Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror

Comment It's just a big shit (Score 5, Funny) 242

We don't know where it came from but it seems to be a huge shit from some kind of alien. Really big alien.
Just think like when you're flying between Europe and Americas and need to go to toilet. And when you flush it gets out because of cabin pressure and get frozen. Just like Oumuamua is flying on space. And even the shape is almost same.
There can be some kind of bacteria to be investigated but it's not same life form like where it came out from.

Comment Online shopping (credit card, delivery address)? (Score 1) 206

How about credit card? If you buy from Ebay or from China are they then allowed to store credit card information, email address and home address?
Question is - what is personal information? I can understand SSN to be personal. But how about your birth date, sex (gay?), tracking cookies?

And famous Russian search engine is just building a data center outside from Russia...

Comment Why firewall? Protecting some other computers? (Score 0) 187

Hi

Good you found Linux and you are trying it.

Some rules what you should know about different Operating Systems - examples about Linux here:
- Linux does not need firewall. Unless you are protecting other computers.
- Firewall is not needed unless you have ports open (listening) what you can not close. On Linux _you_manage_your_computer_ and you can close programs which are listening and you don't like.
- If you have any services you want to protect being accessed from bad/wrong hosts... you have options like tcpwrapper.
So check your ports by running command: sudo lsof -i -Pn
It shows you currently open connections AND ports which are ready to receive traffic from Internet.

If you see ports what you don't want to be listening then identify it and stop. Like this:
smbd 7114 root 26u IPv6 101652 0t0 TCP *:445 (LISTEN)
So you have smbd (Samba) listening TCP port 445, it has PID number 7114 ("sudo kill 7114" to kill it) and it is running as root level.

So - you don't need firewall. Just knowledge how to close unneeded services/programs.

Br, Henri

Comment LOGO for children (Score 1) 430

Over 20 years ago we were using LOGO programming language. It is visual where you see "turtle" who you command to move, turn left or right and so on.
So that's visual and even children understand simple commands: go forward, turn left, pen down, go forward, turn left, go forward, pen up ...
Also even more visual if you can have physical robot with a pen control. Children can see robot crawling on floor as you program. Control pen and even change color.
Later they can learn loops and other more complex things. See Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logo_(programming_language)
There are also links for teaching programming languages for children.

Comment It's good for competition (Score 1) 259

If somebody can do it cheaper then it's better for consumers.
But competing against free? Just same as paid OS versus free OS.
Your laptop's free OS is also good even you get some trial(crap)ware what you should pay later.
WIth free internet you could get some ads. Or would you pay to get it ad-free?

Here is one good example from Nordic country where University, City and local companies can make it free for all http://www.panoulu.net/

Spam

Submission + - Fake Tamiflu 'out-spams Viagra on Web' (cnn.com)

cin62 writes: The number of Internet scammers offering fake anti-swine flu drug Tamiflu has surpassed those selling counterfeit Viagra, reports CNN. Since the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, was declared a global pandemic last month, there has been an increase in the number of Web sites and junk emails offering Tamiflu for sale. "Every Web site that used to sell Viagra is now selling Tamiflu. We are pretty sure that the same people are making the Tamiflu as are making the Viagra," said Director of Policy for the UK's Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).

What Microsoft Could Learn from OSS and Linux 271

An anonymous reader writes "An article on OSWeekly.com discusses a few things that Microsoft could learn from OSS and Linux. 'As Microsoft continues to understand that open source does not mean they cannot generate a decent profit, I honestly wonder if they will eventually "get" that releasing MS Office code to the open source community is their only option. Since the whole threatening to sue thing will be met with the same fan base response, just like the RIAA, it is certainly not a wise decision. And if Microsoft thinks Open Office is a pain now, try suing people over it, then see how many people refuse to buy their products.'"
Space

Submission + - Europe unveils new space plane for tourist market (space.com)

mrminator writes: "Space.com is reporting that EADS's Astrium division, prime contractor for Ariane 5 rockets and for Europe's contribution to the international space station, announced just a few hours ago that a group of its engineers has spent two years quietly designing a space tourism vehicle that looks like a business jet with exceptionally long wings and a rocket engine. The round trip would last about 90 minutes and carry four passengers and a pilot, with the passengers each paying about 200,000 euros ($267,000) for the experience."

Slashdot Top Deals

With your bare hands?!?

Working...