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User: GuyFawkes

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Comments · 380

  1. Re:Best P2P client? on P2P vs. The Clones · · Score: 1

    I use usenet... ok it ain't exactly peer to peer, but after trying out audiogalaxy / napster when they came out and dc++ several times I always found the same thing.

    loads of leechers, many of them with fakes shares, and fuck all users with content that I didn't already have and might be interested in downloading (complete works of britney and wacko jacko don't interest me) so they always got the boot within 24 hours of installing...

    usenet rocks, p2p is for clueless newbs with empty platters.

    Only thing I am lacking now is a linux clone of the excellent newsbin pro.

  2. Re:coincidence? on You've Got PC · · Score: 1

    quote
    People joke about "Wogs and Cash", but the concept of never going into debt for a non-incoming generating purchase has a lot going for it.
    end quote

    Can't say I have heard this one before, and I'm guessing it's english from the use of wog... I suppose the reasoning being wogs can't get / won't have bank accounts?

    However the sentiment is a valid one, I don't have much compared to many in the western world, but what I do have I own 100%, and I do not have any credit anywhere, by choice, so many people who "appear" to have far more than me (new car etc) actually have far less, as they own little outright and owe fortunes that would have me considering having some kids so I could sell them into slavery and pay off the debts.

    I have to admit to being saddened when the net and computing has been reduced to a free gift to sweeten some long term "service" contract.

  3. Could be done today, just need a 2.5 in hard disk on On the Possible Handtop Paradigm Shift · · Score: 1


    SO you have a machine where everything is there EXCEPT a hard disk, it just has a pcmcia type slot, along you come with your 2.5 inch hard disk, pop it in the slot, boot up and away you go....

    Quite apart from the resiliance linux has towards changing hardware, which beats windows hands down everyone except the most crucial area of all, eg graphics cards, especially nvidia ati, linux will handle changes of motherboard / cpu / etc much better than windows, perhaps some of the EXCELLENT functionality of the knoppix hardware autodetection could be built in....

    Anyway, all you carry around is your data, plug it into a desktop, laptop, pda, whatever.

    Could make a lot of sense in a company big enough to make such a system worthwhile, only caveat is such a system would need a totally solid backup solution for when users lose or damage their laptop hard disks... such a system has many advantages and could be made pretty secure too, with the sole exception of an employee who either lost their disk and did not report it, or allowed it to be cloned.

    Could be a lot of fun to set up too. Epecially is technology moves along and we get there new 2 Tb flash drives with more useful read/write life than present flash stuff.

  4. Via eden hardware diskless running knoppix on Thin Client Solutions For Libraries? · · Score: 1


    No floppy required, physically hide the cd drive and seal it shut, nothing accesible or visible to joe public but keyboard / mouse / monitor.

    Cons
    they will take a minute or two to boot up in the morning, assuming you shut them down....

    Pros
    cheap enough you can load em out with a gig of ram and get good performance

    users cannot fuck ANYTHING up

    very little effort required to customise knoppix front end to your specific requirements / branding

    being diskless it totally frees you from any legal responsobilities about stored user data etc

    much cheapness

    low energy consumption = low thermal rejection and very quiet

    rock solid, bastards will run for months or years

    if you get a problem it is easy / cheap / fast to fix, even a hardware death is easy.

    HTH etc

  5. replying to myself, re linux security on Computer Security for the Home and Small Office · · Score: 1


    Fact is green's articles on linux security are IMHO a joke, I have been asked the same question, any MY answer was thus.

    "Get yourself a laptop, cpu not too important but make sure it has at least 512 meg of ram, pull the hard disk and sell it on ebay, now get yourself a couple of usb flash disks, make sure everything written to them is STRONGLY encrypted, now stick a 802 card in the pcmcia slot, now stick a knoppix live-cd in, now go somewhere where there is "war" type access and only then boot it up and do your thing..... you are now as secure as it gets, until someone with enough power says the thing that makes you give up the encryption key to your usb sticks."

    _anything_ less than this simply is not secure.

  6. Re:Dummies Guides already do all this, better too. on Computer Security for the Home and Small Office · · Score: 1

    A quote from Mr Greene himself, speaking about himself.

    "I loathe Microsoft, adore Linux, loathe Feds, adore soldiers, loathe cops, adore firefighters"

    yeah, I can see why slashdotters like the guy, the first 5 words alone are enough...

    Fact is _I_ have never seen anything insightful or instructive from his pen, mainly perhaps because I have never seen anything original from his pen, it all appears to be stuff he has read elsewhere (same places as me perhaps) and then reworded and revamped himself... this might equate to "all my own work" in academic thesis circles, but that is not the same thing... I have no argument that he is a good source for a synopsis.

  7. Dummies Guides already do all this, better too... on Computer Security for the Home and Small Office · · Score: 2, Informative

    Tom Greene writing something insightful and instructive?

    Well, that would be a first I suppose, him and Orlowski (sp?) are the two biggest problems the reg has IMHO.

    For my money when there is already stuff like the Dummies Guide to Network Security (www.dummies.com) why bother?

    For those that asked for online articles
    http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesA rticle/id- 1983,subcat-NETWORKING.html
    http://www.dummies.co m/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id- 1808,subcat-NETWORKING.html
    http://www.dummies.co m/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id- 1518,subcat-NETWORKING.html

    etc etc

  8. Radio Luxembourg, the great 208 had 1300 Kw on MW on How Wireless Meshing Could Save Energy · · Score: 4, Informative

    The station transmitted to all of Europe via the powerful transmitter site in Marnach on 1439 kHz (later 1440 kHz), 208 metres in the medium wave band. The transmitter pumped out 1300 kW and was Europe's most powerful (only hit by a Russian site which had more power). Radio Luxembourg ceased transmissions from the 208 transmitter December 30. 1991 to be available on satellite and short wave only. Unfortunately CLT decided to close the station at the end of 1992 because it made no money out of the programmes. Luxy returned on the great 208 for one night only - the date when the station's final programme was aired - December 30. 1992.

  9. Re:hotels on Unlocking The Power Of the Magstripe · · Score: -1, Troll


    If you are going to crtitcize someone else's use of the language, you might want to consider learning to use it properly yourself first.

    Grammar and spelling are not friends, foes, enemies, allies or any other.

    Yes my typing is shit, it always has been, it is because I think / speak about 200 times faster than I type, so I only slow down and check and punctuate properly if it is work or professional, slashdot is like usenet, nobody gives a shit i'm typing this one handed while rolling a fag in my left hand.

  10. Re:hotels on Unlocking The Power Of the Magstripe · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Speaking today at the holiday inn chain of motels in the room cards definitely record the time and date the card is used, eg every time you use it to enter your room, and every wrong room you try it in.

    HTH etc

    (PS, this hotel chain still relies on PC's running windows 95b for all the booking / reservation / billing stuff.)

  11. Re:Way too geeky, and miss the point. on Estonia Tests "Contactless" ID-Cards · · Score: 1


    EG

    I _can_ verify that that is indeed my driving licence.

    My driving licence cannot ever verify that this is indeed me.

  12. Way too geeky, and miss the point. on Estonia Tests "Contactless" ID-Cards · · Score: 2, Insightful


    I _AM_ me, not only do I know this for an ABSOLUTE FACT, but those people that I know (family, friends, lovers, ect) also know it (and vice versa of course)

    Outside of a body-snatcher type science fiction film I am my own walking talking biometric identifier, even a 20-seconds-to-complete perfect genetic clone still won't fool anyone unless you can ALSO fill that perfect genetic clone with a perfect copy of my brain and memories, attitudes, experiences, dreams, fears, etc etc etc.

    The idea that ANY subset of that data can be used to identify me with a usefully high positive degree of accuracy and a usefully low negative degree of accuracy is patently retarded.

    Biometric ID was essentially instroduced by the police, in the form of fingerprints, eg on a murder weapon, as a method of tying one unique individual amongst many to a specific event at a specific time and place via a specific identifier, eg the fingerprint.

    Fact is the fingerprint, far from foolproof and not that hard to fake (and getting easier as time passes) is still the best, in that it is fairly unique, but it still takes significant human detective effort to match a print to a suspect.

    The advent of DNA testing has NOT improved accuracy (english law is already littered with example of overturned convictions that were based on flawed DNA evidence), it has lowered it (the billions to one stuff is bullshit, DNA tests do not match you entire genome, just a few (literally) nodes, most of whom you will share anyway with genetically similar humans, eg people from your area, especially distant relatives.

    Adding extra bits of data, eg iris pattern, blood type, known allergies, pantone skin colour, proportion of mercury or other heavy metals in the body, can ONLY EVER INCREASE ACCURACY is the police detective / forensic sense, when trying to match a specific individual to a particular event at a particular place and time.

    IT WILL BE NO BENEFIT WHATSOEVER as a general everyday method of identifying "me" from "you", and using that ID for the purposes of granting or restricting access to something, eg my bank account or workplace computer.

    ON THE CONTRARY, since there is no instant method of verification of the ID card data against the individual holding it, the very fact that there is a wealth of data on the card will make it easier for me to withdraw cash from your ATM, and then slit the next passer by's throat, thus not only tying YOU in with this crime, but creating a good alibi for myself, since MY ID card doesn't match the data left at the scene of the crime by YOUR card.

    We will then be in the ludicrous situation, which happens today in courts up and down the land, where the absolutely MOST reliably form of ID verification, friends and family, are dismissed, ignored or worse still branded as liars and conspirators, for contradicting the Identity "EVIDENCE" which states that you were not at home with them, you were drawing money from an ATM 30 feet from the murder scence within 60 seconds of the murder.

    This is a parallel with the "smashed mechanical analogue watch or timepiece" showing the time of death, or at least the time the person was struck by the car of fell from the roof, the modern more accurate with calculator bluetooth and god know what digital timepiece gives more information to the coroner, but ZERO USEFUL INFORMATION.

    No, ID exists only for the same purposes as the original fingerprint checks, to tie a specific person to a specific place.

    ID as a method of general identification is a whole different game, and the only systems that have EVER been accepted as having ANY worth are those that were based on the original public / private key verification / signing thing, and which still apply today if I want to sit a driving test in the UK and do NOT have one of the new photcoard driving licences, but an older no picture type, I must bring a photograph of me, SIGNED BY PEOPLE OF STANDING IN THE COMMUNITY (my doctor, local policeman, bank manager, etc) WHO K

  13. The problem is the input device, not pass length on Passwords - 64 Characters, Changed Daily? · · Score: 1, Funny


    typing
    kGNisksUI725K-{P#~iuiILl896&Tui@'p;p'HHP O~9yu* *(

    is going to be a pain in the ass for anyone if the input method is always going to be a qwerty keyboard...

    on the other hand a 20 dollar mongrel dog that I feed every day will never mistake me for anyone else...

    _electronic_ based biometrics however will completely suck

  14. Re:Oh come on on Dell fights Alien Invasion · · Score: 1

    quote
    Most decent monitors will still start to lose refresh rate above 1024x768... if you want anything close to 85-100Hz at higher than 1280x1024 you are talking about insanely expensive equipement.
    quote

    my sony 21 inch will run 2048 x 1536 at those refresh rates, it cost me less than a top end gfx card.

    not everyone pays top dollar through migh margin outlets that blow megabucks on advertising.

  15. Re:Why do this on Patent Mess May Stifle Australian Software · · Score: 2, Interesting

    quote

    I really wish a major country would stand up and say "screw you". I figure it will take a major economic or sociatal event to wake people up. As long as it doesn't impact them much few will care.

    unquote

    Look to China.

  16. The BEST doom3 review out there... by FAR... on Marine Finds Duct Tape on Mars · · Score: 3, Funny


    http://www.afrotechmods.com/groovy/review/d3revi ew /doom3.htm

  17. Re:Slashdot being consistent as usual on Dr Who, Daleks Kiss And Make Up · · Score: 1

    yeah, that's how slashdot works, unless your a fanboy your subs get rejected, mysteriously to appear scant hours later with someone else's name attached to them.

    slashdot is becoming ever more irellevant as time passes, it's gone from being my "first coffee and cigarette while reading slashdot" morning wake up to "ok, 30 minutes to kill, been to ebay, trawled usenet, lets see what stories slashdot is repeating today."

  18. Re:I tried a warez copy 3 days ago on Doom 3 Gets Reviews, Piracy Questions, Exultation · · Score: 1

    I believe the newer radeon 9600 is much more directx / opengl compliant / friendly / up to date than my radeon 8500, which was one of the originals when radeon 8500 was the top of the range, AFAICR the 8500 was only directx7 compliant..

  19. Re:I tried a warez copy 3 days ago on Doom 3 Gets Reviews, Piracy Questions, Exultation · · Score: 1


    no, you wanna put money on that?
    http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&ie=UTF -8&safe =off&q=geforce2+mx+64mb&spell=1

  20. Re:I tried a warez copy 3 days ago on Doom 3 Gets Reviews, Piracy Questions, Exultation · · Score: 1


    It ran fine (640 x 480 and 800 x 600) on the Sparkle Geforce 2 MX 64mb still sat in the agp slot while I'm typing this.

  21. I tried a warez copy 3 days ago on Doom 3 Gets Reviews, Piracy Questions, Exultation · · Score: 0, Troll


    because otherwise it will be another 3 days before I can get to the shops and grab a copy, assuming it is in stock by then, assuming it is going to be at the recommended retail price of 44.99 UK pounds, and seeing as I was grabbing a bought and paid for copy anyway I didn't see any harm in trying the warezed copy.

    So, I'm here to tell you that piracy does indeed cost the industry money, because within a few hours I got totally bored, and there is no way I'm parting with good money for a piece of shit game like this.

    I was so amazed thinking "this can't be it, must get better later" that I went out looking for a cheat, well that was hard...

    +set sv-cheats 1

    ALT+CTRL+Tilde

    god=god mode
    give all = all weapons and ammo
    noclip = noclip

    and the cheat codes pretty much sum it up perfectly, yet another been done before man-in-a-corridor-with-a-gun game where the only thing that changes as you progess through the game is the gun and the bad guys both slowly get bigger.

    Yes, the graphics are nicer than doom 1, so what, the gameplay is years out of date, the weapons are years out of date and the only people who will truly enjoy this are those who have never heard of or played quake....

    so valve will be getting my money instead.

    (PS, it may well be down to the fact it was warez, but LOTS of people reported problems with ati radeon cards freezing all the time, I did too (rad8500) and no amount of directx updating to 9c beta or catalyst upating of trying scigraphs opengl instead of ati etc made a blind bit of difference, pop in an old GF2 MX and it played glitch free)

  22. Re:Why have soldiers? on More on Next-Generation Army Gear · · Score: 1

    I used to know dave barr, so I kinda know how much they spend on them after they step on an anti tank mine and become a "vet"......

  23. Re:Why have soldiers? on More on Next-Generation Army Gear · · Score: 2, Funny


    grunts are cheaper than licenced copies of windows ce and a wireless card.

  24. Re:Netcraft confirms... on Intel Announces New Chips, Chipsets · · Score: 1


    How on earth is this dribble insightful????
    (yeah OK I know it was supposed to humorous, so why the fuck mod it insightful? oh yeah, it knocks wintel... nuff sed)

    Netcraft? what the fuck? Every domain must have it's own webserver and every webserver must report truthfully what OS and hardware it is running and all of a sudden this will account for the vast majority of CPU's sold?????

    OOh, intel is dying because of the Mhz myth and the scale of the chip features in nanometres.. yeah, and amd of course are not using silicon, or lithography, or indeed pretty much the same power consumption, oh no....

    I know lets design an open source 128 bit cpu, that'll show those evil fuckers at wintel who'se boss....

    and when you finish the first production run send two to slashdot, they could use one to bolster the server from these 505 errors and another to replace whatever piece of shit box this new scheme was designed on.

  25. Re:Me, I love these clueless amd 64 fanboys on The Athlon 64 3000+, A Budget Gamer's Perspective · · Score: 1


    Yeah, and these tossers mod me down as flamebait...

    I guess I forgot the slashdot ten commandments

    1/ google is cool
    2/ microsoft is evil and sucks
    3/ linux is incredible / amazing / uber cool
    4/ amd is cool
    5/ intel sucks
    6/ apple is cool
    7/ god bless america
    8/ slashdot editors must be worshipped
    9/ slashdot users exist only to worship editors
    10/ anything that contradicts these commandments, especially hard facts, is heresy.

    Like I said, I love all you brain dead amd 64 bit fanboys, because you make MY computing cheaper with your ignorance.