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Messages - geekster

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1
Community Discussions (Non-Forum Related) / Take action against unfair computer laws in the US
« on: August 28, 2002, 07:37:03 AM »
To all our U.S. Proxo brothers and sisters:

I just recently came across a website devoted to making your voice heard and rallying against bills being introduced in the U.S. that allow "vigilante" and "heavy-handed" tactics by special interest groups in the U.S. to legally break the law and retaliate against any threat to their interests, perceived or otherwise.  It is called the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF):  http://www.eff.org/.  

I urge all our U.S. Proxo brothers and sisters in this forum to visit this site and make their voices heard.  Basically, it provides an easy way to send an already well-written letter to their legislators in Congress, and will go to the appropriate person, based on the writer's address.  If you truly are concerned, this is a way to make your concerns known to the lawmakers.  The more voices that are heard, the more the lawmakers will have to listen (especially if they want to be re-elected).

Even if you do not, or cannot, send a message to them, this is an excellent site to keep informed of what battles are taking place in the "electronic frontier".

Sincerely,

>>>>>>> tHe gEEksteR

--------------------
"All warfare is based on deception.
...to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence:
supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --The Art of War

Edited by - geekster on 28 Aug 2002  08:39:13

2
Community Discussions (Non-Forum Related) / Disable web graphics, violate copyright law
« on: August 25, 2002, 10:24:51 PM »
quote:


i'm trying to live according my belief and my conscience. i know laws (some of them very well) but i don't care much of them because my way of life is more correct of what the laws can impose to me.



If only the ones who counted believed like you do, maybe we would have even a slightly better world to live in.

And I believe you are a fighter, my fiery Italian friend.  I must confess that I was trying to turn that fiery temperement into a force that is to be reckoned with, like the single snowball rolling downhill and gaining size and momentum until it becomes a huge force to be reckoned with.  In this short time I've gotten to know you, I find it hard to believe that you would just sit aside and not be moved by the events in the world.

I greatly respect you for your beliefs because you are willing to stand up and fight for them.  You may not have any ideas at the moment, but you might in the future.  So, do not give up and do not back down.  Just remember to play it smart and use their own tactics against the oppressors.  It is the same principle used in the Japanese martial art, Aikido - using the opponents own strength and momentum against them.

I was making a suggestion of using those very same copyright laws against them. Let's keep in touch and maybe togehter we will find a way to turn the tables on the oppressors.

Your friend in spirit,

>>>>>>>> tHe gEEksteR

--------------------
"All warfare is based on deception.
...to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence:
supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --The Art of War

3
Community Discussions (Non-Forum Related) / Disable web graphics, violate copyright law
« on: August 25, 2002, 07:08:07 PM »
Okay altosax,

You believe that copyright laws themsevles are bad; I believe that it's the intent and how copyright laws are used that makes it good or bad.  I'm not trying to say whether you are right or wrong in your belief.  I will respect your beliefs, just give me the same courtesy.

I agree with you that things could be done differently, with more caring for each other.  But I'm asking you, how can you make others listen without the anger and hate.  There is already too much anger and hate in the world.  Why add to it?  No single solution is perfect.  This is not a perfect world.  So what you you do to help make things better?

I've heard of the abuses that patent and copyright laws are used for.  I could add to the things you mentioned that I've heard about.  So help me out.  Earlier, I mentioned suing the web developers that are crying about "protecting their rights" by saying that it's against my religion to be forced to view them as they see fit.  A court action is the only thing I can think of offhand that THESE people understand.  If you can come up with something better, I'm all ears.

You don't need to convince me about all the bad things copyright and patent laws are used for to oppress others.  I'm just saying that copyright laws are only a tool that's being used.  Like the knife - by itself it is neither good nor bad, but how it's used is what makes it good or bad.  Knives are used for cooking.  Is the knife still bad?  It is also used to take life.  It's the person using the knife who is good or bad.  It's the person manipulating copyright laws who is good or bad.  That is all I'm trying to say.  And right now we are stuck with these laws, for good or bad.  So let's work together and find a way to put a stop to such abuses.  I believe thtt by working together, we CAN make a difference.

Sincerely,

>>>>>>> tHe gEEksteR

--------------------
"All warfare is based on deception.
...to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence:
supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --The Art of War

4
Community Discussions (Non-Forum Related) / Disable web graphics, violate copyright law
« on: August 25, 2002, 05:09:29 PM »
quote:


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Information cannot be owned and it seems that the most natural thing to do is for humans to share it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


this is the reason the main algorithm are realized in the most known universities and distributed as public domain. so why a coder using those algorithms for his programs should be able to impose this kind of license?

altosax.



The idea behind copyright laws is to stop others from making money off of your ideas without your knowledge.  There is nothing that says you can't allow someone to make money off of your particular copyrighted material, whether it's a program code, a novel, a movie, etc.  Take a look at the open source programs.  Even though the code is all out in the open, it's still copyrighted.  The difference is that there is a sharing spirit underlying it all.  Most of them freely share and allow their code to be used as long as it's out in the open, and not behind anyone's back.  It's being sneaky and underhanded that's objectionable, human nature being what it is.  Copyrights don't have to be restrictive.  It's mainly there to put a stop to the ones being devious and underhanded, claiming credit for someone else's work.

And anything that is designated as public domain helps put a stop to anyone trying to be devious.  Which is the whole point of it all.

But back to the original thread about copyright law, those that try to use copyright laws for their own selfish gain are trying to twist the spirit of the law.  The age old conflict of good vs. evil : overcoming manipulation and deception.  Copyright law by itself isn't good or bad, just how it's used makes it good or bad.

Sincerely,

>>>>>>> tHe gEEksteR



--------------------
"All warfare is based on deception.
...to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence:
supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --The Art of War

5
Community Discussions (Non-Forum Related) / Disable web graphics, violate copyright law
« on: August 25, 2002, 04:00:19 PM »
quote:


i've paid for my television and when it will not be functioning anymore i'll call the assistance or repair it myself if i'll able to do this. and this seems normal to all because the tv is mine now. but could seem normal an end user license that establishes if i have to watch it on the chair or from the bed?...

regards,
altosax.



That is the essence and spirit behind the SVLA at <http://cexx.org/svla.htm>.  The whole idea is to show how ridiculous EULAs are and a way to respond to such idiocy.

I don't like copyrights either.  But I acknowledge that they exist.  It's a mechanism that tries to moderate human greediness and selfishness.  You don't have to like it, you just have to deal with it.  It's here now and it's not going to go away, unless mankind suddenly grew up and truly became brothers in spirit, with a sense of sharing and giving and loving.  Life is difficult, unfair,  and full of obstacles.  That is a sad truth.  So all there's left to do is to accept that fact and deal with it.

And the question is, how to deal with it.  The best way I found is to act, not react.  What works for me is that for every complaint I have, offer a solution with it.  People will listen more and maybe even discuss it more if a solution is offered.  My approach is to establish some kind of respect.  I don't have to agree with everyones ideas, but I try to establish and show respect.  Once respect is established, trust begins to follow, even if there is disagreement.

I fully agree with you that it's absurd and ridiculous. So tell me, what do you propose can be done to slow down or even stop such absurdity?  I'm sure you have somes ideas.  I'd love to hear them.

--------------------
"All warfare is based on deception.
...to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence:
supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --The Art of War

6
Community Discussions (Non-Forum Related) / proxomitron compressed
« on: August 25, 2002, 01:26:09 PM »
quote:


If you are just trying to load Proxo faster and you are running Win2K then just start it with high priority class from a batch file.



If you want to run programs under Win 9x/Me with a higher priority, here's a REGfile I created that will do the trick.

---------------------- begin cut ------------------------------
REGEDIT4

;; TWEAKS FOR BOOSTING CPU PRIORITY
;;
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetServicesVxDBIOS]
"AGPConcur"=dword:00000001
"CPUPriority"=dword:00000002
"FastDRAM"=dword:00000001
"PCIConcur"=dword:00000001
;;
;;    "CPUPriority" valid DWORD Decimal values:
;;     0 = The foreground (active) app/game is assigned exclusive CPU cycles
;;            (real time priority). WARNING: USE WITH CAUTION!
;;     1 = All open apps/games (foreground and background) benefit from a lot  
;;            more CPU cycles than loaded Win32 TSRs/DLLs/Runtimes/APIs.
;;     2 = All open apps/games (foreground and background) benefit from a few
;;            more CPU cycles than loaded Win32 TSRs/DLLs/Runtimes/APIs.
;;     3 = All apps/games/TSRs/DLLs/Runtimes/APIs share same CPU cycles
;;            (default, same as "CPUPriority" absent from Registry).

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetControlPriorityControl]
"IRQ8Priority"=dword:00000001
"Win32PrioritySeparation"=dword:00000001
;;
;;    "Win32PrioritySeparation" valid DWORD Decimal values:
;;     0 = Foreground and background applications equally responsive.
;;     1 = Foreground application more responsive than background.
;;     2 = Best foreground application response time.

------------------------ end cut ------------------------------

Just cut and paste into Notepad (or whatever text editor you use) and save it with a .REG extension.  This will help speed things up a bit.  A word of caution, try not to get too carried away with the settings.  There are two settings that have a range of values to choose from. The others are only Boolean values (either on or off). The defaults I have set will work wonders and not interefere in any way.

Enjoy!

>>>>>>> tHe gEEksteR

--------------------
"All warfare is based on deception.
...to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence:
supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --The Art of War

7
Community Discussions (Non-Forum Related) / Disable web graphics, violate copyright law
« on: August 25, 2002, 01:00:25 PM »
quote:


yes, i'm interfering with web publishers' exclusive right to control how their page are displayed, but web publishers are interfering with my private life and my right to control what content i'm expecting to view on a web page.

altosax.
 


This brings to mind the controversy about the legality of EULAs.  Do software vendors have the right to dictate how you can use YOUR software that you paid money for?  I don't deny that their code is copyrighted, but with any other consumer product in the USA, once you pay money for something, it's yours to do with as you please....except for software?!?  What gives?  And to add insult to injury, if their software causes damage to your system (data loss, etc.) they whine that they can't be held accountable, even if it can be proven that their software is a piece of doo-doo and poorly written.  Check out this SOFTWARE VENDORS LICENSE AGREEMENT (SVLA) that someone came up with in response to EULAs at Counterexploitation.org: <http://cexx.org/svla.htm>.

Maybe people should start bringing suit to these "anal cavities" about how their sites are in poor taste and it is against your religion to be forced to view them, or something like that.  May sound silly, but no more silly than the whining they do to get their way.

Please forgive some of the strong words I've tried to water down, but it's issues like these that starts my blood boiling.

Sincerely,

>>>>>>> tHe gEEksetR

--------------------
"All warfare is based on deception.
...to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence:
supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --The Art of War

8
Community Discussions (Non-Forum Related) / Proggys & Downloads
« on: August 25, 2002, 11:37:01 AM »
A "Heads-Up" from the gEEksteR:

There are a couple of little known standalone apps that function similar to Jak's mention of CommView above.  One is "BHOCaptor" and the other is "BHO Demon".  Both let you what BHOs are installed on your system.  BHOs are system files that work with IE, aka "browser helper objects".  Basicly they're dll files that function similar to the shell extensions for Explorer.exe.  Bottom line is that BHOs can make life easier for the browser, but they can also be exploited by the unscrupulous. THEY CAN BE USED TO SPY ON YOU BEHIND THE SCENES, LIKE "PHONING HOME".  You can find them at Spywareinfo's download page at <http://www.spywareinfo.com/downloads.html>.  They also have some other interesting apps, such as Proxomitron.  All the files on their download page are located ont their server (including Proxo).

If you want to check out more info on BHOs, read the Esposito article about BHOs at MSDN Library, <http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/techart/bho.htm>.  Though it was written in 1999, it's still the definitive article explaining BHOs, and how to create them.  Also BHO Demon has an excellent little HTML help file explaining the abuses of BHOs.

>>>>>>> tHe gEEksteR

--------------------
"All warfare is based on deception.
...to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence:
supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --The Art of War

Edited by - geekster on 25 Aug 2002  12:39:03

Edited by - geekster on 25 Aug 2002  12:40:02

9
Community Discussions (Non-Forum Related) / Which Firewall
« on: August 25, 2002, 10:57:48 AM »
I'm currently using Sygate Personal Firewall.  The current version is without a doubt a top-notch firewall.  According to Steve Gibson's port scanning test at GRC, all my ports are stealthed. It monitors your computer at the Ring 0 level, and will even stop suspicious activity before it is fully loaded.

I've used ZoneAlarm and Tiny Personal Firewall with great success.  However, the latest versions of ZoneAlarm started giving me problems with my computer.  I really love Sygate's current incarnation.  TPF requires a more technical-oriented approach when configuring.  (You really need to know about rules.)
While ZoneAlarm does everything behind the scenes for you, Sygate is easy to configure, yet flexible enough, like TPF, where you can further define the rules for each program, or modify them to your satisfaction.

Try it, you'll like it.

>>>>>>> tHe gEEkstaR

--------------------
"All warfare is based on deception.
...to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence:
supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --The Art of War

10
Configuration Files / JD's config set (updated 08-12-02)
« on: August 23, 2002, 05:32:40 AM »
Hey JD5000:

I have a question that might be able to help me out with faster than trying to figure it out by myself.  It concerns the adlinks.  I noticed you've set your filtering up to completely remove all links to ads, like the banners, etc.  How could I change it so that only a link remains containing a short desc. of the ad and still keep everything else intact.  I want to be able to go to that site, but also I want all monitoring (webbugs, etc.) disabled, as well as redirected links.  In short, a direct link to the site, without the multimedia content and tracking.

I could probably figure it out myself, but I'm not familiar with your setup yet and I would rather spend the time getting my website up and running at this point.

Sincerely,

>>>>>>> tHe gEEksteR

--------------------
"All warfare is based on deception.
...to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence:
supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --The Art of War

11
Configuration Files / JD's config set (updated 08-12-02)
« on: August 22, 2002, 02:35:47 PM »
Hi JD5000:

I'm tHe gEEksteR, and have just joined (as in yesterday).

I want to says thanks JD5000 for all the work you put into the config setup.  It looks like you spent hours on it.  And the layout in the config dialog boxes are really terrific!

I first heard about PROXO quite awhile ago, when the first Naoke 4 version just came out and was still in the beta stages.  I used it for a while, but steered away because it was interefering with a few java-based pages I visited, and went to WebWasher, then AdSubtract.

But now I'm back with PROXO and, thanks to your setup, for good.  I'm fairly new to computers in general, and have been going through a BIG learning curve, but it seems I have a natural understanding :-)

I will be putting up my own website shortly through my ISP (AT&T), called gEEklanD, and will be dealing with computer security a lot, as well as issues about Windows and how to keep control of your own computer.

My beef isn't so much with ads in general, but what's going on behind the scenes (like invasion of privacy and being sneaky about it).  Ads are a way of learning about new products, and the benign use of advertising is okay with me, although I was raised with a bias against advertising and am still cynical about them and like to poke holes in them ;-}

Anyway, thanks again JD for all the effort put into your config setup.  And I will be making contributions, as soon as I get up to speed.

>>>>>>> tHe gEEksteR


--------------------
"All warfare is based on deception.
...to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence:
supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --The Art of War

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