Hacking – Art or Science?:
An anonymous reader asks: “The argument regarding the principle nature of hacking – be it an art or a science is not a new one. This paper hopes to discuss both the meaning of the term ‘hack’ and the underlying arguments for it being defined as an art or a science, in reference to the base principles and basic methodologies of the discipline. So in your opinion, is hacking art or science?”
Browsing Posts published in September, 2005
StarOffice 8 reviewed: 
Now that StarOffice 8 has been released, the reviews are starting to come out, and eWeek has given the program — which is essentially a commercial version of OpenOffice.org (or is OpenOffice.org a free version of StarOffice?) — the thumbs-up. According to the review, "this StarOffice release stands as the best Office alternative we’ve tested as of yet, minor format inconsistencies can complicate migrations" from Microsoft Office. Which means that, if you’ve standardized on MSO, you’re probably better off staying with it, unless you’re prepared for a few glitches along the way. If, on the other hand, you’re setting up a business and want something that will give you most of what MSO offers (other than, Outlook, of course) at a much lower price, SO is definitely worth considering. And, of course, if you’re in a mixed-platform office, there’s no better option, given that SO runs on Windows, Linux and Solaris (forget about the Mac; you’ll have to settle for NeoOffice, a semi-native version of OpenOffice.org).
Darwin – the intelligent design behind OSX:
Want a look under the hood of OSX? This guide to Darwin; the open-source Unix-based kernel — will help you get your feet wet. The guide traces Darwin’s history back to the NeXT-based Rhapsody to its current version, which is licensed under the Apple Public Source License. Don’t expect any Darwin hacks here, though there are lots of links to other sources of info.
News: 10 ways to wireless security:
ZDNet UK : 10 ways to wireless security
continue reading…
Three things.
Method for geolocating logical network addresses
Abstract: Method for geolocating logical network addresses on electronically switched dynamic communications networks, such as the Internet, using the time latency of communications to and from the logical network address to determine its location. Minimum round-trip communications latency is measured between numerous stations on the network and known network addressed equipment to form a network latency topology map. Minimum round-trip communications latency is also measured between the stations and the logical network address to be geolocated. The resulting set of minimum round-trip communications latencies is then correlated with the network latency topology map to determine the location of the network address to be geolocated.
“Fact Sheet NSA Suite B Cryptography”:
The entire suite of cryptographic algorithms is intended to protect both classified and unclassified national security systems and information. Because Suite B is a also subset of the cryptographic algorithms approved by the National Institute of Standards, Suite B is also suitable for use throughout government. NSA’s goal in presenting Suite B is to provide industry with a common set of cryptographic algorithms that they can use to create products that meet the needs of the widest range of US Government (USG) needs.
“The Case for Elliptic Curve Cryptography”:
Elliptic Curve Cryptography provides greater security and more efficient performance than the first generation public key techniques (RSA and Diffie-Hellman) now in use. As vendors look to upgrade their systems they should seriously consider the elliptic curve alternative for the computational and bandwidth advantages they offer at comparable security.
FCC Giving Veto Power to FBI Over VoIP?:
An anonymous reader writes “In this article, the FCC reveals that if you’re using VoIP products at your own behest then you may have personal legal requirements to provide the FBI with access to information they might want to intercept. Or to put it another way, using encryption with VoIP can prevent the FBI from implementing wire taps.”
The San Antonio Spurs have announced that they have signed guards Kyle Bailey, Stephen Graham and forwards Sharrod Ford, Melvin Sanders and Jawad Williams.
How a supersonic speed freak snuck Soviet fighters out of Kyrgyzstan and started flying ‘enemy’ jets for the Pentagon. By Carl Hoffman of Wired magazine.
Inside Microsoft’s decision to back HD DVD:
Few were surprised when Microsoft (along with Intel) announced that they would back HD DVD over Blu-ray.
While Microsoft’s stance on the next-generation of optical storage media was officially neutral, their close working relationship with Toshiba led us to suspect that HD DVD
would get the nod. The interesting question is, why?
Ribbas said that Microsoft’s decision was made with respects to where things are today, not where the respective formats’ proponents claim they will be in
several months. Today, Ribbas says, HD DVD has bigger capacity, and true hybrid support. In his view, HD DVD is at 30GB, while Blu-ray is at 25GB. On paper, Blu-ray has 50GB support, but outside of a lab context, the 50GB disc is missing in action.
How feasible is a 50GB disc in the short term?
There’s more to the story, including the fact that HD DVD requires Managed Copy. Read on for more on what may end up as the first sign that HD DVD isn’t dead afterall.
What’s New in MySQL 5.0: 
MySQL’s popularity has been owed mostly to two things, its speed and its ubiquity. It has been much-maligned by database purists, however, for its lack of hard-core features like views, stored procedures, and triggers. Version 4.0 added sub-selects, transactions, and little else of note, but the newly-unveiled MySQL 5.0 release candidate is poised to put down those criticisms with malice. Along with stored procedures, updatable views, and triggers, MySQL 5.0 adds server-side cursors, increased-precision math, bigger VARCHARs, two new storage engines, and a few more odds and ends
DNS STUFF (free): Many, many online DNS…:
DNS STUFF (free): Many, many online DNS and networking tools for network administrators, domain owners, users of hosted DNS services
Column: Security-related innovation in Unix:
Jason Miller: Security-related innovation in Unix
SSL VPNs and OpenVPN: A lot of lies and a shred of truth:
I wanted to write an article on the strengths of OpenVPN, but I just can’t get the message out without first talking about the serious insecurities I see in the rest of the SSL Virtual Private Network (VPN) space. The SSL VPN market has blossomed in the last five years in response to dissatisfaction with the traditional VPN technologies, namely the insecure Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), and the complex and intrusive IP Security (IPsec) standard. SSL VPNs have roared into the VPN space with the claim of high security, ease of use, and robust feature sets that eclipse the existing technologies. Whenever I hear that combination of claims, my brow furrows and I see that it’s time to start digging.
iPod users tackle Nano no-nos:
Blog: Apple Computer’s tiny new iPod Nano dazzled fans when it was first revealed. But the miniscule media player has run into…
JBoss entering the Evil Empire:
JBoss Inc. and Microsoft announced a partnership of some sort.
eWeek has a short but interesting interview with Steve Ballmer in which he’s poorly hiding the fact that Vista just doesn’t have a whole lot left to lure consumers or enterprise users into upgrading. At the end of this otherwise unrelated interview is the juicy part, where Ballmer basically flat-out says they’ve been watching – er excuse me: learning – from what others are doing, and emulating instead of innovating:
"I don’t hear [about other operating systems] from enterprise customers. They don’t look at the Mac. They just don’t. Some people will say some of the features are kissing cousins to features they’ve seen elsewhere, and that is true. I’m not apologetic about the fact that we should, in a way that doesn’t offend anyone else’s intellectual property, study and learn and benefit from the work others have done."
Thanks Ballmer, we appreciate your honesty.
What are the properties of good code?
