

Running SSH on Windows - delano
http://solutious.com/blog/2009/08/19/ssh-on-windows/

======
ajross
Terrible cookbook article with no depth of content.

I was just about to write a rant about how insane it is that windows people
try so hard to run things that look "native" (with GUIs and buttons and stuff)
instead of simply running the original software in its natural environment
(openssh under cygwin, in this case). For security-sensitive software
especially, that's a huge problem.

But then I clicked through the link to the "copssh" page:

<http://www.itefix.no/i2/node/27>

And that's exactly what it is: a custom installer around a minimal
cygwin/openssh distro.

So, bravo, I guess. But that's the link you should be reading, not the one
from the original author who doesn't seem to understand what the software is
actually doing, and would prefer to write tutorials with pretty screenshots
instead.

~~~
delano
Thanks for the feedback! I'm actually a FreeBSD guy and I wrote this post so I
have a URI to give to clients who primarily use Windows.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say I "don't seem to understand what the
software is actually doing". Could you elaborate?

~~~
ajross
Yeah. I should apologize for the tone, I guess.

But the criticism was basically one of misplaced audience. As a guide for a
typical windows-only IT wonk to install an sshd, it's really not bad. But I
like to believe (or at least pretend) that a typical HN reader is a little
above that level. To folks here, the critical information is that (1) openssh
works under cygwin and (2) there's a simple installable distro for it. That
information is conveyed just fine by the link to the upstream package, without
the need for a tutorial.

Add that to the fact setting up a remote access (!) mechanism on a host is an
inherently security-critical operation that requires a clear low-level
understanding of the software (i.e. more than can be taught with screenshots),
and I guess I got a little cranky.

~~~
delano
Ya, I mostly agree with you. But there's a fine line between being a good
consultant and being a good hacker.

Running an SSH server was a quick solution for automating some basic tasks in
Windows. Incidentally, I had a great conversation today with a Windows guy and
I'll probably look further into solving these problems with Powershell.

------
aerique
Hahaha, if anything, writing a how-to guide for a GUI application looks to be
far more annoying than one for a commandline app. With all the screenshots and
all.

------
henryw
secure crt is pretty awesome too <http://www.vandyke.com/products/securecrt/>

