jonfr - Slashdot User

Submission + - Counting earthquakes with mrtg

Submitted by

jonfr

on Friday February 29, 2008 @11:02PM

jonfr writes: "I have always be interested in earthquakes. Today I have my own sensor up and running and I do monitor earthquakes trough the internet from the web pages of USGS, EMSC and IMO (Icelandic Met Office) to see what is going on in earthquakes in Iceland, where I live. But I want to do more. I want to know how many earthquakes there are on day to day basic and over the whole year. As I cannot get this static (how many earthquakes, sizes, etc) easy from USGS or EMSC for instance, but also IMO. I also want to know the daily change in earthquake numbers, in the case of big event. I want to use mrtg to do this, as it software that can already do this if properly configured. However, I am no good in scripting so I have no idea how to start or what to do. I have been trying to modified scripts that I have found on the internet but nothing works. Is anyone on slashdot.org that can help me write an script for mrtg to count earthquakes ?"

Submission + - Microsoft threating its own MVP

Submitted by

jonfr

on Tuesday June 05, 2007 @03:53PM

jonfr writes: "The Register is telling a story of a hobbyist programmer how did develop a software that did make Microsoft software better. But he did develop a program called TestDriven.NET, but it allows unit tests to be run directly from within Microsoft IDE. In the beginning Microsoft was pleased with this, so pleased that they did give him a MVP status and a awards. However, that did not last as a executive called Jason Weber started to contact him and make threats and demands, along with take down notice.

"However, his cherished status did not last. In December 2005, he started getting emails from a Microsoft executive called Jason Weber. The problem was that TestDriven.NET supported the Express edition of Visual Studio. Express is the cut-down version that anyone can download for free from the Microsoft website. It is limited in various ways, and is intended only for hobbyists and students. Everyone else is supposed to shell out for the paid-for versions. In fact, as a .NET hobbyist himself, Cansdale says he used Express to develop TestDriven.NET. Ironically, he only got access to a fancier version of Visual Studio as part of his MVP goody-bag. But MS doesn't want you supporting Visual Studio Express with your add-ons. Weber wrote to Cansdale that he had violated Express licence agreements: that he was accessing APIs not available to those who only had the Express version of Visual Studio, or that he had reverse engineered APIs — also forbidden. Cansdale said from the off — and has stuck by this — that he only used APIs in the public domain, published on Microsoft's MSDN website for all to see. He invited Weber to be specific about the API/licence term that was violated."

I do not understand how Microsoft can expect to get away with this type of behavior."

Submission + - U.S goverment can read your mail

Submitted by

jonfr

on Friday January 05, 2007 @01:04PM

jonfr writes: "According to a news on cnn.com it appears the U.S government has put into effect laws that allows the government to read people email without a warrant. This will obliviously go trough any of the three letters law enforcement agencies out there. Here is what this is about.

"But when he signed the postal reform act, Bush added a statement saying that his administration would construe that provision "in a manner consistent, to the maximum extent permissible, with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances. ..."

"The signing statement raises serious questions whether he is authorizing opening of mail contrary to the Constitution and to laws enacted by Congress," said Ann Beeson, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union."

This is going to race some serious privacy concerns in the U.S. The rest of the story is here, http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/04/bush.mail.a p/index.html"

Submission + - Microsoft makes claim on Linux code

Submitted by

jonfr

on Monday November 20, 2006 @08:20PM

jonfr writes: "The Register tells us that Microsoft has started to claim to own Linux code. Here is part of the news.

"Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has said that every user of the open source Linux system could owe his company money for using its intellectual property. The statement will confirm the worst fears of the open source community. Microsoft recently signed a deal for SUSE Linux, a Novell-owned distribution of the Linux operating system. The two companies pledged that they would improve the interoperability of their products. Open source advocates were amazed at the deal, but Ballmer's comments could vindicate the suspicions of some. Ballmer said in a question and answer session at a technology conference that Microsoft signed the deal because Linux "uses our intellectual property" and it wanted to "get the appropriate economic return for our shareholders from our innovation"."

The rest of the news can be read here."

Submission + - Florida ballot terminals favor Republicans

Submitted by

jonfr

on Wednesday November 01, 2006 @09:48AM

jonfr writes: "According to The Register, it appears that Florida electronic voteing machinces prefer Republicans, even when voters try to vote for Democrats. From the news artical.

"Florida voters using electronic ballot machines are having persistent problems choosing Democrats in early elections, the Miami Herald reports. The touch-screen gizmos seem strangely attracted to Republican candidates. One voter needed assistance from an election official, and even then, needed three tries to convince the machine that he wanted to vote for Democrat Jim Davis in the gubernatorial race, not his Republican opponent Charlie Crist."

I guess that voteing with paper and pen is not a bad idea after all. More on this news here."

Submission + - Windows Vista EULA lockin

Submitted by jonfr on Monday October 30, 2006 @05:31AM

jonfr writes: The Register is telling a news about Windows Vista EULA and the lockin that is store for the users of the newest version of the Windows Os. Here is a part from the news artical.

" The next version of Windows is just around the corner, so the next time we discuss software licensing in my course, the EULA for Vista will be front and center. You can read the Microsoft Vista EULA yourself by going to the official Find License Terms for Software Licensed from Microsoft page and searching for Vista. I know many of you have never bothered to read the EULA — who really wants to, after all? — but take a few minutes and get yourself a copy and read it. I'll wait.

Back? It's bad, ain't it? Real bad. I mean, previous EULAs weren't anything great — either as reading material or in terms of rights granted to end users — but the Vista EULA is horrendous."

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