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Microsoft

Submission + - Vista Virtualization Flip Flop (com.com)

Submitted by WrongSizeGlass
WrongSizeGlass writes: It looks like Microsoft has changed its mind about changing its mind. FTA:

Microsoft planned this week to announce that it was broadening the virtualization rights for Windows Vista, but decided at the last minute to reverse course and stick with existing limits.
Let the speculation begin.
Networking

Submission + - Server naming conventions: Cold logic vs Star Trek (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
Ian Lamont
Ian Lamont writes: "There's an interesting debate about server and terminal naming conventions that brings up some of the pros and cons of using mundane vs. exotic names. People have submitted funny and/or obscure examples (Star Trek and LOTR characters, Nixon cabinet members, etc.). However, these can get old, or are inconvenient. Everyone has seen environments that are based on Greco-Roman mythology (Perseus, Zeus, Dionysus, etc.) — spelling them out can be a problem, not to mention finding specific applications and helping out new hires (or your replacement) deal with unfamiliar systems. The alternative is "logically (and yawningly)" naming servers after departments, building locations, applications, etc. That approach has its problems, too — including users who have their own ideas about what names should be used. What do the experts say? Pierre Dumoulin, writing for Tech Republic, warns against using Star Trek or the Smurfs — he recommends a 'proper' and logical naming convention that can make it easier to troubleshoot, conduct inventory, and scale the network. As an example for a large company, he suggests "DDCCSSUPOXXXX", which lists Division (D) — Country (C) — Site (S) — Usage Type (U) — Portability (P) — Operating Environment (O) — Numbering Scheme (XXXX):

I personally like this convention because it provides me with a lot of information I want to know about a computer on a routine basis. Also, once the meaning of the different acronyms has been assimilated by support staff, they can translate the computer name very easily into a meaningful sentence. One example, using this convention, would be: "Manufacturing desktop computer located in Boston, U.S.A. used for production office work" while the actual name of the computer might be something like "MAUSBOODP0001" or "Research laptop computer located in London, England used for testing in a lab environment" for a node name like "RDENLDLLT0001".
"
Censorship

Submission + - Kids can't hug anymore (cnn.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: VIENNA, Virginia (AP) — A show of affection almost landed a teenage boy in detention.

Hugging was 13-year-old Hal Beaulieu's crime when he sat next to his girlfriend at lunch a few months ago and put his arm around her shoulder. He was let off with a warning, but the cost of a repeat offense could be detention.

A rule against physical contact at Kilmer Middle School, about 10 miles west of Washington, is so strict that students can be sent to the principal's office for hugging, holding hands or even high-fiving.

"I think hugging is a good thing," said Hal, a seventh-grader. "I put my arm around her. It was like for 15 seconds. I didn't think it would be a big deal."

Unlike some schools, which ban fighting or inappropriate touching, Kilmer Middle School bans all touching.

But that doesn't seem necessary to Hal and his parents. They've sent a letter asking the county school board to review the rule.

But at a school of 1,100 students that was meant to accommodate 850, school officials think touching can turn into a big deal. They've seen pokes lead to fights, gang signs in the form of handshakes and girls who are uncomfortable being hugged but embarrassed to say anything.

"You get into shades of gray," Kilmer Principal Deborah Hernandez said. "The kids say, 'If he can high-five, then I can do this.' "

Hernandez said the no-touching rule is meant to ensure that students are comfortable and that crowded hallways and lunchrooms stay safe. She said school officials are allowed to use their judgment in enforcing the rule. Typically, only repeat offenders are reprimanded.
Novell

Submission + - Moonlight - OS implementation of Silverlight (com.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The Mono Project has created an implementation of Silverlight which runs on Linux thus allowing Linux users to view new Silverlight content. The project, known as Moonlight, is still in the early development stages, with only 21 days of development completed, yet it is still able to display non-trivial Silverlight applications. A public release is likely to be ready before the end of the summer.
Programming

Submission + - Best practices to avoid Ajax security threats

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: This article, provided an overview of different ways in which Web 2.0 applications avoid the same-origin policy. It also demonstrated how this opens up some new attack vectors to Web applications. It discusses some common types of attacks and the results that attackers can obtain. Finally, it concluded with a best practices section, which you can use to avoid some of the most common Ajax application attacks.
Censorship

Submission + - Illegal Monitoring at School

Submitted by
WyllDez
WyllDez writes: "I had an incident today an a high school in Toronto (Northern Secondary School), and I am unsure how to act. The computers in our library are monitored using Net Support School (http://www.netsupportschool.com/ ). I was completely unaware until our librarian came up to me, showed me a print out of my browsing history, programs I ran, and all of my key strokes, including my passwords to several websites. I have talked to quite a few students at our school, and all of them where unaware that they have been monitored. I looked throughout the library, and there are no signs anywhere mentioning that they are being monitored. In our usage agreement, it said that we would be monitored at the board level, and only browsing history would be monitored through the board proxies. It should also be noted that all of the key logs are available to anyone who finds the folder! What can we do about this?"
Media

Submission + - Public barred from 'public' W3C conference

Submitted by adah
adah writes: The World Wide Web Consortium held a conference in DC on Monday that it described as: ‘Conversations and results are public.’ Which is why it's a bit hypocritical to bar reporters from covering the event. Danny Weitzner, one of the W3C's policy directors and event co-chair, repeatedly claimed in a followup telephone conversation that, by ‘public,’ the W3C actually means ‘closed to the public.’ He said making an event discussing government transparency less transparent was necessary because government officials could then speak more freely ‘without wondering how the press would interpret what they have to say.’
Media

Submission + - W3C bars public from "public" conf on tran (com.com)

Submitted by
cnet-declan
cnet-declan writes: "The World Wide Web Consortium, which claims to be an "open forum" for standards discussion, held an event in DC on Monday (with a Tim Berners-Lee keynote) described as: "Conversations and results are public." But it turns out that reporters were barred from attending the event, which was, ironically, held in a federal building and titled "Toward More Transparent Government." The W3C's Danny Weiztner, an lawyer and event co-chair, told me it was necessary so government officials could speak freely — but was unable to identify any who might feel stifled. Here's our article on W3C's apparent hypocrisy."
Privacy

Submission + - Last Day to STOP REAL ID

Submitted by
groschke
groschke writes: "I'm a lawyer at the Electronic Privacy Information Center. There are just about 24 hours left for the public to submit comments against REAL ID. A coalition is urging individuals to speak up. They have links to portals that accept comments online, and sample comments like:

"The plan will create a massive national identification system without adequate privacy and security safeguards. It will also make it more difficult for people to get driver's licenses. And it will make it too easy for identity thieves, stalkers, and corrupt government officials to get access to such personal information as a home address, age, and Social Security number."

Slashdotters should offer their perspective. REAL ID was approved without Congressional Hearings, and this is the last 24 hours for the public to comment on this proposal!"
Security

Submission + - A Step Backwards in Online Banking Security

Submitted by Gates82
Gates82 writes: I have recently been frustrated by "added security" questions on banking and credit card websites. It seems that all of these institutions are heading towards a regular login and a second (3rd or 4th) security question to be used as a second authentication or as verification to reset your primary password. These questions seem a step backwards in security; now all that it is required to reset my password on these sites is to know my user ID and then answer a simple question (ie. place of birth, date of birth, pets names, etc) with most of the answers being quite publicly available. Personally, I normally bash on the keyboard and click continue not caring what the answer is; assuming that it will be more difficult to crack then guessing fluffy as a pet name. But to make matters more unbearable I attempted to login to a credit card website and was greeted with a second login and it was requesting an answer to one of these (hit-head-on-keyboard) questions. It took two calls to get logged in and I am now forced to use a password for each security question in place of the real answer.

This process seems like a way for companies to deal with joe blow who forgets his password every month when he goes to make a payment. But how insecure is this for the rest of us who are comfortable with our password making/remembering capabilities?
Security

Submission + - Wikipedia admins go on rampage

Submitted by joeszilagyi
joeszilagyi writes: After their passwords got cracked: At least four different Wikipedia administrators have had their weak passwords taken in the past 24 hours. They deleted the home page repeatedly, and one person even put Tubgirl on the "Site notice", which is a global header for all of en.wikipedia.org. How did it happen? Weak logon security measures — there is no CAPTCHA; crappy passwords, and on top of that, while there is an encrypted SSL logon page, it's hard to find. The scariest thing is that people with passwords of "password" are entrusted as sysops and administrators on one of the Top 10 websites on Earth. They even blocked Jimbo Wales repeatedly from his own website!
Education

Submission + - Russian Teacher Guilty in Re-Opened MS Piracy Case

Submitted by
eldavojohn
eldavojohn writes: "The highly publicized re-opened case of a Russian school teacher pirating Microsoft software has ended with the verdict being guilty of causing $10,000 in damages. Before we cast stones (again), note that Microsoft had nothing to do with this case: 'Microsoft, however, has said repeatedly it has nothing to do with the charges, which were brought by Russian prosecutors in the Ural Mountains region where Ponosov's school is located. The case "was initiated by Russian authorities under Russian law," the company said in an e-mailed statement after the verdict. "Microsoft neither initiated nor has any plans to bring any action against Mr. Ponosov."' The closing, re-opening & guilty verdict may all have been a result of the United States placing Russia on a piracy watch-list though many people feel the media has turned this into a David Vs Goliath tale with a reprieve on the ending."
The Courts

Submission + - Warner found guilty of piracy

Submitted by
XSforMe
XSforMe writes: "After a six year long legal battle Warner Music was found guilty of plagiarism and piracy, according to a judge in Mexico. The disputed property lies in the rights of a song included in a music album produced by a popular mexican interpreter which sold over 3 million copies. The judge has ordered Warner to pay Mr. Lifshitz (claimant in the trail) 40% of the net income of said album. Warner has 15 days to either pony up the money or take the case to a higher court."

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