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

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Linux Business

Submission + - Forkable Linux radio ad now on the air in Texas (blogspot.com)

Submitted by
christian.einfeldt
christian.einfeldt writes: "Everyone is familiar with the Linux video ads created by IBM, Red Hat, and Novell, but until recently, there have not been any professionally-backed forkable radio ads. Now, Austin-based Linux advocate Ken Starks has obtained the services of a professional radio talent in creating a high quality voice track, which can be easily adapted by local providers of Linux computer services. The raw material addresses end-user frustration with Microsoft Windows malware, and promotes Linux as a more stable alternative. Starks hopes the raw material will seed pro-Linux ads across the US, and he offers his own final product as an example of how the raw material can be remixed with music. He has released all of the raw material and final work under the Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license, and has waived the Attribution requirement in his blog. His blog links to both the raw material and his final product. Starks' provocative ads are currently on the air in the Austin market during the popular talk show of Kim Komando, who just happens to be a Microsoft Windows enthusiast."
Linux Business

Submission + - Linux installfests maturing? (blogspot.com)

Submitted by
christian.einfeldt
christian.einfeldt writes: "Linux installfests apparently are expanding from an emphasis on serving individual users to mass network installs serving non-profits and schools. In the past, installfests have often been held as part of Linux User Group meetings, and involved individual new computer users bringing their computers to a small meeting to have Linux installed on their machines. But now there is an apparent trend visible in Linux installfests toward mass network installs supported by greater corporate or municipal involvement in Linux installfests. In many cases, the newly-installed Linux computers are being given to end user institutions such as schools. For example, a recent installfest in Austin, Texas, was put on by two non-profits and was supported by the personal participation of upper management at AMD and nFusion. The majority of the eighty-three machines were PXE-booted and mass-installed at that event over an ad hoc network. Likewise, at last year's LinuxWorld expo in San Francisco, 350 Linux computers were mass-installed over a similar PXE network in a mass installfest put on in a partnership between the non-profit Alameda County Computer Resource Center and the for-profit Untangle and IDG firms. The machines were donated to San Francisco Bay Area schools. Similar installfests have been held in Chile and India, to name just a few."
Linux Business

Submission + - Linux Notebooks selling well on Amazon Germany (linuxtech.net)

Submitted by
christian.einfeldt
christian.einfeldt writes: "The LinuxTech.net blog points out that Linux notebooks are currently selling quite well on Amazon's list in Germany. The blog includes screenshots showing the Linux Asus and Aspire notebooks in positions 2 and 4, respectively on that list. It's worth noting that these machines are not netbooks, but full notebooks, albeit on the moderate to low side regarding price and performance. That LinuxTech.net blog was dated 23 July 2009, and the Asus machine is still holding second place more than one day later, while the Acer machine slipped to fifth position, despite the volatile nature of Amazon bestseller lists. While these two data points are just snapshots in time, they are consistent with other data showing that Microsoft itself attributes some of its recent weak earnings to surging sales of low-end notebooks, as well as data showing that the Linux-powered and Unix-powered computers topped Amazon's sales charts in all categories for 2007. If there is to ever be a 'year of desktop Linux', it won't happen all at once, but will creep up in ways similar to what we are seeing now."
Microsoft

Submission + - Amazon UK refunding Windows license fees (theopensourcerer.com)

Submitted by
christian.einfeldt
christian.einfeldt writes: "Alan Lord, a FOSS computer consultant based in the UK, has announced that Amazon UK honored his request for a refund of the Microsoft license fee portion of the cost of a new Asus netbook PC that came with Microsoft Windows XP. Lord details the steps that he took to obtain a refund of 40.00 GBP for the cost of the EULA, complete with links to click to request a refund. Lord's refund comes 10 years after the initial flurry of activity surrounding EULA discounts, started by a blog post by Australian computer consultant Geoffrey Bennett which appeared on Slashdot on 18 January 1999. That Slashdot story led to mainstream press coverage, such as stories in CNN, the New York Times on-line, and the San Francisco Chronicle, to name just a few. The issue quieted down for a few years, but has started to gain some momentum again in recent years, with judges in France, Italy, and Israel awarding refunds. But if Lord's experience is any indication, getting a refund through Amazon might be as easy as filling out a few forms, at least in the UK, without any need to go to court."
Role Playing (Games)

Submission + - Unusual physics engine game ported to Linux (blogspot.com)

Submitted by
christian.einfeldt
christian.einfeldt writes: "Halloween has come early for Linux-loving gamers in the form of the scary Penumbra game trilogy, which has just recently been ported natively to GNU-Linux by the manufacturer, Frictional Games. The Penumbra games, named Overture, Black Plague, and Requiem, respectively, are first person survival horror and physics puzzle games which challenge the player to survive in a mine in Greenland which has been taken over by a monstrous infection/demon/cthulhu-esque thing. The graphics, sounds, and plot are all admirable in a scary sort of way. The protagonist is an ordinary human with no particular powers at all, who fumbles around in the dark mine fighting zombified dogs or fleeing from infected humans. But the game is remarkable for its physics engine — rather than just bump and acquire, the player must use the mouse to physically turn knobs and open doors; and the player can grab and throw pretty much anything in the environment. The physics engine drives objects to fly and fall exactly as one would expect. The porting of a game with such a deft physics engine natively to Linux might be one of the most noteworthy events for GNU-Linux gamers since the 'World of Goo' Linux port."
Government

Submission + - Brazilian President Lula da Silva stumps for FOSS (worldlabel.com)

Submitted by
christian.einfeldt
christian.einfeldt writes: "Brazilian President Lula da Silva recently attended the FISL 10 Free Open Source Software conference in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where he reaffirmed Brazil's support for unencumbered document formats and for Free Open Source Software. President da Silva toured the conference hall, packed with media, where he donned at various times a red Fedora hat, a Java ring, and an ODF baseball cap. In his 15 minute address to the general conference, President da Silva stressed that Free Open Source Software helps Brazil maintain control over its IT future, and supports Brazil's goal of widening digital inclusion among disadvantaged Brazilians. Brazil is the world's fifth most populous nation, and the world's fifth larges nation by land mass."
Government

Submission + - What's up with the Munich Linux migration? (worldlabel.com)

Submitted by
christian.einfeldt
christian.einfeldt writes: "The Munich decision to move its 14,000 desktops to Free Open Source Software created a big splash back in 2003 as news circulated of the third-largest German city's defection from Microsoft. When it was announced in 2003, the story garnered coverage even in the US, such as an extensive article in USAtoday on-line. Currently, about 60% of desktops are using OpenOffice, with the remaining 40% to be completed by the end of 2009. Firefox and Thunderbird are being used in all of the city's desktop machines. Ten percent of desktops are running the LiMux Debian-based distro, and 80% will be running LiMux by 2012 at the latest. Autonomy was generally considered more important than costs savings, although the LiMux initiative is increasing competition in the IT industry in Munich already. The program has succeeded because the city administration has been careful to reach out to all stakeholders, from managers down to simple end users."
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft earning only $15 per XP netbook (wsj.com)

Submitted by
christian.einfeldt
christian.einfeldt writes: "The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Microsoft is earning only about $15.00 USD for each netbook sold with Microsoft Windows XP. The WSJ cites the proliferation of netbooks as a factor contributing to the 8% decline in Windows revenue for the quarter that ended in December, 2008. The netbook market segment poses an on-going problem for Microsoft, according to the WSJ, in light of the fact that Gartner, a market research firm, recently predicted unit sales of netbooks will grow nearly 80% this year to 21 million units, while overall PC sales decline a record 11.9%. Microsoft will respond by offering Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition, which features limited functionality such as limited customization and a cap of three applications running concurrently. Dell, meanwhile, has said recently that its sales of Linux-based netbooks constitute about one-third of its Inspiron Mini 9s, with return rates comparable to that of Inspiron Mini 9s netbooks running XP."
Cellphones

Submission + - Mexico to register cell phones 1

Submitted by gringofrijolero
gringofrijolero writes: "Starting this Friday, the telephone companies concessionaires must carry out a separate registration and control of its users. In this way, the new mobile user who acquires a cell need to provide their full name, proof of residence, nationality and their fingerprint.

The above, to form the National Register of mobile phone users, which will reduce the commission of crimes via cell phone as extortion, threats, kidnapping, or any of its forms or of any felony related to organized crime.

For their part, more than 70 million users who already enjoy this service, they will have one year to comply with registration and control."

These stories have been going around for a while now. The new twist I see is the fingerprinting. I don't know how much longer it will be before you folks north of the Rio Grande will be doing the same thing, but it appears inevitable. We can expect a sharp rise in cell phone thefts, and lots of false accusations because of this, and our lawyers aren't exactly what you could call "effective".
The Media

Submission + - In Defense of the Anonymous Coward

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens
Hugh Pickens writes: "Doug Feaver has an interesting story in the Washington Post "in defense of the anonymous, unmoderated, often appallingly inaccurate, sometimes profane, frequently off point and occasionally racist reader comments that washingtonpost.com allows to be published at the end of articles and blogs." Feaver says that during his seven-year tenure as editor or executive editor of washingtonpost.com he kept unmoderated comments off the site but now four years after retiring he says he has come to think that online comments are a terrific addition to the conversation and that journalists need to take them seriously. "The subjects that have generated the most vitriol during my tenure in this role are race and immigration," writes Feaver. "But I am heartened by the fact that such comments do not go unchallenged by readers. In fact, comment strings are often self-correcting and provide informative exchanges." Feaver says that comments are also a pretty good political survey. "The first day it became clear that a federal bailout of Wall Street was a real prospect, the comments on the main story were almost 100 percent negative. It was a great predictor of how folks feel, well out in front of the polls. We journalists need to pay attention to what our readers say, even if we don't like it. There are things to learn.""
Government

Submission + - Hungary, Tatarstan latest to go FOSS (heise.de)

Submitted by
christian.einfeldt
christian.einfeldt writes: "It seems as if almost every other week there is news of another government migration toward Free Open Source Software. Two of the most recent moves in this direction come from Hungary and the tiny independent former Russian republic of Tatarstan. On April 2, The Hungarian government announced that it will be modifying its procurement rules to mandate that open source procurement funding match expenditures for proprietary software, according to Ferenc Baja, deputy minister for information technology. In Tatarstan, a Republic of 3.8 million inhabitants, the Deputy Minister of Education, Ludmila Nugumanova, announced that by the end of this school year, all 2,400 educational institutions in Tatarstan will have completed a transition to GNU-Linux, following a successful pilot program in rolled out in 2008 across 1000 schools in the Republic of Tartarstan, the region of Perm and the province of Tomsk in the Russian Federation."

Slashdot Top Deals

2.4 statute miles of surgical tubing at Yale U. = 1 I.V.League

Close