Few Jokes on Unix Operating System and its functionalities *

I remember i wrote a joke on UNIX users a few years back in one of the blog. I was also sharing this with my colleagues in different offices i worked in. Few friends back there in Adobe system and Symantec used to love these kind of jokes. So i thought few more jokes that i have invented (or discovered or written ☺) since then.

The first one is:

Question - Why did the man using UNIX spend all day at the terminal?

Answer - Because he couldn't figure out how to use the "vi" command to exit!

This was a joke because of similar sound of bye and vi especially in some parts of the world.

Question - Why did the man using UNIX always wear sunglasses?

Answer - Because he was always 'ls'-ing in the sun!

Now this used the similarity between the word 'lying' and 'lsing'

Question - Why did the UNIX user wear a tie to the beach?

Answer - Because he wanted to be "root" in the office and "user" at the beach.

Question  - Why did the UNIX user put his computer in the freezer?

Answer - Because he wanted to "cool down" his "system".

Question  - Why did the UNIX user stare at the black screen for hours?

Answer - Because he was trying to "cat" the manual!

Please note that these are just jokes and should not be taken seriously. Unix users are just like any other group of people and should not be stereotyped or discriminated against based on their profession or preferences.

PS: The first of my such joke appeared here in 2013 - https://www.w3lc.com/2013/05/checking-file-system-directory-size-in.html

Various Social Engineering Threats

Social engineering is the clever manipulation of people to gain access to privileged information. It can occur on the telephone, in person, or via email.

SHOULDER SURFING

Shoulder surfing refers to looking over someone's shoulder to obtain information. Be mindful of people nearby when working with sensitive business information. If you step away from your computer, lock it so that others can’t see or access confidential information.

Use a privacy screen to cover your laptop or tablet screen while in use. If you witness someone hovering, acknowledge the person to see what they need. Bring to your supervisor's attention if you are suspicious of their intentions.

TAILGATING

Tailgating is an unauthorized person attempting to gain access to secure office space. Be mindful of people entering behind you. Do not allow tailgating.

Refer anyone without a company badge to reception or security. If you feel threatened or notice suspicious behavior, report the incident to concerned department in your org. In the event of imminent harm, contact local emergency services.

EAVESDROPPING

Eavesdropping refers to secretly listening in on conversations to capture information. Be mindful of who is around when discussing or conducting company business. Do not discuss company business in hallways, shared building spaces, or public places.

Keep confidential discussions behind closed doors.

VISHING

Vishing (voice phishing) happens when you receive a phone call from someone impersonating a trusted source, like your bank, a client, or an employee. They may say there's a problem with your bank account, or credit card and direct you to a web site or phone number where you will be asked to provide personal or company information to verify your identity or account. Beware! They are trying to steal your money, identity, or gain access to organization systems. If you access the Vishing web site from your workstation or smart device, it's possible for hackers to access anything stored there.

Follow your policies and procedures; do not provide personal or payment information to unsolicited callers. Do not attempt to call the number back. Do not take direction from the caller about navigation or use of your tools and systems.

Do not disclose any information unless you are able to verify them, and they are authorized (e.g., if they state they're an employee try to reach them on IM). If you receive a call or a text you suspect to be vishing or smishing, contact spoof@majftech.com with as much information as is available.

SMISHING

Smishing happens when you receive a text message (SMS = smishing) from someone impersonating a trusted source, and the same threats apply as with Vishing.

Do not text scammers back. If you receive a call or a text you suspect to be vishing or smishing, contact spoof@majftech.com with as much information as is available.

PHISHING

Phishing is a form of social engineering in which a fraudulent message is sent to you with the intent of tricking you into opening an attachment, clicking a link, or responding to the message. Phishing typically occurs over email, but can happen during a phone call, through a chat program, in a text message, or even in-person!

Successful phishing attacks can steal your credentials (passwords), install malware on your computer, trick you into disclosing confidential company data, or convince you to take unauthorized actions that benefit the phisher. It is no surprise, that phishing is one of the most common attacks leading to data breaches you see in the news.cWith all the technological defenses in place to prevent phishing emails from landing in your inbox, it’s still one of our biggest security vulnerabilities! Our best resource in defending against phishing is YOU!

Learn the warning signs of such emails:

• Unexpected sender or content
• Threats, urgency, and secrecy
• Phishing or Spam?
• Promised lottery or super amazing deals

What to do If you think you have received a phishing email:

• DO NOT reply to the message.
• DO NOT click on links or open attachments.
• DO report the email by creating a new email message, attaching the phish email, and sending to spoof@majftech.com.
• DO NOT send or "forward" the phishing email to anyone as this can cause further exposure.
• DO permanently delete the phishing email.
• Does the message push for urgent action?
• Does the message threaten bad things will happen if you don't do what it says?
• Is it unusual to use email as authorization for wire transfer? 

Number of Bugs per line of code

An interesting read from the book "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell suggests following:

1. Industry Average: "about 15 - 50 errors per 1000 lines of delivered
code."

This is usually representative of code that has some level of structured programming behind it, but probably includes a mix of coding techniques.

2. Microsoft Applications: "about 10 - 20 defects per 1000 lines of code during in-house testing, and 0.5 defect per KLOC (KLOC refers to as 1000 lines of code) in released product (Moore 1992)."

This is attributed to a combination of code-reading techniques and independent testing.

3. Harlan Mills 'cleanroom development' technique: It has been suggested to achieve rates as low as 3 defects per 1000 lines of code during in-house testing and 0.1 defect per 1000 lines of code in released product (Cobb and Mills 1990).



What is Bug/ Defect Density?

It sometimes becomes important to calculate Defect Density for an Application or a system. Defect Density is the compactness of defects in the application. 


Applications are divided into functional areas or more technically KLOC (Thousand Lines of code). Thus, the average number of defects in a section or per KLOC of a software application is bug density.


How Is Bug Density Calculated?

Step #1: Collect the total no. of defects (for a release/build/cycle).

Step #2: Calculate the average no. of defects/Functional area or KLOC



Defect Density Industry Standard?


Well, this varies for every industry, application and every team. Manufacturing would have a specific threshold and it would be completely different for IT.

If it is high it shows poor quality. But it is, in turn, the seriousness of the individual defects that decide if the product is fit for use or not. Sometimes, many defects are just false indicators or are very low in severity and priority.

By the way, who would not like zero defect density. So, even though there is no specific standard, the lower this value, the better.



My experience:


Generally, a High severity (Sev-1) bug stops all use or significant use of the program. A severity 2 bug stops some users but not all. A severity 3 bug is inconvenient, has a workaround, or is an annoyance.

The most professional development organisation I ever worked in, which created software products for worldwide use, and had an enviable reputation for excellence, worked to an expectation of one severity 1 bug per 1000 lines of shipped code.

In my stints with working in Tata, Adobe Systems, Symantec and Expedia, I felt that bugs are unavoidable. They creep in - sometimes because of programmar's logical error and sometimes vulnerabilities in software/algorithm you are using. Also, sometimes you get bugs because of some novel use of hacking techniques.

In general, I observed during all these 12 years of working that there are following number of bugs, if you want to have strict answer on the basis of lines of code:

1. 1 Sev-1 bug per Kloc
2. 3 Sev-2 bug per Kloc
3. 9 Sev-3 bug per Kloc
4. 4 Sev-4 bug per Kloc

A few thoroughly tested application like a space-shuttle software - have achieved a level of 0 defects in 500,000 lines of code using a system of format development methods, peer reviews, and statistical testing. NASA, for instance, was able to achieve zero defects for the Space Shuttle Software, but at a cost of thousands of dollars per line of code. If people will die because there are bugs in the software then that kind of cost makes sense. Most projects simply cannot afford the same level of testing as NASA.

AMU Engineering cut off explained : Demystifying questions like Can I get admission in the Aligarh Muslim University BTech with a score of 72?

This article will explain you every bits of AMU Engineering cutoff and waiting lists.

To start with, a simple answer to what is the cutoff for the engineering entrance examination - Fluctuating!

Many of the young students often ask questions like: Can I get admission in the AMU BTech with a score of 72? My reply to all of them would be - You are just on margin and nothing can be predicted surely at this score!

Having said that, I congratulate them on the efforts they put in. They surely are among good students who have the mettle to get admitted to this prestigious university. To anyone with this high score, you now have 3 options:

1. Wait and watch for the results to come. I wish you all the best and once selected respond here with the good message.
2. Hold tight! You might also get included in Waiting lists. There might be 3 waiting lists in themselves. You can get admission if people drop off and do not take admissions.
3. Start focusing on more exams and preparations should never loose focus waiting on the results on one exams. Exams are a part of life, and not the life itself!

It should be understood that the cutoff shall be based on some of the influential factors which affect the same to a great extent. Various aspects are taken into consideration while announcing the AMUEEE 2017 Cutoff Marks. It varies highly with the difficulty level of question paper and other factors. Generally,  for moderate level of difficulty , it is around 70-75 for external students and around 60-65 for internal students.



The total number of seats are around 365 and number of seats in different trades are as follows:
Chemical Engineering - 30
Civil Engineering - 60
Computer engineering - 50
Electrical Engineering - 60
Electronics Engineering - 50
Mechanical engineering - 90
Petrochemical Engineering - 20
BArch - 20


The cutoff depends on how many well prepared candidates appeared for the exam that year, question paper and if you are internal or external. Some important factors that you can include in guessing the cutoff present year are listed as following:

• Total Number of students
• Availability of seats
• Toughness level of examination
• Lowest and average marks in the entrance examination
• Marking scheme
• Performance of the candidates
• Previous year cutoff trends

As per the official notifications:

AMU determines the minimum scores obtained by the candidates to be considered for admission to various engineering courses at the university. AMUEEE 2017 cutoff involves various important aspects. The vital aspects are given below.
For admission to various undergraduate engineering courses at AMU, the candidates have to either score the minimum required cutoff marks or above that.
AMU conducts AMUEEE 2017 and is the competent authority that decides AMUEEE 2017 cutoff marks.
AMUEEE cutoff 2017 is determined by various factors like candidates’ performance level, seat capacity of the respective courses, total number of test takers, and difficulty level of the paper and reservation policy.
Aspirants, who fail to secure the minimum marks required for admission to AMU through AMUEEE 2017, will not be considered eligible for admissions to B. Tech courses at the university.
On the basis of AMUEEE 2017 cutoff, AMU prepares AMUEEE 2017 merit list for the examinees.
As per their ranks in AMUEEE 2017 merit list, seats are allocated to candidates.

My three advises here:

1. Concentrate on your preparations and give your best shot. Don't prepare with a preset target score as it can deceive you into making a wrong decision at your test date. Think 95% plus!
2. Even if you don't get your favorite branch, you have a chance to change your branch in the beginning of your second year, provided you study well. I did that. You need to have very high scores in your first year results.
3. In case you get a waiting list, do not be disheartened. There is a good chance that it will get clear as many would cancel their admissions. 

I wish all the students a very best of luck in all the engineering entrance exams. You all are a gem and a treasure for the nation.

Jai Hind & Jai Ho!