Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 16:52:34 -0400 From: "David Nixon" <david.nixon@mantech.com> To: <freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.org> Cc: <vizion@ptialaska.net> Subject: Re: Attachments request -OOOOOPS Message-ID: <s8eb6f55.083@CORP-GW.mantech.com>
next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
I had originally thought this to be a belated April Fools prank or at = least a minor attempt at trollery (nice job chumming the water), but I see = it is not. Let me try to explain this to you... The internet (this = mailing list) is a nice collection of closet anarchists. They pretty much = do as they want, but there are rules and standards that they will not = break. Take for example, murder. Murder is nice, fun and all (great way = to get rid of unwelcome house guests) but what if some other guy got the = idea of murdering you? Anarchism has it's perks but being dead invalidates= most of them. So... you have this collective rule, an understanding if = you will, that anarchists won't go around murdering other anarchists. = People gather together these collective rules and create a great Oracle = called the FAQ. On other mailing lists, Usenet groups, etc, it is not = uncommon to see the acronym RTFFAQ (you are smart, I know you can fill in = the words) posted as a response to your request. This is generally = because you have broken one of the most carnal of sins among internet = denizens. You made a request for people to conform to YOUR standards to = benefit YOUR needs versus the anarchist status quo that has been held for = years and years. Unfortunately, you have only hurt yourself by making = such a request. *Plonk* What was that? That was the sound that a kill = file makes when an email address is added to it. You what to hear = stories, I can tell stories? Many, many years ago I was *hanging head in shame* a Windows user. Yes, I = owned a Windows box and had settled on Forte Agent as my Windows e-mail = and Usenet reader. Being a regular on several Usenet groups (I have = honestly never been nominated for Kook of the Month) and mailing lists, I = later got public requests from individuals to please format my text = (insert hard carriage returns) because the text was running off their = screens and they had to scroll to the right quite a distance to read. = Anyone guess what this coincided with? Netscape released a new browser = (2.?) that had an integrated Usenet reader. If memory servers me correct, = Netscape forgot to add the word wrap function, or maybe word wrap was not = enabled by default (know that was the issue with later versions). The = point being that I and everyone else that were posting unformatted text = were doing nothing wrong. Just that the people using their software had = no clue how to properly use it. Immediately blamed other people for their = ignorance, and expected the other people to fix the problem for them. I = will list the same options I gave those individuals many years ago and you = can apply the one(s) you want to the situation at hand. 1. Unsubscribe from the Usenet group(s) and or mailing list(s). 2. Add me and all the other posting unformatted text (attachments in your = case) to your kill file. 3. Learn how to properly use your software. 4. Obtain a different software package that coincides with your learning = curve; pigeons also make nice pets. ;-) That being said (typed), why are you not using an automated e-mail virus = scanner? Company standard here is McAfee for Windows machines and it does = automatic e-mail attachment scans along with the standard system virus = protection. Second question: why is your e-mail provider not scanning = incoming and outgoing e-mail attachment at the SMTP gateway? The gateway = should bounce the e-mail back with a brief message about why it was = blocked. You might want to drop them a nice e-mail to your provider and = nudge them into that direction by mentioning legal liability for infecting = other systems from their domain. The SMTP gateway here DENIES at least 20 = incoming e-mail messages a day for infected attachments of the Melissa = verity alone (primarily sent by Outlook users). David A. Nixon Network Security Engineer ManTech International Corp. www.ManTech.com=20 =20 >>> "Southwell" <vizion@ptialaska.net> 04/04 1:14 AM >>> Well guys I am so soooooooooooory if you had not told me I would never = have known - I am hanging my head here -- I am not used to using Microsoft stuff and it appears that HTML was set by default on this machine -- the sooner I can = get my new machine up with Freebsd 4.00 the better I will like it!! Please let me know if the beastly HTML and Jif stuff (aparrently for some kind of background to the mail) has dissappeared. However I would still stand by my request and you guys have made more = point for me again Attachments etc are a pain in the **** Thanks To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-stable" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?s8eb6f55.083>