Phoenix.pm: Fwd: Internet Annoyances Needed for New Book

[Scott Walters]

It's also spyware, which is an annoyance in and of itself. It reports
your surfing habits back to Google. For the R&D department of a
corporation, this could be sensitive information, exposed to
eavesdroppers on the net, not to mention URLs often contain passwords.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm just so good at it.

-scott

On  0, Tran Forsythe <tran_fors at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> Re: #9, Google's popup-blocker is quite effective and is toggleable; I use
> it at work where I can't install my own firewall/etc.
> -Kurt
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Scott Walters" <scott at illogics.org>
> To: "Douglas E. Miles" <perlguy at earthlink.net>
> Cc: "Phoenix.pm" <phoenix-pm-list at happyfunball.pm.org>; <marsee at oreilly.com>
> Sent: Friday, March 19, 2004 5:13 PM
> Subject: Re: Phoenix.pm: Fwd: Internet Annoyances Needed for New Book
> 
> 
> > Hi,
> >
> > 1. Installing Flash and Java plugins plugins on Mozilla on
> Linux/BSD/Solaris/etc.
> > Lacking Solution: One good FAQ, which I've yet to see, on what files need
> to be
> > edit to contain what information and why. I'm dependent on pkgsrc
> (NetBSD's
> > package system, FreeBSD has a similar package system that fetches the
> right binaries
> > and shoves them in the right places under control of 'make').
> >
> > 2. Sometimes you really need IE on Linux/BSD/Solaris to use an IE only
> plugin or view
> > a non-standards-compliant page or use NT domain auth to validate on
> webservers
> > in a corporate setting.
> > Solution: IE runs under Wine, the free Windows API implementation and
> binary layer.
> > Wine, available from winehq.com, supports Linux, FreeBSD and Solaris
> officially,
> > though NetBSD and OpenBSD maintain ports.
> >
> > 3. 802.11 isn't ubiquitously enough - running to Starbucks or searching
> maps for
> > area hotspots is too much bother.
> > Solution: Several cell carries now have fixed rate data pricing with
> different
> > fixed prices and speeds. Sprint is reguarded as the fasting with
> approximately
> > a 70kbps data rate (compare to 56kbps for a dialup modem) and T-Mobile,
> who
> > also sells 802.11 in chains such as Starbucks, currently has a $20/month
> > unlimited plan, and throughput is usually between 30kbps and 40kbps.
> T-Mobile
> > also has a dedicated unlimited plan that doesn't piggy back on a voice
> plan,
> > for use with PC-card modems, that is $30/month. You may need to speak to a
> few
> > customer service representitives before you find someone who understands
> data.
> > Before purchasing a phone, make sure it is data capable. Don't trust the
> sales
> > guys, ask to see the instruction manual for the phone. Don't be mislead by
> > phones offering short messages service (SMS) or built-in web browsers
> > (WAP) - you want either a GPRS (general packet radio service) or CDPD
> > (cellular digital packet data) phone, depending on the technology your
> > carrier users.
> >
> > 4. Download requires BitTorrent
> > Solution: How to install BitTorrent on various systems, how to get it, a 5
> cent
> > view of what it is.
> >
> > 5. Users are usually the larger Internet Annoyance. Back in *my* day,
> there were
> > writeups on "netiquette" all over the place, and new users were sent there
> and
> > ignored until they've obviously read it. Any book on Internet Annoyances
> *must*
> > include a brief writeup on network etiquette. Specifically, the Internet
> is
> > largely staffed by volunteers. By paying $16 a month to use AOL, everyone
> isn't
> > magically obligated to you. There are a lot of users on the net and places
> > providing help aren't adequately able to deal with all problemx,
> especially
> > complex ones and ones where the user themselves hasn't done their reading.
> > Don't publicly disclose peoples email addresses or other information, but
> > especially email addresses and hone numbers. This generates spam for them.
> > Don't cc people whom you haven't introduced. Don't forward email messages
> >
> > 6. On avoiding spam: Hotmail, after Microsoft purchased it, start selling
> not
> > only their the email addresses of the people with free accounts there, but
> > also the email addresses of people who mailed people with free accounts
> there.
> > Posting to Usenet, chatting on IRC from a machine that email can be
> addressed
> > to, and posting messages on most online bulletin boards will earn you
> spam.
> > Several commercial services such as pobox.com offer excellent spam
> filtering
> > in a mailbox with a web interface as well as POP access for programs like
> > Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla, Eudora, and so on.
> > See also 7, the frequently changing email address.
> >
> > 7. Frequently changing email address
> > Because of spam or because of ISP changes, email addresses frequently
> change.
> > This is a huge annoyance. You can't stop your friends from changing
> > email addresses (except perhaps by buying them a copy of this book for
> > their birthday) but you can do something about it for yourself.
> > pobox.com offers strong spam filtering standard and the email boxes
> > may be accessed in the same ways that your ISP's boxes may be. That is,
> > through the web and through Microsoft Outlook, Eudora, Mozilla, and
> > so forth. Best of all, you can keep your email address when you finish
> > school, change jobs, or get a new ISP.
> > Most domain name registrars will give you a mail box and a small amount
> > of space on a webserver when you buy purchase a domain name from them.
> > Start at icann.org and read through the various offerings.
> > If you have a Hotmail or Yahoo account and you're really happy with it
> > except for the spam, Mozilla, available from mozilla.org, has
> > Bayeseon spam filtering which takes a statistical approach to word usage
> > in spam and non spam email address to adaptively learn the difference
> > between the two given the kind of email you receive. Most users
> > report it to be almost 100% effective. To use this, you must upgrade
> > to a paid account at Hotmail or Yahoo with POP or IMAP access to your
> > email.
> >
> > 8. Your machine has been hijacked by a spammer and now you're sending
> spam!
> > Don't open attachments sent to you unless it is both something you're
> > expecting and from someone you know. Most email-borne worms steal names
> and
> > email addresses from the address book and then fake the sender
> information,
> > appearing to come from someone you know, so it is never out of place to
> reply
> > to the message and ask your friend or associate if they meant to send you
> > an attachment. This is a mark of an experienced network user, not a
> novice.
> > Don't trust what you see. Especially be suspicious of emails that are
> threatening
> > in tone, demand you open it immediately, or it promises to fix a problem
> > you supposedly have. Microsoft and other venders and ISPs never mass
> > mail binary attachments but instead send you a URL to go to download
> > the file. This is far more secure, though IE has had bugs which allowed
> > deceptive URLs.
> > Keep your software up to date, especially any network applications such
> > as P2P clients, web browsers, email programs, and especially-especially
> > the operationg system itself. Microsoft is able to trigger your computer
> > to download updates through IE, so all you need is a trip to
> microsoft.com.
> > Keep your anti-virus software up to date on Windows!
> > Linux distributions and the BSDs all have upgrade procedures where you
> > download the latest version of the OS and then boot into the installation
> > program and request an upgrade to an existing system.
> > Linux doesn't require anti-virus software for various reasons, but
> > Lindows (lindows.com) sells it for private use if you must have it.
> >
> > 9. Pop-Up Window Floods
> > Mozilla can block these, giving you an icon to click on to easily unblock
> sites
> > you wish to accept pop-ups from. Opera does an exceptionally good job at
> > this as well and many people swear by it for that reason alone.
> > (Konq? Safari?)
> >
> > Good luck, and best wishes!
> > -scott
> >
> > On  0, "Douglas E. Miles" <perlguy at earthlink.net> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Dear User Group Leader:
> > >
> > > Thanks for the great response to our call, over the last month or two,
> > > for annoyances, gripes, and complaints about Excel and PC hardware. The
> > > email we got was very useful and a lot of your members not only
> > > sent annoyances, but fixes! As always, many thanks for the input.
> > >
> > > This time around, we have yet another book in the wings--this one
> focusing
> > > on Internet annoyances. Some of the annoying areas: Email (and spam),
> > > connecting to the Net (via dialup, DSL, cable, configuration and all
> > > that), wireless annoyances (from WiFi hassles to hotspots to fiddling
> with
> > > WEP), web sites (namely creating, hosting, and maintaining your own web
> > > site), browsing and browsers (Internet Explorer, Netscape, and others),
> > > AOL, instant messaging, using search sites, security annoyances, and of
> > > course, shopping and auctions.
> > >
> > > Got Internet gripes/annoyances/kvetches? Send 'em our way by having your
> > > members email me (marsee at oreilly.com) with "Internet Annoyance" in the
> > > subject line and we'll put our author on the job.
> > >
> > > As thanks for sharing, we'll make sure to get copies of "Internet
> > > Annoyances" sent to your group shortly after publication.
> > >
> > > --Marsee
> > >
> > >
> > > ***
> > >
> > > An example:
> > >
> > > Pictureless Pages Predicament
> > >
> > > THE ANNOYANCE: There are some great pictures available on the Web, but
> > > certain pictures don't appear on web pages I visit. Instead I see a red
> X
> > > or a funny little icon where the picture is supposed to be.
> > >
> > > THE FIX: Several circumstances can keep pictures from appearing:
> > >
> > > * There's a logjam at the web server or somewhere along the miles of
> wires
> > > between the web server and your browser. Try refreshing the page (press
> > > F5 or click the Refresh button on the toolbar). But you probably already
> > > tried that.
> > >
> > > * Something's wrong with the web server. The picture might not be on the
> > > server, or the programmer who created the web page might have put in the
> > > wrong path to the picture.
> > >
> > > * Internet Explorer may be configured so that it doesn't show pictures,
> > > a common setup for those with slow dialup connections who don't want
> > > to waste time downloading pictures. (If this option is set, you can
> > > selectively display pictures by right-clicking the X or the icon and
> > > choosing Show Picture.) To undo this setting in Internet Explorer,
> choose
> > > Tools-->Internet Options. Click the Advanced tab, and in the Multimedia
> > > section, check the Show Pictures box to make your pictures appear.
> > >
> > > * An invalid value in the Windows Registry is preventing pictures from
> > > appearing. It's an easy fix, even for those who are squeamish about
> poking
> > > around in the Registry. (Before you mess around with the Registry, back
> it
> > > up as per the instructions in the sidebar on page 47.) Select
> Start-->Run,
> > > type in regedit, and hit Enter. In Registry Editor, navigate to
> > > \HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.gif. In the right pane, click the Content Type item;
> > > its value should be image/gif. Then check \HKEY_CLASSES_ ROOT\.jpg;
> > > Content Type should be set to image/jpg or image/jpeg. For more
> > > information about this fix, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 307239.
> > >
> > >
> > > ***
> > >
>