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Linux in Canada
Flxstr writes "Lots of Linux articles in Canada's national newspaper today, starting with Calgary switching from SUN Unix to Red Hat Linux. Another article discusses whether Linux will become a target for viruses as its popularity grows. This article mentions how Linux costs less, so more firms are becoming interested. Finally, an article discusses how pushes by major vendors such as IBM, HP, and others is speeding acceptance of Linux over other alternatives. Altogether, some good articles for any CIO's desk."
In my opinion, Canada is definitely a more favourable environment for Linux. Partly because of less Microsoft influence spreading FUD about it, and partly because they don't develop laws designed specifically to stifle technology like the DMCA and the Patriot act. ... I'm not proud any more :(
I used to be proud to be an American because of our technological culture
A (Mostly) Proud Calgarian.
I don't see that as a much lesser chance. My mail is filled with
virus mails, wether they come from windows or linux(root or non-root) users doesn't make much diffrence.
Linux plays nicely with the BSDs, Solaris, OS X, and most other operating systems
I was off work, ill, and working from home (I'm a web-developer - SunONE-ASP on Raq boxes) and needed my girlfriend's XP laptop to talk to my server. Normally that's no problem - server runs Samba. But I didn't have SunONE ASP, so I had to use Microsoft IIS ASP (the server's dual-boot). Could I get a Windows XP laptop to talk to a Windows 2000 server? Could I hell! Now I accept I'm not the most capable Windows admin, but c'mon! How hard can it be!
Moral: Linux plays nice with other operating systems. Windows barely gets along with earlier versions of Windows.
This is where the serious fun begins.
This is problem you need to address differently than just SUing.
The idea of a username/password combo to protect resources is quickly becoming a thing of the past, as the trend to recognition of the individual continues.
I for one can't wait to do away with uname/password headaches.
For example, in a PKI/Smart Card/Biometric authentication system, your rights are based on who you are and not what uname/pass you have.
In this scenario, what are you going to do?
Impose some artificial barrier to privledge escalation?
Any attempt will become nothing more than a "Are you _sure_ you want to execute this?."
These kind of protections are already in windows, and users will inevitably click "yes".
...but Calgary should be switching to OpenBSD. They'd have plenty of top notch support nearby.
The meme police, They live inside of my head
Doesn't seem to be a problem on OS X. In fact root is disabled by default and plenty of people use Macs just fine.
The problem is, that even in linux a dumb user is still a dumb user. Instead of this:
/usr/local/bin/pwned, /etc/pwned"
"Install: Bonzai buddy will be installed to C:\program files\pwned"
You get something like:
"Install: Bonzai buddy will be installed to
"Error, you need to run as root to install this program. Please enter your root password:"
*****
"Thank you. Installation will now continue"
You don't think it will happen? Just wait. Safety comes in that the user doesn't always get the root password (and is patched against root exploits)... at least in a business environment Vs home (and at home *MY* family members ain't getting the root password).
Check my journal for the start of my "Linux Evaluation" series. I started this after someone asked me to publish the results of my personal Linux testing.
Here's the link
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Sorry if I sound harsh, but you are very wrong.
.profile and launch itself every time you log in.
1) A basic virus doesn't need root permissions. It can wipe out _your_ files (which are the most precious files on the system - you can get the system files by reinstalling). It can sit in your crontab and periodically try to spread. It can write your
2) Do you install software? Does that mean you run an install script (directly or through a package manager) as root? Have you checked the script code for virii? Would you expect an average user to?
3) Certain bugs allow privilige escalation (a process that runs as a normal or non-priviliged user gets root permissions). After that, the virus can do anything it likes.
4) Bugs in processes that run as root (suid root programs, many daemons, the kernel) can be exploited (sometimes remotely and/or automatically) to gain root priviliges. Or, generally, the user and group the process runs as; it's bad enough if someone takes control of your mail system, even if they can't access the rest.
I'm sure I have omitted things here, but I think you get the message. Linux (or any UNIX-derivate) is not as secure as some would have you believe. Not even the design is very secure, nor is its design more secure than Windows's, but I'll leave that to somebody else to point out.
Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.
Really, it's such a simple idea:
If you use GPL code, you publish somewhere the modifications you make under the GPL.
THAT'S IT. END OF STORY. JOURNALISTS, YOU CAN GO HOME NOW.
Instead, we get heart-wrenching human interest CRAP like the following:
(From speeding acceptance of linux)
Linux evangelists have prophesied for years that the open-source operating system would challenge Microsoft Corp.'s Windows. But it wasn't until the past year or so, when International Business Machines Corp., Novell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. seriously threw their collective and considerable weight behind it, that a challenge became a real possibility.
Victory, however, will not come cheaply.
The problem is that the future of Linux was never dependent on its quality. If quality were all that is required to win, everyone would be watching movies on Beta videotape and working on Apple Macintosh computers.
The problem is cultural.
The open-source community, an ad-hoc worldwide network of programmers dedicated to creating free software, has been too shrill, evangelistic and hot-eyed for corporate interests to deal with; the ferocity of their anger at proprietary software became the Linux community's own worst enemy -- nobody wants to gamble a corporate future on fanatics, no matter how worthy their bible.
Why do journalists slather this "human community" BS on top of this very simple idea?
It's like they're trying to freak people out! How completely idiotic is that???!!!