30.9.04
E-mail.
OE has collapsed. It can no longer check all my accounts. It checks some of them, and reports meaningless 'unknown errors' for others.
I guess it's time to move on... And lo! Enter Thunderbird 0.8! The biggest flaw of the Netscape-like e-mail clients, separate sets of inbox-sent-trash-whatever folders for each account, has been removed, and I can start using it! The best thing is, it checks all of my 40+ POP/IMAP accounts with no problems. Now, I only need to find out how to do some things I'm used to doing, see if there are any nice extensions I could use, and, well, re-install the system... No point in switching things for real before I do that...
I only wonder when are they going to start to call it finished... Being used to unfinished Microsoft products which go by finished (and high) version numbers, seeing 0.x software makes me distinctly uncomfortable...
I guess it's time to move on... And lo! Enter Thunderbird 0.8! The biggest flaw of the Netscape-like e-mail clients, separate sets of inbox-sent-trash-whatever folders for each account, has been removed, and I can start using it! The best thing is, it checks all of my 40+ POP/IMAP accounts with no problems. Now, I only need to find out how to do some things I'm used to doing, see if there are any nice extensions I could use, and, well, re-install the system... No point in switching things for real before I do that...
I only wonder when are they going to start to call it finished... Being used to unfinished Microsoft products which go by finished (and high) version numbers, seeing 0.x software makes me distinctly uncomfortable...
The Global Village
A hurricane hits the southeastern US, and a guy in Croatia, a half the world away, can't blog, because his hosting service is down. Amazing, isn't it?
Well, I'm back now, thanks to the good people of 100WebSpace.com.
Well, I'm back now, thanks to the good people of 100WebSpace.com.
27.9.04
The Navbar. And the Blogs it Finds.
Cute thing, this... Although I use my own hosting, and therefore am not bound to place the ads other than the Blogger button on my pages (which I don't mind, after all, the good people of Blogger let me do things I was too lazy to do manually), this is a nice thing to have. Lets people (what people?) search my blog (why would anyone want to do that?), and what's even more important, gets me TRAFFIC! So I can stay ahead of that 'portal' site! Mwahahahaha!!! Maybe I should put it on the RCC pages, too?
One interesting thing, though... Why don't people make the effort of matching the colour of the Navbar to their blogs' templates? A blue Navbar in a poisonous green blog is, well, just wrong.
On to the findings...
KimWilliamGordon. AKA, Stupidity. First post's a testing post (people, if you don't believe it works, and feel you simply have to make one delete it afterwards!), then he proceeds to comment on it. How lame can it get? He's not the lone example of it, unfortunately... The only thing more idiotic is people who make test posts consisting of random key-presses.
Progressive Mind. The Home of Freedom, Open Mind, blah, blah, blah. Another wanna-be concise, critical, non-partisan (American) commentator of all the latest (American) political news. I wonder how long will he? she? last... Or even, how many people will actually read his? her? comments.
Renaissanceman. Although he's just started, looks like a guy who does it for his own sake. Might be worth re-visiting.
Lonely Thoughts. An Angst Queen candidate. Just like this, sans the webcam. Don't get me wrong. I get into 'moods', and use this blog to drop hints of those 'moods' all over the world. But this... Wow. I am such an amateur.
bs - mortgage calculator directory. No link, it would be spamming. This is a blog which is run by a bot. Which, every day, at xx:38 hours, posts more or less exactly the same post, advertising a calculator-canada/canadian-mortgage-something. Is anyone else thinking, hanging by the neck until it's dead?
Skipping several semi-literate blogs by high-school kids... of which this is a good generic example.
Skipping blogs in languages I, unfortunately, can't understand... And blogs in scripts I haven't installed encoders for... And who says the internet is all about English? Maybe my idiot countrymen could take a lesson from these people, and realise that using corrupted English words when there are perfectly good Croatian ones available doesn't make you look kool? So says the person who doesn't even have a blog in Croatian (although I did try)...
Unfree, Unequal. Three words, people. Web design classes. How do you expect to be taken seriously, when your messages can't even be read because of the page background?
Cece's World. Intelligent. Friendly. I didn't even need any rice bread or mayo. But then again, she's 30. Not your every-day, I-have-a-blog-I'm-soooo-cool, brainless teenager...
Skipping several today-I-mowed-the-lawn I'm-so-proud-of-myself I-had-to-share-it-with-the-world-style blogs...
snorkeling sarcosuchus. Nice, if you're into ugly old cars. Or any kind of cars. I'm not. But I still think it's nice.
mollz. No comments. Just a shudder. Note the lovely blue Navbar and the pink theme, though.
Nutcracker Sweet. I suppose all those afore-mentioned brainless teenagers have to come from somewhere...
Whoops! How time flies when you're having fun... I suppose I should stop dripping vitriol, and go to bed now. But I've found myself another source of amusement... Thank you for the Navbar, good people of Blogger!
One interesting thing, though... Why don't people make the effort of matching the colour of the Navbar to their blogs' templates? A blue Navbar in a poisonous green blog is, well, just wrong.
On to the findings...
KimWilliamGordon. AKA, Stupidity. First post's a testing post (people, if you don't believe it works, and feel you simply have to make one delete it afterwards!), then he proceeds to comment on it. How lame can it get? He's not the lone example of it, unfortunately... The only thing more idiotic is people who make test posts consisting of random key-presses.
Progressive Mind. The Home of Freedom, Open Mind, blah, blah, blah. Another wanna-be concise, critical, non-partisan (American) commentator of all the latest (American) political news. I wonder how long will he? she? last... Or even, how many people will actually read his? her? comments.
Renaissanceman. Although he's just started, looks like a guy who does it for his own sake. Might be worth re-visiting.
Lonely Thoughts. An Angst Queen candidate. Just like this, sans the webcam. Don't get me wrong. I get into 'moods', and use this blog to drop hints of those 'moods' all over the world. But this... Wow. I am such an amateur.
bs - mortgage calculator directory. No link, it would be spamming. This is a blog which is run by a bot. Which, every day, at xx:38 hours, posts more or less exactly the same post, advertising a calculator-canada/canadian-mortgage-something. Is anyone else thinking, hanging by the neck until it's dead?
Skipping several semi-literate blogs by high-school kids... of which this is a good generic example.
Skipping blogs in languages I, unfortunately, can't understand... And blogs in scripts I haven't installed encoders for... And who says the internet is all about English? Maybe my idiot countrymen could take a lesson from these people, and realise that using corrupted English words when there are perfectly good Croatian ones available doesn't make you look kool? So says the person who doesn't even have a blog in Croatian (although I did try)...
Unfree, Unequal. Three words, people. Web design classes. How do you expect to be taken seriously, when your messages can't even be read because of the page background?
Cece's World. Intelligent. Friendly. I didn't even need any rice bread or mayo. But then again, she's 30. Not your every-day, I-have-a-blog-I'm-soooo-cool, brainless teenager...
Skipping several today-I-mowed-the-lawn I'm-so-proud-of-myself I-had-to-share-it-with-the-world-style blogs...
snorkeling sarcosuchus. Nice, if you're into ugly old cars. Or any kind of cars. I'm not. But I still think it's nice.
mollz. No comments. Just a shudder. Note the lovely blue Navbar and the pink theme, though.
Nutcracker Sweet. I suppose all those afore-mentioned brainless teenagers have to come from somewhere...
Whoops! How time flies when you're having fun... I suppose I should stop dripping vitriol, and go to bed now. But I've found myself another source of amusement... Thank you for the Navbar, good people of Blogger!
26.9.04
Search! Search! ("1796 sabre")
Since people won't give up with the sabre thing, I'll post an unpaid advertisement. Again, I might add... Although, I'm not sorry to do it, I've got one of their knives, and I'm quite pleased with it.
Grr. This got me drooling over knives and other sharp objects again...
Grr. This got me drooling over knives and other sharp objects again...
The New Look
There. Designed to hurt the eyes more than the old one.
Sold Out
Yes. I sold myself to the devil. I found myself an invite, and now I, too, have a GMail account. I couldn't resist. I had to see what all the excitement was about. So there it is. My foot in my mouth.
And you know what? IT'S JUST ANOTHER WEBMAIL! It's nice, the way they did it with the ActiveX thing, and I'm sure it'll be great once everything actually starts working properly, but it's still JUST ANOTHER WEBMAIL!
And the count is now at 79.
And you know what? IT'S JUST ANOTHER WEBMAIL! It's nice, the way they did it with the ActiveX thing, and I'm sure it'll be great once everything actually starts working properly, but it's still JUST ANOTHER WEBMAIL!
And the count is now at 79.
(T)issues
Consider paper tissues. Why do they make them softer and softer? When you're trying to wipe something wet and slimy, do you want to use something soft and fluffy, that will fall apart into little pieces which are going to stick to everything?
BTW, the e-mail count is now 78. I'm so proud...
BTW, the e-mail count is now 78. I'm so proud...
25.9.04
E-mail...
And we have returned after this short break... The e-mail account count is now 76. Opening e-mail accounts in foreign languages and scripts is a tiring business. I even had to install the Russian keyboard to type the confirmation word for one of them...
24.9.04
Competitiveness. Again.
That portal site had a hit more than me yesterday. :(
Visit me, people, visit me!
Visit me, people, visit me!
Autumn
I wonder if Tolkien's thoughts were dwelling on this particular season when he was naming Morgoth's stronghold... Mine would've been.
23.9.04
Search! Search!
It is actually surprising that the people searching for various metal songs haven't found me earlier... A shame I was probably a disappointment to this person.
New, Exciting!
I could be writing about the latest Slovenian elections campaign stunt, performed on Croatian territory. Which was an orchestrated TV show worthy of the Serbian war propaganda machine. But I'm not going to (not any more than this, at least).
Instead, I'll talk about my new, exciting (feel free to add any additional hype-making attributes here) project! I have decided to expand my non-historical dream into a story! May the carrot and its sweet goodness help me. Was I in any way influenced by this story blog I found yesterday? Surprisingly, very little. I've been toying with the idea ever since I had the dream.
Instead, I'll talk about my new, exciting (feel free to add any additional hype-making attributes here) project! I have decided to expand my non-historical dream into a story! May the carrot and its sweet goodness help me. Was I in any way influenced by this story blog I found yesterday? Surprisingly, very little. I've been toying with the idea ever since I had the dream.
22.9.04
Story blog!
Plugged In. All the Way.
The topic has been discussed. A conclusion has been reached.
Drinking with the online people counts as social, not as solo drinking. Case closed.
Drinking with the online people counts as social, not as solo drinking. Case closed.
21.9.04
E-mail...
72. The #69 is Hotmail, as per my XO's wishes.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
I absolutely hate this guy. For no good reason, but I do. And that Little Prince book of his? My sweet carrot, what a pile of crap it is...
20.9.04
A Quote...
Psychologically, it is of course easier to fire when attacking. But just one shot fired by the attackers is enough to awaken the self-preservation instinct of those being attacked, and they will automatically fire back. I found an effective, proven means of preventing my soldiers from firing: namely to go in first and not fire myself. (Otto Skorzeny, Sturmbannfuehrer SS)
Not something you'd expect from a Nazi muscle, is it?
Not something you'd expect from a Nazi muscle, is it?
E-mail...
68. My application to Home.se has been accepted, my Croatian address notwithstanding. I now, along with one more e-mail account, have internet access in Sweden.
E-mail...
67. How things change quickly...
Speaking of e-mail, and collecting e-mail accounts... Do a Google search for "e-mail account collector". What do you find? :)
Speaking of e-mail, and collecting e-mail accounts... Do a Google search for "e-mail account collector". What do you find? :)
19.9.04
Names. And Generators of Names.
When one tries to come up with original login names for as many e-mail accounts as I have, one shouldn't be surprised to run out of ideas. So, after using up most of the nicer names I generated once upon a time using The Barrow-Downs Middle-earth Name Generator (which has been changed in the meanwhile, now it's PHP instead of ASP, and produces different results...), I had to go look for more. And here are the better ones I've found...
Pirate name generator. Call me Mad William Flint. Arr!
Chinese? Yu Ming-li gleets you.
A Ninja name? Beware, for Tadao Kodo-san roams the night...
Meldún Oakenhorse, the Viking? Jimmie Joe Shelton called Reggie, the redneck? The Pokemon Pikamon, who lives in the steaming jungles of Bali, and whose diet consists mostly of fruits, small rodents and blood, who can shoot ice bolts, drink maple syrup, eat electricity, spit force bolts, shoot evil glances and walk on Mr. PiBB? Or just plain silly Fluffy Tofunose?
And quite a few of (somewhat) interesting ones at Rum & Monkey.
Oh, and BTW, the e-mail count is now 66. It's quite a shame I can't guess my way through the registration pages in Chinese... Or even find the registration pages, for that matter.
Pirate name generator. Call me Mad William Flint. Arr!
Chinese? Yu Ming-li gleets you.
A Ninja name? Beware, for Tadao Kodo-san roams the night...
Meldún Oakenhorse, the Viking? Jimmie Joe Shelton called Reggie, the redneck? The Pokemon Pikamon, who lives in the steaming jungles of Bali, and whose diet consists mostly of fruits, small rodents and blood, who can shoot ice bolts, drink maple syrup, eat electricity, spit force bolts, shoot evil glances and walk on Mr. PiBB? Or just plain silly Fluffy Tofunose?
And quite a few of (somewhat) interesting ones at Rum & Monkey.
Oh, and BTW, the e-mail count is now 66. It's quite a shame I can't guess my way through the registration pages in Chinese... Or even find the registration pages, for that matter.
Competitiveness. Without a Cause.
Yesterday. This blog, 13 visits. The afore-mentioned 'portal' site , 4 visits.
EAT MY VIRTUAL DUST, SUCKERS!!!
EAT MY VIRTUAL DUST, SUCKERS!!!
E-mail...
I seem to have misplaced an e-mail account, the ICQmail one. They have changed the appearance since my last visit... Now they look like the Arabia.com mail. Which, I must say, is an improvement. Arabia.com offers one of the prettiest web-mail interfaces I've seen. Anyway, that means I have 65, not 64 e-mail accounts...
Speaking of e-mail accounts... If you're into the GMail hype, check this out.
Speaking of e-mail accounts... If you're into the GMail hype, check this out.
18.9.04
Search! Search!
AOL search for 1796 sabre finds the non-historical dream. Google finds it, too.
Look for wind insanity sound scandinavia. Find something completely unexpected.
Look for wind insanity sound scandinavia. Find something completely unexpected.
Ctrl+Alt+Del
17.9.04
E-mail...
64. POP. And I thought I had them all...
16.9.04
E-mail...
Or maybe it's 63. Non-English services are a treasure-trove...
Name the Song
I am beginning to doubt me
If what I feel and see is real
It seems as if I exist in different worlds
There is one in darkness
One is loss of time
One of self-doubt and one of hurt
If what I feel and see is real
It seems as if I exist in different worlds
There is one in darkness
One is loss of time
One of self-doubt and one of hurt
Search! Search!
15.9.04
E-mail...
Make that 61.
Faces, Dreams...
In dreams, I never have a face. Even when I see myself in third person, I'm only a faceless figure, dressed and sized to roughly fit the job description. In the non-historical dream, I remember having shaggy black hair. In the hunting dream, it was short and bleached. It's never my hair, but the hair I'd like to have. Maybe that's why I don't have a face; I could never make it into something I want, and still remain myself... Makes you think, doesn't it?
E-mail...
My collection now consists of 60 different e-mail accounts. 21 of them Hotmail. Go, me!
14.9.04
Languages...
Learned how to say 'my name is Leo' in Malay today...
Nama saya Leo.
Nama saya Leo.
Search! Search!
A constant source of amusement, Google is...
OK, I can understand why a search for the director in yugoslavia hotmail.com 2004 would find this blog. What I can't understand is, why in the name of the carrot would anyone search for that? And what were they looking for?
Anti-GMail advertising? Yup, did that. And when some Aussie searched for Walla 20mb Attachment, he/she found it. Although it wasn't what was looked for...
OK, I can understand why a search for the director in yugoslavia hotmail.com 2004 would find this blog. What I can't understand is, why in the name of the carrot would anyone search for that? And what were they looking for?
Anti-GMail advertising? Yup, did that. And when some Aussie searched for Walla 20mb Attachment, he/she found it. Although it wasn't what was looked for...
Hobbies
I should re-learn to windsurf, and buy my own board. That'd give me something to do on vacations...
And remember, freedom is an illusion. It always comes at a price...
And remember, freedom is an illusion. It always comes at a price...
13.9.04
Waiting...
You know that feeling, when all the plans are completed, all the preparations made, when everything is set, and all that's left to do is wait. Well, that's what I feel like now. And for the strangest of reasons...
12.9.04
Lights!
Or not. Driving down a mountain road with your engine and lights turned off, at night, might seem like a bad idea. Well, normally, it is. But it can be very, very fun. And you wouldn't believe how much light a nearby city can make, and how much of it there is even under the trees. And how much you can see driving with the lights off at 50-60 kph, when the dashboard lights aren't shining into your eyes.
Reporting Live...
...from the place
where, if things go my way, I'll die. It has even passed the connection test.
where, if things go my way, I'll die. It has even passed the connection test.
11.9.04
Reporting Live...
...from dog-vomit-coloured-liquid drinking...
10.9.04
Pina Colada
Pina Colada cocktail a la d'Green:
1. Ice,
2. Unwhipped whipping cream,
3. The cheapest available Pina Colada liqueur.
Ratios depend on taste. I use ~1:1, slightly in favour of the liqueur. Stir.
Tastes just like the one they serve in bars.
1. Ice,
2. Unwhipped whipping cream,
3. The cheapest available Pina Colada liqueur.
Ratios depend on taste. I use ~1:1, slightly in favour of the liqueur. Stir.
Tastes just like the one they serve in bars.
Hunger
There's a spider strolling around my curtain... Keeping itself in my sight. And I'm hungry... Who wants to bet on the spider?
9.9.04
I'll be...
...carrot-forsaken. There's this blog, it's called The European Weblog Review. And it 'endeavors to examine the best of the English-speaking blogosphere on the European Continent'. And yours truly, me, this very blog of mine, which rarely has anything to do with anything, is listed in the 'Former Yugoslavia' (how this would've annoyed me only two years ago) section of the suggested European blogs. Wow. And I mean, really wow. This is sooo bound to inflate my head to enormous proportions. And no, I didn't submit myself.
Search! Search!
Search engines more often find things you don't want found, than those you're looking for? Well, we knew that. I wonder what the Swiss person who searched for "mirc" +"bot" +"away message" +"spam", in German, thought when he/she saw this. It is about a spam bot and its away message, but has nothing to do with IRC... And it definitely ain't in German.
Dietary Habits of the Resident Parrot
Too-Oh-One
Celebrate! It's the Post #201, if the Blogger counter is to be believed! Weee!
8.9.04
Pathetic...
There is a site which calls itself a portal. No, I'm not going to provide the URL. And this site, which calls itself a portal, generates fewer hits than this blog. Despite the fact that they have the same counter on each and every page. (I do, too, BTW. (:) Can things get more pathetic?
Words and Meanings
You think you know everything there is to understand about something, some word or a concept. You know what it means, you know when and how to use it. You can explain its meaning to others. And then it just hits you, and you realise you knew nothing. In one instant, you come to comprehend the full extent of your ignorance, and everything changes. In one instant, you come to really understand.
Funny things, aren't they, insights?
Funny things, aren't they, insights?
7.9.04
All Quiet....
Hotmail account #21.
bringingchristmastoyoureMeSeNmessenger@hotmail.com
Weee!
bringingchristmastoyoureMeSeNmessenger@hotmail.com
Weee!
6.9.04
Personalities and Dating (and Such) Sites
I thought I was burnt out, after a very busy posting weekend. I though I already did this rant, but it seems I was wrong. So, here it is...
The amount of bullshit people are capable of spewing when they describe themselves in their dating-and-such sites profiles is amazing. You wouldn't believe how many laid-back, fun-loving, easy-going people there are... People who use these to describe themselves should be shot, their bodies burned, and ashes scattered. And their profiles deleted, of course. And the amount of love for enjoying their self-proclaimedly short lives... Makes my heart want to burst with... Something. Well, not really, it more makes me puke. A half of them say they don't really know what to say, but then they pile up all the afore-mentioned personality traits anyway.
Although, who am I to complain? I maintain a blog nobody reads... I even have a counter to prove it.
The amount of bullshit people are capable of spewing when they describe themselves in their dating-and-such sites profiles is amazing. You wouldn't believe how many laid-back, fun-loving, easy-going people there are... People who use these to describe themselves should be shot, their bodies burned, and ashes scattered. And their profiles deleted, of course. And the amount of love for enjoying their self-proclaimedly short lives... Makes my heart want to burst with... Something. Well, not really, it more makes me puke. A half of them say they don't really know what to say, but then they pile up all the afore-mentioned personality traits anyway.
Although, who am I to complain? I maintain a blog nobody reads... I even have a counter to prove it.
5.9.04
No Signs of Life
When people go to party-concert-club type of events, they go to have fun, socialise, dance, jump around, drink, that sort of stuff. Generally, enjoy themselves. I, on the other hand, go to a party-concert-club type event, and plan my suicide. Ain't I fun...
Not Good
I have started ranting... As proud as I am for the fact that my brain is, despite all the attempts the world (this country in particular) has made to prevent it, working, I usually sneer at rant sites... Therefore, this is a worrying development.
P.S. Blogger spellchecker suggests 'candelabra' instead of Gandalf...
P.S. Blogger spellchecker suggests 'candelabra' instead of Gandalf...
GMail
When Google announced their 1 GB e-mail service, I was, as an avid e-mail account collector, all wows and ooohs. At that time, that much space was really incredible. Of course, then I asked myself, what would I need a gigabyte mailbox for? I don't use web mail (for no real purposes, anyway), I download my mail to my own computer. Large attachments? If somebody sent me a GB-sized attachment, I think I'd hunt down that person and strangle him/her, even if I had to go to the end of the world and spend my retirement savings to do it. Never have to delete an e-mail again? For the rotten carrot's sake, do you know how many normal-sized e-mails fit into a GB? Why would anyone want to keep thousands upon thousands of old e-mails??? And spam? Yeah. Like I really want to use the e-mail account which attracts so much spam that I'd need 1 GB of space in order not to have the box filled... So. 20 MB (at that time) of my favourite free account, or the 10 MB my ISP gives me, was quite enough.
Ach, but the hype they created! Months after the announcement, GMail is still in the invite-only, 'test phase'. Sure, invites aren't that hard to come by (you can even buy them on eBay, that place where everything is sold). But boy, do they make people feel special... As if it wasn't just one more of thousands of web mail services. Even my would-be rant site in Croatian offers it (and nothing else, at the moment). A very large mailbox? Walla gives you 1 GB. GMX, in my opinion (and you can trust my opinion where e-mail is concerned) the best free e-mail provider in existence, also. Even Yahoo will give you 100 MB, which is about 10 times more than the greatest majority of people need. Pay their outrageous price, and Hotmail will give you 2 GB.
One thing is for sure. GMail has become a geek's fashion accessory. So one e-mail account I won't be adding to my collection is GMail.
Ach, but the hype they created! Months after the announcement, GMail is still in the invite-only, 'test phase'. Sure, invites aren't that hard to come by (you can even buy them on eBay, that place where everything is sold). But boy, do they make people feel special... As if it wasn't just one more of thousands of web mail services. Even my would-be rant site in Croatian offers it (and nothing else, at the moment). A very large mailbox? Walla gives you 1 GB. GMX, in my opinion (and you can trust my opinion where e-mail is concerned) the best free e-mail provider in existence, also. Even Yahoo will give you 100 MB, which is about 10 times more than the greatest majority of people need. Pay their outrageous price, and Hotmail will give you 2 GB.
One thing is for sure. GMail has become a geek's fashion accessory. So one e-mail account I won't be adding to my collection is GMail.
Search! Search!
Interesting...
This is the first result of the Google search for vademecum toothpaste naturel.
Look for aaaaaa, and you'll find me, as #9.
And http://lol + SPAM? There I am. I must've used the words too many times when I talked to the ICQ porn bot. BTW, where is .vn, anyway?
Hitler qoutes? Got that, too.
This is the first result of the Google search for vademecum toothpaste naturel.
Look for aaaaaa, and you'll find me, as #9.
And http://lol + SPAM? There I am. I must've used the words too many times when I talked to the ICQ porn bot. BTW, where is .vn, anyway?
Hitler qoutes? Got that, too.
4.9.04
And Now, Something Completely Different
Speaking of different, Metallica really made good music before the 90's...
Sono...
Avast4 Free Edition
And with this, I end my AV reviews. This time really.
What to say? It's free, it's not big, it does its jobs. I prefer AVG, although Avast is a bit more configurable, and the scanning engine is more recent.
What to say? It's free, it's not big, it does its jobs. I prefer AVG, although Avast is a bit more configurable, and the scanning engine is more recent.
AVG Free Edition
If you're looking for a free AV, look no further. Although this is the version 6 of the software (the paid one is v.7), and I've heard doubts expressed about its reliability, it's got everything you might want in an AV, albeit in somewhat rudimentary form. But it is incredibly small. In fact, it uses 1/3 of the memory the next smallest, NOD32, needs. And since it's free, you can use it as a backup AV, although you should be aware of possible conflicts. AVs don't like each other...
BitDefender (Free Edition)
No more AV, I said... Well, I lied.
The first time I came upon this particular piece of junk, the just downloaded copy of it called itself expired and wouldn't run. One of those situations that really tick you off. But, the kind soul I am, I decided to give them another chance.
A bad idea, as it turned out to be. There's no real-time protection in the free version. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but this AV with no real-time protection still manages to use as much RAM for its resident components (what do they do, except waste resources, I wonder) as some other, fully equipped AVs. So, for free AV, I suggest you look elsewhere.
The first time I came upon this particular piece of junk, the just downloaded copy of it called itself expired and wouldn't run. One of those situations that really tick you off. But, the kind soul I am, I decided to give them another chance.
A bad idea, as it turned out to be. There's no real-time protection in the free version. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but this AV with no real-time protection still manages to use as much RAM for its resident components (what do they do, except waste resources, I wonder) as some other, fully equipped AVs. So, for free AV, I suggest you look elsewhere.
Names...
Would you ever name your son Storm? I think a cool idea it's a powerful name. Except for one thing... Whenever I think of a guy named Storm, I can't shake of the image of trailers, mullets, beer cans and wife-beater shirts...
3.9.04
Eh?
I think I was thrown 20 minutes back in time...
F-Secure AV
Just when I thought they don't get any bigger than the Panda... The 30 MB download should've warned me. Waste of time, and a big one, it was. It takes even more RAM. It has countless components. It got uninstalled as soon as I was done counting the memory...
What is it with the software makers these days? Things can be smaller, as the products which are prove. And with the Windows taking all the RAM it can lay its hands on, why do they feel a need to use even more?
I think I'm done with my AV obsession now. I'm thoroughly disappointed. It's time to move on...
What is it with the software makers these days? Things can be smaller, as the products which are prove. And with the Windows taking all the RAM it can lay its hands on, why do they feel a need to use even more?
I think I'm done with my AV obsession now. I'm thoroughly disappointed. It's time to move on...
A Confused Hunting Dream
The Light of Axim sets me free, and I dream...
There are three of us: a shape shifter who can't shift shapes for some reason, a big, brawny guy, and me, more or less myself. We're driving in a large, old car down an incredibly long street*. The car seems to be doing all the driving, since none of the three of us is. We're going to the mountains, woody and snow-caped. We're on a rescue mission: someone's stuck in the mountains and needs saving. I have no idea who it is, and neither do my companions. But that's not really the truth. The rescue mission is just a cover, we are really going to hunt snow wolves. Snow wolf pelts can be made into handsome armour.
We arrive at our destination. It's a log hut which is a part time hole in the ground. It suits our purpose just fine. We forget all about the rescue mission, it was just an excuse, anyway. So, hunting we go...
The dream becomes garbled at this point (too high time compression, I suppose). There was lots of driving involved, lots of it down that same street*. The car again seems to have driven itself, and it broke down one or two times. Our hut changed from a hut to a hole and back, which was most convenient for us. Even the rescue mission was considered again, but we couldn't think of anyone who needed rescuing.
The hunt is a success, although we caught no wolves. We fought them a few times, but since we have no weapons, we didn't kill any. If you've ever tried to kill a snow wolf with your bare hands, you know why. Even if you haven't, you can imagine. Then as a growling snow wolf all white and grey, is approaching me, a child appears out of nowhere. It's a girl, some six or seven years old, wearing badly sewn skins which leave her half naked, her bare feet in the snow. She tells us, rather imperiously, that the Tribe of the Snow People doesn't want us there, and that we should leave. We stop fighting and stare at her, both us and the wolves, bewildered and uncomprehending. The Tribe of the Snow People? What?? She seems to interpret our silence as a refusal, because now she tells us, still imperiously but with a note of whining in her voice, that she'll tell the Queen of the Snow People if we don't leave. Now, a queen (of the Snow People? what??) is not somebody to trifle with, so we decide to leave. The wolves have, in the meanwhile, cowardly and silently, slunk back into the forest. So we go to our car, try to start it, but it's broken down. Again.
The dream ends...
*This is the street. But in the dream, it was really, really incredibly long.
There are three of us: a shape shifter who can't shift shapes for some reason, a big, brawny guy, and me, more or less myself. We're driving in a large, old car down an incredibly long street*. The car seems to be doing all the driving, since none of the three of us is. We're going to the mountains, woody and snow-caped. We're on a rescue mission: someone's stuck in the mountains and needs saving. I have no idea who it is, and neither do my companions. But that's not really the truth. The rescue mission is just a cover, we are really going to hunt snow wolves. Snow wolf pelts can be made into handsome armour.
We arrive at our destination. It's a log hut which is a part time hole in the ground. It suits our purpose just fine. We forget all about the rescue mission, it was just an excuse, anyway. So, hunting we go...
The dream becomes garbled at this point (too high time compression, I suppose). There was lots of driving involved, lots of it down that same street*. The car again seems to have driven itself, and it broke down one or two times. Our hut changed from a hut to a hole and back, which was most convenient for us. Even the rescue mission was considered again, but we couldn't think of anyone who needed rescuing.
The hunt is a success, although we caught no wolves. We fought them a few times, but since we have no weapons, we didn't kill any. If you've ever tried to kill a snow wolf with your bare hands, you know why. Even if you haven't, you can imagine. Then as a growling snow wolf all white and grey, is approaching me, a child appears out of nowhere. It's a girl, some six or seven years old, wearing badly sewn skins which leave her half naked, her bare feet in the snow. She tells us, rather imperiously, that the Tribe of the Snow People doesn't want us there, and that we should leave. We stop fighting and stare at her, both us and the wolves, bewildered and uncomprehending. The Tribe of the Snow People? What?? She seems to interpret our silence as a refusal, because now she tells us, still imperiously but with a note of whining in her voice, that she'll tell the Queen of the Snow People if we don't leave. Now, a queen (of the Snow People? what??) is not somebody to trifle with, so we decide to leave. The wolves have, in the meanwhile, cowardly and silently, slunk back into the forest. So we go to our car, try to start it, but it's broken down. Again.
The dream ends...
*This is the street. But in the dream, it was really, really incredibly long.
Perspective
It's all a matter of what one sees. And what one doesn't see...
2.9.04
A Large Nail
This is a picture of a large nail. It's big, nasty, and smells of iron. Enjoy it.
Trend Micro PC-cillin
I really had high hopes for this one. Despite the 30 MB size of the download. Despite the fact that it's not just AV, but an integreted internet security package. Despite the fact that it said the firewall couldn't be removed.
Got it. Installed it. It has about as many components as the Panda AV, and takes about as much memory. The firewall, which is rather rudimentary, can be disabled, but it still loads. The interface is ugly, too, although efficient. But 33 MB of used RAM, and the firewall that won't unload are not excusable.
Such a shame. I was really hoping this would be my new AV of choice, since PC-cillin was my first Windows AV, and I'm sort of emotionally attached to it (although I never really liked it). It's really cheap, compared to others, too.
Got it. Installed it. It has about as many components as the Panda AV, and takes about as much memory. The firewall, which is rather rudimentary, can be disabled, but it still loads. The interface is ugly, too, although efficient. But 33 MB of used RAM, and the firewall that won't unload are not excusable.
Such a shame. I was really hoping this would be my new AV of choice, since PC-cillin was my first Windows AV, and I'm sort of emotionally attached to it (although I never really liked it). It's really cheap, compared to others, too.
1.9.04
Kaspersky AV
I'll be short with this one. The Personal Pro version, five TuCows cows. I suppose they rated the effectiveness... The first thing I noticed was the ugly and unfriendly interface. The second thing was the 20 MB RAM usage. I didn't get to the third thing, since I'm used to neither ugly interfaces, nor that sort of memory-hogging (a strange thing for a Windows user to say...) - so out of the system Kaspersky went. There are nicer AV programs around.
Panda Antivirus (Titanium 2004 version)
Well... Panda AV. Advertising gave me such high hopes... First, let me state that this is only AV. There's a version with a firewall and some other 'internet security' things. Second, if this is what only AV looks like, I really don't want to see the everything version. Let me elaborate...
First, you'll notice that the evaluation download is 21 MB in size, which can't be good news. But one can be optimistic, right? Second, it'll ask you to uninstall any AV software (I had the free AVG) you might already have. Not unreasonable, they all do that. But then comes the reboot...
My very nice, free firewall went insane immediately after it loaded, asking me if I wanted to allow some seven or eight components of my new antivirus to start. I dutifully kept clicking the permit button, but was starting to get worried. After several minutes of loading (way, way, WAY too long), everything was done... Opened the task manager... And was thankful for my strong heart. I started counting the memory it was using... 7 MB. 13 MB. 25 MB. 28 MB. 33 MB!!! At this point, my courage failed me, and I stopped. From the glimpse of the uncounted components, I estimate the entire thing (and mind, this is just the AV, no firewall, no anti-spam, and other things which are included in the Platinum Internet Security version) took over 35 MB of my RAM. And I thought only Microsoft made bloatware...
So... Panda people claim their product offers 'unrivalled detection and elimination of all types of viruses and other threats: dialers, hacking tools...', 'immediate and automatic updates', and, among other things, 'maximum speed, minimum resource use'. I really, really don't know where they get this last thing from. NAV 2003 used some 15 MB of my RAM. NOD32 also. Kaspersky, which I found bloated, needed some 20. So I ask myself, in the light of this, HOW IS 35 MB MINIMUM RESOURCE USE???
Panda AV may be true to its makers' claims and be the most advanced, secure, effective piece AV software in the universe. But I'm not hanging around for long enough to find that out for myself. I'll uninstall it, and never be tempted to use their software again.
First, you'll notice that the evaluation download is 21 MB in size, which can't be good news. But one can be optimistic, right? Second, it'll ask you to uninstall any AV software (I had the free AVG) you might already have. Not unreasonable, they all do that. But then comes the reboot...
My very nice, free firewall went insane immediately after it loaded, asking me if I wanted to allow some seven or eight components of my new antivirus to start. I dutifully kept clicking the permit button, but was starting to get worried. After several minutes of loading (way, way, WAY too long), everything was done... Opened the task manager... And was thankful for my strong heart. I started counting the memory it was using... 7 MB. 13 MB. 25 MB. 28 MB. 33 MB!!! At this point, my courage failed me, and I stopped. From the glimpse of the uncounted components, I estimate the entire thing (and mind, this is just the AV, no firewall, no anti-spam, and other things which are included in the Platinum Internet Security version) took over 35 MB of my RAM. And I thought only Microsoft made bloatware...
So... Panda people claim their product offers 'unrivalled detection and elimination of all types of viruses and other threats: dialers, hacking tools...', 'immediate and automatic updates', and, among other things, 'maximum speed, minimum resource use'. I really, really don't know where they get this last thing from. NAV 2003 used some 15 MB of my RAM. NOD32 also. Kaspersky, which I found bloated, needed some 20. So I ask myself, in the light of this, HOW IS 35 MB MINIMUM RESOURCE USE???
Panda AV may be true to its makers' claims and be the most advanced, secure, effective piece AV software in the universe. But I'm not hanging around for long enough to find that out for myself. I'll uninstall it, and never be tempted to use their software again.
Noooo...
It's been almost a year and a half since I last re-installed my system. It is really, really the time to do it again. It cannot be delayed any longer. BUT I DON'T WANT TO SPEND HOURS AND HOURS INSTALLING FIRST THE SYSTEM, THEN THE DRIVERS, THEN THE SOFTWARE, AND THEN MORE SOFTWARE I NEED BUT FORGOT TO INSTALL IN THE FIRST WAVE!!! Let's not forget all the e-mail accounts, and the fact that you can't back up the OE settings without using third party software... (Does anyone know a nice e-mail client that is like OE, but better, and isn't Eudora or that thing that comes with Mozilla?) But it has to be done... 1.5 years of accumulating junk doesn't make the system run very smoothly, does it?
On a completely unrelated note, school started today.
On a completely unrelated note, school started today.
AV, AV...
My obsession has a new face: antivirus software. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the one I've been using until now, but playing with that NOD32 thing has awoken a hunger in me... Now I'm maniacally downloading AV software. Hundreds of megabytes of it. On dial-up. I'm sure my meager bandwidth could be put to more creative use, but I can't help myself. I CAN'T HELP MYSELF!!!
Well, at least I'll be able to post a sort of a review when I'm done...
Well, at least I'll be able to post a sort of a review when I'm done...
