I hear you on that -
I was just faced with wading through a sea of spam each morning or giving up my email address if I didn't get my shit protection suit on...
Another bad Slashdot analogy
on
I, Spammer
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· Score: 4, Interesting
Yes - many people use analogies to make their point on Slashdot - so here's mine.
People need to guard their email addresses in the same way they practice safe sex. Don't go sticking your email address just any old place...
Ok, that was bad. The exceptions are cases where your ISP screws you and sells your name (like those sorry AOL customers had happen to them) or people who use brute force address guessing algorithms.
Although I think the legislation being considered is a good first step --
The Burns-Wyden bill would make it illegal for bulk mailers to forge their sending location, have deceptive subject lines or prevent users from removing their names from e-mail lists. Owners of networks would retain the ability to block mail, and the legislation gives Internet providers legal standing to hunt down and sue spammers.
The committee also heard from Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), who advocates a nationwide do-not-spam registry similar to a newly created do-not-call telemarketing list, plus an international treaty on spam.
Nothing really beats good filtering. I put together a server side filtering process using a Mail::Audit. I support several end users who can administrate their mail rules (e.g. block if subject has "viagra" or if sender is spamboy@jizzmop.com, etc.) using a web based interface and MySQL back-end. People can share rules as well. It's working pretty well for everyone. Additionally, Mail::Audit allows you to tap into the RBL which essentially will give you an "unlisted number" - only those you have expilicity granted permission to recieve from can reach you. Sounds extreme, but I get ZERO spam.
How can a person with the title of "Space Analyst" use terms like "glitches" and "funnies" in referencing reports specific to the technology for the behavior of the shuttle's flight navigation system?
In an e-mail exchange, Oberg said there have been various reports about glitches or "funnies" that might have been occurring aboard Columbia even before the spaceship crossed the California coastline.
Also, I was hoping this report had some insight as to what was on the additional seconds of data that was recovered. I supposed I shouldn't expect tech details on msnbc.com.
Ok mod me down now - I'm just complaining anyway...
Never written one for malicious pruposes before. Thought about it a lot of course - in the same way people fantasize about robbing a bank or hitting the lottery.
But when you think about it, all leaving a backdoor in a system does for you is to provide an opportunity of accessing a system in a way that you shouldn't be. This can lead to trouble down the line.
Clearly, there are legitimate uses for backdoors (to use in case of emergencies, etc.), but unless the backdoor is documented someplace for others in the software development group to be aware of, it's likely the kind of backdoor that is simply not ethical to implement, since it's only usable by one person.
I'm sure people can provide examples that disprove this, but for the majority of situations, as a developer, having a backdoor in a system can only lead to a security breach at some point...
Ok you got me. I'm not very bright. I just come here to read what all you smart guys have to say all the time. blah blah blah your gargantuan omnipotence bathes me in a shimmering light that makes my gills evolve into lungs. Ok you happy now?
Seriously, all I was saying was that authors who release software under a very specific license cannot suddenly change the agreement after it has been accepted by the other party just because the authors object against what it may or may not be used for - no more that the government can subjectively govern free speech because they don't like what you're saying.
Your "yelling fire" example simply does not apply to using software as part of an automated navigation system of a helicopter. The helicopter is used for any number of things (including rescuing soldiers and civilians), combat being just one. Even if there is a war (which I'd go on the record to say I'd love to see avoided at almost all costs), you cannot positively say that the Open Source software would be directly involved in killing innocent people - you simply cannot make that leap in a logic proof.
I'm sure the concept of war and people dying upsets you (it sure does me), but facts are facts and logic is logic. And this issue of who is actually correct here will all come out in the wash i.e. if it truly becomes a legal issue, let's see how it stands up in the courts).
Now you may have the last word. Enjoy it - it's silly for me to keep responding to someone who can't even be bothered to log into Slashdot. Why go around as "anonymous coward" anyway?
No offense to you or anyone else was intended in anything I said...
Yes but the very fact that your opinion is subjective (rather than objective) negates your argument. Free speech is either free or it isn't. Same goes for Open Source.
During Windows Update, the message used to say "no information is being collected" or something like that. For some reason, I never fully believed it. I always assumed it was their intention all along to collect as much data about their users as possible. Why wouldn't they? The worth of said info is invaluable in terms of doing marketing analysis (I build systems for marketing people - they live on user demographic info). So even though it said "no info is being collected", I wouldn't even be surprised if they were doing something in regards to data collection along the lines of what they are doing now (at least identifying your OS version or something), which would be stretching the truth a little.
The fact that M$ is now admitting that they are collecting specific data from your machine, makes me wonder if they are doing that - plus maybe a little more?
Clearly, I'm on the verge of paranoia here, but imagine those of us who use MS Money and who use Windows Update. Now reckon how valuable it would be for M$ to query the net worth of all of these users.
I'm not saying I suspect this, but it wouldn't suprise me (like this acticle doesn't suprise me) if they did start doing it.
While I certainly understand the need for extra money while in college (for example, many students I knew at Fordham U were addicted to crack so they stole each others text books and sold them back to the bookstore), relaying spam is really low!
I've got the Archos 20 GB multimedia Jukebox. Not only does it hold hundreds of CDs worth of music and allow me to record to MP3 - but it holds all of my digital photos and I can display them on the screen. Who needs to carry photos in your wallet anyway? It also plays movies. Yes you have to make sure they're a specific file type (DivX MP4), but I will admit to watching Dude, where's my Car on the train ride home;-)
The only thing I wish this thing did is have an FM Radio and (why not) support Ogg.
This Nueron thang sounds like it's got some nice features, but the lack of the video/picture functionality, plus being $100 more, I think I'm still ok for now.
Of course, something new and better will come out soon enough to make me start thinking about selling my Archos on eBay (like I did with my 10 GB model) and upgrading...
... people who use a continuous flow of newly creatred hotmail accounts to SEND spam? Shouldn't Msoft do something about them too?
I've written a server based SPAM filter that uses the RBL and mail from hotmail addresses are always rejected since it appears they are on the RBL. This makes it difficult for legit people using Hotmail to send mail to places using the RBL for filtering.
Regardless of anyone's predisposition to XP as a development methodology or not (I actually love some of its philosophies, but would never follow some of its others), it's really not the main factor that has to do with the success of a given project.
Successful software development has always been about people - not development philosophies, and not about which language you use. If you're working with people who are winners, you're going to find a way to succeed.
That said, I'm sure there are many who feel very strongly about operating systems, development environments, programming languages, etc. (myself included), but none of it matters if you don't have the right talent in place.
As a happy DirecTV customer, I'm not sure what's the better fate for the company - (A) being owned by Rupert Murdoch or (B) being owned by a phone company.
Either way, both choices beat the crap out of option (C) which is Cablevision buying DirecTV. That would be like Oil companies buying the first cold fusion generator only to hold the patent and not allow anyone to use it.
Wow - if I had mod points I'd give them up for this post.
I used to dominate in Quake and when playing CStrike (with a brand new beefed up PC), I experienced the same feelings of SUCK that the parent poster did.
Your comment reminds me of these guys who actually got a customer service number on purpose in order to take calls from unsuspecting people and torment them.
Their website's a little amateurish, but the calls you can download are pretty funny.
... where Elaine gives some guy she meets her phone number with the new "646" area code. The guy's like "so how far away do you live?" and "so do I have to dial 1 first"? He eventually makes up an excuse to get away from her, just so he doesn't have to deal with the different area code issue.
Ok, mod me down now, that was pretty off topic. Sorry.
... the files I got played perfectly for a minute or two and then BZZZZZZT! a nasty placed electronic blast sound broke in right in the middle of the song. It was only in a batch of tunes I wanted to check out from a new band, just to make sure the song I'd heard on the radio wasn't a one-hit-wonder, before I spent the $ on getting the CD.
But hey, I can totally see why this method of poisoning the file is preferable to the music companies. It still allowed me to hear the entire song, but it made the song completely unacceptable for permanent use.
Honestly, I wouldn't even mind so much if this the way all downloadable music went, certainly if the alternative is to take it away completely. At least this way, we could tell if plunking down the bucks for the whole CD was worth it.
This, coupled with actually lowering the cost of CDs could possibly make everyone happy.
Is the use of "strikeback" ever warranted - this is a difficult topic to render a definitive decision on.
Having been the victim of the effects of Code Red (our Linux boxes we not affected, but the hosting facility we were in was overwhelmed with traffic from all of it's unpatched IIS servers), I can certainly see the reason as to why this software was developed. Our site was inaccessible for close to half a day, because of other people's inability to keep security at the forefront of their minds. We were powerless to do anthing but wait for our hosting providers to track down all of the offending servers at our location and fix them.
I remember being so angry at the time and I would have welcomed the scenario where a "strikeback" type of application would have put a stop to this problem in an automated fashion. I'm sure part of the creator's reasoning is that if people's systems are left vulnerable to various worms, then there should be no problem allowing his software to "fix" the problem. Perhaps an applicable anaolgy would be a fire spreading from house to house on your block and "strikeback" acting as the firemen putting a stop to it. Firemen often make a huge mess of buildings when putting out fires (cutting through walls and roofs, dousing everything with water, etc), but the ends justify the means.
On the other hand, the "strikeback" process could almost be considered like a vigilante mob, having the best of intentions, but essentially operating outside the bounds of the law. Secretly, we might root for them, but in essence we really need the police to do the job, thereby obviating the need for the vigilante mob.
In regards to the world of crimes committed against servers, I just don't who the actual police are. So many of these attacks happen without anyone being punished. The FBI has a policy of not even spending any time investigating any computer crimes where the damages cannot be proven to exceed US $20,000. That leaves a great deal of smaller businesses / websites essentially unprotected by anything except for their own ability to manage their security efficently.
Strikeback is just a reaction to the frustration of having to deal with all of these continuously spawning worms / attacks without anything being done to counteract them other that react after the carnage is already done. I'm not saying it's the right solution, but I certain can see why it is here...
If that figure were even near true, wouldn't at least ONE person here be able to claim the affects of this worm or at least someone here would know someone else who'd been affected?
95% sounds overstated at best and the whole thing is a big lie in the worst case...
Nah I'm no Linux troll, just someone who's being honest based on my experiences. Sorry you felt the need to reply to me and so many others on this thread to tell us how wrong we all are.
The fact that you seem unable to grasp the basic notion that M$ servers have a reputation for needing constant reboots is sad (for you).
My analogy was a comparison between large scale dynamically published websites / ecommerce applications and a PVR server. So how does your analogy about your 7 year old's PC even apply here?
And who mentioned games? Tux Racer is a joke? Who's trolling now?
Regardless of how intuitive the user interface or feature rich the application itself is, can anyone imagine running a media server in your home using an M$ OS? I just can't. My Tivos are Linux based. Recording TV / movies is important!
Maybe I'm biased due to my years of favorable experiences with Linux supporting millions-of-pageviews-per-day websites or mission critical ecommerce applications that simply can never be down, but I can just picture my kids crying "Daddy we want to watch Tom and Jerry" as I struggle to reboot the machine and wait through what always seems like an eternity when starting any M$ OS.
Slashdot Mirror
Very funny- I'd mod that up if I could.
I hear you on that - I was just faced with wading through a sea of spam each morning or giving up my email address if I didn't get my shit protection suit on ...
People need to guard their email addresses in the same way they practice safe sex. Don't go sticking your email address just any old place ...
Ok, that was bad. The exceptions are cases where your ISP screws you and sells your name (like those sorry AOL customers had happen to them) or people who use brute force address guessing algorithms.
Although I think the legislation being considered is a good first step --
Nothing really beats good filtering. I put together a server side filtering process using a Mail::Audit. I support several end users who can administrate their mail rules (e.g. block if subject has "viagra" or if sender is spamboy@jizzmop.com, etc.) using a web based interface and MySQL back-end. People can share rules as well. It's working pretty well for everyone. Additionally, Mail::Audit allows you to tap into the RBL which essentially will give you an "unlisted number" - only those you have expilicity granted permission to recieve from can reach you. Sounds extreme, but I get ZERO spam.
In an e-mail exchange, Oberg said there have been various reports about glitches or "funnies" that might have been occurring aboard Columbia even before the spaceship crossed the California coastline.
Also, I was hoping this report had some insight as to what was on the additional seconds of data that was recovered. I supposed I shouldn't expect tech details on msnbc.com.
Ok mod me down now - I'm just complaining anyway ...
But when you think about it, all leaving a backdoor in a system does for you is to provide an opportunity of accessing a system in a way that you shouldn't be. This can lead to trouble down the line.
Clearly, there are legitimate uses for backdoors (to use in case of emergencies, etc.), but unless the backdoor is documented someplace for others in the software development group to be aware of, it's likely the kind of backdoor that is simply not ethical to implement, since it's only usable by one person.
I'm sure people can provide examples that disprove this, but for the majority of situations, as a developer, having a backdoor in a system can only lead to a security breach at some point ...
Ok you got me. I'm not very bright. I just come here to read what all you smart guys have to say all the time. blah blah blah your gargantuan omnipotence bathes me in a shimmering light that makes my gills evolve into lungs. Ok you happy now?
Seriously, all I was saying was that authors who release software under a very specific license cannot suddenly change the agreement after it has been accepted by the other party just because the authors object against what it may or may not be used for - no more that the government can subjectively govern free speech because they don't like what you're saying.
Your "yelling fire" example simply does not apply to using software as part of an automated navigation system of a helicopter. The helicopter is used for any number of things (including rescuing soldiers and civilians), combat being just one. Even if there is a war (which I'd go on the record to say I'd love to see avoided at almost all costs), you cannot positively say that the Open Source software would be directly involved in killing innocent people - you simply cannot make that leap in a logic proof.
I'm sure the concept of war and people dying upsets you (it sure does me), but facts are facts and logic is logic. And this issue of who is actually correct here will all come out in the wash i.e. if it truly becomes a legal issue, let's see how it stands up in the courts).
Now you may have the last word. Enjoy it - it's silly for me to keep responding to someone who can't even be bothered to log into Slashdot. Why go around as "anonymous coward" anyway?
No offense to you or anyone else was intended in anything I said...
So the government's use of Open Source to assist in the guidance system for a helicopter is analagous to yelling "fire" in a theatre?
Give up already - your argument's quite a reach.
Yes but the very fact that your opinion is subjective (rather than objective) negates your argument. Free speech is either free or it isn't. Same goes for Open Source.
Non-issue ...
The fact that M$ is now admitting that they are collecting specific data from your machine, makes me wonder if they are doing that - plus maybe a little more?
Clearly, I'm on the verge of paranoia here, but imagine those of us who use MS Money and who use Windows Update. Now reckon how valuable it would be for M$ to query the net worth of all of these users.
I'm not saying I suspect this, but it wouldn't suprise me (like this acticle doesn't suprise me) if they did start doing it.
While I certainly understand the need for extra money while in college (for example, many students I knew at Fordham U were addicted to crack so they stole each others text books and sold them back to the bookstore), relaying spam is really low!
The only thing I wish this thing did is have an FM Radio and (why not) support Ogg.
This Nueron thang sounds like it's got some nice features, but the lack of the video/picture functionality, plus being $100 more, I think I'm still ok for now.
Of course, something new and better will come out soon enough to make me start thinking about selling my Archos on eBay (like I did with my 10 GB model) and upgrading ...
I've written a server based SPAM filter that uses the RBL and mail from hotmail addresses are always rejected since it appears they are on the RBL. This makes it difficult for legit people using Hotmail to send mail to places using the RBL for filtering.
Successful software development has always been about people - not development philosophies, and not about which language you use. If you're working with people who are winners, you're going to find a way to succeed.
That said, I'm sure there are many who feel very strongly about operating systems, development environments, programming languages, etc. (myself included), but none of it matters if you don't have the right talent in place.
Just my master-of-the-obvious aside ...
Either way, both choices beat the crap out of option (C) which is Cablevision buying DirecTV. That would be like Oil companies buying the first cold fusion generator only to hold the patent and not allow anyone to use it.
Ok, that anology sucked a little, mod me down :-(
I used to dominate in Quake and when playing CStrike (with a brand new beefed up PC), I experienced the same feelings of SUCK that the parent poster did.
Thanks Psmylie.
Countless after school hours were dedicated to D&D. My teachers & parents could not understand the amount of time we spent playing.
BTW - finally got a copy of Neverwinter Knights for xmas. Still haven't open it, because I know when I do, the hours will simply melt away on me.
Their website's a little amateurish, but the calls you can download are pretty funny.
Ok, mod me down now, that was pretty off topic. Sorry.
But hey, I can totally see why this method of poisoning the file is preferable to the music companies. It still allowed me to hear the entire song, but it made the song completely unacceptable for permanent use.
Honestly, I wouldn't even mind so much if this the way all downloadable music went, certainly if the alternative is to take it away completely. At least this way, we could tell if plunking down the bucks for the whole CD was worth it.
This, coupled with actually lowering the cost of CDs could possibly make everyone happy.
Having been the victim of the effects of Code Red (our Linux boxes we not affected, but the hosting facility we were in was overwhelmed with traffic from all of it's unpatched IIS servers), I can certainly see the reason as to why this software was developed. Our site was inaccessible for close to half a day, because of other people's inability to keep security at the forefront of their minds. We were powerless to do anthing but wait for our hosting providers to track down all of the offending servers at our location and fix them.
I remember being so angry at the time and I would have welcomed the scenario where a "strikeback" type of application would have put a stop to this problem in an automated fashion. I'm sure part of the creator's reasoning is that if people's systems are left vulnerable to various worms, then there should be no problem allowing his software to "fix" the problem. Perhaps an applicable anaolgy would be a fire spreading from house to house on your block and "strikeback" acting as the firemen putting a stop to it. Firemen often make a huge mess of buildings when putting out fires (cutting through walls and roofs, dousing everything with water, etc), but the ends justify the means.
On the other hand, the "strikeback" process could almost be considered like a vigilante mob, having the best of intentions, but essentially operating outside the bounds of the law. Secretly, we might root for them, but in essence we really need the police to do the job, thereby obviating the need for the vigilante mob.
In regards to the world of crimes committed against servers, I just don't who the actual police are. So many of these attacks happen without anyone being punished. The FBI has a policy of not even spending any time investigating any computer crimes where the damages cannot be proven to exceed US $20,000. That leaves a great deal of smaller businesses / websites essentially unprotected by anything except for their own ability to manage their security efficently.
Strikeback is just a reaction to the frustration of having to deal with all of these continuously spawning worms / attacks without anything being done to counteract them other that react after the carnage is already done. I'm not saying it's the right solution, but I certain can see why it is here ...
95% sounds overstated at best and the whole thing is a big lie in the worst case ...
Funny, www.riaa.org is not even responding right now. Maybe it got 0wn3d again? Or maybe it's just so popular? Probably just a coincidence ...
The fact that you seem unable to grasp the basic notion that M$ servers have a reputation for needing constant reboots is sad (for you).
My analogy was a comparison between large scale dynamically published websites / ecommerce applications and a PVR server. So how does your analogy about your 7 year old's PC even apply here?
And who mentioned games? Tux Racer is a joke? Who's trolling now?
Maybe I'm biased due to my years of favorable experiences with Linux supporting millions-of-pageviews-per-day websites or mission critical ecommerce applications that simply can never be down, but I can just picture my kids crying "Daddy we want to watch Tom and Jerry" as I struggle to reboot the machine and wait through what always seems like an eternity when starting any M$ OS.