>>> Sounds *so* familiar.  Another reason to use Linux. ;)
>>
>> How the hell would that help?
>
> It helps because I can claim that I don't know much about modern versions
> of Windows and point my mom to someone who's local to get help with her
> problems. ;)

The force is strong with this one...

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On 10/10/2011 2:18, Invisible wrote:
> You learned Unix by reading a reference manual? How is that even possible?

The first entry in each section gives you the concepts.

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Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
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On 10/9/2011 21:42, Jim Henderson wrote:
 > Are you sure about that?

Pretty sure. Certainly people like suing Microsoft more than they like suing 
open source projects. :-)

> If Acrobat Reader crashed a Windows box, it would be
> Adobe's problem regardless of if Microsoft distributed the file or if
> they got it from Adobe.

Yet, oddly, people blame Windows when a video driver crashes. Fancy that.

> But a "repository" for Windows is just a "download" site.  It doesn't
> include actual software management elements per se.

The management elements are built into the software you download. That's 
why, for example, you have things like "Programs\Common Files" and 
"Add/Remove Programs" and things like that.

Now, yes, the fact that each program manages its own means you have to deal 
with legacy software repositories, so it doesn't always work as cleanly as 
it might. DOOM still installs to C:\DOOM or some such. However, there are 
actual software management elements available, *if* you want to make use of 
them. Many small projects don't.

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Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
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On 10/10/2011 2:52, Invisible wrote:
> My favourite one is how inserting a CD is enough to completely lock up the
> entire Windows GUI. Or how if your DHCP server doesn't answer, Windows locks
> up until that times out. Or...

Neither of these statements is true. Not sure what you're smoking there. :-)

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Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
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On 10/10/2011 2:46, Invisible wrote:
> In my humble opinion, if you need to *search* for a file on your local
> system, you're doing something horribly wrong...

Or you do real work with it. Or you're sitting at someone else's computer. 
Or you collaborate with other people.

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Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
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On 10/10/2011 2:55, Invisible wrote:
>>>> Microsoft never did, that was an Amiga error code.
>>>
>>> I know. And I always thought it was a really weird name...
>>
>> So did I. For that matter, I still do. :)
>
> Also, it contains far less information than a STOP message does. Basically
> an error code (plus textual translation) and a memory address. Good luck
> working out, say, what was *at* that address or anything...

That's why the power light flashes 3 times before the message comes up. 
That's you're cue to hit DEL on the serial terminal plugged in to the back 
to launch the kernel debugger.

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Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
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On 10/9/2011 21:43, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> I didn't catch that assertion. OK. It's fairly unique in being a
>> standard searchable format with an API, but not in that it stores binary
>> data.
>
> grep -ri text /etc/*
>
> Works pretty well for being a standard searchable format on Linux. ;)

Without an API. Or transactions. And there's really no standard searchable 
format there besides "a text file". Tell me what standard Linux tool will 
give you a list of all the Document roots that Apache is serving.

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On 10/10/2011 3:04, Invisible wrote:
> On 07/10/2011 11:53 PM, Darren New wrote:
>> On 10/7/2011 15:04, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>>> No - that's just poor program design. Everybody has that... ;-)
>>
>> Actually, I think it stems from programmers targeting in-house experts.
>
> Targeting a program at somebody other than who your eventual users are going
> to be? Yes, that would be... "poor design". :-)

Having the eventual users completely change after you've finished writing 
the code due to events completely outside the realm of said code? No, not 
really poor design.

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On 10/10/2011 3:11, Invisible wrote:
> RC4? Man, how ancient is that? You realise it was a weakness in RC4 that
> allowed WEP to be broken, right?

No. It was sending the key with each packet of data that allowed WEP to be 
broken. A stream cipher is a terrible tool to encrypt a packet-switched network.

> (Sadly, on further investigation, it appears that TLS 1 still uses RC4 or
> Triple-DES. So much for HTTPS being secure...)

RC4 hasn't been broken if you don't restart the stream for every packet.

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On 10/10/2011 3:15, Invisible wrote:
> Have you ever tried explaining all that over the phone to somebody who can't
> even work a mouse properly yet?

Yep.


> Of course, you would also need to poke a hole in the firewall for that to
> work.

No you don't.

> And make sure I edit whatever settings it is necessary to turn on
> encryption.

It's encrypted by default.

> And add a secure password. (The current admin password on the
> machine is trivially breakable.)

That's kind of stupid. You'd be better off with no admin password at all.

> ...or I could set up a *real* VPN, which is *actually* secure...

What's insecure about RDP, other than you don't actually believe it's 
encrypted and/or you don't understand encryption?

(*I* know the ways in which it's insecure, but I suspect you don't, which 
means setting up your own VPN is unlikely to be more secure. ;-)

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   How come I never get only one kudo?

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