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Red Hat Software

Submission + - Alan Cox leaves RedHat: Is RedHat shifting focus? (ostatic.com)

Submitted by ruphus13
ruphus13 writes: Alan Cox — one of the lead Linux kernel developers at RedHat — is leaving the company after 10 years and is heading to Intel, where he can focus on more low-level development tasks. There is speculation if this is indicative of a shift to a more 'application-centric' vision at RedHat. From the article, "Red Hat is integrating more application related, user- and enterprise-centric tools into its well-established "low-level", "core" development and support tools. It'd be more worrisome if Red Hat neglected to strike out in this direction. Cox was with Red Hat for ten years, and regardless of any suspected change of course within the company, that's a fair amount of time. If the Intel position allows Cox to do more of the type of development that interests him...it seems it a wise move."
HP

Submission + - HP is breaking U.S. trade sanctions (ap.org)

Submitted by
Afforess
Afforess writes: "The Boston Globe writes: "HP signed a distribution deal with a Dubai-based company called Redington Gulf in 1997, two years after the Clinton administration put trade sanctions on Iran. While Redington, as a foreign company, falls outside U.S. regulations, there is evidence HP knew its equipment would end up circumventing U.S. law." On the other hand, HP reports: "HP has a policy of complete compliance with all U.S. export laws." A 2007 survey states that HP printers currently control 41% percent of Iran's printer sales. No legal action has been taken yet."
Cellphones

Submission + - Telco threatens customers over cheap VoIP calls

Submitted by Herman Toothrot
Herman Toothrot writes: APCmag is reporting that Optus, Australia's second largest telco, sent out a threatening SMS to thousands of its mobile customers on Christmas Day, warning that calls to local calling card services that divert calls overseas via VoIP will be charged at international rates. Despite the fact that the telco isn't responsible for transmitting the call internationally and the service provider pays for the diversion, it claims that these calls are classified as "international" and the customer should be billed as such.

This begs the question, if Optus claims this is acceptable behaviour, should customers be charged international rates when their support call is inevitably transferred to India?
AMD

Submission + - AMD Releases Open-Source R600/700 3D Code (phoronix.com)

Submitted by lldmer
lldmer writes: Phoronix has reported AMD released open source code for 3D acceleration on R600/700 GPU's:

Since earlier this year we have been waiting for AMD to release documentation and/or code on the ATI R600 series concerning 3D acceleration so that the open-source Linux drivers can begin to support the newer ATI graphics processors. It has taken longer than expected for AMD to complete and release this information, but it's now available. AMD has released the fundamental Linux code needed to begin fostering the development of an open-source R600 3D driver. Furthermore, this code also concerns the latest R700 series of graphics processors! The microcode for the newest GPUs has also been released.
Encryption

Submission + - GPG and Absentee Ballots

Submitted by
thezookeeper
thezookeeper writes: "My state, New Jersey, currently allows absentee ballots to be returned by email provided that a signed paper copy is eventually mailed in. Unfortunately, at this point the state has no provision for accepting ballots returned by encrypted email and requires one to submit a statement waiving the right to a secret ballot. While the policy was enacted so that voters overseas don't have to worry that their ballots are received by election day, I've been wondering recently if perhaps the state should go further and not require a paper copy at all if the emailed copy is electronically signed. It seems to me that by using GPG or a similar encryption protocol, one could both improve election security and allow ballots to be returned in a format similar to standard paper ballots (all identifying information on an outer envelope and a theoretically secret ballot in an inner envelope). While I'm sure some will still argue that a paper trail is best (and I don't necessarily disagree), is there any real difference between paper absentee ballots and a properly configured system where the anonymous ballots are automatically separated from the signed containers and officials are somehow prevented from "accidently" deleting ballots? Are there any simple ways to permanently separate attachments from GPG encrypted messages that could make this viable?"
Security

Submission + - SPAM: FBI issues code cracking challenge

Submitted by
coondoggie
coondoggie writes: "The FBI today challenged anyone in the online community to break a cipher code on its site. The code was created by FBI cryptanalysts. The bureau invited hackers to a similar code-cracking challenge last year and got tens of thousands of responses it said. A number of sites host such cipher challenges, including this one at the University of South Hampton. [spam URL stripped]"
Link to Original Source
X

Submission + - AMD Releases Open-Source R600/700 3D Code (phoronix.com)

Submitted by
Michael
Michael writes: "AMD has just released code that will allow for open-source 3D acceleration on their ATI R600 and R700 graphics cards, including all of their newest Radeon HD 4xxx products. This code consists of a demo program that feeds the commands to the hardware, updates to their RadeonHD driver, and a Direct Rendering Manager update. With this code comes working 2D EXA acceleration support for these newer ATI graphics processors as well as basic X-Video support. AMD will be releasing sanitized documentation for these new ATI GPUs in the coming weeks. Phoronix has an article detailing what's all encompassed by today's code drop as well as the activities that led to this open-source code coming about for release."
Media

Submission + - SlySoft wins again!

Submitted by PhilLong
PhilLong writes: Fox Fail: A new version of BD+ appeared on some Fox Blu-ray titles that gave SlySoft AnyDVD-HD some trouble, today SlySoft announced that the work of BD+ developers have been in just as futile as those of those of all other efforts to hide the plaintext of a file from the intended recipient.
Software

Submission + - Slysoft defeats latest BD+ protection (wesleytech.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Despite the latest DRM being tough to crack, Slysoft has once again defeated the newest BD+ protections issued by Hollywood Studios. AnyDVD HD can now once again copy all currently released Blu-ray Discs!
HP

Submission + - HP uses 3rd party to sell printers in Iran (boston.com)

Submitted by HockeyPuck
HockeyPuck writes: The prevalence of American-made goods in Iran has led US officials to crack down on the cottage industry of smugglers in nearby Dubai who purchase everything from iPhones to Bratz dolls to sell in Iran. HP printers have become a top seller here, despite a comprehensive 1995 embargo that prohibits the California-based company from sending its products to Iran. Despite the crackdown on US companies who sell their products in Iran, some American firms whose products are sold through third-party distributors like Redington Gulf have so far avoided scrutiny. http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2008/12/29/hp_uses_third_party_to_sell_printers_in_iran/
PlayStation (Games)

Submission + - Hope Fades for PS3 as a Comeback Player (wsj.com)

Submitted by
ThousandStars
ThousandStars writes: "The Wall Street Journal reports that the PlayStation 3 is flailing thanks to high prices: "Sony's strategy of selling a pricey game machine with advanced features and cutting-edge components appears to be backfiring as a deepening recession has U.S. consumers more price sensitive than ever.""

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