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User: D0wnsp0ut

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Comments · 35

  1. Whoa there! on Secure Programming Cookbook for C and C++ · · Score: 1
    there's a great title called Writing Secure Code from Microsoft

    Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?

  2. The article is missing something... on Computers, Unemployment and Wealth Creation · · Score: 1
    From the article: "Proprietary packages also suffer from limitations, bugs, and lack of guarantees that they will meet user needs."

    Proprietary? How about ALL.

  3. Coolness aside on LavaRnd: A Open Source Project for Truly Random Numbers · · Score: 1

    What about Hotbits? http://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/

  4. A challenge on New Theory on Water Strider Propulsion · · Score: 5, Funny

    All I know about water skimmers/skippers is they're a bugger to hit with rocks, unless you get a really big, flat rock and even then you mostly just get yourself wet and still miss the skimmer.

  5. Other titles to boggle the mind on Solaris 9 For Dummies · · Score: 4, Funny

    two things you might not expect in one volume: the "For Dummies" label and Sun Solaris.

    Actually, book titles I thought I'd never see:

    • Macs for Dummies
    • The Complete Idiots Guide to Mac OS X
  6. not like it used to be on Lecture Hall Back-Channeling · · Score: 5, Funny

    I remember, back in the day, when we would sit in the back row and sleep.

    Kids these days...where are their priorities?!

  7. prelude to something more sinister? on Instant Messaging Giveaway · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sounds like a trial run of a marketing/publicity stunt. Next thing you know, they're selling IM "pop-up ads" to companies in blocks. It'll be the next "feature" of IM. When rolled out, everyone's permission setting, buried somewhere deep in the settings, will be "I want IM ads." Then, when enough people get completely annoyed by it and complain, Microsoft will "apologize" but only after seeing how long they can stretch it out...all the while raking in cash.

    IM "spam" is going to be the next big headache...and of course, the knee-jerk reaction will be to pass more laws.

  8. Re:It's no wonder... on Suborbital Rocketeers Ask FAA For Fair Rocketry Rules · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And do I get to file a big ol' lawsuit when one of those burning chunks lands on my roof top, 20+ miles away, and burns down my homestead?

  9. heh on Funding for TIA All But Dead · · Score: 2, Insightful

    <sarcasm>What a shame. I was looking forward to having an identity chip embedded into my skin to act as my credit card, driver's license, official government identity, travel pass, etc.</sarcasm>

    The more I watch "The Running Man" the more I realize how close we are to living in that kind of society.

  10. Dude!! on Solar Sailing and Physics · · Score: 1

    Solar Sailing?! Sweet! Let's strap on skiis and hit the cosmos!

  11. something to do with that degree on The Bug · · Score: 1
    Roberta does have an advanced degree, in linguistics, but jobs in academia are scarce, and what else do you do with a degree in linguistics?

    For starters, how about taking several every-day tools like sh, awk, sed and grep and creating a new scripting language based on their functionality.

    No...wait......that's been done already. Perl! I guess she's just screwed.

  12. Re:maryland driver's license numbers on Slashback: Transparency, USB, Europatents · · Score: 1

    Actually, you can elect to *not* have your SSN on your license. There's a check box on the application.

  13. 32 bits ought to be enough on Asia Running Out Of IP Addresses · · Score: 5, Funny
    Perhaps IPv6 will solve the problem.

    Perhaps this could signal a limit on the amount of spam coming from China?

  14. accident waiting to happen on Linux Based IP Videophone · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Let me get this straight...it plugs into an IP network, has a browser-accessible administrative interface (ie. it's running a web server) and requires special software to work behind a firewall, which means 99% of the general populace will run it "naked on the net.")

    These phones are going to get cracked in a heartbeat.

    I can see it now "Honey, why is a naked picture of Anna Kournikova set as the screensaver?"

  15. stone age license serving on Real DRM · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If you check out Helix DRM's Specs, you find this gem:

    "We recommend that you upgrade to the latest stable Linux 2.2.x kernel, which is available at kernel.org. We do not recommend using any Linux 2.3 or 2.4 kernels, because RealNetworks License Server has not been thoroughly tested with these newer kernels."

    So we can expect 2.4 support around the time 2.8 comes out?

  16. one hell of an interview on Tim Perdue on GForge & Building SourceForge · · Score: 2, Funny

    Usually interviews involve questions being asked and someone responding to them.

    Warning: MySQL Connection Failed: Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/tmp/mysql.sock' (111) in /hdd/2/home/postnuke/public_html/pnadodb/drivers/a dodb- mysql.inc.php on line 121
    mysql://root:@localhost/nuke failed to connectCan't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/tmp/mysql.sock' (111)

  17. IDE not for permanent use on Large IDE Drives as Long-Term Archival Media? · · Score: 1

    About the only thing I'd use IDE drives for, from a backup point of view, is as an intermediate step. Transfer to IDE disks, then use them to back up to more permanent media (tape, DVD, paper, abacus, etc.)

  18. Re:Er, rpm -V? on Known-Good MD5 Database · · Score: 3, Informative
    For Red Hat-based systems, at least, rpm -V will do pretty much exactly what you're looking for.

    For those who pointed out that the RPM database is a local database, remember, you can get those MD5 hashes from 2 other sources:

    • your installation medium (CD)
    • from Red Hat's web site itself

    Of course, using the web site is going to be a lot more labor intensive, but it is available. Writing a script to compare hashes computed using RPMs from the CD image and comparing them to your installed binaries should be a piece of cake (using the --dump option to -ql).

  19. The URL is the best part. on NSA Director, Congress and Monitoring · · Score: 0

    I have one word to describe "intelligence.senate.gov" - oxymoron.

  20. Can be a scary thought on When Things Start to Think · · Score: 3, Insightful

    To quote the [bad] movie Runaway:
    "Humans aren't perfect so why should machines be perfect?"

    Honestly, I see engineers and developers walking down the hall with their shirt half-tucked in and their shoes untied. A sign that either

    • they can't think for themselves
    • they don't care enough
    Now, both of those indicators give me serious pause when I consider that they may be designing machines that "think." If the developers can't think for himself/herself, how is his/her "thinking" machine going to think? If the developer doesn't even care enough to tie his/her shoes, do they care enough to engineer a "thinking" machine to the very high degree it requires and can I trust them to care enough?

    I dunno. Maybe I'd feel better about all this if every time I turn around I didn't see Yet Another stack-overflow or buffer-overrun bug (yes, the quality of code is getting better but there is still too much of this crap.) Maybe I'm just a pessimistic pisser. Perhaps I enjoy laughing at an engineer when they fall flat on their face after tripping over their untied shoelace.

  21. Re:The *BIG* problem with Evolution on German Government Commissions KDE Groupware System · · Score: 5, Insightful

    > ..it costs.

    Well...it's that kind of an attitude that helps to put good companies out of business (Easel readily comes to mind.) I *bought* Ximian Desktop Professional in order to SUPPORT Ximian in their efforts at providing Open Source to the community. I didn't have to. In fact, I was already using it before I purchased it.

    Since the company I work for uses Exchange (puke) I also bought the Exchange Connector, two licenses in fact, so I wouldn't be forced to use Outlook. I don't care that the Connector is closed source. What I care about is having the ability to use Linux in a Windows-dominated environment and having seemless integration without pestering IT about it (IMAP/SMTP does not give the full range of Exchange/Outlook functionality.)

    I also care about providing financial support to a company that gives a LOT back to the community (Ximian GNOME, Mono, Evolution as well as their work with OpenOffice and their evangelicism.)

    But that's just my opinion.

  22. something doesn't add up on Is This Moon Three? · · Score: 1

    You mean with all the $$$ being spent on satellite technology, ultra-powerful telescopes, space exploration and such no one can identify the f^%king thing?!?!

    Personally, I don't think we're getting our money's worth and I want a refund! :-)

  23. stem not included on 'Harry Potter' Offered (Legitimately) on the Net · · Score: 1

    Sounds like Warner Bros is trying to grow a brain...but they're creating a "chicken-and-egg" scenerio:

    Have massive files to download
    Have massive pipeline to household

    Which drives the development of the other? Since they're all one Big Happy Family(AOL Time Warner), I suppose this is an attempt to turn people on to their cable modem services.

  24. web site for Bruce on Bruce Perens Plans On-Stage DMCA Violation · · Score: 1

    Well, freebruce.com and freebruce.org are already taken. Someone want to register the .net, .tv, .info, .biz and .us domains to set up a "Free Bruce Perens" web site?

  25. Already been done on Would an Ad-Sponsored OS/Desktop Work for OSS? · · Score: 1

    It's called "Active Desktop" from this little company in Redmond, Washington. You may have heard of them: Microsoft?