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User: vectro

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  1. E*Trade Bank on OS-Independent Web Banking? · · Score: 3

    Don't think about using their investment stuff, it sucks. But the bank is actually a different company (used to be telebank) that E*Trade bought. They have very high interest rates and the pages work with Lynx. I've been very pleased.

    Just don't get me started about their brokerage accounts.

  2. Re:No, magic numbers are the way. on Tux2: The Filesystem That Would Be King · · Score: 1
    Take a look at /usr/share/magic sometime.

    From the 'file' manpage:
    The magic file entries have been collected from various sources, mainly USENET, and contributed by various authors. Christos Zoulas (address below) will collect additional or corrected magic file entries. A consolidation of magic file entries will be distributed periodically.
  3. Re:zerg on Time Warner To Change DVD Region Coding System? · · Score: 1

    No, current DVDs still use CSS. The players don't know how to decode anything else.

  4. Re:Cathedral vs Bazaar moderation, and a proposal on Slashback: Nods, Lamentations, Nudity · · Score: 2

    Not necessarily, because one could set it up as an intelligent agent.

    Everyone rates posts, and the moderation you see is determined by the ratings given to people who rated posts similar to yours.

  5. Re:Edgar Allen Poe on Slashback: Verstecken, Poe, Roundtable · · Score: 2

    A lot easier, with equivalent functionality:


    #!/usr/bin/perl -w
    print "Enter hex digits (0 to end): ";
    while (<>) {
    $_ = pack "H*";
    last if (/\0/);
    print;
    }


    Of course, an even shorter version would be:
    perl -pe 'print pack "H*"'

    but not quite as interactive.

  6. Re:Edgar Allen Poe on Slashback: Verstecken, Poe, Roundtable · · Score: 1

    dammit man, why you gotta go posting them goatse.cx links!!??

  7. Re:The question is really about public access on Censorship - Libraries and the Internet? · · Score: 2

    Any unaccompanied 7 year old gets only filtered content, the filtering perhaps being based on what he or she could legally purchase at the local magazine store.

    But that's the real trick, isn't it? No filtering software can deliver this, and will block a bunch of ancillary stuff as well.

  8. Re:Both Perens and Becker are wrong on Sun Finds & Exploits Hole in the GPL *Update* · · Score: 2

    It is my understanding that Sun is not distributing binaries of GPL software, only a program that makes binaries. Correct me if this is not the case.

    If, however, it is the case, then I fail to see how this is a failing of the GPL. The GPL does not (and should not) restrict use, only distribution. If someone compiles their Linux drivers for Solaris, that should be perfectly OK as long as it is not distributed.

    If, on the other hand, they are distributing binaries, then give 'em hell.

  9. Consider the source on Google Propping Up Yahoo In Search Results? · · Score: 3

    Whenever we see results like this, we always should consider the source. Was the study done by an independent organization? Who funded the results? Was there some motive behind the study?

    If you look, you will notice that the linked page is written by the people who aren't listed as high anymore. It seems fairly clear to me that they are merely bitching about not being listed as high on google, and I find it somewhat specious that google is telling their indexing software to rank Yahoo higher.

    Futhermore, this could be the result of other changes designed to bring out more relevant results. For example, if they give linked-to pages a higher ability to assign relevancy (i.e. getting linked to by Yahoo gives your page a much better relevancy rating that getting linked to by my roommate) then obviously Yahoo's own pages (which are thouroughly linked by yahoo) will have a high relevancy.

  10. Re:Let's all do this: on IE 5.5 Tracking Default Bookmarks · · Score: 1

    Actually, the 'nice' setting refers only to CPU time. Prioritizing bandwidth is a very tricky topic. There are various methods of packet queue ordering (deciding which packet will be the next one out), and it is virtually impossible to prioritize incoming packets.

    So it would be much easier to make it sleep 10 seconds between runs.

  11. Re:This is great! on Linux Ported to Cisco Routers, BSD chosen by router manufacturers · · Score: 2

    Well, at least WRT ipnat, OpenBSD has the ability to have the internet side be a range, rather than a single address, and ports will be matched up if possible. Also, ipnat allows you to redirect things to other machines, instead of merely to the localhost. Ipnat also allows host mapping, where all packets meeting a certain criterion are rewritten to a specific host. IOS dosen't NAT at all.

    I'm currently employed in moving all the IPs in a class B, and OpenBSD's NAT capability has been invaluable in moving DNS servers and the like.

    In terms of ipfilter, ipf can keep state. That's the biggest thing. I think linux allows you to firewall based on any part of the packet, but ipfilter allows you to implement rules than consider multiple packets: e.g. ipfilter was able to filter the recent stream.c DoS, by blocking ACKs that didn't belong to a session in progress. You could also, for example, block all ICMP above a certain rate. AFAIK IOS' ability to filter is limited to port and ip address.

    Now, the Cisco PIX does have a NAT capability and probably has more thorough filtering capacity. But I don't know too much about it.

    Finally, I should point out that I am very much a Linux fan. I run linux at home. But if you're looking for a powerful router, OpenBSD is where it's at. Secure and functional. But I wouldn't want to run it as a workstation, and mabye not even a server -- after all, it dosen't even come with emacs!

  12. This is great! on Linux Ported to Cisco Routers, BSD chosen by router manufacturers · · Score: 2

    I've always wanted the ability to run tcpdump on a Cisco, and this would allow that. Furthermore, linux has much better packet mangling facilities than IOS. Sure IOS is good for passing packets around, but if you want to do any kind of NAT, port mapping, redirection, logging, or replication, you have to go with a UNIX.

    What would really be cool would be to see one of the BSDs (preferably OpenBSD) ported to these Ciscos. Then I could take advantage of the full functionality of ipnat and ipfilter, which are much more powerful than anything Cisco or Linux has to offer.

    Hmm, OpenBSD runs on an m68k. I wonder how much effort it would take to make this work....

  13. Defeating DMCA on RealNetworks Settles Lawsuit With Streambox · · Score: 1

    Any idea if it would be possible to get one custom-manufactured?

  14. Biased article on RealNetworks Settles Lawsuit With Streambox · · Score: 2
    The article is pretty biased. The author clearly thinks that Streambox was violating RealNetworks' copyright, even though this is clearly not the case. The real issue, of course, has nothing to do with maintaining RealNetworks' copyright, but the copyrights of its customers.

    Even on that front, of course, the theorey fails. Streambox didn't violate anyone's copyright. They did, however violate the DMCA. But as we all know, the DMCA takes away fair use.

    I'm strongly tempted to produce my own copyrighted work in DVD format and then sue the DVDCCA for circumventing my Technological Protection Measure.

  15. Re:Who really needs a lesson on Lawsuits Suck · · Score: 1

    If you put the script on your webpage, I'll link to it. :b

  16. Re:Taint mode solves this problem on Various *nix OSes Open To Format String Attacks · · Score: 2

    One plus is that taint mode is automatically activated in any setuid perl script.

  17. Taint mode solves this problem on Various *nix OSes Open To Format String Attacks · · Score: 5

    Perl's 'taint mode' solves this problem very well. Basically all user input (enviornment, standard input, reading from files and network sockets, etc.) is considered 'tainted', and can't be used in an insecure manner (running commands, etc.) without a regular subexpression match.

    Basically, what this means is that perl forces you to check that the input you were given is secure. This makes perl more secure than C in many ways.

    For more information on taint mode and other security features in perl, see the perlsec manpage.

  18. This is great! on KDE 2 To Be Included In Debian · · Score: 2

    Not having KDE built in has been one of the bigger reasons I haven't moved to Debian from Red Hat yet.

    Not trying to start any flame wars here, but I think the KDE interface is a lot cleaner and more professional than the Gnome interface, even if I still neet GTK to run gnucash et al.

    Besides which, choice is always a good thing. I'm glad the licensing was resolved. Gook work, guys!

  19. Why, good lord, Why? on Kmart To Card Buyers Of Violent Games · · Score: 1

    What the hell are these people thinking? It's not like there's not about 5000 other places to get these games. Anyone who wants to get Grand Theft Auto can just go to Fry's, EB, or even (god help us) compUSA. There's really no purpose in carding unless it's universal.

    Along those same lines, what is it that makes people blame violet video games for problems which are clearly not caused by games. After all, just because I play doom dosen't mean I'm going to go on a shooting rampage killing a bunch of hellspawn.

  20. Re:not so sure i like this on PC "Lemon Law" Bill Introduced In Pennsylvania · · Score: 4

    When computers fail, people don't die. There are of course exceptions to this for air traffic control or medical systems, but those aren't the target of the law.

    So a better analogy would be if you got into your 1982 Escort and it didn't start. Should the manufacturer have to fix it? Hell no!

  21. Re:Google have DeCSS source code ON THEIR SERVER!! on More On Kaplan's Ruling Making Links Illegal · · Score: 1

    That would be perfectly OK, according to Kaplan. Now, Kaplan's clearly biased and might have come to a different conclusion given those facts, but speculation is cheap.

    Of course, if 2600 linked to this site saying "Get your DeCSS HERE", it wouldn't matter much whether or not DeCSS was there at the time of the linking or at present time, it's pretty clear what the purpose of the link is.

  22. Re:What if the linked site is 'clean' when linked on More On Kaplan's Ruling Making Links Illegal · · Score: 2

    Kaplan says in the ruling that 2600 was only banned from linking because they were intentionally linking to DeCSS. If you linked to a page without knowing that you were linking (or intending to link) to DeCSS, you would not be liable, according to Kaplan.

  23. Re:Think hard about this come November... on More On Kaplan's Ruling Making Links Illegal · · Score: 2
    Blockquoth the poster:
    Find out which of the two-sided liars will do the least damage to our freedoms and vote for that person.


    I hate to break it to you, but there are other parties other than the republicrat party. There are, in fact, other presidental candidates that aren't in the pocket of big business.
  24. Re:Google have DeCSS source code ON THEIR SERVER!! on More On Kaplan's Ruling Making Links Illegal · · Score: 2

    They are linking to DeCSS, but not with the express intention of giving people DeCSS. It's entirely automated.

    I think this is the point: Kaplan says that you can be held responsable for content you link to, if you link to it solely because of that content. Google would link to sites with DeCSS regardless of whether or not they have DeCSS; hence, no liability.

  25. Re:So the Search Engines are Violating US Law? on More On Kaplan's Ruling Making Links Illegal · · Score: 3

    No, the decision specifically says that 2600 is only disallowed from linking because they did so with the intention of getting people DeCSS. Google isn't intentionally linking to DeCSS, so they wouldn't be liable. Similarly, if someone you link to puts up DeCSS after you set up the link, you aren't liable, because you weren't trying to distribute DeCSS.