Security

A Site that Lists Systems w/o DRM? 49

Posted by Cliff from the opting-out-of-rights-management dept.
timdaly asks: "I'm about to purchase new hardware. I understand that DRM has been added to the BIOS of some systems. Is anyone aware of a site that lists which systems are DRM-disabled? I don't want to purchase hardware that has any DRM. Like unique keys on CPUs the DRM technology seems to be more of a threat than a useful tool."
Security

Data Security on Windows Machines? 118

Posted by Cliff from the keeping-prying-eyes-(and-fingers)-at-bay dept.
mcskoufis asks: "I am running my own company from home, offering various Internet related services to customers. I have rented a server which runs Linux and there are no current security or performance problems. However, because I cannot afford to have a business site with several geeks investigating into network security, I have some sensitive data on my Windows box at home which need to be safe from malicious marketers/kiddies having fun/etc. More and more marketing companies are working on very dirty tricks to gather email addresses and also turn windows (mainly) machines into mass mailing servers without the owners knowledge. With the latest worm attacks and also the sophistication of them, I feel even more and more vulnerable each day. Bearing in mind the fact that it is impossible to switch to Linux at home for a number of reasons and also that because of the business I need to be online 24/7/365 what the Slashdot community suggest as the best way to have a secure environment for my data while using Windows? Anti-virus software has proven to be not enough and firewalls create problems while performing daily business tasks on the server from home."
Education

Guildhall at SMU Game School -- How is it? 24

Posted by Cliff from the first-hand-experiences dept.
Needanewnick asks: "I heard and read about the Guildhall, and I was wondering if anyone could relate their experiences from it? I've heard that many so called Game Development Schools don't really do much for preparing the student for life in the industry. Does the Guildhall address this very well? What are post graduation job possibilities? Basically, is this worth the tuition?"
News

SVG And The Free Desktop(s) 337

Posted by timothy from the lines-and-rules dept.
A user writes "Christian Schaller has written an interesting article on SVG's current and possible uses on the GNU/Linux desktop. Though the article concentrates mostly on GNOME, it does mention the excellent work the KDE developers have been doing with KSVG, and refers to the upcoming SVG support in Mozilla too."
Technology

Policy-Based Routing Using Software Firewalls? 38

Posted by Cliff from the for-use-in-bandwidth-sharing-schemes dept.
Bios_Hakr asks: "My local computer group meets for monthly LAN parties. The location that hosts the parties also has a small internet cafe. After the cafe closes, they allow us to connect to their T-1 line. They supply us with a single IP address which we NAT/(PAT?) via a Linksys DSL router. We also have a second T-1 supplied by one of the more gracious members of our group. He agreed to supply this T-1 after experiencing abysmal ping rates with 30 people sharing the bandwidth. Herein lies the quandry: How can we implement Policy-Based routing for our LAN? I'd like all HTTP and FTP to be directed out one line while popular gaming ports are directed over the second line. All file-sharing traffic should be killed. I know how to do this via Cisco IOS and policy-route-mapping, but I'm at a loss when it comes to doing it via software firewall solutions. We have several Linux-familiar people in the group and lots of Windows geeks; but the solution should be simple and require zero brainpower to set up after the initial implementation. How would you split your LAN traffic across two T-1 lines?"
Businesses

From School to Work to Working at School? 73

Posted by Cliff from the from-corporate-to-college dept.
torgosan asks: "After years of school and many years of toiling in the corporate world and being laid-off in one of the seemingly perpetual down-sizings [my former company was employee-owned until a corporate buyout a few years back, after which point it all went downhill - a mini-Enron, as it were, including crooked execs, cooked books, SEC investigations, the whole mess], it appears my days of joblessness may possibly be coming to an end. A small university near my hometown has an opening that has my name written all over it. This is all still early in the process and the offer hasn't come yet but that's not stopping me from researching the target city, moving expenses, cost-of-living comparisons, living arrangements, etc. Taking the position would mean a sizable pay-cut but I need to get back to doing what I love to do and this seems to be 'it'. What I haven't been able to find, though, are the insights into university employment and how it compares to working in the 'real world'. This would be a staff position working with other staff and professionals and with some interaction with the student body. So my question for you uni workers out there is: What sort of adjustment should be expected? Is the uni workplace as structured as the corporate world? Pet peeves? What are the politics like? I ask as I attended a commuter-school with little campus life and have little to draw on for perspective."
Handhelds

How (and how well) do Wireless "Worldphones" Work? 70

Posted by Cliff from the digging-for-details dept.
Milo_Mindbender asks: "I've seen a number of new phones (like the Sony T616) advertised as 'worldphones' that handle three or four GSM bands. As someone who travels to Japan and Europe occasionally I'm wondering how (and how well) these actually work. Can you get a temporary or prepaid SIM with a local carrier and just swap it or are the US carriers 'service locking' phones so you have to do international roaming with them even in foreign countries?"
Movies

Real Time Video Stream over Firewire? 63

Posted by Cliff from the high-quality-webcams dept.
videomotion asks: "Digital camcorders from Sony and others are very handy gadgets. It is easy to capture or download on to the PC what you have previously recorded on the camcorder's digital tape. It would be wonderful if the same Firewire interface could be used to stream real time video to your PC for cool machine vision applications or for direct capturing of video onto the hard drive. Is it possible get the real time video stream from the Sony digital camcorder (DCR-PC100) through the Firewire cable and display the video picture on your computer screen?"
Data Storage

Swap File Optimizations? 177

Posted by Cliff from the coaxing-out-more-speed-via-organization dept.
fastswap asks: "I've got a pretty standard computer with reasonably fast drives. I've got an old 2GB-but-fast drive, and a spare channel on the motherboard. Does it make sense to install the 2GB drive on its own controller and use it for a dedicated, fixed swap file? I figure if the computer's using the swap file, then in the current setup with the swap file on the primary controller, then it's contributing to hard drive thrash exactly when one doesn't want it to (i.e. when the machine needs the swap file). If it is better to have a dedicated swap file on its own controller, is the same true for other operating systems with similar approaches to virtual memory? Since drive space is so cheap now, should the swap file be fixed size anyway rather than letting Windows suddenly get the urge to resize the thing?"
The Internet

Limiting Bandiwidth in a Shared DSL Environment? 77

Posted by Cliff from the cutting-back-on-the-bandwidth-leeches dept.
stylee asks: "We have a DSL connection that runs from a Cisco 675 DSL modem to a 24 port hub. Cat 5 cable has been run to the utility closet of each unit. The condo assoc. pays for the DSL from the monthly condo fees collected. The internet connection has been terribly slow the last few days, so I did a little snooping with ethereal and found that there is an individual who is using eDonkey 2000 to download and share movies. This user is eating up all the bandwidth. I want to set up a good router that can do load balancing so that an individual can't take up all the bandwidth and I was wondering what Slashdot would recommend. I would have to do it on the condo assoc. dime so it would have to be done on the cheap. Any suggestions?"
The Internet

ICANN to Incorporate TLDs Already In-use? 262

Posted by Cliff from the where-do-we-go-we-just-don't-know dept.
An anonymous reader asks: "I recently found an article at cnn.com about ICANN considering new top level domains. Some of the proposed TLDs have already been introduced by YOUCANN such as .xxx and have been available to the public at select registrars such as new.net for quite some time. If ICANN incorporates already existing TLDs how will this impact those who have already registered for domain on these TLDs? What implications does this have and how will the ramifications impact how businesses view and utilize the web?"
The Internet

What's Your Browser Start Page? 174

Posted by Cliff from the internet-starting-lines dept.
prostoalex asks: "I was just reading an Associated Press story on the most popular Web destinations, where it's noted how the companies are vying for user's attention to become an access point to the Internet. Slashdot's readership is probably not the one to stick to the start page provided by their ISP or their browser manufacturer. What's your browsers start page? A third-party site like Google or Yahoo!? A customized page like My Yahoo! or My MSN? Personal Web site or local HTML file with your favorite bookmarks? about:blank?"
Businesses

Starting Your Own Community Driven Website? 43

Posted by Cliff from the looking-before-you-leap dept.
ST asks: "I've had a couple of excellent ideas for community-driven websites (a la Slashdot), some excellent enough that I would really like to put money into and start up, but my abilities can only do so much. Where does one go to look for people to collaborate with technical (hosting, DB management), artistic, and web design help? What have your web site startups been like, have you any advice to offer? Any horror or success stories you would care to share will be welcomed!"
Books

Linux Book Recommendations, for 2004? 20

Posted by Cliff from the for-those-getting-started dept.
An anonymous reader asks: "LinuxDevices.com editor Henry Kingman has reviewed O'Reilly's new Pocket Linux Guide, a 191-page guide to Linux, asking whether a book that short can tell you what you need to know to get started working on a Linux system. Apparently this book cannot, to believe Kingman, who also dismisses O'Reilly's Linux in a Nutshell as 'dry.' Can anyone recommend a good book for smart but inexperienced Linux users, something that conveys a little of the magic of Linux without being too chatty, or too esoteric, or just too overwhelming?"

Is {pluto|sedna} A Planet? 594

Posted by timothy from the three-votes-for-maybe dept.
Dr. Zowie writes "NASA's announcement last week of Sedna's discovery reignited the debate over whether Pluto is a planet. Dr. Alan Stern a noted planetary scientist and leader of the New Horizons mission to Pluto, pours on some gasoline with this article in which he skewers the various arguments against Pluto-as-planet. Choice quotes include 'You wouldn't deny a chihauhau a place among dogs because it is too small,' and 'if your brain was so completely full of names of people that it just couldn't take any more, would anyone new who you met after that, therefore not be a person?'"

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