The Caffeinated Penguin

Posted By matt on October 31, 2003

So it's the weekend. Yayyy!

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News:

Apple is not so bad. They've changed their mind and are releasing patches.

But iDVD is still broken.

Bill G. talks about security.

Specifically:
…there are two other techniques [to increase security]: one is called firewalling and the other is called keeping the software up to date. None of these problems (viruses and worms) happened to people who did either one of those things. If you had your firewall set up the right way — and when I say firewall I include scanning e-mail and scanning file transfer — you wouldn't have had a problem.

(emphasis mine)

Now, I agree with the “patch your system” idea, but firewalling? Not just firewalling, but one that actually scans and filters email and file transfers? So, basically what he's saying is that you shouldn't connect a Windows machine to the internet, right? Or, no, wait, you can – just make sure to put it through a firewall and mail/web/ftp proxy and virus scanner. Well, wait – you can do this fairly cheaply with a Linux box. That's ironic – the only secure way to connect your Windows box to the internet is to go through a Linux box. You know, maybe if your email reader didn't let an email destroy your computer, Windows wouldn't have these problems. I mean, to mess up a Linux machine, you have to save the executable, chmod u+x filename, then run it, and even then, it only runs as you, not root, and therefore you can't destroy your system. Pah, the hell with it. Here's how you secure a Windows system:

http://www.mattcaron.net/lj_images/secure_windows.jpg” alt=”Secure Windows”>

And, SCO is now blatantly violating the GPL. Don't you love it? They sell Linux, make money off it, then decide they don't like the terms that people wrote the software under, so they just steal it and make it their own. Time for Linux developers to sue them for violation of license agreements. Hell, can't the FSF sue them? They've been called “Linux's Hit Men” so why not live up to it?

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On the “I need to write some more letters” department:
RIAA has filed 80 more lawsuits Now, I don't have a problem with them suing people for copyright infringement, but here is the deal:
- If you settle immediately, it will only cost you a couple thousand dollars
- If you fight them and lose, you have to pay the settlement (which, it has been threatened, will be many thousands more), plus their court costs.
- If you fight them and win, you still have to pay your lawyers fees, which will probably be more than the cost of the settlement
- Unless you countersue and get them to pay your fees for frivolous lawsuits.

Now, if copyright infringement is criminally illegal, why don't they arrest you? Well, because suing works better – if they criminally charge you, the state is involved and they are subject to oversight. Additionally, you can get a public defender. In a civil suit, you don't have any of this; they can do whatever they can get away with.

Corporations were created to protect the owners from losing everything if they get sued.

Shouldn't there be a similar protection for average citizens getting sued by corportations? Otherwise, deep-pocketed corportations can do whatever they want.

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