nets

Sun plans to countersue NetApp

Updated at 2:31 p.m. PDT: Sun Microsystems plans to countersue Network Appliance later this week, Chief Executive Jonathan Schwartz said Wednesday, a suit that will include a request to remove the company's products from the market.

Schwartz said on his blog that he has "no interest whatever in suing them" and therefore "reached out" to Chief Executive Dan Warmenhoven. But, he said, NetApp's demands--that Sun "retract" its ZFS file system from open-source community and restrict its use to computing and not storage devices--can't be met.

Consequently, "Later this … Read more

NetWare and Linux cheek by jowl, courtesy Xen

For most of the world, Novell's NetWare operating system may have faded to footnote status, but Novell continues to grind away at its plan to modernize the software.

The new NetWare, called Open Enterprise Server, is an attempt to rebuild the operating system's services atop Novell's Suse Linux Enterprise Server (SLES). Version 1.0 essentially was a bundle that included both operating systems, but with OES 2.0, which Novell announced on Monday, the two operating systems got a lot closer.

The reason for the proximity: Xen virtualization software, which lets the same physical server run multiple … Read more

Apple's next 'Leopard' release may be at risk due to NetApp's ZFS lawsuit

According to Computerworld, Apple's reported support for ZFS in its upcoming Leopard release may enmesh it in NetApp's legal catfight with Sun:

Apple Inc.'s upcoming Leopard will support the open-source ZFS file system, the company confirmed today -- a move that could embroil it in a patent-infringement lawsuit between Sun Microsystems and storage software maker Net[work] Appliance. Leopard, also known as Mac OS X 10.5, will include ZFS (Zettabyte File System), albeit in a small way. "Apple will provide limited ZFS support in Leopard," said company spokesman Anuj Nayar today. "It will only be available as a read-only option from the command line."

This, however, is allegedly only the tip of the iceberg of Apple's adoption of ZFS, making the outcome of NetApp's lawsuit important to more than just Sun.… Read more

Teamsters want Net neutrality laws, but of course it's not a partisan issue

I've always enjoyed hearing proponents of Net neutrality laws insist that it's not a partisan issue, a difficult enough task when there were party-line votes last year, with Democrats largely in favor of broad Internet regulations and Republicans largely against them.

Now the Teamsters, a union practically synonymous with the Democratic Party, has embraced the idea.

Here are some excerpts from a statement that Teamsters president Jim Hoffa (son of the legendary Jimmy Hoffa) sent out yesterday:

Decisions by the Federal Communications Commission and the Supreme Court in 2005 have put at risk the fundamental rights of open … Read more

Killer Download: Block potential threats with a solid firewall program

A couple of weeks ago, I gave you some of the top antivirus apps for your PC. The programs I listed were my picks for reliable free and shareware antivirus software that you could use right away.

Though having a good virus program is crucial to online safety, it's not enough to stop all intruders. Another extremely important line of defense is the software firewall. Some believe you need a hardware firewall (like as a function of your router, for example) to keep all intruders away from your system. But for most people (me included), a good software firewall offers plenty of protection against attacks and also against software on your hard drive that might be trying to contact "the mother ship" without your knowledge.… Read more

Digital Bucket stores all your stuff in a familiar fashion

Waiting for Google's online hard-drive service to launch? Check out Digital Bucket, a new storage service that's simple and intuitive. We've seen plenty of virtual desktop services here at Webware, and the one thing many have in common is attempting to emulate an existing GUI. In the case of Digital Bucket, that look and feel is the Microsoft Windows file explorer, and as I've found by using the service this morning-- this isn't a bad thing.

When it comes to files, drag and drop is by nature a very effective way of moving things around. … Read more

Senator: Net neutrality push ain't over yet

WASHINGTON--One of the leading U.S. Senate proponents of Net neutrality laws said Monday that he's not giving up on enacting the divisive antidiscrimination rules.

To a standing ovation, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) urged attendees at the Future of Music Policy Summit here to "fight back and say this is something that's important for our country's interests."

Led primarily by Democrats, the push to enact a law prohibiting broadband providers from charging content providers extra fees for priority placement or faster delivery failed last year in both chambers of a Republican-controlled Congress. Since then, … Read more

Comcast capping bandwidth usage at about 90GB/month?

The battle for net neutrality might be in its infancy, and already we're seeing casualties. There have been murmurs that Comcast has been capping bandwidth usage on its all-you-can eat high-speed subscribers that have simply used more of their connection than Comcast is comfortable with, along with evidence the ISP has been monkeying with people's BitTorrent usage. Last week GameDaily BIZ got in touch with Charlie Douglas, a spokesperson for Comcast Corporation who confirmed that the company was indeed capping monthly downloads of its "excessive" users.

The actual ballpark figure Douglas gave GameDaily BIZ was "… Read more

Nielsen/NetRatings' August social media numbers: Not much change

Each month, I get a fun little e-mail from Nielsen/NetRatings, the online division of the big-name metrics firm, with some tracking numbers for unique visitors at social media sites--namely, social networks, blogs, and video-sharing sites. They're pretty anecdotal as far as traffic metrics go, but it's still fun to see who's losing and who's gaining--you know, like sports. And each month, I eagerly open the e-mail (no, really) to see if there are any juicy surprises in store. This month's version, which includes numbers for August (percentage growth from August 2006 to August 2007, … Read more

Clip2Net takes your clipboard, files online

I use TechSmith's Snagit screen-capturing tool (review) on a daily basis to gather all sorts of shots for posts and archival purposes. It works great at getting those pixel-precise sizes you might be going for, along with taking a step or two out Windows' less-than-stellar built-in print screen function. Today I've been playing with a small download called Clip2Net. It's a free and simple screenshot program with built-in Web uploading for screenshots AND image files. It's not at all as advanced as Snagit, but if you're in the market for a relatively easy way to take and host screenshots, or share a roll of pictures with friends, Clip2Net is a promising hybrid solution.

Setup is simple: Just download and install the less-than-1MB file and you're good to go. You can start capturing right away, either in regions or the entire screen at a time. Registering and plugging in your login credentials lets you upload your shots to a Web folder that saves all your shots. Likewise, if you'd like to stay anonymous, Clip2Net will provide you with a URL where your shot is being hosted--although keep in mind that if you lose that URL, you won't be able to track it down again. … Read more