therning.org/ magnus

I enjoyed reading this article on how an XSS attack works. I’ve always just done the alert("Game over!") XSS which isn’t really an attack at all, just a proof that there’s a possibility for an attack.

That trusted computing is bad for consumers is something I’ve known for a while, but apparently TC is bad for security as well. Every security measure has its side effects, I’m not convinced this one is unintended though.

Here’s a prime example of just how bad laws like DMCA can be. If this holds up we basically allow the law to force us backwards in time. (I just have to sneak in Cory’s excellent write-up on Europe’s broadcasting flag here.)

Network neutrality is a complicated subject. Ed Felten has done a lot lately to clarify things for me with his Nuts and Bolts of Network Neutrality. I still have to find the time to look through his blog a bit more carefully.

Why is this such big news? An update for Ubuntu broke X. Boohoo! I bet most people complaining don’t have a shadow of a leg to stand on in this. They don’t pay, they don’t contribute, they only bitch in the forums/mailinglists/blogs/etc. It only took 8 hours to fix!

Just in case the UK government wants a good reason to not introduce bloody ID cards and national databases to keep records of everything everyone does—here it is!

Looking to replace M$ Office? Here are a few MS Office killers.

I wouldn’t mind having my desktop look like this!

I’ve actually wondered how to uniquify a list in Python for a long time.

Python is moving up, or maybe it’s down, I don’t know.

Want to learn Python and PyGTK? This blog on learning Python seems like a good place to get inspired.

Lately there’s been a lot of talk about Microsoft’s new Zune stuff. A lot of people seem to believe it’s never going to de-throne the iPod/iTunes monopoly Apple has managed to create. Maybe. I don’t really care. 79p is still too much to pay for music with DRM. The one thing that got me thinking was Microsoft’s strategy for breaking the Apple monopoly:

Make it easy for people to switch away from iTunes by offering the songs already bought there for free from Microsoft’s own store.

Brilliant idea? Possibly, but the devil’s in the details.

How are they going to do that, exactly? How do I prove that I’ve bought music from iTunes to Microsoft?

Remember, the iTunes music is under DRM. Apple has only sold one single license to that technology, Motorola. Reverse engineering of Apple’s DRM is not legal in the states, DMCA took care of that. (It’s probably not legal in the EU either.) And last, but not least, Apple and Microsoft are fierce competitors with nothing nice to say about each other.

So, how will Microsoft make sure that I don’t lie when saying that I bought song A from iTunes?

Will I have to give them my music files, they inspect them and then I’m rewarded? But, the file format is proprietary and Microsoft doesn’t have a license. Will they buy a license? Will Apple sell them one?

I’m sure that Cory Doctorow is right, if Microsoft goes ahead we’ll soon see a lot of “tools” that help users trick Microsoft into handing out free music…