FAQ
From 24C3 Public Wiki
General Questions
I'm 17 years old. Any problems there?
No.
Besides: Hackers should be judged by their hacking, not bogus criteria such as degrees, age, race, or position. (taken from: Hacker ethic)
Is the Congress-Center open 24/4?
Yes.
What to bring to a Lightning Talk?
Bring your slides, bring your text, and bring it on! Each talk is limited to five minutes - make it count!
For more info see the page on Lightning_Talks
Will there be a CAcert auth possibility at 24C3?
Yes, CAcert is planning to participate with a booth at the 24C3.
The booth have between three and four tables and between zero and seven chairs, and is located on level B, near the info booth next to the ham-radios.
Interested assurers are kindly asked to register themselves within the CACert wiki - name, contact address, presence, and points they can issue.
Unfortunately, as of yet it is still unknown who will be coordinating the participants but one assurer can be called via DECT 6222 if needed.
Can I participate in a smoke free-environment or will smoking be allowed everywhere?
See http://events.ccc.de/2006/12/05/the-smoking-situation-revisited/. We ask participants not to smoke inside the building which resulted in a more or less smoke free environment last year.
What's the idea behind "(WOMEN ONLY)" lectures? We thought the whole idea of the 21st century was to STOP sexual discrimination, and now you ACTIVELY PROMOTE it?
There are no "lectures" in the official programme for women only. However, 3 workshops in the self-organized workshop area organized by the Hacksen (a group of women and girls in the CCC) deal with female experience in the computing world and the organizers chose to make those open for women only. We trust you to find something else to attend, maybe going to one of the 98.12% of all events that are not for women only. However, we thank you for your concern regarding gender equality at the congress. We welcome your suggestions to overcome the fact that 81.8% of all speakers at 23C3 are male. This is definitely something where we could need your help as a concerned participant.
What is wrong in having 81.8% of all speakers at the 23C3 being male?
Everything. There are lots more women here at 23c3 than I have seen before. 24c3 needs to have at least 30% female speakers (the women selling T-Shirts don't count!)
This is an answer, but not a satisfying one.
The problem is in discrimination based on bogus criteria, not on there being significantly less attendants of a certain gender, race, viewpoint, etc.
Gender is not always bogus criteria - this is perhaps the case in the women only lectures, though I doubt it. Despite this, I think that people have a right to place arbitary restrictions on private events they control, even if they are incorrect.
I suggest that placing arbitary targets for the number of speakers of a certain gender is the wrong way to encourage more of such gender to attend. Indeed, it seems to almost patronize, as if they cannot prove their worth through criteria that matter.
Actually, the problem is usually that those searching for speakers only think of their immediate circle of friends, who happen to be very similar to them. Setting quota goals (even if there are no sanctions) helps encourage such people to think harder, and to actively search for more of the minority.
I am a woman and sick and tired of all the excuses why there is no equal representation. We are geeks, too, and want to be accepted as such. Maybe there should be an all-women-speaker XC3 :)
I was happy to see more women (and some kids!) at 23c3 - so maybe 24c3 needs to sort out child care, and then more women will attend, get to know people, and be considered as speakers for 25c3.
See also perhaps GenderShouldntMatter.org for some hints & ideas on the gender imbalance in the hacking community.
How can I give suggestions?
See Suggestions
Will the music of the Maschinenraum (near the Hackcenter) be published (ie torrent) because we like it ?
See Maschinenraum
Is the music available which was played between the talkes in "Saal 1" (Wartemusik)
See FindTheTune
Food
Where to buy Mate for a normal price execpt for metro?
If you are german: Look at the Club-Mate forum and search for your town or ask for places near to you. There is also a nice list about Berlin Mate-stores. http://www.iphpbb.com/board/index.php?nxu=77421311nx15157
Will you be allowed to bring your own food into the Congress-Center?
Rule of thumb: Feel free to bring the cookies your Grandma baked - but never order pizza (or things like that) into the bcc.
The reason is that there is a company called "Progast" which holds the exclusive right to sell food inside the bcc. This is a standard arrangement for this kind of event which is not subject to discussion. It allows for moderate food prices and helps to avoid the incredible amount of waste which many people found quite discomforting at previous congresses.
With this in mind, please remember to treat Progast employees respectfully! In case you experience (rather rare) problems which cannot be resolved immediately, please let Kathe know (the Angels will know where to find her).
Network related
See also: How To Survive and the Network
Where can i get the list with MAC-Adresses of default gateways and dns?
Will there be any public FTP-servers like last year?
You can bring your own Servers and put them up, or hand them to the NOC to take care. But most Probably someone will have FTP servers up and running.
Will there be any IPv6 Content?
The live streams of the lectures can be obtained via IPv6. See Streaming for details.
-Please add-
Will there be 802.11a wifi at the congress?
Yes.
Can I bring my own wireless equipment to the Congress?
No, please do not bring any wireless access points with you and please do not operate a wireless access point at the 24C3.
- You can bring your own wireless clients though. Also last year at the NOC review it was told that maybe we will get 802.11a hardware (clients to be lent/leased to the audience) this time so that the 5GHz band is used more and the 2,4GHz band is emptied a bit.
Can I run my own network or my own DHCP server at the Congress?
No, please do not ever configure your laptop to run in Ad-Hoc mode nor otherwise create a network and please do not run DHCP servers.
Is it okay to use unencrypted protocols (http, telnet, smtp, pop3, imap, irc et al) on the congress network?
While you certainly can use those protocols, expect others to see everything you transmit including usernames, passwords, your email, your dirty talk with your partner and anything else you transmit and make appropriate fun of you.
You are advised to use either the secure counterparts to those protocols (https, ssh, pop3s, imaps et al) or create an encrypted VPN tunnel to the outside world if you really want to use insecure protocols. There is a HowTo on doing this with OpenSSH available in English.
Also note that simply using Tor to encrypt your insecure protocols is an even worse idea. The exit node of your Tor connection can read everything you transmit in the clear. Including everything mentioned above. Also, the Tor exit node may happen to be within the congress network again and you'll have the same problem as before.
Secure Messengers
Which messengers are logging in secure? Can i use for example Skype or Jabber without giving someone the chance to sniff my password?
Jabber is secure when using SSL (you can check this in your client usually). Note that not all clients use a secure SSL implementation. For example, gajim doesn't check certificates very well (In fact, unless you're using PyOpenSSL, it doesn't do checking at all), which makes MITM-attacks quite easy.
Skype is a somewhat obfuscated, not easy to sniff, protocol. This is most likely security by obscurity, you have to decide whether you think that noone has tools to decrypt skype messages or whether you want it really secure (use SSL). In general, you can test this at home using a tool like tcpdump (on Linux/BSD/OS X, start it with tcpdump -A -s 2048) or Wireshark (former Ethereal) on Windows -- if you see your password/username in plaintext, everyone could.
Will there be an Echolink/PR gateway or a repeater for HAM Radio ?
Probably. But there will be some HAM radio operators and they will set up some antennas and transceivers for a couple of frequencies. Check out http://www.chaoswelle.de/24C3
How can I setup my laptop to tunnel all network traffic through SSH?
The "How to Survive"-article doesn't cover this yet. So far I just found hints on tunneling a single port. Some good hints anyone? try portforwarding via iptables, or give Secure Network Forwarding Tunnel a try. maybe there are better solutions.
-> You can twist ssh to act like a SOCKS-Proxy, see below.
HowTo on doing this with OpenSSH
The HowTo above requires OpenSSH 4.3 - properbly not all people will upgrade...
A workaround/nice trick for older SSH-Versions:
0. Install pppd on your server & client
1. Enable IP-Forwarding and NAT/Masquerading on the machine your SSH-Server is running on. (in Linux, as root)
echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -s 10.0.0.2 -j MASQUERADE
2. On your client add a dedicated route to your SSH-Server via your default gw: (in Linux, as root)
route add InsertYourSshServerAddressHere gw `route -n | grep -E '^0.0.0.0' | awk '{ print($2) }'`
3. run pppd-over-ssh (one line, in Linux, as root)
pppd nodetach noauth defaultroute replacedefaultroute pty "ssh root@InsertYourSshServerAddressHere pppd updetach noauth passive notty 10.0.0.1:10.0.0.2"
Authenticate using password or better using keys.
Have a lot of fun! :)
Do you want a clean solution? Setup openvpn - oder openssh 4.3, of course.
Use ssh as an secure network tunnel
You can use ssh to act like a SOCKS-Proxy. Setting up an ssh SOCKS-Proxy is very easy. Just type in
ssh -fND 4223 user@server
where user@server is your login at the server you want to use as the tunneling endpoint. The command establishes a connection to your server, logs in as "user" and starts a little SOCKS-Proxy on it. The -f command tells ssh to go into the background so you can continue working at the terminal. On your computer, all connections to port 4223 will be forwarded over the secure SSH channel and then by the proxy to the destination. You have to configure the program you want to connect through that tunnel to use localhost:4223 as it's SOCKS server. (Like Firefox' proxy-configuration.) For using software that doesn't support SOCKS try out tsocks.
Proceedings/Documentation
Are there guidelines concerning videotaping/taking still pictures at 24C3?
Of course, yes. But same rules apply for private videotaping and still pictures as for the press. See the Guidelines for press at the Congress for details.
Can I buy a printed summary of most of the congress (conference proceedings) like last year?
Yes! It looks terrific, too.
Will there be a free PDF of the conference proceedings like last year?
-Please add information. Please!-
Is it possible to get the presentation slides for all the talks?
-Please add information-
Yes, have a look on the detailed website to the talk. Most will be available at the time of the talk, some will be available after the congress. A minority of speakers decided to not submit their slides.
When will Recordings be available?
Exactly five days, 23 minutes and 42 seconds after the closing event. Or, if we cannot make that: when they're ready.
What happened to the <<insert event>> video, i can't seem to find it anywhere with all the other videos, or was it renamed?
Take a look at the Video Recording Bugs page.
Tickets
See also Tickets
When should I get my tickets?
It is a good idea to buy the ticket at Dec 26th or the night from Dec 26th to 27th, because then you don't have to wait in the line for hours in the morning of Dec 27th.
How much for a company ticket? (one person)
250 euros. See Tickets
Can I buy my tickets in the night from Dec 26th to 27th all night long?
Yes. The cash desk is open from late afternoon (around 6pm / 18:00) at the 26th until the evening of the 30th.
Does "cash desk" mean that we have to pay cash? What about ec-cards or credit-cards?
Like in the last years: yes. As a hacker you should know that electronic banking is not secure.
Is there also a discount on the tickets for Students or Unemployed?
Students have to pay the usual entrance fee. The CCC grants discounts for special groups worthy of support, eg pupils (with credentials) and CCC members - as a thank-you for their support all the year round. You can become a CCC member now or at the 24C3.
Will there be a discount for ALG2 recipients?
There is, see Tickets. Don't forget to have your Hartz IV notification with you.
Will there be a discount for anybody else?
If you really cannot afford a ticket to the congress then please talk to the orga team - maybe they can do something.
Can I order tickets in advance? (before 2007-12-26)
No. There will not be a presale like we had for the Chaos Communication Camp.
I'm a pupil, though I don't have a pupil identity card. How else can I prove at the entrance, that I'm a pupil? Can I just take my last year's report card?
No. And we don't have the time for discussion at the cash desk. There are more participants behind you, who have to wait while you try to convince the cash desk angels.
It's not our fault that you missed to update your school ID card.
But a "Schulbescheinigung" still works?
A Schulbescheinigung is a simple printout of your school record which (bears the school seal and) states that you were a student at a specific school at the time the document was printed. It can be faked relatively easily and is not intended to replace the pupil ID (which also carries your photo and has a validity timeframe). Anyway, what's the point? A pupil ID is usually issued within one day, just about as quickly as a Schulbescheinigung. Why would you carry a Schulbescheinigung but not a pupil ID? You have read the rule. If you do not have a pupil ID, prepare to pay the full price.
What about a discount for pupils and students?
I am attending a university in the US full time and want to know if I am eligible for the discount. If so, what documentation is acceptable? Is my school-issued ID enough? What is the difference between a "student" and a "pupil"?
"Pupils" are attending K-12 schools (up to and including highschool). "Students" are people attending universities.
Pupils attending school receive a discount; students have to pay the full price like many other people coming to the congress.
What about a discount for apprentices (Auszubildende)?
Apprentices also have a school ID card. Do they also get a discount on the tickets?
Apprentices also receive a discount if they are accepted as pupils, ie if they can show an ID card issued by their school.
Does the entry fee include "disabled camera surveillance" like last year?
TODO!
Participating
Who should I contact if I want to become a Chaos Angel?
You can register yourself, as soon as the so called "Engelsystem" (Angel System) is up and running. For further information see the Angel FAQ. On IRC-Net, on channel #chaos-angel, or contact the Angel Mailinglist (Engel Mailingliste) at engel(at)lists.ccc.de - good luck!]
What about hackcenter registration?
There will be no hackcenter registration for the 24C3. See Hackcenter for more information.
Fahrplan
Keeping track of the events?
Has anyone an idea how I can easily keep track of the upcoming events at the congress? Now, that I own a brand new mobile phone (SE K810i, that is) I thought of just putting the .ical via OBEX to my phone, but it just doesn't recognize it. SyncML with opensync is a PITA (not that I only don't plan to install half of gnome just to put a few schedule items to my phone, opensync simply *doesn't* *work*), and it seems there's no simple X application out there where I can just select a few items on the schedule and put it via some magic to my phone's built-in calendar application. Also, there are apparently no calendars for J2ME (besides praying reminders and menstruation calenders), as far as I can see. So my request: If *anyone* of you knows an application that would make it easier (read: possible) to keep track of upcoming events with the combination linux/j2me/K810i, please put it in here. Thanks a lot! --Yath 20:15, 16 December 2007 (CET)
Accomodation
See also Accommodation
Will there be a Gym for sleeping at again this year? How much will the fee be?
-Please add information-
Yes. See Accommodation.
Will there be a place to deposit luggage (such as lockers) ?
We have the Cloak_room where you can deposit your luggage for which we cannot assume liability. Real lockers are in the nearby train station ("Alexanderplatz").
Can I camp outside of the conference center again this year?
Depends on the definition of outside, but if you mean around the BCC the answer is no. We won't stop you putting up your tent on official camping.
It is possible for Chaos Angels to sleep in the Gym as from 25th December?
-Please add information-
What do I have to bring when sleeping in the Gym? Sleepingbag? Iso-matress?
Both and probably a pair of earplugs.
