Full Disclosure mailing list archives
Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11
From: Barry Fitzgerald <bkfsec () sdf lonestar org>
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 10:15:12 -0400
joe wrote:
Where issues like this relate to the OS is in the fact that the OS itself shouldn't be brought down by a poorly designed app.Nod. Some knucklehead used GetTickCount or clock() for their app and had no clue about datatypes and overflows and range of possible values and some people go off on Windows. I was helping someone in the public newsgroups with a similar issue. "Experienced" 10 year c coder who didn't understand why a long value would go negative and start counting down... He could have been coding for Windows or anything else. Unfortunately he chose Windows so his app contributes topeople thinking Windows doesn't work.The state of programming right now is like the state of the roads in Michigan. Mostly in disrepair and everyone blaming the weather instead of poor road building skills. In the meanwhile the Dept of Transpotation keeps hiring inexperienced road workers for some poor salary and using lowest bidder to build the roads and expecting them to miraculously get better.
Of course, you can shoot yourself in the foot in any OS, but an overflow in a local app should never take down the kernel. Unfortunately, memory management in MS Windows (though it's gotten better over time) is still not up to par and that is what causes a number of these issues. Not to mention poor system architecture and design on the part of MS.
Was it MS Windows that actually held the code that brought the system down?Well, that depends on how far down you want to drill and where you place the burden of OS stability. If you place it on the OS, then Windows is fair game. If you place the burden of OS stability on the app, then you're foolish and don't understand OS design concepts. :) (said in jest, but then, so is most truth)
The article doesn't make the situation entirely clear. Did the app intentionally restart the system and foul it? Did the restart occur because the app crashed? I'm skeptical because technical details like this are usually confused, mislabeled, or misreported... even (especially?) in tech rags. So, who holds the burden in this case depends on the answers to the questions above.
-Barry _______________________________________________ Full-Disclosure - We believe in it. Charter: http://lists.netsys.com/full-disclosure-charter.html
Current thread:
- RE: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11, (continued)
- RE: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 joe (Sep 24)
- RE: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 Ron DuFresne (Sep 24)
- Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 James Tucker (Sep 25)
- Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 Ron DuFresne (Sep 25)
- RE: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 joe (Sep 25)
- Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 devis (Sep 25)
- RE: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 joe (Sep 26)
- Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 Georgi Guninski (Sep 28)
- Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 Troy (Sep 25)
- RE: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 Ron DuFresne (Sep 25)
- Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 Barry Fitzgerald (Sep 24)
- Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 Frank Knobbe (Sep 24)
- Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 Barry Fitzgerald (Sep 24)
- RE: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 joe (Sep 24)
- Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 Nancy Kramer (Sep 24)
- RE: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 joe (Sep 24)
- Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 Ron DuFresne (Sep 24)
- Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 Frank Knobbe (Sep 24)
- RE: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 joe (Sep 24)
- Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 ASB (Sep 24)
- Re: Windoze almost managed to 200x repeat 9/11 Michal Zalewski (Sep 24)