gettingOnline asks: "I work for a library that will soon offer public access to our network. You come in with your network ready portable computer, change your config to use DHCP, plug in, and you have T1 access to the net. Other libraries are offering this service already, and there's no doubt we will offer it, no matter what the security issues are. What I want to know from all of the network gurus out there is what we can do, short of creating a separate network, to minimize risk without limiting internet access."

wildsurf asks: "I live in a small community of about 70 homes, which has been on a septic-tank system for many years, soon to be replaced with a sewer system. Not too exciting, except that this opens up the possibility of laying fiber-optic cable alongside the sewer lines, which could add significant value to the properties, as well as ultra-broadband. (It seems a shame to dig up all the trenches and NOT lay cable.) DSL doesn't work out here, and the cable provider is a bit sketchy, but there's an ultra-high-bandwidth pipe running nearby that we could possibly tap into. Anyway, I figure this would be the perfect audience to ask for recommendations, since I'm not quite sure how to approach this. The homeowner's meeting is next month, and I'd like to know what to suggest to them. Thanks in advance!" Well, if your local media company isn't going to wire your community, the community may just have to foot that bill itself. What would it need to do: what forms would they need to complete; what contractors would they need to hire (especially when piggy-backing on other municipal works); and most importantly, how much would something like this cost?

CuCullin asks: "In the never ending search for a quality digital camera that uses Smartmedia, all I can come up with is the Fuji Finepix 6900. The basics I'm looking for is Smartmedia, 3+ megapixels, and the ability to change lenses (I'm going for wide angle). Has anyone else been on a similar search?"

Greg Chappell asks: "I'm about to undertake a great American tradition of road tripping from Massachusetts to Washington State. I've got a moving company to tote my stuff on my one-way journey, and a handful of friends brave enough to venture by my side. Have any slashdotters recently attempted such a trip? What are the best solutions for on-the-road email, cellular, and Internet access? Where are those attractions, parks, and museums across the US that every road tripper needs to see? What's the best technique for planning such a trip, other than the usual websites? I've got no limits on the places I can visit or the distance I can travel. Any advice you can toss my way would be greatly appreciated!" People interested in this article, might also want to check out the older version of this topic. Also, what travel devices (no, not the laptop, think smaller) should no geek leave home without?

ShaunC asks: "As the webmaster of numerous sites, I'm curious how others feel about the Wayback Machine. What particularly interests me is the fact that the Machine is a relatively new animal, yet it contains snapshots from my sites dating back to 1998. I can't help but wonder: where did they get such old copies of my websites, and who gave them permission to make those copies? I certainly didn't provide either. Perhaps I'm too much of a purist, but I've always seen the internet as an ever-changing medium, not a permanent one. Archives have bothered me ever since the fledgling days of DejaNews." This site last made an appearance on Slashdot, earlier this year. Internet archival sites are right smack in the crosshairs of copyright, but they are useful. Anyone who has ever used Google's cache (and there are plenty of those links on Slashdot) can attest to this. Of course, the issue that may bug many content providers is how to opt-out of such services, since some see it as a copyright violation. Is it possible to balance the issues of copyright and history, or will these two Internet resources find themselves in legal trouble in the future?

Spinkle asks: "As the volume of global SMS traffic continues to grow at a staggering rate, new and more creative uses for text messaging are found. SMS text messaging is now achieving critical mass worldwide. Sites like Snifferdogalert and Velocity (which, incidentally, cater to drug dealers and speeding motorists, respectively) are an illustration of the increasing popularity of the SMS facility. A culture change is taking place in the way people choose to communicate. Will the visual message become more powerful and popular as voice? What other creative applications for instant messaging are there?"

WallyHartshorn asks: "I'm the web coordinator for an agency (1,200 employees) with a web site consisting of roughly 2,500 static HTML pages, plus a few hundred Acrobat files, a dozen CGI scripts, etc. Currently, updates are done manually by a staff of 2 full-time web developers (including me) and 5 non-IT employees who have web page development as about 25% of their job responsibilities. We have been considering purchasing some web content management software, probably something on the lines of RedDot, eMPower, or Microsoft Content Management Server. We've also been considering using Zope or building something ourselves from the ground up. We only have two Perl programmers and nobody knows Python. Given the current budget limitations, we might have more luck getting permission to spend a few months writing our own software than we would getting approval to spend thousands of dollars on a pre-built package. On the other hand, I could also see a "build from the ground up" project turning into a maintenance nightmare. What experiences have people who run web sites of a comparable size had with building their own web content management software versus purchasing one? (Please keep in mind that we are not running a blog, a news site, or a community site, so something like Slash would not work.) Our content consists primarily of reference material and services.)"

Derek Williams asks: "I'm a senior majoring in computer engineering & computer science and I've been programming for about 7 years, mainly in C and Java. While I've had quite a few courses that delve into some of the deeper topics of programming (e.g. Object Oriented Design), I find that the majority of programs I write, both for work and elsewhere, involve parsing. Although I have no problem tackling these sorts of programs, I was wondering if there was some branch of computer science dedicated to the study of parsing. What books and websites out there are of interest to someone looking to learn more about parsing and algorithms relating to it?"

peng1can asks: "I'm searching for a way to print ID cards in a an LDAP and preferably open source environment. We use LDAP heavily, and ideally we want to be able to pull user information and photos from LDAP and print onto ID Cards. Thus far, I've come up against two roadblocks: 1) Trying to make the ID station work under linux would be great, especially if I can script gphoto. But, I can't find an ID-card printer that doesn't supply windows-only drivers. The closest thing I can find is that Eltron provides a programming manual for their printers, but I have no knowledge of how to write a CUPS/LPRng printer driver. 2) If we had to resort to a Win-based workstation, I can find no method for accessing LDAP in a way that would work with an ID card system without spending thousands of dollars per station on an LDAP/ODBC gateway. I could try to write something in PERL for Win32, but can't find a way to control a digital camera that way. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated."

Torulf would like to start an ongoing discussion on books that anyone in the IT field would benefit in having in their library: "Here's a topic that might generate some interesting discussions. I'm a student trying to get general knowledge of the IT business. The question here is about what is regarded 'basic knowledge' and where to find it. As we all know (I hope), a lot of knowledge can really only be learned through experience. In many cases, however, a read through the theory will save you a lot of time. As books are also easier to look up than experience, below is a suggestion of a reading list that might give a decent general knowledge in the field. Please fill out the gaps with what you think is required knowledge for anyone working in the industry. Mostly this is about a general overview of the different areas of the IT industry, but if you have suggestions of good material for becoming an expert in some particular field, by all means, share your knowledge." Torulf has compiled a fairly long list of books, below, however your own suggestions are always welcome.

Bill Kendrick asks: "I've created numerous Open Source games for Linux in the past, and am currently working on a new title, "Tux Paint" (a drawing program for little kids). In creating Tux Paint, though, it will be necessary for me to get contributions of artwork and photographs. When asking the various sources I find for permission to use their work, I'll of course explain that the product is GPL. ...But how will the GPL license of the software affect their works? Is there some kind of dual-licensing I can do which says 'software is GPL, artwork is XYZ' (where 'XYZ' might be 'owned by original creator', 'now public domain', 'only available when used with this GPL'd product', etc)"

chadworthman asks: "I work in a server support role with 6 other sys admins. We are all responsible for 10 to 25 servers each (various flavours of Unix), mostly grouped by project. The person who is responsible for a server is called prime. We also identify a sys admin as secondary. This system is not working out well. Most sys admins are only familiar with the environments that they are prime for, and when a prime contact is not in the office or leaves the company, the rest of us try to figure out the environment. We are currently trying to figure out the best way to transfer knowledge of environments between sys admins. We have considered a plan that would involve partnering with another co-worker while you trade knowledge, then after a certain number of months, trade with someone else. I was wondering what other techniques for knowledge transfer between sys admins Slashdotters have encountered."

ben writes "Reuters just ran a story about the increasing number of calls for liability on the part of software developers, with a not-too-suprising focus on Microsoft and its uber-fallible IIS webserver. Given that many other engineering disciplines have some sort of accreditation and licensing body to enforce codes of professional ethics, I'm curious what impact the demand for such a creature in the software industry could have on Open Source developers, especially the part-time hobbyist ones. That is, establishment of some sort of Software Developer's license means the developer is potentially liable for whatever havoc his bugs may wreak, and traditionally the only environment with legal resources adequate to deal with such liability has been the megalithic corporate one."

Sonam asks: "Despite the relative cheapness of Wifi cards (available here for US$35) nobody seems to use Wifi for the ultimate killer app: short-range handheld voice terminals -- a.k.a. cordless phones. The competing, lower bandwidth DECT standard is widely used in Europe and elsewhere to provide good quality, digital voice and data links at home and about. Like Wifi, DECT terminals can operate in peer-to-peer mode -- some people even use their home DECT phones as walkie-talkies in camping trips. Does anyone know why Wifi isn't used for voice? Would a biscuit PC with a Wifi PCMCIA card work as a voice+data terminal? (Note, the second cheapest price on the pricewatch page above seems to be for a DECT module)" For the most part, voice is covered, we have cell phones, short wave radios, walkie-taklies with a 2 mile range and more! These things are all entrenched, they work, and they are now fairly cheap. Do we need anything else? Would WiFi voice provide better communication than those voice-based devices we are already using?

unemployedCoder-in-retraining asks: "As a recently "leisured" programmer, I'm very interested in trying to turn misfortune into opportunity. This means using this career discontinuity to bone up on the latest-n-greatest in the hot sectors of the industry, to offer a better chance of a finding another great job. Of course, then one asks: 'What's Hot?' The Telco/Switching sector seems to have flatlined (Nortel and Lucent as examples). Cable and DSL access device and service development seems to be struggling. Wireless 3G networks seem to be having a hard time in North America. And yet, we here that a recovery is underway and that the technology sector as a whole is picking up again. So I ask you: 'Where?' In what sectors? What are the most important new technologies to learn to enhance employability? Somewhere, somebody is hiring or will be soon. What do I and other victims of the slowdown have to know to 'get back in the saddle' in the near future?"

RobPiano asks: "Help! I am working at a health care facility that may be expanding its network to have eight Fujitsu wireless notebooks. These notebooks would be required to run nearly 24/7 with minimum downtime. Unfortunately, charging and replacing lithium-ion batteries is expensive, and cost is definitely an issue. The notebooks are placed on carts, so an 'on-cart power supply' is an option, but having it plugged in is not. I considered a car battery, but most of the nurses would have trouble pushing both cart and battery. How have you readers kept your systems powered?"

me! asks: "I seem to have this inability to write substantial chunks of code (500+) in exam conditions (for uni). I have been writing code for years for open source and commercial applications, so I know a thing or two. There is just something about exams and code that does not work for me. I find that I need to be sitting in front of a computer to get a problem out, to get in the 'vibe', have you will. I have done exams on computers (closed environment) that involve coding, and it work so much better for me. So what I am asking is...how do people tackle exams that involve solving problems on the fly, on paper, in exams?" I have this exact same problem, and I've never thought written tests were a fair way to measure someone's knowledge of coding. It's fine when you are asking questions about design and structure, but when you need to write code it falls way short. How do you feel about it?

Atryn asks: "We are seeing more and more stories on KPNQwest's bankruptcy in Europe. Being on the other side of the pond, can anyone explain the ramifications of this large fiber backbone being shut down?" Slashdot originally covered this story back when the bankruptcy was announced. Now, a A 3-week stay of execution has been granted to the network. It will remain on until sometime in July, while the parent company tries to sell off its assets. As to the repercussions of the bankruptcy, ZDNet UK has some thoughts on the matter. Do you agree with them? Would you mind offering a few of your own? Update: 06/14 10am EDT by C :When this article was originally posted, 2 days ago, KPNQwest did indeed have an estimated three-week lifespan. Of course, that estimate has been cut down severely by recent events.

TDaxGav asks: "I am in the process of setting up an animation shop, but I'm stuck as to what format should be used for 3D formats (as well as others, but that is a different story), with all the software out there such as 3D studio, Povray, Maya? What would be the best format to use these days for models?" Considering that the iRender project is to be collaborative, it might be good if the formats were cross-platform. It seems to me, though, that this is the wrong question to be asking. The working creed of the iRender project is "if the tools [work], then use it", so rather than asking "which format" maybe the question here should be "which tool"? So which 3D modelers out there would be decent for a project like this?

mache asks: "I have a seven year old son with his own Windows 98 machine and he has many, many educational and game CDs that his stupid parents have purchased for him. These CDs often get lost and scratched. Many of these applications will not operate without the CD being in the CD drive. At an average of $20 or more, I want to be able to load a CD on to a Linux server once and then access the application through Samba. I understand that there are some applications out there that provide a 'virutal' CD player interface to a remote server and may defeat the copy protection mechanisms (deliberately placed bad tracks) in place on kid/game/educational CDs. I bought the CDs legitimately and just want to use them legitimately rather than having my son destroy them, forcing me to buy him new ones. Does anyone have a recommendation for a Windows-based application that would produce a 'virutal' CD player on a Windows 98 machine and also defeat currently used CD copy protection allowing some sort of CD image to reside on my in-home networked server."