virgin mail are getting a bit censorious

[devonwoody]

don't know if you can get into this forum without registering but virgin are going to restrict certain attachment formats.


http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/80/33 ... st34939125

 

[RogerS]

Bit difficult from that thread to fully understand what's going on. Are you saying that they are going to block attachments that have a specific extension such as .bat? .zip? Where will it end? Why not ban all attachments.

I assume that the reason is to inconvenience those users who run up-to-date AV software because some of their customers are (a) too thick or (b) too lazy to do anything about protecting their PCs?

That's the wrong way to go about it. Let them get infected and then 'let the man with a van' come along and confiscate their PC or better still destroy it in front of their eyes. That's the only way the message about protecting your PC will get through their thick skulls.

 

[Terry Smart]

Nope, my understanding of reading it (and let's not forget that forums aren't always the best place to get accurate information of this type) that only certain potentially harmful attachments will be blocked.
Zipped or rar'ed stuff will be okay unless it contains what virgin take to be harmful.
Can't see any real harm in it other than being over zealous, and if you really need to send dll or cmd files (or any of the others listed) then there are plenty of other ways of doing it.

Storm in a teacup, scare-mongering post.

 

[RogerS]

.....
Storm in a teacup, scare-mongering post.

Although I must confess that I'd resent having to faff around renaming attachments simply to get around their embargo. That's stealing my time.

I have, as you may have guessed, zero sympathy for anyone who gets infected...unless it's by one that is out in the wild before the AV guys get their act together. There really is no excuse.

 

[cambournepete]

Seems perfectly reasonable to me and similar to what we have at work.
Outlook doesn't even allow attachment of some files types anyway when sending an email.

Some of the attachment types can run automatically when you open an email (even just using the preview pane) and can spread viruses so preventing them is a good thing.
Even if you have up-to-date AV software some viruses can get through so not allowing these attachments can help protect users.

Nothing to worry about

 

[Jake]

.....
Storm in a teacup, scare-mongering post.

Although I must confess that I'd resent having to faff around renaming attachments simply to get around their embargo.

Use a third party email provider then, not a bad idea anyway (I don't understand who would want their email address tied to a particular ISP)

 

[cambournepete]

(I don't understand who would want their email address tied to a particular ISP)

I got my ntlworld email address at least 10 years ago when I started using them as an ISP and I've just never bothered to change - too many people and companies know it now.
I tried using a separate email address before, but they provider (bigfoot?) died...
Might not be the best solution, but it's included with my account and works for me.

 

[RogerS]

.....
Storm in a teacup, scare-mongering post.

Although I must confess that I'd resent having to faff around renaming attachments simply to get around their embargo.

Use a third party email provider then, not a bad idea anyway (I don't understand who would want their email address tied to a particular ISP)

That's all well and good, Jake, if you don't mind flitting from one provider to another. In my case I have had my personal email address since the internet started. Fortunately I am with Demon.

 

[matt]

Just buy your own domain name and link whatever email provider you're using at the time to the domain.

 

[RogerS]

Just buy your own domain name and link whatever email provider you're using at the time to the domain.

I don't understand that, Matt.

 

[misterfish]

Seems perfectly reasonable to me and similar to what we have at work.
Outlook doesn't even allow attachment of some files types anyway when sending an email.

In a work environment it is quite acceptable to have strict policies in place controlling email attachments. Where I worked we also enforced policies that limited the types of files that could be downloaded by users. In the IT support role where my team of three was looking after many hundreds of computers on the geographically widely displersed network it would be disasterous to get viral infections that would take an inordinate amount of time to clear.

However, in a home environment it is a different ketttle of fish. An individual is and should be responsible for their own computer. It is repeatedly emphasised that a firewall and virus checker should be installed and kept up to date. There are high quality free versions (e.g. AVG, Avast etc) that work well so there is no excuse no to be protected.

Outlook does have built in security options that limit the attachments to emails, but this is user configurable and there are free Outlook add-ons that allow the user to manage what is and waht is not allowed.

I would find it extremely annoying to have this all controlled by my ISP under the pretext of protecting vulnerable users. Having to rename attachments to get around these restrictions along with having to tell the recipient how to undo these changes is not acceptible.

I notice that Virgin will monitor zipped files to see that they don't contain unacceptable content; I wonder what they will do with password protected files.

Of course the users are also paying for this service!

Misterfish

 

[devonwoody]

I think one of the problems for Virgin is that other ISP have barred their customers from getting emails in the past owing to virgin being a bit lax.

So this might have been forced on them to hold customer/clients?

 

[matt]

Just buy your own domain name and link whatever email provider you're using at the time to the domain.

I don't understand that, Matt.

Buy the domain "rogers.co.uk".
Set up the email address "[email protected]" (and one for your wife, kids, etc)
Set up forwarding of all mail from "[email protected]" to the aforementoined email addresses.
Ensure your email client is set to send mail from [email protected] (so recipients see your email address rather than the ISP based one.
Done!

 

[bugbear]

In my case I have had my personal email address since the internet started.

An "email address" in 1970 ?!

I was still using bang paths in 1980!

BugBear

 

[Jake]

.....
Storm in a teacup, scare-mongering post.

Although I must confess that I'd resent having to faff around renaming attachments simply to get around their embargo.

Use a third party email provider then, not a bad idea anyway (I don't understand who would want their email address tied to a particular ISP)

That's all well and good, Jake, if you don't mind flitting from one provider to another. In my case I have had my personal email address since the internet started. Fortunately I am with Demon.

Oh I can see how it is easy to fall into having an email address which is stuck with an ISP. What I meant was I don't know why anyone would "want" to do so if they were able to start afresh.

Don't understand the 'flitting' thing, gmail, to take a free example, is no more (probably less) likely to go anywhere than any given ISP, Demon included. Unless you mean don't mind flitting between ISPs, in which case that I don't mind and have changed several times, including last time from Demon to Virgin cable - much better speed, much better cost, infinitely worse service but I haven't had to have any interaction with it anyway save at set-up.

I just wouldn't want to be trapped with an ISP by the immense pain of having to change my email address, and I don't get why anyone would positively wish to do that (as opposed to finding themselves in that position).

 

[RogerS]

.....
Storm in a teacup, scare-mongering post.

Although I must confess that I'd resent having to faff around renaming attachments simply to get around their embargo.

Use a third party email provider then, not a bad idea anyway (I don't understand who would want their email address tied to a particular ISP)

That's all well and good, Jake, if you don't mind flitting from one provider to another. In my case I have had my personal email address since the internet started. Fortunately I am with Demon.

Oh I can see how it is easy to fall into having an email address which is stuck with an ISP. What I meant was I don't know why anyone would "want" to do so if they were able to start afresh.

Don't understand the 'flitting' thing, gmail, to take a free example, is no more (probably less) likely to go anywhere than any given ISP, Demon included. Unless you mean don't mind flitting between ISPs, in which case that I don't mind and have changed several times, including last time from Demon to Virgin cable - much better speed, much better cost, infinitely worse service but I haven't had to have any interaction with it anyway save at set-up.

I just wouldn't want to be trapped with an ISP by the immense pain of having to change my email address, and I don't get why anyone would positively wish to do that (as opposed to finding themselves in that position).

Jake..agree with you 100%. I have no wish to change my email address as so many people have it. OK..not the 1970's but I was one of the first when Demon set-up and who were IIRC the first in the UK. They subsequently lagged behind in services which is why our ISP is Zen..I pay a bit more but then on the rare occassions that I have a problem, their tech support is superb and that, in my book, far outweights the pennies saved by going with somelike Virgin.

Misterfish - I'm glad that you share my views. Succinclty put.

Matt - I see where you're coming from but too much hassle.

 

[matt]

Matt - I see where you're coming from but too much hassle.

I guess it depends on how you define hassle and which flavours of hassle you prefer.

With regard to the initial setup - hassle = half-an-hour total elapsed time (if that).

I also kept my pre-own domain name email addresses so I can continue to receive emails from those who have my "old" addresses. Going forward the volume diminishes and I can leave old addresses behind.

 

[wizer]

Roger are you bonkers??? One time setup and you've got an email address that will follow you forever. I've been doing it since about 1998 and never had to worry about either changing my isp or email provider. I used hotmail up until 2008 then shifted over to gmail which i prefer (google fan). I've got emails archived in the cloud going all the way back and i've not had any service issues to speak of.

If it's not yet clear people, stop using your isp for email. :roll:

 

[RogerS]

Roger are you bonkers??? One time setup and you've got an email address that will follow you forever. I've been doing it since about 1998 and never had to worry about either changing my isp or email provider. I used hotmail up until 2008 then shifted over to gmail which i prefer (google fan). I've got emails archived in the cloud going all the way back and i've not had any service issues to speak of.

If it's not yet clear people, stop using your isp for email. :roll:

Following Matts example, I still need (indeed I want to have) [email protected] as that is the address that I have had for donkeys years.

I follow Matts' example but cannot see any benefit. Believe me when you have had an email address for as long as I have, even if I did buy [email protected] I would still need to pay out for [email protected] if only to forward email. I must have my email address registered out there with dozens of sites and since I might only visit them infrequently and so need to re-establish signon credentials, I am referenced by my [email protected] and that is where they will send stuff.

No...for me there is no point..indeed it would be madness to change my email address.

Anyway why are we having this discussion? Only because there are PC users out there who are too stupid, too dumb, too thick, too mean, too irresponsible to take responsibility for their actions.

 

[cambournepete]

If it's not yet clear people, stop using your isp for email. :roll:

OK mum, you can stop nagging me now...
I've just created my new gmail account, with the same name as my ntlworld one
So that should be reasonably easy for people.