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Comment Re:iSync (Score 1) 290

by GORby_ (#29227827) Attached to: Snow Leopard Drops Palm OS Sync

OK, I'll probably get funny looks for this, but... here goes anyway

Ahh, long live the openness of Windows, where almost any portable media player can sync with the built in windows media player.
Seriously, in some respects Windows is much more open than MacOS (Linux, of course, is more open across the board).

Comment Re:Trollbait (Score 1) 290

by GORby_ (#29227747) Attached to: Snow Leopard Drops Palm OS Sync

Actually, there's a few other options... You could go the symbian or android way.
I agree that switching platforms is rarely a pleasant undertaking, but you have to admit that the old PalmOS is a dead end (unless you enjoy running an emulator on the Pre for your legacy apps). I made the switch from my old treo 650, which was falling apart due to old age, to android (HTC Hero is available now, Palm Pre around the end of the year) and I'm (mostly) quite happy with it.
The Internet

R.I.P Usenet: 1980-2008 625

Posted by CmdrTaco from the we-hardly-knew-ye dept.
CorinneI writes "In a way inconceivable in today's marketplace, Usenet was where people once went to talk — in days before the profit-centric Internet we have today. The series of bulletin boards called 'newsgroups' shared by thousands of computers, which traded new messages several times a day, is now a thing of the past."

Comment Re:Bike to work (Score 1) 1806

by GORby_ (#24399469) Attached to: How Do Geeks Exercise?

I have to agree on that...

I started commuting by bike a little over a year ago, and I feel better now than I did before. If riding a bike is giving you discomfort (other than sweating), try a recumbent... that did the trick for me.

If you calculate the cost of your daily commute by car, and how long you have to work for that money, you might find that commuting by bike can even save you time. It helps when you're regularly stuck in traffic when you take the car, or when gas prices are ridiculously high (think 1,5 â/l (about $ 9 per gallon).
Hardware Hacking

New AACS Fix Hacked in a Day 362

Posted by Zonk from the oh-day-warr-ez dept.
VincenzoRomano writes "ArsTechnica has just published an update to the neverending story about copy protection used in HD DVD and Blu-ray discs and hacker efforts against it. From the article: 'The ongoing war between content producers and hackers over the AACS copy protection used in HD DVD and Blu-ray discs produced yet another skirmish last week, and as has been the case as of late, the hackers came out on top. The hacker BtCB posted the new decryption key for AACS on the Freedom to Tinker web site, just one day after the AACS Licensing Authority (AACS LA) issued the key.' The article proposes a simple description of the protection schema and a brief look back at how the cracks have slowly chipped away at its effectiveness. It seems it'll be a long way to an effective solution ... if any. One could also argue whether all that money spent by the industry in this race will be worth the results and how long it would take for a return on investment."
Privacy

Google Street View Raises Privacy Concerns 520

Posted by Zonk from the we-see-everybody-now dept.
Pcol writes "The New York Times is running a story about a woman who says her cat is clearly visible through the living room window of her second-floor apartment using Street View and that she has contacted Google asking that the photo be removed. 'The issue that I have ultimately is about where you draw the line between taking public photos and zooming in on people's lives,' Ms. Kalin-Casey said in an interview. 'The next step might be seeing books on my shelf. If the government was doing this, people would be outraged.' Wired has started a contest on the most interesting photos found using the new Google Tool that now includes sunbathing coeds, alleged drug deals, and the google van itself. 'I think that this product illustrates a tension between our First Amendment right to document public spaces around us, and the privacy interests people have as they go about their day,' says Kevin Bankston, a staff lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation."
GNU is Not Unix

FSF Releases Fourth and Final Draft of GPLv3 237

Posted by CowboyNeal from the wading-through-legalese dept.
An anonymous reader writes "The most notable changes found in this latest draft include making GPLv3 compatible with version 2.0 of the Apache license, ensuring that distributors who make discriminatory patent deals after March 28 may not convey software under GPLv3, adding terms to clarify how users can contract for private modification of free software or for a data center to run it for them, and replacing the previous reference to a U.S. consumer protection statute with explicit criteria for greater clarity outside the United States. The draft also does not prohibit Novell from distributing software under GPLv3 'because the patent protection they arranged with Microsoft last November can be turned against Microsoft to the community's benefit,' FSF executive director Peter Brown said."

TurboLinux to Sell Wizpy Media Player Worldwide 158

Posted by CowboyNeal from the rocking-tux-on-the-go dept.
MsManhattan writes "TurboLinux will attempt to lure Windows users over to the Linux operating system in baby steps this June when it starts selling its Wizpy media player worldwide. The pocket-sized device, which plays audio and video files, is really a Linux carrot of sorts, in that it also allows users to store a complete Linux desktop in its memory. You can plug the Wizpy into a PC's USB port and boot up the Linux system with all its user settings, passwords, bookmarks, etc. It originally launched in Japan, where TurboLinux marketed it to 'early adopters who are curious about using Linux but either don't want to or can't install the operating system.' The company will now target the same crowd around the globe, starting in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, India and Singapore."

Ubuntu to Bring About Red Hat's Demise? 435

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the straight-from-the-tea-leaves dept.
Tony Mobily has written a thought-provoking editorial for Free Software Magazine that makes the bold prediction of Red Hat's eventual demise at the hands of Mark Shuttleworth and Ubuntu. Calling on memories of Red Hat alienating their desktop user base to focus on their corporate customers and making money, Mobily states that many of those alienated desktop users are also system administrators who now feel more comfortable with Ubuntu and will make the choice to use Ubuntu Server over Red Hat now and in the future.

Is the Google Web Toolkit Right For You? 163

Posted by CmdrTaco from the sure-why-not dept.
An anonymous reader writes "The recently released Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is a comprehensive set of APIs and tools that lets you create dynamic Web applications almost entirely in Java code. However, GWT is something of an all-or-nothing approach, targeted at a relatively small niche in Web application development market. This article shows you what GWT can do and will help you decide if it's the best tool to use for your web development."

Robo-Gecko Climbs Glass 143

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the going-up-the-slippery-slope-instead dept.
galactic_grub writes "Researchers at Stanford have developed a robot that mimics the extraordinary climbing skills of the Gecko. These creatures can climb sheer surfaces thanks to the intermolecular forces exerted by millions of tiny hairs their feet, called setae. The robot, Stickybot, has polymer pads on its feed with synthetic setae. Check out the video of it climbing up a sheet of glass."

Aero To Be Unavailable To Pirates 630

Posted by Zonk from the no-shiny-for-you dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Users thinking of pirating the next version of Windows may have a surprise in store: no Aero for you. The upcoming Microsoft OS will run a check to ensure the copy was legally purchased. If it comes up short, the shiniest part of the OS will not be available." From the article: "At first an optional program, the piracy check eventually became mandatory for many types of Windows XP downloads, but was not required to run any aspect of the operating system itself. Microsoft has identified reducing piracy as a key way for the company to grow its sales of Windows, which is already used on more than 90 percent of personal computers. But it's not just pirates who will be blocked from Windows' fanciest graphics. The Aero display also won't be available to those who buy Windows Vista Basic, the low-end consumer version of the operating system."

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