choppa

I'm running a 2003 box here myself, but our web-server is a linux based system, and most recently I've been asked to help develop a job-tracking system for a sub-group in the department. Until about 50 minutes ago, I was thinking of putting together a PHP/MYSQL-driven web-based system, which might take 2-hours to code and design to provide all the functionality needed (job tracking, assignment, etc). Now I heard about this "Sharepoint services". I've read up a little about it, but I'm still not 100% entierly sure about what it does / can do - it sounds like it could streamline the process of creating an inventory tracking system and similar things - but since our webserver runs off linux, everything it creates would have to be run off that webserver. If I use this Sharepoint to create the tracking system, will I be able to move it off the 2003 server and serve it up off the linux webserver?

Any piece of software that is soft-patched in an OS update rather than an app-oriented update is broken software. IE is one of these programs. Many of its bugs are 'worked around' or patched inside Windows' own codebase, rather than the browser's code itself. The problem here lies with the huge jump to integrating the browser with the OS. That's why FireFox wins against IE. It's secure, because it doesn't have access to the OS in the same way as IE does. The worst Gecko can do is trash the FireFox profiles directory through an exploit which I believe is now patched - but IE, it's a can of bloody worms. Rather than fixing IE, they go and patch up Windows, and break something else.

I assume that you're reffering to biometric scanners which are hardwired (locked) and can't be manipulated (plugged in/unplugged). Because if they are movable, it only takes 5 seconds for someone with a hardware passthrough logger to record the communication details, and a bit of time to decode the encoding mechanism.I should know, as it has happened around a place I frequent. Resulted in massive security overhaul.. biometric ID, RFID tags, and live guards at all key entrances.