# What a pain in the ass the internet is becoming. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 30, 2004, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-pain-in-the-ass-the-internet-is-becoming/277352 "2004-11-30T17:24:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-pain-in-the-ass-the-internet-is-becoming/277352/21 "2004-12-01T14:12:09Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I would not recommend removing IE. Unfortunately, there are may legitimate websites that will not work without it. They may be legitimate, but not the product of a developer with any intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![SteelWolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c6cbf5/32.png) [@SteelWolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteelWolf)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-pain-in-the-ass-the-internet-is-becoming/277352/22 "2004-12-01T15:47:19Z")
I work tech support, which includes removing all kinds of spyware, malware, adware, trojan, hijackers, etc. You would not believe the number of people who treat their computer as if it were a table lamp. Your computer is second in complexity only to your car. Like your car, it requires regular maintenance. If you don’t want to do it yourself, you can pay to have it done. Blaming the Internet for computer problems is like blaming the highway when some idiot leaves the keys in their car, and some crackhead steals it and crashes into a bus full of nuns. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-pain-in-the-ass-the-internet-is-becoming/277352/23 "2004-12-01T17:02:01Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > They may be legitimate, but not the product of a developer with any intelligence. Tell that to BB&T Online. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-pain-in-the-ass-the-internet-is-becoming/277352/24 "2004-12-01T18:54:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Last week, my wife accidentally used IE - once, for a few minutes - and the scumware came back. It managed to disable my printer. > [@](#): > > My friend got hit with a trojan dialer for over 350 dollars Wow. For that kinda dough, your friend probably could have had DSL for a year and unplugged the modem. I’m just trying to figure what I’m doing wrong here. My PCs are on 24x7 with static IPs and I’m not getting any trojan dialers or printer-disabling scumware. Guess I need to get rid of the hardware firewall and the DSL line, disable the weekly automatic updates of the antivirus software and Windows itself then go buy a modem. > [@](#): > > You would not believe the number of people who treat their computer as if it were a table lamp. I treat them like lamps - they’re just there and running. About the only intervention and care I give is to vacuum the accumulated dog fur and dust off of them. Guess I took better care than usual in selecting the bulbs? ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-pain-in-the-ass-the-internet-is-becoming/277352/25 "2004-12-01T23:00:30Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I’m just trying to figure what I’m doing wrong here. My PCs are on 24x7 with static IPs and I’m not getting any trojan dialers Unless you’ve got a phone line plugged into a normal modem, how would you know if you had a trojan dialer? > [@GorillaMan](#): > > AOL’s browser basically uses the nuts and bolts of IE. True right now, but AoL is shortly moving to a [Firefox based browser](http://moz.sillydog.org/archives/000465.html)! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-pain-in-the-ass-the-internet-is-becoming/277352/26 "2004-12-02T00:22:21Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > my wife accidentally used IE - once, for a few minutes - – in 1960. ---
**Author:** ![Etherman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@Etherman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Etherman)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-pain-in-the-ass-the-internet-is-becoming/277352/27 "2004-12-02T01:23:04Z")
[Windows users take note.](http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2004-11-29-honeypot_x.htm) Although it’s not all IE, some of the problems are windows itself. Firefox won’t help with LSASS and DCOM trojans, although I can’t recommend it strongly enough for many reasons. Couple it with, say, [one of these](http://www.linksys.com/products/group.asp?grid=34&scid=29) and you are in much better shape. Note they have firewalls for dialup users there too. No matter what your OS, get a firewall, save yourself some grief. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-pain-in-the-ass-the-internet-is-becoming/277352/28 "2004-12-02T01:28:33Z")
> [@Etherman](#): > > [Windows users take note.](http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2004-11-29-honeypot_x.htm) Although it’s not all IE, some of the problems are windows itself. Firefox won’t help with LSASS and DCOM trojans, although I can’t recommend it strongly enough for many reasons. > > Couple it with, say, [one of these](http://www.linksys.com/products/group.asp?grid=34&scid=29) and you are in much better shape. Note they have firewalls for dialup users there too. No matter what your OS, get a firewall, save yourself some grief. I agree. I don’t know what it’s like elsewhere, but in the UK the standard ‘new ADSL package’ is a free USB modem, and zilch advice on security. Now, if their install CD (which manages to change the IE start page, surprise) also set up a firewall, I’d be happy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-pain-in-the-ass-the-internet-is-becoming/277352.md?page=1)