Slashdot Mirror

macrostiff asks: "Where might one locate a product comparison for laptops and notebooks that includes environmental specifications? Why do I want this? Well, I'm on my second notebook that will not work outside of a climate controlled environment. In the real world, one often encounters temperatures above 35 degrees celcius. I've been through two notebooks for which this was the specified operational limit, which was not published, and the manufacturer or dealer led me astray until there were problems. In particular, I am looking for a notebook with 900MHz or faster CPU (fast enough to play DVD's) which will work under full CPU utilization at 40 degrees celcius (104F) and 90% relative humidity. While a bit extreme at the limit, 35-38 degrees and 80% relative humidity is not uncommon for those of us who work in areas with no air conditioning. Oh yes, it must run Linux!"

Robb Timlin asks: "Ok, so I'm checking over the DOJ's response to the public comments, and I notice they reference mine, among others, in Paragraph 149 (footnote 162): '149. Section III.B is limited to the twenty OEMs with the highest worldwide volume of licenses of Windows Operating System Products. Some commentors criticize this limitation, arguing that it leaves Microsoft free to retaliate against smaller OEMs, including regional "white box" OEMs.(162)' Problem is, I never said anything like that in my comment! Now it could be a simple error, or it could be deliberate misrepresentation of what I had to say (my criticism of Section III.B of the RPFJ centered on allowing MS to provide rewards to OEMs who toe the line, in lieu of retaliating against those that don't). A friend of mine urged me to bring this to the attention of somebody official, but who?"

"Anybody have any idea as to whom I should contact (if anyone)? The DOJ? State AGs still litigating? The judge's office? (E-mail addresses would be greatly appreciated - there's not much time before the hearing!) I haven't much of a clue when it comes to legal stuff; all I know is the RPFJ stinks and I did my part to fight it, and now I see my effort misrepresented.

By the way, anybody else here who commented might want to check if they're cited in the DOJ's response, and if it actually addresses what you said and not something completely different. If it's just one instance, it could be an honest error. But a pattern of misrepresentation would be a very serious matter indeed.

Thanks!

nurb writes "It seems the recording industry is taking note of MPEG audio layer 3, and they don't like what they see. Calling portable MP3 players a "hybrid of personal use and piracy" seems a bit extreme to me. "

Jason Boyles sent us A Link to ComputerWorld Hong Kong where you can read about Linux's use over there. It's a fairly positive piece- although it is a week old I figured I'd still run it. It touches on a lot of the key issues in a way that you don't see very often. Not an essential read for the hardcore, but it may be the sort of article you can forward to the PHB (Pointy Haired Boss) if you've been discussing the possibility of using Linux somewhere in the office.

Jason Boyles writes "See this news.com story. I can't believe that this is the first incident of e-terrorism out there, but some people seem to think so. Really, folks shouldn't be surprised. Computer knowledge is so pervasive I'm surprised we haven't seen more spectacular examples of this kind of thing. "

Jason Boyles writes "see this link Now that the PC is sloughing off its register-poor CPU and other crippling platform limitations, the major Unix players are almost universally moving their Unices to Intel. Except IBM, that is. Will Open Source's resistance to the pre-release Merced NDA leave free Unix a straggler in this important step in PC (r)evolution? Feel free to publish my name/email. "

Jason Boyles sent us this link where you can read about action being taken against classic arcade game emulators like Mame. Thourougly depressing.

We also have this place sent in by herbman. From here you can read about SNEmu, a new SNES emulator joining the Linux Emu scene. My SNES is accumulating dust, but as these emulators get better, I get nearer and nearer going back and trying to take on Zelda again.