Slashdot Mirror

1millionmhz writes "Upside Today is running a piece on the relationship between Apple and the various groups creating Linux distributions for the PowerPC platform, including MkLinux, LinuxPPC and Yellow Dog Linux. Interviews with main figures from each company and covers how open source development model does an end-around on Apple's efforts to "keep Linux at arm's length." "

baglunch writes "There's a story at The Express that says a scientist has figured out how to create artifical bacterium. " I've never really thought it would be that hard to do - articially create a bacteria, but it does make for an interesting debate of whether life was made/created or not.

hardaker asks: "I've wanted to distribute some encryption software for some time now, but currently all I support is authentication without encryption solely because I haven't figured out how to get around the U.S. exportation laws. Since I'm currently only using DES, I know its possible to distribute my stuff, but I must write someone? I think? I'd love to support 3DES as well, but then I need to set up a distribution center that asks all those silly useless questions? I'm amazed that there is no HOWTO or FAQ on this subject (which would have to talk about all the various countries laws, sigh...) Does anyone have any starting pointers? " I've been covering encryption quite a bit in Ask Slashdot, and something like this strikes me as being useful. Would be nice if it did existed. Can any of you shine more light on this subject?

Another member of Clan Anonymous Coward asks: "What alternitives are there to TiK? If I remember correctly ICQ is all reverse engineered on Linux which doesn't really make it much better than our current fight with TiK. There is always Talk and IRC but none of those have a centralized location service the way TiK does. I like TiK because you don't have to deal with multiple networks (IRC) and you don't have to deal with figureing out where some dynamic ip went (Talk). What other options exist. "

So I was looking for something new and different to do for this weekend's Ask Slashdot. Lo and behold mallocat submits a logic problem! "I wanted to try and use the Slashdot effect to attack this brainteaser. A couple of my friends and I each sepeartely solved it in about an hour..." that's the time to beat, but I'm giving you all till midnight Sunday to figure it out, and then I'll post the solution on Monday in forum. It's simple: First person to solve the problem (determined by timestamp of comment submission), with proof, wins. Winner gets a hearty, virtual slap on the back. I'd offer more, but since I have no budget, that makes it rather problematic. <grin!> So without further ado, click on that link! Albert Einstein wrote this riddle. He was quoted saying that he believed that 98% of the world could not solve it. Are you in the top 2% of intelligent people in the world? There is no trick-just pure logic.

Good luck.

1. There are 5 houses in 5 different colors, all in a row.
2. In each house lives a different person with a different nationality.
3. These 5 people drink a certain type of beverage, smoke a certain brand of cigar, and keep a certain pet.
4. No person has the same pet, smoke the same brand of cigar, or drink the same beverage.
5. The Brit lives in the Red house.
6. The Swede has a dog.
7. The Dane drinks tea.
8. The Green house is on the left of the White house.
9. The Green house's owner drinks coffee.
10. The person who smokes Pall Mall has a bird.
11. The owner of the Yellow house smokes Dunhill.
12. The man living in the center house drinks milk.
13. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
14. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the cat owner.
15. The man who owns a horse lives next to the one who smokes Dunhill.
16. The man who smokes BlueMaster drinks beer.
17. The Berman Smokes Prince.
18. The Norwegian lives next to the Blue House.
19. The man who smokes Blends has a neighbor who drinks water.

Who owns the Fish?

While browsing through last week's discussion on GUI frameworks I noticed some discussion on the non-free nature of Troll Tech's Qt widget library. Frank Faubert wrote in with a similar question a while ago, so I figure it might be time to get your thoughts on this issue, and the larger question that encompases it: Is Open Source on Windows is less important than Open Source on Unix? Click below for Franks words on this subject.

The following was written by Frank Faubert

With the release of Qt 2.0, Troll Tech has been kind enough to license the Unix/X11 version of their flagship product under an open source license for use with other open source projects. Why are they doing this? According to their web site it's because they "have a strong dedication to the free software movement" and "believe that it is the most interesting alternative to Microsoft's near-monopoly situation on desktop software". What do they get out of it? From the same page, they hope to "spread usage of Qt around the world". This is all well and good, and looks like a win/win for everyone involved, but I have one lingering question... What about Windows?

If two of the goals of the Qt Free Edition are to help the free software movement and spread the usage of Qt, why not release the Windows edition under the same license? There are many open source projects which run on Windows as well as Unix (Apache, Mozilla, Perl, CVS, and AbiWord just to name a few); why should these packages be discriminated against.

Consider Apache for a moment. Porting Apache to Windows has helped it capture roughly 57% of the web server market which has caused Microsoft no end of aggravation. However, if somebody wanted to write a cross platform GUI configuration utility for Apache using Qt, they would not be able to release it under Windows. I fail to see how this meets the goals of the Qt Free Edition.

Like it or not, Windows has a monopoly on the desktop market, and it is going to take quite a while for anything to change that. Having more open source software that runs on Windows as well as UNIX can only help facilitate that change. Releasing the Qt Free Edition for Windows would be a big step in that direction.

Open source software that runs on Windows is no less open than its Unix counterparts, and should not be treated that way. I ask anyone who is reading this to either tell me that I am insane, or to write to Troll Tech and ask them to consider releasing the Qt Free Edition for Windows. Questions 20 and 21 of their FAQ prove they often get requests for this. If more of us ask...

Ed: Me personally, I believe that Troll Tech has the right to market their product in whatever way they wish, and I honestly believe that Qt under Windows is a huge achievement and wish them the best in its development. However, what about the folks that wish to port their Open Source Qt Application from Unix to Windows? Does development under Windows intrinsically cut a developer off from a few of the most important resources found in any Open Sourced project (those being right tools for the job, and the programming minds themselves)? Is there even a good solution for this situation?

Colonel Kurtz sent in this question which I figured be of interest to some of you: "I'm considering entering graduate school in abouttwo years to pursue a Masters or Ph.D. in Computer Science. I am a good undergraduate student with a passion for CS and I am seeking the academic challenge of grad school. I'm looking for the (un)informed advice of the Slashdot community. Specifically, how should I select a graduate school? Is it worth aiming for the top-tier graduate schools? (like MIT, Stanford, etc.) or should I aim just a little below those (like Purdue or Syracuse?) At this point, I'd be happy to have any kind of discussion about graduate schools."

After asking you all to share your thougths on what really makes a GUI. I figure it might be interesting to see what you all thought about the implementation side of things. What kind of framework do you think a modern GUI should have? So when exa slid this piece my way, I just had to post it. Click below to read his question.

The following is from Slashdot Reader, exa.

I wonder which GUI frameworks are the cheesiest to code with and what makes a GUI framework good. Previously, I've been involved with GUI programming on GNU/Linux, Solaris, Amiga and Windoze 9x/NT platforms. It is then not so surprising that I ask /. about GUI programming ;)

In particular, I'm pursuing GUI programming for X11. To give interested hackers a boost, I present the following remarks on how a framework should look like (in no particular order):

• In general, a robust and scalable GUI framework, in C++ or a prominent OO language like Ada9x, is very desirable.
• XFree86 is all pretty good. But times can change, so a framework with platform independence has its pros. (And multi-language capabilities count as well)
• Many libs don't have a good design. A great GUI framework must attain design goals such as uniformity, modularity and comprehensibility.
• For a good design, it should make use of certain design methodologies. For instance it might adhere to a design pattern like MVC.
• The license does matter.
• The framework, where applicable, must support standard stuff. At least it should not disallow use of them. For instance, you'd want threads, you'd really want TCP/IP, you'd like reading in JPEG files.

I also wish to make some comments on a few of the popular GUI frameworks:

• Motif based stuff such as BXPro: I use free software, and on my system Motif progs just look antique. What's more, they are lightning-crash-and-slow-motion. I don't possess a Motif 2.1 product and I don't plan to. How perfect they might be, I am skeptical about them. (I did write with pure Motif, and I'm outta the game)
• QT: This lib forces you to write in a certain style. The keywords introduced by means of moc are not a proper C++ extension. CPP macros, thus signal/slot mechanism is ad hoc. A fatal error is in their failure to recognize standard C++ library. And the license is boring.
• Java swing: The successor to awt has several advantages over the previous. Although I basically dislike Java language, the GUI subsystem features a somewhat nice design.
• GTK+: A framework that has a well defined run-time system. The types give a formal way of handling a general OO design. Multiple language bindings. (C++ bindings are cool)
• JX: After seeing how Code Crusader performed, I abandoned work on it. But still, something that works.
• Other Stuff: freshmeat lists other "widget sets" too, like the FLTK and TOAD which are LGPL'ed. By the way, don't even think of MFC. It is the worst GUI lib that has ever seen the light of sun. It is *not* designed. (I worked with it over a year... :-

Note that I'm not concerned with the user interface, docs, distribtion, etc. of the applications written with a particular lib. Thus, I'm not suggesting a GNOME/KDE flame war. The only purpose is to assess the quality and performance of the software that underlies graphical applications. In this sense, I don't ask how a user interface should be designed. In addition to this, I don't ask what tools are available for the software (like GUI builder). The two chunks of comments above determine my primary questions:

1. What are the aspects of the ideal GUI framework?
2. Among the available software, which GUI frameworks for X11 are preferable and why do we pick them?

Ed: This is a heavy topic, so I'm hoping for some good discussion. If you feel the need to discuss GUI systems available on other platforms (X11 is rather limiting, other platforms may do it better!) feel free. I don't want to stray too far from the original question, but I would like to know what you all think the best GUI framework in existance is. I got quite a few submissions similar to this one so to those of you that them in, I hope this topic covers what you were asking. If it doesn't, you can always send those burning questions back to me by re-submitting them.

Wee asks: "I've got a need to monitor a bunch of Sun Solaris boxes worldwide for various load statistics. Things I need to see are disk I/O, CPU usage, RAM usage, IP traffic, etc. I need reports by the hour, day, week, month and year (as near real-time as possible). The reports have to customizable. I don't have a GUI running, so these stats need to be compiled from the console, and remotely. I can't figure out how to log system/network/load/usage statistics without loading the server in doing so. All the packages I've found so far are either limited or not appropriate in some way. I'd really like to hear how to monitor something without affecting the monitored thing. Since I need pretty precise numbers this is kinda important. I'm sure there's something somewhere that does what I need, but I can't seem to find it. If I have to use multiple tools and collate data then I will, but this wouldn't be ideal. "

Yep, it's that time again! Nghia gave us a link to some "Jedi Academy" trailers. Several folks wrote in to say that the guys at Themes.org have a new look. forehead graciously provided an "interesting" bit, based on this "Richard Stallman-as-Marx" posting. "I decided to rework the whole song". Orbitz pointed us at a web-controlled RC car with camera. Next is my favorite, as submitted by Electric Keet, Stick Figure Porn. Thyla pointed us in the general direction of Carbonated Borscht for the Evil Geek's Soul, with a thanks to Illiad. Crazy Man on Fire gave us a link to upcoming distributed.net projects coming out soon. poink threw us a link to The Cereal Page (Ok, someone has waaaay too much time on his hands...) J. Pierpont gave us a link to more info on Episode II and III. Now, from Armin Lenz submitted a link to a CPU Gurus, a new CPU site discussing various current and future processors. Finally, Mike Healy, one of The Bazaar dudes, sent us a status report. Read more for the skinny.

Mike Healy writes "Since Steve Blood, our event chairman, is out of the country - he is actually checking out a solar eclipse in Austria - i've taken it upon myself to give you all an update on the Bazaar. I'd wait for steve to get back, all bleary eyed, by i must squelch the rumors being promulgated by certain sales guys for other events, that we folded. This couldn't be further from the truth. Fact of the matter is we are scheduled, locked and loaded and PUMPED for December 14-16 at the javits NYC.

The Bazaar will be the first large scale conference on opensource software to hit the east coast and will stress program, program and program. Our Theory is that if you build it, they will .com

Not only does EarthWeb, by nature of being an IT content HUB have access to the freshest most imperative material, but we have also brought in an indstry expert, lydia Bennett of Dialogos fame, to aggregate and work closely with conference chairs and advisory board to make sure all tracks and tutorials are epic.

Check out the website for more on the program. The exhibit floor will be refreshingly unlike any you have seen in this space being made up of customed designed, turn key demo stations. This not only makes it a breeze for vendors , but also adds integity to the exhibit floor. No huge booths with revolving marquis, No loud PA systems. No freak shows. This is the wrong event to come to if you want to see Trumps daughter in a g string handing out T shirts... This is the right event if you want to meet some of the biggest brains out there and get no nonsense answers regarding opensource free software... Anyway, thats it for now.. More from Steve when he gets back"

Submitted by many: Linuxbox (AKA MassLinux), the hosting service that provided free server space for many open source and free software projects, went offline today at noon. Chris Gann, the company's owner, told me (by phone) that he's about $7000 short of keeping things going, which is almost exactly how much he's owed by deadbeat "paying" customers. Chris is a truly nice person, which may be why so many customers figured they could get away without paying him. If so, this is a sad commentary on the current Internet business climate.

Jeff Carr from LinuxPPC was so amused by yesterday's MS W2k crack challange that he figured he'd play too: By setting up a LinuxPPC box challanging the adept out there to get in... but if you can get in, you get to keep the box! Its a stock LinuxPPC install, and he even left telnet on. The url is crack.linuxppc.org. You must be able to reproduce your entry to win. Have fun.

zealot writes "According to this article, the SETI@Home project is not using the most optimized clients available "just to brake the unit turn around" so that they can continue to recieve various contributions. The authors are also demanding access to the client source (and asking to GPL it if possible), so the greatest performance may be obtained. " It's an interesting point: They didn't figure on getting the reponse they did, and will sooner rather then later run out of blocks to be crunched. Yep: What happens if hold a war and /everyone/ comes? Or a distributed program, I guess.

davidr writes "Microsoft's response to Back Orifice 2000 has been to characterize it as a hacker tool instead of a network administration tool, because it can be installed stealthily and used to monitor users without their knowledge. cDc has reponded by pointing out that Microsoft's own tool, SMS, does the same exact thing! They've called for antivirus software for SMS and challenged Microsoft to recall it. " Read this one. Its interesting. Having never used SMS (hell, I haven't really used windows in a year or so) I'll leave it up to you guys to figure out if this is true.

ChuckRoast writes "Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Director Louis Freeh, on behalf of the Clinton Administration, are objecting to legislation that aims to decontrol encryption because it makes their job tougher. Go figure. "

XLawyer writes "In an article about Defcon, a reporter from the New York Times tried reasonably hard to explain and observe the difference between hackers, who like to figure out how things work, and crackers, who like to get into other people's things and sometimes stop them from working. An interesting item in the article shows how crackers make reporters' jobs harder by calling themselves "hackers." " The article itself is well written, and lucid with some telling interviews; (NYT requires free login, BTW) .

rafa writes "Electronic paper is finally moving from concept to manufacturing. Xerox has made a deal with 3M to eventually manufacture it. " They're expecting about a year of figuring out the best process and such, but look for it in on the market early next year. Excellent.

We've mentioned this once or twice in the past, but I figure its probably worth mentioning it again. Pirates of the Silicon Valley is running this weekend on TNT (sunday at 8pm). Its the story of Gates and Jobs, as played by Noah Wiley and Anthony Michael Hall. I dunno if it'll be any good, but I'll probably watch it. It'll be interesting to see how they take the story (which is actually quite entertaining and interesting) and adapt it for a mainstream audience. Thanks to jbut355 for reminding me.

Red Leader asks: "Hi. I'm writing in the hope that some electrical people will be able to help me out with the nitty gritty aspects of shielding a computer case. You see, I'm building myself a computer case out of wood. I have already built one, but it was merely a wood case (replacing the plastic) which overlayed a standard metal chassis. Well, that was too heavy, and I also want to use my own layout for the 'guts' of the box. So aside from heat, noise and grounding (which i've pretty much figured out) - I'm worried about the electromagnetic interference aspect of this new machine. It's most likely going to be a dual Celeron based Ultra-Wide SCSI2 system - which I think (!?!) will generate quite a large electromagnetic field. I've been thinking of shielding the case by lining it with this with copper fabric or something similar - but don't know how it sizes up to a solid metal case. Any help would be greatly appreciated - and I'll be sure to post pics of the case (well it's actually more than that) in progress and when completed.

wanderingstar writes "Bell South owns 10% of Qwest, the US' 4th-largest long-distance carrier and owner of a very high capacity backbone. Qwest has bid $55 billion to acquire US West (another Baby Bell) and Frontier. US West, in turn, is planning on acquiring 9.5% of Global Crossing (a competitor of Qwest's with their own $40+ billion bid in for US West) - a stake that would be included in a potential Qwest purchase. Anyone else need a roadmap to figure out the telecom business? " My big concern with these is that we are seeming to run into the same sort of incestous relationships that have plagued certain countries industries. Am I unfounded in my concern?