Re: [LUG] virus marketing, tell everyone you know it doesn't work

[Neil Williams <linux@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Matt Lee wrote:

> > On ma, loka   07, 2002 at 02:06:16 +0100, justin.powell1 wrote:
> >
> > > Hopefully I will return to Linux once I put my network back together,
> > > or when I or somebody else (Any offers?) updates the Linux Conexant
> > > HCF winmodem
> > Buy a proper modem.
>
> So that's the solution is it? If something doesn't work, just buy a new one?
> That's a crap way of dealing with it in my opinion...


No, the solution proposed was to buy an alternative that actually 
performs all the required services. It is never a good idea to simply 
put-up with a closed-source route. True it isn't easy to find a new PC 
without a winmodem because the reduced workload makes it so cheap to 
produce. There again, external modems aren't exactly expensive either. 
So I simply bought one. I still have winmodems in some machines (one is 
a laptop so it ain't easy to dump that one) but what don't work can be 
superceded.

So I would echo the request : Buy a proper modem.


> Agreed this is a Linux mailing list, but I don't ever remember seeing
> anything which specified that you had to be using Linux for everything to
> sign up... a lot of people don't use Linux on their desktop for reasons of
> time, other family members and cost... but then you'd say 'buy a proper
> family' I suppose, eh?


Of course not. I'm not using Linux this time because I only meant to be 
online briefly and fancied playing a few games that I can't find yet on 
Linux. That doesn't happen often, it's just one of those things. I 
haven't finished tranferring my accounts from Quicken to GnuCash (which 
I've only just managed to get installed as previous versions of Mandrake 
and RedHat haven't included the libraries for GnuCash 1.6, so for now I 
cross over between the two, albeit briefly. There is no imminent method 
of filing a tax return online using Linux (except for the TCP connection).

> > > for using it, if its a free virus mail filter. On a purely personal
> > > note I think it's very inoffensive, and anything that stops my hard
> > > drive being
> > I find it offensive, so I raised my concerns.


So do I. After all, anyone can add such nonsense to any sig. It means 
nothing to those who receive the email as the assurance is impossible to 
verify. What people should be using is PGP/GnuPG to sign messages. That 
way, if a virus attaches itself to the message, the signature will 
become invalid.

> I can't believe all this started up because of some text someone had in
> their email signature... if you don't like something, you don't have to read
> it, but I don't think you have the right to tell people what they should and
> shouldn't have in their email signature...


OK not tell, true, but persuade.

> > > trashed as a result of somebody else's email has got my vote.
> > Hey, I have a feeling Computer users use this list for advice. I don't
> > want to see this being exclusive, but it is just to me that I find
> > Windows related posts are just off topic.


True.
Posts that compare and contrast Windows vs Linux are most definitely 
ON-TOPIC.


> It takes a lot for most users to switch from Windows to something like
> Linux, I've recently switched to Unix and it can be a major step, and a lot
> of people will continue to use Windows, and continue to use Windows for a
> lot of things, but if they can have their Windows problems sorted out, by
> Linux users, in a friendly manner, then they're more likely, in my opinion,
> to want to become part of the Linux community.


Dubious. Many would just stay with their 'fixed' systems, until it 
breaks again. What impresses more is when that person already trusts you 
for computer knowledge and they see you using Linux in preference to 
anything else.


--

Neil Williams
=============
http://www.dclug.org.uk/
http://www.codehelp.co.uk/



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