China, as a country specifically was given code (I recall articles here about it) and it is known to launch cyber-attacks against windows specifically (also via articles here on slashdot).
I think the fact that you can buy windows code for $20 is also a very good point.
The critical flaws that were reported this year in Office products:
* Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution (MS07-002)
* Microsoft Outlook Remote Code Execution (MS07-003)
* Microsoft Word Remote Code Execution (MS07-014)
* Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution (MS07-015)
* Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution (MS07-023)
* Microsoft Word Remote Code Execution (MS07-024)
* Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution (MS07-025)
* Microsoft Outlook Express and Windows Mail (MS07-034)
* Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution (MS07-036)
* Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution (MS07-044)
* Adobe Reader and Acrobat Remote Code Execution (APSB07-18)
* Adobe Reader and Acrobat Cross Site Scripting (APSA07-01)
C2.2 Operating Systems Affected
Windows 9x, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista, MacOS X are all vulnerable depending on the version of Office software installed.
While all operating systems are affected... Linux has two mentions on the entire page while other operating systems just go on and on and on.
With Open source, MANY eyes are looking at it finding problems and fixing them.
With Closed source, FEW eyes are looking at it-- are probably only focused on bugs and enhancements that will return new revenue, and may remain unaware of exploits for long periods of time. For example, some zero day flaws get extensive script libraries written to take advantage of them before they are discovered.
Hackers, the real ones (who are very few) can see the windows assembler and C code via disassemblers and debuggers anyway.
At least some of them probably have access to Windows code. (It's not really that secret- several companies have copies of the code including China which is known to launch cyber attacks against windows computers)
---
However, from dale carnegie, remember people decide with their emotions and then fit the facts to that.
You need to argue emotionally "Linux is safe because people really care about it and work hard to make it secure-- it's not just 'a job' that some jaded corporate programmer is phoning in".
And you are ignoring known behavior of the RIAA and their agent in taking screen shots of files on another computer and convincing a jury that a screenshot of a program on MY computer proves beyond a reasonable doubt that you were breaking the law on YOUR computer.
Of course it is reasonable to believe someone planted evidence. Evidence gets planted all the time. Cops throw down drugs, guns, etc. and get caught doing it regularly.
Seriously, you would be just the kind of gullible fool I hope isn't on my jury. You remind me of the lady we all argued with for a few hours who finally said, "But the defense hasn't PROVED the defendent is innocent!"
I agree with you- a good lawyer can get an ignorant jury to convict you of anything. They don't have a clue that a screenshot you created isn't good evidence of lawbreaking on my computer.
It's the classic "on the internet" problem-- you add "on the internet" to anything and everyone loses all sense of logic and reason.
Yes-- the problem is lying prosecutors and plaintiff lawyers lacking ethics, ignorant defense lawyers, ignorant juries, and lying, lawbreaking, Media Sentry companies fabricating data and not going to jail for a decade over it.
It is unfortunate that you got modded down-- you have a good question.
However, the answer is two fold.
1) The chinese masters are just as good as the masters from other cultures-- they acquire creativity after completely mastering a subject while other cultures use creativity and eventually acquire mastery.
2) The chinese are damn cheap and extremely motivated while other cultures are expensive (not their fault) and lazy (is their fault but partially the fact of growing up in an easier, safer society-- the chinese will get lazy too at some point- just like the japanese did).
---
There are also other differences. The west has largely lost the concept of "shame" and so now individuals are capable of doing anything for their own personal benefit. Thus the creative benefits are lost as that creativity is turned to highly profitable purposes which are extremely destructive to society. Without the "unwritten laws" of shame to keep them in check, we barely view the Bernie Maddoffs as a problem, much less the legal pirates who destroy thousands of lives while keeping hundreds of millions of dollars themselves.
Our creativity has been drawn from science and invention to laws and finance. A generation of the best and the brightest has correctly realized that becoming scientists and teachers is good for society but bad for them personally.
In the end, a smart educated chinese person can do everything a smart educated person from anywhere else can do. And they are much less expensive.
The only problem will be if social unrest breaks out and china kills all the smart people again.
Re:Wow! Who ever would have guessed that!?
on
You Are Not a Lawyer
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
And there is a problem that reasonable people can be convinced by a good lawyer to think an I.P. address is equivalent to a fingerprint and a DNA sample combined when in reality, anyone can take on my I.P. address.
Likewise, the presence of a file called "Sympathy For The Devil.mp3" does not mean that I actually have the song. And likewise, the presence of the song on my computer doesn't mean that I put it there (give me 2 minutes access to your windows computer and I can put stuff on there that would ruin your life-- especially with the new ruling that a cartoon of bart simpson screwing marge simpson is child porn).
People are really ignorant of computers. Computers, and now photographs, and increasingly, video tapes, and just about any kind of evidence can be fabricated. It's amazing to me that they can put Oliver Reed's face on another actor in a movie, yet people still take a video tape as gospel.
It's hard to believe anything any more since DNA tests have shown how often human witnesses are wrong.
It's a good reason for jury nullification (which you should never admit you will do- they'll just strike you- killing your right to jury nullification).
A god could show up tomorrow, start performing miracles and violating known scientific principles.
A god could be wandering around doing actual miracles in the backwaters right now.
Religion most often gets into trouble when it makes a concrete, measurable statement of fact. Because at that point, either the fact is right or wrong and you can test it. Many times the statements are true ( and supported by archeology ) while other stories are impossible ( the entire world was covered in 6 miles of water and everything died except folks in a boat ) and a lot of them are really immeasurable and unprovable ( we live after death ).
Science if I repeat your procedure I will get similar results and/or for theories, that if the theory is true then tests will have certain results.
--- Religions are a bit tricky-- on the one hand, a good religion helps its society prosper. On the other hand, once a society is immune to selectionary pressures, then religion is mainly parasitic.
Evolutionary pressures are affecting the Creation Meme. The versions of the meme which are more effective in the current environment become more common-- some even manage to be taught in schools.
The protective camouflage it developed when it changed its name from "Creationism" to "Intelligent Design" was effective.
I lived through the entire IE game (including the wonderful demo showing IE was not needed and could be easily disabled with a couple registry settings as a rebuttal to Gates testifying under oath that IE was a required and essential part of the windows OS).
I appreciate the up-mod's but it was really just a joke.
When one member of the society starts taking actions which 51% object too, then sooner or later, they will be stopped.
If they use their money and power to stop it from being fixed democratically, it will still be fixed- see Hobbe's Leviathan.
Extending the trend to its logical conclusion, there will be a point where you have one CEO in America, 9,999 unemployed people and either there will be a vote or the CEO will be unprotected at some point when things get ugly and that will be it.
1) It killed a fully geared toon in 10 seconds.
2) It had 2 billion hit points
3) If you did some kind of quest, it woke up, kicked every one's ass in the world and then left the game forever unbeaten.
b) It was beaten on a PVP server-- every server in the game was getting updates as it progressed.
1) They had to have security to fend off any griefers who would try to stop it.
2) They had to prevent anyone from completing the quest
3) They had a lineup of 30 warriors whose job was to step up, get aggro, die.
4) They had a support group big enough to raise those warriors, rebuff them, and get them back in rotation within 300 seconds.
5) It took some ungodly number of *hours* to do this. Every server was getting updates. "7:37pm, Sleeper at 93%" "10:05pm, Sleeper at 52%"
6) A bug or direct intervention by the Developers prevented them from winning the first attempt-- so they had to do it all, then remotivate everyone and do it again after the Devs got jumped on by all of EQ to give them a fair shot.
Still that was only about 600 people (with an audience of a few hundred thousand perhaps). The Eve thing sounds bigger.
I'm using Firefox with adblock and noscript and I wasn't even aware this was an issue since I never get pop-ups.
I guess either adblock or noscript is killing them.
My total set of plugins is Adblock Adblock Filterset.G Updater (I think something may have replaced this so I'm behind there) Flashblock Image Zoom McAfee SiteAdvisor (Not sure where this came from to be honest) No Squint (LOVE THIS) NoScript And WhoIsThisPerson (which I use so infrequently, I should probably drop).
Worked 15 years optimizing software-- took it from a 63,000 line "contractor late on a deadline" mess to a 18,000ish line clean machine. Then a competitor bought our company, boxed the software, closed the company, and tried to take on our customer list (lost 90% of them because they hated our competitor). On a related note, we were told everything was okay and we would remain in business- I left immediately and it was 5 months later that they shut us down. Our business was profitable too.. made about half a million profit a year and employed about 200 people.
While at that company... we converted computers. I worked my ass off. I worked about 72 hours a week for two months. At the end of that period, they gave me a $50 bonus and half a Friday off. I have never let a company do that to me since and it's been almost 20 years and I am now a low level manager. The time to get bonuses negotiated is up front. If they won't promise hard cash up front, I'll do a good solid non-heroic job.
Young pups willingly give up the time of their life that they are the healthiest, in the best shape, and even smell and taste better than they will by the time they get to my age. You can't give up your life for a company.
When I went to CFL, I had to a) use more of them b) use higher ratings (75w CFL vs 60w Incandescent) for the light to "feel" right*.
For one room, I have two 5 bulb silver "hydra" lights. When I'm alone one will do but when we are playing games, we have to pump the light up with all 10 bulbs for it to be comfortable.
The 60 watt bulbs put out a dismal light that lacks radiance and is very directional.
I finally found the perfect place for them-- my porch lights. They are on all the time at a fraction of the cost- I'm only there for a little while and only need them to show me no one is lurking there and to help me find my keys.
Ironically, I bought a couple "button" lights (much cheaper with 5 "superbright" LED's) that produce much more "glowy" light.
The biggest problem with LED's is that they are very direction and lack the ability to "fill" an area with light. I think normal LED's put out intensity "X" and it doesn't really "Add". You could cover the walls with LED's and the room would still be dim.
I dislike CFL's but not badly. I typically use 4 CFL's and then throw in one incandescent bulb to alter the quality of the light to be friendlier.
The problem is they back into it and still end up with throttling.
1) We will allow full speed downloading except with a speed dependent service needs a little QOS luvin.
2) We fail to upgrade our system as the speed dependent services become more and more common (you tube for example, online games with more and more features as another example, voip and then voip + video messaging, and so on)
3) Now we are giving QOS luvin to 70% of our traffic and restricting your evil downloading (which was originally 99% of the traffic with 1% of email) to 30% of the bandwidth. You never ever get the speed you expect any more.
Slashdot Mirror
Several "countries" have access to the code.
China, as a country specifically was given code (I recall articles here about it) and it is known to launch cyber-attacks against windows specifically (also via articles here on slashdot).
I think the fact that you can buy windows code for $20 is also a very good point.
I think the author's guild loses this one.
http://www.sans.org/top20/#z1
The critical flaws that were reported this year in Office products:
* Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution (MS07-002)
* Microsoft Outlook Remote Code Execution (MS07-003)
* Microsoft Word Remote Code Execution (MS07-014)
* Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution (MS07-015)
* Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution (MS07-023)
* Microsoft Word Remote Code Execution (MS07-024)
* Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution (MS07-025)
* Microsoft Outlook Express and Windows Mail (MS07-034)
* Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution (MS07-036)
* Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution (MS07-044)
* Adobe Reader and Acrobat Remote Code Execution (APSB07-18)
* Adobe Reader and Acrobat Cross Site Scripting (APSA07-01)
C2.2 Operating Systems Affected
Windows 9x, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista, MacOS X are all vulnerable depending on the version of Office software installed.
While all operating systems are affected...
Linux has two mentions on the entire page while other operating systems just go on and on and on.
With Open source, MANY eyes are looking at it finding problems and fixing them.
With Closed source, FEW eyes are looking at it-- are probably only focused on bugs and enhancements that will return new revenue, and may remain unaware of exploits for long periods of time. For example, some zero day flaws get extensive script libraries written to take advantage of them before they are discovered.
Hackers, the real ones (who are very few) can see the windows assembler and C code via disassemblers and debuggers anyway.
At least some of them probably have access to Windows code. (It's not really that secret- several companies have copies of the code including China which is known to launch cyber attacks against windows computers)
---
However, from dale carnegie, remember people decide with their emotions and then fit the facts to that.
You need to argue emotionally "Linux is safe because people really care about it and work hard to make it secure-- it's not just 'a job' that some jaded corporate programmer is phoning in".
And what happened to them?
But yea- you have a point. They are well along the path.
And you are ignoring known behavior of the RIAA and their agent in taking screen shots of files on another computer and convincing a jury that a screenshot of a program on MY computer proves beyond a reasonable doubt that you were breaking the law on YOUR computer.
Of course it is reasonable to believe someone planted evidence. Evidence gets planted all the time. Cops throw down drugs, guns, etc. and get caught doing it regularly.
Seriously, you would be just the kind of gullible fool I hope isn't on my jury. You remind me of the lady we all argued with for a few hours who finally said, "But the defense hasn't PROVED the defendent is innocent!"
I agree with you- a good lawyer can get an ignorant jury to convict you of anything. They don't have a clue that a screenshot you created isn't good evidence of lawbreaking on my computer.
It's the classic "on the internet" problem-- you add "on the internet" to anything and everyone loses all sense of logic and reason.
Yes-- the problem is lying prosecutors and plaintiff lawyers lacking ethics, ignorant defense lawyers, ignorant juries, and lying, lawbreaking, Media Sentry companies fabricating data and not going to jail for a decade over it.
It is unfortunate that you got modded down-- you have a good question.
However, the answer is two fold.
1) The chinese masters are just as good as the masters from other cultures-- they acquire creativity after completely mastering a subject while other cultures use creativity and eventually acquire mastery.
2) The chinese are damn cheap and extremely motivated while other cultures are expensive (not their fault) and lazy (is their fault but partially the fact of growing up in an easier, safer society-- the chinese will get lazy too at some point- just like the japanese did).
---
There are also other differences. The west has largely lost the concept of "shame" and so now individuals are capable of doing anything for their own personal benefit. Thus the creative benefits are lost as that creativity is turned to highly profitable purposes which are extremely destructive to society. Without the "unwritten laws" of shame to keep them in check, we barely view the Bernie Maddoffs as a problem, much less the legal pirates who destroy thousands of lives while keeping hundreds of millions of dollars themselves.
Our creativity has been drawn from science and invention to laws and finance. A generation of the best and the brightest has correctly realized that becoming scientists and teachers is good for society but bad for them personally.
In the end, a smart educated chinese person can do everything a smart educated person from anywhere else can do. And they are much less expensive.
The only problem will be if social unrest breaks out and china kills all the smart people again.
And there is a problem that reasonable people can be convinced by a good lawyer to think an I.P. address is equivalent to a fingerprint and a DNA sample combined when in reality, anyone can take on my I.P. address.
Likewise, the presence of a file called "Sympathy For The Devil.mp3" does not mean that I actually have the song. And likewise, the presence of the song on my computer doesn't mean that I put it there (give me 2 minutes access to your windows computer and I can put stuff on there that would ruin your life-- especially with the new ruling that a cartoon of bart simpson screwing marge simpson is child porn).
People are really ignorant of computers. Computers, and now photographs, and increasingly, video tapes, and just about any kind of evidence can be fabricated. It's amazing to me that they can put Oliver Reed's face on another actor in a movie, yet people still take a video tape as gospel.
It's hard to believe anything any more since DNA tests have shown how often human witnesses are wrong.
It's a good reason for jury nullification (which you should never admit you will do- they'll just strike you- killing your right to jury nullification).
Nothing in science says gods do not exist.
A god could show up tomorrow, start performing miracles and violating known scientific principles.
A god could be wandering around doing actual miracles in the backwaters right now.
Religion most often gets into trouble when it makes a concrete, measurable statement of fact. Because at that point, either the fact is right or wrong and you can test it. Many times the statements are true ( and supported by archeology ) while other stories are impossible ( the entire world was covered in 6 miles of water and everything died except folks in a boat ) and a lot of them are really immeasurable and unprovable ( we live after death ).
Science if I repeat your procedure I will get similar results and/or for theories, that if the theory is true then tests will have certain results.
---
Religions are a bit tricky-- on the one hand, a good religion helps its society prosper. On the other hand, once a society is immune to selectionary pressures, then religion is mainly parasitic.
Evolutionary pressures are affecting the Creation Meme. The versions of the meme which are more effective in the current environment become more common-- some even manage to be taught in schools.
The protective camouflage it developed when it changed its name from "Creationism" to "Intelligent Design" was effective.
It was sarcasm....
I lived through the entire IE game (including the wonderful demo showing IE was not needed and could be easily disabled with a couple registry settings as a rebuttal to Gates testifying under oath that IE was a required and essential part of the windows OS).
I appreciate the up-mod's but it was really just a joke.
Which is evidence that we need to reduce the human population by 50%, not agreement by scientists that we need to cut carbon emissions.
He would like to but the references were unfortunately lost in a hard drive melt down.
You just need to trust him on this.
Picard surrendered too much for my tastes.
Kirk's solution was usually to confuse the computer, seduce the girl, or violate the prime directive.
Picard's solution often seemed to be "I surrender".
I think his total surrenders were only four, but the 4th came fast enough that I lost a bit of interest and respect for the character.
Well of course, because IE, MSN, Media Player, Word, etc. are all essential parts of the operating system, not applications.
We are in a democracy.
When one member of the society starts taking actions which 51% object too, then sooner or later, they will be stopped.
If they use their money and power to stop it from being fixed democratically, it will still be fixed- see Hobbe's Leviathan.
Extending the trend to its logical conclusion, there will be a point where you have one CEO in America, 9,999 unemployed people and either there will be a vote or the CEO will be unprotected at some point when things get ugly
and that will be it.
Killing the Sleeper was the EQ equivalent.
a) It was supposed to be impossible by design.
1) It killed a fully geared toon in 10 seconds.
2) It had 2 billion hit points
3) If you did some kind of quest, it woke up, kicked every one's ass in the world and then left the game forever unbeaten.
b) It was beaten on a PVP server-- every server in the game was getting updates as it progressed.
1) They had to have security to fend off any griefers who would try to stop it.
2) They had to prevent anyone from completing the quest
3) They had a lineup of 30 warriors whose job was to step up, get aggro, die.
4) They had a support group big enough to raise those warriors, rebuff them, and get them back in rotation within 300 seconds.
5) It took some ungodly number of *hours* to do this. Every server was getting updates. "7:37pm, Sleeper at 93%" "10:05pm, Sleeper at 52%"
6) A bug or direct intervention by the Developers prevented them from winning the first attempt-- so they had to do it all, then remotivate everyone and do it again after the Devs got jumped on by all of EQ to give them a fair shot.
Still that was only about 600 people (with an audience of a few hundred thousand perhaps). The Eve thing sounds bigger.
So about 10% profit per employee each and every year.
Until the competitor bought us, corporations traded us for the cash flow.
I'm using Firefox with adblock and noscript and I wasn't even aware this was an issue since I never get pop-ups.
I guess either adblock or noscript is killing them.
My total set of plugins is
Adblock
Adblock Filterset.G Updater (I think something may have replaced this so I'm behind there)
Flashblock
Image Zoom
McAfee SiteAdvisor (Not sure where this came from to be honest)
No Squint (LOVE THIS)
NoScript
And WhoIsThisPerson (which I use so infrequently, I should probably drop).
At home, add DownloadHelper.
Any suggestions for plugins that I might love?
Yup...
Worked 15 years optimizing software-- took it from a 63,000 line "contractor late on a deadline" mess to a 18,000ish line clean machine. Then a competitor bought our company, boxed the software, closed the company, and tried to take on our customer list (lost 90% of them because they hated our competitor). On a related note, we were told everything was okay and we would remain in business- I left immediately and it was 5 months later that they shut us down. Our business was profitable too.. made about half a million profit a year and employed about 200 people.
While at that company... we converted computers. I worked my ass off. I worked about 72 hours a week for two months. At the end of that period, they gave me a $50 bonus and half a Friday off. I have never let a company do that to me since and it's been almost 20 years and I am now a low level manager. The time to get bonuses negotiated is up front. If they won't promise hard cash up front, I'll do a good solid non-heroic job.
Young pups willingly give up the time of their life that they are the healthiest, in the best shape, and even smell and taste better than they will by the time they get to my age. You can't give up your life for a company.
And the problem is that the training in America leaves you $50k in debt while the training in india or china leaves you $5k (or less) in debt.
A root problem is the insane inflation of our training and college costs over the last two decades.
The local *high school* supervisor apparently makes $360,000 PLUS a $80k bonus.
That's completely unreasonable.
I think TIME at least is having problems too.
Even with ads, it has been extremely thin lately.
What an incredibly odd mod-down.
He asked.. and I stated a fact.
Can't see the type of mod down. wierd.
Yo.
When I went to CFL, I had to
a) use more of them
b) use higher ratings (75w CFL vs 60w Incandescent) for the light to "feel" right*.
For one room, I have two 5 bulb silver "hydra" lights. When I'm alone one will do but when we are playing games, we have to pump the light up with all 10 bulbs for it to be comfortable.
*And i still had to mix in one incandescent.
I own two LED lights (one "warm", one "cool").
The 60 watt bulbs put out a dismal light that lacks radiance and is very directional.
I finally found the perfect place for them-- my porch lights. They are on all the time at a fraction of the cost- I'm only there for a little while and only need them to show me no one is lurking there and to help me find my keys.
Ironically, I bought a couple "button" lights (much cheaper with 5 "superbright" LED's) that produce much more "glowy" light.
The biggest problem with LED's is that they are very direction and lack the ability to "fill" an area with light. I think normal LED's put out intensity "X" and it doesn't really "Add". You could cover the walls with LED's and the room would still be dim.
I dislike CFL's but not badly. I typically use 4 CFL's and then throw in one incandescent bulb to alter the quality of the light to be friendlier.
The problem is they back into it and still end up with throttling.
1) We will allow full speed downloading except with a speed dependent service needs a little QOS luvin.
2) We fail to upgrade our system as the speed dependent services become more and more common (you tube for example, online games with more and more features as another example, voip and then voip + video messaging, and so on)
3) Now we are giving QOS luvin to 70% of our traffic and restricting your evil downloading (which was originally 99% of the traffic with 1% of email) to 30% of the bandwidth. You never ever get the speed you expect any more.