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Comment Re:What's so special about this computer system? (Score 1) 196

by Tokimasa (#36664118) Attached to: US Army Spent $2.7 Billion On Crashing Computer

The D stands for Distributed. There are probably many nodes. The USAF's DCGS (DCGS-AF) implementation has about half a dozen nodes with unclassified locations, plus a number of classified sites and mobile stations that are able to connect to the network. I would suspect that the Army system is very similar, and I wouldn't be surprised if Langley and/or Fort Meade are integrated into the system.
Linux

Torvalds Puts Support Behind GPL2 Linux 326

Posted by CmdrTaco from the license-and-registration-please dept.
Christiangrays writes "Linux creator Linus Torvalds has used an interview being made public by the Linux Foundation to stress that version 2 of the GPL still makes the most sense for the Linux kernel over the newer GPL version 3. GPL 3, which was released last year by the Free Software Foundation (FSF), reflects the FSF's goals while GPL 2 closely matches what Torvalds thinks a licence should do, Torvalds said. "I want to pick the licence that makes the most sense for what I want to do. And at this point in time, Version 2 matches what I think we want to do much, much better than Version 3," said Torvalds, who is now a fellow at the foundation. He was interviewed in late-October by Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin."
Portables (Games)

NYT Report Inaccurate on Full DS Downloads Via Wii 27

Posted by Zonk from the close-but-no-cigar dept.
Kotaku notes that the report from the New York Times, that full DS games would be downloadable via the Wii, wasn't entirely accurate. "That's right, according to Nintendo, the Wii will NOT be able to transmit or download full DS games. Apparently the New York Times confused DS demos with WiiWare titles. So you can download full on Wii games (which we knew), but only wireless DS demo games (which we also knew)."
Microsoft

Submission + - Do OpenOffice users save in Microsoft format? (zdnet.co.uk) 8

Submitted by
superglaze
superglaze writes: "Looking through an article on the Series 60 office suite Quickoffice, I noted a claim by a company executive that OpenOffice users usually save their documents in a Microsoft (eg. .doc) format (hence no plans at Quickoffice to support .odf). I guess I can see the rationale for this — it helps if you're sending a document to an MS-using company — but what's the general /.-user's experience of this?"
Windows

Submission + - Stealthy Windows update raises serious concerns

Submitted by UniversalVM
UniversalVM writes: What is the single biggest issue that bothers open source advocates about proprietary software? It is probably the ability of the vendor to pull stunts like this. Windows has stealthily updated components of the operating system using its update service. The update will not be flagged even if you have set up your update to notify you and only execute if permitted.
The weak explanation seems to be a great exercise in circular logic "Had we failed to update the service automatically, users would not have been able to successfully check for updates and, in turn, users would not have had updates installed automatically or received expected notifications." News.com is reporting that all of the updated files on both XP and Vista appears to be in windows update itself. This is information that was independently uncovered by users and still not released by Microsoft.
More interestingly could this be construed as a hacking of Windows users' systems? Does the EULA specify that Microsoft has the right to silently break into my machine, change components of the operating system and ignore any settings that explicitly prohibit this sort of behavior? Seems like a good argument could be made for Microsoft breaking into a system without the users' permission.
Software

Submission + - Smaller and more lightweight software is better?

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: I prefer software that takes as little hardrive space and RAM as possible. I can't stand bloated software like iTunes, as compared to Foobar or classic Winamp; or Windows Media Player, as compared to VLC or Media Player Classic. What are some of your favorite applications which are virtually bloat-free?
Media

Broadcasters Want Cash For Media Shared At Home 426

Posted by Zonk from the gotta-get-it-where-you-can dept.
marcellizot writes "What would you say if I told you that there are people out there that want to make sharing your media between devices over a home network illegal? According to Jim Burger, a Washington, D.C attorney who deals with piracy in the broadcasting industry, certain broadcasters want to do just that. Speaking in a recent podcast, Burger remarked that the broadcasting industry is keen to put controls on sharing media between devices even if those devices are on a home network and even if the sharing is strictly for personal use. When pressed as to why broadcasters would want to do this, Burger replied simply 'because they want you to pay for that right.'"
Math

Winnie Wrote a Math Book 638

Posted by Zonk from the why-isn't-that-a-textbook dept.
SoyChemist writes "Hollywood is not known for providing a wealth of positive female role models. Danica McKellar, the actress that played Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years and Elsie Snuffin on The West Wing, has written a math book for teenage girls. 'Math Doesn't Suck' is done in the style of a teen magazine. It even includes a horoscope, cute doodles of shoes and jewelry, and testimonials from attractive young career women that use math at work. It focuses on fractions and pre-algebra and uses mnemonics like calling a reciprocal a 'refliprocal', because you just take the fraction and flip it upside down. Wired interviewed McKellar about the new book and her crusade to eliminate the achievement gap between boys and girls in math courses. McKellar graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA. While studying there, she co-authored a proof and presented it at a conference. After she and Mayim Bialik — star of Blossom and a PhD in neuroscience — appeared in a 20/20 episode about intellectual actresses, several literary agents came knocking on her door."
User Journal

Journal SPAM: Dating A Married Man

Journal by melpol
Dating a married MAN can lead to lots of problems and it does not make sense for a single woman to do it, but dating lots of married MEN changes the picture around and you can have a great time. If a few dozen horny married men had your cell phone number you would be kept busy twenty four hours a day seven days a week, and be in a position to pick the time and place to meet. You would also be able to choose the guy that best fits your mood. On days that you are extremely horny you can arrange a
Software

Submission + - A hardware-software symbiosis

Submitted by
Roland Piquepaille
Roland Piquepaille writes: "We all want smaller and faster computers. Of course, this increases the complexity of the work of computer designers. But now, computer scientists from the University of Virginia are coming with a radical new idea which may revolutionize computer design. They've developed Tortola, a virtual interface that enables hardware and software to communicate and to solve problems together. This approach can be applied to get a better performance from a specific system. It also can be used in the areas of security or power consumption. And it soon could be commercialized with the help of IBM and Intel. Read more for additional details about the Tortola project and how a specific application will run."
Sci-Fi

Submission + - Doctor Who to be Axed (again) (thesun.co.uk)

Submitted by
twofish
twofish writes: "According to UK tabloid The Sun Hit UK Sci Fi program Doctor Who will reportedly be killed again next year after the end of the fourth season.

Producer Russell T. Davies has decided to bring the hit sci-fi show to a close so he can concentrate on other projects, according to the article. The paper adds that Davies and other senior staff are feeling the strain of the heavy workload imposed by the show nine months a year of 16-hour days and plan to resign en-masse.

Davies, a long time fan of Doctor Who, relaunched the series in 2005, 16 years after the original series was axed. The program is currently mid way through it's third season on UK TV."
PlayStation (Games)

80 Gig PS3 For South Korea, Slow April for Sony 145

Posted by Zonk from the business-bingo dept.
The South Koreans are about to see the PlayStation 3 launched in their nation, and they're getting a treat the rest of the world will have to wait on: a PS3 with an 80 gig hard drive. Meanwhile, NPD numbers show that the company's games division suffered greatly during April, likely as a result of few titles released during that month. "Though the company saw a bump in PSP sales, Nintendo DS continues to curb stomp the portable PlayStation. More disappointing, however, must have been seeing PlayStation 3 decline in sales of almost 50,000 units between March and April ... If April was tough, May looks bleaker. Karraker wouldn't speculate on sales, but outside of MLB 07: The Show's release at the end of April, there are no first-party releases coming to PS3 in May. In fact, there are only two May PS3 games period: Surf's Up and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Both are multi-platform releases."
Google

Submission + - Google bans essay writing advertisements

Submitted by llamapalooza
llamapalooza writes: Google announced that it will ban essay writing firms from advertising on their site. While universities have welcomed this, firms are claiming it will "punish legitimate businesses." Google has specifically banned "academic paper-writing services and the sale of pre-written essays, theses, and dissertations," which now joins other banned items such as tobacco, drugs, weapons, and prostitution.

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