Simple answer for a not so simple problem. Back in the old days people used systems like the PDP-11 and VAX for things like this. Problem was they cost a lot of money and someday the are out of production. A good while back people started to use PCs and DOS. That was cheaper but even those are not out of prodcution. Believe it or not there are companies still making PDP-11, VAX, and even DOS/ISA bussed systems today! Your company may depend on using a very expensive machine that uses and ISA buss card to interface to a DOS program. So to solve that problem they have gone to TCP/IP and network connections. And I bet in 20 years somebody will be looking for a hub that supports 10-Base-T! So now we are using COTS hardware and TCP/IP or maybe ican ir even IEE-488 but with now instead of a VAX or PDP-11 we have a PC. Okay. so the problem is how do you get data on and off the PC. Do you use a network connection? In some places they do. Or do you use USB "That is how Stuxnet spread" Or what? The way this worm probably spread was by infecting connected machines in the plant and then spreading by USB drive to none connected secure machines. While it did use Widows exploits that doesn't mean that it couldn't have used exploits in Linux, AIX, OpenBSD, OS/X or any other OS. I do not think that any OS is exploit free.
I can think of a few methods that I would use to make any system of this time more secure. 1. Remove all certs from the controlling machine except for a private one. Then require all software updates be signed with that internal certificate. That would make the stolen certs useless. 2. A USB firewall system. This would be an unconnected system that isn't running Windows or what ever OS the controller console and or connected systems are running. Say your controller console is running Linux and your connected systems are running Windows. The firewall system could run OpenVMS or OpenBSD. This firewall systems only function would copy files from one drive to the other. It only copy specific types of files. Thinks like symbolic links, soft links, and hard links would never be copied. 3. Final firewall for the USB could be that you never put the USB drive into the system. Maybe you copy all data files and updates to the controller console via an RS-232 connection using kermit. That way you would be sure only the data files you want would be copied. Those steps would probably have stopped Stuxnet in its tracks but what about the next one? If you use the system I suggest I am sure that somebody smarter than I am would find a way around it.
"I could be wrong, but still..." Still what? Really if he is rapist he is a rapist. And this is in Sweden. I don't believe that the US government is out to get Assange because it is so not worth the risk. And what? Do you think President Obama is after him or are you going to blame Bush? Or maybe some shadow government that is even more powerful then the President? Or maybe it is the Masons. Or the Illuminati. I think it is is the Shriners. Never trust a man in a Fez on a small motorcycle!
Really folks you don't even trust the Swedish courts to give this guy a fair shake? Or maybe you think he should be above all laws?
Why not then a wireless phone? You know just one they plug into the the land line? They can carry their hand set with them. You can get one with multiable handsets so one is always on the chargers. That maybe the best solution. If she is using a cell she will also have to deal with charging it. Just a suggestion.
You asked if their was a $30 Nokia that was unlocked. That answer is qualified yes.
I would say that this Nokia is probably simple enough for most people and maybe even your relative. I would say that it is simple as this minimal phone and costs a lot less.
You could program the address book for them so they don't have to look up numbers. I do not know your relative so I can not say for sure.
I do have a little pity but she did bring at least a part of it on herself. That reply when about just lifting in and taking off the name was just wrong as was the comment about everything on the Internet being in the public domain. I do feel sorry for the people that ran the magazine. I doubt that they are evil or bad people they just made a mistake and then compounded it. It is an important lesson for all of Slashdot. I wonder how different it would have been if she had handled like this. "I am really sorry I thought I had contacted you and gotten your permission. It was my error and I am truly sorry. Your write up was great. We are just a tiny two person operation and we usually pay x for this and I would be very happy to cut you a check for that amount. Again it was totally my error and in addition to the check I would also like to offer you a free ad in our next two magazines for your blog. I hope that you will find that agreeable."
That is something that people on Slashdot should learn. When you are wrong just say, I am sorry and get on with your life. Or to put it another way when your find ourself in a hole stop digging!
It was a bit forced. As I have gotten older I find I take no real joy in being nasty even as a joke. And frankly on Slashdot it has gotten to the point where I am afraid to make think kind of joke without adding I am kidding at the end. I took a gamble that you where in the small minority of Slashdot readers that would get it.
Actually you would be surprised how many people send STL and IGS files in just plain email. And for most people it really doesn't matter. Does it matter if someone sees a go/no go gauge you have having made? Probably not. But that is the problem. People get so used to it that they forget to be careful when needed.
No your wrong you stupid idiot! Flaming someone will only makes people resentful. What is wrong with you? Are you such a moron that you can not see that there is something between telling someone lies and educating them? I don't know why I waste my time. People like you are just never going to learn!
As I said earlier we have no idea how old this person is. He may still be only 16 or so years old. Maybe just taking first year chemistry. Am I looking for gentile encouragement? Not at all. Gentile instruction is what people should offer. I mean really? Since when is "YOUR STUPID AND THIS IS WHY" works to educate? You are very fortunate that you have such a wealth of knowledge. Share it but don't use it to beat people of the head. I know that it is hard to not just want to slap people sometimes. I have heard some of the dumbest things and I have read some of the dumbest things here on Slashdot. It is so easy to just slap people down but it doesn't help make things better.
That is true.. Way back when I was a kid I was at a friends house. He lived on a dirt road out side of town. We tried out his new metal detector and got a big beep. After a digging about a food down we found an old rusted ax head. It was probably from when they built the road years ago and they just left it there.
I do know that. But all the same I have gotten IGS files from contractors in email. I have tried to inform people that email is as secure as a postcard but no one listens. We have even had people send credit card info to us in email. We have a policy to contact them when they do and suggest they cancel that card. I wonder how many do.
Depends. Sending any igs files of that new project to anybody? How about that source code. I fear we are getting way too comfortable with email for my taste.
The thing is that on Slashdot no one knows how old you are. If this poster is 14 or 15 he may be on the start of becoming a very good geologist. Even 18 he still is just really enthusiastic. I agree this is probably a sink hole of some kind and not an impact. But that is only a guess I have only a passing knowledge of geology but none of the rocks shown seem all that odd to me. You never educate through ridicule and for all you know you just made some 16 year old girl just getting into science cry.
I wasn't offering a review at all. I have never used it so I can not review. And if you read my first comment you would see that I did say that I felt Microsoft was pushing WP7s big strength which is Zune Pass if you are a music lover. It's other big features I do have to wonder about. Office on a phone? I can honestly say that I can not see a reason for that on a phone. A tablet or netbook yes but not on a phone. Sharepoint? Don't use it at my office. Exchange. Blackberry has that down pat but again we do not use it at my office so again maybe. To me the lack of multitasking sucks. Sorry but that to me kills it. I do not have an Iphone for that reason. I hear the new limited multitasking on IOS 4 really helps a lot. What you have to look at is not how much better WP7 is than Windows Mobile. Is it better then IOS4, Android, and even WebOS. And today the answer looks like a real big no. But... WP7 does seem to have some good games and it does seem to have most of the "big" apps you need. Things like twitter, 4Square, Facebook, and Pandora. I do not know if it has the Kindle and Barnes and Nobel ebook readers yet but those are IMHO must haves. I do not see any bar code programs yet. That is a real fail if they are missing. More than once I have been at a store and seen something on sale, scanned it and found that I could get it cheaper nearby or online. WP7 doesn't suck like WM6.5 did but is it better than Android and IOS4. I would have to say no. And since this is seventh version of Microsofts phone OS I can not cut them slack for a "first try". My opinion is that for the market they are a day late and a dollar short. If you are a big gamer and already have a Zune pass you may really like this phone. But I feel you will have a better selection of apps with Android and IOS4 for a very long time. So is this a bomb? No it isn't trash. Is it a Smash hit? Not really. It is a fizzle right now maybe Microsoft will pull it out in the end but right now it is lacking standard features that every other Smart phone on the market has and it has a small selection of apps. It had a pretty UI but no multitasking. That is my observations for what they are worth. I expect nothing but and A class full featured Mobile OS from Microsoft. They are the biggest software company on the planet and they have had years to get it right. And by that standard this is a massive fail.
Even OpenBSD would be iffy. VMS or Z/OS maybe, While the Unix's have gotten much better at security they where seen as being highly insecure compared to Mainframe and Super Mini OSs. Why is windows being use? It is cheap and really available and runs on COTS hardware. That is the important part running on COTS. There are companies today that create PDP-11 "clones" that are really PCs running an Emulator and with some special hardware interfaces. Why you ask? Because there are still systems out there that require a PDP-11 http://www.dbit.com/ http://www.logical-co.com/ http://www.stanq.com/charon-11.html and http://www.migrationspecialties.com/Emulator-PDP-11.html Imagine depending on systems like these. By going with COTS they figure that they can keep upgrading on the cheap. Plus people that "know" PCs and windows are common and realty cheap.
In 1944 only the US had the industrial power to do this. Read the history of the US nuclear project and you will be shocked at the size of the effort. I doubt that any nation to day would spend the money to do it the old way.
You left out Japan and South Korea. Iran has made a lot of deals with North Korea over the years. They both do not to see North Korea have a nuclear armed trading partner with deep pockets.
Wow that is got to be one of the all time dumbest statements I have ever read. Here let me give you a more complete list. Russia China India Saudi Arabia Kuwait Syria Egypt Jordan The UK France Germany Brazil Japan South Korea Canada and... Iran Of those Brazil and Japan are the least likely but still easily capable. Canada's only motivation is "stopping a loon from getting the bomb" which may actually be enough motivation for them. And they easily have the technical skills to pull it off. A nuclear Iran is a threat not just to Israel but to all the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt have all reached a certain comfort level with Israel. They do not want to waste time with wars that they know that no one can really win. Syria isn't there yet but they do not want to be caught in the cross fire or play second fiddle to a bunch of Persians. India has no desire to see a second Islamic nuclear power. While there is no love lost with Pakistan India knows that currently Pakistan isn't run by total nut cases. The last think they want is for Iran to push Pakistan farther into the extremists camp. Russia and China. They are selling stuff to Iran. The more stuff fails the more stuff they sell. Plus they do not want another nuclear power. They know if you are a nuclear power the fewer other nations that are also nuclear powers the better off you are. For them it is a case of enlightened self interest. All of the EU is under threat if Iran has nuclear weapons. So yes every EU nation has motivation and the skills. The UK and France without a doubt have the drive and maybe Germany. Brazil has the knowledge and I believe they may have the will to do it. They are becoming a major world power and they do have the ability to have nuclear weapons but have decided that it is in their best interest to not have them. Iran is no threat to them so they may not see any reason to do this but they might just as a test of a new tactic. For them if may be a case of why not but yea they are a very long shot. Japan and South Korea. They both have skills many times over. Japan has an almost spiritual reason to not want to see another nuclear weapon used on a target. They also share the worry that Iran may share resources with North Korea and that would be bad for both of them.
And Iran. I will bet you that a good number of Iranians that are working in this project have zero desire to see it completed. They are well educated and not dumb. Frankly the idea of using a nuclear weapon on Holy Land is just sacrilege to many devout members of Islam as is the idea of mass murder. It is not outside the realm of the possible that a group of Iranians did this.
So the list of who would like to see Iran not get the bomb... The vast majority of the planet. Who has the skills? Frankly any nations with a good University that teaches CS and Physics. Who has the will. Well since the odds of getting caught are very small... A lot more people than you think.
And wow this is almost like a Star Trek attack. Take out their weapons without hurting anybody. Who ever did this all I can say is I hopped it worked and even if it doesn't. Good effort!
Or features that every other current smart phone on the market has? Lets take a look at this feature by feature. Multitasking. Android yes WebOS yes Symbian S60 yes. IOS 4 yes "limited"
Cut and paste. Android yes. WebOS yes. IOS yes. Symbian I don't know to be honest I would guess yes.
Custom ring tones? Just about every phone on the market. I would say that it is half baked and frankly since Windows Mobile 6.5 and early had cut n paste and multitasking it is just too odd for words.
But the amount of time that the disaster took was so short that one didn't have time to do much shuffling at all. Also deck chairs are specific type of chair typically found on a ship and not just a generic chair on a deck. So it is still a broken metaphor please correct and use Titanic.
I don't understand how it isn't half complete. No cut and paste, no multitasking, and no custom ring tones? That seems half complete to me. And it isn't version 1.0 it is Version 7! The last version of Windows Mobile was I think 6.5. Where do you think the 7 came from? Besides trying to hitch hike on Windows 7 not sucking. Windows Phone 7 still uses the CE kernel. So nope it is not a 1.0 release it is a 7.0 release.
Sorry but the evacuations may seem far fetched to you except that I did have to evacuate for Hurricane Frances as did several tens of thousands of other people in Florida. Not a stretch but a real event that I experienced as did many friends and family of mine. Another real experience was when I was at work and my mother had to be rushed to the Hospital. She lived well out range of a Leaf and I had to rush the Hospital from work. Another real experience was my brother getting hurt at University and almost coming very close to death. In fact when they got their they where told that he would probably die. He didn't thanks to the great doctors at the Universities medical school. Let me guess you are under 30 and have no kids. Trust me as you get older more and more odd things will happen even to you. In the last six years The cites of Houston, New Orleans, a large section of the gulf coast, and a large section of South Florida have been under evacuation orders. And that is just in the last six years. For the people that live in those areas it is a real concern. And here is another real concern. After a hurricane. When Wilma which was just a cat 2 hit I had no power for two weeks. A large part of the state of FL was without power for at least a week. Same for Frances and Jean. How would I recharge my car for hours at a time? How would I go get ice or fuel for my generator or water or even get to work once my office had power. And yes my office had power before many people's homes. Again not a made thing but actually happened to hundreds of thousands of people.
You asked what about people that didn't have cars? I suggest you review New Orleans and hurricane Katrina to see. Then multiply it by Miami, Houston, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Charleston SC. Then think about evacuation all those people with electric cars.
You may think this is unlikely to happen but I would say that it happens someplace in the US probably at least once every two years or so and effects tens of thousands of people.
How does WP7 look good? Besides the huge amount that Microsoft has dumped in marketing it really is a half baked OS at launch. It lacks multitasking, cut and paste, and even custom ringtones. You then have the problems with microUSB support and throw in that it is launching on AT&T where it will go head to head with the iPhone in the US and it is just a mess. That and the phones real strengths seem to be totally missing form the advertising. ZunePass and NetFlix would seem to me to be the killer apps. At best this has been a good press launch but I do not know a single person lusting after a WP7 right now. I would be a little tempted if it was on Sprint but even then I would probably endup with the Evo. You can not go head to head with a mature iPhone with a half baked Mobile platform. Oh and it isn't like this is Microsofts first mobile platform. They do not call it Windows Phone 7 for nothing.
I just want to know what revenue they are getting from Surface?
Slashdot Mirror
Simple answer for a not so simple problem.
Back in the old days people used systems like the PDP-11 and VAX for things like this. Problem was they cost a lot of money and someday the are out of production.
A good while back people started to use PCs and DOS. That was cheaper but even those are not out of prodcution. Believe it or not there are companies still making PDP-11, VAX, and even DOS/ISA bussed systems today!
Your company may depend on using a very expensive machine that uses and ISA buss card to interface to a DOS program.
So to solve that problem they have gone to TCP/IP and network connections. And I bet in 20 years somebody will be looking for a hub that supports 10-Base-T!
So now we are using COTS hardware and TCP/IP or maybe ican ir even IEE-488 but with now instead of a VAX or PDP-11 we have a PC.
Okay. so the problem is how do you get data on and off the PC. Do you use a network connection? In some places they do.
Or do you use USB "That is how Stuxnet spread"
Or what?
The way this worm probably spread was by infecting connected machines in the plant and then spreading by USB drive to none connected secure machines.
While it did use Widows exploits that doesn't mean that it couldn't have used exploits in Linux, AIX, OpenBSD, OS/X or any other OS. I do not think that any OS is exploit free.
I can think of a few methods that I would use to make any system of this time more secure.
1. Remove all certs from the controlling machine except for a private one. Then require all software updates be signed with that internal certificate. That would make the stolen certs useless.
2. A USB firewall system. This would be an unconnected system that isn't running Windows or what ever OS the controller console and or connected systems are running. Say your controller console is running Linux and your connected systems are running Windows. The firewall system could run OpenVMS or OpenBSD. This firewall systems only function would copy files from one drive to the other. It only copy specific types of files. Thinks like symbolic links, soft links, and hard links would never be copied.
3. Final firewall for the USB could be that you never put the USB drive into the system. Maybe you copy all data files and updates to the controller console via an RS-232 connection using kermit.
That way you would be sure only the data files you want would be copied.
Those steps would probably have stopped Stuxnet in its tracks but what about the next one?
If you use the system I suggest I am sure that somebody smarter than I am would find a way around it.
"I could be wrong, but still..."
Still what?
Really if he is rapist he is a rapist.
And this is in Sweden. I don't believe that the US government is out to get Assange because it is so not worth the risk. And what? Do you think President Obama is after him or are you going to blame Bush? Or maybe some shadow government that is even more powerful then the President?
Or maybe it is the Masons.
Or the Illuminati.
I think it is is the Shriners. Never trust a man in a Fez on a small motorcycle!
Really folks you don't even trust the Swedish courts to give this guy a fair shake? Or maybe you think he should be above all laws?
Why not then a wireless phone? You know just one they plug into the the land line? They can carry their hand set with them. You can get one with multiable handsets so one is always on the chargers.
That maybe the best solution. If she is using a cell she will also have to deal with charging it.
Just a suggestion.
You asked if their was a $30 Nokia that was unlocked. That answer is qualified yes.
I would say that this Nokia is probably simple enough for most people and maybe even your relative. I would say that it is simple as this minimal phone and costs a lot less.
You could program the address book for them so they don't have to look up numbers. I do not know your relative so I can not say for sure.
For your requirements you may really want to invest in this http://www.greatcall.com/Phones/JitterbugGraphite/
It does comes with a lot of special features for people that may need extra help like your relative.
Here you go. You can buy a new Nokia 1661 off the NokiaUSA site for $33 unlocked and brand new in the box.
I do have a little pity but she did bring at least a part of it on herself. That reply when about just lifting in and taking off the name was just wrong as was the comment about everything on the Internet being in the public domain.
I do feel sorry for the people that ran the magazine. I doubt that they are evil or bad people they just made a mistake and then compounded it. It is an important lesson for all of Slashdot.
I wonder how different it would have been if she had handled like this.
"I am really sorry I thought I had contacted you and gotten your permission. It was my error and I am truly sorry. Your write up was great. We are just a tiny two person operation and we usually pay x for this and I would be very happy to cut you a check for that amount. Again it was totally my error and in addition to the check I would also like to offer you a free ad in our next two magazines for your blog. I hope that you will find that agreeable."
That is something that people on Slashdot should learn. When you are wrong just say, I am sorry and get on with your life. Or to put it another way when your find ourself in a hole stop digging!
Really?
So you think Pirates Bay should be shutdown? They where a torrent tracker supported by ads....
It was a bit forced. As I have gotten older I find I take no real joy in being nasty even as a joke. And frankly on Slashdot it has gotten to the point where I am afraid to make think kind of joke without adding I am kidding at the end. I took a gamble that you where in the small minority of Slashdot readers that would get it.
Actually you would be surprised how many people send STL and IGS files in just plain email.
And for most people it really doesn't matter. Does it matter if someone sees a go/no go gauge you have having made? Probably not.
But that is the problem. People get so used to it that they forget to be careful when needed.
No your wrong you stupid idiot! Flaming someone will only makes people resentful. What is wrong with you? Are you such a moron that you can not see that there is something between telling someone lies and educating them? I don't know why I waste my time. People like you are just never going to learn!
As I said earlier we have no idea how old this person is. He may still be only 16 or so years old. Maybe just taking first year chemistry.
Am I looking for gentile encouragement? Not at all. Gentile instruction is what people should offer. I mean really? Since when is "YOUR STUPID AND THIS IS WHY" works to educate?
You are very fortunate that you have such a wealth of knowledge. Share it but don't use it to beat people of the head. I know that it is hard to not just want to slap people sometimes. I have heard some of the dumbest things and I have read some of the dumbest things here on Slashdot. It is so easy to just slap people down but it doesn't help make things better.
That is true..
Way back when I was a kid I was at a friends house. He lived on a dirt road out side of town. We tried out his new metal detector and got a big beep. After a digging about a food down we found an old rusted ax head. It was probably from when they built the road years ago and they just left it there.
I do know that. But all the same I have gotten IGS files from contractors in email. I have tried to inform people that email is as secure as a postcard but no one listens. We have even had people send credit card info to us in email.
We have a policy to contact them when they do and suggest they cancel that card. I wonder how many do.
Depends. Sending any igs files of that new project to anybody?
How about that source code.
I fear we are getting way too comfortable with email for my taste.
The thing is that on Slashdot no one knows how old you are.
If this poster is 14 or 15 he may be on the start of becoming a very good geologist.
Even 18 he still is just really enthusiastic.
I agree this is probably a sink hole of some kind and not an impact. But that is only a guess I have only a passing knowledge of geology but none of the rocks shown seem all that odd to me.
You never educate through ridicule and for all you know you just made some 16 year old girl just getting into science cry.
I wasn't offering a review at all. I have never used it so I can not review.
And if you read my first comment you would see that I did say that I felt Microsoft was pushing WP7s big strength which is Zune Pass if you are a music lover.
It's other big features I do have to wonder about.
Office on a phone? I can honestly say that I can not see a reason for that on a phone. A tablet or netbook yes but not on a phone.
Sharepoint? Don't use it at my office.
Exchange. Blackberry has that down pat but again we do not use it at my office so again maybe.
To me the lack of multitasking sucks. Sorry but that to me kills it. I do not have an Iphone for that reason. I hear the new limited multitasking on IOS 4 really helps a lot.
What you have to look at is not how much better WP7 is than Windows Mobile.
Is it better then IOS4, Android, and even WebOS.
And today the answer looks like a real big no.
But...
WP7 does seem to have some good games and it does seem to have most of the "big" apps you need. Things like twitter, 4Square, Facebook, and Pandora.
I do not know if it has the Kindle and Barnes and Nobel ebook readers yet but those are IMHO must haves.
I do not see any bar code programs yet. That is a real fail if they are missing. More than once I have been at a store and seen something on sale, scanned it and found that I could get it cheaper nearby or online.
WP7 doesn't suck like WM6.5 did but is it better than Android and IOS4. I would have to say no.
And since this is seventh version of Microsofts phone OS I can not cut them slack for a "first try". My opinion is that for the market they are a day late and a dollar short.
If you are a big gamer and already have a Zune pass you may really like this phone. But I feel you will have a better selection of apps with Android and IOS4 for a very long time.
So is this a bomb? No it isn't trash. Is it a Smash hit? Not really.
It is a fizzle right now maybe Microsoft will pull it out in the end but right now it is lacking standard features that every other Smart phone on the market has and it has a small selection of apps.
It had a pretty UI but no multitasking.
That is my observations for what they are worth.
I expect nothing but and A class full featured Mobile OS from Microsoft. They are the biggest software company on the planet and they have had years to get it right. And by that standard this is a massive fail.
Even OpenBSD would be iffy.
VMS or Z/OS maybe, While the Unix's have gotten much better at security they where seen as being highly insecure compared to Mainframe and Super Mini OSs.
Why is windows being use?
It is cheap and really available and runs on COTS hardware.
That is the important part running on COTS. There are companies today that create PDP-11 "clones" that are really PCs running an Emulator and with some special hardware interfaces.
Why you ask? Because there are still systems out there that require a PDP-11
http://www.dbit.com/
http://www.logical-co.com/
http://www.stanq.com/charon-11.html
and http://www.migrationspecialties.com/Emulator-PDP-11.html
Imagine depending on systems like these. By going with COTS they figure that they can keep upgrading on the cheap. Plus people that "know" PCs and windows are common and realty cheap.
In 1944 only the US had the industrial power to do this. Read the history of the US nuclear project and you will be shocked at the size of the effort. I doubt that any nation to day would spend the money to do it the old way.
You left out Japan and South Korea.
Iran has made a lot of deals with North Korea over the years. They both do not to see North Korea have a nuclear armed trading partner with deep pockets.
Wow that is got to be one of the all time dumbest statements I have ever read.
Here let me give you a more complete list.
Russia
China
India
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Syria
Egypt
Jordan
The UK
France
Germany
Brazil
Japan
South Korea
Canada
and...
Iran
Of those Brazil and Japan are the least likely but still easily capable.
Canada's only motivation is "stopping a loon from getting the bomb" which may actually be enough motivation for them. And they easily have the technical skills to pull it off.
A nuclear Iran is a threat not just to Israel but to all the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt have all reached a certain comfort level with Israel. They do not want to waste time with wars that they know that no one can really win. Syria isn't there yet but they do not want to be caught in the cross fire or play second fiddle to a bunch of Persians.
India has no desire to see a second Islamic nuclear power. While there is no love lost with Pakistan India knows that currently Pakistan isn't run by total nut cases. The last think they want is for Iran to push Pakistan farther into the extremists camp.
Russia and China. They are selling stuff to Iran. The more stuff fails the more stuff they sell. Plus they do not want another nuclear power. They know if you are a nuclear power the fewer other nations that are also nuclear powers the better off you are. For them it is a case of enlightened self interest.
All of the EU is under threat if Iran has nuclear weapons. So yes every EU nation has motivation and the skills. The UK and France without a doubt have the drive and maybe Germany.
Brazil has the knowledge and I believe they may have the will to do it. They are becoming a major world power and they do have the ability to have nuclear weapons but have decided that it is in their best interest to not have them. Iran is no threat to them so they may not see any reason to do this but they might just as a test of a new tactic. For them if may be a case of why not but yea they are a very long shot.
Japan and South Korea.
They both have skills many times over. Japan has an almost spiritual reason to not want to see another nuclear weapon used on a target. They also share the worry that Iran may share resources with North Korea and that would be bad for both of them.
And Iran. I will bet you that a good number of Iranians that are working in this project have zero desire to see it completed. They are well educated and not dumb. Frankly the idea of using a nuclear weapon on Holy Land is just sacrilege to many devout members of Islam as is the idea of mass murder.
It is not outside the realm of the possible that a group of Iranians did this.
So the list of who would like to see Iran not get the bomb... The vast majority of the planet.
Who has the skills? Frankly any nations with a good University that teaches CS and Physics.
Who has the will. Well since the odds of getting caught are very small... A lot more people than you think.
And wow this is almost like a Star Trek attack. Take out their weapons without hurting anybody. Who ever did this all I can say is I hopped it worked and even if it doesn't. Good effort!
Or features that every other current smart phone on the market has?
Lets take a look at this feature by feature.
Multitasking.
Android yes
WebOS yes
Symbian S60 yes.
IOS 4 yes "limited"
Cut and paste.
Android yes.
WebOS yes.
IOS yes.
Symbian I don't know to be honest I would guess yes.
Custom ring tones?
Just about every phone on the market.
I would say that it is half baked and frankly since Windows Mobile 6.5 and early had cut n paste and multitasking it is just too odd for words.
But the amount of time that the disaster took was so short that one didn't have time to do much shuffling at all. Also deck chairs are specific type of chair typically found on a ship and not just a generic chair on a deck. So it is still a broken metaphor please correct and use Titanic.
I don't understand how it isn't half complete. No cut and paste, no multitasking, and no custom ring tones?
That seems half complete to me.
And it isn't version 1.0 it is Version 7! The last version of Windows Mobile was I think 6.5. Where do you think the 7 came from?
Besides trying to hitch hike on Windows 7 not sucking. Windows Phone 7 still uses the CE kernel. So nope it is not a 1.0 release it is a 7.0 release.
Sorry but the evacuations may seem far fetched to you except that I did have to evacuate for Hurricane Frances as did several tens of thousands of other people in Florida.
Not a stretch but a real event that I experienced as did many friends and family of mine.
Another real experience was when I was at work and my mother had to be rushed to the Hospital. She lived well out range of a Leaf and I had to rush the Hospital from work.
Another real experience was my brother getting hurt at University and almost coming very close to death. In fact when they got their they where told that he would probably die. He didn't thanks to the great doctors at the Universities medical school.
Let me guess you are under 30 and have no kids. Trust me as you get older more and more odd things will happen even to you.
In the last six years The cites of Houston, New Orleans, a large section of the gulf coast, and a large section of South Florida have been under evacuation orders.
And that is just in the last six years. For the people that live in those areas it is a real concern.
And here is another real concern. After a hurricane. When Wilma which was just a cat 2 hit I had no power for two weeks. A large part of the state of FL was without power for at least a week. Same for Frances and Jean.
How would I recharge my car for hours at a time? How would I go get ice or fuel for my generator or water or even get to work once my office had power.
And yes my office had power before many people's homes.
Again not a made thing but actually happened to hundreds of thousands of people.
You asked what about people that didn't have cars? I suggest you review New Orleans and hurricane Katrina to see. Then multiply it by Miami, Houston, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Charleston SC.
Then think about evacuation all those people with electric cars.
You may think this is unlikely to happen but I would say that it happens someplace in the US probably at least once every two years or so and effects tens of thousands of people.
How does WP7 look good? Besides the huge amount that Microsoft has dumped in marketing it really is a half baked OS at launch.
It lacks multitasking, cut and paste, and even custom ringtones. You then have the problems with microUSB support and throw in that it is launching on AT&T where it will go head to head with the iPhone in the US and it is just a mess.
That and the phones real strengths seem to be totally missing form the advertising. ZunePass and NetFlix would seem to me to be the killer apps.
At best this has been a good press launch but I do not know a single person lusting after a WP7 right now. I would be a little tempted if it was on Sprint but even then I would probably endup with the Evo.
You can not go head to head with a mature iPhone with a half baked Mobile platform. Oh and it isn't like this is Microsofts first mobile platform. They do not call it Windows Phone 7 for nothing.
I just want to know what revenue they are getting from Surface?