I've used Skype both for computer to computer as well as computer to phone. As an example, I've been making most of my computer to phone calls from Russia to the US, which is almost 2 euro cents per minute. I am seeing 3kbps down and 3kbps up on computer to phone. From computer to computer I'm seeing 4kbps down and 4kbps up. Computer to computer calls are completely free, but computer to phone costs money, about 1-2 euro cents per minute in most cases.
The quality is pretty amazing for only using 3kbps. Most of the people I call don't realize I'm not using an actual phone.
I do have one gripe about their service, however. When using my credit card to purchase minutes, they told me that since I was in Russia, I wasn't allowed to use a US credit card. They said all purchasers must be in the same country as the credit card they're using. I found this to be odd, considering that most people using VoIP would be country to country callers with a big chance they're not currently in their home country (calling home, maybe?).
When a friend of mine tried to turn me on to Skype, I was like, 'you don't understand, I don't use Windows'. "Yeah, but they have a Linux client.' 'No WAY!'
Indeed, I went to their website and downloaded RPM's for Fedora Core 2. Not only did the software run terrific, but I even had a feature filled icon in my gnome taskbar notification area!
Skype appears to be really on top of their game in the VoIP market.
Virtual desktops are somewhat overrated too. What happens if I want to be notified of an incoming IM, and I have sound disabled, while working in another desktop? I don't want to cost myself time flipping back and forth between the two in order to check.
I am notified of a new IM message via my gnome taskbar (there is a notification applet). I have become so comfortable using virtual desktops that if I ever find myself on some windows machine somewhere, i feel claustrophobic.
They're not scaling back WinFS. There's no where in the article it even states this. All it says is that it will be available in beta form upon the client release.
this just in from CNN: "To get Longhorn shipped on time, however, Microsoft said it had sacrificed a key component of the system that was to be shipped concurrently, the underlying file system for the software, called WinFS.
The new file system, based on database software architecture aimed at making it easier for users to find information stored on hard drives, will be shipped later, with a test, or beta version, of WinFS shipping along with Longhorn in 2006."
so, how about an apology to everyone here at Slashdot for your unkind words and high UID.
George Bush and buddies *are* in the film. Watch the trailer.
Not a flamebait in the least, I am not pro anyone. However, it appears that some moderators are paranoid about these particular truths; I don't blame them.
How about this for an example:
Two individuals wore anti-Bush T-shirts on the president's July 4 rally. The pair were taken from the event in restaints after revealing T-shirts with Bush's name crossed out on the front and the words "Love America, Hate Bush" on the back. They were restained, publically humiliated and charged with trespassing (charges later dropped). Wow, not unlike something the Russian politburo would have done in the 70's or 80's, hmm?
Matt and Trey may want to worry a lttle bit. In the direction the Bush administration is going, publically saying something bad about the government will cause them all kinds of problems.
I would expect the FBI to be knocking on their doors at 8AM some day soon after the release. Perhaps even local city officials may begin to harass them for petty issues.
Americans are slowly losing their freedom and it's a shame that the change is so gradual no one is noticing. I'm an American in Russia, and it's odd everytime I think of the freedoms I have here.
It has gotten so bad that Russia has 10 times the amount of freedom than America. If anyone wants me to elaborate, I will, but I've been offtopic enough.
The only real people being punished here are legitimate game owners.
As an example, I just visited the Boycott StarForce! website, and most of all the games listed are available here (in Russia) already cracked.
The games found at every corner store here (Saint Petersburg) cost $2 a CD, and all of them have custom installers. I can find the latest software (bought Doom3 full version the day before actual release) and I actually prefer these games because I don't need the CD in the drive to play them.
These copy protection schemes are only going to stop folks like mom and pop from copying them. the dedicated folks who rapantly pirate software in other parts of the world aren't thwarted in the least.
I'll say it again, the only people really getting hurt by these software protection schemes are the legitimate owners themselves.
first of all, i visit slashdot a whole hell of a lot, and i've never, ever seen this. i'm using firefox 0.9.1 on linux.
second of all, is that what firefox looks like on a MS desktop? ouch, looks like butt! what the hell is wrong with your fonts? it's been so long since i've seen a MS desktop, i didn't realize that gnome 2.4(6) had already passed it in terms of looks.
from my experience, if I install XP, and then only a few apps after that, I'm totally fine. If I keep installing and uninstalling stuff, XP just begins to drag a bit. Reinstalling makes it all snappy again.
i fail to see the big deal. when i re-install XP (every few months, a must to ensure OS speediness), before plugging in network cable, just turn on XP's built in firewall. then plug in network cable and download patches.
once patches are installed, uncheck the built in firewall or tailor to your network needs.
Seriously--all the kid did was made a few minor changes to an already successful virus.
no kidding. not only that, but he was a moron in the pricess:
from the article: Parson apparently took few steps to disguise his identity. As a byproduct of each infection, every victim's computer sent signals back to the "t33kid.com" Web site that Parson had registered in his own name, listing his home address. The computer bug also included an infecting file called "teekids.exe" that experts quickly associated with Parson's Web site: Hackers routinely substitute "3" for the letter "e" in their online aliases.
When an employee goes, "Hey! You can't leech our power!" then I just get the hell out, really damn quick.
i travel a lot, and sometimes i get those nasty 5-8 hour layovers. the first thing i do is start hunting around for an outlet at the airport.
best case scenario: find a coffee shop in the airport with a table next to an outlet! that way, you can just sit there all day without being bored.
many of the airport restaurants or cafe's have experience with businessmen asking for electric outlets. next time you're in this position, just ask the cafe worker and they won't give you a funny look.
on the other hand, while looking for a electric outlet at the gate, you have to be a bit careful. you, snooping around plants and chairs with a electrical box in your hands makes some people suspicious.
one of the great things about maze type adventures is you get to break out on the pencils and graph paper!
Some of the best games i did this for was Beyond Castle Wolfenstein (C64), Bards Tale (C64), Eye of the Beholder (Amiga) and all of the AD&D games (Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds, Champions of Krynn, etc, etc on the Amiga). Damn, now that I think of it, those gold box AD&D games absolutely rocked!
It just seems that there's more magic in those older games. perhaps in the newer games, gameplay actually gets covered up by fancy graphics.
i have a feeling this new version of Netscape wasn't exactly planned, and thrown together at the last minute.
It seems to me that AOL gave up on Netscape after the last release, just because MSIE had so much marketshare.
Wait, what's this? A bunch of news reports advising people not to use MSIE anymore? I'm sure AOL saw this and decided to switch gears, and fast.
We all know that the new Netscape is just basically Mozilla with a bunch of advertising type of stuff and AOL software bundled up, but people like my dad don't mind all that extra crap. They're used to seeing it all anyway because they don't know how to block ads or popups or spam.
I like the idea that the people 'in the know' have a way to steer clear from all the marketing garbage, especially since these types of people spend more time in front of the computer anyway.
if there's one thing that both the democrats and the republicans agree on, is not to allow another party into the presidency.
i'm tired of the presidency switching hands only between the two parties.
why do you think the president should only get 4 years in office or only two terms? it's to shake things up a bit, not let anything go stagnant for two long.
well, this constant switching between two parties is doing exactly that: it's a stagnant mess.
we need to get an indenpendent in there, but with the electoral collage, it just isn't possible.
Slashdot Mirror
I've used Skype both for computer to computer as well as computer to phone. As an example, I've been making most of my computer to phone calls from Russia to the US, which is almost 2 euro cents per minute.
I am seeing 3kbps down and 3kbps up on computer to phone. From computer to computer I'm seeing 4kbps down and 4kbps up. Computer to computer calls are completely free, but computer to phone costs money, about 1-2 euro cents per minute in most cases.
The quality is pretty amazing for only using 3kbps. Most of the people I call don't realize I'm not using an actual phone.
I do have one gripe about their service, however. When using my credit card to purchase minutes, they told me that since I was in Russia, I wasn't allowed to use a US credit card. They said all purchasers must be in the same country as the credit card they're using. I found this to be odd, considering that most people using VoIP would be country to country callers with a big chance they're not currently in their home country (calling home, maybe?).
When a friend of mine tried to turn me on to Skype, I was like,
'you don't understand, I don't use Windows'.
"Yeah, but they have a Linux client.'
'No WAY!'
Indeed, I went to their website and downloaded RPM's for Fedora Core 2. Not only did the software run terrific, but I even had a feature filled icon in my gnome taskbar notification area!
Skype appears to be really on top of their game in the VoIP market.
Virtual desktops are somewhat overrated too. What happens if I want to be notified of an incoming IM, and I have sound disabled, while working in another desktop? I don't want to cost myself time flipping back and forth between the two in order to check.
I am notified of a new IM message via my gnome taskbar (there is a notification applet). I have become so comfortable using virtual desktops that if I ever find myself on some windows machine somewhere, i feel claustrophobic.
I totally agree with you on this.
I'll bet by the time Google goes "public", there will be so many Gmail invites lying around, we'll think of them like AOL CD's.
from the story at Gamers.com
...Half-Life 2 in stores around September 13th at the absolute latest.
They're not scaling back WinFS. There's no where in the article it even states this. All it says is that it will be available in beta form upon the client release.
this just in from CNN:
"To get Longhorn shipped on time, however, Microsoft said it had sacrificed a key component of the system that was to be shipped concurrently, the underlying file system for the software, called WinFS.
The new file system, based on database software architecture aimed at making it easier for users to find information stored on hard drives, will be shipped later, with a test, or beta version, of WinFS shipping along with Longhorn in 2006."
so, how about an apology to everyone here at Slashdot for your unkind words and high UID.
punk
I think the Gutenburg project is a terrific idea!
My only complaint is with the formatting. Project Gutenburg uses hard formatting within the text. I think that's an extremely stupid idea.
There should be zero formatting within the text (other than paragraph breaks). Whatever client you're using should provide the formatting for you.
Let the client handle the presentation!!
one thing that's sure by implenting this:
another little piece of America's dwindling freedom and privacy is chipped away.
chip...chip...chip
George Bush and buddies *are* in the film. Watch the trailer.
Not a flamebait in the least, I am not pro anyone. However, it appears that some moderators are paranoid about these particular truths; I don't blame them.
How about this for an example:
Two individuals wore anti-Bush T-shirts on the president's July 4 rally. The pair were taken from the event in restaints after revealing T-shirts with Bush's name crossed out on the front and the words "Love America, Hate Bush" on the back. They were restained, publically humiliated and charged with trespassing (charges later dropped).
Wow, not unlike something the Russian politburo would have done in the 70's or 80's, hmm?
How's that for freedom of speech.
Matt and Trey may want to worry a lttle bit. In the direction the Bush administration is going, publically saying something bad about the government will cause them all kinds of problems.
I would expect the FBI to be knocking on their doors at 8AM some day soon after the release. Perhaps even local city officials may begin to harass them for petty issues.
Americans are slowly losing their freedom and it's a shame that the change is so gradual no one is noticing. I'm an American in Russia, and it's odd everytime I think of the freedoms I have here.
It has gotten so bad that Russia has 10 times the amount of freedom than America. If anyone wants me to elaborate, I will, but I've been offtopic enough.
The entry in the afformentioned website was posted after the slashdot story broke. its obvious intention was to get free advertising on Slashdot.
In fact, this is the third story I've seen today with an advertisement for illuminedgaming.com
The only real people being punished here are legitimate game owners.
As an example, I just visited the Boycott StarForce! website, and most of all the games listed are available here (in Russia) already cracked.
The games found at every corner store here (Saint Petersburg) cost $2 a CD, and all of them have custom installers. I can find the latest software (bought Doom3 full version the day before actual release) and I actually prefer these games because I don't need the CD in the drive to play them.
These copy protection schemes are only going to stop folks like mom and pop from copying them. the dedicated folks who rapantly pirate software in other parts of the world aren't thwarted in the least.
I'll say it again, the only people really getting hurt by these software protection schemes are the legitimate owners themselves.
first of all, i visit slashdot a whole hell of a lot, and i've never, ever seen this. i'm using firefox 0.9.1 on linux.
second of all, is that what firefox looks like on a MS desktop? ouch, looks like butt! what the hell is wrong with your fonts? it's been so long since i've seen a MS desktop, i didn't realize that gnome 2.4(6) had already passed it in terms of looks.
from my experience, if I install XP, and then only a few apps after that, I'm totally fine. If I keep installing and uninstalling stuff, XP just begins to drag a bit. Reinstalling makes it all snappy again.
i fail to see the big deal. when i re-install XP (every few months, a must to ensure OS speediness), before plugging in network cable, just turn on XP's built in firewall. then plug in network cable and download patches.
once patches are installed, uncheck the built in firewall or tailor to your network needs.
so, what's the problem again?
Seriously--all the kid did was made a few minor changes to an already successful virus.
no kidding. not only that, but he was a moron in the pricess:
from the article:
Parson apparently took few steps to disguise his identity. As a byproduct of each infection, every victim's computer sent signals back to the "t33kid.com" Web site that Parson had registered in his own name, listing his home address. The computer bug also included an infecting file called "teekids.exe" that experts quickly associated with Parson's Web site: Hackers routinely substitute "3" for the letter "e" in their online aliases.
holy crap, i could've caught teekid!
When an employee goes, "Hey! You can't leech our power!" then I just get the hell out, really damn quick.
i travel a lot, and sometimes i get those nasty 5-8 hour layovers. the first thing i do is start hunting around for an outlet at the airport.
best case scenario: find a coffee shop in the airport with a table next to an outlet! that way, you can just sit there all day without being bored.
many of the airport restaurants or cafe's have experience with businessmen asking for electric outlets. next time you're in this position, just ask the cafe worker and they won't give you a funny look.
on the other hand, while looking for a electric outlet at the gate, you have to be a bit careful. you, snooping around plants and chairs with a electrical box in your hands makes some people suspicious.
1996 just called.
they want their user back.
So how do you propose he should have done it? By asking his boss if it's true he plays Solitaire 70% of the time in office?
I propose he minds his own business and lets his superiors handle the situation.
one of the great things about maze type adventures is you get to break out on the pencils and graph paper!
Some of the best games i did this for was Beyond Castle Wolfenstein (C64), Bards Tale (C64), Eye of the Beholder (Amiga) and all of the AD&D games (Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds, Champions of Krynn, etc, etc on the Amiga). Damn, now that I think of it, those gold box AD&D games absolutely rocked!
It just seems that there's more magic in those older games. perhaps in the newer games, gameplay actually gets covered up by fancy graphics.
Even when it is your job to do security stuff like that
any sysadmin who knows anything about ethics would no that is is never your job to do security stuff like that.
from the article:
Although it was clearly my responsibility as a computer system administrator "to confirm and document" such misuse
wrong! here, you are so off the marker it's pathetic.
and...
ALDOT took the position that I was guilty of "the unauthorized monitoring of the use of your supervisor's computer".
damn straight. don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.
i have a feeling this new version of Netscape wasn't exactly planned, and thrown together at the last minute.
It seems to me that AOL gave up on Netscape after the last release, just because MSIE had so much marketshare.
Wait, what's this? A bunch of news reports advising people not to use MSIE anymore? I'm sure AOL saw this and decided to switch gears, and fast.
We all know that the new Netscape is just basically Mozilla with a bunch of advertising type of stuff and AOL software bundled up, but people like my dad don't mind all that extra crap. They're used to seeing it all anyway because they don't know how to block ads or popups or spam.
I like the idea that the people 'in the know' have a way to steer clear from all the marketing garbage, especially since these types of people spend more time in front of the computer anyway.
if there's one thing that both the democrats and the republicans agree on, is not to allow another party into the presidency.
i'm tired of the presidency switching hands only between the two parties.
why do you think the president should only get 4 years in office or only two terms? it's to shake things up a bit, not let anything go stagnant for two long.
well, this constant switching between two parties is doing exactly that: it's a stagnant mess.
we need to get an indenpendent in there, but with the electoral collage, it just isn't possible.
white house = 38.8967 , -77.0365?
cool, thanks!
- Osama
you have no clue what you're talking about.
blow me bezza (590194)
if i never click on a ad link, the site makes no money from me anyway.