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LangaList 2004-05-17 Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!
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1) Follow-Up: Linux's Achilles' HeelThe flames have mostly died out and the smoke is clearing: The response to
the original "Linux's Achilles' Heel"
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=18901660
article was astonishing. I've read through all the myriad original posts and extracted what I think are the main areas of controversy--- the ones that are ripest for clarification and comment. They include:
And more, all of which I've tried to answer as levelly and rationally as I
can in a reply article posted now at If you've ever tried Linux yourself, you may have run into some of these kinds of criticisms, too--- especially the "You're too stupid to use Linux" argument. Should you ever find yourself under attack by the more, um, enthusiastic Linux supporters, some of my answers may help you. <g> In any case, please come check it out at http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=20300852 , and then join in the discussion: Have you run into hardware that Windows natively supports but that Linux doesn't, or vice versa? What compatibility issues, or successes, have you encountered? Please join in the discussion! Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 2) Outbound Mail Filters Needed?
Most local mail scanners work by setting up a miniature mail server right in your PC. The scanner then modifies your email software so that that software sends and receives only through the local mail server, which in turn talks to the real mail server at your ISP or web site. Thus, the locally-install mini mail server acts as an intermediary: As mail flows through the local mail server, it can be scanned for viruses, worms, and so on. But problems arise if you use multiple scanners or multiple mail tools. Some tools may expect to "own" the mail stream, and won't work properly if other tools are also trying to grab and scan the mail. Others may expect mail only to reside on either the local server or on the real ISP- or webhost server; if the mail has been rerouted by another tool, the software gets confused. While these problems often can be worked around, it's rarely easy or simple: You have to figure out where each tool needs to be in the mail chain, and where it expects the mail to be, and set things up accordingly. But here's a thought that may let you sidestep a lot of hassle:
If you keep your
system free from mail-borne infections in the first place, you can't infect anyone else--- there's nothing
for your system to
pass on. Thus, outbound mail filtering may be unnecessary. I'm also very careful in how I handle the email that makes it
through the above gauntlet. For example, I
treat all inbound attachments as hostile threats until conclusively proven
otherwise; and I send all outbound mail in plain text--- no html in which nasty
code might hide. Yes, it's a big "if." Most worms, viruses, and Trojans propagate because the majority of users are not careful about email security. (If everyone were careful, the problem would go away.) That's why security-tool makers include outbound scanning, and in the majority of cases, it's a good thing. But again, *if* you're one of the relative few who use extreme care in keeping your system infection-free in the first place, then outbound scanning really doesn't really add much security, and can be dispensed with. Click to email this item to a
friend 3) Speaking Of Firewalls...
The "MiniTutorials" are pretty good, and provide a decent overview--- thanks for the pointer! An addition: They don't mention the free Sygate Personal Firewall ( http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm ), which is my alternate #1 choice for people who run into problems with ZoneAlarm. As for the sometimes cryptic-seeming contents of the ZA log, there are many
tools--- some free--- that can parse the logs and generate a more easily
digested report: See also: Secure Your PC Online (four part how-to article) Firewall Feedback: General firewall info: Click to email this item to a
friend 4) Free Copy Of Visual BasicSeveral readers pointed out that Microsoft is giving away free copies of Visual Basic .Net at http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/ . (Thanks to all who wrote in!) You have to watch 5 promotional videos and answer short rating question to prove you really saw them. You then get a special code you can use to get a free copy of Visual Basic .NET 2003 Standard Edition. Although I have reservations about .Net as a mandatory add-in for Windows, if you're in software development, getting a free copy of VB might be pretty attractive... Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- "Fred, I , like so many computer geeks get in the habit
of trying out --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 5) Another Free CD Burner ToolDespite the name, this tool is said to work on Win98 and ME, too:
Thanks, Joe! 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
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your current subscription will be extended by a full year.) Click to email this item to a
friend 7) Deliberate Slow Downs
Thanks, Tom. Indeed, in the earliest days of computing, it was easier to count clock cycles than to calculate real-world time intervals. Early PCs ran at roughly 5 million cycles per second. so software might assume that every 5 million clock cycles was roughly equivalent to 1 full second. But put that same software on a modern 3.2GHz system, and the same 5 million cycles will blow by in one six-hundredth of a second--- way too fast for humans, and maybe too fast for any practical use where interaction is required. Similarly, other software used simple numeric counting loops or a set number of "do nothing" loops that were designed to consume a certain amount of time, based on a known system speed. But on faster systems, the loops complete way too fast to be useful. Software coders eventually learned to adjust for system speed, but for early software that won't run right on very fast systems, a tool like CpuKiller might be just the ticket. 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. Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At Alliance of Literary Societies Night School (band) Rae At Home Shadey Glass Cap-Tech Cavalry Barracks Builder 7 Walk Sydney Streets PrarieGroove Unofficial HelpDesk Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 9) Installing Custom DriversAlthough this reader asks about XP, the answer actually applies to all Windows versions, and to Linux as well.Hi Fred. Over the past five months, I have made some stupid (yet serious) errors and found myself having to reinstall Windows XP on three separate occasions, and I have lost a lot of data. But believe it or not, that is not why I am writing this e-mail. My question is ? How does one install the Chipset drivers first? My understanding is that Windows must be installed, in order to install the chipset drivers? But before I have the opportunity to install the chipset, Windows has automatically installed all the drivers for the hardware it finds, and other software drivers like DirectX. Is there a solution to this? ---Thanks, Mike Usually, this isn't a problem, as long as your system at least boots and runs in a basic way with the generic drivers. Once it's running at least generically, then you can install any custom/updated drivers. On the next reboot, your OS will then load and use the new drivers. There's no particular harm or problem caused by first booting with the generic drivers--- that's what they're there for. While the above covers most of the bases, I've also found a few tricks that seem to help the process. For example, load the lower-level drivers first: Start with the basic motherboard functions (CPU, chipset, AGP, memory, etc.); then work on the things that attach directly to the motherboard (the hard drive, video, sound, etc.); and install drivers for any external devices (printers, scanners, etc.) last. You might also want to avoid "all-in-one" driver setup packages. Maybe it's me, but I've always encountered more install failures with those than when I install the drivers one by one. The all-in-one setups seem to have a high percentage of cases where some internal link is broken, a catalog or inf file is missing, or something else isn't right. Working manually, I can make sure all the pieces are there when needed. It takes a little more work on the front end, but pays off in the long run. Click to email this item to a
friend 10) Just For Grins
Yikes! Indeed, don't try that at home--- or anywhere else! 8-) Click to email this item to a
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