The point you are missing is that most of the people that I know who pirate music and software are evangelical about it. "Here Bob, don't buy that. Let me give you a copy." It takes an unusually naive person these days to say "No, I'd rather give WalMart money for it."
What if it was less-obvious? Surely thinking "I'm ok, I'm not running windows!" is just going to make the situation worse?
You're absolutely right. Security is not a product, it's a process. This is why I keep browsing slashdot and tech sites to make sure my software doesn't have a hidden vulnerability around.
Funny that you mention Natalie Portman and V for Vendetta. Are you sure you didn't read the Slashdot Journal entry I wrote about my switch to GNU/Linux?
I was gonna mention Digg, but your example really made me laugh. But yes, Digg is a royal pain in the ***, specially when you hit "expand all". Sheesh... I've had to close Firefox more than once because the digg comments take AGES to load. So, DanWS6, there's your example of a painfully slow javascript-based website.
Your advice to the above poster is possibly the worst advice you could ever give anyone - "Use this OS and you'll be safe!". That's a load of bull, it just takes one person to make a virus and/or Trojan targeting that OS and your complacency will be taken complete advantage of because "you're running linux - YOU'RE SAFE!".
Hmmm... right, and wrong.
You (and also the GP poster) have fallen for the "Linux isn't hacked because it's not the majority" straw-man. Linux is much harder to hack because it provides a much better security than Windows. For starters, you can run your software as non-root! And for any installation you actually have to provide a password. Compared to the Vista "Cancel, Allow" prompts, this is much better, because people unconsciously hit allow because they get trained (by Vista) to do that. Also, GNU/Linux does not have unknown services enabled by default.
Also, when the GP says that Linux users know something's wrong because they have an extra toolbar, he's right. If I have an extra toolbar on Firefox that I didn't install, i'm not just in trouble. I'm in DEEP trouble and I can almost guarantee that someone pwned my PC (or at least my user account). This is a question of knowledge, granted, but Windows users who have NO IDEA of what's going on inside their OS, just say "oh well, I'll just have to get accustomed to it". And the worst part: they DO get accustomed to it! It's like the battered wife syndrome, but with viruses.
Also, Microsoft products are prone to have security holes because their software is not open source (many eyes make bugs shallow). Open Source software gets updated almost the day after when a vulnerability is discovered.
Finally, MS products are also prone to have security holes because since the old MS Word days they keep mixing data with code. First there were the Word Viruses, then the Excel Viruses, then the e-mail viruses, and thanks to ActiveX, webpage viruses. And if that wasn't enough, we got WMV viruses, MP3 viruses (which are possible thanks to stupid security policies like not warning you when the filetype is actually different than the extension reported), and don't get me started with autorun.inf viruses in USB drives.
They never learn!
So, yes, GNU/Linux is more secure per-se than Microsoft Windows. That's a FACT. And yes, it's also more secure because GNU/Linux users are more careful.
Yes. On XP (that's the best case), Tracemonkey takes 1.340 seconds to do a Sunspider run, which equals to 32.6 Sunspider rus per minute. And Squirrelfish Extreme does 63.6 Sunspider runs per minute. That makes Squirrelfish Extreme 1.95 times faster than Tracemonkey.
Time for Mozilla to catch up again. In any case, the winner is... the public! (the engines won't get any slower)
I'd love to see a Mac vs PC ad where PC gets attacked by an angry stuffed penguin and after a flash he gets up with completely new clothes saying:
PC: Hey... that was... refreshing... I feel.... different! Mac: PC, watch out, there's a virus! PC: The power of GNU compells you! *hits virus*. I feel Powerful... I feel invincible... I feel... FREE!!! Mac: Want a performance race? PC: You betcha! *Mac and PC begin sprinting*
They're not in better shape, they've just starving a bit more than the average US citizen.
Wrong. They're effectively cutting the excess calories that the average american consumes. And I don't think they eat less protein and vitamins than the average american.
Or... maybe someone with mod points can mod it up, since it is one of the most insightful posts in this topic so far. Fuzzy is right on the mark... Microsoft's answer sounds like my brother and I when we were little kids... "But he did that!!!"
Stevie, put down that chair! - But mom, he started!!!
The problem is that to enter I2P you need an i2p gateway to connect to. It's like TOR but reversed: TOR nodes let you get from the anonymous net to the outside world... I2P gateways let you get from the outside world to the anonymous net. So what happens when these addresses get banned?
No matter how you look at it, if it ever gets popular it will be declared illegal by governments for supporting "terrorism or other illegal activities" (such as p2p, doh) and they'll come out with "if you have nothing to hide...".
My conclusion is that I2P will *ALWAYS* be in "beta" and therefore it will never be announced to the world. And because of that, not many people will cooperate and try to install their own i2p nodes. The result: A VERY VERY slow anonymized network.
Slashdot Mirror
The US is a capitalist economy, right ? Isn't the market supposed to fix this ?
Wrong. The US is a monopolist economy. Big difference.
The point you are missing is that most of the people that I know who pirate music and software are evangelical about it. "Here Bob, don't buy that. Let me give you a copy." It takes an unusually naive person these days to say "No, I'd rather give WalMart money for it."
There, fixed that for ya.
What if it was less-obvious? Surely thinking "I'm ok, I'm not running windows!" is just going to make the situation worse?
You're absolutely right. Security is not a product, it's a process. This is why I keep browsing slashdot and tech sites to make sure my software doesn't have a hidden vulnerability around.
Funny that you mention Natalie Portman and V for Vendetta. Are you sure you didn't read the Slashdot Journal entry I wrote about my switch to GNU/Linux?
Yeah, Slashdot
- Try viewing a story with 500 comments!
I was gonna mention Digg, but your example really made me laugh. But yes, Digg is a royal pain in the ***, specially when you hit "expand all". Sheesh... I've had to close Firefox more than once because the digg comments take AGES to load. So, DanWS6, there's your example of a painfully slow javascript-based website.
Your advice to the above poster is possibly the worst advice you could ever give anyone - "Use this OS and you'll be safe!". That's a load of bull, it just takes one person to make a virus and/or Trojan targeting that OS and your complacency will be taken complete advantage of because "you're running linux - YOU'RE SAFE!".
Hmmm... right, and wrong.
You (and also the GP poster) have fallen for the "Linux isn't hacked because it's not the majority" straw-man. Linux is much harder to hack because it provides a much better security than Windows. For starters, you can run your software as non-root! And for any installation you actually have to provide a password. Compared to the Vista "Cancel, Allow" prompts, this is much better, because people unconsciously hit allow because they get trained (by Vista) to do that. Also, GNU/Linux does not have unknown services enabled by default.
Also, when the GP says that Linux users know something's wrong because they have an extra toolbar, he's right. If I have an extra toolbar on Firefox that I didn't install, i'm not just in trouble. I'm in DEEP trouble and I can almost guarantee that someone pwned my PC (or at least my user account). This is a question of knowledge, granted, but Windows users who have NO IDEA of what's going on inside their OS, just say "oh well, I'll just have to get accustomed to it". And the worst part: they DO get accustomed to it! It's like the battered wife syndrome, but with viruses.
Also, Microsoft products are prone to have security holes because their software is not open source (many eyes make bugs shallow). Open Source software gets updated almost the day after when a vulnerability is discovered.
Finally, MS products are also prone to have security holes because since the old MS Word days they keep mixing data with code. First there were the Word Viruses, then the Excel Viruses, then the e-mail viruses, and thanks to ActiveX, webpage viruses. And if that wasn't enough, we got WMV viruses, MP3 viruses (which are possible thanks to stupid security policies like not warning you when the filetype is actually different than the extension reported), and don't get me started with autorun.inf viruses in USB drives.
They never learn!
So, yes, GNU/Linux is more secure per-se than Microsoft Windows. That's a FACT. And yes, it's also more secure because GNU/Linux users are more careful.
it seemed that it was only used for pop-ups and advertisements.
No, no... it was also used to invade your privacy.
was???
Yeah, except that it's JavaScript, traditionally one of the slower languages because it's objects are basically hashtables.
And php stores its variables.... how?
I second that. You've just been added to my friends list.
Excuse me, but I think that Tracemonkey is actually faster than V8. Has Tracemonkey really fallen that far behind in two weeks?
Yes. On XP (that's the best case), Tracemonkey takes 1.340 seconds to do a Sunspider run, which equals to 32.6 Sunspider rus per minute. And Squirrelfish Extreme does 63.6 Sunspider runs per minute. That makes Squirrelfish Extreme 1.95 times faster than Tracemonkey.
Time for Mozilla to catch up again. In any case, the winner is... the public! (the engines won't get any slower)
Who cares. There's DDR5 out already...
Is there any difference in the dancing pads? Oh, wait...
I'd love to see a Mac vs PC ad where PC gets attacked by an angry stuffed penguin and after a flash he gets up with completely new clothes saying:
PC: Hey... that was... refreshing... I feel.... different!
Mac: PC, watch out, there's a virus!
PC: The power of GNU compells you! *hits virus*. I feel Powerful... I feel invincible... I feel... FREE!!!
Mac: Want a performance race?
PC: You betcha!
*Mac and PC begin sprinting*
Female voice: "Linux. Just like a Mac, but Free".
I think the kid has a promising future as a chessboxer.
Chessdome!! Two kings enter, one king leaves!
Don't feel bad; you make me feel stupid for spending my childhood throwing cats at rocks. Your way works a lot better.
You may want to try throwing birds at stones instead.
It helps you build character.
- Chuck Norris.
How do people that young get access to tools to build these things?
With LegoSolar(TM)! :D
They're not in better shape, they've just starving a bit more than the average US citizen.
Wrong. They're effectively cutting the excess calories that the average american consumes. And I don't think they eat less protein and vitamins than the average american.
I don't see this being particularly helpful if the cause was rape or watching a friend die though. I'd imagine you'd just feel worse.
I was planning to get through a dungeon full of dragons... we were all ready, and then Leroy.... BWAAAA! *SOB*
Oh, it's easy. Just build better engines.
That's partially true, but no matter how efficient your engine is, a car twice as heavy always requires twice the gas to run.
Corporations took over the world.
There, fixed it for ya.
Brave New World, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, etc...
When I was in school (a while ago) these were books we had to read.
Seems most people 10, 15, or more years younger than myself haven't even heard of these stories.
Nope, but they've watched V for Vendetta, the Matrix... and maybe Gattaca.
Not only that, they stole your money to kill thousands of people in Iraq. And is that money coming back?
Hellooooooooooooooo crisis!
Or... maybe someone with mod points can mod it up, since it is one of the most insightful posts in this topic so far. Fuzzy is right on the mark... Microsoft's answer sounds like my brother and I when we were little kids... "But he did that!!!"
Stevie, put down that chair!
- But mom, he started!!!
The problem is that to enter I2P you need an i2p gateway to connect to. It's like TOR but reversed: TOR nodes let you get from the anonymous net to the outside world... I2P gateways let you get from the outside world to the anonymous net. So what happens when these addresses get banned?
No matter how you look at it, if it ever gets popular it will be declared illegal by governments for supporting "terrorism or other illegal activities" (such as p2p, doh) and they'll come out with "if you have nothing to hide...".
My conclusion is that I2P will *ALWAYS* be in "beta" and therefore it will never be announced to the world. And because of that, not many people will cooperate and try to install their own i2p nodes. The result: A VERY VERY slow anonymized network.
"Hacking, for 25,000 dollars."
Slashdot, University Brings Charges Against White Hat Hacker.
"What is the best way to turn a well-intentioned white hat into a revenge-motivated black hat"?
ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!
I don't know. If I could explain the placebo effect I'd be a millionaire.
Your statement explains Scientology pretty well.