From: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org (idealcopy-digest) To: idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Subject: idealcopy-digest V8 #207 Reply-To: idealcopy@smoe.org Sender: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk idealcopy-digest Tuesday, August 2 2005 Volume 08 : Number 207 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [idealcopy] O.T: micro$oft updates................... [Ari ] Re: [idealcopy] O.T: micro$oft updates................... [David McKenzie] Re: [idealcopy] O.T: micro$oft updates................... ["Paul Pietromo] Re: [idealcopy] O.T: micro$oft updates................... [David McKenzie] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 1 Aug 2005 12:15:23 -0700 (PDT) From: Ari Subject: [idealcopy] O.T: micro$oft updates................... This from a friend......... if you do forward it PLEASE remove my address first or copy and paste. Ta very much wacks. Ari Ok Boys and girls... Many people have been freaking out over Micro$ofts new 'Genuine Advantage' service. For those of you that are not up-to-date.... This week, Micro$oft started requiring users to verify their serial number before using Windows Update. This effort to force users to either buy XP or tell them where you got the illegal copy is called 'Genuine Advantage.'" This also effects Windows 2000 users. Now there are two ways to get around this.... The first has been spread all over the internet... "Before pressing 'Custom' or 'Express' buttons paste this text to the address bar and press enter: javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all') It turns off the trigger for the key check. " Great... should only take Micro$oft a day or so to catch .... ok it is Micro$oft... so a few weeks to catch up. The second came to me when I realized the system uses ACTIVE X. Firefox does not use ACTIVE X... and Firefox has a windows update system. (that can not be blocked due to anti-monopoly laws.) So folks.... just use the Firefox windows update system. http://windowsupdate.62nds.com/ Please note you must let this site hit you with a pop up. Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2005 00:06:34 +0100 From: "Keith A" Subject: [idealcopy] some very bad news Those of you who have been here for a while will remember John Roberts who used to frequent these pages. Anyway, for those of you who don't already know, his partner Kerry passed away peacefully last week after a short illness. Donations in lieu of flowers to the Neuro Tumour Research Study Fund based at Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, can be made c/o Co-Operative Funeral Directors, 143 Wyngate Drive, Leicester (0116 255 3001). Keith ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Aug 2005 20:20:16 -0500 From: David McKenzie Subject: Re: [idealcopy] O.T: micro$oft updates................... This strikes me as VERY BAD ADVICE (sorry ari) Windows Update does NOT support Firefox - and 62nds.com is registered to someone in New Zealand (I suspect spyware or worse) Please, in spite of Microsoft's posibly bullying tactics to make certain that you actually bought their software, getting sw updated from GO DADDY is probably not the reight alternative Better - check out Fedora/Gentoo/Ubantu and OpenOffice If you dont have the guts for that - pony up an pay the piper Don't be a zombie And - please check your facts before forwarding likely malignant emails along Wintendo machines are easy targets, but they are easier still when you can trick ppl into installing your malware 62nds,com lookup follows: 08/01/05 20:11:53 whois 62nds.com .com is a domain of USA & International Commercial Searches for .com can be run at http://www.crsnic.net/ whois -h whois.crsnic.net 62nds.com ... Redirecting to GO DADDY SOFTWARE, INC. whois -h whois.godaddy.com 62nds.com ... The data contained in Go Daddy Software, Inc.'s WhoIs database, while believed by the company to be reliable, is provided "as is" with no guarantee or warranties regarding its accuracy. This information is provided for the sole purpose of assisting you in obtaining information about domain name registration records. Any use of this data for any other purpose is expressly forbidden without the prior written permission of Go Daddy Software, Inc. By submitting an inquiry, you agree to these terms of usage and limitations of warranty. In particular, you agree not to use this data to allow, enable, or otherwise make possible, dissemination or collection of this data, in part or in its entirety, for any purpose, such as the transmission of unsolicited advertising and and solicitations of any kind, including spam. You further agree not to use this data to enable high volume, automated or robotic electronic processes designed to collect or compile this data for any purpose, including mining this data for your own personal or commercial purposes. Please note: the registrant of the domain name is specified in the "registrant" field. In most cases, Go Daddy Software, Inc. is not the registrant of domain names listed in this database. Registrant: 62NDS Solutions P O Box 163 123 Auckland 1009 New Zealand Registered through: GoDaddy.com Domain Name: 62NDS.COM Created on: 06-May-02 Expires on: 06-May-08 Last Updated on: 22-Apr-05 Administrative Contact: Young, Phil phil.young2@62nds.co.nz 62NDS Solutions P O Box 163 123 Auckland 1009 New Zealand +64 21 129 3181 Fax -- Technical Contact: Young, Phil phil.young2@62nds.co.nz 62NDS Solutions P O Box 163 123 Auckland 1009 New Zealand +64 21 129 3181 Fax -- Domain servers in listed order: NS14.ZONEEDIT.COM NS15.ZONEEDIT.COM On 8/1/05, Ari wrote: > This from a friend......... > if you do forward it PLEASE remove my address first or > copy and paste. Ta very much wacks. Ari > Ok Boys and girls... > > Many people have been freaking out over Micro$ofts new > 'Genuine Advantage' > service. > > For those of you that are not up-to-date.... > > This week, Micro$oft started requiring users to verify > their serial number > before using Windows Update. This effort to force > users to either buy XP or > tell them where you got the illegal copy is called > 'Genuine Advantage.'" > This also effects Windows 2000 users. > > Now there are two ways to get around this.... > > The first has been spread all over the internet... > > "Before pressing 'Custom' or 'Express' buttons paste > this text to the > address bar and press enter: > > javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all') > > It turns off the trigger for the key check. " > > Great... should only take Micro$oft a day or so to > catch .... ok it is > Micro$oft... so a few weeks to catch up. > > The second came to me when I realized the system uses > ACTIVE X. > > Firefox does not use ACTIVE X... and Firefox has a > windows update system. > (that can not be blocked due to anti-monopoly laws.) > > So folks.... just use the Firefox windows update > system. > http://windowsupdate.62nds.com/ > > Please note you must let this site hit you with a pop > up. > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Aug 2005 20:29:37 -0700 From: "Paul Pietromonaco" Subject: Re: [idealcopy] O.T: micro$oft updates................... > This strikes me as VERY BAD ADVICE (sorry ari) > > Windows Update does NOT support Firefox - and 62nds.com is registered to > someone in New Zealand > (I suspect spyware or worse) > Please, in spite of Microsoft's posibly bullying tactics to make > certain that you actually bought their software, getting sw updated > from GO DADDY is probably not the reight alternative > I'll throw a couple of cents in here as well. ^_^ As a mozilla developer ( http://playstation2-linux.com/projects/mozilla-ps2 ) I can tell you that Firefox has an update system.... BUT ONLY FOR FIREFOX! ^_^ Firefox perfoms a self version check, and will update itself from Mozilla.org's main servers - but that's all. So, WindizUpdate is not related to the Mozilla organization - it's a 3rd party project that uses Firefox as its distribution mechanism. Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing - the beauty of the open source software model is basically that "nature abhors a vaccum, and something will come along to fill the hole." But - are the WindizUpdate folks the people to do it? I'm not sure. If you go to WindizUpdate's "Why Use w.u.?" link: http://windowsupdate.62nds.com/whyuse.php you'll see the following information: - ----------------------------- An important note from the Microsoft website: "UPDATE: Time is running out! Please note that the mechanism to temporarily disable delivery of Windows XP SP2 is only available for a period of 240 days (8 months) from August 16, 2004. At the end of this period (after April 12, 2005), Windows XP SP2 will be delivered to all Windows XP and Windows XP Service Pack 1 systems." WindizUpdate does not require XPSP2, nor force you to install it. Time IS running out -- Disable Microsoft Automatic Updates now! - ----------------------------- Hmmmm. You *really* want/need/should have by now WinXP SP2. It fixes a *lot* of security holes in WinXP, and has a *lot* of bug fixes as well. Also - future versions of software that runs on XP will most likely require you to have SP2. The fact that this website encourages you *not* to download SP2 makes it kinda suspect in my book. The Windiz concept has some merit - I really wish Windows Update used standard plugins, instead of ActiveX controls so I could use any browser I wanted - but I'm not sure if I trust my Microsoft OS to a 3rd party. There's just too much that could go wrong. Also - I've never had a problem downloading updates from Microsoft - even with the "genuine" check - but then again, my copies of WinXP are legit. If you're running a non-legitimate copy of WinXP... why bother? Rather than run a bootleg copy of WinXP, you could help the open source community by switching to Linux (Fedora, debian, Gentoo, etc.). If you're brave, there are even alternatives to Linux, like BSD or Solaris x86, that are very powerful operating systems. These operating systems are all free and/or inexpensive. You can even find open source replacements for things like Microsoft Office that are pretty groovy. I know - I've run them all. Here's a real world example. As some of you may know, I'm currently looking for work in the software industry in Seattle. For maximum flexibility, I created my current resume in HTML - any browser that supports style sheets can see a very nice version of my resume. I did some of the resume creating work in Linux, and some in Windows - I use both operating systems all the time. Most companies are perfecly happy with an HTML resume, but some companies in Seattle are fairly Microsoft-centric, and want Microsoft Word formatted documents only. Personally, as much as I like WinXP, I dislike Microsoft Office - too needlessly complex for my needs, and too overpriced - so I don't have a copy. I could have bought a pirated copy of Microsoft Office, but there's really no need. I rebooted my computer in Linux, and used the free Open Office instead. Imported the HTML resume in Open Office, and exported in Microsoft Word format. I flipped back to Windows, and double-checked the file with my (free from Microsoft) Microsoft Word viewer. It worked perfectly - I sent them the "Word" document, and the company had no idea that I never touched Microsoft Office once. In conclusion, I don't think these 62nds.com guys are totally evil. But, I don't think I'd use their services either. Well, that's my 2 cents, anyway. Although, based on the word count of this e-mail, I'm guessing it's closer to a dollar's worth. ^_^ Cheers, Paul ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Aug 2005 22:32:09 -0500 From: David McKenzie Subject: Re: [idealcopy] O.T: micro$oft updates................... ok - upon further review, I see multiple references to 62nds.com evidently they have firefox plugin which can determine what updates you need and (iguess) deliver them still... imho, if you insist on using windows, you really have to be beholden to M$ to provide updates (crappy or not) at best , all 62nds does is shell this stuff for ppl who prefer firefox. and... actually, firefox is not full protection against all the malware which exploits windows flaws and it has had a few bugs exploited over time as well more can be expected with greater adoption so - i would still advocate rendering unto M$ what is M$' and if that is a problem, spend a little time an energy on one of the excellent alternatives the main things missing from openoffice are clipart and VBA if you are not attached to those things, look into a linux distro , use evolution and firefox and stay clear of all that evil stuff from redmond ------------------------------ End of idealcopy-digest V8 #207 *******************************