Unix

FrontPage Server Extensions for Unix? 45

Posted by Cliff from the avoid-vendor-lockin dept.
beetle496 asks: "Okay, so I didn't research my choice of ISP adequately. Despite running Apache 2.0 on Red Hat, the only option for dynamic content they support is FrontPage Server Extensions. I am quite comfortable with X/HTML and CSS, and am okay with JavaScript. I am annoyed enough that I would buy FrontPage, were it available for my preferred platform. I've performed the customary MSDN and Google searches. The best I came up with was a page on FrontPage UNIX Server Extensions, which sounds exactly on target, but didn't help me. Can anyone point me toward a resource on writing HTML code to make use of FPSE (aka, webbot) -- without using FrontPage?"
Software

A Simple, Family-Oriented CMS? 66

Posted by Cliff from the a-home-for-your-clan-on-the-'net dept.
jbarr asks: "I would like to host a private, family-oriented Content Management System (CMS) that would allow geographically-separated family members to easily share online things like photos, comments, stories, calendars, etc. I would like it to have friendly yet secure front-end and have an easy interface that wouldn't intimidate the less-than computer-savvy. I could always just install and tweak PHP-Nuke and create a family-friendly theme, but is there something else that you would suggest? I would prefer an Open Source solution, as my host is Linux-based."
Networking

Setting up a Small Office Network? 88

Posted by Cliff from the for-those-new-to-it dept.
A not-so-anonymous Anonymous Coward asks: "I am embarking on a startup with some business contacts. I'm the only tech-guy in the group so I'll be the one to set up the network for our small office of 5-7 people. I've spent the last 15 years immersed in the development end of things (numerical analysis software and parallel computing codes). The downside of this is that I'm quite naive when it comes to networking: there's always been someone else taking care of revision control, backups, security, servers, etc., even purchasing stuff and running cable. What advice would you give someone who isn't afraid to roll up his sleeves, but is starting from ground zero on setting up a small office network? Can you recommend any books that are up-to-date and practical (e.g. "howto")?"

Organizing Computer Gear Clutter? 93

Posted by Cliff from the untangling-the-rat's-nest dept.
slashyslashy asks: "At first I had only a PC and a printer. Now the home network setup has grown to consist of many units: linksys router, ASDL modem, Vonage VOIP terminal, linksys NSLU2 network storage device, and couple of external harddrives. Powering all these units is done with three Belkin 6-Outlet Surge Protectors all connected to 1 wall outlet. Currently all of these units are stacked under the table, causing their wires and cables criss-cross each other. Troubleshooting any single unit is a mess. How do other Slashdot readers organize their home computer gear? Any ideas on cheap solutions ($100) to manage this clutter?"

Advanced Programming in the UNIX Env, 2nd Ed. 128

Posted by timothy from the environmentalism dept.
Eater writes "W. Richard Stevens wrote Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment, which was published in 1993 by Addison-Wesley. It quickly became the cornerstone of many bookshelves. The original edition has been revised by Stephen A. Rago to more accurately reflect the current landscape of UNIX and UNIX-like systems. APUE is targeted at the experienced C programmer with a working knowledge of UNIX. It includes chapter long examples of real-world applications, and--as with other works by W. Richard Stevens -- somehow manages to serve simultaneously as an enlightening tutorial and a valuable reference book." Read on for the rest of Eater's review of the book's recent second edition.
Education

Improving Education? 1514

Posted by Cliff from the education-by-slashdot dept.
Shepherd Book asks: "Not long ago there was a spirited discussion, in the usual Slashdot style, about education, touched off by an article about the value of homework. Even more recently, there was a discussion about the value of grammar. This inspires the following Ask Slashdot question: What, in your opinion, would make primary and secondary education as good as possible? I have no experience of education outside the US, but I can say confidently that public education in my country sucks. And it may always suck. However, what can we do to make it suck less?"
Space

'Where-To' Guide for Shuttle Launch? 48

Posted by Cliff from the 3-2-1-lift-off dept.
jacobcaz asks: "Hello! I will be heading to Florida this week and I'm hoping to get a chance to see the shuttle launch. I'm curious what tips you all might have for out-of-towners to get a chance to see the launch? How close to try to get, places to go where we won't be stuck in traffic for 24 hours, how early to leave, and so forth. Thanks!"

'Operation Site Down' Closes 8 Warez Servers 578

Posted by timothy from the no-tears-in-my-milk dept.
JerkyBoy writes "The Entertainment Software Association today hailed efforts on the part of 'U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice's Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section, U.S. Attorneys' offices nationwide, and participating foreign law enforcement officials' in the shutting down of at least 8 warez servers that specialized in the distribution of pirated games. With the code-name "Operation Site Down," close to 100 searches were conducted globally (U.S., Canada, Israel, France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, and Australia) within a 24-hour period, resulting in the identification of 120 individuals who are likely to be pursued by the U.S. Department of Justice."
Graphics

Post Undergrad Comp. Graphics Studies in the U.S.? 55

Posted by Cliff from the where-to-go-after-that-first-degree dept.
AliParr asks: "Having just completed my first degree, BSc Hons Visualization at Teesside University in England, I am considering continuing on to Post-Graduate study. While courses in the United Kingdom are fine, I have always fancied studying abroad, or more specifically, in the states. Finding a course/university seems an overwhelming process however and I'm struggling to know where to start. My interests are Computer Science and Graphics based, with my first degree centering on C++/OpenGL/DirectX and general graphics algorithms. I was wondering if fellow Slashdot readers could give guide me as to the best places to look, and maybe shed some light on their experiences."
Intel

Why Doesn't the Itanium Get the Respect It's Due? 668

Posted by Cliff from the low-opinion-but-decent-performance dept.
happycorp wonders: "As in recent years the Itanium does well, easily beating x86 processors even at its low clockspeed (1.4Ghz). The supercomputer people are serious about benchmarking (no easily tricked microbenchmarks or reliance on closed-source commercial apps), so the discrepancy between the performance and perception of this chip is serious. With a single-CPU Itanium2 system at around $2000 their price is already reasonable, and the price would come down (and software would be ported) if the Itanium ever became a mass market chip. Having an affordable chip one step above a Xeon or Opteron in floating-point performance would not be such a bad thing for gaming enthusiasts (or 3D artists). So, the recent article on the Top 500 supercomputers list brings up a question I've been meaning to ask: Why do we see so many disparaging opinions of the Itanium processor (all those 'Itanic' jokes, etc.)?"
Data Storage

How Would You Archive Mounds of Genealogy Data? 73

Posted by Cliff from the storing-your-family-tree dept.
dexter riley asks: "Hello, all. My mother, a librarian, historian and genealogist for over twenty years, died about a year ago. She left a huge amount of genealogy information, culled from books, magazines, and the internet, mostly in the form of typewritten, photocopied, and printed pages. My main goals are: Preservation - converting the documents into a compact format that can be easily copied and transferred to others; and Indexing - making it possible for someone else to easily find the documents referring to a particular person, family, place, or document type (like land, marriage, military, birth or death records). To this end, I would like to convert her work into a format that can be stored digitally and scanned for keywords, to make it easier for others to use this information for their genealogy projects later on. What tools do you recommend for handling a project of this size?"
Input Devices

Back and Forth Between Qwerty and Dvorak? 624

Posted by Cliff from the switch-typing dept.
jamesh asks: "I'm interested in switching over to an alternate keyboard layout, probably Dvorak, before I begin to suffer any effects of RSI. I'm almost 30 and have been typing since I was about 8, and these days spend most of my workday in front of a computer, typing away at a keyboard. I've searched the Internet and most people's comments are that within a few months they were up to or faster than their previous speed, with better accuracy. I'm mostly a programmer, but I do spend time at client sites and do need to spend time at various users computers to have a look at whatever hole they've dug themselves into, and so I will need to switch between QWERTY and Dvorak mode fairly frequently. What others have found when switching back and forth, as required? Can you mentally just flip back between them, or do you 'lose' your QWERTY skills and become 'hunt & peck' when faced with the old keyboard layout?"
The Internet

When Webmasters Get Phished? 55

Posted by Cliff from the gone-phishing dept.
SirJorgelOfBorgel asks: "Many of us run webservers. Some of us just for fun - hosting many of the 'less important' stuff around on the web, others professionally. Though you always try to keep your webserver secure there's always the possibility you get hacked. What do you do, then?" You would think that, by doing the right thing and reporting the incident to the proper authorities, they would do the right thing and go after the hackers, right? This may not be the case. Here's a cautionary tale on what may happen if you follow that line of reasoning. The real question here is: what else could SirJorgelOfBorgel have done to make things turn out as he expected?
Portables

Mobile Battery Life Software Suggestions? 15

Posted by Cliff from the how-well-charged-are-ya dept.
cajunjon asks: "I'm working on a project involving testing various laptops and their battery life and I'm trying to find a Win32 application that will accurately read the full voltage, charge capacity, cycle count, wear life and rated capacity information from the laptops of various manufacturers. Any suggestions?"

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