Comment Re:No (Score 2, Informative) 278
No, you've regularly seen him in line like every other schlub and ex-founder of Apple...
Comment Seems to me... (Score 1) 296
that legislation, *any* legislation, is more like writing patches than rewriting laws, and, subsequently, trying to understand a piece of software by reading a patch is a very silly idea.
What would be useful, is to see the patched law, and read it in proper context.
Comment Re:We're all doing it... (Score 1) 1582
Me too!
Comment Re:Open systems require open APIs and access (Score 1) 315
Except an average end user doesn't *care* about an API, they will use a phone through the front end, they will never even think about writing an app for their phone; it's *developers* that seek APIs, that prefer and desire open source systems.
Comment Re:Open systems require open APIs and access (Score 1) 315
You are using the word "open" to describe a system that has a freely-accessible API. This does not mean that the system is an "open" device. Making this comparison is like saying Windows is "open" because you can write open-source applications for it.
Comment Re:In practice, it's not more open. (Score 1) 315
What sort of whacked-out idea of "open" do you have?
I don't have the source code to PalmOS, to WinMo, to Symbian, to the Blackberry OS, hell, even Android has closed-source components.
I don't know anything about the hardware internals, so they're not open hardware either.
What sort of crack are you smoking, and where can I get some?
Submission + - Sky's botched Google migration (blogspot.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Rupert Murdoch-owned British ISP Sky is migrating their customers to the Google Apps platform, and the customer experience is terrible.
Their 1m customers were told that they need to change their client settings to enable SMTP Authentication and other settings on a certain date — but not to do it before then or their e-mail would break; but if you don't do it on the date your e-mail will also break. Oh, and if you're a POP user you also need to enable that manually in the 'Skoogle' interface, as seemingly they chose not to run a system-wide command to allow it for all users.
In addition, if you want help then you're pretty much on your own. One user has made 7 support calls and still not been able to access his e-mail since the migration. Hardly surprising that the story has made the papers with their helpdesk in meltdown.
It does make you wonder why they simply didn't put proxy servers in place to proxy the new service by modifying the old settings in the network and give their customers time to switch over without their e-mail breaking in the meantime. Or even a simple ActiveX tool to help out the less technical users.
Apparently the move is all about a greater customer experience for their users. An interesting way of showing it.
Submission + - Researchers blast Vista Service Pack 1
Stony Stevenson writes: A group of researchers has described Microsoft's upcoming Windows Vista Service Pack 1 as a "performance dud". Researchers from the EXO Performance Network claimed that a series of in-house benchmark tests showed that users hoping to receive a speed boost from the update will be disappointed. "After extensive testing of Release To Manufacture and SP1-patched versions of Vista it seems clear that the hoped-for performance fixes that Microsoft has been hinting at have not materialised," the group said.
Submission + - Microsoft retracts Patent
Anonymous Coward writes: "Here is something you don't see very often, if ever, and it was done by Microsoft, nonetheless: they have retracted a patent application. The story was first brought to light by Slashdot on Saturday. Today, Jane Prey of Microsoft announced on the SIGCSE (Special Interest in Computer Science Education) mailing list:
"Many thanks to the members of the community that brought this to my attention — and here's the latest. The patent application was a mistake and one that should not have happened. To fix this, Microsoft will be removing the patent application. Our sincere apologies to Michael Kölling and the BlueJ community. Jane Prey.""
Submission + - Where does Google's Hardware go to die ?
Anonymous Coward writes: "I was talking with a co-worker today about how Google is so big, and how they make such great use of commodity hardware to do their business, and one of the topics that came up is where does Google's old hardware go ?
Google has been around for many years now, and they have more machines than any sane person would own, and they are continually expanding. At some stage they must have to push out old equipment, either when it starts entering into its MTBF limits or it's been depreciated down. Searching (using Google of course) wasn't particularly fruitful.
Has anyone seen where Google's hardware goes when it dies ?"
Submission + - Doomsday Clock to move forward
Dik Zak writes: Several
news
sites
report that the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists intend to move the hands of the Doomsday Clock on Wednesday 17 January.
The clock was started at seven minutes to midnight during the Cold War and has been moved forwards or backwards at intervals, depending on the state of the world and the prospects for nuclear war. Midnight represents destruction by nuclear war.
It is not said in which direction the hands of the clock will be moved, but it should be safe to assume that it will be closer to midnight. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists cite "worsening nuclear, climate threats" as the reason for the move.
The clock was at two minutes to midnight, when both the United States and the Soviet Union tested nuclear weapons in 1953. The farthest away from midnight it ever was is seventeen minutes to midnight, in 1991 when both superpowers signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. It is currently at seven minutes to midnight.
Submission + - Senate bill S.256 aims to restrict internet radio
JAFSlashdotter writes: If you enjoy MP3 or OGG streams of internet radio, it's time to pay attention. This week US Senators Lamar Alexander, Joseph Biden, Dianne Feinstein, and Lindsey Graham in their collective wisdom have decided to reintroduce the "Platform Equality and Remedies for Rights Holders in Music (PERFORM) Act". This ARS Technica article explains that PERFORM would restrict our rights to make non-commercial recordings under the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, and require satellite and internet broadcasters to use "technology to prevent music theft". That means goodbye to your favorite streaming audio formats, hello DRM. The EFF said pretty much the same when this bill last reared its ugly head in April of 2006. It's too soon to get the text of this year's version (S.256) online, but it likely to resemble last year's S.2644, which is available through Thomas. Last year's bill died in committee, but if at first you don't succeed...
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