Quit Google..sound advice ?

[ironglow]

  Tech expert says "quit Google and facebook"..what say you ?
   http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-06/10/tim-wu-google-boycott

[Bigeasy]

I don't use social media (Face Book), but I do use Google to look up information.  In my non professional opinion, as long as you use a good ant-virus program, you are about as well protected as you can be.
 
Key is to be careful what you put out there.  Photos taken on most cell phones and placed on, say facebook, can be used to find your address via embedded GPS info.  Pics of your pretty daughter might not be a good idea when a facebook "friend" posts where she goes to school, what days she is home alone baby sitting.  Stuff like that.
 
I really don't see any Internet use that can be reliably protected from serious (Government) hacking if that is the concern.
 
Larry

[ironglow]

It is discouraging..  We need a Washington house-cleaning..  New names, faces and parties..  wish we could do it without parties..

[Anna]

I don't use social media (Face Book), but I do use Google to look up information.  In my non professional opinion, as long as you use a good ant-virus program, you are about as well protected as you can be.
 
Key is to be careful what you put out there.  Photos taken on most cell phones and placed on, say facebook, can be used to find your address via embedded GPS info.  Pics of your pretty daughter might not be a good idea when a facebook "friend" posts where she goes to school, what days she is home alone baby sitting.  Stuff like that.
 
I really don't see any Internet use that can be reliably protected from serious (Government) hacking if that is the concern.
 
Larry

Get a good Linux OS and you don't have to worry about all those nasty bugs. I've been useing either
Linux or Mac for years now without any problems.
When I get on a windows OS I think you have got to be kidding. That virus bait isn't worth even messing with and if you can navigate windows you can do Linux.
Linux doesn't accept root programs like mall ware without your permission it ask you first.
Windows just holds the door open and they are making a fortune off those windows virus programs.
Firefox is a great browser for Linux, they had some problems at first but those have been cured.
I can work my HP hardware just fine on Linux and any program I want is available through wine.

[yellowtail3]

Windows just holds the door open and they are making a fortune off those windows virus programs.

are they? Windows Security Essentials is free - I've been using it for a few years, seems to be pretty effective. give it a try...

[Dee]

Don't want your data recorded? Quit usin Google, throw away those DEBIT cards, CREDIT CARDS, CHECK BOOKS with you account number on it, your address, your phone number, your signature, and on, and on, an on.
Use nothing but cash. Then watch your credit score plummet, and disappear. We're all in the well, so might as well enjoy the echo.

[Oldshooter]

Funny thing about all the anti virus stuff. Whats the motive? Who benefits from making and sending all these worms and viruses,and malware.  Seems to me its the people selling the antivirus programs ya think?
 
I recently went to Reagan.com and got an email addy that wont be tracked and my information sold.
 
The less your information travels the WWW the better off you are! Cash only may well be the way to go.

[Anna]

Windows just holds the door open and they are making a fortune off those windows virus programs.

are they? Windows Security Essentials is free - I've been using it for a few years, seems to be pretty effective. give it a try...

Well that's so nice that its free, with windows it needs to be. Where its not needed on Mac or Linux
because they are a better OS. So its something that isn't free because it is not needed.
You have problems with Google? Google was engineered for windows when they introduced it to
Linux most people who tried it went back to Firefox.
Its harder for Google to do all the things discussed here on Linux so it hasn't panned out.
You keep your windows I'm proud of you but I will keep my Ubuntu OS I don't need your stinking
windows badges. But really YT3 thank you for your help it isn't you I don't like its the whole
windows failed OS monopoly. Windows, what a joke anyone who is into Linux says the same
thing.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aufL76bXLAg

[mechanic]

Anna, if it's data mining you're concerned about, they can suck your apple dry as well as your phone, etc.  There are commercial programs around that will pull up tons of info on anyone that's ever used electronics for anything.  No hiding anymore.
 
Ben

[Anna]

Anna, if it's data mining you're concerned about, they can suck your apple dry as well as your phone, etc.  There are commercial programs around that will pull up tons of info on anyone that's ever used electronics for anything.  No hiding anymore.
 
Ben

True but Linux established the counter attack program long ago. A hostile incursion may end up just
looking at itself. And downloading info about its operator and not the target user.
Mirror technology they called it and it does work.

[Dee]

Your right mechanic. About 90% of your info for credit card apps., employment apps., traffic citation records, loan apps., the lists go on and on.

[Anna]

Your right mechanic. About 90% of your info for credit card apps., employment apps., traffic citation records, loan apps., the lists go on and on.

That's all like public record invadeing your computer files is another thing. And everything you said is synonomus with windows and Mac not Linux. 
The Linux I have on my PC will take your virus,worm, or mall ware and send it right back to you.
And if you used windows it will do to you the sane thing you intended to do to me.
Buy the way Linux OS was originally created for NORAD. Its been vastly improved since then.

[Dee]

Anna someone else sold your privacy. It's not that I disagree with you, it's just that our expectations of privacy are a farce. They have long since left the building, and it will only get worse. The camel is completely IN the tent.

[Anna]

Anna someone else sold your privacy. It's not that I disagree with you, it's just that our expectations of privacy are a farce. They have long since left the building, and it will only get worse. The camel is completely IN the tent.

Ok, let me get off this Mac and go to my company PC running Linux Mint and try to get in there.
Doctors with patient records are using this and I'm telling you it will not work people have tried.
And it will tell me who tried and when, its a cat and mouse game I do agree but right now Linux is
your best bet over any other OS. And your still talking about sellable public records not my hard
drive. Linux can not control how cheesy other systems are but it can protect yours .
If this isn't true show me one instance where Linux has been compromised. You can't it doesn't work like that. 
But i can show you thousands where Mac and windows have been.

[Dixie Dude]

Yep, they can record what websites you access.  Might could go to a public library and use a computer there for access to certain sites.  Another way is to keep credit is only use the card(s) for gasoline and groceries, and pay them off monthly.  Then get cash to go to gun shows or pay cash for things you need like ammo, reloading stuff, etc.  There are ways around snooping.  Also, we use Bing instead of Google right now.  One can also use Yahoo search engine.  Google records everything.  Don't know if Bing or Yahoo does.  I'm probably going to not use the websites or internet much anymore except for benign things.  I don't use Facebook, but have an account just to keep up with my kids who are scattered around.  Not private at all.  I also limit my so called friends.  Haven't thought about Linux.  I may ask my wife about possibly converting to it.  We have 3-4 computers already.  Can't hurt to convert one. 

[ChungDoQuan]

Anna, I've used Linux since my Windoze 95 Compaq crashed. I've heard the newest Mac software is Linux based. Newer Linux OS's will actually tell you when someone is trying to hack you or a virus is trying to get in. My laptop has Windows on as small a partition as possible, for the work applications that are proprietary for Windows, and the rest of it is whatever iteration of Ubuntu is out.

[LONGTOM]

Panda Military is about as good as you are going to get for protection.
 
 
LONGTOM

[GrassLakeRon]

"You are not safe once you are on the internet.  I can get to everything you do" - Head in charge of internet security for google and one of my former students.  Before his doctorate  at Carnegie Mellon he worked for the NSA at fort meade at age 18.  Now everyone say hi to Ian.

That is a fact.  No foil hat needed.

Ron

[Anna]

Anna, I've used Linux since my Windoze 95 Compaq crashed. I've heard the newest Mac software is Linux based. Newer Linux OS's will actually tell you when someone is trying to hack you or a virus is trying to get in. My laptop has Windows on as small a partition as possible, for the work applications that are proprietary for Windows, and the rest of it is whatever iteration of Ubuntu is out.

There's someone who knows what I'm talking about. I can't say Linux has a back door but all that
you guys are describing is things you do on the web to expose yourself.
With certian information any hacker can figure out where to find more info on you,but it isn't going
to be from a Linux OS. Not at least what's locked inside the PC running Linux.
Your only as safe as yourself but with windows its a good idea to not leave your computer idleing
on a web connection. CDQ have you had any luck with wine?  I've found it works pretty well
on running windows programs and keeps them locked away from the rest of the system.
Linux only uses what parts of them you need from the program so the rest of it doesn't become a
root menu. We are not kidding guys once you have Linux you will never go back to windows.
And you can download trial versions right beside you windows OS.
CDQ, when you first started with Ubuntu didnt you look at windows as so compleately primitive?
Boy I did I couldn't belive what I had been missing, and I didn't have to buy anymore anti virus
programs or fire walls. I don't even own a computer with windows anymore and I wouldn't pay
for a computer that was running it.
 

[ChungDoQuan]

One of the best things about having Linux on the same drive is when the Windows craps out, and it will, you can look at the Windows partition with Linux and fix it. My brother used to keep a Linux boot disk with him when he went on calls (he was a computer service guy.) At the least, you can transfer all the data to a portable drive before reinstalling Windows. I use Wine for a few things. Mostly I look for a Linux program that does the same thing, because Wine does run a little slower. Usually, the Linux programs can be set up to save the data in a Windows format, so you can send or save files that Windows can read. (It does not work the other way, though!) I really like the universal office suites you can get on Linux--- they can read, write, and save anything, in any format, convert from one to the other, no matter what. (Try converting a Word file to Adobe or modifying a PDF file with Word!) And they're free!

[Anna]

CDQ, most of that software your talking about for Linux comes from college nerds and I've gotten
some pretty good stuff from them.  Your a little more Linux savvy than I am I didn't know you could
partion windows but I gave that OS the boot years ago.
Hay, what do you think about mint? I feel its not as agile as Ubuntu but if all you do is web based
its better for that. I had Red Hat and it was good for office stuff but Ubuntu always had the bases
covered for me.  Do you use Firefox or one of the Linux browsers?
If so please let me know which one you would recommend.  Google Linux just couldnt cut the way
Linux works, it kept freezing up so I tried Opera. Its a good browser but they need to update it
because it has some of the same problems that the Google one did.

[Anna]

I'm not off topic, I'm only giving you a solution you can live with.
Linux is not difficult to use guys that's a myth. My 11 year old niece came over and started playing.    on my PC. She did everything on my computer she did on hers at home running windows.
She never knew it was Linux she was using until we told her.
Break the chains and become free!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOtKZA9ri7M

[ChungDoQuan]

I haven't tried Mint, but I think it's as secure as any version of Linux. I seem to remember it was set up for internet. I like Opera, but there's a lot of newer stuff it won't do. I do like the fact you can set it up to look like any other browser to the sites you go to. I've only tried Iceweasel  and another one that I can't remember the name of--- both are Mozilla clones like Firefox, so they're very similar. For searches, I use Dogpile (go to Dogpile.com). It searches the top 7 or 8 engines at the same time, but it does it from the Dogpile server, so theoretically it's harder to trace. Bing annoys me. I don't need the computer making suggestions!

[Anna]

I don't care for bing either and I haven't used google in years after it crashed as a browser.
Firefox is about all I use with Linux after all its updates its gotten pretty good as a browser and a
search engine. Safari is ok but the whole Apple thing is in its own little world and anything Apple is
usually way over rated and expensive. Part of the problems people have with windows is the sites
they are going to. And I'm not talking so much about the red light districts ive seen where people
got problems from mall ware going to order car parts. Yahoo recently was attacked by hackers and
Yahoo had its members change their passwords.

Like we have been saying, it isn't so much you OS or search engine its the sites that are causing the
trouble. My Linux went nuts over me going to the JC Penny site once and my Yahoo email started
getting spam emails from sites that knew my name but I've never been too. I think that windows
just makes this easier for them to do and google has been named as a problem child many times
in the past so how is this a surprise or something new? Its like the old AOL thing years ago many
company's would not allow AOL to be on their computers. It was able to invade your computer and
take over with its own sub menu programs. But both AOL and google ran into a brick wall when
Linux was the operating system. So google introduced its own browser for Linux but I don't know
who created that program they surly didn't have any idea how Linux works!

What a joke it was like the google browser was caving in on itself and even Firefox Linux had this
problem from the start. How does Linux do this? Well I'm no computer nerd but one guy who is
told me this. Linux does not allow any root menus or programs that you don't authorize. Anything
out of the normal to the original OS will be eliminated at the time of boot, reboot. The things you
do authorize if they try and change anything to the system itself they are quarantined then removed.
That's why you can only use Linux based or approved programs within that OS. Thus no crashing or
locking up. If you try to slip in some mall ware virus or a worm as an odd program they are gone
and get nowhere. The OS is basic unto itself even its creators can not get in they have tested this
over the years. You may damage the computer hard drive but your not going to compromise the OS.


 
 

[Anna]

OK, I got an older gateway Laptop that was once a pretty fine piece of hardware. I forgot what Windows version was on it, but now pretty fouled up, and they don't support it any longer... 
.
What do I need to do to get Linux on this 'putor, shut off Windows, avoid conflicts,  and where do I get this OS?
.
Please make simple...I'm not too tech savvy.
.
.
.TM7

TM7 first of all is your hard drive damaged after years of windows? Linux will not operate on an inconclusive hard drive it has to be conclusive. The OS is a collective in other words all sections are
as one not a bunch of this and that. I know what you mean I had a NIB Sony Vaio with Vista on it
that was a complete mess it never would work right no matter how many times I ran a partition.
When I got talked into Ubuntu by a nerd he downloaded Linux off the web with a command prompt
to eliminate windows as it went along. Boy did it ever, it shut itself down then rebooted and windows
was nonexistent. Linux had this window up asking me for configuration, be careful this is a one
shot pony with Linux.  Guys that was six years ago and this Sony still runs like it should with no problems just like its new. Nothing, not one OS related problem ever again.

Try going to a web site that supports Linux, and I know since I did this they have gotten even better
at this conversion. Go with Ubuntu as a starter if you can run windows then Ubuntu would be a piece
of cake. The only difference I saw is Linux calls the basic functions of the OS something different.
But I mastered it in one afternoon Ubuntu is very user friendly and it will tell you what to do.
It will come with a basic browser named Conan I believe that will allow you to go to Firefox which
is far more what your used to. But be advised its only going to allow you to download Linux approved
support programs nothing else will work unless like CDQ said you keep these windows programs
in a jail cell and use them sparingly. Any trouble with them and they are out no exceptions I've
tried before. HP has drivers for your printer approved by Linux so that shouldn't be a problem and
Linux will find these drivers for you anyway.

The funny thing is try hooking a Linux computer up to one with windows! Even a good windows and
have Linux do an analysis of that computer. Like I said you will never go back to that virus bait.

[ChungDoQuan]

TM, you can go here:

http://distrowatch.com/

There are many versions of Linux on that site--- most give you the option to download or you can buy a premade install disc for a few (usually less than $10) bucks. I recommend Ubuntu, because it's the easiest to get used to, plus it's the easiest to install. Turn your laptop off, plug the ethernet into your modem with a cable (it might have to look on the net for a wifi driver), then boot off the install disc. It'll ask you a few questions, then it'll install--- Ubuntu will give you the option of completely wiping the Windows OS, or installing alongside it. Linux works really well with "older" systems. Sort of like getting a face lift.  Any decent laptop ought to run it--- it takes less disc space than Windows, too. You can also go to this site for Ubuntu:

http://www.ubuntu.com/

You can PM me if you have any problems; they're usually easy fixes.

[Anna]

CDQ unless they are really savvy, the two being on the same hard drive can cause a conflict.
Unless they do it the way you at first said you were where Linux is the main OS.
I've heard of people doing it but they usually turned to getting rid of windows.
Windows will still be the virus bait its always been and I've never had any problem finding a program
for Linux that was every bit as good as anyone of them for windows.
Games can be a bit of a problem but wine takes care of that.
But some of the red light web sites will not accept Linux or work if you have Linux.
I wonder why? 

[ChungDoQuan]

Starting with Windows 7, there is no real MBR, it uses an EFI like Macs, and it's the nature of Windows to assume it's the only thing on the drive. Setting up a dual boot system is harder, because the EFI doesn't act like a real MBR--- it wants to overwrite any other boot instructions for other OS whenever you start Windows--- in other words, it's like a virus itself, that wants to control everything. My dual boot laptop still runs XP Pro for the Windows part, so it was not a problem. Most of the newer Linux installers will sequester Windows, if you leave it on there, so it doesn't get out of its own partition. Ubuntu has an excellent installer--- it can be put alongside any version of Windows, Mac (Though why you'd want to set up a dual boot Mac, I don't know.), or whatever--- even other versions of Linux. That's why I recommend Ubuntu to Linux newbies. If TM is resurrecting an older laptop, Ubuntu would be the first thing I'd try--- without Windows at all.

[jcn59]

Not that anyone cares, but I got a regular email from Medicare which not only included my recent health care info, it included future appointments for various things I should have looked at.  THIS WAS CLEARLY A HIPPA VIOLATION.   
 
The instructions for unsubscribe were not functional.   I sent a request to my congresswoman Mary Williams to get me unsubscribed and she said she is looking into it.  When she says this, you can take it to the bank.

[Anna]

Starting with Windows 7, there is no real MBR, it uses an EFI like Macs, and it's the nature of Windows to assume it's the only thing on the drive. Setting up a dual boot system is harder, because the EFI doesn't act like a real MBR--- it wants to overwrite any other boot instructions for other OS whenever you start Windows--- in other words, it's like a virus itself, that wants to control everything. My dual boot laptop still runs XP Pro for the Windows part, so it was not a problem. Most of the newer Linux installers will sequester Windows, if you leave it on there, so it doesn't get out of its own partition. Ubuntu has an excellent installer--- it can be put alongside any version of Windows, Mac (Though why you'd want to set up a dual boot Mac, I don't know.), or whatever--- even other versions of Linux. That's why I recommend Ubuntu to Linux newbies. If TM is resurrecting an older laptop, Ubuntu would be the first thing I'd try--- without Windows at all.

As long as his hard drive doesn't have hardware errors on it. I've seen where people install Ubuntu
on an older computer then blame Linux because it didn't work properly.
Linux even told them they had hardware problems but they thought Linux was the magic button
that would cure all their ills. 
It is an OS not a new hard drive, only replacement of that drive can fix that. One things for sure installing Linux without windows like CDQ suggested can't make matters any worse if the damage
has been already done. Linux might even try to find ways to get around the bad spots or organize
those places into things that are not all that essential. I've seen where it would do that and the
computer did work much better than before.