[H-GEN] Desktop wars ..... (no not really)

[Christopher Biggs]

[ Humbug *General* list - semi-serious discussions about Humbug and     ]
[ Unix-related topics. Posts from non-subscribed addresses will vanish. ]

Jason Parker-Burlingham <jasonp at panix.com> moved upon the face of the 'Net and spake thusly:

> "Christopher Biggs" <listjunkie at pobox.com> writes:
>
>> I can also press the "sleep" key on my keyboard to wipe my stored
>> passphrase (and also lock the console) immediately.
>
> Oh.  I don't have a sleep button, but I'd like to see how you do that.
>
Oh it's quite simple.

The particular window manager I use (larswm) can be configured to
start applications on certain keypresses (eg ctrl+alt+t starts a
terminal window, and yes, I'm careful to choose key combinations that
don't clash with emacs).      I map the "XF86Sleep" (one of those
dopey "internet chiclet chrome" buttons on many keyboards) to run 
a simple shell script that invokes "ssh-add -D" then fires off the
screensaver using "xscreensaver-command -lock".

You can also achieve this using a package called "LinEAK"
(http://lineak.sourceforge.net/) which can perform actions for all the
extra keys on fancy keyboards.

I'll have to change to a bucky-bit key like Robert uses, because
although my ork keyboard has lots of extra keys, at home I use a
couple of good old indestructible IBM Model M keyboards.   (And 
I'm leaving current ork at the end of the month, for as-yet unknown 
prospects).

>> The truly paranoid store their SSH keys on hot-plug removeable
>> media such as smart-cards or USB-flash dongles.
>
> The *truly* paranoid have vetted PGP for security problems, typed it
> in from the back of the book, and boot from a CD-ROM when they need
> access to their crypto.
>

Check out "tinfoil hat linux", which uses random keyboard mappings and
grey-on-grey colour scheme to defeat "Van Eck monitoring" of your
keyboard and CRT radio emissions.  :-)

--cjb

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Christopher Biggs -- Unix Bigot For Hire -- unixbigot at pobox.com  ---
The IEEE has monitored this electronic mail message, and asserts that no
energy was created or destroyed during its construction or transmission.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


--
* This is list (humbug) general handled by majordomo at lists.humbug.org.au .
* Postings to this list are only accepted from subscribed addresses of
* lists 'general' or 'general-post'.  See http://www.humbug.org.au/