surely if a rootkit is running with LUA privs, it wouldn't be able to hide itself?
Too bad there are lazy software companies pulling this kind of shit. The developer's link to this piece of shit "patch" is listed under the headline "Convekta's products are compatible with Windows Vista !!!" (just disable the single most important security feature of the OS). I'd bet that over half of all Vista boxes will have LUA disabled within 12 months of installation. What do you have then? A new OS with the security enhancements removed and untested code running in "every user is a superuser" mode, just like XP without the 6 years of bugfixes. Don't tell me XP has limited accounts; using XP under a limited account takes more effort than using Linux ever did.
The only thing keeping the malware writers away from Vista so far is its piss-poor market penetration, not its security enhancements.
Thank you for inquiring about Skype service. Please let me be you informed about our respect for the privacy of you. Skype wants only good things for the customers of Skype and only uses information for good things, not bad things.
Sincerely, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon Skype. Take a deep breath.
P.S. Now that you have a deep breath taken, you should really see a doctor about that rash and ask your daughter about where she's *really* going this weekend (hint: it's not the Tijihuana Bible Camp). And whatever you do, don't ever come home early on a Wednesday unless you want a nasty surprise. That's the day the missus "gets the carpet cleaned."
Apple's CEO just said that they will make all the music they sell DRM-free if the labels allow them to. Where is the spin here?
and I say that if I wake up in the morning and start shitting solid gold bricks I'll buy every homeless person a beer. Can I claim to be fighting poverty now?
Saying 'I'd love to do X, except {hopelessly impossible event Y} isn't happening,' does not prove desire to acually do X. I won't assert that Steve's lying in this particular case, but he does have a history of manipulating (some may say distorting) reality to present the image that he wants. Anything from the mouth of Jobs needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt and an anti-RDF device.
The article is dead wrong on that point. Existing drugs certainly can be patented. Look at Adderall. It was used for years as an appetite suppressant under the name Obetrol. A company comes along (not even the one that did initial development), does a little clinical research (much less than for a new drug; after all, potential side effects were already well known because of previous clinical and field studies), and repantents the identical formulation for treatment of ADHD. Adderall is now sold for $3 per pill for virtually zero R & D. This company's current research in the are is focused on developing a new delivery system for the same drug that serves only to throttle the release of the drug into the bloodstream. Not only will this renew the patent, but will make generic Adderall a non-starter because the DEA will likely place it on the schedule I list. Yay for innovation!
Something similar happened when Eli Lilly's patent for Prozac neared expiration. It was indicated for severe PMS symptoms and repatented as Sarafem for treatment of that condition. I'd bet that was the reason GlaxoSmithKline renamed Wellbutrin to Zyban when it was used as an aid to smoking cessation, but I think that they did not get a new patent for that one, although they may be able to pull it off for seasonal affective disorder treatment.
Repeat after me: "current international patent laws stifle pharmaceutical research." There is too much potential benefit for companied to make minor (or nonexistent) formulation changes to existing drugs to effectively renew an existing patent. Why on earth would a big pharma corporation place its future in the hands of an untested, potentially dangerous drug that requires massive R & D when they can get the same patent protection for existing drugs.
If this drug has the potential that the article claims, you can bet it'll have a patent slapped on it in no time.
What support nightmare for Microsoft? It'll be a support nightmare for OEMs (or, more precisely, the overseas outsourcing companies that the OEMs hire).
Last I checked, Linux took the role of the HURD and uses GNU tools.
Shit. When did Linux turn into a perpetually "almost ready, really soon now, honest we mean it" kernel? Why wasn't I notified earlier?
Last I checked, Stallman refuses to refer to anything besides the kernel as "Linux" so he really doesn't have anything to do with "Linux." Hence the GP's title. The license that Linus chooses for his kernel is irrelevant to Stallman. After all, Stallman can simply finish shitting out that kernel that he's been grunting about for years.
As you might imagine, we are upset at Abraham Lincoln for not being more hardy against such bullets, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it. -- JWB
First, it would require access to the manufacturing process of an insanely popular consumer product. I can't think of anything other than iPod specifically that has nearly the same penetration, so that narrows it down. It takes some effort to get such access. Introducing the exploit over the Internet from Eastern European Country X requires much less effort. It also exposes the individual to a high level of risk that either the individual will get caught or the exploit will simply be discovered and removed prior to product shipment. Again releasing over the Internet from Eastern European Country X does not pose such risk.
Second, unless the botherd discovered the exploit themselves, then it was baught in some shady IRC channel. It is unlikey that they can get exclusive rights to the code from the author for a period of months. After exposing themselves to the risk of getting caught and patiently waiting for months for the manufacturer to finish production, they discover to their horror that another botherd had released the exploit into the wild over the Internet from Eastern European Country X. Fuck.
So the only potential that this has as a distribution mechanism for a zero-day exploit is when a botherd discovers the exploit themselves and already has access to the manufacturing process of a product that has deeper market penetration than the Internet.
Simply because MS can't do anything like this back to Apple.
Yeah right. It'll catch up with Apple when their fanboys rush out to buy a Zune next month.
Oh wait...
True. We need to train the beat cops to recognize a higher than average concentration of pasty-faced cave-dwellers outside as a warning sign and radio in to the Department of Internet Police Secure Homeland Infrastructure Task Squad.
Learning how to socialize is the most important part of school.
I would agree except that the socialization that occurs at most universities bears no resemblance whatsoever to the socialization involved in the business world (unless your boss does kegstands and gravity bongs at lunch). The social structure of today's schools is broken. You'd be better off getting your social skills at Star Trek conventions and the SCA circuit.
College is also about social interaction and trying new things. College should be about learning, not socializing, binge drinking, wanton promiscuity, or what have you. Somewhere along the way, it became accepted that every single person had to graduate from college to be successful and it became an extension of high school. Then all the immature and ignorant kids left their uptight parents' house, and lacking anything better to do (15 hours of class is a full load?) turned it into Animal House.
That along the idea of bullshit "core courses" being required for me to get a "well rounded" education is precisely why I don't have a college degree. I'm getting along fine without it and refuse to put up with 4 years of High School Part 2 just to get to graduate school. Books don't get any less informative just because they're not being regurgitated onto a chalkboard for you.
Actually they're (not singular "it's") "LEGO bricks", not "LEGOs" or "LEGO." That doesn't keep me from calling them LEGOs, though. It's just that if your going to be a pedantic asshole, you might as well be a correct pedantic asshole.
I love the picture at the bottom of Dana Hansen, manager of wireless networks for the city. She stares victoriously into the distance, hands on hips, and proudly proclaims "Our radios didn't work in the building... The SWAT team had to do a workaround."
Religion is a wonderful excuse for war. Other than a means for war, religion also serves as a way for those in power to control the populace. Telling people that their suffering today will lead to an eternity of heaven keeps them content even in their misery.
Your assertion that religious wars cause more deaths than cancer, however, are wholly unfounded. WHO estimates that in 2000, 6.2 million people died of cancer. If the cancer rates are about equal and the average population of the 20th century is around 3 billion (conservative since we started the century with nearly 2 billion people), there would be around 300 million deaths due to cancer. Even if you count the regimes of Stalin and Mao Zedong as wars the total for the 20th century is around 142 Million. As well as war kills, it doesn't do nearly as good of a job as disease. Although religion's fear of science hasn't helped medical research a whole lot.
The problem with actively participating in either of the US political parties is that their primary (and pretty much only) goal is to beat the other candidate in the next election. This stems from the first-to-the pole election process that is amplified by the electoral college and gerrymandering. The senior members of both parties need not concern themselves with the needs of the people as long as both parties consistently ignore those needs. No amount of "participation" at the grassroots level will change this because any effort that does not lead to "beating the other candidate" is considered wasted effort (just as voting for a different party is considered a wasted vote).
Consider the 2004 presidential elections where the 2 candidates were virtually indistinguishable from each other despite the absurd rhetoric that both parties bandied about to the contrary. Can you identify which candidate was the rich, white, male, Yale-educated war criminal? How about which candidate is a member of the Skull and Bones?
Until something drastic changes, or unless there's a compelling reason to vote at the local level, I'm casting my vote for apathy by contributing to low voter turnout.
Slashdot Mirror
"Cheney Staffer Dispatched to Research Definition of 'Vegan'"
Implementing a horrible idea that is doomed to failure because they still think they're the only game in town? Cingular really is the new AT&T.
Too bad there are lazy software companies pulling this kind of shit. The developer's link to this piece of shit "patch" is listed under the headline "Convekta's products are compatible with Windows Vista !!!" (just disable the single most important security feature of the OS). I'd bet that over half of all Vista boxes will have LUA disabled within 12 months of installation. What do you have then? A new OS with the security enhancements removed and untested code running in "every user is a superuser" mode, just like XP without the 6 years of bugfixes. Don't tell me XP has limited accounts; using XP under a limited account takes more effort than using Linux ever did.
The only thing keeping the malware writers away from Vista so far is its piss-poor market penetration, not its security enhancements.
I tried your suggestion and had to immediately run for the plunger; and now I also have a pretty bad rash. Thanks jerk.
Dear Mr. Simpson,
Thank you for inquiring about Skype service. Please let me be you informed about our respect for the privacy of you. Skype wants only good things for the customers of Skype and only uses information for good things, not bad things.
Sincerely,
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Skype. Take a deep breath.
P.S.
Now that you have a deep breath taken, you should really see a doctor about that rash and ask your daughter about where she's *really* going this weekend (hint: it's not the Tijihuana Bible Camp). And whatever you do, don't ever come home early on a Wednesday unless you want a nasty surprise. That's the day the missus "gets the carpet cleaned."
and I say that if I wake up in the morning and start shitting solid gold bricks I'll buy every homeless person a beer. Can I claim to be fighting poverty now?
Saying 'I'd love to do X, except {hopelessly impossible event Y} isn't happening,' does not prove desire to acually do X. I won't assert that Steve's lying in this particular case, but he does have a history of manipulating (some may say distorting) reality to present the image that he wants. Anything from the mouth of Jobs needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt and an anti-RDF device.
Something similar happened when Eli Lilly's patent for Prozac neared expiration. It was indicated for severe PMS symptoms and repatented as Sarafem for treatment of that condition. I'd bet that was the reason GlaxoSmithKline renamed Wellbutrin to Zyban when it was used as an aid to smoking cessation, but I think that they did not get a new patent for that one, although they may be able to pull it off for seasonal affective disorder treatment.
Repeat after me: "current international patent laws stifle pharmaceutical research." There is too much potential benefit for companied to make minor (or nonexistent) formulation changes to existing drugs to effectively renew an existing patent. Why on earth would a big pharma corporation place its future in the hands of an untested, potentially dangerous drug that requires massive R & D when they can get the same patent protection for existing drugs.
If this drug has the potential that the article claims, you can bet it'll have a patent slapped on it in no time.
But if it bounces, it's a meteorite for sure.
What support nightmare for Microsoft? It'll be a support nightmare for OEMs (or, more precisely, the overseas outsourcing companies that the OEMs hire).
may George W. Bush drink the blood of every man, woman and child in Iraq
Go adjust $2500 figure of my 486-based computer for inflation. You get $7500.
Go adjust $490 figure of the average 1997 DVD player for inflation. You get $1000
Electronics' pricing generally doesn't work that way.
Shit. When did Linux turn into a perpetually "almost ready, really soon now, honest we mean it" kernel? Why wasn't I notified earlier?
Last I checked, Stallman refuses to refer to anything besides the kernel as "Linux" so he really doesn't have anything to do with "Linux." Hence the GP's title. The license that Linus chooses for his kernel is irrelevant to Stallman. After all, Stallman can simply finish shitting out that kernel that he's been grunting about for years.
As you might imagine, we are upset at Abraham Lincoln for not being more hardy against such bullets, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it. -- JWB
People running botnets are too greedy to do this.
First, it would require access to the manufacturing process of an insanely popular consumer product. I can't think of anything other than iPod specifically that has nearly the same penetration, so that narrows it down. It takes some effort to get such access. Introducing the exploit over the Internet from Eastern European Country X requires much less effort. It also exposes the individual to a high level of risk that either the individual will get caught or the exploit will simply be discovered and removed prior to product shipment. Again releasing over the Internet from Eastern European Country X does not pose such risk.
Second, unless the botherd discovered the exploit themselves, then it was baught in some shady IRC channel. It is unlikey that they can get exclusive rights to the code from the author for a period of months. After exposing themselves to the risk of getting caught and patiently waiting for months for the manufacturer to finish production, they discover to their horror that another botherd had released the exploit into the wild over the Internet from Eastern European Country X. Fuck.
So the only potential that this has as a distribution mechanism for a zero-day exploit is when a botherd discovers the exploit themselves and already has access to the manufacturing process of a product that has deeper market penetration than the Internet.
Simply because MS can't do anything like this back to Apple.
Yeah right. It'll catch up with Apple when their fanboys rush out to buy a Zune next month.
Oh wait...
True. We need to train the beat cops to recognize a higher than average concentration of pasty-faced cave-dwellers outside as a warning sign and radio in to the Department of Internet Police Secure Homeland Infrastructure Task Squad.
Learning how to socialize is the most important part of school.
I would agree except that the socialization that occurs at most universities bears no resemblance whatsoever to the socialization involved in the business world (unless your boss does kegstands and gravity bongs at lunch). The social structure of today's schools is broken. You'd be better off getting your social skills at Star Trek conventions and the SCA circuit.
College is also about social interaction and trying new things.
College should be about learning, not socializing, binge drinking, wanton promiscuity, or what have you. Somewhere along the way, it became accepted that every single person had to graduate from college to be successful and it became an extension of high school. Then all the immature and ignorant kids left their uptight parents' house, and lacking anything better to do (15 hours of class is a full load?) turned it into Animal House.
That along the idea of bullshit "core courses" being required for me to get a "well rounded" education is precisely why I don't have a college degree. I'm getting along fine without it and refuse to put up with 4 years of High School Part 2 just to get to graduate school. Books don't get any less informative just because they're not being regurgitated onto a chalkboard for you.
Actually they're (not singular "it's") "LEGO bricks", not "LEGOs" or "LEGO." That doesn't keep me from calling them LEGOs, though. It's just that if your going to be a pedantic asshole, you might as well be a correct pedantic asshole.
I love the picture at the bottom of Dana Hansen, manager of wireless networks for the city. She stares victoriously into the distance, hands on hips, and proudly proclaims "Our radios didn't work in the building ... The SWAT team had to do a workaround."
Way to go team!
Religion is a wonderful excuse for war. Other than a means for war, religion also serves as a way for those in power to control the populace. Telling people that their suffering today will lead to an eternity of heaven keeps them content even in their misery.
Your assertion that religious wars cause more deaths than cancer, however, are wholly unfounded. WHO estimates that in 2000, 6.2 million people died of cancer. If the cancer rates are about equal and the average population of the 20th century is around 3 billion (conservative since we started the century with nearly 2 billion people), there would be around 300 million deaths due to cancer. Even if you count the regimes of Stalin and Mao Zedong as wars the total for the 20th century is around 142 Million. As well as war kills, it doesn't do nearly as good of a job as disease. Although religion's fear of science hasn't helped medical research a whole lot.
"Die, Bold, Die" is German for "The, Bold, The"
If any of these memories involve a blue Volvo and occurred in 1994, I am sorry.
super-mosquitos breed Athenians.
Consider the 2004 presidential elections where the 2 candidates were virtually indistinguishable from each other despite the absurd rhetoric that both parties bandied about to the contrary. Can you identify which candidate was the rich, white, male, Yale-educated war criminal? How about which candidate is a member of the Skull and Bones?
Until something drastic changes, or unless there's a compelling reason to vote at the local level, I'm casting my vote for apathy by contributing to low voter turnout.