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User: wastedlife

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  1. Re:The good, the bad, and the ugly on Is Samsung Blocking Updates To Froyo? · · Score: 1

    Aren't they pretty much at this stage? iOS, Blackberry and WebOS are not licensed out to third-party manufactures as far as I can tell. So that leaves Symbian, Windows Phone 7, Windows Mobile, and Meego as competitors in the licensed mobile OS arena. Symbian has fallen by the wayside. Windows Phone 7 is getting lukewarm sales. Windows Mobile appears to be all but dead. Meego is on what, 2 phones right now?

    I love my EVO, but I wish Google would force the manufacturers' hands in providing timely updates. They do require some sort of licensing before they allow the Marketplace and other Google apps to be included, so they should have made this a stipulation.

  2. Re:More sensible option on Wireless GeForce Graphics Card Announced · · Score: 1

    Could you enlighten me on how a video or audio cable are a fire hazard? I've never heard of one that didn't carry a minimal amount of DC power. I will grant you that if you have a tangle of wires including power cables that it could create a potential fire hazard.

  3. Re:PS2? on PS3 Root Key Found · · Score: 1

    Someone could potentially port a software emulator like PCSX2 to the PS3, however there is only 256 MB of RAM in the PS3. I haven't tried running PCSX2 personally, but I would imagine that even without a full desktop OS to contend with that those resources would be a big constraint.

  4. Re:Mozilla's public disclosure on Mozilla Posts File Containing Registered User Data · · Score: 1

    Depending on your usage/network availability I would recommend either LastPass or a combination of KeePass and a file-syncing solution like dropbox.

    If anywhere you would need your passwords you have internet access, LastPass is completely web-based and has good phone integration with mobile versions of the site and apps.

    If you may need to access your passwords with no internet access available or do not trust a third-party with your passwords, I would recommend KeePass and a file-syncing solution. It uses an encrypted database file and a lightweight piece of software to access this file. It is cross-platform (including mobile) and has portable versions for when you are working from a thumbdrive on a computer you do not own.

    I support network equipment for a living, so I need to be able to access the passwords for those devices even if I do not have network access. Thus, I use KeePass and DropBox to sync it with my computers and android phone.

  5. Re:Nope on Placebos Work -- Even Without Deception · · Score: 1

    Or they equated vaccines with the placebo effect, which are completely different things. In fact, neither icebraining nor I even mentioned homeopathy, so who exactly is projecting here?

  6. Re:Nice and Easy on Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 Released · · Score: 1

    In most cases that I have seen, management would tell IT to block the nag screen in some way and business would continue as usual. IE6 will prevail until great robot uprising destroys us all. Of course, the great robot uprising will have been caused by a worker-bot stuck using IE6 contracts a piece of malware and it spreads amongst the other worker-bots.

  7. Re:Nope on Placebos Work -- Even Without Deception · · Score: 2

    You are either making a very bad and potentially misleading analogy or you have no idea how vaccines work. If the latter, please hand in your posting card on the way out. If the former, welcome fellow /.er!

  8. Re:Nice and Easy on Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 Released · · Score: 1

    And nagging to the desktop users being held back by the IT department does what? Or do you just not read the posts that you are replying to?

  9. Finally! on Tobacco Virus Could Boost Li Batteries · · Score: 1

    With a battery like this, my Sprint EVO might last a full workday on a single charge!!!

  10. Re:um wait on Tobacco Virus Could Boost Li Batteries · · Score: 1

    This isn't a genetically-enhanced super virus or anything, it is a common virus. Granted, assuming the process does not disable the virus, there is the slight chance that an exploded (or improperly disposed of) battery could infect a nearby field, but it is far more likely that the virus . We are talking about a 10-fold increase in capacity here, though. That is huge. Assuming it scales linearly, the Nissan Leaf's 100 mile average capacity would be expanded to 1000 miles. I drive a ton for work, and that means I could still travel for a week on a single charge. Now, lets just hope this isn't vaporware and can be implemented without increasing the cost of production by more than the capacity increase.

  11. Re:Rage for Android? on John Carmack Not Enthused About Android Marketplace · · Score: 1

    That's not a fragmentation issue like you're suggesting it is, people suggest that there's some sort of fragmentation problem, but Google has that figured out and the only people that are harmed by it are people who bought early Android phones and ones with custom UI. Pretty much all the newer ones should be easily handled by somebody with the technical skills that John has.

    How many Android phones do not have a custom UI? Or are you not referring to things like TouchWiz, MOTOBLUR, and Sense? Also, for every big android phone of the month like EVO, Galaxy S, Nexus One, G2, or Nexus S, there are at least 20 new phones with near minimum specs and Android 1.6 or 2.1 if you are lucky. Don't get me wrong, I love my EVO, but with graphically intensive games it helps to have less hardware and software differences to compensate for. If they only target, say, phones with Froyo and 1 Ghz or faster processor, they are limited to Nexus One, EVO, Droid X, Droid 2, G2, and maybe a few others(IIRC the US Galaxy S phones do not have 2.2 yet, but the European models do).

  12. Re:And this is progress? on Keeping Google's Consumer OS Options Straight · · Score: 1

    Can't watch the video ATM, but unless they have radically changed their goals I don't think the point is to completely replace the desktop. Programs such as Photoshop and Visual Studio are not run by the masses and I don't believe they intend to kill those off. Most people use their computer for email, web browsing, web video, and maybe some light document editing. All of these are completely possible with just a web browser and google apps. This type of usage on netbooks and nettops are the target market for Google here. Until broadband is universally much faster and cheaper I don't think we will see a replacement for powerful desktop apps for video editing, photo editing, and programming.

    Personally, I just hope someone makes a good OS based on Chromium OS but for dual-booting. It would be nice to have quick access to the net when I don't want to wait several minutes to come out of hibernation or longer for full boot.

  13. Re:Why Chrome OS now? on Keeping Google's Consumer OS Options Straight · · Score: 1

    Chrome OS is a Linux-based OS. Maybe you meant without a full Linux desktop environment like KDE or Gnome?

  14. Re:That's gonna be an interesting world view on Boy Finds £2.5M Gold Locket With Metal Detector · · Score: 1

    As long as they are willing to eat at Denny's (or whatever the UK equivalent).

  15. Re:And Windows is? on Is Linux At the End of Its Life Cycle? · · Score: 1

    WOW64 is what I have always seen it referred to as, but Wikipedia had the following:

    "Alternatively "WOW" may also refer to support for running 32-bit applications on 64-bit versions of Windows - known as WOW64."

    This is why I included it in my comment. In any case, WOW does not refer to "userland code...ported from Windows 9x".

  16. Re:And Windows is? on Is Linux At the End of Its Life Cycle? · · Score: 1

    Yes, and Windows on Windows is (was) the component used to run Win16 applications on the 32-bit platform. Here is a wikipedia article on it:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_on_Windows

    It needs some better citations, but it is basically the same thing that is in MS certification textbooks.

  17. Re:And Windows is? on Is Linux At the End of Its Life Cycle? · · Score: 1

    I agree, but Office and Internet Explorer are not good examples, especially IE. Internet Explorer is updated via the standard Windows Update, and upon installation of Office, you are directed to Office Online where there are several links recommending the use of Microsoft Update instead of Windows Update. Your post is true for the myriad of other Windows software that does not update via Windows Update or Microsoft Update; like Flash, Adobe Reader, Java, TurboTax, all the crapware preinstalled on PCs, etc.

    What Microsoft should have done, is have something like apt where software can(with user approval) add a third-party repository for updates via Windows Update. That way they are not seen as controlling what software gets updates and when, but provide a means for software to automatically update without installing yet another utility that runs all of the time. This would also help clear some crap from the notification tray.

  18. Re:And Windows is? on Is Linux At the End of Its Life Cycle? · · Score: 1

    Plus that survey assumes that they know they are using OSS. There are tons of firewalls, content filters, spam filters, etc, that use linux but have a nice web interface and/or Windows-based management tools. For a quick couple of examples, the Barracuda and Watchguard devices that I have worked with are all running linux.

  19. Re:And Windows is? on Is Linux At the End of Its Life Cycle? · · Score: 1

    WOW does not refer to the userland ported from Win9x, it referred only to the components used to run win16 applications written for Windows 3.x. In 64-bit versions of Windows, they now use "WOW" or "WOW64" to refer to 32-bit application support.

  20. Re:Have a little pity on the magazine on Cooks Source Magazine Apologizes — Sort Of · · Score: 1

    Well, Slashdot is not a collective hive-mind on any subject, but with regards to the copyright infringement of music, the infringing party is normally not doing the infringing for commercial benefit, and the rewards are monstrous. For example, after 2 appeals, Jammie Thomas now owes the RIAA $1.5 million for 24 songs. This, on the other hand, is a case of commercial infringement, and the infringing party was asked to donate a small amount of money to the Columbia School of Journalism as compensation. The infringing party then responded rudely to the request and made some pretty bold statements. Sure, she probably should not have received that level of harassment, but if that is enough to fail the business, it was doomed from the start. If you want to start a small business doing anything, it is your responsibility to understand your legal obligations. Would you say it is a tragedy for a small food stand run by a couple neighbors to be shut down for not following proper health and sanitation procedures? Should we feel sorry for them because they were ignorant to their obligations?

    Now, she comes out with a boat-load of excuses and a half-assed "apology". And she wants everyone to feel sorry for her? I think I will just sit back and enjoy watching her "tragedy".

  21. Re:And? on Cooks Source Magazine Apologizes — Sort Of · · Score: 1

    Well stated. However, if you haven't, you should really send this to her in some form. I doubt she knows where /. is "on the WWW".

  22. Re:Whining, Excuses and a Guilt Trip! on Cooks Source Magazine Apologizes — Sort Of · · Score: 1

    That is exactly what the post you are replying to says. In this case, it wasn't even about a recipe. It was an article about the history of apple pie. It did contain a couple of recipes, but the entire article was stolen, a few minor edits made, and then published without permission. IANAL, but this seems to be a clear-cut case of commercial copyright infringement.

  23. Re:Real bug: changing the time on iPhone Alarm Bug Leads To Mass European Sleep-in · · Score: 1

    DST is used to save power in summer, not winter. Even the power savings are debatable, Indiana's power usage went up when they implemented DST.

  24. Re:Science Journalism on Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Generates a 'Mini-Big Bang' · · Score: 1

    Being a religious fundamentalism means that you strictly adhere to the words of your religious doctrines. Many discoveries and accepted theories in science clash with the text as it is written. Sure, lots of religious people feel that it does not affect the spirit of their religion, just the exact phrasing, and accept both science and their own religion. However, a fundamentalist would not, and would assume that science is incorrect in any clashing areas and may harbor ill feelings against science in general. I would argue that you are not a fundamentalist, or at least not using the commonly accepted definition. Either that, or you are implying that you harbor no hatred toward science, but assume it is wrong in areas where things clash with your doctrines.

  25. Re:Well... on 33 Developers Leave OpenOffice.org · · Score: 1

    ..they hope for Oracle to donate the OpenOffice.org name to the foundation...

    This is Oracle we are talking about here. Might as well hope for interstellar space travel by tomorrow or Bill Gates to personally write them a check for a billion dollars.