LAST MONTH we very briefly mentioned what Apple had done to Mozilla/Firefox. It not only pretended that Firefox would die but it also used dirty techniques to push its non-Free software through the update mechanism for iTunes. This got Apple a lot of bad press and it relented.
While doing a weekly scrub of my Windows systems, which includes checking for driver updates and running virus scans, I found Firefox notifying me of a new add-on. It's labelled 'Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant,' and it 'Adds ClickOnce support and the ability to report installed .NET versions to the web server.' The add-on could not be uninstalled in the usual way. A little Net searching turned up a number of sites offering advice on getting rid of the unrequested add-on.
The Microsoft RPC worm, known by many as Conficker/Downadup, has multiplied across corporate networks infecting an estimated 10 million machines. Though the damage has been minimal, the worst is yet to come, said researchers.
A worm attack that forced three London hospitals to shut down their computer networks late last year was entirely avoidable and represented a major failing by the organizations' IT staff, according to an independent review of the incident.
The PCs at St. Bartholomew's, the Royal London Hospital and The London Chest Hospital were infected with Mytob, a mass-mailing worm also known as MyDoom. Emergency patients were temporarily diverted to other facilities, but officials said no personal data was lost.
INSECURITY outfit McAfee has told the World Economic Forum that data theft cost the world a trillion US dollars and if more work was not done to buy its products the figure could get worse.
--Brian Valentine, Microsoft executive
In a world without windows and gates, who
needs to worry about breaches?
Comments
ZiggyFish
2009-02-03 23:14:24
Roy Schestowitz
2009-02-03 23:51:21
Charles Norrie
2009-02-04 12:10:38
Homer
2009-02-04 13:26:11
Jose_X
2009-02-04 13:58:58
You must be joking.. right?
That's like saying we should say how good are the shoes made by AAA Shoes Boutique, while failing to say anything about what a rotten SOB is Al Capone and his band of thugs that have been extorting anyone seen within a block of AAA Shoes Boutique.
Dropping Microsoft, whether you go to Linux or to something else, is a plenty wonderful message to get out.
Of course, it doesn't help the Linux installation process that Microsoft keeps breaking the law throwing hurdles in front of Linux' path through various levers deriving from their monopolies.
["Homer"] >> Because Roy and his chums feel elevated by their belief that everyone else is either clueless or evil.
It's so easy to spew garbage from the mouth when such garbage need not be backed by any evidence, so please support your comments if you don't want to look foolish.. especially in light of all the evidence to the contrary.
I take it you aren't the same "[H]omer" that mans the irc channel on Freenode #boycottnovell. That guy seems a little more honest than you.
Charles Norrie
2009-02-04 14:05:25
Jose_X
2009-02-04 14:09:11
That's why I visit Linux Today as well as boycottnovell. The url should tip you off on the subject matter. Clearly the matter discussed on boycottnovell is very important.
Roy Schestowitz
2009-02-04 14:10:17
"Homer" seems likely to be an OpenSUSE guy.
Jose_X
2009-02-04 14:13:04
Roy Schestowitz
2009-02-04 14:16:03
Attacks on FOSS are a higher priority because they are a greater barrier to adoption than many other factors combined.
Charles Norrie
2009-02-04 14:20:57
Then why do I find that the average news article about Conficker if it says 'if you have a Linux sytstem, you are not affected' and then goes on to tell you how to use an anti-viral ptach or program to avoid that infection and doesn't give you precise help to put Linux on your compuer (of whatever variety!)
Charles
Brian Assaf
2009-02-05 08:54:41
Installation instructions for GNU/Linux and advocacy belongs in a separate article than a Windows worm and patch.
If a Windows user wants to switch OS's based on viruses/malware/security (in that case there would be very few users still on Windows) it would make sense to provide that as an obvious solution.
But really, why not post a link to the articles in question?
Maybe the author isn't familiar with Linux, but wanted to be accurate and not imply it effects all PCs, just PC's with Windows installed.
Perhaps the mere mention of Linux will have someone use Google (which runs on that very thing) and google "Linux"
If the article provides comments, such as this one, why not just mention it.
"I use Ubuntu Linux, go to ubuntu.com" The site itself has a tour, and simple overview.
I don't think a paragraph in an article about another OS entirely would be satisfactory in the least.
Not only that, many Linux distros can be burned to disc or copied to USB and booted from. Even without an install, so it really is necessary to point someone to a detailed and focused article on that.
P.S. I would prefer honestly to never insult Windows or Microsoft products in general. But, MS has resorted to dirty tactics, and with the current lock-in and social inertia, sometimes you just have to point out just how it is, so that some will say:
"Hey, why am I running this crap, I should check out an alternative".
I assure you there are happy Windows users with hijacked boxes, filled with malware, cracked software, DRM (i.e. WGA or Vista in general) just unaware of it. That may just be the push to get him or her to try something that isn't frankly, an insulting OS.
Roy Schestowitz
2009-02-05 09:35:39
Jose_X
2009-02-05 13:13:03
It might be more fitting to recommend actual branded distros as well.. of course, distros whose patronage would be a positive to the wider Linux community (vs say to Microsoft).
A distro rotation could be used, perhaps alongside the ads. Maybe even offer limited free ad space to distros where they can put their own messages. And I'm not insinuating that generic GNU/Linux should not be in the mix.
Boycottnovell could have its own distro. I know I have brought this up before (on irc), but I haven't yet gotten myself into a position to get back to technical work.
Roy Schestowitz
2009-02-05 13:15:35
Jose_X
2009-02-05 13:55:32
Where is the download button or torrent? What features does it have? How was it put together? I'm interested.
Jose_X
2009-02-05 13:57:40
:-)
Roy Schestowitz
2009-02-05 14:23:45
Shane Coyle
2009-02-05 14:25:23
That being said, it was fully functional, even if patent encumbered ;^ ). The domain was jettisoned during a financial crisis, (we had kept all of the boycott____ names, but I couldn't afford 'em all...)
If there really is a desire, we could certainly spin something new up.
Brian Assaf
2009-02-05 19:58:35
I stumbled upon this site in a blog comment somewhere:
http://www.getgnulinux.org/
Looks very nice, and is quite simple to peruse. Recommends Ubuntu, Fedora, and gnewsense. I figure your site would not want to advocate SUSE. ;)
Also, groklaw has a "switch to Linux" link on the side of the main page.
http://www.groklaw.net/staticpages/index.php?page=2006061302494935
It may indeed be worth while for boycottnovell to offer something like that.
Roy Schestowitz
2009-02-05 21:43:01
Thanks. Yes, I linked to http://www.getgnulinux.org/ earlier on in a post and earlier today I also thought about doing what Groklaw did, probably in our Wiki.