[olug] linux web server management ?

[William E. Kempf]

Jacobs, Robert A. said:
>>From: William E. Kempf [mailto:wekempf at cox.net]
>>I can think of no situation in which "unit",
>>interdependency or cross-application awareness has contributed
>>to the many
>>problems on a Windows system.  What causes those problems is
>>*mostly* the
>
> What do you consider the integration of Outlook, IE, and Office to be
> then? It seems that is the vector of choice among today's
> script-kiddies.  Maybe  I'm using terminology I should not have
> been...but this is the type of integration that I'm talking about.

The apps are "integrated" through COM, which is a very "loose" coupling
from a developers stand point (as in changes to any of the individual
components doesn't effect the others).

What you're talking about here is how the easy integrations make it easier
for "script kiddies" to create worms and viruses.  This is true to an
extent.  But there's nothing these script kiddies can do on Windows that
they couldn't accomplish on Linux as well, provided they understand the
many complex parts of a Linux distribution.  IOW, security through
obscurity is no security at all.  (And before I get flamed... don't
misread what I just said as an indication that Linux is any more or less
secure than Windows, as I'm speaking solely to the regard or integrated
applications and not about the larger picture).

>>lack of versioning and a broken DLL system.  (And the single monolothic
>> binary registry does provide a single point of failure that
>>can trash the
>>entire system, instead of a single app, though in all honesty
>>I've never
>>had this happen in 10+ years of use.)
>
> Unfortunately, I have.  :(

I know people that have.  But every system has points of failure.  If you
take the proper steps to avoid them (in this case, keep backups) then the
points of failure are nothing more than a nuisance.  But again, don't
misread what I'm saying here, I think a Linux solution should continue to
use seperate text files.  I just think they should use a common format, be
located in a common location, and have a common API for accessing them.

William E. Kempf