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Open Source

Submission + - LTSI Linux Kernel 3.4 Released (paritynews.com)

hypnosec writes: The Linux Foundation has announced the release of Linux 3.4 under its Long Term Support Initiative (LTSI) that will be maintained for next two years with back-ported features from newer Linux kernels. Based on Linux 3.4.25, the LTSI 3.4 is equipped with features such as Contiguous Memory Allocator (CMA) which is helpful for embedded devices with limited hardware resource availability; AF_BUS – a kernel-based implementation of the D-Bus protocol; CoDel (controlled delay) – a transmission algorithm meant for optimization of TCP/IP network buffer control. The LTSI is backed by the likes of Hitachi, LG Electronics, NEC.
Role Playing (Games)

Submission + - WotC releases old Dungeons and Dragons catalog as PDFs (wired.com)

jjohn writes: "Wizards of the Coasts, holders of the TSR catalog, has released rulebooks and modules for most editions of Dungeons and Dragons through a partnership with DriveThruRPG.com. The web site, dndclassics.com, may be a little overloaded right now. Most module PDFs are $4.99 USD."
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft Surface Pro Arrives Feb. 9

adeelarshad82 writes: According to Microsoft, the Surface Windows 8 Pro will be available for purchase on Feb. 9 in the U.S. and Canada. As anticipated, the Surface Pro will be slightly thicker than the Surface with Windows RT, and will weigh about two pounds. The tablet is powered with an Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB of memory. It also includes an 802.11 a/b/g/n dual band Wi-Fi, a stylus for pressure-sensitive input, dual 720p HD webcams, a full-sized USB 3.0 port, microSDXC slot, and mini DisplayPort. Since the Surface Pro runs Windows 8 Pro, it will work with your corporate infrastructure, as well as any older apps that you used on Windows XP to 7. In terms of pricing, the 64GB version will cost $899 while the 128GB will set you back by $999.

Comment Re:Astroturfing on Slashdot (Score 1) 353

Here's my biggest problem with Apple ca. 2010:

Apple is the (surprising) intersection of technology and the liberal arts, and that is deeply offending to insecure geeks, to whom technology needs to be complicated, obtuse, highly technical and impenetrable. To them, making something usable is a travesty.

This was a correct statement for Apple during their dark ages in the 90s and up until the iPod. These days, while bringing more attention to form factors such as tablets and smartphones is laudable, what they've done an about face on is the liberal/creative art community: the same community that kept them going for a decade. (I'm not even going to go into the hacker community that gave Apple its start: that's a completely different ball game.)

Sadly, today that's no longer the case: Apple has increasingly been dictating how you should use their devices (i.e. the iOS walled-garden app store), failing to communicate or work with companies that provide that core community (i.e. illustrators, designers, artists of all varieties) their core software (i.e. Adobe), and insisting on the elimination of certain technologies which the entire community has rallied behind as a useful tool and interaction paradigm for their craft (i.e. pen-based tablets). It is for these reasons (and one other*) that I have severe misgivings and issues with present-day Apple.

I commend Apple on their inroads at making computing accessible, but I abhor their behaviour regarding their original demographic. There was a time where if you were going into the arts, in any way, you only did it with a Mac; to install and use Photoshop on a Windows system was appalling, not to mention unstable.

*: I have significant, personal issues with their switch from a POWER Architecture platform to an Intel-based platform; POWER was, and is, a far superior system architecture, as evidenced by the significant use of POWER-based architectures in common computing appliances found in most households (i.e. any current generation video game console).

Comment Re:How about "Alice"? (Score 1) 172

I would recommend against using Alice right off the bat: it's way too focused on storytelling, and not actual game development. If you want to teach gameplay (as you should), use Microsoft Labs' Kodu available here. It's brilliant, and completely graphical, and anybody can pick it up quickly. I taught it this summer to children aged eight to 14 in a week, and they were capable of building their own games just fine by the end of the week.

The only real way to confirm exactly what you should use in your course is to actually use each package for about a week: know it, learn it, and always be several steps ahead of your class.

Comment Re:typical (Score 1) 184

Cogeco doesn't throttle, or block, anything. They do have bandwidth caps, but they're soft, and they just charge $5/GB over the cap, to a maximum of $30 extra. Most people I know just factor the extra $30 into their bill. Personally, I have never hit my cap, although it's a commercial cap. ^_^ 200 GB/mo.

Comment Re:Here it is for 5c (Score 1) 844

As a circumcised male, who's father is circumcised, and who's father is too, it's not a health matter (it IS easier to clean than with a foreskin, and children are not known for their cleanliness), it's definitely a cosmetic issue, and it has to do with the child's identity development. Child sees the father's penis (for whatever reason) and it's circumcised while the child's isn't? Child goes "WTF? Why doesn't mine look like that? What's wrong with me?! Am I a freak?! Why am I different?!" (I have had first hand experience seeing this phenomenon in action: my cousin wasn't circumcised, and he freaked out when he saw his my uncle's penis one day after accidentally walking into the bathroom while his dad was getting out of the shower).

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