Passwords are bad (IMHO) - or - maybe if we could extend the definition of password they might be good. Except on system level with very weird passwords ( you have have the memory of an elephant of course ? ) passwords don't work. Too easy to break, etc.. What you have and what you know with role level access rights is the only way - what you have may be your finger or whatever combined to some unique knowledge - easy to use and not easily stolen - either one and they ( whoever ) would need both.
OT - I love my credit card company calling me when taking gas twice in a hour for over $40 happens or when my card is used in Europe and in US inside same hour ( they didn't count the time difference, now they do ). I also love my hardware shop ( not computer hardware ) telling me that I can use the contractor services because of what I have bought previously - saves a lot and service is better. I don't mind my grosery store tracking what I buy. I hate when this information gets to ad people ( credit card companies don't do that ! ), then you start getting calls and paper trash in mail OR even worse if they find your e-mail address !!
IANAL - but you as the owner can fork the code and do whatevere you want with that ?? You just have to keep the original, already GPL, as GPL. I personally don't think GPL is restrictive to the owner of the code, only how someone else redistributes or resuses it ?? Isn't this what we all want ??
Many comments that good security costs more than - what ?? Good security is not code or usage - they are part of the security. Good security is planning / design / practice and on these areas good doesn't cost more than bad (IMHO - show me different). However - incompetent / missing requirements from management can and does cause a lot of problems in security, performance, etc. There are different levels/skills on programmers/users/and so on but if the basic requirements are wrong nothing they can do, just use what is there (is it requirement or a product.)
More than one processor is "allways" better but only if the OS supports it fully. I should add "and if the application developers would think a little". My age shows - we started multi-threaded in 70's ( multitasking - better than threading IMHO but the basics are same ). What is missing in most OS support is the control of what, where, when and how much the threads are allowed to use one processor, I/O channels, etc.. It makes a huge difference in speed, resource usage and reliablility. Anyway - it will come even to Windows and how it handles resources - waiting some responses to Outlook locks the system independent how many processors there is - I have two. Some other applications do the same - C#, XP and multiple processors doesn't play nicely (yet). Linux ( AIX, Solaris, etc ) are better on that today (IMHO). And a question - what is so difficult in making multi-threaded applications. To do it well needs some thinking ( thread pools suck badly if not used correctly ) but other than that ??
Boot/system - mirror it, forget RAID ! Application data - depends.. Most important, separate the logical and physical access thinking. Indexed data - mirror keys, RAID data! Now - I know, mirroring is (kind of) RAID but not really the same. It really depends on what is the purpose, much less what is the technology. You back up the data ? You use raw disk access or file system ? You use journaled file system or not ? If so - where are the journals ? See - there is much more than just RAID. And so on, and so on.. Have fun.
That was worth more than five cents. The only things I would add ( based on other answers and my experience ) - SNMP is not complex or difficult done right. Actually when you learn it you will see how logical and easy it is! SNMP is very efficient and v3 can be very secure with correct implementation. I love XML based systems when feasible but not when our message switch does 500K transactions / hour - there SNMP is the fastest and easiest way to monitor and to manage that. And it was easy to build a good MIB and to program SNMP interface for the applications ( once we got the management to understand that SNMP is just a protocol for network management. Offtopic - what is a network, we manage applications via SNMP, are they network ? Oracle has SNPM - is a database a network ? I think yes but.. )
I started to write a long comment, no point, unfortunately this is the way today. Trust me - the more computer system decissions are made on manager level instead using people who know how to build systems - the worse it gets. Used to be that way - compare the financial / manufacturing systems running years to what we do today - any questions ? Some of my old systems are still running from 70's - none of my new systems can stay up more than 10-12 months AND I was told to build them that way. And no - CAD systems, CRM, protocols, world wide networks for finance / air lines / etc.. has been there since early 70's, so complexity is not any excuse. Just don't give up - maybe some day ( after my time.. ) And let's forget the Windows / *nix, Windows is more difficult to build reliable systems but it can be done - Windows is just more primitive, you have to design / code on lower level, it is harder than *nix but so what ?
Some SQL engines can do the same filtering, sparse field selection and sorting but only if told so and I haven't seen (for a long time) any DBAs who can understand the physical access (time) differences between sequential and random access speed. This is a must for any large reporting queries, one time queries are different.
Osty : "I just follow the path of least effort. If putting my commas at the beginning of a line"
Another trick and very useful ( and very readable )
rm -rf xxx * or its relatives must be most common - two years ago over crappy modem line in production system - somehow the space got there and you know the rest.. System backup saved me in 30 seconds BUT the absolutely "don't delete" audit files for last 10 minutes were gone.
One from my old days ( 370 / MVS ) when we moved from mountable disks to fixed. ZAP ( patch ) the VTOC ( directory in other languages ) - always ! always remember to give the keylength, done it XXX number of times before but.. Of course Monday night was scheduled for new IPL ( boot ) and the rest is history - unusable system, fixed disks, only had one disk prepared.. Nice to be able to IPL from console - painful but that is one feature most systems are missing today.
Actually - it was a lesson to do something. I wrote a mini VM to boot from tape or cards(!) that was able to mount any disks and if necessary to fix VTOC, write the boot records and even write a stripped system in real emergency - much like these (mini) bootable CDs today like Knoppix, etc. they are great. This system was later on used by our HW guys to load and run disk tests without loading the big OSs - great time saver.
Depends - it's a question if someone is worth of that amount money ( you don't only pay for knowledge but the name and reputation ). $2 million is nothing ( not even for Borland ) - look the bonuses, sign-ups, golden whatever for some people, some corporations think that someone is worth of $10 million, $200 million, some companies even after the person in question has already had a questionable performance. You don't have to ask or tell - just make an offer, it is accepted or not. I still believe that many ( technical ) persons are more for challenge than money BUT of course money always helps, it's just not all - have a nice day.
AND - why didn't Borland do anything ??? You can't just take people - they move on their own free will ! I have seen this happening in many professions, not just computers. Sorry - living 15 miles from Borland at that time and meeting people - Borland either didn't value a lot of these persons or Borlands future plans were different than a lot of personal views and a lot of people were told this is the way - period. I like Borland but they have had, as any company, their ups and downs in management and future plans. By the way - Delphi rocks, almost as good as Simula.
Yes - I know some people who moved to MS because MS ( as for ex. IBM, I also know some research persons there ) understands the value of free ( individual ) developement. We ( I'm a Linux person - of course because from Finland ) often forget that supported ( money ) develeopement is easier ( not better or worse ) than unsupported. It's up to a person what to do with their skills. Anyway - all the free spirits, like Anders end up both making money and making something we all can use. And I personally don't envoy their money and enjoy the results of their hard work what no corporation can fully own - otherwise they will walk away, money or not ( seen it happen - read Univac, Dec, AT&T, etc.. history ). ps. I'm too old - I still think that assembler is a language...
Yes - it is funny ! People like Anders Hejlsberg don't move for money ( it always helps and I know that your old company will not offer same as the new but... ) - they move for opportunity to create something new. I have known some - even I may be one, I haven't (yet) moved for money - Borland had ( has ) at that time stopped creating anything new, at least I would have been looking something new ( they now follow.NET ( and C# by Anders )). An example - the history of SQL, read it, those people didn't move for money but for an opportunity to create. have a nice day.
Is "Unix" Open Source ? SCO doesn't think so even it ( the old code ) has been available a long time - much longer than Java. Is Java Open Source then - when do they claim you copying it ? Want to go to court ? Linux ( and especially GNU ) is NOT Unix and even then the courts take the case ????? Personally - I don't care - show me something new that wasn't in mainframes a long time ago ( not Tandem NonStop - it's different but anything else - actually that's old also - 1976, but unparallel ). Virtual, interprenters, JIT, vector / parallel / SMP / whatever, etc.. on technical level - SGML ( oops , sorry HTML ), OO,,,, ( very ) old stuff.. from time we still have free program / system sources. So - as long as Java is not "free" it doesn't count as open - you just can't change / enhance it or make new features - only Sun can. Don't try to fork and call it Java2, sorry. Nice language - too many libraries. But it can be fast in what it is supposed to do - no question of that. Just too wordy and too complicated library/API mess ( IMHO again, too used just to compile and run - HUGE systems.. )
There are many problems - of course from my point of view it is the uneducated management. Before you skip this - I have working on ( and in ) computers 30+ years, been in management but didn't like that at all, I have been working all over the world. And where I haven't been I have had groups of people working with / for me. Now an advice, be better than the people you are competing. Not easy because the management has ( I should know ) different view but on long run they will be promoted and you will find a better job ( for a while until the current management gets this great idea to find cheaper workers.. ) By the way - if it is any relief - most of those multi billion companies are history now ( no names ). To the point - we can always use programmers but people as systems programmers, analysts, etc.. can never be replaced with remote people, it just doesn't work, proven many times over. So - learn those skills, learn the trade !
Why is this even an issue ? SCO had / has? Linux available for any/everybody under GPL so ? They can't take it back ! Maybe against some company that hasn't given Linux based systems and complains of "stolen code" but SCO ? SCO may have something against ( their own ? ) developers but users - I don't think so, otherwise we ( yes, I use Windows sometimes ) would be sued with MS - think about that, paying those $$$$ MS has paid lately - and no user ever got sued, why would Linux users ???
Actually informative / interesting ? I have been wondering why they don't ? P2P, DSL, T1, TCP, Internet2, what ever - they are technologies so how they can blame one but not others ?? They all are enablers, enabling communication. They actually should ban all the communications if they want to ban one - maybe we are not allowed to speak or to write next, we may transfer something they own..
Unfortunatelly - best advice I have seen here. Be warned - it hurts both sides. You have it good and the employer has it good. But - if it seems that they are "changing" your job description to unemployed in next year or so, get out. On the other hand, it may and it has paid for me to be a "good corporate citizen" and really to stick on it but I have a lot of friends it did not. Usually ( always? ) it is your own boss who makes the decision if he/she is not also in line to go. Even then - he/she is ( almost always ) asked the opinion of your job - the rest, read thetegister and the PHB jokes ( if they are jokes?? )
"Train your replacement well." - A very good advice as ther rest. 30+ years in developement - many times I have hired, trained, educated people and later on found that I work for them - pays back, every time. It really pays to make friends - they may go up in ladder for what ever reasons. Yes - they may be paid more but do they have as much fun - what I hear when going for a drink with them - mostly not. just my $0.02..
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If I had points.. see later..
Passwords are bad (IMHO) - or - maybe if we could extend the definition of password they might be good. Except on system level with very weird passwords ( you have have the memory of an elephant of course ? ) passwords don't work. Too easy to break, etc.. What you have and what you know with role level access rights is the only way - what you have may be your finger or whatever combined to some unique knowledge - easy to use and not easily stolen - either one and they ( whoever ) would need both.
OT - I love my credit card company calling me when taking gas twice in a hour for over $40 happens or when my card is used in Europe and in US inside same hour ( they didn't count the time difference, now they do ). I also love my hardware shop ( not computer hardware ) telling me that I can use the contractor services because of what I have bought previously - saves a lot and service is better. I don't mind my grosery store tracking what I buy. I hate when this information gets to ad people ( credit card companies don't do that ! ), then you start getting calls and paper trash in mail OR even worse if they find your e-mail address !!
IANAL - but you as the owner can fork the code and do whatevere you want with that ?? You just have to keep the original, already GPL, as GPL. I personally don't think GPL is restrictive to the owner of the code, only how someone else redistributes or resuses it ?? Isn't this what we all want ??
Well said. Espec. "It's still part of what makes Chicago great, though." - sorry, have no points to give. have a nice day.
Many comments that good security costs more than - what ?? Good security is not code or usage - they are part of the security. Good security is planning / design / practice and on these areas good doesn't cost more than bad (IMHO - show me different). However - incompetent / missing requirements from management can and does cause a lot of problems in security, performance, etc. There are different levels/skills on programmers/users/and so on but if the basic requirements are wrong nothing they can do, just use what is there (is it requirement or a product.)
More than one processor is "allways" better but only if the OS supports it fully. I should add "and if the application developers would think a little". My age shows - we started multi-threaded in 70's ( multitasking - better than threading IMHO but the basics are same ). What is missing in most OS support is the control of what, where, when and how much the threads are allowed to use one processor, I/O channels, etc.. It makes a huge difference in speed, resource usage and reliablility. Anyway - it will come even to Windows and how it handles resources - waiting some responses to Outlook locks the system independent how many processors there is - I have two. Some other applications do the same - C#, XP and multiple processors doesn't play nicely (yet).
Linux ( AIX, Solaris, etc ) are better on that today (IMHO). And a question - what is so difficult in making multi-threaded applications. To do it well needs some thinking ( thread pools suck badly if not used correctly ) but other than that ??
Boot/system - mirror it, forget RAID ! Application data - depends.. Most important, separate the logical and physical access thinking. Indexed data - mirror keys, RAID data! Now - I know, mirroring is (kind of) RAID but not really the same. It really depends on what is the purpose, much less what is the technology. You back up the data ? You use raw disk access or file system ? You use journaled file system or not ? If so - where are the journals ? See - there is much more than just RAID. And so on, and so on.. Have fun.
That was worth more than five cents. The only things I would add ( based on other answers and my experience ) - SNMP is not complex or difficult done right. Actually when you learn it you will see how logical and easy it is! SNMP is very efficient and v3 can be very secure with correct implementation. I love XML based systems when feasible but not when our message switch does 500K transactions / hour - there SNMP is the fastest and easiest way to monitor and to manage that. And it was easy to build a good MIB and to program SNMP interface for the applications ( once we got the management to understand that SNMP is just a protocol for network management. Offtopic - what is a network, we manage applications via SNMP, are they network ? Oracle has SNPM - is a database a network ? I think yes but.. )
Well said ! Stupid idea anyway but really, gender ?
I started to write a long comment, no point, unfortunately this is the way today. Trust me - the more computer system decissions are made on manager level instead using people who know how to build systems - the worse it gets. Used to be that way - compare the financial / manufacturing systems running years to what we do today - any questions ? Some of my old systems are still running from 70's - none of my new systems can stay up more than 10-12 months AND I was told to build them that way. And no - CAD systems, CRM, protocols, world wide networks for finance / air lines / etc.. has been there since early 70's, so complexity is not any excuse. Just don't give up - maybe some day ( after my time.. ) And let's forget the Windows / *nix, Windows is more difficult to build reliable systems but it can be done - Windows is just more primitive, you have to design / code on lower level, it is harder than *nix but so what ?
Two old programmer tricks - too often forgotten.
Some SQL engines can do the same filtering, sparse field selection and sorting but only if told so and I haven't seen (for a long time) any DBAs who can understand the physical access (time) differences between sequential and random access speed. This is a must for any large reporting queries, one time queries are different.
Osty : "I just follow the path of least effort. If putting my commas at the beginning of a line"
Another trick and very useful ( and very readable )
rm -rf xxx * or its relatives must be most common - two years ago over crappy modem line in production system - somehow the space got there and you know the rest.. System backup saved me in 30 seconds BUT the absolutely "don't delete" audit files for last 10 minutes were gone.
One from my old days ( 370 / MVS ) when we moved from mountable disks to fixed. ZAP ( patch ) the VTOC ( directory in other languages ) - always ! always remember to give the keylength, done it XXX number of times before but.. Of course Monday night was scheduled for new IPL ( boot ) and the rest is history - unusable system, fixed disks, only had one disk prepared.. Nice to be able to IPL from console - painful but that is one feature most systems are missing today.
Actually - it was a lesson to do something. I wrote a mini VM to boot from tape or cards(!) that was able to mount any disks and if necessary to fix VTOC, write the boot records and even write a stripped system in real emergency - much like these (mini) bootable CDs today like Knoppix, etc. they are great. This system was later on used by our HW guys to load and run disk tests without loading the big OSs - great time saver.
Is there any clone of sidekick available ?? I miss it - it was the best ( the new version ! ) Fast, easy to use, well organized.
They say "Common Criteria" - is the encryption also FIPS140-2 ????
Depends - it's a question if someone is worth of that amount money ( you don't only pay for knowledge but the name and reputation ). $2 million is nothing ( not even for Borland ) - look the bonuses, sign-ups, golden whatever for some people, some corporations think that someone is worth of $10 million, $200 million, some companies even after the person in question has already had a questionable performance. You don't have to ask or tell - just make an offer, it is accepted or not. I still believe that many ( technical ) persons are more for challenge than money BUT of course money always helps, it's just not all - have a nice day.
AND - why didn't Borland do anything ??? You can't just take people - they move on their own free will ! I have seen this happening in many professions, not just computers. Sorry - living 15 miles from Borland at that time and meeting people - Borland either didn't value a lot of these persons or Borlands future plans were different than a lot of personal views and a lot of people were told this is the way - period. I like Borland but they have had, as any company, their ups and downs in management and future plans. By the way - Delphi rocks, almost as good as Simula.
Yes - I know some people who moved to MS because MS ( as for ex. IBM, I also know some research persons there ) understands the value of free ( individual ) developement. We ( I'm a Linux person - of course because from Finland ) often forget that supported ( money ) develeopement is easier ( not better or worse ) than unsupported. It's up to a person what to do with their skills. Anyway - all the free spirits, like Anders end up both making money and making something we all can use. And I personally don't envoy their money and enjoy the results of their hard work what no corporation can fully own - otherwise they will walk away, money or not ( seen it happen - read Univac, Dec, AT&T, etc.. history ). ps. I'm too old - I still think that assembler is a language...
Yes - it is funny ! People like Anders Hejlsberg don't move for money ( it always helps and I know that your old company will not offer same as the new but... ) - they move for opportunity to create something new. I have known some - even I may be one, I haven't (yet) moved for money - Borland had ( has ) at that time stopped creating anything new, at least I would have been looking something new ( they now follow .NET ( and C# by Anders )). An example - the history of SQL, read it, those people didn't move for money but for an opportunity to create. have a nice day.
Is "Unix" Open Source ? SCO doesn't think so even it ( the old code ) has been available a long time - much longer than Java. Is Java Open Source then - when do they claim you copying it ? Want to go to court ? Linux ( and especially GNU ) is NOT Unix and even then the courts take the case ????? Personally - I don't care - show me something new that wasn't in mainframes a long time ago ( not Tandem NonStop - it's different but anything else - actually that's old also - 1976, but unparallel ). Virtual, interprenters, JIT, vector / parallel / SMP / whatever, etc.. on technical level - SGML ( oops , sorry HTML ), OO, ,,, ( very ) old stuff.. from time we still have free program / system sources. So - as long as Java is not "free" it doesn't count as open - you just can't change / enhance it or make new features - only Sun can. Don't try to fork and call it Java2, sorry. Nice language - too many libraries. But it can be fast in what it is supposed to do - no question of that. Just too wordy and too complicated library/API mess ( IMHO again, too used just to compile and run - HUGE systems.. )
There are many problems - of course from my point of view it is the uneducated management. Before you skip this - I have working on ( and in ) computers 30+ years, been in management but didn't like that at all, I have been working all over the world. And where I haven't been I have had groups of people working with / for me. Now an advice, be better than the people you are competing. Not easy because the management has ( I should know ) different view but on long run they will be promoted and you will find a better job ( for a while until the current management gets this great idea to find cheaper workers.. ) By the way - if it is any relief - most of those multi billion companies are history now ( no names ). To the point - we can always use programmers but people as systems programmers, analysts, etc.. can never be replaced with remote people, it just doesn't work, proven many times over. So - learn those skills, learn the trade !
Why is this even an issue ? SCO had / has? Linux available for any/everybody under GPL so ? They can't take it back ! Maybe against some company that hasn't given Linux based systems and complains of "stolen code" but SCO ? SCO may have something against ( their own ? ) developers but users - I don't think so, otherwise we ( yes, I use Windows sometimes ) would be sued with MS - think about that, paying those $$$$ MS has paid lately - and no user ever got sued, why would Linux users ???
Actually informative / interesting ? I have been wondering why they don't ? P2P, DSL, T1, TCP, Internet2, what ever - they are technologies so how they can blame one but not others ?? They all are enablers, enabling communication. They actually should ban all the communications if they want to ban one - maybe we are not allowed to speak or to write next, we may transfer something they own..
My son and yes, I trust him. Get your own mail server, not so difficult. Just one complain - his spam filter doesn't let any pr0n through..
The age of this business compared to the age of
governing business ? Give me a break ! Who you
think will win ?
Unfortunatelly - best advice I have seen here. Be warned - it hurts both sides. You have it good and the employer has it good. But - if it seems that they are "changing" your job description to unemployed in next year or so, get out. On the other hand, it may and it has paid for me to be a "good corporate citizen" and really to stick on it but I have a lot of friends it did not. Usually ( always? ) it is your own boss who makes the decision if he/she is not also in line to go. Even then - he/she is ( almost always ) asked the opinion of your job - the rest, read thetegister and the PHB jokes ( if they are jokes?? )
"Train your replacement well." - A very good advice as ther rest. 30+ years in developement - many times I have hired, trained, educated people and later on found that I work for them - pays back, every time. It really pays to make friends - they may go up in ladder for what ever reasons. Yes - they may be paid more but do they have as much fun - what I hear when going for a drink with them - mostly not. just my $0.02..