Re: Zone Alarm (free addition) and Netscape dialup accelerater.

Jason, don't you hear your own contradictions?

There are many ways to be confident that it's clean and most of them can
be done
by non-technical home users. Home users can easily recognise many kinds
of
unusual activity such as unexpected popups or some other sudden change
in
behaviour. Unexpected network traffic can also be detected by being
familiar
with what the lights on a network switch mean. A sudden unexpected
increase in
light flashing, particularly when the computer is not in use, will need
to be
investigated.

Non-technical indeed. Anybody would obviously know something was 'wrong'
if there were multiple pop-ups, but lights on a network switch? Come on!
If people did notice them, they would probably say "Oh, how pretty".

It's also not too difficult to use a site like
http://www.hijackthis.de/ and to call for assistance from someone else
if
anything suspicious is found.

This you say you want from people that you say can't google? More
contradiction.
Call for assistance? Not everone has you for a relative / friend, but
even if they do have their very own IT expert, you just want to get
something (help) for nothing then.

If they are more knowledgeable than most then it's only because they are
aware
of why it's a very bad idea to allow everyone to use an administrator
account
and to download and install anything they like whenever they like.

Which is a little different from the people I thought we were talking
about, you snipped my Joe six pack and Freddy the lawyer out so nice.

The user shouldn't matter, but in the case of a home Windows PC at
present it is
advisable to have some knowledge of why it's a good idea to delete
unexpected
email from people you don't know and why it's a bad idea to accept or
click on
anything you're offered without thinking about what the motive of the
site
offering it might be.

Total Contradiction.
BUT? Yes. No. What is it?

These things are Microsoft's problem not the
user's problem.

Excuse me? I thought we were talking about the user.
This is the bias I was talking about earlier, you don't seem to like
Windows.
That is totally understandable.
However, we are trying to go beyond that now, ok? We are supposed to be
discussing the user here and what they should or should not do, not whine
about things we don't like.

You can't expect users to have any technical knowledge at all.

A line I can agree with (even if I do wish for that 'test' I was talking
about, way back when), if only you hadn't said earlier that they _should_
know at least some rudimentary 'rules' (don't open unknown email, don't
download everything, etc.)

Most people won't do it if the computer explains the possible
consequences of
installing untrusted unknown software.

That is what a personal firewall does! You just want it built into the
operating system.
Well, IT AIN'T, so we add it ourselves.

--
I really like children, but don't think I could eat a whole one.
.