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The Internet

Submission + - Building A Data Center in 60 Days - Online

miller60 writes: "The facilities team at Australia's Pipe Networks is down to the wire in its bid to complete a data center in 60 days. And in an era when many major data center projects are shrouded in secrecy, they're putting the entire effort online, with daily updates and photos on the company blog, a live webcam inside the facility, a countdown timer and a punch-list of key tasks left to finish. Their goal is to complete the job by Friday morning."
Programming

Submission + - Closed source on Linux and BSD?

An anonymous reader writes: I want to start (very small) software/hardware business.
The code in question will be a closed source.
I won't modify or use any GPL code or any 3-d party sources.
It will be my own handwritten C/C++ code from start to finish.
I am planning to sell embedded-like boxes with an OS (Linux or BSD) and this code.
I am more familiar with Linux but I am scared a little bit of Linux licensing (and quite a bit of Linux fanboism: I personally got "go to hell with your @#$ closed code" slur on ./).

My questions:
1. Can I do it with Linux today (GPL2) and tomorrow (GPL3)?

2. Can I statically link the code with Linux libraries? (My own experience shows that dynamic linking is too much to bear. Your mileage may vary)

3. Can I obfuscate my code (e.g. encode it)?

4. Could I be forced to publish this code by some 3-d party?

5. Am I correct that programming in and selling BSD-based box won't have any above problems?

As you can see, I am not a GPL guru and not a software freedom fighter.
I just want to do my job and make some living.
Censorship

Submission + - Yahoo says Beijing likely blocking photo site (sciam.com)

slashthedot writes: "In another instance of censorship against websites about anything anti-establishement in China, Flickr, popular among a growing class of digital photo enthusiasts in the world's second-largest Internet market, has not shown photos to users in mainland China since last week, amid rumors Beijing took action after images of the Tiananmen massacre in early June 1989 were posted.
"It is our understanding that Flickr users in China are not able to see images on Flickr, and we have confirmed that this is not a technical issue on our end," a spokeswoman for Yahoo Hong Kong said in an email in response to a Reuters inquiry."

Communications

Verizon Accused of Slighting Copper Infrastructure 249

High Fibre writes "Regulatory hearings in Virginia raise questions about Verizon's stewardship of its copper infrastructure, with workers accusing the telecom of cheaping out on maintenance in Virginia due to its preoccupation with its FiOS network. Ars covers the fracas and gives more time to Verizon than the local media do. From Ars: 'During testimony given before the Virginia State Corporation Commission last week... workers painted a dire picture of the state of Verizon's copper network, saying that the equipment required to make repairs — including tools and cable — is not even available.' Verizon disagrees, saying that while it's a challenge to manage and maintain both networks, they are not neglecting their copper infrastructure." A union official gave written testimony about the Verizon problems, presumably so that individual workers would not have to testify in public and open themselves to retribution.
Security

Tech Lessons From the Bad Guys 138

Chris Lindquist writes "Organized crime, porn peddlers, gambling sites — they all use technology to make a killing. CIO.com has posted several stories that spell out how the seedy side uses IT for profit. From the online techniques of penny stock scammers to innovation lessons from a pair of 'accidental pornographers,' to what you can do to fend off cybercriminals, find out what they do right when they're doing wrong."
PlayStation (Games)

Submission + - Church Threatens Legal Action over Sony Game

An anonymous reader writes: The Church of England is threatening legal action against Sony over the game Resistance: Fall of Man. The game features a shootout in Manchester Cathedral, and the Church claims that Sony did not ask permission to use the interior of the Cathedral in the game. The Bishop of Manchester called the game 'highly irresponsible' due to the history of gun crime in the city. Sony denies the charge — a spokesman said 'We believe we have sought and received all permissions necessary for the creation of the game.'
Patents

The Dangers of a Patent War Chest 125

Timothy B. Lee writes "I've got an article in the New York Times in which I make the case against software patents. Expanding on a point I first made on my blog, I point out that Microsoft has had a change of heart on the patent issue. In 1991, Bill Gates worried that 'some large company will patent some obvious thing' and use it to blackmail smaller companies. Now that Microsoft is a large company with a patent war-chest of their own, they don't seem so concerned about abuse of the patent system. I then describe how Verizon's efforts to shut down Vonage are a perfect illustration of Gates' fears."

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