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I had the opportunity to give InsaneX, the founder of
#I-Opener-Linux an interview. InsaneX has been there since the start
of the I-Opener Linux craze.
The Interview:
Q: Are you suprized at how quickly the I-Opener phenomenon has
taken off?
InsaneX: Not at all. I think most people are looking for a great
deal
financially. Brings back memories of the 400 dollar Microsoft rebate,
but with
a twist. On this event, you get a chance to tinker with the toy.
Q: Do you think that with the mass influx of Linux users buying
these units
NetPliance will take a significant financial loss, blame the fall on
Linux
users and give the community a bad name?
InsaneX: I've heard stories saying that some people are concerned
about whether
this is moral or not from a consumer point-of-view. These people are
far into
the minority; however, when you look at the total audience talking
about this
hack.
As far as blaming Linux users, I think you'll find that examples of
that
already exist, DeCCS being a great example. Linux users are a different
breed,
and it's not going to be surprising to me if they get some flak from
this.
I think we'll survive. :)
Q: The NetPliance I-Opener is only the first major consumer
oriented Network
appliance. What do you expect future devices to incorporate to prevent
hacks
like this from occurring.
InsaneX: First, I think I'd like to say that I can't think of
a single way to
prevent hacks like this. Reverse Engineering is a fundamental in
practically
any good R&D department. Unfortunately, I think you may also see
more
proprietary systems, which could be a downer for the market.
I'd suspect that fewer options will be available in the future, things
such as
printer ports, USB ports, and PS/2 ports.
Q: With Linux growing popularity at an alarming rate, where
do you see linux
headed in the future?
InsaneX: On one hand, I think you may see the Linux market expand
into all
sectors of the market: commerce, industry, education... but on the
other, I
think that the cause could hurt itself by these "hack" events. It's
an
extremely powerful OS. The question is, "Because it's so powerful,
will people
be willing to accept the good with the bad?"
Q: Thanks for your time, InsaneX, do you have anything
else to add?
InsaneX: Yeah, I'd like to invite users to our channel on EFnet,
that's a given,but I'd also like to give a great shout-out to codeman, the man
who uncovered the hack.
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