__/ [ The Ghost In The Machine ] on Thursday 30 March 2006 16:58 \__
> In comp.os.linux.advocacy, Roy Schestowitz
> <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> wrote
> on Thu, 30 Mar 2006 05:52:26 +0100
> <e0fo9o$2715$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>> __/ [ The Ghost In The Machine ] on Wednesday 29 March 2006 21:59 \__
>>
>>> In comp.os.linux.advocacy, Roy Schestowitz
>>> <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>> wrote
>>> on Wed, 29 Mar 2006 19:07:17 +0100
>>> <e0eig3$1cd1$3@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>>>> Why is anyone still using Internet Explorer?
>>>
>>> Because it's preinstalled, that's why. :-)
>>
>>
>> Moreover, it's right there when you browse your drives. A menu titled
>> "Favourites" and possibly an address bar, too.
>
> Proof once again that the implementation is distributed.
...And the user is disturbed.
>>> After all, all one has to do is click on the big blue
>>> "e" and presto! one's infected (or at least at risk).
>>> If one wants to be infected while using Firefox instead,
>>> one has to work a lot harder:
>>>
>>> [1] Visit, using the 'e', http://www.getfirefox.com/
>>> (if one goes to http://www.firefox.com one gets a choice between
>>> Firefox, the browser, and Firefox, the company.)
>>> [2] Click on Download Firefox. The download starts immediately.
>>> [3] Install Firefox. I'd have to look up the specifics at this point,
>>> as I'm using Linux; the Linux variant comes over as a tar.gz.
>>> On Windows one might very well be able to just double-click and
>>> ta-dah; it's done. I've not installed it in awhile.
>>> [4] Now click on the curled fox.
>>
>>
>> Dell already pre-install Firefox. That's a positive step.
>
> Neat. :-) Of course I slapped Gentoo after fiddling with ntfsresize
> on my Optiplex GX280 here. Works reasonably well except that the time
> gets screwed up every time I switch to WinXP. So the obvious solution
> is: don't switch. :-)
Back when I had a Windows partition at the University, I just knew it was
plagued with worms. I could almost feel the machine rocking the table
(provided that I kept quite enough. Sheesh!).
Whenever I boot into Windows, I tried to get the job done ASAP and get the
hell out of there. Windows was like the scene of the crime. And I had no
intention of removing the evidence (malware and co.) because it would have
been time consuming. I reclaimed that partition last year because it was
space drain that served no purpose.
>>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>>> | OK, how many times must Internet Explorer be ripped open like a hot
>>>> | 16-year old in a summer slasher movie before people finally get it:
>>>> | IE is not safe. Period. End of Statement.
>>>> `----
>>>>
>>>> http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS8517467708.html
>>>
>>> Assuming anyone at Microsoft is listening, I would
>>> gently suggest they remove the 'e' from the desktop
>>> and intentionally "damage" said desktop by putting a
>>> preinstalled copy of Firefox thereon. That should be
>>> doable by an automated patch/reboot sequence and would
>>> fix a few problems.
>>
>>
>> Would you believe that some IT departments do not even
>> give browser choice on their cluster setup/image?
>> In turn, it is /them/ who suffer, as well as the
>> innocent user.
>
> Ah, pointy-hairism.
You eat your own poison, right?
>>> Actually, Firefox wouldn't need a reboot anyway...but
>>> there's a few issues here. Note that I'm not advocating
>>> the total removal of all of IE plus things such as WinInet
>>> and WinHTTP and whatever else is buried in there, just the
>>> icon (a shortcut link) and maybe the shell executable to
>>> which it points.
>>
>>
>> Already done that. Mom whines that bank won't permit access (agent
>> sniffing).
>> [rant] Must one then install the Agent Switcher extension as well? [/rant]
>> As someone said in a different newsgroup, if your bank only supports IE,
>> get the hell out of there. Someone so clueless on the merits of other Web
>> browsers has poor knowledge of IT and should deserve no trust with your
>> money. One would imagine that server choices will also be moronic, which
>> drives interest rates negatively and increases frequency of downtimes.
>
> Hm...that's a bit of a headscratcher. I can't say I've ever had that
> trouble at my bank, which appears to support Mozzie fine.
Mine as well. My bank's Web site uses ASP and it still sniffs user agents. I
am generally against any sniffing, for a whole variety of reasons. I wrote
about it yesterday actually...
http://schestowitz.com/Weblog/archives/2006/03/29/browser-racism/
This was fuelled by a discussion I had with someone who had gotten banned
from Google. Boy O' boy, if only you witnessed what he did to innocent
Internet Explorer users... deployment of any aggressive marketing trick off
the book!
>>> (Removal of the "e" would also expose Microsoft to almost
>>> endless humor, of course, but which is worse: being the
>>> butt of rather bad jokes, or being the butt of even worse
>>> jokes and sucking up lots of bandwidth unnecessarily,
>>> participating in DoS attacks, and giving the user endless
>>> frustration for getting rid of the malware introduced
>>> because somebody clicks on the wrong link while using
>>> Explorer? In any event, it's not like humorists have any
>>> dearth of material regarding Microsoft *now*...so hopefully
>>> they're used to it. :-) )
>>
>>
>> Speaking of DDOS attacks, although I have blocked them for over 6 months,
>> yesterday a new big wave began, which had PHP digest and generate almost
>> half a gigabyte of traffic. I am still trying to figure out how to tell
>> apart ham from spam. I can't just block all Windows users. If you ever see
>> me invading into a Windows cluster with a baseball bat, you'll know why.
>> Truthfully, I am getting sick and tired of this. But who can I talk to?
>> Windows *SHOULD* be made illegal. I never ever use it and yet it has a
>> negative impact on my day (and pocket).
>
> There was a clip of a user who decided to abuse his computer in his
> cubicle (I think it was with a baseball bat) and was caught on tape...
> :-)
>
> I'd have to find it.
Already seen many of these, as a teenager. My inclination to seek funny
videos has died out, but I think I saw the (one of the) baseball bat video
several times before.
Roy
PS - I have calmed down as the attacks on my site have reached a temporary
cesssation. I had many referrals from Digg as well! Xara Xtreme goes GPL! In
turn, everything will have the source shared. Die with all wealth in the
bank account or distribute it before death and be glorified afterwards.
--
Roy S. Schestowitz, Ph.D. Candidate in Medical Biophysics
http://Schestowitz.com | SuSE Linux ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
6:45pm up 22 days 8:30, 10 users, load average: 0.44, 0.60, 0.52
http://iuron.com - help build a non-profit search engine
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