Comment Re:Make it work! (Score 1) 425
I, myself, just visited http://www.whatismyipv6.net/ and found out that I have become IPv6 connected without knowing it. So apparently, it doesn't have to be that painful.
Comment Re:BSD is dead (Score 4, Funny) 595
Yet, the cited study places a FreeBSD based OS at 10 times the Linux market share.
Comment Re:Apple and "security theatre". (Score 1) 484
So fix the bloody flaw. STOP HIDING FILE EXTENSIONS.
I'm not saying that I disagree, but in that case they would also have to stop supporting running unix executable files from within Finder or disable custom icons for such files.
Warning dialogs should ONLY be brought up before *rare* and *irreversible* actions. Not common ones.
Depending on point of view, launching a downloaded application for the first time could be considered rare and could definitely result in something irreversible.
Comment Re:Apple and "security theatre". (Score 1) 484
The reason for the dialog you get when launching a downloaded application for the first time is to counter an otherwise existing flaw where an application could be disguised a document.
The key part of the dialog message is not that the file was downloaded from "the Internet", but rather the fact that the file is "an application".
Comment Re:CNN's article reads like Apple propaganda (Score 1) 131
And when you really think about it, paying any price for a digital download is simply price gouging anyway, since the cost of reproduction is zero. That means at $5, Trism is marked up 500 times. No wonder he got so rich, huh?
You seem to have a moral objection against high mark up percentages. Your first error is discussing margins in terms of percentages of costs. The only case where this is meaningful is when there is a risk involved with the cost. Since you disregard development costs, marketing costs and write-off costs, the remaining cost (distribution + "replication") carries no risk.
The markup percentage has nothing to do with how "rich" you get. Your profit comes from absolute margin times volumes sold. An acquaintance of mine runs a business with a "mark up" of < 5 % and they are still able to make loads of money. Are they saintly in your eyes?
Debian Lenny Installer RC1 Arrives 81
nerdyH writes "It appears that Debian 5.0 (aka "Lenny") will soon take its big binocular eyes out into the wider world. Only two months later than expected, the Debian project has completed the first release candidate of Lenny's installer. Featuring much faster installation from "live" CDs, and expanded support for ARM-based devices such as NAS servers, Lenny has gestated for 19 months, compared to 21 months for the previous "Etch" release. Lookout, world, Debian releases are picking up speed! The download is here."
NVIDIA Makes First 4GB Graphics Card 292
Frogger writes to tell us NVIDIA has released what they are calling the most powerful graphics card in history. With 4GB of graphics memory and 240 CUDA-programmable parallel cores, this monster sure packs a punch, although, with a $3,500 price tag, it certainly should. Big-spenders can rejoice at a new shiny, and the rest of us can be happy with the inevitable price shift in the more reasonable models.
Google Envisions Free Cell Phones For All 164
Salvance writes "Google's CEO Eric Schmidt envisions a day when all cell phones are free if the user agrees to watch targeted ads. While he provides no specific plans for Google to give away phones, the implication is that he expects such moves in the future given Google's current pilot successes with delivering text ads on phones." From the article: "Schmidt also said his company was working on how to allow users to maintain basic control of their personal data. Currently, Google stores consumer data on hundreds of thousands of its own computers in order to provide additional services to individual users. The company is looking to allow consumers to export their Web search history or e-mail archives and move them to other sites, if they so choose."
Harvard Scientists to Clone Human Embryos 592
An anonymous reader writes "Harvard University scientists claim they will soon start trying to clone human embryos to create stem cells. Even with the history of controversy and fraud researchers hope they can one day use the newly created stem cells to aid in battle against many diseases. From the article: 'The privately funded work is aimed at devising treatments for such ailments as diabetes, Lou Gehrig's disease, sickle-cell anemia and leukemia. Harvard is only the second American university to announce its venture into the challenging, politically charged research field.'"
OpenDocument Voted In By ISO 179
cduffy writes "OpenDocument has been voted in as ISO/IEC 26300, with no dissenting votes and a small number of abstentions. There are still several formalities to take place before final issuance. Now the question: Will OpenXML get the same treatment, despite its technical weaknesses? There's also coverage on Groklaw."
Trapping Toxins Using Gold Nanoparticles 68
Billly Gates writes "British scientists have found a way to quickly and accurately find toxins by binding gold nanoparticles with sugar which then could be dissolved in a solution that changes color when any toxin is found. This procedure could be used in the medical field to find poisons and diseases as well as finding substances in bioterrorist attacks."
Americans Gearing up to Fight Global Warming 1104
TechnoGuyRob writes "Global warming has been one of the most controversial and debated issues in the political and scientific sphere. A recent poll published in the Chicago Sun-Times now shows that 'An overwhelming majority of Americans think they can help reduce global warming and are willing to make the sacrifices that are needed, a new poll shows. After years of controversy, 71 percent of Americans now say they think global warming is real.'" (Jamie adds: and all it took was twelve years of overwhelming scientific consensus.)
