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User: jonwil

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  1. Re:Those key fob things should be universal on How Often Should You Change Your Password? · · Score: 1

    Even better than RSA keyfobs (and cheaper too) would be something like
    http://www.passwindow.com/
    Employers could put the PassWindow on the front of employee ID cards.
    Banks could put the PassWindow on the front of the ATM card.
    etc

    And unlike the RSA keyfobs it hasn't been cracked yet.

    No I dont work for them, I just LOVE their product and want to see it gain traction.

  2. Re:Of course they say that on NSA Says Its Secure Dev Methods Are Publicly Known · · Score: 1

    In the consumer space (Windows specifically) security is often at odds with backwards compatibility. (including compatibility with things at the other end of a network link)

    I am suer there are hundreds of changes to Windows that could be made that would make Windows more secure except that it would break backwards compatibility so the changes cant be made.

  3. What about the other hardware on Kinect Hacked, Adafruit Bounty Won · · Score: 1

    This is the camera and IR depth sensor but has anyone figured out how to talk to the microphones, electric motor and other stuff in there yet?

  4. Re:Sparc, MIPS, PowerPC, ... are practically dead on Research Inches Toward Processor-Specific Malware · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Plenty of CPU architectures out there.
    ARM is out there in embedded devices.
    PowerPC is still popular in servers (and in games consoles)
    Plenty of things out there using MIPS including the Playstation Portable and all kinds of home routers

    And if you are talking really embedded devices, PIC, AVR and others are still going strong.
    Even oldschool archtectures like the Zilog Z80 and Motorola 68000 are still going strong in many areas.

  5. Re:Change this to an inflammatory title on Apache Declares War On Oracle Over Java · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Oracle (and Sun before them) said "if you build an implementation of Java that passes the JCK, you get a license to the Java patents". Then they said "we will license the JCK for testing on any implementation excpet for those that are designed for mobile devices"

    Oracle of course wont give in to Apache on this.
    Hell will freeze over before Larry will allow ANY implementation of anything that even vaguely resembles Java to run on anything vaguely reselmbling a mobile phone device unless the vendor shipping that implementation pays Oracle per-unit royalties for every device they ship.

  6. Re:this just encourages them on T-Mobile G2 'Permaroot' Achieved · · Score: 3, Informative

    Buy phones that dont require exploits or "jailbreaking" in order to use them.
    Nokia N900
    OpenMoko Freerunner
    Nexus One
    Palm Pre (last I heard the Pre doesnt require any hacks in order to replace the kernel or system files but I dont know if the new Palm Pre 2 is different in this respect)
    Samsung Galaxy S (again, this one aparently doesnt require hacks)

  7. doesnt matter to me on T-Mobile G2 'Permaroot' Achieved · · Score: 1

    I intend to buy a device that lets you replace the phone software out of the box without the need to exploit it (most likely a Nokia N900)

  8. Re:Details of the ban make little sense on TSA Bans Toner and Ink Cartridges On Planes · · Score: 1

    Maybe the NYPD are worried about some bad guys trying a repeat of the London Tube bombings.
    Or maybe they are worried about someone attempting to recreate "The Taking of Pelham 123".

  9. Re:Clearly.. on TSA Bans Toner and Ink Cartridges On Planes · · Score: 1

    Banning printer cartridges because someone used one as a bomb is like saying "the guy that robbed this bank was driving a pickup truck as the getaway car therefore we should ban pickup trucks"

    There is nothing specific about printer cartridges that would make them any better as bombs than 1000s of other things (all of which are still legal to take on an airplane)

    They should take the money away from this "security theater" (liquids bans, body scanners etc) and give it to whichever agency or agencies got the info that lead to the printer cartridge bombs being uncovered. That way the intel guys have an even greater chance of finding the next bomb, no matter what the bad guys decide to conceal it in.
    Good intellegence allows you to detect potential threats BEFORE they become a problem (including threats you dont know about yet)

    The real problem is that good intellegence doesnt look good on the nightly news in the way that "bad guys try to blow up airplane with printer cartridges so the government is banning printer cartridges on airplanes" does.

  10. Re:Disturbing to see TSA still behind the curve. on TSA Bans Toner and Ink Cartridges On Planes · · Score: 1

    Show me a way to connect to a remote SQL Server database whilst flying in an airplane with no WiFi and I will show you a way to get some work done on such an airplane.

  11. Someone needs to beat PayPal at their own game on Google Scares Aussie Banks · · Score: 1

    Soemone should create a paypal clone where they DONT freeze your account for ANY reason unless required by law (i.e. the way a true bank would do it). And they DONT take money not authorized by you (again, same as a bank)

    I think if PayPal stopped freezing accounts for unspeicifed "suspicious activity" they wouldnt have such a bad reputation.

  12. Re:Australias net banking is actually damn good on Google Scares Aussie Banks · · Score: 1

    Not all .au Credit Unions are bad.
    I am with Police and Nurses and the only fees I pay are a $1.50/month fee for having a visa debit card and a 0.75c/month fee for Netbank.
    I can make as many transactions as I like via EFTPOS, online transfer, Visa payment or withdrawal from any ATM that says "RediATM" or "NAB" on it.
    I do have to pay a fee if I go to someone elses ATM but the RediATM network is so large (especially since they joined up with NAB) that I can usually find one.

    Oh and I believe I pay a fee if I buy something with the Visa card that isnt in AUD but I think Visa charge that, not the bank.

  13. Re:"Responsive and trusted" on Google Scares Aussie Banks · · Score: 1

    I have found that if you (for whatever reason) cant or wont deal with PayPal and dont have any other options, Western Union is pretty good and their fees werent obscene last time I used them and its faster than sending mail (cash, money order etc)
    Although it does require trusting the guy on the other end (but so does a money order or cash in the mail)

  14. Re:Elevator without buttons on The Placebo Effect Not Just On Drugs · · Score: 1

    Many buildings with security passes (or say hotels with electronic room keys) will ahve this keypad type system combined with a card reader. Insert your room key and it automatically calls an elevator for your floor and wont let you go to any other floors.

  15. Re:This explains the political process on The Placebo Effect Not Just On Drugs · · Score: 1

    Maybe if the US government didnt spend a large chunk of the $500 billion military budget sending Americans overseas to fight in wars the American people dont think America should be fighting anymore, there would be enough money to save America from the greatest economic crisis since the second world war.

  16. Doesn't surprise me... on Google Scares Aussie Banks · · Score: 1

    Being an Aussie, it doesn't surprise me that the big 4 banks (institutions I have as little to do with as humanly possible) are less trusted than even PayCrap.
    Good to see the mention about Credit Unions, I think they are a viable alternative to the big banks (I bank with one myself)

  17. Re:Don't jump to conclusions on Oracle To Monetize Java VM · · Score: 1

    No reason why JBoss team couldn't put some effort into improving OpenJDK to make it faster or better performing or whatever is needed to be up there with other J2EE solutions.

  18. Re:Oracle is doing everything they can to fuck up on Oracle To Monetize Java VM · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If Oracle starts locking things up in the premium version, OpenJDK will be forked (there are already some shallow forks like IceTea that take OpenJDK and replace the remaining closed-source bits with stuff from GNU Classpath etc) and the community will shift.

    Its happened to OpenSolaris with the Illumos project and OpenOffice with the LibreOffice project.
    No reason it cant happen with OpenJDK.

    Although what might happen is that Oracle will find a way to write various APIs and licenses such that if you copy certain features from "Java Premium" you loose the patent grant given under the OpenJDK APIs.

  19. Re:Microsoft deserve to fail on $2,000 Bounty For Open Source Xbox Kinect Drivers · · Score: 1

    Kinect is not a games controler.
    Its a fancy camera system (that would normally cost a lot if you wanted it for robotics applications etc) wrapped up in a games controler along with microphones and a motor.

  20. Re:Why do they care? on $2,000 Bounty For Open Source Xbox Kinect Drivers · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Its simple. This device costs a LOT less than a similar set of cameras+processing hardware from someone like PrimeSense (OEM for the kit in the Kinect). If you could use it for something other than playing games, there is suddenly a LOT less reason to buy the expensive kit.

  21. Re:So, how long before... on Will Netflix Destroy the Internet? · · Score: 1

    You kiwis need to come to Australia where we have competition who can offer plans with quotas as large as 200GB or more if you are willing to pay.

    Your other problem is signing with Telstra (who are not exactly the best value ISP even here in Australia where there IS competition)

  22. Re:So, how long before... on Will Netflix Destroy the Internet? · · Score: 1

    Not always an option.
    For many people the cable company is the only option unless they want to go to even more expensive (and bandwidth limited) wireless, go back to dialup or pay $$$ to get some form of dedicated line (and even if you have the money, getting a dedicated line into a residential area may not be possible)

  23. Re:So, how long before... on Will Netflix Destroy the Internet? · · Score: 1

    What a load of BS from the US ISPs.
    Here in Australia I can get caps with limits of anywhere up to 1 Terrabyte if I pay enough.
    My current plan gives me 130GB. And if I go over that, I get throttled to near-dialup speeds for the rest of the month (but pay no excess usage fees)

    If they had tiered pricing where light users could buy a 30GB plan and heavier users could actually BUY a 100GB or 200GB plan, there would be no problems. But if 36GB is the highest you can get, then yes there IS a problem.

    If the ISPs were trying to stop bandwidth hogs then offering a regular plan with 30GB for one cost and then a premium plan with 100GB for a higher cost would make more sense than limiting EVERYONE to 36GB.

    But Cox is a cable company and its not really about bandwidth hogs (despite what their PR people may say). Its about stopping the exodus of people dropping expensive premium cable channels in favor of Internet content. (ahd the only way to do that is to ensure no-one has enough bandwidth to make switching viable)

  24. Re:4294967296 addresses should b enough for everyb on Will Netflix Destroy the Internet? · · Score: 1

    NAT is a poor solution for what should (and can) be done with a firewall.
    If you dont want your computers to be exposed to the world, run a firewall that can block anything that needs to be blocked and do it just as good as NAT can.

  25. Re:So, how long before... on Will Netflix Destroy the Internet? · · Score: 1

    I say that end users need to pay more.

    Lots of people say "why should I be limited to 100GB a month unless I pay extra" (or whatever) but bandwidth aint free.
    Start charging heavy users more than light users (via tiered pricing) and the problem will go away.

    No need to charge Google or Netflix extra.
    No need to be non-neutral and throttle things where the other end wont pay for it (or cant in the case of most BitTorrent users)

    Of course, the ISPs (particularly the cable companies) dont want that. They want to find a way to make alternatives to their overpriced "TV" service (Comcast Cable TV, Verizon FIOS TV AT&T U-verse TV etc) slower or more expensive to stop people replacing "TV" with "content from the internet"