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Communications

Submission + - FCC May Move to Cap Cable Companies Size (reuters.com)

Submitted by
explosivejared
explosivejared writes: "The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is moving toward resurrecting a proposal that would limit the size cable operators could reach on a nationwide basis, sources said on Friday. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has enough support on the five-member commission to pass a measure that would bar cable companies from owning systems that have more than a 30-percent share of U.S. multichannel video subscribers, according to one FCC source. Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus said in a research note that Martin is aiming for a vote on the cable ownership cap no later than the commission's next meeting on Dec. 18."
Announcements

Submission + - $100 Billiion 'Fix' For Global Warming Discredited (scienceblog.com) 4

Submitted by
slowboy
slowboy writes: "Science Blog reports that a $100 billion fix for global warming may not work. The discredited 'fix' is the fertilization of potentially millions of tons of iron or other nutrients into the ocean to promote an algae bloom. If this was to work then the algae would start sucking the carbon out of the atmosphere and reduce the effects of a major greenhouse gas. But guess what, that may just not work, regardless of how it would disrupt the ocean's ecosystem. It seems that the carbon may not get pumped into the deeper ocean, it may just lie near the surface and get taken back up into the atmosphere. Fortunately we are finding this out now, and not after $100 billion of you're, mine and others tax money went to the scheme."
Software

Submission + - Book Review: Mastering OpenLDAP by Matt Butcher

Submitted by
Phil Lembo
Phil Lembo writes: " Mastering OpenLDAP: Configuring, Securing and Integrating Directory Services by Matt Butcher is an extraordinarily well written book. The preface states it's focus succinctly:

The goal of this book is to prepare a system administrator or software developer for building a directory using OpenLDAP, and then employing this directory in the context of the network. To that end, this book will take a practical approach, emphasizing how to get things done. On occasion, we will delve into theoretical aspects of LDAP, but such discussions will only occur where understanding the theory helps us answer practical questions.
LDAP, the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, is a set of Internet standards for communications and operations with and between directory servers. Directory servers play a key role in modern Information Technology infrastructures, being the repositories of choice for the identity management systems used to authenticate and authorize user access to enterprise applications. OpenLDAP is an open source implementation of a general purpose directory server that is both high performance and LDAP standards compliant.

There have not been many books devoted to things LDAP in general, or OpenLDAP in particular. Of course there haven't been many focused on DNS (the Domain Name System on which our ability to find anything at all on the Internet depends) either. Fortunately for all of us who manage Internet connected systems, that one book on DNS is one of those rare technical books that succeeds in being a textbook on an engineering theory, but also a practical manual on how to implement it using the open source BIND server.

Mastering OpenLDAP is just that kind of book. Along with some of the best illustrations of the theory and practice of LDAP directory management, it contains a wealth of detailed information on the servers, clients and utilities that make up the OpenLDAP suite of software. The examples provided of different configurations are not only detailed, they also methodically build upon each other in a way that really illuminates various concepts far better than I think has been done before.

For an idea of what is covered in 467 pages of text and illustrations, including a very useful index, all you have to do is look at the table of contents:
  1. Directory Servers and LDAP
  2. Installation and Configuration
  3. Using OpenLDAP
  4. Securing OpenLDAP
  5. Advanced Configuration
  6. LDAP Schema
  7. Multiple Directories
  8. LDAP and the Web
The appendices in this volume are also worthy of mention: "Building OpenLDAP from Source", "LDAP URLs", and "Useful LDAP Commands" — the last deftly handling one of my favorite pastimes, "Rebuilding a Database (BDB, HDB)".

Over the years, as Internet technologies have become both more complex and more diverse, technical books have had a hard time keeping up with the needs of their readers. Few books provide the detail really needed to help their readers "get the job done". Many that do are become obsolete within months of publication, if they were not already so when published.

The difference with this book is the author's successful organizing and synthesis of the massive amount of information that exists out there on OpenLDAP. Particularly in the documentation and mail list archives published by the OpenLDAP Project. The real genius of the author is in his ability to anticipate and tie together concepts, processes and procedures that usually wind up hopelessly lost in those other sources. Throughout, although the book covers alot of ground, it remains clearly focused on the task at hand as set forth in it's Preface.

The only criticism I can find to make is that the book lacks a bibliography, which would be a useful addition to the resources presented in various places in the text.

This book would be an excellent textbook for use by students learning Internet technologies. It would also make a terrific technical manual for system administrators or developers involved in deploying or maintaining systems and applications that use directory services. Finally, this is the one essential book that all directory administrators should have on their own personal bookshelf.

Mastering OpenLDAP is published by Packt Publishing. Original release date was August, 2007. ISBN is 978-1847191021.

For those interested, I maintain a blog on things LDAP called Eldapo, A Directory Manager's Blog, where I try to jot down things of interest to myself and (I hope) other directory administrators that I stumble across in my daily work as a system administrator focusing on directory services and identity management systems."
The Media

Submission + - A Shocking Report Inside The Ron Paul Conspiracy (latimes.com)

Submitted by
Andrew Malcolm
Andrew Malcolm writes: "A shocking report: Inside the Ron Paul conspiracy Maybe you've heard rumors about an explosive newspaper expose on a major political figure that would rock the political world just as the presidential voting is about to begin... We haven't either. But we do know that today is when this newspaper blows the top off of the Ron Paul Conspiracy, that vast unorganized protest movement that has silently become one of the more interesting political phenomena of the current election season... goto http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2007/11 to read more"
Sun Microsystems

Submission + - Sun accused of hardball open source project tactic 2

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: The OpenDS project now appears close to extinction now that the people running the show, including the person who has contributed > 50% of the code have withdrawn from the project after Sun tried to force them to relinquish control.

In an open letter to the project and Sun, Neil Wilson gives the history behind their decision to retire from the project.

Sun have tried to put a different spin on the story and discredit Neil (Ludo, Eduardo-1, Eduardo-2) but were firmly rebutted by another (ex) member of the team Trey.

We will now have to wait and see if Jonathan Schwartz really means the hype he has been generating about Sun's commitment to Open Source — preferably by firing the execs responsible for this mess.
The Media

Submission + - CBS News Seeks Science-Ignorant Eco-Reporter

Submitted by
theodp
theodp writes: "Seeking a reporter to cover the 'eco beat,' CBS News has posted a job listing with some interesting job requirements, but knowledge of the environment isn't one of them. While 'knowledge of the enviro beat is a big plus,' says CBS, more important is that you be 'wicked smart, funny, irreverent and hip, oozing enthusiasm and creative energy.' And not averse to emitting a little carbon dioxide. 'Be prepared to see America,' advises CBS — this job involves 'heavy domestic travel.'"
United States

Submission + - Senate Bill 1959 to Create Thoughtcrime (newstarget.com) 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: "The end of Free Speech in America has arrived at our doorstep. It's a new law called the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, and it is worded in a clever way that could allow the U.S. government to arrest and incarcerate any individual who speaks out against the Bush Administration, the war on Iraq, the Department of Homeland Security or any government agency (including the FDA). The law has already passed the House on a traitorous vote of 405 to 6, and it is now being considered in the Senate where a vote is imminent." Source: http://www.newstarget.com/022308.html
Encryption

Submission + - Disk encryption on Mac OS X

Submitted by bowa
bowa writes: On the fly encryption, disk encryption like is offered by a lot of players on the market for windows and linux. Truecrypt or Jeticos Bestcrypt must be two of the most well known. But nothing like this is available for Mac OS X. Yes apple has made available FileVault ... but as much as i like apple, i prefer some open source solutions for encryption. Do fellow slashdot readers know about any good disk encryption software for Mac OS X ?
First Person Shooters (Games)

Submission + - Sony caught editing Halo 3 Wikipedia entry (vnunet.com)

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: Sony has been caught out editing the Wikipedia entry for Microsoft's highly anticipated shooter Halo 3.

The original entry stated: 'Halo 3, the third game in the best-selling Xbox game franchise Halo, is a highly anticipated first-person shooter video game under development by Bungie Studios for the Xbox 360 and is expected to "set a new high water mark" for next-generation games.'

However, a sentence had been added which reads: 'Although it won't look any better than Halo 2.
PlayStation (Games)

Submission + - Un-Brick your PSP! (noobz.eu)

Submitted by
slewfo0t
slewfo0t writes: "I looks like the guys over at N00bz have found a way to un-brick your PSP with little more than a battery with modded firmware and a memory card! No more having to send your PSP to Sony so they can rip you off! SCORE for the homebrew crowd!!! From the article, "The fine folks at N00bz have crafted yet another ingenious work of homebrew. This time, it's a program that can recover lost, "bricked" PSP systems from the void — an unbricker called "Pandora's Battery." According to N00bz, "It's the culmination of years of behind-the-scenes research and development by some of the top names in PSP hacking, under the name of the Prometheus project."" Here's the article"
United States

Submission + - Sharpshooters for Urban Deer (helenair.com)

Submitted by
inphaze
inphaze writes: "In Helena, Montana the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks wants to hire sharpshooters to kill 350 urban deer between Oct. & Feb. Helena has already set aside $30,000 for the hunt. They're giving the public 30 days to comment."
Microsoft

Submission + - MS exec: Pirating software? Choose Microsoft

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: ArsTechnica is running a story regarding Microsoft's view that should software piracy occur, Microsoft's desire is that the pirated software be theirs, to potentially, in the future, convert users from the "dark side" into legit users who obtain licenses...

"At the Morgan Stanley Technology conference last week in San Francisco, Microsoft business group president Jeff Raikes commented on the benefits of software counterfeiting. 'If they're going to pirate somebody, we want it to be us rather than somebody else,' he said. 'We understand that in the long run the fundamental asset is the installed base of people who are using our products. What you hope to do over time is convert them to licensing the software.'"

Obviously Microsoft prefers the market to use their software even if it's pirated rather than the alternative to occur: the use of free software which threatens their dominance in the software market.

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