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Re: requirements and regulations concerning upgrade checks/statistics callback on program start



Quoting Norbert Preining (2019-12-26 13:36:28)
> On Thu, 26 Dec 2019, Jonas Smedegaard wrote:
> > Second point is ideally useless as well, because plugins should be 
> > packaged as well.
> 
> Well, they aren't, and will never be packaged (unless someone steps in).
> So getting notified of updates - possible of security issues - is in
> principle a good point.

Let me dare paraphrase:

"Well, we will never have global peace (unless God or aliens step in). 
So monitoring our citizens - potential terrorists - is in principle a 
good point."

I agree there is a point in letting software phone home about updates to 
infections inflicted by those same tools, but it is a *bad* point.  
Better point is to not let the tool infect the system!

Yes: To me a tool which injects rogue and potentially insecure code into 
a Debian system is essentially infecting the system.

I disagree that it is a good point for packaged software to phone home 
about updates to infections inflicted by those same tools, and to me a 
tool which injects rogue and potentially insecure code into a Debian 
system is essentially infecting the system.

Makes sense for a system _without_ the governance of a distribution to 
let its tools self-govern, but such mechanisms are unsuitable in a 
system with governance - and potentially outright dangerous, because the 
user _expect_ the system-wide governance to work (not for the governance 
to knowingly let things go rogue).

It is bad that a system installed purely from Debian - with all security 
updates carefully applied and all security announcements carefully 
followed - can be insecure due to tools bypassing Debian and doing its 
own update mechanisms.


 - Jonas

-- 
 * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt
 * Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/

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