On 13-01-10 11:40 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> MAGICFAB
>
>  I own a Toshiba Intel dual core gamers laptop, that has the same
> fingerprint device, The drivers are embedded into the Bios, The
> software for is windows Vista OSI. Is pretty cool just to initialize a
> whole system at the touch of your finger print!  a Very anti-intrusive
> device. You got 3 try's before it shuts himself down. I think that a
> hacker will have to cut your finger off before accessing your system.

Just a a side note, this is not very useful here. As the subject
indicates this thread is about the X230. Please don't hijack discussion
threads like this, specially when your example doesn't even involve
Trisquel.

Your configuration involves security by obscurity - you can't know how
the fingerprint support is implemented, so there is no way to know how
secure it is.
In any case fingerprint readers have so many ways to be fooled into
giving access to the systems they "protect" that they can be used for
convenience, at best. Bruce Schneier provides tons of useful (and funny)
links about this in every other issue of his Cryptogram email newsletter.

In general, whenever a driver "just works with Windows" and you're
wondering "why isn't this working with Gnu/LINUX?!??" it involves a
business relationship which doesn't exist (yet?) between the
manufacturer and those able to implement such drivers - ie. almost never
a technical impossibility.

>
> My thinking is, since you are a developer, could you rewrite those
> drivers into gnu/Linux? other example: When I was in the Service our
> finger prints were embedded into our ID chip card those readers are
> using Unix.

Maybe, through extensive, time-consuming reverse-engineering. The best
case scenario would involve fully open, freely-licensed, pattent
unencumbered documentation being available. This usually happens when
the manufacturers (laptop & FP reader) hire developers or finance each
other's development. My personal interest (and effective knowledge in
programming this) is less than zero, though.

>
>  I still holding the rescue disk that includes those drivers.
>
>  Maybe, is just too much to be asking for.

In my very personal opinion, there are lots of other projects to focus
on/contribute rather than reverse engineering.

>
>   I'm just a user for know, still learning Linux and learning fast, I
> started using Tristel on an old Averatec 7100 laptop, made in 2006
> just 3 days ago, it runs on 2gb ram, 80G HD, ATI-128Meg Video card
> with an AMD sempron 1.Just got tired of slackware and its repository
> limitations for Puppy slacko.
>
> Thank YOU MIL GRACIAS for your TIEMPO.
>
That's the thing, you're not "just a user" if you're here. Glad to see
you're already participating :)

What has been your experience with the Averatec? I had a 32xx series
some time ago. It would be useful if you can post about that on a
separate thread and perhaps contribute its components reports on h-node.org.

Cheers,

Fabian R.

-- 
Fabián Rodríguez
http://trisquel.magicfab.ca

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