There is some Linux antivirus software outthere. They don't do anything useful sence theres no viruses to stop. But some hobbyists are sereous tweeks. That's not true. We happen to run linux antivirus software at the elementary school where I work. Why do we do it? Because we user linux for our mail/web server, and it's pretty damn convenient to have your mail server check incoming mail for macro and other viruses, instead of just relying on the individual machine's protection.
If we used a linux box running samba as our main file server, I imagine such software would also be helpful.
Besides, it's easier to update an individual system on a regular basis than to have rely on the assumption that the automatic software worked on each and every machine on the network.
They key points are: VB allowed the unwashed masses to create what they wanted without much effort, some ofthose people probably went on to become "real programmers", and I couldn't fix the problems because I didn'thave source.
Hey! That last one is the difference between VB and Perl (calm down, it's not the *only* difference... just the oneimportant to this missive). I know plenty of people whose most"WordArt" button go on to fiddle with some shell script written in perl. But I can come back and fix it or at least lookit over to make sure it dosen't call "rm" anywhere in it.
How can you assume that this will change with the advent of Delphi on Linux? Unless Delphi is an interpreted language (which I actually wouldn't know since I've never come into any for of contact with it), there's no assurance that you're going to be able to evaluate the security model of your user's dancing sheep...
At the very least, this article clearly enforces the fact that Delphi itself will be neither Open Source nor Free (as in binaries), so honestly, how would one be any better off if there's a plethora of Delphi-developed applications suddenly available for Linux unless those programs are released under and Open Source License? (aside from side benefits from bringing in new users to Linux, increasing Linux's viability, etc.)
I pretty much stay away from just about every advancement that has taken place in HTML and it's bretheren since the IMG tag and tables. The reason: I want the most number of people to be able to make use of my web pages.
I find it ironic to hear you say that, and then to follow your homepage link here on slashdot (in order to see an example of the lean html formatting of which you speak) only to find that you are using not only frames, but JavaScript on your home page... generated by Netscape under Windows 95!
5. If you'll be near a library, many libraries in major metropolitan areas offer free use of their computers for Internet access. These are typically connected over a T1 line, so they're fast. You'll at least be able to check your e-mail if you use a Web-based e-mail account, and again it won't cost you anything. Cybercafes may also be another idea.
I couldn't agree with this more. While sitting out in the middle of the desert on a laptop connected to a cell modem is pretty hard to beat in coolness factor, it may be preferable to use something like a public library, or even better, a University Campus.
Two summers ago I was cross-country travelling from Philly to San Francisco and back again, and made it a point to visit a university or two along the way, just to get a feel for the place. UC Berkeley was the big one for me. I got a real kick out of walking into their library, sitting down at one of their terminals, finding out all of their internet settings, and configuring my laptop likewise. I was able to just sit back and use my own computer there after about 5 minutes of tooling around.
Pulled the same thing off in France last summer. Nothing quite like a distraught French professor trying to explain to you that it's impossible to use your computer on their network while you're in the middle of an ssh-tunneled pop3 download... (c:
This suggests (but does not prove; definitive answers will have to await the availability of Crusoe systems for more orthodox testing) that the Crusoe is struggling to carry out DVD decoding and would have fewer CPU cycles to spare in a multitasking environment than the PIII.
Seeing as how Transmeta's primary platform for their Crusoe processor is webpads and other portable devices, having fewer CPU cycles to spare while decoding a DVD (assuming he means watching the movie, and not just running DeCSS <grin>) I frankly don't see where having less spare cycles should be a major issue. On a <b>portable</b> device one is not very likely to be doing anything besides watching the movie!
Even if (for instance) one is running some sort of network service(s) such as http or email while watching the movie, these services typically require very little CPU time, and should not be significantly degraded -- Unless of course Rob is going to be trying to run Slashdot off his new webpad!
It also has done something to X windows now. I usually am able to su - to root in an xterm and then export DISPLAY=:0.0. and run certain programs as root in X. Now I get xlib connection refused. I'M ROOT!!! How the hell can you refuse me a connection??????
You shouldn't need to export your display. As a user, enter "xhost +localhost" into your xterm. Be sure to then shut off access via "xhost -localhost" when you're done doing whatever it is you have to do.
I may be somewhat off course here, but it sounds to me like this would be an excellent opportunity for someone like myself to get back all of CD's that I've lost in the past due to scratches.
Essentially, as long as my CD's (which was of course bought legally) contents track is intact, I can add it to my database on mp3.com, and then capture the stream being sent to my harddrive, and voila, I have the mp3's. If I want, I can then just uncompress and write the files to my CD Burner.
After talking to another friend about the potential for decline in the journalistitc integrity slashdot may succome to as a result of the merger, I believe that the only way to be certain that no one is playing favorites is to start linking to *all* of the submitted stories.
If Penguin Computing (who competes with VA Linux) announces something interesting on their website which is in turn submitted to Slashdot, how can we be sure that it won't get dropped simply because Slashdot's owners are competing with Penguin Computing?
There have been many cries in the past about allowing the general browsers of the site be permitted to view unposted stories, which has so far been denied, but I think that now that Slashdot's integrity may be called into question, it makes more sense than ever to allow access to the other submissions.
A possible alternative would be to allow the moderation of articles *before* they are posted with moderation being granted in a similar fashion to comment moderation. If ten people with such status vote that a certain article should be posted, it instantly gets posted.
I personally don't doubt Slashdot's integrity in the past or the present, but without knowing what *isn't* getting posted, there's simply no way for us be certain that things will remain that way.
The only issue (besides cost of course) keeping me from currently switching over to wireless networking at my place is security concerns.
Can anyone tell me about the potential security issues that arise once one is literally broadcasting their information? Is (for example) SSH just as secure over the airwaves as through an ethernet medium?
I have a 100baseTX connection to all of my boxes throughout my apartment, and that more than sufficiently serves my purposes, but it'd be nice to take my laptop outside to relax from time to time...
I can't speak for anyone else here, but so far my personal experience has been that Maxell CD-R's are the absolutely worst available out there and Verbatim have so far been the best.
By saying that I'm refering to how I bought my first CD-R about three years ago, and of the 20 or so Maxell disks that I've archived data onto, only one is still readable by any CD-ROM/CD-R that I insert it into. By contrast, every one of the verbatim disks that I've burned, which were stored in exactly the same environment as the Maxell's are fully-readable, and I haven't had any problems with them.
I've also used a few Sony and Memorex disks with which I haven't had any problems (that I'm aware of) but I have found my verbatum disks to be incredibly durable. I burned 20 or so Audio CD's onto verbatim disks two years ago before leaving on a cross-country road trip, and despite vast changes of heat and cold, as well as being literally tossed around my car, every one of those CD's is also still working.
Again, this is just my personal experience, but whenever I see someone picking up a spindle of 50 or so no-name brand disks at a local computer store, I have to wonder how important the data they're putting on there must be...
Perhaps you missed Eric's article on Linux Today about the DVD CCA's lawsuit. I think Eric covers the situation quite well in that article, and I haven't seen anything that would require an update to that article.
You're absolutely right, I stand corrected, and Eric, if you're reading this, I whole-heartly apologize.
In fact, I totally missed this mention on slashdot about it.
I ran a search in the comments section, but I obviously should've checked the headlines as well!
That means doing more than writing derisive posts on Slashdot that take cheap shots at people you don't like.
Actually, I wasn't attempting a cheap shot at ESR, and I by no means have anything against the man. (I've heard him speak in person on three separate occasions).
In fact, please re-read my actual words, I may have come off as being sarcastic, but I was genuinely asking where he was and why we hadn't heard from him here on slashdot recently!
Yeah, where's Eric Raymond right now? Why haven't we heard anything from him? Isn't he the self-proclaimed voice of the Open Source community? Why hasn't he even posted anything here recently?
If you're thinking, "yeah but with a safe they could just jackhammer it open," think of it as a boobytrapped safe. The court could require someone to disable the boobytraps.
Or the government could try yet again to pass legislation that forces all safes to have a special comination that the government can use at will that disengages the booby trap. Just because we all know that that would effectively render the safe useless, doesn't mean that they're not attempting to set some sort of precedent with this case.
However, you do need the most recent version of IE (I don't know what Netscape would do) to make it not go to a full-screen error message on any site that has an ad.
Just checked this out and verified it under Netscape 4.7 (again, under Windows 2000 Professional) and it works just fine, that is where ads used to be you just see the broken image box in it's place.
Maybe I'm being ignorant here, but why couldn't some sort of module be written for the WINE project that allows Windows drivers to be used directly?
Again, I may be in the dark here, but would the ideal situation be to hack out the printing API for windows and then just go and use the drivers that come with your printer out of the box?
Sure, that means that the drivers would remain closed source, but since they're only useful with the hardware that one buys and come with that hardware anyway, it seems that doing this once would save people and manufacturers the time and money it takes to port their drivers to other OS's.
It's even possible if you, for whatever reason, use Microsoft Windows, there's a hosts file in the c:\windows (or whatever) directory, that you can edit.
Under Windows 2000 (and I would assume NT as well) this file resides in the c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc directory, to be exact.
...as long as he doesn't use a computer to do it? I'm just curious since I remember seening a book containing a complete printout of the 2.2.5 linux kernel last time I was over in Border's. For a guy who had developed such a "penchant for cracking systems in search of proprietary source code," wouldn't it be just great to see some Mitnick-contributed code to the linux kernel? (Perhaps regarding security...) Afterall, the article clearly identifies Mitnick as a "Hacker"... (c: --Cycon
I don't want a "webpad" with a pen interface. I want a wireless, diskless laptop running as an X terminal to my PC. Think about it
Actually, there's not reason that you can't have it both ways. As I recall, Any VNC Server is accessable through any java-enable browser. It's not quite as fast as a straight client, but then again, who says that won't be available, esp if the OS underneath it all is running Linux?
For those of you who can't get through to transmeta's hosed site, here's the full press release:
(I apologize before hand for any wrapping problems that may occur)
Transmeta Breaks the Silence, Unveils Smart Processor to Revolutionize Mobile Internet Computing
For Immediate Release
Contact: Carla Cook Ketchum Thomas Public Relations 650 596-2281 carla@thomaspr.com
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (January 19, 2000) - Transmeta Corporation today ended four and a half years of secrecy with the introduction of CrusoeTM , the world's first family of smart microprocessors. Designed to create a new category of Mobile Internet Computers, the Crusoe processor family (www.crusoe.com) is based on a breakthrough software approach that will revolutionize the field of mobile computing. Crusoe delivers on the market's need for "all day computing" with a PC compatible solution that is unmatched in performance with low power.
The Mobile Internet Computing Market The evolving class of Mobile Internet Computers includes a rich set of products that spans from Web pads to ultra-light (less than four pound) Mobile PCs that share the common need of x86 software compatibility and long battery life. It represents a significant shift from today's mostly stationary laptops or incompatible handheld devices to a platform that offers greater mobility and access to the Web from most anywhere at anytime.
Ultra-light Mobile PCs operating with the Windows operating system and Microsoft Office applications can take advantage of the Crusoe processor's low power to increase the average user's productivity by operating on a single battery for up to a full work day.
Crusoe-based Internet devices such as Web pads and mobile clients can take advantage of the Mobile Linux operating system to create a robust yet economical machine that can handle all the required Internet plug-in applications. Mobile Linux offers an additional advantage in that it is an operating system that can be stored in solid state Flash ROM thus removing the need for an expensive hard disk drive.
"Cellular phones became more pervasive when they were made smaller and provided greater battery life," said Dave Ditzel, Transmeta's CEO. "We believe that Crusoe will bring about a change of similar magnitude in Mobile Internet Computers."
Commenting on the current state of the mobile market, analyst Martin Reynolds of the market research firm Dataquest, concurs with the need for a new mobile processor. "When people build mobile computers today, they use what's basically a desktop processor in a different package," he said. "There's definitely room for a fresh approach."
"Our customers are telling us that significant battery life improvement is the most requested feature by a margin of two to one. That's why Crusoe's low power is so important," said Transmeta's Jim Chapman, vice president of sales and marketing. "The current mobile market needs to evolve from today's heavier (six to ten pound) laptops to lighter weight, high performance mobile PCs. Crusoe will help propel that change."
Re-thinking the Microprocessor In a radical departure from traditional microprocessor design, Transmeta made innovative use of software to implement many functions that had previously been implemented in hardware. This approach gives Crusoe both the high performance and low power required for today's demanding mobile computing environment.
The key to Crusoe's unique architecture is its Code MorphingTM software. Code Morphing software surrounds a simple Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) silicon engine to deliver a fully PC compatible processor. It is this software that provides the compatibility by "morphing" (i.e. translating x86 instructions) to the underlying hardware engine.
Crusoe is a smart processor that "learns" about an application while it runs and uses that experience to greatly extend battery life. Using a new Transmeta invention called LongRunTM power management, Crusoe continuously adjusts its operating speed and voltage to exactly match the needs of the application workload. LongRun can make adjustments hundreds of times per second, which can dramatically extend battery life. This is in contrast to other processors that run at a fixed operating speed on batteries, needlessly wasting battery life.
LongRun also provides a solution for today's strenuous multimedia applications that typically drain an ultra-light PC's battery in as little as an hour. With LongRun, it is possible to design a light-weight mobile PC that plays a DVD movie for three hours or more.
"We rethought the microprocessor from the ground-up," said Ditzel. "Crusoe is the first processor to deliver all three of the key requirements for Mobile Internet Computing: low power, high performance and full PC compatibility. Now manufacturers have the ideal solution for true mobility."
The Crusoe Product Family The Crusoe processor family consists of two solutions, the TM5400 and the TM3120, for the Mobile Internet Computing market.
The model TM5400 is targeted at ultra-light mobile PCs running Microsoft Windows and NT operating systems. These PCs will take advantage of the TM5400's high performance (up to 700MHz) and LongRun power management to create the longest running mobile PCs for office applications, multimedia games and DVD movies.
The TM3120, operating at up to 400MHz, is designed for economical Web pads and mobile clients. With the Crusoe processor and the Mobile Linux operating system, users can expect a complete Internet experience, including access to the full range of plug-in applications. Transmeta provides Mobile Linux assistance to OEMs looking to accelerate their time to market with new mobile Internet devices.
Pricing and Availability The TM3120, available immediately, is economically priced for Linux-based Web pads and devices selling for $500 to $999. The 333MHz version sells for $65 while the 400MHz version sells for $89.
The TM5400, sampling now, will be offered in a range of performance levels from 500MHz to 700MHz to meet the needs of ultra-light mobile PCs selling for between $1200 and $2500. Transmeta expects that Crusoe-based systems with these attractive price points will be available in the marketplace by mid 2000. The 500MHz version will list for $119, while the 700MHz version will list for $329.
About Transmeta Corporation Founded in 1995, Transmeta is a privately held company based in Santa Clara, California. Transmeta develops, in concert with its OEM customers, platform solutions for the Mobile Internet Computing market. Transmeta markets and sells the Crusoe processor solution as the engine for a new class of computers. Crusoe is the only x86 compatible processor solution built to run the large installed base of PC software applications with high performance and extremely long battery life.
It's Uccellini's center that uses the new 786 processor IBM SP computer located in Bowie, Md.
...hmmm... 786 processors in this upgrade from the Cray C-90... me thinks someone over at the NWS has a sense of humor, and is punning off of Intel's x86 line...
While we're on the topic of laptop carrying cases, can anyone recommend a descent carrying case for a superslim VAIO? My notebook is just under and inch thick, and not very big around, making it rather difficult find find anything as slim as the laptop that will still protect it from minor impacts...
Wired Magazine, in an attept to boost their dwindling number of reader subscriptions has decided to release a new version of Wired... entirely in Brail.
Unfortunately, sales of the new Brail edition have plummeted to exactly one sale, as only one blind man has been determined as capable of actually surfing the web... More on this later.
Sorry guys, guess i just read the article title wrong the first time around...
You don't actually run a system with the vendor-provided kernel, do you? I have 2.2.13 running on slink and potato systems just fine -- in fact, the potato system is using 2.2.13 with the ext3 patch.
Of course compiling and replacing the distribution kernel is non-issue, but the problem with having an entire distribution released with an older kernel is that you lose the ability to add in and use certain features that are only available with the new kernel.
For instance, a linux firewall is controlled by ipfwadm for the 2.0.x series kernels, ipchains for the 2.2.x series kernels, and there will be a new system (whose named elludes me for the moment) for the 2.4.x series of kernels. In order to administrate a newer kernel you need different tools, and therefore different packages.
A better example perhaps would be USB support in the 2.4 kernel. With a release based on the 2.2.x series of kernels you lack USB support for items which may be of use during an install -- such as the keyboard, or mouse (for setting up X graphically). I may be wrong, there may be a patch for USB kerboards under 2.2.x, but I think you get the idea of where I'm going by now.
Simply put, I by no means wish to critisize the debian project for any issues that have aroze in getting potato out the door, I think everyone there is doing an outstanding job, considering the volunteer-based nature of the distro (as opposed to the corporate-funded efforts of Redhat, SuSE, Caldera, etc.) -- However I *do* think that having the latest kernel permits certain conveniences as far as default packages and installation set-up goes.
Slashdot Mirror
That's not true. We happen to run linux antivirus software at the elementary school where I work. Why do we do it? Because we user linux for our mail/web server, and it's pretty damn convenient to have your mail server check incoming mail for macro and other viruses, instead of just relying on the individual machine's protection.
If we used a linux box running samba as our main file server, I imagine such software would also be helpful.
Besides, it's easier to update an individual system on a regular basis than to have rely on the assumption that the automatic software worked on each and every machine on the network.
--Cycon
Hey! That last one is the difference between VB and Perl (calm down, it's not the *only* difference... just the oneimportant to this missive). I know plenty of people whose most"WordArt" button go on to fiddle with some shell script written in perl. But I can come back and fix it or at least lookit over to make sure it dosen't call "rm" anywhere in it.
How can you assume that this will change with the advent of Delphi on Linux? Unless Delphi is an interpreted language (which I actually wouldn't know since I've never come into any for of contact with it), there's no assurance that you're going to be able to evaluate the security model of your user's dancing sheep...
At the very least, this article clearly enforces the fact that Delphi itself will be neither Open Source nor Free (as in binaries), so honestly, how would one be any better off if there's a plethora of Delphi-developed applications suddenly available for Linux unless those programs are released under and Open Source License? (aside from side benefits from bringing in new users to Linux, increasing Linux's viability, etc.)
--Cycon
Apparently, the PlayStation2 has shipped, with several glaring bugs ...</i>
...hmmm... bad drivers for the DVD, failure to recognize certain "standard" DVD's, crashing, freezing, overheating... etc.
...sounds like Sony really is going after the PC/Windows gamer crowd.... by giving them what they've come to expect from their hardware... (c:
I find it ironic to hear you say that, and then to follow your homepage link here on slashdot (in order to see an example of the lean html formatting of which you speak) only to find that you are using not only frames, but JavaScript on your home page... generated by Netscape under Windows 95!
(c:
5. If you'll be near a library, many libraries in major metropolitan areas offer free use of their computers for Internet access. These are typically connected over a T1 line, so they're fast. You'll at least be able to check your e-mail if you use a Web-based e-mail account, and again it won't cost you anything. Cybercafes may also be another idea.
I couldn't agree with this more. While sitting out in the middle of the desert on a laptop connected to a cell modem is pretty hard to beat in coolness factor, it may be preferable to use something like a public library, or even better, a University Campus.
Two summers ago I was cross-country travelling from Philly to San Francisco and back again, and made it a point to visit a university or two along the way, just to get a feel for the place. UC Berkeley was the big one for me. I got a real kick out of walking into their library, sitting down at one of their terminals, finding out all of their internet settings, and configuring my laptop likewise. I was able to just sit back and use my own computer there after about 5 minutes of tooling around.
Pulled the same thing off in France last summer. Nothing quite like a distraught French professor trying to explain to you that it's impossible to use your computer on their network while you're in the middle of an ssh-tunneled pop3 download... (c:
--Cycon
This suggests (but does not prove; definitive answers will have to await the availability of Crusoe systems for more orthodox testing) that the Crusoe is struggling to carry out DVD decoding and would have fewer CPU cycles to spare in a multitasking environment than the PIII.
Seeing as how Transmeta's primary platform for their Crusoe processor is webpads and other portable devices, having fewer CPU cycles to spare while decoding a DVD (assuming he means watching the movie, and not just running DeCSS <grin>) I frankly don't see where having less spare cycles should be a major issue. On a <b>portable</b> device one is not very likely to be doing anything besides watching the movie!
Even if (for instance) one is running some sort of network service(s) such as http or email while watching the movie, these services typically require very little CPU time, and should not be significantly degraded -- Unless of course Rob is going to be trying to run Slashdot off his new webpad!
--Cycon
It also has done something to X windows now. I usually am able to su - to root in an xterm and then export DISPLAY=:0.0. and run certain programs as root in X. Now I get xlib connection refused. I'M ROOT!!! How the hell can you refuse me a connection??????
You shouldn't need to export your display. As a user, enter "xhost +localhost" into your xterm. Be sure to then shut off access via "xhost -localhost" when you're done doing whatever it is you have to do.
--Cycon
I may be somewhat off course here, but it sounds to me like this would be an excellent opportunity for someone like myself to get back all of CD's that I've lost in the past due to scratches.
Essentially, as long as my CD's (which was of course bought legally) contents track is intact, I can add it to my database on mp3.com, and then capture the stream being sent to my harddrive, and voila, I have the mp3's. If I want, I can then just uncompress and write the files to my CD Burner.
I'll definately have to give this a shot.
After talking to another friend about the potential for decline in the journalistitc integrity slashdot may succome to as a result of the merger, I believe that the only way to be certain that no one is playing favorites is to start linking to *all* of the submitted stories.
If Penguin Computing (who competes with VA Linux) announces something interesting on their website which is in turn submitted to Slashdot, how can we be sure that it won't get dropped simply because Slashdot's owners are competing with Penguin Computing?
There have been many cries in the past about allowing the general browsers of the site be permitted to view unposted stories, which has so far been denied, but I think that now that Slashdot's integrity may be called into question, it makes more sense than ever to allow access to the other submissions.
A possible alternative would be to allow the moderation of articles *before* they are posted with moderation being granted in a similar fashion to comment moderation. If ten people with such status vote that a certain article should be posted, it instantly gets posted.
I personally don't doubt Slashdot's integrity in the past or the present, but without knowing what *isn't* getting posted, there's simply no way for us be certain that things will remain that way.
--Cycon
The only issue (besides cost of course) keeping me from currently switching over to wireless networking at my place is security concerns.
Can anyone tell me about the potential security issues that arise once one is literally broadcasting their information? Is (for example) SSH just as secure over the airwaves as through an ethernet medium?
I have a 100baseTX connection to all of my boxes throughout my apartment, and that more than sufficiently serves my purposes, but it'd be nice to take my laptop outside to relax from time to time...
--Cycon
Too many acronyms.
Ok, I admit it, I must be stupid or something because I don't know what "BOF" stands for. Can someone please briefly illuminate me?
I can't speak for anyone else here, but so far my personal experience has been that Maxell CD-R's are the absolutely worst available out there and Verbatim have so far been the best.
By saying that I'm refering to how I bought my first CD-R about three years ago, and of the 20 or so Maxell disks that I've archived data onto, only one is still readable by any CD-ROM/CD-R that I insert it into. By contrast, every one of the verbatim disks that I've burned, which were stored in exactly the same environment as the Maxell's are fully-readable, and I haven't had any problems with them.
I've also used a few Sony and Memorex disks with which I haven't had any problems (that I'm aware of) but I have found my verbatum disks to be incredibly durable. I burned 20 or so Audio CD's onto verbatim disks two years ago before leaving on a cross-country road trip, and despite vast changes of heat and cold, as well as being literally tossed around my car, every one of those CD's is also still working.
Again, this is just my personal experience, but whenever I see someone picking up a spindle of 50 or so no-name brand disks at a local computer store, I have to wonder how important the data they're putting on there must be...
--Cycon
/me slaps forhead
Perhaps you missed Eric's article on Linux Today about the DVD CCA's lawsuit. I think Eric covers the situation quite well in that article, and I haven't seen anything that would require an update to that article.
You're absolutely right, I stand corrected, and Eric, if you're reading this, I whole-heartly apologize.
In fact, I totally missed this mention on slashdot about it.
I ran a search in the comments section, but I obviously should've checked the headlines as well!
That means doing more than writing derisive posts on Slashdot that take cheap shots at people you don't like.
Actually, I wasn't attempting a cheap shot at ESR, and I by no means have anything against the man. (I've heard him speak in person on three separate occasions).
In fact, please re-read my actual words, I may have come off as being sarcastic, but I was genuinely asking where he was and why we hadn't heard from him here on slashdot recently!
--Cycon
Yeah, where's Eric Raymond right now? Why haven't we heard anything from him? Isn't he the self-proclaimed voice of the Open Source community? Why hasn't he even posted anything here recently?
--Cycon
If you're thinking, "yeah but with a safe they could just jackhammer it open," think of it as a boobytrapped safe. The court could require someone to disable the boobytraps.
Or the government could try yet again to pass legislation that forces all safes to have a special comination that the government can use at will that disengages the booby trap. Just because we all know that that would effectively render the safe useless, doesn't mean that they're not attempting to set some sort of precedent with this case.
--Cycon
However, you do need the most recent version of IE (I don't know what Netscape would do) to make it not go to a full-screen error message on any site that has an ad.
Just checked this out and verified it under Netscape 4.7 (again, under Windows 2000 Professional) and it works just fine, that is where ads used to be you just see the broken image box in it's place.
Maybe I'm being ignorant here, but why couldn't some sort of module be written for the WINE project that allows Windows drivers to be used directly?
Again, I may be in the dark here, but would the ideal situation be to hack out the printing API for windows and then just go and use the drivers that come with your printer out of the box?
Sure, that means that the drivers would remain closed source, but since they're only useful with the hardware that one buys and come with that hardware anyway, it seems that doing this once would save people and manufacturers the time and money it takes to port their drivers to other OS's.
--Cycon
It's even possible if you, for whatever reason, use Microsoft Windows, there's a hosts file in the c:\windows (or whatever) directory, that you can edit.
Under Windows 2000 (and I would assume NT as well) this file resides in the c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc directory, to be exact.
...as long as he doesn't use a computer to do it? I'm just curious since I remember seening a book containing a complete printout of the 2.2.5 linux kernel last time I was over in Border's. For a guy who had developed such a "penchant for cracking systems in search of proprietary source code," wouldn't it be just great to see some Mitnick-contributed code to the linux kernel? (Perhaps regarding security...) Afterall, the article clearly identifies Mitnick as a "Hacker"... (c: --Cycon
I don't want a "webpad" with a pen interface. I want a wireless, diskless laptop running as an X terminal to my PC. Think about it
Actually, there's not reason that you can't have it both ways. As I recall, Any VNC Server is accessable through any java-enable browser. It's not quite as fast as a straight client, but then again, who says that won't be available, esp if the OS underneath it all is running Linux?
For those of you who can't get through to transmeta's hosed site, here's the full press release:
(I apologize before hand for any wrapping problems that may occur)
Transmeta Breaks the Silence, Unveils Smart Processor to Revolutionize Mobile Internet Computing
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Carla Cook
Ketchum Thomas Public Relations
650 596-2281
carla@thomaspr.com
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (January 19, 2000) - Transmeta Corporation today ended four and a half years of
secrecy with the introduction of CrusoeTM , the world's first family of smart microprocessors. Designed to
create a new category of Mobile Internet Computers, the Crusoe processor family (www.crusoe.com) is based
on a breakthrough software approach that will revolutionize the field of mobile computing. Crusoe delivers on
the market's need for "all day computing" with a PC compatible solution that is unmatched in performance with
low power.
The Mobile Internet Computing Market
The evolving class of Mobile Internet Computers includes a rich set of products that spans from Web pads to
ultra-light (less than four pound) Mobile PCs that share the common need of x86 software compatibility and
long battery life. It represents a significant shift from today's mostly stationary laptops or incompatible
handheld devices to a platform that offers greater mobility and access to the Web from most anywhere at
anytime.
Ultra-light Mobile PCs operating with the Windows operating system and Microsoft Office applications can
take advantage of the Crusoe processor's low power to increase the average user's productivity by operating
on a single battery for up to a full work day.
Crusoe-based Internet devices such as Web pads and mobile clients can take advantage of the Mobile Linux
operating system to create a robust yet economical machine that can handle all the required Internet plug-in
applications. Mobile Linux offers an additional advantage in that it is an operating system that can be stored in
solid state Flash ROM thus removing the need for an expensive hard disk drive.
"Cellular phones became more pervasive when they were made smaller and provided greater battery life," said
Dave Ditzel, Transmeta's CEO. "We believe that Crusoe will bring about a change of similar magnitude in
Mobile Internet Computers."
Commenting on the current state of the mobile market, analyst Martin Reynolds of the market research firm
Dataquest, concurs with the need for a new mobile processor. "When people build mobile computers today,
they use what's basically a desktop processor in a different package," he said. "There's definitely room for a
fresh approach."
"Our customers are telling us that significant battery life improvement is the most requested feature by a
margin of two to one. That's why Crusoe's low power is so important," said Transmeta's Jim Chapman, vice
president of sales and marketing. "The current mobile market needs to evolve from today's heavier (six to ten
pound) laptops to lighter weight, high performance mobile PCs. Crusoe will help propel that change."
Re-thinking the Microprocessor
In a radical departure from traditional microprocessor design, Transmeta made innovative use of software to
implement many functions that had previously been implemented in hardware. This approach gives Crusoe both
the high performance and low power required for today's demanding mobile computing environment.
The key to Crusoe's unique architecture is its Code MorphingTM software. Code Morphing software surrounds
a simple Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) silicon engine to deliver a fully PC compatible processor. It is
this software that provides the compatibility by "morphing" (i.e. translating x86 instructions) to the underlying
hardware engine.
Crusoe is a smart processor that "learns" about an application while it runs and uses that experience to greatly
extend battery life. Using a new Transmeta invention called LongRunTM power management, Crusoe
continuously adjusts its operating speed and voltage to exactly match the needs of the application workload.
LongRun can make adjustments hundreds of times per second, which can dramatically extend battery life. This
is in contrast to other processors that run at a fixed operating speed on batteries, needlessly wasting battery
life.
LongRun also provides a solution for today's strenuous multimedia applications that typically drain an
ultra-light PC's battery in as little as an hour. With LongRun, it is possible to design a light-weight mobile PC
that plays a DVD movie for three hours or more.
"We rethought the microprocessor from the ground-up," said Ditzel. "Crusoe is the first processor to deliver
all three of the key requirements for Mobile Internet Computing: low power, high performance and full PC
compatibility. Now manufacturers have the ideal solution for true mobility."
The Crusoe Product Family
The Crusoe processor family consists of two solutions, the TM5400 and the TM3120, for the Mobile Internet
Computing market.
The model TM5400 is targeted at ultra-light mobile PCs running Microsoft Windows and NT operating
systems. These PCs will take advantage of the TM5400's high performance (up to 700MHz) and LongRun
power management to create the longest running mobile PCs for office applications, multimedia games and
DVD movies.
The TM3120, operating at up to 400MHz, is designed for economical Web pads and mobile clients. With the
Crusoe processor and the Mobile Linux operating system, users can expect a complete Internet experience,
including access to the full range of plug-in applications. Transmeta provides Mobile Linux assistance to
OEMs looking to accelerate their time to market with new mobile Internet devices.
Pricing and Availability
The TM3120, available immediately, is economically priced for Linux-based Web pads and devices selling for
$500 to $999. The 333MHz version sells for $65 while the 400MHz version sells for $89.
The TM5400, sampling now, will be offered in a range of performance levels from 500MHz to 700MHz to meet
the needs of ultra-light mobile PCs selling for between $1200 and $2500. Transmeta expects that
Crusoe-based systems with these attractive price points will be available in the marketplace by mid 2000. The
500MHz version will list for $119, while the 700MHz version will list for $329.
About Transmeta Corporation
Founded in 1995, Transmeta is a privately held company based in Santa Clara, California. Transmeta develops,
in concert with its OEM customers, platform solutions for the Mobile Internet Computing market. Transmeta
markets and sells the Crusoe processor solution as the engine for a new class of computers. Crusoe is the
only x86 compatible processor solution built to run the large installed base of PC software applications with
high performance and extremely long battery life.
It's Uccellini's center that uses the new 786 processor IBM SP computer located in Bowie, Md.
...hmmm... 786 processors in this upgrade from the Cray C-90 ... me thinks someone over at the NWS has a sense of humor, and is punning off of Intel's x86 line...
While we're on the topic of laptop carrying cases, can anyone recommend a descent carrying case for a superslim VAIO? My notebook is just under and inch thick, and not very big around, making it rather difficult find find anything as slim as the laptop that will still protect it from minor impacts...
Wired Magazine, in an attept to boost their dwindling number of reader subscriptions has decided to release a new version of Wired ... entirely in Brail.
Unfortunately, sales of the new Brail edition have plummeted to exactly one sale, as only one blind man has been determined as capable of actually surfing the web... More on this later.
Sorry guys, guess i just read the article title wrong the first time around...
--Cycon
You don't actually run a system with the vendor-provided kernel, do you? I have 2.2.13 running on slink and potato systems just fine -- in fact, the potato system is using 2.2.13 with the ext3 patch.
Of course compiling and replacing the distribution kernel is non-issue, but the problem with having an entire distribution released with an older kernel is that you lose the ability to add in and use certain features that are only available with the new kernel.
For instance, a linux firewall is controlled by ipfwadm for the 2.0.x series kernels, ipchains for the 2.2.x series kernels, and there will be a new system (whose named elludes me for the moment) for the 2.4.x series of kernels. In order to administrate a newer kernel you need different tools, and therefore different packages.
A better example perhaps would be USB support in the 2.4 kernel. With a release based on the 2.2.x series of kernels you lack USB support for items which may be of use during an install -- such as the keyboard, or mouse (for setting up X graphically). I may be wrong, there may be a patch for USB kerboards under 2.2.x, but I think you get the idea of where I'm going by now.
Simply put, I by no means wish to critisize the debian project for any issues that have aroze in getting potato out the door, I think everyone there is doing an outstanding job, considering the volunteer-based nature of the distro (as opposed to the corporate-funded efforts of Redhat, SuSE, Caldera, etc.) -- However I *do* think that having the latest kernel permits certain conveniences as far as default packages and installation set-up goes.
--Cycon