The Deep End

Triumphs and tumbles: The Internet in 2015

The Internet survived cable monopolies, massive data breaches, and crypto dunderheads in 2015, but the battle is far from over

Let's encrypt -- because we really ought to

While politicians across the globe strive to undermine our security and privacy, the Let's Encrypt consortium is making Internet security free and easy

The Internet isn't ready for really big news

A worldwide, globally gripping news event would likely crash the major media providers, sending us back to our TVs and radios

Warning: Internet security turbulence ahead

As Internet growth approaches hyperspeed, security will get worse before it gets better

Stop the anti-encryption propaganda now

We cannot let the world think that encryption can be compromised or tossed aside

Pauper's guide to systems testing

You don't have a hardware lab for network and system deployment testing? You may not need it

We shouldn’t have to fear Apple and Microsoft updates

The continuous flow of OS updates from Apple and Microsoft has dangerous consequences

The 4 commandments of basic data security

Year after year, basic protective measures go missing even from big-time e-commerce sites, because someone doesn't know better or doesn't care

A little hardware goes a long, long way

Tiny, high-powered, and reliable, today’s embedded systems should have you rethinking how much hardware you’re throwing at the job

Don’t blame Linux for the XOR botnet

The real culprits are the irresponsible vendors behind cheap broadband routers and their clueless customers

Sorry, Unix fans: OS X El Capitan kills root

Root is no longer supreme in El Capitan, but the real bad news is a breaking change in legacy driver support

Remember sed and awk? All Linux admins should

We aren’t doing the next generation of Linux and Unix admins any favors by forgetting init scripts and fundamental tools

Blessing or a curse? The mysteries of the tech touch

Some people simply aren’t doing it right -- or maybe computers really have something against them

The dark side of scaling in the cloud

Automatic scaling of apps to match load is wonderful, but it's also perilous and mind-boggingly complex

Ride 'em cowboy? Easy does it in IT

There are old admins and bold admins, but very few old, bold admins

The thin line between good and bad automation

Scripts that call scripts that call scripts can lead to very dark places

Kill Flash? Be careful what you wish for

The death of Flash will impact more than a few enterprise IT solutions, with nasty repercussions for admins

Old software: The savior and scourge of IT

Software will inevitably grow old, but it should never be allowed to fade away

Hey, stop messing with my command line

Maintaining consistency in interfaces across versions isn't easy, but it's crucial to an admin's sanity

Why ISPs still take forever to install business Internet service

Dealing with telcos and carriers for enterprise circuit installation is still a royal pain. Haven't we been doing this long enough to do it well?