I hope this isn't setuid/setgid - because if it is there's a massive security hole.
Because you don't supply absolute paths to either 'python' or the script to execute a malicious local user could set their path to/tmp, and stick a script called "python" in ther.
This was one of the first altruistic programs I ever wrote - very simple it is, but I saw it offered as a shareware program by somebody else for $25! I couldn't believe it was worth that much.
I guess they did because even now you can buy them, and people know exactly what you mean when you say "space pen".
I've never used one, I'm a lefty and I use generic ball point pens for the majority of my writing, and a traditional pencil for the rest.
To be honest I write so infrequently that the quality of the implement has been irrelevent - even the fiction I write is always produced on a computer, or a typewriter if I'm feeling baroque!
I notice that the space pens are a lot more expensive now. But still cheaper than the $450 pens mentioned above!
The most I've ever paid for a pen has been around 20 UK pounds - the thought of paying a few hundred for something I'd rarely use, and probably lose scares me!
This is yet another urban myth, as explained by Snopes.
The
lesson of this anecdote is a valid one, that we sometimes expend a great deal of time, effort, and money to create a "high-tech" solution to a problem, when a perfectly good, cheap, and simple solution is right before our eyes. The anecdote offered above isn't a real example of this syndrome, however. Fisher did ultimately develop a pressurized pen for use by NASA astronauts (now known as the famous "Fisher Space Pen"), but both American and Soviet space missions initially used pencils, NASA did not seek out Fisher and ask them to develop a "space pen," Fisher did not charge NASA for the cost of developing the pen, and the Fisher pen was eventually used by both American and Soviet astronauts.
Whilst GCC, Emacs, and the GPL were great achievemenst I'm always suprised than nobody mentions POSIX.
That was his baby too.
Re:Knoppix still king of bootable CDs
on
Knoppix 3.3 Is Out
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· Score: 1
I'm hoping some more of the hardware-detection, auto-setup, and visual polish can make it to stock Debian
Sadly that almost certainly won't happen, as Knoppix and it's installer just doesn't run on all the 11 arch's that Debian supports.
That might change in the future, but for the moment Knoppix only supports one platform: x86.
By the time it supports all 11 that would be necessary for integration with Debian the grand Debian installer re-write will probably have finished anyway.
Judging from posts so far, it would seem that at least there are none known:).
I think it's fair to say that if they're setup properly, and you don't go frobbing configuration values you don't understand you're fine.
However there are several NAT boxes which are configured via your web browser - and some of those have been known to listen upon the external interface.
Read your documentation, or probe from outside to see if that's the case - if it is and you can't disable it make sure you pick a good password...
That's a good start, and all the 'n' functions are worthy - but it's worth thinking a level higher and being careful not to trust user/network/other programs as a source of input.
A really good read is the Secure Programming Howto, but even that is just a start, security is a process not a product...
If you ask Joe User "what is windows?" he will start talking about the task bar, the Start Menu
I use Debian as my desktop at home and at work and have done for the past few years.
I love having a "start" menu, and a task bar.
Because I can't run KDE/GNOME I've tried lots of lightweight window managers - and have settled upon IceWM for the past year or so, precisely because it has a start menu and a task bar.
You'd be amazed at how many window manages don't give you these things; which I won't use. Ion I loved; but it just doesn't have the same features.
Maybe I've been spoilt by windows but I'd never use a WM that didn't give me a task bar again...
Thankfully if you want to be reminded of the error of your ways you can install the Virtual RMS package - which will send you mail if ever you install non-free software!.
Sure you can get support for Debian - and Oracle will run under Debian, but Oracle only support a few very specific version of Linux; SuSE and Redhat.
If you have a problem with Oracle you will recieve no support as soon as they hear the word Debian.
Support for other things is possible, and straightforward - but I don't imagine a company running Oracle would be happy to be without support. After all if they wanted a small database for non-critical date it wouldn't be Oracle they'd be using; presumably they're gonna pay for that because they need it..
Good backup systems like Amanda already exist - I'm guessing that the reason that the FSF people don't have backups is because they're relying upon donations to buy backup servers/tape drives, etc. (Yes that was a subtle plea to donate them cash;)
On this breakin I have only two comments:
1. Why not use proftpd, wu-ftpd has traditionally been prone to attacks. (Granted its a little bit more secure after each one is discovered and patched, but after so many its hard to trust it).
2. Why use MD5 sums? I use GPG signatures on all my software - forging signatures is.. non-trivial.
Don't compare DEB's with RPM. They are just a fileformat. Compare the tools....
You can compare the quality of the packages too though, Debian debs are almost always of a high quality and work well with the system you install them upon.
I'm glad of this - I run several Oracle installations on Solaris and a couple of small ones on SuSE.
SuSE and Redhat are the two platforms that are certified by Sun, and I had been worried that they'd drop the SuSE support when they got into bed with RedHat more.
Happily it looks like that's not going to happen which is good for me.
(Now if we could only get somebody to pay for Sun to certify Debian;)
Voicechat or Videochat
There's a "free" chat program called Eyeball Chat which will work NATted.
Of my four machines one runs Windows 2000 specifically for this software and my USB webcam.
Slashdot Mirror
I hope this isn't setuid/setgid - because if it is there's a massive security hole.
Because you don't supply absolute paths to either 'python' or the script to execute a malicious local user could set their path to /tmp, and stick a script called "python" in ther.
Instant privilege escalation ..
I wrote a simple program to do this back in the day, only mine was called "clipboard".
Works in Windows 95+
This was one of the first altruistic programs I ever wrote - very simple it is, but I saw it offered as a shareware program by somebody else for $25! I couldn't believe it was worth that much.
I guess they did because even now you can buy them, and people know exactly what you mean when you say "space pen".
I've never used one, I'm a lefty and I use generic ball point pens for the majority of my writing, and a traditional pencil for the rest.
To be honest I write so infrequently that the quality of the implement has been irrelevent - even the fiction I write is always produced on a computer, or a typewriter if I'm feeling baroque!
I notice that the space pens are a lot more expensive now. But still cheaper than the $450 pens mentioned above!
The most I've ever paid for a pen has been around 20 UK pounds - the thought of paying a few hundred for something I'd rarely use, and probably lose scares me!
This is yet another urban myth, as explained by Snopes.
Whilst GCC, Emacs, and the GPL were great achievemenst I'm always suprised than nobody mentions POSIX.
That was his baby too.
Sadly that almost certainly won't happen, as Knoppix and it's installer just doesn't run on all the 11 arch's that Debian supports.
That might change in the future, but for the moment Knoppix only supports one platform: x86.
By the time it supports all 11 that would be necessary for integration with Debian the grand Debian installer re-write will probably have finished anyway.
You mean you have to do that every time I say "Macbeth"?
The Scottish play - not M*cb*th.
Now we're all doomed, dooomed!
Because Freenet is not something that I'm going to install a JDK for?
It's a lovely idea, and I can see the attraction of using a non-buffer-overflow language with built in networking primitives and threading - but Java?
If it were Python/Perl/Ruby even I'd be happy - but my small headless box with all my files on it just isn't going to get Java on it.
I've found myself in a similar situation in reverse - being in the UK and wanting to talk to people in the US.
I found, under Windows, that Eyeball Chat works stunningly well.
Sure the video lags a little, but the audio is crystal clear.
Right now I'm thinking of moving to TeamSpeak but I'm not in too much hurry I have one Windows machine for playing around with and this works well.
For Windows there is the excellent WinSCP which is a GUI wrapper around SCP.
For Unix you can use the zssh program, or an FTP like wrapper for SCP whos name I've forgotten..
It's amazing the number of sites which will accept:
I think it's fair to say that if they're setup properly, and you don't go frobbing configuration values you don't understand you're fine.
However there are several NAT boxes which are configured via your web browser - and some of those have been known to listen upon the external interface.
Read your documentation, or probe from outside to see if that's the case - if it is and you can't disable it make sure you pick a good password...
I've setup mailing lists for my software and to be honest the traffic is very low - mostly because the software works.
But there's always a steady trickle of posts to my forums - as the barrier to entry is so much lower.
Whilst I would much prefer a mailing list and it's archive, a lot of people wouldn't go without the forums now.
That's a good start, and all the 'n' functions are worthy - but it's worth thinking a level higher and being careful not to trust user/network/other programs as a source of input.
A really good read is the Secure Programming Howto, but even that is just a start, security is a process not a product...
I use Debian as my desktop at home and at work and have done for the past few years.
I love having a "start" menu, and a task bar.
Because I can't run KDE/GNOME I've tried lots of lightweight window managers - and have settled upon IceWM for the past year or so, precisely because it has a start menu and a task bar.
You'd be amazed at how many window manages don't give you these things; which I won't use. Ion I loved; but it just doesn't have the same features.
Maybe I've been spoilt by windows but I'd never use a WM that didn't give me a task bar again...
After looking over Book Crossing I went looking for similar sites.
The best one I saw was Lighter Thief - fun if you're an evil smoker ;)
You register a location and get a number then you can print out the URL and stick it on the side of the lighter.
The idea is that the next person to find it fills in their location and you can track stolen/given away lighters as the move around the country/world.
One lighter I gave to a tourist during the early part of the Edinburgh Festival turned up in Paris, then moved across to Brussels.
Addictive stuff if you have a lot of lighters ..
2. Make her win. I spot a flaw .. women can't program ;)
Thankfully if you want to be reminded of the error of your ways you can install the Virtual RMS package - which will send you mail if ever you install non-free software!.
(I'm a Debian developer - so I'm biased)
Sure you can get support for Debian - and Oracle will run under Debian, but Oracle only support a few very specific version of Linux; SuSE and Redhat.
If you have a problem with Oracle you will recieve no support as soon as they hear the word Debian.
Support for other things is possible, and straightforward - but I don't imagine a company running Oracle would be happy to be without support. After all if they wanted a small database for non-critical date it wouldn't be Oracle they'd be using; presumably they're gonna pay for that because they need it..
Good backup systems like Amanda already exist - I'm guessing that the reason that the FSF people don't have backups is because they're relying upon donations to buy backup servers/tape drives, etc. (Yes that was a subtle plea to donate them cash ;)
On this breakin I have only two comments:
1. Why not use proftpd, wu-ftpd has traditionally been prone to attacks. (Granted its a little bit more secure after each one is discovered and patched, but after so many its hard to trust it).
2. Why use MD5 sums? I use GPG signatures on all my software - forging signatures is .. non-trivial.
SteveYou can compare the quality of the packages too though, Debian debs are almost always of a high quality and work well with the system you install them upon.
I'm glad of this - I run several Oracle installations on Solaris and a couple of small ones on SuSE.
SuSE and Redhat are the two platforms that are certified by Sun, and I had been worried that they'd drop the SuSE support when they got into bed with RedHat more.
Happily it looks like that's not going to happen which is good for me.
(Now if we could only get somebody to pay for Sun to certify Debian ;)
Voicechat or Videochat There's a "free" chat program called Eyeball Chat which will work NATted. Of my four machines one runs Windows 2000 specifically for this software and my USB webcam.
Nah barbeques are Australian - I know it's easy to confuse the two countries as they both start with the same letter.
Here's a clue though; The Australians are the ones that are upside-down.