On Thu, Feb 4, 2016 at 12:11 PM, Ken Dibble <[email protected]> wrote: > > I could rant further, of course. >
Gee, when I poked the bear, I never suspected that might happen ;) > I am increasingly of the opinion that general purpose computers are > unacceptably dangerous in the hands of people who don't know a very great > deal about how to control them. People who just want to get email or browse > the web should use a phone or a tablet that can't do anything else, or screw > up anything else. Etc... The industry's solution to that is to create locked down devices where they control the firmware and you can't tamper with it (settop boxes, "intelligent" thermostats, cell phones). Of course, this assumes that *THOSE* people are any better at shipping and maintaining bug-free software than the rest of us. > And while that's an insurmountable problem in people's homes, I would argue > that it's not insurmountable in a place of business. If, as a business owner > or administrator, you put a general purpose computer into the hands of an > employee, then you have a basic responsibility to know how to protect it and > maintain it, or to hire, or contract with, someone who does. I'd distinguish between small, medium and large-scale businesses. Smallest of businesses usually have "computer guy" on speed-dial and leave the machines to fend for themselves. Medium (where "computer guy" or "girl" is in-house) can think about role-based security and implementing login policies and locking down desktops and managing vendor updates. Large-scale businesses (with an IT department) ought to do the things you suggest. The problem I see is that the vast majority of computers are in the SMB world. > That includes knowing whether it's a good idea to take the advice of a > first-level help desk person or not. Would they let the person who runs the > machine-tool lathe try fix it when it breaks down, or would they bring in > the in-house mechanic? Again, size matters: small firms may depend on the operators first. Or, "my nephew knows computers." > For that matter, would they let a clerical person try > to fix the copier when it jams? Or would they call in the copier repair > person? An awful lot of the dBASE programmers I knew back in the day, started out as the guy who was willing to try to change the printer ribbon, then it was a batch file, hex codes for the printer to print 132 column, spreadsheet macros and before you know it, client-server over the WAN in four languages :) > But for some reason, when it comes to computers, all bets are off. > Anybody can use one and anybody can "fix" one. "How hard could it be?" -- Ted Roche Ted Roche & Associates, LLC http://www.tedroche.com _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/cacw6n4srhf6gk2k3qm_abbupozq12niophzw06ra087x03u...@mail.gmail.com ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
