Browse by Tags

All Tags » What my wife knows (RSS)
Mon, Nov 2 2009 20:59

Why changing passwords should be done regularly

A little birdie sent me a copy of today’s SANS ISC diary entry . That’s a good thing, because I’m at home sick with alleged piggy flu, and I’m not able to keep up with a whole lot. The diary entry argues that regular changes of passwords are often done...
Posted by Alun Jones | 1 comment(s)
Filed under: ,
Thu, Oct 22 2009 21:16

Windows 7 – what it’s missing

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be aware that today was the release of Microsoft’s latest operating system version, Windows 7. So, everyone else has their own ideas of what’s missing in Windows 7, here’s my list, and it’s not the same petty...
Posted by Alun Jones | 2 comment(s)
Filed under: , , ,
Sat, Sep 26 2009 20:22

Sometimes It Seems Like Unix(*) Needs to Learn from Windows

(*) By “Unix”, I mean Linux, Unix, AIX, OS/X, and similar flavours. Way back when, about twenty or so years ago, I was a Unix admin, and a Unix developer. I had to be both, because I was the only person in the company who could spell Unix...
Posted by Alun Jones | 17 comment(s)
Filed under: , , ,
Tue, Sep 15 2009 21:36

Zune HD – but not mine

A friend of mine ordered a Platinum Zune HD recently (that’s the 32GB model), and because he was unable to receive the shipment, asked for me to open it for him and check on its functionality to make sure he hadn’t been shipped a lemon. Since...
Posted by Alun Jones | 2 comment(s)
Filed under: , ,
Mon, Jul 13 2009 23:48

How FTP Data Connections Work Part 2 (OR: Fun With Port 20)

As we mentioned in the 1st part of this series , FTP is a more complex protocol than many, using one control connection and one data connection. A recap of the first post… In typical Stream Mode operation, a new data connection is opened and closed for...
Posted by Alun Jones | 1 comment(s)
Filed under: , , ,
Sun, Jul 12 2009 12:11

Nice support from Lenovo

I’ve been wanting to post this comment for some time, but never seemed to get around to it. I’ve been through a number of different laptops over the last decade or so – Compaq, Dell, Gateway, and Toshiba – and each time, I’ve found that they just don...
Posted by Alun Jones | 1 comment(s)
Filed under: ,
Wed, Jul 8 2009 23:18

How FTP Data Connections Work Part 1 (OR: Don’t Open Port 20 in your Firewall!)

This will be the first of a couple of articles on FTP, as I’ve been asked to post this information in an easy-to-read format in a public place where it can be referred to. I think my expertise in developing and supporting WFTPD and WFTPD Pro allow me...
Posted by Alun Jones | 9 comment(s)
Filed under: , , , ,
Thu, Jun 25 2009 22:17

Zune – So Nearly Perfect, it Hurts

For a while now, I’ve been listening to the BBC radio on my MP3 player – even wrote a program to download the audio of various programmes and convert them from RealAudio to MP3 so that I can listen to them on the bus or in my car on the way to and from...
Posted by Alun Jones | 5 comment(s)
Filed under: ,
Sat, Nov 8 2008 14:46

Nobody stopped me, as I put the second laptop into my bag...

I have two laptops that I carry with me most places I go. This isn't showing off, it's just something I do for a number of reasons. (One laptop is for work, the other is personal) On a recent trip, I wanted to leave one with my wife as she dropped...
Posted by Alun Jones | 6 comment(s)
Filed under: ,
Sat, Oct 11 2008 17:49

Weak point against Vista

First rule of demonstrative writing – lead off with an undeniable example of the point you’re trying to make. Case in point – Dan Lyons’ article in NewsWeek on “ A Gloomy Vista for Microsoft ”, meant to be a piece defining how bad Vista is. “Last year...
Posted by Alun Jones | with no comments
Filed under: , ,
Mon, Aug 25 2008 23:22

My MP3 player demands to administer my system

Thanks to the excellent http://www.woot.com , I upgraded to a new MP3 player - this one, the Sansa e250 from SanDisk , has a little screen and shows video at an almost completely unacceptably small resolution. But I don't mind that, I didn't really...
Posted by Alun Jones | 5 comment(s)
Filed under: , , ,
Tue, Jul 29 2008 21:53

FTP - Untrustworthy? I Don't Think So!

Lately, as if writers all draw from the same shrinking paddling-pool of ideas, I've noticed a batch of stories about how unsafe, unsecure and untrustworthy is FTP. SC Magazine says so. First it was an article in the print version of SC Magazine ,...
Posted by Alun Jones | 2 comment(s)
Filed under: , , ,
Thu, Jul 10 2008 22:07

Vistafy Me.

I have a little time over the next couple of weeks to devote to developing WFTPD a little further. This is a good thing, as it's way past time that I brought it into Vista's world. I've been very proud that over the last several years, I have...
Posted by Alun Jones | 6 comment(s)
Filed under: , , , ,
Tue, Jun 10 2008 21:17

The difference between liking and hating UAC?

Totally unscientifically, I have carried out a poll of people who like UAC (okay, a few security geeks like myself), and those who hate UAC - mostly my wife. Something struck me as both a surprising common factor, and also a rather obvious explanation...
Posted by Alun Jones | 5 comment(s)
Filed under: , , ,
Thu, Apr 24 2008 16:47

UAC - The Emperor's New Clothes

I heard a complaint the other day about UAC - User Account Control - that was new to me. Let's face it, as a Security MVP, I hear a lot of complaints about UAC - not least from my wife, who isn't happy with the idea that she can be logged on as...
Posted by Alun Jones | 6 comment(s)
Filed under: , , , ,
Fri, Mar 21 2008 21:15

Retro-bundling - another suck of the Apple

I thought I was done blogging about Apple Software Update, having removed QuickTime from my system completely, and sworn never to install it again or watch another QT or MOV file. But nooo, someone had to spoil it by telling me what Apple Software Update...
Posted by Alun Jones | 9 comment(s)
Filed under: , ,
Thu, Jan 31 2008 22:46

Get Well Scotty McLeod

I could have titled this "adversity shows how small our world truly is". I had no idea that so many of my friends, acquaintances, MVPs and Microsoft staff are also friends with Scotty McLeod - until he got hit by a train last week. He is recovering...
Posted by Alun Jones | 2 comment(s)
Filed under: ,
Fri, Jan 11 2008 21:03

Why you don't run as root

[... or administrator, or whatever] I like Roger Grimes, he's a nice guy, and he generally makes me think about what he has to say. That's a good thing, because otherwise he'd either be part of the same choir as me, or he'd be the sort...
Posted by Alun Jones | 4 comment(s)
Filed under: , , , , ,
Mon, Jan 7 2008 21:22

How broken is the banking system?

My kid and I love watching Top Gear - me, because it's nice to see him interested in a very traditional British TV programme (in the US, you can find it on BBC America), and him, because he just loves cars - particularly high-performance ones. So...
Posted by Alun Jones | 3 comment(s)
Filed under: , ,
Mon, Dec 17 2007 17:38

Removing Apple Mobile Device Support

As mentioned before, I'm not a fan of Appple 's, particularly because they tend to impose crap on me that I'm not interested in having. I've been trying to figure out how to remove iTunes , iPod and Aple Mobile Device Support on and off...
Posted by Alun Jones | 83 comment(s)
Filed under: , , ,
More Posts Next page »