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Comment by PrimeMcFly | Hacker News Reader

Surprised to see any links to a site run by a charlatan like Gibson here on HN.

I've used the linked tool (on Windows) and it worked fine. I guess from your comment there's some drama I'm not aware of. Can you elaborate what's wrong with it and what alternative you'd recommend?

Not talking about the tool you referenced specifically, but Steve Gibson of GRC is known to be a charlatan, making claims that are easily disproven (he was the guy screaming the world would end when XP included raw sockets) and sometimes selling software based on false claims, like his SpinRite software.

Sounds like you don't know what SpinRite is for/does

Or that you haven't ever actually listened to him

I've been listening to him for far too long, and joining in others to warn people off him.

But hey, you want to cheerlead for him with his track record, go right ahead.

LOL

Ok - I've listened to him off and on for about a decade

If you want to be upset over him ... go ahead

I guess the issue here is you don't have enough knowledge to understand why he's a charlatan.

And that's fine, many don't. Which is why it's important those of us that do continue to speak up.

Take care.

How many mistakes/bad predictions does it take to make someone a charlatan in your opinion?

Gibson didn't just make a few mistakes. He consistently made ignorant and false claims to sell software and boost his own profile, which apparently worked on quite a few gullible people.

You really have it out for this guy, don't you?

Let it go

Buddy you just replied to every single comment I made in this thread to other people.

I don't really have it out for this guy, I'm just pointing out that he is a charlatan.

You seem to be really offended by that and are cheerleading for him even harder. Bizarre. I'm sorry the truth hurts you so.

>You seem to be really offended by that and are cheerleading for him even harder. Bizarre. I'm sorry the truth hurts you so.

Hahahaha

Well, "buddy", you seem to have it out for someone with zero evidence you can provide for why you are upset beyond, "if you know, you know"

That is not a reason, it is a claim to secret knowledge

Which...since you will not share, we have to assume does not exist

You're too lazy to google yourself lol.

You're really one of those 'need to have the last word' types, huh.

Well, it's all yours. I have no more time to debate you than a Taylor Swift fan pissed off at me because I said one of her songs wasn't great.

Guess you can't let people correct their mistakes

That's fine - if you want to hold a grudge irrationally... you do you

Not holding a grudge irrationally, and when people tell you you make mistakes or you're full of BS and you double down on your claims to make money, that's malice, not incompetence.

Honestly, I find it hilarious you are defending this guy. He must have a real comforting voice or something.

> I guess the issue here is you don't have enough knowledge to understand why he's a charlatan.

Enlighten us, then, oh wise one!

What "knowledge" do you think I do not have that you somehow secretly do?

You seem to lack at a minimum decent security knowledge, perhaps even basic IT knowledge outside of using a browser on windows.

Ahh, so instead of providing actual sources and data, you prefer to impugn my decades of experience based on your magic knowledge?

Cool

You are a mind reader!

SO glad you came out to tell me I do not know what I have been doing for years on end!

From your comment history, when you comment on anything technical, you seem to be downvoted and not really know what you're talking about.

There are lots of people in IT. It's a low barrier to entry. Plenty of people are like you and think they know what they are talking about while even managing to get paid for it.

Congratulations!

LOL

Apparently you never read my comment history ... or went through and downvoted me out spite

Keep your secret knowledge to yourself if you want - since you seem so averse to sharing why you think something

>known to be a charlatan, making claims that are easily disproven

Such as ...?

Read the thread buddy. Not repeating claims just so you can keep this argument going on yet another front.

You've yet to source anything

But keep thinking you have

There is a small vocal cult of secbros on HN and Reddit that have some kind of beef with Gibson because he gets things wrong once in a while and make predictions that don't pan out. You know, like literally all of us.

And also he sells ONE product that in 2023 has admittedly dubious value (SpinRite), and I will also admit that the website oversells it quite a bit. But all of the complaints I've seen about it basically boil down to those people not really understanding what it's for or what it does. It's not for "undeleting" data, it's not for fixing your broken filesystem, it can't recover data off a disk with a bullet-hole in it. It only works on spinning rust with _some_ bad physical sectors, if the damage is not severe enough that the data can't be recovered with many, many, repeat readings.

I listened to his podcast Security Now for the better part of a decade while commuting and found that he really enjoys getting to the root of whatever he's talking about and _usually_ (not always) does a pretty good job of explaining complex technical subjects verbally. He has always come across as quite humble to me, and _every_ episode began with a list of corrections from the previous episode. When he does make mistakes, at least he admits them.

lol, it's not a small vocal cult, what a bizarre description. It's simple people in the know who can recognize a charlatan and call him out as such.

Maybe you are not old enough to remember or be aware of how ridiculous he used to be. He's been pretty quiet the last decade, likely due to getting batted down every time he would pop up with some nonsense.

Not sure what you mean by pretty quiet, his podcast is still going strong and is quite popular. I don't know what your personal grudge against him is, but it doesn't sound like it's doing you any good.

His podcast is but a blip in a giant sea of podcasts, and only listened to by people who don't know enough to know how little he knows.

No personal grudge, just the advantage of experience. I'm hardly alone in holding this view. If you did some research, and listened to some actual security podcasts, you might learn a little bit more regarding all this.

>No personal grudge, just the advantage of experience. I'm hardly alone in holding this view. If you did some research, and listened to some actual security podcasts, you might learn a little bit more regarding all this.

Such as... what? Who do you think knows more than he does and/or what has he said that is incorrect?

You don't need to ask the same question 3 different times in reply to my comments to other people. What's wrong with you? Just keep it to one thread. Jesus.

This is the third dubious comment you’ve made so I’ll ask you directly (once again) to explain why you feel that way.

I haven't made a single dubious comment. I'm kind of tired of pointing out the truth with all these, I assume gen z kids, who don't know any better and think he's worth listening to. Just do some googling and read up on his history, see what actual security experts think of him.

But hey, you do you.

And here I was, a random passerby to your argument, hoping for you to finally tell what's wrong with Gibson Research, yet I only heard a lot of moaning with no substance.

From outside, it looks like you have a grudge against them, but brought no actual reason. Thanks for your input I guess.

Before you shut me down as well, I learned of Gibson Research in this very thread. I'm no paid actor.

I actually did point out two examples of the issues, so no, it's not just moaning, I'm just not interested in getting in to a debate with his cheerleaders.

I also suggested people can google if they want to learn more.

Next time you're a random passerby to an argument you see me involved in, please just keep passing by.

I am another passerby, and you just look like a childish prick who for some reason really doesn't like a guy making software. We have learn nothing else from you, so it is hard to give you the benefit of the doubt. From my experience you are probably a narcissist who insist on his opinions being the truth without having the burden of proof. Your tentative order is a pretty good tell.

Thanks for violating the HN guidelines to pass on your emotional insult. Hope you found it satisfying and that it made up for whatever you needed it to.

This guy's definitely got some kind of [apparently] irrational grudge going on against Gibson

Can't elaborate on anything except some kind of claimed secret knowledge that the rest of us plebes must obviously not have

Sad, really

Your obsession with someone calling out one of your favorite podcasters, that you need to be so defensive, is honestly bizarre.