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Linux

Hardy Heron Making Linux Ready for the Masses? 1100

Posted by Zonk from the it-is-a-very-robust-bird dept.
desmondhaynes writes "Is Linux ready for the masses? Is Linux really being targeted towards the 'casual computer user'? Computerworld thinks we're getting there, talking of Linux 'going mainstream 'with Ubuntu. 'If there is a single complaint that is laid at the feet of Linux time and time again, it's that the operating system is too complicated and arcane for casual computer users to tolerate. You can't ask newbies to install device drivers or recompile the kernel, naysayers argue. Of course, many of those criticisms date back to the bad old days, but Ubuntu, the user-friendly distribution sponsored by Mark Shuttleworth's Canonical Ltd., has made a mission out of dispelling such complaints entirely.'"
Networking

Submission + - Bandwidth cost of streaming audio 4

Submitted by mbeisser
mbeisser writes: I work for a small company (fewer than 20 employees) that specializes in aviation HMI's. Recently, an office memo was sent out which contained the usually upper-management Do's and Dont's. One of the things that caught my attention was the mention that listening to streaming radio is prohibited because it "aggravates" the network. Now My question is: how detrimental to a network is having 10-15 people listening to di.fm, shoutcast, or imeem over the course of an average workday? Additionally, what is the company's incurred cost for something like this?
Announcements

Submission + - New Zealand Police Act wiki lets you write the law 1

Submitted by PhoenixOr
PhoenixOr writes: New Zealand is now on the top of my list for cool governments. They've opened a wiki allowing the populous to craft a new version of their Police Act, the legislative basis for policing in New Zealand. Stuff.co.nz has an article about it here.
Privacy

Submission + - There's something rotten in the kingdom of Denmark (domain.name)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The danish government has _over_implemented a EU directive to make the ISP store information about the first and last IP packets of all their customers internet traffic. If they can't technically manage that they must store one of 500. Also to be on the safe side they have decided to track phonecalls, mobilephones etc...

Read more (english) http://stupid.domain.name/node/417

The Eu directive:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32006L0024:en:NOT

The Danish technical implementation instructions (in danish):
http://147.29.40.91/DELFIN/HTML/B2006/0098805.htm
or
http://logningsdirektivet.dk/
Media

Submission + - NY Times "Free" trial is a trap (nytimesee.com)

Submitted by LiquidCoooled
LiquidCoooled writes: The New York Times have recently begun offering an exact digital replica of the daily newspaper.
However to get a look at this nifty sounding site, you must signup and leave your credit card details.
The only thing which concerns me is the following:

Page Headline: Free: Try The New York Times Electronic Edition For 7 Days

Clause lower down: The first charge will be on the 5th day of your 7-day free trial.

My question then, how do I get a free 7 day trial?
Hardware Hacking

Submission + - iPhone Reverse Engineering Opens New Door to Hacks (gizmodo.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The iPhone Dev Team keeps closing up on their total unlocking target: they just announced that they have reverse-engineered the software which controls the iPhone's radio communications, the low-level functions of Nucleus. This is the RTOS that powers the Infineon S-Gold2, an ARM-based secondary chip which also controls the JesusPhone's multimedia abilities. The team has now a new way to search for the key to make it work with other carriers.
Privacy

Submission + - Your web cam may have you on Candid Camera (www.ctv.ca)

Submitted by debest
debest writes: So, you're looking to buy yourself a wireless web cam. Better make sure it's never been used before! Someone purchased this Linksys camera from an office supply retail store and was using it for months, not knowing that someone else had already purchased it, returned it, then started receiving emails from the new owners of the camera that included attachments of the new family's activities. Apparently the first guy configured the camera to email himself a video whenever it detected motion, but didn't clear the settings before returning it. The new owners had no idea that the camera had been configured to do this. Since he had no idea who the new owner was, he gets the story on national television news. Seems they discovered the family since the story went up.

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UNIX is hot. It's more than hot. It's steaming. It's quicksilver lightning with a laserbeam kicker. -- Michael Jay Tucker

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