Maybe the Halifax Bank has finally woken up

Perhaps Halifax have finally realised just how insecure their site is and decided to actually implement some worthwhile security measures.

I have been using the Halifax online banking facility for about two years now. To view my account details all I require is a username, password and the answer to one of FOUR security questions, just four questions, the answers to which are easily obtainable, you cannot specify your own questions.

Furthermore the questions are not cycled on a regular basis, I could log into my account and answer the security question, use my account and log out.

If I then logged into the account again thirty minutes later I would be asked exactly the same question! Really inspires confidence.

Having said all this I have never once been the victim of any fraudulent use of my banking details so maybe they aren't that bad after all.

Allen

When you're cleaning Lindows
First letter to the Inq! Wasn't sure if you had seen/covered this, but I sent a letter off to good 'ole Michael Robertson (michaelr@lindows.com) to point out how ironic the following situation is (and have included the reply at the end):

To whom it may concern:

After reading over "Michael's Minutes" at http://www.lindows.com/lindows_michaelsminutes_archives.php?id=86 , I found it a bit ironic that the counter at the bottom of http://info.lindows.com/lindows/ is a Microsoft FrontPage web control. You can see this by viewing the source:

I do not have an opinion one way or the other about Lindows, but I do know for a company that mocks MS and its products (in this case Office), I think it is a bit alarming to see that you are using FrontPage web controls on your site (especially the page relating to the lawsuit).

Regards,
Tad Williams [The response was a standard reply, Ed.]

SuSE Linux - more on this
Mike,

you can put this as an answer to Jasmin on your website. Please protect my privacy again.

I see SUSE's marketeer answered and once again their reply shows little understanding of what is happening. I got similar replies in the past.

So let me dissect what Jasmin stated.

1. Everything Jasmin stated is true.
2. Nothing what Jasmin stated addresses the problem.
3. I have gotten the same response through the channel and it fails to answer the core questions asked.

If you read my email the end customer and I request:

- a time-bombed SLOX evaluation

If you want to try Nero you go to their website and get their 30 day trial. If you want Photoshop you go to Adobe's website and get their 30 day trial. If you want Win4Lin you go to Netraverse and get their 30 day trial. If you want VMware you go to their website and get their 30 day trial. Notice any consistency?

If you want Open-Exchange you go to the SuSE website demo implementation and get nothing to trial.

I believe there is no trial/demo software for Open-Exchange.

Jasmin stated:

"The SuSE Linux Open-Exchange Server can be tested either by evaluating the online demo (please see URL: here) or by using the fully installable software CD set which can be purchased currently from the UK online store, priced at £34.00."

1. The online demo is useless to an IT administrator or IT manager. Who will spend 5000+ dollars on their business collaboration software based on seeing a demo on a website? Can a demo like this tell you about its integration in your business environment? The answer is no. SuSE needs to stop creating marketing schemes and listen to the resellers who have to actually sell the product. The full potential of SLES or SLOX will NEVER be realised until time-bombed trial software is available.

There are two ways to evaluate a product:

- trust somebody's opinion that it is a good product based on that person's experience
- trust your own opinion that it is a good product based on your own experience

Which one do you think customers prefer when their business' main communication system is at stake?

Two system admins talking at a pub:
Admin 1: "You should run Open-Exchange in your business because a friend of a friend of mine has seen it and he says it works well."

Admin 2: "Yeah, okay I buy it tomorrow and replace Exchange overnight. Probably nobody will even notice the difference when they come into the office in the morning."

2. The SUSE UK website does sell a media kit for 34 pounds. This is the same kit (I assume) that used to be sold on suse.com for $19.95 and later for $49.95. It is also the same kit that was handed to me once and is in my posession (I assume again the set given to me by SUSE was the eval as I requested the eval.)

I like to stress is "used to be sold at suse.com". It is not available anymore at suse.com. I was handed a copy of this "demo". Jasmin calls it "fully installable software CD". This is not a demo. I claim it's a full version, licence-key free, unlimited use, 10 groupware client Open-Exchange server.

I received my "eval demo" in March and it went something like this:

Myself: I like to get a copy of this Open-Exchange Eval they advertise on suse.com.
SUSE: Sure, we will try to get you a copy.

Myself: I got the Open-Exchange eval in the mail. Thank you so much. It will really help me sell this product. One thing though. The trial licence key wasn't included. Can you give me the trial licence key to unlock the product for the trial period?

SUSE: There is no trial key or trial period. You just install it.

Myself: You mean there is no time limit. How is this product different from the actual commercial product? Are you are sending full product to people who want to get the eval CDs?

SUSE: Yes.

Myself: You mean there is no time limit? You mean this is the full product and you ask me to distribute an unprotected commercial product to potential customers for evaluation?

SuSE: That is all we have available.

Myself: Does this include the 10 groupware client access?

SUSE: Yes. It's basically the media kit out of the full product box.

Myself: Fsk, I can't use this. Any knowledgeable administrator will know it's unprotected when they install it. You may as well sign post on your website: "Open-Exchange is free to all small businesses with 20 or less users."

SUSE: Yes, it would be wise to distribute this set only if you believe you have a sincere customer and don't mention to them that it is the actual product. They might never notice.

In March/April 2003 the SLOX eval offer was pulled from the suse.com website.

I installed the set I got in the mail and at no point was a licence key required or made any mention of "For Evaluation Only! You got 30 days left until this product terminates."

Hence whenever I get a call from a customer asking for a demo I say: "There is no demo." I cannot distribute this "demo" to potential customers and I cannot treat my customers as potential thieves trying to judge if they contact me to freeload.

I still have to see proof by SUSE that an actual demo (with protection) exists. As far as I know the eval that was for sale on suse.com and is currently on suse.co.uk is a full version 10 groupware client Open-Exchange server. Why doesn't The Inquirer buy a copy and see for themselves if it has any time-bomb/trial key requirement in it and prove me wrong?

I still stand by what I said before. SUSE is wasting time by not delivering what customers want and that is time-bombed trial software for all their business products. It is standard business practice in the software industry to issue trial software and SUSE is not following standard practice. That is what it sums up to.

Thank you,

Name, email supplied

The Perfect RISC Pair
Mike:

You do of course remember the "Perfect Pair - PowerPC and Linux" article that I wrote in early 2001 which in hindsight should have been called "Perfect Pair - PowerPC and *Desktop* Linux". The update of that article conveys the crux of the problem that the Linux and Open Source community faces if they continue like sheep to favor the X86 platform; "PPCLinux vs WinTel - a must read for those who live under the illusion that Microsoft will willingly continue to make room for Linux in the (platform) bed that it shares with its mistress Intel"

The question is also, how long will IBM and its marketing muscle let Intel and Microsoft get by with this duopoly scheme while capacity at its new Fishkill fab is going to waste?

VIA is of course doing a remarkable job with its own chips and Mini-ITX and now Nano-ITX boards but still, VIA and AMD would both die without the Intel oxygen that sets the market trends. The basic problem with all X86 chips is that the architecture of those chips has to be wrapped with M$ BS, stuff that Linux does not need. A Risc architecture is therefore inherently much better suited for Linux. Using Linux on X86 is like fighting with one hand tied behind your back. BG3 loves that, of course, but why these Linux geeks continue to love fighting like that continued to baffle me. That's probably why I am a businessman.

Henry Keultjes
Database Scientifics