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Linux Netwosix Creator Discusses 2.0 Vision, Future

Exclusive Interview with 19-Year-Old Vincenzo Ciaglia
By Linux News Desk
Article Rating:
January 2, 2006 01:00 AM EST
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 41,938
The recent announcement of  the 2.x branch of Linux Netwosix may prompt LinuxWorld readers to ask why there were two releases--1.3 and 2.0-rc1--of this software within a week.  So we contacted its creator, 19-yeard-old Vincenzo Ciaglia (left) of the University of Salerno, Italy to find the answer  to this and other questions.

"Well, let’s start saying that Linux Netwosix is a powerful and optimized Linux distribution for servers and Network Security related jobs. It can also be used for special operations such as penetration testing with its big collection of security oriented software and sources," Ciaglia told us. "It's a light distribution created for the requirements of every SysAdmin and it's very portable and highly configurable. Its philosophy is to give greater liberty for configuration to the SysAdmin."

Ciaglia also said that "only in this way the system administrator can configure a powerful and stable server machine. Linux Netwosix also has a powerful ports system (Nepote) similar to thexBSD systems but more flexible and usable." (More information about Nepote is available here: http://nepote.netwosix.org.)

Other questions and answersL

LW: What's the vision behind Linux Netwosix? Why are you creating this software?

Ciaglia: We think that its light structure could make Linux Netwosix suited for all network security work. For a good network plan, the sysadmin needs a light system that is highly configurable. Every sysadmin wants to configure networks, and work with them, with the possibility of doing everything alone.

And Linux Netwosix's iso image is about 240 Mb, so offers a very fast download that can easily be burned onto a single CD. Moreover, Netwosix chooses the best "network security" related software for you. After you have burned your iso image, you will find many additional packages ready to be compiled and configured.

You can then use Nepote to compile, without doing anything alone, your packages in the best way possibile for your system. I've been working at this particular aspect a lot recently, and in the near future I'm planning to expand the portage tree, doing other 300/400 packages ports, with everyone security oriented. Users can contribute to expand the portage tree and Nepote with their port as well.

Published January 2, 2006 – Reads 41,938
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Most Recent Comments
Michael Shigorin 01/09/06 09:04:57 AM EST

hit's actually *bad* that every poor boy who messed with linux for a few yars decides to pollute the world with yet another crap -and- spam about it.

google for "netwosix" and compare the amount of buzz to what he actually have done.

to spare your time (i've already lost more than enough of mine on this), here are some tips:

- the permissions in tarballs of the very first "release" i've stumbled upon were plain broken (that is, world-writable files and dirs where they just must not be -- too)
- some dozen and a half of "security announces" on bugtraq@; these ended last year (apparently no "advisories" were put out for the literally handful of those who participate in a ML)
- the "author" has apparently no understanding of security (let alone manageability) at all. Ports aren't manageable (hint: no branches), security is a process, and he has long parted with it.

so, if he drools around to get any attention, don't repeat my mistakes in paying *any* time to stupid students who are ignorant enough not to understand that rolling out yet another pretentious BS just isn't a renowned investment of time at all. he'd better work on gentoo if he likes ports that much, or stay with beloved slackware fiddling on one and only localhost.

while the rest of the world tries to actually do something useful...
Scooter 01/04/06 01:26:15 PM EST

Loose the ads and the popups! Also, for any concerned, if you do read the article, and click on the link for the screenshots of Netwosix, you find yourself redirected (Firefox 1.5, Linux) to www.microsoft.com.
Greeny 01/02/06 09:48:07 PM EST

I too was going to read this article, but I find the plethora of ads and the damn DHTML popups to be such a turn-off that I'll just make do w/o your site.... Too bad because I happen to actually like the magazine.

Just get rid of the fluff and give me the damn info and I'll come back.. until then...
Greeny 01/02/06 09:48:03 PM EST

I too was going to read this article, but I find the plethora of ads and the damn DHTML popups to be such a turn-off that I'll just make do w/o your site.... Too bad because I happen to actually like the magazine.

Just get rid of the fluff and give me the damn info and I'll come back.. until then...
Greeny 01/02/06 09:47:19 PM EST

I too was going to read this article, but I find the plethora of ads and the damn DHTML popups to be such a turn-off that I'll just make do w/o your site.... Too bad because I happen to actually like the magazine.

Just get rid of the fluff and give me the damn info and I'll come back.. until then...
Arochone 01/02/06 09:05:56 PM EST

You know, I was gonna read this article, but you've got the page covered with so many ads it forces the actual article into a 1 inch wide strip down the middle of my screen, which you then proceed to cover with DHTML popups that are friggin' IMPOSSIBLE to exit!
Arochone 01/02/06 09:05:20 PM EST

You know, I was gonna read this article, but you've got the page covered with so many ads it forces the actual article into a 1 inch wide strip down the middle of my screen, which you then proceed to cover with DHTML popups that are friggin' IMPOSSIBLE to exit!
LinuxWorld News Desk 01/02/06 02:20:19 PM EST

Linux Netwosix is the first real alternative to secure *BSD operating systems, according to Netwosix's developer, Vincenzo Ciaglia, from the University of Salerno, Italy. Ciaglia discusses the vision behind Netwosix, its latest release and features, and his ideas for the immediate future in an exclusive interview with LinuxWorld.