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Re^3: Status of Recent User Information Leak

by Polyglot (Chaplain)
on Aug 15, 2009 at 10:32 UTC ( [id://788856]=note: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??


in reply to Re^2: Status of Recent User Information Leak
in thread Status of Recent User Information Leak

Instead of criticizing the admins and debating whether they have neglected a security aspect we should be glad that they could bear the hassle of running this free site and all the bedeviling shots that come along, without PM all of us would be punching in the dark sometime somewhere to get a certain code working or would be going through noncontiguous Google's results in order to extract some knowledge which is a frustration.
How many users does it take to make the programmers of a "free software" bear some responsibility for its integrity?

Consider the following "free" things, and whether you would be a bit indisposed if any one of them had a similar leak of your email address, password, and real name due to a server that wasn't secure.

  • linux
  • Firefox
  • Skype
  • Gmail
  • Hotmail
  • Yahoo Mail
  • MSN Messenger
  • Facebook
Businesses have come to rely on these products. Should they not? Should everyone be content for the free service these products give, even if now and then their security is breached and passwords, emails, and IDs become public info?

Blessings,

~Polyglot~

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Re^4: Status of Recent User Information Leak
by biohisham (Priest) on Aug 15, 2009 at 12:11 UTC
    Yeah, you have a point there, when you talk about each one of the services you mentioned, Linux and down to Facebook, remember, these guys are companies, they are established as companies, they have many other sources of income and hence they could afford rendering a free service or more than one free service "or flavor", setting the standards for the industry.

    That is one side, the other side is, the amount of huge businesses that advertise their contents through these sites is another source of income which is generous, here at PM, it is much of a community participation or cooperative work, the members themselves donate and share for the betterment of the site - more or less of course- You really have a point that it is frustrating when a leak takes place but considering the circumstances where this matter happened is worth noticing, first, the server that had these information was a retired one and second, it was a remote probability that it could be accessed. I am not vouching for PM and I am not sympathizing with those who got their passwords compromised and neither am I implying that a free service has downgrades simply because it is free, those who got other sources of stability can afford a top-of-the-bar standard easier than can others, it is sad, but the responsibility is mutual and so is the burden here at Perl Monks.


    Excellence is an Endeavor of Persistence. Chance Favors a Prepared Mind.
      Oh what the heck, since I'm revisting this thread....
      Yeah, you have a point there, when you talk about each one of the services you mentioned, Linux and down to Facebook, remember, these guys are companies, they are established as companies, they have many other sources of income and hence they could afford rendering a free service or more than one free service "or flavor", setting the standards for the industry.
      Actually, "linux" [sic] isn't a company, though there are companies that create Linux distros. And Firefox is put out by the Mozilla Foundation, so once again, not a company. Companies provide funds to help these projects out and may even assign people to work on these projects but at the end of the day they are not companies. But more importantly, Perl benefits in the same way! Furthermore, PerlMonks is part of The Perl Foundation, which makes it similar to the Mozilla Foundation.

      Your comments may make sense for the rest of the list, but they are way off-base for Linux and Firefox.

      Elda Taluta; Sarks Sark; Ark Arks

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