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Comment Re:The problem with vista (Score 1) 374

by clive_p (#29376735) Attached to: The Real-World State of Windows Use
Yes, most things work in Vista, just very slowly. My wife bought a new laptop nearly 2 years ago because her old one was failing mechanically. It had compulsory Vista, and an upgrade to XP would have meant throwing even more money in the direction of Microsoft. It's much more powerful than my laptop, yet runs very much more slowly. The reason is that it has a host of "services" which run all the time which absorb a lot of cpu power and disc channel capacity - I've managed to stop a lot of them, as they do't do anything useful, but not all. In addition, several applications that she needed weren't available for Vista until some months after she got the new machine (we didn't realise at the time that so many XP apps would not simply not run on Vista). With hindsight, I wish we'd spent the money on an "upgrade" to Win-XP, or hunted around for one of the few laptops which were still available with XP pre-installed. The compulsory nature of Vista must have reduced hardware sales - I have considered buying a new laptop myself, but can't find one that I like that still uses XP, so I won't buy.
It's funny. Laugh.

Finding a Personal Coding Trifecta 188

Posted by timothy from the benadryl-cocoa-and-a-down-comforter dept.
jammag writes "For Seinfeld's George Constanza, his dream of the ideal moment was having sex while watching TV and eating a pastrami sandwich. He called this Nirvana state 'The Trifecta.' Developer Eric Spiegel adapts this concept of Nirvana to the act of writing your best possible code. He examines all (or most) of the possible things that might contribute to the 'The Trifecta' for developers — food, beverages, time of day. Spiegel also describes his personal Trifecta."
Programming

Submission + - Cloud computing with the Android Linux stack

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The open source Android operating system has allowed for sophisticated Cloud Computing applications to run wherever you are. Designed to be highly efficient on battery-powered devices like the T-Mobile G1 smartphone, at heart, Android is Linux. Learn more about the several layers to the Android programming model that permit the creation of secure applications that are tailor-made for Cloud Computing.
Portables

Submission + - Dell sets Adamo price, our wallet shudders (pcauthority.com.au)

Submitted by Slatterz
Slatterz writes: You've got to hand it to Dell — somehow they found a way to generate the kind of buzz about product design usually reserved for Apple's iPhone and MacBooks. In case you hadn't hear of the Adamo, the video is here . This is Dell's entry into the luxury notebook market, with a thin and light design to rival the MacBook. Unfortunately for Dell, in these "uncertain economic times" what's getting all the attention is the Adamo's starting price: US$1,999. Incidentally, Dell says "Adamo" is derived from the Latin "to fall in love". No hubris there.
Linux Business

Submission + - Credit crunch the shot in the arm Linux needed? (pcauthority.com.au)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Half of senior IT executives surveyed by IDC said they intend to make Linux their primary server platform within five years, as the economic downturn spurs interest in open source. A survey of over 300 senior IT professionals from organisations with more than 100 people found that nearly three quarters (72 per cent) are either actively evaluating, or have already decided to increase, their adoption of Linux on the server this year, and more than two thirds (68 per cent) made the same claim for the desktop. But it seems Linux is still having trouble cracking the notebook market, with a separate study saying businesses prefer Windows, even on netbooks.
Transportation

Submission + - The Inizio Electric Supercar Takes Aim at Tesla (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by
Karim
Karim writes: "The New York International Auto Show is coming up, and the incredible prototypes are out in full force. First in line is EV Innovations, who will be showing off their gorgeous fully-electric Liv Inizio supercar. The vehicle has a scorching top speed of 150mph and a 200 hundred mile range, which places it in direct competition with the Tesla Roadster."
Transportation

Submission + - Cool New Movito Electric Scooter Wins NASA Awards (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by
Karim
Karim writes: "The Movito is an eco-friendly electric scooter that recently took top honors in NASA's Create the future Design Contest. Designed by Tai Chiem, the vehicle is propelled by a carbon-cutting in-wheel electric motor located within a modular base that can be detached to form a two-seat vehicle."
Security

Submission + - Cybercriminals Are Working Faster Than Ever (net-security.org)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: While malware authors have always moved quickly — releasing code as soon as an exploit is discovered — Trend Micro threat researchers witnessed faster-than-ever malware exploits in 2008, partly due to the "in-the-cloud" threat models and architectures cybercriminals have repurposed for profit, and making the Internet the major vector used in the dissemination of malware. For the security industry, this means traditional methods of protection are inadequate.
Image

Company Makes Paper Out Of Wombat Poo 71

Posted by samzenpus from the my-test-smells-funny dept.
Creative Paper attracted worldwide interest for its paper made of kangaroo droppings in 2005. Well it's been four years and the best and brightest at Creative Paper haven't been sitting on their laurels. What's their great new idea? They have now launched a kind of paper made from wombat poo. Scat-obsessed Darren Simpson from Creative Paper says the paper is green or gold depending on the time of year the droppings are harvested. The wombat paper will be unveiled at an international paper conference in Burnie, Australia later this month.

Comment Re:Microsoft supports the campaign (Score 1) 349

by clive_p (#26939547) Attached to: Norwegian Websites Declare War On IE 6
I'm not surprised. I'm using Win-XP SP2 and normally use Firefox, but keep IE6 installed just for the small number of websites which don't work with Firefox. I'd be happy to upgrade to IE7 or later but have not found a way to do that without agreeing to install WGA. I have a fully licenced Windows machine but don't want to install something as potentially dangerous as this. So I'm stuck with IE6. Maybe Microsoft's approval is yet another attempt to get WGA distributed widely?
Hardware Hacking

Submission + - Magnetic sensor allows satellite-free GPS

Submitted by holy_calamity
holy_calamity writes: Using the Earth's magnetic field as a back up to satellite GPS is possible using a new magnetic sensor developed at Virginia Tech. Unlike previous SQUID-based sensors it doesn't require liquid nitrogen cooling so it can be carried around. To work out where you are field measurements are compared with a database compiled by the US Geological Survey.
Quickies

Submission + - OOXML critic fired from Finnish Standards Board (tietokone.fi)

Submitted by
Shirke
Shirke writes: "A Finnish computer magazine reports (in Finnish) that Finnish Standards Association has fired Mr. Lassi Nirhamo. Mr. Nirhamo was chairing the OOXML standard proposal meeting. During the meeting Mr. Nirhamo asked other board members to be excused of his duties and voice his opinion as a private citizen. Afther this was granted he criticized the standard proposal and resumed his duties as chairman. Independent observers have assessed his chairmanship as "excellent" and "one of a kind". Mr. Nirhamo has now been laid of due to "lack of trust". The Association is also accepting applications for the position. Anyone interested?"

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