Screensaver with Debian Software with expiration date – Heise Newsticker

Who uses an updated Debian with a graphical desktop, this day will receive a warning that the screensaver is very old. Underlying this is a problem that goes beyond the specific case.

Also software has only a limited shelf life. Of course, software does not go as in an aircraft turbine parts due to wear broken. But changing conditions promote undiscovered bugs to light; newly discovered security vulnerabilities make a program from one day to be a gateway for pests; and changing operating environments cause malfunctions

However, not about software, unlike a turbine, usually overnight break if they are not serviced – ie. regularly updated – will. Instead, she slips with age more and more into a state of more or less functioning: “Runs actually, just …”. Particularly fatal that’s when newly discovered vulnerabilities, finally noticed it the previous expiration date then only when the Trojans over the computer and the photo collection is encrypted.

For developers will bring the trend of many users, software beyond its expiry date use, a lot of problems. You get bug reports for errors that have long since repaired (in recent versions). And they are probably responsible for security vulnerabilities that have already been fixed.

“This version of xscreensaver is VERY OLD”

Windows users are often using outdated software on the go, finally has the Microsoft operating system does not have a central update mechanism for the installed programs. But even in the Linux world, where a software management really should keep all applications currently, there are problems: Open source software gives its users particularly many freedoms – including the freedom to distribute outdated versions

<. p> Jamie Zawinski, programmer of the much-used program Xscreensaver has, for a pragmatic solution. Once the software is older than 18 months, she warns himself: “This version of xscreensaver is VERY OLD”. Connected this is the indication that it is actually a matter for the Linux distributor would be to provide an update.

In an explanatory blog post (and the source code of Xscreensaver) Zawinski explains the reasons for reporting – and laments the reaction of the Debian community: there calls a bug report from early April to to remove the warning message from Xscreensaver. Clear, Xscreensaver is open source under the BSD license, and the package maintainers may create a modified version of Xscreensaver and distributed via the Debian distribution

Zawinski however wants a different approach to the problem. Either should distributors a reasonably current version of its software selling – or no longer use Xscreensaver. The current situation makes all unhappy: The developer would be having trouble with complaints of errors that have long been repaired, and the user would not know how to install a newer version of the software in their distribution <- author-data marker.! begin -> (odi)

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