We are all in this together

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I really wish that people could learn to stop arguing over operating systems. We are all in this together. People arguing over operating systems is like players on the same football team battling each other rather than the other team. Let me explain.

We can all argue over which operating system has the best security, Windows, Mac, or Linux (if it is setup properly), but none of that matters in the least if the typical wireless technology supplied by telephone companies, ISPs, cable companies, etc., is trash. How secure is your wireless? I don't even use wireless. Want to know why?

One day I saw a blonde-haired woman sitting in a car outside of my house on the street with a laptop computer next to her. There was nobody else in the car. There was no license plate anywhere on the front of the car. I walked towards the car thinking she might be lost and needed directions. She saw me coming and drove off. When I looked at the back of the car there was no license plate anywhere on the back either. I am totally certain she was a wardriver. I don't trust any wireless. How good is your wireless supplied by your telephone company? Maybe 64 bit encryption and WEP?

Check a few books out at your local library. Books on identity theft, home computer security, home routers (not even business routers), etc. Then I dare you to contact your ISP, telephone company, cable company, or whoever supplies your internet connection and ask a few security questions. How secure do you feel if a spokesman is unaware that wireless is turned off by default on the companies own router, or a woman in technical support is unaware that NAT is a form of firewall protection?

Microsoft is not to blame for this. Microsoft could boost security for Windows computers 40 times and it would not matter if your wireless connection is insecure, or the people providing you internet service are clueless about security.

Think your Mac is secure? If the wireless is insecure it does not matter. The real insecurity is outside of your computer. And we all all part of a network of computers and people when we are on the internet. The servers you are going through might be Windows, Linux, or Unix, the home computers might be Windows, Mac, or Linux. Any weakness anywhere affects the security of all.

Does not matter if you have a super secure home computer if the companies you do business with on the internet have insecure data bases that can be hacked into easily, exposing your personal information and the personal information of thousands of other people to online criminals.

It gets much more complex than that. Even big legit businesses have dealings with the legit, somewhat legit, totally not legit companies with false business fronts that employ programmers to write the adware/spyware. Where do you think that software comes from? Somebody has to write it. The clueless people working in technical support for your telephone company are not even worthy of being on the same playing field. If you wonder why botnets can exist it should be obvious.

If terrorists had any real ability they could have done some damage already.

Nobody is watching the store. We could all switch to Macs and it would totally make no difference because the network is a disaster waiting to happen.

Personal computer security is probably the least of the problem. Sure you should make your computer as secure as possible but when you are hooked up to the internet most of the insecurity is outside of your computer. Much of the wireless technology is insecure, many of the technical people working for the telephone and cable companies are clueless, and large numbers of servers and database computers are setup improperly. It would probably require new laws to clean the mess up.

The security of your personal computer, Windows, Mac or desktop Linux, is only as good as the network security and the security of the server computer you are hooked up to. Today there is total failure of the network.

I know. I asked some security questions.
 
I run windows... I think it's a sloppy piece of code that they just keep making into a bigger monster and should really start over on, but I know that will never happen anytime soon.

I [censored] about my experiences because I feel it could be so much better, but I also [censored] about unix based operating systems because I feel they could be so much more user friendly and take some market-share from Microsoft etc.

It's a necessary evil in today's world and everyone is going to have an opinion.

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You understand what I am saying, though, right? The major security issues are actually outside of the control of the various operating systems.
 
Oh yeah I get it!
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No company is perfect and the bigger you are (Microsoft), there is always going to be issues. Whats important is how well the company addresses these issues and I honeslty think Microsoft does an admirable job in this respect!

As someone who was a reseller in the past, and someone who has dealt one/one with their technical support, they are awesome at solving very complex problems and quick too!

I think it's just easier for people to spew B.S. and hatred because people like to be gossip mongrels because they get a thrill or something... That's so sad!
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Yep!

The 'network' is lame.

I work for an ISP/utility Co that preaches this & that, and practices nothing.

Too many overpaid underknowledged IT/IS professionals totally clueless to what they are doing. Too many fly by night certificates of useless training and certifications.

Most companies are in an IT/IS state of confusion.

I can't believe the high level decisions that are being made in big business.

And, my O/S is better than yours.
 
I really think there needs to be some major changes. I hate to see the government get involved in everything. Sometimes they just make things worse. But really, if you think about it, the network is the problem. The security of these current desktop operating systems are probably good enough if the network worked properly.
 
I think it's somewhat a Catch 22. The most secure system is one that isn't networked to anything and grants physical access only to those authorized to use it. OTOH, how many useful purposes can that machine serve? As soon as you want to use it to access your bank accounts, book airplane tickets, or share data with another system, you're going to run some security risks. Secure protocols help, common sense helps, but in the end you're dealing with flesh-and-blood people behind those remote hosts and listening on the wire. I'm all for plugging technological security holes and correcting bad computing practices, but I also think a healthy dose of Law and Order for convicted cyber criminals might go a long way towards setting a meaningful precedent and curtailing computer crimes.

Originally Posted By: Mystic
...I saw a blonde-haired woman sitting in a car outside of my house on the street with a laptop computer next to her. There was nobody else in the car. There was no license plate anywhere on the front of the car. I walked towards the car thinking she might be lost and needed directions. She saw me coming and drove off. When I looked at the back of the car there was no license plate anywhere on the back either. I am totally certain she was a wardriver....

Was she cute?
 
As soon as she saw me she took off but yes she was a nice looking wardriver. The kind you would want to take a ride with in her car while she explained her laptop to you.
 
She was the kind of wardriver you could invite inside, show her your wireless setup, and ask her to point out the weak spots.
 
Too visible
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I war-drove Toronto a few times in a buddy's company van. Nobody can see what you are doing that way......

Wireless Security is almost as much an oxymoron as Microsoft Security.
 
Originally Posted By: Mystic
I really wish that people could learn to stop arguing over operating systems.


That will be the day.
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Originally Posted By: Mystic
We are all in this together.


Not really. For-profit software houses are in the business for-profit, open source isn't. Two distinctly different ways of looking at software, the marketplace, OS's & such.
 
Originally Posted By: Virtuoso
I miss DOS.


LOL.
Somewhere I got a 3.1 OS unopened in the dark corners of a closet. I wonder what Microsoft would do when you try to register it, considering it's probably older than the average MS employee.
 
Originally Posted By: Virtuoso
I miss DOS.
Have you spoken to anyone about your feelings? There are places that can help you through that... I'm sure DOS is in a better place now.
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I have a feeling that if open source Linux desktop operating systems really took off somebody somewhere would be making a lot of money. And I think there are people right now in the Canonical Group receiving paychecks. The Canonical Group has offices in several countries. There is money in there somewhere.

Always follow the money trail.
 
The strange thing about DOS is that elaborate graphics actually were possible with the proper programming and at one time there was a Mac like GUI available for DOS operating systems. AND DOS would run on low powered computers. Maybe somebody should take a second look at DOS. I know there used to be a company called Walnut Creek that at one time was selling CDs full of DOS applications.

DOS is actually easier to program. Could DOS challenge Windows?
 
Originally Posted By: Mystic
I don't trust any wireless. How good is your wireless supplied by your telephone company? Maybe 64 bit encryption and WEP?


I keep a plain text file on my laptop that says [something to the effect of]:

"Hello, I have left this file on your Desktop to make you aware that your computer has been left open to outside access.

(Then I go over a bunch of stuff that the user can do to lock down their system. Nothing to do with wireless security, but at least if a system is locked down well enough, then all a wi-fi sniffer could do is eaves drop on your wi-fi traffic; not compromise your system directly.)

Regards,
Your friendly neighbourhood hacker"

I leave this file, called "YOU_HAVE_BEEN_HACKED.txt" on the desktops of any system I can access while at a hotel, in a wi-fi hotspot in a park or coffee shop.
 
The money in Linux is in customer support and customized software.

Redhat is a fair sized company making money from their version of Linux (Open Source) and providing customer support. Redhat also give a lot back to the Open Source community so everyone benefits. I mention them because that is their core business.

There are other bigger name companies that benefit from being able to use Open Source that also give a lot back.
 
Originally Posted By: uc50ic4more
....
Your friendly neighbourhood hacker"

I leave this file, called "YOU_HAVE_BEEN_HACKED.txt" on the desktops of any system I can access while at a hotel, in a wi-fi hotspot in a park or coffee shop.


Do you wear a white hat while you do that?
 
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