full-disclosure - Re: need help in managing administrators

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Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:36:30 +1300
From: Nick FitzGerald <nick@...us-l.demon.co.uk>
To: full-disclosure@...ts.grok.org.uk
Subject: Re: need help in managing administrators

Valdis.Kletnieks@...edu wrote:

<<snippety, snip>>
> Or you could go the EEPROM/CDROM route like most game consoles did.  That's
> easier on the practicality side, but still isn't as flexible as a
> general-purpose PC.

Which, of course, raises the question _today_, do _most_ computer users 
for _all_ their actual computer requirements _need_ a von Neumann 
Architecture GP computer, or would they be better off buying a Harvard 
Architecture system and their "applications" in cartridges, or similar?

The basic machine would probably be a little more expensive and the 
applications might be a little more expensive, but that would be offset 
by the removal of any need (even desire) to buy things like antivirus 
apps, IPS, IDS, etc, etc, or ongoing costs of calling out security fix-
it guys, replacing the machine ahead of time because it was far too 
riddled with crud-ware, etc, etc.

von Neaumann made it easier, quicker and therefore cheaper to develop 
"complex" systems, especially given the then current hardware (and 
hence performance) restrictions in the early days of computing.

Given what all those "old guys" knew way back then about what was so 
terribly wrong regarding securing von neumann systems, and given they 
were already obviously terribly cynical (aka "realistic") about the 
likelihood of those problems being permanently addressed, why were 
these issues not addressed at some point when the cost/performance 
points started to be more favourable?

Regards,

Nick FitzGerald

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