From Net-security.org: “Old news: As the vulnerability’s description describes, any user with
a web browser can obtain directory listing of the Apache http root
directory, even if the directory contains an index.html file and is
password protected.

New news: You can access files/directories under the http root by
subtracting the number of slashes from the appended url equal to the
number of characters in the file or directory name you are attempting
to access.”

It’s at LWN.net, of course. “The current kernel release is 2.4.7 … As of this writing, there are no 2.4.8 prepatches, 2.4.7 ‘ac’
patches, or signs of 2.5.0 out there.”

Anonymous Reader writes, “This introductory white paper at LinuxDevices.com about using Linux in embedded applications explains why Linux has become increasingly popular as an embedded operating system, identifies some of its strengths and weaknesses relative to such applications, and describes the process of adapting Linux to the unique requirements of embedded systems and smart devices.”

eWeek reports that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says he’s “shocked and dismayed” by competitors’ criticisms of Windows XP. XP is “good” for customers and the industry, he claims.

From ZDNet’s AnchorDesk: “The upsurge in free software, represented by Linux and the intense media attention to licensing
issues, is a valid reaction to a company that has achieved too much dominance. This is an
anti-Microsoft backlash, plain and simple. You can see more than a hint of the protests that
have been taking place lately whenever the world’s economic powers have gathered.

However, the solution isn’t to dismantle the current way of doing things and replace it with
something that, over time, will become equally oppressive.”

Interactive Week reports that Craig Mundie offered ann “olive branch” to the Open Source crowd at the O’Reilly Open Source convention and says the press was confused about his former comments about Open Source software. More from eWeek, which quotes Mundie as saying Microsoft has “no beef” with Open Source. Even more from Network World Fusion.

CNET: “Pentium 4 sales have lagged behind expectations since the processor was introduced late last
year. But analysts say the forthcoming 845 chipset–which will allow the Pentium 4 to work with
standard SDRAM memory rather than with expensive Rambus DRAM–combined with further
processor price cuts should drive down Pentium 4 PCs to prices that will appeal to average
consumers.”

VNUNet: “Lucent suffered a double hack attack yesterday when its XL.com
website was defaced twice in a matter of hours.
A defacer calling himself Feltonspray got to the networking giant’s
XL.com site first, leaving the simple message: “Ops another site
OWN3D by Feltonspray.”
But only a few hours later zEr0, of the presumably Brazilian Quari
Hack Force, took over the web server, which was running
Netscape enterprise webserver on Irix.”

An anonymous reader writes: “On System Administrator’s Day, the BBC’s own BOFH encourages us to buy our Sys Admins a drink. Or else…. :-)”

The Register: “In May the Congressional General Accounting Office (GAO) released a scathing
report cataloging NIPC’s chronic dysfunction, so it was with delicious irony that on
Wednesday, after managing to infect its own networks with the SirCam e-mail worm,
NIPC told Congress that it would disgrace itself a good deal less often if it had a
bigger budget.”