Date:         Mon, 19 Jan 2004 14:23:57 -0700
Reply-To:     jbrush@AROS.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Anonymous Digest <jbrush@AROS.NET>
Subject:      Re: heads up on IE browser flaw
In-Reply-To:  <200401192041.i0JKfG6b093715@phobos.aros.net>

>I have been hearing more and more aobut Linux, and also alternative
>Browsers and E-mail programs to the Microsoft products. I just downloaded
>Mozilla. and I am searching out an alternative e-ail program.

Big subject. Really big. This is mostly this is IMO:

Cease to use IE, cease to use Outlook. Research has shown that there is a
chance that these two pieces of software may even be vulnerable to mad cow
disease, or emotionally disturbed bovine syndrome, if you like.

Use Mozilla. If you don't know what tabbed browsing is, once you use it,
you will love it, and you will never want to go back to IE again. Mozilla
is constantly being upgraded. Bill hasn't touched IE in years. Some sites
demand IE, but most can be worked around, and since you cannot reasonably
extract IE from your XP system, it will be there if you absolutely have to
use it. Plus, there are other browsers that work just as well, without
inherent the virus problems.

Find an alternate email program, there are many.  Viruses can be made to
infect most operating systems, but only microsoft happily provides the
virus with all the extra tools that it needs to not only execute malicious
programs, but to propagate itself across any network. The tools it needs
are mostly either IE, or Outlook. Using something other than Outlook and
IE greatly increases the security, health and well being of your computer.

You can start looking at www.download.com for email clients.

Linux is not ready for prime time, and if you are a windows only user, you
will probably not be happy with all the work you need to do in order to
get linux to run as smoothly and be productive in that environment. Linux
lovers will object vehemently, and that is okay, but Linux is not a
desktop operating system, it is a server, warped, twisted and bent into
the desktop field. One can get it there, but its a lot of work, and I
would guess that if you own a vanagon, you won't have time to wrestle
linux to the ground ;-)

If you have a second drive, or a free partition, that makes it easier to
try Linux if you want. The simplest thing to do is to install it on the
second drive, and use the option to create a boot floppy. That way you
don't have to mess with ntloader, or any boot manager stuff. Just boot
from the floppy if you want linux, and remove the floppy to get back to
windows.

One more alternative is a cool Linux distribution called Knoppix which is
a full blown Linux system that boots and runs completely from the CD,
using a RAM disk. Its only a few $$ from many sources, www.knoppix.net is
the home page, and it will let you play with Linux and learn about it
without even touching your present system. Given a broadband connection,
you can download it and burn your own CD if you want.

That's enough, as the subject could go on and on forever, but there are
other forums better suited for the discussion. If anyone wants to ask
more, I would be  happy to offer what I know, off the list, to keep it
vanagon-like around here.

I would like to state that I know there are lots of options and
alternatives, like www.lindows.com, and that some Linux distros are
better/easier than others, but this is just my opinion, so if I have put
off or offended any Penguin lovers, I am sorry, that is not my intention,
so please spare the vanagon list and let us not get too far into details
and OS wars in full view of those who really don't care <g> I have used
Linux off and on, and am just not that impressed so far.  If it makes it
any more palatable, I use OS/2, not windows, so I am sure not in favor of
anything billy does.

HTH,

John