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Is SE Linux only for Linux?

I have just been asked for advice on whether SE Linux is Linux specific, and therefore whether code related to SE Linux should always be stored with other Linux specific code instead of being in the main branch of certain free software projects.

One example of SE Linux access controls being implemented on a different […]

Hydrogen Powered Cars Will Never Work

One of the most important issues for a commodity fuel for vehicles is that it be convenient and safe to transport. For quite a while LP Gas has been available as a cheaper car fuel. Even with increasing petrol prices it’s acceptance is well below 100% due to extra expense in storing the fuel (high […]

Never IRC as Root

Ben Fowler blogs about the issues related to running IRC as root. Google searches for (irc client exploit) and (irc client “buffer overflow”) give a number of interesting web pages. Many of the exploits require the user to perform an action that’s slightly unusual, but why take a chance?

The advice to not run as […]

Does Having Fewer Rules Inspire Hard Work?

I was recently talking to a client about the lack of guidelines for acceptable personal use of office resources in his company. He rejected the suggestion that he provide any real rules or guidelines (apart from some old rules that most employees were not aware of and of which there was no procedure to remind […]

Designing Computers for Small Business

Dell just sent me a letter advertising their new Vostro line “especially for small business“. They say “we listened, then we listened some more” and explain that it’s based on feedback from people in small companies. The problem (which should be familiar to everyone who has ever done any consulting work) is that people don’t […]

The Start of My Computer Career

When I was about 11 years old I decided that I wanted a career related to computers. My first computer was the TEC-1 single-board Z80 based kit computer from Talking Electronics magazine (see the photo below). I think that I built this when I was 10.

The computer is 16cm high and 25cm wide. […]

LED Headlights in Audi Sports Car

It’s interesting to see that Audi is releasing a car with LEDs for all lights including the headlights. This is being promoted as an environmental benefit, however a quick google search revealed that my Volkswagen Passat apparently takes 55W headlights (giving a total of 110W of electricity used). Even allowing for some inefficiency in the […]

SE Linux vs chroot

A question that is often asked is whether to use SE Linux or a chroot to restrict a program.

In Unix chroot is a way of running a program with a restricted set of directories available (it used to be merely a sub-tree but with bind mounts it can be any arbitrary set of directory […]

Music Videos

I’ve been thinking about music videos recently while compiling a list of my favourite videos of all time. It seems that YouTube has changed things through the re-mixes of videos and the ability of anyone to publish for a mass-market (although without the possibility of directly making money from it).

Also today all new PCs […]

Suggestions and Thanks

One problem with the blog space is that there is a lot of negativity. Many people seem to think that if they don’t like a blog post then the thing to do is to write a post complaining about it – or even worse a complaint that lacks specific details to such an extent that […]