Here at West Virginia University the Campus e-mail is provided by a Web Based Interfaced Called "The MIX". Its a Java web Client that allows people to logon check and write Email and check thier class schedual and do some other random things.

After Writing an email to the service asking them why they do not allow connections from Linux cleints (even when running supported browsers such as Netscape navagator) the reply I got was:

Campus Pipeline nor SCT Banner supports Linux and are not tested on LINUX. Please do not use it because it has compromised MIX before and taken it down when it is hit by multiple people using LINUX. The companies that we buy this software from will only certify the product for the browsers listed on the stoplight page. We know that people can trick it and we have also brought these people in for hearings because it has compromised the system.


Cathy Orndorff
Director of Web Communications
304-293-5305
http://www.wvu.edu/webservices

Is Is Just Me or does That Email make NO SENSE? how does having a Linux based computer connecting to a Java based web service compramise anything. The Reason Why she mentioned trickig the system was becuase I mentioned that the system even works fine when viewed from Konqueror, but only after making it ID itself as IE 6.0 on windows XP (or any other windows version).

I cannot fathom how having a Linux based operating system conenct to the system can compramise anything....am I wrong?

I can only imagine it is somthing odd with the java client but that isn't really a linux problem - it is a programming issue. If they are finding that it is also crashing the system I would also consider it a serious security problem as the software is obviously not well designed.

yeah but that is just the problem... I mean I access it with Linux all the Time................. It makes little to no sense that it would crash the system. The only problem I have found is that the encoding needs to bet set manualy for the File menu on the email interface... .other then that.. its fine. I just dont know what could be happening in the background that would be Dependent on the fact that someone is running linux.

only thing i could think of, is if they are trying to install/connect to the windows users system and by having the linux box up it cause that proccess to fail, thus locking up their servers when they are flooded with dead proccess that are hung as they can not complete.

yeah but I doubt it does that becuase you can access it from anywhere, on campus off of campus...

I put in a call to the company who makes the software and I am gonna ask them some questions about if the claim made by the head of Web Development is true or not.