Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×

Samba Team Urges Novell To Reconsider 472

Posted by Zonk from the think-twice dept.
hde226868 writes "The team responsible for Samba has just asked Novell to reconsider its recent patent agreement with Microsoft, arguing that the agreement is a divisive agreement, effectively splitting the open source movement into groups with and without commercial status. Samba argues that with this move Novell is disregarding the will of the people who write the software sold by Novell and that Novell has 'no right to make self servicing deals on behalf of others which run contrary to the goals and ideals of the Free Software community'."
Education

Submission + - More A's, More Pay

Submitted by
theodp
theodp writes: "Little slashdotters may find teacher a tad more upset when they screw up on a test. The Dept. of Education just launched the first federal program that uses bonuses to motivate teachers who raise test scores in at-risk communities, awarding $42M this month to 16 school systems. Any fears that teachers might cook the books to score a typical $5,000 payoff? Not to worry, says Chicago's school chief, there are statistical analyses in place that spot testing irregularities, presumably better at catching Cheaters than those used in the past."

Feed Eco-Friendly Paper Battery (wired.com)

From feed by wiredfeed
A Korean team develops a battery made of paper -- it's non-polluting, won't catch on fire and is very thin. It's suitable they say for "anti-aging" devices. Hmmmm.... In Gear Factor.


Informing a Company of a Security Discovery? 102

Posted by Cliff from the don't-shoot-the-messenger dept.
An anonymous reader asks: "I recently found a major security flaw through serendipitous independent research. I do not want to go into details, but it could be used against certain companies and have a large negative financial impact. However, I have no wish to use this for malicious purposes, and would rather profit by helping the company fix the problem. Seeing as many researchers have been persecuted/prosecuted lately for public disclosure, what is the best way to go about informing the company and agreeing on an appropriate fee for my services, without having it look as though I am trying to extort them?"

Oceans Empty By 2048? 589

Posted by Zonk from the dang-i-liked-fish dept.
F34nor writes to mention a CBS news article about the depopulation of ocean species. According to a study by a scientist in Halifax, Nova Scotia and assisted by research from all around the world, the world's oceans will be emptied of large lifeforms by 2048. From the article: "Already, 29% of edible fish and seafood species have declined by 90% — a drop that means the collapse of these fisheries. But the issue isn't just having seafood on our plates. Ocean species filter toxins from the water. They protect shorelines. And they reduce the risks of algae blooms such as the red tide. 'A large and increasing proportion of our population lives close to the coast; thus the loss of services such as flood control and waste detoxification can have disastrous consequences,' Worm and colleagues say."
United States

Submission + - US Citizens to be Required ''Clearance'' to Leave

Submitted by jo7hs2
jo7hs2 writes: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has proposed a system which will in essence make it madatory for you to have "permission" before even an American Citizen can leave or enter the country, effectively putting everyone on a no-fly list unless the government says otherwise.

Interestingly, the proposal does not seem to cover personal travel, only that on some sort of carrier like an airline or cruise vessel. While this certainly is concerning, it isn't exactly new, as a passport is already required for circumstances covered under the proposal.

http://sianews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=arti cle&sid=3023
Upgrades

Submission + - Abit's Fatal1ty Motherboard Line Rides Again

Submitted by
MojoKid
MojoKid writes: "Taiwanese motherboard manufacturer Universal Abit has risen from the ashes like a phoenix with the help of USI, a design and manufacturing services company. Abit has historically made a name for themselves with flagship enthusiast products tagged with the "Fatal1ty" brand name, marketed directly to high-end gamers and overclockers, featuring highly customized feature sets and endorsed by professional gamer Jonathan Fatal1ty Wendel. Here's a look at Abit's latest Fatal1ty AN9 32X motherboard, based on NVIDIA's nForce 590 SLI chipset for AMDs' socket AM2 platform. Get your frag sneakers on, this motherboard looks dialed for serious gamers and speed freaks, in typical Abit fashion."

GeForce 8800GTX Benchmarked 214

Posted by Zonk from the new-shininess dept.
An anonymous reader writes "The card does not launch for another week, but DailyTech already has benchmarks of the new GeForce 8800GTX on its website. The new card is the flagship GPU to replace GeForce 7900, and according to the benchmarks has no problem embarrassing the Radeon X1950 XTX either. According to the article, 'The GeForce 8800GTX used for testing is equipped with 768MB of GDDR3 video memory on a 384-bit memory bus as previously reported. Core and memory clocks are set at 575 MHz and 900 MHz respectively.'"
Communications

Submission + - Lost Words are Found

Submitted by What, you want my name?
What, you want my name? writes: Have you always wanted to find that one word that no one has used online? Perhaps you strive for your translation of that new Norwegian app to be the first ope source program to use the word "operiment" instead of "skin." Well search no further. Here is your source for Lost Words.

From the site:

"If you're looking for an online dictionary, a word list on a given topic, or the definitions to rare and unusual words, The Phrontistery is for you. Here, you will find my 15,500-word dictionary of obscure and rare words, the International House of Logorrhea, as well as many glossaries, word lists, and other English language and etymology resources."
Software

Submission + - Getting a Price Quote from a Software Vendor

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Why is it so difficult to get a price? I wanted a price for Matlab from Mathworks. I couldn't find a price nor an email address from their website. Instead they wanted me to fill out a detailed web form. Instead, I just emailed the particulars of how many seats of the software I needed to sales@mathworks.com. A couple days later, a saleperson emailed asking me to call her. I said I didn't have time. She basically responded that I needed to call her. Mind you, she didn't ask any questions and didn't include any price list. I sent one last email to a cofounder of the company, after which I started getting messages on my voicemail from the salesperson to which I refuse to respond (I guess she googled my phone number). So now, I still have no price despite an email from the cofounder that he'd look into it. Don't they want to sell me the software? Why does the salesperson insist in talking despite my obvious desire to handle this via email? I've had similar experiences with other companies, but none where the salesperson was so stubborn (well as stubborn as me). Is this practice widespread?
The Internet

Submission + - Jimmy Wales resigns chair at wikipedia

Submitted by
user24
user24 writes: "As reported by Wikipedia's Signpost ezine, "The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees has moved forward with a step in restructuring the organization by reorganizing itself. Following a planning retreat in Frankfurt, Jimmy Wales stepped down as Chair of the board, and Florence Nibart-Devouard was chosen to replace him." ... "Wales, meanwhile, will continue to serve on the board and assume the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus. He will remain active in Wikimedia projects, but chose to pass on the responsibility of heading the board, due in part to his commitments to outside projects.""
Music

Submission + - Poll: What music do you listen to while coding?

Submitted by Jesterboy
Jesterboy writes: Just a poll that asks users what kind of music they listen to while coding. Here are my suggestions for choices, although they could probably be added to or expanded:

Techno
Heavy Metal
JPop
Classical
Pop
Country
Rap
None; I cocentrate better with silence
CowboyNeal's MP3s
Google

Submission + - Some intimate details on the Google YouTube Deal

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: Mark Cuban reports on his blog that the google/youtube deal might have more to it than currently made public. According to an "anonymous author", who he respects and trusts, the huge price tag was actually a behind-the-scenes settlement to have the big media companies ignore the flagrant copyright infringement for 6 months, and instead turn on youtube's competitors to slow them down.

Not guaranteed to be 100% accurate, but an interesting take on things nevertheless.

Slashdot Top Deals

If you want to put yourself on the map, publish your own map.

Close