why NTFS reports incorrect file sizes

[Walter Dnes]

On Fri, Jan 20, 2012 at 01:41:57AM -0500, D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote

> The concept of "ownership" is quite useful with the desktop metaphor
> being so impoverished when it comes to verbs.  You point at an Excel
> spreadsheet file, say "ugh ugh" (the only intransitive verb other
> than "ugh"), and the system knows you mean "run the creator (Excel)
> on this file".

  A couple of comments

1) This concept works at Microsoft's address (1 Microsoft Way... yes, it
really exists<G>).  What happens if there is more than one program that
can work on a file?  In linux a spreadsheet can be worked on by
gnumeric, libreoffice, openoffice, koffice, and who knows what else.
Ditto for sound files that can be played by mpg123, mpg321, mplayer,
etc. etc.

2) And this was part of the mechanism behind the Windows KLEZ and Sircam
viruses.  The viruses were standard Windows EXE files, but renamed with
a .WAV or .MID extension.  The email program looked at the extension,
and said... "look, a harmless sound file; let's play it".  The file was
passed to the OS, which checked the file's "magic", determined that it
was really an executable, and proceeded to execute it... oops.

  Both points 1 and 2 above illustrate a major problem with the idea
that the file tells the OS how what to do.  This is DRM++.  I want to
control my computer, not surrender control to files I download, even if
it's from a "reputable media company".  Sony rootkits anyone?

-- 
Walter Dnes <waltdnes-SLHPyeZ9y/tg9hUCZPvPmw at public.gmane.org>
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