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[612DwarfAvenue]

Yeah, these are the people I'm talking about. it's probably a crime to make malicious viruses, but I'm not if it's enforced.

Its not that its not enforced, its just that its almost impossible to catch an experienced hacker, same reason why Piracy is on the rise.

Piracy's on the rise cause of friggin stringent Copy Protection. Just look at Spore. Had a 1:1 purchased-pirated ratio.

It's on the rise, but not because of Copy Protection (IMHO). Most piracy is people who want the game, and either can't afford it, don't want to buy it, or it isn't being sold anymore.

Well, it's ONE of the reasons at least.

[Yanlin]

Oh yes. I've boycotted EA because of this fiasco.

[SolarShado]

I may get flamed for saying this, but I'm not positive that it's a bad thing for idiots to get virused off the net. (No offense to present company intended.)

Some people are just to stupid to use a computer, much less the internet. If viruses (virii?) keep them away, I have no problem with that.

[Aqizzar]

Well, I'll start the flaming then.  You're wrong.

Computers are complicated machines.  To use them requires learning certain truths and skills.

But the idea of technological progression is to make tools progressively easier to use, not booby trap useful tools and expect people to learn to avoid them.  The Internet should be accessible to ordinary, non-nerdy people who want to get legitimate usefulness out of it, not a sorcerous minefield with a cackling peanut gallery.

[woose1]

I like how you decribe the internet, Aqizzar.

And SS, so you believe that the elimination of dumber internet users is like 'survival of the fittest'?

[SolarShado]

And SS, so you believe that the elimination of dumber internet users is like 'survival of the fittest'?

To a point yes. But i think of it more like a busy highway than a minefield, you have to be carefull, and can get away with some stupid shit. But persistently acting stupid and not learning will have a price, sooner or later. IMO, the sooner the better for that sort of person.

[Bromor Neckbeard]

I may get flamed for saying this, but I'm not positive that it's a bad thing for idiots to get virused off the net. (No offense to present company intended.)

Some people are just to stupid to use a computer, much less the internet. If viruses (virii?) keep them away, I have no problem with that.

I'm not going to flame you, but only because of my respect for the forum rules.  If there were some kind of virus that only affected stupid people, that would be fine.  But the vast majority of viruses that I've ever experienced didn't discriminate.  Sure, you can get a virus from clicking on a shady link.  You can also get a virus for NO REASON AT ALL, because a website you trusted ran some ads for one day that weren't trustworthy.  Or what if you're entirely net-savvy, but then one day you let a relative use your computer.  Is "not supervising grandpa every second that he's supposedly using your machine to check his email" really a crime that warrants having possibly years of your work destroyed?

And, see, I agree that stupid people shouldn't be able to use MY internet.  However, viruses don't keep stupid people away.  The stupid person breaks computers over and over and keeps the IP guys or Geeksquad or whoever busy, but they don't stop using computers.  The comments on YouTube alone should be proof of this.

[woose1]

Lets not get into the topic of youtubers.

[SolarShado]

good point ther about the relatives/friends Bromor... I hadn't thought of that.

I suppose i'm a bit biased, my grandfather is nearly 100% incompetent when it comes to the internet and computer use. But he went to college for electronics years ago, so he thinks he knows how they should work, bitches when they don't work that way, and calls me randomly for help (often things that I've helped with before).

[Yanlin]

Electronics and computing are totally different. Electronics will teach you how electricity works. Computing will teach you how computers work.

[SolarShado]

Electronics and computing are totally different. Electronics will teach you how electricity works. Computing will teach you how computers work.

Believe me, I know that, but it seems to be something he can't quite wrap his head around. He's always comparing computers to televisions, which he used to repair.

[Yanlin]

Wow. That's just wrong. Just cause the screen works like a TV doesn't mean the rest of the computer does.

[MoonDancer]

good point ther about the relatives/friends Bromor... I hadn't thought of that.

I suppose i'm a bit biased, my grandfather is nearly 100% incompetent when it comes to the internet and computer use. But he went to college for electronics years ago, so he thinks he knows how they should work, bitches when they don't work that way, and calls me randomly for help (often things that I've helped with before).

This sounds oddly familiar. My dad does the samething. My dad has 50 something years experience as an electrician and he thinks he knows how all electronics work. Now my nephew and I take turns fixing his mistakes. Not just computers..with all electronics. I let my nephew handle the other electronics and I take care of the computer problems. Personally I think the problem lies somewhere between the keyboard and the computer chair. 

I'm tempted to invest in a MAC for them. My okaa-san knows how to navigate her way around a MAC...my dad on the other hand would get frustrated and give up all together.

 

[Yanlin]

Personally I think the problem lies somewhere between the keyboard and the computer chair. 

It's called a PEBCAK error.

[RAM]

So far the only problem I have heard about 'idiots' using the internet is that their relatives expend time helping them. It seems to me that the problem here is not their inability to operate all aspects of a computer, but rather your inability to choose your own actions, which is a hideously complex subject that I would rather not go into.
 But, purely for my own selfish reasons, I am compelled to ask if you feel that 'idiots' should be removed from society? Baring in mind that some of the most socially savvy people in history have been murderers, thieves, and genocidal maniacs bent on world domination. Most people who would be 'idiots' by your definition would be victims of fraud...

Sorry about that, I just really want to say it. In the interests of a more civil argument, would you please define precisely what you mean by an 'idiot'. To be fair, I offer that my definition of a 'computer virus' is any perpetually self-replicating code, and that I feel that the internet is primarily a forum for distributing information, and that manipulating this will generally detract from it's value...