User: 1DeepThought

Some codes are uncrackable

On: SightSound To Distribute Films Via Gnutella

I hate to tell you this but some form of encryption are uncrackable. Read some books and you can find the proof. Basically a single pat random key is uncrackable as it can produce any results.

Crypto

On: OpenBSD 2.7 Released

This new crypto stuff is very cool. Can't wait to have a play with it. These are featurs that should be in every OS. Top work.

Outlook Would have to lead

On: Percentages Of E-mail Clients By OS And By Feature?

After the recent major outbreaks of Melissa and LoveBug it would seem that some version of outlook is in the majority. With the problems these worms caused can there be any doubt that Outlook in one flavour or another is dominant?

Why bother

On: New TLDs On The Way From ICANN

Sorry if this has been said already but why? What is the point? We don't need catchy flashy names for sites. TV networks and many radio stations have been doing fine without them for years.

Does it Matter

On: Appeals Court Will Take Microsoft Case

Correct me if I am wrong because I am no expert on U.S. law. As I understand it if the DOJ pushes it through the case can still go directly to the supreme court. Just because this lower court has decided to take it on doesn't mean the supreme court can't decide to take it from them. Like I said I don't understand US law in general and this appeals process in particular but is this, in a very basic way, not the case? Regardless I think it will end up making it through the appeals process it will just take a lot longer.

Surely Not

On: Classified Data Missing From Los Alamos

I have been involved in similar areas for different countries. In my experience there is no way anything that is particularly sensitive could go missing without it being noticed in a very short time frame. Surely this data whatever it may be could not be particularly sensitive. Most likely it would be low classification data or perhaps something that has been over classified. Over classification is not uncommon. It takes only one super paranoid person and everybodies lunch orders are TS and you are working in a shielded vault. When stuff is overclassified people become lazy because so much stuff that shouldn't be treated like TS has to be. People eventually become lazy and then bad things happen.

Good and Bad

On: QuickTime For RealNetworks

This has to be good from the standpoint that it should bring quicktime to Linux. However, I don't think this is assured. I would like to have access to quicktime content. On the other hand this brings more proprietry technology to the Linux platform or at least has the potential to. I guess this is what we have to face as Linux becomes more popular. I don't think any of us can draw conclusions for the entire community so we just have to wait and see what happens and how people react.

Speculation

On: Linux Mergers?

This article is nothing more than pure speculation. Some of the mergers they propose are ridiculous. Oreilly merging with a Linux company I think is particularly far fetched. Why would they tie themselves to one OS? Would make no sense for them. Maybe plenty of Linux developers buy their books but I bet plaenty of MS developers but their books too.

Re:Don't try this at home

On: Build Your Own 10Mbps Microwave Data Link

You have gone a bit over the top here. I play with this stuff for a living. Yeah it can hurt, try 1200W HF through a belt buckle (I no longer where metal belt buckles). Microwave frequecncies can do the damage you have mentioned. However, at the power used for a 10M link they are not going to fry you in an instant. At those power levels it would take continued exposure overtime to do any real damage. So yeah be cautious but don't get carried away.

Re:Current breakup plan probably wont help much

On: Microsoft Quickies

However, these two companies shall be forbidden from working with one another. This is the main problem with MS. Having an OS monopoly is not illegal. What is illegal is using that monopoly to have an influence on other markets. For example bundling internet browsers.

The more diversity the better

On: Java 2 For BSD

This is great. The more OSs that have good support the better. I am not a real BSD user but the more choices the better as far as I am concerned. I mainly use Linux but if BSD fit my needs better I would use it in a second. I just want more choice and who doesn't?

Beside the point

On: Justice Department Decides To Break Up Microsoft

Who cares if MS can't put features into their OS? After what they have done to the industry the deserve tougher penalties than what they are receiveing. They playing field truly needs to levelled and taking drastic steps is possibly the only way to do this.

Re:Working where labor is cheap

On: BeOpen Interview with Hans Reiser of ReiserFS

Plenty of large U.S. and European companies have facilities in India in particular. From what I have read India in particular pumps out thousands of high quality engineers and programmers every year. An added advantage like you say is they are cheap. India has been very popular for the price of labour, facilities and for it's relatively stable political environment. Though the labour is cheap from a western standpoint you have to remember costs are much lower there also.

Just Business

On: Excite@Home To Change Routing Priorities For $$

I in no way support these actions but it is business. I guess we should have expected this sort of thing. By the same token it is their network and as far as I know there is no laws against the way they are using it (could be wrong here as am in Australia and don't know U.S. law). That said I think we should try and force companies to avoid similar courses of action. I would suggest if you use their service and have a choice for high speed access then exercise it.

Weigh it up

On: Linux DVD hardware support From SiS

The benefits of this depend on your point of view. Can you accept an non-OpenSource product? If you can good, if you can't there will be problems. This is going to happen more and more. As companies that have a history in proprietary technologies move towards Linux they are going to bring their business practices with them. What is more important to us? Access to technologies or Open Source technologies. Both have their benefits. However, I think now is the time to make a decision. Linux is realy starting to draw comercial attention and the signal the Linux community sends now could set the tone for a long time. If we want OpenSource then lets stand up to these companies and say so. If we don't care then lets just sit back and take what we are given. It would be great to have DVDs running nicely on Linux but is it woth it?

Fairly Limited

On: 18-Inch 3D LCD Screens

I guess it is a good technology because you don't have to attach anything to you head. However, I imagine it is a fairly restrictive veiwing angle and thusnot that great if you want to show something to others. I still think goggles and direct projection is the way to go. This way you are not restrained to one position. Yes I realise they are even more limited in that you can't show others the screen but I think the other advantages out way this.

Imagine The Possibilities

On: Toolkit Available For WAP programming

Imagine being able to frag your friends in an exciting game of multiplayer snake on your 5110/3210/XXXX. Can we port quake3A to the Palm IIIC to? What a waste of time.

Move to Australia

On: Too Old To Code?

I am not a proffesional programmer myself but have plenty of friends that are. They all tell me the absolute opposite is true here. There is all these companies screaming out for staff but they won't touch you if you don't have five years in the field. The only jobs for graduates and the inexperienced they tell me are testers and really poorly paid (*read slave labour*) jobs coding accounting software. As I said this is all anecdotal, maybe my friends are just crap programmers. However, the impression I get is that it is pretty bad starting out if you don't have plenty of contacts.

Same Case in Australia

On: Jolt or Mountain Dew in the UK?

Only colas can be caffinated. However I think the authorities turn a blind eye to small scale importation ie Thinkgeek sampler as I have purchased it. The laws here are changing so soon you will be able get all you caffinated goodness whenevr you are in Australia.

Congratulations

On: Wine Works Towards 1.0

I think the WINE team deserves our congratulations. If you intend to use it or not what they have done is preety good. To do what they have done from scratch is great and quite a coding accomplishment.

No price drop for consumers

On: U.S. Carriers To Share Connection Fees To Oz

While this sounds really good, I must admit to being a bit sceptical. I can't see it lowering prices for Australian consumers. I think it will lead too larger margins for Australian Telcos. I say this besause Australia is not a large enough market too support a great deal of competition. To give people who don't know much about Australia an idea the current poulation is approx 18mil which I am lead to believe is smaller than that of New York. So with such a small market there is not enough push for Telcos to reduce prices. The state owned carrier, Telstra, has approx 40% of the ISP market. They are even higher for landline and cell phones. Our market here is unfortunately not large enough nor mature enough to support large competition. Thus I believe this will have little benefit for us.

Propaganda

On: Open-Source != Security; PGP Provides Cautionary Tale

Does anyone sensible actually believe OpenSource = error free? I don't think so. What a load of sensationalist propaganda. Far from being a bad thing this is a good thing because an error has been found. I get so tired of people jumping on the bandwagon having a go at OpenSource everytime an error is found. Of course there are going to be errors no-one is perfect.

Results

On: Best Way to Get Kids Started in Programming?

I thnik it is obvious from the answers here there are a number of suitable languages. I think a particular language is very subjective. Personally I would suggest PASCAL as that is what I learnt and I found it simple and logical. However, I have to say that a very inportant factor is results. The "kids" are going to be much more likely to program and be involved if they can see good results from their work. Spending the first few sessions teaching them a bubble sort on an array isn't going to cut it. Teach them some cool graphical or similar stuff straight to get their interest then teach them the stuff they need to know.

Peace at last

On: New Slash Version v1.0.3

Perhaps now people will stop flaming about OpenSource/ Slashdot / code release. It really is getting tired. I thought people would stop complaining at the last release. Apparently I was wrong. Is everybody happy now? Good then play nicely. Seriously though it does stop people complaining that Rob etc. don't really support OpenSource. Which I think is obviously rubbish. Anyway I think I hear my boss coming.

Just Wrong

On: Why Should Dealers Require OS Licenses?

At a guess I would have to say this is the influence of MS. That or like someone said earlier the rep is confused. However, regardless of your choices you should not be forced to take an OS. If you go to the local store and buy cigarette papers they don't make you buy tobacco so you don't use the papers for other substances. Another point, in Australia we have laws that prohibit second line forcing ie when you buy a product you can't be forced to take another.(*Warning very simplified description*). Do laws like this exist in the U.S.? If so then surely it is illegal. Would be in Australia as I understand the law, then again who is going to challenge it?