[Mimedefang] Re: Unsafe file types

[Kevin A. McGrail]

I have this argument with our lead tech bi-weekly and I really think there
is often to much of an elitist attitude with high-end computer users and
administrators.

Computers are just a tool to get work done and not something everyone will
EVER know how to use well.  That's a good thing because it means I can make
a living knowing how to make them work/fix/tweak with them.

For example, Cars have been around for 100 years and I'm certain that just
today, at least a few thousand people blew their engines without proper oil
care or heck, just ran out of fuel without reading the gauge or paying
attention to the blinking *Low Fuel* warning.  And I'm sure quite a few
mechanics thanked their lucky stars that they can now charge someone $5K for
a new engine and feed their kids and pay the mortgage.

So my recommendation is to stop expecting people to want to learn/take care
of/care about the computers as a tool and appreciate the industry it creates
for the uber-administrator.

By the same token, I tell my end-users to focus on what they do best and
leave the filtering decisions to me.  It's *my* job to keep the network
virus free and the machines they use to do their job running.  There is
still a balance in regards to the "teach a person to fish, feed them for
life" but overall it's my job to keep the tool working for the fairest price
possible with pulling my hair out.

KAM's $0.02

> If someone is driving down the road and their tire blows out, that's an
> accident in the course of using their car in a normal and expected way.
If
> someone drives past a big, flashy sign that says "Do not enter! Severe
tire
> damage!" and shreds their tires, I think you might have a case for calling
> that person a moron.
>
> A better example:  When you buy food, you expect it to be safe.  If it
> turns out to be tainted somehow, you can hardly be blamed for eating
> it.  Now suppose the distributor announces a recall.  Suppose that you
hear
> about the recall, clearly enough that it's obvious that the unopened
carton
> of milk *in your refrigerator* will put you in the hospital.  It's front
> page news, and people you know are telling you to check the milk in your
> fridge to make sure it's not part of the recall.  Then you drink it
anyway.
>
> It's bad enough that people in general aren't careful enough about opening
> mysterious attachments, but when you specifically tell someone, "Don't
open
> anything labeled 'Wicked
> Screensaver!'" - and they open it anyway, you really have to wonder what's
> going through their minds.
>
>
> Kelson Vibber
> SpeedGate Communications <www.speed.net>