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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 1) The *Only* Sure Way To Stop SpamWith the holiday season here, the level of spam is going through the roof. This reader has correctly identified the one and only way to stop spam for good--- and it's not a filter, not legislation, and not anything exotic at all:
Matt is right. Spam exists because it works, simple as that. Some percentage of people *do* respond to spam offers, and that's more than enough to keep the spammers in business. When you get spammail, just delete it. Don't reply to be "removed" from their list. (It doesn't work.) Don't send back a fake "bounce" or "bad address" message. (It only helps spammers make their mailings more cost efficient.) In fact don't do anything: Just delete the email, preferably unread. That--- and only that--- ensures that the spammer has just wasted a little money on you. If enough people do this--- if enough people force spammers to waste a little money--- then the economics of spam will change, and it will no longer be lucrative. When spammers no longer can make easy money by spamming, they'll stop and move on to the next scam. Good spam filters can help you sort the spam for easy deletion. Good legislation can help apply pressure to the spammers where they live. But the ultimate solution to spam is to make it unprofitable. Do your part to help drive the spammers out of business. Take the pledge: Never, ever, buy *anything* you see spamvertised! Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 2) Free: Tweak Windows TransparencyHere's an unusual piece of software that you'll either love or hate--- no middle ground. <g>
It's an interesting little tool--- tiny and free. With appropriate background images, on high-quality monitors, and with only one window open at a time, the effect can be fabulous. But if your monitor is less than stellar, your eyes not quite up to snuff, or if you use too-busy background images or work with many overlapping windows--- especially text windows--- this software can be an immediate trigger for eyestrain. <g> So, depending on your workstyle and system, you'll love it or hate it. Fortunately, because it's so small, and free, you easily can try it out and see for yourself. If nothing else, it's a cool and interesting effect! Thanks, Dan! Click to email this item to a
friend 3) Tip: RoboForm + USB Flash DriveReader Dan Cross made an interesting find that might interest you on either of two counts: (1) if you have, or might get as a gift, one of those little USB-based solid state "flash drives" or "thumb drives;" or if you're interested in a spyware-free secure password-keeper, e-wallet, and form filler.
Thanks, Dan. Those little USB drives are great, and the price is dropping fast, too. (See http://langa.com/u/1z.htm ) They're already downright cheap in the smaller capacities, and I have my eye on the larger ones--- say, around a GB or so. When those prices drop a bit further, I'll be able to store a compressed daily backup of "My Documents" safely encrypted on a keychain device. Talk about portable data! And Roboform is a wonder. There's a "Lite" version for free, and an inexpensive Pro version (that's what I use). It automatically fills forms; generates, remembers, and fills in your logins and passwords for you; and even stores free-form notes--- all safely encrypted. Highly recommended. See http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=roboform&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 4) Self-Contained Software Better?
Recently, I have had the opportunity to download and try out a number of programs (as a 'for instance', Mozilla Firebird browser http://texturizer.net/firebird/ and Scribe email http://www.memecode.com/scribe.php ) that, once downloaded and unzipped, operate entirely from within their own folder. Moreover, I have for some time used a number of small files or programs - including ones from you and Steve Gibson http://grc.com/default.htm - that function immediately upon download. None of these products scatter miscellaneous files into the nether regions of the computer, never to found or successfully removed again - and to delete them is simply a case of deleting the icon or folder involved. This seems to me to be an incredibly efficient and tidy way of managing programs and I am given to wonder (and here comes the 'Why is the sky blue?' question), why it is there are so many programs out there - doing essentially the same tasks - that have to be 'installed', with all manner of, uh...stuff flung throughout the computer - sometimes causing no end of grief? Are the self-contained programs not as effective or stable as 'installed' ones? Are the programs requiring installation simply a throwback to the primordial soup of computer programming and the fastest and laziest manner of creating a program? Aren't self-contained programs less likely to cause conflicts with various OSs? As I said, I suspect there is no really good answer - but I am heartened by the apparent simplicity of self-contained programs. If only one could be sure..... Keep up the great work! ---Barry Some smaller programs can indeed be totally self-contained, with everything they need to run all in one file. Larger self-contained programs may require extra files or DLLs, but they may all go in the app's or utility's own self-contained folders. Sometimes, as Barry says, these programs don't even need a formal installation. You just download the file where ever you want, click on it, and it runs. Because the software has no external dependencies, it's ready to go as-is. Nothing needs to be set up a special way or written into the Registry, or whatever. Programs like that avoid all uninstall woes: Just whack the file or folder, and it's all gone, period: No formal uninstallation process is needed because nothing was ever "installed" (in the formal sense) in the first place. But even self-contained software that does need an install/uninstall process still is much, much easier to clean up after than standard software. Everything's in one place, instead of being scattered all over your hard drive. It sounds great, and the benefit can be real. In fact, long ago, virtually all software was self-contained! But the downside to this approach is duplication. For example, a "self contained" browser may have inside it a rendering engine--- or print engine, or other basic function--- that duplicates what's already built into your operating system. In a way, it's a kind of reinventing the wheel; each app or utility is doing, from scratch, what's already being done elsewhere on the system. You gain in terns of the software being self-contained, but you lose in terms of disk space, and possible complexity and contention issues when different, non-cooperating tools each want to "own" some file type or process. Avoiding needless duplication was one of the main ideas behind using shared "libraries" of code: A system could have a single, central library that any program could link to for standard functions--- opening a window, saving a file, making a connection to the internet, printing, etc. In theory, each significant function would only have to be coded *once,* and then all apps could share the same code. In fact, this is one of the main ideas behind DLLs, which are dynamic *linked libraries* of common functions, often available for sharing. The benefits of code-sharing are compactness and standardization: Programs that used shared code can behave and look the same, creating a unified feel with standardized menus, etc. Code-sharing also saves space, and allows the system to store some frequently-used code in fast RAM, where it can be accessed at top speed by any software. The downside to code-sharing is that software that uses shared code can be harder to install and uninstall, because a whole web of interconnections has to be made or unraveled. And, if a programmer decides to "improve" on a shared piece of code, any errors in the new shared DLL may cause an entirely different program to have trouble when it uses the altered code. So: Both ways have their benefits and drawbacks. If every program were self-contained, there'd be little standardization, and programs might not work together well. Too much sharing leads to monolithic apps, stagnation, and a lack of innovation. As with so many things, there's no absolute right or wrong! Click to email this item to a
friend 5) Nav 2004: 10,000 Zero-Byte Files...
Thanks, Mark. Symantec acknowledges the problem (see http://langa.com/u/1v.htm ) but as of this writing has no fix. There appear to be other problems, too: The Product Activation on Nav 2004 is giving some users fits, for example: http://langa.com/u/1x.htm Looks like Nav 2004 may have been taken out of the oven a little too soon. If you're looking for antivirus, it might be good either to wait for Symantec to fix the problems; or try NOD32 ( http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=nod32&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 ; its my #1alternate recommendation for commercial antivirus), or AVG ( http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=avg&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 ) for free antivirus. Click to email this item to a
friend 6) Is This Newsletter Interesting? Useful?If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, maybe a friend would find it useful too! Just use the following link to recommend the LangaList---your friend may find a new source of useful information and you just may win one of three FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS to the LangaList Plus! edition given each month. (If your name is drawn and you're already a Plus! subscriber, your current subscription will be extended by a full year.) Check out the details at http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm . Thanks for recommending the LangaList--- and good luck! Click to email this item to a
friend 7) Powerful File Tool, FreeThis is geared more towards experts, although I bet even motivated intermediate users will find it interesting and useful:
Thanks, Tim! File system browsers are something many Windows users take for granted--- having only seen Windows Explorer. But there are many other approaches out there, including Tim's. Well worth a look! Click to email this item to a
friend 8) They Just Keep Coming And Coming...Well over 3,000 of your fellow readers have "loaded the code." Have you? Check out http://www.langa.com/code.htm for the details. Here's another eclectic sample of reader sites--- some professional, some very personal: View A Randomly-Chosen Reader Site Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At Midwest Creative Solutions Team Lucky7 Billiards Netherlands Blog Dragon Anime Cain Patch kontradiction (band) wweebbeerr's lists Wicked Good Deals kaznar's Spongy Musings Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- "Hi Fred, I just wanted to tell you that I love the Plus! site and the help. Its well worth the price. More to the point here is what YOU helped me with today. [LangaList Plus! information] saved me the price of the phone call to Tech support...which has long distance charges. I figure that this year alone you have saved me about $150 in calls and solved problems. I WILL be Renewing my Plus! subscription! Thanks, JAY" Thank *you,* Jay. <g> --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 9) "True Vector" Troubles
True Vector is the guts of Zone Alarm. On some systems and setups, it does have a tendency to hang. Rather than spending hours (potentially) in troubleshooting, I'd suggest a fast and simple two-step fix: Uninstall Zone Alarm completely, Reboot. Download a fresh copy and install that, making sure no other major apps are running at the same time. (e.g. shut down your mail, browser, etc.). Chances are, it'll now work. But some systems just don't seem to work well with Zone Alarm, no matter what you do. If you still have trouble, simply switch to a different firewall. Sygate Personal Firewall (free) is my personal favorite alternative, but there are many others, too. See http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020412S0009 . Click to email this item to a
friend 10) Just For Grinshttp://www.deadtroll.com/ ---Brendan C. Great find! I laughed out loud a couple times during the skit. Actually, the link above is to the Troll's own site; the performance Brendan referred to on MP3.Com has been taken down. The Trolls' site not only has the live version, but a more polished studio version, too--- high quality video of high quality humor. Once on the site, click the Video link, and select "Welcome to the Internet Helpdesk: Studio Version." The other files there are pretty funny too! 8-) Click to email this item to a
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