Blurring The Line Between BIOS And OS

Jon Kincade writes "The Register has an article about Phoenix Technologies cME software that allows users on anything from servers to embedded systems to run diagnostics, browse the web and other things without having to boot into a full fledged OS. The primary use seems to be recovery from system crashes. Also, this may explain why the Phoenix browser was asked to change its name a few months ago."

Comments

May?

[The Bungi]

Also, this may explain why the Phoenix browser was asked to change its name a few months ago.

Some backing link, information, you know, proof? Or didja just think "Phoenix" and "Phoenix" and somehow it just "clicked"?

Re:Terrific! (spit)

[kfg]

Ah, but they fooled you this time. It isn't on your disk, it's on your motherboard.

Surprise!

KFG

IIS on Linux: The proof.

[Marcus Brody]

Hi just had to report my latest findings to the slashdot community. Looks like there is now a port of Microsoft-IIS to Linux, as run by goatse

http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=www.goats e.cx

Blurs the lines somewhat: Quite the opposite of running a real server without having to boot into a fully fledged OS.

Re:This is a bad idea! (offtopic)

[linuxghoul]

(I KNOW, COMPLETELY OFFTOPIC, but just sumthing i felt like saying)

i used to think like that, untill i installed my first firewall. The log showed more than 20 intrusion attempts in the first 5 minutes of the firewall starting up. Also, when u cant trust your own OS (or "your" software) to not phone home (only a problem on windows), u better have your firewall up and running before ANY network activity.

Its not as if someones waiting...there are just too many scripts, scans, worms out there...and the primary purpose of these is not to hose ur data..they cudnt care less...what they want is, in nearly all cases, ur net bandwidth, to:

1) run IRC bouncers
2) host warez (ur diskspace is also the target here)
3) launch DDOS attacks
4) any kind of "proxy" that may help in anonymizing any later "serious" cracking activity

and depending upon how "responsible" you are, u may not have problems with 1/2/3 but 4 could end up getting u into very serious trouble. I personally dont want to be a part of the next attempt to bring down EBay.

also, in my case, being at a UNI, and having my machines on 10Mbps, AND with the huge UNI net pipe , my machine is definitely a lucrative target.

Even otherwise, i just dont **LIKE** anyone access one of *my* machines in ways i did not intend...you maybe different.

I think people lacking the will to properly secure their boxes should not be allowed on broadband. Dialup is ok...i think dialup users only waste any crackers time :P

Seriously, my suggestion is for you to give a software firewall a shot. The first half an hour should be enough to convince you of the need. (and no, the built in forewall in XP doesnt count.)

I have myself since graduated to a hardware firewall for real security, with a software firewall only required to prevent your own "untrusted" programs from calling home.

Ghoul2