On Thu, 2004-09-09 at 15:28, Jamie Dobbs wrote: > IMHO it's this kind of rediculous attitude from Linux users that will stop > Linux ever succeeding in the 'real world'/desktop environment. > > Everyone isn't out to get you and most people couldn't give a fig about > your emails. The rising paranoia of Linux users never fails to amuse me > and is the reason that I am starting to lose faith in Linux as an O/S. > > I have been an avid Linux user until recent times when the utter > paranoia/tin-foil hat/flag waving/tree hugging attitude of Linux users has > really started to annoy me. > > Sometimes I wonder if I am hearing about Linux or have been inadvertanty > dragged into an Amway meeting! > > [/rant] > > Just my 5 cents and thoughts at the moment, not meant to offend but meant > to make people think. >
there is some validity to that view, but OTOH think about all the info that can be collected about you, and how invasive it is. a good example is credit information - Bay Corp and the like collect an awful lot of data, and there are real commercial reasons why you want to know about people before you give them credit, theres an awful lot of fraud out there. However its also pretty revealing what your credit reference shows. For example the fact that retailer X did a credit check at about the time you bought your TV probably means you don't own it, the retailer or their finance company do. people can build up a good picture of you and your shopping habits and a lot more besides. it is also pretty easy to steal an identity these days - watch Fair Go if you don't believe me. The more info people find about you the easier it is to do a convincing job. anyway privacy is pretty important in this age of almost infinitely big, almost everlasting storage. mail encryption is useful, as is digital signing (another encyption application). you can see some of the police's view on the possibilty of terrorists and criminals using encryption for the disadvantage of the rest of us (trying to be non-political here, I have no particular love of or confidence in the sis, especially after Chaudry/Small/Zaoui etc), but I have no love of serious crims dumping hard drugs on kids, or planes on tall buildings either). conscious of raving now - but there are real privacy concerns out there for everyone, and very real concerns about the methods used to combat those invasions of privacy, because those methods can be used for good and bad. I don't necessarily think this if off topic a list that deals in "open" software and the allied concepts. > > At 2004-09-09T13:48:29+1200, Christopher Sawtell wrote: > >> I beg to differ, imho, it's a stroke of ultimate genius, because they > >> know that knowledge is power and fully appreciate that if they siphon > >> / vacuum the World's email into their own searchable repositories, > >> they will, in time, become exceedingly wealthy by charging inordinate > >> search fees, separately no doubt, to all the World's various TLAs > >> etc., etc. > > > > Amen, brother! > > > > On a completely unrelated topic, I've just quit my job and gone into > > business manufacturing tin foil hats so that my fellow valuable > > intelligentsia can protect themselves from cerebral invasion by the > > overlords at Google and Microsoft. > > > > I'm planning to have an opening week special. Four point four > > hats--protect yourself and your family for the low low price of $19.99. > > Any takers? > > > > Cheers, > > -mjg > > -- > > Matthew Gregan |/ > > /| [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > >
