UbuntuFinal
About
UbuntuFInal is a page just like wiki.ubuntu.com/IdeaPool, where all the ideas that people got for Ubuntu can go into. The difference between IdeaPool, is that it doesn't just focus on the next release - but every release after.
So this page is for every idea that does not fit for a Ubuntu+ release.
Read this first
If you find a suggestion that you do not agree too, try to make both views into a suggestion, and provide a forum link or a wiki link where the subject can be discussed. In time people will either agree, or make a fork of the Ubuntu distribution, where that suggestion is clearly stated as an requirement.
Also, lets try to keep this page free of too many details. If it gets too big, create another page and link to it.
Overview
We really should describe the boundaries for Ubuntu. A suggestion could be:</br> Ubuntu is an operating system, giving maximum potential of the hardware on which it is installed. This includes usefullnes, safety, security, interoperability and choice.
A system that is usefull, is one that does people what people think it should do. So users should analysed for their needs, and Ubuntu should be able to supply those needs before shipping af product.
A system that is safe, means that it does what is was supposed to do. It also means that the user should be helped, to do maintaince of the system. Like taking backup, and buying repairment equipment.
Security means that no confidential information is leaked from the system. So a private report or family pictures, should not by mistake, vira attack, hacking end on the net.
Interoperability means that an Ubuntu system can talk to all other systems using Open Standards. Especially it means that Ubuntu can talk to other Ubuntu systems, to get full potential of a networked world.
Choice means that people should be able to not choose Ubuntu. The reason for this is to keep competition in the operating system world. If people are not able to switch away from Ubuntu, it could stiffle innovation in the long run. To implement this Ubuntu uses Open Standards on all saved fileformats, and all communication with other systems.
Security
The only plausible way for people to meassure the security of a system, is looking at the price of ensurance of that system. If you can get a high return rate on a system that get breached, then it means it is secure. A ensurance company need some way of differentiate when it was a system error that led to breach of confidential data, and when it was a system error. For this a user guide needs to be supplied. The more secure and user friendly ubuntu is, the less complex the guide will be. So it is goal for Ubuntu to make this guide as simple as possible, while still providing the user with all the possibilities that the system is supposed to give.
At the moment Ubuntu doesn't do security at all (since no ensurance company will let you ensure your data). Here are some suggestions to get a really high return rate:
*Ubuntu should get a common criteria certification, on a lot of core tasks. To do this everything from hardware to software has to be secure. For Ubuntu this means that the kernel and all of its drivers need to be certified. This could be done with managed kernel code, microkernel and off cause static code analysis.
*Ubuntu should use mandatory acces control for every ressource and file. This way the system can ensure that user space programs first or third party, never get access to user data without the users concent. This also means that the user can not press 'ok'
*Ubuntu should encrypt every information saved to disks, and make use of encrypted and anonymous communication channels. Especially large scale networks, like freenet, should be used to preserve anonymity.
*Ubuntu should have an easy to understand guide for end users, that the ensurance companies can use to differenciate when a user have shared confidential information and when it was a software error. Ubuntu should try to minimize the complexity of this guide, not for the ensurance companies sake but for the user sake.
Ubuntu should
Safety
Ubuntu should be able to suggest ways to back up important data. It should also suggest ways for people to identify them selves, to get encrypted data. This could be a backup USB key, that people should put in there safe. And/or biometric identification. Ubuntu should also able to boot from an read only media where possible (cd or bios), and reinstall the system without known security holes and removing of spyware and viruses from all files.
UbuntuFinal (last edited 2008-08-06 16:34:41 by localhost)