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GUI

Submission + - The end of the drop-down box?

Submitted by
nicmitham
nicmitham writes: "I stumbled across a blog recently which had the categories and archives accessed via drop-down boxes, as opposed to a list. Ever seen one of those? I haven't. Then I realised that it's been quite a long time since I last saw a drop-down. Thinking about it, this method of accessing and selecting data/options puts a barrier in the way of a sign-up. The number of websites grows daily, as does the number of blogs and an even greater factor is the level of information and content made available online, So, when someone visits a site for the first time, you have to engage them as much as possible and keep them there. Using the drop-down method means the user has to a) click on the box b) find the option they want and c) confirm their selection. Three steps. If the options are laid out in a list fashion, then access is a single click away. So why did this blog have a drop-down? Maybe because they thought it looked better than a long list of categories. Maybe it did. But I couldn't be bothered to access the drop-down. When I visit sites, I want information asap and I'm not the only one."
Wii

Submission + - Homebrew running on Wii

Submitted by
Hexxeh
Hexxeh writes: "Okay, I've been messing about with a Wii and I've finally managed to get my own code running. My Wii has managed to boot uClinux and I've laid the path out for other hackers to continue. Here's some instructions on how to get your Wii running your own code. Instructions: 1) Run DNS server and point shop to local Apache server 2) Run Apache server with index.tmd added as an index. 3) Place TMD file, which is not being distributed at the moment, in server root. 4) Use your DNS server on the Wii internet settings section. 5) Go to the Wii shop. 6) A channel will be added that boots your custom content.bin 7) Profit. Don't ask me for the TMD file, I'm not sending it around as I don't know the legalities of this. uClinux works fine and I've even got a USB keyboard working. The next step is to get drivers for the Wii which isn't my area so I'm going to be leaving the Linux train here. Later, Hexxeh"
Christmas Cheer

Submission + - Spread Some FOSS Holiday Cheer

Submitted by Ron Dell
Ron Dell writes: This holiday season, I am blessed to find myself in a favorable financial situation. When considering ways to distribute this good cheer, it occurred to me that I should donate to some of my favorite free (as in beer) open-source software projects. I kindly ask that you consider doing the same. FYI, IANA FOSS developer.
Operating Systems

Submission + - Why Do Computers Take Thirty Seconds to Boot Up?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Computers take too long to boot up, and it doesn't make sense to me. Mine takes around 30 seconds; it is double or triple that for some of my friends' computers that I have used. Why can't a computer turn on and off in an instant just like a TV?

99% of boots, my computer is doing the exact same thing. Then I get to WindowsXP with maybe 50 to 75 megs of stuff in memory. My computer should be smart enough to just load that junk into memory and go with it. You could put this data right at the very start of the hard drive. Whenever you do something with the computer that actually changes what happens during boot, it could go through the real booting process and save the results.

Doing this would also give you instant restarts. You just hit your restart button, the computer reloads the memory image, and you can be working again.
The Internet

Submission + - Is Wikipedia failing as a project?

Submitted by
flydpnkrtn
flydpnkrtn writes: "As I browse Wikipedia and look at people's talk pages I see more and more people that have done more and been here longer than I seem to think so...
User:Bluemoose ("Had enough of this, all the good people seem to be leaving.") and User:Sn0wflake ("I no longer have the time or energy to care. The project, to me, has failed") are prime examples of people with high edits that have been around for a while that seem to think so.
Is Wikipedia just a fad and truly is "failing," or is it just going through "growing pains"?"
Nintendo

Submission + - Are Wiis Built to Be Thrown?

Submitted by MaryAlan
MaryAlan writes: I have a question for the Slashdot Nation. We keep hearing stories about people destroying their HD TVs with thrown Wiimotes, about shattered displays and broken wrist straps, but we don't really hear about the survival rate of the Wiimotes themselves very often. Does it survive? One of the editors over at About.com recently threw his Wiimote over 17 feet and at high speeds into a wall during a game of Bowling, only to have it work again without so much as a scratch. Another friend told me he'd destroyed his Wiimote by accidentally hitting the wall with it while playing tennis. So it raises the question of how much Nintendo designed these things to survive abuse — so here's the question: Was the Wiimote designed for throwing? Of the people that have thrown the Wiimote (I know you're out there), have you found it to be ok afterwards, or are people finding that the Wiimote is flimsy and easily broken? Besides the likelihood of destroying something valuable or accidentally pegging a loved one in the head, are the Wiimotes durable?
PlayStation (Games)

Submission + - PS3 only worth it on 1080p?

Submitted by
Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward writes: "I just purchased a new Samsung 46" DLP HDTV. It only does 1080i, but I figured, that's enough, right? Well I've read a few reviews saying that the PS3 will throw everything into 720p if you don't have a TV that supports 1080p. Am I gonna be missing out on the power of the PS3 because of this?"
Printer

Submission + - Open Source Inkjet Printer

Submitted by
Julian
Julian writes: "I am a programmer not a hardware person.

In regards to ink jet printer companies using DMCA and patent infringement lawsuits to prevent third party refilled or replacement printer cartridges. What is the likelihood of developing a reasonably priced Open Source Printer? My idea at the moment is to have a fully functional design with firmware (if needed) and driver ready to go. Then some manufacturers can take the design and produce it and sell it, the printer should use existing third party ink cartridges.

Comments?

Thanx

Julian"
Games

Submission + - Third Place is Fine by Nintendo

Submitted by anaesthetica
anaesthetica writes: The New Yorker writes that Nintendo is fine with third place. Between Sony and Microsoft both trying to build the most comprehensively next-generation console, and barely breaking even in their efforts, Nintendo decided to go a different route. Wii doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it focuses on simple fun playing games--a strategy which turns out to be much better for Nintendo's bottom line and stock prices. From the article:
A recent survey of the evidence on market share ... found that companies that adopt what they call "competitor-oriented objectives" actually end up hurting their own profitability. In other words, the more a company focuses on beating its competitors, rather than on the bottom line, the worse it is likely to do.

This sounds like the strategy that Apple adopted out of necessity a few years back.
Education

Submission + - Thirteen Things That Don't Make Sense

Submitted by
eldavojohn
eldavojohn writes: "It's a year old article but New Scientist has a piece entitled "13 Thing That Do Not Make Sense." In it, the author discusses a wide range of interesting topics and I'm certain the Slashdot crowd is familiar with most if not all of them: The Placebo Effect, The Horizon Problem, Ultra-Energetic Cosmic Rays, Belfast Homeopathy Results, Dark Matter, Viking's Methane, Tetraneutrons, The Pioneer Anomaly, Dark Energy, The Kuiper Cliff, The Wow Signal, Not-so-constant Constants & Cold Fusion. I thought it would be interesting to turn this into an "Ask Slashdot" and see what comes up for discussion & explanation for any of these topics. You might be able to write a few of them off as psychological mumbo jumbo or just a random occurance but there are quite a few on that list that perplexed me. So what is your take on any of these thirteen things that don't make sense? Can you explain them (or at least pretend to explain them)?"
Games

Submission + - Yellow Dog Linux for PS3 is out now

Submitted by
C.R. Forquer
C.R. Forquer writes: "Yellow Dog Linux for the PS3 is now available for download (you can get the guide here). Default install features the e17 desktop, and there are quite a few applications listed — including Evolution, Firefox, Gimp, Gaim, and OpenOffice."
Supercomputing

Submission + - Terra Soft to Enable HPC Clustering of PS3s

Submitted by Dave
Dave writes: LinuxPS3.net has a story up about Terra Soft's support for the Playstation 3 game console in their soon-to-be released Y-HPC cluster management suite. Allowing the (relatively) inexpensive console to comprise a Cell-processor node in any system into which it is integrated, the idea is that companies and projects looking for an inexpensive means of experimenting with the Cell processor may now do so without laying out the type of cash required for a Mercury or IBM system. Read more about it here.

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