sa666_666 - Slashdot User

Submission + - 10 Indispensible Network Admin Tools: for Linux an (hp.com)

Submitted by

Esther Schindler

on Tuesday December 27, 2011 @02:45PM

Esther Schindler writes: "Is it time to get the data center organized? Whether your shop is Linux or Windows-based, Tom Henderson has suggestions. For each OS, he shares 10 must-have tools — most of them free. You might know some of the tools he lists... but probably not all of them.

10 Indispensable NOC Tools for Linux and BSD
10 Indispensable NOC Software Tools for Windows Server Administrators

On the list... OpenLDAP for Windows, Nagios, Hamachi VPN... and, obviously, 17 more."

A Right To Bear Virtual Arms? 201

Posted by Soulskill on Monday December 26, 2011 @05:36PM from the preserving-xbox-live's-pristine-reputation dept.

theodp writes "In the world of virtual goods, reports GeekWire's Todd Bishop, it looks like there's no such thing as a Second Amendment. According to a forum post by an Epic Games community manager, a new policy will remove 'gun-like' items from Microsoft's Xbox Live Avatar Marketplace on January 1. The policy reportedly applies to accessories for the avatars that represent Xbox Live users, not to games themselves, and owners of virtual weaponry like the Gears of War 3 Avatar Lancer purchased before the policy goes into effect will be permitted to continue to wield them."

Comment Re:I could care less: Opera64's out 4 Windows! (Score 1) 507

by sa666_666 on Saturday December 17, 2011 @11:48PM (#38413510) Attached to: Chrome 15 Overtakes IE 8 For Top Browser Spot

You're speaking of why a 64-bit system isn't needed at all, not why you wouldn't use a 64-bit browser. If someone is using a 64-bit system and has a valid need to do so, then one or two remaining 32-bit apps will indeed use more RAM for the 32-bit libs that are completely redundant save for the few apps that use them. Basically, if I have 1000 64-bit apps installed in a 64-bit system, it seems silly to keep 32-bit libraries around for one or two apps. Better to get rid of them as soon as a 64-bit version is available.

Now if you want to argue that (as you say) a 64-bit system isn't needed, that's really a separate discussion, and not one you can make without knowing the specific requirements of the user.

Comment Re:For those of us with SSDs however... (Score 3, Interesting) 507

by sa666_666 on Saturday December 17, 2011 @08:52PM (#38412610) Attached to: Chrome 15 Overtakes IE 8 For Top Browser Spot

If you have some RAM to spare, consider moving the cache to a RAM disk instead. This will save the SSD, and is even a good thing to do if you're using a hard drive.

Comment Re:I could care less: Opera64's out 4 Windows! (Score 1) 507

by sa666_666 on Saturday December 17, 2011 @08:49PM (#38412592) Attached to: Chrome 15 Overtakes IE 8 For Top Browser Spot

On a pure 64-bit system, the memory you'll save by not having 32-bit libs loaded will eclipse any extra memory used because of longer pointers in 64-bit mode. As well, there's something annoying about having an *almost* fully 64-bit system with one or two apps holding it back. Perhaps it's an OCD thing or something :)

Discouraging Playstation Vita Details 275

Posted by Soulskill on Monday December 05, 2011 @05:14PM from the blaming-the-media dept.

itwbennett writes "Sony's new handheld gaming system, the Playstation Vita, launches in Japan in two weeks, and the latest report from Andriasang has some interesting details, including Sony's decision to go with proprietary memory cards. Sony says this is both for security reasons and to ensure a consistent experience for all users, but that 'doesn't explain why they're charging such enormous sums for these cards,' says blogger Peter Smith. 'The caveat here is that we haven't seen official pricing for the cards, but game retailer Gamestop lists them at $120 (!!) for a 32 GB card, $70 for a 16GB, $45 for 8 GB and $30 for a 4 GB.'"

Periodic Table To Welcome Two New Elements 157

Posted by Soulskill on Friday December 02, 2011 @04:29PM from the spellchecker-database-grows-by-two dept.

adeelarshad82 writes "Chemistry's periodic table can soon welcome livermorium and flerovium, two newly named elements, which were announced Thursday (Dec. 1) by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. The new names will undergo a five-month public comment period before the official paperwork gets processed and they show up on the table. Three other new elements just recently finished this process, filling in the 110, 111 and 112 spots."

Submission + - Windows 8 Secure Boot Defeated (arstechnica.com) 1

Submitted by

jhigh

on Thursday November 17, 2011 @12:41PM

jhigh writes: "An Austrian security researcher will release the first "bootkit" for Windows 8 at MalCon in Mumbai. This exploit loads in the MBR and stays memory resident until Windows loads, resulting in root access to the system. This allegedly defeats the new secure boot features in Windows 8's bootloader."

Submission + - Erbium will boost fiber optics, solar cells, compu (extremetech.com)

Submitted by

MrSeb

on Thursday November 17, 2011 @12:33PM

MrSeb writes: "It seems graphene, the single layer of carbon atoms that can supercharge computer chips, optical circuits, lithium-ion batteries, and solar power generation, might have a competitor: a rare earth element called erbium. Erbium salts, like graphene, have very desirable optical properties — and today’s discovery by researchers at Arizona State University is a new erbium compound that will allow photonic and material engineers to use up to 1,000 times more erbium in optical fiber, photonic switches, and solar power cells. Erbium has two very desirable properties: It emits photons at a 1500nm wavelength, which is often used for optical communications, making it an inline signal amplifier — and it also absorbs parts of the solar radiation spectrum that silicon otherwise ignores. Erbium salts are already used extensively, but too much and it degrades the quality of the fiber or solar panel. This new erbium crystal is a nanowire with a much slimmer profile, and thus more erbium can ultimately be packed into an optical fiber or switch. This means we might see more efficient solar panels — but also, the researchers seem confident that this new erbium compound will allow small, conventionally-fabricated silicon chips with integrated optical switches."

Linux Kernel Power Bug Is Fixed 145

Posted by Soulskill on Friday November 11, 2011 @05:21PM from the another-one-bites-the-dust dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Linux kernel power bug that caused high power usage for many Intel Linux systems has finally been addressed. Matthew Garrett of Red Hat has devised a solution for the ASPM Linux power problem by mimicking Microsoft Windows' power behavior in the Linux kernel. A patch is on LKML for this solution to finally restore the battery life under Linux."

Exploiting Network Captures For Truer Randomness 189

Posted by timothy on Saturday November 05, 2011 @05:47PM from the when-lorem-ipsum-doesn't-cut-it dept.

First time accepted submitter ronaldm writes "As a composer who uses computers for anything and everything from engraving to live performance projects, it's periodically of some concern that computers do exactly what they're supposed to do — what they're told. Introducing imperfections into music to make it sound more 'natural' is nothing new: yet it still troubles me that picking up random data from /dev/random to do this is well, cheating. It's not random. It bugs me. So, short of bringing in and using an atomic source, here's a way to embrace natural randomness — and bring your packet captures to life!"

Comment Re:Harmony what now? (Score 4, Insightful) 120

by sa666_666 on Friday November 04, 2011 @03:18PM (#37951038) Attached to: Apache Harmony Moves To Apache Attic

Except cross-platform compatibility, and not being controlled by a proprietary vendor.

Skein Hash... In Bash 90

Posted by Unknown Lamer on Tuesday September 13, 2011 @03:50PM from the sixty-four-bits-required dept.

First time accepted submitter Matt16060936 writes "...Last night (err.. 3am this morning) I finished an implementation of the Skein 512-512 hash algorithm (version 1.3). I'm a fan of Skein and hope it wins the SHA-3 competition next year. One of the nice things about Skein is how quickly it's been adopted by many platforms and implemented in many languages. To that end, I present Skein 512-512 implemented in Bash."

Patent Applications Hint Apple Wants To Eliminate Printer Drivers 323

Posted by timothy on Saturday August 13, 2011 @06:10PM from the from-anywhere-is-a-nice-ideal dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Apple has filed two patent applications that describe an approach as well as file formats and APIs to eliminate the printer driver as a requirement for users to access a printer and print documents. If the company has its way, there will be three ways to access a printer in the future: The first will be via a conventional software driver. The second will be via a cloud service and the third will be via a driverless access method that supports 'universal' printing from any type device."

Wall Street: Software More Valuable Than Oil 223

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 10, 2011 @04:58PM from the rich-in-ideas dept.

CWmike writes "The tech industry's answer to this week's stock market roller coaster was delivered on Tuesday by the mighty Apple Inc. Apple saw its stock price rise enough — gaining more than 5% — to briefly surpass Exxon Mobil as the most valuable company in the U.S., according to an AP analysis of its market cap. (Exxon Mobile wound up the day slightly ahead of Apple.) Most of the other major tech companies — including Intel, IBM, Dell, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard — all finished in positive territory yesterday, as markets made up ground lost in the big sell-off on Monday that also hit oil prices and other commodities.Tuesday's rally may be all that's needed to shake away, at least temporarily, some of the economic concerns the IT industry still faces. By closing in on Exxon, Apple effectively affirmed that there are few limits to tech growth. CW blogger Jonny Evans posits that ideas are why Apple beats Exxon on market cap, noting, 'While Exxon drills, hammers and crushes its way to find its billions, Apple's mind-miners explore myriad complexities to develop and understand new technologies.'"

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