[Retros] Lots of recent publications

[Peter Fayers]

People,
As one of the users (sufferers) of Microsoft and Outlook's stupidity, I have
a very simple rule - I never open attachments.
Inline text is ideal - I have home-grown C programs which can translate
standard board notation (in any language) into Chess font formats.
I just run the email text through this program, and use Word on the result
to change the font.
Though, please, if sending inline text, put it at the end (!).
Rgds,
Peter.

----- Original Message -----
From: "A J Mestel" <A.J.Mestel at damtp.cam.ac.uk>
To: <retros at janko.at>
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2003 2:30 AM
Subject: Re: [Retros] Lots of recent publications



> For heaven's sake. Zip all files, including text files? Not everyone uses

> e-mail systems and operating systems which are this virus prone. It's hard

> enough trying to convince people not to send a few lines of text as a WORD

> document, without suggesting they gratuitously zip text files. I'm not

> going to demand you switch to UNIX, Andy, but I think it is at your end

> you should work at things, rather than demand that the rest of the world

> conform to Microsoft & Outlook's stupidity!

>

>   Jonathan

>

> On Sun, 27 Jul 2003, Andrew Buchanan wrote:

>

> > Thanks to folks who've recently sent documents as attachments. I suspect

> > that I may not be the only member of the list who lives in the world of

> > Microsoft Outlook Express. Under this regime, arriving attachments are

> > classified as safe or unsafe based on the file type. If the attachment

is

> > deemed unsafe (e.g. for .txt files or .wps) then I am prevented from

> > accessing it to read it.

> >

> > However, if the sender zips the attachments, so the file type is .zip,

and I

> > can unzip it and read the attachments happily. This has the added

advantage

> > of reducing the size of the attachment, although typically the files

that we

> > send around are quite small in size. Indeed even relabelling a .txt file

as

> > .zip will allow it to pass the Microsoft scrutiny, although I wouldn't

> > recommend doing that.

> >

> > This brings up a bigger question, that of the safety of reading

unsolicited

> > attachments. Outlook works this way it does for a reason. If I read an

email

> > from a member of this panel, and the email refers to an attachment, and

> > talks about it in a chessically coherent way, then I will assume that

the

> > attachment is genuine. If there is no supporting text, then I can assume

> > that the message is viral, and delete it.

> >

> > Let me admit in case this seems academic, that a few weeks ago, I did

> > receive a virus through this mailing list, and the fragment of

supporting

> > text stolen from another message for the originating user fooled me into

> > finding a laborious work-around so I could open the attachment. Such is

the

> > passion of chess problems.

> >

> > Summary: I suggest:

> > (1) zip your attachments.

> > (2) continue to supply supporting text in the email so I can determine

the

> > mail is genuine.

> > (3) particularly for PC users, be careful in opening attachments, and

keep

> > your virus checker up to date.

> >

> > Thanks & regards,

> > Andrew Buchanan,

> > (or a virus masquerading as he).

> >

>

>

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