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September 18, 2008
Or do I need an anti-virus to protect my computer.
Some question might be, do I really need an anti-virus? Really? Well, my answer is no. You don’t need one, but it might keep you on the safer side of using a computer. That is, if you are not using your computer very often and you just barely know how to accomplish your tasks using it. If you are an average user, yes, you might need an anti-virus, even today. If you are an a bit more advanced user, then no. Please note: An anti-virus is NOT a firewall, keep your firewall turned ON. Continue reading before you turn anything off.
So, I am going to explain my reasoning:
An anti-virus needs computer resources, and that might be bad. Depending on the settings, it might take up to twice the time to load a file you want to open. If you notice that slowdown however, highly depends on your settings for that virus detecting program you use and your hardware, in general your hard disk and RAM. That may be a disadvantage for you. Your price for the safety of your data you’re paying. But maybe you have been tricked. Tricked by all those companies selling virus databases and scanners, that do nothing, just because others have done all the work for you, because today, everyone has one installed, that said anti-virus program.
Anti-virus programs are a technology that only needs to find something, where you hope it never does. Most viruses today are sent via email or in form of links in emails or instant messages you just need to click on and then open the file downloaded. If you are a user that might be likely tricked by such things, please install or keep your anti-virus program installed, you have been warned, it’s your security shield.
However, as most viruses are sent via email, email providers began implementing anti-virus engines into their mail servers in order to filter them out like spam. All for your convenience, a brilliant idea. They automatically may remove just the infected file as well, sending you the message just without said file. So if you never click on links from strangers, you got via email or IM, you should be fairly save, because CDs, DVDs and other kinds of media to store software have already been scanned. Yes, scanned for viruses, with technology you may use to do the same thing again, which won’t find anything, because if there would be something virus like on that storage media, then it’s probably well protected against scanners anyway. But on Windows Vista you are safe from any ‘violent’ actions by viruses thanks to User Account Control. So don’t worry to turn your anti-virus program to off, if you’re an advanced user and only click on links and icons you trust.
There’s also another huge source for viruses, the software piratery on file sharing systems. Cracks, keygens and the like may be viruses. If you want to be on the safe side, really BUY the software you need. There’s a reason. You support the people behind that great software to provide you with new versions. To give you more out of your purchase. But why am I mentioning software piracy here? Simple, that’s the place where ‘advanced’ users usually get their viruses from. Anti-viruses do not detect them fast enough, usually, because it takes one or two days, to get them there. If some software pirate reports them, that is. However, todays corporate minds are pretty clever, too. They pay the anti-virus vendors to index the harmless keygens, too. And this is exactly why they become even useless for the people of that kind. The software pirates cannot use anti-virus engines to separate the good from the bad evil programs. So if you’re a pirate, TURN ON that anti-virus and stop your evil doings, will you? 
Otherwise, you may just run the virus and enjoy the punishment for not buying the not for free software. 
Filed under: The IT world |
Comments (1)
September 17, 2008
So, this is about an Xtra for ICQ I wrote some time ago, when there wasn’t the openXtraz platform beta yet. Don’t ask, how I did that, I won’t answer, except maybe, if you work for ICQ, but then you probably know how, right? 
So, I wrote this xtra, even though I never made any icons for it, just because I was lazy and I couldn’t share it with the world anyway. So last week, on Friday I took some time, to make an icon as prescribed in the ICQ Xtraz API Reference document. I packed up the icons and the other files using the openXtraz dev tool (which isn’t very useful by the way, I want resizable windows guys. Then I uploaded them to the ICQ Xtraz Gallery, well knowing they’re having their weekend there in Israel (which to my knowledge means empty offices).
So far the boring part, the funny one’s coming now. 
On Monday, someone published my Xtra in the gallery, or at least I saw it by then. A really useful one, if you don’t have Notepad open by the way (damn, I should stop those lame jokes). BUT that someone forgot to upload the xtrazlist.xml file. Which meant all the (I’m not so sure how that counter works and whether if it works right) five people, including me, trying to download and install the xtra into their installation of the ICQ6.5 Beta (you can download the final version since November 26th 2008, now) would have no luck and be presented with an error message… that tells you nothing, but that an error occurred. Can we get an advanced users mode for error messages please?
A while later I had another look, and the image was gone sometimes in the gallery and won’t download. Sometimes it was there, which I found pretty weird. 
Still, the download not working. So I sent someone over there a message about the missing file, after it took me a while to figure that out. I never had a case with missing xtraz lists on my development server, cause I tend to cramp everything into one xtraz list file. That doesn’t junk my Packages folder too much then. It got fixed and my Xtra was working fine for everyone. It still does.
But a few hours later someone sent me a message, that he can’t find the Xtra in the gallery I invited him to. That was pretty strange, so I had a look into it. And, indeed, there is something missing. My Notes Xtra is not in the gallery! 
It shows me a message about “This xtra does not exist.” 
That is not true. Either the xtraz gallery is broken or someone removed it (and guess what it wasn’t me) for some reason. I want it back there, so people stopping by can see it, too.
So far the story. if anyone still wants the xtra, the xtraz list seems to be still there, along with the rest of the package and icon files. If you have the ICQ6.5 beta version installed, you can click the following link to install the xtra right away. By doing so, you agree to the beta terms, but you already did by using the ICQ beta, so… no I’m not urging you to press an ‘Agree’ button three times (actually four including the installation). Once is really enough.
Download/Install Notes Xtra
Filed under: Fun Stuff, ICQ |
Comments (2)
July 21, 2008
Nobody noticed, and nobody talks about it. But there is infact a new version of the ICQ2Go! Beta out. The changes merely include the message messageabout account safety, which is now black, larger and better to read. The report user feature has been improved and the sounds work better now.
However it’s a bit strange noone noticed.
And it’s also strange, that ICQ planned to remove the older versions of ICQ2Go!, which up until now hasn’t happened. It’s better this way with keeping the old stuff up, cause they still work. However, the Java version does not well tie with the new JAVA version (the one from sun, cause the IBM one only works on IBM machines) and spits out an error (which doesn’t seem to prevent it from working though).
Filed under: ICQ |
Comments (0)
July 10, 2008
There are some times, where people make mistakes, mistakes that are great for some of us, and not so great for some others. One part of such mistakes includes mistakes in management. There is nothing bad if that mistake does not disturb anyone or invades someones privacy, or, you know, does bad things to people.
There are ISPs that make mistakes. Mistakes like not restricting your bandwidth. I thought this was great, at least for me, because I could use my internet connection for various things. For example this website, with this blog you’re currently looking at, is hosted at my home. But you know, they fixed that bandwidth issue. Now, I don’t get the rest of my towns speed anymore. It was like downloading files at LAN speed. Or, running a server here was fine, too. So if any of my sites appears slow now… it’s probably my bandwidth limit that’s now properly applied. Google crawls are now giving my site the rest…
Well, aslong as it’s working I’m fine…
No, actually I’m just kidding about this. My ISP never did such a stupid thing, my wire is fast, the way it should be. I just maybe forgot those evil FTP hackers trying to bruteforce my password for the Administrator account. Well, I have no FTP account with such name, because I am not using the FTP solution that’s built into Windows Server 2003 but a thirdparty one.
Filed under: The IT world |
Comments (0)
June 12, 2008
The new flash based ICQ2Go! BETA 2 has arrived and is finally here. It features a new redesigned interface, and it’s looking really great. It has tabbed messages, status management (even if text only), properly distinguishes between the AIM and the ICQ profiles and even has an inline user search and the new ICQ sounds from infected mushroom embedded right within, but still I’m missing a few things. It does not seem to show anyone as online. And as it seems if I am logged in, I show as offline, too, despite the fact it does not visibly feature the invisible mode at all… well maybe that’s just me.
It does not support either receiving nor sending of HTML formatted messages (even if the flash based display engine displays italic and bold formatted text as such when someone enters the HTML tags for it) as the new clients such as AIM6 and ICQ6 use them for colorizing and formatting the text. At least bold and italics could be supported, colors would be nice.
Also it has no graphical emoticons which is a bit sad. Smaller versions of the ICQ6 emoticon gallery would fit great in that interface, really.
The status updater which can be found in that text bar right next to the status selector which features Online and Away status only, (which could at least get an Invisible mode to it, right?) does not seem to send the status to the remote clients, as it’s likely if the user signed on to ICQ2Go! shows up offline, but it could also update the serverside status item, so it’d show up in the contact lists, buddy lists and in the title bar of ICQ/AIM message windows.
But overall it’s a great new improved experience, compared to the ICQ2Go! version before.
Filed under: ICQ |
Comments (0)
May 21, 2008
Maybe I’m here, maybe I’m not. It should be easy to figure out, as this wouldn’t make sense otherwise, because I wouldn’t be not there. But I am writing this message so this ought to be the case. I mean I shouldn’t be not not there. However it might be I want to confuse you, which means, I am saying, I am here, you think I write this, for you to think I would be there, then you discover to figure out and know, actually I am here, which is not right, because I am still there, but you shouldn’t know that.
Just a subtle way of saying: ‘Don’t take everything too seriously.’
Filed under: Fun Stuff |
Comments (0)
April 23, 2008
In my opinion, anonymity is a really great thing. It really is. You can read stuffs on the net for free and without the need of providing your identity. That’s great. Really. There is nothing better than being anonymous, I guess. It’s somewhat like an ability to hide from your surroundings. Some power you can use to achieve something without the consent of others. However embarrassing or obnoxious it might be you’re doing, noone knows, and thus noone ever cares. It’s cool, really. And I am in no way against anonymity, really, because even I like to be anonymous sometimes. But you know, sometimes…
However great anonymity might be, I hate it for being possibly abused by people, not using it in good will.
For example, we have anonymity options for our phones. We can hide our dial number and still call people. Even people we don’t know at all, for doing a so called prank call. You know, I hate prank calls. It’s so damn annoying, I can’t even stand it. As you probably know, there’s a phone number, here on this website for people to call, written in my profile. It is there for enabling people to cantact me. It is not there for people to call me in order to record annoying noises, especially not when they are supressing their own dial number. However sad it is, for those foreign people with providers that do not support sending their phone number, I had to turn it into a message box redirect. Leave an intelligent, and especially an understandable, message and I might get back at you in a few days.
However sad it is, and however much I like anonymity in networks, which includes cellular networks and such, in event of the actions people have taken, I cannot allow your anonymity anymore. I had to shut down another possibility of contacting and reaching me.
If you want to do a prank call, submit your number, so I can do the legal stuff, without having to ask the network providers in the legal process for the required information, because that’s hell expensive and risky.
If you want to contact me, and I may not know you, please find another way to reach me, thanks.
Filed under: Uncategorized |
Comments (0)
April 14, 2008
Had a bit too much time, do you think it’s good?
I have pale skin
I am damn thin
Some might think…
I’m strange…
My long edge teeth
My bloodred lips
and of course this weird…
lust for blood
longing for the beautiful…
[REFRAIN]
I’m just a vampire,
livin’ in a coffin, I die,
just to sleep until I am reborn,
when the night comes,
to byte you and…
suck all blood, out of your flesh
Oh the evil, that’s all I am…
So sad, but still, the rest of me…
Dead with the living, no matter where we go
Still go on to live through…
this emotional disease
like nothing, would make it ever end
And I go on…
until dawn I live
in great disguise
never knowing what I should do
to waste a little bit of time
with you
hypnoticising your mind
I do, create a pulse in…
your veines
[REFRAIN]
I’m just a vampire,
livin’ in a coffin, I die,
just to sleep until I am reborn,
when the night comes,
to byte you and…
suck all blood, out of your flesh
Oh the evil, that’s all I am…
So sad, but still, the rest of me…
Dead with the living, no matter where we go
Still go on to live through…
this emotional disease
like nothing, would make it ever end
And I move on…
I byte your neck
lustfully…
giving you… this last…
eternal kiss
drinking it… until it ends
my desires
and then.. you die
please forgive me, because…
[REFRAIN]
I’m just a vampire,
livin’ in a coffin, I die,
just to sleep until I am reborn,
when the night comes,
to byte you and…
suck all blood, out of your flesh
Oh the evil, that’s all I am…
So sad, but still, the rest of me…
Dead with the living, no matter where we go
Still go on to live through…
this emotional disease
like nothing, would make it ever end
And sunrise comes…
to late for me
I have to go…
forever goodbye…
my little puppet…
These flames in ice…
they burn…
I am gone…
forever, goodbye…
Feel free to post a comment, thanks.
Filed under: Fun Stuff |
Comments (0)
April 9, 2008
The password is another word for perhaps.
Filed under: Fun Stuff, Password Riddle |
Comments (0)
April 9, 2008
Filed under: Fun Stuff, Password Riddle |
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