Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
Programming

Submission + - What is the oldest code written still running? 2

Submitted by Consul
Consul writes: This is something I've been thinking about lately, and I think it would make for an interesting exercise and debate. What is the oldest piece of code that is still in use today, that has not actually been retyped or reimplemented in some way? By "piece of code", I'm of course referring to a complete algorithm, and not just a single line. So, does anyone think there's a routine out there that has survived the ages simple by being copied around?
PHP

Submission + - Know what changes are in store for PHP V6

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Are you ready for PHP V6? If you were upgrading tomorrow, would your scripts execute just fine or would you have work to do? This article focuses on the changes for PHP V6 — some of them back-ported to versions PHP V5.x — that could require some tweaks to your current scripts.
Technology (Apple)

Submission + - Stealing laptops? Don't touch a Mac (nytimes.com)

Submitted by
robipilot
robipilot writes: "Mac stolen, Mac comes online, owner connects back to Mac using "Back to My Mac", owner takes picture of culprit, and viola, criminal caught. Okay, it wasn't that easy, but here's an interesting story of using some built-in technology on the Mac to recover a stolen laptop."

Feed Engadget: Swtched On: Green Plug tries to replace the worry warts (Part 1) (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Peripherals

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.


The best and most popular portable electronics products don't work for long without them, but the general consumer sentiment toward AC adapters is evident in the terms of endearment such as "bricks" and "wall warts" given to them. They're referred to with even more colorful language when they're accidentally left behind on a trip or are otherwise unavailable when needed.

But if a startup GreenPlug has its way, future portable electronics products may not come with an AC adapter, much like many printers today don't come with a USB cable. With engineering talent that ran design for Apple's DC power systems for the iPod and the MagSafe connector, GreenPlug is taking on one of gadetry's holy grails - a universal connector that can work on practically any portable electronics device. GreenPlug would turn the frequently forgotten and mismatched AC adapter into an accessory ecosystem. The company envisions DC charging hubs that would be available in conference tables at the workplace and in tables and walls at coffee shops.

Continue reading Swtched On: Green Plug tries to replace the worry warts (Part 1)

Permalink|Email this|Comments


Spam

Submission + - Security flaw turns Gmail into open-relay server (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by sveard
sveard writes:
A recently-discovered flaw in Gmail is capable of turning Google's e-mail service into a highly effective spam machine. According to the Information Security Research Team (INSERT), Gmail is susceptible to a man-in-the-middle attack that allows a spammer to send thousands of bulk e-mails through Google's SMTP service without fear of detection. This attack bypasses both Google's identity fraud protection mechanisms and the current 500-address limit on bulk e-mail.
Compounding the issue is the fact that services such as Hotmail and Yahoo "trust" Gmail. This may facilitate e-mail delivery, but it also makes it easier for spammers to reach their intended targets.
More over at Ars Technica
Patents

A Guardian Angel In Your Cell Phone 215

Posted by kdawson from the all-watched-over-by-machines-of-loving-grace dept.
theodp writes "Bill Gates and Ray Ozzie are listed as inventors of the Guardian Angel, which is described in a most unusual Microsoft patent application that should intrigue privacy advocates. In addition to protecting you from possibly diseased people, by detecting body temperatures, the Guardian Angel's 'monitoring component can take note of the number of conversations occurring in a room (and more specifically, a breakdown of the types of people in the room accompanied by a warning for dangerous persons, based on sex offender registration, FBI most wanted, etc.).' The versatile Guardian Angel, Microsoft notes, can also recommend restaurants, advise you on the appropriateness of your jokes, detect that your heartbeat has stopped, display targeted ads on billboards, and block spam."

Feed Science Daily: Quantum Cryptography: Researchers Break 'Unbreakable' Crypto (sciencedaily.com)

From feed by sdfeed
Quantum cryptography has been regarded as 100-percent protection against attacks on sensitive data traffic. But now a research team in Sweden has found a hole in this advanced technology. The risk of illegal accessing of information, for example in money transactions, is necessitating more and more advanced cryptographic techniques.

Comment Re:They are plainly unauthorized copies, no tricke (Score 3, Interesting) 175

by KB3LWJ (#21859454) Attached to: RIAA Not Suing Over CD Ripping, Still Calling Rips 'Unauthorized'

Here's an interesting quote from one of the legal briefs in the case:

"Once Defendant converted Plaintiffs' recording into the compressed .mp3 format and they are in his shared folder, they are no longer the authorized copies distributed by Plaintiffs" [Supplemental Brief, page 15, lines 16-18, emphasis added].

The phrasing that they used seems to indicate that the MP3 files were authorized until they were placed into the shared folder. Now, I'm not a lawyer, so it's possible that this means absolutely nothing, but it's still an interesting notion.

What it seems that they are saying is that the MP3's are authorized until used for an illegal purpose (i.e. file-sharing). Amazon's MP3 Music Service TOS seems to support this interpretation. It encourages users to make backup copies of MP3's they purchase (which would be authorized); and, if you violate any of the terms (such as infringing upon the copyright of the MP3), your license to use the music terminates, making the MP3 unauthorized. While the music in this case wasn't purchased from Amazon, it seems like the same philosophy is involved.

Slashdot Top Deals

10 to the minus 6th power mouthwashes = 1 Microscope

Close