Just to give a Devil's Advocate to the Devil's Advocate:
On Fri, Mar 28, 2003 at 09:32:39AM -0800, Mark Yarbrough wrote: [...] > So lets say that Roy calls upon the RLUG and asks "Anybody > have any experience setting up proftpd or wu-ftp? I would like to > be able to have some people upload & update some html on my > webserver and figure ftp would be best. Though, I hear ssh & scp(?) > is a better solution." > We respond with the best solution but tell him that the world > will not end if he doesn't use it. > "Don't use ftp. Let me underscore this: _Don't use FTP_" > (apologies to Mark) FTP is a horrible protocol. I wanted to nail the fact that it should NOT be used, reasons why, and an alternate solution. This attitude isn't "elitist" -- I didn't belittle him, I just wanted to make the fact clear. Now, FTP is a good choice if you want to set things up the old fashion way. Use ftp. Users can use their shiny Win32 apps, and the system admin can reinstall his machine every month from being hacked due to a sniffed password or flaky FTP daemon. I place blame on the vendors, and shame on the vendors, for using a protocol that should have died 20 years ago. > We often fail to remember that we are telling the Admin the > best way to handle it and throw him/her to the wolves (the end user). > We don't know the caliber of user that will be using his web server. A web server is a complicated piece of software, and general users probably shouldn't be setting them up... > They my only be trading photos online anyway. ... to trade photos. To learn and play, sure. But this is an overkill solution that many users find email and IM programs that are easier to use. > Besides (I may be wrong) we can lock down directory access pretty > easily with proftp. in fact it is pretty robust itself with security. > And finally we have all been there when we have to support an > application that we know little or nothing about. So perhaps the > LUG'ers should remember that the most secure is not always the best. ssh isn't even the most secure way to do things; I was suggesting the protocol that best fit a solution. Maybe I should have suggested ssh over IPSec or some sort of VPN solution? Well hey, he could run FTP over a VPN, now couldn't he? Overkill? As for support, grandma shouldn't be emailing the LUG if she needs tons of support, IMO. I've always thought of the LUGs has a community help and hobbiest group. If grandma needs help with her Linux box, she can read the documentation, or call her vendor for support, just like and other user (Win32 or Mac) does. The LUG is here, again, IMO, if she needs general community help or questions, and to spread the Linux lovin' for newbies, who want to who want to get the edge on what people will be running 10 years from now. Computers are hard. They aren't like a TV, microwave, or Playstation. Software will evolve, openness will decrease, and things will be come easier to use. Even Microsoft has a technology out that will help users "stay secure" and "remove freedom" in exchange for ease of use. I hope this wasn't too flamey, but isn't that what mailings lists are for? Mark -- | Mark C. Ballew | Graduate Student, University of Nevada, Reno | Homepage: http://sublinear.net | RAWUG President: http://rawug.org | UNR GS-ACM Treasurer: http://www.cs.unr.edu/~gsacm _______________________________________________ RLUG mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.rlug.org/mailman/listinfo/rlug
