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Comment Historically... (Score -1) 238

by steelcobra (#33829234) Attached to: The Encryption Pioneer Who Was Written Out of History

Cryptography is a long series of people reinventing schemes because A: they didn't know about them (the secrecy of the existence was maintained), and B: it was effective. A great example is the Jefferson disk (1795) and Bazeries Cylinder (US-Army M-94, 1923-1942), which were functionally identical.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_disk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-94

Comment Re:Vitual center (Score -1) 183

by steelcobra (#32565756) Attached to: SeaMicro Unveils 512 Atom-Based Server

VMWare could handle that. It dynamically assigns resources of the hardware to the the VMs so they are running at maximum efficiency. Unlike with traditional physical servers where the hardware is mostly at idle while the processes take maybe 10% of operating ability, or run up when overtasked and lock up when maxed out.
Games

The Psychology of Achievement In Playing Games 80

Posted by Soulskill from the no-you-don't-get-points-for-reading-this dept.
A post on Pixel Poppers looks at the psychological underpinnings of the types of challenges offered by different game genres, and the effect those challenges have on determining which players find the games entertaining. Quoting: "To progress in an action game, the player has to improve, which is by no means guaranteed — but to progress in an RPG, the characters have to improve, which is inevitable. ... It turns out there are two different ways people respond to challenges. Some people see them as opportunities to perform — to demonstrate their talent or intellect. Others see them as opportunities to master — to improve their skill or knowledge. Say you take a person with a performance orientation ('Paul') and a person with a mastery orientation ('Matt'). Give them each an easy puzzle, and they will both do well. Paul will complete it quickly and smile proudly at how well he performed. Matt will complete it quickly and be satisfied that he has mastered the skill involved. Now give them each a difficult puzzle. Paul will jump in gamely, but it will soon become clear he cannot overcome it as impressively as he did the last one. The opportunity to show off has disappeared, and Paul will lose interest and give up. Matt, on the other hand, when stymied, will push harder. His early failure means there's still something to be learned here, and he will persevere until he does so and solves the puzzle."

Comment Re:Script (Score -1, Flamebait) 460

by steelcobra (#26189531) Attached to: New Contest Will Seek the Best "I'm Linux" Video

I'm not an average user, have some odd peripherals, and like to play games. Thus, Windows and decent hardware.

And considering you can get a decent PC for 600 or so now WITH Windows...

As to OSX that's because they refuse to sell the entire OS standalone and support the open-hardware environment.

Ubuntu does not do enough to make me happy.

Comment Script (Score -1, Flamebait) 460

by steelcobra (#26189191) Attached to: New Contest Will Seek the Best "I'm Linux" Video

Mac/PC ad freezes, nerdy looking guy walks in front.

"And hi!, I'm linux. I'm free, unlike these guys. And I've been configured to run on just about any hardware!

"As long as you don't care about using all the software these guys use, and are willing to deal with no real customer service, I'm a great alternative! I admit that unlike with these guys I don't easily work with the hardware you already have...

"Ummm...I'm really best in a server...en..vironment..." (trails off)

Walks off with head down.
Power

Submission + - Wireless power on the desktop scale

Submitted by RockDoctor
RockDoctor writes: Nature are reporting early versions of a desktop-ready device for wirelessly powering equipment. A plastic sheet a millimeter thick on the desktop contains induction coils, microelectromechanical switches and control circuitry, applied to a conductive polymer base by various forms of printing. When the sheet detects a compatible receiver within range (~2.5cm), the nearest coil is switched on and provides the receiver with up to 40W of power inductively. The devices are not yet ready for mainstream — another 5 years of development is estimated — and there is the issue of persuading manufacturers to incorporate the receiving equipment into their new designs. But a projected price of ~$100 for a square metre of transmitter is credible (SG $ ? or CA or US? not specified in the article; the developers are in Japan). Now, if you could get power receivers that would supply (for example) a conventional mobile-phone charging-cradle, that would be a useful step towards widespread acceptance.

Could this lead to the start of a new VHS-vs-BetaMax or HDDVD-vs-BluRay style compatibility war? If one manufacturer is trying such an obvious idea, likely others are.
Music

Submission + - We7: Why it will "fall flat on its face"

Submitted by madonna
madonna writes: CNET extensively reasons why the new We7.com download service — which offers ad-embedded free music downloads without DRM — is doomed to failure and only good for poor countries.

"This service absolutely, categorically will not succeed. You can quote us on that. It's true the best way to combat piracy is to provide a realistic and affordable alternative, and free is certainly affordable. But music downloaders are not going to switch to using a service that costs the same as using BitTorrent or Limewire, but comes with abominable disclaimers or advertisements..."
Slashdot.org

Submission + - Contest winner: Vista more secure than Mac OS X

Submitted by thisispurefud
thisispurefud writes: Contest winner: Vista more secure than Mac OS X From your research on both platforms, is there a winner between Mac OS X 10.4 and Vista on security? I have found the code quality, at least in terms of security, to be much better overall in Vista than Mac OS X 10.4. It is obvious from observing affected components in security patches that Microsoft's Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) has resulted in fewer vulnerabilities in newly-written code. I hope that more software vendors follow their lead in developing proactive software security development methodologies. http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/04/30/daizovi/in dex.php
HP

Submission + - HP changes business model

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: HP has launched a new line of business printers but there's a big catch — you won't be able to buy one. For the first time in history, the company will make customers purchase printing services, rather than the product itself. At its biggest printer launch since the LaserJet in 1984, HP's new business-class Edgeline printers will only be available through a managed services contract. Pricing will be per page, depending on the quality of the printout. Edgeline technology is said to be so ink-efficient that if HP were to sell these printers, they would never match the money they make from consumables (cartridges etc) now.

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