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Home > Archive > Linux Debian support > April 2005 > Is it safe?
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| Sean J 2005-04-03, 5:46 pm |
| I just woke up from a very bad sci-fi nightmare about corporations
brainwashing people and destroying the world... I got up and sat in
front of my computer which is currently running Windows XP and wondered,
what exactly does this thing do with my computer, and with my personal
information? I'm feeling paranoid. I want Windows off my machine,
because it seems like it's hiding something. Is there anyone on this
list who has scoured the Linux kernel for signs of any "eavesdropping" ?
I am either going to install GNU/Linux or some sort of BSD on this
machine in about half an hour, but I want the assurance that I am not
moving from one eye in the wall to another. If anyone here is really
familiar with the kernel and its internal workings, please give me a few
words of encouragement or advice so I can make the right choice. Thanks
for humoring me. - Sean J
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| On Sunday 03 April 2005, Sean J wrote in alt.os.linux.debian:
> I just woke up from a very bad sci-fi nightmare about corporations
> brainwashing people and destroying the world... I got up and sat in
> front of my computer which is currently running Windows XP and wondered,
> what exactly does this thing do with my computer, and with my personal
> information? I'm feeling paranoid. I want Windows off my machine,
> because it seems like it's hiding something. Is there anyone on this
> list who has scoured the Linux kernel for signs of any "eavesdropping" ?
> I am either going to install GNU/Linux or some sort of BSD on this
> machine in about half an hour, but I want the assurance that I am not
> moving from one eye in the wall to another. If anyone here is really
> familiar with the kernel and its internal workings, please give me a few
> words of encouragement or advice so I can make the right choice. Thanks
> for humoring me. - Sean J
Try the OFF button. It rarely fails.
Oh, and watch out for black helicopters too. They don't like it when
you use the OFF button.
If that fails, just avoid ever installing RealPlayer or speaking to a
man with a mainframe VAX tape-recorder in his pocket.
*Especially* (and I can't emphasise this too much) if he's hiding
under your bed.
HTH!
Sleep soundly, now!
PJ "yes, I know it's a troll, but I'm bored" R :-)
--
alt.usenet.kooks award-winners and FAQ:
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[To reply by email, remove "NOSPAM".]
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| Sean J 2005-04-04, 2:45 am |
| PJR wrote:
> On Sunday 03 April 2005, Sean J wrote in alt.os.linux.debian:
>
>
>
>
> Try the OFF button. It rarely fails.
>
> Oh, and watch out for black helicopters too. They don't like it when
> you use the OFF button.
>
> If that fails, just avoid ever installing RealPlayer or speaking to a
> man with a mainframe VAX tape-recorder in his pocket.
>
> *Especially* (and I can't emphasise this too much) if he's hiding
> under your bed.
>
> HTH!
>
> Sleep soundly, now!
>
> PJ "yes, I know it's a troll, but I'm bored" R :-)
Thanks  I'll use BSD instead
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| John Hasler 2005-04-04, 2:45 am |
| Sean J writes:
> Thanks I'll use BSD instead
You _are_ aware that BSD may contain AT&T code and was financed by the
USDOD, are you not?
--
John Hasler
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| RevBigBoa 2005-04-04, 5:47 pm |
| Yes, the SAFEST thing to do is throw all computers, electronic equipment and
related items IN THE DUMPSTER.
I hear they're using microwaves to send all sounds from your house over to
some snoopy agents,,,,,,,
BB
"John Hasler" <jhasler@debian.org> wrote in message
news:87ll7z2rc9.fsf@toncho.dhh.gt.org...
> Sean J writes:
>
> You _are_ aware that BSD may contain AT&T code and was financed by the
> USDOD, are you not?
> --
> John Hasler
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| Sean J 2005-04-04, 5:47 pm |
| RevBigBoa wrote:
> Yes, the SAFEST thing to do is throw all computers, electronic equipment and
> related items IN THE DUMPSTER.
>
> I hear they're using microwaves to send all sounds from your house over to
> some snoopy agents,,,,,,,
>
> BB
>
> "John Hasler" <jhasler@debian.org> wrote in message
> news:87ll7z2rc9.fsf@toncho.dhh.gt.org...
>
>
>
>
Wow, and I thought someone was pulling my leg when they told me most
users of the Debian list acted like JERKS. Are you guys the "community"
I could look forward to being part of? Grow up.
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| Jim Bowering 2005-04-04, 8:45 pm |
| Sean J wrote:
> RevBigBoa wrote:
>
> Wow, and I thought someone was pulling my leg when they told me most
> users of the Debian list acted like JERKS. Are you guys the "community"
> I could look forward to being part of? Grow up.
Relax. They're just mimicking the facetious tone of your original post.
--
OS squared: open software times open standards.
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| Paul Johnson 2005-04-05, 7:45 am |
| Sean J wrote:
> Wow, and I thought someone was pulling my leg when they told me most
> users of the Debian list acted like JERKS. Are you guys the "community"
> I could look forward to being part of? Grow up.
The only time you'll get a snarky response out of the list is if you ask a
stupid question, where stupid is defined anything that can be answered by
at least a terse search of the archive if not google.
--
Paul Johnson
Email and Instant Messenger (Jabber): baloo@ursine.ca
http://ursine.ca/~baloo/
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| On Monday 04 April 2005, Sean J wrote in alt.os.linux.debian:
> RevBigBoa wrote:
>
> Wow, and I thought someone was pulling my leg when they told me most
> users of the Debian list acted like JERKS. Are you guys the
> "community" I could look forward to being part of? Grow up.
This is in fact the politest Usenet group I've ever seen. I've yet to
see a newbie referred to justXXXXinggoogleit.com or brusquely advised
to learn "how to ask questions the smart way", and I've been here
since the day the control message was sent. But that doesn't mean that
you get to complain when you make joking remarks about paranoia and
other people follow up with further joking remarks about paranoia. If
you throw a ball, don't complain when somebody else picks it up and
runs with it.
Also, this is not "the Debian list". It's an unmoderated newsgroup.
The only serious contribution I can make to answering your original
question is that binary packages are less safe than packages you've
compiled yourself from source code. If you're really as worried about
backdoors as you profess to be, get the vanilla source code for
everything you install and look it up in Google before using it. If
there's a known backdoor, OSS users are unlikely to keep quiet about
it.
This applies to the compiler too, of course. If you want to compile a
whole Linux-based operating system from source code, look at
http://www.linuxfromscratch.com.
Of course you won't want to use any source code or patches from the
LFS site itself. They might be part of the conspiracy. I might be,
too. ;-)
[Smiley added just in case.]
PJR :-)
--
alt.usenet.kooks award-winners and FAQ:
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| John Hasler 2005-04-05, 5:46 pm |
| PJR writes:
> This applies to the compiler too, of course. If you want to compile a
> whole Linux-based operating system from source code, look at
> http://www.linuxfromscratch.com.
But before you trust a compiler, even one you compiled yourself, you want
to read Thompson's "Reflections on Trusting Trust".
<http://www.acm.org/classics/sep95/>
--
John Hasler
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| Paul Johnson 2005-04-06, 2:45 am |
| PJR wrote:
> This is in fact the politest Usenet group I've ever seen. I've yet to
> see a newbie referred to justXXXXinggoogleit.com or brusquely advised
> to learn "how to ask questions the smart way", and I've been here
> since the day the control message was sent.
Oh, come on, now, what do you expect to get in reaction to a FAQ on a
mailing list that kind of traffic?
--
Paul Johnson
Email and Instant Messenger (Jabber): baloo@ursine.ca
http://ursine.ca/~baloo/
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| RevBigBoa 2005-04-07, 5:59 pm |
|
"Sean J" <node357@telus.net> wrote in message
news:Xbi4e.110284$KI2.85731@clgrps12...
> RevBigBoa wrote:
>
> Wow, and I thought someone was pulling my leg when they told me most users
> of the Debian list acted like JERKS. Are you guys the "community" I could
> look forward to being part of? Grow up.
Hey, the idea isn't out of the realm you know. If you're that concerned
about what your computer is "watching", have you given thought to everything
else in your household that is capable of doing the same thing?
TV, microwave, home entertainment center, they would all be capable, and
more so as wireless networking expands.
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| On Wednesday 06 April 2005, Paul Johnson wrote in alt.os.linux.debian:
> PJR wrote:
>
>
> Oh, come on, now, what do you expect to get in reaction to a FAQ on a
> mailing list that kind of traffic?
I didn't say that clueless newbies *shouldn't* be reacted to that way,
but that they *haven't been* reacted to that way in AOLD so far.
PJR :-)
--
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| Greyfrog 2005-04-10, 5:46 pm |
| Sean,
We'e not all like that.
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| Greyfrog 2005-04-10, 5:46 pm |
| Sean,
We'e not all like that.
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| Greyfrog 2005-04-10, 5:46 pm |
| The one to really watch out for is Broadband over power lines.
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| Paul Johnson 2005-04-10, 5:46 pm |
| Greyfrog wrote:
> The one to really watch out for is Broadband over power lines.
Oh, good, that's just what 10-meter and 11-meter radio needed, *signals*
being run over all those high-power dipole antennas hanging off poles
everywhere.</sarcasm> Please, dear god, no. Power lines are already bad
enough incidental radiators without deliberately trying to make it a
problem...
--
Paul Johnson
Email and Instant Messenger (Jabber): baloo@ursine.ca
http://ursine.ca/~baloo/
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