Linux Back Door

[panthera]

The bad news is, our servers containing Finals for this semester were affected. The good news is, I am too paranoid to ever post my real final on the university server.

I hereby officially distance myself from the info on Mac problems included in the link.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/linu...entoo-ships-backdoor-updated/2206?tag=nl.e550

 

[lordkenmore]

Thanks for posting that link.

I'm not sure what my reaction is. Linux can be compromised. I suspect security will probably be more of an issue in years to come. For one thing, so much business is done with computers now, making them a target for criminal types.

Still, I think the line of "Welcome to the world Windows users lived in back in 2003 or so" is a little extreme. Linux is in a lot better shape than Windows was in 2003. Security appears to be taken seriously--I've noticed many problems get fixed before they even have a chance to become a problem. Microsoft, on the other hand, never really appeared to care about security until it became a huge problem. They basically waited until the building was burning down before they installed smoke alarms and sprinklers. Even now, I hear of people having problems with Vista and Windows 7--which supposedly had improved security.

 

[lordkenmore]

"The good news is, I am too paranoid to ever post my real final on the university server."

Does that mean you put FAKE finals there just to trap those poor,innocent students?

I had a teacher in high school who liked to leave a copy of the next test casually lying about. Not just the test, but the answer key. Except the answers were wrong. He was always entertained by how many students would fail that particular test.

 

[panthera]

Goodness,

How could you think such a think of little ol' moi?

Hell, yes, I do.

I've got kids who drive here from Austria twice a week just to attend lectures (sometimes, just mine). I've got students in their forties who work full time and have families. It makes me furious to see such students cheated upon by some asshat who knows how to game the system.

 

[sudsman]

Hell, yes, I do.

Good for YOU! Teachers Should make all learn not copy learn! Whats good for the goose is good for the gander! I sometimes leave applications on my desk . Amazing how things change for a day or two it they think someone is going to be replaced.. Also once in a while I stick one in my back pocket and that works real good too. They never notice it was filled a poof application filled out for Bunny Cat. But they sure work hard for a spell... I also make all reps walk thru the plant and usually ask if they know of anyone looking for jobs.. Works real well too.

 

[panthera]

Back when I was young and naive

I asked a student caught for cheating why he had done so.

He replied that he had run the odds - less than 10% chance of passing the exam without cheating.
Thirty-three percent chance of being caught.
One hundred percent chance of passing with the right answers written out.

(Wasn't one of my courses, I was proctoring an exam in solid state physics).

I swear, I wanted to throttle him. It was so hard not to. Batsard!

I warn students every semester before their exams not to confuse my friendliness with being a push-over. Does it help? No. The panther will not change his spots, nor a cheater stop trying to get something for nothing.

Right now, I have 72 kids who were failed by a colleague in the previous two semesters. He is proud of his 75%+ failure rate. They have to pass my course or they will be kicked out of the university. When I see the efforts they expend - some even wrote me (one called me long distance to discuss their orals!) when I was in the 'States these last weeks for a family emergency - and think some jerk might try to take what is not his, it makes me see red.

 

[sudsman]

The toughest teacher I had

Was when I was training for laundry managment. The plant manager I had to work under was tough and harsh. However I respect him to this day and wish he was still around to thank him. I learned more from him and his "old school" style that I ever have anyone else. My toughest teachers in school are the ones I liked the most..