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Posted by Joe Barta on 01/21/06 05:37
Jose wrote:
> ... and while I'm at it, sometimes when I visit a site I get a
> prompt that says "Would you like software such as Active-X
> controls to run?"
>
> How am I supposed to answer the question? It's either YES or NO,
> but the prompt gives me no indication of =what= software is being
> proposed to run, =who= is asking, and what it will =do=. This
> stuff runs on MY COMPUTER, where I have lots of important stuff.
> I would treat the question the same way I would treat the plumber
> who asks "would you like me to look around at stuff like your sink
> drains and file cabinets?"
I'm not as knowledgable as Andy but I might be able to spew forth
something useful here.
It really boils down to common sense and the idea that you cannot
completely eliminate ALL risk. You have to use your best judgement and
life in general always has some risk.
99.9 times out of 100 you should say NO to those controls because most
of it is junk and some of it is downright nasty. If you're in the
seedy part of town looking for something you really ought not be
looking for and you get a message that in order to get the trinket you
want, you have to let the control install. Seems to me common sense
should tell you that's not a very good idea.
Very often one doesn't even need to be in the seedy areas... even the
entertainment district can be a little dicey. You go to your favorite
joke page and you get a request to install the Groovy Joke Toolbar. I
think it's a pretty safe bet that's something you'll want to do
without.
But let's suppose you are on a web site that you believe to be
trustworthy and the webmaster explains that in order to run such and
such you should download a particular control. You then have a choice
to make. Are you reasonably sure that it's good and wholesome and is
something you want? In the end it it's your call.
It's about judgment and common sense and for all intents and purposes
you can't get away from that.
Joe Barta
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