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Ubuntu unveils its next-generation shell and display server

Ubuntu unveils its next-generation shell and display server

Posted Mar 7, 2013 11:12 UTC (Thu) by hummassa (subscriber, #307)
In reply to: Ubuntu unveils its next-generation shell and display server by renox
Parent article: Ubuntu unveils its next-generation shell and display server

> I totally agree with you that normal applications should be able to go full screen,

I don't. At least not without some kind of overlay (*). The minute a normal application can go fullscreen it can spoof security measures (for instance, ask the user for his password and store/send it somewhere).

(*) One possible solution here is an OSD overlay that can be shown for a limited time, like two to five seconds, after any input -- keystroke, mouse move &c and, after that, vanish (like youtube's and xbmc's fullscreen mode video controls). This way the user can watch a video or even read a book or a webpage using the whole screen estate but can't be deceived in thinking its login page &c is being displayed.


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Ubuntu unveils its next-generation shell and display server

Posted Mar 7, 2013 11:33 UTC (Thu) by renox (subscriber, #23785) [Link]

>> I totally agree with you that normal applications should be able to go full screen,
> I don't. At least not without some kind of overlay.

It depends on the situation.. On your home PC, is-it really an issue?
To fool you into entering your password, the trojan must be able to replicate somehow your environment, which is quite difficult if it isn't allowed to generate input events (like Wayland does).
Where security is important, I think that it should be possible by administrators to disable full screen windows.

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