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Submission + - Computer chess created in 487 bytes, breaks 32-year-old record (geek.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The record for smallest computer implementation of chess on any platform was held by 1K ZX Chess, which saw a release back in 1983 for the Sinclair ZX81. It uses just 672 bytes of memory, and includes most chess rules as well as a computer component to play against.

The record held by 1K ZX Chess for the past 32 years has just been beaten this week by the demoscene group Red Sector Inc. They have implemented a fully-playable version of chess called BootChess in just 487 bytes.

Submission + - Ocean Floor Mining May Lead to Mass Extinction (nytimes.com)

Submitted by retroworks
retroworks writes: There are clear signs already that humans are harming the oceans to a remarkable degree, according to research published in the journal Science.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cont...
Overharvesting, warming, and large-scale habitat loss are likely to accelerate as technology advances the human footprint. Ocean floor mining contracts, the paper says, could be the last straw.

Submission + - There Are Human Remains Orbiting The Earth (vice.com)

Submitted by sarahnaomi
sarahnaomi writes: As New Horizons, the first spacecraft NASA’s sent to Pluto, begins its encounter with the dwarf planet today, it carries with it some special cargo: the cremated body of Clyde Tombaugh. Tombaugh, who died in 1997, discovered Pluto in 1930, so it’s fitting that NASA decided to included his remains on the first mission to the dwarf planet when it launched the probe back in 2006, with the blessing of his family.

Still, this space burial is unusual for NASA—and certainly for the rest of us—but it’s actually not all that unusual for the private space travel industry. In fact, the remains of dozens of men and women have been fired into space over the last 20 years, many of which are still orbiting us today, as I found out chatting with the man who sent them there.

Submission + - There is no center of the Universe

Submitted by StartsWithABang
StartsWithABang writes: From our vantage point, the Universe is expanding and cooling, with all but a few of the closest galaxies receding from our view. In fact, the farther away an object is, the faster it appears to recede. This may sound an awful lot like what occurs in an explosion to you, especially if it were centered on us. Furthermore, the name “the Big Bang” sure gives that same implication, doesn’t it? Yet despite these facts, it turns out that the idea that the Universe has a center is completely false, and is actually contradicted by both relativity and the Universe that we observe.

Comment too... many... links... in... article.... (Score 1) 581

by mitzampt (#48417261) Attached to: Debian Votes Against Mandating Non-systemd Compatibility
I expect things to happen just like GNOME3:
STEP 1: Big change, didn't really think that one out...
STEP 2: Community outrage, people whining, people migrating away
STEP 3: Some development versions away, things actually starts to work, requested features are being added
STEP 4: We get to a pretty nice project in itself, it has identity, it has what was intended, it has far less users (ungrateful bastards!!!)
PROFIT?
Should we get involved into the design of systemd and make it take on our own problems I'm sure it will turn out just fine. After all, the stakes are high, the stakes are many. I for one eagerly await for systemd to add plain text log/config support, just like mother UNIX wanted. Until then begone!

Submission + - Aging and Orphan Open Source Projects 1

Submitted by osage
osage writes: Several colleagues and I have worked on an open source project for over 20 years under a corporate aegis. Though nothing like Apache, we have a sizable user community and the software is considered one of the de facto standards for what it does. The problem is that we have never been able to attract new, younger programmers, and members of the original set have been forced to find jobs elsewhere or are close to retirement. The corporation has no interest in supporting the software. Thus, in the near future, the project will lose its web site host and be devoid of its developers and maintainers. Our initial attempts to find someone to adopt the software haven't worked. We are looking for suggestions as to what course to pursue. We can't be the only open source project in this position.

Comment Re:Soon to be patched (Score 1) 329

by mitzampt (#48018941) Attached to: Bash To Require Further Patching, As More Shellshock Holes Found
If you have the bucks then pay the professional, I haven't heard of any of them to do a terrible job for the huge paycheck. And the insurance will not cover even if a 'professional' did a lousy job.
What the guys in the thread are stressing and you are not getting is the regulation of said job(s). And in my opinion both FOSS and closed source lack, in practice, a lot of testing scenarios. Being a conscious fellow I can add my own hacks... er... tests to see what I am installing, to more or less satisfying results and I always open a bug report when things aren't ok. And the tests, in my experience, are more easy to do and have shorter resolution loop (including feedback and push forth) in open source as it is in closed source. Also, the guys back at the source are really helpful even if you didn't pay for a support contract and the criteria for selecting your bug to be resolved are in most cases technical and fair.

Comment Reuse... (Score 1) 10

by mitzampt (#47897067) Attached to: Linux distro to vampire XP install?
One: Windows and Linux drivers are not interchangeable... That being said, for old equipment most likely linux kernel still has support for it. On the other hand, for specific hardware forget it.
Two: Applications are not that easily to move from windows to wine. Some won't work. Some will work only after fresh install. Migrating registry keys and license files are also rarely successful.
I do not discourage use of a gnu/linux distribution to solve your problems, but I don't see your solution feasible. If you need specific hardware or software and support is nowhere to be found in the community I suggest you upgrade both hardware and Windows.

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