Merry Christmas 2014!

Merry Christmas everyone! Have a wonderful, safe, Christ-centered Christmas!

Christmas Tree

 

“8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” – Luke 2:8-12 NLT

 


Posted in Holiday

Arrogance Amongst Certain Linux Users

In this blog post I am going to talk about something that has been a pet peeve of mine for a long time about several people in the Linux community. I want to be clear, I am not anti-opensource (I make use of open-source software every day), nor am I anti-Linux (I am both a Windows and Linux administrator myself and really like Linux on my phone (Android).

Many times, I have read and responded to various Linux users online who have come off as arrogant and think they know everything about operating systems “just because they use Linux”.  Of course, I do not claim to know everything about operating systems myself (there are many more people who know more than I do).

This blog post is not meant to be an attack against Linux users (because, of course, not all Linux users are this way). I am just sharing one of many not-so-great experiences I have had with various people who have used Linux.

Summery of what happened:

  1. A while back, I made a comment on a tech website. In a nutshell, I said “using Linux did not mean that you are completely secure from malware infesting your Linux box”. This is a valid statement. I did not bash or hate on Linux. I enjoy using Linux.
  2. Someone posted a reply to my comment, saying that I had made several wrong points about Linux. He claimed that I said “Windows malware would work on Linux” and I was wrong for saying that.
  3. I responded to him, telling him that his first point he said I was “wrong” about was something that I never said.
  4. I responded – using the bash shell-shocker vulnerability as an example – something being open-source does not mean that it is more secure.
  5. I also responded asking him to show me the points that I got “wrong”, since he didn’t give any valid points. All were just his opinions or straw-man arguments.
  6. He responded back and ignored my question and the issue about putting words into my mouth. He just wanted to talk about how Linux is still secure because people “fix vulnerabilities quickly” for Linux. He basically changed the subject.
  7. He also said the ShellShock vulnerability was fixed within two days.
  8. I told him that the bash shell-shocker vulnerability was in fact not completely fixed in two days. It took a little bit longer.
  9. Now the guy does not respond back.

The bug did not have an official fix until 24 September 2014 (the date when the fix was released to the public). The fix came out almost two weeks after the initial discovery.

Now of course I don’t hate the guy, but what he did was just another example of the problems I have encountered with the Linux community.

He started a technical discussion about a comment I made to someone else 3+ months ago, claimed I said things I didn’t say, and presented his personal opinions as verified facts. When he was confronted with evidence to the contrariety, he decided to “sneak out” and not reply anymore.

I know there are good people in the Linux community, but situations like this make me wonder. Also, other people who may be considering Linux will see various attitudes like this and be turned off by that alone. Not a good way to gain users in my opinion.


Posted in Computers, Internet and Servers, Operating Systems, Society, Software

Ken Ham Responds to the State of Kentucky About Ark Encounter

 

“1 O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
    Fight those who fight against me.
2 Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
    Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
3 Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
    “I will give you victory!”
4 Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
    turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
5 Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
    a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
6 Make their path dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
    I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
8 So let sudden ruin come upon them!
    Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
    Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.” – Psalm 35:1-8 NLT


Posted in Christian

Understanding Linux File Permissions

If you are a Linux user, you probably already know about the different Linux file permissions. This is not going to be a comprehensive blog post, but it should still help you understand Linux file permissions if you do not already understand them.

There are three different main groups for Linux permissions (user, group, and world).

——————-

User:  This stands for the user account that owns the file / folder that it is assigned to.

Group:  This stands for the group(s) that are assigned to the file / folder. Groups can be your own private group that you get when your Linux user account is created, and / or can be other people’s and services’ groups as well. Any permissions set here affect **all** groups that are assigned to the file / folder.

World (all users):  This stands for the permissions that *everyone* that has access to the server and *all* services on your server have. Be very careful with this permissions “group”. Setting the “world” permissions to allow writing would mean that *anyone* or *anything* that has access to your server (hacker or no hacker) can now potentially write to your file / folder! Not good!

——————-

When using a terminal (usually via SSH) in Linux, you would have seen file / folder permissions that look something like this:  myfile.txt  rw-rw—  John [owner]   John [group]

rwx——

The “r” above, in the first three letters, tells you that owner of the file / folder has “read” permissions.

The “w” above, in the first three letters, tells you that owner of the file / folder has “write” permissions to the file / folder.

The “x” above, in the first three letters, tell you that that owner of the file / folder has “execute” permissions.

—rwx—

The “r” above, in the middle three letters, tells you that all of the groups assigned to the file / folder has “read” permissions.

The “w” above, in the middle three letters, tells you that all of the groups assigned to the file / folder has “write” permissions to the file.

The “x” above, in the middle three letters, tell you that that all of the groups assigned to the file / folder has “execute” permissions.

——rwx

The “r” above, in the last three letters, tell you that that *everyone* that has access to the computer, and *all* services on the computer, now have “read” permissions to the file / folder.

The “w” above, in the last three letters, tell you that that *everyone* that has access to the computer, and *all* services on the computer, now have “write” permissions to the file / folder.

The “x” above, in the last three letters, tell you that that *everyone* that has access to the computer, and *all* services on the computer, now have “execute” permissions to the file / folder.

——————-

You now should have a basic understanding of the different basic Linux permissions!


Posted in Operating Systems

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