Just Say No to Microsoft
How to Ditch Microsoft and Why It's Not as Hard as You Think (http://www.nostarch.com/sayno.htm) (book)
by Tony Bove (http://www.tonybove.com/getoffmicrosoft/home.html) (author's website with Alternatives to Microsoft products)

November 2005, 264 pp.
$24.95
1-59327-064-X
New!
Click here (http://www.nostarch.com/download/sayno_ch4.pdf) to download Chapter 4 from No Starch Press (http://www.nostarch.com/main_menu.htm)

There are so many reasons to Just Say No to Microsoft—the blue screen of death, Outlook email viruses, the never-ending influx of Windows patches... And yet, with Microsoft owning the lion’s share of the desktop market, how can anyone escape the Beast from Redmond and still function? It’s not as hard as you think, and author Tony Bove is only too happy to show you how to become liberated.

Bove injects a healthy dose of humor into Just Say No to Microsoft, but his objective is sincere: to help you break your Microsoft addiction and free yourself from reliance on its ubiquitous software. After tracing Microsoft's rise from tiny startup to monopolistic juggernaut, Just Say No to Microsoft chronicles how the company's practices have discouraged innovation, stunted competition, and helped foster an environment ripe for viruses, bugs and hackers.

From there, Just Say No to Microsoft outlines the many available replacements for Windows and other Microsoft products, including the Office suite (Word, Excel, Outlook), Media Player, and Internet Explorer, and explains why your computing life will be better if you make the switch. With Bove’s thorough explanations of alternative operating systems like Linux and Mac and open source solutions, you can kiss the entire Windows operating system goodbye. And, Bove demonstrates how you’ll be able to interact successfully with your less-fortunate friends and colleagues who are still tied to Microsoft.

my I. E. got a virus or something and then started crashing.

my I. E. got a virus or something and then started crashing.oops! sorry to hear about the "virus or something". even "scarier", with as much integration of I.E. as there is into windows, i would begin to wonder what else might have been impacted?

have you discovered the joys of "tabbed browsing", yet? right click on a link and you can open it in a new tab, rather than a new window. and, yes; that new tab can be given the focus immediately.

select Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced. under tabbed browsing, select "Select new tabs opened from links". then the newly selected tab will be presented immediately, rather than having to select it (by clicking the tab). also take a look at the Web Features; you can set which sites can pop-up windows, install software or load images.

there are also "extensions" that can be added for "extra" "fun-ctionality".

if you want, you can also set all these smilies to do their thing only once. in the address bar, type in about:config - in the "filter" field, type in animations (once you get to about "anima", the lower screen will display the image.animation_mode setting. right click it and select Modify. change "normal" to "once" or "never". lots and lots of stuff on the about:config page that can be adjusted to suit you!

have fun with it!!!

i tried to open a porn site and it installed a generic mailer and some other malware on me.
i got the mailer out but i'm still sick.
it corrupted my IE and knocked out my system restore.
i've tried several virus scans but they show nothing.
i may end up reformatting.

BTW - the colors are changed with FF.
where the premium members names showed in green and the mods showed in red, in FF they are all blue.
i can't tell who is who.

I use Wordperfect instead of Microsoft Office and I use Firefox instead of I.E.

i tried to open a porn site and it installed a generic mailer and some other malware on me.
i got the mailer out but i'm still sick.
it corrupted my IE and knocked out my system restore.
i've tried several virus scans but they show nothing.
i may end up reformatting.

BTW - the colors are changed with FF.
where the premium members names showed in green and the mods showed in red, in FF they are all blue.
i can't tell who is who.yeah, i notice that. i've been sort of wondering how those colors are configured in the vBulletin script: i get no green either. is that blue? but then, i have my stuff set to display pages with a grey background and black text; that bright white that too many pages use hurts my eyes.

virus scans are good (sometimes) for finding virii. have you tried malware tools? ad-aware, spybot search and destroy, spywareblaster?

if you are gonna reformat anyway, maybe take a short look at something other than windows? just for a minute? heck, if you have a cd burner, you could try a "LiveCD" version and not mess with your hard disk at all.

I use Wordperfect instead of Microsoft Office and I use Firefox instead of I.E.gosh, i remember using wordperfect back in the dos days. i think i may even still have a copy around here someplace.

is wordperfect a "suite"? word processor, spreadsheet, database, etc.? just for kicks, have you tried the openoffice.org (that is the name of the package, oddly enough!) suite? it's office compatible and costs a whole lot less! prolly even less than wordperfect! in fact; it's completely free!

it is possible to do this entire computing thing with the only costs being the puter itself and the internet connection. (well, even that can be had "for free", but they make up that "freeness" with advertising ... which means all the "marketing tools" that most folks call malware.)

Don't really see what's the big aversion to Microsoft personally. The alpha geeks as they call them will turn against anything that gets to be too popular or mainstream - since they always have to feel like they are on the cutting edge.

For instance the alpha geeks are already calling google the new "evil empire" (which it might just be)...java is already being called a dead lanuage in favor of Ruby on Rails. I use firefox too but I've noticed since Firefox has gotten so popular - alpha geeks have moved on to Opera now instead.

Still, if I have to send a communique out and 95% of people will have Word and can open it...then I want no hassles so I'm using word. Linux is cool to play around with, and I have, but it still requires you to deal with a lot more hassle than a properly secured regular ole windows box.

Kinda like I could rebel and go to the Barber college and get a free fade but.....sometimes you get what you pay for...;)

Don't really see what's the big aversion to Microsoft personally.a database that every developer that ever develops anything for the platform can access - which database contains your personal information, listings and settings for every application on your computer. a database that every application or website can read and/or write any time that they care to. (the windows registry)

built-in facilities that allow key-logging, transaction reporting, inter process communications and all the other things that have come to be known as "malware" - except that the "industry" calls them "marketing tools".

sure, you're not using internet explorer, but windows is! so it is still there; still vulnerable to stuff. true, maybe not as much as if it were actually launched - but just try to get rid of it completely.
Still, if I have to send a communique out and 95% of people will have Word and can open it...then I want no hassles so I'm using word.open office can handle all that office can. Linux is cool to play around with, and I have, but it still requires you to deal with a lot more hassle than a properly secured regular ole windows box.linux sucks; it's trying too hard to be windows. a windows box can not be "secured"; do you have any idea of what all those extra network adapters are in the device manager? do you know why one can't see them until one enables "show hidden devices"? or why they are hidden? do you know who uses them, when and for what?

sure, it's a hassle; when has learning anything new not been? this mess pisses me off all the time! in fact, i'm about to jump into chat with this crap and be all sorts of frustrated.

but all the bits on this puter are bits that i installed because i wanted them, not because "some nice man" said that they would be very convenient.

oddly enough; i'm beginning to see a sort of parallel between the hassles i'm having being non-windows on a windows internet and being non-white in a white country; the hassles, the efforts to change, and frustrations of getting any energies together for that change, are really quite similar .... sadly ...

Kinda like I could rebel and go to the Barber college and get a free fade but.....sometimes you get what you pay for...;)and sometimes, especially in this brave new world, you get a lot less than you pay for!! ironically enough, if one tries to buy a computer without windows on it, one winds up paying more for the puter??

but, hey!; it's much easier to go along with the "entrenched majority", isn't it? ... even when that majority doesn't care a fig about ya except for your money and how much work you do for them! and still won't give you no respect!! ... hmmm ...

gosh, i remember using wordperfect back in the dos days. i think i may even still have a copy around here someplace.

is wordperfect a "suite"? word processor, spreadsheet, database, etc.? just for kicks, have you tried the openoffice.org (that is the name of the package, oddly enough!) suite? it's office compatible and costs a whole lot less! prolly even less than wordperfect! in fact; it's completely free!

it is possible to do this entire computing thing with the only costs being the puter itself and the internet connection. (well, even that can be had "for free", but they make up that "freeness" with advertising ... which means all the "marketing tools" that most folks call malware.)

Yes, you can get Wordperfect in a suite. It think it's called Corel something.

I have heard of openoffice... never tried it though. From what I've seen it is very impressive considering it is free.

virus scans are good (sometimes) for finding virii. have you tried malware tools? ad-aware, spybot search and destroy, spywareblaster?

yeah i scan with three different scanners and none of them can find anything but IE is buggin. that's why i gave up and got FF.


if you are gonna reformat anyway, maybe take a short look at something other than windows? just for a minute? heck, if you have a cd burner, you could try a "LiveCD" version and not mess with your hard disk at all.
what would you recommend as another OS?

a properly secured regular ole windows box.


how do you do that?
i had NIS and I still got blasted.

yeah i scan with three different scanners and none of them can find anything but IE is buggin. that's why i gave up and got FF.

what would you recommend as another OS?personally, i prefer FreeBSD, but a Linux distribution would be easier.

i'm finding that Ubuntu works rather nice. i've seen that Linspire is more of a "windows clone" that might be, in some ways, "easier" or "more familiar" to windows users.

there is another thread, here, inviting exploration into linux.

personally, i prefer FreeBSD, but a Linux distribution would be easier.

i'm finding that Ubuntu works rather nice. i've seen that Linspire is more of a "windows clone" that might be, in some ways, "easier" or "more familiar" to windows users.

there is another thread, here, inviting exploration into linux.
i can't find it.

i can't find it.here ya go! (http://destee.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39270)

how do you do that?
i had NIS and I still got blasted.try these (http://destee.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39335)

I feel you brother anAfrican. The windows registry is potentially dangerous but keep in mind open source code almost always has just as many or MORE security vulnerabilities.....you just don't have as many developers trying to exploit it.

I think it's true Linux, because of its roots in unix as a multi-user secure OS, is inherently more secure than all windows with the exception of maybe windows server 2003. MS has made a lot of progress in the last 6 months improving windows security so that hackers have moved on to writing viruses that affect APPLICATIONS that are installed...eventually choice of OS alone won't make much difference on security front.

Interesting analogy between using microsoft and assimilating into the entrenched majority. The extension of the analogy is that microsoft's tools have CREATED opportunity for many people, including blacks to empower themselves through entrepreneurship....development shops, service shops, design shops, suppliers, etc. I can't tell you how many brothers I know learned vb, c++, and now C# or other .NET and have gone into business for themselves. Moving within the establishment to gain expertise allows you to come back out of it more skilled and able to compete with your own ventures.

Another extension of your analogy - similar to being black in this country and struggling for progress, you have to deal with all these little warring splinter groups with little cohesion (panafricanists, nationalists, traditional spiritualists, etc. etc.) and thus making cohesiveness much more difficult. You get the same flavor of the month with Linux making it very difficult to get compatibility....ex.) all the deb/rpm/gentoo conflicts. How many 3 year old linux apps still working on kernels you pull down today? Why don't the linux distros standardize so more hardware and apps can work together on their platforms?

On openoffice -if all you are doing is basic communication and docs ...probably makes a lot of sense....most of the features of MS Office aren't used by the majority of folks. But if I'm your customer and I send you an complex excel file or a detailed visio and you can't access it because you're anti-microsoft...you can't help me. I've been working with the beta for office 12- some of the new things coming may significantly widen the functionality gap between open source and office.

In any event, I try not to maintain allegiance to or strict rejection of ANY tech vendor or open source project....they're all simply tools for me. I try to make sure I can effectively wield the tools that will give me the biggest bang for my time. I have a vmware image setup with linux, but its really to come up to speed on a few database engines that don't run optimally on windows.

Most of the people who are anti-Microsoft, or PRO-Microsoft, or feel so vehemently about any other vendor...IMO are getting too emotionally invested and giving up the credibility that comes from being objective.

If you like tinkering- try open source stuff. If you don't - try learning to configure mainstream products with best practices.

One more thing on the security front, if you're talking about having your activity recorded, retained....the OS is NOT the main concern...it's the network. Once you connect ANY computer, in fact ANY device to a network, it's now vulnerable of being compromised and it's activities recorded. I don't specialize in TCP/IP or other comm. stacks, but I know A couple of indian guys get paid going around to corporations hacking into back-end systems exposing security vulnerabilities....the majority of which DON'T run WINDOWS!

I agree if you run Linux or osx you're much less LIKELY right now to be a victim of malware, spyware, common viruses...but you're NO LESS likely to have your information recorded and activities monitored as long as you're connecting to a network.

Also it's not microsoft maintaining these monstrous databases that are ACTIVELY recording everything you do on the web...the companies/agencies that are involved get their info from what you do over http and combine it with other personal data recorded about you in govt. files, credit card trans, health records, etc. Going non-microsoft 100% doesn't impact that at all.

Just my .02. Great discussion though.

I feel you brother anAfrican. The windows registry is potentially dangerous but keep in mind open source code almost always has just as many or MORE security vulnerabilities.....you just don't have as many developers trying to exploit it.

I think it's true Linux, because of its roots in unix as a multi-user secure OS, is inherently more secure than all windows with the exception of maybe windows server 2003. MS has made a lot of progress in the last 6 months improving windows security so that hackers have moved on to writing viruses that affect APPLICATIONS that are installed...eventually choice of OS alone won't make much difference on security front.

Interesting analogy between using microsoft and assimilating into the entrenched majority. The extension of the analogy is that microsoft's tools have CREATED opportunity for many people, including blacks to empower themselves through entrepreneurship....development shops, service shops, design shops, suppliers, etc. I can't tell you how many brothers I know learned vb, c++, and now C# or other .NET and have gone into business for themselves. Moving within the establishment to gain expertise allows you to come back out of it more skilled and able to compete with your own ventures.

Another extension of your analogy - similar to being black in this country and struggling for progress, you have to deal with all these little warring splinter groups with little cohesion (panafricanists, nationalists, traditional spiritualists, etc. etc.) and thus making cohesiveness much more difficult. You get the same flavor of the month with Linux making it very difficult to get compatibility....ex.) all the deb/rpm/gentoo conflicts. How many 3 year old linux apps still working on kernels you pull down today? Why don't the linux distros standardize so more hardware and apps can work together on their platforms?

On openoffice -if all you are doing is basic communication and docs ...probably makes a lot of sense....most of the features of MS Office aren't used by the majority of folks. But if I'm your customer and I send you an complex excel file or a detailed visio and you can't access it because you're anti-microsoft...you can't help me. I've been working with the beta for office 12- some of the new things coming may significantly widen the functionality gap between open source and office.

In any event, I try not to maintain allegiance to or strict rejection of ANY tech vendor or open source project....they're all simply tools for me. I try to make sure I can effectively wield the tools that will give me the biggest bang for my time. I have a vmware image setup with linux, but its really to come up to speed on a few database engines that don't run optimally on windows.

Most of the people who are anti-Microsoft, or PRO-Microsoft, or feel so vehemently about any other vendor...IMO are getting too emotionally invested and giving up the credibility that comes from being objective.

If you like tinkering- try open source stuff. If you don't - try learning to configure mainstream products with best practices.

One more thing on the security front, if you're talking about having your activity recorded, retained....the OS is NOT the main concern...it's the network. Once you connect ANY computer, in fact ANY device to a network, it's now vulnerable of being compromised and it's activities recorded. I don't specialize in TCP/IP or other comm. stacks, but I know A couple of indian guys get paid going around to corporations hacking into back-end systems exposing security vulnerabilities....the majority of which DON'T run WINDOWS!

I agree if you run Linux or osx you're much less LIKELY right now to be a victim of malware, spyware, common viruses...but you're NO LESS likely to have your information recorded and activities monitored as long as you're connecting to a network.

Also it's not microsoft maintaining these monstrous databases that are ACTIVELY recording everything you do on the web...the companies/agencies that are involved get their info from what you do over http and combine it with other personal data recorded about you in govt. files, credit card trans, health records, etc. Going non-microsoft 100% doesn't impact that at all.

Just my .02. Great discussion though.

how do you properly secure a windows manchine?
i run XP and Norton IS and i still got hit.
what should i use?

most definietely great discussion!! thank you, brother kemetkind!

I feel you brother anAfrican. The windows registry is potentially dangerous but keep in mind open source code almost always has just as many or MORE security vulnerabilities.....you just don't have as many developers trying to exploit it.there are also a lot more eyes looking at the code that are not hampered by NDAs (non disclosure agreements) when they do find something. that "shared source" initiative that microsoft tossed up to counter this only works if microsoft will make the adjustments that are found to be needed.

I think it's true Linux, because of its roots in unix as a multi-user secure OS, is inherently more secure than all windows with the exception of maybe windows server 2003. MS has made a lot of progress in the last 6 months improving windows security so that hackers have moved on to writing viruses that affect APPLICATIONS that are installed...eventually choice of OS alone won't make much difference on security front.ok; targeting applications. or is it targeting the hooks between the apps and the os? implementing the same "developer tools" that are in the os into an application will make them just as vulnerable as the os, but it now "looks like" it is the app rather than the os? <shrug> never got to know windows well enough to want to develop on/for the platform ...

Interesting analogy between using microsoft and assimilating into the entrenched majority. The extension of the analogy is that microsoft's tools have CREATED opportunity for many people, including blacks to empower themselves through entrepreneurship....development shops, service shops, design shops, suppliers, etc. I can't tell you how many brothers I know learned vb, c++, and now C# or other .NET and have gone into business for themselves. Moving within the establishment to gain expertise allows you to come back out of it more skilled and able to compete with your own ventures.all true. but are they developing "new technologies"(nation building) that step outside the box of the existing framework? or is it the same ol' same old, with a "different coat of paint"?

Another extension of your analogy - similar to being black in this country and struggling for progress, you have to deal with all these little warring splinter groups with little cohesion (panafricanists, nationalists, traditional spiritualists, etc. etc.) and thus making cohesiveness much more difficult. You get the same flavor of the month with Linux making it very difficult to get compatibility....ex.) all the deb/rpm/gentoo conflicts. How many 3 year old linux apps still working on kernels you pull down today? Why don't the linux distros standardize so more hardware and apps can work together on their platforms?yeah; that's the bit that keeps me preferring FreeBSD; "we don't need no steenking standards base!". i hate it!! that's the biggest reason that i have been reluctant to further "push" the idea of exploring alternatives; which desktop? which distro? which sound management? <shudder>

further, i do believe that you have hit on the core of what i'm feeling about this analogy; the divisions. it seems to me that both cases are gonna have a similarly tough trek on the way to cohesiveness. perhaps there could be something for either to learn from the other as/if/when either pull this rabbit out of the hat?

On openoffice -if all you are doing is basic communication and docs ...probably makes a lot of sense....most of the features of MS Office aren't used by the majority of folks. But if I'm your customer and I send you an complex excel file or a detailed visio and you can't access it because you're anti-microsoft...you can't help me. I've been working with the beta for office 12- some of the new things coming may significantly widen the functionality gap between open source and office.but that's just it; why does microsoft continuously make these changes that make it so difficult for others to share? (apparently, i would "ask you a rhetorical question". right, it's for the bucks. )

In any event, I try not to maintain allegiance to or strict rejection of ANY tech vendor or open source project....they're all simply tools for me. I try to make sure I can effectively wield the tools that will give me the biggest bang for my time. I have a vmware image setup with linux, but its really to come up to speed on a few database engines that don't run optimally on windows.as always; at the end of the day it's all about which tool is the best for the job.

Most of the people who are anti-Microsoft, or PRO-Microsoft, or feel so vehemently about any other vendor...IMO are getting too emotionally invested and giving up the credibility that comes from being objective.do you mean like "anti-" and "PRO-"? <grin>

If you like tinkering- try open source stuff. If you don't - try learning to configure mainstream products with best practices.definitely a tinkerer; always have been. i'd try, but i'd have to buy all those bits in the mainstream scenario; just don't like that "money" stuff!

One more thing on the security front, if you're talking about having your activity recorded, retained....the OS is NOT the main concern...it's the network. Once you connect ANY computer, in fact ANY device to a network, it's now vulnerable of being compromised and it's activities recorded. I don't specialize in TCP/IP or other comm. stacks, but I know A couple of indian guys get paid going around to corporations hacking into back-end systems exposing security vulnerabilities....the majority of which DON'T run WINDOWS!

I agree if you run Linux or osx you're much less LIKELY right now to be a victim of malware, spyware, common viruses...but you're NO LESS likely to have your information recorded and activities monitored as long as you're connecting to a network.oh, very true; the only secure puter is one that is not plugged in to power. heck, there have been tools around forever that can determine what is traveling through any wire via induction. mouse cable, keyboard cable, monitor cable; heck, read it off the monitor as the light flickers during refresh. but that's on the extreme esoteric side. keeping an eye on cookies (enabling them for only certain sites, or disabling them altogether), paying attention to what applets the web is running on your computer, giving some thought to which pop-ups one wants to "click ok to collect your winnings!" and all sorts of other "social engineering" gimmicks. "it's a jungle out there!"

Also it's not microsoft maintaining these monstrous databases that are ACTIVELY recording everything you do on the web...the companies/agencies that are involved get their info from what you do over http and combine it with other personal data recorded about you in govt. files, credit card trans, health records, etc. Going non-microsoft 100% doesn't impact that at all.don't recall the exact specifics, but there was an occasion when it was being said that microsoft was maintaining a database, but that microsoft said it wasn't, only to find out that they actually were. but, you're right; it ain't all microsoft - why should they when they can buy any info they want from all over the place? on the other hand; microsoft products DO "phone home": error messages that offer to send a report to microsoft in order to "improve the customer's experience". however, they do, now, allow one to peruse that error report ...

on the other hand; knowing what data is taking which path out of that puter to the network does help one to have a bit more of a reasonable idea of what is what. but having a bunch of "pseudo-adapters" in the puter that the puter "owner" doesn't even know exist? could you, maybe, tell me what those "hidden devices" in the device manager are for? who installed them? what are they doing? who are they talking to? wasn't nothing installed on the box but xp. running netstat -an at a command prompt will show which ports are being listened on; 137, 138, 139, 445 and 81 are blocked at my firewall, both incoming and outgoing. and i saw a bunch of others that i didn't recognize, nor could find out much about. again; what are they, who are they talking to, who's doing the talking?

Just my .02. Great discussion though.truly great!

how do you properly secure a windows manchine?
i run XP and Norton IS and i still got hit.
what should i use?thanks for making that sticky, james! i hope those links are of use to folks.

on the other hand, i do have to admit that i have not installed them on an xp box. and given that microsoft now has a firewall and is coming out with malware tools, i would not be the least bit surprised to find that they don't work anymore.

i will also admit that there could be something to the "rabid anti-microsoft" bit that could be getting in the way. but my gut reaction is always to turn off/uninstall the microsoft tools. granted, again; i have not gone this route with xp because i don't have it installed. (i did on a notebook, but it's gone now!) i sort of feel somewhat "vindicated" in that the spyware formerly called gator and renamed to claria has had it's "degree of severity" lessened in microsoft's malware tools - strikes me as being somewhat "curious" to say the least.

i hope brother kemetkind, or some of the other xp users have some thoughts on this.

i assume that any communication i make or data about me is open to gu'ment review.
my only safety is in staying as far below their radar as i can.

how do you properly secure a windows manchine?
i run XP and Norton IS and i still got hit.
what should i use?

AnAfrican is on point it's not easy. Biggest tool you will have is your knowledge of the security components and how they work together.

Lot of good sites out there - this one is written at a pretty high level and you should be able to follow their advice:

http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/security/page_1.htm

Most all their recommendations are spot on...

It sounds like you are having your problems when browsing unknown sites....so In addition to what they recommend at tweakhound go pick up the latest host file from:
http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/

Save it to your windows/system32/drivers/etc directory with no extension. You'll miss out on a lot of ads and pop-ups but this is a VERY EASY and FREE way to help secure your browser .

AnAfrican is on point it's not easy. Biggest tool you will have is your knowledge of the security components and how they work together.

Lot of good sites out there - this one is written at a pretty high level and you should be able to follow their advice:

http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/security/page_1.htm

Most all their recommendations are spot on...wow!! thanks for the link to tweakhound!! i may even build xp on a notebook just to build a slipstream disk! i'll also add it to the Puter Protection (http://destee.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39335) thread.