Instead of disconnecting the user, my (Australian) ISP has a more proactive approach. By default they block: Port 25 (smtp) inbound and outbound Port 80 (http) inbound Port 135 DCOM SCM inbound Port 139 (netbeui/ipx) inbound Port 443 inbound Port 445 Microsoft Windows File sharing / NETBIOS inbound
The option to disable port blocking is given on their website, and changes take effect within 15 min. This blocks the propagation of malware without running the risk of accidentally disconnecting users on false positives, and it also can't be use d to block file sharing (well it could, but since the user can disable it it would be pointless). The only downside is that if you are infected, you won't get notified and may infect others via USBs, etc.
Linux Mint doesn't add anything to Gnome except a different theme.. It's really a case of the Ubuntu developers wanting it to look that way, and the Mint developers wanting a different look.
First of all, Mint does have some added tools that affect usability, not the least of which is the (what I considered improved) Start menu. But the point I was making is that the look desired by the Mint developers is more in line with that desired by the majority (i.e. the Windows users). Getting someone to switch to Linux requires not only that they can use it, but that they find it easier to and more pleasant to use. In other words, Ubuntu still targets the technically proficient minority of users, while Mint is just a bit closer to targeting the majority. And it's that sort of thing that will bring us closer to the Year of Linux on the Desktop.
Gnome's default look on my distros isn't very exciting, but some people like that.
I think that's the crux of the issue. Ubuntu's default theme reminds me of Win 9X, so most people automatically blame Gnome. When I switched to Linux Mint (an Ubuntu derivative), I was surprised at how good it looked while still using Gnome. I reckon that Linux Mint is an example of what happens when you try to add those little features that are boring to implement to an OS. It's almost identical to Ubuntu from a technical perspective, but it's definitely easier to use for the average person and much easier on the eyes.
Although I'm not due to start there until next year, I've seen a mix of Windows (XP last time I checked), OS X and Ubuntu systems. They seem to be targeting a cross platform environment, which provides the most flexibility. As an added bonus all the Windows machines have Firefox as the default browser.
If Chrome ever gets the necessary add-ons, such as AdBlock Plus, I'm guessing that people will abandon Firefox. There seems to be no hope that Mozilla Foundation will ever be managed well.
(I like seeing ads, I just don't like flashing, moving ads. "Marketing" people are amazingly ignorant, in my experience; they often don't realize that annoying people is not a good way to get customers.)
Chrome 3.0 has support for GreaseMonkey scripts, such as FlashBlock. It takes a little effort to get it working (since I'm in the beta channel - note that this is not the dev channel, it's more stable), but it's definitely worth it. And for all those suggesting that addins will slow it down, FlashBlock certainly hasn't, and I'm guessing that the builtin Task Manager will keep it that way - the main reason I installed FlashBlock was because I saw how much memory Flash ads were using.
I agree, it's obvious that the most efficient and elegant solution would be to place the tabs in a diagonal line across all four dimensions, rather than just the two which are used now.
The good news for consumers is that both Windows 7 and Snow Leopard are great-looking OS.
So can Linux users. Mint is a Ubuntu derivative that is one of the most aesthetically pleasing, IMO. KDE seems to have way too much crap, but Mint actually looks really good with just Gnome, and seems comparable to Vista in terms of GUI.
I agree completely. That said, in the interest of reducing confusion, I use GiB and call them base-2/binary gigabytes. That way we use the official symbols and keep decent names.
Besides, apple sells external enclosures, too (time capsule). How does it make them look when they advertise a 2TB drive then when it gets used only shows 1.7GB of usable space? They had to get their terms consistent one way or the other, and suddenly rebranding their 2TB drives as 1.8TB drives would put them at a competitive disadvantage compared to EVERY OTHER drive maker.
Then use both. Is that really so hard? State the size in both GB and GiB, that way there's absolutely no confusion over the size and they're not at a disadvantage. The average user can look at GB, and the more technically minded can look at GiB.
Only when talking about Mbps, etc. People usually look at the MB/s because its more meaningful. For the record, I always use MiB, nut I prefer to call them base-2/binary megabytes. IMO, part of the problem is that mebibytes sounds weird and is harder to say than megabytes.
In the same way cable companies shouldn't be selling unlimited 1.5Mb access then capping downloads or throttling speeds. Nor should they be settling arbitrary caps, burying. or hiding those caps
I agree. The essence of my post was that I don't really mind what the ISPs do, provided that they are completely open about it. Caps are fine if you know how big your quota is and have a way to monitor it. The real issue, IMO, is when they cap 'unlimited' connections, which is false advertising. The crux of the issue is that the ISPs have been getting away with a lot and some sort of reform is needed, to ensure that they are bound by the terms they clearly state. But the fact remains that there are some policies that need to remain (e.g. capped/throttled connections), and they are reasonable as long as we get the chance to agree to them.
Mod parent up. I love Chrome (posting with it right now), but the one thing it lacks is decent printing. Even a medium length Wikipedia article takes several more pages to print under Chrome compared to IE8.
What I do mind, hate actually, is when capacity is oversold.
Overselling is necessary to reduce the cost to the consumers. That said, I believe it would be very beneficial if ISPs were legally required to state the ratio of connections to consumers in their contracts (as a minimum, not this 'up to' crap). That would allow accurate comparisons to be made between ISPs, and they would be legally accountable if they failed to deliver.
I use a similar approach. Multiple pages don't annoy me as much as Flash ads that fill the screen and use up resources, so I just use FlashBlock. I don't mind just ignoring other ads, especially since most of the sites I visit are ad funded anyway.
An interesting proposition. Why doesn't he submit a suggestion for such a tool to be included with the Linux kernel or popular distro?
The alternate version of Ubuntu has the option to encrypt your home directory, though it's not enabled by default. It would be good if it were the default on the normal version though.
Slashdot Mirror
Instead of disconnecting the user, my (Australian) ISP has a more proactive approach. By default they block:
Port 25 (smtp) inbound and outbound
Port 80 (http) inbound
Port 135 DCOM SCM inbound
Port 139 (netbeui/ipx) inbound
Port 443 inbound
Port 445 Microsoft Windows File sharing / NETBIOS inbound
The option to disable port blocking is given on their website, and changes take effect within 15 min. This blocks the propagation of malware without running the risk of accidentally disconnecting users on false positives, and it also can't be use d to block file sharing (well it could, but since the user can disable it it would be pointless). The only downside is that if you are infected, you won't get notified and may infect others via USBs, etc.
Linux Mint doesn't add anything to Gnome except a different theme.. It's really a case of the Ubuntu developers wanting it to look that way, and the Mint developers wanting a different look.
First of all, Mint does have some added tools that affect usability, not the least of which is the (what I considered improved) Start menu.
But the point I was making is that the look desired by the Mint developers is more in line with that desired by the majority (i.e. the Windows users). Getting someone to switch to Linux requires not only that they can use it, but that they find it easier to and more pleasant to use.
In other words, Ubuntu still targets the technically proficient minority of users, while Mint is just a bit closer to targeting the majority. And it's that sort of thing that will bring us closer to the Year of Linux on the Desktop.
Gnome's default look on my distros isn't very exciting, but some people like that.
I think that's the crux of the issue. Ubuntu's default theme reminds me of Win 9X, so most people automatically blame Gnome. When I switched to Linux Mint (an Ubuntu derivative), I was surprised at how good it looked while still using Gnome. I reckon that Linux Mint is an example of what happens when you try to add those little features that are boring to implement to an OS. It's almost identical to Ubuntu from a technical perspective, but it's definitely easier to use for the average person and much easier on the eyes.
Does anyone know what the magnetic field strength was? It would be interesting to try and reproduce this, maybe even scale it up to humans ;)
They also know you visit Slashdot and have access to your photo, so I wouldn't expect any calls if I were you...
I usually just skip the site: term. Class1.Method is usually enough.
So now you won't using ethereal to sniff packets. But a shotgun.
I'm guessing a rifle would be better. A shotgun would probably hit the storage as well.
Although I'm not due to start there until next year, I've seen a mix of Windows (XP last time I checked), OS X and Ubuntu systems.
They seem to be targeting a cross platform environment, which provides the most flexibility. As an added bonus all the Windows machines have Firefox as the default browser.
Hush you! Quit raining on our parade!
If Chrome ever gets the necessary add-ons, such as AdBlock Plus, I'm guessing that people will abandon Firefox. There seems to be no hope that Mozilla Foundation will ever be managed well.
(I like seeing ads, I just don't like flashing, moving ads. "Marketing" people are amazingly ignorant, in my experience; they often don't realize that annoying people is not a good way to get customers.)
Chrome 3.0 has support for GreaseMonkey scripts, such as FlashBlock. It takes a little effort to get it working (since I'm in the beta channel - note that this is not the dev channel, it's more stable), but it's definitely worth it.
And for all those suggesting that addins will slow it down, FlashBlock certainly hasn't, and I'm guessing that the builtin Task Manager will keep it that way - the main reason I installed FlashBlock was because I saw how much memory Flash ads were using.
No. Tabs should be diagonal.
I agree, it's obvious that the most efficient and elegant solution would be to place the tabs in a diagonal line across all four dimensions, rather than just the two which are used now.
The good news for consumers is that both Windows 7 and Snow Leopard are great-looking OS.
So can Linux users. Mint is a Ubuntu derivative that is one of the most aesthetically pleasing, IMO. KDE seems to have way too much crap, but Mint actually looks really good with just Gnome, and seems comparable to Vista in terms of GUI.
That's not a web browser! *This* is a web browser:
lynx
(And yes, it runs on Linux...)
I agree completely. That said, in the interest of reducing confusion, I use GiB and call them base-2/binary gigabytes. That way we use the official symbols and keep decent names.
Besides, apple sells external enclosures, too (time capsule). How does it make them look when they advertise a 2TB drive then when it gets used only shows 1.7GB of usable space? They had to get their terms consistent one way or the other, and suddenly rebranding their 2TB drives as 1.8TB drives would put them at a competitive disadvantage compared to EVERY OTHER drive maker.
Then use both. Is that really so hard? State the size in both GB and GiB, that way there's absolutely no confusion over the size and they're not at a disadvantage. The average user can look at GB, and the more technically minded can look at GiB.
Only when talking about Mbps, etc. People usually look at the MB/s because its more meaningful.
For the record, I always use MiB, nut I prefer to call them base-2/binary megabytes. IMO, part of the problem is that mebibytes sounds weird and is harder to say than megabytes.
In the same way cable companies shouldn't be selling unlimited 1.5Mb access then capping downloads or throttling speeds. Nor should they be settling arbitrary caps, burying. or hiding those caps
I agree. The essence of my post was that I don't really mind what the ISPs do, provided that they are completely open about it. Caps are fine if you know how big your quota is and have a way to monitor it. The real issue, IMO, is when they cap 'unlimited' connections, which is false advertising.
The crux of the issue is that the ISPs have been getting away with a lot and some sort of reform is needed, to ensure that they are bound by the terms they clearly state. But the fact remains that there are some policies that need to remain (e.g. capped/throttled connections), and they are reasonable as long as we get the chance to agree to them.
Mod parent up.
I love Chrome (posting with it right now), but the one thing it lacks is decent printing. Even a medium length Wikipedia article takes several more pages to print under Chrome compared to IE8.
What I do mind, hate actually, is when capacity is oversold.
Overselling is necessary to reduce the cost to the consumers. That said, I believe it would be very beneficial if ISPs were legally required to state the ratio of connections to consumers in their contracts (as a minimum, not this 'up to' crap). That would allow accurate comparisons to be made between ISPs, and they would be legally accountable if they failed to deliver.
AdblockPlus and FlashBlock add-ons already exist in the Windows version (via GreaseMonkey). I'm not sure about Chromium though.
I use a similar approach. Multiple pages don't annoy me as much as Flash ads that fill the screen and use up resources, so I just use FlashBlock. I don't mind just ignoring other ads, especially since most of the sites I visit are ad funded anyway.
No, that's what Linux is for (Gentoo for bonus points)
When did they classify stupidity as an actual mental condition needing treatment?
When they mandated compulsory education?
No, that's ignorance. Even if you educate someone, there's no guarantee that they'll be intelligent.
http://xkcd.com/526/
An interesting proposition. Why doesn't he submit a suggestion for such a tool to be included with the Linux kernel or popular distro?
The alternate version of Ubuntu has the option to encrypt your home directory, though it's not enabled by default.
It would be good if it were the default on the normal version though.