How Long Do You Go Without Updating Your OS?

Randicus Draco Albus · 12-29-2013, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k3lt01

I did not exaggerate, I gave some leeway. You and one other person read more into a point than was actually there.

You should be happy, because your fellow board members are holding you to the same standards you demand of others. You frequently attack general statements that "give some leeway" when conveying a message for not being completely accurate. A couple people have pointed out that your number of 99.99999% being spam bots would mean only one in ten million is not a bot, and therefore, an exaggeration. They have acknowledged that you successfully conveyed your meaning, but that your numbers are not completely accurate. How often do you accept "read more into a point than was actually there" as an excuse from others?

k3lt01 · 12-29-2013, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randicus Draco Albus

You should be happy, because your fellow board members are holding you to the same standards you demand of others. You frequently attack general statements that "give some leeway" when conveying a message for not being completely accurate. A couple people have pointed out that your number of 99.99999% being spam bots would mean only one in ten million is not a bot, and therefore, an exaggeration. They have acknowledged that you successfully conveyed your meaning, but that your numbers are not completely accurate. How often do you accept "read more into a point than was actually there" as an excuse from others?

I'm overjoyed you want to get involved in this Randicus. I am quite willing to discuss any situation with you that you want.

k3lt01 · 12-29-2013, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

I can't say how many emails you get and how many of them are spam. You delivered those numbers, so we have to accept them as they are. This is why I say that you exaggerated, unless you tell me that you really got 10 million mails, otherwise it would be impossible you reached those numbers.

I also gave a number of 150 emails a day but you have ignored that. Not all spam comes from spam bots some actually comes from real people. Then you have real people who are genuine members.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

But as I already said, this is not really relevant, since anyone really should get what you wanted to tell us.

jamison20000e · 12-29-2013, 04:20 AM

If flash player + + is a big hole and they stop supporting Linux plus proprietors now seem to own thought\air,,,
RMS's "views" should starting looking a little less co-co if you think about it.

Edit\add: this tread has me switching off my WiFi after use now lol! updating can make holes aswell it even temporary?

unSpawn · 12-29-2013, 06:29 AM

OK people please cut it out. The "one in ten million is not a bot" discussion has no direct relevance to the original topic. So if you would enjoy discussing it further please create your own thread.

TobiSGD · 12-29-2013, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamison20000e

updating can make holes aswell it even temporary?

Of course. Every update, even if it is a bugfix or a fix for a security hole, can introduce new bugs or security holes. Luckily this is not as often the case as fixes really fixing the problems, since developers have the tendency to look closer at parts of the code with problems.

273 · 12-29-2013, 10:49 AM

I understand that for some people English is not their first language but I would have thought that this would translate through Google:

Quote:

Originally Posted by k3lt01

I'm a mod on another forum and I am getting over 150 emails a day from the forum email telling me a new member has joined. 99.99999 etc % of these are spam bots.

It may be that the sentence structure renders it incorrectly in another language (I know that German requires verbs in a different place for example) but I read [present tense] this as:
"I receive 150 emails a day of which 99.99999 are SPAM.". The English meaning of the quoted is not:
"... I receive 10000 emails...".

273 · 12-29-2013, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamison20000e

If flash player + + is a big hole and they stop supporting Linux...

That's odd, since I installed a Flash update about a week ago.
Adobe may have stopped offering new versions of Flash for Linux (apart from Google Chrome) but they are releasing bug fixes and security updates which everyone ought to be installing. If you're running Debian and installed Flash from the repositories then you should run the following every week at the very least:

Code:

update-flashplugin-nonfree --install

jamison20000e · 12-29-2013, 12:30 PM

True, but still worries me if big companies (e.g:'s) like canonica, google try killing freedoms or just as bad IMO, bu$ine$$ as usual: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashpla...atform_support
thank goodness for GNU\Linux and open developers. http://www.teslamotors.com/

qlue · 12-29-2013, 01:38 PM

Since this thread won't die, here's my two cents worth.
If you have a PC running a providing a single function without any issues, and if that PC is not connected in any way to any network, then there is no need for updates.
In any other situation, security updates are essential.
However, the title asks how long we go before updated our OS, and this implies a full upgrade rather than merely security updates.

k3lt01 · 12-29-2013, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 273

Adobe may have stopped offering new versions of Flash for Linux (apart from Google Chrome) but they are releasing bug fixes and security updates which everyone ought to be installing.

Well I learned something new, I thought Google's flash (pepperflash) was a Google product like Gnash is a GNU product. I didn't know it was Adobe's flash used and adapted by Google.

273 · 12-30-2013, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k3lt01

Well I learned something new, I thought Google's flash (pepperflash) was a Google product like Gnash is a GNU product. I didn't know it was Adobe's flash used and adapted by Google.

I'll be honest it's hard to work out who is/was responsible for pepperflash. Its version is reported on the Adobe website and there's mention in places of Adobe "supporting" it but then there's talk of Google developing it.

unSpawn · 12-30-2013, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 273

I understand that for some people English is not their first language but I would have thought that this would translate through Google:It may be that the sentence structure renders it incorrectly in another language (I know that German requires verbs in a different place for example) but I read [present tense] this as:
"I receive 150 emails a day of which 99.99999 are SPAM.". The English meaning of the quoted is not:
"... I receive 10000 emails...".

That discussion has no direct relevance to the original topic.
If you want to discuss it further create your own thread.
Regardless of English being your first language or not that message should have been clear and understood.
Now cut it out.

Sumguy · 12-30-2013, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

Your OS, if not properly updated, can easily be infected to act as spam server due to you not having the latest Flashplayer or Java plugin. Root privileges are not involved at all. This also has nothing to do with you running an AV or the NSA (they don't look at your computer anyways).

Again, this is not about you and the odds you will loose some data. This is about your machine being involved in bot-nets and spam systems, which does not need root rights and if you have a Java plugin or the Flashplayer installed the attack vector very likely is not OS specific, but exactly the same and as effective as on Windows. Want to guess how high the odds are now?

What seems to be very difficult to understand for you is that you are not magically any more safe just because you use Linux (in fact, again, your system is more insecure than a properly maintained Windows system) and this is not about someone spying on you or the safety of your data, this is about your system possibly being involved in criminal activities. This is about your behavior damaging us and our machines, this is about your machine being one of the causes for the massive spam problem that many others have.

Thank you. That was very helpful. Now THAT really makes me want to update. (I HATE Flash and Java....really wish I could do without them. Those companies are almost as bad as MS. Those products are basically spyware/adware, and I don't see how it is even possible to have a fully secure system with them operating at all).

I can also relate to K3. I used to run a forum, also- and could cite similar stats. We had a handful of real members...but tons of bots trying to get in every day. Not to mention the human spammers. (Are there really people in this world who are so stupid as to attempt to buy something from a spam post posted on a web forum?! I guess they're the same people who fall for the $2900 2008 Honda Accordion on Craigslist with "free shipping"....)

Sumguy · 12-30-2013, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qlue

Since this thread won't die, here's my two cents worth.
If you have a PC running a providing a single function without any issues, and if that PC is not connected in any way to any network, then there is no need for updates.
In any other situation, security updates are essential.
However, the title asks how long we go before updated our OS, and this implies a full upgrade rather than merely security updates.

That is what I always thought.

I did in-fact mean security updates though- not upgrades. (Although I do also strenuously avoid upgrades, too!)

Reading the most recent posts....I'm now thinking:Why would Sun and Adobe continue to offer updates for products for OS's they no longer support? Hmmmm.....I can't help but wondering if those updates aren't for their own purposes/benefit, rather than ours.