Editing 2044: Sandboxing Cycle
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | A {{w|Sandpit|sandbox}} or sandpit is a playground where children can play safe without interfering | + | {{incomplete|The meaning of the colors need to be explained. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
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+ | A {{w|Sandpit|sandbox}} or sandpit is a playground where children can play safe without interfering the world outside. By this meaning the term was adopted by others like the {{w|Sand table|sand table}} in military uses, or as a {{w|Wikipedia:Sandbox|Wikipedia Sandbox}}, a playground for inexperienced editors to test their additions, and in {{w|Sandbox (computer security)|computer security (sandbox)}} which [[Randall]] probably references at this comic. | ||
Software is getting more and more complex, and in an effort to reduce programming work and security vulnerabilities, large applications are composed of multiple programs. Getting these mostly self-contained programs to work with each other can be tricky, since requirements can vary a lot between different applications, requiring a rather general {{w|Interface (computing)|interface}} or {{w|API}} for communication. The more open such interfaces are, the higher the risk of unintended side effects, like vulnerabilities and overly permissive data access which could be exploited by hackers. | Software is getting more and more complex, and in an effort to reduce programming work and security vulnerabilities, large applications are composed of multiple programs. Getting these mostly self-contained programs to work with each other can be tricky, since requirements can vary a lot between different applications, requiring a rather general {{w|Interface (computing)|interface}} or {{w|API}} for communication. The more open such interfaces are, the higher the risk of unintended side effects, like vulnerabilities and overly permissive data access which could be exploited by hackers. | ||
− | At the top left panel it could be a software collection whose parts are not yet fully connected to each other | + | At the top left panel it could be a software collection whose parts are not yet fully connected to each other. A simple example is a typical {{w|Productivity_software#Office_suite|office suite}} used for documents, presentations, spreadsheets, charts, databases, and more. In the early days those separate applications weren't much connected together, copy and paste was one of the most important features; which suggests the applications haven't yet been fully developed. But software is never been fully developed as it can be seen further. |
− | The next panel uses some "new technology" | + | The next panel uses some "new technology" to interconnect those parts not only internal but also to the world outside at the internet. In the simple office suite example this means a document can now use a spreadsheet directly by using just a simple connection to another file. If that spreadsheet is changed the document uses this new content without any need of copying it manually. |
− | But this leads to the third panel | + | But this leads to the third panel where many items are marked in red. The connections cause undesired changes in other applications because nobody can oversee everything in a large environment. It even may destroy the original document in this office suite example. |
− | The fourth panel shows | + | The fourth panel shows one solution to this problem known as sandboxing. This is a security mechanism for separating running programs without risking harm to others. This can tighten up sloppy security. A direct consequence of restricted communication is that the programs now again can't connect easily to each other. |
− | + | It is discussed that {{w|Orchestration (computing)|orchestrating}} as having an inherent intelligence or even implicitly autonomic control could overcome these issues but there is probably no solution without the interaction by humans not only because these applications are made for humans. And thus Randall's sandboxing just results to a situation very similar like in the first panel. | |
The dilemma is again stated in the title text: Randall wants both ease of use and high security. In practice, a tradeoff has to be made. | The dilemma is again stated in the title text: Randall wants both ease of use and high security. In practice, a tradeoff has to be made. | ||
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+ | While this comic is applicable to a wide number of digital security issues, it may be about social media in particular. | ||
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+ | Originally, there were only a few social media websites (AOL, for example), which were not connected to one another but were so large and all-encompassing that they could be considered highly-connected systems. Once the internet became more popular and more powerful, lots of smaller websites popped up for individual topics -- forums, web apps, etc. Eventually there were so many places users had to log in that Google and Facebook began to offer services to use a single log-in for all websites that opted-in to supporting that service. Recently, with increasing consumer concerns about privacy and security, some users have begun to deliberately sever the connections between websites, to make it harder for any one company to gain a monopoly on their data. This may not last long, though, as users realized just how inconvenient it is to manage so many logins. | ||
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+ | This desire to accommodate both privacy and ease use of use can lead to confusing and paradoxical actions or outlooks, like [[2045|Randall's struggle with his social media accounts in the comic immediately following this one]], or Zach Wienersmith's complaints in the [https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/the-problem|SMBC comic] released the same day as this one. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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:[The arrow above the fourth panel connects it to the first and the circle continues from the beginning.] | :[The arrow above the fourth panel connects it to the first and the circle continues from the beginning.] | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} |