Tech News » 'Bossie' Awards Crown FOSS' Best of Breed

"Where is Blender?" asked Slashdot blogger hairyfeet. "It is truly an incredibly powerful piece of software. "I had a client that was unhappy because the robot he is helping design for a NASA competition at the local college just doesn't have the level of lighting realism he wanted with Solidworks. So I just sent him to this link on the Blender wiki and voila!" Well September is shaping up to be a banner month here in the world of free and open...

Tech News » That Tired Old Computer Could Be a Neat Media Streamer

Converting an unused PC to a media streamer could cost you nothing per month, as opposed to a cable bill of $90 or more a month. However, some Internet programming, including Fox's, is embargoed for a few days after regular broadcast. Also, keep in mind that the interface and hook-up can be more fiddly than that supplied by a classic cable box. One antidote to escalating household budgets is to cut utility services. However, dropping trash pickup...

News » How NOT to Push a New Open Source License, Part 1

Bruce Perens wrote several times that he had to check with the lawyers to see what the various terms of his open source covenant really mean. If this license is so complicated that he doesn't understand it, shouldn't it be fixed? And why would he be publicly advocating others use a license he doesn't fully understand? This doesn't inspire confidence. Bruce Perens recently introduced what he calls a "Covenant" open source license on behalf of Lexis-Nexis,...

Internet » Facebook Rips a Page From Google+

Facebook may be way ahead in terms of membership, but it's been lagging in usability. Its latest design tweak is the ability to organize friends into lists -- a lot like Google+'s vaunted Circles. Actually, the list feature isn't new, but Facebook is now kickstarting the process, automatically organizing friends according to a few basic criteria, and enabling separate news feeds for each list. Facebook has been rolling out a slew of changes and...

IT Management » Windows 8 May Have Devs Reaching for Painkillers

Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system will arrive on both tablets and traditional PCs when it debuts, and when it does, developers may have a lot of work ahead of them if they want their apps to run on both kinds of systems. Different kinds of processors and different types of user interfaces may make for a complicated learning curve. Over half a million copies of the developer preview of Windows 8 have been downloaded, according to Microsoft...

Internet » Flash's World Gets a Little Lonelier

When Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 appears on tablet devices, the Metro version of its browser won't be doing so in the company of plug-ins -- not even Flash, one of the most popular browser plug-ins ever. While Flash will still have a home in other parts of the OS, Metro IE's shunning follows moves from companies like Apple, which has also banished Flash from its mobile platform. Adobe (Nasdaq: ADBE) is putting on a brave face in the wake of...

Computing » Apple Could Deliver a September Surprise With New MBPs

It was only last February that Apple rolled out its current line of MacBook Pros, but a recent report suggests it's getting ready for another refresh as soon as this month. The notebook bump would allegedly be relatively minor, adding slightly faster processors and not much else. But it could be just enough to give Apple yet another blowout holiday sales season. Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) MacBook Pro laptop was upgraded with new Intel (Nasdaq: INTC)...

Tech News » How NOT to Push a New Open Source License, Part 2

To those who whine "I don't want Google/Microsoft/Apple/whoever to use my code!" -- why not? Really, if you think they're evil because they close off code, how are you any better by doing the same to them? (plus, whining is for kids). "But it conflicts with our anti-copyright anti-business agenda." Put down the bong, grab a bar of soap, and stop acting like a freetard. You're giving the rest of us a bad name. How NOT to Push a New Open Source...

Security » FTC: Mobile Apps Not Exempt From Children's Privacy Regs

"App publishers that disregard COPPA, regardless of the communication methodology, do so at their own risk, and W3 makes it clear -- though it should have already been so -- that apps that interact with the World Wide Web or use Internet Protocol are without question covered," said Alan Friel, a partner with Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon. Federal regulations designed to protect children's privacy cover the burgeoning mobile apps business...

Tech News » Snoozing Technique Could Help Keep Smartphone Batteries Fresh

Smartphones have notoriously short battery life, but a new approach to power management could help address that problem -- at least, while they're being used on WiFi networks. The ingenious technique could also keep tablets, laptops and other mobile devices running longer without a charge. "It's a clever little discovery," said Carl Howe, a director of research at the Yankee Group. Researchers at the University of Michigan have come up with a...

Security » FTC: Mobile Apps Privacy Protection Not Just for Kids

The legal basis for FTC action on privacy leans heavily on the agency's mandate to regulate deceptive practices. "FTC actions to date with regard to adult consumer data privacy and security have dealt with companies that do not follow their own policies, or have misleading policies or no notice of their policies at all," said Alan Friel, a partner with Wildman Harrold. Such deficiencies are considered deceptive practices. Providers of apps for...

Tech News » Can Yahoo Escape the Valley of the Dulls?

Carol Bartz has been fired from her role as CEO of Yahoo, but the company itself remains face-to-face with an identity crisis. Its collection of Web properties is large and in some cases well-loved, but the pieces rarely fit together as well as those of rivals like Google. Meanwhile, AT&T mulls its options, Groupon thinks long and hard about its IPO, and a judge adds a new chapter to the Oracle-SAP feud. When the end of her stint as Yahoo...

Tech News » Scan: A Neat Way to Solve the Mysteries of QR Codes

Even if you don't know what they are, you probably see a few QR codes every time you leave home. They're those pixelated boxes that look like overgrown bar codes, and with the right reader -- typically a smartphone app -- they can take to you websites, send you messages, or just clue you in on your surroundings. There are lots of QR readers for iPhone out there, but one of the better of the bunch is called "Scan." Scan, an app from QR Code City,...

Tech News » Linux and the Giant Breach

"Cause for concern? Yes, but there's no reason to believe that kernel sources were compromised; such a change would be easily detected with diff," said Hyperlogos blogger Martin Espinoza. "I'd sure like someone to show me a 100 percent secure, internet-connected computer... ." Security scares are so commonplace in the tech industry today that it's virtually impossible to keep track of them all. Security scares in the Linux world, however, are...

Tech News » Passion Is the Thin Line Between Success and Failure

Passion is infectious. Passion drives folks like Jobs and Gates to ensure the product is successful. Passion overwhelms the desire to overfocus on containing budgets, and it guarantees that enough resources are provided to make success almost a foregone conclusion. Ballmer is clearly not a tech toy or PC guy; it isn't even clear if anyone at Yahoo, let alone Bartz, really knows what Yahoo's product is. Carol Bartz got fired last week -- the Yahoo...