1433701
story
frooyo asks:
"I'm an currently looking for a good reverse proxy caching solution (server-side caching) for the Windows platform. This would be used as a transparent proxy between the corporate website and the outside world. Products that I have seen available include: Microsoft ISA server, Squid for NT and some others. I'm not completely opposed to using a non-windows platform for this type of solution, but I would prefer a Windows solution. I need a product that handles middle-large numbers of current users (10-30) with easy on one server. Additionally features such as caching pools and easy handling of FTP connections (since this will be used as a 'transparent' proxy) would be a much needed benefit."
1433679
story
WebfishUK asks:
"Pretty simple question really, does anyone know when we might expect some decent cameras with bluetooth built-in to arrive on the scene? I know there are a couple out there, like the Concord Eye-Q Go Wireless and the Sony DSC-FX77 as well as all those camera phones but wondered if there where any others people knew about in the pipeline? Alternatively what about bluetooth adaptors that could be plugged into any camera with a mini USB connection?"
1433675
story
Aaron asks:
"After last year's debacle with TurboTax's copy protection system, I want to avoid their software (even though they say they won't do it again). But after reading some of the reviews on TaxCut, it sounds a bit buggy. What tax preparation software are people using for their 2003 taxes? I've heard of TaxACT, the free tax software - is that any good? I don't suppose any decent tax software works on Linux..."
1433673
story
cameloid asks:
"I'm currently putting together a series of corporate movies, 6-12 minutes each, that each require quite a bit of computer generated animation. Like many others, I quickly found that 3D is the way to go and began using POV-Ray, mainly because it's free and uses a Scene Description Language (SDL) to describe scenes and animations. However, I also quickly found that raytracing can be a bit...slow for doing movie production. After a bit more research, I quickly discovered Renderman. At first glance Renderman can also be programmed from scratch, but doesn't have in-built support for animation. Each scene is complete description which cannot be parameterized using Renderman, alone. Does anyone know of a cross-platform, Renderman-compliant SDL implementation that can connect to any Renderman renderer and supply functionality similar to POV-Ray's SDL?"
1433667
story
Mirkon asks:
"I'm a potential high school graduate, and have been accepted to a four-year school for furthering my rather biased educational interests. The problem is that while I'm cheap, the school (predictably) isn't. It's still getting itself off the ground, and thus only offers the legal minimum of scholarships - for racial minorities and those with intense financial need, neither of which I qualify for. Tedious searching for third-party scholarships has revealed that there are very, very few that cater to the interests of a technologically-inclined student, and even fewer that don't give a paltry one-time prize of $500 or less. While there's certainly no shortage of 'write an essay about us/you and we might give you a scholarship' offerings, I find it hard to swallow that there aren't more and more valuable scholarships to encourage growth in the tech sector. Are there?"
1433665
story
roXet asks:
"I work for a small ISP that offers dial-up and DSL in Louisiana. In the wake of the big boys' new wave of pop-up and spam blocking advertisements, I am looking into providing these services for our customers. I hate the thought of filling my customers machines with proprietary software, if for no other reason than I see it creating a support nightmare for our call center. I have found several options for blocking spam at the network level, but I have yet to find a good solution for getting rid of pop ups. Has anyone found a good method of doing this at the ISP level?"
1433661
story
jonadab asks:
"I'm a heavy sleeper. I wake up gradually. Sometimes it takes quite a bit to
get me cognizant in the morning. I've been known to sleep through alarms entirely, or shut them off before fully awake and later not remember doing so. It's not that I don't get enough sleep (I go to bed at night when I get sleepy), but my body tends to want a day longer than 24 hours, and I have to use an alarm to keep myself on a constant schedule with the rest of the world;
otherwise, I get up a little later each day and pretty soon I'm sleeping till noon. So I'm always in search of a better alarm clock. Maybe some of you have experience with alarm clocks that you particularly like"
1433561
story
{e}N0S asks:
"Just got done watching the movie Brainscan and it got me wanting my computer to handle my telephone again. Features like: menu systems, custom greetings based on caller id, remote access, voice recognition ("igor hold" "holding") and such would be ideal. Have you Slashdot readers implemented something like this, and do you have tips on good software?"
1433559
story
Frisky070802 writes
"The NY Times has run a column on how many families now use instant messaging within a household, for instance to ask what someone wants for dinner. This is especially popular as whole houses get wired (or wireless) and computers are scattered throughout the house. This is the case at my house but I tend to be the only one who stays on AIM reliably. Can Slashdotters offer some personal experience, pro/con, with being instantly and constantly accessible to one's spouse and children? Does this tend to break down your 'personal time'?"
1433543
story
nordicfrost asks:
"My wonderful girlfriend and I have a dilemma. We want to talk to each other via the net to save money and still have a conversation. But she is a strictly Apple girl, and I'm a Debian man, who compromises with Windows at work. So, does anyone have the solution for an easy cross-platform voice chat application, preferrebly without having to altering my GF's firewall router via the phone?"
1433533
story
flyingember asks:
"I own an iPod and use iTunes music store. It's easy and it works. My mom likes her tiny Philips Rush player, as she prefers small for her devices. Now, she wants more music, and is willing to pay for it. She runs Windows 98SE, because she likes it and work hasn't upgraded to XP, yet. Does this sound like anyone you know? Is there a service that supports Windows98, a ton of players, and has good variety? I'm willing to put up with WMA's, if compatability is there. Napster is 2000/XP only; Musicmatch does not support her player for downloads; Buymusic seems to be the same; and Emusic doesn't have the right music. Is there a legal download service for people that don't have an iPod that just works?"
1433531
story
flyingember asks:
"With years of experience with tech support I have yet to come to a conclusion as to which form of support to use. Phone, or not phone. For some companies their online chat is great, I used it often with HP since you were much more likely to get through fast during a peak time of the day and the support was high quality. I recently used Philip's online chat to ask about a product feature (or lack of) and they demanded a name, zip and phone number, then claimed the product wasn't supported through chat and that I had to call when I refused to give this. I've had mixed luck with phone support. From half-hour hold times and little knowledge with some companies to well-staffed techs such as with installing a DSL account or getting the Internet on my phone. I have used email chat with some companies, and it does the job as well as email does allowing lots of detail but has lag sometimes. Which do you think is better, support over the phone or support another way?"
1433519
story
guess-for-success asks:
"In Lester Thurow's latest book, published by HarperBusiness Books (Fall 2003), Fortune Favors the Bold: What We Must Do to Build a New and Lasting Global Prosperity, there is a chapter which discusses the beginning of new industries. During this time, several business models are introduced and only a few will survive. Looking at the PC industry, Commodore was the industry leader in the 1980's, but ultimately failed and went bankrupt in 1994. Successful business models such as Dell were not introduced until years after the industry began.
I now ask the Slashdot community: which internet business models they believe are going to succeed? Which companies will rise to the top? Will they be infrastructure related companies such as Cisco and even FedEx, or will they be true dot.com's such as eBay or Amazon?"
1433517
story
A not-so anonymous
Anonymous Coward asks:
"I'm interested in knowing some of the most significant cases that have influenced the field of software intellectual property law. As someone who is interested in pursuing patent law as a career, I'm interested in reading some of the 'big' cases to get a better idea of what issues and situations motivate and drive patent lawyers."
1433513
story
cpritchett asks:
"I'm starting to work on my home theater system, but am wondering what to do in the way of a universal remote. Yes, touchscreen remotes and ones that give you TV listings may be nice, but they are also pricey and the touchscreen doesn't offer the nice, familiar, tactile feel of a remote we've all grown to love. So, what's your recommendation for a good universal learning remote for under $50?"
1433509
story
MsGeek asks:
"It's time to replace my TV. My current TV is old, ugly and it has a Coax input and an input for the -really- old-school flat two-wire TV antenna cable. I have been looking at tuner boxes like the ViewSonic NextVision series. These are different from external USB tuners in that you don't need to use it with a computer to make it work...you just plug the monitor into the box and away you go. Aver makes a series of these boxes too, as do a few other manufacturers. I was wondering...does anyone in the Slashdot audience actually *use* one of these devices? Do you have good luck with them? How is the computer pass-through input? Does running VGA signals through the box before they hit the monitor degrade them in any way?"
1433477
story
ethanms writes
"I'm pretty sure that I'm addicted to caffeine... I get nasty headaches if I skip coffee and soda for a day. If I go even longer, then the headaches get worse and I start to become (even more of) a pain in the ass to those around me. Within five or ten minutes of a cup of joe or can of Mountain Dew the headache is gone and I feel fine... There's plenty of advice out there for dealing with addiction, but I'm really interested in how other /. users have managed and controlled their own caffeine intake, especially considering how heavily it is pushed by many development / engineering communities. 'Just drink more' isn't really the answer I'm after either."
1433453
story
TerryAtWork asks:
"What are Slashdot readers' best BBS memories? The BBS ruled before the common man got on the Internet and a lot of older Slashdot reader's first on-line experiences were with them."
1433439
story
Adore333 asks:
"I'm hosting a party on new year's eve and was thinking of playing some DVDs in the background (party music over the original soundtrack). I've chosen Trinity and Beyond and Microcosmos as the movies. Even though its likely a bit too late for New Year's Eve, I'd like to hear what media other Slashdot readers would suggest. The films should have great emphasis on visual expression and it would be nice if they were enjoyable as movies as well (like Trinity and Microcosmos). So, what's your ultimate party DVD?"
1433423
story
discstickers asks:
"One of my classes next semester, 'Roots of Rock & Roll', has been canceled, because the professor isn't allowed to post the songs needed for the class, on a limited-access server ([which would] only be available to people registered for the class). So Slashdot, is there a legal way to get around this? The MP3s in question are old albums and individual songs. The cost shouldn't be too high, there are 100 people in the class with Macs and PCs, and we'd have to be able to burn the music to mix CDs for the final project."
