the boss checked my computer history and saw AF

[Brian37]

If someone is using the workplace for non work things, unfortunately with labor laws they can fire you and lie about everything. I am quite sure the other workers use the computers for non computer stuff as well, which can during heavy times of the day or year slow down productivity. But if your co worker really overheard that, she merely used that as an excuse. This is yet another reason what Reagan started 40 years ago is fucked up. Workers have little to no rights now.

[Tiberius]

I'm not perpetuating any myths Tiberius. I never said it replaces the function of anti-virus software, I said it's additional layer of protection and clearly explained why. And the reason is that the most likely place to find malware on the internet is in compromised advertisements. They have been found 3 times in the past 12 months on kickass torrents, and at least once on youtube in the last 2 years. UBlock stops advertisements being downloaded in the first place, thus stopping the malware, and it's not just based on known URLs or malware, but also known URLs of advertisers (as I clearly said, when an advertiser gets hacked the malware comes from the advertiser's URL). Of course you should also have AVAST or some other anti-virus running as well (although note that Avast now comes with a bunch of fucking off-putting bundle-ware bullshit, and continually pops up its own fucking advertisement unless you either buy premium or put it into game-mode). As you well know, hackers target the weak point of a system.

You repeatedly said "it blocks malware", which is not what it does. It blocks requests to sites which are known to distribute malware, and also ad networks. There's a big and important difference there. I'm just making sure people don't take what you say literally because uBlock, whilst awesome, is not the only thing you should have to protect your computer, as you also stated.

I would not recommend Avast anymore. The reason it comes with bundle-ware is likely because they use CNET, which is known to bundle software into downloads. Honestly, when it comes to free anti-virus these days, you get what you pay for. I would recommend using Kaspersky.

The security of the browsers is tested on their default settings. As I've said, they can be hardened which reduces the vulnerability. I, for example, run NoScript on FF as well, I have the MVPS hosts file installed, uBlock, and of course Avast (in game mode), oh and I keep the windows security updates up to date. Other people don't want to put up with the hassle of things like NoScript, and many can't be bothered with antivirus software either (especially now as I've mentioned that the best one IMO, Avast, comes with unwanted bundleware).

Running NoScript is a good start, but it really depends on how you run it. Most of the time you need to enable JavaScript on several sites just to get a workable version. I know on this site you need to enable JavaScript to use several features.

AVAST routinely gets ranked behind several paid anti-virus products these days, and it's honestly not worth it anymore. For a small yearly price, you can get a decent anti-virus which also performs heuristic based detection.

Anyway, if we go back to what you said about Windows security - yes it's more insecure by the very fact that more malware and viruses target it. But that's just one consideration for a computer system. I make no apologies for not liking Apple - if we go back far enough, they would charge an extra 50%-100% just for the apple logo over the cost of a PC with Windows. And they designed devices to be exclusive to their system - printers, etc. PC has always welcomed competition from manufacturers, and while that can lead to more shonky components, it also leads to greater user-serviceability. Anyway, not only are Macbooks fucking shit in terms of hardware:

And Apple refuses to service them (which is illegal), but let's say I do get ransomware installed on my PC or my Lenovo Laptop. I can just reformat the hard drive and reinstall Windows (in fact for the Laptop, I can just hot-swap the SSD for a 2.5" conventional magnetic disk drive I have set to factory settings). I'm sure the process is not that much more difficult for a Macbook, but god only knows how you'd fix a fucking tablet infested with ransomware. Point a heat-gun at the section of the all-in-one-motherboard that has the storage and operating system, pull it off the motherboard, and then re-flash it I suppose.

I'm really not sure why you brought up Apple here (FYI, I use anti-virus on my Mac).

I was talking about Linux / UNIX security, not Apple. Ask any hacker, they will tell you that Windows security is shit. It's nothing to do with the fact it's the most used system, it has everything to do with the underlying system design, the fact that by trying to make everything backwards compatible they shot themselves in the foot, and the fact that security was literally an afterthought when it came to Windows, which is why they've been trying to catch up for years.

With UNIX, they kept it simple, and it worked.

[drfuzzy]

What sucks about this is did she fire you for complaining about her? Or did she fire you because you are an atheist?

This is why it is never a good idea to use work computers for talk about work. And even with home devices, I would not even advise being friends online with co workers even if you like them, precisely because of things like this. I also cannot prove that I got fired from my 7 year job for my atheism. In my case though, I think it had more to do with the owner being a fucking cheapskate and didn't like the fact I wasn't willing to do two jobs at once, and especially when I was already doing a ton of shit work none of the other workers were willing to do.

I would at least report this to FFRF if you truly think you were fired for being an atheist. If you have  damned good work record that is a shitty thing for them to do.

I didn't complain about her - not in person to anyone, not via e-mail, not online - - EXCEPT here, which I thought was safe.  (Silly me.)  And, no, I wasn't Facebook friends with my boss.  According to my only witness, I was the perfect employee until I left my computer unlocked, and she found "atheist forums" in my computer history. At that point, I became someone she had to get rid of.  (Remember, it's a two-person office.)  She could have objected to using a work computer to surf the web - but then, she was on FB all the time at work.    Oh well - -      FFRF!  I should look into that.  Thanks Brian!

[Brian37]

What sucks about this is did she fire you for complaining about her? Or did she fire you because you are an atheist?

This is why it is never a good idea to use work computers for talk about work. And even with home devices, I would not even advise being friends online with co workers even if you like them, precisely because of things like this. I also cannot prove that I got fired from my 7 year job for my atheism. In my case though, I think it had more to do with the owner being a fucking cheapskate and didn't like the fact I wasn't willing to do two jobs at once, and especially when I was already doing a ton of shit work none of the other workers were willing to do.

I would at least report this to FFRF if you truly think you were fired for being an atheist. If you have  damned good work record that is a shitty thing for them to do.

I didn't complain about her - not in person to anyone, not via e-mail, not online - - EXCEPT here, which I thought was safe.  (Silly me.)  And, no, I wasn't Facebook friends with my boss.  According to my only witness, I was the perfect employee until I left my computer unlocked, and she found "atheist forums" in my computer history. At that point, I became someone she had to get rid of.  (Remember, it's a two-person office.)  She could have objected to using a work computer to surf the web - but then, she was on FB all the time at work.    Oh well - -      FFRF!  I should look into that.  Thanks Brian!

You are missing my point. What she did was unfair, but if you are not part of a union, and cant afford a labor lawyer in most of America they can fire you for no good reason and lie about it. I bet if you went on every worker's computer there you would find every single one of them uses it for non work stuff, and don't be shocked if it were porn either. Point is, from what you said it sounds like you got fired for being an atheist but all she'd have to argue is that you used a computer to look up non work stuff. I'd still report this to FFRF. 

The rest of what I said was advice for anything on any issue even if you are not using a work place computer. It is simply better not to have online communication with co workers at all, just in case you do want to bitch.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Tiberius is correct, actually, for most American businesses.  And the lawyer that I spoke to mentioned it - - even though the boss did not list it as a cause for letting me go, she probably should have.  The HR people would have respected it as a reason, rather than "she doesn't fit in with this office".  So my experience really should be a decent warning - - don't access AF from a work computer!  Use the phone, and if you want to be safe, only during breaks.

She probably didn't want to confront you about the real reason she fired you, or even let you know what it was. I mean, I would be pretty embarassed if I was her.

No, it was likely for legal reasons. In America, the law forbids terminating someone on religious grounds unless the job itself is religious in nature -- working in a church, that sort of thing.

[Thumpalumpacus]

@Aractus

This is the US not Australia. For right or wrong, in most states you can be fired for any reason except being part of a protected class or no reason at all with little or no recourse.

... and not every state mandates break periods.

[abaris]

Oh, you can be fired everywhere for browsing non work related stuff. The only difference being, there has to be fair warning that it's reason to be fired. You have to know the regulation before signing your contract. If there's nothing of that sort, it won't stand up in court.

[drfuzzy]

Oh, you can be fired everywhere for browsing non work related stuff. The only difference being, there has to be fair warning that it's reason to be fired. You have to know the regulation before signing your contract. If there's nothing of that sort, it won't stand up in court.

No contract.  No job description.  No employee handbook.  No rules or regulations.  No warning of any kind. 
But it's just not worth the battle, guys.  I just finished one job application and am starting on another.

[Brian37]

She probably didn't want to confront you about the real reason she fired you, or even let you know what it was. I mean, I would be pretty embarassed if I was her.

No, it was likely for legal reasons. In America, the law forbids terminating someone on religious grounds unless the job itself is religious in nature -- working in a church, that sort of thing.

Bullshit, against the law doesn't favor the worker. You assume trust in the owner, there simply is no way in "he said she said" cases. You are talking about law on paper, I am talking about the ways people can get around it. 

Knowing the history of other minorities such as gays and blacks and women, it is very easy to fire someone and lie about why you did it. Without a recording or witnesses, they can fire you and never have to explain why, and if they do, they will always claim production reasons.

If your boss doesn't like you because you are Mormon or Muslim or Hispanic, all they have to do in most states is say your uniform was not clean, you said something wrong to a customer, you showed up late. And they can totally be lying about it and you have no way of proving it unless you have a recording and even with one witness, all it takes is a majority at that job site to agree with the boss, even if you are the one telling the truth.

EOE only works with back up, and lawyers. "Right to work" is bullshit, it literally means "right to make any fucking excuse to fuck over workers" and for any reason. Don't assume the boss is telling the truth and dont assume it is impossible for them to lie and get away with it.

[Time Traveler]

Given that you scored excellent on all performance reviews and were otherwise regarded as the "perfect employee," your employer's bigotry will ultimately hurt them as they will likely have to hire someone that A) requires training to get up to speed, and B) isn't likely to perform as highly as you since you seem to be a positive outlier on the bell curve. Employers must weigh employee indiscretions against the actual costs of replacing that employee. If the employer errs and loses an otherwise top performer, they will incur additional expenses which diminish their profitability. Thus, your revenge is knowing the company's performance will suffer, all due to your boss's hasty judgments and actions. That being said, yours is a great cautionary tale for others to avoid personal activities while on-the-clock.

Better luck in your next position!