Mailinglist Archive: opensuse-edu (229 mails)
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Re: [suse-linux-uk-schools] RM proxy server query
- From: "Mark Evans" <mpe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 13:40:47 +0000 (UTC)
- Message-id: <20020409134210.885.qmail@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> This thread is interesting. I suspect there are a lot of other servers
> around it is relevant to. In carms LEA we buy in a web filtering service
> provided by a US company called N2H2. It is very similar to that described
Even if the companies concerned actually made a fair attempt
it's questionable that something produced in the US (or Canada,
or Australia, etc) would be appropriate to use anywhere in the
UK simply due to differences in language.
This just with English, goodness knows what would happen with
Welsh tossed into the mix too.
Problem is that these companies are notorious as "snake oil"
merchants.
> for the RM proxy - squid running under debian linux. I have no direct
> access to the system (unless I was to do as some suggested and change the
> root password ;) ). It is managed remotely by the company - including the
If you want to be sneaky you could add an additional user which
has a UID of zero.
> really important bit which is the daily update of the blacklist. This
> service is the bit which we are really paying for.
You are also paying to trust that they actually put the right
kind of things in the blacklist.
> My question is: as we haven't bought the server and software from them,
> just a filtering service which happens to use it, how does the GPL apply
> to this situation?
AFAIK all that is required for the GPL to apply is distribution
of the software. It dosn't matter if this is explicit or not.
> Apart from a web interface for managing the system and the filtering
> categories etc., the database of categorised sites is the only special
> thing on the system and is the main justification for withholding root
> access. I suppose that from an admin point of view it is much easier for
> them if no one has access to mess anything up. The system works well, in
Or to see if they have messed up.
> general, but it would be nice to have the option of tweaking it to suit
> ourselves.
--
Mark Evans
St. Peter's CofE High School
Phone: +44 1392 204764 X109
Fax: +44 1392 204763
> around it is relevant to. In carms LEA we buy in a web filtering service
> provided by a US company called N2H2. It is very similar to that described
Even if the companies concerned actually made a fair attempt
it's questionable that something produced in the US (or Canada,
or Australia, etc) would be appropriate to use anywhere in the
UK simply due to differences in language.
This just with English, goodness knows what would happen with
Welsh tossed into the mix too.
Problem is that these companies are notorious as "snake oil"
merchants.
> for the RM proxy - squid running under debian linux. I have no direct
> access to the system (unless I was to do as some suggested and change the
> root password ;) ). It is managed remotely by the company - including the
If you want to be sneaky you could add an additional user which
has a UID of zero.
> really important bit which is the daily update of the blacklist. This
> service is the bit which we are really paying for.
You are also paying to trust that they actually put the right
kind of things in the blacklist.
> My question is: as we haven't bought the server and software from them,
> just a filtering service which happens to use it, how does the GPL apply
> to this situation?
AFAIK all that is required for the GPL to apply is distribution
of the software. It dosn't matter if this is explicit or not.
> Apart from a web interface for managing the system and the filtering
> categories etc., the database of categorised sites is the only special
> thing on the system and is the main justification for withholding root
> access. I suppose that from an admin point of view it is much easier for
> them if no one has access to mess anything up. The system works well, in
Or to see if they have messed up.
> general, but it would be nice to have the option of tweaking it to suit
> ourselves.
--
Mark Evans
St. Peter's CofE High School
Phone: +44 1392 204764 X109
Fax: +44 1392 204763
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