Just last year, I ran into this problem with H&R Block's Taxcut software. I mean seriously. Tax software? I used a web version this year, so I don't know if that was 'fixed'. they didn't seem to see it as a problem last year. But in their software they have a whole FAQ on keeping your data secure, safe practices, using an AV, etc. Ridiculous.
I have two PC's. A 5 year old desktop running XP home, and a 3 year old laptop running XP MCE 2005. I set the MCE laptop up to run under a user account, switching to an Admin account when needed. Everything runs fine. most programs behave rather well. Folder permissions work okay. It behaves a lot like XP Pro, making me wonder if that's what it's derived from. Shortly after getting the laptop, I reformatted the desktop setting up a linux dual boot. Figured I'd set up the XP partition the same way as on the laptop. Nothing ever worked right. Sometimes windows components just wouldn't run right. The scripting component behind Add/Remove programs and the like would break. Half of the Edutainment programs for the kids, which work under Usermode on the laptop, wouldn't work on the desktop. Later, I realized under XP MCE the user account is actually a Power User, and was told that option doesn't exist on XP Home.
Finally I got tired of playing with CACLS everytime I wanted to install a Reader Rabbit game for the 4 year old. The desktop now runs as Admin. It sits behind a firewall and router with limited outgoing port access, and I just trust that for now. I've debated taking the time to move everything over to Linux / Wine. Even grabbed the free Crossover software when it was offered last year, but I'd have to take the time to figure out how to go about it. Not there yet.
My work XP Pro laptop has no problem, same with the MCE laptop. But XP Home wasn't made for non-admin operation, and that's the dominant home desktop software out there.
Just to play the other side, the point of traditional marketing and distribution is the promise to surpass that 'break even point' in volume. If they reduce your take by 10x, then they need to produce more than 10x in increased sales for the same effort on your part. If they can't do that, then you're wasting money, and should renegotiate the contract. The intangible 'effort' part of the equation is tricky though.
they didn't disable the uninstall button. they installed the program with permissions that Firefox itself doesn't have. So Firefox disables the uninstall button to let you know that the program is outside of its reach. (just like if you installed something via Synaptic or whatnot outside of FF's own Add-on manager using Admin/root privileges.)
The whole thing stinks, but its not quite like a rootkit install.
OK... other companies would get yelled at for this. MS does it and immediately the first thoughts go to Anti-competitive practices. Past performance justifies a lot of these thoughts, so on the business side, Who specifically gets hurt now by this plug-in push? Who are the.Net corporate competitors that can now claim used their (legally recognized) monopolistic dominance in the OS market to push their technology in the ?web-apps? market. Which companies should we expect lawsuits from? Sun? Google?
So, programs I'm aware of that tie into the browser via plugins:
Adobe Reader
Foxit Reader
Real Player
Quicktime
Adobe Flash
Adobe Shockwave
Java
Win Media Player
Media Player Classic
... (insert other media player here)
So, basically, lot's of 'other media' tools. Anyone care to run down the list of how those programs handle 'fresh install' browser tie-in? Checkbox in the installition windows? Downloading and installing a specific executable for the Mozilla browser? Installing an Add-on? Installing an Add-on without user approval?
What if I had some other, or my own Firefox program for handling.Net stuff. They would have just forcibly taken over that function without requesting to first. Although I don't know if such a thing exists, that's just bad form.
Re:Let's see
on
Less Is Moore
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
you can pipe to more from a DOS prompt too. so a few of us get to stay on the lawn.
you're forgetting the exorbitant costs involved with keeping those baddies off the system. They might have to increase your bill. To keep you safe, of course. Oh, and think of the children.
wow. if you substituted Vista, SP1, and 3.5 for KDE4, KDE4.1, and XP respectively in that rant, it sounds exactly like almost every Windows rant I've been hearing for way too long now. Just thought I'd point out the humor.
but what about my off-network pc where I still need something to view on-disk HTML files? and I have no floppy or CD or usb for copying a browser install file that was downloaded on another machine. and there's no keyboard for me to manually create a new browser from source, and I couldn't install a compiler anyway. and... hmmm... okay I'm out.
If he posted a death threat to a publicly viewable bill board, or posted information to that billboard such as: "his children go to school XYZ. they're let out at this time. the youngest has brown hair and a distinguishing mole on her left cheek, just below the corner of her eye. She wears an Elmo backback. Send them a message."
I'd sure hope the "viewable by anyone" billboard would be taken down or obscured.
That said, I agree there is little in the post to support whether the content of interest is anything of this sort. Any better info out there?
Welcome to the government. Each needs to go through CAC setup. That's an "in person, get your photo taken and wait for the card to print, oh, whoops, this one didn't laminate right, let's retake..." type of process. Email and network access is non-existent before CAC access. Or, likely something similar. Every agency's a little different.
I'm waiting for the first time he's in a meeting with the most honored prime poobah of turkarmenikazicenglistan, and starts a war by insulting said poobah by checking the blackberry and replying to emails the way all of my bosses do in the middle of supposedly crucial meetings.
actually, no. he said nothing like that. he pretty much said that in all cases of driver distraction or impairment, he'd be fine with limitations. I don't believe he made any "well except for X" statements.
Your right to drink in no way trumps my right to get home without you killing me with your car.
Slashdot Mirror
Too big to fail. Applies to national economies as well as big banks and automakers. Gotta love it.
Just last year, I ran into this problem with H&R Block's Taxcut software. I mean seriously. Tax software? I used a web version this year, so I don't know if that was 'fixed'. they didn't seem to see it as a problem last year. But in their software they have a whole FAQ on keeping your data secure, safe practices, using an AV, etc. Ridiculous.
I have two PC's. A 5 year old desktop running XP home, and a 3 year old laptop running XP MCE 2005. I set the MCE laptop up to run under a user account, switching to an Admin account when needed. Everything runs fine. most programs behave rather well. Folder permissions work okay. It behaves a lot like XP Pro, making me wonder if that's what it's derived from. Shortly after getting the laptop, I reformatted the desktop setting up a linux dual boot. Figured I'd set up the XP partition the same way as on the laptop. Nothing ever worked right. Sometimes windows components just wouldn't run right. The scripting component behind Add/Remove programs and the like would break. Half of the Edutainment programs for the kids, which work under Usermode on the laptop, wouldn't work on the desktop. Later, I realized under XP MCE the user account is actually a Power User, and was told that option doesn't exist on XP Home.
Finally I got tired of playing with CACLS everytime I wanted to install a Reader Rabbit game for the 4 year old. The desktop now runs as Admin. It sits behind a firewall and router with limited outgoing port access, and I just trust that for now. I've debated taking the time to move everything over to Linux / Wine. Even grabbed the free Crossover software when it was offered last year, but I'd have to take the time to figure out how to go about it. Not there yet.
My work XP Pro laptop has no problem, same with the MCE laptop. But XP Home wasn't made for non-admin operation, and that's the dominant home desktop software out there.
Just to play the other side, the point of traditional marketing and distribution is the promise to surpass that 'break even point' in volume. If they reduce your take by 10x, then they need to produce more than 10x in increased sales for the same effort on your part. If they can't do that, then you're wasting money, and should renegotiate the contract. The intangible 'effort' part of the equation is tricky though.
they didn't disable the uninstall button. they installed the program with permissions that Firefox itself doesn't have. So Firefox disables the uninstall button to let you know that the program is outside of its reach. (just like if you installed something via Synaptic or whatnot outside of FF's own Add-on manager using Admin/root privileges.)
The whole thing stinks, but its not quite like a rootkit install.
OK... other companies would get yelled at for this. MS does it and immediately the first thoughts go to Anti-competitive practices. Past performance justifies a lot of these thoughts, so on the business side, Who specifically gets hurt now by this plug-in push? Who are the .Net corporate competitors that can now claim used their (legally recognized) monopolistic dominance in the OS market to push their technology in the ?web-apps? market. Which companies should we expect lawsuits from? Sun? Google?
So, basically, lot's of 'other media' tools. Anyone care to run down the list of how those programs handle 'fresh install' browser tie-in? Checkbox in the installition windows? Downloading and installing a specific executable for the Mozilla browser? Installing an Add-on? Installing an Add-on without user approval?
What if I had some other, or my own Firefox program for handling .Net stuff. They would have just forcibly taken over that function without requesting to first. Although I don't know if such a thing exists, that's just bad form.
you can pipe to more from a DOS prompt too. so a few of us get to stay on the lawn.
you're forgetting the exorbitant costs involved with keeping those baddies off the system. They might have to increase your bill. To keep you safe, of course. Oh, and think of the children.
station wagon.
just make yourself a small locked greenhouse with 50% legit plants and stop getting caught. It'll keep your utility bills down too.
wow. if you substituted Vista, SP1, and 3.5 for KDE4, KDE4.1, and XP respectively in that rant, it sounds exactly like almost every Windows rant I've been hearing for way too long now. Just thought I'd point out the humor.
but what about my off-network pc where I still need something to view on-disk HTML files? and I have no floppy or CD or usb for copying a browser install file that was downloaded on another machine. and there's no keyboard for me to manually create a new browser from source, and I couldn't install a compiler anyway. and... hmmm... okay I'm out.
they can't beam coupons to your credit card.
please show me a vending machine where the above is true. The honor system bagel/snack table at the office doesn't count.
"his children go to school XYZ. they're let out at this time. the youngest has brown hair and a distinguishing mole on her left cheek, just below the corner of her eye. She wears an Elmo backback. Send them a message."
I'd sure hope the "viewable by anyone" billboard would be taken down or obscured.
That said, I agree there is little in the post to support whether the content of interest is anything of this sort. Any better info out there?
communism or socialism?
Welcome to the government. Each needs to go through CAC setup. That's an "in person, get your photo taken and wait for the card to print, oh, whoops, this one didn't laminate right, let's retake..." type of process. Email and network access is non-existent before CAC access. Or, likely something similar. Every agency's a little different.
Tim,
A reference article I thought might be useful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humor
Yours truly,
The internet
COBOL? Anyone? hello?
does it matter?
BURN THEM!
I'm waiting for the first time he's in a meeting with the most honored prime poobah of turkarmenikazicenglistan, and starts a war by insulting said poobah by checking the blackberry and replying to emails the way all of my bosses do in the middle of supposedly crucial meetings.
http://eng.umd.edu/media/pressreleases/pr092208_bearings.html
KPatience? sorry, he was asking about playing Solitaire.
actually, no. he said nothing like that. he pretty much said that in all cases of driver distraction or impairment, he'd be fine with limitations. I don't believe he made any "well except for X" statements.
Your right to drink in no way trumps my right to get home without you killing me with your car.