US Government warns against Internet Explorer

[UpInArms]

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=16922

THE US GOVERNMENT has sent out a warning out to internet users through its Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), pleading users to stop using Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

Following a malware attack last week which targeted a known flaw in IE, like so many other attacks, the US-CERT recommended using alternative browsers thanks to their increased security. Microsoft is hurriedly trying to increase IE's security with the Windows XP Service Pack 2, but it's not fast enough for many.

In a vulnerability note released by US-CERT, it says "there are a number of significant vulnerabilities in technologies relating to the IE domain" and that "it is possible to reduce exposure to these vulnerabilities by using a different web browser." Well, they're right.

...a bit more...

Have been happily using Opera for years :D

[Triana]

1. switched to FireFox...

...I'll NEVER use IE again unless it's the only damn thing on the system and I will NOT use it for anything sensitive or personal...

I'm DONE with that shit.

[Drifter]

13. Tabbed browsing is the nuts ...

I have seen some goofy things with Firefox, but they are only at version 0.8, so there are some issues (far fewer than IE though).

Cheers
Drifter

[Triana]

16. I'm using FireFox 0.9...

...and I love the tabbed browsing!

[Realityhack]

67. Woot to Firefox...

Sadly I have to use IE when web editing though...
I wish I could drag and drop taskbar windows like I can with my tabs... Stupid microsoft. They havent even fixed the bug where a copy crashes out un-recoverably on a singe un-availible file. How does anyone expect them to understand something as complex as security.

[rabbit2484]

38. I am posting with Firefox

Works great. I read this in IE, but am glad to switch.

[54anickel]

Bill is not going to be a happy camper with this report. Watch for yet

another hurried patch from MS that will end up doing more harm than good. :eyes:

[DrWho]

2. FIREFOX

Just use FIREFOX.

google it

[Another Bill C.]

3. I like the Dan Quayle quote, too.

"It's time for the human race to enter the solar system" - Dan Quayle

[northernsoul]

4. help the ignorant

I'm sick to death of IE, but clueless as to what browser I should switch to and how I should do it - any suggestions / advice?

[DrWho]

5. northern

get FireFox

It's a great little browser.

[DrWho]

6. link

http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

Built in Pop Up Blocker, Tabs.

Everything IE will steal.

[mcar]

63. Thanks for this info

I had never heard of Firefox but just downloaded it. It copied all my bookmarks, etc. I'm glad to be done with IE.

[ursacorwin]

8. i use mozilla

and it's great! i don't know much about it though, i think it's open source and thus politically cool.

it never crashed my other open apps like often happens if i use IE.

[Philostopher]

9. The Mozilla package, and the Firefox standalone,

are good (if you aren't ready to give up your Microsoft mail applications, the Firefox browser is the browser without mail):

www.mozilla.org

You can read up on the browser and see what you think -- I've been using it since they started doing releases and like it a lot, but your mileage may vary, as the saying goes.

Plenty of people here are also very happy with Opera:

www.opera.com

I had problems getting it to integrate the Java package with the browser a couple of years ago, and there were web sites I wanted to use that didn't work well in Opera, so I went with Mozilla -- but either is a good alternative.

[sybylla]

18. The last Opera version I had didn't do html e-mails

Perhaps someone knows if the new version will. You wouldn't think html e-mails are a big deal but it't getting so that almost all of my e-mail is in html format.

I have used Netscape from its beginning. I haven't had any trouble with it either. A lot of DUers recommend the mozilla browsers but so far Netscape has kept up with most of the advances of the mozilla browsers like Foxfire. So I haven't found a reason to switch yet. And I haven't had a security issue to date. You can get Netscape free online as well.

[madrchsod]

10. opera

or mozilla firefox-newest version. opera has more features and easier mail,moziila faster and leaner. both easy to install

[robcon]

7. Sounds like a planted article...

by Microsoft's enemies. The conclusions are so far beyond what US-CERT wrote, that it is obvious to me that the author has an ax to grind.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

87. Internet Explorer and Outlook...

... are two of the biggest security holes on any computer. Do your research before spouting off on what you do not know. I have warned people of the problem of IE and Outlook for years. I am glad an authority is finally telling the truth on internet security. And never mind that the only time I have system problems is when some ActiveX app is running.

[jeff30997]

11. Is FireFox a good browser?

Is it better than Mozilla or Opera?

[stewert]

14. Firefox Kicks Ass........

I used Netscape and IE 6.0 for years, no more. About 2 weeks ago I downloaded the Mozilla Firefox browser. It is better than Netscape and IE, and I have yet to find a website it does not work on.

The security is great, mozilla does not allow active x programs to run like IE does. I still have IE on my computer but I set all the setting to high security. I don't use it but I still set it so that it was secure.

Here is a website that tells you how to set the security setting for IE and Mozilla.

http://cybercoyote.org/security/settings.htm

Here is the mozilla website:

http://www.mozilla.org/download.html

Click on Mozilla Firefox 0.9.1 and download it, it's a 20 minute download on a dial up modem.

Once you use Firefox you will never use Netscape or IE again.

[KoKo]

25. Question about Firefox. Do I need to download a separate program for

e-mail? They seem to say you need to download Thunderbird for e-mail.

Netscape 7.1 already has e-mail integrated into the browser. Having to download a separate program for e-mail would be confusing to me.

Also is it easy to put in your settings for ISP? I use Earthlink and when I upgraded from Netscape 4.5 as my browser Netscape 7.1 automatically scarfed up my bookmarks and settings and even my e-mail files that I needed to keep. Does Mozilla do that?

[LiberalUprising]

39. Use Mozilla if you want

Email capabilities included, as I understand it Firebird is sans email program, also Opera is pretty cool with it's mouse gestures.

You will have to download plug ins for Mozilla and Firebird if switching from IE since they are Netscaped based.

[KoKo]

76. Thanks for the tip. I'd thought about Mozilla. Had to chuckle at "mouse

gestures" in your post. I'm so clueless about computers to me it sounds like mice waving hi!..:D(sorry, for some of us the jargon, is just kind of hard to get)

I use Netscape 7.1 so Mozilla would probably work best for me.

[muriel_volestrangler]

31. Do you ever get problems with no Active X programs?

Some websites seem to rely on plugins to function correctly. How often do you get problems if you can't run them (and can you run an Acrobat plugin- that's vital)?

I tried a Mozilla browser 3 or 4 years ago, but got fed up with websites that didn't work with it (and some bugs that were in it then - more than IE, in fact). Is it more reliable now?

[Tempest]

12. Article is misleading, if not lying

The CERT says nothing about using a different browser, it says to deactivate certain features of IE.

Another source:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/30/ie_malware_attack/

[54anickel]

15. Last line of your posted article -

An even safer route would be to switch to a rival Internet browser like Netscape, Safari, Opera or Mozilla.

[Tempest]

19. Last line was not from the CERT

The last line was from the author of the article.

I've read the CERT and it says nothing about stop using IE.

[bpilgrim]

26. here ya go... http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/713878

Use a different web browser

There are a number of significant vulnerabilities in technologies relating to the IE domain/zone security model, the DHTML object model, MIME type determination, and ActiveX. It is possible to reduce exposure to these vulnerabilities by using a different web browser, especially when browsing untrusted sites. Such a decision may, however, reduce the functionality of sites that require IE-specific features such as DHTML, VBScript, and ActiveX. Note that using a different web browser will not remove IE from a Windows system, and other programs may invoke IE, the WebBrowser ActiveX control, or the HTML rendering engine (MSHTML).

source...
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/713878

peace

[Tempest]

49. Well damn it all to hell!

The CERT alerts I get are edited!

A lot of good that does me.

Doesn't make any sense on receiving them if they are not going to send the entire text.

[54anickel]

42. Sorry, wasn't implying that it was from the CERT, that's why I said posted

article.

[Tempest]

47. Sorry for the confusion.

I misread into your post.

[stewert]

17. IE Sucks.........

The article may be misleading, but IE does have some security holes. That is why they have to keep putting patches out and security service packs.

Do yourself a favor and dump IE, Firefox is a better browser.

About a month ago I was using IE 5.0 and I got 4 trojan viruses in my computer, they autodownloaded through a security hole in IE 5.0. Lucky for me I have a computer expert friend who found the viruses and removed them. It took him about 3 hours because they were hidden in a bunch of folders and in the registery. The damn things kept re-installing themselves every time the computer was re-booted.

If you upgrade to IE 6.0 and update your security patches you can fix it. But who knows what other holes are in IE, gates rushes that crap to market and leaves a lot of security holes.

[GregW]

28. Not to be mean or anything but ...

It sounds like you got burned for running an old version of the browser without current security patches installed.

I'm glad you got it fixed in the end, but what happened was not completely the fault of IE.

[Abaques]

89. Yes it was the fault of IE...

IE is a massive security hole that Microsoft just never will be able to fully fix because of the integration of IE into windows.

[Occulus]

32. If IE has security holes,

and we all know it does, then Windows has secuity holes. The thing so too tied in to the OS.

Thank God I can boot into linux if Windows takes a dump on me. I'm always able to recover my files... without a commercial utility. :)

[bpilgrim]

44. here is the CERT and it does advise using a different web browser

Use a different web browser

There are a number of significant vulnerabilities in technologies relating to the IE domain/zone security model, the DHTML object model, MIME type determination, and ActiveX. It is possible to reduce exposure to these vulnerabilities by using a different web browser, especially when browsing untrusted sites. Such a decision may, however, reduce the functionality of sites that require IE-specific features such as DHTML, VBScript, and ActiveX. Note that using a different web browser will not remove IE from a Windows system, and other programs may invoke IE, the WebBrowser ActiveX control, or the HTML rendering engine (MSHTML).

source...
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/713878

[rawstory]

20. FALSE

There's nothing on the US Cert website on this either...

http://www.us-cert.gov/press-events/

[peacebuzzard]

21. Just loaded Mozilla as replacement browser following advice here

to experiment the difference. For those of you remotely considering an attempt out of IE here are my immediate results: I have cable so the download was fast, but the Mozilla offered the 1st step instruction to exit out of open apps and a sidebar popped which brought over favorite websites from Explorer. When I came back to the DU site the pop up blocker immediately activated and asked the prompt questions. I am just a menu driven user but it is working OK for me and I am illiterate to tech savvy so for those of you in the same boat that's my initial experience. It appears to be a smooth operation.

[bpilgrim]

27. you will love tabbed browsing

and it is very fast with all the bells&whistles of IE and then some =)

peace

[Occulus]

33. Moz is nice like that

Very user-friendly. Explore the menus some, though; they're set up a bit differently and some things are in different places.

I use Opera in Windows and Mozilla in linux, and I haven't had any real problems (other than the obligatory ActiveX issue on occasion) with either one. I prefer Opera, because it's set by default to zoom the page waaaay in or out by holding CTRL and scrolling the wheel on my mouse. By contrast, other browsers only seem to allow me to go a certain percentage in either direction using that method. That, and the browser tabs... the fact that IE doesn't have those is really the biggest reason I don't use it.

[peacebuzzard]

57. I will be checking it out. My system came w/ Windows and I picked up

a virus after my in-house subscription to Norton expired after a yr. You only have to get a virus once to realize you don't want one again. I now keep that up to date any any hint of a possible failure in security just bristles me. I can't afford to be inconvenienced. I really appreciate all the tips DUers post on the subject...thanks to all.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

64. Come over here again and get another JCCyC geek treatment on your PC!

The last one was kinda limited. :hi:

[peacebuzzard]

73. Hi Jc! i Just sent IE to the trash but may have to reload when this

epidemic passes over and they have resolved the issue, because I don't think Mozilla supports the Java. ???? The apps I need from the intranet site from work doesn't load w/ this Mozilla. I don't think it does, I can't pull it up.:wtf:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

77. Mozilla does support Java, Javascript, Flash...

...sometimes you have to download and install a plugin (esp. Java & Flash). Works as well as under WIndows.

[peacebuzzard]

81. Thanks. Now I have to search for the plug-in. I will get back to you

when I find it. :toast: :toast:

[peacebuzzard]

85. well, after going thru the help pages at work....IE is the only browser

the system supports for the company intranet. So for now, I had to reload the IE but I will only do that for the work stuff. I'll play around with the Mozilla on everything else. As a matter of fact I have played around so much on my computer since I have been on my off days...I have to get to my house and yard chores. :-)

[Invalence1]

82. ???????

???? Where is "over here"? "Geek treatment on ... PC"? Clarify please?

[peacebuzzard]

86. "Over here" is in beautiful Brazil....."geek treatment" is when

Jc helped me with some photo formatting which I have to try to figure out again....so much to do in such little play time...:) :)

[Invalence1]

80. Opera zoom

NEAT! I've been using Opera for over a year now and had not known it had that feature. How handy! thanks!

[KoKo]

22. Geez, did Bill Gates give a big donation to Kerry? Otherwise this is

pretty bizarre.

[Az_lefty]

24. Doesn't look like it

his donations are all over the place, including Bush.

http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=WA&last=Gates&first=William

[nolabels]

43. Thanks toiletbush

That's a good site to check up what kind of neighborhood your in too :thumbsup:

[Occulus]

34. Bizarre, but true...

IE really is full of holes.

[Melsky]

23. Been using firefox for a couple of weeks

I like it a lot. I really liked how it automatically converted my favorites folder from ie to bookmarks.

The only problem I have had are there's a few blogs that somehow it renders unreadable, so I just use ie for those.

[enki23]

29. is firefox better than the current full mozilla release?

i'd like the full product, but perhaps firefox is sufficiently better to just use that?

[Realityhack]

68. Firefox is...

not necisarily better but it is smaller and if you don't load it up with plugins faster than the full version. Mozillia does take a little longer to load than IE in my experiance. If you do not actualy need the other stuff Firefox is probobly the way to go.

[playahata1]

30. I've been using MOZILLA for over a month now.

Thanks to several DUers who recommended it to me.

[JPZenger]

35. Trojans and Spyware Aimed at IE

One article I read said that most spyware and trojans were designed to work with only a single browser. They naturally go after Internet Explorer. These trojans and spyware can create great difficulties - I've tried four removal programs and still haven't gotten rid of every one. Norton Anti-Virus didn't stop them from loading.

By shifting to Mozilla or Navigator, you reduce your threat because the spyware crap usually isn't designed for them.

[Shadder]

36. Yet

Give them time....

[sonias]

37. another vote for Firefox

Screw IE.

Sonia

[starroute]

40. I've been using Firefox since it was still Phoenix

And it just gets better and better. Pages load faster, tabbed browsing is invaluable, etc.

Once you feel comfortable with the basics, extensions are also great. (But make sure you have Firefox 0.91 -- 0.9 had a bug in the extension installation and was replaced by 0.91 a few days later.) Go to Tools/Extensions, then click in the window on "Get More Extensions."

IE View is useful for instantly opening in IE those few pages that won't display properly in Firefox. (When this happens, it's because IE breaks standards, and some web developers follow it -- not because there is anything wrong with Firefox.) Tabbrowser Extensions will let you customize how tabs open. Add Bookmark Here is useful if you like to add bookmarks to particular folders, rather than just at the bottom of your list. You can also get a built-in RSS reader, which lets you check the Late Breaking News here at DU without actually loading the site. (And will also check headlines at many other news sites and blogs.)

New extensions are being added daily. There are many extensions that were developed for earlier versions of Firefox and are quickly being updated for compatibility with 0.91.

It's ever so nice to have a browser that will do what you want it to do, rather that what it wants to do.

[Az_lefty]

45. Tabbed Browsing...

how do you get tabbed browsing to work on Firefox 0.91? I just installed it and links are opening in a new window, just like IE did.

[Shadder]

46. I had the same problem

I also just installed it, try clicking on a link using your middle mouse button. Seems sort of silly to me, but it works I guess.

My first impression is that it's ok, but I still much perfer Slim Browser...which is a tabbed browser that uses the IE engine over it.

[starroute]

53. Download Tabbrowser Extensions

http://texturizer.net/firefox/extensions/#tbe

I don't know why it isn't on the Firefox 0.91 extension page yet, but it was updated a week ago and its working fine for me.

Just click on Install and it will download and install itself. Then you can right-click on it in the Download Manager Window (under Tools), choose Options, and configure to your heart's content.

[Shadder]

65. Thanks!

Thats better. Still not quite what I'm use to, but much closer.

[ConsAreLiars]

56. If you want a new tab opened automatically, instead of a window

Go to Tools/options/advanced and under "Browsing" check "select new tabs opened from links." Or if you just want to do this some of the time just drag and drop the link onto the tabs line of the toolbar.

[pauliedangerously]

41. Mozilla

I've been using Mozilla for about four months now and am completely happy with it.

[gasperc]

48. I guess my company's fucked

we use IE

[rawstory]

50. Why hasn't this been locked?

It's FAKE news. I don't understand. Someone could start a new post with actual facts, rather than spreading a false report.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

52. Not fake

As said in another post in this thread: http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/713878

[rawstory]

55. Yes, fake.

The CERT DOES NOT plead ANYWHERE to remove explorer. It suggests using other software after many other suggestions. I'm no one to root for Internet Explorer, but I count on mods to lock disingenous posts. I wish DUers would actually read things all the way through, rather than relying on bad sources.

[54anickel]

58. "Disingenous posts"? Would that imply that you have some knowledge

of the posters intentions? There may be a valid issue with the author of the article and his interpretation of the actual document posted by CERT.

I'll agree that a recommendation to use another browser is not a plead to remove IE. But you did not make that case in your first post calling it a fake. What would lead you to believe it would be locked by you're simply stating the article is a fake?

[rawstory]

72. The mods are usually more on top of things

Basically. I mean, they could have locked it and told the poster to post again with a more truthful article.

It reads like a scare tactic, a "Drudge"ish kind of headline when the story is a bit more complicated -- that's all I'm saying. I think there was a much more responsible way to handle this post.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

78. You're overreacting.

A rhetorical boost like (recommended -> pleaded) is hardly enough to lock a thread. Especially if it happens in the original article. Sometimes LBN threads get locked because the DU poster editorialized on top of the referred article's title, which is clearly not the case.

Why did THIS, especially, displease you so?

[rawstory]

83. LBN is supposed to use credible sources

This one, given the blatant editorializing in the article, is not. I've seen posts locked for smaller (stupider) things.

[ConsAreLiars]

51. Firefox compared to Mozilla

Both have a lot in common (popup blocking, tabs) but Mozilla is a complete package with chat, newsgroups, email, IRC and such all included. As such it is a pretty full replacement for the IE package. Firefox just does web pages, and so is a lot more nimble and offers a few things not included in the standard Mozilla browser, most notably a highly customizable toolbar.

Both have nice features like tabs and popup blocking, and allow the user to control other security measures related to cookies and passwords in a easily understandable way. Mozilla is noticeably faster than IE on my system, but Firefox is the clear winner.

If you choose Firefox you will also want Thunderbird for email and newsgroups. Once installed, Thunderbird is automatically opened when you click on an email link, and it has some very nice features like allowing you to teach it to recognize most "junk" email, and a few other features that help avoid email hazards. apart from the inherent security advantage of not being Micro$oft Outlook.

Once Mozilla and/or Firefox are running you will come across some filetypes (like quicktime or .pdf or shockwave) that will require plug-in software to be downloaded first. In every case I have encountered the process is very simple, just download the appropriate installer file and run it. Additionally, both have their own sets of plugins that can make web browsing far more efficient (see the "extensions" pages for examples).

[Blue_Roses]

59. Just installed Mozilla

and it is faster...I just hope I don't regret it. I'm so leary of anything these days after getting 2 trojan horses on IE last month. Had to have my whole system over-hauled.

[ConsAreLiars]

62. If would recommend

going to Edit/Preferences and opening the "privacy and security" list.

Under "Images" select "Do not load remote images..." since this is used by spammers and such to verify addresses (a request for a one-pixel image is sent out), and under "popup windows" select "Block unrequested popup windows" (you can set exceptions if there are some sites that need to use popups to work properly).

[Blue_Roses]

70. done..thanks a bunch

:)

[Robin Hood]

54. I love FIrefox and Thunderbird.

I have used it for the last few days and it is much faster than IE. And the extensions rock.

[54anickel]

60. A few related articles

There are many more out there should one care to Google. You may not agree with the "take" by this author, but they all come down to the same thing and same advice...IE is vulnerable, no patch yet available, limit IE features or your web browsing habits or simply use a different browser.

Internet Explorer Is Just Too Risky
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2004/tc20040629_7734_tc120.htm


Feds warn against Microsoft's browser CERT claims breaches compromise user's security
http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B7D91FC13-9FA9-4703-B000-10000DAA78DD%7D&siteid=google&dist=google

Microsoft haunted by old IE security flaw
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-5253112.html

US-CERT: Beware of IE
http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3374931

[TrueStory]

61. Test Your Browser's Security Now!

http://bcheck.scanit.be/bcheck

[pinniped]

66. Happily using Opera 7.51 for two days now.

www.opera.com

Screw Internut Exploder.

[Mechatanketra]

69. On Opera for two months now.

Been using Moz for a while, but for some reason it kept locking up my computer. I liked the program, but not enough to keep rebooting randomly :eyes:

Opera runs fine, though occasionally it gets into moods where it doesn't want to redraw the screen when it loads a new page (and I think that may be a problem with my system rather than the program -- my brother tells me he gets the same thing with mIRC).

Between tabbed browsing and mouse gestures, though -- my biggest problem now is I keep trying to use mouse gestures in my word processor! ;-)

[Insider]

71. if it's a gov't recommendation

why wouldn't the gov't commence changing browsers throughout? to the best of my knowledge, they haven't.

i read the source from cert coord. center. is DHS endorsing this action, or recommending, or implementing? just curious

[WoodrowFan]

90. actually

a lot of the government still uses Netscape because IE is full of security holes.

[Andrushka]

74. Gotta love the 'fox!

Get some of the extensions - you will never go back to IE again. Get the 'All in one gestures'. Hold down the right click, move the mouse in a certain way and you are navigating your ass about with ease.

[Maestro]

75. Another Firefox user here and Thunderbird -nt

[Zech Marquis]

79. never did like IE...

Opera, Mozilla, especially Apple's own Safari...as long as it's not IE, you'll be fine. It's realy fucked up when the government has to tell people NOT to use a certain web browser!

[realcountrymusic]

84. Browser wars

Remember the old days of heated contests between partisans of IE and Netscape? They're baaaaack!

As a web developer, I end up using every browser I can get my hands on to test my sites, rangingback tothe version 3 & 4 Netscape and IE packages. Every browser has some limitation.

Users should know that Safari, Netscape 7, and all the Mozilla browsers (Firefox, Camino, Mozilla) are based on the same open source "engine." Between them, they begin to represent "critical mass" because they tend to handle content the same way. The installed base for IE is still *much* larger, so developers have to treat it as the default baseline, creating the good old vicious circle (also called "monopoly") that has stuck us with Windows. Someday, when the history of personal computing is written, it will come down as one of the great con jobs in history -- how hundreds of millions of computer users were lulled or forced into using the most bloated, insecure, cumbersome, and just plain butt-ugly operating system just because "everyone else was using it." To a lesser extent the same can be said of IE, though among native MS Windows apps, it works better than most.

But there is a political reason to use one of the Mozilla-based browsers, because open-source software is a *Good Thing.* How can code be political? Let me count the ways. Open source levels the playing field for developers, and this levels the playing field for users. My day-in/day-out computer OS is Mac OS X, though I use unix, linux, and Windows machines every day too. In the couple of years that OS X has been out, based as it is on the BSD/Mach (ie, Unix) kernel, there has been a virtual explosion of development of new applications written for or ported to the Mac, far more than ever under earlier proprietary Mac OS versions. Ever notice that one of the standard old anti-Mac arguments ("Not enough software!") has largely been silenced? There is almost no task one can imagine doing on a Mac for which there are not several, if not dozens, of alternative applications, and every day there are more elegant, economical, precisely focused apps available, many of them ported from apps written for Linux or Unix. This is especially true in the sciences, where I work, since so many serious science apps were written around Unix computing platforms. What's more, under the GUI hood of a Mac, the guts of the OS look like a hometown to almost any sysadmin or IT manager. Because the code is open source, and the majority of new apps are themselves based on open-source projects, there are hundreds of thousands of developers and hobbyist programmers out there testing, refining, and modifying the apps and working under the hood of the OS with comfort. This has given Mac OS a much faster cycle of development, implementation, and refinement than in the past (here comes "Tiger"!), and,oh yeah, other than the products from Apple itself, it has really lowered the cost of keeping up with this development curve for IT and sysadmin folks like me. I can find very inexpensive or even free software that will do very specific things I want to get done, integrate well with the rest of my apps and the rest of my network, etc. A good example is the "Audacity" audio editor, (http://audacity.sourceforge.net) which is exeptionally elegant and powerful, ported to every OS, and *free.* Youi can easily spend a hundred dollars or more for a proprietary app with the same features. And don't even get me going on what this development curve shift is doing on the server side, where the real security and compatibility issues loom. If I never here the words MS IIS Server again, I will celebrate. I can scale my serving setup from a Mac desktop to a Linux server farm without ever uttering the words "Microsoft" or "Goddamn Bill Gates!" once. Yep, I test out every new server service I implement on a freaking 900 dollar iBook! My iBook runs PHP, SQL, Apache, WebCrossing, etc.

I'm not trying to start a Windows-bashing or Apple vs, Microsoft argument. I'm simply speaking from the developer and tech-guy side of things to say that the open-source movement has been really good for computing -- for security, for affordability, for accessiblity and cross-platform utility, and of course for breaking some of the monopoly Microsoft has enjoyed, which I regard as a Good Thing in itself. We don't like monopolies in other businesses, so why some otherwise progressive folks would defend Microsoft's business tactics simply baffles me.

On the user end, I vastly prefer Firefox and Mozilla to the other browsers, and FF is my browser of choice. Safari, which is nominally the same browser give or take a few thousand lines of code, used to be my favorite. But somehow Apple has messed up Safari in recent releases and it is full of bugs that weren't there in the beta version (can anyone say "localized string not found?") I still use it a lot. The latest security problems, whether they are exaggerated or not, with IE (and they're not only with IE, they are with Java and IIS as well) reflect a common fact: malware is written to target the largest potential population of victims. So you can defend yourself, as well as be cooler than your friends, by adopting a "minority" platform, such as the Mac OS running Firefox, though as I said nothing is perfect and the bottom line remains that the internet is a security disaster. We'll never stop the vast majority of computer users from being ignorant and trusting. Smart users take every precaution reasonably possible without curtailing their freedom or the value the internet has in their lives -- a lot like the "war on terra" actually, in that I for one am not willing to trade liberty for security as a general principle. I expect my software to be secure, but no software is perfectly secure, so practice common sense.

One good idea is to configure one browser as a high-security tool for banking and e-commerce -- no forms autofill, max security settings, cookies only from the site you navigate to, etc. Use another with cookies off all the time, javascript off unless needed, forms autofill, etc., for everyday web browsing. And given the number of choices out there, keep another set up for in-between uses, like reading and posting to DU. Most people don't even practice basic password security (no real words, using non-alphanumeric characters, mixing cases, not using the same PW on multiple sites). So add that to the mix and you are well ahead of the game. Get a firewall on your home network, watch out for wireless (don't bank on an unknown wireless connection, PLEASE!), keep your OS and virus definitions up to date on a weekly basis, and you're in the top 1 percent of security-conscious users.

RCM

[KoKo]

88. Thanks for all the tips. BTW, do you need a firewall if you have dial-up

on your home connection? I've resisted getting a firewall because I thought it would interfere with all the internet searches that I do.

I have Adaware/Spybot/Norton/Netscape 7.1 with PopUp Blocker and Earthlink with extra virus filters. Adding a firewall I thought would be beyond the tech stuff I can deal with.

Haven't been infested with anything yet in eight years except spy ware and datamining which so far I've been able to deal with. I'm all over the net as part of research job I do, plus all those spooky sites I'm linked to from here on DU when I'm not doing paid work. :D

I've either been lucky, or maybe the extra precautions and using Netscape have saved me. Never have used IE from the beginning because I preferred Netscape's usability so I've stuck with it all this time.

Might go to Mozilla because Netcape 7.1 is buggy with Bookmarks quirks and other stuff. Preferred the Nescape 4.7 because it was fast, simple and worked for what I needed, but it couldn't handle all the Java stuff which comes through in surfing and researching.

[realcountrymusic]

91. Sure. my pleasure

These days it is a good idea to run a simple, free firewall, at least, even with dial-up. Most people using Windows seem happy with the free version of ZoneAlarm, which is very easy to instal and configure. Nothing to fear and it won't interfere with muchb beyond asking you occasionally if you want to proceed with a download.



Netscape 7 is actually a Mozilla browser, albeit a bloated one. If youlike it and it works, you'll like the Mozilla ones and they'll work too.

RCM

[KoKo]

92. Thanks, thought I had to buy Zone Alarm. And, agree Ntscp 7.1 is bloated

and that's why I think I have the bookmarks problem. It just doesn't handle as smoothly because of the additions they've put in. I think there are ways to disable some of the stuff, but I never seem to have time to get to doing it. Mozilla sounds good.