by Jane-Ellen Long
Managing Editor
<[email protected]>



This issue seems particularly packed with good advice. Who isn't concerned about security these days? Phil Cox and Tina Darmorhay tell the tale of Tina's quest: how to turn off SMB printer and file sharing so that an NT machine can run a Web server with decent security. A long chase and a tough one, but the winner of SAGE's Outstanding Achievement award never faltered.

When Bruce Mohler needed to automate his collection of system profiles, he turned to Perl and the Web. His syssum software gathers an impressive amount of UNIX configuration information, organizes it, and displays it via a Web browser on request. Way cool!

We're delighted to announce that Clif Flynt, author of Tcl/Tk for Real Programmers, has joined the ranks of ;login: columnists. To learn about Tcl and Tk from an expert, turn to "The Tclsh Spot."

Investigating cryptography? Matt Curtin tells you when not to believe what the vendor tells you. Maybe you've been wondering about biometric authentication systems. Dario Forte has the latest word. Battling over ownership of root? Jim Hickstein takes a somewhat heretical stance: sysadmins should consider letting some users in on the ground floor. You've probably noticed that there's more than one way to perform taxidermy on a feline, or to password-protect Web pages. As a cat-lover, I've censored the article on the former, but Dave Taylor gives the pros and cons of various approaches to the latter.

Spend 10 minutes, save 6 hours a day -- of CPU time, that is. USENIX Board President Andrew Hume gives a real-life example of performance optimization. Glen McCluskey addresses the costs of data formatting. From other columns, learn how to write applets, how to help developers write apps your network can handle, how to analyze log files using Perl.

When you've taken advantage of all this information, you may start thinking about polishing up your resume. David Clark has some suggestions on how to make the most of your skills and experience.

Or you may be inspired to share your own hard-won techniques. If you've been working on the problems associated with UNIX on the desktop, please turn to Rik Farrow's column this month. If your expertise lies elsewhere, remember, we're always looking for ;login: articles, photographs, book reviews, apt cartoons, and outraged Letters to the Editor. Send email to <[email protected]>.