Finally: The mainstream press gets it
It appears that mainstream news sites may finally be waking up to the lies and hipocrisy that is SCO's legal circus. Witness this Computer World article.
It's an interesting read and has some rather funny lines in it. Some prime examples are:
The most ridiculous software company in the world can't stop suing over it.
Or how about this one, in reference to the lawsuits:
Even the lurking shadow of SCO's $3 billion lawsuit against IBM over intellectual property rights to Linux -- and the pipsqueak vendor's threats to directly sue user companies -- has done nothing to dampen IT or business enthusiasm. No fear. No uncertainty. No doubt.
Either way, it's a good read. I'm glad to see that the press is starting to see the SCO farce for what it really is: a "get-rich quick" scheme. I dunno about everybody else out there, but I'm getting sick of SCO's whining about how "they should've been where Red Hat is". It's called capitalism (a.k.a. Survival of the Fittest), get over it.
LFS: Finally!
I finally finished building my LFS system and it's great!
For those who don't know, LFS means Linux From Scratch. Basically, you put together a Linux system from nothing but source code. It's both challenging and entertaining (well, if you like Linux that is). It's also a very good way to learn how Linux works and what a typical system is composed of.
My next project is to put this puppy on a bootable CD...
iPod Battery FAQ
All you iPod owners out there should read this page.
It has a good bit of information on the iPod's battery and how to care for it and get it replaced when the time comes.
I feel that I should mention something in the wake of all the ruckus that's been going on about the iPod's battery life. Consumer electronics fail. No, really! Did you really expect your $2,000 surround sound system to last forever? How about your laptop or mobile phone battery? They will eventually get to the point where they no longer hold a charge and you will have to replace the battery.
The iPod is no different. There's no magic inside that makes the battery last forever (though I'll admit my iPod seems to have some sort of mystical control over me). Sure you spent $500 for the 40 Gb model. If you invested that much, maybe you should've bought an iPod Applecare plan. If you didn't, Apple will replace your iPod's battery for $99. If you're feeling adventurous, you can replace the battery yourself.
For a good discussion on how to properly charge your iPod's battery, hop on over to Slashdot.
Ohio Also Passes Law Against Recording In Cinema
madmancarman writes "Following California's lead, Ohio has also passed a law making recording in a movie theatre a crime. A first offense would be punishable ... Via Slashdot.
A fix for slow 10.3.2 boot up times
Unless you live under a rock, use Windows, or are still using Mac OS 9 or even Jaguar, you've probably heard of some issues with the latest 10.3.2 update. In particular, the slow boot up times.
This is actually a week or so old, but I thought it'd be worth posting. Apparently, a file named BootCacheControl is called when you boot up your Mac to generate a cache of the boot up files needed to get the Mac up to the login window.
This file is called twice on boot up, and a third time with the following command:
/usr/sbin/BootCacheControl autostop 15
Since the file doesn't exist under /usr/sbin under 10.3.2, boot up is slowed considerably.
This first fix involves copying this file to /usr/sbin:
cp -p /System/Library/Extensions/BootCache.kext/Contents/Resources/BootCacheControl /usr/sbin
I would highly recommend against using this because the discussions on the Apple Discussions board claim it can screw up future updates. Instead uses ln -s to create a symlink:
ln -s /System/Library/Extensions/BootCache.kext/Contents/Resources/BootCacheControl /usr/sbin
After using the symlink method (don't forget -s for a soft link), I rebooted my Powerbook twice and noticed a substantial decrease in boot times. I'm running a Tibook 867, 768 MB RAM, yadda yadda...
Apple’s Steve Jobs about to relegate the Compact Disc to museum piece
"When Steve Jobs, the founder and head of Apple Computer, takes the stage at the start of the annual Macworld Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday wearing his trademark uniform of black jeans and sweater, look for a tell-tale white wire reaching from his ears to his waist. While his task under the lights will be to evangelise rather than to listen to music, chances are he will be sporting an iPod," The Independent reports. Saw that here.
Ohio adopting scarlet letter for drivers caught under the influence
Basically, the State of Ohio has adopted a new law that will require individuals caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs to display special license plates--eye catching, bright license plates with (you guess it) red numbering. Via Ars Technica.
In a word: "Ouch".
Happy New Year!
Hope New Year's day is going well for everyone. I'm converting my file server to a newer OS, so wish me luck!