[Slashdot-mailer] Slashdot Daily Report (11/2/2000)
David Jacoby
jacoby@ecn.purdue.edu
Thu, 2 Nov 2000 11:00:03 -0500 (EST)
Slashdot Daily Report ( http://slashdot.org/ )
News for Nerds. Stuff That Matters.
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Explaining The Symbiosis Between QNX RtP & Linux
A features article from the "what's-going-on-there" department
sent by Hemos
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/01/1315250
Thanks to Mike Bouma who put together a paper
with the help from a number of the Phoenix project
members which gives more information regarding
what's going on with QNX and why it matters. <P
Explaining the Symbiosis between QNX RtP and Linux
The Linux community and its open source approach
has huge potential and helps us greatly to realize
our goal to make the QNX Realtime Platform a
superior general purpose desktop and developer
operating system. QNX RtP is fully compliant with
the latest POSIX standards. This, together with a
X11 compatibility layer for the Photon MicroGUI,
means most Linux/Unix applications only need
simple recompiles and modifications to be ported
to this new platform. So whatever Linux/Unix gains
the OS will gain as well! Currently QNXStart.com
already has a nice software library and Tucows is
busy building one. The freely available award
winning Voyager browser is excellent and plug-ins
like Flash 4 and RealPlayer 7 are already
available. Also Amiga`s Digital Environment is
being developed to support the QNX RtP and will
not only provide us with a common binary identical
application layer for Linux but most other
operating systems as well. The Tao Group (Amiga`s
OS partner) already provided QSSL with a
wonderfully small and efficient Java VM
implementation for its predecessor QNX4. In
addition QSSL and IBM are working together on a
real-time technology for Java applications under
the QNX Realtime Platform. Giving source code away
freely for everyone to use does not make sense for
everybody. Especially commercial companies would
not be motivated to spend years on OS development
and make the fruits of their work freely available
for rival companies. With QSSL being the owner of
this OS and offering all the relevant source code
to developers, developers can invest their
resources while still being protected from
competitors. So QSSL offers prime advantages of
both the open-source and commercial worlds! ! One
month ago the pre-release developer version of the
QNX Realtime Platform was freely released for
public download freely for non-commercial use.
Since its launch more than 400,000 downloads at
http://get.qnx.com followed, while bringing even
Tucow's servers to their knees. Additionally, QSSL
has set up a developer's support network with
weekly articles by QNX experts giving their
insights on programming under the QNX Realtime
Platform. There are very ambitious projects for
this new OS and many exciting new developments
will be announced when the time is right. But what
makes QNX RtP so special, you may ask? QNX RtP is
an excellent realtime operating system, which
means that all programs are smoothly given CPU
time (according to the priority they are given in
the Scheduler). This gives developers or users the
option to set high priorities for certain tasks,
so that for instance a multimedia player will be
quaranteed to respond and function optimally in
any given situation. The stability and realtime
abilities of QSSL`s OSs resulted in them being
used heavily in fault intolerant and response
critical systems, for instance nuclear reactors,
medical equipment, space craft, traffic control
systems , etc. Within the embedded market, a small
memory footprint and optimal efficiency are very
important issues. QNX RtP is based on the modern
and optimised QNX Neutrino microkernel. OS modules
such as file systems, TCP/IP and even drivers run
as normal memory protected user processes,
allowing them to be plugged in and removed at any
time without a reboot. This allows QNX RtP to be
scaled down or up very easily for use in compact
Internet Appliances as well as in full blown
multi-processor servers (3Com`s Audrey IA has just
been released and uses the QNX RtP at its core.).
It also eliminates the need for special kernel
APIs and debuggers, greatly simplifying driver
development and debugging. Although I could
continue for hours telling you endlessly about
other benefits I will end this by highlighting one
other great feature which impressed most
developers involved instantly, when we started our
relationship with QSSL a couple of years ago. It
truly offers superior flexible and transparent
networking abilities. As an example of its
flexibility; you could have a game running on one
computer in a network, while it is being
controlled by a joystick on another computer
within the network, and its graphical output being
displayed on a monitor of another machine again!
One demonstration was of Doom running on two
connected machines to begin with; it was running
on one machine, then the window it was running in
was dragged onto the display of the second
machine, then it was partially dragged back, so
the game was running synchronic and seamlessly
with half a window on each screen! Something
wonderful is coming. Do you want to join the
exciting battle to change computing and topple the
choking monopolies within the industry? :)
Sincerely, Mike Bouma.
--------------------
Help Bush and Gore Answer Slashdot Questions
A interviews article from the "laughter-is-the-best-medicine-for-sick-politics" department
sent by Roblimo
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/01/1133258
We've gotten no direct responses from either Gore
or Bush, even though we sent our questions not
only to their public e-mail addresses but also
privately to their Webmasters (both of whom read
Slashdot). So let's try something a little
different: Since Bush and Gore apparently don't
want to answer, you do it for them. If nothing
else, your answers are sure to be funnier than
theirs would have been, and we could certainly use
a few laughs to liven up an otherwise bitter,
almost entirely humorless election season.
--------------------
Napster Going to Subscriptions
A articles article from the "is-the-lawsuit-dropped-already?" department
sent by CmdrTaco
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/01/1733207
An amazing number of readers submitted links to
various sources discussing that napster will now
be subscription based. This follows an agreement
with BMG. As Hemos said before, conceptually this
is fine, but it'll be interesting to see how its
implemented, and what they charge.
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Voices From The Hellmouth Revisited: Part 1
A features article from the "uncover-your-ears" department
sent by JonKatz
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/10/23/1521250
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Trouble Ahead for Internet Routing Tables?
A articles article from the "something-to-think-about" department
sent by CmdrTaco
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/01/1653257
joabj writes: "This article in Light Reading, a
fiber optics news page, claims that the Internet's
routing tables are ballooning in size and within a
couple of years "equipment won't have enough
processor power and memory to handle them." The
article draws its conclusions from the dramatic
increase in the number of BGP routing tables over
the last six years and the predicted need for more
IP addresses for all those pervasive computing
goodies we've been promised."
--------------------
Using Minesweeper to Solve NP
A articles article from the "i-want-my-np" department
sent by CmdrTaco
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/01/1656254
Blue Leader writes "Boston.com is reporting that
the answer to one of math's most vexing problems
lies in Minesweeper. Figure it out, and render
modern encryption useless." Its a discussion of
NP/P, as well as an excuse to play minesweeper.
Personally, I kinda prefer mahjongg or tetris tho
;)
--------------------
Sega to Shifts Focus To Software
A articles article from the "can-I-embed-a-dreamcast-in-my-skull?" department
sent by CmdrTaco
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/01/173246
Manjit writes "Saw this Reuters story on yahoo.
After reporting financial losses, Sega is
announcing that they will be licensing the
Dreamcast hardware design and shift their focus to
software development. The interesting thing is the
line about "including plans to provide game
software for rival makers' consoles." Now that
Sega will move away from the hardware business, we
will be back to 3 major console makers this time
next year, and the PS2 will have had a one year
headstart. It does not bode well for Indrema
trying to break into the console business."
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How Will Electronic Patents Affect the USPTO?
A askslashdot article from the "make-your-own-predictions" department
sent by Cliff
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/01/1942259
4/3PI*R^3 asks: "The US Patent Office has brought
into full production its Electronic Patent
Application Filing System (EFS). With so many
patents being issued so quickly (161,000 last year
alone) how will this affect the application
process? Will more patent applications be
submitted since there is one less barrier to
filing? Will the increased accessiblity make the
USPTO more selective in assigning patents? Read
thePress Release and visit the Patent Electronic
Business Center. Which department of the US
Federal Government is the most technologically
advanced from a customer service stand point? The
USPTO is now searchable via the internet and
applications can be submitted and tracked via the
internet. It seems to me that most USPTO customer
service functions now have some sort of internet
access. Is it possible to completely do business
with the USPTO over the internet?"
--------------------
FTC Names Top-10 "Dot-Con" Types
A articles article from the "lotsa-fun-examples!" department
sent by Hemos
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/01/1853254
stereoroid writes "InfoWorld has an article
describing how the US Federal Trade Commission"
has listed the "Top 10 Types" of "Dot-Con" scam.
The main web page does not name names, but the
PDFs downloadable from there certainly do -
hundreds of names. Then there's the list of last
month's actions, including MS WebTV's "Deceptive
Advertising Claims". "
--------------------
Bill Gates's email - about Linux
A articles article from the "he-really-hates-Linux" department
sent by HeUnique
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/02/002213
As we all know, Halloween is coming, and once
again - we have a new Halloween document - this
time from William Bill Gates himself. A Microsoft
Employee sent it to Ryan C. Gordon, who published
it here. It's a long one. Comments?
--------------------
Slashback: Duality, Mosaic, G-Men
A articles article from the "swd-seeks-soulmate" department
sent by timothy
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/10/31/0339239
It's backpedaling time when it comes to the
alleged Sega / Nintendo joint venture ... just
goes to show how easy it is to get signals crossed
in a business where no fact is necessarily
stranger than fiction. Words from our recent FBI
visitee. More Lego madness too, combining modern
technology with that funny smile that haunts even
we scoffers. All below -- smile! It was still an
interesting concept, though. Gemini writes: "Just
thought I'd let you know IGN made an error
regarding Sega and Nintendo forming a joint
company. Their retraction is [here]" Tenryujin
adds: "IGN DC reported that Sega has not stated
that they will be developing software for rival
consoles. They also have already stated in the
past that their next generation console beyond the
Dreamcast is already in development (as I'm sure
Sony's hard at work on their PlayStation 3), but
that's far in the future. "shifting focus" and
"moving away completely" are two entirely
different things. :) Nowhere have they announced
that they are getting out of the hardware
business. This time next year, we'll have X-Box,
PlayStation 2, Indrema, Gamecube and Dreamcast."
Marge, your child is so artistic. Keep him away
from my family. You've seen a massive lego train
layout, and you've seen the lego desk, but are you
ready for ... something more inspiring and
enigmatic? Eric Harshbarger, reknowned sculptor of
the Lego Desk is at it again. He circulated an
e-mail saying, "... I have finally finished the
'LEGO Mona Lisa'. It is viewable at: [this link]
whew..." Yow. If you are anywhere near Auburn,
Ala. this week, perhaps a polite e-mail to Eric
will let get you a close-up look, but he will be
packing it up this weekend (Nov. 5th). The mind
boggles. And the fastest update in the West --
hwaara writes: "The guy who got ruined by FBI has
updated his page with answers to common questions
by Slashdot readers, check it out here." That
includes questions like: 'What the heck were you
doing visiting a just cracked site and
port-scanning?!' to which Andreas has some pointed
words. Thinking (witch) caps for next year ...
Karl writes "Halloween: the perfect opportunity to
share the software. Instead of handing-out
shrink-wrapped candy, give out the ole' stack of
Debian GNU/Linux CD's when those trick-or-treaters
ring at the door. The implications and
possibilities are endless. If anyone wants to be
part of this GNU/Linux Halloween give-away
distribution rampage, please e-mail me. I'll probe
all sorts of sponsors and get the CD's to give out
in 2001. We can print CD labels that have helpful
URLs, or LUG URLs and stick them to the CDs.
E-mail me with any enthusiasm, ideas, or comments:
your input will steer the project. (NOSPAM:
karl-at-tux.org)" This sounds like a great idea to
me. Save up all those nice boxes that America
Online has been spamming you with, remove the
inner label, and re-use. ;)
--------------------
Coders Say Yes To Telecommuting, No To Ping Pong
A articles article from the "give-me-what-i-want" department
sent by Hemos
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/01/1912255
8127972 writes "News.com is has a story on a
survey that describes the perks that coders and
other IT types want. According to the survey, they
want their companies to spring for membership to
health clubs, a free car, wireless phone, and
anything that aids telecommuting. Foosball,
ping-pong, billiards and other rec-room staples
ranked at the bottom of the list--even lower than
free dance lessons. The full survey is at
Techies.com. Maybe this should be sent to the
PHB's?"
--------------------
Sub-Orbital Skydiving
A articles article from the "it's-a-long-long-way" department
sent by timothy
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/02/0411221
igz writes: "Someone is trying to set the world
record for highest freefall, from over 31 miles
above the Earth! There is no atmosphere up there,
so speeds of up to 1.5 Mach are expected. Check it
here." Whether this is insanity or courage is up
to you, but it sure sounds like a fun ride. Cheryl
Stearns is the insane / courageous diver, and she
will jump wearing a pressure suit to counter the
lack of air at (gulp!)165,000 feet up.
--------------------
Samsung Caves To Rambus Royalties
A articles article from the "et-tu-samsung?" department
sent by timothy
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/02/0446258
denominateur writes: "According to this story,
Rambus now made a licensing agreement with memory
market leader Samsung that will allow Rambus to
collect royalties on virtually all the computer
memory produced by the market leader. Who will
stop Rambus from getting more and more money on
patents that basically don't make ANY sense?"
Well, evidently, Micron and the two other
companies fighting the Rambus patents in court
seem like possibilities. I wonder what happens to
those royalty deals, though, if the company goes
Rambust ...
--------------------
Lawson of Japan To Install 15,000 Linux Terminals
A articles article from the "feel-good-story" department
sent by Hemos
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/02/1217249
debreuil writes: "A Reuters article reports a
leading Japanese convenience store chain will
install more than 15,000 IBM computers running
Linux to allow for Web access in stores, in the
largest commercial use of Linux to date. Great
onigiri there too..." IBM, who sold the machines,
is happy as can be, of course.
--------------------
Lawson Of Japan To Install 15,000 Linux Terminals
A articles article from the "feel-good-story" department
sent by Hemos
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/11/02/1217249
debreuil writes: "A Reuters article reports a
leading Japanese convenience store chain will
install more than 15,000 IBM computers running
Linux to allow for Web access in stores, in the
largest commercial use of Linux to date. Great
onigiri there too..." IBM, who sold the machines,
is happy as can be, of course.
--------------------
The info is Rob Malda's
The code is mine
MOTD: -----------------------------------
I am no longer associated with Purdue, except for being a former
student, former employee, and active member of the Linux Users Group.
As such, I'll either be moving this service to another server or
killing it entirely. Your input is requested as to what you'd like.
Then again, when was the last time I changed the MOTD? And when was
last time it was read?