A-Z Linux Guide

Figuring out the best Linux distribution depends entirely on one’s intended use for the program. As open source, freely distributed software, Linux programs have been modified and redesigned in countless ways to fulfill as many needs. However, some versions have proven more popular than others.

“Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” The question seemingly has no real answer, and biologists can argue either reply ad nauseam. The computer world has an equally pervasive question that cannot provide a single answer:

“What are the top three Linux distributions?”

Ask any collection of Linux experts that question and you’ll be in for a long discussion. It all depends on what the intended use is. For instance, are we talking about the top three distributions for business or home use? For commercial use or subscription free support? For bundled integration with hardware or developmental purposes? For server optimization or cost economy? For paid technical support or free distribution? [Source: linuxinsider.com]

In the march of the penguins to World Domination, I have seen Linux become more and more commonplace. Back with my first attempt to install Slackware Linux from 3.5” floppies onto my Packard Bell 386 Legend with its 40MB hard drive, 1x CD-ROM and S3 video knockoff, I never did get X to run with any resolution higher than 300×400. It was horrible – the desktop was so large that my screen couldn’t contain all of it. The window manager, as I recall that day in 1994, was VWM. As I wasn’t so interested in a GUI environment, and really just wanted an UNIX-like PC so I could practice things like shell scripting, it was “Ok” for me. It was not “good enough” for my girlfriend though. She had her Mac Performa and what I used didn’t matter.

The book I used to get my first Linux CD with Slackware was published by Que. And there was nothing in it about programming X. There wasn’t really much about even configuring X. The state of Linux was so bad, that there weren’t even drivers to read from my CD-ROM, which was connected through my sound card. That’s why I had to copy the files from the CD-ROM onto individual floppies – 30 of them. I was hooked – I was not going to let some piece of computer hardware defeat me. I was going to make this thing usable by even the most illiterate of users. [Source: http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/78487/]

The developers of FreeBSD say that it may be possible to break out of a jail. Jails allow processes to be locked in so that they can only access part of the file system and not use a couple of other potentially dangerous functions. Even if an attacker gets complete control of a process in the jail, he cannot do much damage because he shouldn’t be able to break out of the jail, not even with root rights

Unfortunately, a flaw in the jail script (jail rc.d(8)) allows for access to resources outside of the jail via symbolic links; files can then be overwritten, and attackers can gain access to the system’s root rights, among other things. The developers list one candidate for possible misuse in their security advisory: if the /var/log/console.log file in the jail is replaced by a symbolic link, the attacker can break out of the jail. Then, the mount points in the directory structure can also be manipulated.

On the other hand, the flaw can only be exploited when the jail script is being launched or stopped. All FreeBSD versions since 5.3 are affected. The problem has been remedied in more recent FreeBSD versions. A patch is also available for FreeBSD 5.5, 6.0, and 6.1. The last time such a flaw in FreeBSD was made public was at the beginning of 2004. [Source]

The Linux community is heading for a clash between three disparate groups with very different goals and agendas. We’ve already seen some light skirmishes between them already. Sometimes these groups will align for the purposes of advancing their own views, but for the most part, these three groups will either destroy Linux as we know it or have to learn how to get along. Just about the only thing these groups have in common are the passion for their viewpoints. Can these three groups get along in the end and work toward a common goal? Will Linux be pulled apart and allow Windows to win by default?

Hopefully we can all look at these groups critically and poke a little fun at ourselves along the way. This is a passionate topic and I’m sure to get some hate mail for this piece, but hopefully you’ll get a good laugh while you light up your flamethrower. Am I stereotyping here? Yeah, pretty much. Just enjoy the piece.

(I would be remiss if I didn’t mention dividing users into groups for the purposes of pseudo-humorous computer articles is my Intellectual Property. If any large software companies want to license this technology from me, send me an e-mail for the address to mail the blank checks.)

The first group - Philosophical Linux User

The second group - Business Linux User

The third group - Home Linux User

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