Do you remove your browser's cookies on a regular schedule? If you don't, your favourite search engine has a nice track record of all of your searches. If you happen to enjoy your search engine's webmail offering, too, they may very well be able to associate your search habits to your real name, know who your contacts are, and by parsing the mail's contents, in order to place matching ads, they know what you talk about.
While Google promises to do no evil - which can be true or not, I'm not judging them - they are collecting an enormous amount of data about their users. Currently a prospective employer may google up some information about you. But what happens when Google, in some more or less distant future, is no longer guided by their noble motto and instead starts to sell their records as an alternative form of revenue? Your email conversations, your "talk" conversations, and for a small additional fee your full search records?
Paranoid? I don't know. Oh, and Google is just one example, maybe the the most famous. I'm not saying they're out to harm you either, it's just that they have the technical possibility.
Ah the memories. I still have the SuSE Linux 1.0 CD (SLS/Slackware) mentioned in the Wikipedia article. If memory serves, it was released in April 94, and I bought it shortly thereafter. I am using and working with Linux since then; after a few years of Slackware and a quick adventure with RedHat I switched to Debian.
I know I know, Debian stable has the same package versions as SuSE Linux 1.0 had in 1994, and that's why I'm so happy with it. I've heard that one before.
What you say is true for Minix 1 and 2, but Minix 3 seems to head for a different route (from TFA): MINIX 1 and 2 were intended as teaching tools; MINIX 3 adds the new goal of being usable as a serious system on resource-limited and embedded computers and for applications requiring high reliability.
From TFA: We are still working with the courts and trademark office to protect our ability to use the Gmail name[...] But the trademark issue is still unsettled, and unfortunately, we cannot predict what the other party or the courts might do here.
I'd guess they are handling this with lawyers. Still, it is refreshening to see how level-headed their information about the whole issue is.
This reminds me of a little story that happened to a customer who I was working for in the late nineties.
Said customer wanted to have their (large) network audited for security issues and hired an "established security firm" to do the job. As a first step it was decided that these experts had to try to break into the network from the outside, and they promised to report within a certain time frame.
When the time had come, the customer called them up and asked about the report. The experts said they were still working hard, but from what they had seen the network seemed completely impenetrable. The customer's network admins had not noticed any strange activity or alarming attempts, and asked about the methods used, and the experts gladly explained:
They had gathered a list of public host names via DNS and found an entry firewall.customersdomain.com. From then on they had tried to gain access to or through firewall.customersdomain.com in all possible means and using every tool at hand, but they had not succeeded.
This explanation caused a fair amount of laughter amongst the admins. The DNS entry firewall.customersdomain.com had been created a while ago to perform some tests, but the machine correspoding to the IP address had been disconnected from the net months ago.
I have found CookieCuller to be very useful. It allows you to "protect" certain cookies and get rid of all the rest through a simple interface or - according to the FAQ - delete unprotected cookies automatically at browser startup. Works with Firefox and Mozilla.
CMU's CFO: Today I sold our student's data to a marketing firm.
Wife: Somebody pays money for some geek's address and SSN?
CFO: Who's talking about geeks? I sold the business student's data. They're supposed to have the necessary spare change the marketers are interested in. Want some more red wine?
W: But is this legal.
CFO: Of course not, but we are a little tight on budget.
W: What if it is ever found out it was you?
CFO: See, here comes the best part: I already spread rumour that IT screwed up and our servers were hacked. This has worked with other places before.
Actually, you will find the term "obnoxious advertising clause" at Various Licenses and Comments about Them. It is referring to the fact that the Original BSD license contained the following clause:
"All advertising materials mentioning features or use of this software must display the following acknowledgement: This product includes software developed by the University of California, Berkeley and its contributors."
This clause does not make the software released under it non-free, but it can cause practical problems and makes the license incompatible with the GNU GPL. Your parent poster most likely confounded the MIT and Original BSD licenses. (The MIT license it compatible with the GNU GPL.)
You might find Bruce Schneier's Unique E-mail Addresses and Spam interesting. While your technique allows you to easily deactivate any email address you get spammed to, it still has potential for framing.
you are receiving this email as a friendly reminder to pay your annual subscription to our site. As one of our top customers you will be delighted to hear that you are eligible to a 20% discount. [Heck, we bought new tires for our Lamborghini with all the money you poured into your "research"]
Slashdot Mirror
Do you remove your browser's cookies on a regular schedule? If you don't, your favourite search engine has a nice track record of all of your searches. If you happen to enjoy your search engine's webmail offering, too, they may very well be able to associate your search habits to your real name, know who your contacts are, and by parsing the mail's contents, in order to place matching ads, they know what you talk about.
While Google promises to do no evil - which can be true or not, I'm not judging them - they are collecting an enormous amount of data about their users. Currently a prospective employer may google up some information about you. But what happens when Google, in some more or less distant future, is no longer guided by their noble motto and instead starts to sell their records as an alternative form of revenue? Your email conversations, your "talk" conversations, and for a small additional fee your full search records?
Paranoid? I don't know. Oh, and Google is just one example, maybe the the most famous. I'm not saying they're out to harm you either, it's just that they have the technical possibility.
Ah the memories. I still have the SuSE Linux 1.0 CD (SLS/Slackware) mentioned in the Wikipedia article. If memory serves, it was released in April 94, and I bought it shortly thereafter. I am using and working with Linux since then; after a few years of Slackware and a quick adventure with RedHat I switched to Debian.
I know I know, Debian stable has the same package versions as SuSE Linux 1.0 had in 1994, and that's why I'm so happy with it. I've heard that one before.
Here's the link to a related story from a while ago. Btw, if you're worried about your keyboard then you better not pick up any telephone. ;)
... a dupe. Although TFA back then called the device an "Electronic Silencer" it seems to be the same product.
Last January news.telegraph had an article about this that featured kind of a map on how the mirrors will be positioned.
Any large corporation is more likely to select an already certified system. For technical reasons as well as political ones (CYA).
What you say is true for Minix 1 and 2, but Minix 3 seems to head for a different route (from TFA): MINIX 1 and 2 were intended as teaching tools; MINIX 3 adds the new goal of being usable as a serious system on resource-limited and embedded computers and for applications requiring high reliability.
From TFA: We are still working with the courts and trademark office to protect our ability to use the Gmail name[...] But the trademark issue is still unsettled, and unfortunately, we cannot predict what the other party or the courts might do here.
I'd guess they are handling this with lawyers. Still, it is refreshening to see how level-headed their information about the whole issue is.
Unfortunately not as far fetched as a mentally stable person would like to believe.
This reminds me of a little story that happened to a customer who I was working for in the late nineties.
Said customer wanted to have their (large) network audited for security issues and hired an "established security firm" to do the job. As a first step it was decided that these experts had to try to break into the network from the outside, and they promised to report within a certain time frame.
When the time had come, the customer called them up and asked about the report. The experts said they were still working hard, but from what they had seen the network seemed completely impenetrable. The customer's network admins had not noticed any strange activity or alarming attempts, and asked about the methods used, and the experts gladly explained:
They had gathered a list of public host names via DNS and found an entry firewall.customersdomain.com. From then on they had tried to gain access to or through firewall.customersdomain.com in all possible means and using every tool at hand, but they had not succeeded.
This explanation caused a fair amount of laughter amongst the admins. The DNS entry firewall.customersdomain.com had been created a while ago to perform some tests, but the machine correspoding to the IP address had been disconnected from the net months ago.
One could presumably also use the remains of other creatures, such as politicians, lawyers, and estate agents.
I don't hate my car enough to expect it to handle that.
I bet Japan's Prime Minister can't wait to get one...
For around 40 bucks
This book is also available for $26.39 at amazon.
I have found CookieCuller to be very useful. It allows you to "protect" certain cookies and get rid of all the rest through a simple interface or - according to the FAQ - delete unprotected cookies automatically at browser startup. Works with Firefox and Mozilla.
If you find these colors pretty, you will be enraptured by the IT color scheme.
Cut him some slack - his wife was looking over his shoulder.
CMU's CFO: Today I sold our student's data to a marketing firm.
Wife: Somebody pays money for some geek's address and SSN?
CFO: Who's talking about geeks? I sold the business student's data. They're supposed to have the necessary spare change the marketers are interested in. Want some more red wine?
W: But is this legal.
CFO: Of course not, but we are a little tight on budget.
W: What if it is ever found out it was you?
CFO: See, here comes the best part: I already spread rumour that IT screwed up and our servers were hacked. This has worked with other places before.
And it just occurred to me that "small size" is not really a big selling point.
The spam in my inbox begs to differ.
There is a problem with the database that is preventing the site from working.
An email has been sent to the administrator notifying them of the problem. Please try again later.
I expect their mailserver to issue a similar message soon.
Actually, you will find the term "obnoxious advertising clause" at Various Licenses and Comments about Them. It is referring to the fact that the Original BSD license contained the following clause:
"All advertising materials mentioning features or use of this software must display the following acknowledgement: This product includes software developed by the University of California, Berkeley and its contributors."
This clause does not make the software released under it non-free, but it can cause practical problems and makes the license incompatible with the GNU GPL. Your parent poster most likely confounded the MIT and Original BSD licenses. (The MIT license it compatible with the GNU GPL.)
7. RTFA :)
8. Retract 1-6
9. Go back hide under cozy rock
You might find Bruce Schneier's Unique E-mail Addresses and Spam interesting. While your technique allows you to easily deactivate any email address you get spammed to, it still has potential for framing.
... a link to today's /. poll
You, sir, are a real /. veteran and know what your audience wants to hear.
I've ... researched this topic quite heavily.
Dear NanoGator,
you are receiving this email as a friendly reminder to pay your annual subscription to our site. As one of our top customers you will be delighted to hear that you are eligible to a 20% discount. [Heck, we bought new tires for our Lamborghini with all the money you poured into your "research"]
Regards,
xxx Adult's Finest Whatever