This has been a worry from day 1 with more intelligent phones: how to separate the parts that handle the air interface from the end user sphere where they can run applications. With a hacked air interface you can start playing with frequencies, emission levels, potentially even with billing.
I can remember the last Access All Areas conference in London, in the days of analogue GSM. We had a couple of 12 year olds with rechipped NEC P3s scanning all conversations in the vicinity which was, although interesting, rather worrying. Imagine someone hacks the air interface to let someone else pick up their call charges..
That's also why intelligent phones take a while to gain network approval, and I don't think the networks will ever be able to test it all..
By publicly seeding the network with false data they're creating a very effective beta test for denial of service when the roles are reversed and the MPAA needs P2P to sell video.
Strikes me as an idea just a tad short of vision, and the irony is of course that them doing it now without negative effect creates precedent. If in doubt, keep digging?
HR will ALWAYS only pay attention to the buzzword circus - they have to because they generally don't know better. I've had my fill of HR floozies rejecting people because they didn't "feel right for the team" or other fluffy excuses that turned out to be total nonsense, if it wasn't for coming a cross a bunch of really good ones later I would have given up on HR as a viable acquisition route.
I had a very good lesson when I was recruiting a new Security Manager for a company - we had a move in the middle of our recruiting process and we got a couple of desks from HR. In one I found a couple of discarded CVs (i.e. with large "NO"s written over them - this was in the days before Data Protection and privacy laws but we still had a rather strong word with the original 'inhabitant' of that desk).
Anyway, you probably saw this coming: I found the absolute ideal guy for the job was in NO stack, so from that point onwards I've set the rejection criteria for HR pretty wide. Yes, it means more work for me but there is IMHO a difference between being capable of writing a HR compatible CV and being capable in a specific function.
OK, isn't this a sort of obvious thing to do before you start naming a product? Given that we've read that Apple fought a 2.5 year battle to keep the development of this product a secret is this telling us that during all that time NOBODY had the brains to see if the name was unencumbered? I guess the trouble of 'Easy' Stelios to bully everyone into giving up their 'easy' domain names weren't sufficiently educational?
There is, of course, the question what Cisco really wants to do - I noticed Linksys only named a product "iPhone" exactly when the Apple rumours started to surface..
HavenCo does just that. I wonder what the impending sale, sorry, transfer will do to their business, but the numbers that the Spanish estate agent is supposed to ask according to Wikipedia are insane.
I can't even see Saudi oil dollars go for that other than as some private airfield near the UK.
Don't forget, this platform is incapable of sustaining itself so isolating it isn't hard unless they started thinking about wave and wind power generation (but that still doesn't cater for the humans on board). It means everything has to be transported in.
Then again, if you've got the cash to pay for it I guess the upkeep won't be that much to worry about..
If you have access to a server that supports IMAP you just set that up as a secondary account, create a working folder in there and copy Inbox, Outbox and whatever other folder you have to it.
Then set up new email client, set up the usual accounts and add the above IMAP account. Pull mail back into relevant folders, check if it all works OK and done - zap data and IMAP account. However, works best on a LAN if you got a large mail folder (best spin up a local Linux box if possible). 2GB mail folders, for example, are best not migrated via your average ADSL circuit:-).
Alternatively, stay with IMAP - quite handy for use from multiple computers..
So, if I read this right, all we need to do is to collect the unwashed coffee cups that have had a chance to germinate over the weekend, put them in a space probe and send them off?
Sony and HP don't include restore disks because they're harder to keep current than a production disk image - they're DVDs, not CDs.
All you need to do is burn the images (DVDs) when you get the laptop, and Sony positively nags you repeatedly to do it. Also, if you leave the recovery partition in place you can do it again later.
As for getting the original DVDs, they don't charge a ridiculous amount (in the $60 region) but they do ask for a ridiculous amount of proof that it's your own laptop and you're not going to share the disks with the world..
Don't know about HP, but have handled enough Sony laptops:-)
I'm about 200 yards from the lake in Zurich (Switzerland) which is glacier fed. Even in full summer, solar heat makes it just about nice, not really warm). I must see if I can run some hoses:-)
Your post reads like I was suggesting that he ought to continue using serial circuits. Nope.. The key two problems are (1) scalability and (2) legacy technology, it's brutally inflexible and it's hard to get parts for at a sensible price so there are maintenance issues. I'd emulate it straight at the box and carry it over the LAN (and start planning for replacement).
It's been a while since I touched this stuff, though, 14 years or so. The last time I did it I turned a monthly 2 man weeks worth of report rekeying into 15 mins worth of processing of the same report using Kermit (file transfer), Turbo Pascal (cleaning up the result as I couldn't get the report changed) and Paradox for data handling and subsequent stock despatch notes. I wasn't even a coder, we just put this together because it was so glaringly obvious a fix that it would have been embarrassing not to do it (Primal IT: fixing an itch 8-).
And no, I don't really miss those days - that company wanted the stars but wasn't prepared to even pay peanuts (classic British management, I guess they developed that style in the colonies) so I walked pretty soon afterwards.
I found Acronis True Image to be very helpful (and also work for Linux), in combination with a USB 2 connected hard disk. Set Acronis to have top priority and just sit back.
There are many reasons why I like Acronis:
(1) creates boot disk for "bare metal" restore (when you have to start again from the ground up) (2) combines full system restore and file restore (so you can also restore just a file) (3) supports rescaling of partitions (4) supports Windows NTFS as well as Linux ext3 (I think ReiserFS as well but I don't us it) (5) It's quite fast to backup a whole box. (6) It's end user friendly - VERY easy to use.
I've dropped tapes because my backups are small enough, but tapes scale easier..
I personally think that it ought to be compulsory for web designers to work through a 9600 baud straw, no make that marketing people, as they tell them what to do. It teaches them to be efficient and focus on what a web page needs to do: deliver information. Only after that job has been done can you think about making it look pretty. I'm actually in favour of what Attrition.org has done although that is a bit too stark - it is very effective.
I personally don't even bother to wait for Flash and sound crap to load up - that's a sales lead lost for a company.
Now, I've grown up with serial from my first 75/1200 baud modem to using serial controlled system and the main pain was getting the physical wiring right (XOFF is your friend:-) - after that it was mostly seriously robust. I haven't tried a wet piece of string but that would have probably worked as well, and once you know what you're doing a paired modem setup isn't that hard either.
So I wouldn't call it hell - it worked. Hell was hiding in Wyse VT100 terminals that were user configurable because if a user can, a user will - that hasn't changed over the years:-).
I know from experience that trying to teach someone what you know tends to make you better at it because it reveals the gaps in your knowledge. But that's teaching YOUR knowledge, no idea how that matches teaching a predefined curriculum...
I can remember when we used to traceroute a site mcmvax.mcmurdo.gov to demonstrate just how far the web reached - that was in the days before the URL idea was introduced. I'd love to hear of another site somewhere distant - this one's been down for years now:-)
Logically it appears changing diet is the one thing you haven't tried. Maybe you're the one to discover your family is genetically of a blood group A, protein dependent stock..
Alternatively, you may be like me. I've spent the last few weeks working away at the a project, nil exercise. The result is that I'll have to work quite hard as soon as this is over, before there's no difference in width between my shoulders and my gut:-). I need exercise, even if it's just walking outside for an hour..
Joking aside, I'd be interested to know how much bandwidth they have (never mind the latency, their ping times must be something else:-). In the hypothetical case that they HAD been insane enough to use a Windows derivative, how long would a patch take? Without QoS it would probably leave little room for manouvring..
Actually, you've got a point there. If the EU does not support an alternative format it means one part is effectively supporting the monopoly the other part is trying to break.
So, a second complaint should go to Neelie Smith-Kroes of the monopoly commission as this weakens their position.
I've had this discussion so often. I see the whole Open Source movement as a tactical (i.e. 'now') path to the Free Software strategy.
I can see some merit in sticking to your guns, but if you're not realistic you will never achieve anything and just end up alienating people and become isolated - and ignored.
Mark Shuttleworth has both feet firmly planted on the ground (except when he was collecting airmiles in a spectacular way:-), and knows exactly where he's heading. It irritates me that many don't seem to realise just how good the guy is - he really doesn't need to do what he's doing, he could jut pick up his pile of cash, invest it somewhere nice and drink martinis in the sunset for the rest of his life.
Instead, he does this. And yes, he's human so he sometimes says something in a way that can be mis-interpreted - well, tough. At least he's doing something positive and ethical with his money and his life so hats off to him - he's doing it right, including working together with the guys in Extremadura in Spain.
I'm not into hero worship and idolising people, I just think people that do things right instead of taking the easy route should be recognised - we've got enough Enrons and Andersens to show what happens if personal integrity comes last.
Although I like the idea I'm wondering about radiation/emission issues. We're already surrounded by quite a lot of emissions which are to a degree shielded.
In this case shielding is obviously not possible , and it's also not exactly lossless. I'd stick with a cable.
Having said that, I'm looking for something to get 12V 30mA on the other side of a 10mm glass sheet so I haven't decided yet if that's better done magnetically or via capacity.
I loved your article - I've been messing with PCs systems since DoubleDOS and have been using Linux since Slackware came on floppies (remember those?:-) so been there, done that. I hate working on Windows - especially when you have to change out a motherboard..
Two things I'd suggest you add (IMHO, of course):
(1) You can try before you 'buy', well, install. Demonstrating Windows is a destructive activity. A demo of whatever distro you fancy is quite easy these days: get a LiveCD version. Ubuntu is that by default. You only discount the speed, but a LiveCD will allow you to work out if you like a distro and, most importantly, if it will work with your hardware. It's also an excellent rescue tool - NTFS has an ugly corruption habit, and my experience is that Linux can still grab files from an NTFS partition long after Windows has give up on it (and 'repairs' the disk which is the best way to zap whatever is left).
(2) You can copy it and share it with friends. There's no reason why end users cannot become ambassadors too..
As the original architect of the key central government intranet network in one nation, the security manager of a trading platform for another and consulting performance auditor on a third, here are a few things I learned.
(0) Before all, ensure you have someone in charge with common sense, and who has enough power to take decisions (that is, if it's not yourself). If not, you're targeted as scapegoat before you even start. Finding a way to deal with the politics is crucial or you'll be fighting those battles as well as architecting - say hi to new shiny ulcers then.. A good approach is setting up an infrastructure board. Allows all stakeholders to give their view, but leaves the final decision with you or your team. The key is that you really listen to the needs out there - you're building this for a reason:-).
(1) Start with defining your needs as precise as you can make them. I'm talking about matters like sensitivity to downtime and maintenance windows, scalability, interoperability (don't forget 'who with' as a factor:-), standards, etc etc.
(2) Do not assume for one moment that you've captured them all, and under NO circumstance sign a contract on a fixed delivery. One of the most abused tools to completely screw your budget is change control. The vendors or consultants "help" you along in defining what you need, only to then throw it later in your face because something obvious was left out. And real life is not stable either. So, go for incremental upgrades where possible..
(3) KEEP IT SIMPLE. Once again: KEEP IT SIMPLE. Until you get the fundamentals right like budget, overall architecture, platforms, hosting and comms stay well clear of features. You're doing this for a government, so depending on what approach they take to grabbing credit you may face all sorts of demands before you have as much as a working platform. Create a 'feature queue' where you can park all that shiny stuff until the grunt is up and stable.
(4) Make sure you're kept abreast of what (a) politicians get briefed on and (b) what they say in public because they can commit your project to insane deliverables because of , for instance, a lack of understanding. The problem is that if it doesn't get delivered YOU will take the blame, so manage knowledge carefully or get some sort of briefing process going.
(5) Pilot the service, and there are a few caveats here. Make sure you CAN switch if off - define shutdown and very wide maintenance windows, but keep a grip on it - otherwise you may not be allowed to shut down if you're successful which is a pain. Also, don't skimp on the pilot as you need real data and info, not mickey mouse stuff. What you're building has to last a couple of years.
(6) When in pilot, be prepared to change things. That's the whole idea of a pilot. Leave your ego at the door, and that of others too. The pride in creating something that will stand up for years instead of being another headline of failure.
That's off the cuff (no time otherwise). Good luck!
Slashdot Mirror
This has been a worry from day 1 with more intelligent phones: how to separate the parts that handle the air interface from the end user sphere where they can run applications. With a hacked air interface you can start playing with frequencies, emission levels, potentially even with billing.
I can remember the last Access All Areas conference in London, in the days of analogue GSM. We had a couple of 12 year olds with rechipped NEC P3s scanning all conversations in the vicinity which was, although interesting, rather worrying. Imagine someone hacks the air interface to let someone else pick up their call charges..
That's also why intelligent phones take a while to gain network approval, and I don't think the networks will ever be able to test it all..
By publicly seeding the network with false data they're creating a very effective beta test for denial of service when the roles are reversed and the MPAA needs P2P to sell video.
Strikes me as an idea just a tad short of vision, and the irony is of course that them doing it now without negative effect creates precedent. If in doubt, keep digging?
HR will ALWAYS only pay attention to the buzzword circus - they have to because they generally don't know better. I've had my fill of HR floozies rejecting people because they didn't "feel right for the team" or other fluffy excuses that turned out to be total nonsense, if it wasn't for coming a cross a bunch of really good ones later I would have given up on HR as a viable acquisition route.
:-)
I had a very good lesson when I was recruiting a new Security Manager for a company - we had a move in the middle of our recruiting process and we got a couple of desks from HR. In one I found a couple of discarded CVs (i.e. with large "NO"s written over them - this was in the days before Data Protection and privacy laws but we still had a rather strong word with the original 'inhabitant' of that desk).
Anyway, you probably saw this coming: I found the absolute ideal guy for the job was in NO stack, so from that point onwards I've set the rejection criteria for HR pretty wide. Yes, it means more work for me but there is IMHO a difference between being capable of writing a HR compatible CV and being capable in a specific function.
Let the arguing beging
OK, isn't this a sort of obvious thing to do before you start naming a product? Given that we've read that Apple fought a 2.5 year battle to keep the development of this product a secret is this telling us that during all that time NOBODY had the brains to see if the name was unencumbered? I guess the trouble of 'Easy' Stelios to bully everyone into giving up their 'easy' domain names weren't sufficiently educational?
There is, of course, the question what Cisco really wants to do - I noticed Linksys only named a product "iPhone" exactly when the Apple rumours started to surface..
HavenCo does just that. I wonder what the impending sale, sorry, transfer will do to their business, but the numbers that the Spanish estate agent is supposed to ask according to Wikipedia are insane.
I can't even see Saudi oil dollars go for that other than as some private airfield near the UK.
Don't forget, this platform is incapable of sustaining itself so isolating it isn't hard unless they started thinking about wave and wind power generation (but that still doesn't cater for the humans on board). It means everything has to be transported in.
Then again, if you've got the cash to pay for it I guess the upkeep won't be that much to worry about..
Seems the process follows the laws of construction instead, as aggregated below:
:-).
1 - measure with a micrometer
2 - mark with chalk
3 - cut with an axe
4 - if it doesn't fit, use a larger hammer
If you have access to a server that supports IMAP you just set that up as a secondary account, create a working folder in there and copy Inbox, Outbox and whatever other folder you have to it.
:-).
Then set up new email client, set up the usual accounts and add the above IMAP account. Pull mail back into relevant folders, check if it all works OK and done - zap data and IMAP account. However, works best on a LAN if you got a large mail folder (best spin up a local Linux box if possible). 2GB mail folders, for example, are best not migrated via your average ADSL circuit
Alternatively, stay with IMAP - quite handy for use from multiple computers..
I can't believe they're still trying to push this through. It'll be about as effective as asking all the phishing sites to use a .crime TLD.
I guess some consultants are making money off this, otherwise it would have disappeared off the radar a long time ago as Yet Another Bad Idea.
So, if I read this right, all we need to do is to collect the unwashed coffee cups that have had a chance to germinate over the weekend, put them in a space probe and send them off?
:-)
That'll save NASA some budget
Sony and HP don't include restore disks because they're harder to keep current than a production disk image - they're DVDs, not CDs.
:-)
All you need to do is burn the images (DVDs) when you get the laptop, and Sony positively nags you repeatedly to do it. Also, if you leave the recovery partition in place you can do it again later.
As for getting the original DVDs, they don't charge a ridiculous amount (in the $60 region) but they do ask for a ridiculous amount of proof that it's your own laptop and you're not going to share the disks with the world..
Don't know about HP, but have handled enough Sony laptops
I'm about 200 yards from the lake in Zurich (Switzerland) which is glacier fed. Even in full summer, solar heat makes it just about nice, not really warm). I must see if I can run some hoses :-)
Your post reads like I was suggesting that he ought to continue using serial circuits. Nope.. The key two problems are (1) scalability and (2) legacy technology, it's brutally inflexible and it's hard to get parts for at a sensible price so there are maintenance issues. I'd emulate it straight at the box and carry it over the LAN (and start planning for replacement).
It's been a while since I touched this stuff, though, 14 years or so. The last time I did it I turned a monthly 2 man weeks worth of report rekeying into 15 mins worth of processing of the same report using Kermit (file transfer), Turbo Pascal (cleaning up the result as I couldn't get the report changed) and Paradox for data handling and subsequent stock despatch notes. I wasn't even a coder, we just put this together because it was so glaringly obvious a fix that it would have been embarrassing not to do it (Primal IT: fixing an itch 8-).
And no, I don't really miss those days - that company wanted the stars but wasn't prepared to even pay peanuts (classic British management, I guess they developed that style in the colonies) so I walked pretty soon afterwards.
Here's your answer: yes
:-)
I found Acronis True Image to be very helpful (and also work for Linux), in combination with a USB 2 connected hard disk. Set Acronis to have top priority and just sit back.
There are many reasons why I like Acronis:
(1) creates boot disk for "bare metal" restore (when you have to start again from the ground up)
(2) combines full system restore and file restore (so you can also restore just a file)
(3) supports rescaling of partitions
(4) supports Windows NTFS as well as Linux ext3 (I think ReiserFS as well but I don't us it)
(5) It's quite fast to backup a whole box.
(6) It's end user friendly - VERY easy to use.
I've dropped tapes because my backups are small enough, but tapes scale easier..
I personally think that it ought to be compulsory for web designers to work through a 9600 baud straw, no make that marketing people, as they tell them what to do. It teaches them to be efficient and focus on what a web page needs to do: deliver information. Only after that job has been done can you think about making it look pretty. I'm actually in favour of what Attrition.org has done although that is a bit too stark - it is very effective.
:-) - after that it was mostly seriously robust. I haven't tried a wet piece of string but that would have probably worked as well, and once you know what you're doing a paired modem setup isn't that hard either.
:-).
I personally don't even bother to wait for Flash and sound crap to load up - that's a sales lead lost for a company.
Now, I've grown up with serial from my first 75/1200 baud modem to using serial controlled system and the main pain was getting the physical wiring right (XOFF is your friend
So I wouldn't call it hell - it worked. Hell was hiding in Wyse VT100 terminals that were user configurable because if a user can, a user will - that hasn't changed over the years
I know from experience that trying to teach someone what you know tends to make you better at it because it reveals the gaps in your knowledge. But that's teaching YOUR knowledge, no idea how that matches teaching a predefined curriculum...
I can remember when we used to traceroute a site mcmvax.mcmurdo.gov to demonstrate just how far the web reached - that was in the days before the URL idea was introduced. I'd love to hear of another site somewhere distant - this one's been down for years now :-)
Logically it appears changing diet is the one thing you haven't tried. Maybe you're the one to discover your family is genetically of a blood group A, protein dependent stock..
:-). I need exercise, even if it's just walking outside for an hour..
..
Alternatively, you may be like me. I've spent the last few weeks working away at the a project, nil exercise. The result is that I'll have to work quite hard as soon as this is over, before there's no difference in width between my shoulders and my gut
Happy New Year
Joking aside, I'd be interested to know how much bandwidth they have (never mind the latency, their ping times must be something else :-). In the hypothetical case that they HAD been insane enough to use a Windows derivative, how long would a patch take? Without QoS it would probably leave little room for manouvring..
Actually, you've got a point there. If the EU does not support an alternative format it means one part is effectively supporting the monopoly the other part is trying to break.
So, a second complaint should go to Neelie Smith-Kroes of the monopoly commission as this weakens their position.
I've had this discussion so often. I see the whole Open Source movement as a tactical (i.e. 'now') path to the Free Software strategy.
:-), and knows exactly where he's heading. It irritates me that many don't seem to realise just how good the guy is - he really doesn't need to do what he's doing, he could jut pick up his pile of cash, invest it somewhere nice and drink martinis in the sunset for the rest of his life.
I can see some merit in sticking to your guns, but if you're not realistic you will never achieve anything and just end up alienating people and become isolated - and ignored.
Mark Shuttleworth has both feet firmly planted on the ground (except when he was collecting airmiles in a spectacular way
Instead, he does this. And yes, he's human so he sometimes says something in a way that can be mis-interpreted - well, tough. At least he's doing something positive and ethical with his money and his life so hats off to him - he's doing it right, including working together with the guys in Extremadura in Spain.
I'm not into hero worship and idolising people, I just think people that do things right instead of taking the easy route should be recognised - we've got enough Enrons and Andersens to show what happens if personal integrity comes last.
Although I like the idea I'm wondering about radiation/emission issues. We're already surrounded by quite a lot of emissions which are to a degree shielded.
In this case shielding is obviously not possible , and it's also not exactly lossless. I'd stick with a cable.
Having said that, I'm looking for something to get 12V 30mA on the other side of a 10mm glass sheet so I haven't decided yet if that's better done magnetically or via capacity.
I loved your article - I've been messing with PCs systems since DoubleDOS and have been using Linux since Slackware came on floppies (remember those? :-) so been there, done that. I hate working on Windows - especially when you have to change out a motherboard..
Two things I'd suggest you add (IMHO, of course):
(1) You can try before you 'buy', well, install. Demonstrating Windows is a destructive activity. A demo of whatever distro you fancy is quite easy these days: get a LiveCD version. Ubuntu is that by default. You only discount the speed, but a LiveCD will allow you to work out if you like a distro and, most importantly, if it will work with your hardware. It's also an excellent rescue tool - NTFS has an ugly corruption habit, and my experience is that Linux can still grab files from an NTFS partition long after Windows has give up on it (and 'repairs' the disk which is the best way to zap whatever is left).
(2) You can copy it and share it with friends. There's no reason why end users cannot become ambassadors too..
As I said, excellent article!
As the original architect of the key central government intranet network in one nation, the security manager of a trading platform for another and consulting performance auditor on a third, here are a few things I learned.
:-).
:-), standards, etc etc.
(0) Before all, ensure you have someone in charge with common sense, and who has enough power to take decisions (that is, if it's not yourself). If not, you're targeted as scapegoat before you even start. Finding a way to deal with the politics is crucial or you'll be fighting those battles as well as architecting - say hi to new shiny ulcers then.. A good approach is setting up an infrastructure board. Allows all stakeholders to give their view, but leaves the final decision with you or your team. The key is that you really listen to the needs out there - you're building this for a reason
(1) Start with defining your needs as precise as you can make them. I'm talking about matters like sensitivity to downtime and maintenance windows, scalability, interoperability (don't forget 'who with' as a factor
(2) Do not assume for one moment that you've captured them all, and under NO circumstance sign a contract on a fixed delivery. One of the most abused tools to completely screw your budget is change control. The vendors or consultants "help" you along in defining what you need, only to then throw it later in your face because something obvious was left out. And real life is not stable either. So, go for incremental upgrades where possible..
(3) KEEP IT SIMPLE. Once again: KEEP IT SIMPLE. Until you get the fundamentals right like budget, overall architecture, platforms, hosting and comms stay well clear of features. You're doing this for a government, so depending on what approach they take to grabbing credit you may face all sorts of demands before you have as much as a working platform. Create a 'feature queue' where you can park all that shiny stuff until the grunt is up and stable.
(4) Make sure you're kept abreast of what (a) politicians get briefed on and (b) what they say in public because they can commit your project to insane deliverables because of , for instance, a lack of understanding. The problem is that if it doesn't get delivered YOU will take the blame, so manage knowledge carefully or get some sort of briefing process going.
(5) Pilot the service, and there are a few caveats here. Make sure you CAN switch if off - define shutdown and very wide maintenance windows, but keep a grip on it - otherwise you may not be allowed to shut down if you're successful which is a pain. Also, don't skimp on the pilot as you need real data and info, not mickey mouse stuff. What you're building has to last a couple of years.
(6) When in pilot, be prepared to change things. That's the whole idea of a pilot. Leave your ego at the door, and that of others too. The pride in creating something that will stand up for years instead of being another headline of failure.
That's off the cuff (no time otherwise). Good luck!
Have a look here , referred to at Slashdot here.
:-)