tytower wrote:Yes well when you are prepared to step back and have another read, the important part is not to scare Puppy users and you do .
I presented a simple factual statement. That statement in and of itself is not scary or threatening or anything else. How a person chooses to take that statement has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with them. Since I have no control over the behavior of others, I see no reason to try to censor myself because it 'might' scare someone.
tytower wrote:It is hard enough getting people to try Puppy or any Linux distro without giving them a reason not to.
If someone is concerned about Computer exploits... then they'd already be using linux since its more secure than Windows by orders of magnitude. Anyone who would choose not to use linux because of the few flaws or explots. Microsoft had
131 security exploits that were publicly confirmed in the last 3 months.
Since microsoft's code is closed source, its harder for exploits to be publicly found and fixed. This is why its so much more exploitable. The Linux Kernel on the other hand has thousands and thousands of people looking at it all the time. That's why problems are found and fixed so much quicker.
Between the Linux Kernel and the Windows Kernel... the Linux Kernel is far more secure and stable. Someone who wants a secure Operating System would not be scared of linux because an exploit every once in a while.
And if en exploit was enough to stop someone from trying an OS... well they might as well never use a computer ever again.
tytower wrote:Don't you think my suggestion of a closed area with entry as needed is a sensible approach? After all, only the very experienced would know what you are talking about anyway.
No I dont think its a sensible approach. Knowledge deserves to be free for those that want to learn. Free access to information allows everyone to learn and grow. Closing it off so 'only certain people' have access is dangerous. It doesnt matter if only a few would know how to use it. If someone see this and doesnt understand it... they have the freedom to choose to either A.) Just go and read something else, or B.) Decide to try to learn what all this means and grow.
Stepping to the side for a moment, from your signature I thought you'd be sensible about not keeping information private. But perhaps you are one of those who believes the Government when they say they need to keep all their information and records secrets for 'our' good. Governments love to restrict access to information because they are aware that knowledge is power, and they want to limit the ability for anyone to use that information against them.
Linux is not a dictatorship where certain people control information. It's freely open to anyone who wants it.
01micko wrote:Putting this in perspective, an attacker would have to be in your system anyway, so as long as you have the usual precautions in place then the is no need to panic!
Agreed, no reason to panic. And as I said in my first post, since we run as root anyway, its usefulness is limited. However since there are developers here who are working to create more robust multi-user systems, this may be of interest to them when they are trying to build a new release and are thinking about what kernel version to use.
I'm wondering if the patch will get back ported to the LTS kernel.