Re: 0x015

["Pete St. Onge" <pstong1@po-box.mcgill.ca>]

Bob,

>>* being able to transparently encrypt data going to and from your
>>computer via the network.
>>* being able to transparently encrypt data stored on your computer
>>["transparently" probably needs some help here]
>>!['transparently' means that it's happening without the user's direct
>>! intervention. That is, everything works the same way as it would if
>>! there weren't encryption happening, and the user doesn't have to
>>care.]
> 
> I assumed we want to fix 'transparently' in both questions. The only
> thoughts I could come up with are changing 'transparently encrypt'
> to 'encrypt in the background', or changing 'being able to
> transparently encrypt' to 'Support for the encryption of'

How about:
Having your data encrypted automatically when stored and decrypted
automatically when you open the file?

>>* prompt bugfixes
>>[proposal to nuke this question. opinions?]
>>![kimboo: by 'prompt bugfixes', I mean that when the people in charge
>>! of the OS (or applications, I guess) get told about a bug, they
>>! provide a bugfix for it in a short amount of time. I had assumed
>>! that the actual patching of the bug would be automated. Nobody would
>>! accept it if it weren't fully automated.]
> 
> Perhaps:
> * Being able to obtain prompt bugfixes.

How about:
Being able to obtain bug fixes in a timely and effective manner?

>>* being able to automate certain administrative tasks (backups,
>>  defrags, virus scans, send/receive email via ISP after hours,
>>  update software database)
> This question appears to contain two different ideas namely automating
> certain tasks such as backup etc. and having certain tasks
> automatically run at some preset time or schedule. Thus we could
> leave the question very general such as
> * Being able to automate administrative tasks.
> or make two questions such as
> * Being able to automate certain administrative tasks such as backups,
>   defrags, virus scans, sending/receiving email via ISP, downloading
>   software, and updating software databases.
> The 'after hours' is awkward and why just on one.
> * Being able to schedule certain administrative tasks such as backups,
>   defrags, virus scans, sending/receiving email via ISP, downloading
>   software, and updating software databases.
> We could  also put several of the tasks into the Internet section.

     Putting some of this into the Internet area is a good idea. Now
that you mention it, perhaps the question should be broken up more,
because it seems to me that the information content of the question is
too high.

How about (under System Admin):
Being able to automate regular backups
Being able to automate regular disk defragmentations
Being able to automate regular virus scans
Being able to automate regular backups
Being able to automate regular mirroring
Being able to automate regular updates of system software database

(Sure, part of this is redundant, but it would give an idea of what
people are actually doing now with their own systems, and whether folks
are indeed concerned with data security)

(under Internet):
Being able to automate the sending/receiving of email via ISP
  frequently during the day
Being able to automate the sending/receiving email via ISP outside of
  work hours

> Again this question appears to contain two different ideas namely installed
> hardware and  system resources currently in use. Perhaps it could be
> split into the following two questions:
> * Being able to list the attributes of the installed hardware such
>   as IRQ's, DMA's, I/O ports, device names, chip type, speed, and
>   amount of RAM present.
> * Being able to track the current use of system resources such as
>   memory used  by the system, memory used by the processes, free
>   memory, maximum virtual memory, average virtual memory, and
>   virtual memory currently in use.
     Good.

>>* getting a good measure of performance of the system (don't know if
>>this is possible since all marks are relative to some extent)
> Perhaps:
> * Being able to measure system performance.

>>* getting a list of all installed software, fixes, patches, version
>>numbers, etc.
> Perhaps:
> * Being able to list installed software in terms of version number,
>   patches or fixes.

> Observation some questions start with a capital letter and some don't.
> We should be consistant. Decide now change them as we get to them.
     Done for 0x016. Thanks!

     That's it for now - you know it's time for bed when the eyesight is
getting blurry. On the lighter side, some really strange quirk of fate
has put a few 486's into my hands which I am strongly considering
setting up on the net, after I upgrade them to the max (RAM and cache).
Ahh... toys. :) 

     Pete


-- 
Pete St. Onge - McGill U.  Limnology - Fun with Ropes & Buckets
pete@seul.org                  http://wwp.mirabilis.com/4322052
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