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Networking

Submission + - Active Directory comes to Linux with Samba 4 1

Submitted by Da Massive
Da Massive writes: Enterprise networks now have an alternative choice to Microsoft Active Directory (AD) servers, with the open source Samba project aiming for feature parity with the forthcoming release of version 4, according to Canberra-based Samba developer Andrew Bartlettt. Speaking at this year's linux.conf.au Linux and open source conference in Hobart, Bartlett said Samba 4 is aiming to be a replacement for AD by providing a free software implementation of Microsoft's custom protocols. Because AD is "far more than LDAP and Kerberos", Bartlett said, Samba 4 is not only about developing with Microsoft's customisation of those protocols, it is also about moving the project beyond just providing an NT 4 compatible domain manager.
Censorship

Submission + - Aussies hit the streets over govt internet filters (computerworld.com.au)

Submitted by mask.of.sanity
mask.of.sanity writes: Outraged aussies will hold simultaneous protests across Australia in opposition to the government's plans for mandatory ISP internet content filtering.

The plan will introduce nation-wide filtered internet using blacklists operated by a government agency, away from public scrunity.

Politicians and ISPs will join protesters in the streets to voice their opposition to the government's plan, which has ploughed-ahead, despite intense criticism that the technology will crippled internet speeds and infringe on free speech.

Opponents said the most accurate filter chosen by the government will incorrectly block up to 10,000 Web pages out of 1 million.
Toys

Submission + - The world's largest private computer collection? 1

Submitted by Da Massive
Da Massive writes: UNIX PDP-7, a classic DEC PDP-8, the original IBM PC, Commodore's C64, Apple's Lisa, a MITS Altair 8800 made famous by Bill Gates, through to a working PDP-11 that plays the ADVENTURE and DUNGEON games. Max Burnet has got it all. Burnet has turned his home in the leafy suburbs of Sydney into arguably Australia's, if not the world's largest private computer museum. Since retiring as director of Digital Equipment Corporation a decade ago, Burnet has converted his home into a snapshot of computer history. Every available space from his basement to the top floor of his two-storey home is covered with relics from the past. On top of his hardware collection are numerous punch cards, tape machines (including the original paper tape) and over 6000 computer reference books. So in demand is his collection that one Australian film called on him to re create a computer setting (PDP-9) for a movie about the Moon Landing in 1969.
The Internet

Submission + - Film studios sue Oz ISP over BitTorrent downloads

Submitted by Da Massive
Da Massive writes: Leading Hollywood film studios Village Roadshow, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Disney Enterprises are suing Australia's second largest ISP, iiNet, saying it's complicit in the infringement of their copyrighted material. According to a statement of claim, "the ISP knows that there are a large number of customers who are engaging in continuing infringements of copyright by using BitTorrent file sharing technology".
Earth

Rubber Duckies For Global Warming Research 167

Posted by kdawson from the next-time-try-penguins dept.
The Wall Street Journal has a look at global warming research using rubber duckies. The toys have been employed in tracking ocean currents since 1992; but recently NASA robotics expert Alberto Behar released 90 yellow rubber ducks into the melt water flowing down a chasm in a Greenland glacier. "Each duck was imprinted with an email address and, in three languages, the offer of a reward. If all goes well, Dr. Behar hopes that one day they will emerge 30 miles or so away at the glacier's edge in the open water of Disko Bay near Ilulissat, bobbing brightly amid the icebergs north of the Arctic Circle, each one a significant clue to just how warming temperatures may speed the glacier's slide to the sea."
Microsoft

Submission + - MS denies paying Nigerians $400,000 to ditch Linux

Submitted by Da Massive
Da Massive writes: Microsoft has denied paying a Nigerian contractor US$400,000 in a bid to battle Linux's movement into the government sector. Media reports alleged that Microsoft had proposed paying the sum to a government contractor under a joint marketing agreement last year in order to persuade the contractor to replace Linux OS with Windows OS on thousands of school laptops. Although a joint marketing agreement was drafted to document the best practices for using technology in education, it was never executed, said Thomas Hansen, regional manager for Microsoft West, East and Central Africa. It became clear, he added, that one customer wanted a Linux OS.
Microsoft

Submission + - Ballmer 'interested' in open source browser

Submitted by Da Massive
Da Massive writes: "Why is IE still relevant and why is it worth spending money on rendering engines when there are open source ones available that can respond to changes in Web standards faster?," asked a young developer to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in Sydney yesterday. "That's cheeky, but a good question, but cheeky," Ballmer said. Then came the startling revelation that Microsoft may also adopt an open source browser engine. "Open source is interesting," he said. "Apple has embraced Webkit and we may look at that, but we will continue to build extensions for IE 8."
Programming

Submission + - Why lazy functional programming languages rule

Submitted by Da Massive
Da Massive writes: Techworld has an in-depth chat with Simon Peyton-Jones about the development of Haskell and his philosophy of do one thing, and do it well. Peyton-Jones describes his interest in lazy functional programming languages, and chats about their increasing relevant in a world with rapdily increasing multi-core CPUs and clusters: "I think Haskell is increasingly well placed for this multi-core stuff, as I think people are increasingly going to look to languages like Haskell and say 'oh, that's where we can get some good ideas at least', whether or not it's the actual language or concrete syntax that they adopt."
Windows

Submission + - Peru to be first with new OLPC laptop with Windows (computerworld.com.au)

Submitted by Da Massive
Da Massive writes: The government of Peru will run the first ever trial of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) association's low-cost XO laptop running on Microsoft's Windows XP operating system, putting the nation at the heart of a software controversy. The little green laptop, which OLPC is trying to reduce to just US$100 per device, will be given out to school children throughout Peru for use over the next nine months as part of the trial. Currently, the XO costs around US$200 each to build. The program puts Peru at the heart of a software controversy that has been raging for years between those who advocate making software and its source code free, such as Linux OS developers, and those who charge for software and keep the development recipes secret, such as Microsoft.
NASA

Submission + - Mars Lander snaps most detailed Martian pics yet (idg.com.au)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Wanna get up close and personal to a Martian? The Mars Lander has taken its very first microscopic image of a single piece of Martian dust. The particle, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory , is shown at a higher magnification than anything ever seen from another planet. The piece of dust is a rounded particle about one millionth of a meter across. This particle is one of the countless specks of dust that continually swirl around the Red Planet, even coloring the Martian sky pink. "Taking the images required the highest resolution microscope operated off of Earth and a specially designed substrate to hold the Martian dust," said Tom Pike, a Phoenix science team member, in a statement. "We always knew it was going to be technically very challenging to image particles this small."
The Internet

Dell Loses Bid To Trademark "Cloud Computing" 146

Posted by kdawson from the answer-cloudy-try-again-later dept.
1sockchuck writes "The USPTO has issued a 'non-final determination' refusing Dell's request to trademark the term 'cloud computing' (we discussed the application earlier), finding that the term is generic and 'therefore incapable of functioning as a source-identifier for applicant's services.' According to Data Center Knowledge, 'Dell has the option of filing a response to submit arguments to dispute the USPTO examiner's findings.'" Here is the USPTO's ruling. A week and a half ago the PTO cancelled its 'notice of allowance' for the mark, a move little remarked upon at the time.
PHP

Submission + - PHP 4 is dead, long live PHP 4 (computerworld.com.au)

Submitted by Da Massive
Da Massive writes: For a technology that has been in stable release since May 22, 2000, PHP 4 has finally reached the end of its official life. With the release of PHP 4.4.9, official support has ended and the final security patch for the platform issued. With eight years of legacy code out there, it is likely that there are going to be a fairly large number of systems that will not migrate to PHP 5 in the near future, and a reasonable proportion of those that will not make the migration at all. For those who are not able to migrate their systems to the new version of PHP noted PHP security expert, Stefan Esser, will continue to provide third party security patching for the PHP 4 line through his Suhosin product.
The Internet

Submission + - Photonic switching beckons 100x Internet speeds (techworld.com.au)

Submitted by Da Massive
Da Massive writes: Researchers at the University of Sydney have developed technology that could boost the throughput of existing networks by 100-fold without costing the consumer any more, and its all thanks to a scratch on a piece of glass. After four years of development, University of Sydney scientists say the Internet is set to become on average 60 times faster than existing networks. According to the Centre for Ultra-high bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems (CUDOS) at the University's School of Physics, the scratch will mean almost instantaneous, error-free and unlimited access to the Internet anywhere in the world.
Robotics

Submission + - Scandinavian scientists designing robotic snakes (idg.com.au)

Submitted by Cowards Anonymous
Cowards Anonymous writes: The Sintef Group, a research company based in Trondheim, Norway, announced that it's designing a robot based on snakes. The 1.5-meter long robots, which are made of aluminium, are being designed to inspect and clean complicated industrial pipe systems that are typically narrow and inaccessible to humans. The intelligent robots have multiple joints to enable them to twist vertically and climb up through pipe systems to locate leaks in water systems, inspect oil and gas pipelines and clean ventilation systems.

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