[Download Show #19 as MP3]
News
- Linux community has just launched Show Us the Code, a website movement humoring Steve Ballmer's repeated claims of Microsoft intellectual property within the open source linux operating system.
- Last year in November Microsoft made SUSE Linux distributor Novell pay up or get sued
- We'll talk about that later in the show
- HDDVD and BluRay DRM Cracked
- BackupBluRay and BackupHDDVD by a programmer named Muslix
- BD+ will likely see increased usage
- [Derek] explain BD+
- [Derek] VMware says Microsoft is rigging the virtualization market
- What is virtualization?
- "Microsoft is trying to restrict customers' flexibility and freedom to choose virtualization software," VMware's document begins, "by limiting who can run their software and how they can run it."
- Microsoft believes the claims made in VMware’s whitepaper contain several inaccuracies and misunderstandings of our current license and use policies, our support policy and our commitment to technology collaboration. We believe that we are being progressive and fair with our existing licensing and use policies and creating a level playing field for partners and customers. We are deeply committed to providing high-quality technical support to our customers who are utilizing virtualization technology. In addition, we are committed to working collaboratively with industry leaders to foster an environment of interoperability and cooperation that best serves our customers.
We believe it's better to resolve VMware’s claims between our two companies so that we can better serve customers and the industry. EMC is a long-time partner of Microsoft. We've extended this courtesy to VMware due to our mutual customers and partnership with EMC. We are committed to continuing to collaborate with VMware as we have been doing on regular basis. Consistent with this, Microsoft believes that we will be able to accommodate a mutually agreeable solution between our two companies and clear up any existing misunderstanding with regard to the points raised in the whitepaper.
- What’s clear from this response is that Microsoft is now taking VMware seriously, but that it is also working to frame the company not exactly as an equal contender, but as the division of a partner. While Microsoft is openly calling for a negotiation, the situation it’s presenting looks more like an intervention.
Software / Hardware / Power Web Picks
- European Space Agency
-
Super Space Ports
In late February, Time Magazine's online site Time.com published "Space Cowboys," an in-depth business story on the New Space Race, covering every player from promiment Virgin Galactic to secretive Benson Space Company. About the Land of Enchantment, Time says: "New Mexico sees itself as a Silicon Valley of space, a place where an industry cluster could develop, absorbing investment and throwing off jobs as it does. When state economic-development secretary Rick Ho-mans, chairman of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, saw the list of global companies participating in the X Prize in 2004, he says it suddenly dawned on him that the new space industry might look like the early computer industry--a bunch of crazy guys. 'They start with chaotic, crazy inventors and entrepreneurs--colorful characters. . .'" The story is also featured prominently in the March 5, 2007 print edition.
- Fly-By Mars
- OpenCongress
- RSS feeds for Senators and Representatives
- Keep track of issues that you are concerned about
- Great Web 2.0 concept for people interested in politics
- Nice How to Use to give you tips/hints on how to utilize the page and RSS feeds
- MiniAjax.com
- A showroom of simple, nice, downloadable AJAX scripts for your website
- AJAX Slideshow
- AJAX Check Username
- AJAX Charts
- Olympus DSLR being announced tomorrow
- Interesting marketing
- Images released but mostly blacked out
- 10 Ways to be More Frugal This Week [via The Simple Dollar]
- Prepare and eat every meal at home
- $5-10 per meal out vs $1-$2 at home
- $210 vs $21 savings of $189 or 90%
- Multiply by a family of four that could be as much as a $756 cost savings per week)
- Drive the speed limit
- Saves gas
- No traffic tickets, saves $$
- Buy generics at the grocery store
- Grocery store brand
- Least expensive per OZ / LB / Etc
- Entertain yourself with something you already own
- TV
- DVDs
- Computer / Internet
- Golf Clubs
- Basketball Goal
- Leftovers taste better
- You've heard that spaghetti tastes better the next day, right? Well it does, rather than get into why it does that, just remember it will save you money in the long run because buying in bulk is usually cheaper and cooking in bulk reduces energy usage. Just remember to cook things that keep well.
- Community Calendars
- Skip splurges
- Adjust your home temp by 2 degrees or use a programmable thermostat
- Turn on only lights and devices that you need
- 10 x 100 watt light bulbs on all at once cost $93.60/month if left on 24 hours per day for one month
- Learn to do things on your own rather than pay someone else to do them
Security & Privacy
- Tor (The Onion Router) Open to Attack
- Preferential routing scheme is based on algorithms
- Those algorithms were cracked
- Only 3 to 6 nodes need to be compromised to reveal the the person attempting to be anonymous
- 15 page study PDF - University of Colorado / University of Washington
- [Derek] Virtual Men Tend to be Standoffish Too
- Males stand further away when talking to other males in the virtual world of Second Life and are less likely to keep eye contact, according to a study that shows at least one aspect of human behavior carries over into the virtual realm.
-
The study led by doctoral student Nick Yee at Stanford University found that male "avatars," or three-dimensional representations of Second Life players, stood on average 7.7 feet away from each other, compared to 6.9 feet for mixed-gender pairs — measured, of course, in the virtual scale of Second Life.
Editorial ("Power Up")
- [Derek] While Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was taking a break from dealing with cranky users still waiting for Vista [back in November], he went ahead and told the entire Linux community that they owe him a big thank-you. Yes, yes he did. In a Q&A session at the Professional Association for SQL Server conference, Ballmer said that Microsoft signed a deal with SUSE Linux distributor Novell in order to get some money back for its "intellectual property." Among other transactions, the one in question sends forty million dollars to Microsoft in exchange for Microsoft's promise not to sue Novell over possible patent violations. As to whether or not the SUSE Linux distribution actually infringes upon any patents, Novell's payment appears to be some sort of admission fee, and, according to Ballmer, Linux users owe him a big "thanks." After all, he was just assuring that Microsoft gets the "appropriate economic return for our shareholders from our innovation." Meanwhile, Red Hat called the whole thing an "innovation tax" and plans to protect its customers against any infringement claims by Microsoft, asking Ballmer to go ahead and show us all what part of the Linux kernel infringes upon Redmond's patents. So while Ballmer pens his report, get to it, open-source community -- start writing your thank-you notes.
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