Wednesday 29th November, 2006
The Security Absurdity website is still around, but none of the links in the article seem to work.
Rob. April 2015.
The first link above is a very interesting and insightful article about the
current state of computer security. I thoroughly
advise anyone who uses a computer, whether you are an individual PC user
or the IT director of a company, to read this article.
The article assesses the risks, covering spyware, phishing,
trojans, viruses, worms, rootkits, spam, botnets, web vulnerabilities,
denial-of-service attacks, active-x weaknesses, passwords, patch management,
wireless networks, internal attacks, and more.
There is then an analysis of why these problems exist.
The second link above is a follow-up article continues on the same theme,
but focuses more on possible solutions.
Tuesday 28th November, 2006
An interesting read for desk-bound computer-users. Apparently sitting straight is not the best position for office workers.
Friday 24th November, 2006
Following from two earlier posts I made about Microsoft's EULA for the forthcoming Vista, here is another very interesting analysis of the product activation component of the EULA which will be a required agreement before members of the public can use the new OS.
Some choice quotes from the article:
The terms of the Vista EULA, like the current EULA related to the 'Windows Genuine Advantage,' allows Microsoft to unilaterally decide that you have breached the terms of the agreement, and they can essentially disable the software, and possibly deny you access to critical files on your computer without benefit of proof, hearing, testimony or judicial intervention.
(Emphasis added.)
... if you buy a license to the software from a reputable dealer, but choose not to transmit information to Microsoft, you forfeit your ability to use the licensed software
But the contract doesn't limit Microsoft to these disabling attributes. It just says that they have the right to limit your ability to use features - pretty much any features they decide to at any date. And guess what. You agreed to it.
The sad thing is that so many people are so apathetic about the whole that they'll just click on the "I agree" button without reading the EULA, or even caring what's in it.
Sunday 19th November, 2006
Just a few of the more interesting links related to these sordid claims. It's something that Ballmer has claimed before, but that was back in the heyday of the SCO debacle which is now nearly over. It's typical FUD, possibly the actions of a desperate man? Who knows how these people think, except others like them.
Monday 13th November, 2006
The Samba team has issued a statement asking Novell to reconsider its recent deal with Microsoft.
If historical precedence is anything to go by, Microsoft tends to strike deals which either buys them some time to regroup, or hinder their "partners". Novell has been here before. They should know better.