Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Iphone

Submission + - iPhone 4 limera1n jailbreak launched (thinq.co.uk)

Submitted by Stoobalou
Stoobalou writes: Inveterate Apple hacker Geohot has released the first working jailbreak for iOS 4.1-based devices, including the iPhone 4 — and makes the claim that his hack is 'unpatchable'.

The release of "limera1n" comes just prior to the planned launch of the Greenpois0n jailbreak tool based around the SHAtter exploit — but its early launch means that Greenpois0n will now not be released, in order that the exploit code can remain secret from Apple until it's needed.
IBM

Submission + - IBM's plans for the Cell processor (idg.com.au)

Submitted by
angry tapir
angry tapir writes: "Development around the original Cell processor hasn't stalled and IBM will continue to develop chips and supply hardware for future gaming consoles, a company executive said. IBM is working with gaming machine vendors including Nintendo and Sony, said Jai Menon, CTO of IBM's Systems and Technology Group, during an interview Thursday. "We want to stay in the business, we intend to stay in the business," he said. IBM confirmed in a statement that it continues to manufacture the Cell processor for use by Sony in its PlayStation 3. IBM also will continue to invest in Cell as part of its hybrid and multicore chip strategy, Menon said."
Crime

The Bomb Squad Olympiad Starts Today 43

Posted by samzenpus from the explosions-for-all-ages dept.
The bomb suit relay and the robot obstacle course are just two of the events you can enjoy at the Bomb Squad Olympiad. Over the next three days squads from across South Carolina will compete and showcase their bomb defusing capabilities for the public. I hear the deep fried dynamite is especially good.

Submission + - Tevatron data hints at 'multiple God particles' (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by ae1294
ae1294 writes: According to a new study from the DZero experiment over at the Tevatron, physicists could be hunting five "God particles" instead of the one.
There may be multiple versions of the elusive Higgs boson as results show much more significant "asymmetry" of matter and anti-matter — beyond what could be explained by the Standard Model. This data may point to new laws of physics beyond the current accepted theory — known as the Standard Model. Note: No black holes where harmed in the writing of this article.
Wikipedia

Submission + - Wikipedia to unlock frequently vandalized pages (networkworld.com)

Submitted by netbuzz
netbuzz writes: In an effort to encourage greater participation, Wikipedia, the self-described “online encyclopedia that anyone can edit,” is turning to tighter editorial control as a substitute for simply “locking” those entries that frequently attract mischief makers and ideologues. The new system, which will apply to a maximum of 2,000 most-vulnerable pages, is sure to create controversies of its own.

Submission + - The Real Science Gap (miller-mccune.com)

Submitted by walterbyrd
walterbyrd writes: 'It’s not insufficient schooling or a shortage of scientists. It’s a lack of job opportunities. Americans need the reasonable hope that spending their youth preparing to do science will provide a satisfactory career.' — I can hardly believe that somebody actually understands the present situation.
Hardware

Submission + - Set free your inner jedi or pyro... (dailytech.com)

Submitted by sirgoran
sirgoran writes: We've all thought about being the hero fighting off evil doers and saving the day ever since we first saw Star Wars. The folks at Wicked Lasers have now made that a little closer to reality with their latest release. A 1Watt blue diode laser that can set skin and other things on fire. From an article at daily tech they talk about the dangers of such a powerful laser. "And here's the best (or worst) part — it can set people (or things) on fire. Apparently the laser is so high powered that shining it on fleshy parts will cause them to burst into flames. Of course it's equally capable of blinding people." The thing that caught my eye was the price, $200.00! I wonder if they'll be able to meet the demand since this will be on every geeks Christmas list...

Submission + - Microsoft explains mystery Firefox extension 1

Submitted by Ricky
Ricky writes: Microsoft has fixed the distribution scope of a toolbar update that, without the user's knowledge, installed an add-on in Internet Explorer and an extension in Firefox called Search Helper Extension. Microsoft told us that the new update is actually the same as the old one; the only difference is the distribution settings. In other words, the update will no longer be distributed to toolbars that it shouldn't be added to. End users won't see the tweak, Microsoft told Ars, and also offered an explanation on what the mystery add-on actually does.

Ars Technica
Software

Submission + - Apple Safari 5 Still Not The Fastest

Submitted by adeelarshad82
adeelarshad82 writes: As most of us know that Apple released the fifth version of the Safari web browser a few days ago. Apple claims that the new browser's updated Nitro JavaScript engine runs JavaScript "30 percent faster than Safari 4, 3 percent faster than Chrome 5.0, and over twice as fast as Firefox 3.6". However benchmark results using Sunspider and FutureMark PeaceKeeper show that while Safari 5 is much faster than the previous version, it is still not the fastest browser. According to the Sunspider test Safari posted a time of 580ms whereas Chrome 5 posted a time of 546ms. On the other hand, FutureMark's PeaceKeeper test showed that Safari 5 scored 2659 and Chrome 5 scored 3738.
Apple

Submission + - Foxconn to close factories in China (techworld.com)

Submitted by ChiefMonkeyGrinder
ChiefMonkeyGrinder writes: Foxconn, the manufacturer whose clients include Apple, Dell and HP, is on the verge of pulling out of China, after a spate of suicides. The CEO has accused workers of killing themselves for financial compensation, and the company has stopped suicide payments to suicide victims' families. Foxconn CEO also told investors that it is considering moving its production operations to Taiwan, and automating many parts of its business, in a move which could see 800,000 workers lose their jobs.
Bug

Submission + - Windows Bug Raises Bug Secrecy Questions (pcpro.co.uk)

Submitted by eldavojohn
eldavojohn writes: A Google researcher named Tavis Ormandy (who's no random stranger) reported a bug to Microsoft on Saturday. But the interesting thing is that he waited five days to go public. And he went public by releasing a proof of concept on a mailing list. His defense being "without a working exploit, I would have been ignored." Microsoft was none too pleased. And once again the questions on bug etiquette are raised with Ormandy's thoughts, "This is another example of the problems with bug secrecy (or in PR speak, 'responsible disclosure'), those of us who work hard to keep networks safe are forced to work in isolation without the open collaboration with our peers that we need, especially in complex cases like this, where creative thinking and input from experts in multiple disciplines is required to join the dots." So what say you, Slashdot? Did he wait too long? Too short? Was the proof of concept a bit too much? Given the hypothetical scenario that your code — distributed to thousands — was discovered to have a very serious flaw not yet seen in the wild, how would you expect the one who discovers this bug to act? How would you act?

Submission + - Finland to legalize use of unsecured WiFi (yle.fi)

Submitted by Apotekaren
Apotekaren writes: The Finnish Ministry of Justice has started preparing changes to the current law that criminalizes using unsecured wireless hot spots. The reasoning is the impossibility of tracking unlawful use, the ease of securing networks and the lack of real damage done by this this activity. It has also been proven hard for a user to know if an unsecured network is intended for public use or not. The increased ubiquity of legal open networks in parks, airports and other public places has also influenced this move by the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry has stated that the legal rights of the owner of the network have to be protected in the case of misuse.
Googles (poorly) translated version here.
Businesses

Submission + - Why No Billion-Dollar Open Source Companies? (computerworlduk.com)

Submitted by superapecommando
superapecommando writes: Glyn Moody says:

Last week, I met up with Jim Whitehurst, Red Hat's CEO. He gave a very fluent presentation to a group of journalists that ran through Red Hat's business model, and explained why – unsurprisingly – he was optimistic about his company's future growth.
Somewhat unkindly, I reminded him of an interview he gave a couple of years ago, in which he said:
When I look at the quality of our existing technology, and the incredible brand that we have and the markets we play in, we should be a $5 billion company or more. If you just look at operating systems and middleware--that's nearly a $100 billion business. We're a $500 million business. We have barely scratched the surface.
Well, today Red Hat is a $750 million business according to Whitehurst. But when, I wanted to know, would Red Hat reach that $5 billion turnover – and why was it taking so long?

Pretty interesting analysis, although it rapidly strays from the original thesis into a discussion of the relative local benefits of proprietary vs open source software companies.
Education

Submission + - Cambridge University To Cut Internet Energy Use (eweekeurope.co.uk)

Submitted by justice4all
justice4all writes: Two British Universities will investigate how to reduce the energy consumption of the Internet, which currently consumes 3 to five percent of the world's power

The Internet and other networks use an increasing amount of power, and Leeds and Cambridge Universities have received a £5.9 million, five-year grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to look into ways to reduce this
Iphone

Submission + - Apple licenses iOS trademark from Cisco (edibleapple.com) 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Apple yesterday changed the name of its iPhone OS to iOS to better represent the wide variety of devices ithe OS is capable of running on. The iOS trademark, however, is already owned by Cisco and refers to the software used in most of Cisco’s routers and switches (Internetwork Operating System). Now it appears that Apple legally licensed the trademark from Cisco, avoiding the type of legal dispute that followed Apple's original iPhone introduction, a trademark which Cisco also owned.

Slashdot Top Deals

Love may laugh at locksmiths, but he has a profound respect for money bags. -- Sidney Paternoster, "The Folly of the Wise"

Close