February
21, 2004
<NoRealAudio | MP3>
<Newsletter>
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- Website
Fun
- What
is a data-driven website?
- Why
is it used?
- Primary
scripting types: Java (jsp), Visual Basic (asp), PHP (php), Perl
(shtml)
- Primary
backend databases: text file, ODBC Database (Access), SQL Database
(MySQL, MSSQL, Oracle)
- Primary
webservers: Apache (Linux/Unix), IIS (Windows)
- The
People Behind Open Source Technology: PHP, Apache, Linux
- What
is PHP?
- An
easy-to-use open source web scripting language
- PHP
succeeds an older product, named PHP/FI.
- PHP/FI
(Personal Home Page/Forms Interpretor)
- PHP
had a Perl-like command structure, somewhat inconsistent
- PHP/FI
was created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1995
- Rasmus
chose to release the source code for PHP/FI for everybody to see
- By
1997, PHP/FI 2.0 (written in C), had a cult of several thousand
users with 50,000 domains
- New
Acromyn (PHP Hypertext Processor)
- PHP
3.0 (similar to today’s version) was created by Andi Gutmans and
Zeev Suraski in 1997 as a complete rewrite and was designed to support
a University eCommerce project.
- PHP
3.0 was officially released in June 1998, after having spent about
9 months in public testing.
- Hundreds
of thousands of domains (approximately 10% of Internet)
- PHP4
was released in Winter 1998 by Gutmans and Suaaski
- The
new engine is called “Zend Engine” (Comprised for first names Zeev
and Andi)
- Comprises
about 20% of Internet domains
- PHP
5 (Beta 4) has been released
- Download
software from: http://www.php.net/downloads.php
- What
is Apache?
- Apache
project is a collaborative software development project to create
a robust, commercial-grade HTTP (Web) server.
- Jointly
managed by a group of volunteers called the Apache Group
- Based
on NCSA httpd 1.3, a public domain HTTP deamon (developed by Rob
McCool) in early 1990s
- This
project stalled when Rob left National Center for Supercomputing
Applications in February 1995
- A
small group decided to continue development by creating “patches”
for this softare (Brian Bechlendorf and Cliff Skolnick)
- In
February 1995 the group had eight members, Apache was born
- A
complete rewrite was completed by December 1, 1995
- In
1999, the group formed the Apache Software Foundation
- Website:
http://www.apache.org
- Consensus
software with changed voted on by group of currently active developers
- Today
68% of Internet webservers are Apache, 23% are Microsoft IIS
- What
is Linux?
- Based
on OS by Minix that was created by Dutch professor, Andrew Tanenbaum,
as a teaching tool
- Designed
to run on 8086 Intel processor. (12,000 lines of C)
- He
released the code and wrote an excellent book explaining operating
systems
- Linus
Tovalds, at age 21, read his book while at University of Helsinke
- In
1991, there was no open source operating system
- In
August, 1991 Linus began the project to create a new operating system
based on Minix. (First version released October 1991)
- Andrew
Tanenbaum did not like the architecture and told Linus.
- His
response (“Your job is being a professor and researcher. That’s
one hell of a good excuse for some of the brain-damages of minix”)
- It
was licensed under the GNU General Public License for open software
A world-wide group of volunteers began developing Linux collaboratively
with Linux holding the final vote for any changes.
- Windows-type
interface now available (K Desktop Environment and GNOME)
- Grid
computing supported
- Download
a free copy from www.linux.org
- Astronomy:
Black Hole Destroys Star
- Astronomers
reported the first strong evidence of s supermassive black hole
stretching and tearing apart, and partially absorbing a star.
- Event
marked by powerful X-Ray blast from a galaxy about 700 million light-years
away (emitting just before the fragment was trapped by the Black
Hole)
- The
resulting flair was thousands of times brighter that all of the
billions of other stars in the galaxy
- This
particular black hole has a mass 100 million times that of the sun
- The
unlucky star veer off-course after a near miss with another star.
- The
black hole consumed from 1 to 25 percent of the star, flinging the
rest into space
- Similar
events occur every 10,000 years in a typical galaxy
- Latest
version of MyDoom targets RIAA
- MyDoom.F
is spreading slowly
- Attacked
Microsoft and RIAA with DDOS
- Based
on code from previous versions
- Email
(with a hooker) may be quick, but it lasts forever
- Risks
of High Tech Prostitution
- Records
of Frederick County Madam, Angelika Potter were made public last
week
- She
ran Corporate Affair Escort Service until raided by police in 1999
- Records
seized in that raid were made public this week
- All
8,500 pages available for $3,000 (Frederick-News Post only buyer)
- Included
thousands of emails (many from customers were released)
- Three
CD of images used on website
- Hackers
Break into 232 Campus Computers Last Saturday
- Attack
made possible by vulnerability in Microsoft OS discovered on the
Wednesday before
- This
security hold uses a buffer overflow in ASN.1 (Abstract Syntax Notation)
- Once
one computer was compromised, they moved to other trusted sites,
collected passwords along the way and installing backdoor Trojans
- The
important observation was that the delay between announcement of
vulnerability and attack was only three days. Patch and patch quickly
- Low
Tech Hack for iTunes Giveaway
- Jon
Gales posted his hack on MacMerc.com, a Machintosh user site
- Apple
Computers’ iTunes and Pepsi are giving away 100 million songs
- Promotion
announced on Superbowl by 12 year old kids who had been sued by
RIAA for mp3 file sharing
- Tilt
and twist bottles in a certain way to see if it is a winner before
making purchase
- Those
who see the word “again” are losers
- If
you see random letters or numbers you are a winner
- Each
Pepsi winner can download 10 songs/day up to 200 songs
- Homeless
Hacker Pleads Guilty
- Adrian
Lamo, a 22 year old hacker with a conscience
- Lamo
frequently trespassed on the networks of prominent companies
- He
then informed the companies of his exploits and often worked with
them, as a consultant, to close the holes
- Before
the courts ordered him to return to California, area to live with
his parents
- He
wandered around the United States on Greyhound buses, sleeping on
friends' couches and, when necessary, staying in vacant or derelict
buildings.
- He
broke into New York Times Servers and got confidential source information.
- The
Times was not amused. It pressed charges.
- Adrian
Lamo, 22, of Carmichael, Calif., pleaded guilty to a single count
of computer damage. Sentencing is set for April 8.
- A
plea agreement between prosecutors and the defense agrees that federal
sentencing guidelines would result in a sentence of six months to
a year in jail.
- Also
broke into Worldcom, among others
- Go
to www.freelamo.org for more
info about movement to get all charges dropped.
- SPOT
Watches – Dumbest Idea of the Year so far
- Uses
Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT)
- Uses
FM radio subcarrier frequencies to wirelessly deliver weather, news,
stock quotes to a variety of devices including watches
- “Smart
watch” that does not need to be set
- MSN
messenger can send messages and outlook with sync your calendar
- SPOT
services costs $59/year
- Needs
recharged every four days --- a big disadvantage!
- Seem
to lockup in the presence of noise. Need the three finger salute
to reboot.
- Wireless
Lamposts Take over World – Watch this IPO
- Stratford
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