OK, Google has launched their blog search service, and Blogger has their own interface to this as well. As you can see, they changed the top bar on all blogs.
I updated the search on the sidebar and will be trying out this new blog search and see how it compares to Technorati. I think it will be better, as Technorati takes a while to update and (hopefully) Blogger should update it quickly.
We all heard the rumors, now they have announced it. eBay is going to buy Skype for something like $4 Billion. Is this a good thing? I’m not sure. As long as eBay keeps Skype as good and free as it is now, I’ll be fine. The second they put as much as a tiny text ad, I’m going to Gizmo.
This is another example of what can happen when a company decides to release their product close-sourced. If Skype had been open, it could have been even better than it is now and we would never have to worry about big companies like eBay.
(oh, and by the way, three different queries are on Technorati’s top ten right now about eBay and Skype)
Oh well, hopefully eBay won’t screw Skype over.
Once again, I came across this on digg. It’s from UNEASYsilence.
Everyone who’s tried to use LaunchCast probably knows that it requires Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player. You could probably get away from using WMP with MPlayer Plug-in, but it will not run without IE (I’ve tried using the agent switcher, and it didn’t work).
Now, I’m glad I saw this. If you have the video ID (which is easy to obtain), you can use VLC (I assume MPlayer and/or Xine work too, but I haven’t tried them) to play the 700 KB/s video. If you’ve ever used LaunchCast before, you know that the 700 KB/s is the high quality video, and you can usually only get it by paying a monthly subscription. Now you can play it without that.
Disclaimer: the information and the links here are provided for informational purposes only. I do not claim responsibility for anything done with them. Use at your own risk.
Here’s how:
That’s all.
I saw a show a little earlier today on PBS, called “High Tech Home”. I was watching it, and got to a section called “Windows Embedded Devices”, and I almost switched the channel.
But, I watched on. They only had two different devices on there, and neither really intrests me. Why would any company choose to use Windows XP in their embedded devices? Not only do you have to deal with licensing issues, and things like viruses, but since you can’t see the source code it just isn’t practical to use.
Linux, on the other hand, would be perfect. You could modify the Kernel and applications so they would run more efficient and work better, and wouldn’t have to worry about paying for licenses, patents, viruses, and any other Windows-based problem. And since they are likely to be designing their own systems, the hardware would be compatible.
Oh, and did I mention, Microsoft sponsored that show?
OK, this is probably the most outrageous Microsoft story I have heard in a while.
David Zamos, a 21 year old college student, one day bought the student edition of Windows XP and Office XP from his college computer store for a total of $60. He got back and realized he would have to reformat his drive. He didn’t want to loose all the important stuff on it, so he tried to return the software to the store. The store cashier told him that they had an agreement with Microsoft to not accept returns (why the hell would Microsoft do that, anyway?).
After that, he tried to request a return directly from Microsoft. He sent it by priority mail, so he knew when it arrived. Bill replied while counting his money, and it only took him 34 days to do that. He was denied.
So what did he do? He did what any other internet user would have done and tried selling it on eBay. Office sold for $112.50. He put up an auction for Windows XP, but that was taken down by a “Microsoft Investor” who accused him of infringing on the company’s copyright.
According to eBay, Microsoft’s resale policy is “Qualified end users may resell and purchase software through eBay.” He had no idea what he did wrong.
He contacted one of Microsoft’s lawyers about the case, and he replied stating several lawsuits where large companies pirated copies of their software and sold it. He replied, asking what this had to do with him and never got a response.
Soo, he sent a counterclaim to eBay and reposted the sale (stating the reselling policy in the description).
After selling for $91, he made a profit of $143.50 from both sales.
Microsoft came back at him with a lawsuit, stating “irreparable injury to its business reputation and goodwill”, and even accused him of unfair competition (WTF?)
The article goes on, but I’ll tell you that they did reach an agreement after a lot of embarrassment on Microsoft’s part.
This kind of thing really gets to me. Microsoft operating systems are on over 90% of desktops, and their software is being used everywhere. Why would they waste their time suing the pants off of a college student who simply tried selling unopened educational software on eBay. They’re in it purely for the money.
I just came across this video (yes, on digg) that reminded me why people tend to ‘hate computers’ and why some of us don’t use it. I’d like to quote part of it here (it’s from BBC)
Jack wanted to show me how risky it is to connect an unprotected PC to the net. This poor Windows XP machine has no firewall and no AntiVirus software. Connecting to the internet would be like throwing it into a lion pen with raw meat straped to it’s hard drive.
So how long would it be before we were hit with something nasty on the net? Hours? Minutes? As it turned out, 8 seconds.
Jack: Well, we just connected to the internet, and we’ve been hit by the sasser worm. Already.
It gets even better, but I won’t ruin it. Go see the video.
According to an MSNBC article, upcoming changes to the GPL could penalize patents and DRM.
From the article:
“Software patents are clearly a menace to society and innovation. We like this to be more explicit. The basic idea is that if someone patents software, he loses the right to use free software. It’s like a patent retaliation clause,” Greve said.
Stallman will write a draft version of the new GPL by December, after which it will be evaluated by thousands of organizations, software developers and software users in 2006.
Good idea, but will this actually reduce patents and DRM? Possibly, but I’m not sure.
If you have any free time tomorrow night between 8:30 and 10, come check out The Linux Link Tech Show’s 100th Episode! If you like Linux you’ll love it. If you have listened to it pre-recorded before but not live, then you should listen to it live. It’s real nice to have IRC to see what other people are saying in real time. They’ve been doing this since 2003, and currently are the longest running Linux show (I think even the longest running live tech show, but don’t quote me on that) and they’re doing their 100th episode. And from what I heard, they have a good lineup (and Jon may pop on again 🙂 )
Listen to the show on Binrev or Sysop using a media player like XMMS or Kaffeine, and be sure to follow along in the IRC. Fire up your favorite IRC client (I use Gaim, but most people like XChat) and join the server thelinuxlink.net, channel #techshow
I should be on IRC tomorrow, my username will be ‘justin’ (duh)
Congrats to Dann, Allan, Pat, and Linc. This is a real accomplishment.
I just caught the latest episode of Linux Log. First and foremost, it is now called Linux News Log.
I was listening for the beginning introduction, and to start out with, I hate it (Adrian, if you’re reading this, do away with it. That rock music is just annoying). But… after that he went through “I’m your host, Adrian…”. After a few moments, here is exactly what he says:
Linux News Log is a proud member of the Tech Podcasts network: ‘If it’s tech, it’s here’. Head on over to http://www.techpodcasts.com. If you like any of my shows, you most certainty will find at least one or two shows there you will like as well. So, great network, been with them since very early on. We’re constantly adding new shows, so do feel free to head on over there and check them out.
Wow, what a waste of breath. I timed how long it took him to say that, and it took him a whole 27 seconds. That’s an additional half minute that I have to sit there and wait before I can actually listen to the content.
But beyond that, I listened on. The news didn’t actually start until about seven and a half minutes into the podcast. This is an example of what I like to call a waste of time. I calculated it, and that first seven and a half minutes of crap is actually about 5 MB. This raises problems. It makes the download bigger, which isn’t a problem for people on broadband, but for dial up users this can mean a much longer download. It also takes up extra space. Sure, not a whole lot, but after you have 30 different episodes, that gets to be an extra 150 MB of introduction and crap. Disgusting.
In this whole Linux Log mishap, I’ve discovered what (I think) makes a good podcast. First of all, they shouldn’t be longer than 40 minutes (although there are exceptions). I think that structured podcasts should be in this format:
And, of course, there are exceptions. I said that most podcasts shouldn’t be longer than 40 minutes, but one exception is TLLTS. I actually try to set aside a full hour and 30 mins. every wednessday to listen to the show live, but most podcasts are pre-recorded.
One of the podcasts that I listen to that I feel really sticks to this kind of format is The GNU/Linux User Show. Keep up the good work!
But I digress. TechPodcasts.com sucks.
If anyone here listens to a show like the Linux Log (kinda dry for me, but hey, it’s Linux), you’ve probably heard of the Tech Podcast network. And here’s my opinion of it – IT SUCKS. It comes forward as a website that simply provides links to other podcasts related to technology, but it’s not really that.
I’ll use Linux Log as an example for this. Every show, he has a big, stupid introduction, and he states “Linux Log is a proud member of the Tech Podcasts network: If it’s tech, it’s here”. And if you look on the website, every episode has a stupid button that links to the Tech Podcasts site – like we don’t already know that!
But not does it make podcasts do this, but the index (at least for Linux) also sucks. Look, there are a total of two Linux shows there, but there are far more (much better) ones. TLLTS, The Linux User Show, even older ones like The Linux Box and The Linux Show aren’t listed there at all.
So what do I think the Tech Podcast site is about? Simply to make money. Their title makes the user think they’re a complete directory of high quality podcasts about technology, and there is no truth to that at all. It would be one thing if they did what The Podcast Network did and actually provide hosting for the podcasts, but to make the podcasters make one big, stupid announcement once or more in every show and simply link back to them in return, they’re not really holding up their end of the bargain.
Normally I’d link to them here, but I’m not going to. Kiss my ass!
Justin's Mighty Linux Blog 