Comment Re:Reminds me of Microsoft (Score 1) 430
Indeed it sounds like the worst of Microsoft's past:
"skillful use of network effects"
Sounds like the fast track to an EU competition commission prosecution.
Submission + - Top Ten F/OSS events of 2007? 1
walterbyrd writes: "Top Ten F/OSS events of 2007?
These are the events that would get my vote. I will admit to an anti-Microsoft bias.
1) Sun made available most of their Java technologies as free software under the GNU General Public License.
2) OLPC starts shipping. Sales under G1G1 program exceed 150,000 units (number does not include sales to governments).
3) Dell ships Ubuntu loaded PCs.
4) Other computer manufacturers follow Dell's lead in preinstalling Linux on inexpensive laptops; Wal-Mart sells out of the 10,000 units of the model they carry in less than two weeks.
5) Samba/Microsoft agreement defangs Microsoft's patent FUD.
6) MS-Vista bombs. After years of delays, MS-Vista finally debuts. Even those kind to Microsoft admit that Vista is bloated and buggy. Adoption is slow.The public demanded XP be installed by default. This is the first time there was such a major backlash against a major Microsoft release. Maybe Microsoft is losing it's stranglehold on the industry?
7) Even after shameless bribing and ballot stuffing, Microsoft loses the first round in the OOXML approval process.
8) GPLv3 approved. This should have put an end to the secretive, and controversial, Microsoft/Novell deal. But it didn't, the Microsoft/Novell deal was "grandfathered" in.
9) Patent troll Acacia sues Redhat, just two days after two top Microsoft executives leave to join Acacia.
10) After more than four years, Federal Judge Dale Kimball finally rules that The SCO Group does not own UNIX. IMO: the plain language of TSG's contract with Novell made it perfectly obvious that TSG did not own UNIX, and Kimball could have ruled on this years earlier. Considering that The SCO Group never had any evidence what-so-ever, no standing, and no prima-facia case, the length of time required for this ruling is, in my opinion, inexcusable. This ruling has not stopped The SCO Group from claiming they own UNIX — maybe in another four years. Still, this is some progress."
1) Sun made available most of their Java technologies as free software under the GNU General Public License.
2) OLPC starts shipping. Sales under G1G1 program exceed 150,000 units (number does not include sales to governments).
3) Dell ships Ubuntu loaded PCs.
4) Other computer manufacturers follow Dell's lead in preinstalling Linux on inexpensive laptops; Wal-Mart sells out of the 10,000 units of the model they carry in less than two weeks.
5) Samba/Microsoft agreement defangs Microsoft's patent FUD.
6) MS-Vista bombs. After years of delays, MS-Vista finally debuts. Even those kind to Microsoft admit that Vista is bloated and buggy. Adoption is slow.The public demanded XP be installed by default. This is the first time there was such a major backlash against a major Microsoft release. Maybe Microsoft is losing it's stranglehold on the industry?
7) Even after shameless bribing and ballot stuffing, Microsoft loses the first round in the OOXML approval process.
8) GPLv3 approved. This should have put an end to the secretive, and controversial, Microsoft/Novell deal. But it didn't, the Microsoft/Novell deal was "grandfathered" in.
9) Patent troll Acacia sues Redhat, just two days after two top Microsoft executives leave to join Acacia.
10) After more than four years, Federal Judge Dale Kimball finally rules that The SCO Group does not own UNIX. IMO: the plain language of TSG's contract with Novell made it perfectly obvious that TSG did not own UNIX, and Kimball could have ruled on this years earlier. Considering that The SCO Group never had any evidence what-so-ever, no standing, and no prima-facia case, the length of time required for this ruling is, in my opinion, inexcusable. This ruling has not stopped The SCO Group from claiming they own UNIX — maybe in another four years. Still, this is some progress."
Submission + - Google Brings AdWords to UK Newspapers (theregister.co.uk) 1
eldavojohn writes: "In a sort of retro move, Google is planning on advertising in UK newspapers just like it is doing currently in the US. From the article, "So far, more than 600 US newspapers have signed up for the program, including everything from the Abilene Reporter-News in Abilene, Texas to the Wausau Daily Herald in Wausau, Wisconsin. Some have a daily circulation as low as 1000 souls, but the list also includes the likes of The New York Times, The New York Post, and The Washington Post.""
Submission + - Travelers' body heat to warm Swedish office block
paulraps writes: The heat from hundreds of thousands of hot and bothered people passing through Stockholm's Central Station each day is to be harnessed to warm a nearby office building. According to the man behind the project, Karl Sundholm, the 250,000 daily travelers will help bring down the office's heating bill by 20 percent. And if trains are delayed, no doubt that figure will rise.
Submission + - Gambas 2.0 IDE Released, Adds Toolkit Independence (gambasdoc.org)
raindog2 writes: "After three years of development, the second major revision of Gambas, a free BASIC IDE, is now stable. New features include CGI and a script engine, SDL support, and the ability to use either Qt/KDE or Gtk for your user interface without code changes."
Submission + - Open Source Amiga clone pricing announced
downix writes: "For those who have not been following, Dennis VanWeeren created the first cloned Amiga hardware earlier in 2007. Up until now, the only way to have one of these MiniMigs was to build it yourself, not an easy task for all people. But, ACube systems, the guys developing the SAM440 PowerPC motherboard, have stepped up, making available a fully assembled Minimig for the cost of 138 euro. The idea of having your own, brand new, Amiga is exciting to some, but a full open-source hardware platform should be exciting to all of us."
Submission + - Phonon : where QT and KDE meet (blogspot.com)
Cassanova writes: "Trolltech has recently announced that its graphic library Qt will be using Phonon, he new multimedia library created by the KDE developers. This is good news for Qt4 users allowing Qt to be better and simpler and it's a good sign of a great collaboration between Trolltech and the other Free software projects."
Submission + - Review of Robert Zemeckis' Beowulf (sffmedia.com) 1
svolsung writes: "In depth review of Zemeckis' movie that considers the significance of changes to the Old English poem introduced by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avery. Interesting take on the reworking of the role of Grendel's mother and the introduction of a more liberal and Judeo-Christian ethic."
Submission + - Can bittorrent be used as a Debian repository?
donkeyqong writes: A swarmed technology would speed downloads and reduce cost for mirrors. I am concerned about the security as md5 could possibly be faked and it doesn't take much to break a system.
Submission + - Student Posts to YouTube, shoots hangun at school (bbc.co.uk)
Marcion writes: "In normally sleepy Finland, an 18-year old atheist extremist, posted violent boasts to Youtube over two weeks (since removed) and then went to school and shot the headmistress and six students, then himself. Is there anything YouTube could have done earlier? Or is the question equivalent to asking what the water company could have done?"
Submission + - Skype Releases Beta with Video Calling on Linux (skype.com)
kripkenstein writes: After years in which many in the Linux community criticized Skype for lack of development of their Linux client, Skype has released a beta version of its popular application for Linux which, for the first time, supports video calling.
While open-source video calling applications exist, such as Ekiga, they lack the features and reliability of Skype (a FOSS fan myself, I admit this with sorrow). Now that the lack of a good video calling application seems to be solved, has another obstacle in the way of Linux on the desktop been removed?
While open-source video calling applications exist, such as Ekiga, they lack the features and reliability of Skype (a FOSS fan myself, I admit this with sorrow). Now that the lack of a good video calling application seems to be solved, has another obstacle in the way of Linux on the desktop been removed?
Submission + - Porn Collecting - What tools are best?
BenEnglishAtHome writes: What tools do you need to best build a porn collection? It's a geek in-joke that there are serious porn collectors in our ranks but it's also true. Anybody can get a usenet server account and try to grab all the binaries in the alt.* hierarchy or use a spidering program and grab a million files off the web. However, it takes serious tools and commitment to handle the resulting 100,000-file directories. How would you set up your ideal porn-collection system (OS, file system, hardware minimums, setup tuning tips)? What programs make it easy to edit/sort/file/view millions of media files? How do you identify and toss the dross that inevitably makes up 99% of what you download? Share, brother geeks, and make life better for us all.
Submission + - Nerds Are People Too and Deserve Real Comfort (beanbagzone.com)
BowShow writes: "Have you heard of the flat-ass syndrome? No, not FAT-ass, FLAT-ass...
That's when you sit at a computer for 10 hours or more everyday plugging away like a mindless robot. You know you should get up, move around, get some blood flowing through the veins, but you just need a few more minutes to figure out that painstaking task that has your eyeballs watering, your back and neck aching, and your ass becoming as flat as a pancake!
What does this have to do with technology? Technology was supposed to make our lives easier. We were supposed to have more time to enjoy our favorite outdoor activities or play with our children more. I know very few people who would agree that this is the case. We're working harder, longer, and our bodies are what's taking the brunt of the pain. Carpel-tunnel syndrome...now flat-ass syndrome.
I recently purchased the most comfortable chair I've ever sat in. At first I thought it might swallow me, but at last I realized it was just loving me:) Have you ever sat in a Foof chair? Wow! I'd say every techno-geek should have one next to their desk. If you have a laptop you can just get off your buns for awhile and kick back in the Foof. Even if you don't, take a break, and catch a 15 minute power nap. I kid you not, it's a huge stress reliever when you just need to get your body in a new position and relax. Now, the real alternative would be to get up and take a walk around the block, but as all of us techno-geeks know, time is money, and to be away for too long could mean missed opportunity. I got mine at www.beanbagzone.com. Cool site and great customer service!
Oh well, not sure why I felt the need to share this, but hey, we're all not that much different and our lifestyles are very similar. It helped me and I thought I'd share my 2 cents."
Submission + - Life Stranger than Science Fiction (smileproject.com)
robotissues writes: "So I had to throw this one out there — if only because my iGoogle headlines presented these two one after the other. BBC News Front Page World edition feed announces
Outbreak Source 'linked to labs' followed by Ancient Microbes 'revived' in Lab. Is it me or does this sound like the beginning of some sort of creepy apocalyptic sci-fi thriller where the audience see it coming a mile away. Add to that its BBC News of all places ..."
Submission + - How to bring down Internet Explorer in six words (commandline.org.uk) 1
Marcion writes: "Some handy Japanese guy called Hamachiya discovered a bug in Internet Explorer. Under certain conditions, an asterisk when used as a wildcard can crash IE as soon as the user attempts to go to another webpage. Feel free to add the code to your stylesheet too!"
