Re: www.gateway.gov.uk
On Sun, 10 Jun 2001, Roger Horne wrote: > I note that the whole idea of PKI has been questioned: > http://www.counterpane.com/pki-risks.html no no .. that can't be true .. if it were true it would mean that our government and a large number of very powerful organisations had wasted millions and millions [1] on a variety of PKI infrastructures that perform no useful purpose .. no .. clearly it must just be the talk of some 'crazy hacker' .. best ignore it. now .. where was I .. oh yes .. 'so one of tailors said .. but Your Majesty, it is the most wondeful set of clothes I have ever seen'... [1] of my hard earned taxes! .. what is most irritating about the crazy way in which you see money being flung about the large IT companies by the ( minority ) govenrment we have is that it is our piggin money they are wasting. -- Robin Szemeti Redpoint Consulting Limited Real Solutions For A Virtual World
Re: Default library paths
On Sun, 10 June 2001, Jonathan Stowe wrote: > On Sun, 10 Jun 2001, Matthew Robinson wrote: > > > Apologies in advance if I have missed something blindingly obvious :) > > > > I need to change the default library paths in a compiled copy of perl. > > Basically, I want to move /usr/lib/perl5 into /usr/local/lib/perl5. I am > > unable to recompile perl as it is compiled for arm-linux and I don't have > > either the cross-compiler or the correct configuration to get perl to build > > for this architecture. > > > > PERL5LIB ? I suppose I could use PERL5LIB but I would still prefer the entirely self contained setup. Also PERL5LIB won't work with taint checking (not that I will be doing much taint checking on my iPAQ). Matt
Re: Default library paths
On Sun, 10 Jun 2001, Matthew Robinson wrote: > Apologies in advance if I have missed something blindingly obvious :) > > I need to change the default library paths in a compiled copy of perl. > Basically, I want to move /usr/lib/perl5 into /usr/local/lib/perl5. I am > unable to recompile perl as it is compiled for arm-linux and I don't have > either the cross-compiler or the correct configuration to get perl to build > for this architecture. > PERL5LIB ? /J\
Re: www.gateway.gov.uk
On Sat 09 Jun, Robert Shiels wrote: > Assume for a moment that I'm using lynx on Linux, and I want to send the > government my tax return securely. What are the security implications, can > it actually be done. I don't want to go off half-cocked and complain about > something when I don't fully understand why the alternative is better. > > Could someone explain it to me, and give me an address to send my complaint > to, and I'll definitely do it. As someone else has pointed out, this derived from a Linuxuser article at http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/articles/issue11/gateway.html This points out that most Government IT is now contracted out and this is so far as I am aware correct. Most departments appear to have *no* professional computing staff. (Some months ago I converted a Court Guide prepared by a judge into HTML. The intention was that this should be put on the Court Service site. Unfortunately Court Service had had its site "redesigned" -- white text on a purple background, etc -- and so the 39 files needed to be topped and tailed with their standard templates. When I suggested that this would not take even me more than an hour to do with Perl I was told by the Court Service IT department "We use DreamWeaver, we have no need for Perl." The Guide -- complete with meta tags on each page saying -- appeared on the CS site about 6 weeks later.) One of the main outside companies used by Departments is EDS. So far as certificates are concerned, at a meeting I went to a week or so ago the chairman, who is employed by another "legal" government department, handed round a message to him from a colleague saying that all contact with outsiders would require the use of digital certificates. The message was accompanied by a Paper which gave the impression of being written by someone in the department. In fact it was a topped and tailed copy of a paper written by one of the certificate suppliers, Entrust, on PKI (public key infrastructure?) http://www.entrust.com/resourcecenter/descriptions/152.htm Unsurprisingly it claims that digital certificates are essential. I note that the whole idea of PKI has been questioned: http://www.counterpane.com/pki-risks.html Another series of Articles from the Register show that EDS in NZ have dropped the idea in relation to their Revenue. If it is not essential there presumably it is not essential here. See the three links at the end of http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/19340.html But how one persuades the civil service of that I don't know. Roger H -- Roger Horne, 11 New Square, Lincoln's Inn, London WC2A 3QB mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http:www.hrothgar.co.uk/
Default library paths
Apologies in advance if I have missed something blindingly obvious :) I need to change the default library paths in a compiled copy of perl. Basically, I want to move /usr/lib/perl5 into /usr/local/lib/perl5. I am unable to recompile perl as it is compiled for arm-linux and I don't have either the cross-compiler or the correct configuration to get perl to build for this architecture. Currently, I am using a soft link from my /usr/lib to /usr/local/lib. However, I would prefer to keep the whole installation on /usr/local as this is mounted from a removable disk and I would prefer not to have dangling links when the device is removed. Any suggestions, or am I stuck with the link in /usr/lib. Matt -- s&&!msfQ!&&s&$&utvK&&s&(Q)&\1!sfiupoB&&s&^&reverse Ibdlfs&e&s&^ &&s&$!uojsq&&s&(.)&chr(ord($1)-1)&ge&s&(.*)&reverse $1&see
The meaning of life...
I thought you lot might appreciate this... ROCKS: THE MEANING OF LIFE A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The students laughed. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. "Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognise that this is your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff." "If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that really matter. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal." "Take care of the rocks first ? the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand." But then... A student then took the jar which the other students and the professor agreed was full, and proceeded to pour in a glass of beer. Of course the beer filled the remaining spaces within the jar making the jar truly full. The moral of this tale is: that no matter how full your life is, there is always room for BEER
Re: "Perl & CGI For The World Wide Web"
On Sat, Jun 09, 2001 at 12:16:03PM +0100, Dave Cross wrote: > Remember the discussion some months ago about what a horrible book this > was? > > Well, I've been exchanging emails with the author since slagging her off > big-time on Amazon. Somehow I've managed to make her thing that my input > is useful and I've just received a copy of the second edition of the book. > [snip] > > Dave... > > p.s Oh, and the acknowledgements page lists "Dave Cross, who not only pointed > out the problems, but also helped me solve them" :) Could this be love? ;) jp
Re: Upcoming technical meeting
On Sun, 10 Jun 2001, Greg McCarroll wrote: > * Leon Brocard ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote: > > Redvers Davies sent the following bits through the ether: > > > > > I'll be there... btw, has anyone heard back from the YAPC::Europe peeps > > > about which papers have been accepted?... or have any idea when the > > > list will be published. [1] > > > > Speakers will be told Real Soon Now. Registration might happen pretty > > soon too. Speakers don't need to register. > > > > maybe you'd like to make the point that those who can spare 40 quid > or whatever and are speakers can still register to help balance > the books > > Wierdly I just heard this morning that my proposal has been accepted - Crazee Fools :) /J\
Re: Upcoming technical meeting
* Leon Brocard ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote: > Redvers Davies sent the following bits through the ether: > > > I'll be there... btw, has anyone heard back from the YAPC::Europe peeps > > about which papers have been accepted?... or have any idea when the > > list will be published. [1] > > Speakers will be told Real Soon Now. Registration might happen pretty > soon too. Speakers don't need to register. > maybe you'd like to make the point that those who can spare 40 quid or whatever and are speakers can still register to help balance the books -- Greg McCarrollhttp://217.34.97.146/~gem/
Re: London.pm posting stats
On Sat, 9 Jun 2001, Richard Clamp wrote: > On Sat, Jun 09, 2001 at 09:57:52PM +0100, Simon Cozens wrote: > > On Sat, Jun 09, 2001 at 09:10:53PM +0100, Dave Hodgkinson wrote: > > > And how about a signal/noise bias? ;-) > > > > The noise *is* signal. > > I'll have what he's drinking. > Drinking ? "SEE PATTERNS IN NORMALLY AMBIGUOUS [ VISUAL ] MATERIAL" and "MORE TOLERANT OF CONTRADICTIONS" are described in http://www.druglibrary.org/special/tart/tart24.htm :) /J\