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Submission + - Transitioning to the new GRUB2 boot loader

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The tools used to boot Linux are changing. Specifically, the Grand Unified Bootloader (GRUB) is now officially in maintenance mode only, and GRUB's developers have abandoned the original GRUB in favor of an entirely rewritten package, known as GRUB 2. Discover GRUB 2's new capabilities and how to use it.
Data Storage

Submission + - Tape, Fibre Channel and Technology Innovation (enterprisestorageforum.com)

Submitted by storagedude
storagedude writes: In this meditation on why technology gets developed, the author notes that sometimes a lack of innovation can be the biggest driver of technological change, citing the case of how the slow evolution of Ethernet killed tape storage and gave rise to Fibre Channel — and how the rise of 10Gb Ethernet may finally kill Fibre Channel.

From the article:

"If 10 GbE was available at reasonable prices in 2005, we might not have seen the significant investment in dedupe hardware and software because streaming tape would have worked just fine. But the development of dedupe had another consequence: By lowering the cost of disk so it approached that of tape, it has relegated tape more and more to a deep archiving role, and that may come with its own unforeseen consequences. If tape sales continue to drop, what happens to the backup market segment that still needs tape, and what happens to the huge archiving market that requires tape — and where most, if not all, of the data cannot be deduped? And don't think of this as a small business problem — some of the biggest organizations on the planet are heavy tape users for archiving."

"Technology markets can be driven as much by a lack of innovation as they can by innovation (1 Gb Ethernet lasted far too long, opening the door for disk backup and dedupe). The commoditization of technology is another enduring trend contributing to the tenuous state of some technologies. What this means to you depends on your window for technology planning. I didn't see all the changes coming as a result of 1 Gb Ethernet overstaying its welcome, but I did recognize Fibre Channel's limitations when it failed to get placed on the motherboard despite the big "Fibre-On" push in the early 2000s. Once that happened, it was clear that Fibre Channel would someday be relegated to the back burner; the only surprise was how long it took the Ethernet folks to make that happen.
Businesses

Submission + - Who knows the most about FUD? (opensource.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: For any underdog, FUD will eventually raise its ugly head. I've even seen it happen internally, when one department has promising plans and certain members of management feel threatened by their success. But are open source developers really the experts on FUD? Who would you call if you wanted advice on countering FUD: open source developers, traditional marketing and PR folks, or someone else?
Security

Submission + - SonicWall Goes After Patent Infringers (channelinsider.com)

Submitted by dasButcher
dasButcher writes: SonicWall has sent at least one notice — perhaps more — to security vendors it suspects of violating its email security patents. SonicWall's immediate proposed remedy? A wheelbarrow of cash, plus future licensing agreements. The CEO of Sunbelt Software suspects there's a deeper motive behind these violation orders.
Cellphones

Submission + - HTC Incredible To Launch End April

Submitted by adeelarshad82
adeelarshad82 writes: Verizon Wireless and HTC have recently announced Verizon's new flagship smartphone, the Droid Incredible by HTC. The Incredible's arrival comes after months of rumors and leaks about the phone, and it arrives before the similar Google Nexus One appears on Verizon's network. According to the review, the Droid Incredible is the most powerful phone on the U.S. market today, it reflects and enhances the state of the art smartphone. It has a large 3.7-inch touch-screen and is running the Google Android 2.1 operating system. It measures 4.63 by 2.3 by .47 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.6 ounces. The hardward consists of a 1-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, GPS, Wi-Fi, and an 8-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash. HTC also replaced the Nexus One's trackball with an optical mouse. The Droid Incredible will be available for purchase on April 29.
Censorship

Submission + - Google Publicizes Government Requests (google.com)

Submitted by D H NG
D H NG writes: In the aftermath of Google's exit from mainland China, it had sought to be more open about what it sensors. Google has launched a new tool to track the number of government request targeted at Google and YouTube. These include both requests for data and removal requests. A quick look at the tool shows that Brazil is the top country for both categories and information for China can not be disclosed because "Chinese officials consider censorship demands as state secrets". As part of its four-part plan, Google hopes to "change the behavior of repressive governments", "establish guiding principles for dealing with issues of free expression", "build support online to protest repression", and "better provide resources and support for developing technology designed to combat and circumvent Internet censorship".
Operating Systems

"Install Other OS" Feature Removed From the PS3 739

Posted by timothy from the security-huh dept.
Hann1bal writes "The next system software update for the PlayStation 3 system will be released on April 1, 2010 (JST), and will disable the 'Install Other OS' feature that was available on the PS3 systems prior to the current slimmer models, launched in September 2009. This feature enabled users to install an operating system, but due to security concerns, Sony Computer Entertainment will remove the functionality through the 3.21 system software update." Updated 3:49 GMT by timothy: An anonymous reader writes "This comes as something of a surprise. Particularly because only a month ago Sony Computer Entertainment management seemed committed to the continued support of the Other OS option on the PS3."

Comment MW2 (Score 1) 398

by james.mcarthur (#31283122) Attached to: When PC Ports of Console Games Go Wrong
Its a great console port, once you get past: a) They'll pick the server you play on, too bad if the server is 200ms away from you b) If the server decides they've had enough then you'll sit there whilst it "migrates" you to a new host. Fingers crossed the migration doesn't "fail" c) In game console? Don't need that, most gaming consoles don't have keyboards. d) Dedicated servers? Pfft e) Community generated content? Only if they can turn it into paid DLC.
Australia

AU Internet Censorship Spells Bad News For Gamers 152

Posted by Soulskill from the no-hope-for-call-of-duty-kangaroo-wars dept.
eldavojohn writes "Kotaku is running an investigative piece examining what internet censorship means for games in Australia. Australia has some of the most draconian video game attitudes in the world, and the phrase 'refused classification' should strike fear in game developers and publishers looking to market games there. Internet censorship may expand this phrase to mean that anybody hosting anything about the game may suffer censorship in AU. Kotaku notes, 'This means that if a game is refused classification (RC) in Australia — like, say, NFL Blitz, or Getting Up — content related to these games would be added to the ISP filter. [This would bring up] a range of questions, foremost of those being: what happens when an otherwise harmless website ... hosts material from those games (screenshots, trailers, etc) that is totally fine in the US or Japan or Europe, but that has been refused classification in Australia?' Kotaku received a comment from the Australian Department of Broadband Communication promising that the whole website won't be blocked, just the material related to the game (videos, images, etc). Imagine maintaining that blacklist!"

Submission + - Police in Britain arrest man for joke on Twitter (forth.ie)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A British man arrested under anti-terrorism legislation for making a bomb joke on Twitter. Paul Chambers, 26, was arrested under the provisions of the Terrorism Act (2006) –his crime? Frustrated at grounded flights over inclement weather, he made a joke bomb threat on the social networking site Twitter.

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