ezeri - Slashdot User

The Battle Between Purists and Pragmatists 213

Posted by kdawson on Friday July 24, 2009 @05:29PM from the driving-out-in-all-directions dept.

Glyn Moody has a thoughtful piece taking a long look at the never-ending battle between pragmatists and purists in free and open software. "While debates rage around whether Mono is good or bad for free software, and about 'fauxpen source' and 'Faux FLOSS Fundamentalists,' people are overlooking the fact that these are just the latest in a series of such arguments about whether the end justifies the means. There was the same discussion when KDE was launched using the Qt toolkit, which was proprietary at the time, and when GNOME was set up as a completely free alternative. But could it be that this battle between the 'purists' and the 'pragmatists' is actually good for free software — a sign that people care passionately about this stuff — and a major reason for its success?"

Submission + - Fox reports EPA controversy; CNN et al ignore it

Submitted by mbeckman on Tuesday June 30, 2009 @02:25AM

mbeckman writes: Fox News today reported that Senator James Inhofe, R-Okla, ordered an investigation into the Environmental Protection Agency's alleged suppression of an internal report calling into question the EPA's position backing CO2 as a primary cause of global warming. A report co-authored by EPA analyst Alan Carlin states that the EPA ignored data showing global temperature declining for eleven years despite increasing CO2 levels over the same period. Inhofe may or may not have a solid basis for his concerns; that remains to be seen. But what I find disturbing is that Senator Inhofe's quite public announcement has been ignored by CNN, CBS, NBC and ABC. As of midnight Monday MDT, the story appears on none of their sites. While there certainly can be room for selectivity in a news site's front page content, it's hard to imagine what justification major networks can have for completely ignoring a significant investigation ordered by a U.S. Senator. Will Slashdot air this controversy, or bury it further?

Submission + - Roadrunner is fastest computer on the planet (pcauthority.com.au)

Submitted by Slatterz on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @06:29PM

Slatterz writes: IBM's Roadrunner system has once again been verified as the fastest supercomputer on the planet. The computing cluster, located at the US Department of Energy's Livermore California labs, retained the top spot on the Top 500 supercomputer list despite challenges from several new systems. Second on the list was the Cray XT5 cluster at Oak Ridge Laboratory in Tennessee. This is the second time that the Oak Ridge system has been in the number 2 slot on the list.

Submission + - Twitter set to charge for account verification (pcauthority.com.au)

Submitted by Slatterz on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @06:02PM

Slatterz writes: Twitter may start charging companies to verify their accounts, as part of recently unveiled plans to tackle the increasing problem of cyber squatters setting up fake accounts. Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said that Twitter will target a few companies to begin with, including Dell, Whole Foods Mark Inc and Starbucks Corp. The news follows a revelation by Dell that it has earned $3m in revenue through Twitter since 2007. Twitter has been looking at ways to generate revenue for a long time. Even though the site is growing at a phenomenal rate, it has had trouble monetising its web traffic.

Submission + - IBM Working On 10x Battery Breakthrough (computerworld.com)

Submitted by

CWmike

on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @05:55PM

CWmike writes: "IBM said today that it is developing a next-generation rechargeable battery capable of storing 10 times more energy than today's top lithium-ion batteries. The new batteries could be used to power cars and store power for smart energy grids, it said. The company said it plans to discuss its work at its Almaden Institute 2009 conference on Aug. 26-27. 'High-density, scalable energy storage technologies are emerging as the greatest game-changer for this new era of renewable energy sources and smarter grids," said Sharon Nunes, vice president of IBM's Big Green Innovations organization. 'Today, the vast majority of the world's oil is burned for transportation. Energy sources such as wind and solar power fluctuate continuously. We believe the solution may lie in the development of an efficient, affordable energy storage network.'"

Submission + - No IE In EU Windows 7 Threatens Free Upgrades (computerworld.com)

Submitted by

CWmike

on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @04:23PM

CWmike writes: "Europeans who purchase Vista PCs starting Friday will have to do a 'clean install' of the free Windows 7 upgrade they'll receive later this year because Microsoft has yanked IE from the upcoming OS in the EU. 'The upgrade path from Windows Vista to the E or the N versions of Windows 7 will not support an 'in-place' upgrade,' TechARP said, quoting from a leaked Microsoft memo to computer makers. Why the change? Previously, Microsoft made it clear Vista users would be able to do in-place upgrades, but in deciding to remove IE8 from Windows 7 — which most analysts saw as an attempt to head off another option for complying with the EU, a ballot screen concept for browser selection — Microsoft made clean installs a must. But after saying in the memo that PC makers needed to include a browser for PCs to not be crippled once upgraded, Microsoft said they will also have the option to include IE with PCs sold in the EU. 'OEMs may use the IE pack to preinstall Internet Explorer 8 on E and N versions of Windows 7, including versions of those products installed on Program upgrade media,' TechARP cited."

Submission + - iPhone 3G 3.0 Carrier Unlock (Ultrasn0w) Released

Submitted by

MasJ

on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @03:47AM

MasJ writes: "The iphone dev team has finally released the much awaited ultrans0w 3G unlock for the iPhone 3G. This hack can unlock any 3G iPhone (to be used on any carrier) on the new 3.0 firmware. This time, it also follow a simplified install process wherein a simple jailbreak is required and then you can just install ultrasn0w from Cydia [The jailbroken app-store]. More information is available at the Dev Team Blog."

Submission + - Norwegian lawyers must stop chasing file sharers (torrentfreak.com)

Submitted by Skapare on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @01:16AM

Skapare writes: TorrentFreak is reporting that Norway's Simonsen law firm has lost their license to chase after file sharers.

Just days after Norway's data protection department told ISPs they must delete all personal IP address-related data three weeks after collection, it's now become safer than ever to be a file-sharer in Norway. The only law firm with a license to track pirates has just seen it expire and it won't be renewed.

Sounds like Norway's government treats privacy seriously. Maybe they've been watching the abuses in the USA. More info on Norwegian perspective at Dagbladet.no.

Submission + - SORBS to close

Submitted by Mr. Roadkill on Monday June 22, 2009 @11:39PM

Mr. Roadkill writes: Love them or loathe them, SORBS is about to close.

The University of Queensland will not continue hosting them, so as of July 20 2009 SORBS will close — unless they can find someone else with enough spare power, cooling and bandwidth for a 42RU DDoS target. I'll be sad to see them go; I block directly using a few of their lists, but find some of the more aggressive ones very handy for giving a little extra nudge to get spam over my local SpamAssassin rejection threshold.

Submission + - Google has broken Javascript spam munging (livejournal.com)

Submitted by Baxil on Monday June 22, 2009 @10:11PM

Baxil writes: For years now, Javascript munging has been a useful tool to share e-mail addresses without exposing them to spammers. However, Google is now apparently evaluating Javascript when assembling summary text for web pages' listings, and spammers have started to take advantage of this loophole.

Submission + - Database of all UK children launched (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 18, 2009 @02:09AM

An anonymous reader writes: "A controversial database which holds the details of every child in England has now become available for childcare professionals to access. The government says it will enable more co-ordinated services for children and ensure none slips through the net. 390,000 people will have access to the database, but will have gone through stringent security training."

Submission + - Why Linux is not yet ready for the Desktop 1

Submitted by

Anonymous Coward

on Monday May 18, 2009 @12:46AM

Anonymous Coward writes: "Every now and then a new old media journalist tries to explain everyone why Linux is not yet ready for the desktop. However all those men who graduated their engineering universities years ago have only superficial knowledge about operating systems and their inner works. An unknown author from Russia have decided to draw a list of technical reasons and limitations hampering Linux domination on the desktop. Slashdot crowd is invited for discussion of the list."

Submission + - Biden Reveals Location of Secret VP Bunker

Submitted by

Hugh Pickens

on Sunday May 17, 2009 @08:18PM

Hugh Pickens writes: "Fox News reports that "Vice President Joe Biden, well-known for his verbal gaffes, may have finally outdone himself, divulging potentially classified information meant to save the life of a sitting vice president." According to the report, while recently attending the Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, an annual event where powerful politicians and media elite get a chance to cozy up to one another, Biden told his dinnermates about the existence of a secret bunker under the old US Naval Observatory, which is now the home of the vice president. Although earlier reports had placed the Vice-Presidential hide-out in a highly secure complex of buildings inside Raven Rock Mountain near Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, Fox News reports that the Naval Observatory bunker is believed to be the secure, undisclosed location former Vice President Dick Cheney remained under protection in secret after the 9/11 attacks. According to the report, Biden "said a young naval officer giving him a tour of the residence showed him the hideaway, which is behind a massive steel door secured by an elaborate lock with a narrow connecting hallway lined with shelves filled with communications equipment." According to Eleanor Clift, Newsweek magazine's Washington contributing editor "the officer explained that when Cheney was in lock down, this was where his most trusted aides were stationed, an image that Biden conveyed in a way that suggested we shouldn't be surprised that the policies that emerged were off the wall." In December 2002, neighbors complained of loud construction work being done at the Naval Observatory, which has been used as a residence by vice presidents since 1974. The upset neighbors were sent a letter by the observatory's superintendent, calling the work "sensitive in nature" and "classified" and that it was urgent it be completed on a highly accelerated schedule."

Submission + - Swedish State-Owned Media Freeze Pirate Party Out

Submitted by Anonymous Swedish Pirate on Sunday May 17, 2009 @07:57PM

Anonymous Swedish Pirate writes: Swedish state-owned SVT (Swedish Television) held a telecast this evening on the coming EU elections. The hot debate topic was file sharing and the repressive legislation passed this year by the current government. Yet strangely every major political party was invited except the Pirate Party. Rick Falkvinge is furious. People are writing to SVT to protest. Considering SVT is government owned it's not hard, according to some, to guess why the Pirate Party was excluded.

Submission + - Top 10 disappointing technologies (pcauthority.com.au)

Submitted by Slatterz on Sunday May 17, 2009 @06:18PM

Slatterz writes: Every once in a while, a product comes along that everyone from the executives to the analysts to even the crusty old reporters thinks will change the IT world. Sadly, they are often misguided. This article lists some of the top ten technology disappointments that failed to change the world, from the ludicrously priced Apple Lisa, to voice recognition, to Intel's ill-fated Itainum chip, and virtual reality, this article lists some of the top ten technology disappointments that failed to change the world.

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