big.ears - Slashdot User

Submission + - Top 10 reasons Microsoft loves/hates open souce

Submitted by

coondoggie

on Monday May 14, 2007 @11:27AM

coondoggie writes: "Over the years, Microsoft has had some pretty harsh words (and actions) for the open source community in general and for Linux in particular. And with news this week that the company reportedly wants open source software users to pay royalties on 235 alleged patent violations, the relationship is obviously changing. We take a look at five ways Microsoft is embracing open source or Linux and five ways it is doing to battle against those same forces. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/051407-micro sft-open-source.html"

Submission + - Microsoft says open source violates 235 patents

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 14, 2007 @11:20AM

An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft top lawyer Brad Smith alleges that the Linux kernel violates 42 Microsoft patents, while its user interface and other design elements infringe on a further 65. OpenOffice.org is accused of infringing 45, along with 83 more in other free and open-source programs.

Submission + - A "Bill of Lights" to restrict LEDs on com

Submitted by

PetManimal

on Monday May 14, 2007 @10:52AM

PetManimal writes: "Mike Elgan has had it with useless lights on gadgets and computers. He singles out the Palm Treo and the Dell XPS gaming laptops as being particularly bad with the use of unnecessary lights, and also cites the plethora of LEDs on desktop PCs and peripherals:

My PC and other computing equipment make my office look like a jet cockpit. I have two LCD monitors, each of which has two indicator lights that flash even when the PC is turned off. The attached sound control has a light on it. My keyboard has multiple lights. The power cord has lights, the printer has lights, and the power button is illuminated. My cable modem and Linksys router flash like crazy all the time. Together, these useless lights create a visual cacophony of blinking, multicolored lights that make me feel like I'm taking part in a NASA stress test for astronaut candidates.
Elgan calls on manufacturers to respect his "Gadget Bill of Lights" to restrict the use of nag lights and allow users to turn them off. He also says the industry should pay more attention to industrial design when creating new products."

Submission + - Urban parks vs. global warming

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 14, 2007 @10:52AM

An anonymous reader writes: UK scientists say a modest increase in the number of urban parks and street trees could offset decades of predicted temperature rises. Specifically, a mere 10% increase in the amount of green space in built-up centers would reduce urban surface temperatures by as much as 4C.

Submission + - A list of "rat" universities?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 14, 2007 @10:41AM

An anonymous reader writes: With more and more stories of Universities "ratting out" their students to the like of the RIAA, is there any place where a list of univerisities privacy policies are posted? A report card of how universities are doing with protecting their student's rights?

Submission + - Music sharing a social, not ethical, issue

Submitted by

athloi

on Monday May 14, 2007 @10:32AM

athloi writes: "Recent studies by two Kent State University professors suggest that file sharing and downloading music is "more of a social phenomenon than an economic one." As one article related,

> "That is," say the researchers, "downloaders of free, so-called 'pirate' music
> seemed to be more motivated by the social aspect of trading and sharing music with
> other music enthusiasts rather than the proposition of saving money on music
> purchases."

In other news, students are finding out the hard way that downloading is where the law intrudes on what they see as a fun, social hobby and a way to interact with other kids.

> Barg couldn't imagine anyone expected her to pay $3,000 — $7.87 per song — for
> some 1980s ballads and Spice Girls tunes she downloaded for laughs in her dorm room.

Socialization has been the promise of the music industry for teenagers since the 1940s, justifying its sale of a cheap product at high prices through years of marketing portraying rock music as a way to socialize teenagers and introduce them to interaction with others (since they don't have exciting jobs, neurotic sex lives and life insurance to gab about like adults)."

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