It's called Linux (well, OK, and BSD in various guises). No, seriously, I'm not claiming it's always been 100% good, but if this product is going to claim that I sure hope they have a good insurance - Linux (and especially) BSD have always been ahead of the curve on threats, and where they didn't get it right the exposure didn't last very long.
Having said that, I'm in two minds if I want to see Windows to become more secure. Most virus writes follow the Pareto (80/20) principle, why put in effort for Linux when abusing Windows is so much easier?
The upside of a safer Windows, however, could be that we'd suddenly have all that wasted bandwidth back..
Firstly, realise that you will cause real damage to yourself and it takes a long time to recover - is that worth the money? If you work weekends you have reasonable cause to take a days' rest during the week - use that 'rest'.
Secondly, if you have decided to look around it means you have mentally already left (lesson 1 of staff management - missed by many idiot managers). So you're going to feel even worse now - get on with finding a job.
Practically every power block I have has those neon lights built in, either one for the block or one in the switch for each socket. AFAIK they're rated about 1W a piece, so that's 4W per block, every hour of the year.
Now consider that these lights tend to be in the mains switch of every major appliance (washing machine, dish washer, oven) and you're coming to a seriously large waste of power again
I think the overall *good* thing I find about my new work (I just resigned, grin) is that *I* choose where I work from because everything I run is remote control. We (new company) have companies all over the place so I can pretty much choose what I like;-).
Couple of points, though:
(1) You have a life outside work. Make sure you mark that territory very carefully because you will have colleagues/bosses/companies that would like you 100% available - not possible for a human. (2) Some things require physical presence. Plan on the occasional (usually hasty) trip unless you have local coverage. (3) Distance means comms costs. Make sure you have good comms available, and make sure you have a backup for it. I use the Net a lot, but also have two mobile phones which are both data enabled and can act as SSH and (limited) Web terminals which is all I need;-)
Other than that, good luck. Just don't think beaches are the end-all - you may get very bored in a couple of month;-)
What a load of nonsense. Business doesn't care about recycling, - it's more about the hassle of upgrading that you're forced into every 2 years. So here's a simple, much more realistic test. Anyone who's ever had to create system builds will be familiar with the situation, and any self respecting geek has gone throught his as well.
(1) Set up a box with, say, Win XP. Doesn't really matter, ANY version of Windows will do; (2) Set up same box with Linux; (3) Replace motherboard. Note that in a production/business environment this amounts to changing the machine underneath a build. (4) Start up machine again.
Windows: comes usually to a grinding halt due to missing drivers etc. You're having to create Yet Another Build for the new machine, so diversity of hardware is not terribly helpful for you (which is a nice corporate risk: what if supplier runs out, what about your Disaster Recovery capability?).
Linux: will boot up, may complain a bit about loading kernel modules but will at worst get you to a command line from which you can reconfigure. That one image will run on virtually every machine (see Knoppix as a prime example) so whatever happens - you will end up with an operable system. Oh, and it won't get nuked by the occasional powercut either: I've seen boxes being powercycled in seriously ugly ways (some emergency generators should never drive anything but lights IMHO) and let me tell you: journalling file systems rock. Now scale this idea up to 2000 systems and see how much time you're wasting and how much risk you're exposed to.
The rest is corporate nonsense. Give me some techs that know Linux and I can keep an infrastructure up (and safe) under the most adverse circumstances possible (been there, done that, got the scars - forget about T-shirts;-). Windows is simply not capable of this in a sustainable fashion without a serious amount of extra resources.
For those that missed the hint: resources mean costs. QED - your TCO argument for Windows just acquired a hole below the waterline. The rest is make believe, marketing and ignorance. You do -NOT- need Windows for corporate IT, regardless of using old kit or shiny new stuff. Focus on the essentials: keeping it online. I've seen desktops used as servers with over a year uptime - never replaced because they just kept on going. Just can't see that possible with Windows, but maybe I didn't spend enough time with it. I didn't need to - Linux did the job already.
Windows: because other lemmings use it.
(ps: yes, I know this is not my usual posting style but I'm just getting fed up with this nonsense. Give me facts that are relevant, not Yet Another Load of BS. Grmbl;-).
Let's not forget that it's Microsoft who brought us this badly controlled Active X infestation that allows most of the trouble to happen - and IE's "integration" with Windows is another nice route of attack.
If it wasn't for (proprietary) Active X there would actually be no reason to have IE on your machine at all. IE6 isn't a patch on Firefox and Opera, both products who have innovated where MS was busy elsewhere - that MS 'innovates' is a marketing illusion.
As IE7 being 'safer' I would respectfully point at a particular problem in proving that assertion: track record. MS is generally getting better under pressure from their customers (thankfully) but they have quite a bit of catching up to do..
The problem is that you don't see this abuse until you get the bill.
I'm left wondering why it's so hard for providers to run checks on unusual activites like the credit cards do. Oh, sorry, easy answer: it costs money instead of/making/ money from the abuse. I mean, it's not that hard to get in touch with the user if you spot unusual patterns of usage - you know the number to call...
It shows why IT security staff is really employed.
on
Security's Shaky State
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I've seen this time and time again - maybe I'm just getting too cynical for my own good;-).
As far as I can tell, in quite a few companies IT Security staff are only employed as a gesture towards corporate risk management. In other words, as long as the gesture exists there is an apparent legitimate claim that effort was put in to mitigate a risk.
When (not if) the inevitable happens, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out whose head will roll. For those who haven't reached their operational caffeine level yet: it's not going to be an executive.
Having said that, I'm glad to come across more and more evidence that quite a few companies at least *DO* get it so maybe there is hope.
I find it interesting that virtually nobody sees the secondary, much more profitable reason speeding fines are here to stay: it allows the insurance companies to charge you more for little extra risk. Think about it: if you're, um, accident prone you will already pay a fortune, but even if you have never had an accident in your life, those marks on your driving license will be used to arbitrarily raise your premiums - without any extra risk to the insurance company to justify it.
You're talking about a *LOT* of money here - those points stay with you for years and so will the upmark on your premium.
I agree witha previous poster: Germans tend to have less accidents (if they would only learn to slow down in adverse weather it would even be better), but I think that's also partly due to much better driver training, and sensible enforcement of the rules. Try speeding near road works and see if you get away with it..
You're looking at mainly a business problem - management and organisational structures, with matching payscales etc.
Rather than giving you a pre-cooked receipe (for there isn't one) I would suggest you first find out what the company wants to do with IT.
If they want to innovate (the non-MS way;-) they'll need bright, sparky people but they're of a different class and need a different management style than 'average' workers. There is no better or worse here, just different demands, in most companies you need a good mix to keep it lively.
You must accept that you will always have some attrition, but ther simplest way to keep that low is still to treat your people right. Above a certain level money is NOT a critical factor for people deciding to move companies, it is only a further contributing factor once they've taken that decision. And don't delude yourself, someone who's made that decision has mentally already left.
The best tip I can give you is to get a book called "The enthusiastic employee" published by Wharton School Publishing. ISBN 0-13-142330-4. It's well researched and quite accessible. However, rule one with any book or approach: treat it as a guide, not as an absolute.
Bottom lines:
1) bad management attitude to staff accounts for a lot of attrition. 2) attrition is a huge business cost, depending on the place in the value chain it can take as much as 150% of an employees' annual salary to replace them if they walk. That's hard $$ you're wasting if you get it wrong - keep that in mind if you encounter Mr Beancounter. It's also the strongest argument to remove clueless management with - they cost money. 3) your business needs to generate enough profit to afford staff. Keep a good eye on how many staff you need - sometimes being more intelligent with platform architecture means you can do more with the same people. 4) for a normal human being, laying off people is the hardest thing to do (not to mention for the person in question). Try to avoid that by clarity about culture and needs. As for mass layoff, here's simple logic: the ones you'd like to keep are the first to leave (as they have market value).
Good luck. Managing technical staff is good fun (especially if you're technical yourself) as long as you keep the reigns firmly in hand. If need be, learn about leadership.
It was quite fun to watch. The TV company had copied one ATM card and distributed it to guys across the country. At a given point in time, everyone withdrew all the funds simultaneously - and everyone got the money in the account (which was just up to the withdrawal limit).
Before you ask, they weren't silly. They had (if I recall correctly) the whole thing audited and monitored by both a lawyer and the police.
The evil bit was that they had scheduled interviews with major bank directors the next day and they asked them if their systems were safe. Inevitably (with one honourable exception) the answer was 'yes, absolutely'. On camera, they then opened their little briefcase with bank statements and quite a pile of cash.
It was incredibly funny to watch the bank directors' pose crumble. The notable exception was one bank where they interviewed the director of security who bluntly said that there's no such thing as a 100% safe system and he was always open to hear of ways to improve matters. So they told him in a more gentle way;-).
There is a large 'aftermarket' collection of addons to IPv4 (QoS, IPsec) that will become integrated parts of IPv6 - that too drives its adoption.
And the present solution with Network Address Translation (NAT) creates all sorts of problems for point to point work.
But let me put it a different way: network vendors are always looking for new revenue, and this is like a blank cheque for both sale of new kit as well as overcharging for old stock ("umm, we don't really do IPv4 anymore, but at extra cost we will support your legacy equipment" - with our large warehouse of old $10 Realtek cards which we'll sell you at $100 a throw). There is no way this is not going to happen - they want that $$ (aka your tax dollars).
[yeah, I know I'm a cynic but I've already planned some of those migrations - and I mean *BIG* ones]
I had to live in both worlds, but since I had to rebuild every version of Windows from Worries for Workgroups upwards every half year or so to keep it operational I wnet for dual boot. Now WIndows XP has just died on me (bluescreening for no apparent reason) and guess what? That was half a year ago. I haven't bothered to fix it - I don't need it anymore.
As I'll be responsible for technology in some of the stuff that friends and I are setting up I'll probably stick with Windows for the desktop, but only with multi platform software on top of it (i.e. Gaim, OpenOffice, Skyp - although the latter one isn't exactly open). The advantage is that I can switch them to, say, Ubuntu without too much trouble, and document handling can be automated easily.
Given that the root of all that trouble resides in the US (MPAA, RIAA, DCMA, abuse of process and international relations to apply US laws abroad - DVD Jon et al), the same logic would suggest you refrain from the same in the US.
Unless you live there, in which case moving appears to be an option.
More sane, however, is realising that government people country..
See www.starwreck.com - that's a better idea of what the people are like 8-).
Given their approach to pre-installed Windows (you have to *ask* for a CD "recovery" copy) I guess they'll come in handy for Vista upgrade packs.
As for Microsoft "invents" this DVD - I don't really see a track record of inventiveness there, especially not in hardware. Nice marketing word but hardly realistic..
I think you're forgetting something. You'll have to do this at OS level because the BIOS isn't quite large enough to store your warning in the various languages this world is equipped with.
(I'm assuming here you don't want to restrict this idea to only the English speaking part, and you have to target the 'not-so-computer-literate' to get any positive effect).
As for having to plough through many "I understand" buttons, two observations:
(1) how do you think Microsoft gets away with an almost insane amount of limitations in their End User License Agreement? Hint: it's not because everyone reads it before accepting it.
(2) boot up cycles of PCs have not improved over the years (which is rediculous, a Linux based BIOS can boot so fast that the harddisk isn't even spun up), plus the usual OS bootup. You're planning to add a delay to what is already a serious nuisance in the name of security. You're thus in the process of making security appear a stumbling block instead of a help.
If you want to "spread the word", educate people. Give them training, help them, explian things. Human to human still works best.
Oh, by the way, you will remember to make a special version for servers, won't you?
The reason for phone lockdowns have less to do with a desire to keep it unaltered but more with infrastructure protection. At the moment, these devices (AFAIK - it's been a while) do not have the capacity to run two isolated platforms, so the air interface (which is also software) is part of the same, single computer. That's also why WinCE based devices are so incredibly crap - the ability to walk and chem gum is quite low if you've wasted so mnay resources. The control an O2 XDA has over its air interface is pathetic - switching it on or off is night impossible if the device is otherwise engaged - it slows to a complete crawl.
Giving unrestricted access to that platform is asking for all sorts of interface problems and attempts to subvert the metering by the great unwashed who will get access to scripts the moment the opportunity is there. I can't quite recall what a mess you can make from the terminal end, but part of the trouble is that the platform uses TCP/IP literally from the receiver onwards as opposed to prevous generation phones which used proprietary forms of signalling and control (also has some potential privacy implications, but if you're worried about that you ought to know that part of getting a carrier license in most countries is agreeing to providing legal intercept - just read the applicable laws - which also explains the nervousness re. VoIP).
So, in a nutshell, I think that in some cases the restrictions exist because of what amounts to a lack of interface isolation. I imagine that to improve because the innovation pressure certainly exists, but as always it'll take time. Not in the least because kit suppliers aren't that bright either - I recall one equipment manufacturer having the bright idea of putting an unrestricted and uncontrolled RJ45 jack on the front of receivers - you thus ended up with a live connection to the control core in some muddy field. I recall that the interm solution was mainly based on epoxy glue.
That puts a rather harsh spike through quite a few premises in that BCS piece "The trouble with Open Source". Not that it was brilliant to start with, but this is simply Yet Another Example Of A Company Deriving Value From Contributing To Open Source.
I can't for a moment see Nokia (or Novell, or IBM, or CA or etc,etc,etc) contribute if they didn't think it would offer payback. They have shareholders too.
There's an excellent piece in teh Harvard Business Review which compares events at Toyota with the Open Source movement in general and (amazingly) manages to draw large parallels. It's a very fascination article - I must see if I can somehow convince them of opening it up to a much wider audience.
The problem is not really with the ability to have access to all this data - the problem is controlling who has that access and how that is protected against abuse.
The UK Regulations of Investigative Powers Act (RIPA) is a classic example of the Government acquiring rights without bothering to implement balancing controls to go with it (secrecey is such a nice mechanism to hide abuse behind). And *THAT* is a development we can do without.
How expensive is Slashdot article advertising?
on
Das Keyboard: Hit Any Key
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
I mean, it's not exactly the first time that this keyboard is mentioned and it's not exactly rocket science either - any idiot armed with a can of black spraypaint can get the same effect on a decent keyboard.
Any any manufacturer saving money on screenprinting the keys can do this too - I guess the real innovation is to pass these savings in production costs on the customers as a premium price. No, wait, MS has been doing that for years.
Now, the Art. Lebedev keyboard really IS innovation, and guess what? It won't be terribly difficult to give that all black keys either. Just as pointless as "Das Keyboard" (yeah, saved money on branding as well) but at least it has some real innovation - and decent design.
Frankly, I can't wait to see the latter one go into production.
Slashdot Mirror
It's called Linux (well, OK, and BSD in various guises). No, seriously, I'm not claiming it's always been 100% good, but if this product is going to claim that I sure hope they have a good insurance - Linux (and especially) BSD have always been ahead of the curve on threats, and where they didn't get it right the exposure didn't last very long.
Having said that, I'm in two minds if I want to see Windows to become more secure. Most virus writes follow the Pareto (80/20) principle, why put in effort for Linux when abusing Windows is so much easier?
The upside of a safer Windows, however, could be that we'd suddenly have all that wasted bandwidth back..
Firstly, realise that you will cause real damage to yourself and it takes a long time to recover - is that worth the money? If you work weekends you have reasonable cause to take a days' rest during the week - use that 'rest'.
Secondly, if you have decided to look around it means you have mentally already left (lesson 1 of staff management - missed by many idiot managers). So you're going to feel even worse now - get on with finding a job.
Having no time is an illusion - it's your choice.
Practically every power block I have has those neon lights built in, either one for the block or one in the switch for each socket. AFAIK they're rated about 1W a piece, so that's 4W per block, every hour of the year.
..
Now consider that these lights tend to be in the mains switch of every major appliance (washing machine, dish washer, oven) and you're coming to a seriously large waste of power again
Maybe another one to tackle
I think the overall *good* thing I find about my new work (I just resigned, grin) is that *I* choose where I work from because everything I run is remote control. We (new company) have companies all over the place so I can pretty much choose what I like ;-).
;-)
;-)
Couple of points, though:
(1) You have a life outside work. Make sure you mark that territory very carefully because you will have colleagues/bosses/companies that would like you 100% available - not possible for a human.
(2) Some things require physical presence. Plan on the occasional (usually hasty) trip unless you have local coverage.
(3) Distance means comms costs. Make sure you have good comms available, and make sure you have a backup for it. I use the Net a lot, but also have two mobile phones which are both data enabled and can act as SSH and (limited) Web terminals which is all I need
Other than that, good luck. Just don't think beaches are the end-all - you may get very bored in a couple of month
What a load of nonsense. Business doesn't care about recycling, - it's more about the hassle of upgrading that you're forced into every 2 years. So here's a simple, much more realistic test. Anyone who's ever had to create system builds will be familiar with the situation, and any self respecting geek has gone throught his as well.
;-). Windows is simply not capable of this in a sustainable fashion without a serious amount of extra resources.
;-).
(1) Set up a box with, say, Win XP. Doesn't really matter, ANY version of Windows will do;
(2) Set up same box with Linux;
(3) Replace motherboard. Note that in a production/business environment this amounts to changing the machine underneath a build.
(4) Start up machine again.
Windows: comes usually to a grinding halt due to missing drivers etc. You're having to create Yet Another Build for the new machine, so diversity of hardware is not terribly helpful for you (which is a nice corporate risk: what if supplier runs out, what about your Disaster Recovery capability?).
Linux: will boot up, may complain a bit about loading kernel modules but will at worst get you to a command line from which you can reconfigure. That one image will run on virtually every machine (see Knoppix as a prime example) so whatever happens - you will end up with an operable system. Oh, and it won't get nuked by the occasional powercut either: I've seen boxes being powercycled in seriously ugly ways (some emergency generators should never drive anything but lights IMHO) and let me tell you: journalling file systems rock. Now scale this idea up to 2000 systems and see how much time you're wasting and how much risk you're exposed to.
The rest is corporate nonsense. Give me some techs that know Linux and I can keep an infrastructure up (and safe) under the most adverse circumstances possible (been there, done that, got the scars - forget about T-shirts
For those that missed the hint: resources mean costs. QED - your TCO argument for Windows just acquired a hole below the waterline. The rest is make believe, marketing and ignorance. You do -NOT- need Windows for corporate IT, regardless of using old kit or shiny new stuff. Focus on the essentials: keeping it online. I've seen desktops used as servers with over a year uptime - never replaced because they just kept on going. Just can't see that possible with Windows, but maybe I didn't spend enough time with it. I didn't need to - Linux did the job already.
Windows: because other lemmings use it.
(ps: yes, I know this is not my usual posting style but I'm just getting fed up with this nonsense. Give me facts that are relevant, not Yet Another Load of BS. Grmbl
Let's not forget that it's Microsoft who brought us this badly controlled Active X infestation that allows most of the trouble to happen - and IE's "integration" with Windows is another nice route of attack.
If it wasn't for (proprietary) Active X there would actually be no reason to have IE on your machine at all. IE6 isn't a patch on Firefox and Opera, both products who have innovated where MS was busy elsewhere - that MS 'innovates' is a marketing illusion.
As IE7 being 'safer' I would respectfully point at a particular problem in proving that assertion: track record. MS is generally getting better under pressure from their customers (thankfully) but they have quite a bit of catching up to do..
The problem is that you don't see this abuse until you get the bill.
/making/ money from the abuse. I mean, it's not that hard to get in touch with the user if you spot unusual patterns of usage - you know the number to call ...
I'm left wondering why it's so hard for providers to run checks on unusual activites like the credit cards do. Oh, sorry, easy answer: it costs money instead of
I've seen this time and time again - maybe I'm just getting too cynical for my own good ;-).
As far as I can tell, in quite a few companies IT Security staff are only employed as a gesture towards corporate risk management. In other words, as long as the gesture exists there is an apparent legitimate claim that effort was put in to mitigate a risk.
When (not if) the inevitable happens, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out whose head will roll. For those who haven't reached their operational caffeine level yet: it's not going to be an executive.
Having said that, I'm glad to come across more and more evidence that quite a few companies at least *DO* get it so maybe there is hope.
I find it interesting that virtually nobody sees the secondary, much more profitable reason speeding fines are here to stay: it allows the insurance companies to charge you more for little extra risk. Think about it: if you're, um, accident prone you will already pay a fortune, but even if you have never had an accident in your life, those marks on your driving license will be used to arbitrarily raise your premiums - without any extra risk to the insurance company to justify it.
You're talking about a *LOT* of money here - those points stay with you for years and so will the upmark on your premium.
I agree witha previous poster: Germans tend to have less accidents (if they would only learn to slow down in adverse weather it would even be better), but I think that's also partly due to much better driver training, and sensible enforcement of the rules. Try speeding near road works and see if you get away with it..
= Ch =
You're looking at mainly a business problem - management and organisational structures, with matching payscales etc.
;-) they'll need bright, sparky people but they're of a different class and need a different management style than 'average' workers. There is no better or worse here, just different demands, in most companies you need a good mix to keep it lively.
Rather than giving you a pre-cooked receipe (for there isn't one) I would suggest you first find out what the company wants to do with IT.
If they want to innovate (the non-MS way
You must accept that you will always have some attrition, but ther simplest way to keep that low is still to treat your people right. Above a certain level money is NOT a critical factor for people deciding to move companies, it is only a further contributing factor once they've taken that decision. And don't delude yourself, someone who's made that decision has mentally already left.
The best tip I can give you is to get a book called "The enthusiastic employee" published by Wharton School Publishing. ISBN 0-13-142330-4. It's well researched and quite accessible. However, rule one with any book or approach: treat it as a guide, not as an absolute.
Bottom lines:
1) bad management attitude to staff accounts for a lot of attrition.
2) attrition is a huge business cost, depending on the place in the value chain it can take as much as 150% of an employees' annual salary to replace them if they walk. That's hard $$ you're wasting if you get it wrong - keep that in mind if you encounter Mr Beancounter. It's also the strongest argument to remove clueless management with - they cost money.
3) your business needs to generate enough profit to afford staff. Keep a good eye on how many staff you need - sometimes being more intelligent with platform architecture means you can do more with the same people.
4) for a normal human being, laying off people is the hardest thing to do (not to mention for the person in question). Try to avoid that by clarity about culture and needs. As for mass layoff, here's simple logic: the ones you'd like to keep are the first to leave (as they have market value).
Good luck. Managing technical staff is good fun (especially if you're technical yourself) as long as you keep the reigns firmly in hand. If need be, learn about leadership.
It was quite fun to watch. The TV company had copied one ATM card and distributed it to guys across the country. At a given point in time, everyone withdrew all the funds simultaneously - and everyone got the money in the account (which was just up to the withdrawal limit).
;-).
Before you ask, they weren't silly. They had (if I recall correctly) the whole thing audited and monitored by both a lawyer and the police.
The evil bit was that they had scheduled interviews with major bank directors the next day and they asked them if their systems were safe. Inevitably (with one honourable exception) the answer was 'yes, absolutely'. On camera, they then opened their little briefcase with bank statements and quite a pile of cash.
It was incredibly funny to watch the bank directors' pose crumble. The notable exception was one bank where they interviewed the director of security who bluntly said that there's no such thing as a 100% safe system and he was always open to hear of ways to improve matters. So they told him in a more gentle way
There is a large 'aftermarket' collection of addons to IPv4 (QoS, IPsec) that will become integrated parts of IPv6 - that too drives its adoption.
And the present solution with Network Address Translation (NAT) creates all sorts of problems for point to point work.
But let me put it a different way: network vendors are always looking for new revenue, and this is like a blank cheque for both sale of new kit as well as overcharging for old stock ("umm, we don't really do IPv4 anymore, but at extra cost we will support your legacy equipment" - with our large warehouse of old $10 Realtek cards which we'll sell you at $100 a throw). There is no way this is not going to happen - they want that $$ (aka your tax dollars).
[yeah, I know I'm a cynic but I've already planned some of those migrations - and I mean *BIG* ones]
I had to live in both worlds, but since I had to rebuild every version of Windows from Worries for Workgroups upwards every half year or so to keep it operational I wnet for dual boot. Now WIndows XP has just died on me (bluescreening for no apparent reason) and guess what? That was half a year ago. I haven't bothered to fix it - I don't need it anymore.
As I'll be responsible for technology in some of the stuff that friends and I are setting up I'll probably stick with Windows for the desktop, but only with multi platform software on top of it (i.e. Gaim, OpenOffice, Skyp - although the latter one isn't exactly open). The advantage is that I can switch them to, say, Ubuntu without too much trouble, and document handling can be automated easily.
Now *that* is IT strategy IMHO..
Given that the root of all that trouble resides in the US (MPAA, RIAA, DCMA, abuse of process and international relations to apply US laws abroad - DVD Jon et al), the same logic would suggest you refrain from the same in the US.
Unless you live there, in which case moving appears to be an option.
More sane, however, is realising that government people country..
See www.starwreck.com - that's a better idea of what the people are like 8-).
Lovely, just lovely. May they sink together ;-)
Given their approach to pre-installed Windows (you have to *ask* for a CD "recovery" copy) I guess they'll come in handy for Vista upgrade packs.
As for Microsoft "invents" this DVD - I don't really see a track record of inventiveness there, especially not in hardware. Nice marketing word but hardly realistic..
At least we'll be able to tell who has been near someone carrying explosives.
If you work in a quarry, travelling's about to get a whole lot harder...
I think you're forgetting something. You'll have to do this at OS level because the BIOS isn't quite large enough to store your warning in the various languages this world is equipped with.
(I'm assuming here you don't want to restrict this idea to only the English speaking part, and you have to target the 'not-so-computer-literate' to get any positive effect).
As for having to plough through many "I understand" buttons, two observations:
(1) how do you think Microsoft gets away with an almost insane amount of limitations in their End User License Agreement? Hint: it's not because everyone reads it before accepting it.
(2) boot up cycles of PCs have not improved over the years (which is rediculous, a Linux based BIOS can boot so fast that the harddisk isn't even spun up), plus the usual OS bootup. You're planning to add a delay to what is already a serious nuisance in the name of security. You're thus in the process of making security appear a stumbling block instead of a help.
If you want to "spread the word", educate people. Give them training, help them, explian things. Human to human still works best.
Oh, by the way, you will remember to make a special version for servers, won't you?
Class - thanks ;-)
The reason for phone lockdowns have less to do with a desire to keep it unaltered but more with infrastructure protection. At the moment, these devices (AFAIK - it's been a while) do not have the capacity to run two isolated platforms, so the air interface (which is also software) is part of the same, single computer. That's also why WinCE based devices are so incredibly crap - the ability to walk and chem gum is quite low if you've wasted so mnay resources. The control an O2 XDA has over its air interface is pathetic - switching it on or off is night impossible if the device is otherwise engaged - it slows to a complete crawl.
Giving unrestricted access to that platform is asking for all sorts of interface problems and attempts to subvert the metering by the great unwashed who will get access to scripts the moment the opportunity is there. I can't quite recall what a mess you can make from the terminal end, but part of the trouble is that the platform uses TCP/IP literally from the receiver onwards as opposed to prevous generation phones which used proprietary forms of signalling and control (also has some potential privacy implications, but if you're worried about that you ought to know that part of getting a carrier license in most countries is agreeing to providing legal intercept - just read the applicable laws - which also explains the nervousness re. VoIP).
So, in a nutshell, I think that in some cases the restrictions exist because of what amounts to a lack of interface isolation. I imagine that to improve because the innovation pressure certainly exists, but as always it'll take time. Not in the least because kit suppliers aren't that bright either - I recall one equipment manufacturer having the bright idea of putting an unrestricted and uncontrolled RJ45 jack on the front of receivers - you thus ended up with a live connection to the control core in some muddy field. I recall that the interm solution was mainly based on epoxy glue.
= Ch =
That puts a rather harsh spike through quite a few premises in that BCS piece "The trouble with Open Source". Not that it was brilliant to start with, but this is simply Yet Another Example Of A Company Deriving Value From Contributing To Open Source.
I can't for a moment see Nokia (or Novell, or IBM, or CA or etc,etc,etc) contribute if they didn't think it would offer payback. They have shareholders too.
There's an excellent piece in teh Harvard Business Review which compares events at Toyota with the Open Source movement in general and (amazingly) manages to draw large parallels. It's a very fascination article - I must see if I can somehow convince them of opening it up to a much wider audience.
That made me laugh, thanks ;-)
The problem is not really with the ability to have access to all this data - the problem is controlling who has that access and how that is protected against abuse.
The UK Regulations of Investigative Powers Act (RIPA) is a classic example of the Government acquiring rights without bothering to implement balancing controls to go with it (secrecey is such a nice mechanism to hide abuse behind). And *THAT* is a development we can do without.
I mean, it's not exactly the first time that this keyboard is mentioned and it's not exactly rocket science either - any idiot armed with a can of black spraypaint can get the same effect on a decent keyboard.
Any any manufacturer saving money on screenprinting the keys can do this too - I guess the real innovation is to pass these savings in production costs on the customers as a premium price. No, wait, MS has been doing that for years.
Now, the Art. Lebedev keyboard really IS innovation, and guess what? It won't be terribly difficult to give that all black keys either. Just as pointless as "Das Keyboard" (yeah, saved money on branding as well) but at least it has some real innovation - and decent design.
Frankly, I can't wait to see the latter one go into production.
Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with an axe and if it doesn't fit .. .. use a larger hammer.