He writes "la" instead of "ls", since it's much more likely (as you stated) that if somebody does put . in their path it will not have precedence over the stuff in/usr/bin . If he called the file "ls", an executable named ls would be encountered before searching his home (or wherever). By naming it "la", there won't be any hits earlier and the bitter end of the path will be searched, finally finding his malicious "la".
(Of course we shouldn't put . in our paths, but many, many people do. I've done it myself. Many of your users have done it, and are still doing it)
Well after the fact, I was shown some of the "slides" that were used. They are photocopies that show the bent-over corners of the original document (which itself seemed to be a copy of a copy). Thus making it obvious that the initial report (that management was trying to ignore) had been hastily slapped on a Xerox (or whatever) machine to make the slides.
The engineers have commented on these slides, and how hastily done they were. The engineers were sure that there would not be a launch, due to the previous night's temperature being below the limit that they had been forced to compromise and accept. When they heard that NASA was pushing to override this, they claim that they had about 10 minutes to grab whatever evidence that they could find and hustle to the conference room for a teleconference.
It was actually worse than that. The engineers were specifically concerned about the O-rings and had argued for cancelling all flights until the system was re-designed. A (management driven) work around established temperature ranges when a launch would be acceptable. These temperature ranges (already a compromise the engineers were opposed to) were violated and the challenger went down.
I have talked to engineers who were in the final meeting, and on the final conference call. Normally the contractor (Morton Thiokol) has to convince the customer (NASA) that it is safe to launch. Thiokol said "NO" and NASA tried to convince them to say yes (bass ackwards). After the final decision of "no" was reached based on the engineers advice, the conference call link was broken and when it was re-established the Thiokol managers had overridden the engineers and said "OK". IIRC the onsight (Florida) Thiokol manager refused to sign the necessary paper work, inferring what had happened when they were off the line. The next guy down the chain signed anyway, so they launched.
It was not a matter of management not understanding, it was a matter of the dollars that would stop flowing from NASA to Morton Thiokol if they scrubbed being worth more than the lives of the 7 astronauts.
An earlier poster had a very insightful analysis of what this meant to the US, and I've often had similar views of what it meant to the engineering profession. At the time I was a newly minted BSEE working for a government contractor. It wasn't geeky to be an engineer, it was actually cool and somewhat respected. This doesn't seem to be the case today.
I never really thought about it this way before, but the GP makes sense. I'm a unix-user. I want a command line on my computer. I'm not a uber-geek or a hardcore unix systems programmer, just a user that wants a command line. I run linux (Fedora Core 3, no race to update, no coolness points for either the latest _or_ the greatest) on the PC provided by my work. My laptop is a powerbook, still one revision slow with 10.3.something (up to date, just not 10.4). I've got the command line, I'm happy.
If Apple hadn't based OS-X on Free BSD, I would still hate Macs and I'd be running some flavor of Linux on some intel/AMD laptop. Using the powerbook, I've discovered that there's lots of other neat (Apple) stuff there. We're going to need a new computer at home soon, and the cheapskate in me is thinking linux, but the geek in me is thinking Mac (command line for me, GUI just like at the elementary school and educational games available for the kids). If Mac wasn't available, I would have already bought a new Linux box.
will be taken care of the minute we get RFID in our currency...
get? That's a good one. Everybody knows we've had RFID in the currency for a long time. In fact, being able to "follow the money" using RFID was one of the first steps in showing that the moon landings were faked...
There is an older SF book by Connie Willis titled "Remake". There's a
plot synopsis here. The plot itself didn't do much for me, but the main character's job was to re-edit movies to take out the non-PC parts. (IIRC, he had a hard time taking the smoking and drinking out of Casbalancaa, for example). Of course, he'd have to re-edit to take out, or put back in, various bits as the thought police changed their minds about what was good and what was evil.
In the mid to late '80s the rules for a SCIF were concerned with the sounds being picked up through a glass window (vibrations). At least that's what they told us when they stuck us in the basement. This would have been about '87 or so.
Maybe somebody can provide a link, but there was a Doonesbury cartoon 2-4 years ago where a guy (the cowboy hat guy -- Boopsie's SO?) is parked outside the straight-laced guys house, using his WAP. The straight laced guy comes out and asks what he's doing (no shotgun, must be a different cartoon than the paranoid responder lives in). SLG launches into a tirad about how honest citizens have jobs so that they can pay for things like WIFI, and the CHG responds (with a tear in his eye) "Don't ever change". (or something like that).
Can any of the analogy guys tell me how this is different from me parking (in public parking space) in the shade of "your" tree while I listen to the radio? Sure, I'm soaking up your shade, and listening to a public radio broadcast. I'm not walking into your house, or onto your property. It's none of your business if I'm listening to Howard Stern (naughty), the gospel hour, or the latest pop-tart.
If I'm freaking you out, come out and ask what's up. If I'm listenning to your radio (through an open window), and you don't like it you can "secure" the broadcast (close the window, turn down the tunes).
And this is different from what M$ really does? (I did RTFA but the BS-O-meter pegged several times in the process. M$ users pay to Beta test both the software and the patches).
Security is normally considered to have 3 aspects. Secrecy (or confidentiality), integrity, and availability. (Use the mnenomic "CIA" to remember the three components). While secrecy is (sometimes) important, it is just one part of security.
Oh, did I mentioned that me, and everyone else at the company carry Glock 19's? Yeah, we didn't have any more problems for the rest of the con. Everyone was on their best behaviour. A bunch of fine, upstanding individuals.:)
Ever tried real hard to disappear when your 4 year old kid admonishes a cop (bragging on his new 9mm) for carrying a "girl gun" "like my mom used to use until she learned to shoot"...
Not true. He was not "registered" at that address, he had moved w/out updating his location. Furthermore, he had the girl (alive) for awhile (I forget, days?) after he abducted her. I'd think a blinking "pervert" light 50 yards away from the missing girls address might be a major clue...
...
actually attaching a tracking device to a person, like a tagged animal, would involve so much legal fighting that it would probably end up in the US Supreme court.
Don't they already do this all the time? Doesn't Martha Stewart (among others) a have a bracelet attached so that her location can be monitored? I realize it's not GPS, and that GPS isn't even a good technical solution to this particular problem, but if the courts couch this in terms of "life in jail", or we let you out "early" (after 25 years) so long as you wear/implant this.
Also we don't need to even have a working prototype until at least 25 years from now...
Slashdot Mirror
It does just infect MS OS, but it claims to delete some useful file types also (pdf comes to mind, there are probably more).
(Of course we shouldn't put . in our paths, but many, many people do. I've done it myself. Many of your users have done it, and are still doing it)
How many deaths per mile flown for the shuttle compared to automobile?
The engineers have commented on these slides, and how hastily done they were. The engineers were sure that there would not be a launch, due to the previous night's temperature being below the limit that they had been forced to compromise and accept. When they heard that NASA was pushing to override this, they claim that they had about 10 minutes to grab whatever evidence that they could find and hustle to the conference room for a teleconference.
I have talked to engineers who were in the final meeting, and on the final conference call. Normally the contractor (Morton Thiokol) has to convince the customer (NASA) that it is safe to launch. Thiokol said "NO" and NASA tried to convince them to say yes (bass ackwards). After the final decision of "no" was reached based on the engineers advice, the conference call link was broken and when it was re-established the Thiokol managers had overridden the engineers and said "OK". IIRC the onsight (Florida) Thiokol manager refused to sign the necessary paper work, inferring what had happened when they were off the line. The next guy down the chain signed anyway, so they launched.
It was not a matter of management not understanding, it was a matter of the dollars that would stop flowing from NASA to Morton Thiokol if they scrubbed being worth more than the lives of the 7 astronauts.
An earlier poster had a very insightful analysis of what this meant to the US, and I've often had similar views of what it meant to the engineering profession. At the time I was a newly minted BSEE working for a government contractor. It wasn't geeky to be an engineer, it was actually cool and somewhat respected. This doesn't seem to be the case today.
They have oil?
as far as you know...
Where does an 807 pound gorilla sleep?
I never did figure out what the word Pentium meant. Could you enlighten me?
ntxt
If Apple hadn't based OS-X on Free BSD, I would still hate Macs and I'd be running some flavor of Linux on some intel/AMD laptop. Using the powerbook, I've discovered that there's lots of other neat (Apple) stuff there. We're going to need a new computer at home soon, and the cheapskate in me is thinking linux, but the geek in me is thinking Mac (command line for me, GUI just like at the elementary school and educational games available for the kids). If Mac wasn't available, I would have already bought a new Linux box.
get? That's a good one. Everybody knows we've had RFID in the currency for a long time. In fact, being able to "follow the money" using RFID was one of the first steps in showing that the moon landings were faked...
There is an older SF book by Connie Willis titled "Remake". There's a plot synopsis here. The plot itself didn't do much for me, but the main character's job was to re-edit movies to take out the non-PC parts. (IIRC, he had a hard time taking the smoking and drinking out of Casbalancaa, for example). Of course, he'd have to re-edit to take out, or put back in, various bits as the thought police changed their minds about what was good and what was evil.
There will be adopters.
(Only being able to use it above -20F might be a problem in my area.)
Bob
You have a hand-pump? We had to search the gutter for a thrown away fast food straw, and use that to suck a little gas up and spit it in the carb...
In the mid to late '80s the rules for a SCIF were concerned with the sounds being picked up through a glass window (vibrations). At least that's what they told us when they stuck us in the basement. This would have been about '87 or so.
Can any of the analogy guys tell me how this is different from me parking (in public parking space) in the shade of "your" tree while I listen to the radio? Sure, I'm soaking up your shade, and listening to a public radio broadcast. I'm not walking into your house, or onto your property. It's none of your business if I'm listening to Howard Stern (naughty), the gospel hour, or the latest pop-tart. If I'm freaking you out, come out and ask what's up. If I'm listenning to your radio (through an open window), and you don't like it you can "secure" the broadcast (close the window, turn down the tunes).
You could also go to Yahoo, search for click fraud, and click on the add there (it's down a screen or so).
Longhorn, coming soon...
Clears up common misconception re: GPL
And this is different from what M$ really does? (I did RTFA but the BS-O-meter pegged several times in the process. M$ users pay to Beta test both the software and the patches).
Security is normally considered to have 3 aspects. Secrecy (or confidentiality), integrity, and availability. (Use the mnenomic "CIA" to remember the three components). While secrecy is (sometimes) important, it is just one part of security.
Not true. He was not "registered" at that address, he had moved w/out updating his location. Furthermore, he had the girl (alive) for awhile (I forget, days?) after he abducted her. I'd think a blinking "pervert" light 50 yards away from the missing girls address might be a major clue...
Also we don't need to even have a working prototype until at least 25 years from now...