Interview: Ask John McAfee What You Will 172
samzenpus (5) writes "Founder of the computer anti-virus company McAfee Associates, John McAfee gained world-wide attention eluding Belizean authorities in the jungle. Since we last sat down with John, he's been working on a device that blocks the government's ability to spy on PCs and mobile devices, been asked by the GOP to fix Obamacare, and has seen his last name removed from his old company. The rebranding garnered this response from McAfee: 'I am now everlastingly grateful to Intel for freeing me from this terrible association with the worst software on the planet. These are not my words, but the words of millions of irate users. ... My elation at Intel's decision is beyond words." John has agreed to answer your questions. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one per post."
Re:Didn't we just have an interview with this whac (Score:5, Informative)
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This is slashdot. Nobody reads the links or the summary. Most don't even read the whole title for the post.
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I like yoghurt.
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Not sure whether to mod this informative or insightful...
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How hot do you like your peppers?
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Yep. That's right. So why do we care about the opinion of this man? I'm not feeling it.
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SO?
Wackos are responsible for the majority of scientific breakthroughs throughout history.
Wackos are responsible for the best things that ever happened in politics throughout history.
Wackos are responsible for initiating ritual sex acts in underground brotherhood lodges with your wife.
Two out of three aint bad, so whats your damn problem with wackos?
Belize (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Belize (Score:5, Informative)
But it is a reasonable question. However, he's already answered it:
"McAfee, 68, was named by police in Belize as a person of interest in the Nov. 11, 2012, shooting of Gregory Faull, but he fled the small Central American country before he could be questioned.
McAfee denies involvement in the death of Faull, an Orlando contractor and restaurant owner. But he told Reuters in a telephone interview he would not fight a subpoena for deposition in the lawsuit.
'Of course not, because the deposition will be here in America. I've told the police in Belize that I will sit for questioning in any neutral country in the world ... I just will not go to Belize," McAfee said.' ...
The estate is seeking a jury trial and damages in excess of $75,000 on behalf of Faull's 26-year-old daughter."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new... [telegraph.co.uk]
A question I would have is, would he agree to a jury trial if he's charged either by Belize or the US.
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No it isn't. It's leading. Like asking 'have you top beating your wife?"
"Or do you enjoy being a fugitive from justice?"
that's the problem.
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That's not a leading question. That's a trick question. A leading question is one where the questioner is suggesting the desired answer ("Were you at KC's bar on the night of July 15?").
Also, it is a fair question. Whether McAfee is guilty or not, he is a fugitive from law. There's no reason to assume there's bad faith on the part of Belize officials, as McAfee has claimed - they can't all have installed McAfee, so would they care abou
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Wow! Talk about a leading question. Why is this rated so high?
Because slashdot is full of trolls such as christurkel (520220) - who have been given the answer over and over and over but refuse to listen.
Now one more is doing it yet again. He won't even click on the slashdot article with the replies. He doesn't care the answer to his question is right in front of his face. He doesn't even care what that answer is.
Children trying to make adults look bad. How far this place has fallen.
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Mr Coward, I understand you're new here, but no, we do not "click on" (or read) the story.
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Weird. I was posting about hot peppers, and felt a mysterious tug from the ether.
I'm not sure if I've been summoned or not...
Anyway, how may I assist you?
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Wow! Talk about a leading question. Why is this rated so high?
If you were expecting more... welcome to slashdot! enjoy your stay! try the veal!
Seriously, this Ask Slashdot is going to be nothing but variants of "what were you smoking/snorting", "why did you kill that guy", and "do you still write antivirus bloatware and/or collect $1 every time someone turns on a Dell"
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Re: Belize (Score:1)
Or the US
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Do you ever intend to return to Belize to face the charges leveled against you? Or do you enjoy being a fugitive from justice?
John has not accepted the current lawsuit pending from the daughter of Greg Faull. http://dockets.justia.com/dock... [justia.com] He ran off and started hiding in Colorado before it could be served. Before he could be served in Colorado he went on the run again. I don't think he has the balls to return to Belize.
Why? (Score:1, Troll)
Re:Why? (Score:5, Funny)
I thought this was pretty funny: John McAfee on How To Uninstall McAfee Antivirus [youtube.com]
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Why would anyone want to ask this dipshit anything? He's not even funny anymore.
It is because he is so expert at being a dipshit, or at least appearing to be one (how would I know?) that he is still funny.
My question for him: Explain the business case for impersonating a world class dipshit.
As everything fun is forbidden.. (Score:1)
Any mind altering recipes worth sharing?
Why? (Score:2, Insightful)
Everywhere this psychopath goes, something bad happens- someone always ends up dying, whether he's messing with ultralights in the Southwest US or antibiotics in Costa Rico- but it's never his fault, things just "happen".
Most of his ideas are bullshit and vapor that, for some reasons (always "legitimate", of course) never make it into production.
Why is Slashdot giving this guy a forum?
This topic belongs on TMZ or the National Enquirer. What Tripe.
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Costa Rico, on the other hand, is best known for having a football thrown over it.
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This topic belongs on TMZ or the National Enquirer. What Tripe.
Controversy brings more activity / page views. The more controversial, the better, no? It wouldn't surprise me to see a post about feeding dead puppies to orphans next week on Slashdice.
Because ... (Score:3)
Everywhere this psychopath goes, ...
Why is Slashdot giving this guy a forum?
Because they can?
---
(For those not familiar with psychopathy, that's a psychopath joke. It's funny, laugh.)
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"Why is Slashdot giving this guy a forum?"
He's /.s Joe Biden
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Why is he eternally relevant?
I remember back in the 80s making my first FTP connection, on an Apple ][ at school. You could login with some silly username like "customer" (it was something different but I forget what, where are my meds?) and the password was 12345 or something. You could then download the whole (commercial) software package for free. In a time before most open source, when most of my software was "Cracked by The Nibbler," McAfee ("or however you spell it") would just give it away to anybody
In a cage match... (Score:1)
Joking aside, how do you feel about the comparisons, or are you just glad that it is a better association than with Intel AV?
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Charlie Sheen would end up dead in the jungle, the ring girl would get a major magazine cover shot, and John McAfee would be found on the beach a week later muttering, "Those ring girls are powerful"
any new videos? (Score:5, Funny)
Your coke snorting with hookers video was pretty awesome, any new ones coming out soon?
"Buy Belize" ads. (Score:5, Interesting)
An observation more than a question, but feel free to comment (especially if you have information on the subject).
Starting shortly after your Belizian adventure I've noticed a rash of radio advertising, touting Belize as a tax haven and secure retirement site for those ith substantial assets, and trying to sell land to them. These adds always strike me as funny.
Since their authorities went after you, has Belize suffered a sudden drop in interest as a "safe haven" for the retiring well-off, or perhaps an exodus of others already there?
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What I'd rather know about that ad, is that him walking along the beach with the girl in the blue bikini with the really nice ass?
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What I'd rather know about that ad, is that him walking along the beach with the girl in the blue bikini with the really nice ass?
The girl doesn't come across well on the radio.
On what station(s) have you seen the TV version? B-)
Why didn't you ask Intel to rebrand before? (Score:3)
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I kind of doubt they would do that...after all whatever acquisition/etc that was done includes the acquisition of a brand..and that brand is/was McCrap
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You should google (har har) "branding"
Did you do it? (Score:5, Funny)
I promise I'm not a cop. You can't say that on the internet if it's not true.
Product Support, please. (Score:3, Insightful)
I think McAfee anti-virus has a bug. I just installed it scanned my hard drive with it.
It did not detect that "McAfee" was installed. Are you sure that it's the best malware detector out there?
Movie (Score:2)
Who's Your Dealer? (Score:2)
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Thanks for the questions, Tim.
- Do you have anything you'd consider unusual or otherwise notably every-day carry gear?
Why yes, I do: I like to make sure I always have a few ounces of bath salts on hand; I also make sure to carry at least 20 lbs of lime to help with body disposal- you never know when you might need it. Don't forget a 9mm and plenty of ammo.
- How do you keep documents safe / backed up / safe from prying eyes and fingers?
I've learned from experience that black magic, with its plethora of dead
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So much for "one question per post" eh? ;)
*scuttles away*
Device Technology / Licensing (Score:3, Interesting)
Level of awesomeness. (Score:1)
Would you say that your level of awesomeness is around that of a honey badger with surgically implanted, razor-sharp metal talons or closer to that of, say, Lemmy?
Getting Away With Things (Score:2)
You clearly have a knack for doing outrageous, dangerous, or even illegal things and getting away with them, while others would get pinched.
What do you attribute that to? Why do you think you've managed to violate so many laws, customs, and mores and get away with it, compared to your average resident of San Quentin?
How Can I Delete MacAfee Software From My System? (Score:2)
Like the subject says.
Just one question: (Score:2)
Conrast this manipulative attention-seeker... (Score:2)
... with another 68-year-old guy I know who lives well-off in Palo Alto. Instead of indulging himself like this circus freak, he volunteers at children's FIRST robotics competitions and such. I don't know how he made his successful living before he retired; he could have been a drug lord for all I know, but if so he's certainly atoning for it now. This useless meat sack by comparison is still taking while giving nothing back.
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So... you want to see John Mcaffee volunteering at childrens events?
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Yes. If he steps outta line there, the parents in attendance will dismember and eat him alive. That's if the kids don't sic their robots on him first (pun intended).
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John McAfee, is that you? I know you like to watch, so you have an open invitation to watch me fuck myself.
Google: Doing no harm? (Score:5, Interesting)
Mr. McAfee, thanks for taking questions!
My question: Do you consider Google in its current incarnation to be a "good company"? I ask in the context of revelations about the level of Gmail snooping, Google bus controversy, Google Glass failure, "only criminals want privacy", Larry Page refusing to donate to charity, Google Maps interface changes, etc. You used to be in security, so applying that experience & your recent public issues, do you "trust" Google?
Drugs (Score:3)
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why work in security? (Score:2)
Only reason I can think to work in security is because it's hot, been hot since 9/11. $. But interesting? It can be, if you can stay away from the idiots. Useful? Maybe, if politics can be kept out of it. But that's the point-- the people with the purse strings are political and stupid. Look how Microsoft has handled security. Norton/Symantec once said that they would go out of business if MS ever fixed Windows. If I were to work in security, the very last place I would choose is anti-malware soft
Really? (Score:1)
A drug-addled once significant technician. There are mountains of them out there who are worlds more interesting that John (Cliff Stoll comes screaming to mind). But /. of course tracks down the most successful attention whore of them all and trots him out in Jerry-Springer'st fashion. What a friggin waste of "ask what you will".
Why should we trust you? You are a USA citizen... (Score:1)
Your are bound by US laws, the Patriot act that either you collaborate with the NSA or you go to jail.
How do you plan to get around this?
My only question to him: (Score:5, Funny)
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I'd like to know this as well.
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http://www.whoismcafee.com/fre... [whoismcafee.com]
Programming (Score:2)
Hi. I don't know how much programming you used to do back when you were more closely related to the software field, but I'm going to assume that you used to have at least some experience with it. Do you still do any form of programming any more? Are there any specific programming languages, frameworks/libraries and tools that you prefer?
What is your secret recipe to success? (Score:1)
Drugs (Score:2)
What are the drugs like when you're wealthy?
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geek republic (Score:1)
Any advice for Peter Norton? (Score:5, Funny)
What advice would you give to Pete to get his name off the second worst software on the planet?
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Answer: get an impossible reputation for a testimonial, like having a foreign country looking to imprison you, so that they will have to drop the name without even needing a letter from you, duh.
What does it feel like? (Score:2)
What does it feel like to kill a man?
Hypothetically speaking of course...
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"You know, if you stab a man in the dead of winter, steam will rise up from the wounds. Indians believed it was his soul escaping from his body." Mikita's Manager, Glen
Have you ever thought about traveling to S. Americ (Score:2)
Many countries, namely Colombia and Ecuador have significantly less intolerance than Central and North America. The dollar is strong, food is fresh and cheap and the current political situation there is stable and welcoming. Why Belize over Colombia or Ecuador?
the best quest ever (Score:1)
And as a followup question, fuck you. Oh I mean "fuck you?"
Still waiting on the other guys.... (Score:2)
One at a time /., we are still waiting for Theo de Raadt's Interview as well as RMS and Jonathan Coulton.
The only interviewee to respond in a timely manner was Eric S. Raymond.
Unreliable Respondant? (Score:1)
Given McAfee's penchant for making up wildly outlandish responses to questions he's bored with or finds uninteresting, do we have any reason to believe we'll actually get responses which are anything other than works of fiction?
Your perspective (Score:2)
Do you realize that you're a stark raving lunatic or do you really not get how disconnected from reality you are.
You seem to have this 'the rules don't apply to me' mentality followed by an 'everyone is out to get me!'; with that in mind, do you recognize that you're a laughing stock in tech circles?
Are you aware, even a little bit, that you have absolutely no credibility on anything, anywhere, every again?
Sorry to be an asshole with my questions, but I really want to know what kind of fucked up goes throug
My Question (Score:1)
Hi John,
How might I find my way to a posh life on tropical islands, with young women at my beck and call? I'll deal with the locals.
Warm regards,
Removing viruses with an infected machine (Score:2)
Didn't you write a long time ago that it was wrong to try to use an infected machine to remove viruses because it couldn't be trusted -- and then go on to found a company that did just that? Care to comment?
what things would you change (Score:1)
Hi John!
Since your life has taken same rather big and strange turns over time (heck, Peter Norton, the other PC software pioneer, is now collecting contemporary modern art, you are collecting young women, guns and designer drugs!), I would like to ask you: If you could do your life over again, what things would you change? Or, maybe put in a different way, if you could give your younger self some advice, what would it be?
Patron of the sciences? (Score:2)
Since you seem to have a history of funding and helping fledgling new technologies, can you say which ones you are supporting now? Also, would you support mine? (Yeah I know it's a long shot, but hey, I have to try.)
when you were McAfee CEO in the 90's ... (Score:1)
Can gov backed spyware last in the wild? (Score:2)
With quality AV efforts from around the world and more realtime networked behaviour analysis who is winning the dissident watching game?
Thanks very much.
My Question (Score:1)
So, John,
What could be on the horizon? You seem to have done most everything else. Ever thought about starting a religion? There is definitely money in it and a place for the pioneer who can figure out how to digitize it in an executable and give it to the masses in high def 3d. I mean, the efficiency of delivery has got to beat the current paradigm. I think you could be the man!
Review: Race Gurram Review (Score:1)
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Oh, Belizean. My bad.
Fuck the moderators, that's funny. Creepy, but funny.
Not that I'd know about such matters, of course.
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Holy shit. Best. Question. Ever.
You know, I remembered the last interview, but I didn't remember reading it. All the time, I was reading the comments and the vitriol about JM, and I couldn't think for the life of me why. I was thinking, "okay, so he's a bit eccentric. What's the big deal?" Then I read the last interview.
Nuttier than squirrel shit, and more dangerous than a pack of rabid hamsters. But this question kicks ass!