Internet Cafe Experiences
 

What sort of experience have people had with internet cafes? How fast are the modems? Any problems with key logging and having your passwords stolen?

Any problem connecting digital cameras, laptops or pdas to the computers? I know they don't want you to, but will most places let you anyway? Can you install your own drivers? Are they usually running serial or usb ports?

If you can think of anything else, please let me know.

As noted in the last newsletter, Susan has created an excellent Information Security and Privacy for Beginners presentation
that everyone that uses a computer should read and pay attention to - especially if you're using internet cafes. And the trick re passwords/key loggers is to cut and paste characters using only the mouse - no keyboard, and that can't be logged.

USB is almost ubiquitous everywhere. Most internet cafes are post usb age.

Installing drivers is unlikely - and if you can, you really don't want to trust their computers - if YOU can install drivers, someone else can install key loggers and who knows what else.

Speeds vary from abysmal to blazing.

A USB memory chip type drive works well for transferring data. Available up to 512 mb or possibly more now. I saw a tiny 512mb USB drive the other day for CDN$120.


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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

I was in a few of them in Mexico and Guatemala a couple years ago and yes some of them were slow. The most amusing thing was that the keyboards didn't have an @ button on them. http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif I also noticed that the printers usually had worn out ink cartridges just like anywhere else.

Cheers, Steve