Linux bans University of Minnesota for sending buggy patches in name of research

originally posted by: TwistedPsycho
I am going to ask the stupid question.....

If UoM has managed to get shady stuff through the net of protection, what is to stop anyone else?

Ethics. Unfortunately, that's not something universities care much about these days.

originally posted by: dug88
These patches were sent as part of a new static analyzer that I wrote and it's sensitivity is obviously not great. I sent patches on the hopes to get feedback. We are not experts in the linux kernel and repeatedly making these statements is disgusting to hear.

"static analyzer that I wrote and it's sensitivity is obviously not great" and "We are not experts in the Linux kernel..." says it all, doesn't it? The guy is unqualified to write production code. He's a hack. I do think the Linux community should do a better job vetting the people that contribute patches.

originally posted by: LogicalGraphitti

originally posted by: dug88
These patches were sent as part of a new static analyzer that I wrote and it's sensitivity is obviously not great. I sent patches on the hopes to get feedback. We are not experts in the linux kernel and repeatedly making these statements is disgusting to hear.

"static analyzer that I wrote and it's sensitivity is obviously not great" and "We are not experts in the Linux kernel..." says it all, doesn't it? The guy is unqualified to write production code. He's a hack. I do think the Linux community should do a better job vetting the people that contribute patches.

That was kinda what i took from it. Basically, the guy gets caught being malicious, and prefers to be thought of as incompetent instead. I mean....neither is a good look. But i guess I get his choice, and why he made it.

I got into the world of Linux back in the 2012 era. If i was interested in tinkering more, i'd likely have kept at least 1 box running Ubuntu. But as it is, i have 2 Xbox's that haven't been turned on in months. I got the Series X the day prior to release...and its sat since my 3rd day of owning it.

a reply to: dug88

This confirms a suspicion I've had regarding open source software for years. I love the concept, but it is entirely dependent on everyone contributing to do so in good faith. When assholes like the researchers at UMN do crap like this it affects integrity.

Just think about all the jackasses doing crap like this on their own.

At least there are people out there who monitor for this kind of thing.

originally posted by: seeker1963

originally posted by: M5xaz
a reply to: dug88

Totally unethical.
The computer code equivalent of intentionally setting fires....must be a Minnesota thing...

And then the a-hole has the gall to play victim....

Yea, when the term "pre conceived bias" was pulled we all knew.....lulz

Yeah, that's an exquisite example of professional projection right there.

The jerk even had the gall to say that what he wrote isn't that great.

I bet he was just hoping for the head developer to flat out call him an dumbass.

I believe that windows is so laced with malicious code that it now is unsafe to use.

Since Sept of 2020 when windows did an update that blocked Firefox on my win 10 computer i have been using Linux mint 20.1, and I only start up my Windows computer to move files to my Linux computer.

As soon as i get another Linux Lenovo t410 computer set up and burn a master SSD drive i will be formatting my old Windows 10 computer and converting it to a Linux machine I will never own a Windows computer again as there are many computer companies now that will sell you a preloaded Linux computer.

Yes i run old Lenovo t410 computers as I got 2 from a company that went out of business
they have a 2.5 inch drive you can remove from the computer and i have a off line cloning box so i can burn a new copy of linux and all my data on a SSD drive and put it in any one of my computer.
Old Lenovo t410s laptops are very easy to work on and used ones are low cost for anyone that wants to buy a low-cost computer. and i just bought a T410 for parts for $59 and the only thing that is wrong with it is a fan error and since i just fixed one of my T410s with a fan error by replacing a $8 fan in it.

a reply to: ANNED

Windows is bloatware plain and simple and it has more back doors than anything else but it is also the most compatible operating system we have.

So if you want security then find a safe and secure Linux Distro or the original Unix if you can get it to work on your system.

If you want to use applications that are everywhere, industry standard and used by everyone else, have maximum compatibility then windows is the only reasonable choice though yes it is not the most secure by a long shot.

There have been and are many alternative operating systems, some are tailored with specific task's in mine Beos (if it is still around) and others are more about consumer based services and program compatibility, for Linux there are program's such as Wine a windows emulator but it always lags behind in terms of compatibility and often comes at a slight performance loss.

There are also several windows clones based on the older NT kernel but many of them may be malware in disguise.

originally posted by: AaarghZombies
a reply to: dug88

I'm pretty sure that anybody who downloaded a deliberately bugged version could sue in much the same way that you could sue a virus or malware writer. If not criminal, then certainly civil.

Have the kernel maintainers put out any advisories about which versions may or do contain any of their patches?

Also, how long have they been doing it? Or, how long have they been contributing code in total? If it's been a long time, that could end up being a lot of code - although the asshats comments - "We are not experts in the linux kernel" and "I will not be sending any more patches due to the attitude that is not only unwelcome but also intimidating to newbies and non experts" appear to suggest they may have been new contributors...

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan

originally posted by: LogicalGraphitti

originally posted by: dug88
These patches were sent as part of a new static analyzer that I wrote and it's sensitivity is obviously not great. I sent patches on the hopes to get feedback. We are not experts in the linux kernel and repeatedly making these statements is disgusting to hear.

"static analyzer that I wrote and it's sensitivity is obviously not great" and "We are not experts in the Linux kernel..." says it all, doesn't it? The guy is unqualified to write production code. He's a hack. I do think the Linux community should do a better job vetting the people that contribute patches.

That was kinda what i took from it. Basically, the guy gets caught being malicious, and prefers to be thought of as incompetent instead. I mean....neither is a good look. But i guess I get his choice, and why he made it.

I got into the world of Linux back in the 2012 era. If i was interested in tinkering more, i'd likely have kept at least 1 box running Ubuntu. But as it is, i have 2 Xbox's that haven't been turned on in months. I got the Series X the day prior to release...and its sat since my 3rd day of owning it.

Yeah, I got into the Linux world with slackware back in the early to mid 90's. Back when you had to compile your own TCP stack to have network ability. Contributed some early driver code, etc.. But, I got out when it became more of a religion than an OS. I don't need people preaching to me about what is "morally right" when I am trying to make a product improvement because what is there is crap. It was crap because that religious aspect became a primary driver over functionality and security. It was all about the time Apple was starting to consider switching over to a Linux base for the next generation of their MAC line.

Ball-drops on both sides imho.
I can't see how they'd let anyone check-in repos to the project unchecked. I would think (hope) that the Linux team would have a merge-master or release coordinator involved who would actually check the commits, compare to the existing branch and either merge or refuse.

a reply to: projectvxn

Damage that won't come to light until, as it usually works, too late, and someone, or someones, gets hurt.

Unethical is about the kindest word I'd use to describe those people.

a reply to: seagull

Indeed. But ethics is something viewed as "problematic" in schools these days.

a reply to: projectvxn

I seem to recall that things like ethics actually had classes for it in Universities.

If you didn't take 'em, you don't get a degree. Of course, that depended upon the degree, as I recall.

Medicine, any science at all--all required ethics to be taken, usually more than once.

a reply to: seagull

I'm not sure what the stem requirements are.

Ive never even seen an ethics class.

Even if there a person participates in an ethics class, there's no telling what they teach in it. It wouldn't surprise me if they weren't teaching anything ethical at all.

a reply to: AutomateThis1

Fair enough.

Most parents had no idea that school teachers (who are overrepresented in ANTIFA membership) are indoctrinating their children to be Marxist revolutionaries.

But here we are.