[Chexee]

Ugh. I came across an IE only site, and had to open up Internet Explorer. I felt like I had to wash my hands afterwards.

[Advertisements]

Lol so many IE haters. All I'm saying is a lot of sites only support IE. Also SOME plugins are very difficult to install or can't be installed at all. Last time I checked java was causing some problems... maybe they patched it by now though =?

If you're like me and mainly go on trusted sites like yahoo and hotmail there's no need for the tightened security.

[St0rm]

Lol so many IE haters. All I'm saying is a lot of sites only support IE. Also SOME plugins are very difficult to install or can't be installed at all. Last time I checked java was causing some problems... maybe they patched it by now though =?

If you're like me and mainly go on trusted sites like yahoo and hotmail there's no need for the tightened security.

[cassykins]

If you're like me and mainly go on trusted sites like yahoo and hotmail there's no need for the tightened security.

People, please don't listen to St0rm. There isn't a single grain of truth in this person's words. It is most definitely not okay to continue using Internet Explorer for one's surfing needs, especially without first taking the necessary security precautions. Use Opera, use Firefox, whatever - anything but IE, please. My ZoneAlarm firewall has, in the past one month I've been using Mozilla Firefox, reported around two thousand blocked intrusion attempts. Back when I first got my new computer and had to rely on Internet Explorer to do my Internet browsing sessions 'cos I didn't have a suitable alternative browser installed yet, ZoneAlarm reported well over four thousand intrusion attempts - in less than a week. The websites I went to? Microsoft, LiveJournal, Google and yes, Yahoo and Hotmail as well. Sheesh.

The bottom line? St0rm, continue using IE if you are so inclined, just please don't post such misleading information on a public forum. The only view-in-IE-page that I think anyone should ever need to use is the Windows Update website, but even so, if one has their Automatic Updates set to the correct setting, the updates should download just fine, IE or no IE. And even then, no website is worth all the security threats that Internet Explorer poses. If you are an avid visitor of a website that only supports Internet Explorer, dump it. It just isn't worth getting hacked and having malware installed into all corners of your PC.

[sunny441]

Hey guys !!

Chill out!! St0rm was just expressing his opinion - thats what message boards are all about!

No browser or site is safe - if people want to hack and get some code into your sytem - they will, no matter what - thats why they are called hackers and do what they do, be it for kicks or for gain.

None of the browser are safe and i got my computer infected when i was using Firefox - and had to reformat my hard drive. Each browser has its own advantages and disdvantages. No software is built to perfection, and even if it - some1 will find a backdoor or a hack into it!!! If you are a low end user - it really wont matter to you.

AND the only way to avoid malware and spyware infection is to use some good anti spyware buster and anti-virus.

cheers guys,

chill out and try to help each other - and not indulge in name calling

[phybyr0ptyk]

Hey guys !!

Chill out!! St0rm was just expressing his opinion - thats what message boards are all about!

No browser or site is safe - if people want to hack and get some code into your sytem - they will, no matter what - thats why they are called hackers and do what they do, be it for kicks or for gain.

None of the browser are safe and i got my computer infected when i was using Firefox - and had to reformat my hard drive. Each browser has its own advantages and disdvantages. No software is built to perfection, and even if it - some1 will find a backdoor or a hack into it!!! If you are a low end user - it really wont matter to you.

AND the only way to avoid malware and spyware infection is to use some good anti spyware buster and anti-virus. 

cheers guys,

chill out and try to help each other - and not indulge in name calling

Please lets call them what they really are. There is a difference between a HACKER and a CRACKER. A hacker may illegally enter a system or network, but most usually no one will ever know that he or she was there. On the other hand, a cracker will use malicious code and programs to cover his tracks or worse.
from the jargon files
hacker: n.

[originally, someone who makes furniture with an axe]

1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary. RFC1392, the Internet Users' Glossary, usefully amplifies this as: A person who delights in having an intimate understanding of the internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks in particular.

2. One who programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who enjoys programming rather than just theorizing about programming.

3. A person capable of appreciating hack value.

4. A person who is good at programming quickly.

5. An expert at a particular program, or one who frequently does work using it or on it; as in ‘a Unix hacker’. (Definitions 1 through 5 are correlated, and people who fit them congregate.)

6. An expert or enthusiast of any kind. One might be an astronomy hacker, for example.

7. One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations.

8. [deprecated] A malicious meddler who tries to discover sensitive information by poking around. Hence password hacker, network hacker. The correct term for this sense is cracker.

The term ‘hacker’ also tends to connote membership in the global community defined by the net (see the network. For discussion of some of the basics of this culture, see the How To Become A Hacker FAQ. It also implies that the person described is seen to subscribe to some version of the hacker ethic (see hacker ethic).

It is better to be described as a hacker by others than to describe oneself that way. Hackers consider themselves something of an elite (a meritocracy based on ability), though one to which new members are gladly welcome. There is thus a certain ego satisfaction to be had in identifying yourself as a hacker (but if you claim to be one and are not, you'll quickly be labeled bogus). See also geek, wannabee.

This term seems to have been first adopted as a badge in the 1960s by the hacker culture surrounding TMRC and the MIT AI Lab. We have a report that it was used in a sense close to this entry's by teenage radio hams and electronics tinkerers in the mid-1950s.

see the page here
http://catb.org/~esr...l/H/hacker.html

As a hacker that enjoys programming please lets get our language usage straight and correct. Thanks

[sunny441]

well, call them what ever you want and you can use what ever browser you want - all that matters is that you are never 100% safe!!

have a wonderful weekend -

am off to finish the second full bottle of vodka for today!!!

[cassykins]

St0rm was just expressing his opinion - thats what message boards are all about!

Expressing his/her opinion, yes. Unfortunately, also a very untrue opinion at that. I don't suppose it is wrong of us to shoot St0rm down then, simply because we want to give other users of the board the right information and such?

No browser or site is safe - if people want to hack and get some code into your sytem - they will, no matter what - thats why they are called hackers and do what they do, be it for kicks or for gain.

That is true - to a point, but also, in a way, incorrect. You may not be able to actually stop them from wanting to hack into your computer, but one thing you can do is to prevent them from ever getting access to the PC in the first place. No method is a hundred percent foolproof, of course - but we can do our own part to secure our computer's security controls and the like to keep it from being tampered with as much as possible.

AND the only way to avoid malware and spyware infection is to use some good anti spyware buster and anti-virus.

Again, not true. Anti-malware and having a top-notch firewall like ZoneAlarm or Kerio installed help, but there is always the slightest chance of a nasty, not-yet-discovered piece of malware sneaking into the computer right in the middle of those definition updates. For that sole purpose of catching such little nasties right in the act, I'd recommend the use of WinPatrol. Of course, using Firefox or any other browser that is not Internet Explorer will also do a wonderful job of keeping browser exploits and PC intrusions down to a minimum. It won't quite secure your computer completely, but it will definitely make browsing a heck lot safer than it ever was with IE.

chill out and try to help each other - and not indulge in name calling

*Raises eyebrows* Name-calling? Everyone here on the board so far has been responding to each other's posts in perfectly civil, polite manners. I certainly don't see any name-calling going on in here.

[sunny441]

well well well

the last bit was my bad - i jumped the gun on that one. guess it happens when you are not paying enough attention - my apologies to everyone. I don;t want to start a war on here . Have fun, and enjoy oyur weekend

[phybyr0ptyk]

well well well

the last bit was my bad - i jumped the gun on that one. guess it happens when you are not paying enough attention - my apologies to everyone. I don;t want to start a war on here . Have fun, and enjoy oyur weekend

By the looks of your typing, it appears that you don't need that second bottle of vodka after all.
Just kidding I couldn't resist, Have a good one.

[sunny441]

you can never get high enough -

bring on the booze ...

[cassykins]

the last bit was my bad - i jumped the gun on that one. guess it happens when you are not paying enough attention - my apologies to everyone.

Yes, you certainly did jump the gun on that one. It is one thing to try to make peace between users, and another when you start attempting to stop things that aren't taking place at all - in this case, name-calling.

I don;t want to start a war on here

Whoever said anything about starting a war? If I sounded a tad too harsh or something in my previous post, I apologize. I tend to litter my messages with smiley faces when I'm typing, to let whichever user I'm addressing know that I'm not being mad or rude or anything, but I didn't for that message, which may have made me seem kinda domineering and stuff. Didn't mean to, honestly. Its just that when I see some potentially harmful advice being given on the boards, I just can't help but jump in to correct it.

[cassykins]

the last bit was my bad - i jumped the gun on that one. guess it happens when you are not paying enough attention - my apologies to everyone.

Yes, you certainly did jump the gun on that one. It is one thing to try to make peace between users, and another when you start attempting to stop things that aren't taking place at all - in this case, name-calling.

I don;t want to start a war on here

Whoever said anything about starting a war? If I sounded a tad too harsh or something in my previous post, I apologize. I tend to litter my messages with smiley faces when I'm typing, to let whichever user I'm addressing know that I'm not being mad or rude or anything, but I didn't for that message, which may have made me seem kinda domineering and stuff. Didn't mean to, honestly. Its just that when I see some potentially harmful advice being given on the boards, I just can't help but jump in to correct it.

[St0rm]

People, please don't listen to St0rm. There isn't a single grain of truth in this person's words. It is most definitely not okay to continue using Internet Explorer for one's surfing needs, especially without first taking the necessary security precautions.

Misquoting, just shows low intelligence on your part. Nowhere did I say most people should use IE for their browser. I was stating my opinion that I trust sites like yahoo and hotmail enough where I don't need FF. If I'm doing research or browsing the web, then I use FF.

The bottom line? St0rm, continue using IE if you are so inclined, just please don't post such misleading information on a public forum.

Everything I posted was true. The worst thing I said about FF is that it is less compatible than IE and some users may have trouble with plugins. All of that is true whether you like it or not. So I think it is you who needs to stop spreading fabricated lies.

the last bit was my bad - i jumped the gun on that one. guess it happens when you are not paying enough attention - my apologies to everyone. I don;t want to start a war on here  . Have fun, and enjoy oyur weekend

Actually your interpretation was right the first time. Although techinically there's no name calling, it's still a hostile post. Maybe cassy didn't mean it like that, but thats how it turned out.

Edited by St0rm, 09 July 2005 - 05:30 PM.

[cnmsales]

"What you really should also try in Firefox; it's extensions!"



THIS says it al, I agree if not for any other reason to switch it is the extensions. This is also why IE7 will still not catch firefox when it is released.

[cassykins]

If I'm doing research or browsing the web, then I use FF.

You mean you actually use Firefox? You support Firefox? In that case, either I must have skipped out on something you said in your previous post, or maybe its high time I changed my contacts. Let's see, what did you say exactly?

Internet Explorer is better.

There you have it. Very first sentence of your first message, and you're off spouting blatant untruths. Sure, there's this whole hoo-ha about freedom of speech going around the world, but unfortunately freedom of speech doesn't count where you are literally telling thousands of users of this forum that Firefox and Opera and other highly-acclaimed alternative browsers don't match up to IE. And if that's not a lie, I don't know what it is. This one single sentence very clearly shows your lack of any real knowledge in this matter. You support IE, even though you claim you use Firefox. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose, except for the fact that your claims don't match up at all. Apparently you use Firefox for 'research and browsing the web' - I guess checking your e-mail on Yahoo and Hotmail doesn't count as 'browsing the web' for you then?

Firefox and all the other alternative browsers aren't as compatible as IE.

I can't even begin to describe the sort of horror I felt when I read these words. You are actually encouraging the belief that we should all drop the idea of using alternative browsers for our surfing needs and continue using Internet Explorer instead - all because of some chi-chi websites that just absolutely refuse to offer support for anything else other than IE? Oh, sure. Who cares about spyware and hackers and the like, anyway? After all, Yahoo and Hotmail are all the websites we need to visit, and they're so safe and secure, we can just stick with good old IE for the rest of our lives. Right?
And that, of course, was said with one hundred percent sarcasm, and zero percent sincerity.

When I used FF it caused a lot of problems any time I went to install any type of plugins. Also some downloads were more difficult.

Apparently you are the only user here who faces the same issues. Are you sure your computer wasn't already infected with malware when you downloaded Firefox?

Other programs like norton's free online virus scan don't work because FF and Opera aren't compatible.

Well, I can't really argue with you here, I suppose. For your information though, the main reason why these programs do not work properly is mainly because of the fact that most alternative browsers do not support Active X. That step is meant to tighten up security more than anything else, however, because Active X controls have been used to exploit various vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer more times than anyone can count.

FF is more secure from what I hear.

From what you hear? Guess that means you either a)have a really gawdawful memory or b)are making up untruths about having used Firefox before. Have you even used Firefox before, anyway?

All I'm saying is a lot of sites only support IE. Also SOME plugins are very difficult to install or can't be installed at all. Last time I checked java was causing some problems... maybe they patched it by now though =?

I use Mozilla Firefox to access websites such as Java's homepage and it runs like a dream. Applets load smoothly, and everything works the way it should be. And sure, a lot of websites only support IE - that is true, but even more websites are now working hard to offer support for other Netscape-compatible browsers too. If a website literally 'forces' you to have to use Internet Explorer in order for it to load properly, then I don't think anyone should have to use it at all. Even Microsoft's homepage doesn't do that - except for its Windows Updates page, which most XP users shouldn't require access to, seeing how Automatic Updates, when set to the recommended settings will download and install and updates on its own just fine.

Everything I posted was true. The worst thing I said about FF is that it is less compatible than IE and some users may have trouble with plugins. All of that is true whether you like it or not. So I think it is you who needs to stop spreading fabricated lies.

Is that so? I don't think so. You claimed that 'tightened security' isn't required for users of IE as long as they 'mainly go on trusted sites like Yahoo or Hotmail', which is tremendously wrong. If your statement is correct, nobody here on this website would be recommending the use of alternative browsers such as Firefox or Opera at all. Big-name creators of firewalls and anti-spyware programs such as ZoneLabs and Lavasoft would go out of business, and anybody who sticks to Yahoo and Hotmail would never have to worry about intruders or malware or the like anymore. Or maybe we guys just have a penchant for sadomasochism. Likely possibility huh, don't you think?

Edited by cassykins, 09 July 2005 - 10:28 PM.