As stated in the first comment...
|
| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| bigg Dec 14, 2010 10:36 AM EDT |
What about those who will use an Android tablet? I know someone who uses an Android phone as his only computer. For email and browsing, which is all he does, it's sufficient. Is AT&T going to say he can't buy their service? Some companies really are behind the times. |
| JaseP Dec 14, 2010 1:16 PM EDT |
SOL I'm afraid. I believe the same issue existed with AT&T's 3G USB modems. This is going to be another bullet point in my "vapor-ware" article on hardware lockouts. |
| skelband Dec 14, 2010 2:10 PM EDT |
My flabber has never been so ghasted when I read this story.
ActiveX control need to configure your router in a web interface? WTF? Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! |
| gus3 Dec 14, 2010 2:12 PM EDT |
Not to mention the security holes that said requirement introduces. |
| bigg Dec 14, 2010 2:31 PM EDT |
> Not to mention the security holes that said requirement introduces. Exactly, not as bad as a credit card company requiring IE, but a bad signal nonetheless. |
| jimbauwens Dec 14, 2010 2:41 PM EDT |
I've a wifi camera that requires ActiveX to show the live stream. Happily the cam ran Linux, and I was easy to make a stream that was supported by mplayer. |
| gus3 Dec 14, 2010 3:19 PM EDT |
Quoting:not as bad as a credit card company requiring IEI would dispute that, on the basis that the general family of high-speed modems and routers are another port-of-entry for malware writers. Once that firmware is compromised, it's a whole new category of bots for DDoS attacks and the like, as well as traffic snooping. The desktop firewall ruleset doesn't apply to the cable modem, so a well-protected Linux desktop is just as vulnerable to a compromised cable/DSL modem as an un-updated Windows 2000 desktop. For the ISP to trust their customers' systems this way, borders on the criminally negligent. For the ISP to require that their customers use un-trustable systems, begs an accusation of complicity to monopoly. |
| tracyanne Dec 14, 2010 5:58 PM EDT |
Quoting:ActiveX control need to configure your router in a web interface? WTF? No the ActiveX is necessary to collect information from your computer. |
| JaseP Dec 14, 2010 6:57 PM EDT |
Quoting: No the ActiveX is necessary to collect information from your computer. And it is necessary to collect information from your computer, in order to data mine you for your web habits & enforce ridiculous license terms on you. |
| tracyanne Dec 14, 2010 7:02 PM EDT |
JaseP. For all I know they may also be planting spyware on your computer (if it's Windows). Given that they have a strong stance in favour of the Media cartels, with regard to piracy, I'd say there's a possibility. It's certainly worth considering. |
| JaseP Dec 15, 2010 9:51 AM EDT |
I got one machine in the house that runs Windoze, & only for configuring hardware such as in this case. Let 'em waste their time planting spyware on that machine for the 5-15 minutes it's booted up every couple of months. They wouldn't learn much about my network. The Windoze machine isn't configured to access the shared drives. And now that you bring it up, I may block it server-side & maybe router-side from seeing them. |
| Sander_Marechal Dec 15, 2010 7:34 PM EDT |
There's always a way. Just get your own DSL modem and bin the crap one that AT&T gave you. It's not like they're expensive (though probably still so for Helios' work). |
| tracyanne Dec 15, 2010 10:54 PM EDT |
To save time binning the modem tell them you already ahve a modem |
Posting in this forum is limited to members of the group: [ForumMods, SITEADMINS, MEMBERS.]
Becoming a member of LXer is easy and free. Join Us!