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Intel

Submission + - Intel brings rich UI to Moblin Linux platform (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by 2mob
2mob writes: Intel's Linux-based Moblin operating system recently got a significant user interface overhaul. The platform's new graphical shell, which was unveiled Tuesday in a new Moblin 2 beta release, delivers top-notch usability and slick visual effects. The developers have completely reinvented the concept of virtual desktops and have replaced it with a more fluid "zone" system that makes it easier to organize how windows are grouped together. The shell also has tightly-integrated social network and messaging features, such as a built-in Twitter client and an instant messenger buddy list. Ars Technica tested Moblin beta 2 on Dell netbook and has published a comprehensive hands-on look at the new user interface.
Operating Systems

Submission + - Starting a new office.. what OS platform to use? 2

Submitted by
jag7720
jag7720 writes: "I am part of a new project that will be filming a documentary. The project HQ will be in the US but it will take us around the world and will last approx 18 months. I am the IT guy and will be responsible for most if not all aspects of hardware and software (not to include editing).

We are probably going to use Google mail/calendar/docs and unlocked blackberrys for communications. Computers use will mainly be for communications and writing.

I am a huge advocate of Linux and Open Source and I want to use it if possible.

What would you recommend for an OS platform for a project like this and why? Linux? Mac? Win?"
Google

Submission + - The Legal Difference Between Alpha & Google (groklaw.net)

Submitted by eldavojohn
eldavojohn writes: We've seen people comparing Wolfram's Alpha to Google's Google from a technical standpoint but Groklaw outlined the legal differences in a post yesterday. You see, their terms of use are completely different in that Wolfram Alpha is not a search engine, it's a computational service with legalese saying that they claim copyright on the results and require attribution. So for you academics out there like my friend who was trying to get it to compute a difficult integral containing combinatorics, be careful. Groklaw notes this is interesting considering some of its results quote 2001:A Space Odyssey or Douglas Adams. Claiming copyright on that may be a bold move. Google's search terms of use? Just don't use it to break the law, please. Meanwhile Alpha's conditions get deeper pointing out that if you build a service that uses their service or deep link to Alpha, you may be facilitating your users to break their terms o fuse and you may be held liable. Ah, the web of legal implications a simple question/answer web page can have behind it these days ...
Intel

Submission + - Intel recieves record fine by the EU (bbc.co.uk) 2

Submitted by
Firefalcon
Firefalcon writes: "Intel has been fined a record 1.06 billion euros ($1.45 billion / £948 million) by the European Competition Commission after being found guilty of anti-competitive practices. This makes Microsoft's 497 million euro fine in 2004 (which was a record at the time) seem like a slap on the hand. Reports had previously suggested that the fine would be similar to Microsoft's. Intel was charged (among other things) with encouraging manufacturers and retailers to purchase fewer (or even not stock) AMD processors. More details of the ruling are on the European Commission's Competition website."
Networking

Submission + - SPAM: Is it time to cut the Ethernet cable? 1

Submitted by
coondoggie
coondoggie writes: "A range of companies with wireless LANs are discovering that 50% to 90% or more of Ethernet ports now go unused, because Wi-Fi has become so prevalent. They look at racks of unused switches, ports, Ethernet wall jacks, the cabling that connects them all, the yearly maintenance charges for unused switches, electrical charges and cooling costs. So why not formally drop what many end users have already discarded — the Ethernet cable? "There's definitely a rightsizing going on," says Michael King, research director, mobile and wireless, for Gartner. "By 2011, 70% of all net new ports will be wireless. People are saying, 'we don't need to be spending so much on a wired infrastructure if no one is using it." [spam URL stripped]"
Link to Original Source
Portables (Apple)

Submission + - More on the "Mac Tax" (technologizer.com)

Submitted by
Harry
Harry writes: "Last week, I compared the 17-inch MacBook Pro against some high-end business-oriented Windows laptops, and some folks complained that I should have contrasted it with more consumer-oriented systems. I aim to please, so I've done a follow-up that includes consumer notebooks from Dell, HP, and Lenovo. Bottom line: The MacBook Pro is a more impressive piece of engineering, but at price premium of $1,000. I wish Apple would release a lower-end 17-inch OS X machine that more folks could afford and enjoy..."
Security

Submission + - Spies Infiltrate U.S. Electrical Grid

Submitted by
TarrVetus
TarrVetus writes: "The Wall Street Journal reports that, according to U.S. intelligence officials, the U.S. electrical grid systems have been increasingly penetrated by Chinese, Russian, and various other sources over the past year. Though most intrusions were exploration, many backdoor programs were left behind in critical systems. "The sophistication of the U.S. intrusions — which extend beyond electric to other key infrastructure systems — suggests that China and Russia are mainly responsible, according to intelligence officials and cybersecurity specialists. While terrorist groups could develop the ability to penetrate U.S. infrastructure, they don't appear to have yet mounted attacks, these officials say.""
Windows

Submission + - Microsoft Confirms Windows 7 Downgradable to XP

Submitted by
nandemoari
nandemoari writes: "Not only will users be able to keep Windows Vista, but they'll be able to step back in time two generations, all the way to XP. "We will offer downgrade rights from Windows 7 to Windows XP in the same way we did with Windows Vista," a Microsoft rep said. Insiders speculate that the right to use this time machine might be reserved for those purchasing licenses for only two versions of Windows 7 — Ultimate and Professional. However, that's not yet been confirmed."
Security

Submission + - SPAM: Internet-Wide Problem to be Revealed at Black Hat

Submitted by
narramissic
narramissic writes: "Organizers of next week's Black Hat Europe conference say a presentation will be made that will be as important to Internet security as the one from Dan Kaminsky at a Black Hat conference last July about a widespread flaw in the DNS. Internet vulnerabilities not your thing? The conference will also feature cutting-edge presentations on security problems in Apple's OS X operating system, the OpenOffice.org productivity suite and SAP software."
Link to Original Source
GUI

Submission + - Why do Linux GUI's try to resemble other OS's?

Submitted by
Simon
Simon writes: "If you are new to Linux and are presented with something that looks similar to what you're used too, wouldn't you get the automatic response to expect the exact same experience? I think it will never be the same experience, there will always be differences in behavior. It's even worse. By getting something which looks almost identical to what you're used, you set the expectation level that it is the same. Any difference will frustrate the average user. While if you are presented by something fresh and new, you will notice that you are dealing with something different, inherently making you more receptive for a new experience and liking it. Designing the GUI for the mass audience with this in mind, could lead to linux being a real alternative.
Im not saying that there's no fresh or new things in for example Gnome or KDE at all, but if you look at it from the other perspective. You can't find many ground breaking stuff either. To get more specific, one annoyance of my Windows XP experience are the pop-ups that steal keyboard focus. Some App is running in the background while you're typing a letter. Then Boom, halve way a sentence and the second part of the sentence gets lost in a pop-up (e.g. windows explorer's). Wouldn't it be nicer if the GUI detects that you are busy typing in one App and consequently wait for a moment you stop typing and only then show the pop-up? Nobody types full speed 100% of the time, so there will be a lot of suitable moment's to let the pop-up snag your attention while not being so annoying.
This is a minor example, but how about some more revolutionary new idea's? Wouldn't that make Linux more enticing to try and use?"
Privacy

Submission + - Facebook returns 302 found on removed content (culturecritic.org)

Submitted by
jordan314
jordan314 writes: "Because Facebook is such a popular site, if you have a unique name, often your public search listing will be one of the first sites that come up if your name is googled. Supposedly, Facebook allows you to control whether this page exists with the preference in your privacy settings. However, your listing will still remain as one of the top results for your name. If Facebook were to honestly remove your page, they would return a 404 not found header when you go to your public search listing URL. This is not the case-Facebook's 404 page still returns a 302 Found header. As a result of this false header, Facebook's full name policy, and its SEO tactics, users cannot fully remove themselves from Facebook's google results."

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