Catch up on stories from the past week (and beyond) at the Slashdot story archive

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×

Comment Re:PowerVM (Score 1) 417

For developers PowerVM falls well short due to the lack of snapshots. I have yet to find a product that supports the robust multiple snapshot tree that VMWare Workstation provides.

The ability to instantly reset to multiple previous points in a configuration or installation is invaluable when creating application installations and identifying bugs. Multiple times I have seen the development team mess up an installer because they were testing it by installing/uninstalling. A file gets left out of the final build but they never knew because it was a remnant from a previous install. With a snapshot you can instantly reset to before the app ever touched the system.

Comment Re:Really? (Score 1) 223

Actually your Comcast Motorola DVR can do it, it just isn't programmed into the remote by default. Just google "Comcast 15 second skip" and the first result will provide instructions. I reprogrammed the PiP buttons on the bottom right to go 30s forward and 15s back. Works AWESOME for skipping commercials.

Comment Re:Patent Trolling (Score 1) 267

Except that the US patent reform act currently in congress will be shifting to a preference for patents over prior art because it will reduce litigation. Of course this screws all the small startups who don't have the money to patent every little detail of a new product. Google has the money so the MUST patent every mundane detail of every application. This doesn't make Google good or bad, it just costs more money to play the game. Congress is upping the ante at the table so only the big boys can play.

Comment Re:FUBAR = Normal (Score 1) 147

This doesn't go anywhere near as high as congress in most cases and only goes as high as the PMO. You only see your piece of the puzzle when you're fixing applications in the field. Making changes to DOD applications requires massive quantities of input from all affected parties. A fix that may work for you could very well cause problems for someone who uses the software in a slightly different way. If the same software is used on multiple vehicles or weapons systems then you have distinctly different user communities with different needs which much be met. Even the simple changes require acceptance from a wide range of users. Most of this bureaucracy may seem redundant or pointless, but I have seen what happens when a system is not carefully managed and the war fighter is always the one who looses. This is the reason for all of the extra money going to contractors.

Comment Re:FUBAR = Normal (Score 1) 147

This has nothing to do with lobbyists. Software development takes flexibility in hiring. If you start a new project you usually have to hire and lay off according to skill sets so that you have the right programmers for the job. In military and civil service positions this is not possible because of excessive employment protections. Based on your experiences at the DMV or with the IRS, do you really want civil servants developing secure software with lives hanging in the balance?

Comment Re:One word: Windows (Score 2) 147

I didn't expect a clear and sensible response here when the original post spent more time bashing the military than it did proving any kind of supporting evidence. It's true that a system becomes almost unusable for most software when all of the STIGs are applied. However, much of the problem lies with software developers who don't develop on fully STIG compliant systems. They design the software the same way as always, then request any conflicting STIGs be left out and mitigated on the OS side. This is a completely backwards approach to secure software development. Attempting to secure a system AFTER development is a recipe for failure.

When the developers are familiar with STIGs and include them in development from the early planning stages then it is not a problem. However, this is difficult when software development can take years and STIGs are constanty changing. It is also very difficult for contractors to receive any information on planned changes to STIGs so that they may prepare for it. The DOD security branches need to cooperate and be more inclusive with civilian software developers so it becomes easier to develop secure software.

Comment Re:Hmmm (Score 1) 118

There are also a lot more tools written for the existing temp controllers. I use a Stoker and control it via wireless from a computer using Stoker Log. This automatically graphs the entire cook process, then I add comments and save the info for the next time I cook the same thing. Even more awesome is that it can send Tweets to update the status and I can check on it and change the temperature using my phone while I'm at work or out picking up more beer for the BBQ. When I used to run the smoker overnight on a 14 hour cook I got very restless sleep because I was always worried about the smoker. Now I just leave my TV on in the bedroom and all the temperatures and status are displayed at a glance. Plus it has an audible alarm through the TV so it will wake me up if the fire is dying out or food is done.

Comment Re:New stuff (Score 1) 655

Netflix is a great place to get some of the old episodes but they have major gaps in the sub-plots. You can watch some of the "Trial of a Timelord" series but not all of it. They also don't have all of the stories written by Douglas Adams. For a new viewer though, pre-2005 episodes may not be interesting. Most of us enjoy them out of nostalgia even though they can be quite terrible. It's just not the same without the interruptions for the PBS funds drive.

Comment Re:Right next to the wellhead, what do you expect (Score 1) 426

It's good to see some people can see past the exaggerated rhetoric. It's like the video of the bird covered in oil that kept playing on all the news stations. Did you notice it was always the same bird? That's because they couldn't find any more to film. LA, MS, FL beaches have never been cleaner or safer due to the huge crews combing the beaches. There has also been a huge increase in oil eating bacteria. Oil spills have always been occurring naturally in the ocean and nature already has mechanisms to deal with this. Everyone acts like nature is a house of cards but it is far more resilient than we give credit for.

Comment Re:Indication (Score 1) 90

I don't know about the original poster, but I'm not a business user. I'm active in several internet communities and provide my resources and knowledge to benefit the community at no charge. While I'm not paid people do donate hardware that I can setup at home to provide the services. An old dell P4 2.4 wouldn't exactly be useful in a corporate data center but with a good connection it works great at home.

Examples
Dynamic forum signature images (very high CPU utilization makes hosting expensive)
Forum hosting (this can be done cheaper/faster offsite so I pay for it)
Game server monitoring and management interfaces. (many game server management systems require Windows GUI applications which are VERY expensive to host)
VPN (I need to give people secure access to services)

Right now my 12Mb/3Mb cable works but not always. Fiber would allow me to provide professional level services for free to a non-commercial community. This kind of capability would have a profound affect on the internet.

Comment Re:Indication (Score 1) 90

I do need 4 9's on my home internet service. My web applications are hosted on shared business servers but there are several apps that require a desktop GUI that must be run at home since it's too expensive to rent entire Windows servers. Better uptime would be great for running websites and services from home. Not to mention the bandwidth advantage of not having to worry that watching a YouTube or NetFlix video will interfere with my hosted services. Imagine all the internet start-ups that could be done for low cost from home. Innovation would expand dramatically.

Slashdot Top Deals

"There is such a fine line between genius and stupidity." - David St. Hubbins, "Spinal Tap"

Working...