Re:Hackers, tell us when it will get here
on
Good Bad Attitude
·
· Score: 1
When, during your daily work, the first thing you do when in front of a new system is to figure out how to exploit it, figuring out how to break anything becomes almost instinctive. Lawyers try to find cracks in the legal system to the benefit of their clients every day.
And it's not just lawyers, but anyone else who tries to figure out how a system works. Hacking could easily apply to psychologists, anthropologists, linguists, archaeologists, stock investors, con-artists. etc.
In each case there is a system which can be tweaked for loopholes.
Hacking is a term which is limited to computers... but the endevour to take apart a working system is not. Those not in the technocracy don't see these positive "rebel" traits in hackers as something unique to computer related endevours.
In the wake of Linux gaming becoming mainstream, Things are going to start to look like a tag-team wresting match.
Microsoft + ATi VS. Linux and Nvidia.
I think it's safe to say that ATi is cutting back on its Linux support in the wake of Xbox2, and Nvidia will be the graphics card of choice for Linux gaming.
I mean, say I have a hot cookie, and the smell of that is patented by the cookie company. Now, if I bake a cookie which smells like the patented cookie smell, could I be sued?
Furthermore, how do you prove that a smell infringes on a patented smell?
This is crazy. To me, this whole concept seems useless to society, but potential ammo to a company who can't innovate anything, but instead wants to strangle money out of people on some weird legal precedent.
The problem with "western" games is that most of them are unoriginal knock-offs with violence.
Looking at the history of video games, most of the original game ideas have come from Japan. Most western game companies just aren't taking risks by trying to forge a new game genre. The Japanese are doing this 24/7.
Look guys, if you want to tradmark the hell out of American English until it's completely unusable without being sued.... fine by me. Just leave the traditional English alone. Thankyou.
I have to admit that deban could be a lttle bit more secure. Compared to RedHat, Debian has a few areas which (while not toally bad) could be better.
Take for example the fact that I can remotely shutdown a debian machine over ssh with the "halt" command. A RedHat distro had that little feature blocked
I agree with everyone else who says that you need hands on starting in your own home and in your own time.
I found that the O'Reilly books are really good, but their LPI in a nutshell is not the be all and end all of LPI study materials at all (if you're interested in going for level 1 of that). Sometimes the man pages will do - but more often than not, they won't cut the mustard.
One by one you'll have to go through getting different Linux servers up and running... starting with the old faithful Apache, BIND, qmail, NTP, FTP, SSH, Samba, Net-SNMP, etc., and once you've done setting up all of those, try your hand and some of the other more obscure open source projects out there and get them compiled. Stuff like Nagios, MRTG, Big Sister, IPsec tools (freeswan, KAME), learn how to craft a firewall with iptables, try encrypting a file system with dmsetup, etc.
Don't stick to one distribution. Try as many of the free ones as possible. Each has thier own strengths and weaknesses,... not to mention different locations for config files, and different methods of package installation.
Enlist to as many mailing lists and IRC groups as possible..., then unsubscribe when you're email box can't cope anymore.
Compiling the Linux kernel is a right of passage for all admins.
Leanr how to write a shell script, and don't be tempted to play with X windows or all of RedHat's easy to use configuration programs too much.
Finally, be patient - this takes time, and drink lots and lots of coffee and keep a supply of hair on your head for occasional ripping out. You'll need it.
Debian is great as a platform (especially the latest sarge net-install CD... wow).
I love it especially if I need a platform so run some kind of open source software on it for a particular occasion. Apt-get allows me to create it with a very small footprint.... small enough to fit on a 512MB compact flash if need be. The updates are nice too.
Problem is, the suits want to have their vendor support... so companies like RedHat and Novell stand to benefit here. Not that there's anything bad with vendor support at all. RedHat creates a distro which is comparable to the offering Microsoft does with their windows server (with the obvious difference being that Linux is far superior). Great for all the typical tasks, but as a development platform, RedHat can be a pain to upgrade and manage... and then you have a bit of system bloat to deal with on occasions.
So two different distros for two different occasions.
With a fast enough processor it would be possible. I wouldn't want to try it with anything less than a P3.
Also... when a DoD hard disk wipe writes random garbage to a hard disk... how could anyone tell the difference between a blanked hard disk and one encrypted with a 128-bit key?
In such a case, how would the law enforcement agencies assume that there's even a password on there or any information. What's to stop the accused just saying "the disks are blank, they're on a test machine" or even if the law found evidence that data was recorded on there "I forgot the password"?
Sorry... been reading up on crypto issues and computer security too much already.
I would have thought that these pirates encrypt their fileservers, so that even if their hardware gets confiscated.... the hard disks all appear to be blank.
I mean, they're so busy breaking other people's protections..... sheesh, you would have thought that they'd employ some themselves.
Whocarés Conjecture
If we stretch a g-string around the surface of somebody's buttocks, then we can shrink it down to a point by moving it slowly, without tearing it and without allowing it to leave the surface. On the other hand, if we imagine that the same g-string has somehow been stretched in the appropriate direction around someone's face, then there is no way of shrinking it to a point without breaking either the g-string or suffocating the person. We say the surface of the buttocks are "simply connected," but that the surface of the person's face is not. Whocares knew almost hundred years ago, knew that a well shaped pair of cheeks is essentially characterized by this property of simple connectivity, and asked the corresponding question for the rest fo the people still reading this, as to why they were doing so. This question turned out to be extraordinarily difficult, and slashdotters have been struggling with it ever since.
Actually, I don't think it's that far off.
A lot of work needs to be done on making package management painless (Debian's apt-get is great, but at the moment, there's no X-windows super-idiot-proof GUI friendly way to manage this - OR any other 3rd party apps that want to take a walk on the system.)
I installed Knoppix on a friends old PC, and he's had no problems with it whatsoever (except an incompatible printer, and Open Office borking some MSoffice files)
I would have figured that the Military would have been using Linux precisely because the open source tools and encryption possibilites are really well defined, and free of costs.
With a bit of skill, a competant Linux sysadmin can make a RAID driven encrytped fileserver with ssh access and a solid firewall (and even Samba serving to windows clients) using current open source software, and without needing to pay for software.
That, if anything, puts Linux ahead of just about any other commerical operating system out there, as far as the military's purposes are concerned.
Coming from someone who used a Commodore 64 to get through college....
I WANT MY PORTABLE C64 HANDHELD!
(Tulip computers... are you listening?)
A Commodore 64 in my hand (with some tools like contiki etc. for basic web browsing, and some text editors) would suit me perfectly thank-you-very-much.
16,000+ games on the go would also be very great. And with C64's speed, the battery won't die so quick.
The way things are going, it seems even less likely to me to even need a CD/DVD drive a great deal.
With faster internet connectivity, DVD or any removable drive media will probably go the way of the dinosaur - save for backup purposes, and those that backup probably should use a RAID array in an encrypted file server on a network.
Even today you can get your software collection on CD and back them up into iso files or any other format, and then load it on a virtual drive, ala "Daemon tools".
The average consumer will most likely just stick to a DVD player, and a DVD writer that makes video play on said DVD player. Who the hell cares about the different formats?
Lady Penelope.... now that's a bird I wouldn't mind thundering!
Seriously though, I Matt and Trey are usually really good at finding good targets to aim at - evidenced by South Park... so I'm looking forward to this.
Thank you for the tip-off infidels. I've sent one of my lackeys to detonate the wreckage. God willing you heathen shall be all singing "London Bridge is falling down" while watching it for yourself!
Slashdot Mirror
When, during your daily work, the first thing you do when in front of a new system is to figure out how to exploit it, figuring out how to break anything becomes almost instinctive. Lawyers try to find cracks in the legal system to the benefit of their clients every day.
And it's not just lawyers, but anyone else who tries to figure out how a system works. Hacking could easily apply to psychologists, anthropologists, linguists, archaeologists, stock investors, con-artists. etc.
In each case there is a system which can be tweaked for loopholes.
Hacking is a term which is limited to computers... but the endevour to take apart a working system is not. Those not in the technocracy don't see these positive "rebel" traits in hackers as something unique to computer related endevours.
I for one welcome our cloned human embryo overlords...
In the wake of Linux gaming becoming mainstream, Things are going to start to look like a tag-team wresting match.
Microsoft + ATi VS. Linux and Nvidia.
I think it's safe to say that ATi is cutting back on its Linux support in the wake of Xbox2, and Nvidia will be the graphics card of choice for Linux gaming.
At least we know where Namco stands.
This is absolutely ridiculous.
I mean, say I have a hot cookie, and the smell of that is patented by the cookie company.
Now, if I bake a cookie which smells like the patented cookie smell, could I be sued?
Furthermore, how do you prove that a smell infringes on a patented smell?
This is crazy. To me, this whole concept seems useless to society, but potential ammo to a company who can't innovate anything, but instead wants to strangle money out of people on some weird legal precedent.
I may as well patent my own body odour.
The problem with "western" games is that most of them are unoriginal knock-offs with violence.
Looking at the history of video games, most of the original game ideas have come from Japan.
Most western game companies just aren't taking risks by trying to forge a new game genre.
The Japanese are doing this 24/7.
Look guys, if you want to tradmark the hell out of American English until it's completely unusable without being sued.... fine by me. Just leave the traditional English alone. Thankyou.
I have to admit that deban could be a lttle bit more secure. Compared to RedHat, Debian has a few areas which (while not toally bad) could be better.
Take for example the fact that I can remotely shutdown a debian machine over ssh with the "halt" command. A RedHat distro had that little feature blocked
I agree with everyone else who says that you need hands on starting in your own home and in your own time.
I found that the O'Reilly books are really good, but their LPI in a nutshell is not the be all and end all of LPI study materials at all (if you're interested in going for level 1 of that). Sometimes the man pages will do - but more often than not, they won't cut the mustard.
One by one you'll have to go through getting different Linux servers up and running... starting with the old faithful Apache, BIND, qmail, NTP, FTP, SSH, Samba, Net-SNMP, etc., and once you've done setting up all of those, try your hand and some of the other more obscure open source projects out there and get them compiled.
Stuff like Nagios, MRTG, Big Sister, IPsec tools (freeswan, KAME), learn how to craft a firewall with iptables, try encrypting a file system with dmsetup, etc.
Don't stick to one distribution. Try as many of the free ones as possible. Each has thier own strengths and weaknesses,... not to mention different locations for config files, and different methods of package installation.
Enlist to as many mailing lists and IRC groups as possible..., then unsubscribe when you're email box can't cope anymore.
Compiling the Linux kernel is a right of passage for all admins.
Leanr how to write a shell script, and don't be tempted to play with X windows or all of RedHat's easy to use configuration programs too much.
Finally, be patient - this takes time, and drink lots and lots of coffee and keep a supply of hair on your head for occasional ripping out. You'll need it.
That's nearly a haiku:-
Have nothing of worth
Sue people to make money
Going bankrupt soon
Debian is great as a platform (especially the latest sarge net-install CD... wow). I love it especially if I need a platform so run some kind of open source software on it for a particular occasion. Apt-get allows me to create it with a very small footprint.... small enough to fit on a 512MB compact flash if need be. The updates are nice too. Problem is, the suits want to have their vendor support... so companies like RedHat and Novell stand to benefit here. Not that there's anything bad with vendor support at all. RedHat creates a distro which is comparable to the offering Microsoft does with their windows server (with the obvious difference being that Linux is far superior). Great for all the typical tasks, but as a development platform, RedHat can be a pain to upgrade and manage... and then you have a bit of system bloat to deal with on occasions. So two different distros for two different occasions.
With a fast enough processor it would be possible. I wouldn't want to try it with anything less than a P3. Also... when a DoD hard disk wipe writes random garbage to a hard disk... how could anyone tell the difference between a blanked hard disk and one encrypted with a 128-bit key? In such a case, how would the law enforcement agencies assume that there's even a password on there or any information. What's to stop the accused just saying "the disks are blank, they're on a test machine" or even if the law found evidence that data was recorded on there "I forgot the password"? Sorry... been reading up on crypto issues and computer security too much already.
I would have thought that these pirates encrypt their fileservers, so that even if their hardware gets confiscated.... the hard disks all appear to be blank.
I mean, they're so busy breaking other people's protections..... sheesh, you would have thought that they'd employ some themselves.
I guess criminals really are stupid.
Whocarés Conjecture If we stretch a g-string around the surface of somebody's buttocks, then we can shrink it down to a point by moving it slowly, without tearing it and without allowing it to leave the surface. On the other hand, if we imagine that the same g-string has somehow been stretched in the appropriate direction around someone's face, then there is no way of shrinking it to a point without breaking either the g-string or suffocating the person. We say the surface of the buttocks are "simply connected," but that the surface of the person's face is not. Whocares knew almost hundred years ago, knew that a well shaped pair of cheeks is essentially characterized by this property of simple connectivity, and asked the corresponding question for the rest fo the people still reading this, as to why they were doing so. This question turned out to be extraordinarily difficult, and slashdotters have been struggling with it ever since.
Actually, I don't think it's that far off. A lot of work needs to be done on making package management painless (Debian's apt-get is great, but at the moment, there's no X-windows super-idiot-proof GUI friendly way to manage this - OR any other 3rd party apps that want to take a walk on the system.) I installed Knoppix on a friends old PC, and he's had no problems with it whatsoever (except an incompatible printer, and Open Office borking some MSoffice files)
This year will be the year of Linux on the deskt...... !!! *yanked off stage by big hook*
I would have figured that the Military would have been using Linux precisely because the open source tools and encryption possibilites are really well defined, and free of costs. With a bit of skill, a competant Linux sysadmin can make a RAID driven encrytped fileserver with ssh access and a solid firewall (and even Samba serving to windows clients) using current open source software, and without needing to pay for software. That, if anything, puts Linux ahead of just about any other commerical operating system out there, as far as the military's purposes are concerned.
"Gee, I really want to get one of those newfangled plastic drives for my PC"
All women are sluts in the hands of the right systems administrator. "Excuse me m'lady, but would you like your system administered?" ;p
Coming from someone who used a Commodore 64 to get through college.... I WANT MY PORTABLE C64 HANDHELD! (Tulip computers... are you listening?) A Commodore 64 in my hand (with some tools like contiki etc. for basic web browsing, and some text editors) would suit me perfectly thank-you-very-much. 16,000+ games on the go would also be very great. And with C64's speed, the battery won't die so quick.
All we need is some way to convert heat directly into electricity.... dream on I guess.
My case requires two USB ports on the computer, but it is a hell of a lot faster than just one plug, and requires no extra power.
The way things are going, it seems even less likely to me to even need a CD/DVD drive a great deal.
With faster internet connectivity, DVD or any removable drive media will probably go the way of the dinosaur - save for backup purposes, and those that backup probably should use a RAID array in an encrypted file server on a network.
Even today you can get your software collection on CD and back them up into iso files or any other format, and then load it on a virtual drive, ala "Daemon tools".
The average consumer will most likely just stick to a DVD player, and a DVD writer that makes video play on said DVD player. Who the hell cares about the different formats?
Lady Penelope.... now that's a bird I wouldn't mind thundering! Seriously though, I Matt and Trey are usually really good at finding good targets to aim at - evidenced by South Park ... so I'm looking forward to this.
Thank you for the tip-off infidels. I've sent one of my lackeys to detonate the wreckage. God willing you heathen shall be all singing "London Bridge is falling down" while watching it for yourself!
Your's sincerely,
Osama bin Laden
A process configured to run under an administrative privilege level, eh? excuse me a second... ah --- ah---- ahchoooooounixpriorart !