Epicyon - Slashdot User

Submission + - European PS3 Won't Carry Chip for PS2

Submitted by Goodasitgets on Wednesday February 28, 2007 @03:50PM

Goodasitgets writes: The PlayStation 3 going on sale in Europe next month will play only some of the games for its predecessor video game machine — a move designed to cut costs and speed up production. Backward compatibility with PlayStation 2 has been billed as a major feature for the PlayStation 3 that went on sale late last year in the U.S. and Japan But packing the machine with two expensive computer chips to play both PS2 and upgrade PS3 games has been racking up costs for the money-losing PS3, a big reason behind Sony Corp.'s flagging earnings lately.

Submission + - No MSFT Iowa case docs 'pulled' from archive.org

Submitted by

gojomo

on Wednesday February 28, 2007 @03:26PM

gojomo writes: "Last week's story "MS Dirty Tricks Archive Trickles Back Online" quoted a piece in TheRegister suggesting that material from www.iowaconsumercase.org had been "pulled" from the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. As an Internet Archive blog explains, that's not true."

Submission + - MPAA Fires Back at AACS Decryption Utility

Submitted by RulerOf on Wednesday February 28, 2007 @03:23PM

RulerOf writes: The AACS Decryption utility released this past December known as BackupHDDVD originally authored by Muslix64 of the Doom9 forums has received its first official DMCA Takedown Notice. It has been widely speculated that the utility itself was not an infringing piece of software due to the fact that it is merely "a textbook implementation of AACS," written with the help of documents publicly available at the AACS LA's website, and that the AACS Volume Unique Keys that the end user isn't supposed to have access to are in fact the infringing content, but it appears that such is not the case. From the thread:

"...you must input keys and then it will decrypt the encrypted content. If this is the case, than according to the language of the DMCA it does sound like it is infringing. Section 1201(a) says that it is an infringement to "circumvent a technological measure." The phrase, "circumvent a technological measure" is defined as "descramb(ling) a scrambled work or decrypt(ing) an encrypted work, ... without the authority of the copyright owner." If BackupHDDVD does in fact decrypt encrypted content than per the DMCA it needs a license to do that.

Submission + - Matt Groening On Futurama and Simpsons Movie

Submitted by

keenada

on Wednesday February 28, 2007 @02:56PM

keenada writes: "Though The Simpsons has declined in popularity in recent years, it still has a cult and popular following worldwide. Matt Groening (rhymes with raining) sits down with Crave to discuss his new movie, and the future of Futurama."

Submission + - DOT gets Between Airline Passangers and Doom

Submitted by

JonLesser

on Wednesday February 28, 2007 @02:55PM

JonLesser writes: "On Dec. 8, 2005, Virgin America filed an application with the DOT to provide air service in the US. Shortly after the application was filed, Continental, American, United, and Delta filed the first of a wave of opposition briefs and legal motions to try to stop or slow down the DOT approval process.

VA set up a website in an effort to mobilize a grass-roots campaign to support their application. A key selling point for the public is the linux-based in-flight entertainment system. In a video on the website Charles Ogilvie, Director of In-Flight Entertainment and Partnerships, demos Doom and claims VA is planning to reach out to Linux game developers in search of more games for the system."

Submission + - Getting What You Paid for from Dell

Submitted by

Barabbas

on Friday February 09, 2007 @05:38PM

Barabbas writes: "So, I like Dell computers. I think they run well if you don't abuse them (like everything else) and I've had reasonable success with customer service...until today. Last March, I purchased an Inspiron e1505 with a lot of pre-installed software extras (I had to spend a certain amount in order to get a refund). These programs were not out of the ordinary: PowerDVD, Sonic MyDVD, and Paint Shop Pro. Turns out, I did not receive the installation media for these programs. I read around online and the general consensus seemed to be that the installation CDs for these programs had to be requested separately (even though you pay for them when you buy the system).

Let me outline my request process (my thoughts are in parentheses):

Call #1:

Dell Rep: Can I please get your service tag?

ME: Sure, it's blah blah.

Dell Rep: Can I verify your name and address?

ME: Sure, it's blah blah.

Dell Rep: What seems to be the trouble?

ME: Well, it seems that I have a few programs running on my laptop (name the programs) that came pre-installed on my Dell and I do not have the installation media to re-install them. I would like to request the installation media.

Dell Rep: So, you need the drivers to reinstall the software?

ME: (Drivers are for hardware) No, I need the CDs to re-install these programs.

Dell Rep: Ok, I'll transfer you to technical support.

Waited forever on hold until hanging up.

Call #2:

Same interchange about address and blah blah.

Dell Rep: What seems to be the trouble?

ME: Well, I need the installation media for blah blah blah.

Dell Rep: Ok, let me transfer you to Electronics and Accessories.

Waited forever on hold until hanging up. I found out later that this person must have thought that I wanted to buy these programs, since this is what the department she was transferring me to does.

Call #3:

For the love of all that is good, my address and service tag have not changed!!!

Dell Rep: What seems to be the trouble?

ME: (Your company's helpdesk is incompetent.) I need the installation media ....

Dell Rep: Alright, sir, I can help you with that.

ME: (SHOCK) You can?

Dell Rep: But, first I'd like to know why you're re-installing.

ME: (VOMIT — it's my computer; what do you care??) I would like to change my system configuration.

Dell Rep: Yes, but is your system running slow with adware, pop-ups, viruses? Has

something been corrupted?

ME: (Gee, no one ever just re-installs their OS for no reason, I guess). Everything is fine — hardware is fine. Software is fine. I just want the installation media. I bought this software when I bought the system and I want the disks so I can re-install it.

Dell Rep: Ok, sir, what you need to do is purchase the Software Warranty and then a Support Specialist (what does that make the guy I'm talking to?) will connect remotely to your system and put it back to the way it was when you received it. Would you some time to consider purchasing the Software Warranty?

ME: (Ya, right — brain exploding) No, I don't need any time to consider it. I'm not buying anything. I've already PURCHASED the software when I bought the laptop. I just the need the CDs to re-install.

Dell Rep: Yes, sir. If it can be verified that nothing is wrong then you will not pay anything (that doesn't even make sense). Otherwise the Software Warranty will be eighty —

ME: Don't you think that if I already bought the software then I should have the right to re-install it??

Dell Rep: Ok, sir, I'm going to transfer you to customer care and you can lodge a complaint with them.

ME: (internally furious) Are you following procedure?

Dell Rep: Yes.

ME: Then tell me why I've called twice before and not been given an hassle and now I'm being told that I have to buy something?

Dell Rep: I'm transferring you now, sir.

Put on hold. Hang up.

Call #4:

Blah blah blah...

Dell Rep: What can I help you with today?

ME: (Well once upon a time, I was young and I decided to call Dell, that was many years ago...) I need some CDs...

Dell Rep: Let me see what we can do about that... > Ok, sir, you're going to have to purchase those programs separately. When you purchased the operating system, you did not get these programs to keep forever.

ME: (this is ridiculous) That doesn't make any sense. If I purchased PowerDVD from some place like Best Buy, then I would have a disk and I could re-install it all I wanted — I own the software. When I bought this system, I purchased the software. Doesn't that make sense.

Dell Rep: Yes.

ME: (AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH). Just transfer me to customer care.

Dell Rep: Alright, one moment.

Customer Care finally understood basic computing and was able to help me get things sorted out. I listed the part numbers and the software and they are sending them to me in the next 3 — 5 business days. My experience matches with a lot of other people's experiences with Dell systems. It used to be that when you purchased a computer from Dell that you received the software for everything on that system — not anymore. If you have purchased a Dell and don't have all of the software installation CDs (WARNING: all of the applications that came with your Dell are on the Dell Drivers and Application Recovery CD), then call Dell Customer Care directly at 1-800-624-9897, ext 7266966. Have your original packing slip in hand and tell them that you want the CDs to the software that came with your system (after figuring out what you're missing)."

Submission + - CEO resigns over 'Lite Brite'

Submitted by DesertBlade on Friday February 09, 2007 @05:21PM

DesertBlade writes: The CEO of Cartoon Network has resigned over the bomb scare. Turner ended up paying over 2 million in restitution and the city of Boston coming to a stand still over some lite brites. I for one do not want to live in a glass box being scared of everything, and with governments over reacting just fuels the fear. Are we becoming scared of our own shadow?

Journal Journal: Eco-disaster! HP uses Vista to enforce product obsolesence.

Journal by Ecowarrior42 on Friday February 09, 2007 @04:38PM

HP Printer and Scanner owners should beware of buying a new Vista PC or upgrading to Vista.
Douglas Adams had it wrong when he predicted that the alien archaeologists would find a shoe layer, they are more likely to find a Vista induced Printer and Scanner layer! A large number HP printer and scanner owners that have chosen to upgrade to Vista will receive the following message when attempting to download Vista drivers for their Scanners and Printers:
"We are sorry to inform you that

Comment Re:NT (Score 1) 194

by Epicyon on Monday December 18, 2006 @02:30PM (#17289426) Attached to: Vista vs. Cairo - A Microsoft History Lesson

My point refers to the statements Microsoft had made during the antitrust hearings regarding the fact that IE was an integral component of Windows and could not be removed.

Microsoft stated that the merging of Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer was the result of innovation and competition, and that the two were now the same product and were inextricably linked together and that consumers were now getting all the benefits of IE for free.

A number of videotapes were submitted as evidence by Microsoft during the trial, including one that demonstrated that removing Internet Explorer from Microsoft Windows caused slowdowns and malfunctions in Windows.

Although I completely agree that marketing != software engineering:

Because of the limited nature of POSIX.1, the POSIX subsystem on Windows NT does not provide any support for networking or system security. Many people feel that the inclusion of the POSIX subsytem was really a marketing ploy to increase NT's market penetration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Micr osoft http://scilnet.fortlewis.edu/tech/NT-Server/archit ecture.htm

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