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Comment Re:Silly Feds (Score 1) 509

General lesson: Convenient or secure. That's an XOR.

I rather thought that security/convenience was analog, not digital. As in, you're never perfectly secure, and never perfectly convenient; and many states exist in between the extremes.

I'll grant you inverse correlation, but I wouldn't even really agree to a security-convenience "continuum".

Why would you not agree to it being a continuum?

Comment Re:You mean... (Score 1) 420

I have been running as a normal user in XP Pro for the last couple years, using a program called SudoWn. It works perfectly fine. I had trouble with versions of it after 2.0, which requires .Net 2.0, so I just stuck with that version. The only thing I have to log in as admin for is Windows Update and if I want to play Deus Ex 2. I did have to manually set permissions on some folders to make things not broken (Program Files), but it works. My normal user can't write to C:\Windows or HKLM, or the root of the C: drive. I don't see a real security threat from having write access to C:\Program Files if those other directories are protected. Oh, also I have to run stuff like DirectX installers or other MS shared runtime installers as an admin using "run as" instead of SudoWn. Generally anything having to do with drivers I also install this way just to be safe. The real news to me is that 8% of the malware out there can apparently still install with my setup. Good thing I keep my antivirus and windows patches up to date...

Comment Re:Free Stuff (Score 1) 170

Actually, if you go to Local Protection->Scanner->Manual Selection, you can select individual drives to scan. If you only want to scan specific directories, right click on them in windows explorer. Avira uses avnotify.exe to display a pop-up ad only when it updates virus defs, which should be once a day. If you have XP pro, you can software restriction policies to block this program from ever running, without impacting the definition updates. I've tested Avast, and it's less efficient than Avira with system resources, while providing (from what I have seen from AVcomparitives) a worse detection rate. My advise is to stick with Avira if you want a free AV, until something better comes along. If I was to buy an AV, it would be Eset Nod32, hands down. Much lighter than anything else I tested while often delivering better protection than any of the bigger brand name products.

Comment Re:Special license... (Score 1) 578

You can have maximum freedom or maximum security but you can not have both, and any attempt to have more of one will result in you having less of the other. So be careful what you want in the terms of security without looking at what you will need give up in the means of freedom.

I disagree. Governments want to convince us that we must give up one for the other, but very often we are giving up our freedoms for "security theater", and more often than not, we can keep our freedoms and increase security if we pick the right solution. The trade-off is more accurately described as security vs. convenience, which obviously applies here.

Comment Re:Good Job Logitech! (Score 1) 456

I've pretty much used Logitech mice exclusively since I've stared using a computer. They've consistently provided high-quality, low-priced products. My mouse I use at home is a simple $12 Logitech optical mouse, and it works perfectly. Unfortunately, I'm using a MS mouse at work. I think I will buy another Logitech mouse to replace this one.

As someone who also has consistently bought Logitech keyboards and mice, I agree on the durability/price point- but Logitech mice have never been very ergonomic. I think Microsoft excels in this area with their mice, and I'll probably get one of theirs once my MX518 bites the dust. What don't you like about the mouse at work, other than the brand?

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