Date: Wed, 04 Jan 2006 16:42:06 -0500
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
From: Elspeth Kovar <EKovar at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Crash, thud
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

At 07:42 PM 1/3/2006, Keith F. Lynch wrote:
>Elspeth Kovar <EKovar at worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> > Look:
>
> > Most of the general public are not computer experts, they are people
> > who use computers.  Some have an IT department to lean on, which may
> > be a good one or bad.
>
> > Some people are professional or amateur mechanics, most of the rest
> > just use their cars.  And, as with computers, if there's a recall on
> > one of the parts or some such, there's a good chance that they won't
> > know about it.  But it's much easier to find a good mechanic and
> > take your car in for general maintenance than to do the same with
> > a personal computer.
>
>Nobody here has attacked you or implied that you were irresponsible or
>that you should know more about computers.

You're right, thank you, and I'm sorry.  Unfortunately, at the time it felt
that way and the feeling came through in what I wrote.

>I am a computer expert with 34 years experience.  And I know that
>*I* don't have the skill to keep a Windows machine on the net free
>of viruses, worms, and other malware.

That's part of all of this: except for some reckless downloading when I
first got online, which resulted in getting a virus that took a lot of work
to get rid of and cost me a fair bit of data, I *have* been able to protect
my computer.  Having behaved stupidly the first time getting another one,
and having done so because of a mistake, felt as if I'd been as stupid as I
had been then.  Especially because I hadn't made a backup since Philcon --
another stupid mistake since it would only take about an hour to get an
external hard drive working long enough to back things up -- so would have
lost about three weeks of work.

When I screw up I take full responsibility for it.  I screwed up.

Elspeth