[ranting commentary] Re: [mv] More MV Hacking/Security Info

["birgitt" <birgitt@cais.com>]

******    message to minivend-users from "birgitt" <birgitt@cais.com>     ******


> ******    message to minivend-users from "Cameron B.
Prince" <info@InternetExpertsLLC.com>     ******
>
>
>
http://www.zdnet.com/eweek/stories/general/0,11011,2600258,0
0.html
>
> Cameron

Well, reading all this, just one comment:

1. if you want free sources and free press, that's what you
get

2. if you want check and banlance, you have to ask yourself,
if the press has a natural check in this country, or if it
may be the _only_ system which has no natural
counter-balancing opponent. Having worked for it a bit, I
tend to believe the latter.

3. very deep kudos to Mike Heins, who has the stamina to go
through this without getting an ulcer (hopefully). I don't
know how he is handling this.

4. a couple of days ago, I read somewhere that those tests
were a battlefield for closed source against open source
"kamikaze fighters". And because I suffer from getting
stupider any minute by information overload, I don't
remember where it was.

5. What I don't understand is, why the cracker gets all the
honor ? I could imagine that some developers which actually
do some useful developing work like Mike Heins did all the
years, could also spend their time trying to crack other
open source packages. It's a matter what you spend your time
with. At least both sides beat the cowards, who close their
sources, hands down.
If it took several years after the thousands and thousands
of downloads (Mike, are people doubting the numbers of
downloads you mention ?) to find a hole in the simple
catalog, then that leads me only to one conclusion: You guys
should be VERY grateful, because:

a.)  _you_ said without the simple catalog, most people
wouldn't be able to build a MV site in the first place, so
please, please Mr. Heins,  make a nice sample catalog. And
you build nice sites and make a nice living doing so, and
very much for free too.

b.)  _you_ said that documenting the underlying logic of the
MV tags in a fashion that makes the building process of
coding MV pages more logic, would be too much to give away -
and if you didn't say so, then just because you couldn't
find out the logic behind the tags in the first place.

c.)  _you_ seem to think that documenting the source code
itself is too difficult.

d.)  _publishers_ seem to think it's not necessary to write
a strong reference book about the tag system.

Well, you are all wrong. 8-)

So, I congratulate the developer for his year-long work and
say to the hacker thanks for doing a job which needs to be
done, too. My respect goes to one who can take the heat. All
others get out of the kitchen, no free meals here anymore. I
think the cracker should donate his reward to the
documentation project... ah, forgot that's not existent
anymore...too bad.

Ah, where is the mini-ventor list again ? I need that one !
Gosh, I am so angry, I could actually start learning to code
myself. Going in my kitchen now, that's where I belong. 8-)

Birgitt

P.S. In case my post comes messed up completely in its
format, tell the Outlook developers they should open their
source, so that it gets fixed for security holes by some
strong open source crackers....and some better features. 8-)


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