"John" == John Davidorff Pell <johnpell@xxxxxxx> writes:
What you'd need to do is to forbid the user ever to create
instructions that are executed by the system (or cripple the available
set of instructions really, really, badly). This means no macros in
your spreadsheets, etc., etc.
Does anyone ever actually use ANY MACRO that does ANYTHING more than move some data around the spreadsheet, or copy it to another sheet? If you use a MACRO to do anything more than simple stuff like that then you're begging for a simple typo to wide out some important stuff!
Also, isn't a MACRO (and I'm not talking about in M$ Orifice where MACROs are written in VB) just a script? Why couldn't you write and run a complete script as a non-privileged user??
Well, you can, but that doesn't make it a virus-free desktop, since if you have macros, and you have people sending you email, which could contain macros. You do something with the macro-containing email, it mails itself to a zillion other people and, hey presto!, a virus.
Viruses don't need root privilege. That's why I think this idea is goofy.
You're correct, but iThink that you are missing what I am saying. From my point of view, there is NO reason to allow a MACRO to send anything to anyone in your address book. ever. Thus, take out this functionality from the scripting language used to write MACROs in whatever spreadsheet (or other office) program that you use. Thus, less viruses that can do anything!
You can take out similar functions from the script's capabilities and end up with no *actual* lost functionality, and a *much* more secure system. Obviously there are things that you use that I don't, and vice versa, but there are many things that are just gratuitous toys built in to the language. Does that make sense?
JP
-- John Davidorff Pell johnpell@xxxxxxx
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