Comment Re:I don't see the problem (Score 1) 184
I did the same thing recently, and went to Ubuntu Server. It's nice dealing with somewhat up-to-date versions of software again.
Comment Re:Not much to do (Score 1) 459
I have Comcast business, and it's static IP service. I believe you get one by default, and can request more if needed. I have no ports blocked on any of my IP addresses, and have run a small Zimbra mail server for multiple domains for years. Never had a problem with traffic or being marked as junk email.
Maybe the OP doesn't really have "business" service, and really has a high-end residential connection?
Comment Re:Actually only the GPL, not open source in gener (Score 1) 246
is banned from the Windows market. I'm also curious as to why he thinks open systems will win in the end. Apple's walled garden is doing pretty well and my "open" vibrant is hardly open at all. T-mobile and Samsung do their best to conspire keep it closed.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=739304
Yeah, they really have that phone totally locked down.
Comment Air-gap security! (Score 2) 108
There needs to be more air-gap security implemented in systems that are as important as banks/credit unions.
I'm not referring to the air-gap currently between the ears of whoever is in charge of their computer systems.
Best IT-infrastructure For a Small Company? 600
DiniZuli writes "I've been employed by a small NGO to remake their entire IT-infrastructure from scratch. It's a small company with 20 employees.
I would like to ask the /.-crowd what worked out best for you and why? I came up with a small list:
Are there any must have books on building the IT infrastructure?
New desktops: should it be laptops (with dockingstations), regular desktop machines or thin clients? A special brand?
Servers: We need a server for authentication and user management. We also need an internal media server (we have thousands of big image and video files, and the archive grows bigger every year). Finally we would like to have our web server in house. Which hardware is good? Which setup, software and OS'es have worked the best for you?
Since we are remaking everything, this list is not exhaustive, so feel free to comment on anything important not on the list."
Comment Re:Can you even buy a netbook without windows? (Score 1) 317
Yes, or at least you could last year. I bought an Asus 12" netbook from NewEgg that had some stripped down Linux distro installed. Works great with Ubuntu.
Comment Re:Europe (Score 1) 348
You can watch them, you just have to watch them from DVD (available via mail from Netflix). They aren't available via streaming at this time.
Comment Re:Looks (Score 4, Informative) 717
The App Store is coming to desktops and laptops in the next edition of OS X, so this applies to ALL of Apple's "computing" products in the near future.
Apple Reportedly Heading Off iPhone 'Glassgate' 255
alphadogg writes "Apple is reportedly working behind the scenes to address scratching and cracking of the iPhone's glass back panel by certain third-party cases. This 'Glassgate' story got rolling with a report in the gdgt newsletter by Ryan Block, who says he spoke with sources inside and outside of Apple about this issue, but was unable to get an official Apple comment. Block writes: 'Apple has apparently found that non-bumper style cases — specifically those that slide onto the iPhone 4, which are occasionally prone to particulate matter getting caught between the rear of the phone and the case — can cause unexpected scratching that could quickly develop into full-on cracking or even much larger fracturing of the entire rear pane of glass. To put it another way: Apple is afraid you might buy a standard slide-on iPhone case, put it on your phone, and then discover the next time you take it off that the entire back of your device has been shattered by no fault of your own.' Apple is said to be taking it seriously, looking to avoid the sort of backlash it got when reports surfaced over the summer that the iPhone 4's antennas didn't work correctly when users gripped the phones in a certain (and quite natural) way."
Should ISPs Cut Off Bot-infected Users? 486
richi writes "There's no doubt that botnets are a major threat to the safety and stability of the internet — not to mention the cleanliness of your inbox. After years of failure to act, could we finally be seeing ISPs waking up to their responsibilities? While ISPs can't prevent users getting infected with bots, they are in a superb position to detect the signs of infection. Contractually, the ISP would be reasonably justified in cutting off a user from the internet, as bot infection would be contrary to the terms of the ISP's acceptable-use policy."
Brooklyn Father And Son Launch Homemade Spacecraft 243
Adair writes "A father and son team from Brooklyn successfully launched a homemade spacecraft nearly 19 miles (around 100,000 feet) above the Earth's surface. The craft was a 19-inch helium-filled weather balloon attached to a Styrofoam capsule that housed an HD video camera and an iPhone. The camera recorded video of its ascent into the stratosphere, its apogee where the balloon reached its breaking point, and its descent back to earth. They rigged a parachute to the capsule to aid in its return to Earth, and the iPhone broadcast its GPS coordinates so they could track it down. The craft landed a mere 30 miles from its launch point in Newburgh, NY, due to a quick ascent and two differing wind patterns. The pair spent eight months researching and test-flying the craft before launching it in August. Columbia University Professor of Astronomy Marcel Aguera said, 'They were very good but also very lucky.'"
Comment Re:Foo (Score 1) 345
A $40K per year Linux admin is pretty much the norm for the midwest, especially for state positions. They don't pay much, but the benefits are great. I used to work for a state university as a Unix/Linux admin years ago, and the pay was horrible.
You also don't need as many Unix/Linux admins as MS admins, or that's what I remember from some of the surveys and reports done comparing a Windows shop vs Linux shop.
I've worked in mixed shops, 100% Linux shops, and 100% MS shops doing admin work since '93. Honestly, I think companies CAN save money ditching MS, but you have to have a competent IT department to pull it off. Staff will use whatever you put in front of them. Custom applications may be a pain point, I'll give you that.
Comment Re:Discretion? (Score 1) 467
This is spot on. Mod this up to +10.
What iOS 4 Does (and Doesn't Do) For Business 253
snydeq writes "InfoWorld's Galen Gruman investigates what businesses can expect from Apple's new iOS 4. Multitasking, the biggest new capability, is for now simply a promise, as apps will need to be retrofitted to make use of the capability. The other big new capability for IT, a set of APIs that allow BlackBerry-like management of the iPhone, such as auditing of policies and apps, over-the-air provisioning of apps without iTunes, and over-the-air configuration and policy management, also remains in the realm of promise, as the various mobile management tools that have been reworked to take advantage of the new iOS 4 capabilities won't be available until July or later. And despite the fact that email works more as it does on the desktop, iOS 4 still fails to deliver several email capabilities key to business users, including zipped attachment management, junk mail filtering, message rules, and message flagging."
Tornado Scientists Butt Heads With Storm Chasers 402
An anonymous reader writes "Tornado researchers say amateurs — inspired by movies like Twister and shows like Storm Chasers — are getting in their way, hampering science and creating hazards. 'Hundreds of camera-toting amateurs in cars ended up chasing the same storms as a fleet of scientific vehicles during the high-profile research project, called Vortex2, which wrapped up data collection this week. At times the line of traffic caused the Midwestern roads to look like the freeways of Los Angeles, said Roger Wakimoto, director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, during a briefing for reporters this week. "I worry about this as a safety hazard," Mr. Wakimoto said. "These people were blocking our escape routes because of the sheer number of cars."' Storm chasers say they have as much right to watch storms as Ph.D.s."
