Comment Re:Times are different now. (Score 1) 302
Uh ... the 1970s called ... they want their joke back.
Sun Is Porting Java To the iPhone 275
krquet notes an InfoWorld article on Sun's plans for the iPhone. After studying Apple's newly released SDK docs for 24 hours, Sun decided it was feasible to develop a JVM, based on Java Micro Edition, for both the iPhone and the iTouch. An analyst is quoted: "I think going forward, with the SDK, it takes out of Apple's control which applications are 'right' for the iPhone." The article doesn't speculate on how Apple might to react to such a loss of control. "Apple had not shown interest in enabling Java to run on the iPhone, but Sun plans to step in and do the job itself... The free JVM would be made available via Apple's App Store marketplace for third-party applications."
Submission + - What the CIA really thinks of Internet Explorer 3
Mike writes: "Ever wonder what the CIA really thinks of Microsoft's Internet Explorer? How about just viewing the source of some of their javascript programs. When defining variables to define the browser the client uses, the CIA is very specific. Just look at the javascript source for the program found here: https://www.cia.gov/kids-page/games/break-the-code/code-1.html and you will see the CIA is telling the kiddies of the world that Microsoft's Internet Explorer is: bugRiddenCrashPronePieceOfJunk.
Here is the sample code:
var bugRiddenCrashPronePieceOfJunk=(navigator.userAgent.indexOf('MSIE 5')!=-1&&navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Mac')!=-1)
Nice. At the very least, you see how the CIA views the browser."
Here is the sample code:
var bugRiddenCrashPronePieceOfJunk=(navigator.userAgent.indexOf('MSIE 5')!=-1&&navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Mac')!=-1)
Nice. At the very least, you see how the CIA views the browser."
Communities of Mutants Form as DNA Testing Grows 161
GeneRegulator writes "The NY Times is running a story on communities that are forming around kids with rare genetic mutations. New technology that can scan chromosomes for small errors is being applied first to children with autism and other 'unexplained developmental delays.' It turns out that many of them have small deletions or duplications of DNA. Meanwhile, hundreds of little groups are forming around the banner of their children's shared mutations. As new research shows that many of us have small deletions and duplications of DNA that separate us from our parents, and that many of these "copy number variants" contribute to skills and senses, the families described in the story may presage the formation of all sorts of 'communities of the genetically rare' in the general population, not just amongst the developmentally delayed."
Submission + - Former MS (now FF)Security Honcho: MS Hides Holes (mozilla.com) 1
theranjan writes: "When Jeff Jones, a Security Strategy Director at Microsoft, decided to compare Internet Explorer security vulnerabilities with those of Mozilla Firefox, and decided to publish his results showing that Internet Explorer was more secure, he perhaps forgot that the Head Security Strategist of Mozilla, Window Snyder, was a former MS employee, in fact the security lead for the Service pack of Windows XP and Server. In a rebuttal of the study, Window Snyder said that the number of vulnerabilities publicly acknowledged was just a "small subset" of all vulnerabilities fixed internally. The vulnerabilities found internally are fixed in service packs and major updates without public knowledge. This is probably one of the first times that we have confirmation from one of Microsoft's former workers that this practice is routinely followed in Microsoft. This also confirms that the studies performed or referenced by Microsoft touting itself as the safest Operating system, comparing the vulnerabilities between OSes, needs to be taken with bucketfuls of salt. Finally, Window speaks out against the practice of counting bugs,stating plainly that "If we as an industry would just acknowledge that counting bugs is useless then vendors could feel safe talking about what they are doing to protect users" and "Were not building fixes for our PR team, were building them for our users. Go ahead and count.""
Submission + - Kevin Rudd wins Australian Election (abc.net.au)
gunny01 writes: "Kevin Rudd, the head of the Australian Labor Party, has defeated the Liberal Party incumbent John Howard in Saturday's federal election, with a 5.8% swing. This ends Howard's eleven year term in office, and it also appears at this stage that he has lost his seat. If this turns out to be correct, Peter Costello will be the Opposition leader in the new government.
Rudd, among other things, has promised to scrap the current governments unpopular industrial relations reforms and give Australians access to access to 100Mbs broadband and free laptops to every senior school student."
Rudd, among other things, has promised to scrap the current governments unpopular industrial relations reforms and give Australians access to access to 100Mbs broadband and free laptops to every senior school student."
Submission + - Discovery makes broadband up to 100 times faster
xaviergisz writes: "Today's
Sydney Morning Herald
has a story about a nifty algorithm which will speed up ADSL connections.
the University of Melbourne research fellow Dr John Papandriopoulos has developed an algorithm to reduce the electromagnetic interference that slows down ADSL connections. Most ADSL services around the world are effectively limited to speeds between 1 to 20Mbps, but if Dr Papandriopoulos's technology is successfully commercialised that speed ceiling would be closer to 100Mbps. Cross-talk in current day DSL networks effectively produces noise onto other lines, and this noise reduces the speed of your connection. Dr Papandriopoulos said his algorithm served to minimise that interference and thus maximise the line speed.
Dr Papandriopoulos, whose efforts also earned him the University of Melbourne's Chancellor's Prize for Excellence, said he would leave for the US in about two weeks. He has already applied for two patents relating to his discovery."
Submission + - SCO says there is 'substantial doubt' (computerworld.com)
stanishjohnd writes: With its cash reserves running out and its legal case against IBM Corp. unraveling, The SCO Group Inc. says there is doubt that it will remain afloat.
The Trouble With Rounding Floats 456
lukfil writes "We all know of floating point numbers, so much so that we reach for them each time we write code that does math. But do we ever stop to think what goes on inside that floating point unit and whether we can really trust it?"
