There's a lengthier story here, including independent evaluations of the source code, which became available to researchers when a last-minute delivery of the software was performed using everyone's favorite ultra-secure file transfer protocol: FTP. I'm not making this up.
Some highlights:
source code comments revealed remarks such as "a gross hack" and "this doesn't really work"
the software produced two different sets of results on two different passes
the system password appears in plain text in the source code; that didn't really matter, however, because the system could be accessed without a password and its contents changed using Access
The list goes on. Thanks, but no thanks. Let's stick with paper ballots, pregnant chads and all.
In the release, SCO insists that it is not trying to spread "fear, uncertainty and doubt" (commonly known in the industry as FUD) to users. Instead, the company asserts, we have been educating end users on the risks of running an operating system that is an unauthorized derivative of UNIX."
So, the article states that if one gets married, within five years they will likely lose their "genius" for "music, painting and writing, as well as in criminal activity."
Never fear, comrades - there are always exceptions to the rule. Bach and Picasso were both prolific fathers and artists
You know Will Smith's song, "Men in Black"? The whole thing is a remake and rewording of an older song (someone pleeeease help me identify it). All he did was put on a drumbeat and put in some new words. So why does he earn millions for it?
Same reason any song makes millions: because a lot of people liked it enough to shell out their hard-earned cash for it. Financial success has nothing whatever to do with artistic merit or hard work (I'm not saying they're directly opposed to each either - they just have nothing to do with one another). Will Smith took a great piece and said "this is interesting, but what if I tried this" and lots of people dug it.
Composers have been borrowing liberally from one another for a very, very long time (check out all those cantus firmus masses from the Renaissance). And as much as we may not like it, sometimes the "general public" (for lack of a better term) gets more excited about the derivative piece than the original.
Ever heard of Anton Diabelli? Probably not, but he once wrote a little waltz theme that no one today would probably care much about except that Beethoven wrote a set of variations on the tune that is now widely considered to be one of the greatest examples of the theme and variations genre. From a purely artistic point of view, I think borrowing is a good thing - it lets idea small ideas grow into big ones. In the modern age of copyrighting, there are legal issues to be worked out, but the creative impulse goes back a long way and, I think, should be allowed to continue.
Also, from a devil's advocate position, I'm thinking this is akin to the hiring of former insider-traders to work on preventing further cheating. Basically, we're inviting the dog back into the pantry.
I'm not sure you can really make a blanket statement on this issue - I think you have to take it on a case-by-case basis. There are probably some former criminals who are truly reformed, and there are probably some security experts without criminal records who absolutely should not be trusted. Simply looking at someone's record is only going to give you one small part of the story. Let us not forget that Kenneth Lay has yet to see the inside of a jail cell.
Also, I find it interesting that a deputy chief in the Department of Justice has decided that "criminals are criminals" and asserts that they cannot be trusted even after they've done their time. I guess that pretty much answers the question of whether prison is for punishment or reform.
Re:Slashdot effect on a global scale?
on
4l-j4z333ra 0wn3d
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· Score: 5, Insightful
I'll believe this is a DDOS when I see the IRC transcripts from the people claiming to be the perpetrators (if that's not proof, I don't know what is:) Till then, this is Al-Jazeera crying because their site couldn't handle sudden worldwide interest.
According to the article you cited, the DDOS attack is being directed at their name servers, and not the web server (which is why I'm not getting "unable to resolve host" messages). Name servers generally don't wither under high volume - this seems more like a deliberate attack than a large-scale Slashdot effect.
One of the sources in the Washington Post column said it best:
"It has the potential to put users in more control over their information if it's done right," said Ari Swartz, associate director of the D.C.-based nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology.
"If it's done right" is the key phrase. MS's track record for doing things "right", particularly in the areas of security and privacy, leaves much to be desired.
Hear hear. I think one of the reasons the books with the animals have been so successful is that they cover one topic at a time and they cut to the chase: they go straight to the information that programmers need to know and skip the "brief history of..." or the "brief introduction to...". As another poster mentioned, a good, fast web site is a fine substitute for a CD with source code, and I sure as hell don't need an "evaluation version" of the ide-of-the-month.
The 1200-page behemoths may _look_ impressive but most of them are the size they are due to large fonts, huge margins, and thick separators between chapter heads. C'mon - I used that trick in college to pad my term papers out to 10 pages.
Keep it short, straight-foward, and to the point. The thinnest book on my shelf is my K & R book - that should tell us something.
Slashdot Mirror
How long before the tool itself needs a "critical update" because of a security hole?
We couldn't even cooperate on the International Space Station (still not done). How would many nations work together on a defense system?
If an asteriod large enough to do serious damage were hurtling toward planet Earth, I think we might be able to get everyone to cooperate.
But frankly, I don't see why we can't just send up Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck and be done with it.
"Costs are driving outsourcing, not the quality of American schools.'"
Yes, and HP has been hit particularly hard by all these costs, haven't they?
Say, what's that smell?
Some highlights:
- source code comments revealed remarks such as "a gross hack" and "this doesn't really work"
- the software produced two different sets of results on two different passes
- the system password appears in plain text in the source code; that didn't really matter, however, because the system could be accessed without a password and its contents changed using Access
The list goes on. Thanks, but no thanks. Let's stick with paper ballots, pregnant chads and all.In the release, SCO insists that it is not trying to spread "fear, uncertainty and doubt" (commonly known in the industry as FUD) to users. Instead, the company asserts, we have been educating end users on the risks of running an operating system that is an unauthorized derivative of UNIX."
You say potato,
And I say po-tah-to...
So, the article states that if one gets married, within five years they will likely lose their "genius" for "music, painting and writing, as well as in criminal activity."
Never fear, comrades - there are always exceptions to the rule. Bach and Picasso were both prolific fathers and artists
You know Will Smith's song, "Men in Black"? The whole thing is a remake and rewording of an older song (someone pleeeease help me identify it). All he did was put on a drumbeat and put in some new words. So why does he earn millions for it?
Same reason any song makes millions: because a lot of people liked it enough to shell out their hard-earned cash for it. Financial success has nothing whatever to do with artistic merit or hard work (I'm not saying they're directly opposed to each either - they just have nothing to do with one another). Will Smith took a great piece and said "this is interesting, but what if I tried this" and lots of people dug it.
Composers have been borrowing liberally from one another for a very, very long time (check out all those cantus firmus masses from the Renaissance). And as much as we may not like it, sometimes the "general public" (for lack of a better term) gets more excited about the derivative piece than the original.
Ever heard of Anton Diabelli? Probably not, but he once wrote a little waltz theme that no one today would probably care much about except that Beethoven wrote a set of variations on the tune that is now widely considered to be one of the greatest examples of the theme and variations genre. From a purely artistic point of view, I think borrowing is a good thing - it lets idea small ideas grow into big ones. In the modern age of copyrighting, there are legal issues to be worked out, but the creative impulse goes back a long way and, I think, should be allowed to continue.
Also, from a devil's advocate position, I'm thinking this is akin to the hiring of former insider-traders to work on preventing further cheating. Basically, we're inviting the dog back into the pantry.
I'm not sure you can really make a blanket statement on this issue - I think you have to take it on a case-by-case basis. There are probably some former criminals who are truly reformed, and there are probably some security experts without criminal records who absolutely should not be trusted. Simply looking at someone's record is only going to give you one small part of the story. Let us not forget that Kenneth Lay has yet to see the inside of a jail cell.
Also, I find it interesting that a deputy chief in the Department of Justice has decided that "criminals are criminals" and asserts that they cannot be trusted even after they've done their time. I guess that pretty much answers the question of whether prison is for punishment or reform.
I'll believe this is a DDOS when I see the IRC transcripts from the people claiming to be the perpetrators (if that's not proof, I don't know what is :) Till then, this is Al-Jazeera crying because their site couldn't handle sudden worldwide interest.
According to the article you cited, the DDOS attack is being directed at their name servers, and not the web server (which is why I'm not getting "unable to resolve host" messages). Name servers generally don't wither under high volume - this seems more like a deliberate attack than a large-scale Slashdot effect.
"If you were to prosecute someone and give them three years, I think this would act as a deterrent."
Yep - that should work. It's sure been effective in the War on Drugs.
It seemed laughably absurd when this record came out. And now....
The optimist thinks the glass is half full.
The pessimist thinks the glass is half empty.
The engineer thinks the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
It's a supercomputer and a centralized home heating system all rolled into home.
Hell, at least they're finally telling the truth. We haven't heard that out of Redmond in *quite* some time.
One of the sources in the Washington Post column said it best:
"It has the potential to put users in more control over their information if it's done right," said Ari Swartz, associate director of the D.C.-based nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology.
"If it's done right" is the key phrase. MS's track record for doing things "right", particularly in the areas of security and privacy, leaves much to be desired.
Hear hear. I think one of the reasons the books with the animals have been so successful is that they cover one topic at a time and they cut to the chase: they go straight to the information that programmers need to know and skip the "brief history of..." or the "brief introduction to...". As another poster mentioned, a good, fast web site is a fine substitute for a CD with source code, and I sure as hell don't need an "evaluation version" of the ide-of-the-month.
The 1200-page behemoths may _look_ impressive but most of them are the size they are due to large fonts, huge margins, and thick separators between chapter heads. C'mon - I used that trick in college to pad my term papers out to 10 pages.
Keep it short, straight-foward, and to the point. The thinnest book on my shelf is my K & R book - that should tell us something.
...and this essay comes from the folks who want you to trust them with all of your personal information. Riiiiiiiiight....
Oh, I guess BB stands for Big Brother, not Broadband.