Archive for September, 2007...
Filed under Slashdot
Jasper Bryant-Greene writes “Although a tzdata release that includes New Zealand’s recent DST changes (2007f) has been out for some time, Debian are refusing to push the update from testing into the current stable distribution, codenamed Etch, on the basis that ‘it’s not a security bug.’ This means that unless New Zealand sysadmins install the package manually, pull the package from testing, or alter the timezone to ‘GMT-13′ manually, all systems running Debian Etch in New Zealand currently have the incorrect time, as DST went into effect this morning. As one of the last comments in the bug report says, ‘even Microsoft are not this silly.’ The final comment (at this writing), from madcoder, says ‘The package sits in volatile for months. Please take your troll elsewhere.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Filed under Tech News World, Technology
The Cuban government proclaimed its intention to exchange its computer operating systems for free software in 2005, but the state agencies that are in charge of the switch have done little to make it happen. Indeed the exchange seems to be contingent mainly on the efforts of a small community of enthusiasts. The overwhelming majority of this Caribbean island nation’s computers run on illegal copies of the Windows operating system produced by Microsoft. Most people use pirated versions of programs for which no license fees are paid, which are also in effect free to users.
Filed under Tech News World, Technology
For more than a decade, academics and technology executives have been frowning at the widening gender gap in computer science. Everyone has a theory, but no one has managed to attract many more women. Now, some computer science researchers say one solution may lie in the design of software itself — even programs regular people use every day. Laura Beckwith, a new computer science Ph.D. from Oregon State University, and her adviser, Margaret Burnett, specialize in studying the way people use computers to solve everyday problems.
Filed under Tech News World, Technology
It has not yet been released in the UK but jealous rivals are already ganging up in a determined — and almost certainly forlorn — attempt to kill it off. Apple’s iPhone, with its seductive mix of drop-dead gorgeous looks and irresistible features, is expected to become the must-have gift this Christmas for well-heeled lovers of fashionable gadgetry. However, Apple’s competitors are not standing still. Rivals are frantically working on iPhone “killers” that will attempt to offer unbeatable combinations of style, features and price.
Filed under Tech News World, Technology
Just past 2 p.m. on Sept. 3, with the sun glaring overhead, there is a flurry of activity among the waiting crowds at Tindivanam Taluk Hospital in Tamil Nadu, India’s southernmost state. Bugle players straighten the tassels on their instruments, line up on each side of a long red carpet, and start to blow. Drummers accompany them in a cheerful welcome. Women in gaily-colored saris wait in the heat, trays of rose petals in their hands, for the very important guest to arrive.
