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Re: spyware, off topic?

  • Subject: Re: spyware, off topic?
  • From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 18:57:28 +0100
  • Newsgroups: alt.internet.search-engines
  • Organization: schestowitz.com / MCC / Manchester University
  • References: <_eN1g.6531$wK1.362498@news20.bellglobal.com> <MPG.1eb1fd18df38185a9896d0@newsgate.x-privat.org> <L5L8J6QQ38829.0777199074@reece.net.au>
  • Reply-to: newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • User-agent: KNode/0.7.2
__/ [ Thrasher Remailer ] on Friday 21 April 2006 18:51 \__

> 
> 
>   I am usually a lurker in the search engine group.  I am no computer
> expert, more like a novice, but I like to learn about things that
> interest me.
> 
> 
>   I have been reading messages here for months, and followed links
> that helped me learn things about search engines.  I want to thank the
> contributors here who make this group worth following.  Search engines
> seem to be more like an art than science.  Or both.
> 
> 
>   One comment.  A couple weeks ago, I subscribed to another group that
> seems related to this one.  It is called alt.privacy.spyware.  My
> computer caught a nasty bug this month while I was searching the
> internet, and they helped me to get rid of it.  It had caused a
> "highjack" problem, opening bad web sites without warning.
> 
> 
>   I had no idea how unethical "spyware" people can be.  Spyware seems
> to be all over the place, so it is important to protect your computer
> against the unscrupulous, for lack of a better word.
> 
> 
>   On the spyware group, I have found advice and free programs that
> help ordinary users like me to defend against viruses, adware, worms,
> trojans, and other bad things engineered to attack computers on the
> internet.  It's a jungle out there!!
> 
> 
>   I suppose that most of the experts here already know about these
> things.  I trust that most of the regulars here are honest people, and
> would not be part of the spyware "ring."  But for those who may not
> know about spyware, you should also read in the spyware group.
> 
> 
>   You have to wonder what lengths some people will go to, when you
> think about how advertising, search ranking, links, key words,
> customers finding sites, and all that, gets talked about here.
> 
> 
>   You wonder about tracking cookies, adware, and other unwanted things
> they might resort to.  When money is at stake, you wonder what they
> might do, and not tell anyone in public what sneaky tricks they are up
> to behind closed doors.
> 
> 
>   A locked door keeps an honest man honest, like my grand dad used to
> say.  Be careful who you trust.  Protect your computer against
> spyware.  Tell people you know about spyware, and tell them they
> should protect their computers.  There are lots of free programs to
> help you do this.
> 
> 
>   I run Windows XP on a new PC.  So far I have added Hijackthis,
> Vundofix, Spybot, Adaware, Windowsdefender, Crapcleaner, Spyad,
> Siteadvisor, Hosts, and Hoster, all for free.  The only program that I
> had to buy was Norton antivirus.
> 
> 
>   Now I feel more confident searching Google, Yahoo, Msn, Ask, or what
> ever, and following links that come up in the search window.
> 
> 
>   Sorry if this message is off topic.  I will go back to lurking.
> 
> 
>   Ckyp

You are using an operating system that gets you under its control while
disclosing very little and offering little or no sight into its chassis. I
suggest you just move up the ladder and choose an Open Source operating
system (FreeBSD or *nix), which will make all such trouble a thing of the
past and will also be a better (more usable, efficient) working environment.
Windows Vista will offer nothing better, neither in terms of privacy, nor in
terms of functionality. Here's what one of the biggest Windows advocates
said last night:

http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/winvista_5308_05.asp

While you talk about this problem called spyware, you actually talk about a
deficiency of the underlying platform, which is too permissive by design.

Hope it helps,

Roy

-- 
Roy S. Schestowitz
http://Schestowitz.com  |    SuSE Linux     ¦     PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
  6:50pm  up 44 days  8:33,  12 users,  load average: 0.43, 0.56, 0.58
      http://iuron.com - Open Source knowledge engine project

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