OT opinions re Newsgroups vs Google Groups?

[masonc]

Any opinions? Should I abandon Newsgroups?
MasonC

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
http://www.avast.com

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

masonc wrote:

> Any opinions? Should I abandon Newsgroups?

Sure, go right ahead. You'll enjoy it over there.

> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
> http://www.avast.com

But first, you should abandon this avast spam message.

--
-bts
-This space for rent, but the price is high

[David E. Ross]

On 2/22/2015 2:15 PM, masonc wrote:
> Any opinions? Should I abandon Newsgroups?
> MasonC

With Google Groups, you are entirely dependent on Google. This includes
Google's privacy or lack thereof and Google's responses to government
investigators. With NNTP (newsgroups), you are not dependent on any
single service. Yes, you choose your service; but then you can change.
That is because NNTP is distributed across many free and fee service
providers. Thus, you posted your message with a service that is not the
one I use; but I still see your message as you will see this response.

Lengthy discussions are not well presented via Google Groups, which does
not handle threads well. A good newsreader -- your Forte or my
Thunderbird -- can collect an entire discussion in a single thread,
except where the thread is interrupted by a message from Google Groups.

A good newsreader can display all the summaries of an entire newsgroup
-- not merely a single thread -- in a single scrollable window. By
"summaries", I mean the subject, posting date, public ID of the person
posting, read/unread indicator, and thread connections of each message.

--
David E. Ross
<http://www.rossde.com/>

Anything I post in this newsgroup is my personal
opinion and does not reflect the official position
of the Big8-Usenet Board.

[Stan Brown]

On Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:15:36 -0800, masonc wrote:
>
> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus
> software.
> http://www.avast.com

This takes less time to do than it did to write it:

In Avast, click the gear icon for settings, then Active Protection.
Click the gear icon at the right of Mail Shield, then in the menu at
left click Behavior. Remove the tick mark from "Insert note into
clean message (outgoing)".

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com/
HTML 4.01 spec: http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/
validator: http://validator.w3.org/
CSS 2.1 spec: http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/
validator: http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/
Why We Won't Help You: http://preview.tinyurl.com/WhyWont

[tlvp]

On Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:15:36 -0800, masonc wrote:

What's your dilemma? There are newsgroups not presented as Google Groups.
There are Google Groups having no newsgroup counterparts. Abandon any you
don't need, and subscribe to whichever you do need; it's as simple as that.

For example, my neighborhood blockwatch communicates in a Google Group, but
there's no corresponding newsgroup. Again, plenty of folks here will be
able to cite you newsgroups that Google has not (yet?) chosen to reproduce
as a Google Group. So pick and choose according to your needs and/or taste.

Cheers, -- tlvp

Oh, fwiw, I've had plenty of malware-laden spam reach me with the same
checked-by-Avast sig you use, so to me that's just useless noise :-) . HTH.
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.

[JJ]

On Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:15:36 -0800, masonc wrote:

> Any opinions? Should I abandon Newsgroups?
> MasonC

You're not really abandoning newsgroups if you're planning to use GG to
access real newsgroups such as this or alt.comp.freeware. That's merely
abandoning your newsgroups client program.

Or, were you planning to use GG only "groups"?

[masonc]

On Sun, 22 Feb 2015 22:07:25 -0500, Stan Brown <the_sta...@fastmail.fm>
wrote:

>On Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:15:36 -0800, masonc wrote:
>>
>> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus
>> software.
>> http://www.avast.com
>
>This takes less time to do than it did to write it:
>
>In Avast, click the gear icon for settings, then Active Protection.
>Click the gear icon at the right of Mail Shield, then in the menu at
>left click Behavior. Remove the tick mark from "Insert note into
>clean message (outgoing)".

I don't see a "gear icon at the right of Mail Shield" perhaps
because I have the free version. But there is a "customize" and
I did turn off the mail shield.
I habitually am careful about mail so that should not be a problem.

Is the paid upgrade of Avast! worth it?

[Phillip Helbig (undress to reply)]

In article <u5lkead7mmot3g56u...@4ax.com>, masonc

<mas...@frontal-lobe.info> writes:

> Any opinions? Should I abandon Newsgroups?

No. Google Groups has several problems:

Problems aren't fixed at all, or only after months.

Google unnecessarily encodes plain-text postings.

Google tries to create the impression that all usenet groups are "Google
Groups".

Get a real NNTP server and read news with a real newsreader.

[Gus Richter]

I also have the free version.

1. Do *not* turn off Mail Shield
2. Click on the Avast icon to display it's menu.
3. select:

Settings
Active Protection
Mail Shield/Customize
Behavior/ *un-check* "Insert note into clean message (outgoing)"

OK
OK
X

--
Gus

[Stan Brown]

On Mon, 23 Feb 2015 12:27:46 -0800, masonc wrote:
> I don't see a "gear icon at the right of Mail Shield" perhaps
> because I have the free version. But there is a "customize" and
> I did turn off the mail shield.

Thank you!

[Stan Brown]

On Mon, 23 Feb 2015 18:11:27 -0500, Gus Richter wrote:
> I also have the free version.
>
> 1. Do *not* turn off Mail Shield
> 2. Click on the Avast icon to display it's menu.
> 3. select:
>
> Settings
> Active Protection
> Mail Shield/Customize
> Behavior/ *un-check* "Insert note into clean message (outgoing)"
>
> OK
> OK
> X
>

Sounds like what I said, only arranged differently. (I three have the
free version.)

[Gus Richter]

On 2/23/2015 8:47 PM, Stan Brown wrote:
> On Mon, 23 Feb 2015 18:11:27 -0500, Gus Richter wrote:
>> I also have the free version.
>>
>> 1. Do *not* turn off Mail Shield
>> 2. Click on the Avast icon to display it's menu.
>> 3. select:
>>
>> Settings
>> Active Protection
>> Mail Shield/Customize
>> Behavior/ *un-check* "Insert note into clean message (outgoing)"
>>
>> OK
>> OK
>> X
>>
>
> Sounds like what I said, only arranged differently. (I three have the
> free version.)
>

I wished him to *not* turn off Mail Shield and it sounded like he did
not follow your instructions and did not grok "gear". Also tried to make
it really clear for him, step by step. Sorry.

--
Gus

[masonc]

Alright alright I got it "gear" my eye

Really, thanks I now have it. Really.

cheeez all the chatter

Oh, well, nothing else to do today.

[masonc]

Mason topped with:

"Thanks for the comments re: Googe and Newsgroups. Confirms my
suspicion.

"However, a friend has a personal Google Group that works very well
for him -- as a forum. (The economic and political Newsgroups are full
of crap neck deep.)"

And Mason bottomed here. Thanks again. (no more Avast "spam")


OH, and I'm glad to see other experts use Avast Free !

[Stan Brown]

No need for sorry -- sometimes one phraseology doesn't work for
someone but another does.

I still don't know how he managed to not see the gear, though.

[tlvp]

On Tue, 24 Feb 2015 23:31:56 -0500, Stan Brown wrote:

> ... how he managed to not see the gear ...

First few times I saw that icon I thought it was a mariner's wheel :-) .
And a particularly nasty 6-sided version I though was a hex spline key.
"Gear", you call it? once you learn it, sure, I guess :-) . Cheers, -- tlvp

[Barry Margolin]

In article <19i0vg1h0u7mb.b...@40tude.net>,

tlvp <mPiOsUcB...@att.net> wrote:

> On Tue, 24 Feb 2015 23:31:56 -0500, Stan Brown wrote:
>
> > ... how he managed to not see the gear ...
>
> First few times I saw that icon I thought it was a mariner's wheel :-) .
> And a particularly nasty 6-sided version I though was a hex spline key.
> "Gear", you call it? once you learn it, sure, I guess :-) . Cheers, -- tlvp

So this got me wondering why many applications use a gear icon for their
settings/preferences dialog. Found this:

http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/60152/why-is-the-settings-icon-eith
er-associated-with-gears-or-a-wrench-screwdriver

--
Barry Margolin, bar...@alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
*** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me ***

[masonc]

On Tue, 24 Feb 2015 23:31:56 -0500, Stan Brown <the_sta...@fastmail.fm>
wrote:

>I still don't know how he managed to not see the gear, though.

There IS NO gear to the right of "Mail Shield." Look.

[masonc]

But thanks for the guidance anyway.

[Gus Richter]

The "Gear" is beside "Settings" and possibly elsewhere in previous Avast
versions.

--
Gus

[dorayme]

In article <u5lkead7mmot3g56u...@4ax.com>,

masonc <mas...@frontal-lobe.info> wrote:

> Any opinions? Should I abandon Newsgroups?

...

masonc! Do photos of yourself still come out blurred after all these
years?

--
dorayme

[masonc]

Not since you expressed so much admiration for my page designs:

http://frontal-lobe.infoi

[dorayme]

In article <7oj1fahs1pg63mjii...@4ax.com>,

I admire your urls, got any more that don't work? <g>

--
dorayme

[Stan Brown]

I did before, and I did again just now.

[Christoph M. Becker]

Try without the last character -- or maybe better don't try.

--
Christoph M. Becker

[dorayme]

In article <mcr3c6$mnr$1...@solani.org>,

The most amazing thing there is the background picture. It looks
suspiciously like the top of the trees and the very clouds in Newtown,
Sydney where I used to live and photograph. I will contact Interpol to
see if they will kindly grab Mason, bring him to me so that I can
question him closely.

It is possible he is quite innocent. The site design suggests
innocence so, don't be alarmed, I will start off soft...

--
dorayme

[masonc]

On Fri, 27 Feb 2015 18:51:29 -0500, Stan Brown <the_sta...@fastmail.fm>

wrote:

>On Thu, 26 Feb 2015 12:53:25 -0800, masonc wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, 24 Feb 2015 23:31:56 -0500, Stan Brown <the_sta...@fastmail.fm>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >I still don't know how he managed to not see the gear, though.
>>
>> There IS NO gear to the right of "Mail Shield." Look.
>
>I did before, and I did again just now.

Stan, I am pursuing this out of concern that I may have a
strange version of Avast.

See my screen: http://frontal-lobe.info/avast.jpg

MasonC

[masonc]

On Sat, 28 Feb 2015 17:45:09 +1100, dorayme <do_r...@bigpond.com> wrote:

>In article <mcr3c6$mnr$1...@solani.org>,
> "Christoph M. Becker" <cmbec...@arcor.de> wrote:
>
>> dorayme wrote:
>>
>> > In article <7oj1fahs1pg63mjii...@4ax.com>,
>> > masonc <mas...@frontal-lobe.info> wrote:
>> >
>> >> http://frontal-lobe.info
>> >

>> > I admire your urls, got any more that don't work? <g>
>>
>> Try without the last character -- or maybe better don't try.
>
>The most amazing thing there is the background picture. It looks
>suspiciously like the top of the trees and the very clouds in Newtown,
>Sydney where I used to live and photograph. I will contact Interpol to
>see if they will kindly grab Mason, bring him to me so that I can
>question him closely.
>
>It is possible he is quite innocent. The site design suggests
>innocence so, don't be alarmed, I will start off soft...

Great ! Thanks ! Look at http://frontal-lobe.info/jim/art.html
to see where I acquired my renowned skill at design.

And how many of my books did you buy?

Best Regards,

Mason Clark http://frontal-lobe.info

[tlvp]

On Sat, 28 Feb 2015 12:30:48 -0800, masonc wrote:

> Stan, I am pursuing this out of concern that I may have a
> strange version of Avast.
>
> See my screen: http://frontal-lobe.info/avast.jpg
>
> MasonC

Mason, I'm not Stan, and I find it an unreasonable simulacrum of a gear,
but I think it's the 4-pronged yellow gizmo just to the left of the word
"avast" that folks are referring to as "the gear". You see it, of course.
You may wince, as do I, at the notion that anyone should see it as a gear.

HTH. (And if I've got that wrong, please, someone, straighten me out!)

[Denis McMahon]

Could it be that instead of a "gear" for settings, he has the "customise"
link to the right of "mail shield"?

Just guessing.

--
Denis McMahon, denismf...@gmail.com

[Stan Brown]

I apologize for the confusion. I did indeed see a gear because I was
using the 2014 program version. In the 2015 version, as you say,
that's been changed to "Customize".

I am slow to update Avast program versions (as opposed to virus
definitions) because of their nasty habit of foisting unwanted
additional programs, with not even an opt-opt screen let alone an
opt-in one.

Sure enough, when I updated the program version, Avast installed
Google Chrome without telling me, and made it my default browser.
Given my past experience, I watched the update screen like a hawk,
and there was no notice that Chrome would be installed, let alone a
request for permission to do so.

I uninstalled Google Chrome, and then re-established Firefox as my
default browser. I don't see anything else in Control Panel »
Programs and Features that I didn't install myself, so hopefully
that's the extent of repairing my system after Avast's foistware
install.

[Molly Mockford]

At 10:05:38 on Sun, 1 Mar 2015, Stan Brown <the_sta...@fastmail.fm>
wrote in <MPG.2f5cf4d2d...@news.individual.net>:

>I uninstalled Google Chrome, and then re-established Firefox as my
>default browser. I don't see anything else in Control Panel ›
>Programs and Features that I didn't install myself, so hopefully
>that's the extent of repairing my system after Avast's foistware
>install.

Malwarebytes (free from https://www.malwarebytes.org/) is very good at
listing not just malware but all kinds of PUPs (Potentially Unwanted
Programs) that all kinds of wanted updates can silently install -
including those which don't appear in Control panel. (No connection,
just satisfied user.)
--
Molly Mockford
Nature loves variety. Unfortunately, society hates it. (Milton Diamond Ph.D.)
(My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.)

[Stan Brown]

On Sun, 1 Mar 2015 19:14:30 +0000, Molly Mockford wrote:
> Malwarebytes (free from https://www.malwarebytes.org/) is very good at
> listing not just malware but all kinds of PUPs (Potentially Unwanted
> Programs) that all kinds of wanted updates can silently install -
> including those which don't appear in Control panel. (No connection,
> just satisfied user.)
>

I run a Malwarebytes scan weekly, so it will be interesting to see
what it finds if anything. But I very much doubt it would have
flagged Google Chrome.

Interestingly, when I looked at options in the new version of Avast,
the one to flag PUPs was unchecked. Given that Avast installs at
least one unwanted program itself, I guess that's no surprise.

[Stan Brown]

On Sun, 1 Mar 2015 17:06:42 -0500, Stan Brown wrote:
>
> On Sun, 1 Mar 2015 19:14:30 +0000, Molly Mockford wrote:
> > Malwarebytes (free from https://www.malwarebytes.org/) is very good at
> > listing not just malware but all kinds of PUPs (Potentially Unwanted
> > Programs) that all kinds of wanted updates can silently install -
> > including those which don't appear in Control panel. (No connection,
> > just satisfied user.)
> >
>
> I run a Malwarebytes scan weekly, so it will be interesting to see
> what it finds if anything. But I very much doubt it would have
> flagged Google Chrome.
>
> Interestingly, when I looked at options in the new version of Avast,
> the one to flag PUPs was unchecked. Given that Avast installs at
> least one unwanted program itself, I guess that's no surprise.

Malwarebytes didn't find anything, which may or way not be
meaningful. But I've noticed that now every program takes a couple of
extra seconds to open. The only thing that's changed on my computer
is the new version of the Avast program, so I guess the real-time
scanner is slower than in the previous version.