Follow Slashdot blog updates by subscribing to our blog RSS feed

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Microsoft

Hotmail No Longer Accepts Long Passwords, Shortens Them For You 497

Posted by timothy from the isn't-that-handy? dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft doesn't like long passwords. In fact, the software giant not only won't let you use a really long one in Hotmail, but the company recently started prompting users to only enter the first 16 characters of their password. Let me rephrase that: if you have a password that has more than 16 characters, it will no longer work. Microsoft is making your life easier! You no longer have to input your whole password! Just put in the first 16 characters!" At least they warn you; I've run into some sites over the years that silently drop characters after an arbitrary limit.
Businesses

MS Office 2013 Pushing Home Users Toward Subscriptions 349

Posted by Soulskill from the deposit-a-nickel-for-every-word-you-type dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Ars reports that Microsoft has announced pricing plans for Office 2013 that include a subscription-based model for home users. There will be a $100/year Home version that can be shared by up to 5 users and a $150/year Small Business version. 'Subscription software of one form or another has proven popular in the enterprise (whether it be cloud services, like Office 365, or subscriptions to desktop software, such as Microsoft's Software Assurance scheme). But so far it's a rarity in the consumer space. Anti-virus software has tried to bully and cajole users into getting aboard the subscription train, but the large number of users with out-of-date anti-viral protection suggests users are resisting. ... As another incentive to subscribe, and one that might leave a bad taste in the mouth, the company says that subscribers will be given unspecified "updates" to add new features and capabilities over the life of their subscription. Perpetual licensees will only get bug fixes and security updates.'"

Comment use kubuntu instead (Score 3, Interesting) 306

by galaad2 (#41325565) Attached to: Ubuntu NVIDIA Graphics Driver: Windows Competitive, But Only With KDE

well, i figured it would be some problem with the graphics drivers and that's why i switched to using the kubuntu 12.04 LTS dvd instead of the normal ubuntu/unity one, i've been having weird issues with unity lately (invisble mouse cursor and ignored keyboard input on a fujitsu siemens Amilo La1703 notebook - but KDE works perfectly)

http://www.kubuntu.org/getkubuntu/download
( for those that fell recently into the linux soup and don't know what this is, this is practically the same thing as ubuntu 12.04 LTS but with the KDE interface as default instead of unity. )

Comment Re:usteam isn't responding. (Score 4, Informative) 393

by galaad2 (#41220061) Attached to: Hugo Awards Live Stream Cut By Copyright Enforcement Bot

Perhaps the WorldCon could claim breach-of-contract and sue to have their money refunded. That might be a possible avenue they could win.

Even if they win, the refund in this case would be ZERO because that's exactly how much WorldCon paid to ustream for streaming the event. There was no special contract with ustream, WorldCon CHOSE TO USE a free anonymous streaming account and that comes automatically with copyright-enforcement protection, this was explained by ustream on their blog:


http://www.ustream.tv/blog/2012/09/03/hugo-awards-an-apology-and-explanation/

As background, our system works like this in order to support a large volume of broadcasters using our free platform. Users of our paid, ad-free Pro Broadcasting service are automatically white listed to avoid situations like this and receive hands-on client support.

translation: since WorldCon was not white-listed that means they decided to stream the live event without signing and paying for a dedicated contract with the broadcaster and as a result were applied the regular copyright filter that regular anonymous broadcasters were subjected to.

Comment Re:Zero weight! (Score 2) 290

by galaad2 (#41207543) Attached to: Space Station Spacewalkers Stymied By Stubborn Bolt

almost zero weight in orbit...maybe at present, but it has a hell of a lot of MASS AND INERTIA.

scotch tape can't keep it fixed in the same place when the station fires its orbital adjustment thrusters and it will move and trash around like a wild bantha when the station is doing orbit adjustments.
The Courts

New eBay EULA Prohibits Class Action Lawsuits 234

Posted by timothy from the what-are-they-the-tsa? dept.
First time accepted submitter dangthill writes "On August 21, eBay updated its end-user agreement by adding a binding arbritration clause. By accepting the new agreement, users forfeit their right to join class action lawsuits and instead must submit to arbitration. However, users may opt-out by mailing eBay a signed notice. eBay joins Microsoft, Sony, Electronic Arts, Valve and other companies attempting to prevent class actions after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled such tactics valid."
Cellphones

DOJ Says iPhone Is So Secure They Can't Crack It 454

Posted by samzenpus from the too-hard dept.
zacharye writes "In the five years since Apple launched the iPhone, the popular device has gone from a malicious hacker's dream to law enforcement's worst nightmare. As recounted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Technology Review blog, a Justice Department official recently took the stage at the DFRWS computer forensics conference in Washington, D.C. and told attendees that the beefed up security in iOS is now so good that it has become a nightmare for law enforcement."

Comment Re:Sounds like win-win to me! (Score 1) 666

by galaad2 (#40935537) Attached to: Man Orders TV On Amazon, Gets Shipped Assault Rifle

hmm.. it seems i got the equivalency wrong... it's the other way around:

maximum pressure for the .308 Win cartridge is 62,000 psi, while the 7.62x51max is 50,000 psi.
  it is normally fine to shoot quality 7.62x51 NATO ammo in a gun chambered for the .308 Winchester
You CAN encounter problems going the other way, however. A commercial .308 Win round can exceed the max rated pressure for the 7.62x51. So, you should avoid putting full-power .308 Win rounds into military surplus rifles that have been designed for 50,000 psi max.
source:
http://www.6mmbr.com/308win.html

Comment Re:Sounds like win-win to me! (Score 0) 666

by galaad2 (#40935243) Attached to: Man Orders TV On Amazon, Gets Shipped Assault Rifle

I didn't read if there was ammo to go with the rifle. No ammo the rifle is not much better then a baseball bat or golf club. Both of which are legal to have in DC and make a better club then the rifle does.

Ammo is relatively easy to get, the rifle had no ammo in the box because the rifle uses standard 7.62 X 51 mm NATO rounds. You can load it with commercial .308 Winchester rounds if NATO-standard rounds are not available.
http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/sig716-patrol-rifle.aspx

WARNING: NEVER USE THEM THE OTHER WAY AROUND! Never use NATO rounds in rifles made only for regular Winchester ammo. A 7.62 X 51 mm NATO round is slighlty thicker, packs more explosive powder than a .308 civilian round and might jam and shatter the chamber of a regular weapon, leading to serious injuries for the user.

see: http://www.303british.com/id36.html
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.308_Winchester )

Comment Re:Easy.... (Score 5, Informative) 288

by galaad2 (#40927539) Attached to: Legitimate eBook Lending Community Closed After Copyright Complaints

in this case it's simple to prove the "knowingly materially misrepresent". The contract that those authors SIGNED with Amazon explicitly says in very BOLD LETTERS:
https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help?topicId=APILE934L348N

5.2 Marketing and Promotion; Kindle Book Lending Program.
[...]
5.2.2 Kindle Book Lending Program. The Kindle Book Lending program enables customers who purchase a Digital Book to lend it subject to limitations we establish from time to time. All Digital Books made available through the Program are automatically included in the Kindle Book Lending program. However, for Digital Books that are in the 35% Royalty Option (as described in the Pricing Page), you may choose to opt out of the Kindle Book Lending program. This will disable lending of the Digital Book by customers who purchase it after you have opted it out, but this will not affect the right of customers who purchased it when lending was enabled to continue to lend it. You may not choose to opt out a Digital Book if it is included in the lending program of another sales or distribution channel. If we become aware that a Digital Book you have opted out is included in the lending program of another sales or distribution channel, we may enable it for lending. Digital Books that are in the 70% Royalty Option (as described in the Pricing Page) cannot be opted out of the lending feature.
[.... and a bit below...]
KDP Select Option Terms and Conditions.
[...]
2.2 Inclusion in Kindle Owners’ Lending Library Program. Digital Books included in KDP Select will be automatically included in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library Program described in more detail here. ( https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help?topicId=200798990#KOLL )

Q.E.D.
Programming

How To Deal With 200k Lines of Spaghetti Code 236

Posted by Soulskill from the make-sure-it's-al-dente dept.
An anonymous reader writes "An article at Ars recaps a discussion from Stack Exchange about a software engineer who had the misfortune to inherit 200k lines of 'spaghetti code' cobbled together over the course of 10-20 years. A lengthy and detailed response walks through how best to proceed at development triage in the face of limited time and developer-power. From the article: 'Rigidity is (often) good. This is a controversial opinion, as rigidity is often seen as a force working against you. It's true for some phases of some projects. But once you see it as a structural support, a framework that takes away the guesswork, it greatly reduces the amount of wasted time and effort. Make it work for you, not against you. Rigidity = Process / Procedure. Software development needs good processes and procedures for exactly the same reasons that chemical plants or factories have manuals, procedures, drills, and emergency guidelines: preventing bad outcomes, increasing predictability, maximizing productivity... Rigidity comes in moderation, though!'"
Google

Google+ Account Suspended? You Won't Find Out Why 341

Posted by Soulskill from the it's-a-mystery dept.
jfruh writes "Dan Tynan is a tech writer and blogger who discovered, while trying to post links to his writing on his Google+ profile, that his account had been suspended. This despite the fact that he used his real name and didn't violate the terms of service in any other way. Upon appeal his account was reinstated, just as mysteriously as it was shut down, but along the way he discovered a rash of people with suspended Google+ accounts who can't figure out what they did to anger the Google gods."

Comment Re:This doesn't surprise me... (Score 1) 126

by galaad2 (#40856589) Attached to: Security Expert: Huawei Routers Riddled With Vulnerabilities

many Vodafone-branded devices across the entire Europe are actually huawei devices, especially those usb 3G+ hsdpa/hsupa wireless modems that look like fattened usb drives.
If you have one look on its back and it's almost guaranteed to see the label that says it's made by huawei.
Also, the installation package for Vodafone Mobile Connect (their connectivity management software) has most of its drivers made by huawei.

Slashdot Top Deals

"If I do not want others to quote me, I do not speak." -- Phil Wayne

Close