News from PANUG/BizNix - April 23, 2003
http://panug.org - http://biznix.org

ZEN
Touchstone is teaching a Novell ZEN 4 class next week.
They are offering a one time $800 discount for this
class. The normal cost of the class is $1995.00.
The down side is that there is very little time to
make a decision. Contact Touchstone by Thursday
afternoon at 503-699-6997.


USED COMPUTERS
by Ed Sawicki - Accelerated Learning Center / Tailored Computers

The supply of used computers that I give away to PCC
students learning Linux has dwindled. I'd like to
replenish the supply. We can also use some of those
small (2 to 4 GB) hard disks that are too small to be
useful these days, and some slow CD-ROM drives. Also,
old-style (16-bit) PCMCIA Ethernet cards would be
useful.

If you have used computers or working hard disks or
CD-ROM drives you no longer need and wish to donate them
to a worthy cause, please contact me at ed@alcpress.com


FEEDBACK

In response to Lorraine Renard's article yesterday, Ray
Robert responds:

Some of the articles referenced in this e-mail identify
Oregon as one of the states that has passed a Super-DCMA
bill.  I can find no such provision in the Oregon Revised
Statutes.
 
SB655, specifically mentioned in the e-mail, is merely a
pending bill. The commentary overlooks that what lawyers
call "mens rea" (guilty intent) has to be proven to
convict someone of a crime.  Running a firewall or VPN is
a necessary element of the misdemeanor that SB655 would
create, but only if it is proven beyond a reasonable doubt
that it was done "for the purpose of ... theft or
disruption."  So SB655 won't result in the wholesale arrest
of system administrators.  

It's hard to see how a honeypot could run afoul of the
proposed law. 

Section 3 of the bill would establish a related tort (right
to sue), but the plaintiff would still have to prove that
the firewall, VPN, etc., was being used as part of a scheme
of theft or disruption.  


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