Comment Re:Oct 14 (Score 1) 137
It says that the morse code logo was animated but I never saw that - it seems pretty static to me while other logos are animating just fine. Anyone else? Any explanation?
Comment Don't sell project itself but its future (Score 3, Insightful) 167
I have been in the Open Source business for almost 10 years now and I am leading a big open source software project which is completely self-sufficient.
From my experience what you need to sell is not a 'Please open source this software because other will benefit from it' but a 'Please open source this software because YOU will profit from it - in the future'. Open sourcing a software is usually a bet on future option, like a stock option you are creating which needs constant nurturing.
Tell the customer that with a regular maintenance fee he might be able not only to help you support him (in case of problems/bugs/general support), but also will be able to extend it with possible new features with no additional costs (beyond that maintenance fee).
The 'do it for the public common good' is certainly weighing in on your suggestion but certainly a future investment and return is the key point. At least this worked for me/us. Usually if additional features happen they will be so happy and donate on top, too.
Submission + - Patent troll sues X-Plane (x-plane.com)
symbolset writes: X-Plane is an awesome flight simulator that has survived the onslaught of Microsoft Flight Simulator, been the first to include NASA data in their terrain modelling, and remained Linux compatible through their whole history. They have a long and grand history.
They are now under attack from a patent troll, Uniloc, and will needs must shut down unless we help them out. If we fail to help, we lose X-plane — and we deserve to.
They are now under attack from a patent troll, Uniloc, and will needs must shut down unless we help them out. If we fail to help, we lose X-plane — and we deserve to.
Submission + - Why WikiLeaks' Spinoff OpenLeaks Failed (wired.com) 1
Sparrowvsrevolution writes: Wired has published an excerpt of the new WikiLeaks-related book "This Machine Kills Secrets," which delves into the launch of the WikiLeaks spinoff OpenLeaks at the Chaos Communication Camp in Berlin last year. The detailed account of the site's debut, with German ex-WikiLeaker Daniel Domscheit-Berg at the helm, reveals that even before the dispute between WikiLeaks and OpenLeaks led to the controversial destruction of the decryption keys for 3,000 of WikiLeaks encrypted leaks taken by Domscheit-Berg, OpenLeaks was already facing significant problems: Rumors that the group had been infiltrated by the German government, a lack of code open for public auditing and even a failure to get the site online in time for the penetration test it had invited the CCC hackers to perform. The book passage gives a peek into the infighting, bad luck, disorganization and personality problems that has left the world without a real sequel to WikiLeaks despite the dozens of leak-focused sites that have launched in the last two years.
Submission + - Study Boils Water Without Bubbles (sciencecodex.com)
SchrodingerZ writes: "Scientists at Northwestern University have successfully found a way to boil water with the absence of bubbles. How they did it was use a 'specially engineered coated surface can create a stable vapor cushion between the surface and a hot liquid and eliminate the bubbles that are created during boiling'. The study was founded on the Leidenfrost effect ; which explains that when droplets of water are put onto a hot skillet, they will bounce and float on top of a slim vapor film layer. In the new experiment the researchers made the 'surface of tiny steel spheres very water-repellant. The spheres were sprayed with a commercially available hydrophobic coating. When the steel spheres were heated to 400 degrees Celsius and dropped into room temperature water, water vapors formed in the valleys of the textured surface, creating a stable Leidenfrost vapor film that did not collapse once the spheres cooled to the temperature of boiling water. In the experiments, researchers completely avoided the bubbly phase of boiling.' It is hoped that this new method of water heating will make industrial work safer and more efficient in the future. The study was publish in the journal Nature (linked here)."
Comment Re:Might have the opposite effect? (Score 1) 316
Actually, that might not be too far from reality. It takes a small obnoxious group of jerks to make the life of everyone else miserable.
And even worse: They will feel that it is their good right to harass everyone else because they paid for it.
Bad Science Writer Talks About the Placebo Effect *NSFW* 131
The Guardian newspaper's Bad Science columnist Dr. Ben Goldacre does a stand-up routine about medicine, the placebo effect, and the mysteries of the human body at Nerdstock. From a scientific standpoint, I can't accurately say how funny it is because I was told it was great before I saw it.
Submission + - ThePirateBay Hackers Website Vanishes (zeropaid.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Yesterday, news was circulating that ThePirateBay was hacked, exposing 4 million users identities. Drew Wilson from ZeroPaid is reporting today that the website that made all of these claims has now vanished and merely redirects users to Google. ThePirateBay did make upgrades, but whether or not that was in direct relationship to the story that hackers broke in to their site isn't clear.
Submission + - Setting Up Linux Public Machines?
JJMacey writes: I've been in closed Linux Loop. I've run it forever, made a bunch of converts, and now want to throw a Linux Box into the business center of a hotel. It will be a stand alone Linux machine (running Ubuntu), no server, no MAC, no VMWare, and want to lock this box down to very limited menu, icon options. It will help in dealing with the difficulties of maintaining the Microsoft versions, AdWare, SpyWare, Up-Dates, Virii, etc.
We are dealing w/ the general public, much like a library, I have Googled for the simple, elegant solution, but to no avail.
Has anybody have any ideas?
Thanks in advance for productive replies.
We are dealing w/ the general public, much like a library, I have Googled for the simple, elegant solution, but to no avail.
Has anybody have any ideas?
Thanks in advance for productive replies.
Submission + - Fragmentation Lessons From Sega (rizergames.com)
rizer writes: The fragmentation of Google's Android operating system is a hotly debated topic. But haven't we seen this all before? Mobile games developer, Luke Rogers, takes a look at the reasons behind the Dreamcast's failure and points to the history lessons Google should be paying attention to.
Submission + - USB cupwarmer might steal your data (tarpit.rmc.ca)
adaviel writes: New Scientist recently reported work by researchers at the Royal Military College of Canada on hardware-based USB trojans. While the concept is not new (I saw a cool demo of an iPod pwning a Mac over Firewire at CanSecWest a few years ago), USB is interesting because of all the goofy "harmless" devices like personal fans, cellphone chargers etc. — an attacker might ask a victim "can I charge my phone on your laptop?", but the "charger" actually emulates a keyboard and headphone, able to execute commands and download data.
More Evidence For Steam Games On Linux 256
SheeEttin writes "Back in November 2008, Phoronix reported that Linux libraries appeared in the Left 4 Dead demo, and then in March, Valve announced that Steam and the Source engine were coming to Mac OS X. Now, Phoronix reports that launcher scripts included with the (closed beta) Mac version of Steam include explicit support for launching a Linux version."
Ubuntu LTS Experiences X.org Memory Leak 320
MonsterTrimble writes "Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Beta 2 is experiencing a major memory leak due to patches for X.org. 'An X.Org Server update that was pushed into the Lucid repository last week has resulted in the system being slower and slower as it is left on, until it reaches a point where the system is no longer usable. ... In order to make the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS deadline, the developers are looking at just reverting three of the patches, which brings the GLX version back to 1.2. Ubuntu developers are now desperate for people willing to test out this updated X.Org Server package so they can determine by this Friday whether to ship it with Ubuntu 10.04 LTS or doing an early SRU (Stable Release Update). Right now this X.Org Server that's being tested is living in the ubuntu-x-swat PPA.'"
Comment Starting to get ridiculous... (Score 5, Interesting) 410
I think that 'Better safe than sorry' is a good way to handle this... however straight after closing the airspace there should have been real tests going on how much ash there actually is. The warnings given by the Volcanic observation center are just based on simulations and there is no middle way between 'ash' and 'no ash' currently.
I totally understand that the airlines are starting to complain - even more when they have to _prove_ themselves that there is no problem with low concentrations.
There hasn't been any weatherballoons or similar testing by the governments right after closing the airspace.
Flash Builder 4 — Defective By Design? 66
ApolloX writes "Adobe has released its new version of the Flex Builder, now renamed Flash Builder 4. This version is radically different from previous versions of Flex, introducing the new Spark architecture and theme support. While I am pleased Adobe has finally added support for Eclipse 3.5, I am disappointed with some of the new architecture changes that make doing simple things, such as skinning a button, now quite cumbersome."
