Here's another link from Xen.org with a less terse description of the problem:
So what was the vulnerability? It has to do with a subtle difference in the way in which Intel processors implement error handling in their version of AMD's SYSRET instruction. The SYSRET instruction is part of the x86-64 standard defined by AMD. If an operating system is written according to AMD's spec, but run on Intel hardware, the difference in implementation can be exploited by an attacker to write to arbitrary addresses in the operating system's memory.
A little note there offers further anecdotal "proof" about the robustness of OpenBSD:
It seems that 64-bit versions of NetBSD, FreeBSD, and Microsoft Windows 7 were all vulnerable; Apple OSX may be vulnerable as well.
OpenBSD and Linux were not vulnerable. Linux actually fixed the bug in 2006, with CVE-2006-0744.
From reading the NYT article, I understand this is a study of the English version of Wikipedia. That alone should raise a red flag about the significance of the study beyond being a survey of the interests or obsessions of Wikipedia editors.
It's useful only as a survey of a clearly unrepresentative sample of the world population. It's clearly biased against those that can't write English, itself a much smaller subset of those who can claim some fluency in English.
It tells us less about history and more about present attitudes twoard history. It's pretty much like compiling a list of the 100 greatest sci-fi movies by surveying Facebook users. Movies produced within the last decade or so will outrank the "classic" movies of the 70's and 80's. Avatar will likely be a more "significant" movie than Bladerunner or Aliens.
That's why the data transfers to and from the CPU are only about 1/30th or less the speed at which the CPU runs internally. The only logical course of action is to do as much as you can on each byte of data coming off the bus as you can.
I'm not sure I get where you're going. I think the more logical course of action, given your argument that it's faster inside than outside the CPU, would be to move everything inside the CPU. I know "that" would be a hell of a lot more problem to fix/debug, but if you want the best power efficiency it's best to have fewer parts that send bits of electrons back and forth some external bus. Compare the situation with how much more energy efficient it is to live in the city where you wrok than to commute from the suburbs
Yammer sounds like the German word for sorrow. The word's actually spelled jammer, but the Germans usually pronounce their "J" as "Y". There's bound to be lots of puns about this in the German tech press.
I agree with your horse analogy. But I don't see how Nokia can succeed with winPhone. In order for Microsoft to gain traction against Android and iOS, it has to sell WinPhone to other manufacturers. These manufacturers will only agree to a Microsoft deal that doesn't make them second-class citizens to Nokia. Notice how Google was careful not to overly favor one particular manufacturer (Samsung, HTC) when it was making its G-branded phones? Microsoft also has to play this game. WinPhone might yet succeed. Sadly, unless it manages to develop its own identity, Nokia is going down.
Either Android OR a beefed-up MeeGo would have been a better choice as a Nokia smartphone OS. Android because it already had some market traction. MeeGo because it had the potential to be different.
How is China capitalist? It is certainly more capitalist than it was 10 years ago, but its level of central planning is comparable to European countries.
Central planning isn't incompatible with capitalism. Nazi Germany was capitalist and fascist. Private citizens were free to make money so long as they belonged to the privileged race and had the right connections. So okay, it's a form of "crony" capitalism but it's capitalism nonetheless.
I'd be more interested in hearing why those chord changes are popular - i.e. an explanation of their psychological effect.
Probably because they're popular? I know that's kind of begging the question. But these chord progressions can be found even in folk music. It's kind of asking why Microsoft Windows is so popular. It's popular because somehow it got popular.
I've heard plenty of so-called "progressive" rock, and none of them can match the sheer power and inventiveness of Beethoven. Aside from the evolution of Jazz, mainstream Western music really hasn't progressed that much from the time of Beethoven. (Let's not talk about atonal, avant garde music which finds its place mainly in horror music soundtrack.) As for psychological effect, I suspect it's largely cultural as part of the Western musical tradition. Of course, this extends even to "Eastern" cultures like Japan, given the overwhelming popularity of Western music.
Okay, I had to Google for this, but for those curious about the simian reference in the summary, here's what Wikipedia has to say:
AMD ex-CEO and founder Jerry Sanders developed strategic partnerships during the late 1990s to improve AMD's presence in the PC market based on the success of the AMD K6 architecture. One major partnership announced in 1998 paired AMD with semiconductor giant Motorola. In the announcement, Sanders referred to the partnership as creating a "virtual gorilla" that would enable AMD to compete with Intel on fabrication capacity while limiting AMD's financial outlay for new facilities.
No teacher would make financial payments linked to grades.
That's a very rosy view of the academe you have there. Let me guess, you went to an expensive university where the teachers' salaries are high enough that students' grades are non-"negotiable".
I understand the inclusion of the usual suspects (F and G), but Twitter? I always assumed they were the least evil birds in the flock. According to the report, Twiiter button ranks as No. 6 in the trackers' top 20, behind the No. 4 Google+, sandwiched between Facebook Social (No. 3) and Connect (No. 5). Apparently G+ is already more popular than Twitter, at least as far as the geek market is concerned.
Is a 6-wheeled rover really the most efficient shape for a land vehicle on rough terrain? I've seen videos of robots that look like snakes or caterpillars that can land in whatever direction, landing first as a ball before unwinding in the proper orientation. The "caterpillar" will be modular, able to combine and recombine like a Japanese cartoon robot. Should a module be stuck, the mission operator will have the option of abandoning the module so the rest of the robot can proceed with rest of the misson.
A transforming robot would also be nice, but that's too much sci-fi already.
I didn't realize some (i)phones already had an HDMI connector. You'd need a very long cable if you don't want to be tethered to the monitor while making your presentation. I envision using our hypothetical futurephone as both the video source and the remote control.
I wonder why a dock is needed at all. Bluetooth for the keyboard and mouse. WiFi to send the image to a monitor. All are possible today.
Agree, except for the possible part. What we need is something that can allow any Android phone to connect "painlessly" with a range of input/output devices.
I can picture the following future user scenario: Eve wants to show off a high-def movie to her clients. But her cellphone is too small to use as a viewer. The conference room, however, already has a video wall. She just taps her at her cellphone, and the video appears in all its humongous glory. Today, you'd need to load the video into a laptop first and cable the laptop to the monitor or a projector.
Humans may evolve, too. However, our inherent advantage, created by billions of years of evolution, may tether us to this planet forever. Not a bad thing, either. At the point when what we create evolves beyond what we are, it may not make a difference.
Agreed. Living in space only makes sense when humans become machines. It's not sexy and isn't as inspiring as "The Right Stuff" , but the billions to be spent on an exploratory mission to Mars are better spent developing artificial intelligence and cybernetics. Maybe Mars is still a feasible goal for a conventional space program. But beyond that, the solution lies in android or cyborg astronauts.
And now for the most important question: does it work under Linux?
Seriously, do these USB microscopes work like webcams as described in this Googled link?
Furthermore, I'm a bit skeptical about projects like flying to Mars, which are good PR, probably very good for engineering and technology, but not that exciting from scientific prospective.
I don't think it needs to be exciting from a scientific perspective. Going to space should be seen as an exercise in engineering and nation building.
When it was growing rapidly, Japan, either by force or choice, didn't pursue a manned space flight program. The Japanese became rich but they had no vision (or should I say delusion) for the future beyond purchasing the newest gadget.
The US managed to recover from its economic crises better than the Japanese because the US had, besides its war machine, a space program, even if that consisted merely of flights to low earth orbit or the afterglow of the Apollo program (relived on TV or the movies). In contrast, Japan, whose GDP was close to surpassing the US, stagnated.
China's ruling clique probably knows this too well. So it's pushing for a manned space program of dubious benefit. (I say dubious because autonomous space hardware is much better from a military or economic perspective.) It allows the Chinese, laboring at their iPhone factories, to feel proud of their country without the need to smartbomb some tyrant into submission or kingdom come.
Big countries need big projects. Ancient Egypt had its pyramids. Ancient China had its Great Wall. These projects united people. Without these big projects, a big country might as well dissolve itself into smaller independent states whose interests are more mundane.
If Jobs can ever be seen as "forgettable" fifty years from now, it will have nothing whatsoever to do with Gates; it'll most likely be attributable to Apple post-Jobs having successes which eclipse those of Apple with Jobs. [...] So, in my opinion, the one factor which might genuinely make us forget him, is also the one factor which will cement his legacy in the annuls of history.
Agree. Apple continuing to exist half a century from now will be Jobs's greatest legacy. I'm sure better communication devices than the iPhone will be invented and sold as the next must-have gadget. But imagine if in the future, Apple is still around and selling the iDroid and people are riding iRockets to the moon while having their iBrains serviced. What better way to remember Jobs than having products that still follow his naming convention?
Further, a lot of the sections contain private projects that are expected to remain the IP of the organizations doing the work.
And here I thought the ISS was for the good of humanity and all that warm and fuzzy stuff. However, don't American fears of Chinese industrial espionage also apply to the Russians?
Haha if you think blender can do CAD, you've obviously never used real CAD software.
You've obviously cherry-picked my comment, especially the part about "depends on what you mean by CAD" (Computer Assisted Design). Blender is "good enough" to prototype a design you wouldn't stake your life and probably your salary on, i.e. DIY stuff (which is what I said). Of course for serious design where you can get sued for failure, Blender is like a kitchen knife to a surgeon.
China will "suck knowledge and technology" from the ISS? Unless the ISS has a secret military purpose (does it?), I don't see it as much of an issue. There might be some secrets to "steal", er, copy in the robotics department, but the stuff that stays up in space appears to be more ancient than the W3. Since the Shuttle retired, there isn't any more launch technology for an undercover taikonaut to observe at docking range. That leaves only the life support systems and radiation hardening, which the Chinese can probably acquire from the Russians, who until recently held the most important endurance records in space.
I've yet to find any vaguely competent free 3D CAD software for Linux...
It depends on what you mean by CAD and competent (a word I'd normally reserve for people not software).
If by CAD you mean designs good enough for a "maker" project, then Blender should be enough. There's also FreeCAD. However if you're looking for something you can use as the plan for a skyscraper then, no, not even SketchUp will do. Not even AutoCAD and other expensive industrial-strength software will do if you're not a professional architect competent not just in the software but in the design of buildings.
Slashdot Mirror
A little note there offers further anecdotal "proof" about the robustness of OpenBSD:
From reading the NYT article, I understand this is a study of the English version of Wikipedia. That alone should raise a red flag about the significance of the study beyond being a survey of the interests or obsessions of Wikipedia editors.
It's useful only as a survey of a clearly unrepresentative sample of the world population. It's clearly biased against those that can't write English, itself a much smaller subset of those who can claim some fluency in English.
It tells us less about history and more about present attitudes twoard history. It's pretty much like compiling a list of the 100 greatest sci-fi movies by surveying Facebook users. Movies produced within the last decade or so will outrank the "classic" movies of the 70's and 80's. Avatar will likely be a more "significant" movie than Bladerunner or Aliens.
I'm not sure I get where you're going. I think the more logical course of action, given your argument that it's faster inside than outside the CPU, would be to move everything inside the CPU. I know "that" would be a hell of a lot more problem to fix/debug, but if you want the best power efficiency it's best to have fewer parts that send bits of electrons back and forth some external bus. Compare the situation with how much more energy efficient it is to live in the city where you wrok than to commute from the suburbs
Musk sounds (smells) like a villain from that other other secret agent series.
Yammer sounds like the German word for sorrow. The word's actually spelled jammer, but the Germans usually pronounce their "J" as "Y". There's bound to be lots of puns about this in the German tech press.
I agree with your horse analogy. But I don't see how Nokia can succeed with winPhone. In order for Microsoft to gain traction against Android and iOS, it has to sell WinPhone to other manufacturers. These manufacturers will only agree to a Microsoft deal that doesn't make them second-class citizens to Nokia. Notice how Google was careful not to overly favor one particular manufacturer (Samsung, HTC) when it was making its G-branded phones? Microsoft also has to play this game. WinPhone might yet succeed. Sadly, unless it manages to develop its own identity, Nokia is going down.
Either Android OR a beefed-up MeeGo would have been a better choice as a Nokia smartphone OS. Android because it already had some market traction. MeeGo because it had the potential to be different.
Central planning isn't incompatible with capitalism. Nazi Germany was capitalist and fascist. Private citizens were free to make money so long as they belonged to the privileged race and had the right connections. So okay, it's a form of "crony" capitalism but it's capitalism nonetheless.
http://www.webupd8.org/2012/05/mk802-new-usb-thumb-drive-sized-android.html
The link alone should tell you what the device is. Price per unit is supposed to be $74, not quite RasPi class.
Probably because they're popular? I know that's kind of begging the question. But these chord progressions can be found even in folk music. It's kind of asking why Microsoft Windows is so popular. It's popular because somehow it got popular.
I've heard plenty of so-called "progressive" rock, and none of them can match the sheer power and inventiveness of Beethoven. Aside from the evolution of Jazz, mainstream Western music really hasn't progressed that much from the time of Beethoven. (Let's not talk about atonal, avant garde music which finds its place mainly in horror music soundtrack.) As for psychological effect, I suspect it's largely cultural as part of the Western musical tradition. Of course, this extends even to "Eastern" cultures like Japan, given the overwhelming popularity of Western music.
That's a very rosy view of the academe you have there. Let me guess, you went to an expensive university where the teachers' salaries are high enough that students' grades are non-"negotiable".
I understand the inclusion of the usual suspects (F and G), but Twitter? I always assumed they were the least evil birds in the flock. According to the report, Twiiter button ranks as No. 6 in the trackers' top 20, behind the No. 4 Google+, sandwiched between Facebook Social (No. 3) and Connect (No. 5). Apparently G+ is already more popular than Twitter, at least as far as the geek market is concerned.
Is a 6-wheeled rover really the most efficient shape for a land vehicle on rough terrain? I've seen videos of robots that look like snakes or caterpillars that can land in whatever direction, landing first as a ball before unwinding in the proper orientation. The "caterpillar" will be modular, able to combine and recombine like a Japanese cartoon robot. Should a module be stuck, the mission operator will have the option of abandoning the module so the rest of the robot can proceed with rest of the misson.
A transforming robot would also be nice, but that's too much sci-fi already.
I didn't realize some (i)phones already had an HDMI connector. You'd need a very long cable if you don't want to be tethered to the monitor while making your presentation. I envision using our hypothetical futurephone as both the video source and the remote control.
Agree, except for the possible part. What we need is something that can allow any Android phone to connect "painlessly" with a range of input/output devices.
I can picture the following future user scenario: Eve wants to show off a high-def movie to her clients. But her cellphone is too small to use as a viewer. The conference room, however, already has a video wall. She just taps her at her cellphone, and the video appears in all its humongous glory. Today, you'd need to load the video into a laptop first and cable the laptop to the monitor or a projector.
You'll just have to wait a few more years for it though. Until Google rolls out a beta.
Agreed. Living in space only makes sense when humans become machines. It's not sexy and isn't as inspiring as "The Right Stuff" , but the billions to be spent on an exploratory mission to Mars are better spent developing artificial intelligence and cybernetics. Maybe Mars is still a feasible goal for a conventional space program. But beyond that, the solution lies in android or cyborg astronauts.
And now for the most important question: does it work under Linux? Seriously, do these USB microscopes work like webcams as described in this Googled link?
I don't think it needs to be exciting from a scientific perspective. Going to space should be seen as an exercise in engineering and nation building.
When it was growing rapidly, Japan, either by force or choice, didn't pursue a manned space flight program. The Japanese became rich but they had no vision (or should I say delusion) for the future beyond purchasing the newest gadget.
The US managed to recover from its economic crises better than the Japanese because the US had, besides its war machine, a space program, even if that consisted merely of flights to low earth orbit or the afterglow of the Apollo program (relived on TV or the movies). In contrast, Japan, whose GDP was close to surpassing the US, stagnated.
China's ruling clique probably knows this too well. So it's pushing for a manned space program of dubious benefit. (I say dubious because autonomous space hardware is much better from a military or economic perspective.) It allows the Chinese, laboring at their iPhone factories, to feel proud of their country without the need to smartbomb some tyrant into submission or kingdom come.
Big countries need big projects. Ancient Egypt had its pyramids. Ancient China had its Great Wall. These projects united people. Without these big projects, a big country might as well dissolve itself into smaller independent states whose interests are more mundane.
Agree. Apple continuing to exist half a century from now will be Jobs's greatest legacy. I'm sure better communication devices than the iPhone will be invented and sold as the next must-have gadget. But imagine if in the future, Apple is still around and selling the iDroid and people are riding iRockets to the moon while having their iBrains serviced. What better way to remember Jobs than having products that still follow his naming convention?
I suspect that Gates will be remembered more as a foundation than as a person. I'm not sure how Bill Gates the person will be remembered by history.
And here I thought the ISS was for the good of humanity and all that warm and fuzzy stuff. However, don't American fears of Chinese industrial espionage also apply to the Russians?
You've obviously cherry-picked my comment, especially the part about "depends on what you mean by CAD" (Computer Assisted Design). Blender is "good enough" to prototype a design you wouldn't stake your life and probably your salary on, i.e. DIY stuff (which is what I said). Of course for serious design where you can get sued for failure, Blender is like a kitchen knife to a surgeon.
China will "suck knowledge and technology" from the ISS? Unless the ISS has a secret military purpose (does it?), I don't see it as much of an issue. There might be some secrets to "steal", er, copy in the robotics department, but the stuff that stays up in space appears to be more ancient than the W3. Since the Shuttle retired, there isn't any more launch technology for an undercover taikonaut to observe at docking range. That leaves only the life support systems and radiation hardening, which the Chinese can probably acquire from the Russians, who until recently held the most important endurance records in space.
It depends on what you mean by CAD and competent (a word I'd normally reserve for people not software).
If by CAD you mean designs good enough for a "maker" project, then Blender should be enough. There's also FreeCAD. However if you're looking for something you can use as the plan for a skyscraper then, no, not even SketchUp will do. Not even AutoCAD and other expensive industrial-strength software will do if you're not a professional architect competent not just in the software but in the design of buildings.