Security

[storm]

Hi Bruce
One of the big things I have with the Internet, especially sites that provide online shopping, is security. I've been going through my bookmarks doing some testing and come across this for yours (please refer to the screenshot). I think this has occured because your site, even though the address in the top bar say's different which I will explain in a minute, isn't signed with an ssl certificate. The address in the address bar is https and not http because I have HTTPS Everywhere on my car laptop and it forces https (to test the security of the website) and if th website hasn't got an SSL certificate it won't let the site load. Google will soon start to "unlist" websites that don't have an SSL certificate and mark them as unsafe. It may be worth your while considering getting one for the PTS site.

[Brucepts]

I'm in the process of getting a SSL Certificate for the site thanks for pointing this out to me.

I do not collect any personal info from any sales transactions on this site as it is all handled via PayPal and nothing is kept by my site other than what you put in your User Profile on the forum. The only purchase you can make here is for plans and you are redirected to PayPal to complete a secure transaction.

I removed the PayPal shopping cart feature as I was not able to calculate actual shipping charges for my International orders, so as a minor inconvenience you have to now fill out a form, email, PM, FaceBook, text or call me so I can send a PayPal invoice for the parts. Antiquated? Yes, it is but it has been working for my customers and it works for myself. I do not keep a lot of stock on hand so I can project my orders out for production with the direct contacts as apposed to getting random orders and impersonal contact.

I like to keep things simple which in turn keeps my costs down on PTS products and help everyone that would like to have a flowbench in their shop achieve that goal working within their budget . . .

[storm]

I understand your method and yes if it works there is no need to change the method.
The SSL certificate does more than help with transactions, it greatly hinders hackers from sniffing website traffic. Once they are in the traffic path they can stay in the traffic path even when a process is transferred to a secure site. If they stay in the traffic path they have access to more details. I realise, now, you don't transfer people to paypal straight away so there is no transference of traffic flow but when it is all said and done once Google stops listing sites without SSL or starts posting a warning about a site without SSL people are going to think twice about using sites without it.

[ronm]

Security? No problem. Got a carry permit!!!! Lol

[storm]

Security? No problem. Got a carry permit!!!! Lol

Sorry Ron but I don't find that funny. A fellow I knew got shot while doing his job by some crazy farmer near where I live. Years later his family are still broken. And before you ask yes the farmer did have a permit, the gun was legal, but as a human being he was having a meltdown and decided to take another persons life because of it. I try not to be political on international forums because of cultural differences but you'll never convince me guns in the hands of the general public is a good thing. I lost a friend because of it.

[ronm]

Hi Storm, I apologize for offending you. In the state of Alabama and the state of Texas both saw their crime rates drop after carry permits were legalized. That's here. I am not familiar with laws in your coun try and perhaps it was insensitive of me. Thanks for your post. Ron

[Tony]

The crime rates probably did drop, no real surprise or argument there.
But in the USA people are being shot dead every single day at a rate now twelve and a half times higher than in Australia.

Please try to understand we feel much safer in a community where there are vastly fewer killings.
Americans feel much safer carrying guns.

We will never understand each other.
Different philosophy, different culture.

[storm]

Ron you didn't offend me so no apology is required. I only commented because this is a forum with people from diverse cultures with diverse views and diverse life experiences.

After Port Arthur, and a few other massacres before that we took the initiative to get alot of guns (probably mostly legal) off our streets. We haven't had a major gun incident since, quite a few single shootings (Parramatta Police Station a few years ago being an example) but no massacres, that I know of. We have another gun hand in campaign right now in NSW. Since Port Arthur most gun related deaths in my state NSW have been targeted attacks were the underworld is targeting each other. Unfortunately there have been a small number of deaths, the 2 I mentioned being highly publicised, where members of the public using guns (at least one of these events the gun was legal) murdered someone in anger but nothing like what was happening before. As far as I am aware we haven't had any school, college, university, or hospital massacres but the US has with monotonous regularity.

The American Constitution allows the American people to carry guns because of a fear of Government tyranny, our constitution was written in a very different day and age (to be fair Britain wasn't trying to screw us like they tried to screw their American Colonies). We have found people power is more powerful than a projectile weapon when it comes to bringing governments to heal. The price we pay for not having guns in the hands of the general public is civic peace, especially in schools etc. It is a price I am wiling to pay.

[Tony]

One thing is for sure, the Australian gun amnesties have been popular and very well subscribed. It is completely a matter of individual choice.
It is what most Australians wish to see happen.
Americans think the government took away all our guns by force and we are a bunch of complete fools. Nothing will convince Americans we gave them up voluntarily and are glad we did.

Politically here in Australia there is absolutely no serious public push for less restrictive gun ownership laws.
The political situation and public mood here is the exact opposite to the political situation in the US.

Any American politician dare even suggests any infringement on the right to bear arms he/she would be committing political suicide.
Over here any serious pro gun lobby would be considered a fringe minority political group.

Trust me, if any politician here thought he could win votes and get elected on the basis of gun ownership laws, someone would be pushing that view very hard.
Its been tried and failed miserably at the polls every single time.

All this is absolutely inconceivable to the average American. But that is how it is over here.

If you want to know how Australians get violent when really pissed off, read about the Cronulla riots. It involved thousands of people rioting over several days.
Not a single shot was fired and nobody died. Law enforcement were wonderfully restrained and behaved magnificently.

If something on a similar scale ever started in America there would probably have been hundreds of people shot dead, SWAT teams, government snipers, helicopter gunships, the works.....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Cronulla_riots

[storm]

At the time of the Cronulla riot there was also a riot at Islington near Newcastle. No where near as big or *violent* but it caused quite a lot of fear among Sudanese refugees living nearby (some of whom moved from Tamworth, near where I live, because they didn't feel safe or welcome there).

As Tony showed Australians, and New Zealanders, are slow to act (believe it or not we prefer peace even though we have been involved in every war since 1896 in one form or another) but come down hard when pushed beyond breaking point. We also tend to use our hands rather than a weapon, even though some of the rioters used clubs, that in itself has become a huge problem in our society. In Australia One punch, or what we now call Coward Punch, attacks (when the perp deliberately targets a victim who is unaware of the imminent danger they are in and smashes them so hard they fall and hit their head) is our particular shame. There are a few innocent people who have been hit by these rats and have died never regaining consciousness. The whole idea of attacking someone, just because you're having a bad day, and causing death or irreversible life changing damage has become the lowest dog act in Australia.

Just this morning on the news there was a report of a 59(?) year old guy who confronted thieves in a shop after one of them took his wallet. They had long sticks with nails through them as weapons and this guy stood his ground and chased them off even after they dropped his wallet (which he left outside the shop while he chased them down).