Archive for October, 2007

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The Problem With L33T Geeks

Wednesday, October 31st, 2007

It’s something you’ll run into sooner or later.  “What?!  You’re too easy!  You’re not Linux.  You’re killing the command line!”  Yup.  The l33tists out there have a problem and it needs to be addressed soon.  Now am I saying this as someone who only wants a GUI and no command line whatsoever?  Of course not.  I use the terminal occasionally, and find it more flexible and nifty than the DOS command prompt in Windows.  I don’t need to use it everyday though, especially if all I want to do is burn a frickin’ CD.  That’s sort of how the business mind set is too.

They want to get their work done.  That’s all.  Time is money, and they don’t want to waste either on learning what the grep command does to a file, the complexities of fsck, or the inner workings of the cat command.  They want to type memos.  They want to write letters and reports.  They want to keep track of their budget.  They simply want to make running their business easier.

That’s why I get very irritated when “Joe Sixpack” and “Sally Soccermom” are essentially told that they are too stupid to learn FOSS, and that they should stick to Winbloze.  While we’re on the subject, there are fanatics of Apple who are slamming Steve Ballmer (though snorting something might explain why he acts so…… strange….), but they forget one thing.  Who has money invested in Apple?  Oh, I’m sorry: Microsoft!  I digress though.

All throughout the various IT fields, computer industries, etc, I have seen the biggest problem: elitism, or as I like the new label, l33tism.  You see, people who think that if you only want a graphical interface makes you a dufus fall into this category.  They don’t want you to be able to use the alternatives to Microsoft software, because then they’d no longer feel superior.  That’s right.  I said it.  They don’t want to share folks.  They pretend they do, but only with other l33ts.  You see, Bill Gosper of MIT Tech Square fame actually came to the realization that this was a dangerous thing after watching a rocket head out to space.  He realized that the hackers on the ninth floor of that building back in Boston were limiting themselves and were not truly sharing.  Richard Stallman didn’t begin to understand until the AI lab started to be locked down with passwords, “security,” and bureaucracy.

I’m an intermediate user of systems that run off the Linux kernel.  Of course, I say Linux-based systems because they use the Linux kernel.  The makers of a distributed operating system should be able to call said system whatever they so choose.  The GPL even gives them that right.

So with that in mind, I want to say to everyone: Why not simply answer the question instead of responding RTFM?  Why not treat all questions as valuable questions as a person asking a simple question may actually be new and find the manuals and other digital/print to be unintuitive?  We need to understand that not so long ago, we were all beginners.

Posted in *Nix, MS-SHADYiness | No Comments »

GIMP Growing Pains, Or…. Would You Like Cheese with that Whine?

Wednesday, October 31st, 2007

After much work was put into it all, the newest GIMP is out. Of course, there have been many changes. However, not everyone is happy. Of course, if you were like ole’ Pete and were born in ’69, you may be old and set in your ways too.

And they’ve added a Red Eye Tool like Photoshop’s, even though it makes no logic because adjusting color levels does the same thing, but requires knowledge. And they’ve put in a “heal” tool which basically does just what paint-with-image-region used to do, but required knowledge. And you have brush attributes like Photoshop’s, because using an image pipe requires knowledge.

So empowering individuals so they can do a set of photo editing tasks in less time is a bad thing?  Yup, that’s Pete for ya’.  Wanting to do everything the hard way.  Unfortunately, unlike him, others and myself live in the real world.  What do I mean?  Take a look at this tidbit I found on his entry in which he “officially” reviewed the latest GIMP release:

Dude,
My family is heading over to your place for Thanksgiving and we expect nothing but the best. We’re staying over for the whole weekend and don’t expect us to pitch in or clean up. Cuz you’re sooo into sharing, I’m sure you understand. You do all the work and we enjoy the festivies. Then we’re heading out as soon as all the food and booze are gone.
I’ll keep it simple: Photoshop is a tool used by pros. In order for it to perform in a high pressured commercial environment it has to work. Adobe hires highly skilled and experienced people to make sure that the shit works so that other people can get their job done properly.
You know, people who need to earn a living to put food on the table so they can feed their families and not just the freeloaders showing up at their doorstep.

Precisely.  The person who made that comment, geraldo, raised a valid point.  Yes, they’re high on Adobe and their high-priced products ($700+?  And they wonder why people bootleg it…….. duh!).  However, people are in the career mindset, and if developers can’t adjust their product to the demands of those who either use the product or are thinking about using the product or who have tried using it only to be so confused that they felt stupid and said, “Oh, $%#@ it!”  That’s pretty much what happened to me when I attempted to run many of the 8x releases of Mandrake (before it became Mandriva) on my old HP Pavilion N5310 notebook computer with a Celeron 750 MHz processor, 256 MB of SDRAM (upgraded from 128… yes, it ran Millennium, in which I upgraded to 98….. yes, it was meant as a slam), DVD-ROM, 8 MB S3 Savage IX video, integrated modem, USB, and 10 GB HDD.  That model did not like Linux-based systems, and even with the newer releases of Fedora, it still locks up….. the hardware hates it.  Either way though, I realized I wasn’t ready for those type of systems yet.  I had to eventually learn to grow into the new thought process, and I needed a way to transition.

In other words, transition to another way of doing things is easier if the look and feel is Windows-like to a degree.  What that visitor brought up was a fact that needs to be addressed now: people complain, and moan, and gripe, yet what have they done?  Have they attempted to learn enough to write tutorials?  Take it a step further, though.  How many of those who have complained have attempted to enhance any documentation on the software in general?  How many of them have even attempted to learn programming so that they can increase the number of developers for the GIMP?  Whether that visitor realized it or not, the point of asking the question of what the complainers, whiners, gripers, etc… have done lately is perfectly illustrated.  The response?

Reference to sex and whores…… just beautiful.  So, instead of simply complaining for complaining’s sake, I’ll do something better: Why not suggest some features you’d like to see in future releases of the GIMP?  Why not start with getting CMYK support?  Impossible?  Well, if Scribus can do a CMYK check, then so can GIMP!  If you know the languages, jump in and help them out!  If you don’t know of any other way of helping them out, then the least you can do is boost them financially.

To ole’ Pete: Please, man.  Quit whining, and actually help them do better instead of just waisting your time complaining.  I know you’re close to being 40, and set in your ways, but you can still learn new tricks.  😉

Posted in *Nix, MS-SHADYiness | No Comments »

To protect our Freedoms which include but are not limited to Christianity

Monday, October 29th, 2007

To protect our Freedoms which include but are not limited to Christianity

by Justin Breithaupt.

Please Pass This On

First of all I would like to remind you that either you, your forefathers, friends, or your next of kin have fought for our freedoms in different wars around the world. My Grandfather fought in World War II. My uncle fought in Vietnam. My friends in High School are now in Iraq. They are all fighting or have fought against an enemy they have seen first hand. These enemy’s fight with guns, spears, knives, cannons, etc. It’s easy to point out these enemies and stand against what they stand for.

It’s not easy to see the enemies that are taking away our freedoms every day in the US without us knowing it. Most of them are in the white house, others are leaders of big corporations, but most of all the biggest enemy attacking our freedoms is public acceptance of these new restrictions either because of ignorance, unwillingness to read agreements before we sign them, or not knowing about any alternative way of life.

Lets use Christianity as an example to start out with. Jesus came to this world, taught us his word, and gave his life for us so that we would in turn spread the word about him and help Jesus Christ to save others. Our country was founded on these principles. We were taught to accept this as truth and spread the word. The Government and big industry decided that it isn’t politically correct and restricted us in what we can say and do in public. Often times when you sign up for a job you agree not to offend any other coworkers by exposing them to your faith or you may agree not to practice religion in the work place and not even know it. As long as it’s not against the law to make these rules in an agreement they can stick them in there and get you to sign them without taking the time to read them.

Lets look at another aspect of Christianity. When you spread the word of God often people argue with you, reject you, and call you a freak. Mostly this is related to just not wanting to think that there is a heaven or hell or that their religion could be wrong, and this is ok. Everyone is entitled to think that and if they want to then they will discover that Hell exists when they are burning. There is nothing more I can do besides pray.

Here is another example. We have a president named George Bush. He is just waiting for an excuse to start a war. 9/11 happens and we hand over all control to him. We trusted him as a leader. For some reason we can’t get him to stop or at least do it right. After 9/11 more and more of our freedoms have been handed over to the Government that give them a God like control over us. They listen to all our phone conversations, they can monitor our windows PCs, and they won’t let us fly on an airplane with anything that might be dangerous.

Now that you understand the basics of what I’m trying to show you I will take you to the next level. This is where some of you would normally say I am just paranoid but after getting you in a more open mindset hopefully you will digest this correctly without upsetting your tummies too much. What if there was a way to control all means of communication? What if there was a way to say what you could and could not transmit over the Internet? What if there was a way to exclude the word of God from being read? What if we could regulate what could be said on TV, Radio, and in the news? What if we could regulate what any American can have stored in their own house as far as data and monitor what it is? Well welcome to Revelations. What I’m going to do is tell you about the tools that are at our disposal now to make this a reality and what already is a reality.

Lets start with the telephone. The telephone is not recorded all the time. No one could do this except maybe China because it requires too many super computers and too much storage. What is done is your phones are monitored and if any key words flag the system such as kill, terrorist, or other words then the Government will start paying attention to you and possibly record you. This system has existed for a very long time. It helps also when trying to track you down. Lets say you get accused and the government wants to keep track of you or hunt you down. All they have to do is program the super computers to listen for your voice type, name, and other info and tell them the location of the phone you are calling from. Then they can use satellites in the sky to try to look down on you and see what is going on or maybe they use aircraft that are flying very high in the sky overhead. Your credit cards are then monitored for use and so are your bank accounts. Basically everywhere you go they can find you.

Your PC. Perhaps the best device for keeping track of you and what you are doing is your PC. It is a known fact that China will not use Windows Vista at all because it enables Microsoft to monitor their computers and they have to agree to those terms to use Vista. China is afraid the US will find out their secrets. Windows Vista uses half of your Internet speed and half of your PC’s power to monitor what you are doing and send the data back to Microsoft. Microsoft tells you this before you ever use the software. I know this is a lot to read but like I said would you rather read this or give away all your freedoms that your forefathers fought for?

“As described below, using the software also operates as your consent to the transmission of certain computer information during activation, validation and for Internet-based services.” “the software will send information about the software and the device to Microsoft.” “Any potentially unwanted software rated “high” or “severe,” will automatically be removed after scanning unless you change the default setting… By using this software, it is possible that you will also remove or disable software that is not potentially unwanted software.” (Your programs that Microsoft does not like will be removed!) “Microsoft provides Internet-based services with the software. It may change or cancel them at any time.” (change them? It has changed them so that it updates your PC without your permission) “The software features described below and in the Windows Vista Privacy Statement connect to Microsoft or service provider computer systems over the Internet. In some cases, you will not receive a separate notice when they connect… By using these features, you consent to the transmission of this information.” “The following features use Internet protocols, which send to the appropriate systems computer information, such as your Internet protocol address, the type of operating system, browser and name and version of the software you are using, and the language code of the device where you installed the software. Microsoft uses this information to make the Internet-based services available to you.” (if I wanted Microsoft to make their MSN service provider available to me I would have asked for it) “Content owners use Windows Media digital rights management (Digital Restrictions Management) technology (WMDRM) to protect their intellectual property, including copyrights. This software and third party software use WMDRM to play and copy WMDRM-protected content. If the software fails to protect the content, content owners may ask Microsoft to revoke the software’s ability to use WMDRM to play or copy protected content. Revocation does not affect other content. When you download licenses for protected content, you agree that Microsoft may include a revocation list with the licenses.” (this is where Microsoft collects a list of every file on your system to make sure it’s legal according to them) “Microsoft may use the computer information, error reports, and Malware reports to improve our software and services. We may also share it with others, such as hardware and software vendors. They may use the information to improve how their products run with Microsoft software.” (it’s bad enough the banks are sharing our info with all the companies Microsoft does too?) “The software is licensed, not sold. This agreement only gives you some rights to use the software. Microsoft reserves all other rights.” (Oh I get it now when I go to the store and buy software I don’t actually own it) “you must comply with any technical limitations in the software that only allow you to use it in certain ways.” “You may not work around any technical limitations in the software; reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the software, except and only to the extent that applicable law expressly permits, despite this limitation; use components of the software to run applications not running on the software; make more copies of the software than specified in this agreement or allowed by applicable law, despite this limitation; publish the software for others to copy; rent, lease or lend the software; or use the software for commercial software hosting services.” (you can’t fix it, understand how it works, or share it) “Any person that has valid access to your computer or internal network may copy and use the documentation for your internal, reference purposes.”(AH! ANYONE MAY COPY MY DOCUMENTATION ON MY PC?) “After you upgrade, you may no longer use the software you upgraded from.” (Wait a minute here you can still boot XP after you upgrade to Vista so your just not suppose to because thats illegal?) “If you acquired the software on a disc or other media, a genuine Microsoft proof of license label with a genuine copy of the software identifies licensed software. To be valid, this label must appear on Microsoft packaging. If you receive the label separately, it is invalid. You should keep the packaging that has the label on it to prove that you are licensed to use the software.” (Uh oh Microsoft has broken this agreement. You have a Vista any time upgrade disk and they send you a separate license key code um isn’t that what they say you can’t do here?) “USE OF THIS PRODUCT IN ANY MANNER THAT COMPLIES WITH THE MPEG-4 VISUAL STANDARD IS PROHIBITED, EXCEPT FOR USE DIRECTLY RELATED TO (A) DATA OR INFORMATION (i) GENERATED BY AND OBTAINED WITHOUT CHARGE FROM A CONSUMER NOT THEREBY ENGAGED IN A BUSINESS ENTERPRISE, AND (ii) FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY; AND (B) OTHER USES SPECIFICALLY AND SEPARATELY LICENSED BY MPEG LA, L.L.C.” (Uh oh we can’t use VLC, Quick time, or any player that plays MP4 or MPEG videos because thats illegal we will need a Mac or a Linux pc for that) “You can recover from Microsoft and its suppliers only direct damages up to the amount you paid for the software. You cannot recover any other damages, including consequential, lost profits, special, indirect or incidental damages.” (Translation Microsoft is not responsible for any problems with the software that may cause you loss of money or property unless that value is less than the cost of the software) “It also applies even if repair, replacement or a refund for the software does not fully compensate you for any losses; or Microsoft knew or should have known about the possibility of the damages.”

If you are still reading then you are no longer ignorant to the fact that you are signing your life away to Microsoft. These terms and conditions apply to XP to when you install newer Microsoft products and agree to the agreement. So now you see how the Government can use these tools to restrict communication and privacy. You probably thought I was crazy at first but after reading the agreement above understood what I was saying to you. This is what I was talking about when I was referring to spreading the word of God and people thinking you are a freak or a nut. It’s the same thing. When I tell people about Linux they have the same reaction. Jesus died so that we would spread his word all over the earth. By using Linux you are only obligated to tell others about it too. As far as I’m concerned if Linux protects us against this agreement it also insures that we will be able to continue the spread of the gospel.

Microsoft plans to take over the Internet and the phone companies at the same time. Microsoft is trying to get people to stop using telephones and start using their phone software on their PCs the same way I use Skype. Microsoft also wants to buy out AT&T and other country wide phone networks. Then Microsoft can control the Internet. Microsoft will get this control the same way they got the right to monitor everything on your computer. Microsoft convinced the Government that it needed to monitor us to make sure we were not pirating software, music, DVDs, or other stuff on our PCs. Microsoft also wants to filter the Internet the same way. If Microsoft succeeds or should I say when Microsoft succeeds downloading things like Linux CDs and programs for Linux and Mac will not be allowed because they could contain stolen software. Microsoft already claims that Linux is stolen because they claim to have wrote the code. They can’t win in court but if they impose a restriction on us who is to say that anyone will stop them? Other countries are taking a stand like Europe and France but the US is still stuck with it’s head in Micro$oft. Because of the problem earlier I described where Micro$oft could not sell to China they decided to give away Vista Ultimate for $7.00 a copy to try to get the Chinese hooked on it. They also said to the Government of China that they would turn their backs on pirating. This was in the e-week magazine from Micro$oft. Thats where I found out.

So you tell me is it worth reading these agreements? Is it worth protecting our freedoms our forefathers fought for? You tell me.

Please spread the word.

Posted in *Nix, Announcements, Blogroll, Computer Rescue, Magazine, MS-SHADYiness, Political Underground, Survival | No Comments »

How to get the M$ out of XP and Vista

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

How to get the Micro$oft out of your Windows XP computer in a couple easy steps!

Video Demo best seen in full screen.

(May also work on Vista)

 

First of all why do this? Well it is a known fact that without Internet Explorer, Outlook, and some other Micro$oft components your PC should be Virus free. Also Microsoft is monitoring what you are doing and indexing your files on your PC. After you do this they won’t be able to do that any more. You should be aware though that you agreed to let Microsoft do this when you installed any of their newer software packages like Office 2007 or One Care.

Important: before you do this click start, and Right Click on My Computer and hit properties. Make sure automatic updates are turned off.

  1. Go to www.firefox.com, download and install it.
  2. Go to www.mozilla.com, download and install Mozilla Thunderbird.
  3. Go to www.download.com, download VLC player and Media Monkey Player, Install them as well.
  4. Reboot and go into Safe mode by pressing F8 several times durring boot up.
  5. Click Start, Control Panel, Add Remove Programs, Add Remove Windows Components.
  6. Remove Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and Windows Media Player.
  7. They are not gone yet.
  8. After removing them get out of all of that and click Start, My Comptuer, C:, Program Files, Internet Explorer.
  9. At this time click Tools, Folder Options, and View. Now go threw the list and check all items that start with Display, Uncheck all items that start with Hide and click Show hidden files and folders. Click Apply and then OK.
  10. You will now see more files than before. Without closing this window for Internet Explorer click Start, My Computer, C:, Program Files, Mozilla Firefox, click Edit, Select All, Edit, Copy. Now click back on your Internet Explorer Window and hit Edit, Paste. Go back to the Mozilla Firefox folder. Copy firefox.exe to the desktop (do not create a shortcut), right click on it and rename it to IEXPLORER.EXE. Copy it into the Internet Explorer folder over top of the existing IEXPLORER.EXE file. You have just gotten rid of Internet Explorer for good.
  11. Do the same for Outlook by replacing it with Mozilla Thunderbird, Replace Windows Media Player with VLC or Media Monkey. Whichever you like. Reboot and it will all work just fine. DO NOT DO ANY WINDOWS UPDATES THREW www.windowsupdate.com.
  12. Use Windiz updates to update in firefox. Go to http://windowsupdate.62nds.com/ and then copy a shortcut to the site to the desktop. Rename another .exe file such as firefox.exe to wupdmgr.exe and copy it over wupdmgr.exe in C:, Windows, System32. You may also wish to replace wuauclt1.exe and wuauclt.exe as well. This may cause firefox to pop up unexpectantly but it will block Windows Update.
  13. Now download and install Avast, Spybot, and Clamwin. After you configure them to autoprotect and update you are done. You should not get any more viruses.
  14. DO NOT! Install Microsoft Office 2007, One Care, Windows Media Player 11 or any other Micro$oft software from Micro$oft.

To Disable those annoying balloons at the bottom of the screen that want you to turn on automatic updates.

  1. Open the Control Panel
  2. Double-click on the Security Center icon
  3. Click on the option “Change the way Security Center alerts me”
  4. Uncheck the alert settings boxes you wish and click Ok

Posted in Announcements, Blogroll, Computer Rescue, Magazine | 1 Comment »

New Author Announcement: Femacamper…

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007

This is the same individual who started talking about the Digg Bury Brigade, a group of people who goes out of their way to bury articles they do not agree with, and was banned from Digg soon after.  Considering some of the topics they talk about, Femacamper seemed to be a perfect addition to the *NIXEDBLOG.  Enjoy!

Note: This is mainly a reminder to authors who want to write about GNU, Linux, Free, Open Source, etc…. yes, you may promote your articles on LXer, but don’t promote my blog posts.  Why?  Simple: I will have articles separate from my blog that will be more polished than my blog posts (the posts will be off the cuff at times per se, but not unprofessional).  Anyhoo, let’s give a big welcome Femacamper.

Posted in Announcements, Political Underground | No Comments »

Interesting post and my response to it.

Friday, October 19th, 2007

First of all, take a look right here. Many of them are an interesting read. However, I would like to point out one problem with said blog post.

Tsutomu Shimomura: If you’ve always dreamed of dating a celebrity, why not cozy up to Tsutomu Shimomura, a serious celebrity in the hacker world. A research scientist and consultant, Tsutomu Shimomura helped the FBI track down, arrest, and convict hacker Kevin Mitnick, “the most wanted computer criminal in United States history,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice. After the high profile case ended, Shimomura wrote a book called Takedown, which was later adapted into a film version of the story.

I would never have this individual on any list for honors. Why? Watch this video below and hopefully, you’ll understand why.

The rest of the people on that list are quite interesting, and I would generally agree with those choices, so the rest of that particular blog post from Virtual Hosting is a good read.  Take that part out and put in someone else, say…..  Richard Stallman or…. Phiber Optik perhaps, and you’d have quite a lineup of a who’s who.  Look for some future discussions on the topic of hacking and hackers, as there has been some vast misconceptions, and the only way to deal with those is to truly educate and inform.  Have a great day everyone.  😀

Posted in *Nix, Blogroll | 3 Comments »

Pay Pal is lieing on the internet in their agreement. I will attach the current agreement.

Wednesday, October 17th, 2007

NEW UPDATED INFO AT THE BOTTOM!

Digg This Story and Podcast Here http://www.digg.com/business_finance/I_cought_PayPal_in_a_direct_lie_Listen_Live_Here

Yes thats right I caught PayPal in a direct lie. (Listen Live Here) First of all let me give a brief summery of my agony.

I have been selling laptops for quite some time now. I got my first PayPal account about 10 years ago under the name jcb-wizard@pomeroy-wa.com . This account no longer exists. Back then they just started seller protection and there were no limitations in the user agreement. I agreed to that agreement. Since then this agreement has been reshaped to say that if you don’t meet within a vary narrow set of instructions you are not protected. I also have received e-mails from PayPal stating that I am 100% covered against any fraud through FDIC insurance. The new agreement says that this is pass through insurance. What is that? Doesn’t matter because when I called them on the phone and recorded it here they told me I am currently protected 100% against any fraud through FDIC insurance. Then they turned around and told me it would not cover me in my case. What is my case? Well I sold a laptop to a guy and he was in Indonesia. When I checked his address it said it was verified! What a screw up. I don’t have proof that I saw that but thats what came up. The money was deposited by PayPal into my checking account and I let it set there for over 3 days. I shipped the laptop and the very next day they told me that the guy stole someone’s account in the USA. They then asked me for my tracking number and all the usual information. Then they told me I owed them for the laptop. They are negligent in trying to get my laptop back at all. They made no effort at all. So getting back to the phone call, they told me that they never changed the user agreement for seller protection and then went on to say that they just started it 10 years ago. So they had to have changed it. They even admitted that they did. Can’t they get their facts straight? DON’T DO PAYPAL!

If you are still with me here we are not done. A buyer bought another laptop from me right after this took place because it was still listed on eBay. He lives in Auburn WA. I shipped the laptop to his confirmed address and according to eBay’s contract he signed (eBay owns PayPal) there is no return or refund unless it’s broken, DOA, or not as described. He didn’t even open the package. He returned it to sender and guess what? PayPal wants me to pay for all the parts I put in that thing and the laptop even though I can’t send them back and get a refund for them without a 15% restocking fee.

Now PayPal won’t answer the phone if I call from my phone number any more. Their automated system automatically hangs up on me. I e-mail them but all they say is you don’t qualify for seller protection. The BBB has given up on them all together and has collected 5200+ complaints in the last 3 years. I’m going to call the WA State Insurance commissioner and see if he can help me. The problem is that they are training at the moment so you can’t call them. Their number is 1-800-551-4636.

News Update: I just got threw to the WA State Insurance commissioner’s office and they redirected me to their website. I’m filing a complaint and directing them to this Blog Post to read the documentation. As stated in my phone recording podcast I requested that PayPal take my account balance to $0.00 and close the account but because they have failed to comply I now ask that they also refund me for the full amount of what they deducted from my account ($1,799.20) and pay me back the service charges that were imposed on my account ($55.87) that were suppose to insure my protection which I did not receive. These amounts total ($1,855.07) However, since I have not been able to sell goods with eBay and PayPal due to the fact that they would take all the money and I would not be able to pay my suppliers for my supplies to make computers I have lost a lot of business. I would like to be compensated for this business I have lost. The data here shows that eBay confirmed a lot of transactions that PayPal did not. My growth as a business is shown by this equation Money = -1221.981 + 32.729557*Days where Y is Money and X is the number of Days. This model is an estimate based on the equation above and the previous data. According to this data by the end of October 2007 PayPal will owe me $4,856.66 for compensation. I am not asking for this amount because I know that it would be expecting too much from PayPal. I plan to have another Merchant Account set up with US Bank by November. What I am asking for is a total of $4,000.00 of credit to my PayPal account to reverse the negative balance, pay me back for the fees they incurred, and lastly for business loss. This Christmas I would like to be able to get something for my friends and family like I do every Christmas, and I would also like to continue teaching my free computer lab, but if PayPal decides to take that away from me and WA state decides to then I will take any advice they have to try to defy debt.

eBay owns PayPal and eBay rejects Google’s Checkout program as listed here. Is this similar to the Micro$oft Monopoly? I think so. Is it unconstitutional? I think yes.

If you thought I was done guess again. PayPal is very unsecure. They claim to be so secure but how come I keep getting messages like this? paypalpicture.pdf

I’m not the only one.

PayPalUserAgreement in .pdf format here.

UPDATE!

So who knows what is going on? This is PayPal RAW Live Uncut II. PayPal calls back to ask questions and answer mine. This time I get a completely different response. I don’t have time right now but if someone would like to reply to this post and write a review covering the things said by PayPal I would appreciate it. coming soon are pictures of PayPal’s system glitching on me saying I am protected exactly as I saw it when I went threw with the original transaction. http://www.podshow.com/shows/?mode=detail&episode_id=85723


Posted in *Nix, Announcements, Blogroll, Computer Rescue, Magazine, Survival | 4 Comments »

It’s illegal to use Microsoft Web Access Programs unless…

Tuesday, October 16th, 2007

This alert affects Businesses, Schools, Churches, or any organization that has a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.
There is a web based program that you can use to log in to your e-mail online known as Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access as seen here. I’m not going to share the name of the college because that would be politically incorrect since I go to school there. The problem is that in order to get this software you have to purchase Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and agree to all it’s terms and conditions which are extended to anyone else who may use this software. Did you see a mention of agreeing to this agreement anywhere on this login page? I didn’t think so. I decided to send a message to the college in hopes they would understand why they could not possibly comply with Micro$oft’s demands in the agreement.

“When I used the old college e-mail I had all messages forwarded to admin@mindblowingidea.com so that my mail could filter out all the unwanted junk I kept getting from your server. Here I don’t see that option.

I am also scared of running Outlook Web Access in my web browser because Microsoft Outlook has so many viruses that it supports. Do I have to use Thunderbird to get all my **** e-mail and tell Thunderbird to forward it all to admin@mindblowingidea.com? That would slow things down a bit but I would be willing to do it.

Also I don’t understand why I’m being warned about security? “Warning: By selecting this option you acknowledge that the computer complies with your organization’s security policy.” What is your security policy? Also by using Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access what EULA am I agreeing to? I believe I found it here I also attached a copy of it.

After reading the agreement I have come to the conclusion that both myself and the college are in breach of the M$ EULA for Micro$oft Enterprise Server 2007.

Under section 1 a. it says that this license is extended to all devices that can be used with the server software. That includes all students that use webmail.

According to section 3. C. “you can only run the software on the server other than Exchange Management Tools” which is not Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access. This means that you need multiple licenses so that every student can run this application unless I’m mistaken. Also you need a license for each backup partition or hard drive that you use to back up your server.

Section 4. a. i. says that you need a CAL Client Access License to run any server software on another computer. Do you have enough CALs for all the students? Also further down under iii it says that not only each user needs a CAL but also each computer that is used by a student. I don’t think you could possibly afford this. Section v. further down says “In addition to needing an Exchange Server 2007 Standard CAL, you need an Exchange Server 2007 Enterprise CAL for each user or device that directly or indirectly accesses the Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging and Compliance Functionality.” Sounds like you need to increase tuition unless I’m incorrect about what this license means.

Also according to this I’m using this software illegally every time I log in unless you bought all those CALs. Did you?

Under 4. C it says “No Separation of Software. You may not use the server software in more than one operating system environment under a single license, unless expressly permitted. This applies even if the operating system environments are on the same physical hardware system.” Does this mean I can’t use Linux, Mac, XP, Vista, 98, ME, 95, 2000, or NT? I must buy a copy of Enterprise Server 2007 and use that to access my webmail.

“5. INTERNET-BASED SERVICES. Microsoft provides Internet-based services with the software. It may change or
cancel them at any time.” Uh oh this means my access to the web could be cut off at any time? Yikes!

“9. SCOPE OF LICENSE. The software is licensed, not sold. This agreement only gives you some rights to use the
software. Microsoft reserves all other rights. Unless applicable law gives you more rights despite this limitation, you may use the software only as expressly permitted in this agreement. In doing so, you must comply with any technical limitations in the software that only allow you to use it in certain ways. You may not
• work around any technical limitations in the software;
• reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the software, except and only to the extent that applicable law expressly permits, despite this limitation;
• make more copies of the software than specified in this agreement or allowed by applicable law, despite this limitation;
• publish the software for others to copy;
• rent, lease or lend the software; or
• use the software for commercial software hosting services.
Rights to access the server software do not give you any right to implement Microsoft patents or other Microsoft intellectual property in software or devices that access the server.” So first of all you don’t actually own the software as a college. If you have any technical problems or limitations it’s illegal to work around them you must put up with them no matter what. So if I get an error in the page when I use the software and find a way around it thats illegal! Yikes.

“17. ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This agreement (including the warranty below), and the terms for supplements, updates, Internet-based services and support services that you use, are the entire agreement for the software and support services.” Updates with or without you permission as mentioned here http://ct.zdnet.com/clicks?t=40521286-6cdd7e12a5347765f9aa086bbb49523c-bf&s=5&fs=0

“20. LIMITATION ON AND EXCLUSION OF DAMAGES. YOU CAN RECOVER FROM MICROSOFT AND ITS
SUPPLIERS ONLY DIRECT DAMAGES UP TO THE AMOUNT YOU PAID FOR THE SOFTWARE. YOU CANNOT
RECOVER ANY OTHER DAMAGES, INCLUDING CONSEQUENTIAL, LOST PROFITS, SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES.
This limitation applies to
• anything related to the software, services, content (including code) on third party Internet sites, or third party programs; and
• claims for breach of contract, breach of warranty, guarantee or condition, strict liability, negligence, or other tort to the extent permitted by applicable law. It also applies even if
• repair, replacement or a refund for the software does not fully compensate you for any losses; or
• Microsoft knew or should have known about the possibility of the damages.
Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. They also may not apply to you because your country may not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental, consequential or other damages.
” So if all your data is lost and this causes you financial loss greater than the cost of buying the software Microsoft will refuse to refund you.

A Concerned Linux User,
Justin Breithaupt

My Signature:
If you use Hotmail, MSN, Windows Live Mail, or Outlook you are putting your information at risk. Ask me how to switch to a free account without security risks today. www.mindblowingidea.com admin@mindblowingidea.com

Note this statement below was automatically added to my e-mail without my permission. I sent a CC to myself. This is what I got:

Electronic Privacy Notice. This e-mail, and any attachments, contains information that is, or may be, covered by electronic communications privacy laws, and is also confidential and proprietary in nature. If you are not the intended recipient, please be advised that you are legally prohibited from retaining, using, copying, distributing, or otherwise disclosing this information in any manner. Instead, please reply to the sender that you have received this communication in error, and then immediately delete it. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.”

I never asked for my e-mail to be proprietary. How would this message fall into the hands of someone who was not intended to receive it? Is there a security hole I’m not aware of?

Also I got the following messages when I looked at the page source:

“Your Web browser is configured not to run script or doesn’t support script in Web pages. Check your browser settings, or use a browser that can run script.”

“To help protect your mailbox from unauthorized access, close all browser windows when you finish using Outlook Web Access.”

“This page uses frames, but your browser doesn’t support them.” LIES!

“To protect your account from unauthorized access, Outlook Web Access automatically closes its connection to your mailbox after a period of inactivity. If your session ends, refresh your browser, and then log on again.”

“Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access provided by Microsoft Exchange Server 2003”

“Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access provided by Microsoft Exchange Server 2003” I got the point the first time.

Posted in *Nix, Announcements, Blogroll, Magazine, MS-SHADYiness, Survival | No Comments »

ALERT! UBUNTU IS TAKING OVER THE EARTH. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE JOIN NOW OR BE DESTROYED!

Tuesday, October 16th, 2007

It use to be that when a Linux program came out it was geared to run on Fedora, PCLinuxOS, SUSE, and Gentoo Linux. This was good because anyone could use it on any distribution. Except for those debian people who insisted on not letting the user compile their own software from the source but only using pre compiled debian packages. Then Ubuntu got more and more popular. Why I still can’t figure out. Now PCLinuxOS is more popular and still most programs are becoming more Ubuntu specific. I tried to join the effort to spread Linux called Ubuntu LoCo but they told me I had to be Ubuntu all the way. No PCLinuxOS users allowed. Now Ubuntu is announcing their newest release in the same way M$ does. They are having parties in every state that I know of in the US. They explained to me that their understanding of all these distributions of Linux with different names is that they just cause confusion and that there should only be one and that that one should be Ubuntu. This way of thinking is completely against the Linux community and is considered to be a closed source way of thinking. So don’t embrace the Ubuntu community. After all they are fueling Linspire thats owned by M$. In effect by supporting Ubuntu you are supporting M$ in a round about way. Just because Ubuntu seems more simple to use because they do everything for you does not mean you should use it. In fact the reason I don’t like it is because it won’t let you do anything yourself. What’s open source about that? Sounds like another M$ company to me. Even if they don’t sell out they will become the next M$ if they continue this destructive pattern of a one world OS. How can people be innovative if there is no competition? M$ can’t be considered as competition in the distro wars because they are not a Linux distro. It’s nice to be seen on the map by Ubuntu but having Ubuntu represent us all to the world is like having a dictator represent the entire world to another being such as God, space aliens, or another entity. The rest of us need to speak up!

Here is an example of what I’m talking about. Converting .rpm packages to debian.

Below we compare M$ to Ubuntu.

TechNet National User Group Tour

Register Now for My “Security” TechNet User Group Tour

Over 700,000 laptops are reported stolen every year in North America. Laptops sales are skyrocketing and laptops are replacing more and more business desktops. Up to 80% of corporate data is stored on local drives. Add this all up and data security becomes crucial for your workforce.

Join us for this session as we discuss and demonstrate security guidance and tools to help protect the data on your Windows XP and Windows Vista-based desktop and laptop computers. Topics to be covered include

• Data Security Fundamentals
• Data Security Best Practices
• Security Guides for Windows XP and Windows Vista
• Microsoft Security Toolkits
• Security Technology for Windows XP and Windows Vista
City Date 
The Ubuntu Argentina LoCo Team is proud to announce that Argentina's
Gutsy Release Party will be held next October, 18th in Buenos Aires.

We will be drinking and socializing at Buller Pub Downtown, starting at

19:00 hrs.: http://www.bullerpub.com/

Ubunteros lost in Buenos Aires drop by: you will find a place full of
amicable geeks.

Mariano.

Posted in *Nix, Announcements, Blogroll, Magazine, Survival | No Comments »

Important Announcements Concerning *NIXEDBLOG! (With Updates… Mmmm… Yummy!)

Monday, October 15th, 2007

I thought about this one for the past few days.  Due to a not so distant event, I initially decided not to promote anything I did through LXer as I felt I needed to earn the right to do so.  However, due to a recent event, I decided to slightly alter what I am going to do.  I have written articles separate from this blog, and I figured out why it would be a good idea to do so again.  With articles, I have to take my time to make sure things are accurate, as I will have to upload the files to the website in order for them to be published.

For those who are writers for this blog, you will need to pay attention to this next part, as it will apply to everyone else from here on in.

The articles I write that are separate from this blog I will promote on LXer, especially when it pertains to topics that can affect FOSS, but nobody is really talking about them.  Blog posts that I write and post will not be promoted on LXer.  Those who write on this blog may feel free to promote their works to venues such as LXer, but please, please, please…. do not attempt to promote my blog posts on LXer or anywhere else.  That is if you are a writer.  For those who regularly read this blog, while I will consider LXer off limits, you may feel free to promote what you consider to be good writing to other venues, such as digg, etc….

For writers in this blog other than myself, if what you write is very good, I’ll make it into an article on the main site.  How does that sound?  😀

So, keep your eyes peeled, as I’m about to do some more work on the site, and more stuff will be added soon.

Posted in *Nix, Announcements, Computer Rescue, Magazine | No Comments »

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