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Submission + - Netflix Comes To Linux Web Browsers Via "Pipelight" (phoronix.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: With Netflix continuing to rely upon Microsoft Silverlight, the video streaming service hasn't been supported for Linux users as the Mono-based "Moonlight" implementation goes without Netflix support. However, there is now Netflix support for Linux-based web-browsers via the open-source Pipelight project. Pipelight supports Netflix and other Silverlight-based web applications by having a Netscape plug-in that in turn communicates with a Windows program running under Wine. The Windows program then simulates a browser to load the Silverlight libraries. Netflix then works as the Pipelight developers implemented support for the Netflix DRM scheme within Wine.

Submission + - The Steve Jobs Story Not Told In 'Jobs'

Submitted by snydeq
snydeq writes: While it does well in portraying the founding of Apple, the development of the Mac, and the return of Steve Jobs to a struggling Apple, 'Jobs' the movie falls short of telling the story that should have been made into a movie about Jobs the man. 'The movie portrays the man as a brilliant but difficult visionary who had the cunning and force of will to get what he wanted and to inspire people to deliver beyond their own expectations — which is true, as far as it goes,' writes Galen Gruman. 'Missing are the explosions of abuse he would hurl on friends and coworkers, as well as the utter ruthlessness he would use to hurt his enemies. Instead, the mean scenes in the movie are ultimately used to set up a "why Jobs was ultimately right" segment. ... The most interesting part of the Steve Jobs story occurs after Jobs was fired from Apple, and that's where I wish the movie had focused its attention. It would have provided rich material for a more compelling drama.'

Submission + - Woz tells Bloomberg that "Jobs" is not entertaining, accurate or fair. (bloomberg.com) 2

Submitted by N!NJA
N!NJA writes: In this interesting 15-minute interview to Bloomberg, Woz speaks of his disappointment at the movie, which, covers Steve Jobs first stay at Apple. According to Woz, the movie got a lot of things wrong and was unfair to other people who worked with Jobs at that time. When asked what was the biggest mistake of the movie, Woz answered: "Kutcher has too much of this fan thing — like a cult leader — and could not see that he [Jobs] had a lot of flaws in knowing how to run things and execute to make products that were worthwhile". He also said that the movie over-glorifies Jobs and "it makes it look like he [Jobs] was forced out of the company for no good reason." Woz also said he loved "Pirates Of The Silicon Valley".

Submission + - Apple board tells Tim Cook to innovate faster

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Has the "What have you done for me lately?" mentality seeped into Apple's board room? According to a recent report from Fox Business News, Apple's board of directors are concerned about Apple's pace of innovation.

Citing "reliable sources", Fox reported that the board is worried that Apple hasn't had a major product announcement in quite some time.

"What we are able to confirm is that the board is worried about what is in the pipeline. Do they have the right stuff in the pipeline? Do they have innovative stuff in the pipeline? Do they have stuff to keep the momentum going?"

While time will of course tell if Apple, under the helm of Tim Cook, can continue its impressive track record of innovation, it's important to remember that innovation isn't simply something you can turn on and off. Often times, a truly innovative product can only come along when a number of external factors align, paving the way for a product that can have a fundamental and far-reaching impact on the marketplace.

Comment Re:Quite misleading (Score 2) 170

by zarmanto (#44455877) Attached to: iPhone Hacked In Under 60 Seconds Using Malicious Charger

The charger is a mini linux machine what needs to use an apple developer account to dynamically add the devices UDID to the developer portal. It then signs the malicious app and installs it. It takes advantage of ad-hoc distribution and would require a new Apple developer account every 100 devices.

Everything that Ernest said, plus one more important note: Your phone must be either unlocked or not passcode/password protected, in order for this exploit to function. (Just another good reason to use what should be common sense security precautions, really.)

Comment Salary caps (Score 1) 355

First, I will preface my comment by saying that I am not actually in favor of government regulation of the internet... but if we were to actually go down that road, I would opine that the only step necessary to dramatically improve US broadband, would be to incorporate salary caps into the C- level positions at the existing telcos. If the money can't be siphoned up the chain to the bank account of those money-hungry CEOs, then it seems to me that the most likely places for all that cash to go would be a) back into the company, (as in, both the lower level employees and the infrastructure) or b) back to the customers and stockholders.

I mean, I'm all for a free market and the capitalistic system and all that... but good grief! Salaries at the top are positively obscene!

Submission + - JavaScript Is Way Too Slow – for What?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Simon St. Laurent suggests a little clarification when it comes to the use of JavaScript in mobile web apps "I keep finding that programmers—even web programmers—frequently think “web application” means “JavaScript application.” Programmers are, of course, used to working with programming languages, and often see application environments from the perspective of the programming language in use.

These blinders derail Drew Crawford’s detailed rant on Why mobile web apps are slow. It turns out that “slow for what?” is a key part of the question, as Crawford reveals near the very end"

Submission + - iPhone 5S: New photos, full specs point to biggest 'S' upgrade ever (bgr.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: As Apple’s next-generation iPhone 5S enters mass production, we’re seeing all of the puzzle pieces fall into place. Photos are leaking, new details are trickling out, and rumors of production issues and possible delays are spreading like wildfire, just like they do every year. Now, a new report may reveal full specs for the iPhone 5S alongside new images of the device’s case assembly seemingly taken inside Foxconn’s factory...

Submission + - Virtual Reality Allows Adults to See World Through a Child's Eyes (sciencemag.org)

Submitted by sciencehabit
sciencehabit writes: When adults inhabit the body of a child in virtual reality, they really do begin to see the world through the eyes of a child. Researchers found that volunteers in such a scenario viewed objects as much larger than they really were. The effects persisted after the simulation was over: Adults who had inhabited a child's body were more likely to identify themselves as someone who was still in primary school.

Submission + - Latest Windows 7, 8 & RT Patches Cause Many Bugs and Issues (wind8apps.com)

Submitted by SmartAboutThings
SmartAboutThings writes: Users all over the world have reported on forums and blogs that they are receiving various bugs and issues with some of the latest patches released by Microsoft in order to fight some other serious problems in almost all of its Windows versions. Experts in this field are calling these problems "in desperate need of attention" and that issues with patches "have hit a new low". Are you experiencing any issues after installing the latest patches to your Windows version?

Comment Just stick to the definition of "Agile process" (Score 1) 221

by zarmanto (#44249705) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Development Requirements Change But Deadlines Do Not?

Personally, in your situation I would probably recommend going full tilt into the formal Agile process. Strictly speaking, the formalized definition of the "Agile process" does not necessarily coincide with what most people think of as "agile". In an "agile" world, maybe you can make changes at a whim, simply because the customer says jump... but in the "Agile process", you don't really make changes to the current sprint; all changes get dropped into the product backlog, and prioritized appropriately to be included in a future sprint. If you're changing the scope of tasks included in the current sprint, then you're not really doing Agile.

Mind you, there are infrequent times when a new requirement or a bug report might actually trumps the sprint altogether... personally, I would classify those as emergencies. And let's be frank: How many actual emergencies do you think take place in the world of computer programming?

(Source: My employer sent me to ScrumMaster training a couple of weeks ago.)

Submission + - Volkswagen Concept Car Averages An Amazing 262 MPG (ibtimes.com)

Submitted by coolnumbr12
coolnumbr12 writes: The Volkswagen XL1 averages an amazing 262 mpg, and although it may never hit streets in the United States, the technology behind the car could impact future Volkswagen vehicles.
The keys to the incredible mileage in the Volkswagen XL1 were reducing the weight of the vehicle and eliminating wind resistance. The XL1 only weighs 1,753 pounds — that's more than a thousand pounds lighter than the Toyota Prius, which weighs in at 2,921 pounds. The wheels on the Volkswagen XL1 are as thin as road bike’s and wrapped in custom Michelin rubber. The XL1 chassis is a single piece of molded carbon-fiber, and has a drag coefficient of only 0.189 – similar to a bumblebee.

Submission + - Obamacare Software Glitch Will Limit Penalties Charged to Smokers (yahoo.com)

Submitted by turbosaab
turbosaab writes: The Obama administration has quietly notified insurers that a computer system glitch will limit penalties that companies may charge smokers under the new healthcare law. The underlying reason for the limitation is another provision in the health care law that says insurers can't charge older customers more than three times what they charge the youngest adults in the pool. The government's computer system has been unable to accommodate the two. So younger smokers and older smokers must be charged the same penalty, or the system will kick it out. A fix will take at least a year to put in place.

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