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Comment Re:Ok, so I got the popcorn ready.... (Score 1) 254

Ok. I went back and read the definitions.

I like this one:

The term often applies to groups of computer systems that have had malicious software installed by worms, Trojan horses or other malicious software.

"Often" is a very different word than "always", "solely" or "only".

It's clear that how the botnet came about is not critical to the definition. The clue is right there in the name that it's referring to a network of bots.

The key detail here is that it's a number of computers under surreptitious remote control.

And you like the one that fits your fiscal agenda. So I'm not the only one who selects their definitions, am I? You. Are. An. Astroturfer.

With people like you making Linux users look like raving madmen, I'm pretty sure all the MS astroturfers have been granted the day off.

Comment deposits in town, deposits out in ther stix (Score 2, Interesting) 139

Some places have the deposit, some don't, and as you can see, even *with* a five cent deposit, most people think so little of that that they still toss them. Without a deposit, they are mostly all tossed. Some get scavenged and recycled, some don't, and many of the people who scavenge and recycle don't even bother with the buhzillions of food cans now that have steel tops and the rest of the can is aluminum. Thye'd have to cut the tops off and rinse out the cans so they don't bother.

Now ME, I just see them as fun targets, especially if you fill them with water so you get a big splasharooni from a hit ;)

Anyway, the point was I can't see us running out of aluminum soon, besides what is already here and could be recycled, the planet has plenty of bauxite.

Heck, out west in the desert, they have *thousands* of old junk airplanes made from aluminum sitting around. And the coming thing for new airplane construction is to go to carbon fiber and not use so much aluminum. I don't think goog will have any problems sourcing material for a big mirror project.

and hey, since when is 60 "old"!?! heheheh we call that "middle aged" now.

lawn, git, etc

Comment Re:Let's change the definition! (Score 1) 891

This is true, however, the generally accepted definition of "vendor lock-in" is useless.

The Enterprise doesn't care about vendor lock-in, they care about the consequences of vendor lock-in. That is to say, they care about what vendor lock-in might cost them. The cost of vendor lock-in is what it will cost you to change from your current system and what costs you might be forced to bear if you want to avoid that. Often this can be an issue of a company basically gouging their customers because they can't afford to get out, but it can just as easily be the costs of maintaining a project if the original maintainers disappear, or any number of other things.

Lock-in doesn't occur because software is closed or for any reasons of legality. There is no law which you can use to force someone to continue to use your software. Lock-in occurs because every piece of software is a little bit different and relearning a new one, adapting your other software to work with a new one, changing your business processes to match a new one, all of that costs an awful lot of money.

In a certain sense, Windows actually has less lock-in than Linux. You can nearly always install windows software on multiple versions of Windows, and the each version of Windows is supported for quite a long time. You can, for the most part(and I've certainly seen this) write a piece of software and run it, without any updates for 15 years. Whereas you can't even guarantee that any given piece of software for Linux will install and run the same way on the next version of the Linux software you're running, let along another distribution.

In any event, none of the four freedoms frees you from costs incurred if the people providing your software change the terms under which they do so. Just because you can maintain it yourself doesn't mean that it is in any way practical or even desirable to do so.

Comment Re:Pretty easy (Score 1) 633

this. Include a copy of ubuntu and you're covered. Trust me, in 17 years she'll b able to find a computer that will run it. hell, if 17 years she'll probably be able to find someone still running windows 98. You overestimate progress. Put them on DVD and be done with it. the whole point of a time capsule is that it's old stuff. If I opened a time capsul from when i was born and it had CD's and flash drives, I'd feel cheated (and I'd wonder where they got those).

Comment "Major Nelson", possibly off-topic (Score 3, Funny) 150

Yes I work in the games industry, so there is your disclaimer. But having a grey-haired accountant as the spokesman of your games division really says a lot about how much you take your customers and your own division seriously. This guy is actually not bad to work with and I have recommended in the past that he go after a broadcast career, but I simply do not see how he appeals to anyone under 46 or how he can be the front voice of one third of this industry. Even Chris Paladino (might have spelled that wrong) is clearly a better choice, at least you can see his passion in his videos. You want to give the hardcore players someone they will listen to, not give the Microsoft middle-managers someone they love. There is a huge difference there. I have no clue if Sony or Nintendo have an equivelent to this guy, but when I think games, I don't think of a middle-aged white guy. /end rant.
Google

The Downide of Your ISP Turning to Gmail 266

SlinkySausage writes "Google is offering ISPs the opportunity to turn over their entire email operation to Google, with all customer email hosted as Gmail accounts. This would allow Google to grow its user base rapidly (Google is a distant third with 51M users compared to Yahoo's 250M and Hotmail's 228M). There are some obvious benefits to end users — Google is offering ISPs mailboxes of up to 10GB per user. APCMag.com has posted an interesting piece looking at the dark side of Google's offer. Not least is in its reinforcing of the attachment people have to their ISP's email address, making it harder to change ISPs if a better deal comes along."
Mars

NASA's Instrument For Detecting Life On Mars 88

Roland Piquepaille writes "With the financial help of NASA, American and European researchers have developed a new sensor to check for life on Mars. It should also be able to determine if traces of life's molecular building blocks have been produced by anything that was once alive. The device has been tested in the Atacama Desert in Chile. It should be part of the science payload for the ExoMars rover planned for launch in 2013."

What's Hidden Under Greenland's Ice? 246

Roland Piquepaille writes "Ice has covered Greenland for millions of years. So what's hidden under this ice cap? Mountains and valleys? Rivers and lakes? Of course, we might know it sooner than we would have liked if the ice covering Greenland continues to melt. But researchers from Ohio State University have decided that they wanted to know it next year and have developed a radar to reveal views of land beneath polar ice. Their first tests of this new radar, which helps them to catch 3-D images of the ground under the ice, took place in May 2006. The next images will be shot in April 2007. Here are some images of the new GISMO device and what it can do."
HP

HP Pays $14.5M to Make Civil Charges Disappear 107

theodp writes "The California Attorney General's Office negotiated a $14.5 million payoff from HP as part of a settlement that calls for the state not to pursue civil charges related to the now infamous spy scandal against the company and its current or former officers or directors (felony criminal charges against five individuals still remain). HP also agreed to maintain the watchdog positions of chief ethics officer and chief privacy officer for five years."

Laser Turns All Metals Black 333

Roland Piquepaille writes "Researchers at the University of Rochester have found a way to change the properties of almost any metal by using a femtosecond laser pulse. This ultra-intense laser blast creates true 'black metal' from copper, gold or zinc by forming nanostructures at the surface of the metal. As these nanostructures capture radiation, the metals turn black. And as the process needs surprisingly low power, it could soon be used for a variety of applications, such as stealth planes, black jewels or car paintings. But read more for additional references and a picture of this femtosecond laser system."

What's Wrong With the Games Industry 119

Gamasutra has up a piece by game developer Stephen Ford, entitled What's Wrong with the Games Industry (and How to Make it Right). The article covers the idiosyncrasies of game development, such as the problems of pitching a title, making a demo, working to publisher expectations. It then looks at ways to make the same-old same-old 'right'. From the article: "One amazing fact that has yet to permeate the strata of the industry is that most of their employees have the equipment that they need to do their jobs at home. One example is freelance audio engineers, who do most of their work off site and mail the files in. However, for code, design and art there are still large levels of resistance to the idea that you can effectively export work off site and maintain control. On-site control is an illusion, and while the camaraderie of a large office space is nice, it is also the least financially efficient way of getting production work done in an age of broadband."

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