MarkWatson - Slashdot User

GMail seems to be down in many countries-> 0

Submitted by

MarkWatson

on Tuesday September 01 2009, @04:20PM

MarkWatson writes "People are reporting from around the world that GMail is down. I rely on GMail and Google Docs for my work, but I cache local copies. I am personally OK with occasional outages for a free and useful service."
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Are contracts valid if ... 1

Submitted by

MarkWatson

on Thursday August 09 2007, @03:55PM

MarkWatson writes "I am frequently asked to sign 2 copies of a consulting contract and send them to the other party. More often than you would think, the other party files away both copies, sends me an email saying everything is OK, but never signs and returns a copy to me.

My policy is to bring this to their attention, and if a signed copy is not forthcoming, complain.

One customer has never returned a contract, but have been promptly paying me for 6 months. In another case, a property management agent in another state never bothered to sign and return a copy of another contract with me, but proceeds as if we are under contract.

Are contracts legal if one party does not sign and return a copy to the other party?"

Maintaining a Windows 2000 for the long term

Submitted by

MarkWatson

on Wednesday January 03 2007, @02:27PM

MarkWatson writes "I sometimes need to use Windows in my consulting business although I prefer Linux and OS X for doing software development and writing. I keep two Windows machines: a Windows 2000 laptop (bought with XP,but installed an old Windows 2000 license and Linux) and a desktop with XP (dual boot to Linux).

I would like to avoid ever buying a PC with Vista, a situation that looks good because I believe both my Windows systems are reliable, fast, and will service my Windows needs for the long term.

My problem is this: I like Windows 2000 better for a few reasons, but mainly because the license is transferable. I would like to still be using Windows 2000 5 years from now in a secure and reliable way (again, just for when I need Windows).

Since I am far from a Windows expert, I would like to know your strategy for archiving Microsoft's latest Windows 2000 updates, and generally dealing with security issues. My strategy is to set my firewall up to run in stealth mode and not use Windows for general web browsing.

Any suggestions will be appreciated!"