines, I've found that getting the video support to work can be a bit arduous. Thus far, I've not been able to get my Creative (Webcam Go) webcam to work.
One of the problems with this is the kernel-level drivers. While it's nice perforance-wise to have things compiled for the kernel, I think that to get Joe average in on this we'll need some sort of selector for common cameras that will build the appropriate module.
Despite scanning various sites, I have yet to find an easy way to determine the module required for my webcam, it's not as easy as finding a NIC driver etc.
Anyone know where a good site for howtos on this is? Perhaps we should be including a webcam installation reference with the software, or a link for such on the website?
those in power would rather break things and hurt people than do something constructive like explore space or feed children
And that's about it, too. If we'd channelled all the cash that the world puts into nukes, tanks, fighter-jets, aircraft carriers etc... and instead used it to fund space exploration, or heck even undersea, we probably would be a lot farther today.
What might they find if they have technology to make viable undersea colonies. I'm sure there are valuable assets untapped beneath the ocean, and we could grow food there, as well as mine minerals and other raw resources.
In space, well, there's a lot more potential but a larger timeframe involved. Again, if we'd put the money towards it, maybe they'd have some colonists on Mars already today, suddenly discovering there is water and aerable land. Rather than fighting over sections of our own planet, why not find some new places we can all share?
Maybe not ad-supported, but games have definately had ads for awhile. I think even back in the Keen days you could pick up little coke bottles etc for health?
The trick is that in video games many ads are there but not obtrusive. When you're installing a game, it may show ads for other games, etc. When you're playing, something like a FPS for example, there may be billboards for Pepsi, or something equally non-descript. It's not blatantly in-your-face, but there still is a subliminal factor (particularly if you get an urge to drink a Pepsi while playing).
I really don't mind if ads enter games in this fashion... let the Sims have a McDonalds... it's when I get force-fed them TV style that I'll start getting annoyed.
Heck, for a smaller gaming company, ads might be great for revenue, especially online. Websites cost to support, gaming servers more... so why not have a little Blizzard-esque banner in the chatroom, or a banner beside the skyscraper in my FPS. If Jolt cola sponsors you evough to pay your servers, and you get more people drinking jolt while gaming, then everyone wins.
Slashdotters in general form a type of social group. Just because the "other" groups don't include us doesn't mean we can't fit in somewhere.
Seriously, the chess club or the PC-gaming club is no less a form of social interaction than pounding each others heads in another group. The other groups just tend to get laid more often...
...and make sure that the one you're ticking off isn't your superior officer. I wonder though, what the policy on "monitoring" such communications might be?
Wouldn't British use the word "chum" or something like that? I think "mate" is more an Australian-ism... though perhaps it is used in some areas of Britain as well (never heard any of the Brits I know use it)
...The kernel coders at Microsoft are unlikely to notice or care...
Nope. I've heard that not much phases the kernel coders at MS... unless somebody forgets to bring them their bananas for lunch, or accidentally leaves a mirror within reach...
FTP, POP3, and many other protocols tend to use unencrypted passwords. If any of those work as a local user... it's not too hard to sniff one. After that, you're just an upgrade to root away from the gold (one of the reasons I'm plying SCP/SFTP and secure-POP3 here)
In other words, the pit crew doesn't take the driver's car keys, but they don't hand him an air-driver and ratchet-wrench either.
If your users have their office software, etc etc and whatever else they need to do their job, there's no reason for them to have access to install the latest version of kazaa or whatever.
This topic made me think about the possibilities for internet-enabled appliances. How about something with an internet connection that downloads recipes, and displays instructions as you go through them? Perhaps it could even do things like set temperatures, etc as you go through it
If you could somehow make a device that contained various spices the way a plotter handles pens, you could auto-season foods and other cool things...
It's worth noting that several of the "3d" GPU plugins (like the d3d/GL ones), while being nice on mostly 3d games, are quite suckish on 2d. The same applies to the reverse.
I've found that for older 2d-style games like FF Chronicles, I was better to select a software GPU to get better graphics performance/features.
Of course, for 3d games the hardware-accelerated GPU's often do a much better job of rendering/aliasing etc than the PSX or PS2 hardware. Some FX are missing, but the improvement in graphics is quite nice and most games are playable.
I agree in part... most physical assistance eventually becomes somewhat depended on. Hell, I don't think I'll be able to walk properly without my crutches or even a cane. However, the walking action I would get with such a device would still be more leg/muscle movement than I would otherwise have using the crutches and keeping the leg elevated... which would hopefully slow the degenerative process or allow me to regain some muscle mass after.
Sure, my body would be used to the assistance after awhile, but right now it's used to not using the leg at all. Truely, I cannot make myself put full weight on the leg. I can now stand (with cast on), I can lean on it, but I somehow just can't lift the other left. Whether it's some mental paranoia or habit (I'm very used to jerking the broken ankle out of harms way) I'm not sure of yet... but I'd expect that it might take a while before I do adjust to walking - with or without other assistance.
But some local women apparently agree, though I would disagree and many women I know would as well. Not as many women as men may know about the intricate details as cars... for that matter I don't know as much as a fair number of men I know, or women I know...
However, what I really meant to ask is what is "wrong" with the hood (bonnet, whatever). The new car looks odd to me without it, and its certainly not much of a visual improvement to remove it. Maybe because I don't have the same fashion sense as British women, I dunno.
Really it comes down to whom is injured and who is benefitting. Almost everyone will agree that SPAM is a pain in the butt, so something is being done about it
Not many are offended by P2P, in fact most like it. RIAA and some artists (note: some) don't... but they have more money that most of the average people, and more to spend on lawyers or taking their pet politicians out for a swanky meal to "discuss" the issue.
I mean, seriosuly, why do they need a bonnett. Is it just that a hood isn't stylish enough? I can see the usefulness in having the windshield-wiper reservoir in a more easily accessible place. In the winter I drive 80km to the next city, and by the time I'm home again the damn thing is empty and I need to pop the hood, refill.
But sealing the hood entirely? There are a lot of things you could do to make it look better. Maybe a more "seamless" looking edge, with a fold-over or something like that to blend into the rest of the vehicle. Maybe a basket-style hood would be cool (opens on both sides), certainly useful in many cases where you only have to access something on one side of the hood.
I suppose some peopl might be dumb enough to assume " no hood=no need to check under hood", but even a rather clueless individual can follow instructions for basic maintainence like checking fluids, etc in the event of a mishap. How much do you want to bet that the mechanic bill for something like this would be 2x normal as well?
Slashdot Mirror
Cut off the users from outgoing port 25 connections... and perhaps other virus ridden ports. Allow general web traffic... or restrict it but all it to major antivirus sites.
There are lots of way to partially block out he users while still allowing core functionality
Knowingly infected internet users are like the kids that keep coming to school sick. They're not getting better, and at some point you have to send them home because they keep coughing on the other kids.
These people are blocked for a reason: think of it more like a quarantine for the safety/comfort of other net users. They pay too, and nobody wants your bugs.
Yeah, hopefully if this gets resolved then perhaps we'll see more customers moving from cable back to dish. I'm not on either, mainly because the US dish networks aren't available in Canada (legally), but it I were on cable I'd be looking to switch to dish once this is cleared up. Not many companies stand up for their customers like this anymore.
Where I work, we use Deep Freeze to keep people from installing unwanted software. You can freeze some sections of the hard drive (such as C:\windows), and unfreeze others. I find it useful to have an unfrozen D:, and set "my documents" etc to point somewhere there.
.EXE or .ZIP files (and a special username to download the ones they need). That gives me SSH access to their network, a way to have it call my server to update dynamic IP's, and I can tunnel VNC as needed. Email could also be fetched through here and stripped of nasties using mailscanner/spamassassin/others
Of course, this doesn't work well with XP (needs updates for those nasty worms), but in that case you'd just have to make your family members underprivileged users.
My aunt is getting a new computer and High Speed. I'm putting strong consideration into turning their old box into a 'nix server/firewall... maybe with a proxy that blocks
Can negligence in any area kill? Yes.
Software is no different from hardware in this aspect. If it is handling mission-critical or potentially-lethal equipment... great care should be taken to ensure its integrity.
Trusting those that make your irraditation software is no different from trusting the those that made your life-support hardware.
Human error, or mechanical, can mean death in both cases. If the error is glaring, it becomes a case of negligence.
Unfortunately in cases of software or even computer hardware operating environment becomes an often overlooked factor. Stress tests are needed... data collisions checked for, line noise, redundancy, etc. When we're talking about people's lives, that extra parity bit can be just as important as a backup-parachute...
And they're off
Look at that Bob, the Apple panther rapidly overtook both the MS Paperclip and the Linux Penguin... this race is in the bag
But, wait... the panther is stopping. No, now it's crouching. It seems to be waiting for something. Ah, the paperclip is catching up and the penguin is right behind it...
Oh horror, the panther has attacked the paperclip. Look, it's biting and bending it. Oh, the poor paperclip. Meanwhile, the penguin is slowly but surely gaining ground.
The panther seems to be having some problems now... yes, the panther has eaten the paperclip, and now it's choking. It seems that the clip is just too much bloat for the panther to handle...
One of the problems with the human race is our tendency towards passivity in peacetime. That is to say, war seems to be a great motivator... we've come up with a lot of cool stuff in the name of blowing people up (jet engines come to mind).
However, if we could channel our destructive impulses elsewhere, perhaps we can go beyond "building a better gun" and make something more. This means the whole human race, not just the US, etc. The more countries that join together the less opposition there would be.
At this point, I somewhat liken things to a Larry Niven novel... human race finally reaces peace, we forget all about what war is like, and then some other race comes to kick our asses. At this point, we've got some advanced technology, and instinct allows us to quickly adapt it back to weaponry (in the case of the books, a propulsion laser also makes a dandy weapon). But by the same token, if global communication etc evolved to the point where you can talk to somebody in India as easy as next door, perhaps your opinion of that person wouldn't be as negetive... or their opinion of you
It's optimistic though... there will always be those that thrive on chaos, killing, and crime. I'm just hoping that one day we can minimalize the human focus on such things.
I'm considering it. Also the fact that being on crutches for 5 weeks does do nice things to one's upper-body muscles, I'd like to keep the extra bulk I've put on up here, so regular exercises and stretchings are probably going to become routine.
Photoshop is a nice program, but in linuxworld GIMP is catching up. Not that it will be a replacement for most professionals, but for the average person it's not a bad solution.
I've yet to, however, find a product that compares to Dreamweaver for linux. Yes, as with many linux users, I can manually code HTML without much problem - but I do miss the elegance of Dreamweaver. I'm hoping that the porting of flash will be a signal fo future things to come.
While I do have GnomeMeeting installed on several machines, I've found that getting the video support to work can be a bit arduous. Thus far, I've not been able to get my Creative (Webcam Go) webcam to work.
One of the problems with this is the kernel-level drivers. While it's nice perforance-wise to have things compiled for the kernel, I think that to get Joe average in on this we'll need some sort of selector for common cameras that will build the appropriate module.
Despite scanning various sites, I have yet to find an easy way to determine the module required for my webcam, it's not as easy as finding a NIC driver etc.
Anyone know where a good site for howtos on this is? Perhaps we should be including a webcam installation reference with the software, or a link for such on the website?
those in power would rather break things and hurt people than do something constructive like explore space or feed children
And that's about it, too. If we'd channelled all the cash that the world puts into nukes, tanks, fighter-jets, aircraft carriers etc... and instead used it to fund space exploration, or heck even undersea, we probably would be a lot farther today.
What might they find if they have technology to make viable undersea colonies. I'm sure there are valuable assets untapped beneath the ocean, and we could grow food there, as well as mine minerals and other raw resources.
In space, well, there's a lot more potential but a larger timeframe involved. Again, if we'd put the money towards it, maybe they'd have some colonists on Mars already today, suddenly discovering there is water and aerable land. Rather than fighting over sections of our own planet, why not find some new places we can all share?
Maybe not ad-supported, but games have definately had ads for awhile. I think even back in the Keen days you could pick up little coke bottles etc for health?
The trick is that in video games many ads are there but not obtrusive. When you're installing a game, it may show ads for other games, etc. When you're playing, something like a FPS for example, there may be billboards for Pepsi, or something equally non-descript. It's not blatantly in-your-face, but there still is a subliminal factor (particularly if you get an urge to drink a Pepsi while playing).
I really don't mind if ads enter games in this fashion... let the Sims have a McDonalds... it's when I get force-fed them TV style that I'll start getting annoyed.
Heck, for a smaller gaming company, ads might be great for revenue, especially online. Websites cost to support, gaming servers more... so why not have a little Blizzard-esque banner in the chatroom, or a banner beside the skyscraper in my FPS. If Jolt cola sponsors you evough to pay your servers, and you get more people drinking jolt while gaming, then everyone wins.
Slashdotters in general form a type of social group. Just because the "other" groups don't include us doesn't mean we can't fit in somewhere.
Seriously, the chess club or the PC-gaming club is no less a form of social interaction than pounding each others heads in another group. The other groups just tend to get laid more often...
...and make sure that the one you're ticking off isn't your superior officer. I wonder though, what the policy on "monitoring" such communications might be?
Wouldn't British use the word "chum" or something like that? I think "mate" is more an Australian-ism... though perhaps it is used in some areas of Britain as well (never heard any of the Brits I know use it)
...The kernel coders at Microsoft are unlikely to notice or care...
Nope. I've heard that not much phases the kernel coders at MS... unless somebody forgets to bring them their bananas for lunch, or accidentally leaves a mirror within reach...
Gene changed it because we can't have people selling drugs in the perfect Trek universe (that would too....human.
My memories of the earlier episodes are foggy... but I...seem...to...remember...
Wasn't there an episode which involved women taking some sort of drug that made them beautiful and excude large amounts of sex-appeal...
Ahhh, google I love you. Mudd's Women it was called...
FTP, POP3, and many other protocols tend to use unencrypted passwords. If any of those work as a local user... it's not too hard to sniff one. After that, you're just an upgrade to root away from the gold (one of the reasons I'm plying SCP/SFTP and secure-POP3 here)
In other words, the pit crew doesn't take the driver's car keys, but they don't hand him an air-driver and ratchet-wrench either.
If your users have their office software, etc etc and whatever else they need to do their job, there's no reason for them to have access to install the latest version of kazaa or whatever.
This topic made me think about the possibilities for internet-enabled appliances. How about something with an internet connection that downloads recipes, and displays instructions as you go through them? Perhaps it could even do things like set temperatures, etc as you go through it
If you could somehow make a device that contained various spices the way a plotter handles pens, you could auto-season foods and other cool things...
It's worth noting that several of the "3d" GPU plugins (like the d3d/GL ones), while being nice on mostly 3d games, are quite suckish on 2d. The same applies to the reverse.
I've found that for older 2d-style games like FF Chronicles, I was better to select a software GPU to get better graphics performance/features.
Of course, for 3d games the hardware-accelerated GPU's often do a much better job of rendering/aliasing etc than the PSX or PS2 hardware. Some FX are missing, but the improvement in graphics is quite nice and most games are playable.
I agree in part... most physical assistance eventually becomes somewhat depended on. Hell, I don't think I'll be able to walk properly without my crutches or even a cane. However, the walking action I would get with such a device would still be more leg/muscle movement than I would otherwise have using the crutches and keeping the leg elevated... which would hopefully slow the degenerative process or allow me to regain some muscle mass after.
Sure, my body would be used to the assistance after awhile, but right now it's used to not using the leg at all. Truely, I cannot make myself put full weight on the leg. I can now stand (with cast on), I can lean on it, but I somehow just can't lift the other left. Whether it's some mental paranoia or habit (I'm very used to jerking the broken ankle out of harms way) I'm not sure of yet... but I'd expect that it might take a while before I do adjust to walking - with or without other assistance.
But some local women apparently agree, though I would disagree and many women I know would as well. Not as many women as men may know about the intricate details as cars... for that matter I don't know as much as a fair number of men I know, or women I know...
However, what I really meant to ask is what is "wrong" with the hood (bonnet, whatever). The new car looks odd to me without it, and its certainly not much of a visual improvement to remove it. Maybe because I don't have the same fashion sense as British women, I dunno.
What percentage of email is spam? Bulk mail?
Really it comes down to whom is injured and who is benefitting. Almost everyone will agree that SPAM is a pain in the butt, so something is being done about it
Not many are offended by P2P, in fact most like it. RIAA and some artists (note: some) don't... but they have more money that most of the average people, and more to spend on lawyers or taking their pet politicians out for a swanky meal to "discuss" the issue.
I mean, seriosuly, why do they need a bonnett. Is it just that a hood isn't stylish enough? I can see the usefulness in having the windshield-wiper reservoir in a more easily accessible place. In the winter I drive 80km to the next city, and by the time I'm home again the damn thing is empty and I need to pop the hood, refill.
But sealing the hood entirely? There are a lot of things you could do to make it look better. Maybe a more "seamless" looking edge, with a fold-over or something like that to blend into the rest of the vehicle. Maybe a basket-style hood would be cool (opens on both sides), certainly useful in many cases where you only have to access something on one side of the hood.
I suppose some peopl might be dumb enough to assume " no hood=no need to check under hood", but even a rather clueless individual can follow instructions for basic maintainence like checking fluids, etc in the event of a mishap. How much do you want to bet that the mechanic bill for something like this would be 2x normal as well?