Probably stupid question - how to judge veracity of these posts?
This is probably a dumb question, and possibly insulting to you guys (though I honestly hope not - that's not my intent), but here goes... To provide some perspective - I've been supporting Windows users professionally for the last 10 years or so. Lately, the amount of time I spend fixing problems related to trojans, worms, spyware, virii, etc..., has exploded. As a matter of fact, I'm working on a client's system right now, just to the left of the system I'm using to type this message. Over the last couple of years I've slowly begun to use Linux rather than Windows for = my own personal computers. I'm learning, but slowly. Now, to get to the point. I have a system running SuSE 9, FTP-installed. It has the libjawt.so problem that I've found mentioned in various online support threads, including a thread in the January archives here. Usually the various mentions end with somebody telling the user to download and install the Java Runtime from Sun. I tried that and still get the error when trying to run YAST. In the January thread for this list, Guillermo recommended another poster download and install the JRE, AND download and install his own RPM, from his own website. I'm anxious to get this problem resolved so I may install various components, but I'm a little gunshy about just downloading and installing some random package from a site I know nothing about. I don't believe there is anything malevolent at all about Guillermo's files, but I'm ordinarily a very trusting sort, and I'm wondering what the wise course of action would be for something like this. Those of you more clued-in, how would I confirm something like this? My instinct says there's nothing to worry about, but having spent the weekend fighting various Windows malware on 2 different client systems, I'm thinking it might be prudent to think carefully about blindly installing anything. Thanks, Steve PS: I don't mean to single this one instance out. I'm confident the particular thread I'm mentioning is perfectly innocent. I was really asking more 'in general', as this sort of thing occurs all the time, and I don't want to one day install some RPM that hoses my system, because a knowledgeable 15 year old wanted to get some kicks. -- Best regards, Stephen Jacobs mailto:Steve@JacobsHome.org Spirits were brave, men boldly split infinitives that no man had split before. Thus was the Empire forged.
The Sunday 2004-02-22 at 21:09 -0500, Stephen Jacobs wrote:
Those of you more clued-in, how would I confirm something like this? My instinct says there's nothing to worry about, but having spent the weekend fighting various Windows malware on 2 different client systems, I'm thinking it might be prudent to think carefully about blindly installing anything.
Speaking in general - I don't know what the libjawt.so problem is - you should only install packages from sites you trust, and with authenticity verified with a gpg signature. For example, we assume that packages from SuSE are trusty, because we want to. From any body else? Who knows... depends; as with any thing else in life... who knows? For anybody of the suspicious kind, they should probably use a business version, with a support line behind, in contract. At least, we seem to be not vulnerable to the wide range of windows malware (except as nuisances on email). A friend of mine, of the kind that just uses the computer without understanding much about it, told me she had such and such problems on her XP system. What could I tell her? Only that she needs someone to repair/maintain her windows for her: firewall, antivirus, and whatnot. I can not repair it and guarantee a year free of problems, not even a month. Linux? Of course I could, but I doubt she could use it, certainly she wouldn't be able to maintain it herself, and I couldn't as we don't usually live at the same city. Computers are not yet "appliances" :-( -- Cheers, Carlos Robinson
On Sunday 22 February 2004 09:09 pm, Stephen Jacobs wrote:
This is probably a dumb question, and possibly insulting to you guys (though I honestly hope not - that's not my intent), but here goes...
To provide some perspective - I've been supporting Windows users professionally for the last 10 years or so. Lately, the amount of time I spend fixing problems related to trojans, worms, spyware, virii, etc..., has exploded. As a matter of fact, I'm working on a client's system right now, just to the left of the system I'm using to type this message. Over the last couple of years I've slowly begun to use Linux rather than Windows for = my own personal computers. I'm learning, but slowly.
Now, to get to the point. I have a system running SuSE 9, FTP-installed. It has the libjawt.so problem that I've found mentioned in various online support threads, including a thread in the January archives here. Usually the various mentions end with somebody telling the user to download and install the Java Runtime from Sun. I tried that and still get the error when trying to run YAST.
In the January thread for this list, Guillermo recommended another poster download and install the JRE, AND download and install his own RPM, from his own website.
I'm anxious to get this problem resolved so I may install various components, but I'm a little gunshy about just downloading and installing some random package from a site I know nothing about.
I don't believe there is anything malevolent at all about Guillermo's files, but I'm ordinarily a very trusting sort, and I'm wondering what the wise course of action would be for something like this.
Those of you more clued-in, how would I confirm something like this? My instinct says there's nothing to worry about, but having spent the weekend fighting various Windows malware on 2 different client systems, I'm thinking it might be prudent to think carefully about blindly installing anything.
Thanks, Steve
PS: I don't mean to single this one instance out. I'm confident the particular thread I'm mentioning is perfectly innocent. I was really asking more 'in general', as this sort of thing occurs all the time, and I don't want to one day install some RPM that hoses my system, because a knowledgeable 15 year old wanted to get some kicks. -- Best regards, Stephen Jacobs mailto:Steve@JacobsHome.org ===============
Steve, Glad to see you are breaking away and using something a bit more stable and user controllable. SuSE Linux should serve you well. My first impression would be to ask you if you are serious about moving to Linux. If you are, and I think so, then get your own copy of the Pro package. Install all the things you need for the things you want to do. The FTP install is nice, but it is not the Pro pack nor the Personal version either and it will leave you wanting for a great many things. As you have already found, things are missing and installing other things seems somewhat problematic. It wouldn't be the case, if you had a full install from the DVD or CDs supplied in the Pro package. No, I don't work for SuSE, but for the most bang for the buck, a SuSE boxed set is hard to beat! Who you trust for your extra files or updated files, if you are a version junkie, is up to you. Ask about, there are some trustworthy suppliers of SuSE rpms. Make a decision also if you are going to stick mostly with SuSE supplied files or some other source, but don't mix & match too much, as it sometimes leads to problems. Lee -- --- KMail v1.6 --- SuSE Linux Pro v9.0 --- Registered Linux User #225206 On any other day, that might seem strange...
Stephen, i also was a windows user, using Win95, Win98, then professionally WinNT, Win2000Server and Windows Xp. I tried redhat and i loved it! but i wanted more (cause it's a too stripped linux distro) and then i discovered SuSE Linux 7.3 and wow! interoperability was fine and then i learned and i learned... Actually i'm a Linux user, using SuSE 9 Professional and RedHat 9 and i need to be interoperable with windows and macos9 and macosx. Piece of cake with SuSE 9 Pro. My advice is to buy SuSE Linux Professional 9 (not personal) and you can copy and view files from your FAT32 or NTFS partition. With Personal edition you can't (well only if you know how to recompile linux kernel - it's easy). Then you'll be out off problems, will have a great user guide and administrator guide, 5 CD's and a double sided DVD. Best of all... a great sticker from SuSE! It's not advertising but they really deserv your support if you like SuSE Linux. Regarding the veracity of this posts, these are great people helping and people wanted to get some help. View other posts, read, learn and you'll know what i'm talking about. Every time i came here for help i always get the solution i'm looking for. Need any help? Just post and if i can help you, i'll reply. :) Stay well, Luis Freitas JAWDaP - Just Another WebDesigner and Programmer :) On Mon, 2004-02-23 at 03:50, BandiPat wrote:
On Sunday 22 February 2004 09:09 pm, Stephen Jacobs wrote:
This is probably a dumb question, and possibly insulting to you guys (though I honestly hope not - that's not my intent), but here goes...
To provide some perspective - I've been supporting Windows users professionally for the last 10 years or so. Lately, the amount of time I spend fixing problems related to trojans, worms, spyware, virii, etc..., has exploded. As a matter of fact, I'm working on a client's system right now, just to the left of the system I'm using to type this message. Over the last couple of years I've slowly begun to use Linux rather than Windows for = my own personal computers. I'm learning, but slowly.
Now, to get to the point. I have a system running SuSE 9, FTP-installed. It has the libjawt.so problem that I've found mentioned in various online support threads, including a thread in the January archives here. Usually the various mentions end with somebody telling the user to download and install the Java Runtime from Sun. I tried that and still get the error when trying to run YAST.
In the January thread for this list, Guillermo recommended another poster download and install the JRE, AND download and install his own RPM, from his own website.
I'm anxious to get this problem resolved so I may install various components, but I'm a little gunshy about just downloading and installing some random package from a site I know nothing about.
I don't believe there is anything malevolent at all about Guillermo's files, but I'm ordinarily a very trusting sort, and I'm wondering what the wise course of action would be for something like this.
Those of you more clued-in, how would I confirm something like this? My instinct says there's nothing to worry about, but having spent the weekend fighting various Windows malware on 2 different client systems, I'm thinking it might be prudent to think carefully about blindly installing anything.
Thanks, Steve
PS: I don't mean to single this one instance out. I'm confident the particular thread I'm mentioning is perfectly innocent. I was really asking more 'in general', as this sort of thing occurs all the time, and I don't want to one day install some RPM that hoses my system, because a knowledgeable 15 year old wanted to get some kicks. -- Best regards, Stephen Jacobs mailto:Steve@JacobsHome.org ===============
Steve, Glad to see you are breaking away and using something a bit more stable and user controllable. SuSE Linux should serve you well. My first impression would be to ask you if you are serious about moving to Linux. If you are, and I think so, then get your own copy of the Pro package. Install all the things you need for the things you want to do. The FTP install is nice, but it is not the Pro pack nor the Personal version either and it will leave you wanting for a great many things.
As you have already found, things are missing and installing other things seems somewhat problematic. It wouldn't be the case, if you had a full install from the DVD or CDs supplied in the Pro package. No, I don't work for SuSE, but for the most bang for the buck, a SuSE boxed set is hard to beat!
Who you trust for your extra files or updated files, if you are a version junkie, is up to you. Ask about, there are some trustworthy suppliers of SuSE rpms. Make a decision also if you are going to stick mostly with SuSE supplied files or some other source, but don't mix & match too much, as it sometimes leads to problems.
Lee -- --- KMail v1.6 --- SuSE Linux Pro v9.0 --- Registered Linux User #225206 On any other day, that might seem strange...
On Sunday 22 February 2004 11:16 pm, Luis Miguel P. Freitas wrote:
My advice is to buy SuSE Linux Professional 9 (not personal) and you can copy and view files from your FAT32 or NTFS partition. With Personal edition you can't (well only if you know how to recompile linux kernel - it's easy).
Is FAT32 and NTFS support a kernel issue or a matter of which packages are supplied? My impression is that both Personal and Professional use the same kernel. Paul Abrahams
The Monday 2004-02-23 at 11:07 -0500, Paul W. Abrahams wrote:
Is FAT32 and NTFS support a kernel issue or a matter of which packages are supplied? My impression is that both Personal and Professional use the same kernel.
As far as I know, you are right, both use the same kernel - except that the personal doesn't have the kernel-source package. -- Cheers, Carlos Robinson
On Monday 23 February 2004 8:49 pm, Carlos E. R. wrote:
The Monday 2004-02-23 at 11:07 -0500, Paul W. Abrahams wrote:
Is FAT32 and NTFS support a kernel issue or a matter of which packages are supplied? My impression is that both Personal and Professional use the
same
kernel.
As far as I know, you are right, both use the same kernel - except that the personal doesn't have the kernel-source package.
It's not a big deal to download the kernel source if you have a reasonably fast connection. It's an rpm like anything else and installs with Yast, and it's on the SuSE ftp site (and the mirrors too, of course). Paul Abrahams
participants (5)
-
BandiPat -
Carlos E. R. -
Luis Miguel P. Freitas -
Paul W. Abrahams -
Stephen Jacobs