In the first Internet company I was a partner in, we named all of our servers after gods, typically Norse, but when we ran out of names we branched out into gods of other national origin.
Then we bought a Dell.
It was big. Really big. It took more power than three or four of the other servers we owned that were of roughly equivalent power.
Certainly it wasn't worthy of being named after a god, even a demi-god. We had a bona fide problem on our hands.
There we sat in the programming lab, drinking too much coffee, trying to unravel the mystery of what to name this gigantic ugly purplish / brownish server.
One of the DBAs, taking a pull from his coffee, smiled knowingly, and said, "Fat Bastard," turned around and left the room.
It was so obviously the perfect name... it was as if it had named itself. And thus Fat Bastard was born.
This is social engineering at its finest - an untrusted source, launching executable code (via user action) and gaining elevated privileges (via user input of password).
Not only is it all of the above, it's also doing so (thus far) without the ability to automatically compromise secondary hosts, as many Windows worms and malware do.
Also, don't steal software. You're just asking for trouble. This isn't the first time that OS X has been targeted with dodgy copies of software from download sites.
While getting a worm/trojan/virus/malware on your computer is always a crappy outcome, as far as many of the companies and software developers who're trying to make an honest buck (and keep their employees working) are concerned, if you're trying to steal their software and you get malware instead, you got what you paid for.
I'll be first in line to support open source; I'll also be first in line to pay for software from companies that make good software. If you want a product and it costs money, buy it. If you can't afford it, consider an open source alternative or do without. Otherwise, as you so succinctly put it: "untrusted code could do anything."
I've been following MS's solution, and the problem is it's limited to Office documents. There's already a good solution for document monitoring from Awareness Technologies, and their solution isn't limited to just Office docs.
AFAIR, it can also keep track of USB drives and such, too.
Indeed it does seem like it really is about data loss and less about theft deterrent.
So many companies (public and private), government agencies, and individuals alike want to make sure their data is safe or at least that it doesn't fall into the hands of the bad guys.
Funny thing is there are already at least a couple of good programs for laptop recovery at least for Windows. (If memory serves there might be some Linux and Mac ones, too, at this point, but I digress.)
The Ericcson/Intel offering, while good, will likely never be able to do what some of the third parties are offering because they're web based and allow control of individual files and such.
I don't recall where (or if) the US Supreme Court handed down a decision on the concept of "Are computer files more like what's in your brain or in a file cabinet."
IMHO, searching a computer is akin to searching someone during questioning.
Questioning someone who has been Mirandized: fine.
Going through their belongings with a search warrant to find something specific: fine. Going through a computer willy-nilly on a fishing expedition: not fine.
The point was simple math--not literal dollars.
Ummm... it's a R-A-T-I-O.;-)
If it's a $55,000 car, the wheels would then be another $13,750. Think of it that way. Would nearly $14K for wheels on the $55K Merc out of line? THAT's my point.
You can buy a 1U, Opteron server system from Sun for $745.00. It doesn't have a disk, but you can add one for $150, bringing the price to $895.
Agreed, and that's indeed a nice price.
My "favorite" part is that the rails--the RAILS! mind you--are an additional $150!
Want cable management? Wave buh-bye to another 95 greenbacks.
Put another way: if you add both, you're paying a STAGGERING 25% of the cost just on racking the server!! You mean to tell me that of the HUGE costs Sun has in developing these machines--to say nothing of actually manufacturing them, 25 cents of every dollar gets eaten up by the folks in the rack-mount department?!
That's like charging $20,000 for a car, but asking for another $5,000 if you actually want umm...err... wheels.:-) [Note: Yes, I know there are wheels out there that cost that much, but they're *really* the exception as are the folks that spend that kinda loot on 'em. Rails for a 1U though are more like oil or gas for the car for most firms. You might try to throw 'em on a shelf once, but you're not likely to do that with more than a couple--that gets old fast.]
All that said, the overall cost of the gear is still pretty derned reasonable--and if it's anywhere near as good as the older Sun gear I personally use regularly, it will be good indeed.
Personally, I own hundreds of CDs and all my iPod music is 100% legally ripped from them....
Same for me. 100% legal. I don't copy music from others, never have, never will. Are we the minority? I don't know. I *do* know I shudder at the recent steps taken by some companies to prevent the legal use of music as you and I do on our portables and will look with scrutiny at my future CDs to ensure none are so encumbered.
First, good work, Lloyds! May other banks beat a speedy path to follow in your footsteps.
Second, given the pace of miniturization, it won't be long 'til this is little more than the size of a credit card and not much longer before it's the size of the ever-present grocery store keyring loyalty card.
Heck, if an iPod Nano can be as small as it is, this thing *will* fit on a keyring with little trouble in short order. At that point few people will be put out by this (though it will still present a problem for those with visual impairments who're using screenreaders.
[Note to banks: if you're having problems miniturizing this to keyring size -OR- are having a rough go figuring out how to create a good workaround for this for the visually impaired, just call Apple. Put them on it, and I'm sure they'll have it figured out in time for their next product release.;-)]
The thing I am particularly un-fond of is animation. Ick.
Text ads: love 'em. Click 'em. Buy stuff from 'em.
Static banners: They're fine. Occaaaaassionally click 'em. Might have even bought something from 'em.
Animation though. No thanks.
Funny thing: This is the same reason I traded in MSN's Messenger client for Trillian. The animated ads on screen. All. The. Time. Just too much.
For instance: When you're trying to do formulas in a spreadsheet and discuss things with colleagues over IM (or in person for that matter!) such animated ads are both ineffective and a genuine distraction.
Though as another poster points out, what about things that are particularly large? Finding the RFID tag in a new pair of boots may be tough--to say nothing of that new bookshelf.
The new slogan of the RFID age:
"Some things are priceless. For everything else, there's cash."
Wow--can you post a link where they can get be had that cheap?! I'd save a fortune. Just in time, too since I need some new cables for my Thunderclap 2000.
Before a business partner and I decided to go on our own, I made a point to have at least six full months of money at my current standard of living *before* we made the leap. Because of certain choices I/we made in landing some of our contracts, it got dicey towards the end. Luckily, it has gone well since.
I'll tell you what: Once I saw how quickly the six months passed with contracts dragging on and on, I've since made two pledges to myself:
A.) to have at least 1 full year of loot in the bank in cash and solid investments (low risk bonds and the like) juuuust in case
B.) to always save at least 10% of my gross income monthly even after I'd achieved A.
I personally watched four good-sized to lucrative contracts all at once drag on FAR longer than any reasonable person would have expected. Then there's the normal invoicing and payment delays, particularly so when working with very large companies, government, or educational institutions.
As for the mechanics of savings, IMHO ingdirect.com is a great way to do just that as they offer superior rates.
When are we as a people going to wake up and smell the cat food?!
More technologies like this which by their very design add:
A.) to quickening consumption of fossil fuels (to make more and more just to throw away) and
B.) to the landfills (when you're done with 'em)
DO NOT MAKE SENSE. Period. Paragraph. Final. End of story.
True indeed, and still the question remains: "How is OpenBSD 'hopelessly obsolete?'"
From what I've seen in every case where there's a security or genuine set of features needed to motivate the bumping of a software version, they do. A quick run through the CVS commits would show that.
Sure, they don't update every minor non-security bugfix to the latest and greatest after a given CD version has been released, but I can't recalll that ever having been an issue.
And heck, if it is or you're really pining for the latest and greatest of something there's always the fine Ports collection.
I have a feeling that the slowness of the move to IPv6 is not the fault of ICANN, but rather it's the fault of content providers.
Agreed. I was more implying that there are large issues like that with far-ranging consequences seem to linger and linger and that the UN may not be the best venue for their resolution.
The UN tends to screw up everything it touches. I really don't want the internet to become another great cockup of the least organized, least effective polital body that has ever existed.
In general I for one am all for concensus building and getting buy-in from folks before moving ahead with something that can have large-scale, sweeping effects. That said, the UN tends to just take t-o-o-o-o long for just about anything, and ultimately every decision falls to its member nations for actual implementation.
Let's face it: there are some problems with ICANN; there are some issues with DNS; and what the HECK is going to happen with IP6?
Shifting control to the UN though doesn't seem like it's going to help fix things.
If there were one thing I would like to see, it's the addition of more ROOT servers--maybe a doubling of the current infrastructure. As we've already seen, those we have at present are too easily subject to the ne'erdwellers out there.
Slashdot Mirror
In the first Internet company I was a partner in, we named all of our servers after gods, typically Norse, but when we ran out of names we branched out into gods of other national origin.
Then we bought a Dell.
It was big. Really big. It took more power than three or four of the other servers we owned that were of roughly equivalent power.
Certainly it wasn't worthy of being named after a god, even a demi-god. We had a bona fide problem on our hands.
There we sat in the programming lab, drinking too much coffee, trying to unravel the mystery of what to name this gigantic ugly purplish / brownish server.
One of the DBAs, taking a pull from his coffee, smiled knowingly, and said, "Fat Bastard," turned around and left the room.
It was so obviously the perfect name... it was as if it had named itself. And thus Fat Bastard was born.
Not only is it all of the above, it's also doing so (thus far) without the ability to automatically compromise secondary hosts, as many Windows worms and malware do.
While getting a worm/trojan/virus/malware on your computer is always a crappy outcome, as far as many of the companies and software developers who're trying to make an honest buck (and keep their employees working) are concerned, if you're trying to steal their software and you get malware instead, you got what you paid for.
I'll be first in line to support open source; I'll also be first in line to pay for software from companies that make good software. If you want a product and it costs money, buy it. If you can't afford it, consider an open source alternative or do without. Otherwise, as you so succinctly put it: "untrusted code could do anything."
I've been following MS's solution, and the problem is it's limited to Office documents. There's already a good solution for document monitoring from Awareness Technologies, and their solution isn't limited to just Office docs.
AFAIR, it can also keep track of USB drives and such, too.
and as we all know, beeswax and ear wax *are* both chemical free. ;-)
The thing that bothers me somewhat is the 'herbal = good' message that herbal medicine promotes.
It's not just the herbal = good, it's the level of BS so prevalent in much of it. What cracked me up recently was a label on a Burt's Bees product.
"Chemical free" the label touts. Errrrrrrrrrrrrruh???
Stop me if I'm going too fast, but if it really is "chemical free" what's in it?
Indeed it does seem like it really is about data loss and less about theft deterrent.
So many companies (public and private), government agencies, and individuals alike want to make sure their data is safe or at least that it doesn't fall into the hands of the bad guys.
Funny thing is there are already at least a couple of good programs for laptop recovery at least for Windows. (If memory serves there might be some Linux and Mac ones, too, at this point, but I digress.)
The Ericcson/Intel offering, while good, will likely never be able to do what some of the third parties are offering because they're web based and allow control of individual files and such.
I don't recall where (or if) the US Supreme Court handed down a decision on the concept of "Are computer files more like what's in your brain or in a file cabinet."
IMHO, searching a computer is akin to searching someone during questioning.
Questioning someone who has been Mirandized: fine.
Going through their belongings with a search warrant to find something specific: fine.
Going through a computer willy-nilly on a fishing expedition: not fine.
The point was simple math--not literal dollars. Ummm... it's a R-A-T-I-O. ;-)
If it's a $55,000 car, the wheels would then be another $13,750. Think of it that way. Would nearly $14K for wheels on the $55K Merc out of line? THAT's my point.
My "favorite" part is that the rails--the RAILS! mind you--are an additional $150!
Want cable management? Wave buh-bye to another 95 greenbacks.
Put another way: if you add both, you're paying a STAGGERING 25% of the cost just on racking the server!! You mean to tell me that of the HUGE costs Sun has in developing these machines--to say nothing of actually manufacturing them, 25 cents of every dollar gets eaten up by the folks in the rack-mount department?!
That's like charging $20,000 for a car, but asking for another $5,000 if you actually want umm...err... wheels.
All that said, the overall cost of the gear is still pretty derned reasonable--and if it's anywhere near as good as the older Sun gear I personally use regularly, it will be good indeed.
As to your other points: well said.
First, good work, Lloyds! May other banks beat a speedy path to follow in your footsteps.
;-)]
Second, given the pace of miniturization, it won't be long 'til this is little more than the size of a credit card and not much longer before it's the size of the ever-present grocery store keyring loyalty card.
Heck, if an iPod Nano can be as small as it is, this thing *will* fit on a keyring with little trouble in short order. At that point few people will be put out by this (though it will still present a problem for those with visual impairments who're using screenreaders.
[Note to banks: if you're having problems miniturizing this to keyring size -OR- are having a rough go figuring out how to create a good workaround for this for the visually impaired, just call Apple. Put them on it, and I'm sure they'll have it figured out in time for their next product release.
The thing I am particularly un-fond of is animation. Ick.
Text ads: love 'em. Click 'em. Buy stuff from 'em.
Static banners: They're fine. Occaaaaassionally click 'em. Might have even bought something from 'em.
Animation though. No thanks.
Funny thing: This is the same reason I traded in MSN's Messenger client for Trillian. The animated ads on screen. All. The. Time. Just too much.
For instance: When you're trying to do formulas in a spreadsheet and discuss things with colleagues over IM (or in person for that matter!) such animated ads are both ineffective and a genuine distraction.
Though as another poster points out, what about things that are particularly large? Finding the RFID tag in a new pair of boots may be tough--to say nothing of that new bookshelf.
The new slogan of the RFID age:
A grand?! HOLY COW!!
Wow--can you post a link where they can get be had that cheap?! I'd save a fortune. Just in time, too since I need some new cables for my Thunderclap 2000.
Before a business partner and I decided to go on our own, I made a point to have at least six full months of money at my current standard of living *before* we made the leap. Because of certain choices I/we made in landing some of our contracts, it got dicey towards the end. Luckily, it has gone well since.
I'll tell you what: Once I saw how quickly the six months passed with contracts dragging on and on, I've since made two pledges to myself:
A.) to have at least 1 full year of loot in the bank in cash and solid investments (low risk bonds and the like) juuuust in case
B.) to always save at least 10% of my gross income monthly even after I'd achieved A.
I personally watched four good-sized to lucrative contracts all at once drag on FAR longer than any reasonable person would have expected. Then there's the normal invoicing and payment delays, particularly so when working with very large companies, government, or educational institutions.
As for the mechanics of savings, IMHO ingdirect.com is a great way to do just that as they offer superior rates.
When are we as a people going to wake up and smell the cat food?!
More technologies like this which by their very design add:
A.) to quickening consumption of fossil fuels (to make more and more just to throw away) and
B.) to the landfills (when you're done with 'em)
DO NOT MAKE SENSE. Period. Paragraph. Final. End of story.
True indeed, and still the question remains: "How is OpenBSD 'hopelessly obsolete?'"
From what I've seen in every case where there's a security or genuine set of features needed to motivate the bumping of a software version, they do. A quick run through the CVS commits would show that.
Sure, they don't update every minor non-security bugfix to the latest and greatest after a given CD version has been released, but I can't recalll that ever having been an issue.
And heck, if it is or you're really pining for the latest and greatest of something there's always the fine Ports collection.
[shrugs]
Let's face it: there are some problems with ICANN; there are some issues with DNS; and what the HECK is going to happen with IP6?
Shifting control to the UN though doesn't seem like it's going to help fix things.
If there were one thing I would like to see, it's the addition of more ROOT servers--maybe a doubling of the current infrastructure. As we've already seen, those we have at present are too easily subject to the ne'erdwellers out there.