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176 Comments
- theblackgecko, on 10/12/2007, -9/+193Everyone interested in maintaining privacy switched away from IE a long time ago.
- millixaw, on 10/12/2007, -5/+139If Microsoft ever read my index.dat, they'd only find one URL...
http://www.mozilla.org - pobster, on 10/12/2007, -8/+78This is not 'news' as in new, but it was news to me and I think many other people will be interested/concerned. Google 'index.dat' for more info, there are several utilities around for reading the contents of these files. Everyone interested in maintaining their privacy when using windows needs to know about this!
- paulieb13, on 10/12/2007, -1/+60I've been shaving my palms for years now and never knew the cause of it. Even my doctor wouldn't tell me, he would just giggle and make notes in my chart. Thanks threepio.
- threepio, on 10/12/2007, -11/+55I would have thought the thick glasses and the hairy palms would have been the simpler tip-off.
- vetipc, on 10/12/2007, -5/+49Why are you insisting on privacy? You must be hiding something! ...informing the three-letter-agency...
- reddevil3, on 10/12/2007, -3/+47If I'm not mistaken index.dat only stores sites you visited using Internet Explorer right?
- smartydebater, on 10/12/2007, -4/+47Firefox still has caches data. But when you do Control+Shift+Delete it actually deletes the files. The problem with any data that gets written to your hard drive is, when you delete it, usually it can be completely restored. You have to overwrite the data to be in the clear.
But for firefox you can get extensions like Stealther, which prevent firefox from writing any cache, etc... I find Stealther very useful. So I guess the name of the game is, don't use Internet Explorer. - punkrockxtian, on 10/12/2007, -3/+42Sorry if this looks like spam but here's a nice Index.dat viewer for those curious...
http://www.stevengould.org/software/indexdatspy/index.html - rarkai, on 10/12/2007, -5/+44"So I guess the name of the game is, don't use Internet Explorer"
I cannot believe people still resist this notion. - bluebri, on 10/12/2007, -2/+39It's not beastiality. It's interspecies erotica. ;D
- hutch113, on 10/12/2007, -5/+41@Dakoman
gizmo490 is not saying that Windows is the most secure. Gizmo is simply stating that Mac OSX has it's flaws too. Just because it has fewer flaws and fewer exploited flaws does not mean that it is the best thing ever. It is a great Operating System for many people, and so is Windows XP and the different flavors of Linux. Most Windows users don't really hate Macs, they just hate the Apple fanboys creaming over Steve Jobs and anything that Apple does. - Nahor, on 10/12/2007, -22/+57"Everyone interested in maintaining their privacy when using windows needs to know about this!"
Um... I hate to be the one to break it to you, but... nah nevermind. Good luck trying to maintain your privacy on a windows box. - gizmo490, on 10/12/2007, -47/+82@bpinard
When are mac users going to accept that OSX is not the be all and end all when it comes to security
http://www.itweek.co.uk/vnunet/news/2161483/apple-patches-26-security-flaws
http://digg.com/security/Hijacking_a_Macbook_in_60_Seconds_or_Less
Two articles on mac security vulnerabilities from _today_.
Your computer does not become secure just because no one attacks it. - rewritable, on 10/12/2007, -12/+44Friday will be one week since I quit windows cold turkey and went to ubuntu 6.06. This news brings a smile to my face. But now I am frowning because I cannot get any sound to play on youtube or google video :(
- deadbaby, on 10/12/2007, -9/+35Welcome to 1998.
- lagnut, on 10/12/2007, -4/+26I only surf pr0n on my dads work-computer. that way i'm always safe.
- terrizance, on 10/12/2007, -11/+32That is the most hideous statement I've ever read.
- riklomas, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20"Windows creates invisible, undeletable files"
"Link shows how to remove"
Hmmm... they're not *that* undeletable then... - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+22@rewritable
I had the same problem. Try this:
http://www.macewan.org/2006/06/01/howto-firefox-flash-video-sound-on-ubuntu-linux-dapper/ - sinfony, on 10/12/2007, -8/+25Thanks, but I'll keep my $2000 and just use Firefox on the very secure Windows machine I'm running on.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -20/+37Exactly. People who are seriously concerned about their privacy and whatever they may do online switched to Firefox a long time ago. Forget IE and it's index.dat.
- Sefirosu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18I'm a Mac user mostly and this somewhat "fanatically religious" worship some people have with their platform irritates me and I'm sure I am not alone.
Come on people, use what's good for you, forcing people to use or believe in something has never been a good idea.
And none of these systems is totally secure, there are flaws. Just get over it and accept it, that's a part of computing. - DoctorShim, on 10/12/2007, -7/+23I do. It's encouraging.
- Yorn, on 10/12/2007, -7/+22Actually, I have to agree with the guy complaining. It's a lot like the pro-Linux bias that Slashdot had when it was still new. I'd post legitimate and informative comments about Windows security and see my posts modded down "-1, Winblows" while one-liner reponses to it, "or, you could just use *nix." would be "+5, Insightful".
Digg is no different, it'll take some time before people realize that not everyone has the option of using Firefox/Mozilla, especially in the corporate world. In some places, like web development, you're required to have and use both to make sure your apps run right. I think it was likely your comment was modded down simply because you insulted a Firefox user who probably thinks using Firefox is like owning a hybrid car.
In either case, you're both probably being smug. - J6stik, on 10/12/2007, -13/+27"index.dat is a file used by the Internet Explorer web browser."
It doesn't effect me, then. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17Thanks for reminding me about that keyboard shortcut.
- punkrockxtian, on 10/12/2007, -5/+19You sure are safe, untill your dad loses his job of course.
- cartwheels, on 10/12/2007, -9/+22@vetipc:
weeoow weeoow! 4chan party van! - aptget, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14Quote from Pirates of Silicon Valley:
"When did this stop being a business and start being a religion?"
Spoken by the guy that played Steve Ballmer. - J6stik, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16My comment isn't appreciated, it has +1 digg, which is the default (no change). The reason mine wasn't dugg down is probably because mine was in response to the story, yours was only complaining about a comment.
- deadlogic, on 10/12/2007, -5/+16opening up the index.dat file is how i was able to bust a kid at school looking at beastiality websites.
- gh02t, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12The concern isnt so much that Microsoft will be reading it. It's more that index.dat isn't widely publicized and anybody who knows about it can read.
- rebolyte, on 10/12/2007, -4/+13The most common response I get from people when asked why they use IE is that it's already on the system, and it "just works." I think if people (the general public, not just us diggers) knew exactly what it did, and the advantages of, say, Firefox, they would use the alternative.
Yes, Firefox or any other browser might take a few hours to get the hang of for some tech-novice, but it's worth it in the end. The problem I have is getting people to see just how "worth it" it really is.
The gap between the insiders (techno-geeks, etc.) and the outsiders (your average Joe, or your grandmother) is far too large. Where most people would pay hundreds of dollars for Adobe Photoshop Pro, I would much rather not pay a cent and use The GIMP. It's only because they don't know. Ignorance is not always bliss.
I think the job of us "insiders" should be to unite the world against the forces of evil. Ha ha ha! No, really. We should help the novices who don't have a clue. Alert people to the fact that Microsoft isn't the only thing out there. Linux is going a little far for a beginner, but buying a Mac could be the same price as a new PC. Give people the "inside scoop". Remember, we were all beginners once.
Don't hurt the newbies. Help them. The world will thank you for it. - zcreem, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10You deleted the wrong index.dat, and there are more than one, and you can't delete them from within explorer unless you are admin under safe mode, you can't even see the bloody file from explorer, visable from totalcmd but still not deletable.
FF where is your little horde of surfing history? - sinfony, on 10/12/2007, -5/+13Maybe you should visit their front page sometime, jackass.
- Tweekster, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Modded the anti spam mod down and modded the GP up :)
because the link is useful - bakagaigin, on 10/12/2007, -16/+24Just to..even it out...LINUX SUXORSSSS
- npinski, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9the reason why i love digg is because both "hahahaha winblows sucks, i love my mac" and "macs blow and are for fairies" kinds of comments get dugg down majorly.
We may be biased but at least we don't tolerate douchebags supporting our point of view - Loath, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Flagged inaccurate. If people take the time to look at the index.dat files you will realize that firstly, it's not every single site you've ever visited. Secondly, it's mostly cookies and caching data. This isn't a log of every single thing you visit, this is a way to speed up your browsing. This Windows-hating and part fear-mongering is obviously posted by someone who does not have experience with the subject. WAIT! EVERYBODY PANIC! I think my computer is telling Microsoft/The Bush Administration all my secrets!
/sigh - hansamurai, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Meh, Google keeps track of everything I do and I don't care.
- Wrathernaut, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Aaah, the joys of being a married adult and being able to bookmark all the sites you enjoy. Understanding wife. Priceless.
- gnukix, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8I'd be *VERY* cautious of doing a del /s index.dat -- this could very well delete an identically named, but innocuous file.
- punkrockxtian, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Index.dat is a common filename used by many apps, it's just a matter of finding the right one.
- sigmaman2, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8BTW, People are still confusing privacy with secrecy.
I value my privacy, butI have no secrets to keep.
You go to the bathroom in private. You go to the porno shop in secret.
You read your personal journal in private. You read classified documents in secret.
You send family photos to North Korea in private. You send missile blueprints to North Korea in secret.
Private things you do without public scrutiny. Secret things you do without public knowledge.
If we sacrifice the privacy of all, just to discover the secrets of a few, we're screwed top to bottom - hiyel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8you can just use notepad too...
- ccanni1028, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I don't really think Wikipedia is going to die from a Digg link.
- dogshaft, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10Microsoft's page would've said, "This integral feature has been removed in Internet Explorer 7."
- jmacdonagh, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7The talk page debates the validity of this argument.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Index.dat - nmap, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9try posting at www.ubuntuforums.org
good luck. -
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