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OPIE back from the dead after two years->

Submitted by
TuxMobil
TuxMobil writes "The Open Palmtop Integrated Environment (OPIE) is not dead anymore. Since more than two years a fresh update is available finally. OPIE aims at making an universal graphical framework for most (embedded) distributions available. As reference platforms, HP's iPAQ and Sharp's Zaurus PDAs are directly supported. OPIE also moved from handhelds.org to SourceForge."
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Hardware

Bad Gradings for Pre-Installed Linux Notebooks->

Submitted by
Linux Laptop Guy
Linux Laptop Guy writes "The German computer magazine CT has tested different notebooks which come with Linux pre-equipped by their manufacturers. Buyers must be aware of severe issues with these machines. Outdated software and different quirks make it difficult to enjoy the Linux notebooks. You can not expect a good cooperation of hardware and operating system, the magazine writes, after it has checked different pre-installed Linux notebooks.

The magazine has tested notebooks from six different manufacturers. Notebooks made by Asus, for example come with many problems which are difficult to solve even for Linux experts. A better, but nevertheless insufficient, impression made the Dell Inspiron 15R. A machine provided by HP comes with the Desktop issue of Suse Linux Enterprise, which is targeted to companies and hides some extra costs.

CT magazine recommends to buy a Windows notebook instead and to install Linux afterwards. It can help to read installation reports written by other users before. There is no guarantee for a notebook to be 100 percent compatible with Linux, because the hardware and every Linux distribution are different in many details, which can cause numerous problems. The magazine did not mention that you have to pay the so-called Microsoft-Tax this way.

related ./ postings:

https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/09/14/2033227/Dell-Releases-Streak-Source-Code"
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Security

Spammers Moving to Disposable Domains->

Submitted by Trailrunner7
Trailrunner7 writes "Spammers and the botnet operators they're allied with are continuing to adapt their techniques to evade security technologies, and now are using what amount to disposable domains for their activities. A new report shows that the spammers are buying dozens of domains at a time and moving from one to another as often as several times a day to prevent shutdowns. New research shows that the amount of time that a spammer uses a given domain is basically a day or less. The company looked at 60 days worth of data from their customers and found that more than 70 percent of the domains used by spammers are active for a day or less."
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Iphone

Silent recall of iPhone 4 by Apple?-> 1

Submitted by tekgoblin
tekgoblin writes "With all of the reception issues and now proximity sensor issues with the iPhone 4, who wouldn't expect a company to recall a defective product. Well Apple has made no mention of a recall but Gizmodo has gotten a report of something like this actually happening. This is a transcript of the actual letter that they received:

I've been following all of the iPhone 4 stuff since I got mine the day before release. I was able to replicate the signal issue. I also had the proximity sensor issue, causing inadvertent mute button pushing. There were a few other software issues I was experiencing so I consulted Apple at the Fifth Avenue store in New York. They replaced my phone. The diagnostic showed that the OS was corrupt and certain utilities were failing. [They claimed that] all phones with a proximity sensor issue were being sent back to Apple for further study. Well, when I got the new phone it was different. It was different hardware. The black [plastic] bezel isn't as black on the new one. I couldn't see the proximity sensor at all on the previous iPhone 4, now I can. The stainless steel band on the new phone is less 'steel-y' and more matte. I've also tried to replicate the signal drop and failure. While I can't say for sure that it is entirely fixed, there is certainly huge improvement. I'm guessing they coated the steel with something, took some black out of the bezel and sent them out without saying too much about it. I also think Apple is willing to warranty a phone for any reason except the signal issue. The guy next to me said that he had to press the home button several times before the phone would come back from stand-by. This happened once. The Apple tech ran the diagnostic, everything was fine. They still replaced his phone. I think they're doing a 'silent recall'.

It would be nice for Apple to publicly apologize for the mistakes they made with the iPhone 4, both their attitudes and non-acknowledgment of the problem in the first place. And to then offer free replacement to people that actually have both of the problems, being reception and proximity. I do not see Apple doing this in the near future, but I do hope that they are still investigating the cause of the issue and not relying on a 'software' fix."
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Networking

IANA IPv4 Exhaustion Predicted in less than a Year->

Submitted by dw
dw writes "IANA IPv4 exhaustion, which refers to the day in which ICANN distributes its last 5 large chucks of addresses to the regional registries, is now anticipated to occur within the next 12 months. Year to date, it has already distributed 10 of its 26 /8s, with 16 remaining, and there are signs depletion may be accelerating. Despite IANA exhaustion in about a year, most consumers should not notice immediate impacts, as each regional registry and each ISP will have their own dwindling pools of addresses to utilize. Appropriate or not, the press will likely find IANA exhaustion as a convenient Y2K-like date to doom and gloom about, which should have a much more direct impact on IPv6 (or alternative) implementations, as Executives decide that action is urgent."
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Music

Pink Floyd manager: don't stop file-sharing-> 1

Submitted by Barence
Barence writes "The former manager of Pink Floyd has labelled attempts to clamp down on music file-sharing as a "waste of time". "Not only are they a waste of time, they make the law offensive. They are comparable to prohibition in the US in the 1920s," said Peter Jenner, who's now the emeritus president of the International Music Managers' Forum. "It's absurd to expect ordinary members of the public to think about what they're allowed to do [with CDs, digital downloads, etc]... and then ask themselves whether it's legal or not." The comments come as Britain's biggest ISP, BT, said it was confident that Britain's Digital Economy Act — which could result in file-sharers losing their internet connection — would be overturned in the courts, because it doesn't comply with European laws on privacy."
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Be frank and explicit with your lawyer ... it is his business to confuse the issue afterwards.