> I mean it seems cute and all, but what does it buy you that, for example, sending a > UDP packet with an access code in it (perhaps specific to the time of day and other > parameters) doesn't get you?
I'd think it depends on your confidence in the security of the UDP listener. Granted, it would be a simple piece of code to audit, but you'd still need to open up the UDP port in the firewall, and expose the "UDP listener" to potential exploits.
Whilst a method that monitors log files is more of a kludge, it would be able to report knocks to ports that your established firewall software keeps closed..
Ok, this is probably quite an anal reason, but hey, this is slashdot:)
Ahhh I see where you're coming from now. Yeah good point. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of someone who is specifically out to shoot/assinate someone, but I guess I watch too much TV:)
I remember visiting the Entropy web page about a year ago, quite interested, until I read a bit from the author 'proving' that SHA1 hashes are *always* unique, at which point I thought the project must be vapourware..
> Seriously any company that allows programmers and such to answer calls directly from > the outside (no secretary or such in between) is wasting resources. It may look like > I have time to answer the phone but in reality I am thinking (or sleeping) and being > distracted means that I am not only going to have to waste time getting my thoughts > on track
Here here. Where I used to work, they actually hired someone to take the phone calls for this very reason.. Then after a while, he left, and they said they couldn't afford to replace him.
The amount of times you'd lose concentration because the phone was ringing... I would often leave the phone off the hook, or simply switch the ringer off, but I was told not to do that!
This had a command "winit" to start the *windowing system*. Whilst not X, it's a similar concept, and referes to the 'areas you can resize/move/minimise/cover" as windows.
> When I got to parks or outdoors, I do it to relax and escape the technology > that I work with and live with. I go find a tree in a nice park near the river > and sit quietly and listen to the water, the wind and the birds.
Whilst I agree totally with your sentiments, another way of looking at it is that you can STILL do that, but ADDITIONALLY, times when you would otherwise be stuck coding in the office/home, you can now spend coding listening quietly to the water, the wind and the birds...
It's all about perspective: sure, there are geeks who won't go anywhere without their mobile phone, and their laptop/internet access, but that doesn't mean that we have to do that too!
It's already beyond the research stage. Such an automated system is already available, for a FREE DOWNLOAD too - they also sell ready-built integrated systems. Wireless VOIP is included too. There is also a "IANA" type service for allocating wireless routable IP addresses (though these aren't internet routable - a gateway would be needed)
Mesh networking provides an innovative method to build complex data networks very easily. Using the intelligence of each component, meshing helps them to join into a self-organising structure. This approach differs from the traditional "top-down" design of data networks, and provides many benefits, including flexibility, speed and ease of management, making it very easy to deploy widespread networks with low overheads.
Mesh Networking is particularly suited to wireless networks, where the connections can't be predicted in the same way as a wired network, catering for mobile nodes, instant growth and unpredictable variations in reception and coverage.
Mesh networking builds up a wide spread multi-hop network making connections between neighbouring nodes on demand. Once connected the nodes can explore the network and establish their routes through it, finding the resources that they need automatically.
The LocustWorld Mesh uses a public networking standard AODV, to build the mesh. AODV, Ad hoc, On demand, Distance Vector, published by NIST, is recognised as a leading standard for wireless mesh networking. The LocustWorld mesh router is available as a software package and as a hardware device, and it is widely used to deliver wireless broadband networking in challenging terrain.
As each mesh node is autonomous, discovering routes on demand, there is no central control to act as a bottle neck. As the network grows the routing task for each node does not grow exponentially, as they only build routes to the resources that they need. Routes are established on demand, and un-used routes are flushed out after a short time.
If one route becomes un-workable then the node will automatically seek out another, providing self-healing structure and removing the reliance on single points of potential failure.
The LocustWorld MeshAP implements wireless mesh networking within a package of features that provide practical support for internet service provision. Mesh networking is not dependent upon any particular physical networking connection. LocustWorld currently support 802.11, Bluetooth and Ethernet. Many other wireless and wired networks are suitable for meshing, and the MeshAP can support them as demand for them develops.
Meshing is a fundamentally different approach to routing through networks, and does not follow the conventions of network design. In a mesh network nodes get given their basic rules of the road, and then they are left to establish their connections autonomously. The node may discover many potential routes through the network, and it will select the most suitable route based upon the shortest distance to reach the other node. Other criteria, such as the quality of the connection, can influence the decision, but ultimately the router decides on the routes itself, and the manager only provides the ground rules.
Meshing delivers networks that are:
Self Organising - each node works the routing out for itself, saving time and effort in administration
Wide Ranging - multi-hop networks extend wireless range around obstacles and over greater distances.
Scalable - just add more nodes. The routing configuration is automatic, and there is no exponential rise in complexity as the network grows.
Resilient - The self organising functions run continuously, so when changes occur to connections and reception the mesh will automatically re-route around blockages in real time.
Not directed at you, but even if it was standard NNTP and newsreader, a non-technical site could use the phrase "subscriber list" to mean the access log to the NNTP server.
If logged, the logs can store the newsgroup accessed, the article accessed, and the time/IP address etc.
This list of "newsgroups accessed" could be something non-techies may use the phrase "subscriber list" for.
Whether the BBC is worth the fee or not is irrelevent.
You may like the BBC, but for people who simple don't want to watch BBC, forcing them to pay the tax just to own a TV is rediculous.
When I first moved away from my home town to work, I was in a place of my own, and literally there was nothing on the BBC I wanted to watch. Additionally, I watched so little TV at the time, that it simply didn't justify the cost, (I found I only watched late night ITV and used to read Oracle teletext), so instead of paying, I had to put my TV back in my parents house.
As someone who didn't listen to radio, or watch BBC, how was that fair ?
And as for the payment being "per household" - that is stretching the term a bit - it's a 'family household'. Unless they've changed the rules in the last few years, people sharing a house that weren't related, or co-habitting had to have individual licenses. - That's the case even if the house is a "normal" house (i.e. not split off into flats)
It surprised me too - I find it fast on my machine too, but on my fathers computer, it takes longer to load up - and as he's accustomed to the "click on an email for the website" type of action, he ends up opening and closing the window alot (Don't even suggest I retrain him!)
My dads machine is a K6-450 but the main bottleneck is the inbuild video card which uses *system memory* sigh.
opera just seems to take ages to start up compared to Firefox on that machine, and it's the startup that's the issue in this case.
I'm a mad campainer for proper use of web standards, but after finally persuading my dad to have a Unix desktop (he's a non-techie "mail and web" guy) I've come to a stop because mozilla and firefox won't render the javascript in his pages.
Yes, they use document.all - yes, they are non standard IE extensions that even IE managed to switch from years ago - yes, they should correct the websites...
But this is irrelevent to my dad. Opera is too slow on his PC. Firefox works well, except on these particular sites, and until I can write a filter/converter he's sticking with MS.
That's more important than the colour/shading on some clicky-button
> there is a security flaw you release Linux RI for 2.6.6 - v1.0.1 Instead of Linux 2.6.7. > If the only way to correct the flaw is by changing some interface then you have to > issue Linux 2.6.7 with Linux RI for 2.6.7 - v1.0.0 and deprecate Linux 2.6.6. > > That way you can update your system while changing the minimum and not adding > new code unnecessarily (after all isn't that one of the problems with Windows > Service Packs?).
FreeBSD has that already - security fixes are applied to the RELENG branch of a RELEASED version.
You can track a released version (e.g. 4.4-RELEASE) and then track RELENG_4.4 for security patches.
As someone recently trying to source a 2Gig hard disk due to a failure with my trusty 486 router/firewall, this article is a particular punch in the gob...
> Is going on a political diatribe > supposed to attract dirty American dollars?
Ahhh, another one of the many Americans who considers any critiscism of the USA as a personal critiscism against Americans.
Why are you so insecure ? It's this "America is great" blinkered attitude that allows things like the RIAA, DCMA, and other arcane corporation-bought things to exist in your "free country"
> Please remember to quote your variables (and backquote output).
> You're going to get bitten by a name with a space in it one of these days.
So are you - you haven't quoted the inside "$i" which will cause it to fail if a file has 2 or more spaces in a row, for example...
And, what about filenames beginning with a "-" ?
for i in *.jpeg ; do mv "$i" "`echo \"$i\" | sed 's/\.jpeg$/.jpg/'`" ; done
> Now try and do that to a mail server, and the fecal matter hits the air-handler.
Surely, much easier with a mail server, as there would be no real data on there.. All the mail is transitional, and besides even if it wasn't, you can easily restore mail queues and users pop3 boxes from a compromised server - it's the system files that matter, and surely a running mailserver has hardly any of those recently updated
> With HD space getting cheap, maybe it's best to just leave the redbook audio in pure WAV format. > Screw compression of any type, especially if your after high quality audio reproduction.
If you are going down that route, you should use one of the lossless audio compressions, like flac:
" FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec. Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to MP3, but lossless, meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, see links to the right for supported devices) just like you would an MP3 file."
Slashdot Mirror
> I mean it seems cute and all, but what does it buy you that, for example, sending a
:)
> UDP packet with an access code in it (perhaps specific to the time of day and other
> parameters) doesn't get you?
I'd think it depends on your confidence in the security of the UDP listener.
Granted, it would be a simple piece of code to audit, but you'd still need to
open up the UDP port in the firewall, and expose the "UDP listener" to potential exploits.
Whilst a method that monitors log files is more of a kludge, it would be able to
report knocks to ports that your established firewall software keeps closed..
Ok, this is probably quite an anal reason, but hey, this is slashdot
Ahhh I see where you're coming from now. Yeah good point. :)
I guess I was thinking more along the lines of someone who is specifically out to shoot/assinate someone, but I guess I watch too much TV
errrr exactly. so make your real gun look fake with a 'red tip', and gain those extra few moments of surprise....
Am I missing something here ?
"Red coloured tips" on your non-guns to say "this isn't a real gun, honest officer?"
What's stopping criminals with REAL guns putting a 'red tip' on the end of them ?
I remember visiting the Entropy web page about a year ago, quite interested, until I read a bit from the author 'proving' that SHA1 hashes are *always* unique, at which point I thought the project must be vapourware..
> So you submit it as "story" to slashdot. Ingenious.
Why ? Slashdot would be the worst place to submit an advert for a product like this.
It's obvious that posts will either talk about it being a sham, or will say how you can build yourself one for free.
I wouldn't have thought this product would be aimed at the typical slashdotter (if there is such a thing!)
> Seriously any company that allows programmers and such to answer calls directly from
> the outside (no secretary or such in between) is wasting resources. It may look like
> I have time to answer the phone but in reality I am thinking (or sleeping) and being
> distracted means that I am not only going to have to waste time getting my thoughts
> on track
Here here.
Where I used to work, they actually hired someone to take the phone calls for this
very reason.. Then after a while, he left, and they said they couldn't afford to replace
him.
The amount of times you'd lose concentration because the phone was ringing... I would
often leave the phone off the hook, or simply switch the ringer off, but I was told not
to do that!
Ah well, their loss!
errr, add this to /etc/make.conf :
/any/directory/that/exists/on/any/partition
/usr/ports/....
WRKDIRPREFIX=
All ports will build in there then instead of under
My PERQ Workstation came with PNX (an ICL UNIX derivative) from 1981.
PERQ image
PERQ info
This had a command "winit" to start the *windowing system*. Whilst not X, it's a similar concept, and referes to the 'areas you can resize/move/minimise/cover" as windows.
> Is this the same as the expression "to cut (someone) off" that we have in the US?
:)
If you explained what "to cut (someone) off " meant, then we'd be able to answer!
To cut someone off would be the phone company or the electricity company or the cable company cutting off someones supply.
In the Uk , to "cut someone up" means a car driver pulling sharply in front of someone.. I assume from context this is what yours means ?
yeah, good point!
> When I got to parks or outdoors, I do it to relax and escape the technology
> that I work with and live with. I go find a tree in a nice park near the river
> and sit quietly and listen to the water, the wind and the birds.
Whilst I agree totally with your sentiments, another way of looking at it is that you can STILL do that, but ADDITIONALLY, times when you would otherwise be stuck coding in the office/home, you can now spend coding listening quietly to the water, the wind and the birds...
It's all about perspective: sure, there are geeks who won't go anywhere without their mobile phone, and their laptop/internet access, but that doesn't mean that we have to do that too!
See:
http://www.locustworld.com/ and http://www.communitywireless.org/
Not directed at you, but even if it was standard NNTP and newsreader, a non-technical site could use the phrase "subscriber list" to mean the access log to the NNTP server.
If logged, the logs can store the newsgroup accessed, the article accessed, and the time/IP address etc.
This list of "newsgroups accessed" could be something non-techies may use the phrase "subscriber list" for.
kerm81 is correct. It's unfair.
Whether the BBC is worth the fee or not is irrelevent.
You may like the BBC, but for people who simple don't want to watch BBC, forcing them to pay the tax just to own a TV is rediculous.
When I first moved away from my home town to work, I was in a place of my own, and literally there was nothing on the BBC I wanted to watch. Additionally, I watched so little TV at the time, that it simply didn't justify the cost, (I found I only watched late night ITV and used to read Oracle teletext), so instead of paying, I had to put my TV back in my parents house.
As someone who didn't listen to radio, or watch BBC, how was that fair ?
And as for the payment being "per household" - that is stretching the term a bit - it's a 'family household'. Unless they've changed the rules in the last few years, people sharing a house that weren't related, or co-habitting had to have individual licenses. - That's the case even if the house is a "normal" house (i.e. not split off into flats)
It surprised me too - I find it fast on my machine too, but on my fathers computer, it takes longer to load up - and as he's accustomed to the "click on an email for the website" type of action, he ends up opening and closing the window alot (Don't even suggest I retrain him!)
My dads machine is a K6-450 but the main bottleneck is the inbuild video card which uses *system memory* sigh.
opera just seems to take ages to start up compared to Firefox on that machine, and it's the startup that's the issue in this case.
Cheers,
Jamie
I'm a mad campainer for proper use of web standards, but after finally persuading my dad to have a Unix desktop (he's a non-techie "mail and web" guy) I've come to a stop because mozilla and firefox won't render the javascript in his pages.
Yes, they use document.all - yes, they are non standard IE extensions that even IE managed to switch from years ago - yes, they should correct the websites...
But this is irrelevent to my dad. Opera is too slow on his PC. Firefox works well, except on these particular sites, and until I can write a filter/converter he's sticking with MS.
That's more important than the colour/shading on some clicky-button
> there is a security flaw you release Linux RI for 2.6.6 - v1.0.1 Instead of Linux 2.6.7.
> If the only way to correct the flaw is by changing some interface then you have to
> issue Linux 2.6.7 with Linux RI for 2.6.7 - v1.0.0 and deprecate Linux 2.6.6.
>
> That way you can update your system while changing the minimum and not adding
> new code unnecessarily (after all isn't that one of the problems with Windows
> Service Packs?).
FreeBSD has that already - security fixes are applied to the RELENG branch of a RELEASED version.
You can track a released version (e.g. 4.4-RELEASE) and then track RELENG_4.4 for security patches.
As described here
As someone recently trying to source a 2Gig hard disk due to a failure with my trusty 486 router/firewall, this article is a particular punch in the gob...
> Is going on a political diatribe
> supposed to attract dirty American dollars?
Ahhh, another one of the many Americans who considers any critiscism of the USA as a personal critiscism against Americans.
Why are you so insecure ? It's this "America is great" blinkered attitude that allows things like the RIAA, DCMA, and other arcane corporation-bought things to exist in your "free country"
> Please remember to quote your variables (and backquote output). > You're going to get bitten by a name with a space in it one of these days. So are you - you haven't quoted the inside "$i" which will cause it to fail if a file has 2 or more spaces in a row, for example... And, what about filenames beginning with a "-" ? for i in *.jpeg ; do mv "$i" "`echo \"$i\" | sed 's/\.jpeg$/.jpg/'`" ; done
> and I could care less COULD'NT.. You *COUDLN'T* CARE LESS. Unless you really really do care, which is what you are implying
obviously not! :-)
> Now try and do that to a mail server, and the fecal matter hits the air-handler.
Surely, much easier with a mail server, as there would be no real data on there.. All the mail is transitional, and besides even if it wasn't, you can easily restore mail queues and users pop3 boxes from a compromised server - it's the system files that matter, and surely a running mailserver has hardly any of those recently updated
> With HD space getting cheap, maybe it's best to just leave the redbook audio in pure WAV format.
> Screw compression of any type, especially if your after high quality audio reproduction.
If you are going down that route, you should use one of the lossless audio compressions, like flac:
" FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec. Grossly oversimplified, FLAC is similar to MP3, but lossless, meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, see links to the right for supported devices) just like you would an MP3 file."
Flac Homepage