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Recently there was a discussion [1] in OpenBSD's mailing list and you can also see [2] Theo de Raadt's point of view. [1] https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=1

Recently there was a discussion [1] in OpenBSD's mailing list and you can also see [2] Theo de Raadt's point of view. [1] https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=143354954711286&w=2 https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=143354954711286&w=2 [2] https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=143355112811564&w=2 https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=143355112811564&w=2

digi_owl 11y ago
As an aside, the part about how ROMs are writeable via manufacturer tricks is what makes "amateur" reverse engineering of drivers a potentially costly affair. You never know when you pop a hidden write trigger, and subsequently fill the ROM of your expensive hardware with garbage. I recall reading about such a incident involving a DVD burner, where the OEM had reused a seldom used signal (stupid on their part, but still) as the trigger for a firmware update...
- 0x0 11y ago
  Some versions of Linux were bricking some LG CD-ROM drives: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_poke#LG_CD-ROM_drives http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_poke#LG_CD-ROM_drives
- duskwuff 11y ago
  I believe that was Plextor drives, although I can't find a reference. Anyways, smart manufacturers these days put some sort of a signature on the firmware (even just a CRC will do), and don't write updates to flash unless they have a good signature. That makes it much more difficult to accidentally trigger an update.
- anonbanker 11y ago
  Did this on an nvidia-based laptop using colord. Had to replace the motherboard once colord destroyed the ROM.
etiam 11y ago
I see de Raadt's still delivers his point of view in a hissy fit of insults.
- thegeomaster 11y ago
  Right, all I see is him coming off as an arrogant dickhead. The initial email from the user was nicely written and expressed the point clearly. De Raadt just started insulting the guy out of the blue. Yes, he did make a mistake and a bad point (we all do sometimes, what's the big fucking deal?), but he was very court. Is it cool these days for open source OS/kernel development efforts to be run by these self-indulgent egotists?
  - x0x0 11y ago
    It's not at all courteous for idiots to wonder into email lists and effectively steal a minute or more from every reader of the list. Now multiply this by the number of idiots in the world. -- someone who has had to triage an email list for an open source project
  - infamouscow 11y ago
    The real self-indulgent egotist is the person writing the initial email to the mailing list. At the very least he/she could have spent the time to research facts. The majority of Theo's response is debunking things that could have been answered with a minimal amount of effort.
- sliverstorm 11y ago
  In this case at least, I can sympathize.
  - etiam 11y ago
    In this case at least, I can empathize. But I have no sympathy for this and it certainly isn't one of the more constructive ways the matter might be handled.
- koenigdavidmj 11y ago
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

digi_owl 11y ago

As an aside, the part about how ROMs are writeable via manufacturer tricks is what makes "amateur" reverse engineering of drivers a potentially costly affair. You never know when you pop a hidden write trigger, and subsequently fill the ROM of your expensive hardware with garbage. I recall reading about such a incident involving a DVD burner, where the OEM had reused a seldom used signal (stupid on their part, but still) as the trigger for a firmware update...

0x0 11y ago
Some versions of Linux were bricking some LG CD-ROM drives: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_poke#LG_CD-ROM_drives http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_poke#LG_CD-ROM_drives
duskwuff 11y ago
I believe that was Plextor drives, although I can't find a reference. Anyways, smart manufacturers these days put some sort of a signature on the firmware (even just a CRC will do), and don't write updates to flash unless they have a good signature. That makes it much more difficult to accidentally trigger an update.
anonbanker 11y ago
Did this on an nvidia-based laptop using colord. Had to replace the motherboard once colord destroyed the ROM.

etiam 11y ago

I see de Raadt's still delivers his point of view in a hissy fit of insults.

thegeomaster 11y ago
Right, all I see is him coming off as an arrogant dickhead. The initial email from the user was nicely written and expressed the point clearly. De Raadt just started insulting the guy out of the blue. Yes, he did make a mistake and a bad point (we all do sometimes, what's the big fucking deal?), but he was very court. Is it cool these days for open source OS/kernel development efforts to be run by these self-indulgent egotists?
- x0x0 11y ago
  It's not at all courteous for idiots to wonder into email lists and effectively steal a minute or more from every reader of the list. Now multiply this by the number of idiots in the world. -- someone who has had to triage an email list for an open source project
- infamouscow 11y ago
  The real self-indulgent egotist is the person writing the initial email to the mailing list. At the very least he/she could have spent the time to research facts. The majority of Theo's response is debunking things that could have been answered with a minimal amount of effort.
sliverstorm 11y ago
In this case at least, I can sympathize.
- etiam 11y ago
  In this case at least, I can empathize. But I have no sympathy for this and it certainly isn't one of the more constructive ways the matter might be handled.
koenigdavidmj 11y ago

deleted 11y ago

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