I like Acronis TrueImage, but have a warning for those planning to use it. While the functionality is very nice, it has some really serious bugs. Be careful to test whatever backup/restore strategy you use that incorporates it. For instance, if you do make the mistake of using it to backup to multiple DVDs or CDs, the last disc will probably be broken in a way that the restore process fails. [This one is a recoverable problem: it is the control information on the disc that is wrong and the data is all intact. It can give you a nasty hour working that out and figuring out how to fix it, though.]
When the emergency preparedness procedures are woefully inadequate in cases where the responsible agencies are operating from their regular offices, why should I believe they would be effective when staff are trying to react in a situation of real chaos.
the full 5D puzzle has already been solved by 3 people.
No doubt, they just pulled it apart and put it back together with all the blocks in the correct orientation. Saw my kid sister do that with the 3-D version.
While on this subject, one should mention that a monolithic kernel is the wrong way to go. We should standardise on a microkernel like Hurd.
Personally, I do not see a layered approach as being that much of a problem as long as it does not lead to performance issues, and experience to date indicates that XGL performs fine.
Surely the single biggest win with thin client solutions can be the ability to maintain a single boot image and just have the clients use the latest image. Unless I am missing something, that is not an option here. Given that I can get pretty compact second hand boxes for US$50 or so that work great with Linux Terminal Server, these wall socket devices seem cute but not very practical.
Except anti-spyware and anti-virrus software isn't protecting you against "inadequate security", it's protecting you against user error - the stuff OS-level "security" can't.
User error is a very important source of security problems, but your statement goes way too far. I suspect you have not extensively used Internet Explorer on a user with administrator rights (MS Windows default) to browse the Internet. If you had, you would have collected spyware without agreeing to install anything. With Windows XP (original release, no SP 1) just connecting to the Internet from a user with administrator rights, without a firewall, is enough to be infected by worms within a short time.
Microsoft releasing operating systems with inadequate security is not comparable to repair of products that deteriorate through wear and tear (the software equivalent for that is such tools as defragmenters or registry cleaners). It is much more analogous to selling a car with a faulty brake system. Then you buy a separate braking system from another company. The problem with that is that this secondary braking system is not built into the fabric of the car. Thus, it leads to handling problems, will sometimes conflict with the original faulty braking system, and will occasionally even fail to stop the car when needed. The solution is to produce a car that has a properly designed braking system in the first place.
The Cray-1A supercomputer, weighing in at 5.5 tons, had an absolute maximum peak performance of 250 megaflops. It, of course, cost millions and the power requirements (including for cooling) were in excess of 200 kW. I remember marveling at the advanced nature of this technological achievement.
Thirty years later, a $500 GPU, weighing less than 1 pound, can produce 6 gigaflops. People complain about its power and cooling needs, but they are rather below 200 kW! We sometimes forget just how amazing the developments in computing have been over the last three decades.
I think this is where Microsoft's prior behaviour comes back to haunt them. When Microsoft partners with anyone, it is (from their viewpoint) a short term marriage of convenience to be discarded the moment they think they can make a buck by shafting their "partner". If I had a valuable Internet property, the last thing I would consider is letting Microsoft get its fingers on it. You may think you have good lawyers, but Microsoft has played the game too long.
I will just add that one of the most important uses of the information will be to go after those who "put national security at risk" by revealing illegal actions by the security services.
Rather than put all of the onus on spying on the population on third parties, such as telcos, credit card companies, ISPs and airlines, why not just implement the solution in 1984. You just install two-way TVs in everyone's homes and offices. That way you can efficiently monitor what everyone is doing in a centralised fashion. The data would be recorded for later playback if needed. As a safeguard, officials would only be able to examine the recordings if they obtained a court order (unless, of course, the President decided it was necessary to the fight against terror to waive the requirement for a court order). After all, if you are not doing anything wrong, why object to such a system?
RTFA carefully. If the site gets hacked, you are the number one suspect. You are an even greater suspect than if you had made the vulnerability public.
If you want an open source product, I think Clam AV is the only option. I am a pragmatist and have found AVG free edition fine for personal use. It has pretty good detection and does not destabalize the system like some well known non-free antivirus products. It is not the best for virus removal, but I concentrate on prevention.
The enemy of competition is monopolies. If the GPL becomes the license of choice for installed software, long term monopolies become much less likely. Proprietary extensions aimed at locking out competition are barred by the license. Money must be made from consulting, support, training and other such services where competence and price are usually key to success. Further, if a company's services deteriorate, it is much easier for their customers to switch to another supplier.
Contrast this to the customers of a monopoly supplier of closed source products, where there is only once possible provider of support and where migration to another supplier's products is usually very difficult.
The GPL makes antitrust laws much less important, just as well when the current "Justice" Department is clearly unwilling to enforce them.
What surprises me is not that Wallace was laughed out of court. That was almost certain for various reasons. What did surprise me is that the judge's comments showed that he really understood the GPL and its role in ensuring a competitive marketplace.
Of course, by itself, the experiment proves little. However, a reproduceable experiment that suggests, in even a small way, predictable genetic responses to environmental pressures is very interesting. Sure, we want more than two runs, but the results so far seem very convincing.
Whenever I see the US authorities overreacting to perceived external threats, I always believe it is because they, themselves, are the world's worst offenders. It is possible, but I think unlikely, that China is trying to subvert computer hardware and software as part of their spying activities. It is proven that the US does so, and likely that they do so on a massive scale.
Yahoo Messenger with Voice to Japan is $0.019/minute ($0.110 to mobile phones) which is cheaper than Skype. Personally, I also feel a little more comfortable dealing with Yahoo than Ebay/Skype.
Otoh, for computer to computer, Skype seems to have become the de facto standard. I have both but am in Skype more often although it is not my first choice.
It is annoying for casual FF users, but for regulars the FlashGot extension allows you to easily use a dedicated download manager for big downloads. Under Windows, I like NetTransport; under Linux, I just use Kget.
I concede that there may (rarely) be a problem for someone on foot. Assuming the hiker has good maps and knows how to read them, this really only applies when travelling over featureless terrain on a cloudy night. In daytime, even when overcast, it is usually possible to figure out the position of the sun.
No. Neither of those will tell you which way you're pointing. Both of those tell you where you are (actually, the cellestial version will only tell you where you are with the aid of an accurate clock).
The stars, with even a rudimentary timepiece, are sufficient to provide a good guide to general direction. Before compasses ever existed, navigation was done based on them.
As for GPS (the most accurate versions) two appliances at opposite ends of a vessel together with suitable calculations would give you the orientation of the vessel. (I have no idea if this is ever done.)
If they are tracing evidence at a scene, such as his house, from his keyboard, the might be able to use the dna to match hair or sweat samples.
So, they can prove he was in his house... so what? I guess if he chose to break into someone else's house in order to commit a crime using the computer there, then DNA evidence might prove relevant. Rather remote I would say.
Slashdot Mirror
I like Acronis TrueImage, but have a warning for those planning to use it. While the functionality is very nice, it has some really serious bugs. Be careful to test whatever backup/restore strategy you use that incorporates it. For instance, if you do make the mistake of using it to backup to multiple DVDs or CDs, the last disc will probably be broken in a way that the restore process fails. [This one is a recoverable problem: it is the control information on the disc that is wrong and the data is all intact. It can give you a nasty hour working that out and figuring out how to fix it, though.]
Suggestions to people to view it and make their own decisions should not me moderated as trolls.
When the emergency preparedness procedures are woefully inadequate in cases where the responsible agencies are operating from their regular offices, why should I believe they would be effective when staff are trying to react in a situation of real chaos.
Personally, I do not see a layered approach as being that much of a problem as long as it does not lead to performance issues, and experience to date indicates that XGL performs fine.
Surely the single biggest win with thin client solutions can be the ability to maintain a single boot image and just have the clients use the latest image. Unless I am missing something, that is not an option here. Given that I can get pretty compact second hand boxes for US$50 or so that work great with Linux Terminal Server, these wall socket devices seem cute but not very practical.
Microsoft releasing operating systems with inadequate security is not comparable to repair of products that deteriorate through wear and tear (the software equivalent for that is such tools as defragmenters or registry cleaners). It is much more analogous to selling a car with a faulty brake system. Then you buy a separate braking system from another company. The problem with that is that this secondary braking system is not built into the fabric of the car. Thus, it leads to handling problems, will sometimes conflict with the original faulty braking system, and will occasionally even fail to stop the car when needed. The solution is to produce a car that has a properly designed braking system in the first place.
Thirty years later, a $500 GPU, weighing less than 1 pound, can produce 6 gigaflops. People complain about its power and cooling needs, but they are rather below 200 kW! We sometimes forget just how amazing the developments in computing have been over the last three decades.
I think this is where Microsoft's prior behaviour comes back to haunt them. When Microsoft partners with anyone, it is (from their viewpoint) a short term marriage of convenience to be discarded the moment they think they can make a buck by shafting their "partner". If I had a valuable Internet property, the last thing I would consider is letting Microsoft get its fingers on it. You may think you have good lawyers, but Microsoft has played the game too long.
I will just add that one of the most important uses of the information will be to go after those who "put national security at risk" by revealing illegal actions by the security services.
Rather than put all of the onus on spying on the population on third parties, such as telcos, credit card companies, ISPs and airlines, why not just implement the solution in 1984. You just install two-way TVs in everyone's homes and offices. That way you can efficiently monitor what everyone is doing in a centralised fashion. The data would be recorded for later playback if needed. As a safeguard, officials would only be able to examine the recordings if they obtained a court order (unless, of course, the President decided it was necessary to the fight against terror to waive the requirement for a court order). After all, if you are not doing anything wrong, why object to such a system?
RTFA carefully. If the site gets hacked, you are the number one suspect. You are an even greater suspect than if you had made the vulnerability public.
If you want an open source product, I think Clam AV is the only option. I am a pragmatist and have found AVG free edition fine for personal use. It has pretty good detection and does not destabalize the system like some well known non-free antivirus products. It is not the best for virus removal, but I concentrate on prevention.
Contrast this to the customers of a monopoly supplier of closed source products, where there is only once possible provider of support and where migration to another supplier's products is usually very difficult.
The GPL makes antitrust laws much less important, just as well when the current "Justice" Department is clearly unwilling to enforce them.
What surprises me is not that Wallace was laughed out of court. That was almost certain for various reasons. What did surprise me is that the judge's comments showed that he really understood the GPL and its role in ensuring a competitive marketplace.
Please tell me how there can be any point in trying to slashdot a school's server.
Of course, by itself, the experiment proves little. However, a reproduceable experiment that suggests, in even a small way, predictable genetic responses to environmental pressures is very interesting. Sure, we want more than two runs, but the results so far seem very convincing.
Whenever I see the US authorities overreacting to perceived external threats, I always believe it is because they, themselves, are the world's worst offenders. It is possible, but I think unlikely, that China is trying to subvert computer hardware and software as part of their spying activities. It is proven that the US does so, and likely that they do so on a massive scale.
Yahoo Messenger with Voice to Japan is $0.019/minute ($0.110 to mobile phones) which is cheaper than Skype. Personally, I also feel a little more comfortable dealing with Yahoo than Ebay/Skype.
Otoh, for computer to computer, Skype seems to have become the de facto standard. I have both but am in Skype more often although it is not my first choice.
It is annoying for casual FF users, but for regulars the FlashGot extension allows you to easily use a dedicated download manager for big downloads. Under Windows, I like NetTransport; under Linux, I just use Kget.
I concede that there may (rarely) be a problem for someone on foot. Assuming the hiker has good maps and knows how to read them, this really only applies when travelling over featureless terrain on a cloudy night. In daytime, even when overcast, it is usually possible to figure out the position of the sun.
As for GPS (the most accurate versions) two appliances at opposite ends of a vessel together with suitable calculations would give you the orientation of the vessel. (I have no idea if this is ever done.)