Not saying to devalidate your post (which is true) but for the concerned, Apple Open Firmware/EFI Password can be enabled by following instructions at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352 . If I had a laptop instead of desktop, I would enable it directly.
Blocks the ability to use the "C" key to start up from an optical disc. Blocks the ability to use the "N" key to start up from a NetBoot server. Blocks the ability to use the "T" key to start up in Target Disk Mode (on computers that offer this feature). Blocks the ability to start up in Verbose mode by pressing the Command-V key combination during startup. Block the ability to start up a system in Single-user mode by pressing the Command-S key combination during startup. Blocks a reset of Parameter RAM (PRAM) by pressing the Command-Option-P-R key combination during startup. Requires the password to use the Startup Manager, accessed by pressing the Option key during startup (see below). Requires the password to enter commands after starting up in Open Firmware, which is done by pressing the Command-Option-O-F key combination during startup. Blocks the ability to start up in Safe Boot mode by pressing the Shift key during startup.
I alerted a developer about a similar theoretical issue (written on a blog) hitting his program on OS X, he thanked me and he said he will fix it to prevent negative press while one would have much more serious problem if someone sits on his chair issuing commands.
I guess this exploit is similar too and I bet Apple will either take it serious or won't bother shipping a hotfix at all.
I bet they will run a "troll meter" like thing to decide:)
There are 3 antivirus programs on OS X which are even higher priced than Windows versions using end users CPU on an OS without any known self propagating virus/worm.
All those 3 uses considerable amounts of CPU while claiming they use "Heuristics".
These kinds of issues are happening on all operating systems while I am sure a good commercial antivirus claiming true heuristics would create circus on desktop if one tries to exploit something like that.
Users of these 3 antiviruses (newly released Avast doesn't count, Clam doesn't count) should use it as a benchmark to see if they are sparing their CPU cycles to nothing or not. These kinds of basic issues are great to use as a benchmark of security tools. Especially companies I should say.
If something is coded in a true multiplatform framework, it ships on _every_ platform that Framework supports. Mono gang is just being abused by Microsoft to claim their junk is multiplatform.
If Nokia had brain to use a true multiplatform framework, that "Maps downloader" could work inside ANY BROWSER of ANY OS. It is so sad that MS manages to trap people even in age of 2008. Of course, some must be clever and get paid for it. I am worried about the actual naive ones thinking MS would produce or let produce anything equal to their pyramid scheme named Windows.
I didn't see Apple buying out companies or sold out developers to inject their patented code/spec traps to Linux distros. I didn't see Apple spreading FUD about their "possible patent infringements" on any OS too. Apple shipped the first ever GUI Desktop back in 1980s compared to MS in 1995. Guess how many patents they have on GUI, end user interaction. Did you hear them spreading FUD about Linux?
Lets see... Nokia just shipped "Nokia Maps Downloader" application which is not absolutely photoshop class complex application. It is coded in.NET 3.0 . Where is the Linux version so people having same functionality as Windows will run?
Look to REAL WORLD, not some Mono blogs or Mono clone coders friends applications who are hosted at Novell themselves.
Apple's users doesn't like Microsoft OS but some good things from Microsoft such as Office package is chart topper on Amazon Top 10 software list. Don't get fooled by Slashdot comments, see the actual download numbers on general user profile sites.
Microsoft and Apple relations have nothing to do with Novell and Microsoft partnership. For example, Apple sees the web developers and others insist on using Verdana etc. fonts. They PAY to Microsoft to get those fonts while Microsoft pays them for Truetype which is an Apple invention. Or you can see Microsoft being responsible for thousands of Apple G5 Workstation sales thanks to XBox 360 SDK and their media guys. It is a healthy relationship with well planned borders.
Novell on other hand was almost on verge of crashing financially before dealing with Microsoft and does things which are never fit to Linux in any sense. Setting up a relationship with the company who spends billions for their own wannabe Java (.NET) to make sure companies stay with their own buggy, badly architecture OS and hiring its clone author as CTO allowing him to post "XBox 360 is great", "MS OOXML is great" type junk doesn't help their image at all.
What does Microsoft do with a Linux distributor at first place? Especially after the stock board of that distributor was filled with Chapter 11 rumours until they ink the deal? Did you see their CTO Blog? Does that guy have any other job than cloning MS trojan technologies to Linuxland? I have even seen they tried to port.NET to Apple iPhone and guy cheering about it. WTF has Apple iPhone have anything to do with Linux, Novell or more importantly,.NET?!
One basic question. Is Mono and Moonlight a selected by default option or not?
I would use original XP or Vista rather than a thing which is made by their cloning partners. At least they are original.
If my ISP prevented me from downloading a GNU ISO, I would use my last 4 remaining hours with them to search for another ISP and change to it rather than hitting a busy FTP server.
Not theoretically speaking, I gave up my Cable ISP when they refused to update my DOCSIS modem firmware. It took 4 hours to order a US Robotics DSL modem and open account on a DSL provider.
I use OS X as my only OS for years and when I read "OpenSUSE released", I immediately think about possible inclusion of Mono and Silverlight clone (whatever they call) in standard installation.
While it could be my evil way of thinking, it is certainly a very serious image problem for SUSE.
OS X Fink Project has documented why they use experimental "pangocairo" tree on their Wiki. Although Linux reasons could be different, I kinda feel that it could be related.
My reason to update all Firefox 2.xx to 3.xx on OS X was the Cairo which some seems to bitch about. Firefox 2.xx was like the worst performing OS X application I have used in my life. I hated the fact that it doesn't use any features of the World's most accelerated GUI. I also hated that it can't/doesn't use OS X font rendering somehow resulting broken Turkish support.
Now they use Cairo and magically, the font rendering issues, sluggish scrolling are all gone.
Its fans may hate me but besides the extension mechanism, there was no reason to run Firefox until 3.0 released. Now it is a real competitor on OS X which will benefit other browsers too.
The "Apple Hates Bug Filers" title is not flamebait, once you went to report bugs of your brand new OS with Intel Mac to Apple, your cookies disappeared literally. Of course, the "Time Machine" was to rescue (in case you use it). It is said to be hotfixed in later versions of OS X 10.5
I noticed it happened once to my PPC Mac on 10.5.3 , couldn't reproduce though. I wonder if your cookies vanish after random amount of time or you visit a specific site randomly?
I tested with the most problematic pages, My Yahoo Beta (notice the B) and new Yahoo mail. It seems to work fine. I must confess, I used those compatibility hells as benchmark to see if Opera 9.5 is ready or not;)
Japan too. My poor E65 (compared to E90 etc.) was treated like I stole it from Nokia protype lab in various places.
I have very serious concerns about iPhone in Japan. I don't think that 2MP junk cam will do macro to read QR code, Apple itself will be ignorant to include QR code reader, Softbank is secondary class network (It is the Voda JP) which was kinda forced to market when Vodafone crashed.
Oh why Vodafone crashed in Japan? They didn't care about specifics and unique needs of Japanese market. Hear me now Apple? Well iPod will save them.
As an end user of small but popular shareware OS X apps, I know 2 solutions which helped those guys.
1) Make sure the server offering actual file is light httpd (Cocoatech does it) 2) Use truly huge thing like Amazon S3 which can stand whatever you can imagine
Funny, I wonder what does Amaazon S3 PR guys do with all the wages they get? Can you imagine the missed PR/Image opportunity? Same goes for cachefly etc. like dedicated services. Lets not forget Akamai too!
As an open source project with high end developers I would expect them to make a tiny getfirefox.exe/.bin/.app which will download firefox over torrent protocol, share up to 1/1 and delete itself while exiting. I get the idea from Blizzard's stuff. It could also count as download or better, it could send "I am done" signal to server. As all in open source, open protocol nobody would get paranoid too. We all guess Apple etc. reasons not to embrace p2p, what is Mozilla's reason? At least it proves even a gigantic organisation like Mozilla can't stand to old fashion file serving.
All Nokias have firmware update option, either on phone, on desktop or service center. It is like insisting to use iPhone first ever released version while Apple fixes load of bugs.
If you have anything in Symbian, you are expected to update its firmware. The stock firmwares sometimes are horrible. I got my E65 updated in service center today, freaking thing became 2x faster.
http://www.soft32.com/download_159680.html "PopOnTop Keyboard 1.05 Pop the keyboard on top at the click of a side button. Keyboard layouts from Qwerty to Dvorak, full screen or part, large keys or small, upright or sideways - even design your own!"
I bet there are better solutions but it is really hard to find "Dvorak" in mobile phone thanks to that guy named Dvorak.
That is the bonus of being able to install anything you like unlike some other device claims to be smart;)
I was desperately wondering why people in USA doesn't take Nokia serious but after months of watching and comparing US market versus Europe, I decided people has _right_ to see iPhone as second coming of Jesus.
How come they never shipped any good thing to USA market? You know what? It will take years and billions of dollars for Nokia to get taken serious in USA. Even technical people get amazed when I show specs of my Nokia E65 (older E66) not knowing Nokia can produce things like that.
I was wondering how come people get impressed by push IMAP in iPhone while my 9300 from 2003 can do it without even asking and I noticed lots of people doesn't even know there is a smart phone (laptop?) like 9300 exists.
Slashdot Mirror
Your users shouldn't have power to disable ARD I think or better, enable SSH. I mean they should be normal user instead of Administrator.
Not saying to devalidate your post (which is true) but for the concerned, Apple Open Firmware/EFI Password can be enabled by following instructions at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352 . If I had a laptop instead of desktop, I would enable it directly.
Blocks the ability to use the "C" key to start up from an optical disc.
Blocks the ability to use the "N" key to start up from a NetBoot server.
Blocks the ability to use the "T" key to start up in Target Disk Mode (on computers that offer this feature).
Blocks the ability to start up in Verbose mode by pressing the Command-V key combination during startup.
Block the ability to start up a system in Single-user mode by pressing the Command-S key combination during startup.
Blocks a reset of Parameter RAM (PRAM) by pressing the Command-Option-P-R key combination during startup.
Requires the password to use the Startup Manager, accessed by pressing the Option key during startup (see below).
Requires the password to enter commands after starting up in Open Firmware, which is done by pressing the Command-Option-O-F key combination during startup.
Blocks the ability to start up in Safe Boot mode by pressing the Shift key during startup.
(Similar stuff on Intel)
I alerted a developer about a similar theoretical issue (written on a blog) hitting his program on OS X, he thanked me and he said he will fix it to prevent negative press while one would have much more serious problem if someone sits on his chair issuing commands.
:)
I guess this exploit is similar too and I bet Apple will either take it serious or won't bother shipping a hotfix at all.
I bet they will run a "troll meter" like thing to decide
There are 3 antivirus programs on OS X which are even higher priced than Windows versions using end users CPU on an OS without any known self propagating virus/worm.
All those 3 uses considerable amounts of CPU while claiming they use "Heuristics".
These kinds of issues are happening on all operating systems while I am sure a good commercial antivirus claiming true heuristics would create circus on desktop if one tries to exploit something like that.
Users of these 3 antiviruses (newly released Avast doesn't count, Clam doesn't count) should use it as a benchmark to see if they are sparing their CPU cycles to nothing or not. These kinds of basic issues are great to use as a benchmark of security tools. Especially companies I should say.
If something is coded in a true multiplatform framework, it ships on _every_ platform that Framework supports. Mono gang is just being abused by Microsoft to claim their junk is multiplatform.
Want to see a multi platform framework? http://azureus.sourceforge.net/
If Nokia had brain to use a true multiplatform framework, that "Maps downloader" could work inside ANY BROWSER of ANY OS. It is so sad that MS manages to trap people even in age of 2008. Of course, some must be clever and get paid for it. I am worried about the actual naive ones thinking MS would produce or let produce anything equal to their pyramid scheme named Windows.
While you joke, I checked the Novell CTO's blog about what he would say about new SUSE.
"Hanging out at Microsoft
I will be at Microsoft on Thursday and Friday, and only have meetings on Thursday afternoon.
I would love to meet other hackers. If you want to meet, discuss, talk, drop me an email:
Posted by Miguel de Icaza on 18 Jun 2008"
http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2008/Jun-18.html
What is it called if something is so sad that you can't even risk joking about it?
I didn't see Apple buying out companies or sold out developers to inject their patented code/spec traps to Linux distros. I didn't see Apple spreading FUD about their "possible patent infringements" on any OS too. Apple shipped the first ever GUI Desktop back in 1980s compared to MS in 1995. Guess how many patents they have on GUI, end user interaction. Did you hear them spreading FUD about Linux?
Well, functionality?
.NET 3.0 . Where is the Linux version so people having same functionality as Windows will run?
Lets see... Nokia just shipped "Nokia Maps Downloader" application which is not absolutely photoshop class complex application. It is coded in
Look to REAL WORLD, not some Mono blogs or Mono clone coders friends applications who are hosted at Novell themselves.
Apple's users doesn't like Microsoft OS but some good things from Microsoft such as Office package is chart topper on Amazon Top 10 software list. Don't get fooled by Slashdot comments, see the actual download numbers on general user profile sites.
Microsoft and Apple relations have nothing to do with Novell and Microsoft partnership. For example, Apple sees the web developers and others insist on using Verdana etc. fonts. They PAY to Microsoft to get those fonts while Microsoft pays them for Truetype which is an Apple invention. Or you can see Microsoft being responsible for thousands of Apple G5 Workstation sales thanks to XBox 360 SDK and their media guys. It is a healthy relationship with well planned borders.
Novell on other hand was almost on verge of crashing financially before dealing with Microsoft and does things which are never fit to Linux in any sense. Setting up a relationship with the company who spends billions for their own wannabe Java (.NET) to make sure companies stay with their own buggy, badly architecture OS and hiring its clone author as CTO allowing him to post "XBox 360 is great", "MS OOXML is great" type junk doesn't help their image at all.
What does Microsoft do with a Linux distributor at first place? Especially after the stock board of that distributor was filled with Chapter 11 rumours until they ink the deal? Did you see their CTO Blog? Does that guy have any other job than cloning MS trojan technologies to Linuxland? I have even seen they tried to port .NET to Apple iPhone and guy cheering about it. WTF has Apple iPhone have anything to do with Linux, Novell or more importantly, .NET?!
One basic question. Is Mono and Moonlight a selected by default option or not?
I would use original XP or Vista rather than a thing which is made by their cloning partners. At least they are original.
If my ISP prevented me from downloading a GNU ISO, I would use my last 4 remaining hours with them to search for another ISP and change to it rather than hitting a busy FTP server.
Not theoretically speaking, I gave up my Cable ISP when they refused to update my DOCSIS modem firmware. It took 4 hours to order a US Robotics DSL modem and open account on a DSL provider.
SUSE managed to differ from other distributions in a political sense after Novell acquistion and MSFT deal.
Now there is SUSE and there are other distros who choose not to be pet of Microsoft. Free choice, guess who wins?
I use OS X as my only OS for years and when I read "OpenSUSE released", I immediately think about possible inclusion of Mono and Silverlight clone (whatever they call) in standard installation.
While it could be my evil way of thinking, it is certainly a very serious image problem for SUSE.
OS X Fink Project has documented why they use experimental "pangocairo" tree on their Wiki. Although Linux reasons could be different, I kinda feel that it could be related.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/5bsmaw
Right now, if you opt-in to use pangocairo Fink tree with current GTK, thousands of things change (while it is safe).
My reason to update all Firefox 2.xx to 3.xx on OS X was the Cairo which some seems to bitch about. Firefox 2.xx was like the worst performing OS X application I have used in my life. I hated the fact that it doesn't use any features of the World's most accelerated GUI. I also hated that it can't/doesn't use OS X font rendering somehow resulting broken Turkish support.
Now they use Cairo and magically, the font rendering issues, sluggish scrolling are all gone.
Its fans may hate me but besides the extension mechanism, there was no reason to run Firefox until 3.0 released. Now it is a real competitor on OS X which will benefit other browsers too.
That Cookie disappeareance has hit the OS X Leopard 10.5.0 Safari in a funnier way. Check that for details:
http://www.unsanity.org/archives/apple/apple_hates_bug_filers.php
The "Apple Hates Bug Filers" title is not flamebait, once you went to report bugs of your brand new OS with Intel Mac to Apple, your cookies disappeared literally. Of course, the "Time Machine" was to rescue (in case you use it). It is said to be hotfixed in later versions of OS X 10.5
I noticed it happened once to my PPC Mac on 10.5.3 , couldn't reproduce though. I wonder if your cookies vanish after random amount of time or you visit a specific site randomly?
I tested with the most problematic pages, My Yahoo Beta (notice the B) and new Yahoo mail. It seems to work fine. I must confess, I used those compatibility hells as benchmark to see if Opera 9.5 is ready or not ;)
Oh anyone can make a torrent file. The issue is, not being offered by the official vendor. Just like they still don't offer an official MSI package.
Japan too. My poor E65 (compared to E90 etc.) was treated like I stole it from Nokia protype lab in various places.
I have very serious concerns about iPhone in Japan. I don't think that 2MP junk cam will do macro to read QR code, Apple itself will be ignorant to include QR code reader, Softbank is secondary class network (It is the Voda JP) which was kinda forced to market when Vodafone crashed.
Oh why Vodafone crashed in Japan? They didn't care about specifics and unique needs of Japanese market. Hear me now Apple? Well iPod will save them.
As an end user of small but popular shareware OS X apps, I know 2 solutions which helped those guys.
1) Make sure the server offering actual file is light httpd (Cocoatech does it)
2) Use truly huge thing like Amazon S3 which can stand whatever you can imagine
Funny, I wonder what does Amaazon S3 PR guys do with all the wages they get? Can you imagine the missed PR/Image opportunity? Same goes for cachefly etc. like dedicated services. Lets not forget Akamai too!
As an open source project with high end developers I would expect them to make a tiny getfirefox.exe/.bin/.app which will download firefox over torrent protocol, share up to 1/1 and delete itself while exiting. I get the idea from Blizzard's stuff.
It could also count as download or better, it could send "I am done" signal to server. As all in open source, open protocol nobody would get paranoid too.
We all guess Apple etc. reasons not to embrace p2p, what is Mozilla's reason?
At least it proves even a gigantic organisation like Mozilla can't stand to old fashion file serving.
All Nokias have firmware update option, either on phone, on desktop or service center. It is like insisting to use iPhone first ever released version while Apple fixes load of bugs.
If you have anything in Symbian, you are expected to update its firmware. The stock firmwares sometimes are horrible. I got my E65 updated in service center today, freaking thing became 2x faster.
In fact if there is a bluetooth "numpad", you can easily use it with these smart phones. They allow ordinary bluetooth desktop keyboards to be used.
(actual keyboard changer/driver)
;)
http://nokia-9210-software.epocware.com/InterKey.html , it is very old but proves that it can be done on Symbian.
http://www.soft32.com/download_159680.html
"PopOnTop Keyboard 1.05
Pop the keyboard on top at the click of a side button. Keyboard layouts from Qwerty to Dvorak, full screen or part, large keys or small, upright or sideways - even design your own!"
I bet there are better solutions but it is really hard to find "Dvorak" in mobile phone thanks to that guy named Dvorak.
That is the bonus of being able to install anything you like unlike some other device claims to be smart
I was desperately wondering why people in USA doesn't take Nokia serious but after months of watching and comparing US market versus Europe, I decided people has _right_ to see iPhone as second coming of Jesus.
How come they never shipped any good thing to USA market? You know what? It will take years and billions of dollars for Nokia to get taken serious in USA. Even technical people get amazed when I show specs of my Nokia E65 (older E66) not knowing Nokia can produce things like that.
I was wondering how come people get impressed by push IMAP in iPhone while my 9300 from 2003 can do it without even asking and I noticed lots of people doesn't even know there is a smart phone (laptop?) like 9300 exists.