The Vent and Rant Thread

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Having been a contented customer of my anti-virus software provider for the past few years, I went to renew my subscription only to find the product is now incompatible with my firewall.

They want me to uninstall my firewall and use the one that comes with their AV software.

Let me guess: you are running Norton A/V.

I've stayed away from it for years: too many "Does not play well with others" stories. Oddly, what I do run is Symantec Corporate (courtesy of an employer site license) which has never caused me a problem. Same vendor...

For firewall, I'm multi-layered. I have a hardware firewall enabled in my wireless router. Win XP includes a firewall, so I left it enabled, as it doesn't conflict with anything. Beyond that, I still run the last freeware version of Sygate Personal Firewall, which has the best interface I've seen, and I've looked at just about all of them.

SPF gets knocked for failing "leak tests". "Leak tests" assume your PC has been compromised by something that will attempt to disable or bypass your firewall and phone home, and tests how well the firewall can defend against it. I find it easier to just not get compromised, and don't worry about leak test results.

The problem is that outfits selling consumer solutions are pushing all-in-one suites that bundle A/V, anti-malware, and firewall in one package. If you prefer best-of-breed, it gets challenging.

The best place I know of to do research is the Gibson Research site. Steve Gibson, author of the well regarded SpinRite hard drive utility, is deeply concerned with security issues. He hosts the popular "Shields Up" firewall test, and has an assortment of tech and security forums on his site. Ask questions there and the denizens will give you chapter and verse.

http://<span style="text-decoration:...ons.htm</span>
______
DEnnis

[BookishDreamer]

This is not my day.

I'm trying to test software and keep getting interrupted. I have to use diacritic marks and am getting goofy results.

People don't believe me when I tell them I don't want to do something. "Why are you being difficult? You know you want to do it." They find it amusing to keep pestering me when I've already said no.

People think it is weird that I have an umbrella on a day when it's supposed to rain. I can't help that I'm prepared. I've always been like this.

So far the only good thing about today is that today is Friday and I can at least escape from the things and people bothering me for 2 days.

Dreamer

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Let me guess: you are running Norton A/V.

Actually it's Kaspersky.

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

The best place I know of to do research is the Gibson Research site. Steve Gibson, author of the well regarded SpinRite hard drive utility, is deeply concerned with security issues. He hosts the popular "Shields Up" firewall test, and has an assortment of tech and security forums on his site. Ask questions there and the denizens will give you chapter and verse.

http://<span style="text-decoration:...ons.htm</span>

Good tip.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Catire

Sure I'll post the recipes tomorrow when the keyboard isn't spinning so much. ::It's2:30A.M.AndIHadAWeeTooMuchToDrink::

yes please !

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Having been a contented customer of my anti-virus software provider for the past few years, I went to renew my subscription only to find the product is now incompatible with my firewall.

oh sparrow, i'm sorry for you. that is precisely the kind of thing that drives me MAD. you really have to wonder about some of these companies, seriously.

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

Argh! That behaviour would automatically put that vendor on a blacklist for me.

yep, me too.

Dennis, i'm using sygate as well, but it drives me crazy with those stupid popup alerts every time it has lunch or watches tv or clips its fingernails, and although there's the little box to click "don't display this alert again" i've clicked it a bajillion times and they keep coming back. it might not be such a problem but it pops up right over my layer palette when i'm working and gets in my way, and even worse, whenever it appears it automatically takes focus from whatever window was active, so if i'm typing a mail or something i suddenly discover that i have to stop typing, get the mouse, and click in the window to get back to what i was doing. it litterally drives me crazy to the point where i actually shut it down when i'm working more and more often, which seems to me to sort of defeat the purpose of having one. do you by any chance know any useful tip for disabling that feature ? i checked in all the options and parameters but i couldn't find it, and as i said that checkbox must be purely decorative... (alternately, perhaps i'll take a look at that website you list and see if i can find another one. but, much like sparrow, i don't particularly feel like messing with it. )

Originally Posted by BookishDreamer

This is not my day.

I'm trying to test software and keep getting interrupted. I have to use diacritic marks and am getting goofy results.

People don't believe me when I tell them I don't want to do something. "Why are you being difficult? You know you want to do it." They find it amusing to keep pestering me when I've already said no.

People think it is weird that I have an umbrella on a day when it's supposed to rain. I can't help that I'm prepared. I've always been like this.

So far the only good thing about today is that today is Friday and I can at least escape from the things and people bothering me for 2 days.

Dreamer

oh dreamer, i'm so sorry. that sounds incredibly annoying. the next person who harrasses you, just growl loudly at them or something in hopes they'll finally get the idea. meantime, here's a hug, and some chocolate. and a glass of wine.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

Dennis, i'm using sygate as well, but it drives me crazy with those stupid popup alerts every time it has lunch or watches tv or clips its fingernails, and although there's the little box to click "don't display this alert again" i've clicked it a bajillion times and they keep coming back.

Open Sygate. Click Tools/Options. Check the "Hide Notification Messages" box.

See if that solves your problem.
______
Dennis

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Open Sygate. Click Tools/Options. Check the "Hide Notification Messages" box.

See if that solves your problem.
______
Dennis

thanks dennis !! i could have sworn i checked that box already (seriously, one day i went through all the options looking for a solution to this problem, maybe it got re-clicked somehow ? if it's a default i guess it could have happened after a crash or a reinstall maybe). i've checked it now and i really hope it works !!!

[BookishDreamer]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

oh dreamer, i'm so sorry. that sounds incredibly annoying. the next person who harrasses you, just growl loudly at them or something in hopes they'll finally get the idea. meantime, here's a hug, and some chocolate. and a glass of wine.

Thanks. I've already started planning my evening and I know it will include some of that chocolate. The goal will be to completely wipe this day from my memory by the time I get home. So far the list (yes, I have an actual list) includes buying a new Moleskine, dinner in a restaurant (ordering all the foods I shouldn't eat, including dessert), and visiting to a local craft store or two. I might even be daring and buy a lottery ticket. If all goes as planned, my only thoughts when I get home will be of crawling into bed with my Reader.

Dreamer

[GraceKrispy]

Originally Posted by BookishDreamer

This is not my day.

I'm trying to test software and keep getting interrupted. I have to use diacritic marks and am getting goofy results.

People don't believe me when I tell them I don't want to do something. "Why are you being difficult? You know you want to do it." They find it amusing to keep pestering me when I've already said no.

People think it is weird that I have an umbrella on a day when it's supposed to rain. I can't help that I'm prepared. I've always been like this.

So far the only good thing about today is that today is Friday and I can at least escape from the things and people bothering me for 2 days.

Dreamer

I hope your day got a lot better!

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by BookishDreamer

This is not my day.

I'm trying to test software and keep getting interrupted. I have to use diacritic marks and am getting goofy results.

People don't believe me when I tell them I don't want to do something. "Why are you being difficult? You know you want to do it." They find it amusing to keep pestering me when I've already said no.
People think it is weird that I have an umbrella on a day when it's supposed to rain. I can't help that I'm prepared. I've always been like this.

So far the only good thing about today is that today is Friday and I can at least escape from the things and people bothering me for 2 days.

Dreamer

I share your grievances for having been most of my youth in that situation. Just because one is the silent type does not mean that one is ripe for manipulation. After that I was really aggressive and wound up bossing those people around. When I meet the quiet type, I respect their silence. Don't fret over it, just reinforce your armour...

[BookishDreamer]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

I hope your day got a lot better!

The day got better as soon as I got out of the office. Dinner was nice and I enjoyed the retail therapy. Found some great art supplies. I stayed up later than usual and slept in this morning. I love not having a schedule on weekends.

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

I share your grievances for having been most of my youth in that situation. Just because one is the silent type does not mean that one is ripe for manipulation. After that I was really aggressive and wound up bossing those people around. When I meet the quiet type, I respect their silence. Don't fret over it, just reinforce your armour...

My armor is pretty solid and things just roll off, but sometimes it accumulates too fast. This was just one of those days.

Dreamer

[Slite]

Someone "forgot" a halfeaten apple on their desk Friday when everyone wnet out of here at 11 in the morning cause they went to the yearly company outing.

Hence, our office is today swarming with fruitflies.... Which seems to like apples as much as they like bananas

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Slite

Someone "forgot" a halfeaten apple on their desk Friday when everyone wnet out of here at 11 in the morning cause they went to the yearly company outing.

Hence, our office is today swarming with fruitflies.... Which seems to like apples as much as they like bananas

Ouch! I heard fruitflies are very hard to get rid off once you have them...

[Slite]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Ouch! I heard fruitflies are very hard to get rid off once you have them...

Well, I constucted a flyswatter from a piece of cardboard a coathanger and some tape, so I'm set...

You can now all worship my McGyveresque skills!

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Slite

Well, I constucted a flyswatter from a piece of cardboard a coathanger and some tape, so I'm set...

You can now all worship my McGyveresque skills!

Wrong! You should get one of those battery powered ones... fruitflies are awesome (as they will show a nice lightning show!)

[Slite]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Wrong! You should get one of those battery powered ones... fruitflies are awesome (as they will show a nice lightning show!)

Oh I have one of those at home, but this was more of a "A don't have time to go shop for one" solution

But I agree. the battery powered ones are awesome, last year we had an immense amount of wasps around the house, they crackled nicely when hit with the powered swatter