Comment Re:Who will replace her? (Score 4, Interesting) 356
I wouldn't be surprised if she was under a non-compete preventing exactly that.
Comment Re:Cue the "Jobs is dying, Apple is doomed" storie (Score 1) 371
Name one other company where people demand they to go on record regarding the health of the CEO when some band of journalists decides to perform an amateur medical diagnosis based on photographs and videos.
I can't, but I can't think of another company where the CEO plays as influential a role in public perception of the company as Steve Jobs.
The board is required to divulge information about his health if it affects his ability to do his job. They are under no obligation to respond to nutjobs and market makers.
You're absolutely right that Apple's under no obligation to respond. What I said is that the simplest way to silence the "nutjobs" is a strongly-worded denial.
Comment Re:Cue the "Jobs is dying, Apple is doomed" storie (Score 1) 371
I believe a very large part of that can be blamed on Apple. When lawyers and the SEC are involved, the lack of a strong denial sounds like a confirmation. To my knowledge, Apple has never said "Steve is not sick--" they've only flirted with the question ("Steve's BP is 120/80") or avoided it ("We're not here to talk about Steve's health.")
A simply-worded denial could dramatically tone down the questions, if that's their goal.
Comment Re:Credit where credit is due (Score 1) 444
Google is the only legitimate company I've seen that auto-updates desktop software silently. Arguably, Google's implementation qualifies as badware for these reasons:
- The fact that it auto-updates is disclosed only in the EULA, not separately from the EULA, as required by Method of Disclosure and Consent.
- In violation of Software Which Installs Deceptively, the auto-updater makes substantive changes to the application, silently downloads, and does not clearly disclose the auto-updates during the initial install.
- Previously, Google Updater was left behind when Chrome was uninstalled, in violation of Software Which Is Not Easy To Uninstall Completely.
Microsoft gets a lot of things wrong, but at least it lets you reject a patch you know is going to break something that you need.
MySQL in a Nutshell 86
stoolpigeon writes "MySQL is frequently touted as the world's most widely used relational database management system. Many of the best known web applications and web sites use MySQL as their data repository. The popularity of MySQL has continued to grow while at the same time many were concerned by the lack of many features considered essential to a 'real' rdbms. Such naysayers have done little to impede the growth or development of MySQL. The first edition of MySQL in a Nutshell, published in 2005, gave users a handy reference to using MySQL. The second edition, published in 2008, covers many new features that MySQL fans proudly proclaim as an answer to all those critics clamoring for a better-rounded rdbms." Read below for the rest of JR's review.
Comment Re:Why do "net neutrality" advocates (Score 1) 179
Worf does. That's good enough for me.
Comment Re:Three tips to optimize your site... (Score 1) 71
Would you idiots PLEASE for the LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, stop justifying the use of flash for videos when there is a perfectly good embed tag used for embedding *gasp* videos!
There's no such thing as an embed tag in HTML. If you believe differently, please reply with a link to the appropriate part of the HTML/XHTML spec.
Comment Re:The devil is in the details (Score 1) 775
Uh no, congress did not do that. Even if congress did do that you don't overturn a supreme court decision by writing another law. What congress did was more narrowly define what kind of child pornography is banned. It is now "such visual depiction is a computer image or computer-generated image that is, or appears virtually indistinguishable from that of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct." So if someone developed a image metrics child pornography, that might meet the standard of "virtually indistinguishable" and therefore be banned. A simple animation would not be.
IE8 Will Be Standards-Compliant By Default 383
A number of readers wrote in to make sure we know about Microsoft's change of heart regarding IE8. The new version of the dominant browser will render in full standards mode by default. Developers wishing to use quirks mode for IE6- and IE7-compatible rendering will have to opt in explicitly. We've previously discussed IE8's render mode a few times. Perhaps Opera's complaint to the EU or the EU's record antitrust fine had something to do with Redmond's about-face.
Boeing 787 May Be Vulnerable to Hacker Attack 332
palegray.net writes "An article posted yesterday on Wired.com notes that 'Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner passenger jet may have a serious security vulnerability in its onboard computer networks that could allow passengers to access the plane's control systems, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.' They're already working on solutions to the problem - including placing more physical separation between aircraft networks and implementing more robust software-based firewalls."
Apple Patents 'Buy Stuff Wirelessly, Skip Lines' Tech 254
An anonymous reader writes "Apple is looking to patent a process that will save customers the hassle of waiting to order a cup of coffee at a local Starbucks. Even better: The technology would let you jump the line of those ordering in person. 'Customers might tap a button to order their favorite drink, say a double-shot mocha, as they stroll up to the nearest coffee shop. When the drink is ready go to, the device--such as an iPhone--would chime or blink to let the thirsty one know it's time to scoop up the order at the counter. The patent puts Apple's partnership with Starbucks in a new light. The technology promises to morph Apple from the business of simply selling gadgets and music and movies that can be played on those devices into an intermediary in all kinds of exchanges.'"
Tools To Squash the Botnets 135
Roland Piquepaille writes "This is the intention of Paul Barford, a computer scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He wants to build a new line of defense against malicious traffic which has become today a billion-dollar 'shadow industry.' As one of 'the most menacing aspects of botnets is that they can go largely undetected' by a PC owner, he developed a new computer security technique for detecting network intrusions. His system has a 99.9% detection rate of malicious signatures, roughly equivalent to some of the best commercial systems. But it has zero false positives when commercial systems have high numbers. This new system could soon be available commercially."
Latest Revelations on the FBI's Data Mining of America 446
An anonymous reader writes "You probably already knew that the FBI was data mining Americans in the "search" for potential terrorists, but did you know that they're also supposed to be looking for people in the U.S. engaged in criminal activity that is not really supposed to be the province of the federal government? Now the feds are alleged to be data mining for insurance fraudsters, identity thieves, and questionable online pharmacists. That's what they're telling us now. What else could they be looking for that they are not telling us about?"
Latest Revelations on the FBI's Data Mining of America 446
An anonymous reader writes "You probably already knew that the FBI was data mining Americans in the "search" for potential terrorists, but did you know that they're also supposed to be looking for people in the U.S. engaged in criminal activity that is not really supposed to be the province of the federal government? Now the feds are alleged to be data mining for insurance fraudsters, identity thieves, and questionable online pharmacists. That's what they're telling us now. What else could they be looking for that they are not telling us about?"
EMI May Sell Entire Collection as DRM-less MP3s 188
BobbyJo writes "According to the Chicago Sun-Times, EMI has been pitching the possibility of selling its entire music collection to the public in MP3 form ... without Digital Rights Management protections. According to the article, several other major music companies have considered this same route, but none as far as EMI. The reasons, of course, have nothing to do with taking a moral stand; EMI wants to compete with Apple. 'The London-based EMI is believed to have held talks with a wide range of online retailers that compete with Apple's iTunes. Those competing retailers include RealNetworks Inc., eMusic.com, MusicNet Inc. and Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks. People familiar with the matter cautioned that EMI could still abandon the proposed strategy before implementing it. A decision about whether to keep pursuing the idea could come as soon as today.'"
