[Ach] ancillary tools

[L. Aaron Kaplan]

Hi Ian, hi list,


On Jan 18, 2014, at 10:38 AM, ianG <iang at iang.org> wrote:

> What might be good would be a section on support tools.  What do sysadms
> use and do because they are who they are, rather than because they need
> to configure their machines to support the business?
> 
> For this weekend's ramble, I'm thinking here about things like:
> 
> 
> 
> Password protection.  I have thousands... and they are not properly
> secured :(  But I don't see the easy alternate.
> 
> Communications with like people:  In the past I have used Skype for
> everyone.  That's dead, cerca 2009.  What's the replacement?  I am
> slowly ever soooo slowly converting people to Adium/OTR, but it's like
> pulling teeth, I've got 3 done so far in 6 months :(  And no video/voice :(
> 
> Forums:  where do I get dynamic help?  My machine does X and needs Y,
> where can I ask?
> 




> Communities:  where do I meet and talk to people like me?  There are
> things like IRC rooms.  Then there are things like associations (like
> CAcert).  Also local venues like CCC.  Where can I go?
> 
Sounds very useful for version 2. I like that aspect that the guide could give some further pointers to similar communities (forums, mailing lists etc). Helping people to help themselves always makes sense.
However, I will first focus on getting the existing pull requests in and on reducing the long TODO list. So, in other words: I'd need to rely on your contribution...

Do you feel like writing a section "how to continue from here?"
IMHO that would be helpful.

> Small cheap hardware:  I am somewhat obsessed by power consumption and
> tiny machines, and I see no reason to purchase and power the big old
> ironwork that we grew up with.  What machines exist that can be a drop
> in replacement?  I know they exist, like the Utilite, below.  If the
> boss can afford one big iron machine, he can probably afford 10 of
> these.  This is probably a question of OS and peripherals.  Also, with
> the emerging bios threat, this becomes more germane.
> 
> 
I get the point why this is indeed important but I am not sure if this particular point fits into a "crypto hardening paper" unless there are specific recommendations that we want to say for all kinds of small HW devices (such as embedded devices running on busybox etc). So far until now we excluded embedded devices.

> 
> This is also a question of *directions* using the influence we have
> gained to point people to better choices.
> 
> In the above, I'm thinking like 1 - 2 options.  Not a huge list.  Of
> course everyone wants the advertising, but what makes a difference?
> What is everyone already convinced on?  What's the skype-replacement for
> everyone?
> 
> Of course this could be out of scope.  I feel there will be some that
> think this is definitely a distraction or a battle we can't win... Speak
> up, now's your turn ;)
> 
> Some other choices are found here:
> https://www.prism-break.org/en/categories/mac/  So maybe another section
> on "similar material" which falls outside our ambit?
> 
> 
> 
> iang
> 
> 
> 
> ps;  http://utilite-computer.com/web/utilite-pro-specifications
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--- 
// L. Aaron Kaplan <kaplan at cert.at> - T: +43 1 5056416 78
// CERT Austria - http://www.cert.at/
// Eine Initiative der nic.at GmbH - http://www.nic.at/
// Firmenbuchnummer 172568b, LG Salzburg




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