Posts by Joe Drunk

Most smartphoners don't give a flip about apps

The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

Most people have no clue why they're buying a laptop or PC. To them it's just another appliance like a microwave oven. They press the right buttons and out comes heated up leftovers of last night's dinner or popcorn. They have no idea what the other buttons do nor do they care. These people buy smartphones because when it's time to renew their contract a fast-talking salesman shows them a phone shinier than their current phone and it has facebook. Sold!!

Smartphones are really nothing more than the merger of a PDA (and GPS unit in some cases) and cell phone. I agree that the most important part of any cell phone is phone calls and anything additional is just fluff....Since you do carry this thing with you all the time however it is nice to have additional functionality like being able to view the entire NYC subway map in PDF to plot my destination, viewing Word files received in email and replying with comments from any location, browsing news sites such as El Reg when waiting in line at Motor Vehicle Services, checking sports scores when I can't watch the game, playing games or watching Xvids during those long nights waiting for updates during network changes.

In summary most users don't give a flip about apps because they don't know why they're buying a smartphone in the first place other than it's new and shiny.

Big Blue eye glares at UK workforce

IT Career bahahahahhahahaha!!!

That's pretty much my reaction to any youngsters that have any computer skills and are planning on entering this field upon completion of a university undergraduate/graduate degree. In spite of the specialized technical knowledge you possess management will always view you as an overpaid factory worker.

I completely agree with A.C. - working in a multinational publicly traded corporation is all about embracing transience. Keep the CV updated and circulating, maintain contact with collegues still employed in your field and don't take anything personally. "Just how many corners can we cut?" is the new corporate mantra meaning you will always be expected to do more and more with less and less. It can be frustrating at times when you go above and beyond the call of duty working long hours and weekends in the hopes that your efforts will be recognised and rewarded. Truthfully any major accomplishments are usually forgotten within a week and have the consequence of raising expectations. I suppose I should be grateful for the certificate of appreciation made with Powerpoint and printed on our color printer which was awarded to me even though I have to yet again cancel my plans for the weekend with my fiancee due to another last minute high-priority project.

I've been here for a little over 2.5 years - that's a lonngg time for IT. I've had a few offers for less money which is why I am still here. I've worked at enough firms to know that if I jump nothing will change other than the name of the company that is printed on my paycheck. I guess this what recruiters mean by "dynamic, fast paced environment" No one knows what the fuck is going on and it's just one constant knee-jerk reaction after another.

In short, never get too comfortable at your job. It is just a paycheck after all. Always do what's best for you not your employer and have as much loyalty to them as they have to you.

Should you lose your religion on your CV?

Verily, I say unto thee

As someone who's worked in IT for almost two decades I've met several individuals of various faiths and cultures, most whom I've had to work closely with as part of a technical team. None of these people let their religous backgrounds interfere with their professional obligations and quite frankly that's the way it should be. Whatever you practice has to be done on your own time, not mine. There may have been those that required select holidays but nothing extended that impacted their work or the rest of the team in any significant way.

My time in IT has been spent in pharmaceutical, technology and banking. I am currently a hiring manager for my department (no we're not hiring right now nor for the forseeable future) and have never come across a CV that included one's religion. The only content I find relevant for both candidates and for my own CV are education and experience. Hobbies and interests are listed for entry level positions which I have never had to fill. I find their inclusion questionable since I have never incorporated that into my CV from my first IT related job as first level help desk till now.

My advice would be to not include religion if you are applying for a professional occupation as it is irrelevant. The times I've had positions to fill and had applicants with equal qualifications the one with the best communications skills was always the preferred candidate.

Smut-ladened spam disguises WoW Trojan campaign

Click here for nude pics of Anna Kournikova!!

"A surprising amount of malware is designed to steal registration keys, passwords and data from players of computer games," said a consultant at Sophos.

The only real surprising part of this article to me is that there are still people with access to the internet that actually open and read emails with subjects like "Do you like to find a girlfriend like me?" instead of doing the logical thing of deleting them outright.

IT grad sues school over failed job hunt

@ AC Posted Thursday 6th August 2009 14:36 GMT

You really should consider at the minimum completing elementary school before posting in public forums with such appalling use of spelling and grammar. Small wonder you posted anonymously.

>>I already new Wordperfect and Lotus so I was promoted from delivery to secretary even

>Good god, is that what they teach on computer science courses, it's even worse than I'd >imagined.

Is it? You tell me. Oh wait, you can't. I can't speak for all who have taken computer science courses but I learned WP and Lotus on my own not at my alma mater. I never understood why some people needed a course to learn a word processor or spreadsheet.

>>Bill Gates cuz he dropped out his first year and look where he is today.

>He was also born into a rich family with a mother who was friendly with at least on of the board memebrs of IBM, which no doubt helped him get his foot in just a teeny weeny bit.

I have no doubt that his rich family had connections to get him into Harvard but his reputation was what got the attention of IBM after Microsoft released several versions of BASIC for other platforms (PDP, Apple, Commodore, etc.). He was also a gambler known for his love of poker along with his ability to sell anybody anything. Then there's the world famous story of Q-DOS/MS-DOS.

I agree with Oliver Jones. A good command of the english language and people skills are what separate those who earn bonuses from those who don't. It also seems to separate those who practice regular hygiene from those who don't. Good God some of the techies that I've met over the years!

Sigma Cum Loud

Only in the good ol' USA can you sue anybody for anything and have more 'colleges' per square mile than any other country in the world. Those of you who have kids that are planning on attending college need to be selective and not choose one merely on tuition. Scan the classifieds for practically any field and note how many require a degree from an "Accredited University". A good rule of thumb is if it advertises on TV or radio it's not someplace to get a degree from.

I graduated from a university (not a college) in '92 with a BS in Comp Sci and 3.7/4.0. My first job out of school was delivering airline tickets for a travel agency because all the IT related jobs wanted experience. My big break came when the administrative assistant quit and no one else knew how to operate a PC. I already new Wordperfect and Lotus so I was promoted from delivery to secretary even though my typing speed was 30 WPM. It was that experience that enabled me to get my first IT related job as first level help desk in an IT department for a different company.

17 years and countless changes in so-called Fortune 100 employers later not once has my degree or GPA been mentioned in an interview. My CV and experience have been the instruments towards my advancement and success.

Is higher education a waste of time? Not necessarily. It certainly is not essential in the IT field although I recommend it because I feel it is a good life experience. (winks at AngrySup)

College is definitely not for everyone but what you make out of that education and for that matter your life is up to you and the choices you make. Countless individuals have made vast fortunes with little or no higher education.

Bill Gates cuz he dropped out his first year and look where he is today.

PC repair shop caught trying bank fraud

Underpaid & overworked

Considering what a PC tech makes these days it's hardly surprising - just didn't think it was that rampant. I guess it's like trying to find an auto mechanic, repairman or building contractor who's honest.

I'm glad I'm the one who takes care of PC probs for several of my friends & relatives but I would never ever want to do this for a living. I pity those who rely on such places to solve PC problems but doesn't everyone have a friend/relative who's a PC techie these days?

IT admin sentenced for sabotaging employer's network

I want a nice cushy job

@AC 12:43

"You think every firm terminates you in a fair way so you can collect severance?"

No! I know that!! Not only have I been victim of that but so have several of my colleagues! Read current IT events much (HP, EDS, IBM, et al)? Why do you think I am a career consultant?

I work in a WAN/datacomm environment which means long hours/weekends and phone calls at the most inconvenient times due to knee-jerk reactions and misperceptions from less technical, upper management types. In spite of this I consider myself lucky that I have employment, am well-compensated (thanks to the long hours ugh) and have a good team of engineers. I also live with the fact that no matter how much effort I put forth to ensure my tenure here I may come in to work tomorrow morning and find my access card won't let me in the building. There will be no ill feelings on my behalf as I consider this a business, not personal relationship. Then there's the usual flood of phone calls wishing you good luck, asking for updated project statuses and whom they need to contact for further queries. What a routine this is.

This is the way it is in corporate IT, regardless of your technical skills. Your failure to accept this means you either haven't worked in IT that long or don't have many collegues who work in IT. I in no way condone the mistreatment of employees but you really have to re-evaluate your expectations if you think any employer anywhere owes you a living.

Incidentally El Reg doesn't mention this but Mr. Nunez has to pay restitution totaling over $31,000 in addition to community service and supervised release.

http://www.outlookseries.com/N1/Security/3298_Lesmany_Nunez_Sentenced_Quantum_Technology_Partners_QTP_Computer_Fraud.htm

Only dumbasses seek revenge on former employers

Booo hoooo hoooo!!!! My boss is such a meanie!!!!!! Just for that I'm going to spite him and sabotage his network!! That'll show him.

Lesmany Nunez and those who follow in your footsteps are a bunch of losers. If you want to be treated well you shouldn't be working in corporate IT. Good luck finding a job after you get out of the clink. Moving back in with your mum at 31 and being part of the crew that towels off my car after it goes through car wash looks like the best future you could hope for. Don't worry Lesmany I always tip well since I notice most folks don't.

The last 2 brokerage firms I worked for BTW disabled ALL building and network access prior to notifying you of your termination. I and a few other showed up to work on a Friday and our access badges wouldn't even allow us in the building. We were later met in the lobby by our managers who informed us that we were canned. Such is life in the IT world. On to the next gig. My current manager contacted my former employers and based on their positive feedback hired me so burning bridges is fucking dumb.

Software firm goes after Google for internet invisibility cloak

scumware

Last I checked Google will automatically filter out websites it deems to have "malicious content that could be harmful to your computer". Although no one is pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to use Google it does come as the default search in Firefox, Opera, and Chrome and has the largest number of users compared to others so it would be interesting to see where this lawsuit goes. It wouldn't be the first time scumware vendors sue to get themselves classifed as benign despite evidence indicating otherwise (Zango).

I've seen these "FinallyFast" commercials on TV and the actors are definitely portraying your typical noob who knows nothing about computers other than how to send an email or click on an icon to lauch a game. Therefore, this is their target consumer. Funny how they show the software running on a macbook when in fact this software is only offered for Windows.

I was going to install this in a VM with Vista to try it out but I said fuck it. Any AV that makes you pay to remove malware is an AUTOMATIC SCAM. Download trial versions of NOD32, Symantec, Kaspersky etc (well-known AV progs) and they are fully functional if only for a limited time but they will remove malware currently on your system.

Sorry folks these fake AV progs aren't going away especially with the slap on the wrist doled out to the perpetrators of AntiVirus 2008/2009.

Penguin because these AV scams are never targeted to *nix users, probably because not too many noobs run *nix.

Under-caution spam faxer fined over £6,000

Spam by any other name

I used to get spam faxes. I now have it set to manual recieve and only turn it on when I am expecting a fax. There's absolutely no reason to keep it on auto. We get tons of junk faxes at work and they get tossed in the bin. No one ever sends me a fax at work without prior notification but as you know most people are too stupid to figure out the manual recieve thingy therefore spam faxes keep coming.

Mormons demand ICANN plugs net smut hole

Moron is only one letter short of Mormon

There are a lot of crackpot religions out there but this one is soooo funamentally flawed! It firgues that SCO Group chairman Ralph Yarro III would be part of this ridiculous waste of time. They're asking for Censorship at the ISP level. This should be entertaining to watch. Where's the popcorn?

Contractors risk mini-Microsoft-protest

Can't believe that there are still clueless idiots who still think they are irreplaceable

@Lee:

"As I have said before, any contractor that takes the full 10% cut is a fool, your agency should shoulder most, if not all of the cut for you."

WRONG. WRONG. WRONG. You obviously are neither a contractor nor do you have many aquaintances who are to be posting something like that. If their rates get reduced, so will yours. This in not 1997. If your agency can't make a profit from you they will from someone else. You WILL take the cut. Or leave. What are you going to do, tell the agency you refuse to take the pay cut? Then what? They're going to beg and plead with you and finally agree to absorb the cut in spite of the 1,000+ CV's they receive on a weekly basis? Once you wake up from that lovely dream and return to the reality that a large percentage of talented IT collegues are waiting in line to fill your postition (some for a lower rate than you are paid) you can view your employment with the proper perspective.

Only a fool would think that as a contractor the agency you work for gives a rat's ass about you. This is 17 years of consulting typing here, I've worked direct and through far too many agencies to remember. The only difference between any of them is the name of the agency on the paycheck.

Know your role

Did I just read this arcticle correctly? You're a contractor and you're staging a demonstration? Has the stress finally caused the neurons that control reasoning ability to deep-fry?

What rights do you think you have? By definition: Contractor - Disposable Employee.

You are there for an interim determined by the whim of some bean counter. You are not required to recieve notice of any kind upon termination. No severance pay. No benefits. Maybe if they liked you enough you will get a mouse pad with their logo on it.

1,985 of your colleagues at least had common sense. I am a career contractor and although I haven't had to take a pay cut yet what choice would I have? Make 90% of my current salary or 0%.

Grifters punt 'get rich quick' scams at Facebook users

There's a life outside this building

@jeremy and all

"This type of scam should be given its own name like the 419 scams. However any muppet who gave card details has no sympathy from me. Social networking has helped keep people in the ignorance they love by allowing them to post everything online..."

I agree. There's a lot of people out there desperate for any form of human contact or recognition, hence these anti-social networking sites that prey on these children. I don't understand what's the appeal. Oh wait it's probably something like

"I don't have many friends in real life but I have 1,000 MySpace friends!! Goody-goody gumdrops! I'm so popular!!"

And @AC 03:54

"User + Facebook account = numpty"

That's a universal formula. Facebook could be a variable replaceable by MySpace, IM, IRC, etc.

Turn off the computer and get a life. Maybe you'll actually get some much needed sun and excercise to help your pasty complexion and that planet-like waistline.

Feds: IT admin plotted to erase Fannie Mae

@ IT Drones

Yes, I know you were promised some tasty dog treats for being a good little lemming and working long, hard hours for being a 'team player' and helping increase the company's market value thus fattening the CEO and team's bonus pay but in spite of this where does it state in your contract that this will GUARANTEE you long-term employment?

Unless stated otherwise as a contractor you are a disposable employee. Out the door with you when it's time to trim the staff to offset losses, especially when you are rubbing someone in the upper ranks the wrong way.

As a contractor every day you are allowed to work is borrowed time and that is exactly the demeanor you should come in to work with every day. I could have done the same when I was given hours notice of my termination but for what? To taint my reputation and ensure that NO EMPLOYER would ever want anything to do with me in addition to years in the clink?

Are you one of those losers that goes and menaces an ex-girfriend/wife after you get dumped?

Monster.com suffers database breach deja vu

stupid h@x0rz

@TW Burger

I agree completely - My account also has fake email, phone number, mailing address and no resume on their site.

Morons are the only ones who risk getting their social security number lifted since Monster does not require one and it serves no purpose putting it on a CV.

Monster is probably the most popular website for jobs, at least here in Metro NY. I can attest to this as a significant portion of the lucrative IT contracts I've engaged in were through the monster (Dice.com second place). Please note I am not affiliated with either website but the fact remains that recruiters use it, Fortune 100 firms use, job seekers use it, and yes, scammers use it as well.

Once you've registered you can reply to prospective employers either by emailing them or cutting and pasting your CV in a message. If you decide to have your resume online by all means DO NOT make it searchable unless you have nothing better to do than delete spam for 8 hours a day. It is precisely for this reason that having a separate email for resume sending/receiving is must since I've seen lots of bogus postings on that site (don't get me started on those "job fairs").

I realize the practice of registering with false info is a violation of practically any website's T.O.S. you use but what guarantee do you offer that my data is safe? Your "commitment to privacy" and other blanket statements on your site offer little consolation when my credit score goes down the toilet because someone opened up loans/credit cards with my pilfered info.

When it comes to my personal info the line between paranoia and vigilance is very, very thin.

P.S., any service that makes you pay a fee for employment is automatically a scam. I have noticed them sprouting up like weeds. "The most 100k jobs" hahahahahhaha!

Samsung digital picture frame CD infected by virus

Quality Control? is that some new buzzword?

@AC:

"What would using it as a monitor have to do with anything? I doubt you even could. And it's possible that a machine could be infected by just plugging the photo frame into a USB port, if the filesystem on the unit contained malware and an "autorun.inf" file. IMHO, one of the biggest security risks (and annoyances as well) with Windows is how it wants to run files off anything you attach."

This feature, which I find annoying can be easily turned off. It's on by default for noobs, which unfortunately consists of the majority of PC users, which subsequently consists of the majority of bot-net members and malware downloaders.

I doubt that any noob would have any idea about how a second 8 inch monitor on their PC would be beneficial but the fact remains that Samsung should have done some quality control on what software was being shipped with the final product. Most of these drivers are written by third parties anyway so although I doubt Samsung has any real control over the development process their acceptance indicates no testing was done on the CD being shipped with the hardware. Very sloppy but I expect we will see more malware loaded in PC devices until large class-action lawsuit against one of these companies results in a multi-million dollar settlement. Only then will the knee-jerk reaction to proactively inspect prior to shipment take place.

EDS boss Rittenmeyer 'retires' from HP reorg

Corporate Ethics

It's time to for all those who work in corporate to wake up from the delusional haze that you are viewed as anything more than head count. You are a "Human" resource. Period.

Years of service and loyalty are meaningless in large, publicly traded companies since the constant quest to increase market share leads to constant mergers and aquisitions which always lead to severe belt-tightening and resource reduction.

As a consultant I have replaced many permanent employees over the years which has given me a certain perspective for any job I take - everyone is expendable. It would seem that most corporations, especially in the current job market are unconcerned with loyalty or morale based on how they treat their employees.

You may feel betrayed or unappreciated when cost-cutting measures are put in place that affect you but in the eyes of a shareholder of HP's stock Mr. Hurd's efforts to increase value are highly appreciated.

I have no expectations other than to be paid for the work I do. I perform at or above expectations and absorb any new technologies for my own benefit and to increase my marketability. That the company I work for likewise benefits from this work ethic is purely a side-effect. Recognition for a job well done is irrelevant unless it is in monetary form. As far as I am concerned this is purely a business relationship.

I have learned to embrace transience after the internet bubble imploded. Remember folks, it's just a job. Don't make your job your life or you will end up like these sign-wearing sods:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/12/05/unemployed.sign/index.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2008/09/14/2008-09-14_layoffs_in_financial_market_hurt_city.html

I hope that those of you victimized by this merger can still enjoy the holidays with loved ones even though you may have to do some cost-cutting measures of your own.

US prosthetic todger pair plead guilty to conspiracy

Sorry employer, I am not your property

Speaking as an IT consultant in the US who has been subjected to several piss tests as a condition of employment over the years I wholeheartedly agree with Brent Gardner and Andy Worth. It is an invasion of privacy because it is none of my employer's business what I do on my own time as long as it does not affect my performance at work. Since I am an IT whore I begrudgingly submit to these tests.

The last time I 'inhaled' was during my university years so I pass these tests easily aside from the fact that I can't enjoy a few pints of lager the night before the test. (I have always had minimum 48 hours notice prior to the piss test).

A recruiter once told me that the main reason for drug screening is to protect the company from liability. If you are hired by a company as an employee and it is later discovered that you had a pre-existing drug/alcohol addiction you cannot be terminated. In the US alcoholism/drug addictions are considered 'disabilities'. Moreover, it is now your employer's responsibility to see that you receive proper treatment (employer must now pay for de-tox and rehab) in addition to holding your position for you until you are better.

Even though I am a consultant I am typically an employee of the agency that recruited me as are many others. I do not think this scenario applies to those that are 'corp-to-corp'.

I'm just curious if anyone with expertise with US employment laws can confirm or deny the above.

-Just another IT Whore

Barclays and Goldman Sachs squeeeeze IT staff

15%? Could be worse

I've been contracting for 15 years myself. Back before the internet bubble imploded I would have been the first to react by shouting various expletives at my then manager followed by flipping them the bird right before I stormed out of their office and employment at the mere hint of any reduction in my rate. Upon arrival at home I would press 'play' on my answering machine and write down the contact info and finally return the calls for the 15+ daily job solicitations from recruiters offering me a blank cheque for my skills.

I did actually quit a job back then simply because I didn't like my boss (note: I did not use expletives or flip them the bird, I emailed by resignation). I did not have a job waiting or even an interview at the time I quit. I was working within a week and a 25% rate increase to boot.

The good old days...Now I have so many of my IT buddies out of work (some for more than a year) and the answering machine is awfully quiet these days. My staff was reduced by 40% over the past year even though our workload has only increased which means we are all working much longer hours and weekends. Those of us still here consider ourselves lucky even though we no longer have any semblence of a social life. I can't speak for the rest of my team but I would gladly take a 15% cut if it meant we could re-hire some of those that were axed.

I concur with AC's comments - if a cut of 15% means the difference between cheque posted or overdrawn you must be leveraged to your eyeballs. In IT everyone is expendable!

Nonetheless I do believe everything will right itself eventually..just not in the foreseeable future. Keep your resume and skillset current!

Everything in life is temporary, including life itself!!!

Cheers!

'Malware-friendly' Intercage gets PIE in the face

Re: Spamhaus itself is a criminal organization

Yea, that's a good one. You wouldn't happen to be affiliated with e360 Insight or similar mass-marketing organization would you? Subscription to Spamhaus' block list is strictly VOLUNTARY. They do a very useful service reducing the effectiveness of bulk email senders by preventing garbage from reaching their subscribers' inboxes. I realize that those who send bulk email are under the impression that I want numerous scams/shams in my mailbox daily but no, you are wrong. You are as welcome as the vermin that come to raid my outside garbage cans. Kudos to Spamhaus!!!

Granite Jesus, blessed be thy gneiss

I was in a pub the other day......

Drinking a few pints with some of my buddies . I went into the men's room to answer the call of nature and I had to sneeze. I tore some paper towels off the dispenser and blew my nose into it. When I opened it I saw what looked like a nativity scene!

Thinking I could capitalize on this the way the owner of a certain grilled cheese sandwich did I turned the hand dryer onto the sheet until it was bone dry.

I folded it and put it into my pocket.

The rest of the evening was kind of hazy...there were a few toasts of tequila that evening to celebrate on of my friend's promotion at work which were rapidly catching up with me.

I awoke this morning unable to find that particular paper towel. Was it a sign from God? Of course it was!! It's a sign that I should use tissues instead for my nose because the paper towels are just too abrasive! That and to stay away from tequila.

Wait a sec...the flame icon looks just like the burning bush atop Mt. Sinai that spoke to Moses in the old testament!!

Rootkits on routers threat to be demoed

Stop the FUD

Take a deep breath and remove the tinfoil hats. As Parax pointed out Cisco

gear is typically owned by large megacorps with IT staff that manages that stuff

24/7 (like I do). Cisco IOS is not subject to "drive-by installs" so you will not get

this rootkit by opening an email with naked pics of Anna Kournikova or playing

a video file that needs installation of a funky video player you just got from

torrents.

Updating IOS on Cisco gear is akin to installing a new OS on your PC. It doesn't

happen by accident. It can either be done via TFTP or physically via CF flash and

the device needs to be rebooted. TFTP is blocked externally on most corporate

WANS so it can't be done externally. All the firms I have worked at had test labs

where any new release of IOS had to be thoroughly tested then had to receive

approvals from IT/business units. If it actually made it through this process it

would be deployed on a small number of devices at first and monitored before

upgrading the whole backbone. In fact, unless the current IOS has serious bugs

or the new IOS offered significant improvements in security or performance we

don't care about new IOS releases. The risk is just too great.

This of course does not take into account the smaller firms that don't block TFTP and have easy to guess passwords on their devices. Or how about the way Dave and

Busters got hacked?

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/145781/three_charged_in_dave_amp_busters_hacking_job.html

The hackers posed as network techs and gained access to the comm rooms where the servers were located to physically install the sniffier software. They

were caught because the sniffer software was buggy and would not restart when

the machines were rebooted so the hackers had to keep returning to restart the

sniffer software.

Paris because even she could write better sniffer software.

Consumer group slams 'unfair' software licenses

End Loser License Agreement

Is really what these should be called - you lose no matter what. Little has changed since the days of Windows 3.1

By installing or using this software you agree to the following:

1) You do not own this copy of the software - instead, you are paying us for the right to use it as we dictate. This 'right' may be terminated by us on a whim with no recourse available to you.

2) You also agree that by using this software you indemnify us from any damages caused by our product. You agree not to sue if this trashes your data/hard drive/marriage.

3) Warranty? Ok, if the disc is bad we'll replace it within a specified time. The software itself? pfffttt! As they say in China "Rotsa Ruck!"

4) If you do not agree to these terms you may return the software for a full refund. Oh wait - if you got this far that means you opened it, no refund! Gotcha!!

I believe software companies have been getting away with this because few people take the time to disseminate these ELLA's and just click "I AGREE".

Comcast busted for bagging BitTorrents (again)

Oversold bandwidth

The same model as any other service aimed at consumers. Verizon sells point-to-point T1 service starting at $400/month USD base. This does not include equipment that may have to be installed on premises, labor, and that price is for short haul only. The price increases dramatically if you have to go interstate or through a different carrier at the destination end. We have some T1s that we pay $2000/month USD. There is no throttling/capping on these lines however, you can max them out however you want.

So you think you can get T1 speed or higher for a fraction of the price with the same quality of service?

Here is an article with details on how Comcast uses Sandvine to interfere with Torrents:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/COMCAST_DATA_DISCRIMINATION_TESTS?SITE=1010WINS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

It would be naive to think that other ISPs will not begin similar practices once they analyze what percentage of their network traffic is being consumed by P2P.

You may even see some providers offering a "premium" connection with no throttling or capping for a higher cost which will probably be the case if enough people begin to complain about the traffic shaping.

Microsoft pushes Office 2007 with 'try-before-you-buy'

Nobody likes pre-installed crap

I have yet to actually meet anyone who purchased a PC/Laptop that came with pre-installed trialware that actually upgraded to the full version. I have come across countless machines with expired copies of Office/Mcafee/Symantec etc.. Most consumers who buy a PC, LCD monitor and printer package buy it as just that - a package. How many of these people are told by sales folks that when they unbox their machine they will have to shell out additional loads of cash to obtain full functionality? Imagine buying a 42 inch LCD TV and after setting it up you get a menu prompt saying "Picture in Picture and 1080P are currently in evaluation mode and will cease functioning after 30 days unless you spend $300 more"

The only righteous thing I have seen in trialware is from Microsoft for Vista and Office 2007 and I wish more vendors would follow suit:

http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Microsoft_Office_2007_Professional_VHD/1182525550/1

You download a virtual hard drive image with trial copies of Vista and Office and run it in a virtual machine. Since it's a virtual machine it runs independantly of your OS and therefore no garbage or clutter on your system. After you're done evaluating you merely delete the virtual hard drive image.

Windows Vista aligned with good management practice

Metrics, metrics

Those of us who do work in a service-oriented IT know that adoption of new technologies is how we justify our existence, especially in huge companies. All the groups and business units in our firm pay for our services as if we were a separate entity. Whether the new technology will offer significant improvements in productivity or reduced cost of ownership doesn't seem to influence these decisions. It's the newest technology and they want it and if we can't deliver they will find someone else who will (outsource). We already have pilot groups from each department peforming user acceptance testing on Vista and the plan is to have the whole firm on it in six months.

Maintenance of the existing infrastructure is unfortunately only a small portion of our budget. We keep the network from melting doesn't cut it anymore. Department heads come to us and dictate to us how they want a new product or service added and the timeframe. It is up to us to do all the research and testing and then come up a with a proposal with time and cost.

I miss the days of working in an IT department where we mandated policy.