Comment Re:How much money changed hands? (Score 1) 644
Hey, itsbetterwithoutwindows.com is free to register! Let's show them how a proper advertising site should look like! ;)
Comment Re:VLC (Score 1) 464
Of course, one of the biggest obstacles to linux adoption is that Windows is effectively "open source".
He called it "open source" not an open source.
Just look at it from outside - if we forget about the open source part (that is the ability to look at the code) what is left? On window$ you can use any media player you desire, even if this means breaking several licenses/laws. In fact, you can usually use any software you desire - many open projects have their windows ports and many windows apps cannot be run (without problems) on open platforms. Of course you will be using several layers of code that is closed but simply - most people don't care. And don't forget that for many users window$ is also a "free" software - either by cracking it or by getting it "for free" with a new pc. So if people don't care about ability to see the code, get windows for "free" and can run more things than on a truly open platform - why choose linux (or any other free os)?
Comment Re:Oh really? (Score 3, Informative) 221
I believe that those 64 cameras are connected to a system capable of scanning 15000 faces total - not 15000 from each camera. 15000/64 gives us about 235 faces per camera which is quite possible when using high resolution wide-angle cameras. Besides think about the future - you can easily double the amount of cameras and the system will still work without any upgrades.
FBI, US Marshals Hit By Virus 156
Norsefire writes "The FBI and US Marshals were forced to shut down part of their computer network after being hit by a 'mystery virus.' FBI spokesman Mike Kortan said, 'We are evaluating a network issue on our external, unclassified network that's affecting several government agencies.' Nikki Credic, spokeswoman for the US Marshals, said that no data has been compromised but the type of virus and its origin is unknown."
Space Station Crew Drinks Recycled Urine 349
An anonymous reader writes "After the astronauts on the International Space Station finished up their communications with Space Shuttle Atlantis yesterday, the crew on the Space Station did something that no other astronaut has ever done before — drank recycled urine and sweat. The previous shuttle crew that recently returned to Earth brought back samples of the recycled water to make sure it was safe to drink, and all tests came back fine. So on Wednesday, the crew took their recycled urine and said 'cheers' together and toasted the researches and scientists that made the Urine Recycler possible. After drinking the water, they said the taste was great! They also said the water came with labels on it that said 'drink this when real water is over 200 miles away.'"
Comment Optional in 1.9.2.5 and removed in 1.9.2.6 (Score 2, Informative) 408
v 1.9.2.6
+ NoScript now automatically removes the controversial "NoScript Development Support Filterset" deployed with NoScript 1.9.2.3 and above on startup, permanently and with no questions asked.
v 1.9.2.5
+ One-time startup prompt to ask users if they wants to install/keep the AdBlock Plus "NoScript Development Support Filterset" deployed with NoScript 1.9.2.3 and above
While I'll most likely check the changelog before applying new NoScript version, I doubt I'll stop using it. I have mixed feelings about this situation but at least author warned us about what he was doing and broke nothing. Some of you may remember what happened with Fast Dial - it added some spam links, which completely broke user bookmarks. While its author also informed about this change in changelog, he forgot to mention that it will totally break your bookmarks.
+ NoScript now automatically removes the controversial "NoScript Development Support Filterset" deployed with NoScript 1.9.2.3 and above on startup, permanently and with no questions asked.
v 1.9.2.5
+ One-time startup prompt to ask users if they wants to install/keep the AdBlock Plus "NoScript Development Support Filterset" deployed with NoScript 1.9.2.3 and above
While I'll most likely check the changelog before applying new NoScript version, I doubt I'll stop using it. I have mixed feelings about this situation but at least author warned us about what he was doing and broke nothing. Some of you may remember what happened with Fast Dial - it added some spam links, which completely broke user bookmarks. While its author also informed about this change in changelog, he forgot to mention that it will totally break your bookmarks.
How Long Should an Open Source Project Support Users? 272
Ubuntu Kitten writes "Since October the community-generated database of cards known to work with Ndiswrapper has been down. This is apparently due to an on-going site redesign, but right now the usual URL simply directs to a stock Sourceforge page. Without the database, the software's usability is severely diminished but this raises an interesting question: Is an open source project obliged to provide support for its users? If so, for how long should the support last? Web servers cost money, especially for popular sites. While developers can sometimes find sponsorship, is it possible to get sponsorship simply for infrastructure and user services?"
Submission + - How Social Networks May Kill Search as We Know It (popularmechanics.com)
mattnyc99 writes: Recently we looked at a startup that's blending social networking with traditional Web search. But now high geek Glenn Derene takes it one step further, pronouncing that our increasingly traceable online footprints will transform Google's dominant algorithm and open up the world of Web search for the 21st century. Speaking to a tuned-in VC guy and scoring a rare interview with Google's VP of search, Derene may have some meat behind his newly-coined term: "faceboogle." From the article: "as we each carve out our individual niche on the Web, the logic of search may well flip inside out. Since we are essentially meta-tagging ourselves through our social networking memberships, shopping habits and surfing addictions, it's conceivable that the information could attempt to find us — the old concept of push media, but in a far more refined way. As new content enters the Web, it could tumble through the various filters that you set up around your identity and then show up on your home-page news feed, or in your in box, or pop up on a ticker that follows you around as you browse from page to page."
Comment (catchy subject) (Score 1) 572
The concern that I have is how did this get past the QA testers at CCP and into a production build?
Good question. While I doubt that this patch was not tested at all, it's possible (but unlikely) that none of their testers used XP. I'd rather say that while the new version was somewhat tested, some minor last-moment changes were made into the final version without being retested.
Submission + - Music industry wants credit card nums in ID3 tags (michaelrobertson.com)
An anonymous reader writes: In an obituary for AnywhereCD which closes in one week, MP3.com founder Michael Robertson chronicles how at least one record label wanted him to put credit card numbers of buyers into songs. Fascinating story about how at least some of the labels still don't get it and why AnywhereCD is about to buried.
Submission + - Thailand's secret internet censorship lists
James Hardine writes: Wikileaks has released the entire secret internet censorship lists of Thailand's military Junta together with an analysis. Since the military coup of September 19 last year, the Ministry of Communications & Technology has increased the number of censorsed sites from 2,328 to 11,329. The fifth official order of the coup leader on the day after the coup was to censor the Internet. However, the ICT Minister, Dr. Sitthichai Pokaiyaudom, has been variously quoted in the Thai press making statements that, since coming to office in October 2006 as "Official Censor of the Military Coup", his Ministry has blocked "only two", "five", "about a dozen" websites.
Submission + - Microsoft loses appeal against EU antitrust ruling
tabit writes: I was shocked that Microsoft loosing their appeal against the European Union in court on Monday did not echo in Slashdot at all.
Microsoft has to reveal all protocols and interfaces that are no more considered intellectual property in Europe
Find some informastion
here: http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137243-pg,1/article.html
here: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aCiXwwEclkGQ&refer=home
or here: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=009036818
Microsoft has to reveal all protocols and interfaces that are no more considered intellectual property in Europe
Find some informastion
here: http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137243-pg,1/article.html
here: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aCiXwwEclkGQ&refer=home
or here: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=009036818
Submission + - Warantless Wiretap act sought to be made permanent
UniversalVM writes: The Bush Administration is making efforts to ensure that the Companies and Telecom providers that co-operated with the government to enable the warantless wiretap programme, most notably AT&T, will face no prosecution for their role. It has sought to make permanent the interim changes to the FISA law that were rushed thru before the congressional recess. One of the sections under the amended FISA would provide complete and retroactive immunity to any company that took part or helped in the wiretapping.
The new FISA act would enable the warantless wiretapping of all communication where at least one party was outside the US.
It would also allow any TRAFFIC (Cell phone, e-mail, data packets) to be monitored as long the govt. "reasonably believed the parties to be outside the United States".
Other nuggets from the congress hearings now in progress:
"But when pressed by House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) and other Democrats to estimate how many Americans who weren't necessarily "targets" have had their communications scooped up through the government's surveillance efforts, McConnell couldn't say. ""I don't have the exact number," McConnell replied, adding, It is a very small number considering that there are billions of transactions everyday." The clearest indicator that the act is overreaching and almost certainly prone to abuse — its' name. It is called the "Protect America Act". This is a wake-up call to users the worldover to use encryption and leave it turned on by default. Should any part of your internet communication pass thru the US, it will now be almost certainly intercepted and stored indefinately.
"But when pressed by House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) and other Democrats to estimate how many Americans who weren't necessarily "targets" have had their communications scooped up through the government's surveillance efforts, McConnell couldn't say. ""I don't have the exact number," McConnell replied, adding, It is a very small number considering that there are billions of transactions everyday." The clearest indicator that the act is overreaching and almost certainly prone to abuse — its' name. It is called the "Protect America Act". This is a wake-up call to users the worldover to use encryption and leave it turned on by default. Should any part of your internet communication pass thru the US, it will now be almost certainly intercepted and stored indefinately.
Submission + - Microsoft Shuts Down AutoPatcher 2
Gazzonyx writes: It appears that Microsoft has demanded that AutoPatcher, a free patching solution that allows you to get patches via bittorrent, shutdown. Although AutoPatcher could be used as a way of getting around WGA authentication for patches, it was stated that they were afraid of security issues; although AutoPatcher had its own built in measures to make sure that the program would only install AutoPatcher.com's patches, which were unaltered patches from Microsoft. AutoPatcher has been providing patches for 4 years.
