Re: Opening Bank Account

No, "JF" said that OE put the cursor at the top.

Despite me not saying that agent puts the cursor at the top it does do that although the way it copies the previous message it encourages bottom posting more than Outlook.

In message , Peter Saxton writes

I think I said all newsclients do on the assumption that it's a logical place to start. One scrolls down a follow-up, trimming to salient points, and adding comment underneath. For some reason, possibly because philosophy is hardly taught now, it's the exercise of editorial skill in judicious trimming that defeats many, particularly OE users. Jf

I agree, I tried FreeAgent a couple of years ago and found that the functionality seemed limited, and the interface looked rather old-fashioned. Obviously if they provide full functionality there's no incentive to upgrade, but equally if the free version isn't good enough to give a real idea of the capabilities it creates an unduly negative impression.

I think the only significant problem with OE which can't be fixed by fiddling with settings is the poor line-wrapping of quoted text, but there's a freeware app called quotefix which deals with that (not installed on this machine currently, to forestall any comments!)

That's a rather misleading way to put it. The cleverest virus can only do anything one it executes, and while being received it's just a piece of text, so your AV software can remove it easily at that point. Even after that it can only get executed if you click on an attachment (which you should *never* do of course without being absolutely sure about provenance) or if it contains HTML which directs you to a malicious site which exploits holes in IE, which you can prevent in OE by turning off html display. I don't really see how a different reader can help with either of those, except in the same ways.

Well they arent doing a very good job if I havent had a single email delivered virus that got through in probably 10 years of using OE. No complex precautions, just an up to date AV, a munged email address,and reading messages in text not html. But I agree with you re M$ft The single most effective way to protect yourself against viruses at the moment is not to stop using a M$ft email reader but to use Linux, which I would if I could get it working on this PC, which I cant as its 'too new' at the moment.

AV software is very good at stopping executables. I read all messages in plain text so theres no way that the cleverest software is going to do anything through that. As a recent article in The Register pointed out, until users get wise to not doing stuff like blindly clicking on attachments, the best av s/w in the world isnt going to help.

In message , Stephen Burke writes

Unless Microsoft have changed the options, OE always installed its files to the same directory/sub-directory. Load DOS on any Windows-based machine (or command prompt for XP/NT flavours) and there are all the sub-directories and files in exactly the same location, including the address book in ASCII, so that its contents can be cribbed by the whole world.

I find that the bottom is the wrong place for the cursor to start, except when "starting to type" is the only thing you're going to do.

But in the vast majority of follow-ups, that is exactly what you do

*not* want to do. You should be deleting those bits of the original message not directly relevant to your reply. It's easier, I find, to start those deletions from the top.

Also, of course, when commenting on more than one point in an original message, you want to intersperse your replies. In that case it's most definitely easier to slot in the insertions on the way down instead of on the way up, even if not deleting any original material.

It would be irritating for a cursor jump to the bottom upon opening an editor whilst replying. As you say, it is best to move down, eliminating unnecessary lines and typing replies where required.

Axel

In message , Peter Saxton writes

The best mail client is available only to the movie and TV industry. It uses a 40-column display, inserts text bang in the centre of a blank screen, and the text unscrolls at about 100 baud, each character's appearance accompanied by a bleep. Jf

Linux doesn't have so many viruses, but it still has plenty of security holes. Install an unpatched Linux from a year or two ago, connect to the internet without a firewall, and you'll probably be hacked within minutes. E.g. here are the security updates for Red Hat 9 for the last year:

If you're sharing your files with the whole world you probably have a lot more to worry about than your address books!

And depending on the needs of the plot the sender is either instantly traceable or completely hidden ...

If anyone does find a way to provide "proof of address" without utility bills or bank accounts or driving licences I would be interested too.

Indeed, a couple of years ago, the Woolwich wouldnt take as proof that I lived there, the fact that they had sent multiple letters addressed to me at my house (to which I had responded), had seen utility bills with the address and my name on, and were even sending a surveyor round to my house, (who I opened the door to). They insisted on the electoral register only, which was a problem as that was the period that councils werent letting anyone look at electoral registers :-)

Interesting. When was this? I'm not aware that the electoral register has ever been off limits for public scrutiny.

Just as a matter of interest, what di they expect you to do? Obtain a copy of the register and send it to them, or would your registered number have been sufficient?

Rgds

Richard Buttrey Grappenhall, Cheshire, UK __________________________

It has always been open to the general public, but a few years ago a court case stopped local authorities selling it to commercial organisations, including credit reference agencies, which in turn stopped people getting credit if they'd moved since the last update the agencies got. The law was then changed, so it should be OK for anyone registered currently.

"Richard Buttrey" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

This was about 2 years ago. Someone took his local authority to court because they were selling the electoral roll to anyone who wanted it for advertising. He won, but a side effect, until they changed the law so that certain financial companies could use it for checking, was that most (all?) local authorities stopped access to anyone at all. Which meant that when the question was asked 'does this person live at this address' sometimes the answer that came back was 'no' rather than 'we don't know. It was extensively covered in the press at the time but unless you were in that period of about 6 months I don't suppose it came to most peoples notice. I'm not sure if it was off limits to public scrutiny, or just to being downloaded or accessed enmasse.

Heres an old reference (look about 1/2 way down)

They asked me why I wasnt on the electoral roll, not being smart enough to realise that their credit agency just wasnt doing the check. They told me I couldnt have a mortgage unless I proved I was on the electoral role, I told them to get stuffed as this was just the latest in a long line of cockups they had made. I said I will go elsewhere, which I did. A few weeks later, and a week after the second organisation gave me a mortgage, (and not having sent them any evidence but having written to them saying I no longer wanted a mortgage) I received a mortgage offer from them :-)

[Text interleaved/in conversation order: read to end for all comments] begin quote from Jonathan Bryce in uk.finance about: Re: Opening Bank Account

Are you _sure_ about that? I've lived in shared flats for many years, and the Council Tax has always been our responsibility, never the owner's.