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Software

Submission + - http://labs.live.com/deepfish/

Submitted by MrSteve007
MrSteve007 writes: With all the talk (and waiting) for the iPhone and its innovative website surfing software, Microsoft has quietly released their new mobile browser answer in the form of Deepfish. It's been in limited beta testing since early March. As of Tuesday it is unleashed to a wider testing audience, as in anyone. According to the developer's FAQ, it seems that the final release of this browser may support AJAX, animation, javascript and ActiveX. Does this new mobile browser make the cut?
Windows

Surprise, Windows Listed as Most Secure OS 499

Posted by Zonk from the opposite-day dept.
david_g17 writes "According to a Symantec study reported by Information Week, Microsoft has the most secure operating system amongst its commercial competitors. The report only covered the last 6 months of vulnerabilities and patch releases, but the results place Microsoft operating systems above Mac OS X and Red Hat. According to the article, 'The report found that Microsoft Windows had the fewest number of patches and the shortest average patch development time of the five operating systems it monitored in the last six months of 2006.' The article continues to mention the metrics used in the study (quantity and severity of vulnerabilities as well as the amount of time one must wait for the patch to be released)."
Portables (Games)

How To Make the DS Even Better 82

Posted by Zonk from the add-a-totally-wicked-spoiler dept.
Next Generation has up an interesting piece considering ways to make the ultra-successful Nintendo DS even better. Thoughts include streamlining the needlessly complicated 'friend code' system, adding internal flash ram to the device, and rolling out a virtual console system ala the Wii. Their best idea, I think, is to use the GBA slot on the system for a cartridge including all of these new elements: "The advantage over typical 'system upgrades', like the ram expansion for the N64 or the PS2 hard drive, is that this cartridge should have little direct effect on game software; it would simply transform the DS into a more useful and personal tool. Such an update would also weed out the necessity to offer a whole new DS model, further annoying people who felt forced to upgrade to the DS Lite - itself only a cosmetic adjustment."
Microsoft

Submission + - Zune Vs. Apple's Monopoly on the Media

Submitted by
Dotnaught
Dotnaught writes: "Zune was the number two selling hard drive-based digital music player in December and January, but it's a distant number two and it's not gaining ground against Apple — its market share gains are coming at the expense of smaller competitors. Beyond the challenge of convincing consumers to buy a Zune, Microsoft faces a battle for public perception. When Google News thinks "Zune" is a typo and current iPod news stories online outnumber Zune stories 25-to-1, what can Microsoft do to get better press?"
Microsoft

Submission + - Bill Gates to finally receive his Harvard degree

Submitted by
coondoggie
coondoggie writes: "It's not like he needs it to beef up his résumé, but the world's richest college dropout finally is getting his degree. Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, will speak at Harvard University's commencement ceremony in June and, like all commencement speakers, will receive an honorary degree from the institution. It's hard to guess if Gates, the wealthiest person in the world and co-founder of a company that brought in $44 billion in revenue last year, cares. But the programming whiz who once dropped out of Harvard will likely feel some sense of satisfaction. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/032207-bill- gates-to-finally-receive.html"
Biotech

Submission + - Single human gene gives mice tri-color vision

Submitted by
maynard
maynard writes: "Scientists from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical Institute working in collaboration have published a study in the peer reviewed journal Science showing that mice transgenetically altered with a single human gene are then able to see in full tri-color vision. Mice without this alteration are normally colorblind. The scientists speculate that even mammalian brains from animals that have never evolved color vision are flexible enough to interpret new color sense information with just a simple addition of new photoreceptors. Such a result is also indicated by a dominant X chromosome mutation that allows for quad-color vision in some women. From the article:

The experiments were designed to determine whether the brains of the genetically altered mice could efficiently process sensory information from the new photoreceptors in their eyes. Among mammals, this more complex type of color vision has only been observed in primates, and therefore the brains of mice did not need to evolve to make these discriminations.


The new abilities of the genetically engineered mice indicate that the mammalian brain possesses a flexibility that permits a nearly instantaneous upgrade in the complexity of color vision, say the study's senior authors, Gerald Jacobs and Jeremy Nathans.
"
Education

Submission + - Which IT careers are hot and which are not?

Submitted by necromante
necromante writes: I've been working on different IT positions through my career: Support, some networking, DBA, web development, project management, even working on the client side for a little while. However I don't feel like I am really an specialist on any of those subjects and I feel I need to focus on a particular field. So I decided to ask Slahdot for some feedback before taking my decision. Is there any IT career that I should consider more than the others? Which are the emerging fields? Any industry in particular? Which careers on IT are actually more in demand and which ones not? Or is a better path to focus on moving into management? By the way, I am writing from Canada. I do understand that this also depends everyones tastes, likes and dislikes. However I would like to have a better idea of which are the available options. I hope the results of this discussion can benefit other Slashdot readers. Thank you for your time!
The Internet

ICANN Set To Review Accreditation Policy 31

Posted by Zonk from the at-least-something-will-come-of-this dept.
tinkertim writes "ICANN is re-evaluating the scope and purpose of its accreditations, apparently sparked by the recent collapse of garage domain name registrar Registerfly. In a press release dated March 21, 2007, President and CEO of ICANN, Dr Paul Twomey is quoted as saying : 'What has happened to registrants with RegisterFly.com has made it clear there must be comprehensive review of the registrar accreditation process and the content of the RAA.' Dr. Twomey is blaming (in part) 'weaknesses in the RAA' for severe and undue hardships that many registrants encountered when trying to transfer names away from the failing registrar, Registerfly. Many new points to be discussed include allowing registrants to view the performance of registrars in an 'independent comparative way', as well as new language to allow ICANN to forcibly intercede in the face of wide spread, persistent and consistent complaints. 10 good points for discussion are listed by Dr. Twomey in the release, who invites all ICANN stakeholders to participate in re-evaluating the RAA. Registerfly, the catalyst for this re-write does not officially lose their accredited status until March 31, 2007, and continues to display the ICANN seal on their web site."
Intel

Submission + - Rosetta benchmarks show Photoshop weakness

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: Here's an interesting Rosetta performance comparison that uses Geekbench 2 on an iMac to measure the performance difference between native applications and Rosetta applications. If you take a look at the benchmarks that emulate applying filters in Photoshop (blur and sharpen image) you'll see why Photoshop feels so slow on a Intel-based Mac. It's a good thing a universal version of Photoshop will be available next week!
PlayStation (Games)

FFXIII Exclusivity Under Discussion 120

Posted by Zonk from the we-have-a-problem dept.
In an interview between a French-language newspaper and Sony Computer Entertainment France president Georges Fornay, he revealed that FFXIII's exclusivity is still under discussion. Gamespot reports, and attempted to check with Square-Enix about the reality of this situation. If the high-profile RPG's exclusivity is not a lock for the PS3, it could be a crushing blow for Sony's future plans. "The development costs of games have exploded, and it has become more difficult to have exclusives, outside of our own games. But we have for launch day [in France] 30 games, including MotorStorm, Resistance: Fall of Man, and Virtua Fighter 5. Moreover, we are expecting 200 games [for the PS3] by the end of 2007...As far as Final Fantasy XIII goes, I can tell you that the exclusivity is in discussion."
Google

Submission + - Google: Is revenue on anything but ads needed?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Google often gets flak for having all its eggs in one basket, at least in terms of how it makes money. Current figures put advertising revenue at 97% to 98% of total revenue. So that has some critics asking what the search giant plants to do to diversify. But to clarify, we should distinguish between two types of diversification: http://www.computers.net/2007/03/does_google_nee.h tml
Security

Submission + - Will NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow induce recklessness?

Submitted by
coondoggie
coondoggie writes: "Technology no doubt has made it possible for NASCAR racers to drive the safest cars possible, but researchers at Penn State are wondering: When NASCAR debuts its "Car of Tomorrow" this weekend, will drivers feel so safe in the car, will they drive more recklessly? In a statement today Todd Nesbit, an avid NASCAR fan and assistant professor of economics at Penn State Erie, said he will be counting the number of accidents — and how many of those drivers walk away without a scratch."Based on results of our study, we would project that drivers will drive more recklessly and take more risks while driving the Car of Tomorrow," Nesbit said. "Initially, there will be a learning curve for everyone, which will likely increase the number of accidents as drivers and crews get used to the vehicles. Once the learning curve has passed, we predict that the new normal rate of crashes will be higher than it is currently because of the response to additional safety features on the Car of Tomorrow." http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/1268 0"

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