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Open Source

Submission + - Open Source Projects Using Best Practices?

Submitted by
balbus000
balbus000 writes: "I recently graduated with a degree in software engineering (software emphasis). However, most of the homework and projects given were extremely small scale. I want to be exposed to more "real-world" projects to help me in my career. What open source projects are out there that are well organized and use best best practices in object oriented design, design patterns, etc. and aren't bloated to the point where it would take me 6+ months to get up to speed with how it's structured? I mainly want to study the source code, but would also like to start contributing once I feel comfortable enough."

Submission + - HackerMonthly the style of hacker's essay (google.com)

Submitted by Shawn the R0ck
Shawn the R0ck writes: Hacker Monthly is a new monthly magazine that you can buy a paper copy or download the pdf version.The 1st issue has been downloading more than 10,000 times.The lastest launch is the 2nd issue.This magazine taking a great collections from hacker communities and it's bit of hacking style articles,eg.Organic Startup Ideas written by Paul Graham and What value do we create here by CARTER CLEVELAND.The digital native of young generations would love to read it.Hacker ethic that ti's not only affecting the free software world but many non-technical fields.People hacking the stuffs and making the definition of the future!Hope "weird" slashdoters having fun with this magazine!

Submission + - How should a non-techie learn programming? (dbms2.com) 2

Submitted by CurtMonash
CurtMonash writes: Nontechnical people — for example marketers or small business owners — increasingly get the feeling they should know more about technology. And they're right. If you can throw up a small website or do some real number-crunching, chances are those skills will help you feed your family. But how should they get started? I started a thread with the question on DBMS2, and some consistent themes emerged, including:
  • * Learn HTML + CSS early on.
  • * Learn a bit of SQL, but you needn't make that your focus.
  • * Have your first real programming language be one of the modern ones, such as PHP or Python.
  • * MySQL is a good vehicle to learn SQL.
  • * It's a great idea to start with a project you actually want to accomplish, and that can be done by modifying a starter set of sample code. (E.g., a WordPress blog.)
  • * Microsoft's technology stack is an interesting alternative to some of the other technology ideas.

A variety of books and websites were suggested, most notably MIT's Scratch. But, frankly, it would really help to get more suggestions for sites and books that help one get started with HTML/CSS, or with MySQL, or with PHP. And so, techie studs and studdettes, I ask you — how should a non-techie go about learning some basic technological skills?
Security

Submission + - AT&T Won't Block Black Hat Eavesdropping Demo (infoworld.com)

Submitted by
snydeq
snydeq writes: "AT&T says it won't interfere with a highly anticipated talk on intercepting cell phone calls at the Black Hat conference this week. Hacker Chris Paget last week said that he plans to demonstrate on Saturday how to set up what's essentially a fake cell tower that allows him listen in on nearby mobile calls. But Tuesday, he wrote on his blog that he had "heard that AT&T may be considering suing me to stop my talk." AT&T, however, has insisted it has no plans to interfere with the talk."
Google

Submission + - Android Takes A New Approach To Fighting Piracy (blodic.us) 1

Submitted by teh31337one
teh31337one writes: Pirates looking to illegally copy Android applications are about to face a new challenge: today, Google's Android team announced that it is releasing a new application Licensing Service for Android.

The service, which is meant to help developers secure their applications from piracy, forces apps to ping Google's home server at regular intervals to verify that they were legitimately purchased. Fail that check, and the app can lock you out.

According to the Dev Guide, developers are free to decide how they want to deal with an application that is deemed to be pirated (a developer could disable the app entirely, or perhaps they could activate a trial mode prompting the user to purchase the real thing).

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/28/new-licensing-service-replacing-existing-copy-protection-metho/

Submission + - ASCAP Refuses To Debate Lessig (techdirt.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Back in June ASCAP oddly declared war on free culture, specifically calling out Creative Commons, EFF and Public Knowledge, making a number of false statements about all three. The war of words continued as the three groups responded politely, pointing out the errors in the statement from ASCAP's Paul Williams. Larry Lessig wrote a blog post where he asked Williams to debate these topics, saying that it might help if they could get away from making false statements. Williams has now publicly declined to debate saying that it's not worth his time, and once again attacking these groups for trying to "silence" him. It's difficult to see how a request for a public discussion and debate is an attempt to silence, but that's ASCAP's position and they're sticking to it.

Submission + - What is the best software for authors? 2

Submitted by toxonix
toxonix writes: Authors have very specific needs when it comes to text editing and formatting. MS Word has been the default program for working with formatted text, but it has its limitations and pitfalls. I think Open Office Writer is ideal for any writer, and some writers and editors are using it exclusively. I've suggested writers learn to use Vim+plugins and some simple scripting for text manipulation, but Vim and Emacs may be too involved for those who have an affinity for mice and GUIs. Version control and safe keeping of manuscripts is also something I've seen writers do poorly. So, what software is available to writers that works the way writers want?
Science

Submission + - HP Unveils 'Butterfly' Data Center (datacenterknowledge.com)

Submitted by 1sockchuck
1sockchuck writes: HP has unveiled its Flexible Data Center, which employs a "butterfly" design featuring four server room modules around a central core holding networking gear and security staff. HP becomes the latest in a growing number of companies rolling out modular data center designs that are factory-built, assembled on site and far more flexible than the original Sun Blackbox concept. Is this what data center containers look like when they evolve?

Submission + - Windows Administrator move to Linux 2

Submitted by x_IamSpartacus_x
x_IamSpartacus_x writes: I have been administering Windows machines for more than 10 years and am extremely comfortable in a Windows environment. I went to school as came out with a Windows Network Administration degree, my CCNA and a Cisco Network Admin degree and have worked in the corporate world administering mid-level scale Windows environments. Unfortunately, I took only 1 (basic) Linux administration class and promptly forgot it because it had no bearing on my degree plan(s). I know the slashdot community will hate me for this but I would really consider myself quite technical and yet I know virtually nothing about administering Linux. I am hoping that the slashdot community can (after forgiving me for my obvious lack of geeky Linux knowledge) help me get started on my quest to be as familiar with Linux as I am with Windows. I have no CS background so I am not a programmer but I hope that I can learn to write drivers for hardware (never needed in Windows) and get a deeper understanding of the Linux environment and it's strengths. Where should I start and what path should I follow to do this?
Earth

Submission + - BSODs in the Deepwater Horizon (nytimes.com)

Submitted by CallMeCal
CallMeCal writes: In the New York Times' latest installment on the physical condition of the Deepwater Horizon and questionable operational decisions on the rig, this interesting tidbit:
"For months, the computer system had been locking up, producing what the crew called the 'blue screen of death.'

'It would just turn blue,' [chief electronics technician Mike Williams] said. 'You’d have no data coming through.' "

Is this really *that* BSOD, or is this guy using the term generically?

Could they really have been running this massive rig on a BSOD-prone Windows system?

Comment Re:It's about being truthful (Score 1) 718

by Yacoob Al-Atawi (#32965730) Attached to: Windows vs. Ubuntu — Dell's Verdict

There are free alternatives to almost all Windows programs. Plus, you can run most Windows programs in Linux through Wine or similar emulators, but you can't run Linux programs in Windows at all, unless you have a Windows compiler to compile the (open) source files with.

The majority of those free alternatives exist in Windows too, along with all the proprietary software. And a lot of Linux's best programs have Windows versions too. If we're talking about both quantity and quality of software available for both platforms, then Windows will be better for the majority of users.
Music

Submission + - Using Twitter instead of the RIAA: Zoe Keating (blogspot.com) 3

Submitted by NewYorkCountryLawyer
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: A great case study about a new business model for the music industry: How cellist Zoe Keating (@zoecello on Twitter), seen and heard here jamming while pregnant with other musicians on the street in Austin Texas, used Twitter — instead of a Big 4 record label — to develop her fan base. It's a remarkable illustration of the fact that the RIAA are dinosaurs, on the road to irrelevancy. The historic need of an 'unsigned' artist to win a 'contract' with a 'label', as a precondition to success, is no more.

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