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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia%20N900
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Nokia N900
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The Nokia N900 is a smartphone made by Nokia. It supersedes the Nokia N810. Its default operating system, Maemo 5, is a Linux-based OS originally developed for the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. It is the first Nokia device based upon the Texas Instruments OMAP3 microprocessor with the ARM Cortex-A8 core. Unlike the three Nokia Internet tablets preceding it, the Nokia N900 is the first Maemo device to include phone functionality (quad-band GSM and 3G UMTS/HSDPA).
The N900 functions as a mobile Internet device, and includes email, web browsing and access to online services, a 5-megapixel digital camera for still or video photography, a portable media player for music and video, calculator, games console and word processor, SMS, as well as mobile telephony using either a mobile network or VoIP via Internet (mobile or Wi-Fi). Maemo provides an X-terminal interface for interacting with the core operating system.
It was launched at Nokia World on 2 September 2009 and was released in November 2009 in the United States and 9 European countries.
The N900 was launched alongside Maemo 5, giving the device an overall more touch-friendly interface than its predecessors and a customizable home screen which mixes application icons with shortcuts and widgets. Maemo 5 supports Adobe Flash Player 9.4, and includes many applications designed specifically for the mobile platform such as a new touch-friendly media player.
History and availability
The Nokia N900 was announced on 17 September 2008 during a keynote presentation by Dr. Ari Jaaksi of Nokia. New supported features were announced for Maemo 5 such as cellular connectivity over 3G/HSPA, TI OMAP3 processor and high definition camera support. No news on backward compatibility for older Internet Tablets and no time frame was established. The release of the pre-alpha Maemo 5 software development kit, in December 2008 targeted exclusively the OMAP3 architecture, revamped the user interface, included support for hardware graphics acceleration and other functionalities not found in Internet Tablets at the time such as cellular data connectivity and high definition camera support.
The first photo and specifications of the N900, codenamed Rover while being developed, came out in May 2009. The release of FCC approval documents in August 2009 confirmed the device and provided the second codename RX-51. The Nokia N900 was officially announced on 2 September 2009 at Nokia World 2009 in Germany. Nokia says it is step 4 of 5 in the line of Maemo devices which started in 2005 with the Nokia 770.
The device was initially available in selected markets starting November 2009 (4 December in the UK) with a retail price of €599 in Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain, €649 in France, 2499 zł in Poland, 5995 kr in Sweden and £499 in the United Kingdom, all prices including VAT but excluding subsidies. The retail price at launch was US$649 in the United States excluding sales taxes and subsidies. It will be available in Canada through independent retailers for around C$800. As of March 2010 the Nokia site in Australia lists the N900 on the homepage, hinting at launch some time in the near future. Black was the only color available at launch. Initially, availability was extremely limited, leading to further delays. The statement from Nokia was that there was higher pre-order demand than expected. The Nokia N900 launched in Hong Kong on 29 May 2010, with added features to facilitate character handwriting input. Price at launch was 4998 HKD. It has already been released to Australia via Optus.
Hardware
Processors
The Nokia N900 is powered by OMAP 3430 ARM Cortex-A8, which is a system-on-a-chip made by Texas Instruments based on a 65 nanometer CMOS process. The OMAP 3430 is composed of three microprocessors; the Cortex A8 running at 600 MHz (up to 1.15 GHz with correct overclocking) used to run the OS and applications, the PowerVR SGX530 GPU made by Imagination Technologies which supports OpenGL ES 2.0 and is capable of up to 14 MPolys/s and a TMS320C64x, the digital signal processors, running at 430 MHz used to run the image processing (camera), audio processing (telephony) and data transmission. The TMS320 C64x main purpose is to offload the Cortex A8 from having to process audio and video signal. Moreover, the OMAP 3430 on some N900 devices has been successfully over-clocked up to 1150 MHz by using a modified kernel and editing the kernel power configuration file. The system has 256 MB of dedicated high performance RAM (Mobile DDR) paired with access to 768 MB swap space managed by the OS. This provides a total of 1 GB of virtual memory.
Screen and input
The Nokia N900 has a resistive touchscreen with a resolution of 800 × 480 pixels (WVGA, 267 ppi). According to both Nokia and the Xorg.log, it is capable of displaying up to 65k colours (565 RGB). Nokia N900 camera capability is 2592x1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, Dual LED flash, video light, geo-tagging The LCD is transflective to permit usability over a wide range of luminosity (from daylight to dark). Haptic feedback is provided to touchscreen input by applying a small vibration or a sound; the user can choose whether to have this feature enabled. A stylus is provided to allow more precise touch input and access to smaller user interface elements. A 3-axis accelerometer allows the orientation of the screen to change between portrait and landscape mode in certain applications, or it can be used as user input in games and applications. While the dashboard or desktop is active, rotating the device from landscape to portrait mode activates the phone application (a feature that can also be disabled at user discretion). With update PR1.2, It became possible to view web pages in portrait mode. Developers may add support for portrait mode in their applications if desired. There is a proximity sensor which deactivates the display and touchscreen when the device is brought near the face during a call.
The slide-out 4-row keyboard and D-pad of the Nokia N810 have been replaced on the Nokia N900 with a slide-out 3-row backlit keyboard with arrow keys (as with previous Internet Tablets, an on-screen keyboard is also available). In addition to the English QWERTY layout, the slide out keyboard will be available in variants for Italian, French, German, Russian, Czech, Nordic (Finnish, Swedish), and Spanish. The Nokia N900 has an ambient light sensor that adjusts the display brightness and activates the backlit keyboard. The OS comes with a word prediction software that can be configured to the user preferences (auto capitalization, word completion, auto spacing between words).
The device has an autonomous GPS with optional A-GPS functionality and comes pre-loaded with the Ovi Maps application. Ovi Maps provides typical mapping features such as alternate views (3D landmarks, satellite, and hybrid maps), address/places of interest searching, and route planning, although it does not have turn-by-turn navigation yet.
The 5-megapixel back camera has an autofocus feature, dual LED flash, 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratio options, and 3× digital zoom. The focal length of this camera is 5.2 mm, the aperture is f/2.8, and the focus range is 10 cm to infinity. It is capable of video recording at up to 848 × 480 pixels at 25 fps. The lens, while not in use, is protected by a sliding hatch. Opening the hatch launches the camera application. Although the 0.3-megapixel front camera is capable of video recording at up to 640 × 480 pixels and pre-production units could be used for video calls over IP using Google Talk, the retail version was delivered without any software enabling video calling or video chatting. In update PR1.2 OTA (over-the-air) Skype video calling was added, enabling the fascia camera. With some software updates the phone becomes capable of play/record/stream 720p video.
Buttons
When holding the device facing the screen; on the top, from left to right, rocking buttons (which function as volume up/down or zoom in/out depending on the context), power on/off and camera button. Pressing the power button brings up a menu to change the profile, activate offline mode (a.k.a. "Airplane or Flight mode", which turns off all emitted signals), Lock Device (either "Secure" with key code, or simple lock), and an option to end the current task.
As the Nokia N900 has fewer hardware buttons, it makes use of the touchscreen to display on-screen buttons, for example, to accept, reject and end a call.
Audio and output
The N900 has a microphone and stereo speakers located on each side of the device. There is a 3.5 mm four-contact TRRS connector which simultaneously provides stereo audio output and either microphone input or video output. PAL and NTSC TV out is possible using a Nokia Video Connectivity Cable (included upon purchase) or a standard TRRS -> 3x RCA cable.
There is a High-Speed USB 2.0 USB Micro-B connector provided for data synchronization, mass storage mode (client) and battery charging. This micro-USB connector was prone to failure. The Nokia N900, unlike previous versions of Nokia's Internet Tablet, hasn't enabled support for USB On-The-Go (the ability to act as a USB host) by default, this in order to meet the deadlines for production and USB certification. There is an ongoing community effort to add this support subsequently, currently the software is in beta stage. Requiring a non-standard USB cable or USB A-A adapter and software from the development repository.
The built-in Bluetooth v2.1 supports wireless earpieces and headphones through the HSP profile. The Nokia N900 supports hardware capable of stereo audio output with the A2DP profile. Built-in car hands-free kits are also supported with the HFP profile. File transfer is supported (FTP) along with the OPP profile for sending/receiving objects. It is possible to remote control the device with the AVRCP profile. The DUN profile which permits access to the Internet from a laptop by dialing up on a mobile phone wirelessly (tethering), the HID profile which provides support for devices such as Bluetooth keyboards and PAN profile for networking using Bluetooth are unsupported but can be enabled.
The Bluetooth set also functions as an FM Receiver, allowing one to listen to the FM radio. The N900 also has a 88.1–107.9 MHz FM transmitter which can, for example, play music through a separate radio. (Note that the FM transmitter's frequency range can be extended to 76.0–107.9 MHz by community supported modifications to the operating system) Furthermore, the Nokia N900 has Wi-Fi b/g connectivity with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 (AES/TKIP) security protocols.
The Nokia N900 can synchronize with Microsoft Outlook through ActiveSync and various other e-mail and calendar clients through SyncML over bluetooth or the micro-USB. Contact information can also be exchanged via the vCard file format which is supported commonly by e-mail programs, including Evolution and Microsoft Outlook.
The device also features an infrared port (not compatible with IrDA) that can be used to turn the Nokia N900 into a remote controller using third-party software.
Battery and SIM
The battery life of the shipped BL-5J (1320mAh) battery in N900 seems very deficient and it was not able to make it through a full working day with an internet connection and call usage. In a press release Nokia stated they are aiming at "one day of full usage" or "Always online : Up to 2-4 days (TCP/IP connected)" and "Active online usage: Up to 1+ day". Early reports from users range from 12 hours (Wi-Fi on, web browsing, video and some GPS), to about 2 days online but not used continuously. The value appears to be highly dependent on the user's choice of background software, active desktop widgets, IM and email polling, as well as mobile network signal quality (especially 3G) and in some cases, software bugs. Nokia reported talk times are around 9 hours with GSM and 5 hours with 3G. Battery life can be extended significantly by switching off GPS/A-GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth and by replacing 3G by 2G / GPRS.
While previous Internet Tablets used larger batteries (1500 mAh compared with the N900's 1320 mAh), they are based on a less efficient microprocessor. Typical battery time for the Nokia N810 is around 7 hours of continuous full usage, display and Wi-Fi on. In principle, on N900 figures are expected to be much higher. Third party extended batteries up to 2400 mAh capacity are available for the N900. Also, there are community supported modifications that can be performed on 3rd party N900 compatible batteries, usually involving putting two of said batteries in parallel, which can increase the effective battery capacity of the Nokia N900 to over 3000 mAh.
The SIM card is located under the battery which can be accessed by removing the back panel of the Nokia N900. The microSD(HC) card socket is also located under the back cover (but not under the battery). No tool is necessary to remove the back panel.
Storage
The Nokia N900 has 32 GB eMMC and 256 MB NAND non-removable storage. Additional storage is available via a hot swappable microSDHC card socket, which is claimed to support up to 200 GB of additional storage. However, the SDHC specification supports cards only up to 32 GB in size, and some difficulty has been reported with the use of 64+ GB SDXC cards. Sandisk claims that SDXC cards are not compatible with the N900.
Hot swapping is achieved via a software-supported magnetic sensor which detects removal of the back cover, so the partition residing on a microSDHC card is unmounted when the back cover is removed. The microSDHC card can be formatted with a supported file system such as ext2, ext3, FAT16 and FAT32.
The 32 GB eMMC is split into 3 partitions:
2 GB as ext3 mounted to /home
768 MB as swap
the remainder as VFAT mounted to /home/user/MyDocs with about 27 GB of free space.
The 256 MB NAND is formatted as UBIFS and contains the bootloader, kernel image and root directory "/" with about 100 MB of free space.
Programs larger than 500 kB including dependencies should be stored in /opt which is symlinked to /home/opt and therefore located on the 2 GB ext3 partition. The VFAT partition is also available for storage but needs to be used carefully as it is unmounted and exported if a USB cable is connected to the device.
Software
Maemo 5, also known as Fremantle, is the default operating system on the Nokia N900. Maemo 5 is Nokia's adaptation of the Linux desktop environment for a pocket-sized device. The UI is fully customizable: the user is able to move widgets around, add/remove widgets, change the background and add shortcuts to applications. The N900 comes preloaded with a variety of applications such as:
Web: Mozilla-based web browser called MicroB, which includes Adobe Flash 9.4 and RSS reader. (Updates to Flash 10.1 are available)
Phone application
VoIP: Session initiation protocol, Skype with video chat, Google Talk with Video
Conversations (IM chat and SMS, MMS (only with the PR1.2 software update))
Media: Camera, Photos, Media player
Productivity: Email, Calendar, PDF reader, Contacts
Ovi Maps (Find position on a map using the GPS, Search an address or location, Plan routes)
Utilities: Clock, Notes, Calculator, Sketch, File manager
System Tools: File manager, Application manager for downloads, Widgets
Games: Bounce, Chess, Mahjong, Blocks (Tetris), Marbles
More than 1500 additional applications (an overwhelming majority of them free to download and use) have been created by 3rd party developers. Custom kernels are also available via the App Manager for users who need more out of their devices.
Maemo uses upstart to reduce the boot time.
An application called "Easy Debian" installs a Debian LXDE image on the internal memory, enabling applications such as IceWeasel (Firefox browser) and all of the OpenOffice.org suite to run within Maemo. Other applications in the Synaptic package manager that are included in the Debian installation, such as GIMP, can run within the LXDE interface. Software can also be added to Debian using Maemo's chroot utility using Synaptic or apt-get at the command line, such as Stellarium or the zim desktop wiki, and this can then be accessed either via the LXDE desktop, by icons in the program manager, or by shortcuts on the desktop.
SIM Application Toolkit
In Nokia N900, there is no SIM Application Toolkit available (also known as "operator menu"), so it is not possible to use any services that require it. As a result, there is no support for a SIM to interact directly with the outside world and initiate commands independently of the handset and the network, making N900 not vulnerable to installation of malicious SIM Java applications via text messages.
Issues with various value-added services resulting from no availability of SIM Application Toolkit include the following:
Estonia MobileID (mobile National ID) is not working on N900
Germany "Lycamobile Services" is not displayed, which can be used to update the SIM card configuration when it cannot connect to network, by switching between automatic and manual mode
Kenya MPESA & ZAP (mobile money transfer) services are not available on the N900
Norway "mobile BankID" is not working (N900 cannot work as mobile banking token).
Philippines "Smart Menu" is not available on N900
Romania DigiMobil Roaming is not working on N900
Romania Vodafone Numar Dual (Dual Number) is not working on N900
Sweden "Mobil BankID" is not working on N900
Tanzania MPESA & ZAP (mobile money transfer) services are not available on N900
Known issues
Nokia often offers new N8 or E7 devices as warranty replacements for N900s. Although warranty terms and consumer rights legislation differ across jurisdictions, users have reported success in refusing those and pressing for an N900 in at least the EU and India as recently as August 2011. Owners who are not confident of getting an N900 as a warranty replacement often attempt to repair their own devices, or sell the Nokia-provided replacement to buy an N900 instead.
The N900's proximity sensor, which is designed to lock the touch screen when the phone is against the user's ear to prevent accidental operation, locks the screen unintentionally in bright light (usually outdoors) when a call is placed or received. Nokia has acknowledged that it is a "hardware issue" and cannot be addressed. To unlock the screen in a phone call, a tactile unlock switch in the right side of the device can be used. This however will keep the touch screen active and accidental operation of the phone keys in a call may occur when device is used as a handset. This issue has been blamed on the application of screen protectors, however N900 users without screen protectors are also experiencing the problem.
The N900's MicroUSB (charger) port is very fragile; some people have successfully fixed this problem either with epoxy glue, or by resoldering the USB port onto the circuit board. Some of the chips in N900's GSM module might be badly soldered to the circuit board, resulting in multiple N900 devices reported as troubled by the inability for the SIM card to be detected. This issue is fixable by putting something between the GSM-related chips and their shielding, though a proper fix would be reballing.
Legacy
It was announced in May 2010 that the Nokia N900 will be the last mobile communication device running the Maemo 5 operating system, which will be replaced by MeeGo. Nokia will continue to support the N900 with updates when necessary.
While transition to the succeeding MeeGo operating system is possible, this is mainly of interest to developers rather than consumers, as it is not officially supported by Nokia. There has been some interest within the user community in working on backporting MeeGo developments to Maemo for the N900, and this places it as being an interesting device for people within the wider Open Source community more than consumers.
A download of the MeeGo operating system is available, but not officially supported by Nokia. Nokia used to say that MeeGo was going to succeed Maemo for new devices; however, on 11 February 2011 Nokia announced it will be primarily concentrating on their alliance with Microsoft. MeeGo development will not be stopped and one MeeGo device will become available in 2011.
On 3 March 2011, Jukka Eklund, Product Manager, MeeGo OS at Nokia announced in the MeeGo-dev mailing list that there will be a MeeGo 1.2 Developer Edition for N900 developed by a dedicated Nokia team led by Mika Leppinen. The target of this particular edition is to be usable as a primary phone device for a developer/hacker person but not for regular end users.
The September 2011 announcement that Intel and the Linux Foundation were abandoning MeeGo in favor of Tizen prompted the developer community to begin to seriously doubt the future of MeeGo on the N900.
Subsequently, developers rapidly left the project, leading to an abrupt halt of discussion on the Meego-dev mailing list.
The MeeGo Developer Edition after a rename to MeeGo Community Edition evolved into Nemo, which is based on Mer and is currently (October 2012) actively developed.
The Nitdroid project, which ports Android to other devices as an alternate operating system, is also available for the N900. However, little progress has been made on achieving voice calling under Nitdroid N900, and the main developer, who goes by the online handle "e-yes", has moved on to developing for other devices such as the Nokia N9.
A community-based project aiming to provide a hardware upgrade for the N900, called Neo900, began in late 2013 as a collaboration between the Openmoko and Maemo communities. As of May 2019, the project was officially announced as dead by the project leads on IRC although the Neo900 web site still seems to be operational as of 12 November 2020. The hardware upgrade would have quadrupled the device's RAM, provided a processor nearly twice as fast as the one in original N900, and integrated additional sensors such as a gyroscope and compass. It was likely that a more modern LTE modem would also have been included if the project hadn't been canceled.
See also
postmarketOS
Internet appliance
Internet tablet
Nokia 770
Nokia N800
Nokia N810
Nokia N97
Nokia N9
Nokia N950
Nokia X platform
Nokia X family
Jolla
Jolla (smartphone)
Sailfish OS
List of open source mobile phones
Notes
References
External links
Nokia USA N900 product page
Nokia Europe N900 product page
Nokia N900 review – Engadget
"The Digital Camera Revolution", Science News, 28 January 2012; Vol.181 #2 (N900 as the first commercial programmable camera)
Mobile Linux
Linux-based devices
Mobile phones with an integrated hardware keyboard
Open-source mobile phones
Nokia Nseries
Mobile phones with infrared transmitter
Mobile phones with user-replaceable battery
Slider phones
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60092456
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyotron
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Nyotron
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Nyotron is an information-security company. It was established in 2009 by brothers Nir and Ofer Gaist. Nir Gaist is the CTO, and Sagit Manor (a former executive at Verifone) became the CEO in 2017. The company is based in Santa Clara, CA, with an R&D office in Herzliya, Israel.
History
In 2006 18-year-old Nir Gaist created the original concept for the technology that became Nyotron's flagship product, Paranoid. In 2007, he and Ofer traveled to Bucharest, Romania to develop the prototype.
In 2008 he returned to Israel seeking support from investors. Major General (ret.) Amos Malka, former Director of Intelligence of the IDF, was among the first investors and served as Nyotron's first Chairman of the Board.
In 2014, the first official version of Paranoid was shipped. In 2016, Nyotron moved its headquarters to Santa Clara, CA. The company launched the Global War Room SOC console in 2017 and began offering Paranoid as a service. This "Managed Detection and Response" (MDR) service, provided a solution for companies that require protection against advanced attackers and unknown threats, but have limited security staff.
In 2018, Nyotron signed a distribution agreement with Ingram Micro. The company published an in-depth research report on the activities of the OilRig nation-state actor (aka APT34). Nyotron also joined the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO).
Paranoid Technology
Paranoid's anti-malware and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) technology are grounded on three realizations:
There are a handful of major Operating Systems.
Their designed (good) behavior is finite.
Their core functionality changes infrequently.
Nyotron created a map of the known good behavior of the operating system in the areas where malicious activity would attempt access, such as file systems, process and thread management, networking and registry, and partition modification. This approach is called OS-Centric Positive Security, or automatic OS behavior whitelisting. The language used for describing these “maps” is called Behavior Patterns Mapping (BPM). This patented language does not require machine learning/artificial intelligence or any other statistical or math-based algorithm. Instead, it is deterministic. Its algorithm's complexity is O(1), which means the performance doesn't degrade with the volume of input.
As its OS-Centric Positive Security approach focuses only on the “good” behavior of the operating system, Paranoid detects and blocks both known and unknown malware (including zero-day exploits). The company calls this “threat-agnostic defense”.
In addition to protection, Paranoid provides visibility into the attack's timelines, root cause and attacker's methods (TTPs).
Funding
In 2015 the company raised $10 million from Mivtach Shamir Holdings and other investors. In 2017, $21 million was raised by Douglas and Sandra Bergeron, founders of DGB Investments, with other investors. In 2018 Ingram Micro made a strategic investment of $10 million.
Certifications, reviews and awards
In July 2017 Paranoid was a part of SC Magazine'''s Endpoint Security Group Test and received 5 out of 5 stars. The publication stated, “from the perspective of breadth and depth of analytical capability, it is one of the best, if not the best, displays of its type that we have ever seen.”
In September 2017, Nyotron was labeled as a “Vendor to Watch” by Enterprise Management Associates. Nyotron was also named as a Top 50 Cyber Security Leader of 2017 by Cyber Defense magazine.
In 2018, Paranoid was named “The Innovator in Endpoint Security for 2018” by Cyber Defense.
In September 2018, IT Central Station'' released a review of Paranoid, giving it 4 out of a possible 5 stars, stating “All the ransomware that is now happening in many companies, this product is a solution for that. Ransomware is like a virus and transforms - it's changing every day. This product really is the best solution for this security issue. It's protecting the end-point from a ransomware threat.”
In October 2018, ICSA Labs released a report, stating Nyotron's Paranoid was ICSA Labs certified in Advanced Threat Defense. The report goes on to say that Nyotron detected 100% of the 441 malicious samples tested, and had only 1 false positive out of 721 innocuous apps in the test.
In February 2019, Nyotron won silver Cybersecurity Excellence Awards in the categories of Most Innovative Cybersecurity Company and Advanced Persistent Threat Protection.
In February 2021, the company's "Vaccine for Ransomware" spam campaign caused recipients to submit the sending emails & domain to Microsoft as spam.
References
Companies based in Herzliya
Companies based in Santa Clara, California
Computer security organizations
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4211520
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vsftpd
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Vsftpd
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vsftpd, (or very secure FTP daemon), is an FTP server for Unix-like systems, including Linux. It is the default FTP server in the Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora, NimbleX, Slackware and RHEL Linux distributions. It is licensed under the GNU General Public License. It supports IPv6, TLS and FTPS (explicit since 2.0.0 and implicit since 2.1.0).
Details
works through the Unix account management, meaning that a user account with the user name and password desired for the FTP server must exist on the operating system, and listed inside .
Its configuration file is located at . The settings are changed using a text editor.
Compromised website
In July 2011, it was discovered that vsftpd version 2.3.4 downloadable from the master site had been compromised. Users logging into a compromised vsftpd-2.3.4 server may issue a ":)" smileyface as the username and gain a command shell on port 6200. This was not an issue of a security hole in vsftpd, instead, an unknown attacker had uploaded a different version of vsftpd which contained a backdoor. Since then, the site was moved to Google App Engine.
See also
Comparison of FTP server software
Pure-FTPd
References
External links
vsftpd Forum a vsftpd support Forum
Guide to setting up vsftpd including TLS/SSL encryption
FTP server software
Free server software
Free file transfer software
FTP server software for Linux
Unix Internet software
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6334341
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data%20Becker
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Data Becker
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Data Becker GmbH & Co. KG was a German publisher of computer books and a company for software and computer accessories based in Düsseldorf. The company ceased operations in March 2014.
History
It was founded in Düsseldorf on January 7, 1981, by Dr. Achim Becker and Harald Becker, initially as a specialist shop for computer accessories, entered the publishing business in 1983 after home computers such as the C64 became commercially successful, and since then has published software, IT literature and computer trade journals. Data Becker was mostly well known for its web publishing software, Web to date.
The 1980s: Home computing
In the beginning, Data Becker catered primarily to users of Commodore 64 and C128 home computers, publishing an extensive range of books as well as programming tools and application software. The most advanced of the company's books delved deeply into the internals of the aforementioned computers and their peripherals, often revealing features that were undocumented by the manufacturer.
The 1990s: Licences abroad
In the United States, English editions of Data Becker's home computing books and software were published by Abacus Software. In the British market, initially First Publishing Ltd, did the same job, followed by Data Player Ltd t/a Data Becker UK from 1993 to 2001. The Danish and Norwegian markets were supplied with Danish language editions of the software and books by publishing house Nordic Computer Software (NCS). The French editions were published by Micro Application.
In the late 1990s, in Germany, Data Becker also marketed Chessbase's Shredder and Fritz chess programs as 3D Schach Genie or Schach Genie.
2000: International failure
In an attempt to become a worldwide publisher, Data Becker UK ltd. was established in 1999. Data Becker Companies in the US, Spain and the Netherlands followed. Data Becker UK had initial success with their music-software range (Music Center was voted "Music Production Software of the Year" in 2000 by Future Music Magazine, Music CD Recorder, MP3 Wizard) but it soon vanished as the publisher pressed for a more family-oriented portfolio with titles like "3D Home Designer", "Becker Draw', Becker CAD 3d' and "Becker Chart" and credibility in professional markets was lost. Overall this strategy did not prove successful and the offices of Data Becker UK and Data Becker USA (in Boston) were closed down in 2003.
. In 2001, Data Becker employed around 160 people. The company headquarters of Data Becker was in Düsseldorf-Bilk, the magazine editorial office and the book publisher were in the immediate vicinity. The shop was given up in 2011.
2014: Closure of all business operations
In October 2013, the head company in Germany announced it was going to suspend all business activities at the 31st of March 2014. The online shop was closed on February 17, 2014.
Products
In the area of software, Data Becker recently published programs for Internet projects (website, online shop, community) and private users (system tools, print applications and planning software, "Golden Series"). The last products in the software segment were Web to date and PDF Professional. In 2000, the computer game America: No Peace Beyond the Line, developed by Related Designs, was released. PC accessories such as ink cartridges and cleaning products were also offered. The company's products have been distributed in several European countries as well as the United States.
External links
International company website
Company website
Milestones in the company's history
References
Book publishing companies of Germany
Software companies of Germany
Publishing companies established in 1980
Mass media in Düsseldorf
1980 establishments in West Germany
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32089985
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casino%20%28computer%20virus%29
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Casino (computer virus)
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The casino computer virus is a malicious virus that upon running the infected file, copies the File Allocation Tables (FATs) to random-access memory (RAM), then deletes the FAT from the hard disk. It challenges the user to a game of Jackpot of which they have 5 credits to play with, hence the name. No matter if they win or lose, the computer shuts down, thereby making them have to reinstall their DOS. The message it shows when it challenges you read(s):
The casino computer virus activates on the 15th of January, April, August.
See also
Comparison of computer viruses
Sources
External links
Internet Archive-hosted version of the virus
DOS file viruses
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20350544
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivetti%20M24
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Olivetti M24
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The Olivetti M24 is a computer that was sold by Olivetti in 1983 using the Intel 8086 CPU.
The system was sold in the United States under its original name by Docutel/Olivetti of Dallas. AT&T and Xerox bought rights to rebadge the system as the AT&T PC 6300 and the Xerox 6060 series, respectively. (AT&T owned 25% of Olivetti around this time.) The AT&T 6300, launched in June 1984, was AT&T's first attempt to compete in the PC compatible market.
Versions
The initial 1984 US version named AT&T 6300 came with either one or two 360 KB 5.25" floppy drives; a hard disk was not offered.
In Europe, Olivetti launched a 10.0 MHz version: the Olivetti M24 SP, announced in November 1985, a contender for the title of "highest clocked 8086 computer" as its processor was the fastest grade of 8086-2, rated for a maximum speed of exactly the same 10.0 MHz. To support this, the motherboard now featured a switchable 24/30 MHz master crystal, still divided by 3 to produce the 33% duty CPU clock, with an additional 4 MHz crystal to maintain that clock signal for peripherals that required it, and the video board receiving its own 24 MHz crystal to maintain the same image size and scan frequencies at both processor speeds.
In October 1985, AT&T launched the 6300 Plus that used a 6 MHz 286 microprocessor in the same case as the 6300. On the hardware level, this machine was criticized by an InfoWorld reviewer for being incompatible with AT cards. On the other hand, AT&T sold a package of the 6300 Plus bundled with Simultask, which ran MS-DOS and UNIX System V simultaneously, at a cost—with all software licenses included—on par with the IBM PC AT with MS-DOS alone. A review in PC Magazine declared that AT&T's 6300 Plus was "flat out the better machine" compared to the IBM PC/AT.
The version of Simultask included with the 6300 Plus was based on Locus Computing Corporation's Merge software. In order to allow MS-DOS applications to run as "concurrent UNIX tasks", a non-standard hardware unit known as OS Merge was provided, allowing DOS applications to "think" that they had "complete control over the system" and offering "almost complete compatibility with IBM PC software", with a reported performance penalty when running applications such as Microsoft Flight Simulator of around 15 percent. Such additional hardware was necessary to support these virtualisation features due to the limitations of the 80286. The PC 6300 Plus shipped with MS-DOS in 1985 though, because its Unix System V distribution would not be ready until the end of March 1986. The 6300 Plus did not sell as well as the original 6300. Forrester Research estimated in December 1986 that AT&T's financial losses in PC market were about $600M for the year.
In 1986, AT&T began offering 3.5" 720 KB floppies and 20MB hard disks. The Xerox 6060 came standard with a single 360 KB 5.25" drive and a 20 MB hard drive. An Iomega Bernoulli 10/10 removable cartridge drive was also offered as a factory option, as well as a "small expansion" sidecar hosting a hard drive for users who found themselves with no internal space left between floppies and expansion cards.
After the 6300 Plus, AT&T announced that it was turning over both production and development of its PC products to Olivetti. In 1987, AT&T offered a true AT-based 286, their 6310— a rebadge of Olivetti M28. Equipped with a one-wait state 8 MHz processor, it was a pretty slow machine for its class, even slower than the IBM XT 286. Simultask was also an option for the 6310. The later-released 6312 addressed the speed problem with a 12-MHz CPU. After the announcement of the 6310, in April 1987, AT&T announced price cuts across its 6300 PC product line, with the 6300 Plus discounted by 27-38%, while the original 6300 was discounted by 17-23% (depending on configuration.)
6300s made in 1986-1987 have BIOS Version 1.43 which added proper support for 3.5" floppies and fixed a number of bugs. As with all contemporary systems, a BIOS upgrade required a physical chip replacement, which AT&T provided for $35.
Features
The M24 was designed to be highly compatible with IBM PC. One of its characteristics was the use of the more powerful 8.0 MHz Intel 8086 CPU rather than the 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 used in IBM's own PC XT, configured for "maximum mode" that allowed direct installation of an 8087 math co-processor (also at 8 MHz) to the motherboard. The CPU clock, along with most others in the machine (other than the serial baud rate generator and an IBM-standard 14.3 MHz crystal used on the expansion board), was divided down from a 24.0 MHz master crystal, with the CPU timing in particular using an Intel 8284 clock generator, as per the IBM PC, to produce the 33% duty cycle pulse wave required by the 8086.
The system was designed "split-level", with the motherboard screwed onto the underside of the computer case and connected to the ISA bus backplane in the top section of the case via the video card which, rather than occupying an ISA slot, has two female edge connectors and plugs onto the ends of both the motherboard and the backplane, doubling as a bridge between them. The M24 has seven 8-bit ISA slots, as were standard for its time, but a number of slots (exact figure seeming to vary between one and at least four across extant machines) have proprietary second connectors to accept Olivetti-specific 16-bit cards. The machine had the bad luck of launching just a few months before the IBM PC/AT, which introduced the entirely different 16-bit connector and signalling standard extension to the PC bus now known simply as "ISA", and so ended up featuring slots incompatible on all three fronts of physical configuration, complement and arrangement of signals, and data transfer rate, significantly restricting the number of compatible 16-bit cards produced for it.
CGA compatible video card
The M24/6300 had an unusual enhanced 32 KB CGA-compatible video card which, in addition to standard 200-line CGA graphics modes (automatically line doubled, transparent to software, with text modes also using 400 scanlines with higher quality 8×16 pixel fonts, or even 16×16 in 40-column mode with an expansion ROM), also supported an additional 640×400 pixel graphics mode, as well as a poorly documented 512×256 mode for compatibility with the earlier M20 model (in conjunction with a Z8000-based emulator card that included a necessary additional clock source). All modes were non-interlaced, albeit running at a then-common 50 Hz Vsync rate, and required the dedicated OEM 26.3 kHz, 12" monitor (either colour or multi-level monochrome) because of their comparatively high line frequency, with all but the M20 mode using the 24 MHz system master crystal to drive the pixel clock either directly or (320×200 and 8×16 40-character only) divided in two (in comparison, contemporary IBM displays ran at 15.8 to 21.9 kHz with 14.3 to 16.3 MHz dot clocks).
Colour depth remained the standard fixed 4-colour CGA palettes in 320×200, and "monochrome" in all higher modes (any selectable RGB(I) foreground colour/one of 15 shades, with a fixed black background), but could be expanded to 4 or 8 colours/greyscales in all resolutions, and 16 in all but 512×256, with the addition of a graphics memory expansion board holding between 32 and 96 KB RAM (the resolution:colour relationship being unintuitive due to CRTC bandwidth and addressing limitations - 16 colours in the 640-pixel modes effectively combined the standard and expansion memory spaces into a single 64-bit wide bank); the expansion card also had its own monitor port built in allowing native dual-monitor support.
CGA compatibility was necessarily limited to "RGB" modes, and "well behaved" software that only used the BIOS-preset modes and didn't attempt too much clever direct reprogramming of the CRTC registers (including setting of pseudo-text hack modes like 160×100 16 colours), as there was no composite video output available and although some basic register settings remained the same, others were necessarily very different because of the line doubling trickery (itself a type of CRTC hack) and altered scan rates, and Olivetti's protective "scrambler" chip that attempted to convert custom settings to the nearest safe equivalents could only go so far. In its turn, the machine's headline 640×400 graphics mode received a moderate level of support from software developers, mostly for "serious" applications such as Lotus 1-2-3 and Symphony (Earl Weaver Baseball is however an example of a game that can use it), and was for a time both supported and emulated (as well as extended to e.g. 752x410) by various "Super EGA"/"any mode on any monitor" cards such as the ATI EGA Wonder. These, as well as any other replacement video card, could be used in the 6300 so long as they were designed to work either specifically with the machine (for high speed 16-bit cards), or in an IBM PC compatible mode (necessarily 8-bit at 4.77 MHz). However, the original graphics card had to remain in place even if no longer in use, as it formed an essential part of the bridge connecting the expansion board to the motherboard, and although it featured DIP switch jumpers to select between MDA/Hercules, 40 and 80 column CGA, and expanded video options including its own (as per the IBM motherboard settings), there was no "disable" switch. Instead, the (socketed) Motorola HD6845 CRTC main controller chip had to be removed, and replaced with a simple but remarkably expensive bridging circuit (or a user installed set of jumper wires to the correct half-dozen socket terminals) to bypass the necessary bus signals through the card untouched.
Some plasma-screen and early LCD based portables from Compaq and other manufacturers also copied the M24/6300's graphics hardware to make better use of early square-pixel 640×400 panels popular for Japanese and other non-IBM portables (still well suited to the basic CGA/EGA resolutions, but not so much EGA-high or MDA/EGA text, and unable to show MCGA/VGA-high or Hercules graphics without cropping or losing details) in an IBM Compatible hardware ecosystem that otherwise avoided the mode. However, it remained on the whole a poorly supported oddity, much like IBM's own PGC and most Super EGAs outside of their limited library of applications with direct driver support, and PC graphics on the whole did not exceed 640×350 in 16 colours or 720×348 in monochrome until the arrival of both the VGA standard, and Windows 3.0 which provided a simple one-driver-for-all-programs framework for future expansion cards to build on.
Keyboard
Olivetti produced 2 official keyboards for the M24
Keyboard 1 - ANK 2463 (With 83 keys)
Keyboard 2 - ANK 2462 (With 92 keys)
The keyboard used a proprietary 9-pin D-sub connector built into the system board and had the unusual option of plugging a mouse into the keyboard via another 9-pin D-Sub connector. The mouse could be configured to simulate the usage of the keyboard's arrow keys in DOS applications without mouse support, aided by the choice of a parallel quadrature encoding design (as per the Microsoft Bus Mouse, Commodore Amiga and Atari ST mice, all of which can be modified to work with the 6300) instead of the latterly more common 9-pin serial transmission.
Reception
A January 1985 review in InfoWorld declared it "a fair performer, better than the 8088-equipped IBM PC and PC XT and about equal to the 8086-based Compaq Deskpro", and taking pricing into account concluded that it was "a good deal, but by no means perfect." The reviewer wondered how the "5 MHz" 8086 in the Compaq ran as fast as the same processor at 8 MHz in the AT&T machine; however, this appears to be a misunderstanding given that the Compaq was switchable between a guaranteed IBM PC-compatible 4.77 MHz and an enhanced-performance 7.16 MHz clock rate (respectively one-third and one-half of the same NTSC colourburst crystal used in the IBM, but not the Olivetti/AT&T), and defaulted to the latter on boot, as detailed in other publications of the time, and endlessly misreported (including as "8 MHz", about as frequently as the miscalculated "7.14 MHz") ever since. The reason behind the M24/6300's failure to perform any better than equal with the 1/9th-slower Deskpro may be traceable, as hinted at in the InfoWorld review, to poorly optimised graphics routines in the BIOS, which would have a particularly noticeable effect in the high resolution 640x400 and extended colour modes.
A November 1985 review in PC Magazine of the hard drive-equipped version found it on par with the (6 MHz, 80286 equipped) IBM PC AT as far as processor performance was concerned, but with considerably slower I/O.
The initial model of the AT&T 6300 (no hard disk and only 360K floppy) had slow sales in 1984 with only sold compared to 1.5 million IBM PCs. The sales were not much better in the first three months of 1985, with only sold in that time period. If fact, worldwide sales of the Olivetti M24 were only in the first year, well below the planned production capacity of . As a result, AT&T introduced the faster models with hard drive and a math co-processor in March. Still, after about one year on the market, AT&T had only claimed about 1% of the PC market, on par with that of TeleVideo and Columbia Data Products, but well below that of Compaq and Kaypro. By December 1986 however, AT&T's PC line (including the 6300 Plus, described below) put it in the fourth place in terms of market share in the US.
Olivetti's M24 did much better in Europe, where it became the market leader in 1986. The company produced almost half a million M24 machines that year, about of which went to the United States. As it claimed the crown of most PC machines sold in Europe that year, Olivetti also became the third largest PC manufacturer worldwide. Olivetti would however be unable to repeat the feat in the subsequent years, and so 1986 represents the company's apogee in terms of PC market share.
The 6300 was also supported by Unix-based operating systems particularly by Venix/86 Encore, released in September 1984, and by a version of Xenix adapted for the machine by the Santa Cruz Operation, and announced in June 1985.
Successors in Olivetti's product line
In response to IBM's launch of their PS/2 line, Olivetti revamped their product line in July 1987 to include 3.5" floppy drives (in 5.25-to-3.5" converted bays though) and also introduced new 386-based products. The M24 (and M24 SP) were succeeded by the M240 (8086 at 10 MHz, which AT&T marketed in the USA as the 6300 WGS) while the M28 (and M28 SP) was succeeded by the M280 (80286 at 12 MHz). Olivetti also introduced an M380 series (both tower and desktop) using the 80386 processor.
See also
AT&T UNIX PC (7300)
Olivetti M19
Polaroid Palette
References
Further reading
Bob Troiano's review of the AT&T PC 6300, BYTE, December 1985, page 294-302
The Man who Plots AT&T's Computer Strategy, InfoWorld, April 15, 1985, p. 16
Bancaditalia.it
External links
Olivettim24.hadesnet.org
Old-Computers.com - AT&T PC 6300
https://web.archive.org/web/20090515115421/http://home.online.no/~kr-lund/olivetti.htm
AT&T product announcement brochure for the 6300 Plus
M24 SP brochure (in German)
Bitsavers.trailing-edge.com
Web.archive.org
Olivetti personal computers
IBM PC compatibles
Computer-related introductions in 1983
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeric%20Question
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Homeric Question
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The Homeric Question concerns the doubts and consequent debate over the identity of Homer, the authorship of the Iliad and Odyssey, and their historicity (especially concerning the Iliad). The subject has its roots in classical antiquity and the scholarship of the Hellenistic period, but has flourished among Homeric scholars of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
The main subtopics of the Homeric Question are:
"Who is Homer?"
"Are the Iliad and the Odyssey of multiple or single authorship?"
"By whom, when, where, and under what circumstances were the poems composed?"
To these questions the possibilities of modern textual criticism and archaeological answers have added a few more:
"How reliable is the tradition embodied in the Homeric poems?"
"How old are the oldest elements in Homeric poetry which can be dated with certainty?"
Oral tradition
The very forefathers of text criticism, including Isaac Casaubon (1559–1614), Richard Bentley (1662–1742) and Friedrich August Wolf (1759–1824) already emphasized the fluid-like, oral nature of the Homeric canon.
This perspective, however, did not receive mainstream recognition until after the seminal work of Milman Parry. Now most classicists agree that, whether or not there was ever such a composer as Homer, the poems attributed to him are to some degree dependent on oral tradition, a generations-old technique that was the collective inheritance of many singer-poets (or , aoidoi). An analysis of the structure and vocabulary of the Iliad and Odyssey shows that the poems contain many regular and repeated phrases; indeed, even entire verses are repeated. Thus according to the theory, the Iliad and Odyssey may have been products of oral-formulaic composition, composed on the spot by the poet using a collection of memorized traditional verses and phrases. Milman Parry and Albert Lord have pointed out that such elaborate oral tradition, foreign to today's literate cultures, is typical of epic poetry in an exclusively oral culture. The crucial words here are "oral" and "traditional". Parry starts with the former: the repetitive chunks of language, he says, were inherited by the singer-poet from his predecessors, and were useful to him in composition. Parry calls these chunks of repetitive language "formulas".
Many scholars agree that the Iliad and Odyssey underwent a process of standardization and refinement out of older material, beginning in the 8th century BC. This process, often referred to as the "million little pieces" design, seems to acknowledge the spirit of oral tradition. As Albert Lord notes in his book The Singer of Tales, poets within an oral tradition, as was Homer, tend to create and modify their tales as they perform them. Although this suggests that Homer may simply have "borrowed" from other bards, he almost certainly made the piece his own when he performed it.
The 1960 publication of Lord's book, which focused on the problems and questions that arise in conjunction with applying oral-formulaic theory to problematic texts such as the Iliad, the Odyssey and even Beowulf influenced nearly all subsequent work on Homer and oral-formulaic composition. In response to his landmark effort, Geoffrey Kirk published a book entitled The Songs of Homer, in which he questions Lord's extension of the oral-formulaic nature of Serbian epic poetry in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the area from which the theory was first developed) to Homeric epic. He holds that Homeric poems differ from those traditions in their "metrical strictness", "formular system[s]" and creativity. Kirk argued that Homeric poems were recited under a system that gave the reciter much more freedom to choose words and passages to achieve the same end than the Serbian poet, who was merely "reproductive".
Shortly afterwards, Eric A. Havelock's 1963 book Preface to Plato revolutionized how scholars looked at Homeric epic by arguing not only that it was the product of an oral tradition but that the oral-formulas contained therein served as a way for ancient Greeks to preserve cultural knowledge across many different generations. In his 1966 work Have we Homer's Iliad?, Adam Parry theorized the existence of the most fully developed oral poet up to his time, a person who could (at his discretion) creatively and intellectually form nuanced characters in the context of the accepted, traditional story; in fact, Parry altogether discounted the Serbian tradition to an "unfortunate" extent, choosing to elevate the Greek model of oral-tradition above all others. Lord reacted to Kirk and Parry's respective contentions with Homer as Oral Poet, published in 1968, which reaffirmed his belief in the relevance of Serbian epic poetry and its similarities to Homer, and downplayed the intellectual and literary role of the reciters of Homeric epic.
In further support of the theory that Homer is really the name of a series of oral-formulas, or equivalent to "the Bard" as applied to Shakespeare, the Greek name Homēros is etymologically noteworthy. It is identical to the Greek word for "hostage". It has been hypothesized that his name was back-extracted from the name of a society of poets called the Homeridae, which literally means "sons of hostages", i.e., descendants of prisoners of war. As these men were not sent to war because their loyalty on the battlefield was suspect, they would not be killed in conflicts, so they were entrusted with remembering the area's stock of epic poetry, to remember past events, from the time before literacy came to the area.
In a similar vein, the word "Homer" may simply be a carryover from the Mediterranean seafarers' vocabulary adoption of the Semitic word base ’MR, which means "say" or "tell". "Homer" may simply be the Mediterranean version of "saga". Pseudo-Plutarch suggests that the name comes from a word meaning "to follow" and another meaning "blind". Other sources connect Homer's name with Smyrna for several etymological reasons.
Time frame
Exactly when these poems would have taken on a fixed written form is subject to debate. The traditional solution is the "transcription hypothesis", wherein a non-literate singer dictates the poem to a literate scribe in the 6th century BC or earlier. Sources from antiquity are unanimous in declaring that Peisistratus, the tyrant of Athens, first committed the poems of Homer to writing and placed them in the order in which we now read them. More radical Homerists, such as Gregory Nagy, contend that a canonical text of the Homeric poems did not exist until established by Alexandrian editors in the Hellenistic period (3rd to 1st century BC).
The modern debate began with the Prolegomena of Friedrich August Wolf (1795). According to Wolf, the date of writing is among the first questions in the textual criticism of Homer. Having satisfied himself that writing was unknown to Homer, Wolf considers the real mode of transmission, which he purports to find in the Rhapsodists, of whom the Homeridae were an hereditary school. Wolf reached the conclusion that the Iliad and Odyssey could not have been composed in the form in which we know them without the aid of writing. They must therefore have been, as Bentley has said, a sequel of songs and rhapsodies, loose songs not collected together in the form of an epic poem until about 500 years after their original composition. This conclusion Wolf supports by the character attributed to the Cyclic poems (whose want of unity showed that the structure of the Iliad and Odyssey must be the work of a later time), by one or two indications of imperfect connection, and by the doubts of ancient critics as to the authenticity of certain parts.
This view is extended by the complicating factor of the period of time now referred to as the "Greek Dark Ages". This period, which ranged from approximately 1100 to 750 BC, followed the Bronze Age period of Mycenaean Greece during which Homer's Trojan War is set. The composition of the Iliad, on the other hand, is placed immediately following the Greek Dark Age period.
Further controversy surrounds the difference in composition dates between the Iliad and Odyssey. It seems that the latter was composed at a later date than the former because the works' differing characterizations of the Phoenicians align with differing Greek popular opinion of the Phoenicians between the 8th and 7th centuries BC, when their skills began to hurt Greek commerce. Whereas Homer's description of Achilles's shield in the Iliad exhibits minutely detailed metalwork that characterized Phoenician crafts, they are characterized in the Odyssey as "manifold scurvy tricksters".
Identity of Homer
Wolf's speculations were in harmony with the ideas and sentiment of the time, and his historical arguments, especially his long array of testimonies to the work of Peisistratus, were hardly challenged. The effect of Wolf's Prolegomena was so overwhelming, and its determination so decisive, that, although a few protests were made at the time, the true Homeric controversy did not begin until after his death in 1824.
The first considerable antagonist of the Wolfian school was Gregor Wilhelm Nitzsch, whose writings cover the years between 1828 and 1862 and deal with every side of the controversy. In the earlier part of his Metetemata (1830), Nitzsch took up the question of written or unwritten literature, on which Wolf's entire argument turned, and showed that the art of writing must be anterior to Peisistratus. In the later part of the same series of discussions (1837), and in his chief work (Die Sagenpoesie der Griechen, 1852), he investigated the structure of the Homeric poems, and their relation to the other epics of the Trojan cycle.
These epics had in the meantime been made the subject of a work which, for exhaustive learning and delicacy of artistic perception, has few rivals in the history of philology: the Epic cycle of Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker. The confusion which previous scholars had made between the ancient post-Homeric poets (such as Arctinus of Miletus and Lesches) and the learned mythological writers (like the scriptor cyclicus of Horace) was first cleared up by Welcker. Wolf had argued that, had the cyclic writers known the Iliad and Odyssey which we possess, they would have imitated the unity of structure which distinguishes these two poems. The aim of Welcker's work was to show that the Homeric poems had influenced both the form and the substance of epic poetry.
Thus arose a conservative school which admitted more or less freely the absorption of preexisting lays in the formation of the Iliad and Odyssey, and also the existence of considerable interpolations, but assigned the main work of formation to prehistoric times and the genius of a great poet. Whether the two epics were by the same author remained an open question; the tendency of this group of scholars was towards separation. Regarding the use of writing, too, they were not unanimous. Karl Otfried Müller, for instance, maintained the view of Wolf on this point, while strenuously combating the inference which Wolf drew from it.
The Prolegomena bore on the title-page the words "Volumen I", but no second volume ever appeared; nor was any attempt made by Wolf himself to compose it or carry his theory further. The first important steps in that direction were taken by Johann Gottfried Jakob Hermann, chiefly in two dissertations, De interpolationibus Homeri (Leipzig, 1832), and De iteratis apud Homerum (Leipzig, 1840), called forth by the writings of Nitzsch. As the word "interpolation" implies, Hermann did not maintain the hypothesis of a conflation of independent lays. Feeling the difficulty of supposing that all ancient minstrels sang of the wrath of Achilles or the return of Odysseus (leaving out even the capture of Troy itself), he was led to assume that two poems of no great compass, dealing with these two themes, became so famous at an early period as to throw other parts of the Trojan story into the background and were then enlarged by successive generations of rhapsodists. Some parts of the Iliad, moreover, seemed to him to be older than the poem on the wrath of Achilles; and thus, in addition to the Homeric and post-Homeric matter, he distinguished a pre-Homeric element.
The conjectures of Hermann, in which the Wolfian theory found a modified and tentative application, were presently thrown into the shade by the inure trenchant method of Karl Lachmann, who (in two papers read to the Berlin Academy in 1837 and 1841) sought to show that the Iliad was made up of sixteen independent lays, with various enlargements and interpolations, all finally reduced to order by Peisistratus. The first book, for instance, consists of a lay on the anger of Achilles (1–347), and two continuations, the return of Chryseis (430–492) and the scenes in Olympus (348–429, 493–611). The second book forms a second lay, but several passages, among them the speech of Odysseus (278–332), are interpolated. In the third book, the scenes in which Helen and Priam take part (including the making of the truce) are pronounced to be interpolations; and so on.
New methods try also to elucidate the question. Combining information technologies and statistics, the stylometry allows to scan various linguistic units: words, parts of speech, and sounds. Based on the frequencies of Greek letters, a first study of Dietmar Najock particularly shows the internal cohesion of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Taking into account the repetition of the letters, a recent study of Stephan Vonfelt highlights the unity of the works of Homer compared to Hesiod. The thesis of modern analysts being questioned, the debate remains open.
Current status of the Homeric Question
Most scholars, although disagreeing on other questions about the genesis of the poems, agree that the Iliad and the Odyssey were not produced by the same author, based on "the many differences of narrative manner, theology, ethics, vocabulary, and geographical perspective, and by the apparently imitative character of certain passages of the Odyssey in relation to the Iliad." Nearly all scholars agree that the Iliad and the Odyssey are unified poems, in that each poem shows a clear overall design, and that they are not merely strung together from unrelated songs. It is also generally agreed that each poem was composed mostly by a single author, who probably relied heavily on older oral traditions. Nearly all scholars agree that the Doloneia in Book X of the Iliad is not part of the original poem, but rather a later insertion by a different poet.
Some ancient scholars believed Homer to have been an eyewitness to the Trojan War; others thought he had lived up to 500 years afterwards. Contemporary scholars continue to debate the date of the poems. A long history of oral transmission lies behind the composition of the poems, complicating the search for a precise date. It is generally agreed, however, that the "date" of "Homer" should refer to the moment in history when the oral tradition became a written text. At one extreme, Richard Janko has proposed a date for both poems to the eighth century BC based on linguistic analysis and statistics. Barry B. Powell dates the composition of the Iliad and the Odyssey to sometime between 800 and 750 BC, based on the statement from Herodotus, who lived in the late fifth century BC, that Homer lived four hundred years before his own time "and not more" (καὶ οὐ πλέοσι), and on the fact that the poems do not mention hoplite battle tactics, inhumation, or literacy. At the other extreme, scholars such as Gregory Nagy see "Homer" as a continually evolving tradition, which grew much more stable as the tradition progressed, but which did not fully cease to continue changing and evolving until as late as the middle of the second century BC. Martin Litchfield West has argued that the Iliad echoes the poetry of Hesiod, and that it must have been composed around 660-650 BC at the earliest, with the Odyssey up to a generation later. He also interprets passages in the Iliad as showing knowledge of historical events that occurred in the ancient Near East during the middle of the seventh century BC, including the destruction of Babylon by Sennacherib in 689 BC and the Sack of Thebes by Ashurbanipal in 663/4 BC.
See also
Ancient accounts of Homer
Notes
References
Homer - Books, Biography, Quotes - Read Print
Gibson, Twyla. Milman Parry: The Oral-Formulaic Style of the Homeric Tradition. Online. 6 December 2007.
Harris, William. Homer the Hostage. Online. 6 December 2007.
Michalopoulos,Dimitri (2016), Homer's Odyssey beyond the Myths, The Piraeus: Institute of Hellenic Maritime History,
Parry, Adam. "Have we Homer's Iliad?" Yale Classical Studies. 20 (1966), pp. 177–216.
Varsos, Georges Jean, "The Persistence of the Homeric Question", Ph.D. thesis, University of Geneva, July 2002.
Homeric scholarship
Literary criticism
Greek mythology studies
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational%20Infrastructure%20for%20Geodynamics
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Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics
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The Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (CIG) is a community-driven organization that advances Earth science by developing and disseminating software for geophysics and related fields. It is a National Science Foundation-sponsored collaborative effort to improve geodynamic modelling and develop, support, and disseminate open-source software for the geodynamics research and higher education communities.
CIG is located at the University of California, Davis, and is a member-governed consortium with 62 US institutional members and 15 international affiliates.
History
CIG was established in 2005 in response to the need for coordinated development and dissemination of software for geodynamics applications. Founded with an NSF cooperative agreement to Caltech, in 2010, CIG moved to UC Davis under a new cooperative agreement from NSF.
Software
CIG hosts open source software in a wide range of disciplines and topic areas, such as geodynamics, computational science, seismology, mantle convection, long-term tectonics, and short-term crustal dynamics.
Software Attribution for Geoscience Applications (SAGA)
CIG started the SAGA project with an NSF EAGER award from the SBE Office of Multidisciplinary Activities for "Development of Software Citation Methodology for Open Source Computational Science".
References
External links
Earth sciences software infrastructure organizations
Geodynamics
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII%20Express
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ASCII Express
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ASCII Express is a telecommunications program, written for the Apple II series of computers. At a time when the use of the bulletin board system (BBS), or even telecommunications in general wasn't a common use of the Apple II, ASCII Express (from hereon as its more common name "AE") was the choice among telecommunication users throughout much of the 1980s.
ASCII Express II
The original version of AE, called ASCII Express II, was written by Bill Blue in 1980, and distributed by Southwestern Data Systems. AE II runs on any Apple II with DOS 3.x and one of a small handful of modems available, including the Hayes Micromodem II. This version was used mostly by telecommers to access paid BBSs, including THE SOURCE, CompuServe, as well as free BBSs. The interface of AE II is basically menu-driven, with virtually none of the features included that is expected of a telecomm program today, such as terminal emulation and multi-file transfer protocols like YMODEM and ZMODEM.
ASCII Express the Professional
By 1982, ASCII Express II ceased development, and was replaced by a totally re-written replacement called ASCII Express "The Professional", also known as "ASCII Express Professional" or its much shorter name "AE Pro". This version was a collaboration between Bill Blue and Mark Robbins. AE Pro was a command-line driven telecomm program packed with many features lacking in its predecessor, including scripting, YMODEM and ZMODEM, terminal emulation, and support for Apple ProDOS 8. AE Pro can also be used as a pseudo-BBS when configured as a host, allowing a user to dial-in and exchange files. This type of system was coined the name AE line.
Earlier versions of AE Pro were distributed by Roger Wagner of Southwestern Data Systems, and later by United Software Industries (founded by Mark Robbins, Bill Blue and others). Greg Schaefer converted AE Pro from Apple DOS 3.3 to Apple ProDOS in an afternoon, and received US$5000 for his efforts.
In 1984 Bill Blue and Joe Holt ported AE Pro to MS-DOS and 8086 assembly language. In 1985 Joe Holt and Greg Schaefer rewrote AE Pro for the Apple II taking advantage of the platform's new mouse and MouseText features. It also featured advanced scripting and a full-featured mouse-based text editor. This product was released as MouseTalk. AE Pro and MouseTalk were soon overshadowed by ProTERM, a telecomm product that utilizes many of the advanced features of the Apple IIe and IIc, such as 65C02 opcodes, use of the mouse, and macros.
The dawn of peer to peer file sharing
The early 1980s was the period when modeming was becoming very active throughout the world. Hundreds of Apple II-based BBSs popped up, most of them used only as message boards. With the aid of free Apple II hacking software like Dalton's Disk Disintegrator (DDD), computer users were able to take an un-protected floppy disk, compress it into multiple files, then transmit those files to another user. This was actually one of several origins of what is known today as peer-to-peer file transfers.
While other Apple II-based telecomm programs, such as DiskFur and CatFur, allowed for complete disk and file transfers, there was a need for a portal concept - one that is hosted using a BBS as its entry point. This way, a community including software enthusiasts and those who trade in unlicensed software could collaborate as well as exchange software.
AE Pro was at the time the only telecomm program that was accessible, via an undocumented hack, from virtually any other BBS software, such as GBBS, Networks II, among other programs. This allowed for sysops to control access to the AE lines via user accounts. With many of the users phreaking their way into AE lines, these portals allowed for international warez communities to develop.
AE knock-offs were also developed, including PAE (Pseudo Ascii Express--"Written by a Pirate for Pirates") and PAE ProDOS, both written as free add-ons to GBBS. Unlike AE, the source code was freely available for these add-ons. A popular MSDOS-based BBS Celerity BBS from the 1990's had a "CAE" (Celerity Ascii Express) mode which dropped a caller into a no-user-record file transfer system.
Reception
II Computing listed ASCII Express Professional tenth on the magazine's list of top Apple II non-game, non-educational software as of late 1985, based on sales and market-share data.
References
External links
Subculture of the Subculture, describing the on-line copyright infringement phenomenon of the 1980s.
The Do's and Don'ts of ASCII Express, an example document written in 1985, lecturing newbies how to use AE lines.
Historical BBS List, many of them being AE lines.
PAE ProDOS, GBBS and PAE ProDOS source files from Shooting Star BBS.
Apple II software
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52257996
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MX%20Linux
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MX Linux
|
MX Linux is a midweight Linux operating system based on Debian stable and using core antiX components, with additional software created or packaged by the MX community. MX Linux was developed as a cooperative venture between the antiX and former MEPIS communities. The MX 'name' came from the M for MEPIS and the X from antiX - an acknowledgment of their roots. The community's stated goal is to produce "a family of operating systems that are designed to combine elegant and efficient desktops with high stability and solid performance".
MX Linux uses the Xfce desktop environment as its flagship, to which it adds a freestanding KDE Plasma version and in 2021 a standalone Fluxbox implementation. Other environments can be added or are available as "spin-off" ISO images.
History
MX Linux began in a discussion about future options among members of the MEPIS community in December 2013. Developers from antiX then joined them, bringing the ISO build system as well as Live-USB/DVD technology. To be listed on the Linux distribution clearinghouse website DistroWatch, MX Linux was initially presented as a version of antiX. It received its own DistroWatch page with the release of the first public beta of MX-16 on November 2, 2016.
The MX-14 series was based on Debian Stable "Wheezy", using Xfce 4.10 and then, with the 14.4 release, Xfce 4.12. The MX-14 versions were intended to fit onto a CD, which limited the number of applications that could be included. This series saw the gradual evolution of the MX Tools, a collection of utilities to help users with common tasks that are often complicated and obscure.
MX-15 moved to the new Debian Stable "Jessie" using systemd-shim, meaning that systemd is installed but the default init is sysvinit. The size limitation was lifted, enabling the developers to present a full turnkey product. There was substantial expansion of MX Tools.
MX-16 was still based on Debian Stable "Jessie", but with many applications backported and added and from other sources. There were further refinements to MX Tools, import of advanced antiX developments, expanded support, and a completely new icon/theme/wallpaper collection.
MX-16.1 collected all bug fixes and improvements since MX-16, added a new kingfisher theme, upgraded and streamlined MX Tools, revised documentation, and added new translations.
MX-17 changed its base to Debian 9 (Stretch) and brought upgraded artwork, new MX Tools, improved Live operation via antiX and other changes.
MX-18 continued the development of MX Tools, introduced a new kernel, enabled whole disk encryption, and added grub themes, splash functionality through MX Boot options artwork, and improved localization.
MX-19 upgraded its base to Debian 10 (Buster) and its default desktop to Xfce 4.14. It is characterized by new and revised Tools, artwork, documentation, localization and technical features.
MX-21 was released on October 21 2021. It is based on Debian 11 (Bullseye) and is available as Xfce, KDE or Fluxbox versions. Details in the MX Blog.
Desktop Environments
Besides the fast and medium-low resource default XFCE desktop environment MX Linux also has two other desktop editions:
A free-standing 'Fluxbox' version with very low resource usage was released October 21, 2021.
A 'KDE' version was released on August 16, 2020 which is an Advanced Hardware Support (AHS) enabled (64-bit only) version of MX featuring the KDE/Plasma desktop and the currently features a long-term supported Linux 5.10.x AHS kernel.
In addition, a 'XFCE' (64 bit only) Advanced Hardware Support (AHS) was released with newer graphics drivers, 5.10 kernel and firmware for very recent hardware.
Releases
Features
MX Linux has basic tools like a graphic installer that handles UEFI computers, a GUI-based method to change a Linux kernel and other core programs.
It includes MX Tools, a suite of user-oriented utilities, many of which were developed specifically for MX, while some were forked from existing antiX applications or are existing antiX applications; a couple were imported with permission from outside sources.
A particularly popular one is MX-snapshot, a GUI tool to remaster a live session or installation into a single .ISO file. The "cloned" image is bootable from disk or USB flash drive, maintaining all settings, allowing an installation to be completely backed up, and/or distributed with minimal administrative effort, since an advanced method of copying the file system (developed by antiX-Linux) uses bind-mounts performing the "heavy lifting".
System Requirements
Minimum
8.5 GB hard disk space for installation.
1 GB RAM for i386 and AMD64 architectures.
Bootable CD-DVD drive or a USB stick.
A modern i686 Intel or AMD processor.
Recommended
20 GB of hard disk space, SSD for faster performance.
2 GB of RAM.
modern i686 Intel or AMD processor. Multi-core for good performance.
3D-capable video card for 3D desktop support.
SoundBlaster, AC97 or HDA-compatible sound card.
For use as a LiveUSB, 8 GB free if using persistence.
See also
antiX
MEPIS
References
External links
MX Linux support forum
MX Linux support group on facebook
A full list of substantive reviews, both written and video, that are known to MX Linux developers can be found with summaries on this page.
The complete feature list can be seen on this page.
2014 software
Computer-related introductions in 2014
Debian-based distributions
Linux distributions without systemd
X86-64 Linux distributions
Linux distributions
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9104577
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton%20360
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Norton 360
|
Norton 360, developed by Symantec, is an “all-in-one” security suite for the consumer market.
It was first released in 2007, but was discontinued in 2014; its features were carried over to its successor, Norton Security.
In 2019, Symantec, under its new corporate name NortonLifeLock, began promoting a "NEW Norton 360" as a product replacement for Norton Security.
Version history
Project Genesis
Symantec announced Project Genesis on February 7, 2006. Genesis would differ from Symantec's other consumer security products by incorporating file backup and performance optimization tools with antivirus capabilities and a firewall. Phishing protection and real-time heuristics were also planned. Windows Vista compatibility was a major aspect of Genesis. Genesis was slated for release in September. In May 2005, Microsoft announced Windows Live OneCare, a security suite with similar functionalities, slated for release in 2006.
Genesis was renamed Norton 360 on May 31, 2006. Its feature set was confirmed—it would have the same functionalities as Norton Internet Security—with file backup, performance tools, phishing protection, and real-time heuristics. A public beta test was planned for summer 2006. The final release date was set at the end of 2006. The same day, McAfee announced Falcon, a security suite with similar functionalities as Norton 360 and OneCare. However, those dates were delayed. OneCare was launched in summer 2006 while Falcon entered public beta testing.
Some viewed Norton 360 as a response to Microsoft's antivirus software, OneCare. However, with the release of OneCare, some saw Symantec as lagging behind its rivals. Mark Bregman, Symantec's vice president, claimed the upcoming Norton 360 was not intended to compete with OneCare, stating "We somehow left the wrong impression in the market place that there's Windows Live OneCare from Microsoft, there's Falcon from McAfee, and there's nothing from Symantec."
The first public beta was delivered in November 2006, compatible with Windows XP. A second beta was subsequently released December 20, 2006, adding compatibility for Windows Vista build 6000. After 100,000 people tested the software, Symantec began distribution to retailers in February 2007.
Version 1.0
Version 1.0 was released on February 26, 2007. This version was the first Symantec product to use SONAR to detect zero-day viruses. It monitors applications for malicious behavior, taking action as needed. The backup and restore functionality allowed users to back up files online or to a hard drive, CD, or DVD. Performance optimization tools allowed users to clear web browser history and temporary files. A disk defragmenter was bundled as part of the optimization tools. Phishing protection integrates with Internet Explorer, warning users of fraudulent sites.
In Windows XP, a 300 megahertz processor, 256 megabytes of RAM, and 300 MB of hard disk space is required. Under Vista, an 800 MHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, and 300 MB of hard disk space is required.
Reviews cited Norton 360's low resource usage, relative to Norton Internet Security 2007, and phishing protection. PC Magazine found the phishing protection feature to be more effective at blocking access to fraudulent sites than Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2. However, reviewers highlighted the lack of manual control for advanced users. CNET noted the lack of phishing protection for browsers other than Internet Explorer, such as Mozilla Firefox. CNET also highlighted the lack of wireless network tools, such as notifying users when someone uninvited joins the network or help encrypting wireless signals. PC Magazine criticized the antispam filter of Version 1.0, finding it blocked only half of the spam mail, and with five percent false positive rate.
Version 2.0
Version 2.0 was released March 3, 2008. The backup feature can now inscribe data to Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. Multiple installations of Norton 360 can also be managed from a centralized location. When backing up files online, the user can control the amount of bandwidth Norton uses. A registry cleaner is bundled with the performance tools, allowing the user to remove invalid entries. Phishing protection for Firefox was added. Supplementing the phishing protection is the Norton Identity Safe, which stores login credentials to websites. A network map allows users to view the status of other Norton installations on networked computers and view basic information about each computer. System requirements remain the same as version 1.0.
PC Magazine found the spam filter to be inaccurate, with a 25 percent false positive rate. CNET encountered problems when installing version 2.0 on legacy machines.
Version 3.0
Version 3.0 was released on March 4, 2009. This version uses the same codebase as Norton Internet Security 2009. For earlier versions, Symantec rewrote code specifically for Norton 360.
Version 3.0 incorporates Norton Safe Web, offered as a standalone service earlier. Safe Web integrates with Firefox and Internet Explorer as a toolbar, blocking access to fraudulent and malware hosting sites. This toolbar also includes a search box, routing search queries typed in the box through the Ask.com search engine. The toolbar does not share code with the Ask.com toolbar, which was classified as spyware by McAfee, Trend Micro, and other antivirus vendors. Due to criticism of the search functionality, Symantec announced the Ask.com search box would be hidden in future releases of version 3.0.
The capability to back up files to a flash drive was introduced in this release. Files stored on a flash drive can be copied to another computer without Norton 360 installed. Norton also creates a virtual drive in Windows Explorer, allowing users to browse their backup files, stored locally or online. Users can restore individual files using the drag-and-drop technique. Version 3.0 does not retain previous versions of files and skips files which are open by another program. A startup application manager was included in this release, allowing users to control which programs start at login. To complement the application manager, Norton can measure the impact programs have on login time.
PC Magazine highlighted version 3.0's inaccurate spam filter, misfiling half of valid mail as spam. PC Magazine also noted a support session with a Symantec technician who used the shareware application Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to remove malware from a computer, referring to it as an "online Norton program". Controversy was raised over the fact the technician misleadingly referred to the program as a Symantec product.
Version 4.0
Version 4.0 was released on February 17, 2010. This version adds many new security features found in Norton Internet Security 2010. Version 4 also features a GUI change. The prominent colors now match the gold and black sunburst of Norton Internet Security. The widely criticized antispam has been replaced with the far more effective Brightmail, which according to Symantec gives 20% better results and require no training.
Version 5.0
Version 5.0 was released in February 2011 and offers improved performance and virus detection. It also provides updated versions of SONAR (version 3) and System insight. Download Insight now not only supports Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers only, but also supports the following clients: QQ (Chat), MSN Messenger (Chat), Limewire (P2P), MSN Explorer (Browser, E-mail & Chat), Opera (Browser), Outlook (E-mail), Thunderbird (E-mail), Windows Mail (E-mail), Chrome (Browser), BitTorrent (P2P), AOL (Browser), Yahoo Messenger (Chat), Safari (Browser), FileZilla (File Manager), Outlook Express (E-mail).
It features a new and enhanced interface with more realistic icons and animations and it also includes Norton Widgets - a platform that integrates other Symantec online services directly in the UI. Also new for this version are Reputation scan, that gives the user clear insight of the loaded applications and files and the Safeweb for Facebook, which scans the links on the wall to verify their safety. Links to Norton Recovery Tools have been added in the scanner's interface and in the start menu folder to help in restoring a highly infected system. The backup and restore functionality has also been improved. Passmark performance test 011 rated Norton 360 5.0 as the fastest and lightest all-in-one suite.
Version 6.0
Featured Metered Broadband modes, and easily remembers logins and other personal info while protecting against online identity theft.
Version-Less (unofficially 7.0 or 2013) 20.0
This version of Norton was released on September 5, 2012, together with the newest Norton AntiVirus and Norton Internet Security products. It was described as Version-Less in Symantec's press release alluding to automatic updates that always keep the software to its latest version. There is no specific version reference anywhere in the description of the software. The software is compatible with Windows 8. This version of Norton 360 features enhancements in social networking protection, anti-scam capabilities, and stronger networking defenses. Norton also introduced the extra tune up disk optimizer.
Version 21 (2014)
Version 21 of Norton's security suite was released on September 4, 2013, together with the newest Norton Antivirus and Norton Internet Security products. Norton 360 is an antivirus solution developed on SONAR technology, which claims to be able to detect any threat, block it, and remove it, thanks to three out of five layers of shields: Threat Monitoring, Threat Removal, and Network Defense, the last one dealing with online threats before they can actually reach the user’s computer. Protection is also granted through analyzing the behavior of known menaces.
Another important aspect derives from stealth capabilities, as the five shields work silently in the background, performing scans, updates and back-ups automatically with no need whatsoever to care for important files. Browser Protection and Download Insight have a keen eye for dangerous applications, warning the user about eventual threats before running them on the computer.
Version 22 (2015)
Version 22 was released on September 22, 2014. This release was marketed as Norton Security 2015, however Norton 360 users are able to update to v22, even when Norton is retiring the Norton 360 brand. The appearance of the software is identical to Norton Security 2015, except for the product name in the top-left corner.
Norton 360 (2019)
In April 2019, the Norton 360 brand was revived to replace Norton Security, adding Norton Secure VPN, 10 GB of online backup per-user, as well as premium plans incorporating LifeLock identity theft protection.
Norton 360 Editions
Norton 360 is available as Norton 360 (standard), Norton 360 Premier Edition, and Norton 360 Multi-Device. The Premier Edition has all the functions of the standard edition, with the difference that it comes with 25 GB of online storage versus 2 GB which is included with the standard edition. Norton 360 Multi-Device is actually three products in one subscription: Norton 360 Premier Edition, Norton Internet Security for Mac®, and Norton Mobile Security. The comparison between Norton 360 editions and Norton One shows all of the features and OS coverage.
Norton 360- Gold Edition credit card type with 5 unique sets of alpha-numeric key data on reverse is sold with the instructions to go online and install on the installation page.
Norton 360 software is not sold; it is a purchased subscription for a stated period (e.g. one year). The software (e.g. firewall, antivirus) is automatically disabled at the end of the subscription period, unless a new subscription is purchased.
A special edition of Norton 360 Premier Edition, branded Norton Security Suite, used to be available for free to PC and Mac customers of Comcast Xfinity internet service until 1/1/2021. Comcast Norton Security Subscriptions ended 1/1/2021. The only difference between Norton 360 Premier Edition and Norton Security Suite is the latter does not include any online storage feature. Major version updates to Norton Security Suite typically occur about 1 month or more after Norton 360.
Windows 8 Consumer Preview compatibility
Windows 8 consumer preview was released on February 29, 2012.
Symantec announced that Norton AntiVirus and Internet Security, as well as the newest Norton 360 version 6 will be compatible with Windows 8.
Disadvantages of older versions before 3.0
FBI cooperation
Symantec, in compliance with the FBI, whitelisted Magic Lantern, a keylogger developed by the FBI. The purpose of Magic Lantern is to obtain passwords to encrypted e-mail as part of a criminal investigation. Magic Lantern was first reported in the media by Bob Sullivan of MSNBC on November 20, 2001 and by Ted Bridis of the Associated Press. Magic Lantern is deployed as an e-mail attachment. When the attachment is opened, a trojan horse is installed on the suspect's computer. The trojan horse is activated when the suspect uses PGP encryption, often used to increase the security of sent e-mail messages. When activated, the trojan horse will log the PGP password, which allows the FBI to decrypt user communications. Symantec and other major antivirus vendors have whitelisted Magic Lantern, rendering their antivirus products, including Norton Internet Security, incapable of detecting Magic Lantern. Concerns include uncertainties about Magic Lantern's full potential and whether hackers could subvert it for purposes outside the jurisdiction of the law.
Graham Cluley, a technology consultant from Sophos, said "We have no way of knowing if it was written by the FBI, and even if we did, we wouldn’t know whether it was being used by the FBI or if it had been commandeered by a third party". Another reaction came from Marc Maiffret, chief technical officer and cofounder of eEye Digital Security, "Our customers are paying us for a service, to protect them from all forms of malicious code. It is not up to us to do law enforcement's job for them so we do not, and will not, make any exceptions for law enforcement malware or other tools."
FBI spokesman Paul Bresson, in response if Magic Lantern needed a court order to deploy, "Like all technology projects or tools deployed by the FBI it would be used pursuant to the appropriate legal process." Proponents of Magic Lantern argue the technology would allow law enforcement to efficiently and quickly decrypt messages protected by encryption schemes. Implementing Magic Lantern does not require physical access to a suspect's computer, unlike Carnivore, a predecessor to Magic Lantern, since physical access to a computer would require a court order.
Uninstallation
Norton Internet Security (Windows versions) is criticized for not uninstalling completely, leaving unnecessary files and registry entries. Versions prior to 3.0 also installed a separate LiveUpdate program, which updates Norton-branded software. The user must uninstall both Norton Internet Security and the LiveUpdate component manually. The LiveUpdate component is purposely left behind to update other Norton-branded products, if present. Symantec has developed the Norton Removal Tool to remove registry keys and values along with files and folders. The uninstaller must be run twice: initially, then again after a computer restart, requiring a second restart. Uninstallation will not remove subscription data, which is preserved to prevent users from installing multiple trial copies.
Windows Service Packs
When Norton 360 version 2.0 is installed, users have encountered incompatibilities upgrading to Windows XP Service Pack 3 or Windows Vista Service Pack 1. Users report numerous invalid Windows Registry keys being added by a tool named fixcss.exe, resulting in an empty Device Manager and missing devices such as wireless network adapters. Symantec initially blamed Microsoft for the incompatibilities but has since accepted partial responsibility.
Dave Cole, senior director of product management, acknowledged that users running Norton products were experiencing problems, but said the numbers are small. Cole also said that Symantec had done "extensive testing" of its products with Windows XP SP3, but this issue was not encountered. Cole blamed Microsoft "This is related to XP SP3." Microsoft recommended for users to contact Windows customer support. To resolve the problem, Symantec has issued a fix intended for users before upgrading. Symantec also recommends disabling the tamper protection component in the 2008 release, dubbed SymProtect. A tool to remove the added registry entries is available from Symantec.
Windows Vista
Sarah Hicks, Symantec's vice president of consumer product management, voiced concern over Windows Vista 64-bit's PatchGuard feature. PatchGuard was designed by Microsoft to ensure the integrity of the kernel, a part of an operating system which interacts with the hardware. Rootkits may hide in an operating system's kernel, complicating removal. Mike Dalton, European president of McAfee said, "The decision to build a wall around the kernel with the assumption it can't be breached is ridiculous", claiming Microsoft was preventing security vendors from effectively protecting the kernel while promoting its own security product, Windows Live OneCare. Hicks said Symantec did not mind the competition from OneCare. Symantec later published a white paper detailing PatchGuard with instructions to obtain a PatchGuard exploit. After negotiations and investigations from antitrust regulators, Microsoft decided to allow security vendors access to the kernel by creating special API instructions.
Subscription expiration
Norton 360 comes with a one-year subscription which is activated upon installation, and is valid for three home computers. Expiration of the subscription not only blocks access to program updates but shuts down the antivirus and the firewall as well. All the other tools, such as the bundled password manager with user saved passwords are also inaccessible. Users often do not understand that they will be completely exposed, so their PCs become infected by viruses.
See also
Norton Internet Security
Norton AntiVirus
References
External links
Norton 360 Homepage
Norton 360
Antivirus software
Firewall software
Backup software
NortonLifeLock software
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622986
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compile%20farm
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Compile farm
|
A compile farm is a server farm, a collection of one or more servers, which has been set up to compile computer programs remotely for various reasons. Uses of a compile farm include:
Cross-platform development: When writing software that runs on multiple processor architectures and operating systems, it can be infeasible for each developer to have their own machine for each architecture — for example, one platform might have an expensive or obscure type of CPU. In this scenario, a compile farm is useful as a tool for developers to build and test their software on a shared server running the target operating system and CPU. Compile farms may be preferable to cross-compilation as cross compilers are often complicated to configure, and in some cases compilation is only possible on the target, making cross-compilation impossible.
Cross-platform continuous integration testing: in this scenario, each server has a different processor architecture or runs a different operating system; scripts automatically build the latest version of a source tree from a version control repository. One of the difficulties of cross-platform development is that a programmer may unintentionally introduce an error that causes the software to stop functioning on a different CPU/OS platform from the one they are using. By using a cross-platform compile farm, such errors can be identified and fixed.
Distributed compilation: Building software packages typically requires operations that can be run in parallel (for example, compiling individual source code files). By using a compile farm, these operations can be run in parallel on separate machines. An example of a program which can be used to do this is distcc.
One example of a compile farm was the service provided by SourceForge until 2006. The SourceForge compile farm was composed of twelve machines of various computer architectures running a variety of operating systems, and was intended to allow developers to test and use their programs on a variety of platforms before releasing them to the public. After a power spike destroyed several of the machines it became non-operational some time in 2006, and was officially discontinued in February 2007.
Other examples are:
GCC Compile Farm https://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/CompileFarm
OpenSUSE Build Service
FreeBSD reports service which lets package maintainers test their own changes on a variety of versions and architectures.
Launchpad Build Farm https://launchpad.net/builders
Mozilla has a build farm, but it is not public https://wiki.mozilla.org/ReleaseEngineering
Debian has a build farm https://buildd.debian.org/
OpenCSW build farm for Solaris x86 and Sparc
References
Cluster computing
Servers (computing)
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5844874
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MKS%20Toolkit
|
MKS Toolkit
|
MKS Toolkit is a software package produced and maintained by PTC that provides a Unix-like environment for scripting, connectivity and porting Unix and Linux software to Microsoft Windows. It was originally created for MS-DOS, and OS/2 versions were released up to version 4.4. Several editions of each version, such as MKS Toolkit for developers, power users, enterprise developers and interoperability are available, with the enterprise developer edition being the most complete.
Before PTC, MKS Toolkit was owned by MKS Inc. In 1999, MKS acquired a company based in Fairfax, Virginia, USA called Datafocus Inc. The Datafocus product NuTCRACKER had included the MKS Toolkit since 1994 as part of its Unix compatibility technology. The MKS Toolkit was also licensed by Microsoft for the first two versions of their Windows Services for Unix, but later dropped in favor of Interix after Microsoft purchased the latter company.
Version 10.0 was current .
Overview
The MKS Toolkit products offer functionality in the following areas:
Command shell environments of Bourne shell, KornShell, Bash, C shell, Tcl shell
Traditional Unix commands (400+), including grep, awk, sed, vi, ls, kill
Windows specific commands (70+), including registry, shortcut, desktop, wcopy, db, dde, userinfo
Tape and archive commands, including tar, cpio, pax, zip, bzip2, ar
Remote connectivity, including ssh, remote shell, telnet, xterm, kterm, rexec, rlogin
Porting APIs, including fork(), signals, alarms, threads
Graphical porting APIs, including X, ncurses, Motif, OpenGL
Supported operating systems
MKS Toolkit products support all IA-32 and x64 of the Microsoft Windows operating systems. There is some loss of functionality running IA-32 versions on Windows 9x. Earlier versions ran on MS-DOS and compatible operating systems.
See also
Cygwin
MinGW
Hamilton C shell
UnxUtils
UWIN
GnuWin32
References
Reviews
External links
MKS Home
Compilers
Programming tools
Compatibility layers
Unix emulators
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2783744
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randall%20C.%20Kennedy
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Randall C. Kennedy
|
Randall C Kennedy is director of research and cofounder of Competitive Systems Analysis, an IT consulting company. He was a former systems analyst for Giga Information Group. Kennedy was a contributor for InfoWorld, focusing on Windows, Microsoft and other topics, but was dismissed on February 21, 2010. In his announcement of the dismissal, InfoWorld editor-in-chief, Eric Knorr, stated that Kennedy had been dismissed for violating InfoWorld's policies of "integrity and honesty", and for "breach of trust".
Kennedy discovered an undocumented change in the protocol used by the Microsoft SQL Server Net-Lib component from named pipes to TCP/IP in Microsoft Data Access Components 2.6 that was fixed in the subsequent version 2.7). He also saw curious benchmark results when comparing performance of SQL Server on Windows NT 4 versus Windows 2000 but was prevented from publishing in Network World once Microsoft threatened legal action for his violation of the SQL Server software licence agreement.
InfoWorld dismissal
Kennedy was dismissed from InfoWorld on 19 February 2010 for 'misrepresenting himself to other media organisations as Craig Barth CTO of Devil Mountain Software (aka exo.performance.network) in interviews for a number of stories regarding Windows and other Microsoft software topics' as Eric Knorr of InfoWorld explained 21 February. Knorr also explained that Devil Mountain Software 'is a Randall Kennedy business that specialises in the analysis of Windows performance data. There is no Craig Barth and Kennedy has stated this fabrication was a misguided effort to separate himself (or more accurately his InfoWorld blogger persona) from his Devil Mountain Software business'.
Kennedy now insists he was not sacked, that InfoWorld were trying to save the situation, that he on his own decided to resign, and that he is having a good time on his island home on Mauritius.
References
Further reading
Foster, Ed (2001) Is it OK for Microsoft and others to forbid disclosure of benchmark results?
Fontana, Joe (5 March 2001) Microsoft gets tough with independent testers Network World.
Kennedy, Randall C (21 November 2001) It's not a bug, it's a feature InfoWorld.
Knorr, Eric (21 February 2010) "An unfortunate ending" InfoWorld.
Why we don't trust Devil Mountain Software (and neither should you) ZDNet
Insane blogger fools reporter, gets fired
if( Randall C. Kennedy == Craig Barth ){ Scandal }
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
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30436911
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1941%20USC%20Trojans%20football%20team
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1941 USC Trojans football team
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The 1941 USC Trojans football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern California as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference during the 1941 college football season. The team was led by first-year head coach Sam Barry who took over after Howard Jones died during the previous off-season. Barry also coached USC's basketball and baseball teams. The Trojans compiled a 2–6–1 record (2–4–1 against PCC opponents) and finished eighth out of ten in the conference.
Schedule
References
USC
USC Trojans football seasons
USC Trojans football
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65073375
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero%20trust%20security%20model
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Zero trust security model
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The zero trust security model (also, zero trust architecture, zero trust network architecture, ZTA, ZTNA), sometimes known as perimeterless security, describes an approach to the design and implementation of IT systems. The main concept behind the zero trust security model is "never trust, always verify,” which means that devices should not be trusted by default, even if they are connected to a permissioned network such as a corporate LAN and even if they were previously verified. Most modern corporate networks consist of many interconnected zones, cloud services and infrastructure, connections to remote and mobile environments, and connections to non-conventional IT, such as IoT devices. The reasoning for zero trust is that the traditional approach — trusting devices within a notional "corporate perimeter", or devices connected via a VPN — is not relevant in the complex environment of a corporate network. The zero trust approach advocates mutual authentication, including checking the identity and integrity of devices without respect to location, and providing access to applications and services based on the confidence of device identity and device health in combination with user authentication.
Background
The term "zero trust" was coined in April 1994 by Stephen Paul Marsh in his doctoral thesis on computer security at the University of Stirling. Marsh's work studied trust as something finite that can be described mathematically, asserting that the concept of trust transcends human factors such as morality, ethics, lawfulness, justice, and judgement.
The challenges of defining the perimeter to an organisation's IT systems was highlighted by the Jericho Forum in 2003, discussing the trend of what was then coined "de-perimiterisation". In 2009, Google implemented a zero trust architecture referred to as BeyondCorp. The term zero trust model was used in 2010 by analyst John Kindervag of Forrester Research to denote stricter cybersecurity programs and access control within corporations. However, it would take almost a decade for zero trust architectures to become prevalent, driven in part by increased adoption of mobile and cloud services.
In 2019 the United Kingdom National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recommended that network architects consider a zero trust approach for new IT deployments, particularly where significant use of cloud services is planned.
Principles and Definitions
In 2018, work undertaken in the United States by cybersecurity researchers at NIST and NCCoE led to the publication of SP 800-207, Zero Trust Architecture. The publication defines zero trust (ZT) as a collection of concepts and ideas designed to reduce the uncertainty in enforcing accurate, per-request access decisions in information systems and services in the face of a network viewed as compromised. A zero trust architecture (ZTA) is an enterprise's cyber security plan that utilizes zero trust concepts and encompasses component relationships, workflow planning, and access policies. Therefore, a zero trust enterprise is the network infrastructure (physical and virtual) and operational policies that are in place for an enterprise as a product of a zero trust architecture plan.
An alternative but consistent approach is taken by NCSC, in identifying the key principles behind zero trust architectures:
Single strong source of user identity
User authentication
Machine authentication
Additional context, such as policy compliance and device health
Authorization policies to access an application
Access control policies within an application
See also
Trust, but verify (Russian proverb)
References
Information technology
Computer network security
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D%20Realms
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3D Realms
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3D Realms Entertainment ApS is a video game publisher based in Aalborg, Denmark. Scott Miller founded the company in his parents' home in Garland, Texas (US) in 1987 as Apogee Software Productions, to release his game Kingdom of Kroz. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the company popularized a distribution model where each game consists of three episodes, with the first given away free as shareware and the other two available for purchase. Duke Nukem was a major franchise created by Apogee to use this model, and Apogee published Commander Keen and Wolfenstein 3D the same way.
Apogee adopted the trading name 3D Realms in 1996; the "Apogee Software" name and logo were sold to Terry Nagy in 2008, using which he established Apogee Entertainment. While Apogee focused on 2D platform games and puzzle games, 3D Realms produced fully 3D games and moved away from shareware distribution.
Following two extensively delayed games, Prey and Duke Nukem Forever, 3D Realms laid off significant portions of its staff and underwent a corporate restructure, retaining only production and publishing roles thereafter. In March 2014, the company was acquired by SDN Invest, a Danish holding company and part-owner of Interceptor Entertainment, and relocated to Denmark by December 2014. Miller remains an advisor for the company. In August 2021, the company was acquired by Embracer Group subsidiary Saber Interactive.
History
Background
In the early 1980s, Scott Miller often spent time in the computer lab of the high school he was attending, programming text adventures on the facility's Apple II and getting to know fellow student George Broussard. Following graduation, both of them took jobs at local amusement arcade The Twilight Zone, allowing Miller to attend college and increase his interest in video games at the same time. Following his sophomore year, Miller dropped out of the University of Dallas to focus entirely on video games, including participating in tournaments as well as programming his own games. At that time, he found a special interest in the Turbo Pascal programming language and its easy integration on IBM Personal Computers. Miller subsequently figured that his knowledge on video games should earn him more money than he made at The Twilight Zone, wherefore he, with assistance by Broussard, wrote a manual-style book on "how to beat video games". The book fell into obscurity due to an oversaturated market but landed Miller a job as a video game critic for The Dallas Morning News and minor game-centric papers. After four years of writing for the newspaper, he decided that he was capable of creating games that were better than those that he had to review and quit his job. Miller acquired a 16.5k modem, which he installed in his parents' house in Garland, Texas and started operating as a full-time independent game developer.
The Apogee Model (1987–1996)
Most games developed by Miller at the time used extended ASCII characters as graphics. The format appeared popular to him but ultimately proved unsuccessful when pitching them to publishers, adding to him not having a college degree or any professional experience in game development. As such, he considered self-printing copies of his games, or distributing them freely through bulletin board systems (BBS), where the boards' users make voluntary donations, a model known as shareware distribution. As the prior option seemed too expensive to Miller, he had to choose the latter, despite being urged not to by friends and colleagues. Miller released Beyond the Titanic and Supernova as shareware games in 1986 and 1987, respectively, but income was low, at roughly donated in a year for both games combined. Miller's next game, Kingdom of Kroz, was developed to include 60 levels, more than what he wanted to release to the public for no cost. As such, he developed a new distribution model, dubbed the "Apogee model", in which only a fraction of the game would be made available to play for free on BBS, which, upon completion, would display Miller's mailing address to the player and ask them to contact him to buy the rest of the game. He applied this model to Kingdom of Kroz by breaking it up into three parts, named episodes, and sharing the first one over BBS while retaining the other two for sale. Released on November 26, 1987, Kingdom of Kroz was the first game to bear the name of Miller's one-man company, Apogee Software Productions. The game proved successful, with checks sent to Miller amounting to roughly – and him receiving between and every single day. Broussard later joined Apogee, merging his own, lesser-known game company Micro-FX into it.
3D Realms (1996–2009)
With the original intent to create a division for every genre of game Apogee produced, the two brand names 3D Realms (formed in July 1994) and the now disused Pinball Wizards were created. Instead of publishing every game under Apogee as it had been in the past, the goal of this strategy was to create a different brand for each game genre, making each new game identifiable based on which brand it belonged to. This enabled Apogee to target different markets.
However, many of those varied genres such as platform or scrolling shooter (that were much of Apogee's early releases) were slowly dying out in the late 1990s, which made this strategy unnecessary. In addition, due to the increasingly lengthy development time in producing a game title, video game publishers were no longer releasing titles at the rapid rate at which they once were.
3D Realms was created in 1994 for the 3D game Terminal Velocity and was responsible for the latest installments of the successful Duke Nukem games and for producing the Max Payne series (earlier 3D games like Rise of the Triad were released under the Apogee name). The Pinball Wizards name was created for the 1997 pinball title Balls of Steel, but has not been used since.
The last game to be published under the Apogee name was Stargunner in 1996. Since 1998, all the company's games have been using a 3D engine (even if the gameplay is 2D, like in Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project). As a result, 3D Realms has replaced Apogee as the brand name to publish games under.
The Apogee name was spun off as Apogee Software, LLC, now Apogee Entertainment, in 2008 as a separate company that would handle distribution, remakes, and other developments related to older Apogee games.
Corporate restructuring, legal disputes (2009–2014)
Prey was released by 3D Realms on July 11, 2006, after being in development hell for eleven years. Prey was originally developed internally by 3D Realms, but after several years of delays, the company outsourced the development to Human Head Studios.
The other major project that 3D Realms was working on was Duke Nukem Forever, the sequel to Duke Nukem 3D. It was announced in 1997, and on May 6, 2009, its development was halted due to the development team being let go. The release date of the game was "when it's done." During the years of the development of the game, some outside developers have developed and published Duke Nukem spin-offs.
On May 6, 2009, due to lack of funding, major staff cuts were initiated with the entire development team being laid off and other employees being given notice of their employment with the company being terminated. The company website briefly went offline on that day, but went back up soon afterwards. While there was no statement at that moment on the closure, apart from messages on the 3D Realms forum, a message appeared in the front page of the site, showing a group photo of the 3D Realms team, with the caption "Goodbye. Thanks for being fans and for all your support."
It was reported on May 14, 2009 that Take-Two, holders of the publishing rights of Duke Nukem Forever, filed a breach of contract suit against Apogee Software Ltd (3D Realms) over failing to deliver the aforementioned title. Take-Two Interactive asked for a restraining order and a preliminary injunction, to make 3D Realms keep the Duke Nukem Forever assets intact during proceedings.
On May 18, 2009, 3D Realms key executives released the first full "press release" with their side of the developments. "3D Realms has not closed and is not closing. [...] Due to lack of funding, however, we are saddened to confirm that we let the Duke Nukem Forever development team go on May 6 [...] While [3D Realms] is a much smaller studio now, we will continue to operate as a company and continue to license and co-create games based upon the Duke Nukem franchise. [...] Take-Two's proposal was unacceptable to [3D Realms] for many reasons, including no upfront money, no guarantee minimum payment, and no guarantee to complete [Duke Nukem Forever]. [...] We viewed Take-Two as trying to acquire the Duke Nukem franchise in a "fire sale." [...] We believe Take-Two's lawsuit is without merit and merely a bully tactic to obtain ownership of the Duke Nukem franchise. We will vigorously defend ourselves against this publisher."
On September 3, 2010, Take-Two Interactive announced that development of Duke Nukem Forever had been shifted over to Gearbox Software, effectively ending 3D Realms' association with the game after 12 years of stunted development. 3D Realms remained a co-developer on Duke Nukem Forever, due to their involvement in developing most of the game. However, the rights and intellectual property were sold to Gearbox, who became the owners of the Duke Nukem franchise. 3D Realms retained certain rights to the Duke Nukem back catalogue, but transferred all rights to Gearbox Software in 2015.
An external developer, Interceptor Entertainment, started work on a fan-project remake of Duke Nukem 3D in 2010. They received a limited authorization from Gearbox to proceed with the game, which was named Duke Nukem 3D: Reloaded. However, after Duke Nukem Forevers release and negative reception in 2011, Duke Nukem 3D: Reloaded was put on hold indefinitely.
In an interview conducted with Scott Miller in April 2011, Miller specified that 3D Realms was involved with several projects citing, "Yes, we have several projects underway, all fairly small—not any big console games. Once [Duke Nukem Forever] comes out we'll be definitely looking to invest into other projects, and maybe other up-n-coming [sic] teams who are blazing new trails on smaller platforms, like smart phones and XBLA. We have a long history of investing in young, unproven teams, going way back to Id Software, and including other notables like Parallax Software (we were the first studio to invest in Descent), and Remedy Entertainment (Death Rally and Max Payne). So, we like that model and will keep doing it in the future. We seem to have a good eye for unproven talent waiting for some experienced guidance and hard-to-find funding."
In June 2013, 3D Realms sued Gearbox for unpaid royalties as well as unpaid money for selling the Duke Nukem intellectual property. The lawsuit was dropped in September 2013 with 3D Realms apologizing with an announcement that they had resolved any differences they had with Gearbox.
3D Realms has since sold the rights of some of its older titles, leading to several remakes. One of them, Rise of the Triad, was developed by Interceptor Entertainment and published in 2013 by Apogee Software, LLC. Another remake, Shadow Warrior, was developed by Flying Wild Hog and published by Devolver Digital in 2013.
In February 2014, Gearbox sued 3D Realms, Interceptor Entertainment and Apogee Software for developing a new game called Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction. Gearbox stated that it was still the rights holder of the Duke Nukem franchise, and permission had not been granted by them to develop the game. 3D Realms soon after released a statement admitting its wrongdoing. The lawsuit was settled in August 2015, with Gearbox stressing that it was still the lawful owner of the Duke Nukem intellectual property.
New ownership (2014–2021)
On March 2, 2014, it was announced that SDN Invest, the part-owner of Interceptor Entertainment, had acquired 3D Realms for an undisclosed sum. Mike Nielsen, the founder and chairman of SDN Invest, became the new chief executive officer of 3D Realms. That December, 3D Realms relocated its headquarters to Aalborg, Denmark.
In May 2014, 3D Realms revealed they were working on a new game called Bombshell. The game was released on January 29, 2016.
In 2017, 3D Realms announced a return to development with a ZOOM Platform partnership for Shadow Stalkers, which was expected to come out in 2018 for PlayStation 4, PC, Mac, and Linux platforms. Bernie Stolar and Jordan Freeman of ZOOM Platform, Scott Miller of 3D Realms, and actor Pierce Brosnan have been linked to the project. No releases have been made, as of yet. However, voice recording footage and pictures, have been released by Freeman and ZOOM Platform. The aforementioned footage and pictures include actors and comedians Andy Dick, Bruce Dern, Christian Erickson, Rich Vos and singer Sebastian Bach. Release appears set for 2020 with no 3D Realms involvement.
On February 28, 2018, 3D Realms announced the game Ion Maiden, a prequel to Bombshell, developed by Voidpoint and using Ken Silverman's Build Engine. In May 2019, the company was hit with a $2 million trademark infringement lawsuit by heavy metal group Iron Maiden who claimed Ion Maiden was "nearly identical to the Iron Maiden trademark in appearance, sound and overall commercial impression" and was "attempting to trade off on Iron Maiden’s notoriety." The company said it would "review its options once we receive official notice of the lawsuit and will make any necessary decisions at the appropriate time." In July 2019, 3D Realms and Voidpoint changed the name of Ion Maiden to Ion Fury, in order to put an end to the lawsuit. Ion Fury was released on August 15, 2019.
3D Realms announced Graven as a spiritual successor to Hexen II in September 2020, to be released on major consoles and computers in 2021.
Acquisition by Embracer Group (2021–present)
In August 2021, Embracer Group announced that they acquired the company through Saber Interactive, which will be the parent company.
Games
References
External links
Companies based in Garland, Texas
Video game companies established in 1987
1987 establishments in Texas
Video game companies of the United States
Video game companies of Denmark
Video game development companies
Video game publishers
2014 mergers and acquisitions
2021 mergers and acquisitions
Companies based in Aalborg
Saber Interactive
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tencent
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Tencent
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Tencent Holdings Ltd., also known as Tencent (腾讯), is a Chinese multinational technology and entertainment conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is also the largest company in the video game industry in the world based on its investments, with Tencent Games being its subsidiary focused on publishing of games.
Founded in 1998, its subsidiaries globally market various Internet-related services and products, including in entertainment, artificial intelligence, and other technology. Its twin-skyscraper headquarters, Tencent Seafront Towers (also known as Tencent Binhai Mansion) are based in the Nanshan District of Shenzhen.
Tencent is the world's largest video game vendor, as well as one of the most financially valuable companies. It is among the largest social media, venture capital, and investment corporations. Its services include social networks, music, web portals, e-commerce, mobile games, internet services, payment systems, smartphones, and multiplayer online games. It operates the instant messengers Tencent QQ and WeChat, and QQ.com. It also owns Tencent Music.
The company surpassed a market value of US$500 billion in 2018, becoming the first Asian technology company to cross this valuation mark. It has since then emerged as the most valuable publicly traded company in China, and among the world's top technology companies by market value. In 2015, 2018, and 2020, the company was ranked by the Boston Consulting Group and Fast Company among the 50 most innovative companies worldwide. Tencent has stakes in over 600 companies, and began focusing on tech start-ups in Asia in 2017. TechCrunch characterized Tencent's investment strategy as letting its portfolio startups operate autonomously. In January 2021, with a valuation approaching US$1 trillion, Tencent's share price plummeted.
History
1998–2010: Founding and growth
Tencent was founded by Pony Ma, Zhang Zhidong, Xu Chenye, Chen Yidan and Zeng Liqing in November 1998 as Tencent Inc, incorporated in the Cayman Islands. The name "Tencent" is based on its Chinese name Tengxun (腾讯), which incorporates part of Pony Ma's Chinese name (Ma Huateng; 马化「腾」) and literally means "galloping fast information". Initial funding was provided to it by venture capitalists. In February 1999, Tencent's messenger product OICQ released. Shortly after, Tencent had the client's name changed to QQ; this was said to be due to a lawsuit threat from ICQ and its owner AOL. The company remained unprofitable for the first three years.
South African media company Naspers purchased a 46.5% share of Tencent in 2001 As of 2021, it owns 30.86% through Prosus, which also owns a stake in Tencent's sister companies, such as OLX, VK, Trip.com Group, Delivery Hero, Bykea, Meesho, Stack Overflow, Udemy, Codecademy, Brainly and PayU. Tencent Holding Ltd was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 16 June 2004, and it was added as a Hang Seng Index Constituent Stock in 2008.
The company originally derived income solely from advertising and premium users of QQ, who pay monthly fees to receive extras. By 2005, charging for use of QQ mobile, its cellular value-added service, and licensing its penguin character, which could be found on snack food and clothing, had also become income generators. By 2008, Tencent was seeing profit growth from the sale of virtual goods.
While Tencent's services have included online gaming since 2004, around 2007/2008 it rapidly increased its offerings by licensing games. While at least two, CrossFire and Dungeon Fighter Online, were originally produced by South Korean game developers, Tencent now makes its own games. On 21 January 2011, Tencent launched Weixin (), a social media app. Now branded as WeChat, the app is one of the "super apps", due to its wide range of functions and platforms, and its over 1 billion monthly active users.
2011–2014: Early investments
On 18 February 2011, Tencent acquired a majority of equity interest (92.78%) in Riot Games, developer of League of Legends, for about US$230 million. Tencent had already held 22.34% of the equity interest out of a previous investment in 2008. On 16 December 2015, Riot Games sold its remaining equity to Tencent. Tencent acquired a minority stake in Epic Games, developer of franchises like Fortnite, Unreal, Gears of War and Infinity Blade, in June 2012.
Tencent in 2013 increased its stake in Kingsoft Network Technology, a subsidiary of Kingsoft Corporation, to 18%. Tencent previously had a 15.68% stake in the company and raised the stake through a US$46.98 million investment. Tencent took part in Activision Blizzard splitting from Vivendi as a passive investor in 2013 and now owns less than 4.9% of the shares as of 2017. On 17 September 2013, it was announced that Tencent had invested $448 million for a minority share in Chinese search engine Sogou.com, the subsidiary of Sohu, Inc.
On 15 January 2014, Tencent said it would invest HKD 1.5 billion (US$193.45 million) in logistics and warehouse firm China South City Holdings Ltd to develop its e-commerce and logistics business. On 27 February 2014, Tencent purchased a 20-percent stake in restaurant ratings and group-buying website Dianping for $400 million. On 10 March 2014, Tencent bought a 15 percent stake in Chinese e-commerce website JD.com Inc. by paying cash and handing over its e-commerce businesses Paipai, QQ Wanggou and a stake in Yixun to JD.com to build a stronger competitor to Alibaba Group.
On 22 May 2014, JD.com got listed on NASDAQ and Tencent expanded its stake in the company to 17.43% on a fully diluted basis by investing an additional US$1,325 million. On 27 March 2014, it was announced that Tencent had agreed to pay about $500 million for a 28 percent stake in South Korea's CJ Games. On 27 June 2014, Tencent announced that it had agreed to buy a 19.9 percent stake in Chinese e-commerce website 58.com (WUBA) Inc. for $736 million. On 17 April 2015, Tencent announced it bought an additional $400 million worth of shares, rising its stake in the company to about 25%. On 16 October 2014, via its wholly held subsidiary Hongze Lake Investment Ltd, Tencent announced that it had bought a 7% stake in lottery technology firm China LotSynergy Holdings Ltd for HKD 445.5 million (US$57.4 million).
On 23 October 2014, Tencent pitched in $145 million for a 10 percent stake in Koudai Gouwu, a Chinese mobile shopping portal. In November 2014, the company announced a deal with HBO which would give it exclusive rights for distribution in China. On 9 December 2014, Chinese taxi-hailing app Didi Dache announced that it had raised more than $700 million in a funding round led by Tencent and Singaporean state investment firm Temasek Holdings.
2015–present: Continued investments
In January 2015, Tencent launched WeBank (China), China's first online-only bank. On 30 January 2015, Tencent announced that it had signed a US$700 million deal with the National Basketball Association to stream American basketball games in China. Later that year, Chinese automaker BYD became the chief corporate sponsor for Tencent's NBA broadcasts. On 21 June 2016 Tencent announced a deal to acquire 84.3% of Supercell, developer of Clash of Clans, with US$8.6 billion. In July 2016, Tencent acquired a majority stake in China Music Corporation.
In 2016, Tencent, together with Foxconn and luxury-car dealer Harmony New Energy Auto founded Future Mobility, a car startup that aims to sell all-electric fully autonomous premium cars in 2020. On 28 March 2017, Tesla, Inc. announced Tencent had purchased a 5% stake in Tesla for US$1.78 billion, the automotive control systems of which it subsequently successfully performed penetration-testing until 2019.
In a "direct challenge to Chinese search engine Baidu," in May 2017, Tencent entered news feed and search functions for its WeChat app, which the Financial Times reported was used by 770 million people at the time.
In May 2017, Tencent surpassed Wells Fargo to enter the world's top 10 most valuable companies. Tencent has also entered an agreement with the Wuhu City Council to build the world's first eSports town in the city, which comprises an eSports theme park, eSports university, a cultural and creative park, an animation industrial park, creative block, tech entrepreneurial community and Tencent Cloud's data center. The site will be used for the education and accommodation of future eSports players, as well as hosting national eSports events and serving as a hub for Tencent's game development. Aside from Wuhu, another eSports theme park is planned in Chengdu.
In June 2017, Tencent became the 8th most valuable company in BrandZ's Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands, signalling its growing influence globally as well as the rise of Chinese brands. Alibaba overtook Tencent as Asia's most valuable company as its stocks surged after the company hosted its 2017 Investor's day. The company has also developed its own voice assistant Xiaowei, and is in the midst of discussion to acquire Rovio Entertainment, the developer of Angry Birds. At the same time, Tencent introduced its mini-programs feature that allows smartphone users to access mobile apps across the globe on WeChat without downloading them.
In July 2017, Tencent bought a 9% share in Frontier Developments, the creator of the Elite: Dangerous and Planet Coaster franchises; as well as developer for Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 & 3. In August 2017, after Tencent announced the second quarter 2016 financial report, the stock price rose by 6.2% in the Hong Kong stock market, and the market value reached US$429 billion. Tencent became the second Asian company after Alibaba Group to surpass US$400 billion market cap. Tencent has also created an alliance to its own AI self-driving program, similar to Baidu's Apollo Project, recruiting numerous industry players in the automotive industry. It is also collaborating with L'Oréal, the world's largest cosmetics company, to explore digital marketing under the Joint Business Partnership (JBP) agreement.
In November 2017, Tencent revealed that it had purchased a 12% stake in Snap Inc. in the open market, with plans to help establish Snapchat as a gaming platform. Tencent remained the largest video game publisher in the world by revenue, and had a market capitalisation of around $475 billion. In the same month, Tencent announced that WeChat reached 980 million monthly active users, and said to be earmarking billions of dollars to amass a catalogue of user-generated content, in competition with YouTube. The company became the first Asian company to cross US$500 billion valuation, surpassing Facebook to enter the top 5 list of the world's biggest firms.
In January 2018, Tencent and The Lego Group, the world's largest toy company, teamed up to jointly develop online games and potentially a social network aimed at children. It also launched its first unmanned shop in Shanghai. Tencent led a US$5.2 billion investment in Wanda Commercial, together with JD.com, Sunac and Suning Group, to acquire shares in the conglomerate. Wanda Commercial was renamed Wanda Commercial Management Group. Tencent bought a 5% to 10% minority stake in Skydance Media. On 23 January 2018, Tencent and Carrefour reached strategic co-operation agreement in China.
On 15 August 2018, Tencent reported a profit decline in the second quarter of 2018, ending a growth streak of more than a decade, as investment gains slid and the government's scrutiny of the gaming business weighed on the company. Shares of Tencent fell 3% in morning trade in Hong Kong after the rare drop in quarterly profit was reported, extending a slide that has wiped nearly $50 billion in market value from the company in that week. The sell-off dragged down many other Chinese internet stocks as well.
On 6 September 2018, Luckin Coffee signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Tencent.
In October 2019, Tencent began sending out refunds to customers after cancelling the broadcast of NBA games in response to the Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's social media comments in support of protests in Hong Kong.
On 29 June 2020, Tencent acquired the video-on-demand service iflix in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In September 2020, Tencent picked Singapore as its hub in Asia, joining rivals ByteDance and Alibaba in the race to reinforce their presence closer to home after complications in India and the United States.
In July 2021, China's antitrust regulator formally blocked Tencent's plan to merge China's top two video game streaming sites, Huya Live and DouYu, after it had failed to come up with sufficient remedies to meet the SAMR's requirements on giving up exclusive rights. This comes after the company recently withdrew the merger application for antitrust review and refiled it after SAMR told the company it could not complete the review of the merger within 180 days since its first filing. Tencent's plan to take search engine Sogou private was approved by the SAMR. Tencent later announced too its intention to take DouYu private, in part due to the unsuccessful merger, but also due to lacklustre business performance and disagreements over strategy among company executives. Tencent is currently the largest stakeholder in DouYu with a 37% stake.
On 17 December 2021, Tencent announced it had acquired Slamfire Inc. and its subsidiary Turtle Rock Studios, the developer behind Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood.
In January 2022, reports emerged that Tencent was one of the major tech conglomerates to receive a fine from the SAMR for failing to report their merger and acquisition (M&A) deals in advance. According to China's antitrust law, official approval is required before the completion of a M&A deal if the combined annual revenue of all entities involved is at least RMB 10 billion (US$1.57 billion), and at least two entities have at least RMB 400 million (US$62.7 million) in annual revenue. Of the 13 deals cited in total by the SAMR, each carried a fine of RMB 500,000 (US$78,700) and Tencent received a total fine of RMB 4.5 million (US$710,000) for its involvement in nine deals.
On 11 January 2022, it was announced that Tencent is in talks to acquire Xiaomi-backed Black Shark, one of the largest gaming smartphone makers in China. The acquisition will be Tencent's first in a hardware maker and would see Black Shark transition into a manufacturer of VR headsets to support Tencent's plans for its metaverse business in the future. Reports suggest that Black Shark will be acquired for RMB 2.7 billion (US$420 million).
Products and services
Social media
Launched in February 1999, Tencent QQ is Tencent's first and most notable product, QQ is one of the most popular instant messaging platforms in its home market. As of 31 December 2010, there were 647.6 million active Tencent QQ IM user accounts, making Tencent QQ the world's largest online community at the time. The number of QQ accounts connected simultaneously has, at times, exceeded 100 million. While the IM service itself is free, a fee was being charged for mobile messaging as of 2006. Tencent also created QQ International, which is an English version of QQ that allows communication with mainland accounts, QQi is available for Windows and macOS. In 2005, Tencent launched Qzone, a social networking/blogging service integrated within QQ. Qzone has become one of the largest social networking services in China, with a user base of 645 million in 2014.
WeChat is a mobile app with voice- and text messaging and a timeline. It is the most popular social mobile application in China and some overseas Chinese communities, for instance, Malaysia. As of 2017, WeChat has been unsuccessful in penetrating major international markets outside of China.
Entertainment
Video games
Tencent publishes video games via its Tencent Games division and holds many investments in foreign and domestic game companies.
Foreign investments
Former foreign investments
Tencent had a 14.46% stake in Glu Mobile before Glu sold itself to Electronic Arts.
Tencent had invested in Playdots, which was acquired by Take-Two Interactive in August 2020.
Domestic investments
20% ownership of Chinese company Wangyuan Shengtang, which publishes, among others, the Gujian franchise.
18.6% ownership of Chinese company iDreamSky, which mainly develops and publishes mobile games for the Chinese market.
5% ownership of Chinese company Century Huatong, which operates games developed by FunPlus. Tencent became a shareholder through an investment in Century Huatong's subsidiary Shengqu Games.
5% ownership of Chinese company Game Science, responsible for the development of Black Myth: Wukong.
Television and cinema
In April 2009, Tencent launched iTQQ, a "smart interactive television service" in a joint effort with TCL.
In 2015, Tencent launched Tencent Pictures (), a film distributor and a production company that creates and distributes films based on books, comic books, animated series and video games. In the same year, Tencent launched Tencent Penguin Pictures () a production unit focusing on online dramas and minor investments in feature films. It is under the Online Media Business Unit at Tencent and works closely with Tencent Video.
Comics
On 21 March 2012, Tencent launched Tencent Comic, and would later become China's largest online animation platform.
In September 2017, Tencent has announced plans to introduce Chinese online comics to every market around the world, with the first being North America. It will be working with San Francisco-based digital publisher Tapas Media, a partnership that will see English-language releases of several popular online Chinese titles.
Music
In 2014, Tencent established exclusive in-China distribution agreements with several large music producers, including Sony, Warner Music Group and YG Entertainment and in 2017 it signed a deal with Universal Music Group to stream its music in China. It also entered a partnership with Alibaba Group on music-streaming rights sharing, the deal aims to protect licensed streaming services offering copyrighted content of the music industry, encouraging more high-quality and original music, as well as developing China's fast-growing streaming market. Alibaba will gain the rights to stream music from international labels, which already have exclusive deals with Tencent, in return for offering reciprocal rights to its catalogue of Chinese and Japanese music.
In December 2017, Tencent's music arm, Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) and Spotify agreed to swap 10% stake and invested in each other's music businesses, forming an alliance in the music industry in which Martin Lau (president of Tencent) described it as a "strategic collaboration".
In October 2019, Tencent Music reached a streaming music distribution agreement with CD Baby and TuneCore to provide Independent Music Artists who distribute music through CD Baby and TuneCore access to the Chinese music market through Tencent's music streaming services QQ Music, KuGou, and Kuwo.
In March 2020, Tencent acquired 10% of Vivendi's stake in Universal Music Group, world's largest music group. In addition, it was given the option to buy another 10% with the same condition.
In June 2020, Tencent bought 1.6% of Warner Music Group's shares after WMG launched its IPO in the same month.
Video streaming
Tencent owns Tencent Video, a video streaming website. It controls the live-streaming platform Huya Live and has stakes in other major Chinese game live-streaming platform operators, including DouYu, Kuaishou and Bilibili. In March 2020, Tencent started testing Trovo Live, a live-streaming service for worldwide users. Since June 2020, it owns the Malaysian Video-on-demand service Iflix.
E-commerce
In September 2005, Tencent launched PaiPai.com (), a C2C auction site. In addition to PaiPai.com, Tencent launched TenPay, an online payment system similar to PayPal, which supports B2B, B2C, and C2C payments.
In response to the dominance of the Chinese e-commerce market by Tencent competitor Alibaba Group, Tencent took great effort in its e-commerce platforms. On 10 March 2014, Tencent bought a 15 percent stake in Chinese e-commerce website JD.com Inc. by paying cash and handing over its e-commerce businesses Paipai.com, QQ Wanggou, and a stake in Yixun to JD.com, as well as purchasing a stake in e-commerce website 58 Tongcheng. In accordance to this agreement, JD.com would receive exclusive access to Tencent's WeChat and MobileQQ platforms. In May 2014, JD became the first Chinese e-commerce company to be listed on the NASDAQ exchange, under its ticker 'JD'.
On 31 December 2015, JD announced that they will stop supporting services on Paipai.com after being unable to deal with issues involving fake goods, and had integrated the Paipai.com team within its other e-commerce platforms. In a 3-month transitional period, Paipai.com would be fully shut down by 1 April 2016. JD relaunched PaiPai.com as PaiPai Second Hand () to compete alongside 58 Tongcheng's Zhuanzhuan.com (), both partially owned by Tencent, against Alibaba's Xianyu in the second-hand e-commerce market.
Tencent was reported in 2017 to be working with China's Central Bank to develop a central payments clearing platform for online payments.
On 31 December 2021, it was reported Tencent had bought a stake in the UK digital bank, Monzo.
Utilities
In March 2006, Tencent launched its search engine Soso.com (搜搜; to search). On 1 October 2012, it was the 33rd most visited website in the world, 11th most visited in China, as well as the 8th most visited website in South Korea, according to Alexa Internet. It was also a Chinese partner of Google, using AdWords. In September 2013, Tencent discontinued Soso.com after it invested in Sogou and replaced Soso.com with Sogou Search as its main search engine.
In 2008, Tencent released a media player, available for free download, under the name QQ Player. Tencent also launched Tencent Traveler, a web browser based on Trident. It became the third most-visited browser in China in 2008.
On 10 April 2010, Tencent launched Tencent Weibo, a microblogging service. In June 2011, Tencent launched Tencent Video, a video streaming website.
QQ Haiwai is Tencent's first venture into international real estate listings and information and is the result of a partnership with Chinese international real estate website Juwai.com. Haiwai was announced at Tencent's annual regional summit in Beijing on 21 December 2016.
In 2017, Tencent launched its own credit score system called Tencent Credit, with a process similar to that of Sesame Credit, operated by its competitor, the Alibaba Group, through its subsidiary Ant Financial.
Medical
Tencent has created WeChat Intelligent Healthcare, Tencent Doctorwork, and AI Medical Innovation System (AIMIS) Tencent Doctorwork has also merged with Trusted Doctors August
Tencent officially commences operations of its first insurance agency platform, WeSure Internet Insurance Ltd. (WeSure), to work with domestic insurance companies such as Ping An Insurance.
In late April 2017, Tencent announced it was preparing to launch its virtual reality headset that year.
In August 2017, Tencent released AI Medical Innovation System (AIMIS) or Miying (觅影 in Chinese), which has two core competencies: AI medical imaging and AI-assisted diagnosis. AI Medical Innovation System (AIMIS) is capable of helping doctors screen for several diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, lung cancer and esophageal cancer through its AI-assisted medical image analysis. Its AI-assisted medical diagnosis engine allows doctors to identify and estimate the risk of more than 700 diseases, improving the accuracy and efficiency of their diagnosis. The system is undergoing clinical validation in more than 100 major Chinese hospitals. It has already helped doctors read more than 100 million medical images and served nearly one million patients. Tencent's data shows that recognition accuracy reaches 90% for esophageal cancer, 97% for diabetic retinopathy and 97.2% for colorectal cancer. In general, Chinese medical institutions and companies are taking a proactive attitude toward AI. Nearly 80% of hospitals and medical enterprises plan to carry out, or have already carried out, medical AI applications, and more than 75% of hospitals believe that these applications will become popular in the future.
On 27 March 2020, a co-innovation lab was launched by Tencent who will be in collaborations with Huawei in developing a cloud-based game platform by tapping into Huawei's Kunpeng processor's power to build Tencent's GameMatrix cloud game platform. Along with further exploration in the possibilities of artificial intelligence and augmented reality elements in game.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tencent helped source 1.2 million protective masks for American medical staff combating the virus.
On 26 May 2020, Tencent announced it planned to invest 500 billion yuan (US$70 billion) over the next five years in new digital infrastructure, a major hi-tech initiative that would bolster Beijing's efforts to drive economic recovery in the post-coronavirus era.
In June 2020, Tencent has unveiled plans for an urban development dubbed "Net City", a 21-million-square-foot development, equivalent in size to Monaco, in Shenzhen. It will prioritize pedestrians, green spaces and self-driving vehicles. It will include corporate offices, a school, apartments, sports facilities, parks and retail space, according to the project's architect, NBBJ.
At the end of June 2020, Tencent has increased its direct stake in Nio to 15.1% after acquiring more of the Chinese electric vehicle maker's New York-listed shares recently. Tencent spent $10 million to buy 1.68 million American Depositary Shares earlier in the month, according to Nio's latest filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Shenzhen-based social media and entertainment conglomerate also controls another 16% stake in Nio's ADSs through three of its units.
Tencent was the second-largest Nio shareholder in terms of voting rights after Li Bin, founder of the automaker, who held 13.8% in shares but 47% voting rights, according to a March filing by the company.
As of 8 July, they bought another amount of shares increasing their stake in Nio to 16.3%.
In October 2020, Tencent's AIMIS Image Cloud was introduced. AIMIS Image Cloud was designed to help patients manage their medical images and give permission to medical professionals to access their exams and reports. The AIMIS platform supports full images on the cloud to reduce repeated exams. It can also connect medical institutions at all levels through cloud based Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), allowing patients to take examinations in primary medical institutions and obtain expert diagnosis remotely. Doctors can conduct online consultations through Tencent real-time audio and video facilities when they encounter difficult cases and work collaboratively on images to communicate more efficiently.
Corporate governance
Tencent's largest shareholder is Prosus (majority owned by Naspers), which owns 30.86% of all shares and hence is the controlling shareholder. However, Ma Huateng, co-founder of Tencent, still owns a significant stake (8.42%).
Tencent's headquarters is currently the Tencent Binhai Mansion, also known as the Tencent Seafront Towers, which is located in Shenzhen's Nanshan District. In addition to its headquarters in Shenzhen, Tencent also has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou.
Tencent has a unitary board consisting of Tencent co-founder, CEO, and chairman Ma Huateng, also known as Pony Ma, executive director and President of Tencent Martin Lau, non-executive directors Jacobus "Koos" Bekker and Charles Searle of Naspers, and independent non-executive directors Li Dongsheng, Iain Bruce, Ian Stone, and Yang Siushun. Tencent's governance is aided by its Strategy Department, commonly known as SD, which provides business analytics for the corporation's various divisions.
Subsidiaries
Tencent has at least four wholly foreign-owned enterprises and nearly twenty subsidiaries.
Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
A software development unit that has created, among others, Tencent Traveler and later versions of QQ IM, as well as some mobile software. This subsidiary is located on the Southern District of Hi-Tech Park, Shenzhen. It also holds a number of patents related to instant messaging and massively multiplayer online game gaming.
Research
In 2007, Tencent invested over RMB100 million in the establishment of the Tencent Research Institute, which became China's first research center dedicated to core Internet technologies. The campuses are located in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.
Controversies
Allegations of copying
Many of Tencent's software and services share similarities to those of competitors, and to their The founder and chairman, Huateng "Pony" Ma, famously said, "[To] copy is not evil." A former CEO and president of SINA.com, Wang Zhidong, said, "Pony Ma is a notorious king of copying." Jack Ma of Alibaba Group stated, "The problem with Tencent is the lack of innovation; all of their products are copies."
In 1996, an Israeli company named Mirabilis released one of the first stand alone instant messaging clients named ICQ. Three years later, Tencent released a copied version of ICQ, naming it OICQ, which stands for Open ICQ. After losing a lawsuit against AOL, which bought ICQ in 1998, for violating ICQ's intellectual property rights, Tencent released a new version of OICQ in December 2000 and rebranded it QQ. With its model of free-to-use and charging for customizing personal avatars, QQ hit 50 million users in its second year, 856 million users and at most 45.3 million synchronous users in 2008.
During early stages of company development and expansion, Tencent has been widely accused of stealing ideas from its competitors and creating counterfeit copies of their products. Some of the criticisms aimed at Tencent in this regard are that QQ farm was a direct copy of Happy Farm, QQ dance originated from Audition Online, and that QQ speed featured gameplay highly similar to Crazyracing Kartrider.
Tencent's monopoly and suppression
In a partial effort to rebuild the reputation of Tencent lost from allegations of copying, Tencent adjusted its strategy by aggressively investing in the acquisition of other companies, rather than in the replication of them. By 2020, Tencent had invested in over 800 companies across the world. During 2012 and 2019, Tencent has invested from minority stakes to majority stakes in world-wide-famous game companies such as Riot Games, Epic Games, Activision Blizzard, SuperCell, Bluehole. While aggressive acquisitions may benefit Tencent due to factors such as reduction in competition and monopolization, it may not benefit the acquired companies in terms of their growth and innovation. Colin Huang, founder of Pinduoduo, said “Tencent won't die when Pinduoduo dies, because it has tens of thousands of sons.”
Security concerns
In 2015, security testing firms AV-Comparatives, AV-TEST and Virus Bulletin jointly decided to remove Tencent from their software whitelists. The Tencent products supplied for testing were found to contain optimisations that made the software appear less exploitable when benchmarked but actually provided greater scope for delivering exploits. Additionally, software settings were detrimental to end-users protection if used. Qihoo was later also accused of cheating, while Tencent was accused of actively gaming the anti-malware tests.
Government partnerships
For the occasion of the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Tencent released a mobile game titled "Clap for Xi Jinping: An Awesome Speech", in which players have 19 seconds to generate as many claps as possible for the party leader.
In August 2019, it was reported that Tencent collaborated with the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Daily to develop "patriotic games."
In a December 2020 article in Foreign Policy, a former senior official of the Central Intelligence Agency stated that the CIA concluded that Tencent received funding from the Ministry of State Security early on in its foundation. This was said to be a "seed investment" that was provided “when they were trying to build out the Great Firewall and the monitoring technology.” Tencent denied this allegation.
In 2021, it was reported that Tencent and Ant Group were working with the People's Bank of China to develop a digital currency.
Censorship
Tencent's WeChat platform has been accused of blocking TikTok videos and the censorship of politically sensitive content. In April 2018, TikTok sued Tencent and accused it of spreading false and damaging information on its WeChat platform, demanding RMB 1 million in compensation and an apology. In June 2018, Tencent filed a lawsuit against Toutiao and TikTok in a Beijing court, alleging they had repeatedly defamed Tencent with negative news and damaged its reputation, seeking a nominal sum of RMB 1 in compensation and a public apology. In response, Toutiao filed a complaint the following day against Tencent for allegedly unfair competition and asking for RMB 90 million in economic losses.
However, Tim Sweeney, the CEO and founder of Epic Games, maker of the popular game Fortnite, among others, tweeted that his company would never follow suit and punish people for expressing their opinions, even though Tencent is a 40% stakeholder in Epic. He emphasized, "That will never happen on my watch as the founder, CEO, and controlling shareholder," and that Epic is an American company, implying that it would not compromise an ethos of free speech in the name of currying favor with authorities in China just to try to maximize profit there.
Later, in other controversies related to Chinese influence over free speech in the West related to the ongoing Hong Kong protests, Tencent announced it would stop broadcasting Houston Rockets NBA games in China amidst a loud backlash there against a tweet made by Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, that was supportive of Hong Kong protestors. Although this tweet was hastily deleted, news of it was quickly reported all around the world, and the NBA went on to spend months attempting damage control in China.
In December 2019, the Chinese government ordered Tencent to improve the firm's user data rules for its apps, which regulators regarded to be in violation of censorship rules.
In January 2021, a proposed class action lawsuit was filed in California against Tencent, alleging user censorship and surveillance via WeChat.
2020: U.S. executive order on WeChat
President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on 6 August 2020, one directed at TikTok and one at WeChat. The TikTok order dictated that within 45 days from its signing (20 September 2020) that it would ban transactions involving the TikTok app with ByteDance, effectively banning the TikTok app in the United States, under threat of penalty. TikTok sued Trump over the executive order, the executive order was revoked under the Biden Administration and this caused the lawsuit to be dismissed in July 2021. The order for WeChat contained the same information but targeting the WeChat app and related transactions for Tencent. In the case of ByteDance, the order would be canceled should an American company acquire it, which Microsoft had been openly spoken of, but there are unlikely any immediate buyers for Tencent in the U.S. Los Angeles Times reporter Sam Dean affirmed from the White House that this does not affect other facets of Tencent's ownerships in American companies such as with its video game companies.
See also
Foxmail
Pengyou
QQ browser
Qzone
Sogou
Tencent Maps
References
External links
2004 initial public offerings
Chinese brands
Chinese companies established in 1998
Civilian-run enterprises of China
Companies based in Shenzhen
Companies in the Hang Seng Index
Companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
Companies' terms of service
Confidence tricks
FTP clients
Holding companies established in 1998
Holding companies of China
Internet properties established in 1998
Investment companies of China
Multinational companies headquartered in China
Nanshan District, Shenzhen
Offshore companies in the Cayman Islands
Online companies of China
RSS
Software companies of China
Video game companies established in 1998
Video game companies of China
Video game development companies
Video game publishers
Web portals
Windows web browsers
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171527
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoconf
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Autoconf
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GNU Autoconf is a tool for producing configure scripts for building, installing, and packaging software on computer systems where a Bourne shell is available.
Autoconf is agnostic about the programming languages used, but it is often used for projects using C, C++, Fortran, Fortran 77, Erlang, or Objective-C.
A configure script configures a software package for installation on a particular target system. After running a series of tests on the target system, the configure script generates header files and a makefile from templates, thus customizing the software package for the target system. Together with Automake and Libtool, Autoconf forms the GNU Build System, which comprises several other tools, notably Autoheader.
Usage overview
The developer specifies the desired behaviour of the configure script by writing a list of instructions in the GNU m4 language in a file called "configure.ac". A library of pre-defined m4 macros is available to describe common configure script instructions. Autoconf transforms the instructions in "configure.ac" into a portable configure script.
The system that will be doing the building need not have autoconf installed: autoconf is needed only to build the configure script, that is usually shipped with the software.
History
Autoconf was begun in the summer of 1991 by David Mackenzie to support his work at the Free Software Foundation. In the subsequent years it grew to include enhancements from a variety of authors and became the most widely used build configuration system for writing portable free or open-source software.
Approach
Autoconf is similar to the Metaconfig package used by Perl. The imake system formerly used by the X Window System (up to X11R6.9) is closely related, but has a different philosophy.
The Autoconf approach to portability is to test for features, not for versions. For example, the native C compiler on SunOS 4 did not support ISO C. However, it is possible for the user or administrator to have installed an ISO C-compliant compiler. A pure version-based approach would not detect the presence of the ISO C compiler, but a feature-testing approach would be able to discover the ISO C compiler the user had installed. The rationale of this approach is to gain the following advantages:
the configure script can get reasonable results on newer or unknown systems
it allows administrators to customize their machines and have the configure script take advantage of the customizations
there is no need to keep track of minute details of versions, patch numbers, etc., to figure out whether a particular feature is supported or not
Autoconf provides extensive documentation around the non-portability of many POSIX shell constructs to older shells and bugs therein. It also provides M4SH, a macro-based replacement for shell syntax.
Criticism
There is some criticism that states that Autoconf uses dated technologies, has a lot of legacy restrictions, and complicates simple scenarios unnecessarily for the author of configure.ac scripts. In particular, often cited weak points of Autoconf are:
General complexity of used architecture, most projects use multiple repetitions.
Generated 'configure' is written in Bourne shell and thus Makefile generation is slow.
Some people think that 'configure' scripts generated by autoconf provide only manual-driven command-line interface without any standardization. While it is true that some developers do not respect common conventions, such conventions do exist and are widely used.
M4 is unusual and unknown to many developers. Developers will need to learn it to extend autoconf with non-standard checks.
Weak backward and forward compatibility requires a wrapper script.
Autoconf-generated scripts are usually large and rather complex. Although they produce extensive logging, debugging them can still be difficult.
Due to these limitations, several projects that used GNU Build System switched to different build systems, such as CMake and SCons.
See also
CMake – Alternative build system
Meson Another build system
Configure script
GNU build system
pkg-config – Detecting package dependencies
References
External links
GNU Autoconf macro archive
The Goat Book homepage (aka the Autobook)
Using Automake and Autoconf with C++
Using C/C++ libraries with Automake and Autoconf.
Autotoolset home page
Autotools: A practitioner's guide to Autoconf, Automake and Libtool
Autotools Mythbuster
Computer configuration
GNU Project software
Free computer libraries
Cross-platform free software
Build automation
de:GNU Build System#GNU Autoconf
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25149718
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cipher%20suite
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Cipher suite
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A cipher suite is a set of algorithms that help secure a network connection. Suites typically use Transport Layer Security (TLS) or its now-deprecated predecessor Secure Socket Layer (SSL). The set of algorithms that cipher suites usually contain include: a key exchange algorithm, a bulk encryption algorithm, and a message authentication code (MAC) algorithm.
The key exchange algorithm is used to exchange a key between two devices. This key is used to encrypt and decrypt the messages being sent between two machines. The bulk encryption algorithm is used to encrypt the data being sent. The MAC algorithm provides data integrity checks to ensure that the data sent does not change in transit. In addition, cipher suites can include signatures and an authentication algorithm to help authenticate the server and or client.
Overall, there are hundreds of different cipher suites that contain different combinations of these algorithms. Some cipher suites offer better security than others.
The structure and use of the cipher suite concept are defined in the TLS standard document. TLS 1.2 is the most prevalent version of TLS. The next version of TLS (TLS 1.3) includes additional requirements to cipher suites. TLS 1.3 was only recently standardised and is not yet widely used. Cipher suites defined for TLS 1.2 cannot be used in TLS 1.3, and vice versa, unless otherwise stated in their definition.
A reference list of named cipher suites is provided in the TLS Cipher Suite Registry.
History
The use of ciphers has been a part of the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) transit protocol since its creation. SSL has been succeeded by TLS for most uses. However, the name Cipher Suite was not used in the original draft of SSL. Instead the ability for a client and a server to choose from a small set of ciphers to secure their connection was called Cipher-Choice. It was not until SSL v3 (the last version of SSL) that the name Cipher Suite was used. Every version of TLS since has used Cipher Suite in its standardization. The concept and purpose of a Cipher Suite has not changed since the term was first coined. It has and still is used as a structure describing the algorithms that a machine supports in order for two machines to decide which algorithms to use to secure their connection. What has changed is the versions of the algorithms that are supported in the cipher suites. Each version of TLS has added support for stronger versions of the algorithms and removed support for versions of the algorithms that have been identified as insecure.
TLS 1.3 marks a change in how cipher suites are coordinated between machines. The cipher suite chosen for two communicating machines to use is determined by the handshake process. Modifications were done in TLS 1.3 to the handshake process to cut down on the number of messages needed to be sent. This allows for less processing, less packet traffic and more efficiency compared to previous versions of TLS.
Naming scheme
Each cipher suite has a unique name that is used to identify it and to describe the algorithmic contents of it. Each segment in a cipher suite name stands for a different algorithm or protocol. An example of a cipher suite name: TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256
The meaning of this name is:
TLS defines the protocol that this cipher suite is for; it will usually be TLS.
ECDHE indicates the key exchange algorithm being used.
RSA authentication mechanism during the handshake.
AES session cipher.
128 session encryption key size (bits) for cipher.
GCM type of encryption (cipher-block dependency and additional options).
SHA (SHA2)hash function. For a digest of 256 and higher. Signature mechanism. Indicates the message authentication algorithm which is used to authenticate a message.
256 Digest size (bits).
Full handshake: coordinating cipher suites
To use cipher suites, the client and the server must agree on the specific cipher suite that is going to be used in exchanging messages. Both the client and the server must support the agreed upon cipher suite. If the client and server do not agree on a cipher suite, no connection will be made. This selection process occurs during the TLS Handshake Protocol. TLS 1.3 includes a TLS Handshake Protocol that differs compared to past and the current version of TLS/SSL.
After coordinating which cipher suite to use, the server and the client still have the ability to change the coordinated ciphers by using the ChangeCipherSpec protocol in the current handshake or in a new handshake.
To test which TLS ciphers a server supports, an SSL/TLS Scanner may be used.
TLS 1.0–1.2 handshake
This client starts the process by sending a clientHello message to the server that includes the version of TLS being used and a list of cipher suites in the order of the client's preference. In response, the server sends a serverHello message that includes the chosen cipher suite and the session ID. Next the server sends a digital certificate to verify its identity to the client. The server may also request a client's digital certification if needed.
If the client and server are not using pre-shared keys, the client then sends an encrypted message to the server that enables the client and the server to compute which secret key will be used during exchanges.
After successfully verifying the authentication of the server and, if needed, exchanging the secret key, the client sends a finished message to signal that it is done with the handshake process. After receiving this message, the server sends a finished message that confirms that the handshake is complete. Now the client and the server are in agreement on which cipher suite to use to communicate with each other.
TLS 1.3 handshake
If two machines are corresponding over TLS 1.3, they coordinate which cipher suite to use by using the TLS 1.3 Handshake Protocol. The handshake in TLS 1.3 was condensed to only one round trip compared to the two round trips required in previous versions of TLS/SSL.
First the client sends a clientHello message to the server that contains a list of supported ciphers in order of the client's preference and makes a guess on what key algorithm is being used so that it can send a secret key to share if needed.
By making a guess on what key algorithm that is being used it eliminates a round trip. After receiving the clientHello, the server sends a serverHello with its key, a certificate, the chosen cipher suite and the finished message.
After the client receives the server's finished message it now is coordinated with the server on which cipher suite to use.
Supported algorithms
In TLS 1.0–1.2
For more information about algorithms supported in TLS 1.0–1.2, see also: Transport Layer Security § Applications and adoption
TLS 1.3
In TLS 1.3, many legacy algorithms that were supported in early versions of TLS have been dropped in an effort to make the protocol more secure. In addition, all encryption and authentication algorithms are combined in the authenticated encryption with associated data (AEAD) encryption algorithm. Also a hash algorithm must now be used in HMAC-based key derivation (HKDF). All non-AEAD ciphers have been removed due to possible weaknesses or vulnerabilities and ciphers must use an ephemeral key exchange algorithm so that new key pairs are generated for every exchange.
DTLS with cipher suites
Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) is based on TLS, but is specifically used for UDP connections instead of TCP connections. Since DTLS is based on TLS it is able to use a majority of the cipher suites described for TLS. There are special cases that must be considered when using TLS cipher suites with DTLS. DTLS does not support the stream cipher RC4 which means that no TLS cipher using RC4 can be used with DTLS.
To determine if a TLS cipher suite is compatible with DTLS looking at its name will not help. Each TLS cipher suite will still include the TLS identifier space in its name. e.g.: TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256. Instead, all TLS parameter registries now include the flag DTLS-OK to signal if a cipher suite supports DTLS.
Vulnerabilities
A cipher suite is as secure as the algorithms that it contains. If the version of encryption or authentication algorithm in a cipher suite have known vulnerabilities the cipher suite and TLS connection may then vulnerable. Therefore, a common attack against TLS and cipher suites is known as a downgrade attack. A downgrade in TLS occurs when a modern client connects to legacy servers that are using older versions of TLS or SSL.
When initiating a handshake, the modern client will offer the highest protocol that it supports. If the connection fails, it will automatically retry again with a lower protocol such as TLS 1.0 or SSL 3.0 until the handshake is successful with the server. The purpose of downgrading is so that new versions of TLS are compatible with older versions. However, it is possible for an adversary to take advantage of this feature and make it so that a client will automatically downgrade to a version of TLS or SSL that supports cipher suites with algorithms that are known for weak security and vulnerabilities. This has resulted in attacks such as POODLE.
One way to avoid this security flaw is to disable the ability of a server or client to be able to downgrade to SSL 3.0. The shortcoming with this fix is that it will make it so that some legacy hardware can not be accessed by newer hardware. If SSL 3.0 support is needed for legacy hardware, there is an approved TLS_FALLBACK_SCSV cipher suite which verifies that downgrades are not triggered for malicious intentions.
Cipher suites for constrained devices
Encryption, key exchange and authentication algorithms usually require a large amount of processing power and memory. To provide security to constrained devices with limited processing power, memory, and battery life such as those powering the Internet of things there are specifically chosen cipher suites. Two examples include:
TLS_PSK_WITH_AES_128_CCM_8 (pre-shared key)
TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_CCM_8 (raw public key)
Each of these cipher suites has been implemented to run on devices with constraints in processing power and memory. They are both implemented in the open-sourced project TinyDTLS. The reason that they are able to work on these constrained devices is because they can be implemented in a light-weight fashion. Implementations of the pre-shared key cipher suite used only 1889 bytes of RAM and 38266 of flash ROM which is very resource-conscious compared to most encryption and security algorithms. This low memory usage is due to these cipher suites using proven efficient algorithms that are secure, but maybe not as secure as more resource-required algorithms; exp: Using 128 bit encryption vs 256 bit encryption. In addition they use pre-shared key or raw public key which requires less memory space and processing power compared to using traditional public key infrastructure (PKIX).
Programming references
In programming, a cipher suite is referred to in both plural and non-plural forms. Each one has different definitions:
CipherSuite cipher_suites a list of the cryptographic options supported by the client. An example of how cipher_suites is usually used during the handshake process:
struct {
ProtocolVersion client_version;
Random random;
SessionID session_id;
CipherSuite cipher_suites<2..2^16-2>;
CompressionMethod compression_methods<1..2^8-1>;
select (extensions_present) {
case false:
struct {};
case true:
Extension extensions<0..2^16-1>;
};
} ClientHello;
CipherSuite cipher_suite the cipher suite selected by the server from the client's cipher_suites. An example of how cipher_suite is usually used during the handshake process:
struct {
ProtocolVersion server_version;
Random random;
SessionID session_id;
CipherSuite cipher_suite;
CompressionMethod compression_method;
select (extensions_present) {
case false:
struct {};
case true:
Extension extensions<0..2^16-1>;
};
} ServerHello;
See also
Cryptography
Data security
Hardware security module
References
Secure communication
Transport Layer Security
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66356911
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital%20public%20goods
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Digital public goods
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Digital public goods are public goods in the form of software, data sets, AI models, standards or content that are generally free cultural works and contribute to sustainable national and international digital development.
Use of the term “digital public good” appears as early as April, 2017 when Nicholas Gruen wrote Building the Public Goods of the Twenty-First Century and has gained popularity with the growing recognition of the potential for new technologies to be implemented at a national scale to better service delivery to citizens. Digital technologies have also been identified by countries, NGOs and private sector entities as a means to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This translation of public goods onto digital platforms has resulted in the use of the term “digital public goods”.
Several international agencies, including UNICEF and UNDP, are exploring DPGs as a possible solution to address the issue of digital inclusion, particularly for children in emerging economies.
Definition
A digital public good is defined by the UN Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, as: “open source software, open data, open AI models, open standards and open content that adhere to privacy and other applicable laws and best practices, do no harm, and help attain the SDGs.”
Most physical resources exist in limited supply. When a resource is removed and used, the supply becomes scarce or depleted. Scarcity can result in competing rivalry for the resource. The nondepletable, nonexclusive, and nonrivalrous nature of digital public goods means the rules and norms for managing them can be different from how physical public goods are managed. Digital public goods can be infinitely stored, copied, and distributed without becoming depleted, and at close to zero cost. Abundance rather than scarcity is an inherent characteristic of digital resources in the digital commons.
Digital public goods share some traits with public goods including non-rivalry and non-excludability.
Usage
This Wikimania submission from 2019 shows how the definition of a public good evolves into a digital public good:
"A public good is a good that is both non-excludable (no one can be prevented from consuming this good) and non-rivalrous (the consumption of this good by anyone does not reduce the quantity available to others). Extending this definition to global public goods, they become goods with benefits that extend to all countries, people, and generations and are available across national borders everywhere. Knowledge and information goods embody global public goods when provided for free (otherwise the trait of non-excludability could not be met on the basis of excluding those who cannot pay for those goods). The online world provides a great medium for the provision of global public goods, where they become global digital public goods. Once produced in their digital form, global public goods are essentially costless to replicate and make available to all, under the assumption that users have Internet connectivity to access these goods."
Examples
In sectors from information science, education, finance, healthcare and beyond there are relevant examples of technologies that are likely to be digital public goods as defined above.
One such example is Wikipedia itself. Others include: DHIS2, an open source health management system.
Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is an example of digital public good. Since FOSS is licensed to allow it to be shared freely, modified and redistributed, it is available as a digital public good.
Another example of digital public good is Open Educational Resources, which by its copyright is allowed to be freely re-used, revised and shared.
Free and Open Source Software
While the original motivation of the Free Software Movement, was political in nature - aiming to preserve the freedom of all to study, copy, modify and re-distribute any software / code, given that the marginal costs of duplication of software is negligible, FOSS becomes digital public good.
FOSS has allowed greater dissemination of software in society. Since FOSS applications can be customized, users can add local language interfaces (localization), which expands the availability of the digital public good to more in that country/society/region, where users speak that language.
Open Educational Resources
Copyright law makes the default copyright as 'all rights reserved', this applies to digital content as well. The Open Educational Resources (OER) movement has popularized the use of copyright ('copyleft') licenses like the Creative Commons, which allows the content to be freely re-used, shared, modified and re-distributed. Thus all OER are digital public goods. OER have reduced the costs of accessing learning materials in schools and higher education institutions in many countries of the world. In India, the Ministry of Education has supported the development of the DIKSHA OER portal for teachers to upload and download materials for their teaching-learning.
OER itself is an output of using editing/authoring software applications. The Commonwealth of Learning, a Commonwealth inter-governmental institution has been popularizing the use of FOSS editors to create OER, and has supported IT for Change to develop the Teachers' toolkit for creating and re-purposing OER using FOSS. Such an approach will lead to expansion in one digital public good (content or OER), using another digital public good FOSS.
Open data
Digital public goods as defined by the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation published in The Age of Digital Interdependence includes open data.
Beginning with open data in a machine readable format, startups and enterprises can build applications and services that utilize that data. This can create interoperability at a large scale.
The UNCTAD Digital Economy Report 2019 recommends commissioning the private sector to build the necessary infrastructure for extracting data, which can be stored in a public data fund that is part of the national data commons. Alternative solutions include mandating companies through public procurement contracts to provide data they collect to governments (this is being tested in Barcelona, for example).
Digital Public Goods Alliance
In mid-2019 the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation published The Age of Digital Interdependence. The report recommended advancing a global discussion about how stakeholders could work better together to realize the potential of digital technologies for advancing human well-being. Recommendation 1B in that report states “that a broad, multi-stakeholder alliance, involving the UN, create a platform for sharing digital public goods, engaging talent and pooling data sets, in a manner that respects privacy, in areas related to attaining the SDGs”.
In response, in late 2019 the Governments of Norway and Sierra Leone, UNICEF and iSPIRT formally initiated the Digital Public Goods Alliance as a follow-up on the High-level Panel.
The subsequent UN Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, published in June 2020, mentions the Digital Public Goods Alliance specifically as “a multi-stake-holder initiative responding directly to the lack of a “go to” platform, as highlighted by the Panel in its report.” The report further highlights digital public goods as essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in low- and middle-income countries and calls on all stakeholders, including the UN to assist in their development and implementation.
See also
Global Commons
Public Good (economics)
Global Public Good
Public infrastructure
Open Data
Open Educational Resources
Free and Open Source Software
References
Open-source movement
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6131416
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenMFG
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OpenMFG
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OpenMFG (usually abbreviated "OMFG") is an open source based, fully integrated accounting, ERP, and CRM enterprise software solution, from xTuple.
Built with the open source PostgreSQL database, and the open source Qt framework from Trolltech for C++, it provides functionality for a range of businesses and industries. It includes the following modules:
Accounting (multi-company, general ledger, accounts receivable and payable, bank reconciliation, financial reporting)
Sales (quotes, order entry, sales reporting, shipping)
CRM (universal address book, incident management, opportunity management, to-do lists, project management)
Purchasing (purchase orders, receiving, vendor reporting)
Product Definition (items, infinite-level bills of material, bills of operations, breeder bills of material, costing)
Inventory (multiple facility, multiple locations, other advanced warehouse features)
Manufacturing (work orders, support for make-to-order, make-to-stock, repetitive)
Planning (Manufacturing Requirements Planning-MRP, Master Production Scheduling-MPS, Buffer Management-TOC)
OpenRPT open source report writer
OpenMFG runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac - and is internationalized (multi-currency, support for multiple tax structures, and multilingual translation packs maintained by a global community).
OpenMFG is licensed under the "xTuple Commercial End User License".
Overview
OpenMFG is a manufacturing-centric enterprise resource planning solution which includes functionality to cover business processes for multiple manufacturing segments, customer relationship management, and accounting. The company utilizes open source technologies, and an open source development philosophy to offer its customers a hybrid open source/proprietary solution. The OpenMFG Community (customers, VARs, development partners), all get the source code and have the ability to contribute back to the base application.
Technology
The two tier design of the OpenMFG intentionally places the burden of transaction processing on the server - specifically the database server. All the business logic resides in the procedural language of the open source database PostgreSQL, allowing for a variety of client interfaces and scalability unbound by client-side limitations. The primary interface today is a full, rich graphical user interface (GUI) client - this allows for a client that looks and feels exactly the same on Windows, Linux/Unix, and Mac.
OpenMFG GUI Client
The GUI client is written in Qt, from Trolltech, headquartered in Norway. Qt is a C++ toolkit for application development. It lets application developers target all major operating systems (Windows, Linux/Unix, Mac) with a single application source code. Qt provides a platform-independent API to all central platform functionality: GUI, database access, networking, file handling, etc. The Qt library encapsulates the different APIs of different operating systems, providing the application programmer with a single, common API for all operating systems. The native C APIs are encapsulated in a set of object-oriented C++ classes.
OpenMFG Server/Business Logic
The OpenMFG application make heavy use of Postgres' embedded procedural language, called PL/pgSQL. Whenever any kind of transaction is taking place in the system - a financial account being credited or debited, a piece of inventory being moved, or an order being taken - that is happening in a Postgres stored procedure, trigger, or function. This approach makes it relatively easy for other client software besides the OpenMFG graphical client to access business functionality. xTuple partners and customers have developed various alternative interfaces to access the Postgres backend database, including Web portals, wireless devices, and desktop office productivity software.
External links
Official site
eWeek review of OpenMFG
Computer Reseller News review of OpenMFG
ERP software
Business software for Linux
Customer relationship management software
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intentia
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Intentia
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Intentia was a software company founded in 1984 that provided applications such as customer relationship management, supply chain management and asset management. Intentia was a public company traded on the Stockholm Stock Exchange (XSSE) under the symbol INT B. In April 2006, Lawson Software and Intentia merged to form the new LAWSON.
History
Intentia was founded in 1984 by Björn Algkvist, Mikael Agerås, Göran Felldin and Rune Groppfeldt. The ERP market was at the time locally fragmented with few international suppliers. During the 1980s Intentia concentrated on establishing a strong position for itself on the Swedish market.
In 1991 Intentia bought Entra Data and then proceeded to redevelop the flagship product known as Movex. During the 1990s Intentia established itself in 30 countries, first via business partners. During the latter part of the period, Intentia chose to acquire some of these business partners as well as to establish new subsidiaries.
At first the Intentia Application Suite ran just in IBM platforms (AS/400, S/390, etc.), but in middle 1990s Intentia made the decision to carry out a technology shift to a new development environment based on Java, being one of the first ERP vendors to perform this transition. As a consequence of the new technology, the applications were certified on a number of additional operating systems, including Unix in the form of Sun Solaris. For a while Intentia maintained both RPG and Java based applications, even when the current developments and new applications were mainly based on Java.
Java based technology permitted the integration of new applications with the intent for Intentia not to be considered just as an ERP vendor, but as an e-Solutions provider. BI applications such as Opportunity Analyzer, Data Warehouse applications such as BPW, and some applications such as e-sales, e-procurement or e-business solutions, have improved the system to match the technology requirements of business worldwide.
Intentia began implementing its internationalization plans at the same time that it started planning significant development projects. In order to finance these projects, Intentia stock was introduced on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 1996.
Merger history
On June 2, 2005, Lawson Software, Inc. announced an agreement to combine with Stockholm, Sweden-based Intentia International AB in an all-stock transaction. Upon completion of the transaction, the company will operate under the name Lawson Software with U.S. headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, and international operations headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.
In 2011, Lawson was in turn acquired by Infor Global Solutions.
References
Additional sources
External links
Lawson Software official website
Software companies of Sweden
Companies established in 1984
ERP software companies
Swedish brands
Companies based in Stockholm County
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung%20YEPP
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Samsung YEPP
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Yepp was Samsung Electronics' digital audio player brand until Samsung decided to retire most of their family brands in February 2011. From then on, their MP3 players were simply branded "Samsung" worldwide until they discontinued all of them in late 2013. The brand included a wide range of hard-drive based as well as flash-memory based players. The name is claimed to be an acronym for "young, energetic, passionate person".
History
The Yepp brand was first introduced at CES 1999 in Las Vegas where the first Samsung mp3 players have been unveiled (YP-E, YP-B and YP-D series).
Samsung MP3 players were branded "Yepp" worldwide until 2003. From then Samsung only kept this brand for the Korean market while the players sold in the rest of the world were simply branded "Samsung". Samsung finally dropped the Yepp brand in Korea too since 2011. Even though it has disappeared for 10 years in Europe and America, it is still common among the users to refer to the Samsung MP3 players as "Yepp".
As of November 2013, Samsung discontinued their MP3 players line in most countries. Only the YP-W1 and YP-U7 are still available in some countries. The Galaxy Players series has also been discontinued in most countries. Samsung released the successor to the YP-GI1, the YP-GI2 (Galaxy 070) only in Korea in August 2013. Samsung shut down all official MP3 players dedicated websites and blogs in Korea and worldwide.
As of December 2016, Samsung discontinued their MP3 players and Android-based Galaxy Players lines worldwide. Even though Samsung never announced officially they would stop producing MP3 players, it appears they actually did.
Comparison of models
The naming scheme of Samsung players has always been the same. For example, YP-P2JEB, where J stands for Janus (MTP models, no letter if UMS), E stands for 16GB (V:256MB; X:512MB; Z:1GB; Q:2GB; A:4GB; C:8GB; E:16GB; N:32GB) and B stands for Black (W:White; P:Pink; S:Silver etc.). On some models, an R indicates RDS support (for example: YP-F2R) or an F indicates an FM tuner (example: YP-Z5F); however, some models with the feature do not have the suffix.
Some Samsung MP3 players, including YH-820/920/925, YP-R0, YP-R1, and YP-Z5 are partly or fully supported by Rockbox.
Discontinued models
Country-specific models
Yepp R Series
The R series was introduced in 2009 with the YP-R0 and the YP-R1. The YP-R2 released in 2011 is the successor to the YP-R1 but the YP-R1 is not the successor to the YP-R0, which makes Samsung's naming scheme difficult to understand.
YP-R0
YP-R1
YP-R2
Yepp S Series
YP-S2
The YP-S2 is a screen-less MP3 player shaped like a pebble with tactile buttons on its underside.
YP-S3
The S3 is an MP3 player with a rounded-edges design similar to that of the YP-T9, but having a touchpad like the YP-T10. Unlike the YP-S5, it only supports Samsung's own video format (.svi).
YP-S5
MP4 player with 2, 4 or 8 GB capacity and built-in slide-out stereo speaker. The S5 supports MPEG4, JPEG, MP3, AAC and WMA. Bluetooth.
Yepp Q Series
YP-Q1 Diamond
Newer version of T10, has 2.4" screen, but doesn't have bluetooth.
YP-Q2
Has 2.4" screen (320x240 resolution) and Samsung announces 50 hrs. of battery life but in reality it is about 25 hours. It is a cross between the Q1 and S3 since it has the Q1's screen and features, but has the S3's touchpad. It has the colored icons on the menu from those of the Samsung P3. It was released in 8, and 16 GB in April 2009.
Yepp P Series
YP-P2
P2 is a flash-based PMP. P2 has a touchscreen, Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, an FM radio, an E-Book reader and video playback capabilities (MP4 and WMV formats).
The Samsung YP-P2 comes in white, red, and black. Available capacities are 2, 4, 8 and 16 GB.
Some of the features on this device include Bluetooth stereo headphone compatibility with support for multiple sets of headphones and also sports Bluetooth phone connectivity with the ability to use your stereo headphones with your cellphone and speak through the built-in microphone on the player itself. The player also supports file transfers via Bluetooth. Another feature is the drag-and-drop interface for uploading music to YP-P2 which makes it easy interface to managing your media collection.
YP-P3
Successor to Samsung P2 and was released in May 2009 in 8, 16, 32 GB. It has haptic feedback and menu customization with multiple pages and widgets. It supports many more video codecs including DIVX within an AVI container, in addition to H.264 video. The newest firmware, version 2.18(Released even newer Version now 2.22) allows it support resolutions up to 800x600.
Compared to the P2, it has a much better build quality, and its back is made of aluminum, which is much more scratch resistant to the P2's painted-metal back. In addition, it has a glass screen which is far less prone to scratches; a test conducted on anythinGButipod.com showed that even a knife couldn't scratch the screen at all.
Yepp U Series
The Yepp U series is a famous line of USB key MP3 players introduced in 2005 with the YP-U1. The latest one YP-U7 was released in 2012.
All U players have a similar USB key form factor with a 1" 128x64 screen. They all support MP3, WMA and OGG files but some devices support more codecs.
Yepp K Series
YP-K3
The successor to the YP-K5 which is almost identical but has no speakers and is slimmer (0.28" thick) . Available in 1 GB*, 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB sizes. The YP-K3 comes in black, red and lime, and has the same 1.8-inch full-color OLED LCD (a dot-styled, blue-lighted OLED) as the K5. Battery life is stated to be 25 hours. The touch-pad works in all four directions to enable all the device's functions. In the bottom of the device is a 24-pin terminal, which is the same dock for charging cell phones. It drives earphones with 3.5″ stereo jack plug. Firmware available from Samsung's Korean website allows the K3 to be connected to a computer via UMS, and adds support for Ogg Vorbis and for text viewing.
Samsung Korea offer their latest Audio Player, the K3 "COLOR". it is available in different colors (*the 1 GB variant was manufactured for Argos in the UK)
.
YP-K5
Flash-based MP3 player with attached external speakers, touch sensitive controls, an FM tuner, and an OLED display which can display JPEG images. Sold by 1 GB, 2 GB, and 4 GB memory capacities. MTP based. Was replaced in 2007 by the smaller YP-S5.
Yepp T Series
YP-T08
The Samsung 08 was released only in China, and is exactly the same as the T10, but has longer battery life and a new UI, replacing Sammy character.
YP-T10
The Samsung T10 is a flash memory (2, 4 and 8 GB) based Yepp portable media player (model name YP-T10) produced and developed by Samsung Electronics. As the newest player of the T series, the T10 abandons using the controls of the T9, but adapts the K3's.
The Samsung T10 supports Bluetooth, allowing use of a Bluetooth headset. From firmware version 2.00 it can also exchange files with other Bluetooth devices. This includes mobile phones, allowing the user to speak directly into the T10 using it as a kind of remote handset. With version 3.06 (current version), Samsung added 10 new themes (non-Best Buy only), enhanced Bluetooth support, and the ability to play games.
YP-T9
Flash-based MP3 player with many features including an FM radio, simple Flash games, a text viewer, video playback, a picture viewer and recording from the integrated microphone or the FM radio. The YP-T9 supports WMA, OGG, and MP3 audio. The player is currently available in 2, 4 and 8 GBs. While the player is similar in size to the iPod nano (1st Generation), the screen is much bigger at 1.8″. The firmware is based on a Unix-like operating system (VxWorks) and uses Flash for animations. The International (non-US YP-T9B) version was one of the first digital audio players to feature bluetooth.
This player had long pauses between transferring files with the included media studio, this has now been fixed with newer firmware (1.23 WA). Unlike some other models of Samsung digital audio devices, the YP-T9 utilizes a processor designed in-house by Samsung. As for the hardware, the unit sports the Samsung SA58700X processor (ARM 940T at 200 MHz) with integrated audio codec.
The Bluetooth function allows pairing with your mobile phone allowing you to answer or dial incoming/outgoing calls.
The Audio player allows multiple bookmarks. This function is great for indexing a point to go back to in a song.
The audio software also allows you to vary the playback speed without loss of pitch.
YP-T8
The Samsung YP-T8 is a brand of portable digital media player. It weighs just under 2 ounces. It has an FM tuner and recorder, along with voice and radio recording capabilities. A built-in Lithium-Ion battery provides up to 20 hours of playback time. The player provides a 3D audio experience and has been given the Microsoft PlaysForSure certification. File formats supported by the player include MP3, WMA, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, and ASF. Video and Gaming capabilities are also featured with this device. In order to view videos, files are encoded to MPEG-4 format by the software provided. (This software only works in the Microsoft Windows operating system.) The device also provides the capability of storing and viewing pictures in JPEG format and text files in TXT format. Lastly, the YP-T8 supports a function uncommon for portable audio players: USB Hosting.
It is available in 512 MB, 1 GB, and 2 GB versions.
Files are transferred using the Media Transfer Protocol. The YP-T8 automatically finds all playable files that have been transferred.
YP-T6
The YP-T6 is 22×55×23mm, and weighs 30 g without battery. It is available in 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB and 1 GB versions, and has a small 3-line LCD screen. It can play MP3, Ogg Vorbis, ASF and WMA format files, and can record voice into MP3 at bit rates from 32 kbit/s to 128 kbit/s from a built-in microphone. It supports SRS WOW HD. It is powered by a single AAA battery, which the manufacturer says gives up to 20 hours of playing time. Versions for some markets also have an FM tuner.
This player uses UMS with USB 2.0 support. After disconnecting from the computer, the YP-T6 automatically finds all playable files.
YP-T5
The YP-T5 is a flash-memory digital audio player that supports MP3, WMA and Secure WMA (DRM) and records in WMA and MP3. It also supports SRS WOW HD and has an FM tuner. Its backlight color is adjustable. Most of the controls are provided by a jog, which has separate backlight (blue). The YP-T5 weighs 30 grams, and is powered by a single AAA battery which provides about 12 hours of continuous play. The YP-T5 is available with capacities of 128 and 256 MB.
Other YEPP players
YP-F1
The YP-F1 is a necklace-like style flash digital audio player with an LCD screen. The faceplate of the player is swappable, with several color options available. Older players had the YEPP logo on the faceplate, while later models had just the SAMSUNG logo. Storage capacities include: 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, and 1 GB, although the US did not receive the base 128 MB model. It connects to a computer with a USB cable to charge the 10-hour (claimed) lithium-polymer battery and transfer files. It supports the MP3, WMA (and WMA DRM), WAV, ASF, and Ogg formats. It can receive and record FM broadcasts, and supports voice recording. The size is 1.14" x 2.5" x 0.6".
YP-Z5(F)
Z5(F) is a flash-based digital audio player, made by Samsung Electronics. The interface for Z5(F), which implements transparency effects, was designed by Paul Mercer's Iventor software design company. Paul Mercer previously founded Pixo, the creator of the iPod's operating system.
The Z5F has some features, such as an FM radio and a dictaphone, not provided on the Z5.
To celebrate the sale of one million Z5Fs, Samsung auctioned 10 gold-plated Z5Fs in Korea.
The player has the re-designed YEPP logo.
According to a firmware release schedule on the official YEPP website, Z5(F) should have received a text-file reader on 30 December 2006. The firmware for a text reader was instead released in September 2007 (version 2.51).
The player was expected to support video playback, but this feature was not included in the official release, pending further testing. The feature was expected to be implemented with a later firmware release.
YH-999 also known as YEPP Portable Media Center
This player had a 3.5″ screen and with the Portable Media Center interface.
YP-D1
This flash-memory Audio player has a maximum of 2 GB storage. It supports WMA, MP3 and Ogg Vorbis. It can play back videos on its 1.8″ TFT-LCD and features a 2-megapixel camera with flash. It can display text files and has USB hosting functions. It is almost exactly the same as the Samsung yp-t8, except it has a camera instead of the motion sensing games. Otherwise, it is the same.
YP-910
This player has a monochrome screen and was originally manufactured for Napster, bearing both the Napster and the Samsung logos. The YP-910 weighs 6 ounces and measures about 4.25″ by 2.5″ by 0.75″—a "shirt pocket" form, like most PDAs. The player controls limit the user to only simple actions.
It provides 20 GB hard-disk space and can play MP3, WMA, and WMA-DRM. However, audio quality was reported to be mediocre. It can record from the internal FM radio or from line-in, and has a built-in FM modulator. Playback time using the internal lithium-polymer battery is up to 10 hours, but may be decreased by transmitter use, playback volume and audio files with high bit rates.
For transferring files to the player, a special version of the Napster 2.0 software that contains the device drivers has to be installed. After that, it is supposedly possible to maintain its content either via Napster or Windows Media Player. The unit was tied into Napster's DRM, which made it impossible to re-upload purchased files to another PC. Downloading more than 4,000 tracks to the device can destroy its internal library, so that its disk space cannot be used properly in most cases.
YP-55
Originally released in 2003, the YP-55 is a flash-memory based player featuring a rotating top which operates the Fast-Forward/Rewind functions and prevents accidental usage. It was available with built-in memory sizes of 128 MB (YP-55H), 192 MB (YP-55I – sold only in Canada), 256 MB (YP-55V) and 512 MB (YP-55X). It contains a recorder for voice, radio or line-in.
The firmware is upgradeable, and can also be user modified with various programs to change things such as the button mapping and graphics. The latest firmware (version 7.300) allows for many new features, including play lists and the ability to remember its place in four different files at once. The latter feature makes it more suitable for audio books, as it makes searching for where one left off unnecessary. The original YP-55 models came with a gray cloth case, later models used a plastic case which allows access to all the controls without opening it.
YP-60
Announced in 2004, this was one of the first sports-oriented players released by Samsung. The player is contained in a black and orange rubberized plastic housing. Sports features such as, heart-rate monitor, calorie counter, and stop watch are included on this player. In-box accessories include: a 2.5 mm adapter, sweat-proof ear phones and an arm band. It also utilizes a non-standard 2.5mm headphone jack, line-in encoding, and FM recordings. It was released in two capacities: 128 MB (YP-60) and 256 MB (YP-60V).
YP-D40
This player was also sold by Creative as the first Creative NOMAD.
YP-35
A flash-based MP3 player with 64 MB (YP-35) or 128 MB (YP-35H) memory and a voice recorder function.
YH-J70
A bulky hard-drive based MP3 audio player which comes in 20G and 30G capacities. Its rated battery life is 25 hours of audio and 5 hours of video. One of the first video mp3 players made, it was released a few months before the iPod Video. The player has an FM Radio, text viewer, video viewer, USB host, and 5 default games.
YP-E32/E64
Released in 1999, this flash-memory audio player has a maximum of 64mb storage (YP-E64), but also came in a 32mb version. The memory could be upgraded with SmartMedia. It supports MP3 music, which was originally transferred using a parallel cable (later changed to USB 1.0). It came with a multi-line non-backlit LCD screen, which could display three lines of text as well as icons on a top row. The front of the device was made of aluminium and the back and buttons plastic. It featured a voice recorder, phone book and EQ settings.
References
External links
Official product page (Korean)
Official product page (English)
Digital audio players
Portable media players
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4516638
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polling%20%28computer%20science%29
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Polling (computer science)
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Polling, or polled operation, in computer science, refers to actively sampling the status of an external device by a client program as a synchronous activity. Polling is most often used in terms of input/output (), and is also referred to as polled or software-driven .
Description
Polling is the process where the computer or controlling device waits for an external device to check for its readiness or state, often with low-level hardware. For example, when a printer is connected via a parallel port, the computer waits until the printer has received the next character. These processes can be as minute as only reading one bit. This is sometimes used synonymously with 'busy-wait' polling. In this situation, when an operation is required, the computer does nothing other than check the status of the device until it is ready, at which point the device is accessed. In other words, the computer waits until the device is ready. Polling also refers to the situation where a device is repeatedly checked for readiness, and if it is not, the computer returns to a different task. Although not as wasteful of CPU cycles as busy waiting, this is generally not as efficient as the alternative to polling, interrupt-driven .
In a simple single-purpose system, even busy-wait is perfectly appropriate if no action is possible until the access, but more often than not this was traditionally a consequence of simple hardware or non-multitasking operating systems.
Polling is often intimately involved with very low-level hardware. For example, polling a parallel printer port to check whether it is ready for another character involves examining as little as one bit of a byte. That bit represents, at the time of reading, whether a single wire in the printer cable is at low or high voltage. The instruction that reads this byte directly transfers the voltage state of eight real world wires to the eight circuits (flip flops) that make up one byte of a CPU register.
Polling has the disadvantage that if there are too many devices to check, the time required to poll them can exceed the time available to service the I/O device.
Algorithm
Polling can be described in the following steps:
Host actions:
The host repeatedly reads the busy bit of the controller until it becomes clear (with a value of 0).
When clear, the host writes the command into the command register. If the host is sending output, it sets the write bit and writes a byte into the data-out register. If the host is receiving input, it reads the controller-written data from the data-in register, and sets the read bit to 0 as the next command.
The host sets the command-ready bit to 1.
Controller actions:
When the controller notices that the command-ready bit is set, it sets the busy bit to 1.
The controller reads the command register. If the write bit inside is set, it reads from the data-out register and performs the necessary operations on the device. If the read bit is set, data from the device is loaded into the data-in register for the host to read.
Once the operations are over, the controller clears the command-ready bit, clears the error bit to show the operation was successful, and clears the busy bit.
Types
A polling cycle is the time in which each element is monitored once. The optimal polling cycle will vary according to several factors, including the desired speed of response and the overhead (e.g., processor time and bandwidth) of the polling.
In roll call polling, the polling device or process queries each element on a list in a fixed sequence. Because it waits for a response from each element, a timing mechanism is necessary to prevent lock-ups caused by non-responding elements. Roll call polling can be inefficient if the overhead for the polling messages is high, there are numerous elements to be polled in each polling cycle and only a few elements are active.
In hub polling, also referred to as token polling, each element polls the next element in some fixed sequence. This continues until the first element is reached, at which time the polling cycle starts all over again.
Polling can be employed in various computing contexts in order to control the execution or transmission sequence of the elements involved. For example, in multitasking operating systems, polling can be used to allocate processor time and other resources to the various competing processes.
In networks, polling is used to determine which nodes want to access the network. It is also used by routing protocols to retrieve routing information, as is the case with EGP (exterior gateway protocol).
An alternative to polling is the use of interrupts, which are signals generated by devices or processes to indicate that they need attention, want to communicate, etc. Although polling can be very simple, in many situations (e.g., multitasking operating systems) it is more efficient to use interrupts because it can reduce processor usage and/or bandwidth consumption.
Poll message
A poll message is a control-acknowledgment message.
In a multidrop line arrangement (a central computer and different terminals in which the terminals share a single communication line to and from the computer), the system uses a master/slave polling arrangement whereby the central computer sends message (called polling message) to a specific terminal on the outgoing line. All terminals listen to the outgoing line, but only the terminal that is polled replies by sending any information that it has ready for transmission on the incoming line.
In star networks, which, in its simplest form, consists of one central switch, hub, or computer that acts as a conduit to transmit messages, polling is not required to avoid chaos on the lines, but it is often used to allow the master to acquire input in an orderly fashion. These poll messages differ from those of the multidrop lines case because there are no site addresses needed, and each terminal only receives those polls that are directed to it.
See also
Abstraction (computer science)
Asynchronous I/O
Bit banging
Infinite loop
Interrupt request (PC architecture)
Integer (computer science)
kqueue
Multiple asynchronous periodic polling
Pull technology
select (Unix)
References
Events (computing)
Input/output
fr:Attente active
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2117158
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andries%20van%20Dam
|
Andries van Dam
|
Andries "Andy" van Dam (born December 8, 1938) is a Dutch-American professor of computer science and former vice-president for research at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Together with Ted Nelson he contributed to the first hypertext system, Hypertext Editing System (HES) in the late 1960s. He co-authored Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice along with J.D. Foley, S.K. Feiner, and John Hughes. He also co-founded the precursor of today's ACM SIGGRAPH conference.
Van Dam serves on several technical boards and committees. He teaches an introductory course in computer science and courses in computer graphics at Brown University.
Van Dam received his B.S. degree with Honors in Engineering Sciences from Swarthmore College in 1960 and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1963 and 1966, respectively.
Students
Van Dam has mentored undergraduates, other scholars, and practitioners in hypertext and computer graphics. One of his students was Randy Pausch, who gained national renown in the process of dying from pancreatic cancer. Pausch's Last Lecture in September 2007 was the basis for the bestseller Last Lecture. Van Dam was the final speaker after the hour-plus talk. He praised Pausch for his courage and leadership, calling him a role model. Pausch died on July 25, 2008. Danah Boyd, Scott Draves, Dick Bulterman, Robert Sedgewick, Andy Hertzfeld, and Steven K. Feiner also were students of Andy van Dam.
Achievements
Originally appointed as a professor of applied mathematics, van Dam helped to found the computer science program at Brown as a joint project between the departments of applied mathematics and engineering. When the program was promoted to a full department, van Dam served as its first chair, from 1979 to 1985. In 1995 van Dam was appointed Thomas J. Watson, Jr. University Professor of Technology and Education as well as professor of computer science.
At the University of Pennsylvania in 1966, he became the second person to receive a Ph.D. in Computer Science.
Van Dam is perhaps most known as the co-designer, along with Ted Nelson, of the first hypertext system, HES, in the late 1960s. With it and its immediate successor, FRESS, he was an early proponent of the use of hypertext in the humanities and in pedagogy. The term hypertext was coined by Ted Nelson, who was working with him at the time. Van Dam's continued interest in hypertext was crucial to the development of modern markup and browsing technology, and several of his students were instrumental in the origin of XML, XSLT, and related Web standards.
He is also known for co-authoring Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice with J.D. Foley, S.K. Feiner, and J.F. Hughes. This popular textbook in computer graphics and is often called the "Bible" of computer graphics.
In 1967, van Dam co-founded ACM SICGRAPH, the precursor of today's ACM SIGGRAPH.
In 1983 he was one of the founders of IRIS, which developed a hypertext scholar's workstation. In 1984, he received the IEEE Centennial Medal.
Van Dam teaches an Introduction to Computer Graphics course, as well as one first-year course every fall. He is also serving on the technical board of Microsoft Research, as chairman of the Rhode Island Governor's Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC), and as chairman of the IEEE James H. Mulligan, Jr. Education Medal committee. In 1994 he was inducted as a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, and a chaired professorship was recently endowed in his honor at Brown University. In 2019, he was awarded the inaugural ACM SIGGRAPH Distinguished Educator Award.
When the Brown Center for Information Technology was built, van Dam demanded it include showers and a Chinese restaurant. The showers were built.
The character of Andy in the film Toy Story is named after van Dam. The filmmakers, many of whom had van Dam as a professor, wanted to pay tribute to his pioneering work in computer graphics. This story is told during admissions tours at Brown University and has made it into the IMDB trivia for Toy Story. Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice appears on Andy's bookshelf in the film, which may be the origin of this rumor.
Documentary film
Andries van Dam: Hypertext: An Educational Experiment in English and Computer Science at Brown University. Brown University, Providence, RI, U.S. 1974, Run time 15:16, , Full Movie on the Internet Archive
References
External links
Andries van Dam's Homepage
1938 births
Living people
American computer scientists
Brown University faculty
Computer graphics professionals
Computer graphics researchers
Dam, Andries van
Dam, Andries van
Fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery
Dam, Andries van
Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering
Computer science educators
IEEE Centennial Medal laureates
Fellow Members of the IEEE
|
21800331
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTT%20Data
|
NTT Data
|
is a Japanese multinational information technology (IT) service and consulting company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is partially-owned subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT).
Japan Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation, a predecessor of NTT, started Data Communications business in 1967. NTT, following its privatization in 1985, spun off the Data Communications division as NTT DATA in 1988, which has now become the largest of the IT Services companies headquartered in Japan.
History
2000s
In 2002, it was the first Japanese company to obtain BS 7799 certification, an international information security standard. In 2007, the company had consolidated net sales of ¥1 trillion, and in 2008 the company acquired German-based Cirquent, Inc. A new organizational structure of the "Company System" was introduced in 2009. Also that year, the company acquired Extend Technologies Pty Ltd in Australia, as part of a strategy to expand the global footprint of specialised SAP consulting businesses
NTT DATA and US-based IT Service company Keane agreed to a merger on 29 October 2010. The acquisition is worth over US$1.23 billion. After the acquisition of Keane Inc., NTT DATA became the 8th largest software company in the world, with the annual revenue of $14 billion. Acquiring Keane Inc. in 2010 increased the Group's total work force to 50,000. That year the company also acquired FirstApex, increasing the business footprint in insurance domain. In 2010, NTT DATA acquired Intelligroup Inc., a US-based IT consulting and service providing company. After taking over Intelligroup, NTT DATA became the ninth largest software company in the world, worth over $11 billion. India-based Intelligroup, Inc is headquartered at iLabs, Madhapur, Hyderabad.
2011–present
In 2011, the company acquired Italy-based Value Team S.p.A. and launched Global One Teams. In 2012 the company acquired London-based Design and Technology Consultancy, RMA Consulting, who specialize in software design and delivery across multiple channels.
In 2013, the company acquired Madrid-based Everis, a company that provided IT services including consulting, system integration and outsourcing. Also in 2013, NTT DATA, the IT services provider with its U.S. headquarters in Plano, acquired Optimal Solutions Integration, a provider of SAP services headquartered in Irving, Texas. In 2015, the company acquired Carlisle & Gallagher, Inc., a Charlotte-based consulting firm. Also that year, the company acquired iPay88 - Online Payment Gateway for Asia Countries, Malaysia which specialize in online payment services and payment solutions for merchants with multiple financial institutions as business partners in Malaysia. In 2016, the company acquired the Dell IT Services unit (mainly the former Perot Systems) of Dell Inc for $3 billion. Also in 2016, the company acquired Nefos, a Salesforce consulting partner in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
During the decade, NTT Data began sponsoring IndyCar Series team Chip Ganassi Racing. In 2019, the company became title sponsor of the series, dubbing it the NTT IndyCar Series.
Operations
Within the NTT group, while NTT Comware focuses on the IT services to the Group companies, NTT Data mainly services non-NTT Group companies. Within Japan, NTT DATA has established many joint ventures, such as NTT Data-Sanyo Electric to take care of the IT services of Sanyo electric group. Outside Japan, NTT DATA has its wholly owned subsidiaries or offices in the UK, China, Malaysia, Thailand, India, the US, Italy, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam and other countries or regions. NTT DATA Business Solutions headquartered in Germany is a global acting subsidiary of NTT DATA with a 100 percent focus on SAP business.
Yo Honma serves as President & CEO.
Products and services
Sponsored software:
TOMOYO Linux (until March 2012)
Ticketing System
Melbourne Australia myki
Awards
NTT DATA was ranked #8 in Consulting Magazine's 2016 Best Firms to Work For.
See also
List of IT consulting firms
Software industry in Telangana
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT)
NTT Communications (NTT Europe)
NTT Comware
NTT Data Engineering Systems Corporation
NTT Docomo
References
External links
NTT DATA Worldwide Website
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone
Service companies based in Tokyo
1988 establishments in Japan
Telecommunications companies based in Tokyo
Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
International information technology consulting firms
Japanese brands
Software companies based in Tokyo
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31207511
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Package%20%28macOS%29
|
Package (macOS)
|
In the Apple macOS operating system, a package is a file system directory that is normally displayed to the user by the Finder as if it were a single file. Such a directory may be the top-level of a directory tree of objects stored as files, or it may be other archives of files or objects for various purposes, such as installer packages, or backup archives.
Definition
The package is a common file system abstraction used by Apple operating systems, such as macOS and iOS. It is a directory that may contain a hierarchy of files or objects that represent a preserved, organized state. A package is displayed to users like a single file in the Finder application to avoid being changed by the user. However, the content of packages may be accessed through special keyboard and mouse combination events. For this purpose, the control-click, or right-click, menu displays a directive Show Package Contents.
Some documents may be represented as packages:
Rich Text Format documents with images, which carry the extension;
Dashboard widgets;
Partially downloaded files in Safari, which carry the extension;
Final Cut Pro X Camera Archives, which contain multiple QuickTime videos and carry the .fcarch extension;
project files in GarageBand, Keynote, Pages, Numbers, iMovie and Xcode;
Installer packages.
The Uniform Type Identifier (UTI) for a package is .
Bundles
A package that has a standardized structure for storing executable code and its associated resources, is called a bundle.
See also
Installer (macOS)
References
MacOS
MacOS development
|
4175224
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TI%20Connect
|
TI Connect
|
TI Connect is an application available from Texas Instruments (TI) that allows users to transfer files between a TI graphing calculator and a computer via a link cable. While all models that are capable of linking are supported with the macOS version of TI-Connect, the TI-82 and TI-85 are not currently supported with the Windows version.
TI Connect is the successor of the TI-Graph Link software and contains similar functionality. Even though TI Connect was released 6 years after Windows 95 came out, this was TI’s first attempt to move out of the 16-bit software paradigm made prevalent in Windows 3.1. One feature which TI Connect did not retain from TI-Graph Link was the ability to edit TI-BASIC on a computer, but unlike TI-Graph Link, does not require a software version specific to each calculator.
Many slowdowns are experienced with the software, usually resulting from the slow USB connection between the computer and calculator. Unexplained errors sometimes occur with the software, preventing users from transferring programs over. One solution is to use the TI SendTo sub-application, which is more stable than the Device Explorer.
References
External links
http://education.ti.com/educationportal/sites/US/productDetail/us_ti_connect.html
Graphing calculator software
Texas Instruments calculators
|
1480792
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain/OS
|
Domain/OS
|
Domain/OS is the discontinued operating system used by the Apollo/Domain line of workstations manufactured by Apollo Computer. It was originally launched in 1981 as AEGIS, and was rebranded to Domain/OS in 1988 when Unix environments were added to the operating system. It was one of the early distributed operating systems. Hewlett-Packard supported the operating system for a short time after they purchased Apollo, but they later ended the product line in favor of HP-UX. HP ended final support for Domain/OS on January 1, 2001.
AEGIS
AEGIS was distinctive mainly for being designed for the networked computer, as distinct from its competitors, which were essentially standalone systems with added network features. The prime examples of this were the file system, which was fully integrated across machines, as opposed to Unix which even now draws a distinction between file systems on the host system and on others, and the user administration system, which was fundamentally network-based. So basic was this orientation that even a standalone Apollo machine could not be configured without a network card.
Domain/OS implemented functionality derived from both System V and early BSD Unix systems. It improved on AEGIS by providing a core OS upon which the user could install any or all of three environments: AEGIS, System V Unix, and BSD Unix. This was done in order to provide greater compatibility with Unix; AEGIS version SR9, which immediately preceded Domain/OS (itself numbered SR10) had had an optional product called Domain/IX available, which provided a similar capability, but with some drawbacks, principally the fact that core administrative tasks still required AEGIS commands. Also, the SR9 permissions system was not fully compatible with Unix behaviour. Domain/OS provided new administrative commands and a more complex permissions system which could be configured to behave properly under any of the three environments. Domain/OS also provided an improved version of the X Window System, complete with VUE (HP's predecessor to CDE), but performance tended to be poor.
User upgrading from AEGIS SR9 to Domain/OS SR10 was slowed by the fact that many users saw no requirement; by increased disk space requirements; by new and more complex administration tools; by SR10's poorer performance; and by the buggy nature of SR10.0, although later versions were much more reliable. However, later HP/Apollo machines (the DN10000, DN2500 and 4xx series workstations) could only run SR10.
Unlike many operating systems of the day, which were written in C or assembly language, many Domain/OS components were written in Pascal.
Compilers for users were available for C, C++, Pascal, and Fortran.
All of the distributed administration features of Domain/OS were built around a remote procedure call system called NCS RPC. Though RPC was later end-of-lifed with the operating system, HP contributed RPC to the Open Software Foundation, which incorporated its Interface Definition Language (IDL) into their DCE product, from which the same technology was later used for CORBA. One of the original developers went to work for Microsoft, where he developed MSRPC as a fairly compatible clone which today forms a central component of Windows systems. Traces of the history can be seen to this day in protocol names such as ncacn_http.
User interface
AEGIS was similar to other workstations of the time, in that it used a high-resolution graphics screen and mouse to provide a GUI named DM (Display Manager). DM was integrated with the operating system's own window manager known as wmgr (Window Manager). The DM contained two built-in functions, a text editor and a transcript, which is a kind of virtual terminal. Additional functions could be added by user programs. One of the unique features of the DM was "universal editing". All text in any of the built-in windows could be edited using the same editing language. This included the history displayed in a transcript window, although that text was read-only. In addition, the history was unbounded. It started from the birth of the process to which it was attached, and older history was never deleted, as it is in all virtual terminals today. Another interesting feature was that each transcript was attached to a mini-input window where the process input could be edited using the same editing language used elsewhere.
The AEGIS command interface was similar to Unix, in that it had a command line interpreter which understood pipes, redirection, scripting, etc., and invoked other commands as separate programs, but the actual commands themselves were designed to be easier to remember and use than their sometimes cryptic Unix equivalents, and wildcards were expected to be expanded by individual commands rather than by the command line interpreter itself. One noticeable and very useful feature was the ability to embed environment variables in symbolic links, which, for example, allowed the user to switch between different versions of Unix simply by setting the SYSTYPE environment variable accordingly; symbolic links then pointed to the correct versions of the files.
History
Domain/OS incorporated several ideas from Multics, including single-level store and dynamic linking.
See also
Timeline of operating systems
References
Further reading
DOMAIN System User's Guide. Apollo Computer Inc., 2nd. ed., 1987
External links
Apollo DomainOS info and archive
Apollo Frequently Asked Questions
Apollo/DOMAIN Computers
Distributed operating systems
Discontinued operating systems
HP software
Multics-like
Unix variants
1981 software
|
1590066
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meanings%20of%20minor%20planet%20names%3A%2030001%E2%80%9331000
|
Meanings of minor planet names: 30001–31000
|
30001–30100
|-id=004
| 30004 Mikewilliams || || Mike Williams (born 1952) was a lead engineer at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. ||
|-id=005
| 30005 Stevenchen || || Steven Chen (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his chemistry project. ||
|-id=007
| 30007 Johnclarke || || John Anthony Clarke (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his earth and planetary science project. ||
|-id=008
| 30008 Aroncoraor || || Aron Coraor (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his chemistry project. ||
|-id=012
| 30012 Sohamdaga || || Soham Daga (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his behavioral and social sciences project. ||
|-id=017
| 30017 Shaundatta || || Shaun Datta (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his physics project. ||
|-id=022
| 30022 Kathibaker || || Kathi Baker (1954–2014) was involved with administrative support for the NASA HiRISE mission to Mars, as well as supporting many faculty, staff and students at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. Most recently, Kathi served as executive assistant to the LPL Director. ||
|-id=024
| 30024 Neildavey || || Neil Davey (born 1996) is a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his bioengineering project. He attends the Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, Maryland ||
|-id=025
| 30025 Benfreed || || Benjamin Freed (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his biochemistry project. ||
|-id=027
| 30027 Anubhavguha || || Anubhav Guha (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his materials science project. ||
|-id=028
| 30028 Yushihomma || || Yushi Homma (born 1995), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his mathematics project. ||
|-id=029
| 30029 Preetikakani || || Preeti Kakani (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for her medicine and health project. ||
|-id=030
| 30030 Joycekang || || Joyce Blossom Kang (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for her engineering project. ||
|-id=031
| 30031 Angelakong || || Angela Xiangyue Kong (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for her biochemistry project. ||
|-id=032
| 30032 Kuszmaul || || William Henry Kuszmaul (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his mathematics project. ||
|-id=033
| 30033 Kevinlee || || Kevin Lee (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his bioengineering project. ||
|-id=035
| 30035 Charlesliu || || Charles Xin Liu (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his bioinformatics and genomics project. ||
|-id=036
| 30036 Eshamaiti || || Esha Maiti (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for her mathematics project. ||
|-id=037
| 30037 Rahulmehta || || Rahul Siddharth Mehta (born 1995), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his computer science project. ||
|-id=039
| 30039 Jameier || || Joshua Abraham Meier (born 1995), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his medicine and health project. ||
|-id=040
| 30040 Annemerrill || || Anne Merrill (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for her environmental science project. ||
|-id=042
| 30042 Schmude || || Richard Schmude (born 1958), a Professor of Astronomy at Gordon State College. ||
|-id=043
| 30043 Lisamichaels || || Lisa P. Michaels (born 1995), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for her medicine and health project. ||
|-id=048
| 30048 Sreyasmisra || || Sreyas Misra (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his bioengineering project. ||
|-id=049
| 30049 Violamocz || || Viola Mocz (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for her physics project. ||
|-id=050
| 30050 Emilypang || || Emily Pang (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for her medicine and health project. ||
|-id=051
| 30051 Jihopark || || Jiho Park (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his biochemistry project. ||
|-id=053
| 30053 Ivanpaskov || || Ivan Spassimirov Paskov (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his bioinformatics and genomics project. ||
|-id=054
| 30054 Pereira || || Brianna Pereira (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for her medicine and health project. ||
|-id=055
| 30055 Ajaysaini || || Ajay Saini (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his behavioral and social sciences project. ||
|-id=057
| 30057 Sarasakowitz || || Sara Sakowitz (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for her biochemistry project. ||
|-id=060
| 30060 Davidseong || || David Seong (born 1995), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his biochemistry project. ||
|-id=061
| 30061 Vishnushankar || || Vishnu Shankar (born 1996) is a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his biochemistry project. ||
|-id=063
| 30063 Jessicashi || || Jessica Shi (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for her mathematics project. ||
|-id=064
| 30064 Kaitlynshin || || Kaitlyn Shin (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for her space science project. ||
|-id=065
| 30065 Asrinivasan || || Anand Srinivasan (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his computer science project. ||
|-id=066
| 30066 Parthakker || || Parth Thakker (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his materials science project. ||
|-id=067
| 30067 Natalieng || || Natalie Ng (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel STS, and was awarded first place in the 2013 Intel ISEF, for her medicine and health project. ||
|-id=068
| 30068 Frankmelillo || || Frank Melillo (born 1958) has been the Coordinator for the Mercury Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) since 2001. Also in that year he received the ALPO Walter Haas Observing Award. ||
|-id=070
| 30070 Thabitpulak || || Thabit Pulak (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel STS, and was awarded second place in the 2013 Intel ISEF, for his environmental science project. ||
|-id=073
| 30073 Erichen || || Eric Shu Chen (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel STS, and was awarded first place in the 2013 Intel ISEF for his microbiology project. ||
|-id=080
| 30080 Walterworman || || Walter E. Worman (born 1944 ) is a professor emeritus of the Minnesota State University (Moorhead, Minnesota) whose asteroid research in the 1990s and early 2000s helped establish asteroid photometry research using small university telescopes. ||
|-id=081
| 30081 Zarinrahman || || Zarin Ibnat Rahman (born 1996), a finalist in the 2014 Intel STS, and was awarded best of category and first place in the 2013 Intel ISEF, for her behavioral and social sciences project. ||
|-id=085
| 30085 Kevingarbe || || Kevin Matthew Garbe (born 1995), a finalist in the 2013 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his mathematics project. ||
|-id=088
| 30088 Deprá || || Mário De Prá (born 1986) is a postdoctoral researcher at Florida Space Institute (Orlando, Florida) whose studies include photometry and spectroscopy of primitive asteroids to infer their composition, in particular those belonging to the outer belt dynamical groups. ||
|-id=090
| 30090 Grossano || || Geoffrey Louis Rossano (1949–2021), an American historian, polymath, and author of several books and many articles, who was a teacher at Salisbury School in Salisbury, Connecticut. ||
|-id=094
| 30094 Rolfebode || || Rolfe Bode (born 1959) is an aerospace engineer who has worked on many NASA missions including MPL-MVACS and the Phoenix Mars mission at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and private space companies including Paragon Space Development Corp. and World View Enterprises. ||
|-id=095
| 30095 Tarabode || || Tara Bode (born 1975) has been the long-time business manager at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and the Department of Planetary Sciences. She has provided vital support for numerous planetary scientists, staff, students, programs and spacecraft missions. ||
|-id=096
| 30096 Glindadavidson || || Glinda Davidson (born 1963) is a long-time business manager, contracts and budget expert at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and the Department of Planetary Sciences. ||
|-id=097
| 30097 Traino || || Alan Traino, American astronomer and caver ||
|-id=100
| 30100 Christophergo || || Christopher Go (born 1970), a Philippine astrophotographer. ||
|}
30101–30200
|-id=109
| 30109 Jaywilson || || Jay Wilson, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=110
| 30110 Lisabreton || || Lisa Breton, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=111
| 30111 Wendyslijk || || Wendy Slijk, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=117
| 30117 Childress || || Stephanie Childress, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=119
| 30119 Lucamatone || || Luca Matone, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=122
| 30122 Elschweitzer || || Ellen Schweitzer, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=123
| 30123 Scottrippeon || || Scott Rippeon, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=125
| 30125 Mikekiser || || Mike Kiser, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=126
| 30126 Haviland || || Maureen Haviland, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=128
| 30128 Shannonbunch || || Shannon Bunch, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=129
| 30129 Virmani || || Rajeev Virmani, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=130
| 30130 Jeandillman || || Jean Dillman, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=136
| 30136 Bakerfranke || || Baker Franke, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=140
| 30140 Robpergolizzi || || Robert Pergolizzi, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=141
| 30141 Nelvenzon || || Nel Venzon Jr., a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=142
| 30142 Debfrazier || || Debbie Frazier, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=144
| 30144 Minubasu || || Minu Basu, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=146
| 30146 Decandia || || Maria DeCandia, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=147
| 30147 Amyhammer || || Amy Hammer, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=149
| 30149 Kellyriedell || || Kelly Riedell, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=150
| 30150 Laseminara || || Laurie Seminara, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=151
| 30151 Susanoffner || || Susan Offner, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=152
| 30152 Reneefallon || || Renee Fallon, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=153
| 30153 Ostrander || || Peter Ostrander, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=154
| 30154 Christichil || || Christi Chilton, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=155
| 30155 Warmuth || || Audrey Warmuth, a mentor of finalist in the 2013 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=157
| 30157 Robertspira || || Robert Spira, a mentor of finalist in the 2004 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors ||
|-id=158
| 30158 Mabdulla || || Muhammad Ugur Oglu Abdulla (born 1999), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his mathematics and computer science project ||
|-id=159
| 30159 Behari || || Nikhil Behari (born 2000), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his mathematics and computer science project ||
|-id=160
| 30160 Danielbruce || || Daniel Sebastian Bruce (born 2000), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his animal & plant sciences project ||
|-id=161
| 30161 Chrepta || || Benjamin Joseph Chrepta (born 1999), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his mathematics and computer science project ||
|-id=162
| 30162 Courtney || || Joshua Michael Courtney (born 2001), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his animal & plant sciences project ||
|-id=164
| 30164 Arnobdas || || Arnob Das (born 1999), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his biochemistry, medicine, health science, and microbiology project ||
|-id=166
| 30166 Leodeng || || Leo Z. Deng (born 1999), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his environmental sciences project ||
|-id=167
| 30167 Caredmonds || || Caroline S Edmonds (born 2001), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for her animal & plant sciences project ||
|-id=168
| 30168 Linusfreyer || || Linus Alexander Freyer (born 2001), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his biochemistry, medicine, health science, and microbiology project ||
|-id=169
| 30169 Raghavganesh || || Raghav Ganesh (born 2002), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his engineering project ||
|-id=170
| 30170 Makaylaruth || || Makayla Ruth Gates (born 2001), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for her physical sciences project ||
|-id=172
| 30172 Giedraitis || || Alden Shea Giedraitis (born 1999), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his engineering project ||
|-id=173
| 30173 Greenwood || || Floyd S. Greenwood (born 2001), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his biochemistry, medicine, health science, and microbiology project ||
|-id=174
| 30174 Hollyjackson || || Holly Marie Jackson (born 2000), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for her physical sciences project. ||
|-id=175
| 30175 Adityajain || || Aditya Jain (born 2000), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his biochemistry, medicine, health science, and microbiology project ||
|-id=176
| 30176 Gelseyjaymes || || Gelsey Elise Jaymes (born 2002), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for her environmental sciences project ||
|-id=177
| 30177 Khashayar || || Sahar A Khashayar (born 2000), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for her engineering project ||
|-id=179
| 30179 Movva || || Rajiv Movva (born 2000), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his biochemistry, medicine, health science, and microbiology project ||
|-id=183
| 30183 Murali || || Chythanya Murali (born 2000), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for her environmental sciences project ||
|-id=184
| 30184 Okasinski || || Jonathan Guanghong Okasinski (born 2001), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his physical sciences project ||
|-id=186
| 30186 Ostojic || || Annie Ostojic (born 2002), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for her mathematics and computer science project ||
|-id=187
| 30187 Jamesroney || || James Peter Roney (born 2000), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his animal & plant sciences project ||
|-id=188
| 30188 Hafsasaeed || || Hafsa Naseem Saeed (born 2000), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for her environmental sciences project ||
|-id=190
| 30190 Alexshelby || || Alexander Lloyd Shelby (born 2000), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his physical sciences project ||
|-id=191
| 30191 Sivakumar || || Aditya Diwakar Sivakumar (born 2000), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his physical sciences project ||
|-id=192
| 30192 Talarterzian || || Talar Victoria-Grace Terzian (born 2001), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for her engineering project ||
|-id=193
| 30193 Annikaurban || || Annika Frances Urban (born 2001), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for her engineering project ||
|-id=194
| 30194 Liamyoung || || Liam Hayden Young (born 2000), a finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students, for his environmental sciences project ||
|-id=195
| 30195 Akdemir || || Nilgun Akdemir, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students ||
|-id=197
| 30197 Nickbadyrka || || Nick Badyrka, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students ||
|-id=199
| 30199 Ericbrown || || Eric Brown, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students ||
|-id=200
| 30200 Terryburch || || Terry Burch, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students ||
|}
30201–30300
|-
| 30201 Caruana || || Chris Caruana, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=203
| 30203 Kimdavis || || Kim Davis, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=204
| 30204 Stevedoherty || || Steven Doherty, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=205
| 30205 Mistyevans || || Misty Evans, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=206
| 30206 Jasonfricker || || Jason Fricker, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=208
| 30208 Guigarcia || || Guillermo Garcia, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=209
| 30209 Garciaarriola || || Alfonso Garcia Arriola, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=211
| 30211 Sheilah || || Sheila Harrington, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=216
| 30216 Summerjohnson || || Summer Johnson, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=218
| 30218 Paulaladd || || Paula Ladd, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=221
| 30221 LeDonne || || Sarah LeDonne, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=222
| 30222 Malecki || || Eva Malecki, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=228
| 30228 Hushoucun || || Shoucun Hu (born 1985) is a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences who studies gravity and dynamics around asteroids. He is currently involved in proposing new Chinese space missions to small solar system bodies. ||
|-id=230
| 30230 Ralucarufu || || Raluca Rufu (born 1989) is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Southwest Research Institute, whose graduate research at the Weizmann Institute explored lunar formation by modeling impacts and the accumulation of the ejecta. Her ongoing investigations include dynamical studies of satellites. ||
|-id=231
| 30231 Patorojo || || Patricio Rojo (born 1977) is a Professor at the Departamento de Astronomia, Universidad de Chile whose work includes the atmospheric characterization of exoplanets and minor body surveys, as well as characterization of binary asteroids. ||
|-id=234
| 30234 Dudziński || || Grzegorz Dudziński (born 1989) is a postdoctoral researcher at the Astronomical Observatory of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. He is studying physical properties of asteroids and contributing to development of new asteroid shape modeling methods. ||
|-id=235
| 30235 Kimmiller || || Kim Miller, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=240
| 30240 Morgensen || || Kristen Morgensen, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=241
| 30241 Donnamower || || Donna Mower, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=242
| 30242 Naymark || || Alissa Naymark, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=244
| 30244 Linhpham || || Linh Pham, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=245
| 30245 Paigesmith || || Paige Smith, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=248
| 30248 Kimstinson || || Kim Stinson, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=249
| 30249 Zamora || || Suzanne Zamora, a mentor of finalist in the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS, a math and science competition for middle school students. ||
|-id=251
| 30251 Ashkin || || Emily Lorin Ashkin (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel STS, and was awarded second place in the 2014 Intel ISEF, for her medicine and health project. ||
|-id=252
| 30252 Textorisová || || Izabela Textorisová, Slovak botanist † ||
|-id=253
| 30253 Vítek || || Antonín Vítek, Czech biochemist, computer specialist, author, and media space popularizer ||
|-id=257
| 30257 Leejanel || || Jihyeon (Janel) Lee (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel STS, and was awarded second place in the 2014 Intel ISEF, for her computer science project. ||
|-id=259
| 30259 Catherineli || || Catherine J. Li (born 1996), a finalist in the 2015 Intel STS, and was awarded second place in the 2014 Intel ISEF, for her materials science project. ||
|-id=267
| 30267 Raghuvanshi || || Anika Raghuvanshi (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel STS, and was awarded second place in the 2014 Intel ISEF, for her engineering project. ||
|-id=268
| 30268 Jessezhang || || Jesse Zhang (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel STS, and was awarded second place in the 2014 Intel ISEF, for his earth and planetary science project. ||
|-id=269
| 30269 Anandapadmanaban || || Eswar Anandapadmanaban (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his bioengineering project. ||
|-id=270
| 30270 Chemparathy || || Augustine George Chemparathy (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his plant science project. ||
|-id=271
| 30271 Brandoncui || || Brandon Bichemg Cui (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his engineering project. ||
|-id=272
| 30272 D'Mello || || Ryan D'Mello (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his mathematics project. ||
|-id=273
| 30273 Samepstein || || Samuel Epstein (born 1996), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his animal sciences project. ||
|-id=275
| 30275 Eskow || || Nicole Eskow (born 1996), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for her medicine and health project. ||
|-id=276
| 30276 Noahgolowich || || Noah Golowich (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his mathematics project. ||
|-id=277
| 30277 Charlesgulian || || Charles Gulian (born 1997) is a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his space science project. He attends the Ossining High School, Ossining, New York ||
|-id=281
| 30281 Horstman || || Helen Horstman (born 1936), a long-time employee of Lowell Observatory, starting in 1964 and retiring in 2007. ||
|-id=282
| 30282 Jamessmith || || James A. Smith (born 1938) is a science educator in north Georgia. With his wife Shirley, he has inspired and mentored generations of astronomers growing up in the rural counties of the region and established one of the first planetariums in the area. ||
|-id=283
| 30283 Shirleysmith || || Shirley R. Smith (born 1939) is a U.S. science educator in north Georgia. Together with her husband Jim and through her love of the night sky, she has encouraged and guided generations of young people into astronomy careers. ||
|-id=295
| 30295 Anvitagupta || || Anvita Gupta (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for her biochemistry project. ||
|-id=296
| 30296 Bricehuang || || Brice Huang (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his mathematics project. ||
|-id=298
| 30298 Somyakhare || || Somya Khare (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for her microbiology project. ||
|-id=299
| 30299 Shashkishore || || Shashwat Kishore (born 1996), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his mathematics project. ||
|}
30301–30400
|-
| 30301 Kuditipudi || || Rohith Kuditipudi (born 1996), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his bioinformatics and genomics project. ||
|-id=302
| 30302 Kritilall || || Kriti Lall (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his environmental science project. ||
|-id=304
| 30304 Denisvida || || Denis Vida (born 1992) is a Croatian meteor astronomer working at Western University in London, Ontario. His research focuses on optical meteor measurements and he has developed a novel low-cost meteor camera system now deployed as hundreds of cameras within the Global Meteor Network. ||
|-id=305
| 30305 Severi || 2000 JA || Francesco Severi, 19th–20th-century Italian mathematician, historian, educator and philosopher ||
|-id=306
| 30306 Frigyesriesz || 2000 JD || Frigyes Riesz, 19th–20th-century Hungarian mathematician, elder brother of Marcel Riesz † ||
|-id=307
| 30307 Marcelriesz || 2000 JE || Marcel Riesz, 19th–20th-century Hungarian-born Swedish mathematician † \ ||
|-id=308
| 30308 Ienli || || Ien Li (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for her behavioral and social sciences project. ||
|-id=310
| 30310 Alexanderlin || || Alexander Lin (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his computer science project. ||
|-id=312
| 30312 Lilyliu || || Lily Liu (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for her chemistry project. ||
|-id=314
| 30314 Yelenam || || Yelena Mandelshtam (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for her mathematics project. ||
|-id=316
| 30316 Scottmassa || || Scott Massa (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his biochemistry project. ||
|-id=321
| 30321 McCleary || || Jennifer McCleary (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for her chemistry project. ||
|-id=323
| 30323 Anyam || || Anya Michaelson (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for her physics project. ||
|-id=324
| 30324 Pandya || || Dhaivat Nitin Pandya (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his computer science project. ||
|-id=325
| 30325 Reesabpathak || || Reesab Pathak (born 1998), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his medicine and health project. ||
|-id=326
| 30326 Maxpine || || Max pine (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his animal sciences project. ||
|-id=327
| 30327 Prembabu || || Saranesh Prembabu (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his materials science project. ||
|-id=328
| 30328 Emilyspencer || || Emily Jane Spencer (born 1996), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for her materials science project. ||
|-id=330
| 30330 Tiffanysun || || Tiffany Sun (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for her behavioral and social sciences project. ||
|-id=332
| 30332 Tanaytandon || || Tanay Tandon (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his computer science project. ||
|-id=333
| 30333 Stevenwang || || Steven Wang (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his bioinformatics and genomics project. ||
|-id=334
| 30334 Michaelwiner || || Michael Winer (born 1996), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his physics project. ||
|-id=336
| 30336 Zhangyizhen || || Yizhen Zhang (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for her animal sciences project. ||
|-id=337
| 30337 Crystalzheng || || Crystal Zheng (born 1997), a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for her biochemistry project. ||
|-id=347
| 30347 Pattyhunt || || Patricia Hunt, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=348
| 30348 Marizzabailey || || Marizza Bailey, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=350
| 30350 Beltecas || || Steven Beltecas, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=353
| 30353 Carothers || || Patti Carothers, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=357
| 30357 Davisdon || || Don Davis, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=362
| 30362 Jenniferdean || || Jennifer Dean, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=363
| 30363 Dellasantina || || Nicole Della Santina, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=365
| 30365 Gregduran || || Gregory Duran, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=368
| 30368 Ericferrante || || Eric Ferrante, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=370
| 30370 Jongoetz || || Charles Jon Goetz III, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=371
| 30371 Johngorman || || John Gorman, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=372
| 30372 Halback || || Damon Halback, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=373
| 30373 Mattharley || || Matthew Harley, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=374
| 30374 Bobbiehinson || || Bobbie Hinson, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=375
| 30375 Kathuang || || Katherine Huang, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=379
| 30379 Molaro || || Jamie L. Molaro (born 1986) is a planetary scientist at the Planetary Science Institute who specializes in thermal fracturing of rocks on asteroids and other bodies in the solar system. ||
|-id=384
| 30384 Robertirelan || || Robert W. Irelan, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=386
| 30386 Philipjeffery || || Philip Jeffery, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=388
| 30388 Nicolejustice || || Nicole A. Justice, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=389
| 30389 Ledoux || || Veronica Ledoux, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=396
| 30396 Annleonard || || Ann C. Leonard, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|}
30401–30500
|-id=406
| 30406 Middleman || || Elaine Middleman, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=407
| 30407 Pantano || || Alessandra Pantano, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=409
| 30409 Piccirillo || || Angelo Piccirillo, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=414
| 30414 Pistacchi || || Mike Pistacchi, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=416
| 30416 Schacht || || Scott Schacht, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=417
| 30417 Staudt || 2000 LF || Karl Georg Christian von Staudt, 19th-century German mathematician ||
|-id=418
| 30418 Jakobsteiner || 2000 LG || Jakob Steiner, 19th-century Swiss-German mathematician ||
|-id=421
| 30421 Jameschafer || || James R. Schafer, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=425
| 30425 Silverman || || Emily Silverman, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=426
| 30426 Philtalbot || || Phil Talbot, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=430
| 30430 Robertoegel || || Robert Toegel, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=431
| 30431 Michaeltran || || Michael Tran, a mentor of finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. ||
|-id=437
| 30437 Michtchenko || || Tatiana Michtchenko (born 1954) is a planetary scientist at the Instituto de Astronomia, Geofisica e Ciencias Ambientais of the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) with important contributions on the dynamical evolution of the asteroid belt, in particular on the effect of non-linear secular resonances. ||
|-id=439
| 30439 Moe || 2000 MB || Moe Howard (Harry Moses Horwitz), 20th-century American comedian, the mop-haired leader of the slapstick comedy team of the Three Stooges ||
|-id=440
| 30440 Larry || 2000 MG || Larry Fine (Louis Feinberg), 20th-century American comedian, long time member of the Three Stooges (the one in the middle with a scared-porcupine hairstyle) ||
|-id=441
| 30441 Curly || 2000 MX || Curly Howard (Jerome Horwitz), 20th-century American comedian, one of the Three Stooges ||
|-id=443
| 30443 Stieltjes || 2000 NR || Thomas Jan Stieltjes, 19th-century Dutch physicist and mathematician † ||
|-id=444
| 30444 Shemp || || Shemp Howard (Samuel Horwitz), 20th-century American comedian, one of the original vaudeville-era Three Stooges, appearing on film in 1946 to replace his ailing brother Curly ||
|-id=445
| 30445 Stirling || || James Stirling, 18th-century Scottish mathematician ||
|-id=448
| 30448 Yoshiomoriyama || || Yoshio Moriyama, Japan planetaria constructor ||
|-id=473
| 30473 Ethanbutson || || Ethan Butson (born 1995), awarded second place in the 2014 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his medicine and health sciences project. ||
|-id=487
| 30487 Dominikovacs || || Dominik Kovaks (born 1994), awarded second place in the 2014 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his materials and bioengineering team project. ||
|-id=488
| 30488 Steinlechner || || Thomas Gunther Steinlechner (born 1993), awarded second place in the 2014 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his materials and bioengineering team project. ||
|}
30501–30600
|-id=509
| 30509 Yukitrippel || || Yuki Trippel (born 1994), awarded second place in the 2014 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his materials and bioengineering team project. ||
|-id=514
| 30514 Chiomento || || Gabriel Chiomento da Motta (born 1995), awarded second place in the 2014 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his materials and bioengineering team project. ||
|-id=524
| 30524 Mandushev || || Georgi Mandushev (born 1962), an assistant research scientist at Lowell Observatory who developed the data analysis pipeline that was instrumental in making the TrES exoplanet discoveries. ||
|-id=525
| 30525 Lenbright || || Len Bright (born 1957), an observer/technical assistant at Lowell Observatory. ||
|-id=533
| 30533 Saeidzoonemat || || Saeid Zoonemat Kermani (born 1962), a software engineer at Lowell Observatory. ||
|-id=535
| 30535 Sarahgreenstreet || || Sarah Greenstreet (born 1985) is a researcher at the B612 Asteroid Institute who studies orbital dynamics of asteroids and comets as well as planetary impact rates. ||
|-id=536
| 30536 Erondón || || Eduardo Rondón (born 1980) is a planetary scientist presently working at the Observatorio Nacional in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). He specializes in observational and theoretical studies of small Solar System bodies. ||
|-id=539
| 30539 Raissamuller || || Raissa Muller (born 1995), awarded second place in the 2014 Intel Science Talent search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for her materials and bioengineering team project. ||
|-id=558
| 30558 Jamesoconnor || || James O'Connor, Irish amateur astronomer ||
|-id=562
| 30562 Güttler || || Carsten Güttler (born 1980) is the project manager for the OSIRIS cameras on the Rosetta mission at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (Göttingen, Germany). His research includes the physical properties of dust in comets analyzed through laboratory experiments. ||
|-id=564
| 30564 Olomouc || || Olomouc, an old city in Moravia, the Czech Republic ||
|-id=566
| 30566 Stokes || || Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet, 19th-century Irish mathematician and physicist ||
|-id=593
| 30593 Dangovski || || Rumen Rumenov Dangovski (born 1995) was awarded second place in the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for his mathematical sciences project. ||
|-id=596
| 30596 Amdeans || || Alexander Matthew Deans (born 1997) was awarded second place in the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for his materials and bioengineering project. ||
|}
30601–30700
|-id=698
| 30698 Hippokoon || 2299 T-3 || Hippokoon, mythological friend of king Rhesos of Thracia, awoken by Apollo as Odysseus and Diomedes were killing the Thracians (from the Iliad) ||
|}
30701–30800
|-id=704
| 30704 Phegeus || 3250 T-3 || Phegeus, mythological oldest son of Dares (a priest of Hephaistos), fatally wounded by Diomedes during the Trojan War ||
|-id=705
| 30705 Idaios || 3365 T-3 || Idaios, mythological younger son of Dares (a priest of Hephaistos) and herald of king Priam, who tells him that Paris and Menelaos want to start a duel ||
|-id=708
| 30708 Echepolos || 4101 T-3 || Echepolos, first mythological hero of the great fight after the duel of Paris against Menelaos, killed by Antilochos ||
|-id=718
| 30718 Records || || Brenda Records, American departmental office manager for the Indiana University Astronomy Department, the discovery site. ||
|-id=719
| 30719 Isserstedt || 1963 RJ || Isserstedt is a part of Jena, situated high above the town and near the scene of the 1806 battle of Jena-Auerstedt. F. Börngen. ||
|-id=722
| 30722 Biblioran || || Bibliotheka (Rossijskoj) Akademii Nauk (RAN) (Библиотеку (Российской) Академии Наук, "Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences") † ‡ ||
|-id=724
| 30724 Peterburgtrista || || St. Petersburg tricentenary (2003) † ||
|-id=725
| 30725 Klimov || || Andrej Andreevich Klimov (born 1922), is a choreographer and producer, People's artist of the USSR and Russia, State prize winner, patriarch of Russian dance, and the author of Principles of Russian Folk Dance ||
|-id=767
| 30767 Chriskraft || || Christopher C. Kraft, who oversaw rocket launches and the design of space modules from Mercury to Apollo, as well as creating Mission Control ||
|-id=773
| 30773 Schelde || || The Schelde river, in Gouy, France. ||
|-id=775
| 30775 Lattu || 1987 QX || Kristan Rosemary Lattu, American member (of Finnish extraction) of the JPL technical staff, space systems integration and operations specialist ||
|-id=778
| 30778 Döblin || || Alfred Döblin, 19th–20th-century German doctor and novelist, best known for Berlin Alexanderplatz and Babylonische Wanderung ||
|-id=779
| 30779 Sankt-Stephan || || Abbey Sankt-Stephan (Benediktinerkloster Sankt Stephan) in Augsburg, Germany, where the Benedictine monk Father Gregor (Bernhard Helms) is a physics-astronomy teacher, builder of his own observatory and of the school planetarium ||
|-id=785
| 30785 Greeley || 1988 PX || Ronald Greeley, American planetary geologist ||
|-id=786
| 30786 Karkoschka || 1988 QC || Erich Karkoschka, German-born American astronomer ||
|-id=788
| 30788 Angekauffmann || || Angelica Kauffman, 18th-century Swiss painter ||
|-id=797
| 30797 Chimborazo || || Chimborazo is a volcano in the occident range of the Andes and the highest mountain in Ecuador (6263 m). In 1891, the botanist von Humboldt searched the slopes of the mountain for plants and trees in order to compare them with the vegetation in other continents ||
|-id=798
| 30798 Graubünden || || Graubünden (a.k.a. Grisons, Grigioni, Grishun), largest canton of Switzerland and birthplace of Angelica Kauffman ||
|}
30801–30900
|-id=821
| 30821 Chernetenko || || Yuliya Andreevna Chernetenko, Russian astronomer ||
|-id=826
| 30826 Coulomb || || Charles-Augustin de Coulomb, 18th-century French physicist, author of Sur l'électricité et le magnétisme ||
|-id=827
| 30827 Lautenschläger || || Manfred Lautenschläger, lawyer, entrepreneur and philanthropist ||
|-id=828
| 30828 Bethe || || Hans Albrecht Bethe, 20th-century German-American physicist and Nobelist ||
|-id=829
| 30829 Wolfwacker || || Wolfgang Wacker, German astronomer who worked at the Heidelberg Max-Planck-Institut ||
|-id=830
| 30830 Jahn || || Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, 18th–19th-century German educator, writer and "father of gymnastics" ||
|-id=831
| 30831 Seignovert || || Benoît Seignovert (born 1990) earned his PhD from the University of Reims, France. His research focuses on Titan's surface and atmosphere. He developed and maintains the Cassini/VIMS data portal that hosts the complete dataset of spectral cubes of Saturn's icy moons observed during the Cassini mission. ||
|-id=832
| 30832 Urbaincreve || || Urbain Creve (1950–2011), a doctor of medicine at the Stuivenberg clinic in Antwerp and a good friend of the discoverer Eric Walter Elst ||
|-id=835
| 30835 Waterloo || || Waterloo, Belgium, site of the Battle of Waterloo. ||
|-id=836
| 30836 Schnittke || || Alfred Garriyevich Schnittke, 20th-century Russian composer, creator of "polystylism" ||
|-id=837
| 30837 Steinheil || || Carl August von Steinheil, 19th-century Swiss-German physicist and opticist ||
|-id=838
| 30838 Hitomiyamasaki || || Hitomi Yamasaki (born 1945), who sufferers from leprosy became interested in astronomy and exchanged letters with Japanese astronomer Tsutomu Seki, who co-discovered this minor planet as well as Comet Ikeya–Seki ||
|-id=840
| 30840 Jackalice || || Jack Newton, Canadian astrophotographer, and his wife Alice ||
|-id=844
| 30844 Hukeller || 1991 KE || (born 1943), a German professor of astronomy at the University of Stuttgart, director of the Carl-Zeiss-Planetarium Stuttgart and the Weizheim Observatory, as well as editor of the "Himmelsjahr", an astronomical almanac. ||
|-id=847
| 30847 Lampert || || Klaus Lampert, experienced amateur radio operator ||
|-id=850
| 30850 Vonsiemens || || Ernst Werner von Siemens, 19th-century German inventor and industrialist, inventor of the dynamo and founder of electrotechnology ||
|-id=851
| 30851 Reißfelder || || Günter Reißfelder, German physician and well-known expert on urology and ambulant surgery ||
|-id=852
| 30852 Debye || || Peter Joseph William Debye, 20th-century Dutch-born American physical chemist † ||
|-id=857
| 30857 Parsec || 1991 YY || The first five digits of the parsec (in metres) ||
|-id=879
| 30879 Hiroshikanai || 1992 KF || Hiroshi Kanai, Japanese photographer, president of the Minox Club of Japan (1969–2005) ||
|-id=881
| 30881 Robertstevenson || || Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His 1879 publication Travels with a Donkey in the C ́evennes, recounted his 200 km trip on foot through the C ́evennes mountains. The road he followed has been named Chemin de Stevenson in his honor. ||
|-id=882
| 30882 Tomhenning || || Thomas Henning, managing director of the Heidelberg Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy ||
|-id=883
| 30883 de Broglie || || Louis-Victor, 7th duc de Broglie, 20th-century French physicist and Nobelist ||
|-id=888
| 30888 Okitsumisaki || || Okitsumisaki in western Kōchi Prefecture, a small promontory jutting into the Pacific Ocean. ||
|}
30901–31000
|-id=917
| 30917 Moehorgan || || Maureen "Moe" A. Horgan, American trombonist, conductor and teacher ||
|-id=928
| 30928 Jefferson || || Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States (1801–1809) ||
|-id=933
| 30933 Grillparzer || || Franz Grillparzer, 19th-century Austrian dramatic poet and playwright ||
|-id=934
| 30934 Bakerhansen || 1993 WH || The two American space enthusiasts Lonny Baker (born 1942), Global volunteer leader of the Planetary Society, and Todd Hansen (born 1950), author of Deep Sky and other Enthusiasms ||
|-id=935
| 30935 Davasobel || || Dava Sobel, American author ||
|-id=936
| 30936 Basra || || The city of Basra, located in south-eastern Iraq. It was founded in 636 CE at the historical location of Sumer, the first urban civilization in Mesopotamia. ||
|-id=937
| 30937 Bashkirtseff || || Marie Bashkirtseff (1858–1884), known for her impressionistic paintings Automne (1883) and La Réunion (1884), and especially for her diary, with a personal account of the struggle of women artists in a bourgeois society. ||
|-id=938
| 30938 Montmartre || || Montmartre, a large hill in Paris (France) ||
|-id=939
| 30939 Samaritaine || || La Samaritaine, a department store near the Pont Neuf, Paris. ||
|-id=942
| 30942 Helicaon || || Helicaon, a Trojan warrior, was the son of Antenor and the husband of Laodice, daughter of Priamos, king of Troy ||
|-id=955
| 30955 Weiser || || Thorolf Weiser, German palaeontologic geologist ||
|-id=963
| 30963 Mount Banzan || || Mount Banzan, Japan, at the foot of which is the Sendai Astronomical Observatory Ayashi Station (and where the New Sendai Astronomical Observatory will be in 2008) ||
|-id=991
| 30991 Minenze || || Min Enze, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering ||
|-id=000
| 31000 Rockchic || 1995 VV || Nickname of Gail Swanson, American singer-songwriter ||
|}
References
030001-031000
|
2464675
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NoteEdit
|
NoteEdit
|
NoteEdit is a defunct music scorewriter for Linux and other Unix-like computer operating systems. Its official successor is Canorus.
NoteEdit is written in C++, uses the Qt3 toolkit, and is integrated with KDE. Released under the GPL-2.0-or-later license, NoteEdit is free software.
Features
NoteEdit, unlike some Linux-based music editors, features a graphical user interface. NoteEdit's design has been praised by ITworld, and Linux Journal praised both the interface and the relatively wide range of features and applications of the program.
It supports an unlimited number and length of staves, polyphony, MIDI playback of written notes, chord markings, lyrics, and a number of import and export filters to many formats like MIDI, MusicXML, abc, MUP, PMX, MusiXTeX and LilyPond.
Linux Magazine recommends using NoteEdit with FluidSynth, a software synthesizer, to expand NoteEdit's abilities. FluidSynth uses SoundFont technology (a sample-based synthesis) to simulate the sound of a NoteEdit score played by live instruments.
Authors
NoteEdit was maintained by Jörg Anders for a long time. Since August 2004, a new development team was formed. Now there are quite a few people behind this software project:
Reinhard Katzmann, project manager
Christian Fasshauer, programmer
Erik Sigra, developer
David Faure, KDE User Interface
Matt Gerassimoff
Leon Vinken, MusicXML
Georg Rudolph, LilyPond interface
Matevž Jekovec, developer and composer
Karai Csaba, developer
In Autumn 2006 the development team decided to rewrite as score editor in Qt4 from scratch (now known as Canorus). Version 0.1.0 to 0.7.2 released under GPL-2.0-only, and since version 0.7.3 under GPL-3.0-only.
See also
List of music software
References
External links
NoteEdit home page ()
Canorus - music score editor
Scorewriters
Free audio software
Free music software
Free software programmed in C++
Software that uses Qt
Scorewriters for Linux
|
26211425
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information%20Technology%20Agreement
|
Information Technology Agreement
|
The Information Technology Agreement (ITA) is a plurilateral agreement enforced by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and concluded in the Ministerial Declaration on Trade in Information Technology Products in 1996, and entered into force 1 July 1997. Since 1997 a formal Committee under the WTO watches over the following of the Declaration and its Implementations. The agreement was expanded in 2015.
The aim of the treaty is to lower all taxes and tariffs on information technology products by signatories to zero.
According to a 2017 study in the World Trade Review, the 2015 ITA expansion is "the most successful attempt at trade liberalization under the auspices of the WTO since its inception in 1995." The study credits the success of the negotiations to four factors: "a narrower scope without a single undertaking approach, a negotiating group that contained many but not all WTO members, a focus on tariffs rather than non-tariff barriers, and avoiding a nationalistic opposition."
References
External links
.
.
World Trade Organization agreements
Treaties entered into force in 1997
Treaties concluded in 1996
Treaties of Afghanistan
Treaties of Albania
Treaties of Australia
Treaties of Bahrain
Treaties of Canada
Treaties of the People's Republic of China
Treaties of Colombia
Treaties of Costa Rica
Treaties of the Dominican Republic
Treaties of Egypt
Treaties of El Salvador
Treaties of Georgia (country)
Treaties of Guatemala
Treaties of Honduras
Treaties of Iceland
Treaties of India
Treaties of Indonesia
Treaties of Israel
Treaties of Japan
Treaties of Jordan
Treaties of Kazakhstan
Treaties of South Korea
Treaties of Kyrgyzstan
Treaties of Malaysia
Treaties of Mauritius
Treaties of Moldova
Treaties of Montenegro
Treaties of Morocco
Treaties of New Zealand
Treaties of Nicaragua
Treaties of Norway
Treaties of Oman
Treaties of Panama
Treaties of Peru
Treaties of the Philippines
Treaties of Qatar
Treaties of Russia
Treaties of Saudi Arabia
Treaties of Seychelles
Treaties of Singapore
Treaties of Switzerland
Treaties of Tajikistan
Treaties of Thailand
Treaties of Turkey
Treaties of Ukraine
Treaties of the United Arab Emirates
Treaties of the United States
Treaties of Vietnam
Treaties entered into by the European Union
Treaties of Taiwan
Treaties of Hong Kong
Treaties of Macau
|
1500865
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuros%20Technology
|
Neuros Technology
|
Neuros Technology was a Chicago, Illinois–based company that produced a number of audio and video devices under the brand name Neuros. Founded by Joe Born in 2001 as a division of Digital Innovations, it previously operated under the name Neuros Audio. Like Digital Innovations, Neuros distinguished itself by its use of open-innovation and crowdsourcing techniques to bring products to market, as well as by its prominent use of open-source software and open-source hardware. In its development model, end users were involved throughout the product development process from reviewing initial concepts to beta testing initial product releases.
Products
Neuros LINK
The Neuros LINK is an open set-top device designed to bring Internet television and other video to the television, it comes pre-installed with XBMC Media Center. The Neuros LINK supports the web's open standards allows Internet television sites to be viewed directly on a television set. The Neuros LINK is positioned between three categories, a HTPC (Home Theater PC), digital media receiver (a.k.a. media extender), and the standard Internet-to-television devices or set-top-boxes. It is open and allows access to all content sources using software and hardware components from a PC, but positioned as a lower cost, smaller consumer electronics device designed to be connected to a television set.
Neuros OSD
The Neuros OSD is a device to archive, organize, and play video content. It can record from any source with composite output including DVD players, VCRs and others. The video input is converted to MP4 format and then output to a user-installed device, either a memory card, a USB flash drive or USB hard drive, or to a network-connected PC. The resulting MP4 files can then be played back by the OSD on a TV, or by other devices with MP4 playback capability such as Sony's PlayStation Portable, Apple's iPod, Neuros 442 and other portable devices.
OSD stands for "open-source device", because the device runs Linux and a variety of open-source software, as well as to reflect the vision that the device will become a general purpose device for linking computer and electronic devices. The successor to the Neuros MPEG 4 Recorder, the Neuros OSD was released to initial production on September 20, 2006.
The development platform uses a Texas Instruments DM320 system on chip, comprising an ARM926EJ core and a TI C54x DSP core. This design will support the DM320's High Performance mode of operation. The maximum ARM clock is then specified as 203 MHz. The DSP is rated in excess of 120 MHz. In addition, the SoC also contains dedicated hardware acceleration for video encoding and decoding, making it capable of achieving DVD-like quality playback as well as high quality, D1 resolution video encoding using MPEG-4.
Neuros digital audio computer
The Neuros Digital Audio Computer (Neuros DAC) is a portable audio unit designed for playback and recording of audio in MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, and DRM-free WMA formats.
Neuros DACs feature a two-piece design, separating the unit into a player and a "backpack". The player unit is upgradeable by firmware upgrade from the website. The intended purpose of these design decisions are that you can upgrade your player/backpack without paying for an entirely new model. There are currently two types of backpacks. The smaller backpack contains just a pair of NiMH batteries, so the player depends on the internal flash memory to store music. The larger backpack contains a LiIon battery and a 2.5-inch hard drive. The main difference between Neuros1 and Neuros2 players is the backpack on Neuros2 has a USB 2.0 connector allowing it to be used, independently of the player unit, as a stand-alone USB hard drive. The Neuros DAC is not currently in production, but a third version of the product has been rumored.
Neuros MPEG 4 recorder
The Neuros MPEG 4 Recorder is a flash-based digital recorder that works like a miniature VCR (sans TV tuner card), allowing users to record live TV from an analog video sources (for example a DVD player or camcorder), have it encoded in real-time and stored onto a flash memory card. It is capable of recording and playing back MPEG-4 and has several unique consumer benefits like ignoring Macrovision's automatic gain control copy protection.
The Recorder was first released to the public on February 9, 2005 in woot.com's first product launch. That launch was part of Neuros Technology's gamma test program and consisted of 850 units sold at $119.99 (US) each.
The Neuros MPEG4 Recorder was revised as version 2 with an enhanced processor and higher resolution recording (480p) for use with devices such as the iPod, PlayStation Portable, smartphones and other handhelds.
Open development methods
Open innovation
Neuros uses many of the tools of the open-source world to not only collaborate on building the software but to get user feedback on features and implementation as well. Products are typically launched explicitly before the software is complete under Beta and Gamma programs. As community members develop new features, often in response to posted bounties, Neuros promotes that work to other users and gauges reaction. This crowdsourced process has been viewed by some as a hybrid between traditional market research and open-source collaboration.
Open-source software and hardware
A distinguishing feature of the Neuros devices is that they use open-source software and use open-source methods in the development of their devices; open-source software is regularly used as well as the release of documentation surrounding the hardware. This also allows the devices to be adapted for other purposes than the advertised uses, such as including home and auto-security recording.
In addition the company advocates consumers digital rights by making products that assert those rights, allowing unfettered recording from a variety of sources.
In December 2007, Neuros developed an "Unlocked Media" name and logo for DRM-free media to allow companies to brand their products in such a way that consumers know they're getting a fully portable file.
References
External links
(archived)
Source code repository website (archived version)
Audio equipment manufacturers of the United States
Portable audio player manufacturers
Manufacturing companies based in Chicago
Open hardware organizations and companies
|
398411
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway%20Handbook
|
Gateway Handbook
|
The Gateway Handbook was a very small and lightweight subnotebook originally introduced by Gateway Computers in 1992. It quickly achieved critical acclaim and a cult-like following, especially in Japan.
It was designed by IQV and Tottori Sanyo and manufactured by Tottori Sanyo in Japan. The lead engineer on the product was Howard Fullmer and other significant contributors included Bob Burnett and Rick Murayama.
The product was only wide, deep, and high, and weighed less than . While it used a Chips and Technologies 8680 microprocessor, it was marketed as having 286-level performance. The C&T chip set included hardware emulation of the Intel 80186 processor and the Handbook used a special feature of the chip set called SuperSet whereby 80286 instructions were trapped and then emulated in software. This same feature was used to emulate the 8051 keyboard controller, serial port and numerous other I/O functions. Intel worked closely with IQV to include similar capabilities in the SL chip sets which were introduced in the mid-90s.
The Handbook had 640 KB of RAM, a 20 MB hard drive, and a monochrome blue-white CGA-compatible display. The unit could be powered by a rechargeable NiMH battery or six AA batteries in a special battery pack. The rechargeable batteries were unusual in that they are able to be charged without actually being in the laptop. A floppy disk was attached through a proprietary parallel port connector. A tremendous engineering effort went into the design of the HandBook's keyboard. It featured 17.8 mm center-to center key spacing and 2 mm travel for a firm feel.
After the success of the original Gateway Handbook, Gateway came out with a 486 model. The Handbook 486 (as it was called) was originally available as two models: A 486SX/25 and a 486DX/40 model. Gateway later on came out with Handbook 486 models utilizing a 486SX/33 or 486DX/50 processor. All of these handbooks used a grayscale 640x480 VGA display. Because of the small size of the unit, the display was distorted — what appear as circles on other displays come out as ovals on the Handbook 486.
The built-in hard disk for the Handbook 486 was usually 120 MB in size. The Handbook 486 was produced between 1993 and 1995. The Handbook 486 had 4 MB of built-in RAM, which can be expanded to 20 MB. As of 2005, it is still possible to buy memory for the Handbook 486, although one should test the memory with memtest since memory for older computers is more likely to be defective.
It was possible to install Linux or OpenBSD on these computers; the Handbook 486 is probably the earliest Linux-compatible subnotebook released. It was even possible to run the X Window System after the memory was expanded. The Handbook 486 has a PCMCIA II interface. While Modern Cardbus cards do not work with this interface, most older PCMCIA II cards (as long as they use no more than 250 mA of power) work fine. The Handbook 486 also has a pointing device similar to the IBM trackpoint located on the right hand side of the keyboard just above the enter key.
The Gateway Handbook remains one of the smallest laptops ever produced and was a precursor to Netbooks such as the Asus Eee PC, the Dell Inspiron Mini Series, and the Acer Aspire One. The Acer Aspire One is about the same size as the Handbook, and exists in a Gateway-branded form as the Gateway LT1004u.
References
External links
Linux on a Handbook 486
Retrofitting a Handbook 486 with modern components
OpenBSD on a Handbook 486
1994 Byte magazine comparison of this laptop with other laptops of the same era
1994 Byte magazine comparison of this laptop with other laptops of the same era 2
Optimizing Graphics for the Handbook 486
Gateway Handbook 486 modding
Handbook
Subnotebooks
|
69760
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossword
|
Crossword
|
A crossword is a word puzzle that usually takes the form of a square or a rectangular grid of white- and black-shaded squares. The game's goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues, which lead to the answers. In languages that are written left-to-right, the answer words and phrases are placed in the grid from left to right ("across") and from top to bottom ("down"). The shaded squares are used to separate the words or phrases.
Types
Crossword grids such as those appearing in most North American newspapers and magazines feature solid areas of white squares. Every letter is checked (i.e. is part of both an "across" word and a "down" word) and usually each answer must contain at least three letters. In such puzzles shaded squares are typically limited to about one-sixth of the total. Crossword grids elsewhere, such as in Britain, South Africa, India and Australia, have a lattice-like structure, with a higher percentage of shaded squares (around 25%), leaving about half the letters in an answer unchecked. For example, if the top row has an answer running all the way across, there will often be no across answers in the second row.
Another tradition in puzzle design (in North America, India, and Britain particularly) is that the grid should have 180-degree rotational (also known as "radial") symmetry, so that its pattern appears the same if the paper is turned upside down. Most puzzle designs also require that all white cells be orthogonally contiguous (that is, connected in one mass through shared sides, to form a single polyomino).
The design of Japanese crossword grids often follows two additional rules: that shaded cells may not share a side (i.e. they may not be orthogonally contiguous) and that the corner squares must be white.
The "Swedish-style" grid (picture crosswords) uses no clue numbers, as the clues are contained in the cells which do not contain answers. Arrows indicate in which direction the clues have to be answered: vertical or horizontal. This style of grid is also used in several countries other than Sweden, often in magazines, but also in daily newspapers. The grid often has one or more photos replacing a block of squares as a clue to one or several answers, for example, the name of a pop star, or some kind of rhyme or phrase that can be associated with the photo. These puzzles usually have no symmetry in the grid but instead often have a common theme (literature, music, nature, geography, events of a special year, etc.)
Substantial variants from the usual forms exist. Two of the common ones are barred crosswords, which use bold lines between squares (instead of shaded squares) to separate answers, and circular designs, with answers entered either radially or in concentric circles. "Free form" crosswords ("criss-cross" puzzles), which have simple, asymmetric designs, are often seen on school worksheets, children's menus, and other entertainment for children. Grids forming shapes other than squares are also occasionally used.
Puzzles are often one of several standard sizes. For example, many weekday newspaper puzzles (such as the American New York Times crossword puzzle) are 15×15 squares, while weekend puzzles may be 21×21, 23×23, or 25×25. The New York Times puzzles also set a common pattern for American crosswords by increasing in difficulty throughout the week: their Monday puzzles are the easiest and the puzzles get harder each day until Saturday. Their larger Sunday puzzle is about the same level of difficulty as a weekday-size Thursday puzzle. This has led U.S. solvers to use the day of the week as a shorthand when describing how hard a puzzle is: e.g. an easy puzzle may be referred to as a "Monday" or a "Tuesday", a medium-difficulty puzzle as a "Wednesday", and a truly difficult puzzle as a "Saturday". One of the smallest crosswords in general distribution is a 4×4 crossword compiled daily by John Wilmes, distributed online by USA Today as "QuickCross" and by Universal Uclick as "PlayFour".
Typically clues appear outside the grid, divided into an across list and a down list; the first cell of each entry contains a number referenced by the clue lists. For example, the answer to a clue labeled "17 Down" is entered with the first letter in the cell numbered "17", proceeding down from there. Numbers are almost never repeated; numbered cells are numbered consecutively, usually from left to right across each row, starting with the top row and proceeding downward. Some Japanese crosswords are numbered from top to bottom down each column, starting with the leftmost column and proceeding right.
Clues: conventions and types
Capitalization
Capitalization of answer letters is conventionally ignored; crossword puzzles are typically filled in, and their answer sheets are published in all caps. This ensures a proper name can have its initial capital letter checked with a non-capitalizable letter in the intersecting clue.
Straight or quick
Some crossword clues, called straight or quick clues, are simple definitions of the answers. Some clues may feature anagrams, and these are usually explicitly described as such. Often, a straight clue is not in itself sufficient to distinguish between several possible answers, either because multiple synonymous answers may fit or because the clue itself is a homonym (e.g., "Lead" as in to be ahead in a contest or "Lead" as in the element), so the solver must make use of checks to establish the correct answer with certainty. For example, the answer to the clue "PC key" for a three-letter answer could be ESC, ALT, TAB, DEL, or INS, so until a check is filled in, giving at least one of the letters, the correct answer cannot be determined.
In most American-style crosswords, the majority of the clues in the puzzle are straight clues, with the remainder being one of the other types described below.
Crossword clues are generally consistent with the solutions. For instance, clues and their solutions should always agree in tense, number, and degree. If a clue is in the past tense, so is the answer: thus "Traveled on horseback" would be a valid clue for the solution RODE, but not for RIDE. Similarly, "Family members" would be a valid clue for AUNTS but not UNCLE, while "More joyful" could clue HAPPIER but not HAPPIEST.
Some clue examples:
Fill-in-the-blank clues are often the easiest in a puzzle and a good place to start solving, e.g., "_ Boleyn" = ANNE.
"Before and after" clues feature one word that is part of two phrases, often designated with parentheses and brackets, e.g., (Doing [) keeper] = TIME.
A question mark at the end of clue usually signals that the clue/answer combination involves some sort of pun or wordplay, e.g., "Grateful?" = ASHES, since a grate might be full of them.
Most widely distributed American crosswords today (e.g., The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, USA Today, etc.) also contain colloquial answers, i.e., entries in the puzzle grid that try to replicate everyday colloquial language. In such a puzzle one might see phrases such as WHAT'S UP, AS IF, or WHADDYA WANT.
Abbreviations
The constraints of the American-style grid (in which every letter is checked) often require a fair number of answers not to be dictionary words. As a result, the following ways to clue abbreviations and other non-words, although they can be found in "straight" British crosswords, are much more common in American ones:
Abbreviations, the use of a foreign language, variant spellings, or other unusual word tricks are indicated in the clue. A crossword creator might choose to clue the answer SEN (as in the abbreviation for "senator") as "Washington bigwig: Abbr." or "Member of Cong.", with the abbreviation in the clue indicating that the answer is to be similarly abbreviated. The use of "Var." indicates the answer is a variant spelling (e.g., EMEER instead of EMIR), while the use of foreign language or a foreign place name within the clue indicates that the answer is also in a foreign language. For example, ETE (été, French for "summer") might be clued as "Summer, in the Sorbonne". ROMA could be clued as "Italia's capital", whereas the clue "Italy's capital" would indicate the English spelling Rome.
The eight possible abbreviations for a position on a compass, e.g., NNW (north-northwest) or ESE (east-southeast), occur with some frequency. They can be clued as simply "Compass point", where the desired answer is determined by a combination of logic—since the third letter can be only E or W, and the second letter can be only N or S—and a process of elimination using checks. Alternatively, compass point answers are more frequently clued as "XXX to YYY direction", where XXX and YYY are two place names. For example, SSW might be clued as "New York to Washington DC dir". Similarly, a clue such as "Right on the map" means EAST. A clue could also consist of objects that point a direction, e.g., "vane dir." or "windsock dir.".
Roman numerals, and arithmetic involving them, frequently appear as well; the clue "IV times III" (4×3) would yield XII (12).
In addition, partial answers are allowed in American-style crosswords, where the answer represents part of a longer phrase. For example, the clue "Mind your _ Qs" gives the answer PSAND (Ps and).
Non-dictionary phrases are also allowed in answers. Thus, the clue "Mocked" could result in the grid entry LAUGHED AT.
Themes
Many American crossword puzzles feature a "theme" consisting of a number of long entries (generally three to five in a standard 15×15-square "weekday-size" puzzle) that share some relationship, type of pun, or other element in common. As an example, the New York Times crossword of April 26, 2005 by Sarah Keller, edited by Will Shortz, featured five themed entries ending in the different parts of a tree: SQUAREROOT, TABLELEAF, WARDROBETRUNK, BRAINSTEM, and BANKBRANCH.
The above is an example of a category theme, where the theme elements are all members of the same set. Other types of themes include:
Quote themes, featuring a famous quote broken up into parts to fit in the grid (and usually clued as "Quote, part 1", "Quote, part 2", etc.)
Rebus themes, where multiple letters or even symbols occupy a single square in the puzzle (e.g., BERMUDAΔ)
Addition themes, where theme entries are created by adding a letter, letters, or word(s) to an existing word or phrase. For example, "Crucial pool shot?" = CRITICAL MASSE (formed by taking the phrase "critical mass" and adding an "e" on the end. All the theme entries in a given puzzle must be formed by the same process (so another entry might be "Greco-Roman buddy?" = WRESTLING MATE—"wrestling mat" with an "e" added on). An example of a multiple-letter addition (and one that does not occur at the end of the entry) might be "Crazy about kitchen storage?" = CABINET FEVER (derived from "cabin fever").
Subtraction themes, the reverse of the above, where letters are removed to make a new word or phrase.
Compound themes, where the starts or ends of the theme entries can all precede or follow another word, which is given elsewhere in the puzzle. For example, a puzzle with theme entries that begin with PAPER, BALL, and WATER and elsewhere in the puzzle, the word BOY clued as "Word that can follow the start of [theme entries]".
Anniversary or tribute themes, commemorating a specific person, place, or event. For example, on October 7, 2011 The New York Times crossword commemorated the life of Apple CEO Steve Jobs who had died on October 5. Theme entries related to Jobs' life included MACINTOSH, PIXAR, THINK DIFFERENT, CREATIVE GENIUS, STEVE JOBS, and APPLE.
Synonym themes, where the theme entries all contain synonyms, e.g., a Los Angeles Times puzzle featuring a set of theme entries that contain the words RAVEN, JET, EBONY, and SABLE, all synonyms for "black"
Numerous other types have been identified, including spoonerisms, poems, shifted letters, rhyming phrases, puns, homophones, and combinations of two or more of other types of themes.
The Simon & Schuster Crossword Puzzle Series has published many unusual themed crosswords. "Rosetta Stone", by Sam Bellotto Jr., incorporates a Caesar cipher cryptogram as the theme; the key to breaking the cipher is the answer to 1 across. Another unusual theme requires the solver to use the answer to a clue as another clue. The answer to that clue is the real solution.
Indirect clues
Many puzzles feature clues involving wordplay which are to be taken metaphorically or in some sense other than their literal meaning, requiring some form of lateral thinking. Depending on the puzzle creator or the editor, this might be represented either with a question mark at the end of the clue or with a modifier such as "maybe" or "perhaps". In more difficult puzzles, the indicator may be omitted, increasing ambiguity between a literal meaning and a wordplay meaning. Examples:
"Half a dance" could clue CAN (half of CANCAN) or CHA (half of CHACHA).
If taken literally, "Start of spring" could clue MAR (for March), but it could also clue ESS, the spelled-out form of the starting letter S.
"Nice summer?" clues ETE, summer in Nice, France (été being French for "summer"), rather than a nice (pleasant) summer. This clue also takes advantage of the fact that in American-style crosswords, the initial letter of a clue is always capitalized, whether or not it is a proper noun. In this clue, the initial capitalization further obscures whether the clue is referring to "nice" as in "pleasant" or "Nice" as in the French city.
"Pay addition", taken literally, clues BONUS. When taken as an indirect clue, however, it could also clue OLA (the addition of -ola to pay- results in PAYOLA).
Cryptic crosswords
In cryptic crosswords, the clues are puzzles in themselves. A typical clue contains both a definition at the beginning or end of the clue and wordplay, which provides a way to manufacture the word indicated by the definition, and which may not parse logically. Cryptics usually give the length of their answers in parentheses after the clue, which is especially useful with multi-word answers. Certain signs indicate different forms of wordplay. Solving cryptics is harder to learn than standard crosswords, as learning to interpret the different types of cryptic clues can take some practice. In Great Britain and throughout much of the Commonwealth, cryptics of varying degrees of difficulty are featured in many newspapers.
The first crosswords with strictly cryptic clues appeared in the 1920s, pioneered by Edward Powys Mathers. He established the principle of cryptic crossword clues. Cryptic crossword clues consist typically of a definition and some type of word play. Cryptic crossword clues need to be viewed two ways. One is a surface reading and one a hidden meaning. The surface reading is the basic reading of the clue to look for key words and how those words are constructed in the clue. The second way is the hidden meaning. This can be a double definition, an anagram, homophone, or words backwards. There are eight main types of clues in cryptic crosswords.
Types of Cryptic Clues
There are several types of wordplay used in cryptics. One is straightforward definition substitution using parts of a word. For example, in one puzzle by Mel Taub, the answer IMPORTANT is given the clue "To bring worker into the country may prove significant". The explanation is that to import means "to bring into the country", the "worker" is a worker ant, and "significant" means important. Here, "significant" is the straight definition (appearing here at the end of the clue), "to bring worker into the country" is the wordplay definition, and "may prove" serves to link the two. Note that in a cryptic clue, there is almost always only one answer that fits both the definition and the wordplay, so that when one sees the answer, one knows that it is the right answer—although it can sometimes be a challenge to figure out why it is the right answer. A good cryptic clue should provide a fair and exact definition of the answer, while at the same time being deliberately misleading.
Another type of wordplay used in cryptics is the use of homophones. For example, the clue "A few, we hear, add up (3)" is the clue for SUM. The straight definition is "add up", meaning "totalize". The solver must guess that "we hear" indicates a homophone, and so a homophone of a synonym of "A few" ("some") is the answer. Other words relating to sound or hearing can be used to signal the presence of a homophone clue (e.g., "aloud", "audibly", "in conversation", etc.).
The double meaning is commonly used as another form of wordplay. For example, "Cat's tongue (7)" is solved by PERSIAN, since this is a type of cat, as well as a tongue, or language. This is the only type of cryptic clue without wordplay—both parts of the clue are a straight definition.
Cryptics often include anagrams, as well. The clue "Ned T.'s seal cooked is rather bland (5,4)" is solved by NEEDS SALT. The straight definition is "is rather bland", and the word "cooked" is a hint to the solver that this clue is an anagram (the letters have been "cooked", or jumbled up). Ignoring all punctuation, "Ned T.'s seal" is an anagram for NEEDS SALT. Besides "cooked", other common hints that the clue contains an anagram are words such as "scrambled", "mixed up", "confused", "baked", or "twisted".
Embedded words are another common trick in cryptics. The clue "Bigotry aside, I'd take him (9)" is solved by APARTHEID. The straight definition is "bigotry", and the wordplay explains itself, indicated by the word "take" (since one word "takes" another): "aside" means APART and I'd is simply ID, so APART and ID "take" HE (which is, in cryptic crossword usage, a perfectly good synonym for "him"). The answer could be elucidated as APART(HE)ID.
Another common clue type is the "hidden clue" or "container", where the answer is hidden in the text of the clue itself. For example, "Made a dug-out, buried, and passed away (4)" is solved by DEAD. The answer is written in the clue: "maDE A Dug-out". "Buried" indicates that the answer is embedded within the clue.
There are numerous other forms of wordplay found in cryptic clues. Backwards words can be indicated by words like "climbing", "retreating", or "ascending" (depending on whether it is an across clue or a down clue) or by directional indicators such as "going North" (meaning upwards) or "West" (right-to-left); letters can be replaced or removed with indicators such as "nothing rather than excellence" (meaning replace E in a word with O); the letter I can be indicated by "me" or "one;" the letter O can be indicated by "nought", "nothing", "zero", or "a ring" (since it visually resembles one); the letter X might be clued as "a cross", or "ten" (as in the Roman numeral), or "an illiterate's signature", or "sounds like your old flame" (homophone for "ex"). "Senselessness" is solved by "e", because "e" is what remains after removing (less) "ness" from "sense".
With the different types of wordplay and definition possibilities, the composer of a cryptic puzzle is presented with many different possible ways to clue a given answer. Most desirable are clues that are clean but deceptive, with a smooth surface reading (that is, the resulting clue looks as natural a phrase as possible). The Usenet newsgroup rec.puzzles.crosswords has a number of clueing competitions where contestants all submit clues for the same word and a judge picks the best one.
In principle, each cryptic clue is usually sufficient to define its answer uniquely, so it should be possible to answer each clue without use of the grid. In practice, the use of checks is an important aid to the solver.
Metapuzzles
Some crossword designers have started including a metapuzzle, or "meta" for short: a second puzzle within the completed puzzle. After the player has correctly solved the crossword puzzle in the usual fashion, the solution forms the basis of a second puzzle. The designer usually includes a hint to the metapuzzle. For instance, the puzzle Eight Isn't Enough by Matt Gaffney gives the clue "This week's contest answer is a three-word phrase whose second word is 'or'." The crossword solution includes the entries "BROUGHT TO NAUGHT", "MIGHT MAKES RIGHT", "CAUGHT A STRAIGHT", and "HEIGHT AND WEIGHT", which are all three-word phrases with two words ending in -ght. The solution to the meta is a similar phrase in which the middle word is "or": "FIGHT OR FLIGHT".
Schrödinger or quantum puzzles
Some puzzle grids contain more than one correct answer for the same set of clues. These are called Schrödinger or quantum puzzles, alluding to the Schrödinger's Cat thought experiment in quantum physics. Schrödinger puzzles have frequently been published in venues including Fireball Crosswords and The American Values Club Crosswords, and at least ten have appeared in The New York Times since the late 1980s. The daily New York Times puzzle for November 5, 1996, by Jeremiah Farrell, had a clue for 39 across that read "Lead story in tomorrow's newspaper, with 43 Across (!)." The answer for 43 across was ELECTED; depending on the outcome of that day's Presidential Election, the answer for 39 across would have been correct with either CLINTON or BOBDOLE, as would each of the corresponding down answers. On September 1, 2016, the daily New York Times puzzle by Ben Tausig had four squares which led to correct answers reading both across and down if solvers entered either "M" or "F". The puzzle's theme, GENDERFLUID, was revealed at 37 across in the center of the puzzle: "Having a variable identity, as suggested by four squares in this puzzle."
The first entries
In the 'Quick' crossword in The Daily Telegraph newspaper (Sunday and Daily, UK), it has become a convention also to make the first few words (usually two or three, but can be more) into a phrase. For example, "Dimmer, Allies" would make "Demoralise" or "You, ill, never, walk, alone" would become "You'll never walk alone". This generally aids solvers in that if they have one of the words then they can attempt to guess the phrase. This has also become popular among other British newspapers.
Double clue lists
Sometimes newspapers publish one grid that can be filled by solving either of two lists of clues—usually a straight and a cryptic. The solutions given by the two lists may be different, in which case the solver must decide at the outset which list they are going to follow, or the solutions may be identical, in which case the straight clues offer additional help for a solver having difficulty with the cryptic clues. For example, the solution APARTHEID might be clued as "Bigotry aside, I'd take him (9)" in the cryptic list, and "Racial separation (9)" in the straight list. Usually the straight clue matches the straight part of the cryptic clue, but this is not necessarily the case.
Every issue of Games magazine contains a large crossword with a double clue list, under the title The World's Most Ornery Crossword; both lists are straight and arrive at the same solution, but one list is significantly more challenging than the other. The solver is prompted to fold a page in half, showing the grid and the hard clues; the easy clues are tucked inside the fold, to be referenced if the solver gets stuck.
A variant of the double-clue list is commonly called Siamese Twins: two matching grids are provided, and the two clue lists are merged such that the two clues for each entry are displayed together in random order. Determining which clue is to be applied to which grid is part of the puzzle.
Other clue variations
Any type of puzzle may contain cross-references, where the answer
to one clue forms part of another clue, in which it is referred to by number and direction. E.g., a puzzle might have 1-across clued as "Central character in The Lord of the Rings" = FRODO, with 17-down clued as "Precious object for 1-Across" = RING.
When an answer is composed of multiple or hyphenated words, some crosswords (especially in Britain) indicate the structure of the answer. For example, "(3,5)" after a clue indicates that the answer is composed of a three-letter word followed by a five-letter word. Most American-style crosswords do not provide this information.
Major variants
These are common crossword variants that vary more from a regular crossword than just an unusual grid shape or unusual clues; these crossword variants may be based on different solving principles and require a different solving skill set.
Cipher crosswords
Cipher crosswords were invented in Germany in the 19th century. Published under various trade names (including Code Breakers, Code Crackers, and Kaidoku), and not to be confused with cryptic crosswords (ciphertext puzzles are commonly known as cryptograms), a cipher crossword replaces the clues for each entry with clues for each white cell of the grid—an integer from 1 to 26 inclusive is printed in the corner of each. The objective, as any other crossword, is to determine the proper letter for each cell; in a cipher crossword, the 26 numbers serve as a cipher for those letters: cells that share matching numbers are filled with matching letters, and no two numbers stand for the same letter. All resultant entries must be valid words. Usually, at least one number's letter is given at the outset. English-language cipher crosswords are nearly always pangrammatic (all letters of the alphabet appear in the solution). As these puzzles are closer to codes than quizzes, they require a different skillset; many basic cryptographic techniques, such as determining likely vowels, are key to solving these. Given their pangrammaticity, a frequent start point is locating where 'Q' and 'U' must appear.
Diagramless crosswords
In a diagramless crossword, often called a diagramless for short or, in the UK, a skeleton crossword or carte blanche, the grid offers overall dimensions, but the locations of most of the clue numbers and shaded squares are unspecified. A solver must deduce not only the answers to individual clues, but how to fit together partially built-up clumps of answers into larger clumps with properly set shaded squares. Some of these puzzles follow the traditional symmetry rule, others have left-right mirror symmetry, and others have greater levels of symmetry or outlines suggesting other shapes. If the symmetry of the grid is given, the solver can use it to his/her advantage.
Fill-in crosswords
A fill-in crossword (also known as crusadex or cruzadex) features a grid and the full list of words to be entered in that grid, but does not give explicit clues for where each word goes. The challenge is figuring out how to integrate the list of words together within the grid so that all intersections of words are valid. Fill-in crosswords may often have longer word length than regular crosswords to make the crossword easier to solve, and symmetry is often disregarded. Fitting together several long words is easier than fitting together several short words because there are fewer possibilities for how the long words intersect together. These types of crosswords are also used to demonstrate artificial intelligence abilities, such as finding solutions to the puzzle based on a set of determined constraints.
Crossnumbers
A crossnumber (also known as a cross-figure) is the numerical analogy of a crossword, in which the solutions to the clues are numbers instead of words. Clues are usually arithmetical expressions, but can also be general knowledge clues to which the answer is a number or year. There are also numerical fill-in crosswords.
Acrostic puzzles
An acrostic is a type of word puzzle, in eponymous acrostic form, that typically consists of two parts. The first is a set of lettered clues, each of which has numbered blanks representing the letters of the answer. The second part is a long series of numbered blanks and spaces, representing a quotation or other text, into which the answers for the clues fit. In most forms of the puzzle, the first letters of each correct clue answer, read in order from clue A on down the list, will spell out the author of the quote and the title of the work it is taken from; this can be used as an additional solving aid.
Arroword
The arroword is a variant of a crossword that does not have as many black squares as a true crossword, but has arrows inside the grid, with clues preceding the arrows. It has been called the most popular word puzzle in many European countries, and is often called the Scandinavian crossword, as it is believed to have originated in Sweden.
History
The phrase "cross word puzzle" was first written in 1862 by Our Young Folks in the United States. Crossword-like puzzles, for example Double Diamond Puzzles, appeared in the magazine St. Nicholas, published since 1873. Another crossword puzzle appeared on September 14, 1890, in the Italian magazine Il Secolo Illustrato della Domenica. It was designed by Giuseppe Airoldi and titled "Per passare il tempo" ("To pass the time"). Airoldi's puzzle was a four-by-four grid with no shaded squares; it included horizontal and vertical clues.
Crosswords in England during the 19th century were of an elementary kind, apparently derived from the word square, a group of words arranged so the letters read alike vertically and horizontally, and printed in children's puzzle books and various periodicals.
On December 21, 1913, Arthur Wynne, a journalist from Liverpool, England, published a "word-cross" puzzle in the New York World that embodied most of the features of the modern genre. This puzzle is frequently cited as the first crossword puzzle, and Wynne as the inventor. An illustrator later reversed the "word-cross" name to "cross-word.
Crossword puzzles became a regular weekly feature in the New York World, and spread to other newspapers; the Pittsburgh Press, for example, was publishing them at least as early as 1916 and The Boston Globe by 1917.
By the 1920s, the crossword phenomenon was starting to attract notice. In October 1922, newspapers published a comic strip by Clare Briggs entitled "Movie of a Man Doing the Cross-Word Puzzle", with an enthusiast muttering "87 across 'Northern Sea Bird'!!??!?!!? Hm-m-m starts with an 'M', second letter is 'U' ... I'll look up all the words starting with an 'M-U ...' mus-musi-mur-murd—Hot Dog! Here 'tis! Murre!" In 1923 a humorous squib in The Boston Globe has a wife ordering her husband to run out and "rescue the papers ... the part I want is blowing down the street." "What is it you're so keen about?" "The Cross-Word Puzzle. Hurry, please, that's a good boy." In The New Yorker first issue, released in 1925, the "Jottings About Town" section wrote, "Judging from the number of solvers in the subway and 'L' trains, the crossword puzzle bids fair to become a fad with New Yorkers." In 1925, the New York Public Library reported that "The latest craze to strike libraries is the crossword puzzle", and complained that when "the puzzle 'fans' swarm to the dictionaries and encyclopedias so as to drive away readers and students who need these books in their daily work, can there be any doubt of the Library's duty to protect its legitimate readers?"
The first book of crossword puzzles was published by Simon & Schuster in 1924, after a suggestion from co-founder Richard Simon's aunt. The publisher was initially skeptical that the book would succeed, and only printed a small run at first. The book was promoted with an included pencil, and "This odd-looking book with a pencil attached to it" was an instant hit, leading crossword puzzles to become a craze of 1924. To help promote its books, Simon & Schuster also founded the Amateur Cross Word Puzzle League of America, which began the process of developing standards for puzzle design.
The crossword puzzle fad received extensive attention, not all of it positive: In 1924, The New York Times complained of the "sinful waste in the utterly futile finding of words the letters of which will fit into a prearranged pattern, more or less complex. This is not a game at all, and it hardly can be called a sport ... [solvers] get nothing out of it except a primitive form of mental exercise, and success or failure in any given attempt is equally irrelevant to mental development." A clergyman called the working of crossword puzzles "the mark of a childish mentality" and said, "There is no use for persons to pretend that working one of the puzzles carries any intellectual value with it." However, another wrote a complete Bible Cross-Word Puzzle Book. Also in 1925, Time magazine noted that nine Manhattan dailies and fourteen other big newspapers were carrying crosswords, and quoted opposing views as to whether "This crossword craze will positively end by June!" or "The crossword puzzle is here to stay!" In 1925, The New York Times noted, with approval, a scathing critique of crosswords by The New Republic; but concluded that "Fortunately, the question of whether the puzzles are beneficial or harmful is in no urgent need of an answer. The craze evidently is dying out fast and in a few months it will be forgotten." and in 1929 declared, "The cross-word puzzle, it seems, has gone the way of all fads." In 1930, a correspondent noted that "Together with The Times of London, yours is the only journal of prominence that has never succumbed to the lure of the cross-word puzzle" and said that "The craze—the fad—stage has passed, but there are still people numbering it to the millions who look for their daily cross-word puzzle as regularly as for the weather predictions."
The term "crossword" first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1933.
The New York Times began to publish a crossword puzzle on 15 February 1942, spurred on by the idea that the puzzle could be a welcome distraction from the harsh news of World War II. The New York Times first puzzle editor was Margeret Petherbridge Farrar, who was editor from 1942 to 1969. She was succeeded by Will Weng, who was succeeded by Eugene T. Maleska. Since 1993, they have been edited by Will Shortz, the Times fourth crossword editor.
Simon & Schuster continues to publish the Crossword Puzzle Book Series books that it began in 1924, currently under the editorship of John M. Samson. The original series ended in 2007 after 258 volumes. Since 2008, these books are now in the Mega series, appearing three times per year and each featuring 300 puzzles.
The British cryptic crossword was imported to the US in 1968 by composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim in New York magazine. Until 2006, The Atlantic Monthly regularly featured a cryptic crossword "puzzler" by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, which combines cryptic clues with diabolically ingenious variations on the construction of the puzzle itself. In both cases, no two puzzles are alike in construction, and the intent of the puzzle authors is to entertain with novelty, not to establish new variations of the crossword genre.
In the United Kingdom, the Sunday Express was the first newspaper to publish a crossword on November 2, 1924, a Wynne puzzle adapted for the UK. The first crossword in Britain, according to Tony Augarde in his Oxford Guide to Word Games (1984), was in Pearson's Magazine for February 1922.
The 2006 documentary Wordplay, about enthusiasts of The New York Times puzzle, increased public interest in crosswords. It highlighted attendees of Will Shortz's American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, including former American president Bill Clinton and American comedian Jon Stewart.
World War II
In 1944, Allied security officers were disturbed by the appearance, in a series of crosswords in The Daily Telegraph, of words that were secret code names for military operations planned as part of Operation Overlord.
Some cryptologists for Bletchley Park were selected after doing well in a crossword-solving competition.
Records
According to Guinness World Records, May 15, 2007, the most prolific crossword compiler is Roger Squires of Ironbridge, Shropshire, UK. On May 14, 2007, he published his 66,666th crossword, equivalent to 2 million clues. He is one of only four setters to have provided cryptic puzzles to The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, the Financial Times and The Independent. He also holds the record for the longest word ever used in a published crossword—the 58-letter Welsh town Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch clued as an anagram.
Enthusiasts have compiled a number of record-setting achievements in New York Times and other venues.
The lowest word count in a published weekday-size 15x15 puzzle is the June 29, 2013 The New York Times crossword by Joe Krozel, with just 50 words.
The fewest shaded squares in a 15x15 American crossword is 17 (leaving 208 white spaces), set by the July 27, 2012 Times crossword by Joe Krozel.
The record for most crosswords published in The New York Times is held by Manny Nosowsky, who has had 241 puzzles in that outlet.
A N Prahlada Rao, crossword constructor from India, has recorded in the Limca Book of Records in 2016 for constructing highest number of crosswords in Indian regional languages. In 2019 his name has mentioned in the Kalam Book of World Records.
Women crossword constructors
Women editors such as Margaret Farrar were influential in the first few decades of puzzle-making, and women constructors such as Bernice Gordon and Elizabeth Gorski have each contributed hundreds of puzzles to The New York Times. However, in recent years the number of women constructors has declined, and crossword editors at most major papers are all male. During the years that Will Weng and Eugene Maleska edited the New York Times crossword (1969–1993), women constructors accounted for 35% of puzzles, while during the editorship of Will Shortz (1993–present), this percentage has gone down, with women constructors (including collaborations) accounting for only 15% of puzzles in both 2014 and 2015, 17% of puzzles published in 2016, 13%—the lowest in the "Shortz Era"—in 2017, and 16% in 2018. Several reasons have been given for the decline in women constructors. One explanation is that the gender imbalance in crossword construction is similar to that in related fields, such as journalism, and that more freelance male constructors than females submit puzzles on spec to The New York Times and other outlets. Another explanation is that computer-assisted construction and the increased influence of computational approaches in generating word lists may be making crossword construction more like STEM fields in which women are underrepresented for a number of factors. However, it has also been argued that this explanation risks propagating myths about gender and technology. Some have argued that the relative absence of women constructors and editors has had an influence on the content of the puzzles themselves, and that clues and entries can be insensitive regarding language related to gender and race. Several approaches have been suggested to develop more women in the field, including mentoring novice women constructors and encouraging women constructors to publish their puzzles independently.
Crossword venues other than New York Times have recently published higher percentages of women than that puzzle. In the spring of 2018, Patti Varol and Amy Reynaldo organized and edited a pack of 18 puzzles constructed by women called "Women of Letters". Inspired by this, Laura Braunstein and Tracy Bennett launched The Inkubator, a "twice-monthly subscription service that will publish crosswords constructed by cis women, trans women, and woman-aligned constructors." The Inkubator raised over $30,000 in its initial Kickstarter campaign, and began publishing puzzles on January 17, 2019.
Non-English languages
Due to the large amount of words ending on a vowel, Italian crossword-makers have perhaps the most difficult task. The right margin and the bottom can be particularly difficult to put together. From such a perspective, Swedish crossword-makers have a far easier task. Especially in the large picture crosswords, both conjugation of verbs and declension of adjectives and nouns are allowed. A Swedish clue like "kan sättas i munnen" = "sked" ("can be put in the mouth" = "spoon") can be grammatically changed; "den kan sättas i munnen" = "skeden" ("it can be put in the mouth" = "the spoon"), as the definite form of a noun includes declension.
Orthography
From their origin in New York, crosswords have spread to many countries and languages. In languages other than English, the status of diacritics varies according to the orthography of the particular language, thus:
in Afrikaans all diacritical markings are ignored. Words such as TEË (meaning opposed) and TEE (meaning tea) are both simply written TEE. The same goes for SÊ (say) and SE (belonging to) and many others.
in Czech and Slovak, diacritics are respected and ch, being considered one letter, occupies one square.
in Dutch crosswords, the ij digraph is considered one letter, filling one square, and the IJ and the Y (see Dutch alphabet) are considered distinct. Rules may vary in other word games.
in Esperanto crosswords, diacritics are respected, as they form separate letters (graphemes).
in French, in Spanish and in Italian, accent marks and most other diacritical markings are ignored, except the tilde in Spanish: for instance, in French, the final E of answer ÊTRE can double as the final É of CONGÉ when written ETRE and CONGE; but in Spanish, N and Ñ are distinct letters.
In Frisian diacritics are fully respected.
in German language crosswords, the umlauts ä, ö, and ü are dissolved into ae, oe, and ue, and ß is dissolved into ss.
in Hungarian, diacritics are either fully respected, or not respected where it denotes length, that is I/Í, O/Ó, Ö/Ő, U/Ú, Ü/Ű are considered the same, but not A/Á and E/É which mark different sounds; although the difference between the short/long pairs of letters is a distinctive feature in Hungarian. Digraphs fill two squares.
in Irish crosswords, the accents on Á É Í Ó Ú are all respected, so (for example) the Í in SÍB cannot double as the I in SLIABH.
in Latin, diacritics are ignored. Therefore, A is considered the same as Ă or Ā. Ecclesiastical Latin is normally used. See the monthly magazine of Latin crosswords Hebdomada Aenigmatum as a reference.
in Portuguese, diacritics are ignored with the exception of Ç. Therefore, A could be checked with à or Á.
in Romanian, diacritics are ignored.
in Russian, Ё doubles as Е but Й is considered different from И; the soft sign Ь and the hard sign Ъ occupy a separate square, different from that of the previous letter.
in Spanish crosswords, the digraphs ch and ll fill two squares, although in some old crosswords (from prior to the 1996 spelling reform) they filled one square.
Grid design, clues, and conventions
French-language crosswords are smaller than English-language ones, and not necessarily square: there are usually 8–13 rows and columns, totaling 81–130 squares. They need not be symmetric and two-letter words are allowed, unlike in most English-language puzzles. Compilers strive to minimize use of shaded squares. A black-square usage of 10% is typical; Georges Perec compiled many 9×9 grids for Le Point with four or even three black squares. Rather than numbering the individual clues, the rows and columns are numbered as on a chessboard. All clues for a given row or column are listed, against its number, as separate sentences.
In Italy, crosswords are usually oblong and larger than French ones, 13×21 being a common size. As in France, they usually are not symmetrical; two-letter words are allowed; and the number of shaded squares is minimized. Nouns (including surnames) and the infinitive or past participle of verbs are allowed, as are abbreviations; in larger crosswords, it is customary to put at the center of the grid phrases made of two to four words, or forenames and surnames. A variant of Italian crosswords does not use shaded squares: words are delimited by thickening the grid. Another variant starts with a blank grid: the solver must insert both the answers and the shaded squares, and across and down clues are either ordered by row and column or not ordered at all.
Modern Hebrew is normally written with only the consonants; vowels are either understood, or entered as diacritical marks. This can lead to ambiguities in the entry of some words, and compilers generally specify that answers are to be entered in ktiv male (with some vowels) or ktiv haser (without vowels). Further, since Hebrew is written from right to left, but Roman numerals are used and written from left to right, there can be an ambiguity in the description of lengths of entries, particularly for multi-word phrases. Different compilers and publications use differing conventions for both of these issues.
In the Japanese language crossword; because of the writing system, one syllable (typically katakana) is entered into each white cell of the grid rather than one letter, resulting in the typical solving grid seeming small in comparison to those of other languages. Any second Yōon character is treated as a full syllable and is rarely written with a smaller character. Even cipher crosswords have a Japanese equivalent, although pangrammaticity does not apply. Crosswords with kanji to fill in are also produced, but in far smaller number as it takes far more effort to construct one. Despite Japanese having three writing forms - hiragana, katakana, and kanji - they are rarely mixed in a single crossword puzzle.
A. N. Prahlada Rao, based in Bangalore, has composed/ constructed some 35,000 crossword puzzles in the language Kannada, including 7,500 crosswords based on films made in Kannada, with a total of 10,00,000 (ten lakhs, or one million) clues. His name has recorded in LIMCA BOOK OF RECORDS – 2015 for creating highest crosswords in the Indian Regional Languages. His name has continued in the LIMCA BOOK OF RECORDS – 2016 and 2017 also. A five volume set of his puzzles was released in February 2008 In 2013 two more crossword books released. In 2017 his 5 Crossword Books published. Bengali is also well known for its crossword puzzles. Crosswords are published regularly in almost all the Bengali dailies and periodicals. The grid system is quite similar to the British style and two-letter words are usually not allowed.
In Poland, crosswords typically use British-style grids, but some do not have shaded cells. Shaded cells are often replaced by boxes with clues—such crosswords are called Swedish puzzles or Swedish-style crosswords. In a vast majority of Polish crosswords, nouns are the only allowed words.
Swedish crosswords are mainly in the illustrated (photos or drawings), in-line clue style typical of the "Swedish-style grid" mentioned above. This tradition prospered already in the mid-1900s, in family magazines and sections of newspapers. Then the specialised magazines took off. Around the turn of the millennium, approximately half a dozen Swedish magazine publishers produced specialised crossword magazines, totaling more than twenty titles, often published on a monthly basis. The oldest extant crossword magazine published in Swedish is Krysset (from Bonnier), founded in 1957. Additionally, nearly all newspapers publish crosswords of some kind, and at weekends often devote specialised sections in the paper to crosswords and similar type of pastime material. Both major evening dailies (Aftonbladet and Expressen) publish a weekly crossword supplement, named Kryss & Quiz and Korsord respectively. Both are available as paid supplements on Mondays and Tuesdays, as part of the ongoing competition between the two newspapers.
Construction
American-style crosswords
In typical themed American-style crosswords, the theme is created first, as a set of symmetric long across answers will be needed around which the grid can be created. Since the grid will typically have 180-degree rotational symmetry, the answers will need to be also: thus a typical 15×15 square American puzzle might have two 15-letter entries and two 13-letter entries that could be arranged appropriately in the grid (e.g., one 15-letter entry in the third row, and the other symmetrically in the 13th row; one 13-letter entry starting in the first square of the 6th row and the other ending in the last square of the 10th row). The theme must not only be funny or interesting, but also internally consistent. In the April 26, 2005 by Sarah Keller mentioned above, the five themed entries contained in the different parts of a tree: SQUAREROOT, TABLELEAF, WARDROBETRUNK, BRAINSTEM, and BANKBRANCH. In this puzzle, CHARTER OAK would not be an appropriate entry, as all the other entries contain different parts of a tree, not the name of a kind of tree. Similarly, FAMILY TREE would not be appropriate unless it were used as a revealer for the theme (frequently clued with a phrase along the lines "... and a hint to ..."). Given the existing entries, SEED MONEY would also be unacceptable, as all the other theme entries end in the part of a tree as opposed to beginning with it, though the puzzle could certainly be changed to have a mix of words in different positions.
Once a consistent, appropriate theme has been chosen, a grid is designed around that theme, following a set of basic principles:
Generally, most American puzzles are 15×15 squares; if another size, they typically have an odd number of rows and columns: e.g., 21×21 for "Sunday-size" puzzles; Games magazine will accept 17×17 puzzles, Simon & Schuster accepts both 17×17 and 19×19 puzzles, and The New York Times requires diagramless puzzles to be 17×17. The odd number of squares on a side ensures that achieving symmetry is easier; with even-numbered puzzles the central block of four squares makes constructing a symmetrical puzzle considerably more difficult.
The black squares must be arranged so as to (1) ensure there are no two-letter words; (2) form 180-degree rotational symmetry (so that if the grid is turned upside-down, the pattern of black squares remains the same); (3) ensure that every letter is checked (appears in both an across and a down word); (4) not occupy too much of the puzzle (generally speaking, 16% of the puzzle is considered a rough limit for the percentage of black squares); (5) ensure that the entire puzzle has "all-over interlock"—that is, that the black squares do not "cut" the puzzle into separate sections; and (6) ensure that (generally) no non-theme entry is longer than any of the theme entries. In addition, it is considered advisable to minimize the number of so-called "cheater" black squares, i.e., black squares whose removal would not change the word count of the puzzle but which make it easier to fill by shortening the length of the words therein.
The grid is then filled with suitable words, keeping in mind that (1) no word can be repeated in the grid (with the exception of prepositions or articles); (2) profanity or graphic or "unpleasant" words are generally not allowed; (3) obscurity is strongly discouraged in easy puzzles and should be kept to a minimum in more difficult puzzles, where two obscure words should never be allowed to cross (and, ideally, where the obscure word would be of interest to most solvers—a genus of little-known water bugs would not be a good choice); (4) uncommon abbreviations and variant foreign spellings should be avoided, as well as the use of crosswordese (those words that no longer appear in common speech but that occur frequently in crosswords due to their favorable letter combinations, such as the Asian buffalo ANOA); (5) in modern puzzles, pop figures and corporate and brand names are generally considered acceptable; (6) no made-up words are permitted—there should be a dictionary or other reference that can cite each entry if asked.
Modern constructors frequently (although not always) use software to speed up the task. Several programs are available, of which the most widely accepted is Crossword Compiler. These programs, although they cannot create themes and cannot distinguish between "good" fill (fun, interesting words vs. dull obscurity), do speed up the process and will allow the constructor to realize if he or she has hit a dead end.
Crossword puzzle payments for standard 15×15 puzzles from the major outlets range from $50 (Games) to $500 (The New York Times) while payments for 21×21 puzzles range from $150 (Newsday) to $1,500 (The New York Times).
The compensation structure of crosswords generally entails authors selling all rights to their puzzles upon publication, and as a result receiving no royalties from republication of their work in books or other forms.
Software
Software that aids in creating crossword puzzles has been written since at least 1976; one popular example was Crossword Magic for the Apple II in the 1980s. The earliest software relied on people to input a list of fill words and clues, and automatically maps the answers onto a suitable grid. This is a search problem in computer science because there are many possible arrangements to be checked against the rules of construction. Any given set of answers might have zero, one, or multiple legal arrangements. Modern open source libraries exist that attempt to efficiently generate legal arrangements from a given set of answers.
In the late 1990s, the transition began from mostly hand-created arrangements to computer-assisted, which creators generally say has allowed authors to produce more interesting and creative puzzles, reducing crosswordese.
Modern software includes large databases of clues and answers, allowing the computer to randomly select words for the puzzle, potentially with guidance from the user as to the theme or a specific set of words to pick with greater probability. Many serious users add words to the database as an expression of personal creativity or for use in a desired theme. Software can also be used to assist the user in finding words for a specific spot in an arrangement by quickly searching through the dictionary for all words that fit.
Notation
Originally Petherbridge called the two dimensions of the crossword puzzle "Horizontal" and "Vertical". Among various numbering schemes, the standard became that in which only the start squares of each word were numbered, from left to right and top to bottom. "1 Horizontal" and "1 Vertical" and the like were names for the clues, the cross words, or the grid locations, interchangeably.
Later in the Times these terms commonly became "across" and "down" and notations for clues could either use the words or the letters "A" and "D", with or without hyphens.
See also
Bananagrams
Cross Sums
Crosswordese
Merv Griffin's Crosswords, a crossword-based game show that debuted in fall 2007.
People Puzzler, a game show based on the pop-culture crossword puzzles in People Magazine, currently airing on GSN.
Scrabble (see also Scrabble variants)
Str8ts
Sudoku
The Cross-Wits, a crossword-based game show that ran in the 1970s and 1980s.
Upwords
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show), a letter-based game show that incorporated crosswords in 2016.
Word search
Wordplay, a 2006 documentary film about crossword puzzles.
References
Footnotes
Further reading
The Crossword Obsession by Coral Amende
Crossworld by Marc Romano
External links
Why are crossword puzzles symmetrical? (from The Straight Dope)
British inventions
1913 introductions
Italian inventions
Puzzles
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LEON
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LEON
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LEON (from meaning lion) is a radiation-tolerant 32-bit central processing unit (CPU) microprocessor core that implements the SPARC V8 instruction set architecture (ISA) developed by Sun Microsystems. It was originally designed by the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), part of the European Space Agency (ESA), and after a short lifespan at Gaisler Research (Sun was not involved in the processor design). It is described in synthesizable VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL). LEON has a dual license model: An GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) and GNU General Public License (GPL) free and open-source software (FOSS) license that can be used without licensing fee, or a proprietary license that can be purchased for integration in a proprietary product.
The core is configurable through VHDL generics, and is used in system on a chip (SOC) designs both in research and commercial settings.
History
The LEON project was begun by the European Space Agency (ESA) in late 1997 to study and develop a high-performance processor to be used in European space projects.
The objectives for the project were to provide an open, portable and non-proprietary processor design, capable to meet future requirements for performance, software compatibility and low system cost. Another objective was to be able to manufacture in a single-event upset (SEU) tolerant sensitive semiconductor process. To maintain correct operation in the presence of SEUs, extensive error detection and error handling functions were needed. The goals have been to detect and tolerate one error in any register without software intervention, and to suppress effects from Single Event Transient (SET) errors in combinational logic.
The LEON family includes the first LEON1 VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) design that was used in the LEONExpress test chip developed in 0.25 μm technology to prove the fault-tolerance concept. The second LEON2 VHDL design was used in the processor device AT697 from Atmel (F) and various system-on-chip devices. These two LEON implementations were developed by ESA. Gaisler Research, now part of Cobham (before Aeroflex Gaisler), developed the third LEON3 design and has announced the availability of the fourth generation LEON, the LEON4 processor.
LEON processor models and distributions
A LEON processor can be implemented in programmable logic such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or manufactured into an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). This section and the subsequent subsections focus on the LEON processors as soft IP cores and summarise the main features of each processor version and the infrastructure with which the processor is packaged, referred to as a LEON distribution.
All processors in the LEON series use the SPARC V8 reduced instruction set computer (RISC) ISA. LEON2(-FT) has a five-stage pipeline while later versions have a seven-stage pipeline. LEON2 and LEON2-FT are distributed as a system-on-chip design that can be modified using a graphical configuration tool. While the LEON2(-FT) design can be extended and re-used in other designs, its structure does not emphasise re-using parts of the design as building blocks or enable designers to easily incorporate new IP cores in the design.
The standard LEON2(-FT) distribution includes the following support cores:
Interrupt controller
Debug support unit with trace buffer
Two 24-bit timers
Two universal asynchronous receiver-transmitters (UARTs)
16-bit I/O port
Memory controller.
The LEON3, LEON3FT, and LEON4 cores are typically used together with the GRLIB IP Library. While the LEON2 distributions contain one design that can be used on several target technologies, GRLIB contains several template designs, both for FPGA development boards and for ASIC targets that can be modified using a graphical configuration tool similar to the one in the LEON2 distribution. The LEON/GRLIB package contains a larger number of cores compared to the LEON2 distributions and also include a plug and play (PnP) extension to the on-chip Advanced Microcontroller Bus Architecture (AMBA) bus. IP cores available in GRLIB also include:
32-bit PC133 synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM) controller
32-bit Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bridge with direct memory access (DMA)
10/100/1000 Mbit Ethernet media access control address (MAC address)
8/16/32-bit programmable read-only memory (PROM) and static random-access memory (SRAM) controller
16/32/64-bit DDR/DDR2 controllers
Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 host and device controllers
Controller area network (CAN) controller
TAP controller
SCSI Parallel Interface (SPI) controller
Inter-Integrated Circuit (I²C) controller
Universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART) with first in, first out (FIFO)
Modular timer unit
Interrupt controller
32-bit general-purpose I/O (GPIO) port
FPGA design flow
Design flow documentation for the LEON into FPGA are available from the manufacturer and from third party resources.
Terminology
The term LEON2/LEON2-FT often refer to the LEON2 system-on-chip design, which is the LEON2 processor core together with the standard set of peripherals available in the LEON2(-FT) distribution. Later processors in the LEON series are used in a wide range of designs and are therefore not as tightly coupled with a standard set of peripherals. With LEON3 and LEON4 the name typically refers to only the processor core, while LEON/GRLIB is used to refer to the complete system-on-chip design.
LEON2 processor core
LEON2 has the following characteristics:
The GNU LGPL allows a high degree of freedom of intervention on the freely available source code.
Configurability is a key feature of the project, and is achieved through the usage of VHDL generics.
It offers all basic functions of a pipelined in-order processor.
It is a fairly sized VHDL project (about 90 files, for the complete LEON2 distribution, including peripheral IP cores)
LEON2-FT processor core
The LEON2-FT processor is the single-event upset fault tolerant (FT) version of the LEON2 processor. Flip-flops are protected by triple modular redundancy and all internal and external memories are protected by EDAC or parity bits. Special licence restrictions apply to this IP (distributed by the European Space Agency). Among other satellites, the processor was used in ESA's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) in 2015 and China's Chang'e 4 lunar lander.
LEON3 processor core
The LEON3 is a synthesisable VHDL model of a 32-bit processor compliant with the SPARC V8 architecture. The model is highly configurable, and particularly suitable for system-on-a-chip (SoC) designs. The full source code is available under the GNU GPL license, allowing use for any purpose without licensing fee. LEON3 is also available under a proprietary license, allowing it to be used in proprietary applications.
There are several differences between the two LEON2 processor models and the LEON3. LEON3 includes SMP support and a seven-stage pipeline, while LEON2 does not support SMP and has a five-stage pipeline.
LEON3FT processor core
The LEON3FT is a fault-tolerant version of the standard LEON3 SPARC V8 Processor. It has been designed for operation in the harsh space environment, and includes functionality to detect and correct single-event upset (SEU) errors in all on-chip RAM memories. The LEON3FT processor supports most of the functionality in the standard LEON3 processor, and adds the following features:
Register file SEU error-correction of up to 4 errors per 32-bit word
Cache memory error-correction of up to 4 errors per tag or 32-bit word
Autonomous and software transparent error handling
No timing impact due to error detection or correction
The following features of the standard LEON3 processor are not supported by LEON3FT
Local scratchpad RAM (neither for instruction nor for data)
Cache locking
LRR (least recently replaced) cache replacement algorithm
The LEON3FT core is distributed together with a special FT version of the GRLIP IP library. Only netlist distribution is possible.
An FPGA implementation called LEON3FT-RTAX is proposed for critical space applications.
LEON4 processor core
In January 2010, the fourth version of the LEON processor was released. This release has the following new features:
Static branch prediction added to pipeline
Optional level-2 cache
64-bit or 128-bit path to AMBA AHB interface
Higher performance possible (claimed by manufacturer: 1.7 DMIPS/MHz as opposed to 1.4 DMIPS/MHz of LEON3)
Rad hardened.
LEON5 processor core
Under development.
Real-time OS support
The Real-time operating systems that support the LEON core are currently RTLinux, PikeOS, eCos, RTEMS, Nucleus, ThreadX, OpenComRTOS, VxWorks (as per a port by Gaisler Research), LynxOS (also per a port by Gaisler Research), POK (a free ARINC653 implementation released under the BSD licence) and ORK+, an open-source real-time kernel for high-integrity real-time applications with the Ravenscar Profile, Embox an open-source configurable real-time OS which allows using Linux software without Linux.
See also
OpenSPARC
S1 Core
OpenRISC
ERC32
FeiTeng-1000
Soft microprocessor
Schiaparelli EDM lander
References
External links
Cobham Gaisler
GR740: The ESA Next Generation Microprocessor (NGMP)
Cobham: Radiation Hardened Solutions and High Reliability Components
LEON3 tutorial
GNU/Linux on the SPARC architecture with original port on LEON
Embedded microprocessors
European Space Agency
Radiation-hardened microprocessors
Open microprocessors
Soft microprocessors
SPARC microprocessors
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal%20aspects%20of%20file%20sharing
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Legal aspects of file sharing
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File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digital media, such as computer programs, multimedia (audios, photos and/or videos), program files, documents or electronic books/magazines. It involves various legal aspects as it is often used to exchange data that is copyrighted or licensed.
File hosting and sharing
File hosting services may be used as a means to distribute or share files without consent of the copyright holder. In such cases one individual uploads a file to a file hosting service, which others may download. Legal history is documented in case law.
For example, in the case of Swiss-German file hosting service RapidShare, in 2010 the US government's congressional international anti-infringement caucus declared the site a "notorious illegal site", claiming that the site was "overwhelmingly used for the global exchange of illegal movies, music and other copyrighted works". But in the legal case Atari Europe S.A.S.U. v. Rapidshare AG in Germany (Legal case: OLG Düsseldorf, Judgement of 22 March 2010, Az I-20 U 166/09 dated 22 March 2010) the Düsseldorf higher regional court examined claims related to alleged infringing activity and reached the conclusion on appeal that "most people utilize RapidShare for legal use cases" and that to assume otherwise was equivalent to inviting "a general suspicion against shared hosting services and their users which is not justified". The court also observed that the site removes copyrighted material when asked, does not provide search facilities for illegal material, noted previous cases siding with RapidShare, and after analysis the court concluded that the plaintiff's proposals for more strictly preventing sharing of copyrighted material – submitted as examples of anti-file sharing measures RapidShare might have adopted – were found to be "unreasonable or pointless".
In January 2012 the United States Department of Justice seized and shut down the file hosting site Megaupload.com and commenced criminal cases against its owners and others. Their indictment concluded that Megaupload differed from other online file storage businesses, suggesting a number of design features of its operating model as being evidence showing a criminal intent and venture.
Jurisdictions
Australia
A secondary liability case in Australia, under Australian law, was Universal Music Australia Pty Ltd v Sharman License Holdings Ltd [2005] FCA 1242 (5 September 2005). In that case, the Court determined that the Kazaa file sharing system had "authorized" copyright infringement. The claim for damages was subsequently settled out of court.
In the case of AFACT v iiNet which was fought out in the Federal Court, an internet service provider was found not to be liable for the copyright infringement of its users. The case did not, however, create a clear precedent that Australian ISPs could never be held liable for the copyright infringement of their users by virtue of providing an internet connection. AFACT and other major Australian copyright holders have stated their intention to appeal the case, or pursue the matter by lobbying the government to change the Australian law.
Canada
The Copyright Modernization Act was passed in 2012, and came into effect on 2 January 2015. It provides for statutory damages for cases of non-commercial infringement between $100 and $5 000 and damages for commercial infringement from $500 to $20 000.
China
The People's Republic of China is known for having one of the most comprehensive and extensive approaches to observing web activity and censoring information in the world. Popular social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook cannot be accessed via direct connection by its citizens. Mainland China requires sites that share video files to have permits and be controlled by the state or owned by state. These permits last for three years and will need renewal after that time period. Web sites that violate any rules will be subject to a 5-year ban from providing videos online. One of the country's most used file sharing programs, BTChina got shut down in December 2009. It was shut down by the State Administration of Radio Film and Television for not obtaining a license to legally distribute media such as audio and video files. Alexa, a company that monitors web traffic, claims that BTChina had 80,000 daily users. Being one of the primary file sharing websites for Chinese citizens, this shutdown affected the lives of many internet users in China. China has an online population of 222.4 million people and 65.8% are said to participate in some form of file-sharing on websites.
European Union
On 5 June 2014, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that making temporary copies on the user's screen or in the user's cache is not, in itself, illegal. The ruling relates to the British Meltwater case settled on that day.
The judgement of the court states: "Article 5 of Directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society must be interpreted as meaning that the copies on the user’s computer screen and the copies in the internet 'cache' of that computer’s hard disk, made by an end-user in the course of viewing a website, satisfy the conditions that those copies must be temporary, that they must be transient or incidental in nature and that they must constitute an integral and essential part of a technological process, as well as the conditions laid down in Article 5(5) of that directive, and that they may therefore be made without the authorisation of the copyright holders."
The Boy Genius Report weblog noted that "As long as an Internet user is streaming copyrighted content online ... it’s legal for the user, who isn’t willfully [sic] making a copy of said content. If the user only views it directly through a web browser, streaming it from a website that hosts it, he or she is apparently doing nothing wrong."
In November 2009, the European Parliament voted on changes to the Telecoms Package. With regard to file-sharing, MEPs agreed to compromise between protecting copyright and protecting user's rights. A European Parliament statement reads "A user's internet access may be restricted, if necessary and proportionate, only after a fair and impartial procedure including the user's right to be heard." EU members were given until May 2011 to implement these changes into their own laws.
Graduated response
In response to copyright violations using peer to peer file sharing or BitTorrent the content industry has developed what is known as a graduated response, or three strikes system. Consumers who do not adhere to repeated complaints on copyright infringement, risk losing access to the internet. The content industry has thought to gain the co-operation of internet service providers (ISPs), asking them to provide subscriber information for IP addresses identified by the content industry as engaged in copyright violations. Consumer rights groups have argued that this approach denies consumers the right to due process and the right to privacy. The European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution in April 2008 admonishing laws that would require ISPs to disconnect their users and would prevent individuals from acquiring access to broadband.
In a number of European countries attempts to implement a graduated response have led to court cases to establish under which circumstances an ISP may provide subscriber data to the content industry. In order to pursue those that download copyrighted material the individual committing the infringing must be identified. Internet users are often only identifiable by their Internet Protocol address (IP address), which distinguishes the virtual location of a particular computer. Most ISPs allocate a pool of IP addresses as needed, rather than assigning each computer a never-changing static IP address. Using ISP subscriber information the content industry has thought to remedy copyright infringement, assuming that the ISPs are legally responsible for the end user activity, and that the end user is responsible for all activity connected to his or hers IP address.
In 2005 a Dutch court ordered ISPs in the Netherlands not to divulge subscriber information because of the way the Dutch content industry group had collected the IP addresses (Foundation v. UPC Nederland). According to Dutch law ISPs can only be ordered to provide personal subscriber data if it is plausible that an unlawful act occurred, and if it is shown beyond a reasonable doubt that the subscriber information will identify the person who committed the infringing act. In Germany court specifically considered the right to privacy and in March 2008 the German Federal Constitutional Court ruled that ISPs could only give out IP address subscription information in case of a "serious criminal investigation". The court furthermore ruled that copyright infringement did not qualify as a serious enough offense. Subsequently, in April 2008, the Bundestag (German parliament) approved a new law requiring ISPs to divulge the identity of suspected infringers who infringe on a commercial scale. Similarly, in Sweden, a controversial file sharing bill is awaiting the Riksdag’s approval. The law, which would enter into effect on 1 April 2009, would allow copyright holders to request the IP addresses and names of copyright infringement suspects in order to take legal action against them. The copyright holders, though, should present sufficient evidence of harm to justify the release of information regarding the Internet subscribers. In Italy, the courts established that criminal liability does not extend to file sharing copyrighted material, as long as it is not done for commercial gain. Ruling on a case involving a copyright holder who employed a third party to collect IP addresses of suspected copyright infringers, the Italian Data Protection Authority ruled in February 2008 that the systematic monitoring peer-to-peer activities for the purpose of detecting copyright infringers and suing them is prohibited.
Germany
In Germany, file sharing is illegal and even one copyrighted file downloaded through BitTorrent can trigger €1000 fines or more. The GEMA also used to block many YouTube videos.
France
In October 2009, France's highest constitutional court approved the HADOPI law, a "three-strikes law"; however, the law was revoked on 10 July 2013 by the French Government because the punitive penalties imposed on copyright infringers was considered to be disproportionate.
Ireland
In May 2010, Irish internet provider Eircom have announced they will cut off the broadband connection of subscribers suspected of copyright infringement on peer-to-peer file sharing networks. Initially, customers will be telephoned by Eircom to see if they are aware of the unauthorized downloads. When customers are identified for a third time they will lose their internet connection for 7 days, if caught for a fourth time they will lose their internet connection for a year.
Japan
File sharing in Japan is notable for both its size and sophistication. The Recording Industry Association of Japan claims illegal downloads outnumber legal ones 10:1.
The sophistication of Japan's filesharing is due to the sophistication of Japanese anti-filesharing. Unlike most other countries, Copyright infringement is not just a civil offense, but a criminal one, with penalties of up to ten years for uploading and penalties of up to two years for downloading. There is also a high level of Internet service provider cooperation. This makes for a situation where file sharing as practiced in many other countries is quite dangerous.
To counter, Japanese file sharers employ anonymization networks with clients such as Perfect Dark (パーフェクトダーク) and Winny.
Malaysia
In June 2011, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has ordered the blocking of several websites including The Pirate Bay and several file-hosting websites via a letter dated 30 May to all Malaysian ISPs for violating Section 41 of the Copyright Act 1987, which deals with pirated content.
Mexico
Mexican law does not currently address non-commercial file sharing, although Mexican legislators have considered increasing penalties for unauthorized file sharing. Broadband usage is increasing in Mexico, and Internet cafes are common,. Due to the relative lack of authorized music distribution services in Mexico, filesharing continues to dominate music access. According to the recording industry in 2010, Internet sharing of music dominated approximately 90% of the total music market in Mexico with peer to peer networks the most dominant form of music copyright infringement.
Netherlands
According to Dutch law reproduction of a literary, science, or art work is not considered a violation on the right of the creator or performing artist when all of the following conditions have been met:
The copy has not been made with an (in)direct commercial motive
The copy's purpose is exclusively for own practice, study or use
The number of copies is limited
Such a copy is called a 'thuiskopie' or home copy.
Since 2018, following a decision by the Ministry of Justice, there is an organization which guarantees that artists and rights holders get a compensation for copies of their works made for private use. This compensation is levied indirectly through a surcharge on information carriers such as blank CD's, blank DVD's, MP3 Players, and, since 2013, hard drives and tablets.
North Korea
File sharing in North Korea is done by hand with physical transport devices such as computer disk drives, due to lack of access to the Internet. It is illegal, due to regime attempts to control culture. Despite government repression, file sharing is common, as it is in most other countries.
Because official channels are heavily dominated by government propaganda and outside media is banned, illegally traded files are a unique view into the outside world for North Koreans. The most shared media is from South Korea; k-pop and soap operas.
South Korea
In March 2009, South Korea passed legislation that gave internet users a form of three strikes for unlawful file sharing with the intention of curbing online theft.
This is also known as graduated response.
As the number of cases of unauthorized sharing increases, the proportion of youth involved has increased. As file shares are monitored, they are sent messages instructing them to stop. If their file sharing continues, their internet connection may be disconnected for up to six months.
The force behind this movement is the Korean National Assembly's Committee
on Culture, Sports, Tourism, Broadcasting & Communications (CCSTB&C). With help from local internet service providers, the CCSTB&C have gained
access and formed communication channels to specific file sharing users.
Spain
In a series of cases, Spanish courts have ruled that file sharing for private use is legal.
In 2006, the record industry's attempts to criminalize file sharing were thwarted when Judge Paz Aldecoa declared it legal to download indiscriminately in Spain, if done for private use and without any intent to profit, and the head of the police's technology squad has publicly said "No pasa nada. Podéis bajar lo que queráis del eMule. Pero no lo vendáis." ("It's ok. You can download whatever you want with eMule. But don't sell it."). There have been demonstrations where the authorities have been informed that copyrighted material would be downloaded in a public place, the last of which took place on 20 December 2008. No legal action was taken against the protestors. In another decision from May 2009, a judge ruled in favor of a person engaged in the private, non-commercial file-sharing of thousands of movies, even though the copying was done without the consent of the copyright owners.
The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that personal data associated with an IP address may only be disclosed in the course of a criminal investigation or for public safety reasons. (Productores de Música de España v. Telefónica de España SAU).
It has been reported that Spain has one of the highest rates of file-sharing in Europe. Over a twelve-month period there were 2.4 billion reported downloads of copyrighted works including music, video games, software and films in Spain. Statistics for 2010 indicate that 30% of the Spanish population uses file-sharing websites, double the European average of 15%.
Record labels would have it that this has had a negative impact on the industry, with investment drying up, according to IFPI head John Kennedy. In 2003, for instance, 10 new Spanish artists appeared in the top 50 album chart, but in 2009 not a single new Spanish artist featured in the same chart. Album sales dropped by two-thirds over a period of five years leading up to 2010. "Spain runs the risk of turning into a cultural desert ... I think it's a real shame that people in authority don't see the damage being done."
However, the Spanish Association of Music Promoters (APM) states that "Music is alive," as despite the decrease in record sales the revenues from concert ticket sales has increased 117% over the last decade, from €69.9 million to €151.1 million in 2008. The number of concerts doubled from 71,045 in 2000 to 144,859 in 2008, and the number of people attending concerts increased from 21.8 million in 2000 to over 33 million in 2008.
Despite the troubles weathered by the entertainment industry, file sharing and torrent websites were ruled legal in Spain in March 2010. The judge responsible for the court ruling stated that "P2P networks are mere conduits for the transmission of data between Internet users, and on this basis they do not infringe rights protected by Intellectual Property laws".
On 20 September 2013, the Spanish government approved new laws that will take effect at the beginning of 2014. The approved legislation will mean that website owners who are earning "direct or indirect profit," such as via advertising links, from pirated content can be imprisoned for up to six years. Peer-to-peer file-sharing platforms and search engines are exempt from the laws.
Since January 2015, Vodafone Spain blocks thepiratebay.org as requested by the Ministry of Interior. And since 29 March 2015 thepiratebay is blocked on multiple URLs from all ISPs[111]
United Kingdom
Around 2010, the UK government's position was that action would help drive the UK’s vital creative and digital sectors to bolster future growth and jobs. According to a 2009 report carried out by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry 95 per cent of music downloads are unauthorised, with no payment to artists and producers. Market research firm Harris Interactive believed there to be 8.3 million file sharers in the UK. Moreover the BPI claimed that in 1999 UK music purchases totaled £1,113 million but had fallen to £893.8 million in 2008. The Digital Economy Act 2010 received Royal Assent on 9 April 2010. But subsequently its main provisions were never legislatively passed.
Historical situation prior to 2010
Previous cases in the UK have seen internet users receive bills of £2500 for sharing music on the internet.
Digital Economy Act 2010
The Digital Economy Bill proposed that internet service providers (ISPs) issue warnings by sending letters to those downloading copyrighted files without authorization. Following this, the bill proposed that ISPs slow down or even suspend internet access for repeat offenders of unauthorized file sharing. The bill aimed to force internet service providers to disclose the identities of those offenders as well as making conditions for the regulation of copyright licensing. The Digital Economy Bill incorporated a graduated response policy despite the alleged file sharer not necessarily having to be convicted of copyright offences. The bill also introduced fines of up to £50,000 for criminal offences relating to copyright infringement – for example if music is downloaded with intent to sell. The high penalty is considered to be proportionate to the harm caused to UK industries. An appeals process exists whereby the accused can contest the case however, the concern has been expressed that this process will be costly and that, in requiring the individual to prove their innocence, the bill reverses the core principles of natural justice. Similarly, a website may be blocked if it is considered that it has been, is being, or is likely to be used in connection with copyright infringement meaning that a site does not actually have to be involved in copyright infringement – rather intent must be proved.
The Act was seen as controversial, and potentially creating serious repercussions for both file sharers and internet service providers. The bill was met with a mixed response. Geoff Taylor of the BPI claims the bill is vital for the future of creative works in the UK. The Conservative party spokesman for Culture and Media stated that those downloading should be given a criminal record. Conversely, the Liberal Democrat party spokesman for Culture and Media claimed the bill was reckless and dangerous stating that children could unwittingly be file sharing causing an entire family to lose their internet connection. In addition to this, there was concern that hackers may access internet connections to download files and leave the bill payer responsible. Specific concerns raised included:
Providers of public Wi-Fi access is uncertain. Responsibility for breaches could be passed on to the provider due to the difficulty in identifying individual users. The internet provider therefore may risk losing internet access or facing a hefty fine if an infringement of copyright takes place. Many libraries and small cafés for example may find this impossible to adhere to as it would require detailed logging of all those requiring internet access. In libraries in particular this may provide challenges to the profession’s importance of user privacy and could force changes in future policies such as Acceptable Use Policies (AUP). Public libraries utilise AUPs in order to protect creative works from copyright infringement and themselves from possible legal liability. However, unless the AUP is accompanied by the provision of knowledge on how to obey laws it could be seen as unethical, as blame for any breaches is passed to the user.
Hospitality sector - may also be affected by the Digital Economy Act. The British Hospitality Association has stated that hotels would have particular problems in providing details of guest’s internet access to Internet Service Providers and entire hotels may face disconnection. They have also expressed their concern that an individual's actions may lead to such a drastic outcome.
Internet service providers were also hostile towards the bill. TalkTalk stated that suspending access to the internet breached human rights. This view may be shared by many, as a survey carried out by the BBC found that 87% of internet users felt internet access should be the "fundamental right of all people". Certainly, people require access to the internet for many aspects of their life for example shopping, online banking, education, work and even socialising. Furthermore, TalkTalk Director of Regulation, Andrew Heaney has acknowledged that file sharing is a problem but the answer is to educate people and create legal alternatives. Heaney has also argued that disconnected offenders will simply create other user names to hide their identity and continue downloading. TalkTalk has claimed that 80% of youngsters would continue to download regardless of the bill and that internet service providers are being forced to police this without any workable outcomes.
Cable company Virgin Media also criticized the Digital Economy Bill believing it to be heavy handed and likely to alienate customers. Virgin advocated the development of alternative services which people would choose instead of file sharing.
The bill provoked protests in many forms. The Guardian reported that hundreds were expected to march outside the House of Commons on 24 March 2010. Moreover, an estimated 12,000 people sent emails to their MPs, through the citizen advocacy organization 38 degrees. 38 degrees objected to the speed with which the bill was rushed through parliament, without proper debate, due to the imminent dissolution of parliament prior to a general election. In October 2009 TalkTalk launched its Don't Disconnect Us campaign asking people to sign a petition against the proposal to cut off the internet connections of those accused of unauthorized file sharing. By November 2009 the petition had almost 17,000 signatories and by December had reached over 30,000. The Pirate Party in the UK called for non-commercial file sharing to be legalized. Formed in 2009 and intending to enter candidates in the 2010 UK general election, the Pirate Party advocates reform to copyright and patent laws and a reduction in government surveillance.
The Code which would implement these sections of the Act was never passed into law by Parliament, and no action was taken on it after around 2013.
Digital Economy Act 2017
The Digital Economy Act 2017 updates the anti-infringement provisions of existing laws, creates or updates criminal copyright breach provisions, and provides for a wider range of sentencing for criminal infringement.
United States
In Sony Corp. v. Universal Studios, 464 U.S. 417 (1984), the Supreme Court found that Sony's new product, the Betamax (the first mass-market consumer videocassette recorder), did not subject Sony to secondary copyright liability because it was capable of substantial non-infringing uses. Decades later, this case became the jumping-off point for all peer-to-peer copyright infringement litigation.
The first peer-to-peer case was A&M Records v. Napster, 239 F.3d 1004 (9th Cir. 2001). Here, the 9th Circuit considered whether Napster was liable as a secondary infringer. First, the court considered whether Napster was contributorily liable for copyright infringement. To be found contributorily liable, Napster must have engaged in "personal conduct that encourages or assists the infringement." The court found that Napster was contributorily liable for the copyright infringement of its end-users because it "knowingly encourages and assists the infringement of plaintiffs' copyrights." The court analyzed whether Napster was vicariously liable for copyright infringement. The standard applied by the court was whether Napster "has the right and ability to supervise the infringing activity and also has a direct financial interest in such activities." The court found that Napster did receive a financial benefit, and had the right and ability to supervise the activity, meaning that the plaintiffs demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of their claim of vicarious infringement. The court denied all of Napster's defenses, including its claim of fair use.
The next major peer-to-peer case was MGM v. Grokster, 545 U.S. 913 (2005). In this case, the Supreme Court found that even if Grokster was capable of substantial non-infringing uses, which the Sony court found was enough to relieve one of secondary copyright liability, Grokster was still secondarily liable because it induced its users to infringe.
It is important to note the concept of blame in cases such as these. In a pure P2P network there is no host, but in practice most P2P networks are hybrid. This has led groups such as the RIAA to file suit against individual users, rather than against companies. The reason that Napster was subject to violation of the law and ultimately lost in court was because Napster was not a pure P2P network but instead maintained a central server which maintained an index of the files currently available on the network.
Around the world in 2006, an estimated five billion songs, equating to approximately 38,000 years in music were swapped on peer-to-peer websites, while 509 million songs were purchased online. The same study which estimated these findings also found that artists that had an online presence ended up retaining more of the profits rather than the music companies.
In November 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the Secure Federal File Sharing Act, which would, if enacted, prohibit the use of peer-to-peer file-sharing software by U.S. government employees and contractors on computers used for federal government work. The bill has died with the adjournment of 111th Congress.
Copyright law
A copyright in the United States consists of the exclusive rights enumerated under 17 USC 106. When having to do with pictures, music, literature or video, these exclusive rights include:
1. The right to reproduce or redistribute the picture, music, lyrics, text, video, or images of a video.
2. The right to distribute the picture, music, lyrics, text, video, or images of a video.
3. The right to produce derivative works of the copyrighted work.
4. The right to perform the work publicly.
5. The right to display the work publicly.
6. The right to transmit the work through the use of radio or digital transition.
In summary, these exclusive rights cover the reproduction, adaptation, publication, performance, and display of a copyrighted work (subject to limitations such as fair use).
Anyone who violates the exclusive rights of copyright has committed copyright infringement, whether or not the work has been registered at the copyright office. If an infringement has occurred, the copyright owner has a legal right to sue the infringer for violating the terms of their copyright. The monetary value of the lawsuit can be whatever a jury decides is acceptable.
In the case of file sharing networks, companies claim that peer-to-peer file sharing enables the violation of their copyrights. File sharing allows any file to be reproduced and redistributed indefinitely. Therefore, the reasoning is that if a copyrighted work is on a file sharing network, whoever uploaded or downloaded the file is liable for violating the copyright because they are reproducing the work without the authorization of the copyright holder or the law.
Primary infringement liability
The fundamental question, "what use can a P2P file-sharing network's customers make of the software and of copyrighted materials without violating copyright law", has no answer at this time, as there has been almost no dispositive decision-making on the subject.
This issue has received virtually no appellate attention, the sole exception being BMG Music v. Gonzalez, a decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which held that where a defendant has admitted downloading and copying song files from other users in the P2P network without permission of the copyright holders, she cannot claim that such copying is a "fair use". Since Gonzalez involves a defendant who had admitted to actual copying and downloading of songs from other unauthorized users, it is of limited applicability in contested cases, in that it relates solely to the reproduction right in 17 USC 106(1), and has no bearing on the 17 USC 106(3) distribution right.
A series of cases dealing with the RIAA's "making available" theory has broad implications, not only for the subject of P2P file sharing but for the Internet at large. The first to receive a great deal of attention was Elektra v. Barker, an RIAA case against Tenise Barker, a Bronx nursing student. Ms. Barker moved to dismiss the complaint, contending, among other things, that the RIAA's allegation of "making available" did not state any known claim under the Copyright Act. The RIAA countered with the argument that even without any copying, and without any other violation of the record companies' distribution rights, the mere act of "making available" is a copyright infringement, even though the language does not appear in the Copyright Act, as a violation of the "distribution" right described in 17 USC 106(3). Thereafter, several amicus curiae were permitted to file briefs in the case, including the MPAA, which agreed with the RIAA's argument, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the U.S. Internet Industry Association (USIIA), and the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), which agreed with Ms. Barker. The US Department of Justice submitted a brief refuting one of the arguments made by EFF, but did not take any position on the RIAA's "making available" argument, noting that it had never prosecuted anyone for "making available". The Elektra v. Barker case was argued before Judge Kenneth M. Karas in Manhattan federal court on 26 January 2007, and decided on 31 March 2008.
The decision rejected the RIAA's "making available" theory but sustained the legal sufficiency of the RIAA's pleading of actual distribution and actual downloading. Additionally, the Court suggested to the RIAA that it might want to amend its complaint to include a claim for "offering to distribute for purposes of distribution", but gave no guidance on what type of evidence would be required for an "offer". The Court's suggestion that merely "offering" to distribute could constitute a violation of the Act has come under attack from William Patry, the author of the treatise Patry on Copyright.
Three other decisions, also rejecting the RIAA's "making available" theory, came from more unexpected sources.
The Barker decision was perhaps rendered anticlimactic by the decision of Judge Janet Bond Arterton, from the District of Connecticut, handed down six weeks earlier, in Atlantic v. Brennan, rejecting the RIAA's application for a default judgment. Brennan, like Barker, rejected the RIAA's "making available" theory, but unlike Barker it found the RIAA's specificity on the other issues to be insufficient, and it rejected the conceptual underpinnings upon which Judge Karas based his "offer to distribute" idea.
And Barker was perhaps overshadowed by the decision of Judge Gertner, rendered the same day as the Barker decision, in quashing a subpoena served on Boston University to learn the identity of BU students, in London-Sire v. Doe 1. Here too the Court rejected the RIAA's "making available" theory, but here too—like Atlantic but unlike Elektra – also rejected any possible underpinning for an "offer to distribute" theory.
And then came the decision of the District Judge Neil V. Wake, in the District of Arizona, in Atlantic v. Howell. This 17-page decision – rendered in a case in which the defendant appeared pro se (i.e., without a lawyer) but eventually received the assistance of an amicus curiae brief and oral argument by the Electronic Frontier Foundation—was devoted almost exclusively to the RIAA's "making available" theory and to the "offer to distribute" theory suggested by Judge Karas in Barker. Atlantic v. Howell strongly rejected both theories as being contrary to the plain wording of the Copyright Act. The Court held that "Merely making a copy available does not constitute distribution....The statute provides copyright holders with the exclusive right to distribute "copies" of their works to the public "by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending." 17 U.S.C. ...106(3). Unless a copy of the work changes hands in one of the designated ways, a "distribution" under ...106(3) has not taken place." The Court also expressly rejected the 'offer to distribute' theory suggested in Barker, holding that "An offer to distribute does not constitute distribution".
The next critical decision was that in Capitol v. Thomas, which had received a great deal of media attention because it was the RIAA's first case to go to trial, and probably additional attention due to its outsized initial jury verdict. The RIAA had prevailed upon the trial judge to give the jurors an instruction which adopted its "making available" theory, over the protestations of the defendant's lawyer. Operating under that instruction, the jury returned a $222,000 verdict over $23.76 worth of song files. Almost a year after the jury returned that verdict, however, District Judge Michael J. Davis set the verdict aside, and ordered a new trial, on the ground that his instruction to the jurors—that they did not need to find that any files were actually distributed in order to find a violation of plaintiffs' distribution right—was a "manifest error of law". The Judge's 44-page decision agreed with Howell and London-Sire and rejected so much of Barker as intimated the existence of a viable "offer to distribute" theory.
There may be indications that the RIAA has been jettisoning its "making available" theory. In a San Diego, California, case, Interscope v. Rodriguez, where the Judge dismissed the RIAA's complaint as "conclusory", "boilerplate", "speculation", the RIAA filed an amended complaint which contained no reference at all to "making available". In subsequent cases, the RIAA's complaint abandoned altogether the "making available" theory, following the model of the Interscope v. Rodriguez amended complaint.
In its place, it is apparently adopting the "offer to distribute" theory suggested by Judge Karas. In the amended complaint the RIAA filed in Barker, it deleted the "making available" argument—as required by the judge—but added an "offer to distribute" claim, as the judge had suggested. It remains to be seen if it will follow that pattern in other cases.
Secondary infringement liability
Secondary liability, the possible liability of a defendant who is not a copyright infringer but who may have encouraged or induced copyright infringement by another, has been discussed generally by the United States Supreme Court in MGM v. Grokster, which held in essence that secondary liability could only be found where there has been affirmative encouragement or inducing behavior. On remand, the lower court found Streamcast, the maker of Morpheus software, to be liable for its customers' copyright infringements, based upon the specific facts of that case.
Under US law "the Betamax decision" (Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.), holds that copying "technologies" are not inherently illegal, if substantial non-infringing use can be made of them. Although this decision predated the widespread use of the Internet, in MGM v. Grokster, the U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged the applicability of the Betamax case to peer-to-peer file sharing, and held that the networks could not be liable for merely providing the technology, absent proof that they had engaged in "inducement."
In 2006 the RIAA initiated its first major post-Grokster, secondary liability case, against LimeWire in Arista Records LLC v. Lime Group LLC, where the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York held that LimeWire induced copyright infringement and granted a permanent injunction against LimeWire.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) seeks to protect and expand digital rights through litigation, political lobbying, and public awareness campaigns. The EFF has vocally opposed the RIAA in its pursuit of lawsuits against users of file sharing applications and supported defendants in these cases. The foundation promotes the legalization of peer-to-peer sharing of copyrighted materials and alternative methods to provide compensation to copyright holders.
In September 2008 the organization marked the 5th 'anniversary' of the RIAA's litigation campaign by publishing a highly critical, detailed report, entitled "RIAA v. The People: Five Years Later", concluding that the campaign was a failure.
Reported suspension of RIAA litigation campaign
Several months later, it was reported that the RIAA was suspending its litigation campaign, followed by a report that it had fired the investigative firm SafeNet (formerly MediaSentry) operating on its behalf. Some of the details of the reports, including claims that the RIAA had actually stopped commencing new lawsuits months earlier, and that its reason for doing so was that it had entered into tentative agreements with Internet service providers to police their customers, proved to be either inaccurate or impossible to verify and RIAA's claim not to have filed new cases "for months" was false.
Effects
A study ordered by the European Union found that illegal downloading may lead to an increase in overall video game sales because newer games charge for extra features or levels. The paper concluded that piracy had a negative financial impact on movies, music, and literature. The study relied on self-reported data about game purchases and use of illegal download sites. Pains were taken to remove effects of false and misremembered responses.
Notable cases
EU
Atari Europe S.A.S.U. v. Rapidshare AG (Germany)
OiNK's Pink Palace (England)
USA
The AACS encryption key controversy of 2007
Flava Works Inc. v. Gunter - appeal case which analyzed contributory infringement in the context of linking to infringing material and social bookmarking.
Megaupload legal case
MGM v. Grokster
Sony Corp. v. Universal City Studios (The Betamax decision)
Sweden
The Pirate Bay trial
Singapore
Odex's actions against file-sharing
See also
Legal aspects of computing
Peer-to-peer file sharing
Sony BMG copy protection rootkit scandal
Copyright Directive (disambiguation)
Shared resource
Timeline of file sharing
Legal issues with BitTorrent
Don't Copy That Floppy
Torrent poisoning
Countries blocking access to The Pirate Bay
References
Computer law
Copyright law by country
Digital rights
File sharing by country
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16488014
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri%20Gurevich
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Yuri Gurevich
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Yuri Gurevich, Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan, is an American computer scientist and mathematician and the inventor of abstract state machines.
Gurevich was born and educated in the Soviet Union. He taught mathematics there and then in Israel before moving to the United States in 1982.
The best-known work of his Soviet period is on the classical decision problem.
In Israel, Gurevich worked with Saharon Shelah on
monadic second-order theories.
The Forgetful Determinacy Theorem of Gurevich–Harrington is of that period as well.
From 1982 to 1998, Gurevich taught computer science at the University of Michigan, where he started to work on various aspects of computational complexity theory
including average case complexity.
He became one of the founders of the emerging field of finite model theory.
Most importantly, he became interested in the problem of what an algorithm is. This led him to the theory of abstract state machines (ASMs). The ASM Thesis says that, behaviorally, every algorithm is an ASM.
A few convincing axioms enabled derivation of the sequential ASM thesis
and the Church–Turing thesis.
The ASM thesis has also been proven for some other classes of algorithms.
From 1998 to 2018, Gurevich was with Microsoft Research where he founded a group on Foundations of Software Engineering. The group built Spec Explorer based on the theory of abstract state machines. The tool was adopted by the Windows team; a modified version of the tool helped Microsoft meet the European Union demands for high-level executable specifications. Later, Gurevich worked with different Microsoft groups on various efficiency, safety, and security issues,
including access control,
differential compression,
and privacy.
Since 1988, Gurevich has managed the column on Logic in Computer Science in the Bulletin of the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science.
Since 2013 Gurevich has worked primarily on
quantum computing,
while continuing research in his traditional areas.
Gurevich is a 2020 AAAS Fellow,
a 1997 ACM Fellow,
a 1995 Guggenheim Fellow,
an inaugural fellow of the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science,
a member of Academia Europaea, and Dr. Honoris Causa of Hasselt University in Belgium and of Ural State University in Russia.
References
External links
Gurevich's Homepage
Yuri Gurevich, Mathematics Genealogy Project
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American computer scientists
Fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery
Formal methods people
Russian inventors
Microsoft employees
University of Michigan faculty
Members of Academia Europaea
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17535030
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne%20Bolt
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Wayne Bolt
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Wayne Bolt is an American football coach who most recently serving as the defensive coordinator for Troy University. Previously to being named to the position, he served as the Director of Football Relations for Auburn University. Bolt took the job in 2009 upon the urging of head coach Gene Chizik. Prior to joining the Auburn staff, Bolt had previously served as defensive coordinator to Chizik at Iowa State University. Bolt also had previous connections to Auburn, having served as an assistant at the school under head coach Pat Dye.
Bolt has coached 10 teams that made bowl games at UAB, Troy, Clemson, and Auburn. During his time as a position coach, he tutored over 20 players who went on to play in the National Football League (NFL).
Career
Bolt is a 1974 graduate of the Academy of Richmond County and played college football at East Carolina University, where he was an All-American offensive lineman. Upon graduation, he joined the staff as an assistant coach. When head coach Pat Dye was hired away from ECU, Bolt joined Dye's staff at Wyoming. When Dye took the head coaching position at Auburn in 1981, Bolt again followed his mentor to the Plains as the tight end coach. Bolt left Auburn to join Danny Ford's staff at Clemson as tight-ends coach in 1986, but again returned to Auburn in 1990.
In 1991, Bolt joined the staff at Troy University, working under fellow former Auburn assistant Larry Blakeney as the offensive line coach. In 1997, he was promoted to defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Trojans. Bolt's defenses were extremely successful at Troy. In 2002, in only the second season competing at the NCAA I-A level, the Trojans produced one of the nation's top defenses under Bolt's guidance. The Trojans ranked 4th nationally in total defense, yielding only 276.8 yards per game. The unit ranked 13th in rushing defense (105.3 yards per game), 30th in scoring defense (21.0 ppg) and 33rd in pass efficiency defense (112.42).
Following his success at Troy, Bolt left the school in January 2003 to head the defense at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He served on Watson Brown's staff until being fired from his position with the Blazers following the 2005 season.
New head coach Gene Chizik hired Bolt to join his staff at Iowa State University in December 2006. When Chizik left the Cyclones to take the vacant head coaching position at Auburn, he brought Bolt along in an administrative capacity. He was named the Director of Football Operations for the Tigers in March 2009. He released from that position in December, 2012 upon the hiring of Gus Malzahn as head football coach.
Bolt returned to full-time coaching in January, 2013 when he was named defensive coordinator at Troy University, replacing Jeremy Rowell.
References
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American football offensive guards
Auburn Tigers football coaches
Clemson Tigers football coaches
East Carolina Pirates football players
East Carolina Pirates football coaches
Iowa State Cyclones football coaches
Troy Trojans football coaches
UAB Blazers football coaches
Wyoming Cowboys football coaches
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16592148
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IUP%20Portfolio%20Functional%20Specifications
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IUP Portfolio Functional Specifications
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IUP Portfolio is an education platform for Swedish schools, focused around the students individual development plan ("Individuell utvecklingsplan", IUP) and learning portfolio.
License
IUP Portfolio is published under the "GNU General Public License V2".
Technical
IUP Portfolio is a web application developed in PHP5 / MySQL5, and can be hosted on any operating system capable of running a web server, a PHP5 interpreter and a MySQL5 database system.
Typical running environments are:
LAMP (Linux + Apache + MySQL + PHP).
FAMP (FreeBSD + Apache + MySQL + PHP).
Application definition
What is it?
In 2006, the Swedish government created a new law, saying that every Swedish pupil in K-12 schools must have an "individual development plan".
This plan contains the goals that will be created in connection with parent/teacher/pupil talks that are held two times a year.
IUP Portfolio is meant to serve as an online plan repository so that all parties are able to access the document at any time and follow up on the goals that were created.
Purpose
IUP Portfolio has four different user roles, meaning, different kind of users which are able to do different things.
Here are the functions allowed, per user role:
Pupil or parent
Front-end authentication with a login or logout box.
Plan "one-year" view.
Plan "one-semester" view, with the possibility to validate and comment the data entered by the teacher.
Portfolio view, with access to the three subdivisions (Documents or pictures or media).
Portfolio document view.
Teacher
Front-end authentication with a login or logout box.
Plan summary view for all of his students, for a year.
Plan "one-year" view for a single student.
Plan "one-semester" view, where the teacher can edit text fields with what was agreed upon during IRL talks with the pupil.
School administrator
Front-end authentication as any of his school pupils / teachers.
Back-end authentication with a login / logout box.
User Management.
Plan Management.
Portfolio Management.
Document Management.
Picture Management.
Media Management.
Administrator
Front-end authentication as any pupil, parent or teacher.
Back-end authentication with a login / logout box, or as any school administrator.
User Management.
Plan Management.
Portfolio Management.
Document Management.
Picture Management.
Media Management.
Admin Management.
School Management.
Application models
Designer's model
Front-end
User secured login.
User user interface.
User logout.
Back-end
User management.
User administration (Creation / Modification / Deletion). A user creation / deletion automatically creates / deletes a plan.
Plan management.
Plan administration (Modification).
School management.
School administration (Creation / Modification / Deletion).
Entities
User : A user is an entity that can authenticates itself on the IUP Portfolio system, and can interact with the website.
Plan : A plan is a static entity linked to a "Pupil-Parent" User, and accessible to all user roles.
School : A school is a static entity linked to a "Teacher" User, used as a safeguard during the registration of new users.
Programmer's model
Entities
User
First name.
Last name.
Sex.
Age.
Address.
Role.
School.
Plan.
Plan
School
Address.
Educational software
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2279715
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egghead%20Software
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Egghead Software
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Egghead Software was an American computer software retailer. Founded in 1984, it filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and its domain name was acquired by Amazon.com.
History
The company was founded by Victor D. Alhadeff in 1984, as a single store in Bellevue, Washington.
Customers were able to sign up for a "CUE" card ("Customer Updates and 'Eggs'tras") that would provide discounts.
By June 1987, when Alhadeff was 40 years old, the company had 50 stores on the West Coast of the United States.
In June 1988, the company became a public company via an initial public offering. Within a year, the stock price dropped from $17 per share to $11 per share and top executives, including the founder, were sued for fraud for failing to disclose material facts about the true condition of the company`s inventory systems and finances.
By December 1989, the company had 206 stores, but closed 20 of them due to losses and inventory issues and theft.
In June 1993, the company released its first software product, Egghead Express, which allowed customers to place and manage orders.
In 1995, the company moved its headquarters from Issaquah, Washington, east of Seattle, to Spokane. At that time it had 2,500 employees and operated retail stores in 30 states.
Also in 1995, when the development manager of Windows 95 wanted to test compatibility, he bought a copy of every program for sale at an Egghead store.
In 1996, George Orban became chairman and in January 1997, he became CEO.
In May 1996, Egghead sold its Corporate, Government & Education division to Software Spectrum for $45 million. At that time, the stock price was $6 per share and there was speculation of a takeover of the company.
In February 1997, the company announced it would close 77 of its 156 stores and reported additional losses.
In May 1997, the company acquired competitor Surplus Software Inc. for $31.5 million.
In January 1998, the company reported a loss and announced it would close all 80 of its remaining stores, lay off 600 of its 800 employees, and sell only through its website, Egghead.com. Its stock price fell 18% on the news.
In July 1998, during the dot-com bubble, shares soared to $25 as investors bought up shares of internet companies.
In 1999, the company merged with OnSale.com in a $375 million all-stock transaction. The company kept the Egghead.com name and the CEO of Onsale, Jerry Kaplan, became CEO of the combined company.
In December 2000, right before Christmas, the company's servers were compromised, and it feared that the credit card data of over 3.7 million people was stolen. The company first publicly denied that there was a problem, then notified Visa Inc., which notified banks, who notified consumers, causing the breach to escalate into a full blown scandal. Many credit cards were cancelled. The company later discovered that credit card information was not obtained.
In August 2001, the company filed bankruptcy and worked out a deal to be acquired by Fry's Electronics. However, the deal fell apart after Fry's accused Egghead of failing to provide financial documents, and in December 2001, the company sold its domain name to Amazon.com.
References
1980s initial public offerings
Amazon (company)
American companies established in 1984
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001
Defunct retail companies of the United States
Dot-com bubble
Internet properties disestablished in 2001
Retail companies established in 1984
Retail companies disestablished in 2001
Software companies established in 1984
Software companies disestablished in 2001
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26708058
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARIS%20Express
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ARIS Express
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ARIS Express is a free-of-charge modeling tool for business process analysis and management. It supports different modeling notations such as BPMN 2, Event-driven Process Chains (EPC), Organizational charts, process landscapes, whiteboards, etc. ARIS Express was initially developed by IDS Scheer, which was bought by Software AG in December 2010. The tool is provided as freeware on the ARIS Community webpage. ARIS Express is notable - having been mentioned in research published by Schumm, Garcia, Krumnow and Greenwood amongst others.
History
ARIS Express was first announced on April 28, 2009 in a press release by IDS Scheer. The first release was on July 28, 2009 in a public beta test on ARIS Community. Only people, who registered before for the beta test were allowed to download and test this beta version. This closed beta test was followed with another public beta test.
The official release of ARIS Express 1.0 was on September 9, 2009. In this first stable version, features such as Microsoft Visio import were added, which were not present in the version for the public beta test.
On February 26, 2010, ARIS Express 2.0 was released. Major changes compared to version 1.0 include BPMN 2 support, integrated spellchecking and ARISalign integration.
On May 25, 2010, version 2.1 of ARIS Express was released. This update improves BPMN 2 support, provides a new online help system for instant feedback, better ARISalign integration and some new symbols in different diagrams. Along with the release, a poster showing the most important modeling concepts supported by ARIS Express was released. In addition, an executable setup is provided for Microsoft Windows-based systems. Beginning of July, an update was released as ARIS Express 2.2, providing bug fixes only. ARIS Express version 2.2 is the current stable release.
An official press release published mid of August 2010 said there are more than 50,000 downloads of ARIS Express.
On February 2, 2011, version 2.3 of ARIS Express was released. This new version changes the file format of ARIS Express so that models can be shown in an interactive model viewer in ARIS Community. The release announcement contained no details about additional features or changes.
Functionality
Overview
ARIS Express is a standalone single-user application. It is divided in a home screen and a modeling environment. The home screen is used to create new models or open recently edited ones. The modeling environment is used to edit diagrams.
Supported notations
The following notations are supported by ARIS Express. Users can create diagrams containing an unlimited number of modeling objects.
BPMN 2 Collaboration Diagrams
Event-driven Process Chains (EPC)
Organizational charts
Process landscape (value-added chain diagram)
Data model in ERM notation
IT infrastructure (network diagram)
System landscape (component diagram)
Whiteboard
General diagram
Noteworthy features
Besides common features such as creating new diagrams, saving them as files or adding objects to the modeling canvas, ARIS Express also provides some noteworthy features, which can't be found in most comparable modeling tools.
fragments - Often used modeling constructs such as an exclusive decision in a process model can be stored as fragments so that they are available for direct reuse in another model.
smart designs - The flow of a process model or hierarchies of other models can be captured in a spreadsheet-like interface. While entering the data in the spreadsheet, the model is generated and laid out in the background while typing.
mini toolbar - While moving the mouse pointer over an object in a diagram, a small toolbar is shown allowing quick access to the most important modeling actions.
Microsoft Visio import - Diagrams created with Microsoft Visio 2007 or above can be imported to and edited in ARIS Express. A Microsoft Visio export is not provided.
ARISalign import - Models created on the online collaboration platform ARISalign can be opened and edited in ARIS Express.
Exports
ARIS Express can export diagrams to different formats such as:
PDF
JPEG
PNG
EMF
ADF
ADF is the file format of ARIS Express. The professional tools of ARIS Platform are able to import diagrams stored in the ADF format.
Yet, there are major limitations during import - namely, each object in diagram will be treated as unique object, despite having same type and name, forcing redrawing large sections of diagrams after import.
Besides export formats, it is also possible to use the clipboard to copy and paste an ARIS Express diagram into typical office suites such as Microsoft PowerPoint.
Technology
ARIS Express is a Java-based application, which shares some of the features of ARIS Platform products such as ARIS Business Architect and ARIS Business Designer. In contrast to ARIS Platform products, ARIS Express doesn't use a central database for model storage. Instead, each diagram is stored in an ADF file.
ARIS Express uses Java Web Start. After download, the application can be started immediately without installation procedure. For Microsoft Windows based systems, an ordinary setup is provided, too. ARIS Express requires Java 1.6.10 or above. On first startup, the user must enter a valid ARIS Community account to register the application. Creating an ARIS Community account is free-of-charge. After installation, no Internet connection is needed to use ARIS Express.
ARIS Express uses a mechanism provided by Java Web Start to automatically update the application as soon as a new version becomes available and the user is connected to the Internet during startup. There are reports that this automated update failed while upgrading from version 1.0 to version 2.0.
As ARIS Express is based on Java Web Start, it can be installed on any platform supported by Java. The ARIS Community and other Internet sources have reports of successful deployment of ARIS Express on other operating systems than Microsoft Windows. However, ARIS Express is officially supported only on Microsoft Windows.
Miscellaneous
A quick reference sheet is available for ARIS Express. The poster shows all supported diagrams plus the most important modelling concepts for each supported modelling language.
ARIS Express contains a hidden game, a so-called Easter Egg. The game can be started by clicking several times on the product logo in the about dialog. Highscores achieved in the game can be submitted to a special page in ARIS Community.
A Firefox Personas is available for ARIS Express.
See also
Process mining
References
External links
direct download link for Microsoft Windows based systems
direct download link using JAVA Webstart
official ARIS Express support group
Diagramming software
Technical communication tools
Windows graphics-related software
Unix software
MacOS graphics-related software
Vector graphics editors
Graphics software
Software AG
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12964494
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean%20University
|
Mediterranean University
|
Mediterranean University (Montenegrin and Serbian: Универзитет Медитеран / Univerzitet Mediteran) is a university located in Podgorica, Montenegro. It was founded on 30 May 2006, is the first private university established in Montenegro and is organized in 6 faculties. The university is member of the Balkan Universities Network.
History
Mediterranean University is the first private university in Montenegro. It was founded on 30 May 2006 and consisted of four organizational units: Faculty of Tourism, Hotel and Trade Management Bar, Faculty of Economics and Business, Faculty of Visual Arts and Faculty of Information Technology. Later on, two more faculties joined the University ”Mediterranean”: Faculty of Foreign Languages and Faculty of Law officially became the organizational units of Mediterranean University on 16 December 2006. Faculty of Tourism, Hotel and Trade Management Bar was founded in 2004. as the first private institution of higher education in Montenegro. On February 9, 2008, it changed its name to: Faculty of Tourism Bar – MTS – "Montegro Tourism School".
The seat of Mediterranean University is in Podgorica, as well as the following organizational units: Faculty of Business Studies "Montenegro Business School", Faculty of Visual Arts, Faculty of Information Technology, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Faculty of Law. Faculty of Tourism, Hotel and Trade Management is located in Bar.
Since its founding, Mediterranean University in Podgorica functions as a single legal entity in accordance with the Bologna Declaration.
The quality of study programs at all faculties of the University was checked in 2008 by the expert committee of the Council for Higher Education. The University has been reaccredited for the following five years which is an indication of the high quality of our work.
The report of the expert team, among other things, states: “The team was very surprised how much Mediterranean University has developed and created a solid foundation for rapid future development with the ambition to become a high quality regional university”.
The University is clearly and fully committed to enhancing the quality of studies in a systematic and organized manner in order to be modern, flexible, comparable, competitive and efficient. In that sense and in compliance with the Bologna process, there is a continuous work on increasing the quality level of all activities at the University - teaching, study programmes, grading system based on the introduction of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System - ECTS, textbooks and literature, equipment of study rooms and other areas, information system, scientific research, publishing, selection of teaching and administration staff, library, permanent education, interuniversitary cooperation and other standards.
Study programmes
Undergraduate
Faculty of Tourism "Montenegro Tourism School" – Tourism and Hospitality Management
Faculty of Economics and Business – Financial Management and Marketing
Faculty of Information Technology – Information Technologies
Faculty of Visual Arts – Design of Visual Communications and Audiovisual production
Faculty of Foreign Languages – Business English Language and Business Italian Language
Faculty of Law – Commercial Law Study Programme and Judicial Study Programme
Faculty of Engineering – Civil Engineering Study Programme and Architecture Study Programme
Postgraduate
Faculty of Tourism "Montenegro Tourism School" – specialist studies Management in Tourism and Hotel Management and master studies under the same title.
Faculty of Economics and Business – specialist studies Financial Management and Marketing Management and master studies under the same title.
Faculty of Information Technology – specialist studies Information Technologies and master studies under the same title.
Faculty of Visual Arts – specialist studies Design of Visual Communications and Audiovisual Production and master studies under the same title.
Faculty of Law – specialist studies Commercial Law and Judicial–Criminal Law and master studies Commercial Law, Judicial–Criminal Law and Legal-Political study program
Faculty of Engineering – Civil Engineering higher Study Programme and Architecture Study Programme
PhD studies
Faculty of “Montenegro Tourism School” organizes PhD studies Management in Tourism with the duration of three years.
American studies at Mediterranean University
From the 2010/11 academic year Mediterranean University and Rochester Institute of Technology from New York will offer a masters of science in professional studies. Students will be offered two study programmes: Service Leadership and Innovation and Project Management. Upon successful completion of studies, students will receive dual degrees. Teaching staff of Mediterranean University and Rochester Institute of Technology will deliver the programmes and lectures will be in English.
Scientific research and other projects
The University established a Centre for Project Research and Consulting. Through working with projects and development of the teaching staff University strengthens the bond between academic and business environment in Montenegro. By accepting European standards in teaching and scientific research, and through cooperation with many international institutions of higher education, the University actively participates in the cultural and economic development of Montenegro and its integration into European and world trends. Mediterranean University in cooperation with partner universities from the EU - University of Debrecen, Hungary, Wageningen University, Netherlands, Scottish Agricultural College, Budapest Business School, and partners from Montenegro - University of Montenegro, Chamber of Economy of Montenegro and the Ministry of Tourism of Montenegro, have started in January 2010 the TEMPUS project under the title "Development of Business Training in Montenegro”. The main goal of DEBUT-M project is to establish partnerships between higher education institutions and companies through free business training for experts and managers from companies in Montenegro.
Cooperation
Cooperation with commercial entities
Mediterranean University is a part of Atlas group - one of the leading corporations in the South Eastern Europe with a crucial role in implementation of the investment activities and projects.
Mediterranean University and the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro have intense cooperation in fields of professional development programmes, analysis and projects, organization of seminars, round tables and other professional gatherings including participation of the University representatives in the work of the arbitration bodies established within the Chamber, and other forms of cooperation.
University “Mediteran” in cooperation with the Directorate for Anti-Corruption Initiative of Montenegro through joint research projects, organization of lectures, workshops, seminars and other scientific and professional activities as well as development of various publications and other advertising materials makes important steps in the field of preventing and combating corruption in education.
Interuniversity cooperation
Mediterranean University maintains and develops contacts with other universities according to the mutually harmonized and signed bilateral agreements, which foresee: teacher and student exchange, common research projects, participation in seminars and other academic gatherings, professional training programmes and other activities promoting academic cooperation. The most important partners of the University:
Singidunum University, Belgrade, Serbia
University of Banja Luka, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
University “Džemal Bijedić”, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
West Coast University, Panama
University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
Universita degli Studi di Bari, Bari, Italy
University "Goce Delčev", Štip, North Macedonia
University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Megatrend University, Belgrade, Serbia
Stroganov Moscow State University of Arts and Industry, Moscow, Russia
Russian State Humanitarian University, Moscow, Russia
University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
IFAM Business School, Paris, France
Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Academy of Diplomacy and Security, Belgrade, Serbia
Belgrade Banking Academy, Belgrade, Serbia
UniAdrion Executive Secretariat, Ravenna, Italy
Institute of Economic Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia
Faculty of Administrative and European Studies, Podgorica, Montenegro
Moscow Aviation Institute, Moscow, Russia
Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey
Distance Learning System
“Acquiring knowledge and skills through provided information and instructions by using various technologies and other forms of distance learning.“
Possibility of distance learning and testing via Internet is becoming necessity of every university, faculty or higher school. Development of "Distance learning" in world has achieved a breakthrough. Numerous world-known academic institutions offer this studying category as a compulsory choice of modern education in their curricula. This model of studying commonly used in the western countries became our reality. All Faculties of University Mediterranean offer Distance Learning System (DLS) in their curricula. Faculty of Information Technologies of the University ”Mediteran” in Podgorica took into account recommendations and experience of leading world institutions and organizations providing specific standards and systems to ensure quality in distance teaching.
Science and sports
Mediterranean University and "Budućnost" karate club traditionally organize the tournament Grand Prix Mediteran with the aim to connect science and sport and popularize sports among and students.
Mediterranean University basketball club was founded in 2006 with the intention to promote Mediterranean University in the sporting field. In the debutant season 2006/07 the club competed in the Second Republic's League and it entered the higher level of competition – First B league. For this season its main ambition is to become the First league team. That's why Mediterranean University plans to reinforce the team with a few experienced players. The club wishes to engage as many students as possible as its players. Through recreational and competitive sport, as an extracurricular activity, University „Mediteran“ wishes to offer the best possible studying conditions to its students.
See also
List of colleges and universities
University of Montenegro
External links
Official Website
Education in Podgorica
2006 establishments in Montenegro
Educational institutions established in 2006
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54590439
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CloudHealth%20Technologies
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CloudHealth Technologies
|
CloudHealth Technologies, now CloudHealth by VMware, is a privately held software company based in Boston, Massachusetts. The company provides cloud computing services related to cost management, governance, automation, security, and performance.
History
CloudHealth Technologies was co-founded by Dan Phillips and Joe Kinsella in 2012. Dave Eicher joined as Co-Founder in January 2013. In May 2016, the company announced plans to expand from its Boston headquarters with branch offices in San Francisco, London, Washington, D.C., Sydney, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, and Singapore. Headquarters moved in Boston from Fort Point to 100 Summer Street in the Spring of 2018, tripling in square footage.
In September 2017, Tom Axbey—who was previously at Rave Mobile Safety—joined as the new CEO and President. VMware announced its intention to acquire CloudHealth Technologies on August 27, 2018. The acquisition is "part of the information technology company's continued push into cloud-based software services" according to Reuters. The deal closed on October 4, 2018.
Technology
Delivered through a software as a service (SaaS) model, CloudHealth Technologies's platform collects and analyzes data from cloud computing services and other IT environments so clients can report on costs, inform their business models, and project future trends. CloudHealth Technologies is compatible with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, multicloud, and hybrid cloud environments. CloudHealth Technologies has received Amazon Web Services(AWS) Education Competency status, AWS Migration Competency status and achieved SOC 2 Type 2 Compliance.
Funding
As of June 2017, CloudHealth Technologies has raised a total of $85.7 million through four rounds of funding.
In March 2013, CloudHealth Technologies announced that it had secured $4.5 million in Series A funding. This round was led by .406 Ventures and Sigma Prime Ventures.
In January 2015, CloudHealth Technologies secured $12 million in Series B funding. This round was led by Scale Venture Partners, .406 Ventures, and Sigma Prime Ventures, and was followed by a $3.2 million extension round.
In May 2016, CloudHealth Technologies announced $20 million in Series C funding, led by Sapphire Ventures, .406 Ventures, Scale Venture Partners and Sigma Prime Ventures.
In June 2017, CloudHealth Technologies secured $46 million in Series D funding led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers with participation from Meritech Capital Partners, Sapphire Ventures, 406 Ventures, and Scale Venture Partners.
Reception
In April 2016, Gartner recognized CloudHealth Technologies as a Cool Vendor, stating that "with the rise in public and private cloud computing, infrastructure and operations leaders are investing more in management, governance and policy enforcement." In September 2016, CloudHealth Technologies was named to InformationWeek's list of 25 Cloud Vendors to Watch for 2017. In November 2017, they were named a 2018 Vendor to watch by Information Week and a Red Herring (magazine) Top 100 Global Winner. In May 2018, CloudHealth was named a Leader in the Forrester Wave for Cloud Cost Monitoring and Optimization and a Strong Performer in the Forrester Wave for Hybrid Cloud Management in June.
2018 was CloudHealth Technologies' 4th year in a row winning Boston Business Journal's Best Places to Work award.
References
Software companies based in Massachusetts
Companies based in Boston
Software companies established in 2012
American companies established in 2012
Cloud computing providers
2012 establishments in Massachusetts
2018 mergers and acquisitions
VMware
Software companies of the United States
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198672
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley%20Systems
|
Bentley Systems
|
Bentley Systems, Incorporated is an American-based software development company that develops, manufactures, licenses, sells and supports computer software and services for the design, construction, and operation of infrastructure. The company's software serves the building, plant, civil, and geospatial markets in the areas of architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and operations. Their software products are used to design, engineer, build, and operate large constructed assets such as roadways, railways, bridges, buildings, industrial plants, power plants, and utility networks. The company re-invests 20% of their revenues in research and development
Bentley Systems is headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, United States, but has development, sales and other departments in over 50 countries. The company had revenues of $700 million in 2018.
Software
Bentley has three principal software product lines: MicroStation, ProjectWise, and AssetWise. Since 2014, some products have been based on the Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform.
History
Keith A. Bentley and Barry J. Bentley founded Bentley Systems in 1984. They introduced the commercial version of PseudoStation in 1985, which allowed users of Intergraph's VAX systems to use low-cost graphics terminals to view and modify the designs on their Intergraph IGDS (Interactive Graphics Design System) installations. Their first product was shown to potential users who were polled as to what they would be willing to pay for it. They averaged the answers, arriving at a price of $7,943. A DOS-based version of MicroStation was introduced in 1986.
Acquisitions
On June 18, 1997, Bentley acquired IdeaGraphix, a developer of MicroStation-based application software for architecture, engineering, and facilities management.
On January 15, 1998, Bentley acquired Jacobus.
On January 2, 2001, Bentley acquired Intergraph's civil engineering, plot-services and raster conversion software businesses.
On October 17, 2001, Bentley Systems bought Geopak design software for road and rail infrastructure.
On July 30, 2002, Bentley Systems acquired Rebis.
On January 6, 2003, Bentley announced it would acquire Infrasoft Corporation.
On August 2, 2004, Bentley acquired Haestad Methods, Inc.
On August 31, 2005, Bentley agreed to acquire netGuru's Research Engineers International (REI) business which included its STAAD structural analysis and design product line.
On June 6, 2006, Bentley acquired GEF-RIS AG.
On January 29, 2007, Bentley acquired KIWI Software.
On May 12, 2007, Bentley acquired C.W. Beilfuss and Associates.
On May 9, 2007, Bentley acquired TDV GmbH, an analysis and design software provider for bridge engineering.
On January 22, 2008, Bentley acquired Hevacomp, Ltd.
On January 24, 2008, Bentley acquired LEAP Software, Inc.
On January 29, 2008, Bentley acquired promis•e product line from ECT International.
On May 28, 2008, Bentley Systems acquired Common Point for mainstream construction simulation.
On October 13, 2009, Bentley added geotechnical and geoenvironmental capabilities with the acquisition of gINT Software.
On February 9, 2010, Bentley Systems announced two acquisitions: Exor Corporation and Enterprise Informatics.
On March 2, 2011, Bentley Systems acquired software for offshore structural analysis from Engineering Dynamics, Inc.
On December 10, 2011, Bentley acquired FormSys.
On November 8, 2011, Bentley acquired Pointools Ltd., a British developer of point-cloud software technology.
On March 7, 2012, Bentley acquired the elcoSystem software business of Hannappel Software.
On May 18, 2012, Bentley acquired InspectTech Systems, USA, a provider of field inspection applications and asset management services for bridges and other transportation assets.
On September 19, 2012, Bentley acquired Canadian-based Ivara.
On November 12, 2012, Bentley acquired the Microprotol pressure vessel design and analysis software from EuResearch.
On November 13, 2012, Bentley acquired SpecWave.
On March 14, 2013, Bentley acquired topoGRAPH, a provider of surveying software.
On October 8, 2013, Bentley acquired the MOSES software business from Ultramarine.
On February 25, 2014, Bentley acquired DocQnet Systems’ eB Services BizDocQnet Systems.
On September 26, 2014, Bentley acquired SITEOPS, optimization software for enhanced land development site design, from Blueridge Analytics.
On January 14, 2015, Bentley acquired C3global for predictive modeling.
On February 10, 2015, Bentley acquired Acute3D.
On February 15, 2015, Bentley acquired reality modeling creator e-on.
On January 23, 2018, Bentley acquired S-Cube Futuretech Pvt Ltd. to expand its offerings specific to the concrete engineering design and documentation software users in India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
On April 26, 2018, Bentley acquired Dutch geotechnical modelling company Plaxis B.V.
On July 15, 2018, Bentley acquired Canadian geotechnical modeling company SOILVISION Systems Ltd. in order to enhance its 3D geotechical offerings.
On June 20, 2018, Bentley acquired Synchro
On October 15, 2018, Bentley acquired Agency9
On October 15, 2018, Bentley acquired LEGION
On November 12, 2018, Bentley acquired ACE enterprise Slovakia
On November 13, 2018, Bentley acquired Alworx
On February 11, 2019, Bentley acquired SignCAD Systems
On May 13, 2019, Bentley acquired Keynetix
On October 22, 2019, Bentley acquired Citilabs, Inc. & Orbit GeoSpatial Technologies
On March 23, 2021, Bentley acquired Ontracks Consulting
In April 2002, Bentley filed for an initial public offering, but it was withdrawn before taking effect.
In November 2016, German-based Siemens announced it would pay about $76 million for a minority stake in Bentley, as well as invest in developing joint software with it.
In September 2020, Bentley Systems sets terms of its IPO valuing the company at about $4.96 billion. The company would offer 10.75 million shares priced between $17 and $19 per share.
Bentley Institute Press
Bentley Systems also is a publisher of textbooks and professional references for the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC), operations, geospatial, and educational communities, under the name Bentley Institute Press.
Bentley Infrastructure 500
Since 2010, Bentley annually published a ranking of the top owners of infrastructure from both the public and private sectors.
References
External links
Patents Owned by Bentley Systems
The Engineering Design Revolution : The People, Companies and Computer Systems That Changed Forever the Practice of Engineering, By David E. Weisberg - Chapter 10: Bentley Systems Incorporated
Bentley Systems at 30 -- no slowing down
UK Platinum Channel Partner - Cadventure Ltd http://www.cadventure.co.uk
Computer companies of the United States
Software companies based in Pennsylvania
Software companies established in 1984
Privately held companies based in Pennsylvania
Building information modeling
Companies listed on the Nasdaq
Software companies of the United States
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59439565
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wander%20%281974%20video%20game%29
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Wander (1974 video game)
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Wander is an adventure game by Peter Langston. It is one of the earliest text adventure video games in existence, predating Colossal Cave Adventure. The game was originally coded in BASIC. For a long time, the original files had been kept in an archived email by one of Langston's friends. The files now exist on GitHub. The game used a Mainframe computer with multiple databases to create the worlds that formed the game. The game was distributed in Langston's PSL Games collection for Unix.
Gameplay
Wander is both a text adventure game and a tool for creating interactive fiction; it describes itself as "a tool for writing non-deterministic fantasy stories". The game comes with one such story, named "a3", along with instructions for authors to write their own stories that the game can parse. The game is entirely text based, with the player entering commands such as "north" or "kick machine" in order to progress. The player also has an inventory, which stores objects that they have collected in a game for use.
Plot
In the story included with the game, the player takes the role as a First Under-secretary to the Ambassador for an organisation called Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne (CDT). Sent by Mr. Magnan to the mysterious country Aldebaran III, the player's mission to prevent up uprising against Terran nationals in a limited time.
Development
Wander was created in 1973 or 1974 by Peter Langston. It was initially created by Langston in HP BASIC at Evergreen State College where Langston was teaching computer science and audio engineering. He likely developed Wander on an HP2000 minicomputer like his 1972 game Empire. Langston rewrote the game in C in 1974 while at Harvard University and released it to other users of the mainframe system. He maintained the game through the rest of the decade, with a release in 1980 as part of his PSL Games Collection package of games for Unix. The game was thought lost since, as the mainframe computers it ran on were discontinued and no backup copies were known, but in 2015 an interactive fiction enthusiast named "ant", upon seeing the game on a list of lost mainframe games, contacted Langston, who found a copy of the 1980 version in a friend's email archives. The 1980 source code has since been uploaded to GitHub, with adjustments made by Langston and others to make it run on non-unix systems.
References
External links
source code
1974 video games
1970s interactive fiction
Mainframe games
Video games developed in the United States
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585308
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroot
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Chroot
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A chroot on Unix and Unix-like operating systems is an operation that changes the apparent root directory for the current running process and its children. A program that is run in such a modified environment cannot name (and therefore normally cannot access) files outside the designated directory tree. The term "chroot" may refer to the system call or the wrapper program. The modified environment is called a chroot jail.
History
The chroot system call was introduced during development of Version 7 Unix in 1979. One source suggests that Bill Joy added it on 18 March 1982 – 17 months before 4.2BSD was released – in order to test its installation and build system. All versions of BSD that had a kernel have chroot(2). An early use of the term "jail" as applied to chroot comes from Bill Cheswick creating a honeypot to monitor a hacker in 1991.
The first article about a jailbreak has been discussed on the security column of SunWorld Online which is written by Carole Fennelly; the August 1999 and January 1999 editions cover most of the chroot() topics.
To make it useful for virtualization, FreeBSD expanded the concept and in its 4.0 release in 2000 introduced the jail command.
By 2002, an article written by Nicolas Boiteux described how to create a jail on Linux
By 2003, first internet microservices providers with Linux jails provide SAAS/PAAS (shell containers, proxy, ircd, bots, ...) services billed for consumption into the jail by usage
By 2005, Sun released Solaris Containers (also known as Solaris Zones), described as "chroot on steroids."
By 2008, LXC (upon which Docker was later built) adopted the "container" terminology and gained popularity in 2013 due to inclusion into Linux kernel 3.8 of user namespaces.
Uses
A chroot environment can be used to create and host a separate virtualized copy of the software system. This can be useful for:
Testing and development A test environment can be set up in the chroot for software that would otherwise be too risky to deploy on a production system.
Dependency control Software can be developed, built and tested in a chroot populated only with its expected dependencies. This can prevent some kinds of linkage skew that can result from developers building projects with different sets of program libraries installed.
Compatibility Legacy software or software using a different ABI must sometimes be run in a chroot because their supporting libraries or data files may otherwise clash in name or linkage with those of the host system.
Recovery Should a system be rendered unbootable, a chroot can be used to move back into the damaged environment after bootstrapping from an alternate root file system (such as from installation media, or a Live CD).
Privilege separation Programs are allowed to carry open file descriptors (for files, pipelines and network connections) into the chroot, which can simplify jail design by making it unnecessary to leave working files inside the chroot directory. This also simplifies the common arrangement of running the potentially vulnerable parts of a privileged program in a sandbox, in order to pre-emptively contain a security breach. Note that chroot is not necessarily enough to contain a process with root privileges.
Limitations
The chroot mechanism is not intended to defend against intentional tampering by privileged (root) users. On most systems, chroot contexts do not stack properly and chrooted programs with sufficient privileges may perform a second chroot to break out. To mitigate the risk of this security weakness, chrooted programs should relinquish root privileges as soon as practical after chrooting, or other mechanisms – such as FreeBSD jails – should be used instead. Note that some systems, such as FreeBSD, take precautions to prevent the second chroot attack.
On systems that support device nodes on ordinary filesystems, a chrooted root user can still create device nodes and mount the file systems on them; thus, the chroot mechanism is not intended by itself to be used to block low-level access to system devices by privileged users. It is not intended to restrict the use of resources like I/O, bandwidth, disk space or CPU time. Most Unixes are not completely file system-oriented and leave potentially disruptive functionality like networking and process control available through the system call interface to a chrooted program.
At startup, programs expect to find scratch space, configuration files, device nodes and shared libraries at certain preset locations. For a chrooted program to successfully start, the chroot directory must be populated with a minimum set of these files. This can make chroot difficult to use as a general sandboxing mechanism. Tools such as Jailkit can help to ease and automate this process.
Only the root user can perform a chroot. This is intended to prevent users from putting a setuid program inside a specially crafted chroot jail (for example, with a fake and file) that would fool it into a privilege escalation.
Some Unixes offer extensions of the chroot mechanism to address at least some of these limitations (see Implementations of operating system-level virtualization technology).
Graphical applications on chroot
It is possible to run graphical applications on a chrooted environment, using methods such as:
Use xhost (or copy the secret from .Xauthority)
Nested X servers like Xnest or the more modern Xephyr (or start a real X server from inside the jail)
Accessing the chroot via SSH using the X11 forwarding (ssh -X) feature
xchroot an extended version of chroot for users and Xorg/X11 forwarding (socat/mount)
An X11 VNC server and connecting a VNC client outside the environment.
Notable applications
The Postfix mail transfer agent operates as a pipeline of individually chrooted helper programs.
Like 4.2BSD before it, the Debian and Ubuntu internal package-building farms use chroots extensively to catch unintentional build dependencies between packages. SUSE uses a similar method with its build program. Fedora, Red Hat, and various RPM-based distributions build all RPMs using a chroot tool such as mock.
Many FTP servers for POSIX systems use the chroot mechanism to sandbox untrusted FTP clients. This may be done by forking a process to handle an incoming connection, then chrooting the child (to avoid having to populate the chroot with libraries required for program startup).
If privilege separation is enabled, the OpenSSH daemon will chroot an unprivileged helper process into an empty directory to handle pre-authentication network traffic for each client. The daemon can also sandbox SFTP and shell sessions in a chroot (from version 4.9p1 onwards).
Chrome OS can use a chroot to run a Linux instance using Crouton, providing an otherwise thin OS with access to hardware resources. The security implications related in this article apply here.
Linux host kernel virtual file systems and configuration files
To have a functional chroot environment in Linux, the kernel virtual file systems and configuration files also have to be mounted/copied from host to chroot.
# Mount Kernel Virtual File Systems
TARGETDIR="/mnt/chroot"
mount -t proc proc $TARGETDIR/proc
mount -t sysfs sysfs $TARGETDIR/sys
mount -t devtmpfs devtmpfs $TARGETDIR/dev
mount -t tmpfs tmpfs $TARGETDIR/dev/shm
mount -t devpts devpts $TARGETDIR/dev/pts
# Copy /etc/hosts
/bin/cp -f /etc/hosts $TARGETDIR/etc/
# Copy /etc/resolv.conf
/bin/cp -f /etc/resolv.conf $TARGETDIR/etc/resolv.conf
# Link /etc/mtab
chroot $TARGETDIR rm /etc/mtab 2> /dev/null
chroot $TARGETDIR ln -s /proc/mounts /etc/mtab
See also
List of Unix commands
Operating system-level virtualization
Sandbox (computer security)
sudo
References
External links
Integrating GNU/Linux with Android using chroot
Computer security procedures
Free virtualization software
Unix process- and task-management-related software
Virtualization software
Linux kernel features
System calls
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494687
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapons%20of%20the%20Vietnam%20War
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Weapons of the Vietnam War
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This article is about the weapons used in the Vietnam War, which involved the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) or North Vietnamese Army (NVA), National Liberation Front for South Vietnam (NLF) or Viet Cong (VC), and the armed forces of the China (PLA), Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), United States, Republic of Korea, Philippines, Thailand, and the Australian, New Zealand defence forces, and a variety of irregular troops.
Nearly all United States-allied forces were armed with U.S. weapons including the M1 Garand, M1 carbine, M14 and M16. The Australian and New Zealand forces employed the 7.62 mm L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle as their service rifle, with the occasional US M16.
The PAVN, although having inherited a variety of American, French, and Japanese weapons from World War II and the First Indochina War (aka French Indochina War), were largely armed and supplied by the People's Republic of China, the Soviet Union, and its Warsaw Pact allies. In addition, some weapons—notably anti-personnel explosives, the K-50M (a PPSh-41 copy), and "home-made" versions of the RPG-2—were manufactured in North Vietnam. By 1969 the US Army had identified 40 rifle/carbine types, 22 machine gun types, 17 types of mortar, 20 recoilless rifle or rocket launcher types, nine types of antitank weapons, and 14 anti-aircraft artillery weapons used by ground troops on all sides. Also in use, primarily by anti-communist forces, were the 24 types of armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery, and 26 types of field artillery and rocket launchers.
Communist forces and weapons
During the early stages of their insurgency, the Viet Cong mainly sustained itself with captured arms (often of American manufacture) or crude, self-made weapons (e.g. copies of the US Thompson submachine gun and shotguns made of galvanized pipes). Most arms were captured from poorly defended ARVN militia outposts.
Communist forces were principally armed with Chinese and Soviet weaponry though some VC guerrilla units were equipped with Western infantry weapons either captured from French stocks during the first Indochina war, such as the MAT-49, or from ARVN units or requisitioned through illicit purchase.
In the summer and fall of 1967, all Viet Cong battalions were reequipped with arms of Soviet design such as the AK-47 assault rifle and the RPG-2 anti-tank weapon. Their weapons were principally of Chinese or Soviet manufacture. The period up to the conventional phase in the 1970, the Viet Cong and NVA were primarily limited to mortars, recoilless rifles and small-arms and had significantly lighter equipment and firepower in comparison with the US arsenal, relying on ambushes alongside superior stealth, planning, marksmanship and small-unit tactics to face the disproportionate US technological advantage.
Many divisions within the NVA would incorporate armoured and mechanised battalions including the Type 59 tank., BTR-60, Type 60 artillery and rapidly altered and integrated new war doctrines following the Tet Offensive into a mobile combined-arms force. The North Vietnamese had both amphibious tanks (such as the PT-76) and light tanks (such the Type 62) used during the conventional phase. Experimental Soviet equipment started being used against ARVN forces at the same time, including Man-portable air-defense system SA-7 Grail and anti-tank missiles including the AT-3 Sagger. By 1975 they had fully transformed from the strategy of mobile light-infantry and using the people's war concept used against the United States.
US weapons
The American M16 rifle and XM177 carbine, which both replaced the M14, were lighter and considered more accurate than the AK-47 but in Vietnam was prone to "failure to extract", in which the spent cartridge case remained stuck in the chamber after a round was fired, preventing the next round from feeding and jamming the gun. This was ultimately traced to an inadequately tested switch in propellants from DuPont's proprietary IMR 4475 to Olin's WC 846, that Army Ordnance had ordered out of concern for standardization and mass production capacity.
The heavily armored, 90 mm gun M48A3 'Patton' tank saw extensive action during the Vietnam War and over 600 were deployed with U.S. forces. They played an important role in infantry support though there were a few tank versus tank battles. The M67A1 flamethrower tank (nicknamed the Zippo) was an M48 variant used in Vietnam. Artillery was used extensively by both sides but the Americans were able to ferry the lightweight 105 mm M102 howitzer by helicopter to remote locations on quick notice. With its range, the Soviet 130 mm M-46 towed field gun was a highly regarded weapon and used to good effect by the PAVN. It was countered by the long-range, American 175 mm M107 Self-Propelled Gun.
The United States had air superiority though many aircraft were lost to surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery. U.S. airpower was credited with breaking the siege of Khe Sanh and blunting the 1972 Easter Offensive against South Vietnam. At sea, the U.S. Navy had the run of the coastline, using aircraft carriers as platforms for offshore strikes and other naval vessels for offshore artillery support. Offshore naval fire played a pivotal role in the Battle of Huế in February 1968, providing accurate fire in support of the U.S. counter-offensive to retake the city.
The Vietnam War was the first conflict that saw wide scale tactical deployment of helicopters. The Bell UH-1 Iroquois nicknamed "Huey" was used extensively in counter-guerilla operations both as a troop carrier and a gunship. In the latter role it was outfitted with a variety of armaments including M60 machine guns, multi-barreled 7.62 mm Miniguns and unguided air-to-surface rockets. The Hueys were also successfully used in MEDEVAC and search and rescue roles. Two aircraft which were prominent in the war were the AC-130 "Spectre" Gunship and the UH-1 "Huey" gunship. The AC-130 was a heavily armed ground-attack aircraft variant of the C-130 Hercules transport plane; it was used to provide close air support, air interdiction and force protection. The AC-130H "Spectre" was armed with two 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannons, one Bofors 40mm autocannon, and one 105 mm M102 howitzer. The Huey is a military helicopter powered by a single, turboshaft engine, and approximately 7,000 UH-1 aircraft saw service in Vietnam. At their disposal ground forces had access to B-52 and F-4 Phantom II and others to launch napalm, white phosphorus, tear gas and chemical weapons as well. The aircraft ordnance used during the war included precision-guided munition, cluster bombs, a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with petroleum or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, initially against buildings and later primarily as an anti-personnel weapon that sticks to skin and can burn down to the bone.
The Claymore M18A1, an anti-personnel mine was widely used, and is command-detonated and directional shooting 700 steel pellets in the kill zone.
Weapons of the South Vietnamese, U.S., South Korean, Australian, Philippine, and New Zealand Forces
Hand combat weapons
L1A1 and L1A2 bayonets – used on L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle
M1905 bayonet – used on the M1 Garand.
M1917 bayonet – used on various shotguns.
M1 Bayonet – used on the M1 Garand.
M3 fighting knife
M4 bayonet – used on the M1 and M2 Carbine.
M5 bayonet – used on the M1 Garand.
M6 bayonet – used on the M14.
M7 Bayonet – used on the M16.
Ka-Bar Utility/fighting Knife – used by the US Army, Navy and Marine Corps.
Gerber Mark II U.S. Armed Forces
Randall Made Knives – personally purchased by some US soldiers.
M1905, M1917, M1 and Lee Enfield bayonets cut down and converted in to fighting knives.
Bow – used by US Mobile Riverine Force.
Crossbow – used by South Vietnamese Montagnards
Pistols and revolvers
Colt M1911A1 – standard US and ARVN sidearm.
Colt Commander – used by US military officers and US Special forces.
Browning Hi-Power – used by Australian and New Zealand forces (L9 pistol). Also used on an unofficial basis by US reconnaissance and Special Forces units.
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless – carried by US military officers. Replaced by the Colt Commander in the mid-1960s
Colt Detective Special – .38 Special revolver, used by some ARVN officers
Colt Police Positive Special – .38 Special revolver, used by USAF and tunnel rats
High Standard HDM – Integrally suppressed .22LR handgun, supplemented by the Mark 22 Mod 0 in the later stages of the war.
Ingram MAC-10 – automatic pistol used by US special operations forces.
Luger P08 – CIA provided pistol
M1917 revolver – .45 ACP revolver used by the South Vietnamese and US forces during the beginning of the war alongside the Smith & Wesson Model 10. Used rather prominently by tunnel rats.
Quiet Special Purpose Revolver – 40. revolver used by tunnel rats.
Smith & Wesson Model 10 – .38 Special revolver used by ARVN, by US Army and USAF pilots and by tunnel rats
Smith & Wesson Model 12 – .38 Special revolver carried by US Army and USAF pilots.
Smith & Wesson Model 15 – .38 Special revolver carried by USAF Security Police Units.
Colt Python – .357 Magnum revolver carried by MACVSOG.
Smith & Wesson Model 27 – .357 Magnum revolver carried by MACVSOG.
Smith & Wesson Mark 22 Mod.0 "Hush Puppy" – Suppressed pistol used by US Navy SEALs and other U.S. special operations forces.
Walther P38 – CIA provided pistol
Infantry rifles
L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle – used by Australian and New Zealand soldiers in Vietnam
M1 Garand – used by the South Vietnamese and South Koreans
M1, M1A1, & M2 Carbine – used by the South Vietnamese Military, Police and Security Forces, South Koreans, U.S. military, and Laotians supplied by the U.S.
M14, M14E2, M14A1 – issued to most U.S. troops from the early stages of the war until 1967–68, when it was replaced by the M16.
M16, XM16E1, and M16A1 – M16 was issued in 1964, but due to reliability issues, it was replaced by the M16A1 in 1967 which added the forward assist and chrome-lined barrel to the rifle for increased reliability.
CAR-15 – carbine variant of the M16 produced in very limited numbers, fielded by special operations early on. Later supplemented by the improved XM177.
XM177 (Colt Commando)/GAU-5 – further development of the CAR-15, used heavily by MACV-SOG, the US Air Force, and US Army.
Stoner 63 – used by US Navy SEALs and USMC.
T223 – a copy of the Heckler & Koch HK33 built under license by Harrington & Richardson used in small numbers by SEAL teams. Even though the empty H&R T223 was 0.9 pounds (0.41 kg) heavier than an empty M16A1, the weapon had a forty-round magazine available for it and this made it attractive to the SEALS.
MAS-36 rifle – used by South Vietnamese militias
AK-47, AKM and Type 56 – Captured rifles were used by South Vietnamese and U.S forces.
Sniper/marksman rifles
M1C/D Garand and MC52 – used by CIA advisors, the USMC and the US Navy early in the war. Approximately 520 were supplied to the ARVN and 460 to the Thai forces.
M1903A4 Springfield – used by the USMC early in the war, replaced by the M40.
M21 Sniper Weapon System – sniper variant of the M14 rifle used by the US Army.
M40 (Remington Model 700)– bolt-action sniper rifle meant to replace the M1903A4 Springfield rifle and Winchester Model 70; used by the USMC
Parker-Hale M82 – used by ANZAC forces
Winchester Model 70 – used by the USMC
Mosin Nagant – used by South Vietnamese militias
Submachine guns
Beretta M12 – limited numbers were used by U.S. Embassy security units.
Carl Gustaf m/45 – used by Navy SEALs in the beginning of the war, but later replaced by the Smith & Wesson M76 in the late 1960s. Significant numbers were also utilized by MAC-V-SOG, the South Vietnamese, and limited numbers were used in Laos by advisors, and Laotian fighters.
Smith & Wesson M76 – copy of the Carl Gustaf m/45. Few were actually shipped to Navy SEALs fighting in Vietnam.
F1 submachine gun – replaced the Owen Gun in Australian service.
M3 Grease gun – standard U.S. military submachine gun, also used by the South Vietnamese
M50/55 Reising – limited numbers were used by MACVSOG and other irregular forces.
Madsen M-50 – used by South Vietnamese forces, supplied by the CIA.
MAS-38 submachine gun – used by South Vietnamese militias.
MAT-49 submachine gun – used by South Vietnamese militias. Captured models were used in limited numbers
MP 40 submachine gun – used by South Vietnamese forces, supplied by the CIA.
Owen Gun – standard Australian submachine-gun in the early stages of the war, later replaced by the F1.
Sten submachine gun – used by US special operations forces, often with a suppressor mounted.
Sterling submachine gun – used by Australian Special Air Service Regiment and other special operations units.
Thompson submachine gun – used often by South Vietnamese troops, and in small quantities by US artillery and helicopter units.
Uzi – used by special operations forces and some South Vietnamese, supplied from Israel.
Shotguns
Shotguns were used as an individual weapon during jungle patrol; infantry units were authorized a shotgun by TO&E (Table of Organization & Equipment). Shotguns were not general issue to all infantrymen, but were select issue weapons, such as one per squad, etc.
Ithaca 37 – pump-action shotgun used by the United States and ARVN.
Remington Model 10 – pump-action shotgun used by the United States.
Remington Model 11-48 – semi-automatic shotgun used by US Army.
Remington Model 31 – pump-action shotgun used by the US Army, the SEALs and the ARVN.
Remington Model 870 – pump-action shotgun primary shotgun used by Marines, Army and Navy after 1966.
Remington 7188 – experimental select fire shotgun, withdrawn due to lack of reliability. Used by US Navy SEALs
Savage Model 69E – pump-action shotgun used by the US Army.
Savage Model 720 – semi-automatic shotgun.
Stevens Model 77E – pump-action shotgun used by Army and Marine forces. Almost 70,000 Model 77Es were procured by the military for use in SE Asia during the 1960s. Also very popular with the ARVN because of its small size.
Stevens Model 520/620
Winchester Model 1912 – used by USMC.
Winchester Model 1200 – pump-action shotgun used by the US Army.
Winchester Model 1897 – used by the Marines during the early stages of the war.
Machine guns
M60 machine gun – standard General-purpose machine gun for US, ANZAC, and ARVN forces throughout the war.
Colt Machine Gun – experimental light machine gun deployed by SEAL Team 2 in 1970.
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle – used by the ARVN during the early stages of the war, as well as many that were airdropped into Laos and used by Laotian fighters.
FM 24/29 light machine gun – used by South Vietnamese militias
RPD machine gun (and Type 56) – captured and used by reconnaissance teams of Mobile Strike Forces, MAC-V-SOG and other special operation forces. Also commonly modified to cut down the barrel.
Stoner M63A Commando & Mark 23 Mod.0 – used by Navy SEALs and tested by Force Recon.
M134 Minigun – 7.62 mm vehicle mounted machine gun (rare)
M1917 Browning machine gun – .30cal heavy machine gun issued to the ARVN and also in limited use by the U.S. Army.
M1919 Browning machine gun (and variants such as M37) – vehicle mounted machine gun. Meanwhile, still of use by many South Vietnamese infantry.
M73 machine gun – tank mounted machine gun.
Browning M2HB .50cal Heavy Machine Gun
Grenades and mines
AN-M8 – white smoke grenade
C4 explosive
Mark 2 fragmentation grenade
M1 smoke pot
M26 fragmentation grenade and many subvariants
M59 and M67 fragmentation grenade
M6/M7-series riot control grenades – Used to clear NVA/VC out of caves, tunnels and buildings or stop a pursuer.
AN/M14 TH3 thermite grenade – Incendiary grenade used to destroy equipment and as a fire-starting device.
M15 and M34 smoke grenades – filled with white phosphorus, which ignites on contact with air and creates thick white smoke. Used for signalling and screening purposes, as well as an anti-personnel weapon in enclosed spaces, as the burning white phosphorus would rapidly consume any oxygen, suffocating the victims.
M18 grenade Smoke Hand Grenade – Signaling/screening grenade available in red, yellow, green, and purple.
V40 Mini-Grenade
OF 37 grenade and DF 37 grenade, French grenades used by the ARVN in the 1950s
XM58 riot control grenade – A miniature riot control grenade used by MACVSOG and Navy SEALs.
M14 mine – anti-personnel blast mine
M15 mine – anti-tank mine
M16 mine – bounding anti-personnel fragmentation mine
M18/M18A1 Claymore – command-detonated directional anti-personnel mine
M19 mine – anti-tank mine
Grenade and Rocket Launchers
M1/M2 rifle grenade adapters – used to convert a standard fragmentation grenade (M1) or smoke grenade (M2) into a rifle grenade in conjunction with the M7 grenade launcher.
M7 and M8 rifle grenade launcher – rifle grenade launcher used with respectively the M1 Garand and the M1 carbine, used by the South Vietnamese. Could fire the M9 and M17 rifle grenades.
M31 HEAT rifle grenade – Used primarily by the U.S. Army before the introduction of the M72 LAW. Fired from the M1 Garand and M14 Rifle.
M79 Grenade Launcher – primary U.S. grenade launcher used by all branches of the US military, as well as ANZAC forces and the ARVN.
China Lake Grenade Launcher – pump action weapon used in very small numbers.
XM148 – experimental underbarrel 40mm grenade launcher that could be attached to the M16 rifle or XM177 carbine. Withdrawn due to safety reasons.
M203 grenade launcher – single-shot 40mm underslung grenade launcher designed to attach to a M16 rifle (or XM177 carbine, with modifications to the launcher). First tested in combat April 1969.
Mark 18 Mod 0 grenade launcher – Hand-cranked, belt-fed, 40x46mm grenade launcher used by the US Navy.
Mark 19 grenade launcher – Automatic, belt-fed, 40x53mm grenade launcher.
Mk 20 Mod 0 grenade launcher – Automatic, belt-fed, 40x46mm grenade launcher. Primarily used by riverine crews but also used by Air Force Special Operations.
XM174 grenade launcher – Automatic, belt-fed, 40x46mm grenade launcher used mainly by the US Army.
Bazooka – The M9 variant was supplied to the ARVN during the early years of the war, while the M20 "Super Bazooka" was used by the USMC and the ARVN until the full introduction of the M67 90mm recoilless rifle and of the M72 LAW.
M72 LAW – 66mm anti-tank rocket launcher.
XM202 – experimental four-shot 66mm incendiary rocket launcher.
FIM-43 Redeye MANPADS (Man-Portable Air-Defence System) – shoulder-fired heat-seeking anti-air missile, used by the US Army and USMC.
BGM-71 TOW – wire-guided anti-tank missile
Flamethrowers
M2A1-7 and M9A1-7 flamethrowers
Infantry support weapons
M18 recoilless rifle – 57mm shoulder-fired/tripod mounted recoilless rifle, used by the ARVN early in the war.
M20 recoilless rifle – 75mm tripod/vehicle-mounted recoilless rifle, used by US and ARVN forces early in the war.
M67 recoilless rifle – 90mm shoulder-fired anti-tank recoilless rifle, used by the US Army, US Marine Corps, ANZAC and ARVN selected forces.
M40 recoilless rifle 106mm tripod/vehicle-mounted recoilless rifle.
M2 mortar – 60mm mortar, used in conjunction with the lighter but less accurate and lower-range M19 mortar.
M19 mortar – 60mm mortar, used in conjunction with the older, heavier M2 mortar.
Brandt Mle 27/31 – 81mm mortar, used by ARVN forces
M1 mortar – 81mm mortar, used by ARVN forces.
M29 mortar – 81mm mortar, used by US and ARVN forces.
L16A1 mortar – 81mm, used by ANZAC forces.
82-BM-37 – captured 82mm mortar, few used by USMC with US rounds.
M30 mortar 107mm mortar, used by US and ARVN forces.
M98 Howtar, variant of the latter mounted on a M116 howitzer carriage.
Artillery
M55 quad machine gun – used to defend US Army bases and on vehicles
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon – used on riverine crafts
Bofors 40 mm gun – used on riverine crafts
105 mm Howitzer M101A1/M2A1
105 mm Howitzer M102
155 mm Howitzer M114
M53 Self-propelled 155mm gun
M55 Self-propelled 8-inch howitzer
M107 Self-propelled 175mm gun
M108 Self-propelled 105 mm howitzer
M109 Self-propelled 155 mm howitzer
M110 Self-propelled 8-inch howitzer
75mm Pack Howitzer M1
L5 pack howitzer 105 mm pack howitzer used by Australia and New Zealand
MIM-23 Hawk – medium-range surface to air missile used in very small quantities by the US Marines.
Artillery ammunition types
HE (High Explosive) – standard artillery round.
High-explosive anti-tank round – fired by 105mm guns.
White phosphorus – used for screening or incendiary purposes.
Smoke shells – used for screening.
Leaflet shell
Beehive flechette rounds – antipersonnel rounds.
Improved Conventional Munition – antipersonnel shell with sub-munitions.
Aircraft
(listed alphabetically by modified/basic mission code, then numerically in ascending order by design number/series letter)
A-1 Skyraider – ground attack aircraft
A-3 Skywarrior – carrier-based bomber
A-4 Skyhawk – carrier-based strike aircraft
A-6 Intruder – carrier-based all weather strike aircraft
A-7 Corsair II – carrier-based strike aircraft
A-26 Invader – light bomber
A-37 Dragonfly – ground attack aircraft
AC-47 Spooky – gunship
AC-119G "Shadow" – gunship
AC-119K "Stinger" – gunship
AC-130 "Spectre" – gunship
AU-23 Peacemaker – ground attack aircraft
AU-24 Stallion – ground attack aircraft
B-52 Stratofortress – heavy bomber
B-57 Canberra – medium bomber
Canberra B.20 – Royal Australian Air Force medium bomber
C-1 Trader – cargo/transport aircraft
C-2 Greyhound – cargo/transport aircraft
C-5 Galaxy – strategic lift cargo aircraft
C-7 Caribou – tactical cargo aircraft, used by the U.S. Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force and the South Vietnamese Air Force
C-46 Commando – cargo/transport aircraft
C-47 – cargo/transport aircraft
C-54 – transport aircraft
C-97 Stratofreighter – cargo/transport aircraft
C-119 Boxcar – cargo/transport aircraft
C-121 Constellation – transport aircraft
C-123 Provider – cargo/transport aircraft
C-124 Globemaster II – cargo/transport aircraft
C-130 Hercules – cargo/transport plane
C-133 Cargomaster – cargo/transport aircraft
C-141 Starlifter – strategic cargo aircraft
E-1 Tracer – carrier-based airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft
E-2 Hawkeye – carrier-based airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft
EA-3 Skywarrior – carrier-based tactical electronic reconnaissance aircraft
EA-6B Prowler – carrier-based electronic warfare & attack aircraft
EB-57 Canberra – tactical electronic reconnaissance aircraft
EB-66 – tactical electronic reconnaissance aircraft
EC-121 – radar warning or sensor relay aircraft
EF-10 Skyknight – tactical electronic warfare aircraft
EKA-3B Skywarrior – carrier-based tactical electronic warfare aircraft
F-4 Phantom II – carrier and land based fighter-bomber
F-5 Freedom Fighter – light-weight fighter used in strike aircraft role
F8F Bearcat – piston fighter-bomber, used by the South Vietnamese Air Force until 1964.
F-8 Crusader – carrier and land based fighter-bomber
F-14 Tomcat – carrier-based fighter, made its combat debut during Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon, in April 1975.
F-100 Super Sabre – fighter-bomber
F-102 Delta Dagger – fighter
F-104 Starfighter – fighter
F-105 Thunderchief – fighter-bomber
F-111 Aardvark – medium bomber
HU-16 Albatross – rescue amphibian
KA-3 Skywarrior – carrier-based tactical aerial refueler aircraft
KA-6 Intruder – carrier-based tactical aerial refueler aircraft
KB-50 Superfortress – aerial refueling aircraft
KC-130 Hercules – tactical aerial refueler/assault transport aircraft
KC-135 Stratotanker – aerial refueling aircraft
O-1 Bird Dog – light observation airplane
O-2 Skymaster – observation aircraft
OV-1 Mohawk – battlefield surveillance and light strike aircraft
OV-10 Bronco – light attack/observation aircraft
P-2 Neptune – maritime patrol aircraft
P-3 Orion – maritime patrol aircraft
P-5 Marlin – antisubmarine seaplane
QU-22 Pave Eagle (Beech Bonanza) – electronic monitoring signal relay aircraft
RA-3B Skywarrior – carrier-based tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RA-5C Vigilante – carrier-based tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RB-47 Stratojet – photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RB-57 Canberra – tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RB-66 – tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RF-4 Phantom II – carrier and land-based tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RF-8 Crusader – carrier-based tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RF-101 Voodoo – tactical photographic reconnaissance aircraft
RT-33A – reconnaissance jet
S-2 Tracker – carrier-based anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft
SR-71 Blackbird – strategic reconnaissance aircraft
TF-9J Cougar – fast forward air controller
T-28 Trojan – trainer/ground attack aircraft
T-41 Mescalero – trainer aircraft
U-1 Otter – transport aircraft
U-2 – reconnaissance aircraft
U-6 Beaver – utility aircraft
U-8 Seminole – transport/electronic survey aircraft
U-10 Helio Courier – utility aircraft
U-17 Skywagon – utility aircraft
U-21 Ute – liaison and electronic survey
YO-3 Quiet Star – light observation airplane
Helicopters
(listed numerically in ascending order by design number/series letter, then alphabetically by mission code)
UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" – utility transport and gunship helicopter
AH-1G HueyCobra – attack helicopter
AH-1J SeaCobra – twin-engine attack helicopter
UH-1N Iroquois – twin-engine utility helicopter
UH-2 Seasprite – carrier-based utility helicopter
CH-3 Sea King – long-range transport helicopter
HH-3 "Jolly Green Giant" – long-range combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter
SH-3 Sea King – carrier-based anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter
OH-6A Cayuse "Loach" (from LOH – Light Observation Helicopter) – light transport/observation (i.e. scout) helicopter
OH-13 Sioux – light observation helicopter
UH-19 Chickasaw – utility transport helicopter
CH-21 Shawnee – cargo/transport helicopter
OH-23 Raven – light utility helicopter
CH-34 Choctaw – cargo/transport helicopter
CH-37 Mojave – cargo/transport helicopter
HH-43 Huskie – rescue helicopter
CH-46 Sea Knight – cargo/transport helicopter
CH-47 Chinook – cargo/transport helicopter
CH-53 Sea Stallion – heavy-lift transport helicopter
HH-53 "Super Jolly Green Giant" – long-range combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter
CH-54 Tarhe "Sky Crane" – heavy lift helicopter
OH-58A Kiowa – light transport/observation helicopter
Aircraft ordnance
GBUs
CBUs
BLU-82 Daisy cutter
Napalm
Bomb, 250 lb, 500 lb, 750 lb, 1000 lb, HE (high explosive), general-purpose
Rocket, aerial, HE (High Explosive), 2.75 inch
Aircraft weapons
M60D machine gun – 7.62mm (helicopter mount)
Minigun – 7.62 mm (aircraft and helicopter mount)
Colt Mk 12 cannon – 20 mm (aircraft mount)
M3 cannon – 20 mm (aircraft mount)
M39 cannon – 20 mm (aircraft mount)
M61 Vulcan – 20 mm (aircraft mount), M195 was used on AH-1
M197 Gatling gun – 20 mm (used on AH-1J helicopters)
M75 grenade launcher – 40 mm (helicopter mount)
M129 grenade launcher – 40 mm (helicopter mount)
AIM-4 Falcon
AIM-7 Sparrow
AIM-9 Sidewinder
AGM-12 Bullpup
AGM-22
AGM-45 Shrike
AGM-62 Walleye
AGM-78 Standard ARM
AGM-65 Maverick
Chemical weapons
Rainbow Herbicides
Agent Orange – While developed to be used as a herbicide to destroy natural obstacles and tree camouflage, it was later revealed that it posed health risks to those exposed to it.
Agent Blue – Used to destroy agricultural land that was believed to be used to grow food for the VC/NVA.
Agent White
Napalm
CS-1 riot control agent – "Teargas", used in grenades, cluster bomblets or (rarely) shells.
CN gas – "teargas"
Vehicles
In addition to cargo-carrying and troop transport roles, many of these vehicles were also equipped with weapons and sometimes armor, serving as "gun trucks" for convoy escort duties.
M274 Truck, Platform, Utility, 1/2 Ton, 4X4 – Commonly called a "Mechanical Mule".
Land Rover (short and long wheelbase) – Australian and New Zealand forces.
CJ-3B and M606 – 1/4 ton jeep
Willys M38A1 – ¼ ton jeep.
M151 – ¼ ton jeep.
Dodge M37 – 3/4 ton truck.
Kaiser Jeep M715 – 1¼-ton truck.
M76 Otter – 1¼-ton amphibious cargo carrier used by USMC.
M116 Husky – 1¼-ton amphibious cargo carrier tested by USMC.
M733 Amphibious Personnel Carrier – tested by USMC.
M35 series 2½-ton 6x6 cargo truck
M135 2½-ton truck
M54 5-ton 6x6 truck
M548 – 6-ton tracked cargo carrier
M520 Goer – 4x4 8-ton cargo truck.
M123 and M125 10-ton 6x6 trucks
Other vehicles
Caterpillar D7E bulldozer – used by US Army
Various graders and bulldozers used by the USMC
ERDLator
Combat vehicles
Tanks
M24 Chaffee – light tank; main ARVN tank early in the war, used at least as late as the Tet Offensive.
M41A3 Walker Bulldog – light tank, replaced the M24 Chaffee as the main ARVN tank from 1965.
M48 Patton – main tank of the US Army and Marines throughout the war, and also used by ARVN forces from 1971.
M67 "Zippo" – flamethrower variant of the M48 Patton, used by USMC.
M551 Sheridan – Armored Reconnaissance Airborne Assault Vehicle/Light Tank, used by the US Army from 1969.
Centurion Mk 5 Main Battle Tank – used by the Australian Army, with AVLB and ARV variants.
Other armored vehicles
C15TA Armoured Truck – used by the ARVN early in the war
LVTP5 (aka AMTRACs) – amphibious tractors/landing craft used by USMC and later by RVNMD
Lynx Scout Car Mk II – used by the ARVN
M113 – APC (Armored Personnel Carrier)
M113 ACAV – Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle
M163 Vulcan – self-propelled anti-aircraft tank
M114 – reconnaissance vehicle
M132 Armored Flamethrower
M106 mortar carrier
M2 Half Track Car
M3 Scout Car – used by South Vietnamese forces early in the war.
M3 Half-track – used by South Vietnamese forces early in the war.
M5 Half-track
M9 Half-track
Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando – replaced ARVN M8 armored cars in 1967. Also used by US forces as M706 Commando.
M8 Greyhound Used by ARVN forces early in the war.
M56 Scorpion – limited use in 1965–1966
M50 Ontos – self-propelled 106 mm recoilless rifle carrier used by the USMC until 1969.
M42 Duster – M41 based hull, with a twin 40 mm antiaircraft gun mounted on an open turret
M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle – modified M60 Patton tank equipped with dozer blade, short-barreled 165mm M135 Demolition Gun, and A-Frame crane.
M60 AVLB – armored vehicle launched bridge using M60 Patton chassis.
M51 Armored Recovery Vehicle – fielded by US Marines.
M578 light recovery vehicle
M88 Recovery Vehicle – armored recovery vehicle based on M48 chassis.
Wickums armored draisine used by the ARVN.
Naval craft
LCM-6 and LCM-8 – with several modifications:
LCMs modified as a river monitors
Armored Troop Carrier
Command and Communication Boat (CCB)
other variants included helipad boats and tankers
LCVP – Landing craft vehicle personnel, some made by the French Services Techniques des Construction et Armes Navales/France Outremer and known as FOM
Swift Boat – Patrol Craft Fast (PCF)
ASPB – assault support patrol boat
PBR – Patrol Boat River, all-fiberglass boats propelled by twin water jets, used by the US Navy
Hurricane Aircat – airboat used by ARVN and US Army
Communications
Radios
The geographically dispersed nature of the war challenged existing military communications. From 1965 to the final redeployment of tactical units, numerous communications-electronics systems were introduced in Vietnam to upgrade the quality and quantity of tactical communications and replace obsolete gear:
AN/PRT-4 and PRR-9 squad radios – replaced the AN/PRC-6.
AN/PRC-6 and AN/PRC-10 – older short range radios, used for outposts
AN/PRC-25 and 77 – short-range FM radios that replaced the AN/PRC-8-10.
AN/VRC-12 series (VRC-43, VRC-45, VRC-46, VRC-47, VRC-48) – FM radios that replaced the RT-66-67-68/GRC (including AN/GRC 3–8, VRC 7–10, VRC 20–22, and VRQ 1–3 sets).
AN/GRC-106 – AM radios and teletypewriter that replaced the AN/GRC-19.
TA-312 and TA-1 field telephones.
Encryption systems
Encryption systems developed by the National Security Agency and used in Vietnam included:
NESTOR – tactical secure voice system, including the TSEC/KY-8, 28 and 38 was used with the PRC-77 and VRC-12
KW-26 – protected higher level teletype traffic
KW-37 – protected the U.S. Navy fleet broadcast
KL-7 – provided offline security
A number of paper encryption and authentication products, including one time pads and the KAL-55B Tactical Authentication System
Weapons of the PAVN/VC
The PAVN and the Southern communist guerrillas, the Viet Cong (VC) as they were commonly referred to during the war, largely used standard Warsaw Pact weapons. Weapons used by the PAVN also included Chinese Communist variants, which were referred to as CHICOM's by the US military. Captured weapons were also widely used; almost every small arm used by SEATO may have seen limited enemy use. During the early 1950s, US equipment captured in Korea was also sent to the Viet Minh.
Small arms
Hand combat weapons
A wide variety of bayonets meant for fitting on the many types of rifles used by the NVA and VC.
Type 30 bayonet
Spears, used during "suicide attacks"
Other types of knives, bayonets, and blades
Handguns and revolvers
Makarov PM (and Chinese Type 59)
Mauser C96 – Locally produced copies were used alongside Chinese copies and German variants supplied by the Soviets.
Nagant M1895
Webley Mk2
Mac M1892
Smith and Wesson Model 10
M1911 pistol
M1935A pistol
SA vz. 61 – automatic pistol
Type 69 Slience
Tokarev TT-33 – Standard pistol, including Chinese Type 51 and Type 54 copies including Zastava M57
Walther P38 – Captured by the Soviets during World War II and provided to the VPA and the NLF as military aid
Home-made pistols, such as copies of the M1911 or of the Mauser C96 (Cao Dai 763) or crude single-shot guns, were also used by the Viet Cong early in the war.
Automatic and semi-automatic rifles
SKS (Chinese Type 56) semi-automatic carbine
AK-47 – from the Soviet Union, Warsaw Pact countries, China and North Korea
Type 56 – Chinese-made standard rifle
Type 58 – Limited use from North Korea
PMK – Polish-made AK-47
AKM – from the Soviet Union, common modernized variant of the AK-47
PM md. 63/65 – Romanian variant of AKM
AMD-65 – Very limited use from Hungary
M1/M2 carbines – common and popular captured semi-automatic rifles
vz. 52 rifle semi-automatic rifle, very rarely used
Vz. 58 assault rifle
Sturmgewehr 44 Limited
Type 63 assault rifle – Limited use, received during the 1970s
M14, M16A1 – captured from US and South Vietnamese forces.
M1 Garand – captured semi-automatic rifle
MAS-49 rifle – captured French rifle from First Indochina War
Bolt-action rifles/marksman rifles
Mosin–Nagant – Bolt-action rifles and carbines from the Soviet Union and China (especially M44).
Mauser Kar98k – Bolt-action rifle (captured from the French during the First Indochina War and also provided by the Soviets as military aid).
Chiang Kai-shek rifle – Used by recruits and militias
MAS-36 rifle
Lee–Enfield – Used by the Viet Cong
Arisaka rifles – used by Viet Cong early in the war.
Lebel rifle – Used in earlier stages of the Vietnam War.
vz. 24 – Used by Viet Cong Forces.
SVD Dragunov – Soviet semi-automatic sniper rifle in limited use
M1903 Springfield – Used by Viet Cong forces
M1917 Enfield – Used by Viet Cong forces
Remington Model 10 – pump-action shotgun used by the Viet Cong
Older or rarer rifles where often modified by the Viet Cong early in the war: Gras mle 1874 carbines were rechambered to .410 bore while Destroyer carbines were modified to accept the magazine of the Walther P38.
Home-made rifles, often spring-action rifles made to look like a M1 Garand or a M1 Carbine, were also used by the Viet Cong.
Submachine guns
K-50M submachine gun (Vietnamese edition, based on Chinese version of Russian PPSh-41, under licence)
MAT-49 submachine gun – Captured during the French-Indochina War. Many were converted from 9x19mm to 7.62x25 Tokarev
PPSh-41 submachine gun (both Soviet, North Korean and Chinese versions)
PPS-43 submachine gun (both Soviet and Chinese versions)
M3 submachine gun Limited use
Thompson submachine gun – including Vietnamese copies
MP 40
MP 38 submachine gun – Limited use.
MAS-38 submachine gun – Captured from the French in the Indochina War.
PM-63 submachine gun – Used by tank crews
M49 submachine gun – limited use, received from Yugoslavia
M56 submachine gun – limited use, received from Yugoslavia
Vietnamese home-made submachine guns, inspired by the Sten or the Thompson, were used by the Viet Cong early in the war.
Machine guns
Bren light machine gun, used by Viet Cong
Degtyarev DP (DPM and RP-46 variants and Chinese Type 53 and Type 58 copies)
DShK heavy machine gun (including Chinese Type 54)
FM-24/29 – used by Viet Cong Forces
KPV heavy machine gun
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle
M1917 Browning machine gun – at least 1 used by the Viet Cong
M1919 Browning machine gun – captured from ARVN/US forces
M60 machine gun – captured from ARVN/US forces
M2 Browning – captured from ARVN/US forces
MG 34 – captured by the Soviets during World War II and provided to the VPA and the NLF as military aid
MG 42 – captured by the Soviets during World War II and provided to the VPA and the NLF as military aid
FG 42 – Limited use, captured by the Soviets during World War II and supplied in the 1950s
Maxim machine-gun M1910
PK Very limited use general-purpose machine gun from Soviet Union
RPD light machine gun (and Chinese Type 56 and North Korean Type 62 copies) – first used in 1964
RPK light machine gun of Soviet design
SG-43/SGM medium machine guns including Type 53 and Type 57 Chinese copies of these guns
Type 11 light machine gun
Type 24 machine gun (Chinese-made MG-08) – used by the Viet Cong Forces
Type 67 machine gun
Type 92 heavy machine gun
Type 99 light machine gun
Uk vz. 59 general-purpose machine gun
ZB vz. 26 light machine gun (included Chinese copies)
ZB vz.30 light machine gun from Czechoslovakia
Grenades, mines and Booby Traps
Molotov cocktail
Home-made grenades and IEDs
Punji sticks
Cartridge traps
F1 grenade (Chinese Type 1)
M29 grenade – captured
M79 grenade launcher – captured from US or ARVN forces
M203 grenade launcher – captured from US or ARVN forces
Model 1914 grenade
RG-42 grenade (Chinese Type 42)
RGD-1 and RGD-2 smoke grenades
RGD-5 grenade (Chinese Type 59)
RGD-33 stick Grenade
RKG-3 anti-tank grenade (Chinese Type 3)
RPG-40 Anti-Tank Hand Grenade
RPG-43 HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) Hand Grenade
RPG-6
Type 4 grenade
Type 10 grenade
Type 67 and RGD-33 stick grenades
Type 64 rifle grenade – fired from AT-44 grenade launchers, fitted to Mosin-Nagant carbines
Type 91 grenade
Type 97 grenade
Type 99 grenade
Type 10 grenade discharger
Type 89 grenade discharger
Lunge mine
M16 mine — Captured.
M18/M18A1 Claymore mine — Captured.
Flamethrower
LPO-50 flamethrower
Type 74 Chinese-built copy
Rocket launchers, recoilless rifles, anti-tank rifles and lightweight guided missiles
Recoilless rifles were known as DKZ (Đại-bác Không Giật).
RPG-2 recoilless rocket launcher (both Soviet, Chinese and locally produced B-40 and B-50 variants used)
RPG-7 recoilless rocket launcher
Type 51 (Chinese copy of the M20 Super Bazooka) – used by Viet Cong as late as 1964
B-10 recoilless rifle
B-11 recoilless rifle
SPG-9 73 mm recoilless rifle
M18 recoilless rifle (and Chinese Type 36 copy) and captured from US or ARVN forces
M20 recoilless rifle (and Chinese Type 52 and Type 56 copies) and captured from US or ARVN forces
PTRD Limited use by the Viet Cong Forces.
9K32 Strela-2 (SA-7) anti-aircraft weapon
9M14 Malyutka (AT-3 Sagger)
Mortars
Brandt Mle 1935 – 60mm mortar
M2 mortar (including Chinese Type 31 and Type 63 copies) – 60mm mortars
M19 mortar – 60mm mortar
M1 mortar – 81mm
M29 mortar – 81mm
Brandt Mle 27/31 – 81mm mortar
Type 97 81mm mortar
82-PM-37 (including Chinese Type 53 copy)- 82mm mortar
82-PM-41 – 82mm mortar.
Type 67 mortar – 82mm mortar
Type 94 90mm mortar
Type 97 90 mm mortar
M1938 107mm mortar
120-PM-43 mortar
Type 97 150 mm mortar
M1943 160mm mortar (including Chinese Type 55 copy)
Field artillery rocket launchers
Field artillery rockets were often fired from improvised launchers, sometines a tube fixed with bamboo.
102mm 102A3 rockets
107mm Type 63 MRL – used with single-tube or 12-tubes launchers
single-tube 122mm 9M22M rocket taken from BM-21 Grad MRL
single-tube 140mm M14-OF rocket taken from BM-14 MRL
Field guns and howitzers
57 mm anti-tank gun M1943 (ZiS-2)
70 mm Type 92 battalion gun
Type 41 75 mm mountain gun, supplied by China
7.5 cm Pak 40
75mm M116 pack howitzer, supplied by China
76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3) (and Chinese Type 54)
85 mm divisional gun D-44
100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3)
Type 91 10 cm howitzer, supplied by China
M101 howitzer
122 mm gun M1931/37 (A-19)
122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30)
D-74 122 mm Field Gun
130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46)
152 mm howitzer-gun M1937 (ML-20)
152 mm howitzer M1943 (D-1)
152 mm towed gun-howitzer M1955 (D-20)
M114 155 mm howitzer
Anti-aircraft weapons
ZPU-1/2/4 single, double and quad 14.5 mm anti-aircraft machine guns
ZU-23 twin 23 mm anti-aircraft cannon
M1939 37 mm anti-aircraft gun (and Chinese Type 55)
2 cm Flak 30 anti-aircraft gun of German origin WW II
S-60 57 mm anti-aircraft gun
85mm air defense gun M1944
100 mm air defense gun KS-19
8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41
S-75 Dvina Soviet high-altitude air defence system
S-125 Neva Soviet high-altitude air defence system
Aircraft
Aero Ae-45 trainer aircraft
Aero L-29 Delfín trainer aircraft
An-2 utility aircraft
Cessna A-37 Dragonfly attack aircraft – limited use of captured or defected
Ilyushin Il-12 transport aircraft
Ilyushin Il-14 transport aircraft
Ilyushin Il-28 jet bomber
Lisunov Li-2 transport aircraft
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (and Chinese F-4) jet trainer
MiG-17 (and Chinese F-5) jet fighter
MiG-19 (and Chinese F-6) jet fighter
MiG-21 jet fighter
North American T-28 Trojan – 1 ex-Laotian used in 1964
Yakovlev Yak-18 trainer aircraft
Zlín Z 26 trainer aircraft
Aircraft weapons
Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23
Nudelman-Rikhter NR-30
Nudelman N-37
Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23
K-5 (missile) (RS-2US)
K-13 (missile) (R-3S)
Helicopters
Mi-2
Mi-4
Mi-6
Mi-8
Tanks
M24 Chaffee – light tank, captured from the French and used for training early in the war
M41 Walker Bulldog – light tank, captured from the ARVN.
M48 Patton – captured from the ARVN.
PT-76 amphibious tank
SU-76 self-propelled gun
SU-100 self-propelled guns in limited numbers.
SU-122 self-propelled gun in limited numbers
T-34-85 medium tank, from 1959
T-54 main battle tanks, used from 1965
Type 59 main battle tanks
Type 62 light tank
Type 63 anti-aircraft self-propelled systems
Type 63 amphibious tank
ZSU-57-2 anti-aircraft self-propelled systems
ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft self-propelled systems
Other armored vehicles
BTR-40 APC
BTR-50 APC
BTR-60PB APC
BTR-152 APC
M3 Half-track and M8 Light Armored Car – first NVA armored vehicles. Used to protect Air Bases in the North.
M113 armored personnel carrier – captured from the ARVN
MTU-20 armored bridge-layer
Type 63 APC
Support vehicles
AT-L light artillery tractor
AT-S and ATS-59 medium artillery tractors
Beijing BJ212
Dnepr M-72
GAZ-AA
GAZ-MM
GAZ-46 light amphibious car
GAZ-51 truck (and Chinese copy)
GAZ-63 truck
GAZ-64
GAZ-67
GAZ-69
IFA W 50
KrAZ-255 heavy truck
artillery tractor
MAZ-502 truck
M35 truck series (captured)
M54 truck series (captured)
M151 jeep (captured)
PMZ-A-750
ZIS-150 truck (and Chinese CA-10)
UralZIS-355M truck
Ural-375
ZIL-130 truck
ZIL-151 truck
ZIL-157 and ZIL-157K trucks (and Chinese CA-30)
ZiS-485 amphibious vehicle
Naval craft
Swatow-class gunboats
P4 and P6 torpedo boats
Countless civilian-type sampans – mainly used for smuggling supplies and weapons
See also
NLF and PAVN strategy, organization and structure
NLF and PAVN logistics and equipment
NLF and PAVN battle tactics
Weapons of the Laotian Civil War
Weapons of the Cambodian Civil War
References
Citations and notes
Bibliography
External links
Vietnam War-related lists
Vietnam War
Vietnam War
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core%20FTP
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Core FTP
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Core FTP is a secure FTP client for Windows, developed by CoreFTP.com. Features include FTP, SSL/TLS, SFTP via SSH, and HTTP/HTTPS support. Secure FTP clients encrypt account information and data transferred across the internet, protecting data from being seen or sniffed across networks. Core FTP is a traditional FTP client with local files displayed on the left, remote files on the right.
Core FTP Server is a secure FTP server for Windows, developed by CoreFTP.com, starting in 2010.
Licensing
CoreFTP LE is free for personal, educational, non-profit, and business use.
See also
Comparison of FTP client software
List of FTP server software
Reviews and references
PC Magazine – 59 Ways to Supercharge Windows – Odds & Ends – Core FTP LE
Softpedia.com – Reviews – "Today, try Core FTP Lite!" – By: Codrut Nistor, Editor, Software Reviews
External links
Official website
FTP clients
SFTP clients
Cryptographic software
application software
file transfer software
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musl
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Musl
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musl is a C standard library intended for operating systems based on the Linux kernel, released under the MIT License. It was developed by Rich Felker with the goal to write a clean, efficient and standards-conformant libc implementation.
Overview
musl was designed from scratch to allow efficient static linking and to have realtime-quality robustness by avoiding race conditions, internal failures on resource exhaustion and various other bad worst-case behaviors present in existing implementations. The dynamic runtime is a single file with stable ABI allowing race-free updates and the static linking support allows an application to be deployed as a single portable binary without significant size overhead.
It claims compatibility with the POSIX 2008 specification and the C11 standard. It also implements most of the widely used non-standard Linux, BSD, and glibc functions. There is partial ABI compatibility with the part of glibc required by Linux Standard Base.
Version 1.2.0 has support for (no longer current) Unicode 12.1.0 (while still having full UTF-8 support, more conformant/strict than glibc), and version 1.2.1 "features the new 'mallocng' malloc implementation, replacing musl's original dlmalloc-like allocator that suffered from fundamental design problems."
Use
Some Linux distributions that can use musl as the standard C library include Alpine Linux, Dragora 3, Gentoo Linux, OpenWrt, Sabotage, Morpheus Linux and Void Linux. The seL4 microkernel ships with musl. For binaries that have been linked against glibc, gcompat can be used to execute them on musl-based distros.
See also
Bionic libc
dietlibc
EGLIBC
glibc
klibc
Newlib
uClibc
References
External links
Comparison of C/POSIX standard library implementations for Linux
Matrix of C/POSIX standard libraries by architecture
Project:Hardened musl on Gentoo wiki
Rich Felker held a talk at the Embedded Linux Conference (ELC) 2015: ELC 2015 - Transitioning From uclibc to musl for Embedded Development - Rich Felker, Openwall
C standard library
Free computer libraries
Free software programmed in C
Interfaces of the Linux kernel
Linux APIs
Software using the MIT license
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28068850
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor%20Vianu%20National%20College%20of%20Computer%20Science
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Tudor Vianu National College of Computer Science
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The Tudor Vianu National High School of Computer Science (), often referred to as "CNITV" of Bucharest can trace its roots back to 1928 and enjoys nowadays a very good reputation in Romania and even in the world, due to its students that won many International Competitions in physics, mathematics, computer science and chemistry.
History
The history of the Tudor Vianu National College of Computer Science begins with its building situated at 10, Architect Ion Mincu Street in Bucharest. During World War II, the building was the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement headquarters. In 1928, the building began to be used as a high school and was first known as the "Academical High School for Girls". Due to the changes that followed after World War II, the institution decided to focus on a prospective domain: computer science. Founded in 1928, the institution received the name of "Theoretical High School for Girls".
Being placed in a high-end residential area, many nomenclature children attended its classes, especially at the "Dr. Petru Groza", theoretical high school among others.
In September 1970, by the decision of the council of ministers, the "High School of Informatics" was established, also known as Industrial High-School for Systems of Automatic Data processing "SPAD".
It started with 4 classes, 109 students, 27 per class, in parallel with the "Peter Groza High School", which continued until the termination in 1974 of the theoretical section under the name of the "High School Informatics Dr. Petru Groza ".
The computer science classes were completed after September 15, based on the transfer from other high schools in Bucharest, provided that the average admission to that high school is over 9.00. Starting from 1971 the High School organized its own admission exams, where the minimum grade was usually above 9.00, due to high demand as being among the best High schools in the Country. The first promotion from the High School of Informatics graduated in 1975, bringing to the high school the first prizes at the Physics and Mathematics Olympiads by municipality and country; (Beiu Valeriu, Cioara Andrei and Popa-Simil Liviu in Physics, Mihalcea Daniel, Manoil Constantin in Mathematics). The admission rate in higher education was over 90%, qualifying the high school as one of the first high schools in Bucharest at that time. Students' life was good, learning program was intensive but relaxed, students having enough time to do extra-curriculum activities and do good with home-works. Teachers were special, well prepared, nice with students, objective with grading. The purpose of the founding was to produce the mid-level staff specialized in informatics necessary for the development of the Bucharest Computer Factory, which produced the French IRIS-50 license, the CDC-3700 computer, and the implementation of computing techniques in the country.
First generation graduated in 1975, obtaining a Baccalaureates Diploma and a Certificate of Specialist, in Computer Main frame Operation, Programmer and aid analyst, good for hiring in computing industry.
Period 1970–1975
The 1970 series of the high school included 4 classes of 25 students each, with a program of 4 hours a day in the morning from 8:30 to 12:30. The first 2 years included an intensive specialized program, studying the internal structure of the computer, representation, organization and management of data, algorithms and logic schemes, computers, assembly languages (Asembler; Asiris), programming in Cobol, Fortran and a laboratory of digital electronics and programming of Fc15 Accounting Billing machines, etc. Starting in 1972, elements of general culture and economic and organizational sciences were introduced.
Professors were: Burcescu Theodor/Gibi/ (Director); Barbulescu Constanta, Nicolaiescu Speranta /Mobutu/ (Romanian Language and Literature); Iancu/Maslinuta/, Ilish Virgil, Lazarescu Petre/Bibi/, Mitrache Ion/Mitrelu/, Nedita Nicolai/Codita/, Radoi Ion (Mathematics); Bocanete Ileana, Ilie Gheorghe, Ovanez Victoria, Popa Ioan (Physics); Pop Livia (Data management Systems); Mogos, Covaci (Sports); Vancusi Eva (Chemistry); Dediu Silvia (Zira) (Political Economy); Ulieru Elena (Philosophy); Serban Nicolaie(Sheriff), Cojan Iuliana (French Language); Bulgaru Dorina, Melinescu Cecilia, Tanasescu Anca (English Language); Bucur Marioara (Management); Oprescu Daniela /Pestisoru/ (Operating Systems); Popescu Ilie/2K/, Fotescu Cezara (Fortran), Dumitrescu Mihai /Creasta/ (Cobol); Vasiliu Calin (Felix 256); Theodorescu Alexandru /King-Kong/ (IPSEC); Marinescu Sorin (Algorithms); Vasiliu Adela (Information Supports); Jitaru (Assiris); Coconoiu, Lucaci (FC-15)..
In the basement, the computer technology laboratory was developed, including terminals, card punches, accounting billing machines, office computers, which was permanently adapted by ICI care.
Academics
The first promotion post-high school specialization range was the following: Economist 30%; Engineers (computer, Electronics, Mechanics) 30%; Engineer-Physicist 1%; Mathematics 6%; Physics 2%; Romanian Army Superior Officer 2%(Economics; Communication-Engineering); Representing 74% of graduates, with higher education, and Athletics Trainer 1%; Technicians in computer related activities 7%, Programmers 16%. This made about one quarter ( 24%) of the students fulfilled the immediate need for qualified personnel in computing activities, as initially desired by the founders, that triggered the founding for more specialization sections in many other high-schools, and continuum education after hours schools.
Period 1975-1980
In 1977, its name was changed again to "High School of Mathematics and Physics No. 1", then, in 1991 "High School of Informatics", so that in 1997 it became "Tudor Vianu National College of Informatics".
Just four years later, the institution changed its name once more and became known as the Mathematics-Physics High School no. 1 ().
The development of microprocessors as Intel 8080 or Zilog Z80 made possible the appearance of micro-computers as M118, HC-85, Tim-S, Cobra etc., operating inside 64 k of memory with external cassette data support or flexible disks, that came to replace the previous multi-head cartridges as ISOT 1370, etc.
Period 1980-1990
At the end of 1989 the so called "Romanian Revolution" took place, being a time of changes in computer science too. The era of Z80 or Intel 8080 was reaching its end, and a new liberalization in Computer market was predictable.
Period 1990-2000
In 1991, just two years after the Romanian Revolution, the school was renamed High School of Computer Science. Since 1997, the institution uses the name of a famous Romanian art critic, poet, philosopher and translator: Tudor Vianu. The reasoning is still unclear, because the Vianu's domain of excellence was in a different domain than computing, but the excellence remained a common factor. The graduates of Computer Science High School aspire the same level of excellence as Vianu obtained inside National culture. By 1992 the PC286 diagrams were published by IBM and the era of personal/professional computers started.
Period 2000-2020
The evolution of Internet, parallel machines, super-computers challenged new changes in the High-School. In 2007, due to its last admission rating of 9.51, CNITV was ranked first in Bucharest. One year later, its last admission rating suffered a significant drop to 9.17, and was ranked on the 5th place. This drop was believed to have been caused by the Romanian Government's decision to change the entrance examination methodology. In 2009, the high school was ranked 2nd after Saint Sava National College, in 2010 it was ranked 4th, due to its 9.32 last admission rating, and in 2011 was also 4th, with 9.42 last admission rating. And after 9 years, in 2018, the high school was ranked once again the 2nd high school in the country, after Saint Sava National College
International contests
The Tudor Vianu National High School of Computer Science has a long list of excellent students that participated in many International Science Olympiads and other contests. In the last decade only, the students won 30 gold medals, 53 silver medals and 36 bronze medals in different kind of competitions.
Comenius projects
The Tudor Vianu National High School of Computer Science has been participating in two 2 different projects in recent years. The projects were coordinated by Iulia Manicea.
NASA Great Moonbuggy Race
CNITV also took part in other Academic Competitions. In 2009 and 2010, two teams participated in the NASA Great Moonbuggy Race, a competition held in Huntsville, Alabama since 1994. The students had to build a vehicle resembling the Lunar Rover used on the Moon during the last three missions of the American Apollo program and then race it to the finish line.
Romanian Masters of Sciences
The Romanian Master of Mathematics and Sciences (formerly known as the Romanian Masters in Mathematics), also referred to as RMMS is an annual international competition dedicated to students at preuniversitary level. It is organised by the Tudor Vianu National High School of Computer Science in collaboration with the Sector 1 town council.
The first Romanian Master of Mathematics took place in 2008. At the 2012 RMMS, there were 14 participating countries: Romania, Russia, Brazil, United Kingdom, United States, Serbia, Bulgaria, Italy, China, Kazakhstan, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary. There was no RMMS competition in 2014.
Publications
The official school magazine was Fişierele Tinerilor ("Youth Files"). The articles in the magazine were mainly educational, as they covered subjects as physics, mathematics, chemistry, geography, history and economics. It also enabled pupils to showcase their artistic and literary talents through various contests or activities. Sometimes, it featured articles relating school theatre plays or interviews with pupils that had performed well in various competitions. The journal was produced by an editorial committee of student volunteers, usually with the assistance of some teachers. It was partly financed by commercial advertising and was published every four or five months. The magazine was closed in July 2009.
Principals
Student body structure
5th-8th grade : 2 classes
9th-12th grade : 9 classes
Notable alumni
Nomenclature "Dr. Petru Groza" prior to 1974
Valentin Ceaușescu – Physicist
Sergiu Klainerman – Mathematician
Vintilă Mihăilescu – Cultural anthropologist
Petre Roman – Politician and engineer
"Informatics" graduating after 1974
Mircea Badea – Political analyst
Tiberiu Georgescu – Chess master, statistician
Miron Mitrea – Politician and engineer
References
High schools in Bucharest
National Colleges in Romania
1928 establishments in Romania
Educational institutions established in 1928
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5338796
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon%20User
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Dragon User
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Dragon User was a British magazine for users of the Dragon 32/64 computers published from 1982 by Sunshine Publications. Production of the computers themselves had ceased by 1985 but the user community remained sufficiently active to justify the magazine's continuation until 1989.
Publication
From its launch until June 1986, Dragon User appeared on the shelves of major newsagents such as WHSmith in a full-colour glossy picture cover. A number of different editors were involved during this initial period, including Brendon Gore, Martin Croft and John Cook. From July 1986, the magazine was available only by subscription and the cover changed to a simple red and black print with a contents listing on the front. Hereafter, Dragon User was edited by Helen Armstrong. In June 1988, publication moved from Sunshine at Little Newport Street, London to Dragon Publications, an operation set up by software producer Bob Harris specifically to continue the magazine. Helen Armstrong remained Editor. This new venture did not last long, however. By the new year, only 1500 or so of the subscribers had renewed compared to about 2400 the year before. Insufficient money was available to send any further issues to print and so the final Dragon User was the January 1989 issue. Armstrong seemed genuinely surprised by the sudden lack of interest and her final editorial column was a slightly bitter apology to the remaining user base, urging them to support the National Dragon Users Group (NDUG) and the other remaining independent Dragon publications.
Content
Dragon User followed a fairly standard model for computer magazines of the time: news, software and book reviews, technical Q+A, a number of regular columns and many program listings (in those days it was common for magazines to print the text of programs written in BASIC to be laboriously typed in by the reader). Special features, such as interviews with prominent figures in the software world were also quite common and of course there were many advertisements, mostly for Microdeal, the largest Dragon software producer.
Before November 1984, the software reviews were in the form of a continuous column written by John Scriven. Thereafter, the reviews appeared in a section called "Dragonsoft" where each program was reviewed separately and given a score of 1 to 5 Dragons. Various writers contributed reviews from then on, most notably Jason Orbaum, but also established Dragon programmers like Pam D'Arcy and Roy Coates.
Regular Columns
Bob Liddil's Magic Software Machine (Launch-June 1984) - a fantastical account of a user's adventures with his talking computer
Mike Gerrard's Adventure Trail (August 1984 - January 1989) - Reviews and tips for text adventures, a popular genre of the time. The column was eventually taken over by Mike's brother Pete
Expert's Arcade Arena (May 1986 - January 1989) - tips and cheats for realtime interactive games from an anonymous "expert" who was, in reality, Jason Orbaum.
Dragon Answers (Launch-January 1989) - technical questions and answers by Brian Cadge
Competition (Launch-January 1989) - a mathematical puzzle (to be solved by a program written in Dragon BASIC) posed by Gordon Lee. The May 1984 puzzle turned out to be of great mathematical interest and was further explored by Scientific American
External links
Home page of Jason Orbaum, former Dragon User writer and reviewer
Home page of Mike Gerrard, now a travel writer
The Gordon Lee Puzzle - Gordon Lee first proposed this puzzle in the May 1984 issue of Dragon User and it is still internationally known as "The Gordon Lee Puzzle".
Dragon User Archive in www.dragon-archive.co.uk
The Dragon User DVD Project
The Dragon User Magazine Library at the Centre for Computing History
Defunct computer magazines published in the United Kingdom
Magazines established in 1982
Magazines disestablished in 1989
1982 establishments in the United Kingdom
Home computer magazines
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214178
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetBeans
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NetBeans
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NetBeans is an integrated development environment (IDE) for Java. NetBeans allows applications to be developed from a set of modular software components called modules. NetBeans runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and Solaris. In addition to Java development, it has extensions for other languages like PHP, C, C++, HTML5, and JavaScript. Applications based on NetBeans, including the NetBeans IDE, can be extended by third party developers.
History
NetBeans began in 1996 as Xelfi (word play on Delphi), a Java IDE student project under the guidance of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University in Prague. In 1997, Roman Staněk formed a company around the project and produced commercial versions of the NetBeans IDE until it was bought by Sun Microsystems in 1999. Sun open-sourced the NetBeans IDE in June of the following year. Since then, the NetBeans community has continued to grow. In 2010, Sun (and thus NetBeans) was acquired by Oracle Corporation. Under Oracle, NetBeans competed with JDeveloper, a freeware IDE that has historically been a product of the company. In September 2016, Oracle submitted a proposal to donate the NetBeans project to the Apache Software Foundation, stating that it was "opening up the NetBeans governance model to give NetBeans constituents a greater voice in the project's direction and future success through the upcoming release of Java 9 and NetBeans 9 and beyond". The move was endorsed by Java creator James Gosling. The project entered the Apache Incubator in October 2016.
NetBeans IDE releases
NetBeans IDE 6.5, released in November 2008, extended the existing Java EE features (including Java Persistence support, EJB 3 and JAX-WS). Additionally, the NetBeans Enterprise Pack supports the development of Java EE 5 enterprise applications, including SOA visual design tools, XML schema tools, web services orchestration (for BPEL), and UML modeling. The NetBeans IDE Bundle for C/C++ supports C/C++ and FORTRAN development.
NetBeans IDE 6.8 is the first IDE to provide complete support of Java EE 6 and the GlassFish Enterprise Server v3. Developers hosting their open-source projects on kenai.com additionally benefit from instant messaging and issue tracking integration and navigation right in the IDE, support for web application development with PHP 5.3 and the Symfony framework, and improved code completion, layouts, hints and navigation in JavaFX projects.
NetBeans IDE 6.9, released in June 2010, added support for OSGi, Spring Framework 3.0, Java EE dependency injection (JSR-299), Zend Framework for PHP, and easier code navigation (such as "Is Overridden/Implemented" annotations), formatting, hints, and refactoring across several languages.
NetBeans IDE 7.0 was released in April 2011. On August 1, 2011, the NetBeans Team released NetBeans IDE 7.0.1, which has full support for the official release of the Java SE 7 platform.
NetBeans IDE 7.3 was released in February 2013 which added support for HTML5 and web technologies.
NetBeans IDE 7.4 was released on 15 October 2013.
NetBeans IDE 8.0 was released on 18 March 2014.
NetBeans IDE 8.1 was released on 4 November 2015.
NetBeans IDE 8.2 was released on 3 October 2016.
Netbeans 9.0, which adds support for Java 9 and 10, was released on 29 July 2018, by the Apache Incubator project.
NetBeans 10.0 was released on 27 December 2018. It brings support for Java 11 and improved support for PHP (7.0–7.3).
NetBeans 11.0 was released on 4 April 2019.
NetBeans 11.1 was released on 22 July 2019.
NetBeans 11.2 was released on 25 October 2019.
NetBeans 11.3 was released on 24 February 2020.
NetBeans 12.0 was released on 4 June 2020.
NetBeans 12.5 was released on 13 September 2021.
NetBeans IDE
NetBeans IDE is an open-source integrated development environment. NetBeans IDE supports development of all Java application types (Java SE (including JavaFX), Java ME, web, EJB and mobile applications) out of the box. Among other features are an Ant-based project system, Maven support, refactorings, version control (supporting CVS, Subversion, Git, Mercurial and Clearcase).
Modularity: All the functions of the IDE are provided by modules. Each module provides a well-defined function, such as support for the Java language, editing, or support for the CVS versioning system, and SVN. NetBeans contains all the modules needed for Java development in a single download, allowing the user to start working immediately. Modules also allow NetBeans to be extended. New features, such as support for other programming languages, can be added by installing additional modules. For instance, Sun Studio, Sun Java Studio Enterprise, and Sun Java Studio Creator from Sun Microsystems are all based on the NetBeans IDE.
License: The IDE is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. Previously, from July 2006 through 2007, NetBeans IDE was licensed under Sun's Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL), a license based on the Mozilla Public License (MPL). In October 2007, Sun announced that NetBeans would henceforth be offered under a dual license of the CDDL and the GPL version 2 licenses, with the GPL linking exception for GNU Classpath. Oracle has donated NetBeans Platform and IDE to the Apache Foundation where it underwent incubation and graduated as a top level project in April 2019.
Other products
In an October 2016 interview with Gabriela Motroc, Oracle Vice President Bill Pataky stated that Oracle has a number of products that depend on NetBeans.
Oracle Developer Studio, a commercial C, C++, Fortran and Java development environment is 100% based on NetBeans
Oracle JDeveloper, an end-to-end development for Oracle's technology stack takes major subsystems from NetBeans
Oracle JavaScript Extension Toolkit, a modular, open source toolkit based on modern JavaScript, CSS3 and HTML5 design and development principles uses NetBeans as its preferred IDE
Alternative distributions
Integrated Modules
These modules are part of the NetBeans IDE:
NetBeans Profiler
The NetBeans Profiler is a tool for the monitoring of Java applications: It helps developers find memory leaks and optimize speed. Formerly downloaded separately, it is integrated into the core IDE since version 6.0.
The Profiler is based on a Sun Laboratories research project that was named JFluid. That research uncovered specific techniques that can be used to lower the overhead of profiling a Java application. One of those techniques is dynamic bytecode instrumentation, which is particularly useful for profiling large Java applications. Using dynamic bytecode instrumentation and additional algorithms, the NetBeans Profiler is able to obtain runtime information on applications that are too large or complex for other profilers. NetBeans also support Profiling Points that let you profile precise points of execution and measure execution time.
GUI design tool
Formerly known as project Matisse, the GUI design-tool enables developers to prototype and design Swing GUIs by dragging and positioning GUI components.
The GUI builder has built-in support for JSR 295 (Beans Binding technology), but the support for JSR 296 (Swing Application Framework) was removed in 7.1.
NetBeans JavaScript editor
The NetBeans JavaScript editor provides extended support for JavaScript, Ajax, and CSS.
JavaScript editor features comprise syntax highlighting, refactoring, code completion for native objects and functions, generation of JavaScript class skeletons, generation of Ajax callbacks from a template; and automatic browser compatibility checks.
CSS editor features comprise code completion for styles names, quick navigation through the navigator panel, displaying the CSS rule declaration in a List View and file structure in a Tree View, sorting the outline view by name, type or declaration order (List & Tree), creating rule declarations (Tree only), refactoring a part of a rule name (Tree only).
The NetBeans 7.4 and later uses the new Nashorn JavaScript engine developed by Oracle.
NetBeans IDE Download Bundles
Users can choose to download NetBeans IDE bundles tailored to specific development needs. Users can also download and install all other features at a later date directly through the NetBeans IDE.
NetBeans IDE Bundle for Web and Java EE
The NetBeans IDE Bundle for Web & Java EE provides complete tools for all the latest Java EE 6 standards, including the new Java EE 6 Web Profile, Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs), servlets, Java Persistence API, web services, and annotations.
NetBeans also supports the JSF 2.0 (Facelets), JavaServer Pages (JSP), Hibernate, Spring, and Struts frameworks, and the Java EE 5 and J2EE 1.4 platforms. It includes GlassFish and Apache Tomcat.
Some of its features with Java EE include:
Improved support for CDI, REST services and Java Persistence
New support for Bean Validation
Support for JSF component libraries, including bundled PrimeFaces library
Improved editing for Expression Language in JSF, including code completion, refactoring and hints
NetBeans IDE Bundle for PHP
NetBeans supports PHP since version 5.6. The bundle for PHP includes:
syntax highlighting, code completion, occurrence highlighting, error highlighting, CVS version control
semantic analysis with highlighting of parameters and unused local variables
PHP code debugging with xdebug
PHP Unit testing with PHPUnit and Selenium
Code coverage
Symfony framework support (since version 6.8)
Zend Framework support (since version 6.9)
Yii Framework support (since version 7.3)
PHP 5.3 namespace and closure support (since version 6.8)
Code Folding for Control Structures (since version 7.2 dev)
NetBeans IDE Complete Bundle
Oracle also releases a version of NetBeans that includes all of the features of the above bundles. This bundle includes:
NetBeans Base IDE
Java SE, JavaFX
Web and Java EE
Java ME
C/C++
PHP (Version 5.5 and later)
asd
Apache Groovy
GlassFish
Apache Tomcat
Official Ruby support was removed with the release of 7.0.
Localization
NetBeans IDE is translated into the following languages:
Brazilian Portuguese (BR), as of 5.5
Japanese (JP), as of 3.4
Simplified Chinese (ZH-CN)
Community translations of the IDE are also available in the following languages:
See also
Comparison of integrated development environments
Eclipse IDE
JetBrains IntelliJ
Oracle JDeveloper
Oracle Developer Studio
Sun Microsystems
References
Further reading
External links
2000 software
Apache Software Foundation projects
Android (operating system) development software
Code navigation tools
Cross-platform free software
Formerly proprietary software
Web development software
Free HTML editors
Free integrated development environments
Free software programmed in Java (programming language)
Free UML tools
Development
Integrated development environments
Java development tools
Java platform
Linux integrated development environments
Linux programming tools
MacOS programming tools
MacOS text editors
Programming tools for Windows
Software development kits
Software using the CDDL license
Sun Microsystems software
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148257
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project%20Xanadu
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Project Xanadu
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Project Xanadu ( ) was the first hypertext project, founded in 1960 by Ted Nelson. Administrators of Project Xanadu have declared it superior to the World Wide Web, with the mission statement: "Today's popular software simulates paper. The World Wide Web (another imitation of paper) trivialises our original hypertext model with one-way ever-breaking links and no management of version or contents."
Wired magazine published an article called "The Curse of Xanadu", calling Project Xanadu "the longest-running vaporware story in the history of the computer industry". The first attempt at implementation began in 1960, but it was not until 1998 that an incomplete implementation was released. A version described as "a working deliverable", OpenXanadu, was made available in 2014.
History
Nelson's vision was for a "digital repository scheme for world-wide electronic publishing". Nelson states that the idea began in 1960, when he was a student at Harvard University. He proposed a machine-language program which would store and display documents, together with the ability to perform edits. This was different from a word processor (which was not invented yet) in that the functionality would have included visual comparisons of different versions of the document, a concept Nelson would later call "intercomparison".
On top of this basic idea, Nelson wanted to facilitate nonsequential writing, in which the reader could choose their own path through an electronic document. He built upon this idea in a paper to the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) in 1965, calling the new idea "zippered lists". These zippered lists would allow compound documents to be formed from pieces of other documents, a concept named transclusion. In 1967, while working for Harcourt, Brace, he named his project Xanadu, in honour of the poem "Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Nelson's talk at the ACM predicted many of the features of today's hypertext systems, but at the time, his ideas had little impact. Though researchers were intrigued by his ideas, Nelson lacked the technical knowledge to demonstrate that the ideas could be implemented.
1970s
Ted Nelson published his ideas in his 1974 book Computer Lib/Dream Machines and the 1981 Literary Machines.
Computer Lib/Dream Machines is written in a non-sequential fashion: it is a compilation of Nelson's thoughts about computing, among other topics, in no particular order. It contains two books, printed back to back, to be flipped between. Computer Lib contains Nelson's thoughts on topics which angered him, while Dream Machines discusses his hopes for the potential of computers to assist the arts.
In 1972, Cal Daniels completed the first demonstration version of the Xanadu software on a computer Nelson had rented for the purpose, though Nelson soon ran out of money. In 1974, with the advent of computer networking, Nelson refined his thoughts about Xanadu into a centralised source of information, calling it a "docuverse".
In the summer of 1979, Nelson led the latest group of his followers, Roger Gregory, Mark S. Miller and Stuart Greene, to Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. In a house rented by Greene, they hashed out their ideas for Xanadu; but at the end of the summer the group went their separate ways. Miller and Gregory created an addressing system based on transfinite numbers which they called tumblers, which allowed any part of a file to be referenced.
1980s
The group continued their work, almost to the point of bankruptcy. In 1983, however, Nelson met John Walker, founder of Autodesk, at The Hackers Conference, a conference originally for the people mentioned in Steven Levy's Hackers, and the group started working on Xanadu with Autodesk's financial backing.
According to economist Robin Hanson, in 1990 the first known corporate prediction market was used at Xanadu. Employees and consultants used it for example to bet on the cold fusion controversy at the time.
While at Autodesk, the group, led by Gregory, completed a version of the software, written in the C programming language, though the software did not work the way they wanted. However, this version of Xanadu was successfully demonstrated at The Hackers Conference and generated considerable interest. Then a newer group of programmers, hired from Xerox PARC, used the problems with this software as justification to rewrite the software in Smalltalk. This effectively split the group into two factions, and the decision to rewrite put a deadline imposed by Autodesk out of the team's reach. In August 1992, Autodesk divested the Xanadu group, which became the Xanadu Operating Company, which struggled due to internal conflicts and lack of investment.
Charles S. Smith, the founder of a company called Memex (named after a hypertext system proposed by Vannevar Bush), hired many of the Xanadu programmers (including lead architects Mark S. Miller, Dean Tribble and Ravi Pandya) and licensed the Xanadu technology, though Memex soon faced financial difficulties, and the then-unpaid programmers left, taking the computers with them (the programmers were eventually paid). At around this time, Tim Berners-Lee was developing the World Wide Web. When the Web began to see large growth that Xanadu did not, Nelson's team grew defensive in the supposed rivalry that was emerging, but that they were losing. The 1995 Wired Magazine article "The Curse of Xanadu," provoked a harsh rebuttal from Nelson, but contention largely faded as the Web dominated Xanadu.
1990s
In 1998, Nelson released the source code to Xanadu as Project Udanax, in the hope that the techniques and algorithms used could help to overturn some software patents.
2000s
In 2007, Project Xanadu released XanaduSpace 1.0.
2010s
A version described as "a working deliverable", OpenXanadu, was made available on the World Wide Web in 2014. It is called open because "you can see all the parts", but the site stated that it was "not yet open source". On the site, the creators claim that Tim Berners-Lee stole their idea, and that the World Wide Web is a "bizarre structure created by arbitrary initiatives of varied people and it has a terrible programming language" and that Web security is a "complex maze". They go on to say that Hypertext is designed to be paper, and that the World Wide Web allows nothing more than dead links to other dead pages.
In 2016, Ted Nelson was interviewed by Werner Herzog in his documentary, Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World. "By some, he was labeled insane for clinging on," Herzog said. "To us, you appear to be the only one who is clinically sane." Nelson was delighted by the praise. "No one has ever said that before!" said Nelson. "Usually it's the other way around."
Original 17 rules
Every Xanadu server is uniquely and securely identified.
Every Xanadu server can be operated independently or in a network.
Every user is uniquely and securely identified.
Every user can search, retrieve, create and store documents.
Every document can consist of any number of parts each of which may be of any data type.
Every document can contain links of any type including virtual copies ("transclusions") to any other document in the system accessible to its owner.
Links are visible and can be followed from all endpoints.
Permission to link to a document is explicitly granted by the act of publication.
Every document can contain a royalty mechanism at any desired degree of granularity to ensure payment on any portion accessed, including virtual copies ("transclusions") of all or part of the document.
Every document is uniquely and securely identified.
Every document can have secure access controls.
Every document can be rapidly searched, stored and retrieved without user knowledge of where it is physically stored.
Every document is automatically moved to physical storage appropriate to its frequency of access from any given location.
Every document is automatically stored redundantly to maintain availability even in case of a disaster.
Every Xanadu service provider can charge their users at any rate they choose for the storage, retrieval and publishing of documents.
Every transaction is secure and auditable only by the parties to that transaction.
The Xanadu client–server communication protocol is an openly published standard. Third-party software development and integration is encouraged.
See also
Enfilade (Xanadu)
Hypermedia
ENQUIRE
Interpedia
American Information Exchange
Tent (protocol)
In addition to the Web, the Project Xanadu FAQ suggests other hypermedia systems which are similar, including HyperWave (or Hyper-G) and:
Microcosm (hypermedia system)
IBM Notes (descendant of Notes on PLATO (computer system), featured in Nelson's Computer Lib)
Wiki
Memex
ipfs
Footnotes
References
The Magical Place of Literary Memory: Xanadu in Screening the Past, July 2005 by Belinda Barnet
The Curse of Xanadu, Wired feature on Nelson and Xanadu
Published comments on that Wired article, including one from Ted Nelson
Errors in "The Curse of Xanadu" by Theodor Holm Nelson, Project Xanadu
External links
Xanadu Australia an active site
"Xanadu Products Due Next Year," by Jeff Merron. BIX online news report from the West Coast Computer Faire, 1988
Ted Nelson Possiplex Internet Archive book reading video
Xanadu Hypertext Documents, Design Document from 1984
Content management systems
Ted Nelson
Vaporware
Hypertext
Computer-related introductions in 1960
Software projects
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49175769
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SourceClear
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SourceClear
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SourceClear or SRC:CLR is an American software company with its namesake security tool for software developers. SourceClear focuses on open-source software development, plugging into developers' existing workflows and examining security risks of open-source and third-party code in real time. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California with an office in Singapore. It has customers in the technology, social media, retail, finance and defense industries. In October 2015, it announced a $10 million Series A round of funding.
History
SourceClear was founded in Seattle in 2013 by Mark Curphey, its current CEO and the original founder of OWASP, who described SourceClear as "the only company on the planet 100% dedicated to building security tools for software developers."
In June 2014, SourceClear raised a $1.5 million seed round from a group of investors, including the former CSOs at Yahoo!, Verisign and Symantec and from Frank Marshall, the first VP of engineering at Cisco Systems. It raised an additional $10 million in October 2015 from Index Ventures and Storm Ventures in its Series A round of funding, with the intention of expanding its executive, engineering and research team.
SourceClear again made headlines in November 2015, when it identified a flaw in Spring Social, a popular Java application library. The flaw had allowed hackers to impersonate users on social media. SourceClear privately disclosed the flaw to Pivotal Software, which then patched the library. Later that month, SourceClear also demonstrated a Denial-of-service attack based on the Amazon AWS SDK for Java.
Software
The focus of SourceClear is open-source software development. Since developers are increasingly consuming and extending free open-source and third-party components and libraries, their products can become vulnerable to hacking. SourceClear's tools help developer by telling them what open-source they are using, who created it, what it is doing (or could do) in their applications and which components have vulnerabilities. They become a part of the developers' workflow and examine security risks of open-source code in real time. Their analytics and machine-learning tools analyze open-source components and report on their origin, creation, and impact on applications. They tell developers which vulnerabilities could be exploited by hackers and how to prevent them. The service also allows users to scan their GitHub repositories and run in their continuous integration systems.
SourceClear currently supports Java, JavaScript, Ruby on Rails, Node.js, and Python. It has announced plans to support Scala and C/C++.
References
External links
Software companies based in California
American companies established in 2013
Companies based in San Francisco
Software companies of the United States
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22776728
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabily
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Sabily
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Sabily (, , My Way) is a discontinued Linux distribution based on Ubuntu, designed by and for Muslims.
Originally named Ubuntu Muslim Edition (presented as UbuntuME), development for Sabily was active from 2007 to 2011.
Sabily is designed for Muslim users to have out-of-the-box Arabic language support and Islamic software and tools installed, including a prayer times tool, a Qur'an study tool, a Hijri calendar, etc.
The Unity shell is based on GNOME 3 on Sabily 11.10, Unity 2D for graphic cards without 3D capabilities. The Unity shell became available on the Sabily 11.04 Badr DVD. Ubuntu Classic Desktop was the default desktop in Sabily (11.04), but Unity in Ubuntu 11.04. New applications in Badr: Islamic Date, Zakat Calc, Gufw, DesktopNova, AutoKey, recordMyDesktop, Anki.
The full version of Sabily comes with out-of-the-box educational software, codecs for the most used media formats. Wisabi is a Sabily 11.04 installer for Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 based on Wubi.
History
Sabily was previously named as Ubuntu Muslim Edition (UbuntuME). Sabily is following releasing cycle of Ubuntu. After Ubuntu 9.04, It was changed to Sabily.
UbuntuME 7.04 released 12 October 2007
UbuntuME 7.10 released 2 December 2007
UbuntuME 8.04 released 17 May 2008
UbuntuME 8.04.1 released 22 July 2008
Sabily 9.04 Taibah released 12 May 2009
Sabily 9.10 Gaza released 27 December 2009
Sabily 10.04 Manarat released 28 June 2010
Sabily 11.04 Badr released 5 May 2011
Sabily 11.10 Uhud released 19 December 2011
Versions available
There are currently three versions of Sabily, but there is no official host at the moment.
Small version (967.96 MB), contains the main Sabily packages, including artwork and Islamic applications and Arabic support.
Full version (1.55 GB), contains the same as the Small version plus multimedia, educational and miscellaneous packages.
Ultimate version (3.3 GB), has the same content as the Full version, plus Qur'an offline recitations provided by Muhammad Siddeeq al-Minshawi, Huzify, Saad al-Ghamadi and Mishary Rashed Alafasy.
The Ultimate version is useful mainly when not connected to the Internet, yet all Sabily versions provide online Qur'an recitations.
Sabily is available as a Live DVD, which can be booted on the host computer without installation. The Wisabi installer can install Sabily to the hard disk within Microsoft Windows, without involving risky formatting or partitioning.
Additional software
As compared to Ubuntu:
zekr: Qur'anic Study Tool
minbar: Islamic prayer times application
: application that pops up prayers at predetermined times
: Firefox extension that displays Islamic daily prayer times
: UI frontend to DansGuardian (web content filtering tool)
nanny: the GNOME Nanny parental-control system
: Electronic Encyclopedia System
: Islamic calendar
Othman: Othman Qur'an Browser
: Qur'an viewer
: abbreviated chapters in the Messenger vita
: Men around the prophet
Arabic support
language-pack-ar: translations for language Arabic
language-pack-gnome-ar: GNOME translations for language Arabic
mozilla-Firefox-locale-ar: Mozilla Firefox Arabic language/region package
aspell-ar: Arabic dictionary for aspell
acon: Text console arabization
bicon: Console that supports bidirectional text display
Arab eyes : Arabic-English dictionary
fonts-hosny-amiri: Arabic Naskh style typographically oriented font (Amiri is a classical Arabic typeface in Naskh style for typesetting books and other running text)
Sabily software
Zekr is an open platform Quran study tool for browsing and researching on the Quran. Recitations and translations are available for download.
Small version DVD available online recitations:
Abdulbasit Abdussamad (64kbit/s)
Mishary bin Rashid Al-Afasy (128kbit/s)
Saad Al-Ghamdi (40kbit/s)
Mohammed Siddiq Al-Minshawi (16kbit/s)
Maher Al-Muaiqly (128kbit/s)
Abu Bakr Ash-Shatri (128kbit/s)
Saud Al-Shuraim (128kbit/s)
Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais (192kbit/s)
Minbar indicates the time when Muslims should pray. It runs in background as a tray icon and plays the athan (call to prayer) at prayer times. Minbar works with the main calculation methods, such as Muslim League (default), Shafii, and Hanafi. Muslims observe salat five times a day, and Minbar helps to remind the user of daily prayer times.
Monajat is an application for Linux and Windows that displays Azkar messages. It runs in the background as a tray icon and displays hadiths. The application is an application provided by the Sabily community.
Zakat Calc is an application for Linux. Zakat, or almsgiving, is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is the giving of 2.5% of one's possessions (surplus wealth) to charity, generally to the poor and needy. Zakat Calc helps Muslims to calculate zakat types: gold, silver, stones, jewels, savings in bank, property, loans, business, firms, animals (2.5%) and agriculture (10%). It was created using the Gambas programming language and it runs on Linux.
Gnome Nanny (parental control) is an easy way to control how long users or children can be on the computer and what they can and cannot access browsing the web.
See also
Free software
GNU General Public License
Minbar (software)
Open source
Zakat
References
External links
sabily blogsphere: Sabily 11.04 Badr Released
Quick Look: Ubuntu Muslim Edition 10.10 (Sabily Al Quds)
Sabily 10.04 review from Desktop Linux Reviews
Sabily 9.04 review from Softpedia
Sabily 9.04 review from ExtremeTech
Sabily 9.04 reviewed in LinuxToday * Zakat Calc in Launchpad
Ubuntu derivatives
Islamic software
Operating system distributions bootable from read-only media
Arabic-language computing
Linux distributions
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649151
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gna%21
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Gna!
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Gna! was a centralized location where software developers could develop, distribute and maintain free software. The service was shut down in 2017 after being around 13 years in service for dozens of software projects and millions of downloads served.
History
In the beginning, GNA (recursively acronymed "Gna's Not Axis"), was an association formed by Loïc Dachary for the distribution of free software.
On the 12 April 2001, GNA turned into the French chapter of Free Software Foundation (FSF).
At the end of 2003, the GNU Savannah server was replaced by FSF after a security compromise. A dispute broke out between FSF, who owned Savannah, and Savannah's maintainers, including developers of the Savannah software over the levels of administration the FSF should be given. FSF announced that it was going to switch to GForge, leaving frayed tempers among the developers, as result of a conflict about Savannah maintainers' role.
In January 2004, Loïc Dachary (who also started GNU Savannah) and several former GNU Savannah maintainers set up "Gna!" as a continuation of the Savannah project, but hosted on servers owned by the Free Software Foundation France. Gna! is paradoxically recursively acronymed "Gna's Not an Acronym!". It is managed by a self-organized team, supported by Free Software Foundation France.
For the hosted projects, Gna! provides source code version control (CVS, and SVN), a download space, project monitoring facilities, etc.
A notable exception to other free software community portals is Gna's strict licensing restrictions: only GNU General Public License compatible projects may be developed on the server. This is one of the reasons why it is significantly smaller than other portals. Its small userbase is advertised as a positive because it generally aids in the quick resolution of problems; a process which can take weeks on the larger sites.
In November 2016, the Gna! project announced it would soon be closing down, and explained "soon" to mean "within 3 months [of February 2017], or when the hardware dies."
On 24 May, 2017 Gna! servers were shut down.
Archive
Gna! project have been archived by Archive Team. Code repositories, sites, downloads, mailing lists from Gna! can be found at Gna! Archiveteam page.
Impact and reception
Among other projects Gna! hosted the popular software MyPaint and the games Freeciv, The Battle for Wesnoth, Warzone 2100, Hedgewars, and Warmux; providing 100,000s of software downloads every month to the users.
See also
Comparison of open source software hosting facilities
References
External links
Gna! project archived by Archiveteam
Discontinued open-source software hosting facilities
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4237207
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Error%20correction%20code
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Error correction code
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In computing, telecommunication, information theory, and coding theory, an error correction code, sometimes error correcting code, (ECC) is used for controlling errors in data over unreliable or noisy communication channels. The central idea is the sender encodes the message with redundant information in the form of an ECC. The redundancy allows the receiver to detect a limited number of errors that may occur anywhere in the message, and often to correct these errors without retransmission. The American mathematician Richard Hamming pioneered this field in the 1940s and invented the first error-correcting code in 1950: the Hamming (7,4) code.
ECC contrasts with error detection in that errors that are encountered can be corrected, not simply detected. The advantage is that a system using ECC does not require a reverse channel to request retransmission of data when an error occurs. The downside is that there is a fixed overhead that is added to the message, thereby requiring a higher forward-channel bandwidth. ECC is therefore applied in situations where retransmissions are costly or impossible, such as one-way communication links and when transmitting to multiple receivers in multicast. Long-latency connections also benefit; in the case of a satellite orbiting around Uranus, retransmission due to errors can create a delay of five hours. ECC information is usually added to mass storage devices to enable recovery of corrupted data, is widely used in modems, and is used on systems where the primary memory is ECC memory.
ECC processing in a receiver may be applied to a digital bitstream or in the demodulation of a digitally modulated carrier. For the latter, ECC is an integral part of the initial analog-to-digital conversion in the receiver. The Viterbi decoder implements a soft-decision algorithm to demodulate digital data from an analog signal corrupted by noise. Many ECC encoders/decoders can also generate a bit-error rate (BER) signal, which can be used as feedback to fine-tune the analog receiving electronics.
The maximum fractions of errors or of missing bits that can be corrected is determined by the design of the ECC code, so different error correcting codes are suitable for different conditions. In general, a stronger code induces more redundancy that needs to be transmitted using the available bandwidth, which reduces the effective bit-rate while improving the received effective signal-to-noise ratio. The noisy-channel coding theorem of Claude Shannon can be used to compute the maximum achievable communication bandwidth for a given maximum acceptable error probability. This establishes bounds on the theoretical maximum information transfer rate of a channel with some given base noise level. However, the proof is not constructive, and hence gives no insight of how to build a capacity achieving code. After years of research, some advanced ECC systems as of 2016 come very close to the theoretical maximum.
Forward error correction
In telecommunication, information theory, and coding theory, forward error correction (FEC) or channel coding is a technique used for controlling errors in data transmission over unreliable or noisy communication channels. The central idea is that the sender encodes the message in a redundant way, most often by using an ECC.
The redundancy allows the receiver to detect a limited number of errors that may occur anywhere in the message, and often to correct these errors without re-transmission. FEC gives the receiver the ability to correct errors without needing a reverse channel to request re-transmission of data, but at the cost of a fixed, higher forward channel bandwidth. FEC is therefore applied in situations where re-transmissions are costly or impossible, such as one-way communication links and when transmitting to multiple receivers in multicast. FEC information is usually added to mass storage (magnetic, optical and solid state/flash based) devices to enable recovery of corrupted data, is widely used in modems, is used on systems where the primary memory is ECC memory and in broadcast situations, where the receiver does not have capabilities to request re-transmission or doing so would induce significant latency. For example, in the case of a satellite orbiting Uranus, a re-transmission because of decoding errors would create a delay of at least 5 hours.
FEC processing in a receiver may be applied to a digital bit stream or in the demodulation of a digitally modulated carrier. For the latter, FEC is an integral part of the initial analog-to-digital conversion in the receiver. The Viterbi decoder implements a soft-decision algorithm to demodulate digital data from an analog signal corrupted by noise. Many FEC coders can also generate a bit-error rate (BER) signal which can be used as feedback to fine-tune the analog receiving electronics.
The maximum proportion of errors or missing bits that can be corrected is determined by the design of the ECC, so different forward error correcting codes are suitable for different conditions. In general, a stronger code induces more redundancy that needs to be transmitted using the available bandwidth, which reduces the effective bit-rate while improving the received effective signal-to-noise ratio. The noisy-channel coding theorem of Claude Shannon answers the question of how much bandwidth is left for data communication while using the most efficient code that turns the decoding error probability to zero. This establishes bounds on the theoretical maximum information transfer rate of a channel with some given base noise level. His proof is not constructive, and hence gives no insight of how to build a capacity achieving code. However, after years of research, some advanced FEC systems like polar code achieve the Shannon channel capacity under the hypothesis of an infinite length frame.
How it works
ECC is accomplished by adding redundancy to the transmitted information using an algorithm. A redundant bit may be a complex function of many original information bits. The original information may or may not appear literally in the encoded output; codes that include the unmodified input in the output are systematic, while those that do not are non-systematic.
A simplistic example of ECC is to transmit each data bit 3 times, which is known as a (3,1) repetition code. Through a noisy channel, a receiver might see 8 versions of the output, see table below.
This allows an error in any one of the three samples to be corrected by "majority vote", or "democratic voting". The correcting ability of this ECC is:
Up to 1 bit of triplet in error, or
up to 2 bits of triplet omitted (cases not shown in table).
Though simple to implement and widely used, this triple modular redundancy is a relatively inefficient ECC. Better ECC codes typically examine the last several tens or even the last several hundreds of previously received bits to determine how to decode the current small handful of bits (typically in groups of 2 to 8 bits).
Averaging noise to reduce errors
ECC could be said to work by "averaging noise"; since each data bit affects many transmitted symbols, the corruption of some symbols by noise usually allows the original user data to be extracted from the other, uncorrupted received symbols that also depend on the same user data.
Because of this "risk-pooling" effect, digital communication systems that use ECC tend to work well above a certain minimum signal-to-noise ratio and not at all below it.
This all-or-nothing tendency – the cliff effect – becomes more pronounced as stronger codes are used that more closely approach the theoretical Shannon limit.
Interleaving ECC coded data can reduce the all or nothing properties of transmitted ECC codes when the channel errors tend to occur in bursts. However, this method has limits; it is best used on narrowband data.
Most telecommunication systems use a fixed channel code designed to tolerate the expected worst-case bit error rate, and then fail to work at all if the bit error rate is ever worse.
However, some systems adapt to the given channel error conditions: some instances of hybrid automatic repeat-request use a fixed ECC method as long as the ECC can handle the error rate, then switch to ARQ when the error rate gets too high;
adaptive modulation and coding uses a variety of ECC rates, adding more error-correction bits per packet when there are higher error rates in the channel, or taking them out when they are not needed.
Types of ECC
The two main categories of ECC codes are block codes and convolutional codes.
Block codes work on fixed-size blocks (packets) of bits or symbols of predetermined size. Practical block codes can generally be hard-decoded in polynomial time to their block length.
Convolutional codes work on bit or symbol streams of arbitrary length. They are most often soft decoded with the Viterbi algorithm, though other algorithms are sometimes used. Viterbi decoding allows asymptotically optimal decoding efficiency with increasing constraint length of the convolutional code, but at the expense of exponentially increasing complexity. A convolutional code that is terminated is also a 'block code' in that it encodes a block of input data, but the block size of a convolutional code is generally arbitrary, while block codes have a fixed size dictated by their algebraic characteristics. Types of termination for convolutional codes include "tail-biting" and "bit-flushing".
There are many types of block codes; Reed–Solomon coding is noteworthy for its widespread use in compact discs, DVDs, and hard disk drives. Other examples of classical block codes include Golay, BCH, Multidimensional parity, and Hamming codes.
Hamming ECC is commonly used to correct NAND flash memory errors.
This provides single-bit error correction and 2-bit error detection.
Hamming codes are only suitable for more reliable single-level cell (SLC) NAND.
Denser multi-level cell (MLC) NAND may use multi-bit correcting ECC such as BCH or Reed–Solomon. NOR Flash typically does not use any error correction.
Classical block codes are usually decoded using hard-decision algorithms, which means that for every input and output signal a hard decision is made whether it corresponds to a one or a zero bit. In contrast, convolutional codes are typically decoded using soft-decision algorithms like the Viterbi, MAP or BCJR algorithms, which process (discretized) analog signals, and which allow for much higher error-correction performance than hard-decision decoding.
Nearly all classical block codes apply the algebraic properties of finite fields. Hence classical block codes are often referred to as algebraic codes.
In contrast to classical block codes that often specify an error-detecting or error-correcting ability, many modern block codes such as LDPC codes lack such guarantees. Instead, modern codes are evaluated in terms of their bit error rates.
Most forward error correction codes correct only bit-flips, but not bit-insertions or bit-deletions.
In this setting, the Hamming distance is the appropriate way to measure the bit error rate.
A few forward error correction codes are designed to correct bit-insertions and bit-deletions, such as Marker Codes and Watermark Codes.
The Levenshtein distance is a more appropriate way to measure the bit error rate when using such codes.
Code-rate and the tradeoff between reliability and data rate
The fundamental principle of ECC is to add redundant bits in order to help the decoder to find out the true message that was encoded by the transmitter. The code-rate of a given ECC system is defined as the ratio between the number of information bits and the total number of bits (i.e. information plus redundancy bits) in a given communication package. The code-rate is hence a real number. A low code-rate close to zero implies a strong code that uses many redundant bits to achieve a good performance, while a large code-rate close to 1 implies a weak code.
The redundant bits that protect the information have to be transferred using the same communication resources that they are trying to protect. This causes a fundamental tradeoff between reliability and data rate. In one extreme, a strong code (with low code-rate) can induce an important increase in the receiver SNR (signal-to-noise-ratio) decreasing the bit error rate, at the cost of reducing the effective data rate. On the other extreme, not using any ECC (i.e. a code-rate equal to 1) uses the full channel for information transfer purposes, at the cost of leaving the bits without any additional protection.
One interesting question is the following: how efficient in terms of information transfer can an ECC be that has a negligible decoding error rate? This question was answered by Claude Shannon with his second theorem, which says that the channel capacity is the maximum bit rate achievable by any ECC whose error rate tends to zero: His proof relies on Gaussian random coding, which is not suitable to real-world applications. The upper bound given by Shannon's work inspired a long journey in designing ECCs that can come close to the ultimate performance boundary. Various codes today can attain almost the Shannon limit. However, capacity achieving ECCs are usually extremely complex to implement.
The most popular ECCs have a trade-off between performance and computational complexity. Usually, their parameters give a range of possible code rates, which can be optimized depending on the scenario. Usually, this optimization is done in order to achieve a low decoding error probability while minimizing the impact to the data rate. Another criterion for optimizing the code rate is to balance low error rate and retransmissions number in order to the energy cost of the communication.
Concatenated ECC codes for improved performance
Classical (algebraic) block codes and convolutional codes are frequently combined in concatenated coding schemes in which a short constraint-length Viterbi-decoded convolutional code does most of the work and a block code (usually Reed–Solomon) with larger symbol size and block length "mops up" any errors made by the convolutional decoder. Single pass decoding with this family of error correction codes can yield very low error rates, but for long range transmission conditions (like deep space) iterative decoding is recommended.
Concatenated codes have been standard practice in satellite and deep space communications since Voyager 2 first used the technique in its 1986 encounter with Uranus. The Galileo craft used iterative concatenated codes to compensate for the very high error rate conditions caused by having a failed antenna.
Low-density parity-check (LDPC)
Low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes are a class of highly efficient linear block
codes made from many single parity check (SPC) codes. They can provide performance very close to the channel capacity (the theoretical maximum) using an iterated soft-decision decoding approach, at linear time complexity in terms of their block length. Practical implementations rely heavily on decoding the constituent SPC codes in parallel.
LDPC codes were first introduced by Robert G. Gallager in his PhD thesis in 1960,
but due to the computational effort in implementing encoder and decoder and the introduction of Reed–Solomon codes,
they were mostly ignored until the 1990s.
LDPC codes are now used in many recent high-speed communication standards, such as DVB-S2 (Digital Video Broadcasting – Satellite – Second Generation), WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e standard for microwave communications), High-Speed Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11n), 10GBase-T Ethernet (802.3an) and G.hn/G.9960 (ITU-T Standard for networking over power lines, phone lines and coaxial cable). Other LDPC codes are standardized for wireless communication standards within 3GPP MBMS (see fountain codes).
Turbo codes
Turbo coding is an iterated soft-decoding scheme that combines two or more relatively simple convolutional codes and an interleaver to produce a block code that can perform to within a fraction of a decibel of the Shannon limit. Predating LDPC codes in terms of practical application, they now provide similar performance.
One of the earliest commercial applications of turbo coding was the CDMA2000 1x (TIA IS-2000) digital cellular technology developed by Qualcomm and sold by Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and other carriers. It is also used for the evolution of CDMA2000 1x specifically for Internet access, 1xEV-DO (TIA IS-856). Like 1x, EV-DO was developed by Qualcomm, and is sold by Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and other carriers (Verizon's marketing name for 1xEV-DO is Broadband Access, Sprint's consumer and business marketing names for 1xEV-DO are Power Vision and Mobile Broadband, respectively).
Local decoding and testing of codes
Sometimes it is only necessary to decode single bits of the message, or to check whether a given signal is a codeword, and do so without looking at the entire signal. This can make sense in a streaming setting, where codewords are too large to be classically decoded fast enough and where only a few bits of the message are of interest for now. Also such codes have become an important tool in computational complexity theory, e.g., for the design of probabilistically checkable proofs.
Locally decodable codes are error-correcting codes for which single bits of the message can be probabilistically recovered by only looking at a small (say constant) number of positions of a codeword, even after the codeword has been corrupted at some constant fraction of positions. Locally testable codes are error-correcting codes for which it can be checked probabilistically whether a signal is close to a codeword by only looking at a small number of positions of the signal.
Interleaving
Interleaving is frequently used in digital communication and storage systems to improve the performance of forward error correcting codes. Many communication channels are not memoryless: errors typically occur in bursts rather than independently. If the number of errors within a code word exceeds the error-correcting code's capability, it fails to recover the original code word. Interleaving alleviates this problem by shuffling source symbols across several code words, thereby creating a more uniform distribution of errors. Therefore, interleaving is widely used for burst error-correction.
The analysis of modern iterated codes, like turbo codes and LDPC codes, typically assumes an independent distribution of errors. Systems using LDPC codes therefore typically employ additional interleaving across the symbols within a code word.
For turbo codes, an interleaver is an integral component and its proper design is crucial for good performance. The iterative decoding algorithm works best when there are not short cycles in the factor graph that represents the decoder; the interleaver is chosen to avoid short cycles.
Interleaver designs include:
rectangular (or uniform) interleavers (similar to the method using skip factors described above)
convolutional interleavers
random interleavers (where the interleaver is a known random permutation)
S-random interleaver (where the interleaver is a known random permutation with the constraint that no input symbols within distance S appear within a distance of S in the output).
a contention-free quadratic permutation polynomial (QPP). An example of use is in the 3GPP Long Term Evolution mobile telecommunication standard.
In multi-carrier communication systems, interleaving across carriers may be employed to provide frequency diversity, e.g., to mitigate frequency-selective fading or narrowband interference.
Example
Transmission without interleaving:
Error-free message:
Transmission with a burst error:
Here, each group of the same letter represents a 4-bit one-bit error-correcting codeword. The codeword is altered in one bit and can be corrected, but the codeword is altered in three bits, so either it cannot be decoded at all or it might be decoded incorrectly.
With interleaving:
Error-free code words:
Interleaved:
Transmission with a burst error:
Received code words after deinterleaving:
In each of the codewords "", "", "", and "", only one bit is altered, so one-bit error-correcting code will decode everything correctly.
Transmission without interleaving:
Original transmitted sentence:
Received sentence with a burst error:
The term "" ends up mostly unintelligible and difficult to correct.
With interleaving:
Transmitted sentence:
Error-free transmission:
Received sentence with a burst error:
Received sentence after deinterleaving:
No word is completely lost and the missing letters can be recovered with minimal guesswork.
Disadvantages of interleaving
Use of interleaving techniques increases total delay. This is because the entire interleaved block must be received before the packets can be decoded. Also interleavers hide the structure of errors; without an interleaver, more advanced decoding algorithms can take advantage of the error structure and achieve more reliable communication than a simpler decoder combined with an interleaver. An example of such an algorithm is based on neural network structures.
Software for error-correcting codes
Simulating the behaviour of error-correcting codes (ECCs) in software is a common practice to design, validate and improve ECCs. The upcoming wireless 5G standard raises a new range of applications for the software ECCs: the Cloud Radio Access Networks (C-RAN) in a Software-defined radio (SDR) context. The idea is to directly use software ECCs in the communications. For instance in the 5G, the software ECCs could be located in the cloud and the antennas connected to this computing resources: improving this way the flexibility of the communication network and eventually increasing the energy efficiency of the system.
In this context, there are various available Open-source software listed below (non exhaustive).
AFF3CT(A Fast Forward Error Correction Toolbox): a full communication chain in C++ (many supported codes like Turbo, LDPC, Polar codes, etc.), very fast and specialized on channel coding (can be used as a program for simulations or as a library for the SDR).
IT++: a C++ library of classes and functions for linear algebra, numerical optimization, signal processing, communications, and statistics.
OpenAir: implementation (in C) of the 3GPP specifications concerning the Evolved Packet Core Networks.
List of error-correcting codes
AN codes
BCH code, which can be designed to correct any arbitrary number of errors per code block.
Barker code used for radar, telemetry, ultra sound, Wifi, DSSS mobile phone networks, GPS etc.
Berger code
Constant-weight code
Convolutional code
Expander codes
Group codes
Golay codes, of which the Binary Golay code is of practical interest
Goppa code, used in the McEliece cryptosystem
Hadamard code
Hagelbarger code
Hamming code
Latin square based code for non-white noise (prevalent for example in broadband over powerlines)
Lexicographic code
Linear Network Coding, a type of erasure correcting code across networks instead of point-to-point links
Long code
Low-density parity-check code, also known as Gallager code, as the archetype for sparse graph codes
LT code, which is a near-optimal rateless erasure correcting code (Fountain code)
m of n codes
Online code, a near-optimal rateless erasure correcting code
Polar code (coding theory)
Raptor code, a near-optimal rateless erasure correcting code
Reed–Solomon error correction
Reed–Muller code
Repeat-accumulate code
Repetition codes, such as Triple modular redundancy
Spinal code, a rateless, nonlinear code based on pseudo-random hash functions
Tornado code, a near-optimal erasure correcting code, and the precursor to Fountain codes
Turbo code
Walsh–Hadamard code
Cyclic redundancy checks (CRCs) can correct 1-bit errors for messages at most bits long for optimal generator polynomials of degree , see Mathematics of cyclic redundancy checks#Bitfilters
See also
Code rate
Erasure codes
Soft-decision decoder
Burst error-correcting code
Error detection and correction
Error-correcting codes with feedback
References
Further reading
(xxii+762+6 pages)
(x+2+208+4 pages)
"Error Correction Code in Single Level Cell NAND Flash memories" 2007-02-16
"Error Correction Code in NAND Flash memories" 2004-11-29
Observations on Errors, Corrections, & Trust of Dependent Systems, by James Hamilton, 2012-02-26
Sphere Packings, Lattices and Groups, By J. H. Conway, Neil James Alexander Sloane, Springer Science & Business Media, 2013-03-09 – Mathematics – 682 pages.
External links
lpdec: library for LP decoding and related things (Python)
Error detection and correction
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172796
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TYPSET%20and%20RUNOFF
|
TYPSET and RUNOFF
|
TYPSET is an early document editor that was used with the 1964-released RUNOFF program, one of the earliest text formatting programs to see significant use.
Of two earlier print/formatting programs DITTO and TJ-2, only the latter had, and introduced, text justification; RUNOFF also added pagination.
The name RUNOFF, and similar names led to other formatting program implementations. By 1982 Runoff largely became associated with Digital Equipment Corporation and Unix computers. DEC used the terms VAX DSR and DSR to refer to VAX DIGITAL Standard Runoff.
History
CTSS
The original RUNOFF type-setting program for CTSS was written by Jerome H. Saltzer. Bob Morris and Doug McIlroy translated that from MAD assembler to BCPL. Morris and McIlroy then moved the BCPL version to Multics when the IBM 7094 on which CTSS ran was being shut down.
Multics
Documentation for the Multics version of RUNOFF described it as "types out text segments in manuscript form."
Other versions and implementations
A later version of runoff for Multics was written in PL/I by Dennis Capps, in 1974. This runoff code was the ancestor of roff that was written for the fledgling Unix in machine language by Ken Thompson.
Other versions of Runoff were developed for various computer systems including Digital Equipment Corporation's PDP-11 minicomputer systems running RT-11, RSTS/E, RSX on Digital's PDP-10 and for OpenVMS on VAX minicomputers, as well as UNIVAC Series 90 mainframes using the EDT text editor under the VS/9 operating system. These different releases of Runoff typically had little in common except the convention of indicating a command to Runoff by beginning the line with a period.
The origin of IBM's SCRIPT (markup) software began in 1968 when "IBM contracted Stuart Madnick of MIT to write a simple document preparation ..." to run on CP/67. He modeled it on MIT's CTSS RUNOFF.
Background
RUNOFF was written in 1964 for the CTSS operating system by Jerome H. Saltzer in MAD and FAP.
It actually consisted of a pair of programs, TYPSET (which was basically a document editor), and RUNOFF (the output processor). RUNOFF had support for pagination and headers, as well as text justification (TJ-2 appears to have been the earliest text justification system, but it did not have the other capabilities).
RUNOFF is a direct predecessor of the runoff document formatting program of Multics, which in turn was the ancestor of the roff and nroff document formatting programs of Unix, and their descendants. It was also the ancestor of FORMAT for the IBM System/360, and of course indirectly of every computerized word processing system.
Likewise, RUNOFF for CTSS was the predecessor of the various RUNOFFs for DEC's operating systems, via the RUNOFF developed by the University of California, Berkeley's Project Genie for the SDS 940 system.
The name is alleged to have come from the phrase at the time, I'll run off a copy.
Example
Input:
When you're ready to order,
call us at our toll free number:
.BR
.CENTER
1-800-555-xxxx
.BR
Your order will be processed
within two working days and shipped
Output:
When you're ready to order, call us at our toll free number:
1-800-555-xxxx
Your order will be processed within two working days and shipped
See also
SCRIPT (markup)
Expensive Typewriter
Colossal Typewriter
TECO
TJ-2
References
References
Jerome H. Saltzer, TYPSET and RUNOFF: Memorandum editor and type-out commands (MIT Computation Center CC-244, Project MAC MAC-M-193, Cambridge, 1964)
Jerome H. Saltzer, Manuscript typing and editing: TYPSET, RUNOFF (Section AH.9.01, CTSS Programmer's Guide, Project MAC, Cambridge, 1966)
Jerome H. Saltzer, Experimental Additions to the RUNOFF Command (Programming Staff Note 40, Project MAC, Cambridge, 1965)
External links
Word processors
Troff
History of software
Digital typography
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60414081
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActiveCampaign
|
ActiveCampaign
|
ActiveCampaign is a cloud software platform for small-to-mid-sized businesses and is based in Chicago, Illinois. The company offers software for customer experience automation (CXA), which combines the email marketing, marketing automation, sales automation, and CRM categories.
History
ActiveCampaign was founded by Jason VandeBoom in 2003. It started as a consulting firm, and then as an on-premises software provider, helping small and midsize businesses automate marketing tasks and manage contacts. The company would later transition from on-premises software to a software as a service business focused on marketing and sales automation. As of 2021, ActiveCampaign has over 145,000 clients and $165 million in recurring revenue, with customers in 170 countries. ActiveCampaign raised $20 million from Silversmith Capital Partners in 2016. In February 2020 it raised $100 million in a Series B round led by Susquehanna Growth Equity, joined by Silversmith. In April 2021 it raised $240 million in a Series C round led by Tiger Global with participation from Dragoneer, Susquehanna Growth Equity and Silversmith Capital Partners.
ActiveCampaign is headquartered in Chicago with offices in Indianapolis, Sydney, Australia, and Dublin, Ireland.
Software and services
ActiveCampaign provides cloud-based marketing and sales automation software with features for email marketing, lead scoring and web analytics, a CRM platform, and a live chat messaging platform called Conversations. ActiveCampaign distinguishes its software, called customer experience automation (CXA), from traditional email marketing and CRM platforms by extending its services into customer support. ActiveCampaign integrates with over 850 applications, including Salesforce, WordPress, Shopify, PayPal, Stripe, Gmail, Facebook, and WooCommerce.
According to PC Magazine, "ActiveCampaign offers a lot of features for a relatively low price. The downside is that it can be confusing to use at times; thankfully, its help resources are plentiful. Solutions Review pointed out, "Users have access to detailed behavior tracking capabilities as well as precision marketing options through segmentation." ActiveCampaign appeared on Crain's Chicago Business 2018, 2019, and 2021 best places to work lists, Inc.com's 2018 list of best workplaces, and the Chicago Tribune's 2018 list of top midsize workplaces. ActiveCampaign is a unicorn company, as it is a privately-held startup valued at over $1 billion.
References
Companies based in Chicago
2003 establishments in Illinois
American companies established in 2003
Email marketing software
Digital marketing companies of the United States
CRM software companies
Cloud applications
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40660174
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa%20Al-Bassam
|
Mustafa Al-Bassam
|
Mustafa Al-Bassam (born January 1995) is a British computer security researcher and hacker. He co-founded the hacker group LulzSec in 2011, which was responsible for several high profile breaches. He later went on to co-found Chainspace, a company implementing a smart contract platform, which was acquired by Facebook in 2019. He is currently a PhD student in the Information Security Research Group at University College London working on peer-to-peer systems. Forbes listed Al-Bassam as one of the 30 Under 30 entrepreneurs in technology in 2016.
Early life and education
Al-Bassam was born in Baghdad, Iraq in January 1995, and migrated to London, United Kingdom when he was five years old. He received a BSc in Computer Science from King's College London, and is currently a PhD student at University College London.
Career and research
Distributed ledgers
Al-Bassam has published research on scaling blockchains and cryptocurrencies. He contributed to the design and implementation of Chainspace, a blockchain protocol that makes use of sharding to increase transaction throughput. Chainspace was later spun-out into a commercial company he co-founded, and was then acquired by Facebook in 2019 to become a part of the Libra project. Al-Bassam has since been critical of Libra, stating that "the road to dystopia is paved with good intentions, and I'm concerned about Libra's model for decentralization".
Privacy and surveillance
In 2014 Al-Bassam volunteered for Privacy International, where he released research on the computer destruction techniques that GCHQ used when forcing journalists at The Guardian's London headquarters to destroy the computers on which they stored copies of classified documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
In an article for Motherboard, he revealed that GCHQ's Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group (JTRIG), had been involved with online sockpuppetry by creating a series of fake Twitter accounts and an URL shortener which was used as a honeypot for dissidents during the Arab spring, having been targeted by JTRIG himself.
Hacktivism
In 2011 as a 16 year old teenager, Al-Bassam was one of the six core members of LulzSec during its 50-day hacking spree, going by the alias "tflow". The group attacked and compromised a number of high profile organizations and corporations, including Sony, Fox, News International, Nintendo and the CIA.
He was also affiliated with the online association of hacktivists known as Anonymous, where he was involved with the hacking of emails from HBGary Federal, an intelligence contractor for the U.S. government. The emails revealed that HBGary Federal was working to develop astroturfing software to create an "army" of fake social media profiles, and was hired by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to spy on and smear political opponents with fake documents and communications. As a result, members of the U.S. Congress called for an investigation into HBGary Federal.
Arrest and legal proceedings
On 20 July 2011, it was announced on Fox News and other press outlets that London's Metropolitan Police had arrested a 16-year-old student in London who was alleged to have used the
nickname "Tflow" in a series of high-profile attacks on fox.com, the FBI affiliate "Infragard", PBS and Sony. For legal reasons, his name could not be disclosed for nearly two more years.
On 9 April 2013, Tflow's full name was revealed along with his picture on multiple news outlets throughout the Internet. He pleaded guilty to computer misuse and received a 20-month suspended sentence with 320 hours of unpaid community service work. A nearly two-year internet ban imposed by police has since expired.
Awards and honours
In 2016, Al-Bassam was listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30 in the technology section for his work on uncovering government surveillance.
References
1995 births
Living people
Alumni of King's College London
Alumni of University College London
Hacking (computer security)
Computer security academics
British computer criminals
Anonymous (hacker group) activists
Forbes 30 Under 30 recipients
Hacktivists
Hackers
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20647542
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free%20Software%20Foundation%2C%20Inc.%20v.%20Cisco%20Systems%2C%20Inc.
|
Free Software Foundation, Inc. v. Cisco Systems, Inc.
|
Free Software Foundation, Inc. v. Cisco Systems, Inc. was a lawsuit initiated by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) against Cisco Systems on December 11, 2008 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The FSF claimed that various products sold by Cisco under the Linksys brand had violated the licensing terms of many programs on which FSF held copyright, including GCC, GNU Binutils, and the GNU C Library. Most of these programs were licensed under the GNU General Public License, and a few under the GNU Lesser General Public License. The Software Freedom Law Center acted as the FSF's law firm in the case. The foundation asked the court to enjoin Cisco from further distributing Linksys firmware that contains FSF copyrighted code, and also asked for all profits that Cisco received "from its unlawful acts." Cisco stated that they were reviewing the issues in the suit, but they believe to be "substantially in compliance".
The FSF contended that code to which it held the copyright was found in the Linksys models EFG120, EFG250, NAS200, SPA400, WAG300N, WAP4400N, WIP300, WMA11B, WRT54GL, WRV200, WRV54G, and WVC54GC, and in the program QuickVPN, which is used to connect virtual private network (VPN) clients via the RV and WRV series Linksys routers.
On May 20, 2009 the parties announced a settlement that included Cisco appointing a director to ensure Linksys products comply with free-software licenses, and Cisco making an undisclosed financial contribution to the FSF.
See also
Free software
References
Further reading
Lawsuits
United States computer case law
Intellectual property activism
Free Software Foundation
Cisco Systems
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27825376
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000%20USC%20Trojans%20football%20team
|
2000 USC Trojans football team
|
The 2000 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third and final year under head coach Paul Hackett, the Trojans compiled a 5-7 record (2–6 against conference opponents), finished in a three-way tie for last place in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10), and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 337 to 309.
This was the last year of Hackett's tenure at USC, and the first year the Trojans had ever finished last in the Pac-10. After winning the 18th Kickoff Classic against ranked Penn State, the Trojans won their next two non-conference games and were ranked as high as eighth in the AP Poll. The game against San Jose State was the 500th game USC played in the Coliseum, which they won after trailing 24–12.
They lost their first conference game to Oregon State, breaking their 26-game winning streak against the conference rival, and lost the next four, eventually going 2–6 in conference play. It placed 8th, tied with California and Washington State. Petros Papadakis, a team captain for the season and current broadcaster, claims he was "the captain of the worst football team in USC history."
Quarterback Carson Palmer led the team in passing, completing 228 of 415 passes for 2,914 yards with 16 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Sultan McCullough led the team in rushing with 227 carries for 1,163 yards and six touchdowns. Kareem Kelly led the team in receiving yards with 55 catches for 796 yards and four touchdowns.
Schedule
Game summaries
Penn State
Roster
Rankings
Awards
No All-Pac-10 selections
References
USC
USC Trojans football seasons
USC Trojans football
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1223424
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%20Hopkins
|
Don Hopkins
|
Don Hopkins is an artist and programmer specializing in human computer interaction and computer graphics. He is an alumnus of the University of Maryland and a former member of the University of Maryland Human–Computer Interaction Lab.
He inspired Richard Stallman, who described him as a "very imaginative fellow", to use the term copyleft. He coined Deep Crack as the name of the EFF DES cracker. He ported the SimCity computer game to several versions of Unix and developed a multi player version of SimCity for X11, did much of the core programming of The Sims, and developed robot control and personality simulation software for Will Wright's Stupid Fun Club.
He developed and refined pie menus for many platforms and applications including window managers, Emacs, SimCity and The Sims, and published a frequently cited paper about pie menus at CHI'88 with John Raymond Callahan, Ben Shneiderman and Mark Weiser. He has published many free software and open source implementations of pie menus for X10, X11, NeWS, Tcl/tk, ScriptX, ActiveX, JavaScript, OpenLaszlo, Python and OLPC, and also proprietary implementations for The Sims and the Palm Pilot.
Hopkins also wrote demonstrations and programming examples of the ScriptX multimedia scripting language created by the Apple/IBM research spinoff Kaleida Labs, developed various OpenLaszlo applications and components, and is a hacker artist known for his artistic cellular automata. He is also known for having written a chapter "The X-Windows Disaster" on X Window System in the book The UNIX-HATERS Handbook.
Micropolis
Hopkins, supported by John Gilmore, adapted SimCity for the OLPC XO-1 laptop. The current version includes pie menus and is explained in depth in a video released by Hopkins.
Since its primary objective is education, the OLPC project is looking not just for games, but for tools that enable kids to program their own games. Hopkins programmed Micropolis to make it easy to extend in many interesting ways. He added functionality to let kids create new disasters and agents (like the monster, tornado, helicopter and train), and program them like in many of the other games on the XO. The goals of deeply integrating SimCity with OLPC's Sugar user interface are to focus on education and accessibility for younger kids, as well as motivating and enabling older kids to learn programming.
The Sims
The Sims is a virtual reality video game developed by Electronic Arts. The games are known for their very loose guidelines and no specific user goals. They allow the users to simply exist in the virtual world they create. Don Hopkins became involved in The Sims after he worked at Sun Microsystems. The Sims were a theme in his work since then and he has contributed to much of the design and conceptual development of the game. He was hired to convert The Sims for Unix. He implemented the usage of pie menus to the game so that users could efficiently carry out actions in the game world.
References
External links
Living people
American computer scientists
Human–computer interaction
Cellular automatists
University of Maryland, College Park alumni
SimCity
Year of birth missing (living people)
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287844
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTLDR
|
NTLDR
|
NTLDR (abbreviation of NT loader) is the boot loader for all releases of Windows NT operating system up to and including Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. NTLDR is typically run from the primary storage device, but it can also run from portable storage devices such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, or floppy disk. NTLDR can also load a non NT-based operating system given the appropriate boot sector in a file.
NTLDR requires, at the minimum, the following two files to be on the system volume:
, the main boot loader itself
, required for booting an NT-based OS, detects basic hardware information needed for successful boot
An additional important file is boot.ini, which contains boot configuration (if missing, NTLDR will default to \Windows on the first partition of the first hard drive).
NTLDR is launched by the volume boot record of system partition, which is typically written to the disk by the Windows or command.
History
Windows NT was originally designed for ARC-compatible platforms, relying on its boot manager support and providing only osloader.exe, a loading program accepting ordinary command-line arguments specifying Windows directory partition, location or boot parameters, which is launched by ARC-compatible boot manager when a user chooses to start specific Windows NT operating system. However, because the x86 lacked any of the ARC support, the additional layer was added specifically for that platform: custom boot manager code presenting text menu allowing the user to choose from one or more operating system and its options configured in boot.ini configuration file, prepended by special StartUp module which is responsible for some preparations such as switching the CPU to the protected mode. When a user chooses an operating system from the boot menu, the following command-line arguments are then passed to the part of the osloader.exe common to all processor architectures:
In Windows releases starting from Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, NTLDR has been split off back to its boot manager and system loader parts: the Windows Boot Manager and winload.exe. The boot manager part has been completely rewritten; it no longer uses boot.ini as a configuration file, although the bootcfg utility for modifying boot.ini is still present for the case of multi-boot configurations with Windows versions up to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
Command-line interface
The bootsect.exe utility program in the Windows PE tools has options /nt52 (NTLDR) and /nt60 (Vista and up) to store a NTLDR or Vista boot record in the first sector of a specified partition. The command can be used for FAT and NTFS based file systems. It replaces the FixFAT and FixNTFS tools.
Example
The following example applies the NTLDR compatible master boot code to the D: volume:
C:\>bootsect /nt52 D:
Startup process
When a PC is powered on its BIOS follows the configured boot order to find a bootable device. This can be a harddisk, floppy, CD/DVD, network connection, USB-device, etc. depending on the BIOS. In the case of a floppy the BIOS interprets its boot sector (first sector) as code, for NTLDR this could be a NTLDR boot sector looking for the ntldr file on the floppy. For a harddisk the code in the Master Boot Record (first sector) determines the active partition. The code in the boot sector of the active partition could then be again a NTLDR boot sector looking for ntldr in the root directory of this active partition. In a more convoluted scenario the active partition can contain a Vista boot sector for the newer Vista boot manager with an {ntldr} entry pointing to another partition with a NTLDR boot sector.
When booting, the loader portion of NTLDR does the following in order:
Accesses the file system on the boot drive (either FAT or New Technology File System, NTFS).
If Windows was put in the hibernation state, the contents of hiberfil.sys are loaded into memory and the system resumes where it left off.
Otherwise, reads boot.ini and prompts the user with the boot menu accordingly.
If a non NT-based OS is selected, NTLDR loads the associated file listed in boot.ini (bootsect.dos if no file is specified or if the user is booting into a DOS based OS) and gives it control.
If an NT-based OS is selected, NTLDR runs ntdetect.com, which gathers information about the computer's hardware. (If ntdetect.com hangs during hardware detection, there is a debug version called ntdetect.chk that can be found on Microsoft support.)
Starts Ntoskrnl.exe, passing to it the information returned by ntdetect.com.
boot.ini
NTLDR's first action is to read the Boot.ini file. NTLDR allows the user to choose which operating system to boot from at the menu. For NT and NT-based operating systems, it also allows the user to pass preconfigured options to the kernel. The menu options are stored in boot.ini, which itself is located in the root of the same disk as NTLDR. Though NTLDR can boot DOS and non-NT versions of Windows, boot.ini cannot configure their boot options.
For NT-based OSs, the location of the operating system is written as an Advanced RISC Computing (ARC) path.
boot.ini is protected from user configuration by having the following file attributes: system, hidden, read-only. To manually edit it, the user would first have to remove these attributes.
A more secure fashion to edit the file is to use the bootcfg command from a console. bootcfg will also relock the file (setting the file back to system, hidden, and read-only). Additionally, the file can be edited within Windows using a text editor if the folder view option "Show hidden files and folders" is selected, the folder view option "Hide protected operating system files" is unchecked, and the "Read-only" option is unchecked under file properties.
bootsect.dos is the boot sector loaded by NTLDR to load DOS, or if there is no file specified when loading a non NT-based OS.
Example
An example of a boot.ini file:
[boot loader]
timeout=40
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
If the boot loader timeout option in boot.ini is set to 0, the NTLDR boot menu does not appear.
Extreme caution should be taken when modifying the boot loader, as erroneous information can result in an OS that fails to boot.
NT kernel switches
— Forces x86-based systems to increase the virtual address space allocated for user programs to 3 GB, and to decrease to 1 GB allocated to the kernel and to executive components. Used for some programs that require more than the standard 2 GB allocated to user programs and 2 GB allocated to the system. Some configurations of Windows Server 2003 that run virtual memory-intensive applications such as database servers or Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 may require this switch or may benefit from improved performance. Activating this option may break VMR-9 video. Activating this option may also cause audio problems with Creative SB X-Fi series sound cards with (X-Fi Gamer / X-Fi Titanium @ WINXP 32-bit 3/2012). These problems may be connected to the way that Creatives drivers handle memory over 2 GB.
— Forces the system into standard 640×480 16-color VGA mode by using a video device driver that is compatible with any video adapter. If the operating system fails to load due to a faulty or incorrectly configured video driver, this switch allows the system to load, so the user may then remove, update, or roll back the video driver causing the problem. Using this switch in conjunction with the switch helps to determine the driver that is triggering a failure.
— Sets the baud rate of the debug port that is used for kernel debugging. Use of this switch automatically enables the switch. Specifies an override for the default baud rate (19200) at which a remote kernel debugger host will connect. Example: .
— Turns on boot logging to a file named .
— Displays an alternate 640×480 16-color custom bitmap. The bitmap must be saved in the \Windows directory with the name . Use with the switch.
— Specifies the amount of memory, in megabytes, that Windows cannot use. Use this parameter to confirm a performance problem or other problems that are related to RAM depletion.
— Use with the switch and the switch to selects the IEEE 1394 interface channel (numbered 0 to 62) through which kernel debugging communications will flow.
— Loads the kernel debugger at OS startup, but it remains inactive until a Stop error occurs. With this switch, the COM port can be used for normal operations while Windows is running. If Windows crashes, the switch converts the port to a debug port. (This action turns on remote debugging.)
— Turns on the kernel debugger when Windows starts. Unlike the switch, uses the COM port whether you use debugging or not.
— Specifies the COM port to use for the debug port. By default, uses COM2 if it exists. Otherwise, the default is COM1. Use of this switch automatically enables the switch.
— Turns off serial and bus mouse detection for the specified port(s), or for all ports if none are specified. Use this switch when there is a component other than a mouse attached to a serial port during the startup process. Ports may be separated with commas to turn off more than one port. (Note: In earlier versions of Windows, including Windows NT 4.0, this switch was named .)
— Defines the Hardware Abstraction Layer that is loaded at startup. This switch is useful to try out a different HAL before you rename the file to . This switch is also useful when you want to try to switch between starting in multiprocessor mode and starting in single processor mode. To do this, use this switch with the switch. filename must be in System32 directory. It can be a simple file, hard link, but not a symbolic link or a junction point.
— Defines the kernel that is loaded at startup. With this switch, the user can switch between a debug-enabled kernel that is full of debugging code and a regular kernel. Same limitations for filename location and type as for /HAL switch.
— Specifies the maximum amount of RAM, in megabytes, that Windows can use. However, the switch does not account for memory holes. Therefore, it is recommended to use the switch instead.
— This option is used by Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) and loads the Registry SYSTEM hive as a volatile hive such that changes made to it in memory are not saved back to the hive image.
— Turns off debugging. This scenario can cause a Stop Error if a program has a debug hardcoded breakpoint in its software.
} — This option is only available on 32-bit versions of Windows when running on processors supporting Data Execution Prevention (DEP). It enables DEP, which results in the memory manager marking pages containing data as no-execute so that they cannot be executed as code. This can be useful for preventing malicious code from exploiting buffer overflow bugs with unexpected program input in order to execute arbitrary code. No-execute protection is always enabled on 64-bit versions of Windows on processors that support no-execute protection. There are several options the user can specify with this switch:
— Enables DEP for core system images and those specified in the DEP configuration dialog.
— Enables DEP for all images except those specified in the DEP configuration dialog.
— Enables DEP on all images.
— Disables DEP.
— Displays the device driver names while they are being loaded. Use with the switch to determine the driver that is triggering a failure.
— Forces Ntldr to load the non-Physical Address Extension (PAE) version of the Windows kernel, even if the system is detected as supporting x86 PAEs and has more than 4 GB of physical memory.
— (Obsolete on all versions post-Windows NT 4.0) Replaced by the absence of the switch. Disables serial mouse detection on the specified COM ports. Using without specifying a COM port disables serial mouse detection on all COM ports.
— Sets the number of processors that Windows will run at startup. With this switch, the user can force a multiprocessor system to use only the quantity of processors (number) that you specify. Useful for troubleshooting performance problems and defective CPUs.
— Equivalent to using . Causes Windows to use only one CPU on a multiprocessor system.
— Enables Physical Address Extension support. In Safe Mode, the computer starts by using normal kernels, even if the switch is specified.
— For x86-based systems, this stops the operating system from dynamically assigning hardware input, hardware output, and interrupt request resources to PCI devices. Instead, the BIOS configures the devices.
— Turns on Emergency Management Services (EMS) on a Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition-based computer. To turn on EMS by editing the Boot.ini on an x86-based computer, edit both the [boot loader] section and the [operating systems] section of the Boot.ini file.
— Causes Windows to start in Safe Mode. You must include the colon plus one of the three types listed above. An additional option the user can append is , which tells Windows to use the program specified by the value as the graphical shell rather than to use the default, which is Windows Explorer. The user can also combine other parameters with . The following examples illustrate the parameters that are in effect when you select a Safe Mode option from the startup recovery menu. (Note: The , , and switches are not required with any one of these settings, but the switches can help with troubleshooting.)
Safe Mode () — Default: Uses a minimal set of device drivers and services to start Windows.
Safe Mode with Networking () — Default mode together with the drivers necessary to load networking.
Safe Mode with Command Prompt () — Default mode, except that Cmd.exe starts instead of Windows Explorer.
Windows in Directory Services Restore Mode () — (This mode is valid only for Windows-based domain controllers.) Performs a directory service repair.
— Disables the graphical boot screen and uses the NT4 style text-boot, listing the Windows build number, version number, etc. In Windows 2000 and XP, the text is rendered inside the CHKDSK bitmap (and with a progress bar in 2000).
— Specifies that Windows uses the Power Management Timer (PM_TIMER) timer settings instead of the Time Stamp Counter (TSC) timer settings if the processor supports the PM_TIMER settings. By default, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2) uses the PM timer for all multiprocessor APIC or ACPI HALs. If you are not running Windows Server 2003 SP2, you must force the computer to use the PM timer by using the switch.
— Customizes the amount of memory, in megabytes, that is allocated to processes when using the switch. This switch permits more page table entry kernel memory but still maintains almost 3 GB of process memory space.
— Directs Ntldr to boot the Windows boot sector stored in .
— Directs Ntldr to boot the MS-DOS boot sector stored in .
— Instructs the Windows core time function to ignore the year that the computer's real-time clock reports and instead use the one indicated. Example: . (This switch was created to assist in Y2K testing.)
See also
Windows Vista startup process
Windows NT startup process
ntoskrnl.exe
ntdetect.com
Emergency Management Services
Comparison of boot loaders
Windows Boot Manager
References
External links
How to edit the Boot.ini file in Windows XP
BOOT.INI and ARC Path Naming Conventions and Usage
MS Knowledge Base help on "NTLDR Is Missing" error message in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (also , , , )
How to fix "NTLDR Is Missing" error
Explanation of BOOT.INI by Daniel B. Sedory
Windows components
Boot loaders
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3151525
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence%20Roberts%20%28scientist%29
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Lawrence Roberts (scientist)
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Lawrence Gilman Roberts (December 21, 1937 – December 26, 2018) was an American engineer who received the Draper Prize in 2001 "for the development of the Internet", and the Principe de Asturias Award in 2002.
As a program manager and later office director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency, Roberts and his team created the ARPANET using packet switching techniques invented by British computer scientist Donald Davies and American Paul Baran. The ARPANET, which was built by the Massachusetts-based company Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN), was a predecessor to the modern Internet. He asked Leonard Kleinrock to apply mathematical models to simulate the performance of the network. Roberts later served as CEO of the commercial packet-switching network Telenet.
Early life and education
Roberts, who was known as Larry, was born and raised in Westport, Connecticut. He was the son of Elizabeth (Gilman) and Elliott John Roberts, both of whom had doctorates in chemistry. It is said that during his youth, he built a Tesla coil, assembled a television, and designed a telephone network built from transistors for his parents' Girl Scout camp.
Roberts attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he received his bachelor's degree (1959), master's degree (1960), and Ph.D. (1963), all in electrical engineering. His Ph.D. thesis "Machine Perception of Three-Dimensional Solids" was in the field of computer vision.
Career
MIT
After receiving his PhD, Roberts continued to work at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Having read the seminal 1961 paper of the "Intergalactic Computer Network" by J. C. R. Licklider, Roberts developed a research interest in time-sharing using computer networks.
ARPA
In 1967, although at first reluctant, he was recruited by Robert Taylor in the ARPA Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) to become the program manager for the ARPANET. He asked Frank Westervelt to explore the initial design questions for a network. Roberts prepared a proposal that all host computers would connect to one another directly. Taylor and Wesley Clark disagreed with this design and Clark suggested the use of dedicated computers to create a message switching network, which were later called Interface Message Processors.
At the Symposium on Operating System Principles that year, Roberts presented the plan based on Clark's message switching proposal. There he met a member of Donald Davies's team (Roger Scantlebury) who presented their research on packet switching and suggested it for use in the ARPANET. Roberts applied Davies's concepts of packet switching for the ARPANET, and sought input from Paul Baran.
Roberts' plan for the ARPANET was the first wide area packet-switching network with distributed control, similar to Donald Davies' 1965 design. ARPA issued a request for quotation (RFQ) to build the system, which was awarded to Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN). Significant aspects of the networks's operation including routing, flow control, software design and network control were developed by the BBN IMP team, which included Bob Kahn. Roberts managed its implementation and contracted with Leonard Kleinrock in 1968 to carry out mathematical modelling of the packet-switched network's performance. Roberts engaged Howard Frank to consult on the topological design of the network. Frank made recommendations to increase throughput and reduce costs in a scaled-up network. When Robert Taylor was sent to Vietnam in 1969 and then resigned, Roberts became director of the IPTO.
In 1970, he proposed to NPL's Donald Davies that the two organizations connect their networks via a satellite link. This original proposal proved infeasible, but in 1971 Peter Kirstein agreed to connect his research group at University College London (UCL) instead, which was later interconnected with the NPL network. Roberts proposed in 1973 that it would be possible to use a satellite's 64 kilobit/second link as a medium shared by multiple satellite earth stations within the beam's footprint. This was implemented later by Bob Kahn, and resulted in SATNET.
The Purdy Polynomial hash algorithm was developed for the ARPANET to protect passwords in 1971 at the request of Roberts.
Roberts approached AT&T in the early 1970s about taking over the ARPANET to offer a public packet switched service but they declined.
Telenet
In 1973, Roberts left ARPA to join BBN's effort to commercialize the nascent packet-switching technology in the form of Telenet, the first FCC-licensed public data network in the United States. He served as its CEO from 1973 to 1980. Roberts joined the international effort to standardize a protocol for packet switching based on virtual circuits shortly before it was finalized. Telenet converted to the X.25 protocol, which was adopted by PTTs across North America and Europe for public data networks in the mid-late 1970s. Roberts promoted this approach over the datagram approach in TCP/IP being pursued by ARPA, which he described as "oversold" in 1978.
Later career
In 1983 he joined DHL Corporation as President. At the time, he predicted bandwidths would go down driven by voice compression technology.
He was CEO of NetExpress, an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) equipment company, from 1983 to 1993. Roberts was president of ATM Systems from 1993 to 1998. He was chairman and CTO of Caspian Networks, but left in early 2004; Caspian ceased operation in late 2006.
, Roberts was the founder and chairman of Anagran Inc. Anagran continues work in the same area as Caspian: IP flow management with improved quality of service for the Internet.
Since September 2012, he was CEO of Netmax in Redwood City, California.
Personal life
Roberts married and divorced four times. At the time of his death, his partner was physician Tedde Rinker. Roberts died at his California home from a heart attack on December 26, 2018.
Awards and honors
IEEE Harry H. Goode Memorial Award (1976 ), "In recognition of his contributions to the architectural design of computer-communication systems, his leadership in creating a fertile research environment leading to advances in computer and satellite communications techniques, his role in the establishment of standard international communication protocols and procedures, and his accomplishments in development and demonstration of packet switching technology and the ensuing networks which grew out of this work."
Member, National Academy of Engineering (1978)
L.M. Ericsson Prize (1982) in Sweden
Computer Design Hall of Fame Award (1982)
IEEE W. Wallace McDowell Award (1990), "For architecting packet switching technology and bringing it into practical use by means of the ARPA network."
Association for Computing Machinery SIGCOMM Award (1998), for "visionary contributions and advanced technology development of computer communication networks".
IEEE Internet Award (2000) For "early, preeminent contributions in conceiving, analyzing and demonstrating packet-switching networks, the foundation technology of the Internet."
International Engineering Consortium Fellow Award (2001)
National Academy of Engineering Charles Stark Draper Prize (2001), "for the development of the Internet"
Principe de Asturias Award 2002 in Spain "for designing and implementing a system that is changing the world by providing previously unthought of opportunities for social and scientific progress."
NEC C&C Award (2005) in Japan "For Contributions to Establishing the Foundation of Today's Internet Technology through ... the Design and Development of ARPANET and Other Early Computer Networks that were Part of the Initial Internet."
In 2012, Roberts was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame by the Internet Society.
See also
History of the Internet
Internet pioneers
References
Bibliography
External links
Larry Roberts, "The ARPANET and Computer Networks", Computer History Museum, 1986
Personal website
Oral history interview with Lawrence G. Roberts. Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota. Roberts directed the Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) during 1968–1973 and was later chief operating officer of Network Express. The interview focuses on IPTO and the Advanced Research Projects Agency. Much of Roberts's description of the work of ARPA and IPTO is set within the context of his interactions with Congress on budget matters. Topics include J. C. R. Licklider, Ivan Sutherland, Stephen J. Lukasik, Wesley Clark, ARPA and IPTO support of research in computer science, computer networks, and artificial intelligence, the ARPANET, the involvement of universities with ARPA and IPTO.
Oral history interview with Robert E. Kahn. Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota. Kahn discusses the work of various DARPA and IPTO personnel including J. C. R. Licklider, Vinton Cerf, and Larry Roberts
Lawrence G. Roberts's profile on Internet Evolution, "the macrosite for news, analysis, & opinion about the future of the internet."
"Obituary: Lawrence Roberts, Who Helped Design Internet’s Precursor, Dies at 81", Katie Hafner, New York Times, December 30, 2018.
1937 births
2018 deaths
People from Westport, Connecticut
MIT School of Engineering alumni
Internet pioneers
Draper Prize winners
Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering
MIT Lincoln Laboratory people
American people of English descent
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6060971
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRONOM
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PRONOM
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PRONOM (Public Record Office and Nôm 喃) is a web-based technical registry to support digital preservation services, developed by The National Archives of the United Kingdom. PRONOM was the first and remains, to date, the only operational public file format registry in the world, although the "Magic File" repository of the File Command has served this role in a less formal capacity for two decades. Other projects to develop technical registries, including the UK Digital Curation Centre's Representation Information Registry, and the Global Digital Format Registry project at Harvard University, are now in progress.
PRONOM's origins lie in a requirement to have access to reliable technical information about the electronic records held by The National Archives. By definition, electronic records are not inherently human-readable - file formats encode information into a form which can only be processed and rendered comprehensible by very specific technological environments. The accessibility of that information is therefore highly vulnerable to technological obsolescence. Technical information about the structure of those file formats, and the software and hardware environments required to support them, is therefore a prerequisite for any digital preservation regime. PRONOM was developed to provide this function, initially as an internal resource for National Archives staff, and subsequently as public, web-based resource.
Development
The first version of PRONOM was developed by The National Archives digital preservation department led by Adrian Brown in March 2002. PRONOM 2 was released in December 2002, and provided support for the development of multi-lingual versions of the registry. The web-enabling of PRONOM (PRONOM 3) in February 2004 represented the starting point for the development of PRONOM as a major online resource for the international digital preservation community.
PRONOM 4, released in October 2005, includes a significant reworking of the underlying data model to allow the capture of detailed technical information on file formats and support future interoperability with other planned registry systems, and the release of the DROID software for automatic file format identification.
The latest version PRONOM 5 was a relatively minor update to support improvements to DROID and was released in 2006. A much more substantial update is planned for 2007, which will include the exposure of core PRONOM functions through web services interfaces. This work forms part of the Seamless Flow programme to position The National Archives to receive and manage future government records in electronic formats.
In future, PRONOM may participate as a node in the planned Global Digital Format Registry project.
The National Archives won the 2007 Digital Preservation Award sponsored by the Digital Preservation Coalition, for its work on PRONOM and DROID.
Services
The core technical registry supports a number of specific services:
The PRONOM registry provides a searchable web database of technical information about file formats, the software tools required to access them, and the technical environments required to access them. Users can search for formats and software using a variety of criteria, such as format or software name and file extension. PRONOM also holds information about support periods for software products, and can also be queried on this basis. In addition to on-screen viewing, registry information can be exported in XML, CSV and printer-friendly formats. The PRONOM website allows users to submit new information for inclusion in PRONOM.
The PRONOM Persistent Unique Identifier (PUID) scheme
The PRONOM Persistent Unique Identifier (PUID) is an extensible scheme of persistent, unique and unambiguous identifiers for records in the PRONOM registry. Such identifiers are fundamental to the exchange and management of digital objects, by allowing human or automated user agents to unambiguously identify, and share that identification of, the representation information required to support access to an object. This is a virtue both of the inherent uniqueness of the identifier, and of its binding to a definitive description of the representation information in a registry such as PRONOM.
At present, the PUID scheme is limited to one particular class of representation information: the format in which a digital object is encoded. Formats were considered a particular priority for such a scheme, as no existing, universally applicable system provides for this. Unix magic numbers and Macintosh data forks do provide some of this functionality, but the same is not true within DOS or Microsoft Windows environments. The three-character file extension is neither standardised nor unique, and is interpreted differently by different environments. Equally, the IANA MIME-type scheme does not provide sufficient granularity or coverage to satisfy the requirements for unique identifiers. The PUID scheme has been developed for the single purpose of providing such identifiers.
The scheme has been adopted as the recommended encoding scheme for describing file formats in the latest version of the UK e-Government Metadata Standard. The scheme is designed to be extensible, and may be expanded in future to include other classes of representation information in PRONOM, such as compression methods, character encoding schemes, and operating systems.
PUIDs can be expressed as Uniform Resource Identifiers using the info:pronom/ namespace, details of which are available from the info URI registry. Neither the PUID scheme, nor its expression as an info URI, supports any inherent dereferencing mechanism, i.e. a PUID does not resolve to a Uniform Resource Locator. However, The National Archives is planning to develop a range of services to expose PRONOM registry content, including a resolution service for PUIDs.
DROID
DROID (Digital Record Object Identification) is a software tool developed by The National Archives to perform automated batch identification of file formats. It is one of a planned series of tools utilising PRONOM to provide specific digital preservation services. DROID uses internal (byte sequence) and external (file extension) signatures to identify and report the specific file format versions of digital files. These signatures are stored in an XML signature file, generated from information recorded in the PRONOM technical registry. New and updated signatures are regularly added to PRONOM, and DROID can be configured to automatically download updated signature files from the PRONOM website via web services.
DROID allows files and folders to be selected from a file system for identification. After the identification process had been run, the results can be output in XML, CSV or printer-friendly formats.
DROID is a platform-independent Java tool. It includes a documented, public API, and can be invoked from both GUI and command line interfaces.
Future services
Proposed future services include format risk assessments and preservation planning, and the automated generation of migration pathways for converting between formats.
See also
Digital curation
Digital preservation
File format
File (command)
References
External links
PRONOM technical registry
info:pronom/ namespace registration
DROID website
Global Digital Format Registry project
Preservation (library and archival science)
Web applications
Computer archives
The National Archives (United Kingdom)
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43143226
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torch%20Technologies
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Torch Technologies
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Torch Technologies is a 100% employee-owned system engineering, applied science, modeling & simulation and information technology business. Its primary customers are the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) and the Missile Defense Agency, although it has contracts with other DoD agencies including the Navy and the Air Force. Torch has over 1100 employee-owners and is headquartered in Huntsville, AL, with technical offices located in Aberdeen, MD, Albuquerque, NM, Boston, MA, Colorado Springs, CO, Detroit, MI, Honolulu, HI, Patuxent River, MD, and Shalimar, FL.
History
Torch Technologies was co-founded in 2002 in Huntsville, AL by Bill Roark and Don Holder. Roark and Holder respectively had 30 and 40 years of experience in Department of Defense research and development programs and other contracts. The company's location was chosen due to proximity to Redstone Arsenal, which serves as headquarters of several large Army organizations such as AMCOM and offices belonging to US Army Aviation. Upon the company's formation, the co-founders began to aggressively recruit a team of senior engineers, and set out to build a reputation for good service and competitive pricing. In 2005, Roark began to take steps that would allow Torch to become employee-owned (via an ESOP), and the company attained 100% employee ownership in 2010. Roark desired employee-ownership and profit sharing because such management styles have been proven to reduce employee attrition rates and increase job satisfaction. In 2008, Torch began bidding as a prime government contractor. With the receipt of four direct award prime task orders on AMCOM Express, the company won more contracts in two weeks in late 2008 than the previous six years of combined government work. In late 2016, Torch completed a $12 million renovation of the two existing buildings it owns in South Huntsville. Torch received economic incentives from the city of Huntsville, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the state of Alabama to keep its headquarters in south Huntsville as opposed to moving to Cummings Research Park in hopes of growing economic activity in the immediate area. Torch has since had two more major expansions in south Huntsville, with the (2017) completion of a conference center, the Freedom Center and the (2019) completion of the Technology Integration & Prototyping Center. While Torch is headquartered in Huntsville, with eight technical offices located throughout the United States, they have employee-owners located in several additional markets, including California; Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Kwajalein, and Egypt.
Areas of Expertise
Weapon System Performance Analysis to include sensors/seekers, aerodynamics, guidance and control, target discrimination, endgame performance, and command and control; Modeling and Simulation with emphasis primarily on high-fidelity level simulations including all digital simulations, Software-in-the-Loop (SWIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) simulations; Information Technology such as distributed simulations/data management, visualization techniques, high performance computers, and network integration; Manned and Unmanned Aviation; Test & Evaluation (T&E); and Advanced Technology Research and Development including development, testing, and implementation of innovative algorithms and software.
Awards
2016-2021 Best Workplaces in Consulting & Professional Services by Great Place to Work
2021 and 2018 ESOP Company of the Year by the New South Chapter of The ESOP Association
2006-2020 Inc 5000 List by Inc. magazine
2020 Best Workplaces for Parents by Great Place to Work
2020 and 2018 Best Workplaces for Millennials by Great Place to Work
2015-2020 Washington Technology "Top 100 Government Contractors" List
2017-2020 Bloomberg Government "Top 200" List List
2017-2019 Entrepreneur 360 List by Entrepreneur magazine "Entrepreneur 360 List"
2016-2018 Best Small and Medium Workplaces by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE
2018 2018 Best Workplaces for Millennials by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE
Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Firm by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, North Alabama Section
2016 Torch was one of 25 companies included in the Forbes list of "The Best Small Companies in America"
2015-2018 "Top Tiger" Award of the fastest-growing companies founded, owned, or led by Auburn University alumni
2013 Partners in Philanthropy Award by the Community foundation of Huntsville/Madison County
2012, 2013 Inc. Magazine's Hire Power Award, given to private firms that create the most jobs nationally
2012 Innovations in Employee Ownership Award given by the National Center for Employee-Ownership (NCEO)
Winner of the 2012 Best Places to Work by the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce
2011 U.S. SBA Region IV Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year
2011 Top Small Company Workplace by Inc. Magazine
2009 Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Bill Roark (Torch CEO) selected as Southeast region finalist for the Ernst & Young award
2008 Ten Best Companies for Employee Financial Security by The Principal Financial Group
2008, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2018 “Best Places to Work in Huntsville/Madison County"
2008 IT/Technology Business of the Year by the Alabama Information Technology Association
2007 Small Business of the Year by the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce(Technology Category)
2006 AITA Technology Company of the Year by the Alabama Information Technology Association (AITA) (Small Business category finalist)
2006 #54 in Entrepreneur Magazine's Hot 100 Fastest Growing New Companies in the United States
2005, 2009, and 2015 Award for Marketplace Ethics by the North Alabama Better Business Bureau
References
Bibliography
http://www.inc.com/profile/torch-technologies
http://www.bbb.org/northern-alabama/business-reviews/technology-services-defense-industry/torch-technologies-in-huntsville-al-900006303
http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2014/03/torch_technologies_in_huntsvil.html
http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=30935926
http://eastsidepartners.com/entrepreneurs/bill-roark/
The Bible on Leadership: From Moses to Matthew, Management Lessons by Lorin Woolfe
http://whnt.com/2015/03/19/torch-technologies-to-expand-south-huntsville-campus-bring-more-jobs-to-tennessee-valley/
2002 establishments in Alabama
Companies based in Huntsville, Alabama
Technology companies established in 2002
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon%20Lech%20Johansen
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Jon Lech Johansen
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Jon Lech Johansen (born November 18, 1983 in Harstad, Norway), also known as DVD Jon, is a Norwegian programmer who has worked on reverse engineering data formats. He wrote the DeCSS software, which decodes the Content Scramble System used for DVD licensing enforcement. Johansen is a self-trained software engineer, who quit high school during his first year to spend more time with the DeCSS case. He moved to the United States and worked as a software engineer from October 2005 until November 2006. He then moved to Norway but moved back to the United States in June 2007.
Education
In a post on his blog, he said that in the 1990s he started with a book (Programming the 8086/8088), the web ("Fravia's site was a goldmine") and IRC ("Lurked in a x86 assembly IRC channel and picked up tips from wise wizards.")
DeCSS prosecution
After Johansen released DeCSS, he was taken to court in Norway for computer hacking in 2002. The prosecution was conducted by the Norwegian National Authority for the Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Økokrim in Norwegian), after a complaint by the US DVD Copy Control Association (DVD-CCA) and the Motion Picture Association (MPA). Johansen has denied writing the decryption code in DeCSS, saying that this part of the project originated from someone in Germany. He only developed the GUI component of the software. His defense was assisted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The trial opened in the Oslo District Court on 9 December 2002 with Johansen pleading not guilty to charges that had a maximum penalty of two years in prison or large fines. The defense argued that no illegal access was obtained to anyone else's information, since Johansen owned the DVDs himself. They also argued that it is legal under Norwegian law to make copies of such data for personal use. The verdict was announced on 7 January 2003, acquitting Johansen of all charges.
Two further levels of appeals were available to the prosecutors, to the appeals court and then to the Supreme Court. Økokrim filed an appeal on 20 January 2003 and it was reported on 28 February that the Borgarting Court of Appeal had agreed to hear the case. Johansen's second DeCSS trial began in Oslo on 2 December 2003, and resulted in an acquittal on 22 December 2003. Økokrim announced on 5 January 2004 that it would not appeal the case to the Supreme Court.
Other projects
In the first decade of the 21st century, Johansen's career has included many other projects.
2001
In 2001, Johansen released OpenJaz, a reverse-engineered set of drivers for Linux, BeOS and Windows 2000 that allow operation of the JazPiper MP3 digital audio player without its proprietary drivers.
2003
In November 2003, Johansen released QTFairUse, an open source program which dumps the raw output of a QuickTime Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) stream to a file, which could bypass the Digital Rights Management (DRM) software used to encrypt content of music from media such as those distributed by the iTunes Music Store, Apple Computer's online music store. Although these resulting raw AAC files were unplayable by most media players at the time of release, they represent the first attempt at circumventing Apple's encryption.
2004
Johansen had by now become a VideoLAN developer, and had reverse engineered FairPlay and written VLC's FairPlay support. It has been available in VideoLAN CVS since January 2004, but the first release to include FairPlay support is VLC 0.7.1 (released March 2, 2004).
2005
On March 18, 2005, Travis Watkins and Cody Brocious, along with Johansen, wrote PyMusique, a Python based program which allows the download of purchased files from the iTunes Music Store without Digital Rights Management (DRM) encryption. This was possible because Apple Computer's iTunes software adds the DRM to the music file after the music file is downloaded. On March 22, Apple released a patch for the iTunes Music Store blocking the use of his PyMusique program. The same day, an update to PyMusique was released, circumventing the new patch.
On June 26, 2005, Johansen created a modification of Google's new in-browser video player (which was based on the open source VLC media player) less than 24 hours after its release, to allow the user to play videos that are not hosted on Google's servers.
In late 2005, Håkon Wium Lie, the Norwegian CTO of Opera Software, co-creator of Cascading Style Sheets and long-time supporter of open source, named Johansen a "hero" in a net meeting arranged by one of Norway's biggest newspapers. On September 2, 2005, The Register published news that DVD Jon had defeated encryption in Microsoft's Windows Media Player by reverse engineering a proprietary algorithm that was ostensibly used to protect Windows Media Station NSC files from engineers sniffing for the files' source IP address, port or stream format. Johansen had also made a decoder available.
In September 2005, Johansen announced the release of SharpMusique 1.0, an alternative to the default iTunes program. The program allows Linux and Windows users to buy songs from the iTunes music store without copy protection. In 2005, Johansen worked for MP3tunes in San Diego as a software engineer. His first project was a new digital music product, code-named Oboe.
Sony BMG DRM rootkit
In November 2005, a Slashdot story claimed that Sony-BMGs Extended Copy Protection (XCP) DRM software includes code and comments (such as "copyright (c) Apple Computer, Inc. All Rights Reserved.") illegally copied from an iTunes DRM circumvention program by Johansen. A popular claim was that, using the criteria that RIAA uses in its copyright lawsuits, Johansen could sue for billions of dollars in damages.
2006
On January 8, 2006, Johansen revealed his intent to defeat the encryption of next-generation DVD encryption, Advanced Access Content System (AACS). On June 7, 2006, he announced that he had moved to San Francisco and was joining DoubleTwist Ventures. In October 2006, Johansen and DoubleTwist Ventures announced they had reverse engineered Apple Computer's DRM for iTunes, called FairPlay. Rather than allow people to strip the DRM, DoubleTwist would license the ability to apply FairPlay to media companies who wanted their music and videos to play on the iPod, without having to sign a distribution contract with Apple.
2007
In July 2007, Johansen managed to allow the iPhone to work as an iPod with WiFi, without AT&T activation.
2008
On February 2, 2008, Johansen launched doubleTwist, which allows customers to route around digital rights management in music files and convert files between various formats. The software converts digital music of any bitrate encoded with any popular codec into a format that can be played on any device.
2009
In June, he managed to get an advertisement for his application doubleTwist on the wall of the Bay Area Rapid Transit exit outside the San Francisco Apple Store, just days before the 2009 WWDC event. On June 9, it was reported that the advertisement was removed by BART for allegedly "being too opaque" (the background was blueish) and not allowing enough light into the adjoining transit station. The advertisement was later redesigned and redeployed with a transparent background.
Awards
January 2000 - Karoline award, given to high-school students with excellent grades and noteworthy achievements in sports, arts or culture
April 2002 - EFF Pioneer Award
References
External links
Jon Johansen's blog
Electronic Frontier Norway's link collection on the Jon Johansen case: Complete (Norwegian) version, English version (links only)
DVD Jon releases program to bypass iTunes DRM
Interview with DVD Jon, from slyck.com
Jon Lech Johansen talks to DVDfuture
Wired News: DVD Jon Lands Dream Job Stateside
Libbenga, Jan (January 2, 2004) – "DVD Jon wins again"
1983 births
Living people
Norwegian Internet celebrities
Modern cryptographers
Norwegian computer programmers
Norwegian expatriates in the United States
Norwegian people of Polish descent
People from Harstad
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5954023
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NoLimits
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NoLimits
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NoLimits Roller Coaster Simulation is a software package available for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X designed and built by a team of programmers and artists led by German programmer Ole Lange. It was first released in November 2001. The package includes two separate pieces of software, the NoLimits Editor and NoLimits Simulator, with a third application, the NoLimits Terraformer supported as well.
Software
The "NoLimits Editor" allows the design of a roller coaster with surrounding scenery. Track editing is based on adjacent bézier curves and allows nearly infinite design possibilities all packed in a CAD-based graphical user interface. Scenery objects can be placed in the editor, provided they are of the .3ds format. The software allows a number of popular roller coaster types to be designed, based on industrially engineered designs.
The "Simulator" allows the designed roller coaster to be viewed in full 3D, either riding the roller coaster like a rider, or watching it in a third person perspective, from a fixed position or behind the roller coaster train. 3D acceleration is provided by OpenGL.
It is also possible to view technical information, such as "speed" and "G-forces". These measurements are nearly exact to real-life situations.
The "Terraformer" allows the creation of a detailed landscape around the ride area, to simulate an actual environment. It has the ability to change the textures, water levels and placement of trees and other scenery to create a realistic environment. Some designers, who wish for a more flexible terrain design, create large 3D models of terrain, which allow for more complicated elements such as tunnels, buildings, and pathways. The Terraformer was created by Gravimetric Studios for use in the package, and is considered a third party application for use with the official suite.
Industrial use
According to the NoLimits official website, the software has been used by amusement park related companies showcasing new rides for prospective parks and guests. Such companies include Vekoma, Intamin, Gerstlauer, MACK Rides, and Zamperla.
Companies have been licensing roller coaster styles to NoLimits including:
Vekoma Motorbike Coaster
Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter
MackRides
It has also been modified as a proof of concept for certain prototype rides, including the UniCoaster prototype. A demo can be downloaded from the website, which is a customized version of the NoLimits Simulator.
Available types of roller coaster
Due to the free form style of the Editor and the CAD based interface the creation of different types of roller coasters is not limited by the style of track chosen for the simulation, and as such Wooden roller coasters can have the same elements as a Steel roller coaster, whilst not being "true to life". Below is a list of the track types (with train combinations) that are included in the Simulator.
Notes
Launched track styles are available to any one of the above, so strata coasters can be designed using any one of the styles.
Hyper/Giga coasters are possible with any style above.
Inversions are possible with any style above.
Boomerang roller coasters are possible using any coaster style.
Many styles can be manipulated to assume different designs, and as such designers regularly use train styles and track designs as a "best fit" for a type of roller coaster, or type of train. For example a B&M hyper train might run on invisible track above a Maurer X-Car model with an identical layout emulating the look of an S&S 4-across launch coaster.
Third-party software
"NoLimits Track Packager" allows the user to create a package file containing car-textures, environments and scenery files using a track file.
Newton 2 was released on 20 September 2009. Newton 2 is a NoLimits 1 add-on created by Entropy that allows you to create roller coaster track based on forces rather than shaping; This method of track building is commonly referred to as "Force Vector Design". This is where you specify the g-forces you want to achieve and then Newton 2 will shape the track to achieve those forces.
Several other programs are also designed for NoLimits, such as "NoLimits Construction Kit" and "NoLimits Elementary".
Sequel
Creator Ole Lange mentioned on his personal website that Nolimits Coaster 2 would offer to fix some of the outstanding bugs in the original NoLimits Coaster simulator. No longer would it have 2 separate applications, but rather have a more WYSIWYG approach. Another included feature is package management. Lange said that he planned to maintain the NL1.x project while NL2 is still too far away.
NoLimits 2 was released on 10 January 2014. As well as features from the original simulator, NoLimits 2 also includes transfer tracks, storage blocks, greatly improved graphics and more.
References
External links
Roller coaster games and simulations
Simulation software
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1363175
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger%20S.%20Pressman
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Roger S. Pressman
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Roger S. Pressman is an American software engineer, author and consultant, and President of R.S. Pressman & Associates. He is also Founder and Director of Engineering for EVANNEX, a company that sells parts and accessories for electric vehicles.
He received a BSE from the University of Connecticut, an MS from the University of Bridgeport and a PhD from the University of Connecticut. He has over 40 years of experience working as a software engineer, a manager, a professor, an author, and a consultant, focusing on software engineering issues. He has been on the Editorial Boards of IEEE Software and The Cutter IT Journal. He is a member of the IEEE and Tau Beta Pi. Pressman has designed and developed products that are used worldwide for software engineering training and process improvement.
As an entrepreneur, Pressman founded EVANNEX, a company specializing in aftermarket accessories for electric vehicles with a strong emphasis of Tesla Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y and CyberTruck. Since the founding of EVANNEX in 2013, Pressman has designed and developed a variety of custom aftermarket products for Tesla vehicles that are manufactured at EVANNEX's Florida location.
Publications
Roger Pressman has authored papers, articles and books on technical and management subjects. His books include:
1977. Numerical control and computer-aided manufacturing
1982. Software engineering : a practitioner's approach (first edition)
1988. Making software engineering happen : a guide for instituting the technology.
1988. Software engineering : a beginner's guide.
1989. Software engineering : a practitioner's approach (second edition)
1991. Software shock : the danger & the opportunity
1993. A Manager's Guide to Software Engineering
2009. Web engineering : a practitioner's approach
2010. The Aymara Bridge (a novel)
2011. The Puppeteer (a novel)
2017. Getting Ready for Model 3
2020. Software engineering : a practitioner's approach (ninth edition)
References
External links
Official Website
Pressman
American software engineers
University of Connecticut alumni
University of Bridgeport alumni
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
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30968200
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shri%20Vithal%20Education%20%26%20Research%20Institute
|
Shri Vithal Education & Research Institute
|
Shri Vithal Education & Research Institute (SVERI) is a charitable educational trust located in Gopalpur, Pandharpur, Maharashtra, India. SVERI has established Engineering College at Pandharpur with approval from All India the Engineering College. SVERI also offers B. Pharmacy and D. Pharmacy courses Diploma in engineering (Polytechnic).
Undergraduate courses
Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
Computer science and Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Civil Engineering
- This all four courses are NBA Accredited by 2017.
B Pharmacy
Diploma in (engineering)
Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
Computer science and Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Information technology
Civil Engineering
electrical engineering
Postgraduate courses
M.B.A.
M.E.(Mechanical Engineering-Design)
M.E.(Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering)
M.E.(computer science)
M.E.(Civil Structure)
M. Pharmacy (Pharmaceutics)
Doctorate courses
Ph.D. ( Mechanical Engineering)
Ph.D. (Computer science and Engineering)
Ph.D. ( Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering)
Ph.D. (Civil Engineering)
Ph.D. (Pharmacy)
External links
Website
Website
Universities and colleges in Maharashtra
Solapur district
Educational institutions established in 1998
1998 establishments in Maharashtra
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3687071
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si6
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Si6
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Si6 is the codename of the Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo en Seguridad Informática (Information Security Research and Development Laboratory) of the Argentine CITEFA (Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de las Fuerzas Armadas, Armed Forces Scientific and Technical Research Institute).
SI6 belongs to the Information Security Division of CITEFA's Information Technology Department.
History
The Si6 was created in January 2004 to analyze and provide the Argentine Ministry of Defense with scientific and technical assistance on subjects related to computer security.
Si6 creation was somehow hard to accomplish, mainly because it's very difficult to admit new workers into Argentina's Government. Finally it was possible thanks to the support and effort a lot people made.
Goal
Its mission is to create and direct information security R&D activities for both general purpose and national defense areas.
Philosophy
Si6 believes that the sum of community efforts through applied research of innovative technologies is one of the most efficient ways to achieve technology knowledge. At the same time, Si6 think that improved education, specially on those areas, is a basic pillar of the society welfare.
All Si6 public projects are published under the GPL license. As part of this common knowledge exchange policy, CITEFA makes different agreements with public and private institutions in order to establish a national research and development network.
Work
SI6 is currently working on intruder detection, intruder classification, intruder identification, honeypots, pattern analysis, biometric authentication, virtual private networks, firewalls, digital signature, penetration tests, etc.
Location
Si6 is located at CITEFA headquarters, Buenos Aires.
External links
Si6 official website
2004 establishments in Argentina
Military of Argentina
Research institutes in Argentina
Computer science institutes
Military research installations
Organizations established in 2004
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7702152
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live%20from%20Golgotha%3A%20The%20Gospel%20According%20to%20Gore%20Vidal
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Live from Golgotha: The Gospel According to Gore Vidal
|
Live from Golgotha: The Gospel according to Gore Vidal is a novel by Gore Vidal, an irreverent spoof of the New Testament. Told from the perspective of Saint Timothy as he travels with Saint Paul, the 1992 novel's narrative shifts in time as Timothy and Paul combat a mysterious hacker from the future who is deleting all traces of Christianity.
The title of the novel alludes to the fact that the author "made sport of the notion of television coverage of the Crucifixion, as the kind of thing that would happen only in contemporary America". The author has been called a "blasphemer" for portraying "Saint Paul as a huckster and pederast and Jesus a buffoon". John Rechy reviewing the novel for the Los Angeles Times wrote that "If God exists and Jesus is His son, then Gore Vidal is going to hell". Christopher Hitchens described the book as a "masterpiece of blasphemous vulgarity".
The book is Vidal's twenty-second novel and a fifth novel focused on the topic of religion, the others being Messiah (1954), Julian (1964), Kalki (1978), and Creation (1981), and the second of Vidal's novels that fit in the fifth gospel genre.
Development
In Vidal's memoir, Point to Point Navigation, he says that the book was originally titled Live from Golgotha and that the subtitle, "The Gospel According to Gore Vidal", was added by the book cover's designer without Vidal's permission.
The book was published by Random House in 1992.
Plot
In the year 96 of the Common Era, the bishop of Ephesus, Timothy, is visited in a dream by his ancient teacher Saint Paul, who foretells him that he has been chosen by the men of the future to write the story of Jesus after the other gospels of the New Testament have been deleted from existence by a mysterious hacker. As a gift he also receives a large-screen television, on which he picks up the programs of the future.
Timothy embarks on his work, starting his story with the admission that since at the age of 15 he became aide (and lover) of Paul of Tarsus, who took him with him on his proselytizing journeys. In each city they visited they managed to found a community of "Christians" and unlike the apostles, Paul had taken on the task of bringing the good news to non-Jews.
Arriving in Philippi, they contact a couple of local proselytes, Priscilla and her husband Aquila, convincing them to go with them to the city of Ephesus, one of the largest in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Here Paul, Timothy and Priscilla work well to steal faithful and economic income from the temple of Artemis.
While at work to write his gospel, the elder Timothy occasionally receives visits from travelers from the future, which in the novel is called Tivulandia. He is promised that he will be the anchorman of the planned direct TV broadcast from Golgotha dedicated to the crucifixion.
Timothy's account picks up on Ephesus and his attempt to free himself from his relationship with Paul. In fact, he fell in love with Stefania, one of the priestesses of the temple. The growth of the church in Ephesus is so whirlwind that it is arousing the ire of traditional religion. Timothy and Paul then go to Jerusalem, where an almost incurable conflict is underway with the Jewish followers of Jesus, led by James, the younger brother of Christ. James' faction has little interest in the spread of preaching among non-Jews. However, all take for literal Jesus' words about his forthcoming return to earth and the universal judgment; James and his followers, however, believe that Christ is the Messiah announced by the holy scriptures, not the son of God.
The Orthodox Jews provoke a fight, Paul is involved; accused of inciting sedition against Rome, he appeals invoking his citizenship and asks to be judged in the city rather than by the governor of Palestine, Felix. In reality, for him it is a way of scrounging a passage by sea to Italy at the expense of the state. Timothy and Paul therefore leave together. Meanwhile, Timothy continues to receive visits from travelers from the future, and in Tivulandia there are several factions interested in rewriting the past. In particular, technological progress is expected to allow not only the holographic projection of the image back in time, but also the physical journey itself.
In Rome the two Christians come into contact with the environment of the imperial court. Nero seems well disposed towards their religion (Paul hopes that he can even convert the emperor); meanwhile Caesar, who is bisexual, seems very interested in Timothy who cannot escape his attentions. In Rome, unfortunately, things start going badly for Christians: Paul's lawyers fail their appeals and he is condemned. Furthermore, the fire in Rome causes an uprising against Christians. Paul is executed together with Peter the Apostle, who has been in Rome for even longer to spread the good news.
Timothy returns to Thessalonica, where he will become bishop. Meanwhile, visits from the future are multiplying, and things get complicated when a video shot in the garden of Gethsemane is publicized: you see Jesus addressing Timothy on the arrival of the soldiers who came to arrest him against Judas Iscariot's accusations of being the alleged prophet. The soldiers arrest the apostle while Jesus is taken into the future. There he become a great software expert and the hacker who is erasing all traces of the Gospels; disgusted by the fact that St. Paul has spread his Word to non-Jews, to whom it was originally addressed according to his intentions, he is now in fact determined to erase Christianity from existence.
From the point of view of future travelers, however, if Judas is crucified in his place, many problems arise: as regards the doctrine, perhaps nothing would change, since even St. Paul is not aware of the fact. However, since it is a live TV broadcast, it would appear that the man on the cross is disproportionately fat (Judas weighs almost two quintals). Everyone conspires to ensure that Jesus is rightly put on the cross, when he returns in time to witness his own (false) execution; he is then denounced by Timothy to Pontius Pilate, and the story ends in the "right way" with Christianity saved – although in fact, the religion has been changed, as at the moment of Jesus's televised death above his cross appears the image of a blazing sun, in the centre of which is seated the Japanese goddess Amaterasu. The new post-broadcast logo for Christianity becomes a cross within the circle of the sun.
Reception
The book has been described as "satirising the weaknesses and hypocrisies of the present" and a "satiric post-modernish confection". John Rechy, reviewing the novel for the Los Angeles Times, wrote that "If God exists and Jesus is His son, then Gore Vidal is going to hell", also observing that "his novel reveals Vidal at his satirical best, and, alas, at his most self-indulgent", and concluding that "the last fifth of this novel is a gem, its last page uproarious." Christopher Hitchens described the book as a "masterpiece of blasphemous vulgarity".
Heather Neilson noted that the novel is Vidal's fifth religious-themed novel and second to fit in the fifth gospel genre. She notes that the Vidal "deconstruct[s] the Christian doctrine of the necessity of the crucifixion of the historical Jesus for the salvation of humankind" and summarizes the novel as a "light-hearted spoof".
Gary Krist commented that the book is part of Vidal's "satiric comedies", but although describing himself as "an unapologetic fan of Gore Vidal", found the entire series "overdone, uncertain of purpose, and just not very funny", and the book in question, "over the map... lame and sophomoric, hinting at desperation to entertain at all cost".
Don Fletcher and Kate Feros described the novel as "a clever and complex attack on Christian morality" but criticize Vidal for a confusing message about homosexuality.
See also
The Gospel of Afranius
References
Further reading
Costa, Horacio. "The Fundamental Re-writing: Religious Texts and Contemporary Narrative. Gore Vidal’s Live from Golgotha, Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses José Saramago’s O Evangelho Segundo Jesus Cristo." Dedalus–Revista Portuguesa de Literatura Comparada 6 (1996): 245–53.
Klinghoffer, David. "Rotten Fruit: Live from Golgotha by Gore Vidal/Screening Historyby Gore Vidal." National Review 44.23 (1992): 50–52.
Malin, Irving. "A Fiendish Gospel--Live from Golgotha by Gore Vidal." Commonweal 119.19 (1992): 38.
Walhout, M. D. "Burning the Torah: Writing as Betrayal in Four Fictional Gospels." Literature and Theology 32.3 (2018): 306–320.
1992 American novels
American comedy novels
Novels by Gore Vidal
Novels based on the Bible
Random House books
Depictions of Jesus in literature
American satirical novels
LGBT speculative fiction novels
1990s LGBT novels
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57635782
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%2821601%29%201998%20XO89
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(21601) 1998 XO89
|
, provisional designation: , is a Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 15 December 1998, by astronomers with the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research at the Lincoln Lab's ETS near Socorro, New Mexico. The dark Jovian asteroid has a rotation period of 12.7 hours and belongs to the 80 largest Jupiter trojans. It has not been named since its numbering in February 2001.
Orbit and classification
is a dark Jovian asteroid orbiting in the leading Greek camp at Jupiter's Lagrangian point, 60° ahead of the Gas Giant's orbit in a 1:1 resonance . It is also a non-family asteroid in the Jovian background population.
It orbits the Sun at a distance of 5.0–5.4 AU once every 11 years and 11 months (4,356 days; semi-major axis of 5.22 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.04 and an inclination of 19° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with a precovery published by the Digitized Sky Survey and taken at the Siding Spring Observatory in March 1991, more than 7 years prior to its official discovery observation at Socorro.
Numbering and naming
This minor planet was numbered on 8 February 2001 (). , it has not been named.
Physical characteristics
is an assumed C-type asteroid. Its V–I color index of 0.97 is typical for that of D-type asteroids, the dominant spectral type among the Jupiter trojans.
Rotation period
In April 2013, a rotational lightcurve of was obtained from photometric observations by Robert Stephens at the Center for Solar System Studies (CS3) in California. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of hours and a brightness variation of 0.30 magnitude (). Observations by his college Brian Warner at CS3 in July 2017, gave a similar period of 12.530 hours with an amplitude of 0.25 magnitude ().
Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, measures 54.91 and 56.08 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.064 and 0.100, respectively. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for a carbonaceous asteroid of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 55.67 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 10.0.
Notes
References
External links
Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info )
Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (20001)-(25000) – Minor Planet Center
Small Bodies Data Ferret at the Asteroid (21601) 1998 XO89
021601
021601
19981215
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43390516
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Databending
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Databending
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Databending (or data bending) is the process of manipulating a media file of a certain format, using software designed to edit files of another format. Distortions in the medium typically occur as a result, and the process either falls under a broader category of, or is frequently employed in glitch art.
Process and techniques
The term databending is derived from circuit bending, in which objects such as children's toys, effects pedals and electronic keyboards are deliberately short circuited by bending the circuit board to produce erratic and spontaneous sounds. Like circuit bending, databending involves the (often unpredictable) alteration of its target's behavior. Databending achieves this alteration by manipulating the information within a media file of a certain format, using software designed to edit files of a different format; distortions in the medium typically occur as a result.
Many techniques exist, including the use of hex editors to manipulate certain components of a compression algorithm, to comparatively simple methods. Michael Betancourt has posed a short set of instructions, included in the Signal Culture Cookbook, that involves the direct manipulation of the digital file using a hexadecimal editing program. One such method involves the addition of audio effects through audio editing software to distort raw data interpretations of image files. Some effects produce optical analogues: adding an echo filter duplicated elements of a photo, and inversion contributed to the flipping over of an image. The similarities result from the waveforms corresponding with the layers of pixels in a linear fashion, ordered from top to bottom. Another method, dubbed "the WordPad effect", uses the program WordPad to manipulate images through converting the raw data to the Rich Text Format.
Categorization
According to the artist Benjamin Berg, different techniques of the process can be grouped into three categories:
Incorrect editing: Files of a certain format are manipulated using software designed to edit files of a different format.
Reinterpretation: Files are simply converted from one medium to another.
Forced errors: Known software bugs are exploited to force the program to terminate, usually while writing a file.
The "WordPad effect" would fall under incorrect editing, while reinterpretation contains a subcategory called sonification, in which data other than audio is introduced simultaneously with musical audio data. The last technique is the hardest of the three to accomplish, often yielding highly unpredictable results.
Usage and reception
Databending is frequently employed in glitch art, and is considered a sub-category of the genre. The sonification technique is commonly used by glitch musicians such as Alva Noto. Ahuja and Lu summarized the process through a quote by Adam Clark Estes of Gizmodo as "the internet's code-heavy version of graffiti." Various groups on Flickr explore the effects of databending on imagery; an Internet bot named "GlitchBot" was created to scrape Creative Commons-licensed imagery and apply the process and upload the results. Users on Vimeo who deal explicitly with databending and glitch art in general exist, and a Chicago-based digital art project named GLI.TC/H was funded using Kickstarter in 2011.
See also
Compression artifact
References
External links
A Simple Protocol for Databending by Michael Betancourt
Glitch art application by Georg Fischer
Official website of GLI.TC/H
Databending using Audacity by Antonio Roberts
Artistic techniques
Computer errors
Computer graphic techniques
Digital electronics
Film and video technology
New media
Software anomalies
Software bugs
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11929786
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%20of%20active%20Russian%20military%20aircraft
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List of active Russian military aircraft
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This is a list of active Russian military aircraft in service with three branches of the Russian Armed Forces. It also includes lists of Russia's experimental aircraft and aircraft being in various phases of development as of 2022.
Russian Air Force
|-
|-
! colspan="8" | Multirole/Fighter Aircraft
|-
| Sukhoi Su-57 || Russia || Jet || Multirole || 2020 || 5 || 15 || 71 on order
|-
| Sukhoi Su-30 || Russia || Jet || Multirole || 2012 || 119 || 119 ||
|-
| Sukhoi Su-35 || Russia || Jet || Multirole || 2013 || 103 || 103 || 29 on order
|-
| Sukhoi Su-27 || USSR/Russia || Jet || Fighter || 1985 || 172 || 172 ||
|-
| Mikoyan MiG-29 || USSR/Russia || Jet || Fighter || 1982 || 259 || 259 || 3 on order
|-
| Mikoyan MiG-31 || USSR || Jet || Fighter || 1981 || 131 || 131 || 24 Tver, Perm, Vladivostok and 21 Krasnoyarsk, 10 MiG-31K in Astrahan and Krasnoyarsk
|-
| Mikoyan MiG-35 || Russia || Jet || Multirole || 2019 || 8 || 9 ||
|-
| Sukhoi Su-34 || Russia || Jet || Multirole || 2006 || 133 || 133 || 20 on order
|-
! colspan="8" | Attack Aircraft
|-
| Sukhoi Su-24 || USSR || Jet || Attack || 1975 || 274 || 274 ||
|-
| Sukhoi Su-25 || USSR || Jet || Attack || 1981 || 193 || 193 ||
|-
! colspan="8" | Transport Aircraft
|-
|-
| Antonov An-12 || USSR || Propeller || Transport/Patrol || 1959 || 57 || 104 ||
|-
| Antonov An-22 || USSR || Propeller || Transport || 1969 || 3 || 11 ||
|-
| Antonov An-26 || USSR || Propeller || Transport/Patrol || 1970 || 121 || 192 ||
|-
| Antonov An-72 || USSR || Jet || Transport || 1977 || 30 || 39 ||
|-
| Antonov An-124 || USSR || Jet || Transport || 1986 || 11 || 26 || 1 on order
|-
| Antonov An-140 || Ukraine/Russia || Propeller || Transport || 2002 || 5 || 5 ||
|-
| Antonov An-148 || Ukraine/Russia || Jet || Transport || 2009 || 16 || 16 ||
|-
| Ilyushin Il-18 || USSR || Propeller || Transport || 1958 || 3 || 3 ||
|-
| Ilyushin Il-62 || USSR/Russia || Jet || Transport || 1967 || 8 || 11 ||
|-
| Ilyushin Il-76 || USSR/Russia || Jet || Transport || 1974 || 115 || 115 || 30 on order
|-
| Tupolev Tu-134 || USSR || Jet || Transport/Trainer/Patrol || 1967 || 58 || 147 ||
|-
| Tupolev Tu-154 || USSR || Jet || Transport || 1970 || 19 || 20 ||
|-
| Let L-410 Turbolet || Czech Republic || Propeller || Transport/Trainer || 1970 || 38 || 107 ||
|-
! colspan="8" | Trainer Aircraft
|-
| Aero L-39 Albatros || Czechoslovakia || Jet || Trainer || 1974 || 180 || 180 ||
|-
| Yakovlev Yak-130 || Russia || Jet || Trainer || 2009 || 112 || 112 || 25 on order
|-
! colspan="8" | Bombers
|-
|-
| Tupolev Tu-22M || USSR || Jet || Bomber || 1973 || 66 || 66 ||
|-
| Tupolev Tu-95 || USSR || Turboprop || Bomber || 1956 || 42 || 42 ||
|-
| Tupolev Tu-160 || USSR/Russia || Jet || Bomber || 1987 || 16 || 16 || 10 on order
|-
! colspan="8" | Special Aircraft
|-
|-
| Ilyushin Il-78 || USSR || Jet || Tanker || 1984 || 20 || 20 ||
|-
|-
| Antonov An-30 || USSR || Propeller || Patrol || 1970 || 15 || 17 ||
|-
| Beriev A-50 || USSR || Jet || Command and control || 1984 || 15 || 15 ||
|-
| Diamond DA42T || Austria || Propeller || Trainer || 2017 || 9 || 9 || 26 on order
|-
| Ilyushin Il-20 || USSR || Propeller || Patrol || 1969 || 3 || 3 ||
|-
| Ilyushin Il-22 || USSR || Propeller || Command and control || 1971 || 22 || 22 ||
|-
| Ilyushin Il-80 || USSR || Jet || Command and control || 1992 || 3 || 3 ||
|-
| Tupolev Tu-214 || Russia || Jet || Command and control/ Reconnaissance || 2013 || 6 || 6 || 2 x Tu-214R 2 x Tu-214ON 2 x Tu-214PU-SBUS
|-
! colspan="8" | Helicopter
|-
| Eurocopter AS350/AS355 || France || Rotorcraft || Utility || 2006 || 5 || 5 ||
|-
| Kamov Ka-27 || USSR || Rotorcraft || Attack || 1982 || 6 || 6 ||
|-
| Kamov Ka-52 || Russia || Rotorcraft || Attack || 2011 || 109+ || 109+ || 47 on order
|-
| Kamov Ka-226 || Russia || Rotorcraft || Utility || 2003 || 14 || 36 ||
|-
| Kazan Ansat || Russia || Rotorcraft || Utility || 2013 || 50 || 50 ||
|-
| Mil Mi-2 ||Poland || Rotorcraft || Transport || 1965 || 37 || 71 ||
|-
| Mil Mi-8/Mi-17 || USSR/Russia || Rotorcraft || Transport/Utility || 1967 || 762 || 1037 || 1 on order
|-
| Mil Mi-24/35 || USSR/Russia || Rotorcraft || Attack || 1972 || 329 || 329 ||
|-
| Mil Mi-26 || USSR/Russia || Rotorcraft || Transport || 1985 || 38 || 88 || 2 on order
|-
| Mil Mi-28 || Russia || Rotorcraft || Attack || 2006 || 108 || 108 || 109 on order
|-
| Mil Mi-38 || Russia || Rotorcraft || Transport || 2019 || 2 || 2 || 2 on order
|-
|-
|}
Russian Naval Aviation
|-
| Aero L-39 Albatros || Czechoslovakia || Jet || Trainer || 1974 || 1 || 1 ||
|-
| Antonov An-12 || USSR || Propeller || Patrol || 1959 || 5 || 12 ||
|-
| Antonov An-24 || USSR || Propeller || Transport || 1962 || 1 || 3 ||
|-
| Antonov An-26 || USSR || Propeller || Transport || 1970 || 26 || 44 ||
|-
| Antonov An-72 || USSR || Jet || Transport || 1977 || 6 || 8 ||
|-
| Antonov An-140 || Ukraine/Russia || Propeller || Transport || 2002 || 4 || 4 ||
|-
| Beriev Be-12 || USSR || Propeller || Patrol || 1961 || 6 || 6 ||
|-
| Beriev Be-200 || Russia || Jet || Patrol || 2004 || 2 || 2 ||
|-
| Ilyushin Il-18D || USSR || Propeller || Transport || 1958 || 1 || 1 ||
|-
| Ilyushin Il-20 || USSR || Propeller || Command and control || 1969 || 2 || 2 ||
|-
| Ilyushin Il-22 || USSR || Propeller || Command and control || 1971 || 2 || 2 ||
|-
| Ilyushin Il-38 || USSR || Propeller || ASW/Patrol || 1967 || 21 || 21 ||
|-
| Ka-27 || USSR || Rotorcraft || ASW/Patrol || 1982 || 90 || 90 ||
|-
| Ka-28 || USSR || Rotorcraft || ASW/Patrol || 1982 || 2 || 2 ||
|-
| Ka-29 || USSR || Rotorcraft || ASW/Patrol || 1982 || 10 || 10 ||
|-
| Kamov Ka-31 || Russia || Rotorcraft || AWAC || 1995 || 3 || 3 ||
|-
| Kamov Ka-52K || Russia || Rotorcraft || Attack || 2015 || 3 || 3 ||
|-
| Mikoyan MiG-29K || Russia || Jet || Multirole Carrier-based || 2010 || 22 || 22 ||
|-
| Mikoyan MiG-31 || USSR || Jet || Fighter || 1981 || 42 || 42 || 22 Kamchatka, 20 Monchegorsk
|-
| Mil Mi-8 || USSR || Rotorcraft || Transport || 1967 || 13 || 27 ||
|-
| Mi-24/35 || USSR/Russia || Rotorcraft || Attack || 1972 || 2 || 2 ||
|-
| Sukhoi Su-24 || USSR || Jet || Attack || 1975 || 22 || 22 ||
|-
| Sukhoi Su-25UTG || USSR || Jet || Attack/Trainer Carrier-based || 1988 || 4 || 4 ||
|-
| Sukhoi Su-27 || USSR/Russia || Jet || Fighter || 1985 || 6 || 6 ||
|-
| Sukhoi Su-30 || Russia || Jet || Multirole || 2012 || 26 || 26 || 22 x Su-30SM, 4 x Su-30SM2, 21 ordered
|-
| Sukhoi Su-33 || Russia || Jet || Fighter Carrier-based || 1998 || 18 || 18 ||
|-
| Tupolev Tu-134 || USSR || Jet || Transport || 1967 || 8 || 11 ||
|-
| Tupolev Tu-142 || USSR || Propeller || ASW/Patrol || 1972 || 24 || 24 ||
|-
| Tupolev Tu-154 || USSR || Jet || Transport || 1970 || 2 || 2 ||
|-
| Yakovlev Yak-130 || Russia || Jet || Trainer || 2009 || 0 || 0 || 5 on order
|}
Russian Ground Forces
|-
| Eleron || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || 2003 || || ||
|-
| Eleron-3SV || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || 2012 || || ||
|-
| Eleron-10 || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || 2011 || || ||
|-
| IAI Searcher 2 / Forpost || Israel / Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || 2010 || 34 || ||
|-
| Granat || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || || || ||
|-
| Granat-2 || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || || || ||
|-
| Granat-4 || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || || || ||
|-
| Grusha || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || || || ||
|-
| IAI Bird-Eye 400 / Zastava || Israel || UAV || Reconnaissance || 2010 || || ||
|-
| Korsar || Russia || UCAV || Attack/Reconnaissance || 2018 || || ||
|-
| Navodchik-2 || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || || || ||
|-
| Orion || Russia || UCAV || Attack/Reconnaissance || 2019 || || 1 ||
|-
| Orlan-10 || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || 2010 || 1000 || ||
|-
| Orlan-30 || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || 2020 || || ||
|-
| Takhion || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || || || ||
|-
| Tipchak || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || 2008 || || ||
|-
| Tupolev Tu-243 || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || 1994 || || ||
|-
| Yakovlev Pchela || Russia || UAV || Reconnaissance || 1990 || 92 || ||
|-
| ZALA 421-08 || Russia || MAV || Reconnaissance || 2008 || 400 || ||
|}
Developmental aircraft
|-
| Alekseyev Orlan || Russia || Jet || Ekranoplan || 2027 || || ||
|-
| Beriev A-42 || USSR/Russia || Jet || ASW/SAR || || || 1 || To replace the Be-12
|-
| Beriev A-100 || Russia || Jet || Command and control || 2018 || 2024 || 1 || To replace the A-50
|-
| Gunship || Russia || Propeller || Close air support || || || || Similar to the Lockheed AC-130
|-
| Ilyushin Il-78M-90A || Russia || Jet || Tanker || 2017 || 2021 || 1 || 10 on order
|-
| Ilyushin Il-96-400TZ || Russia || Jet || Tanker || || || 2 || Based on the Il-96-400T freighter
|-
| Ilyushin Il-112 || Russia || Propeller || Transport || 2019 || 2021 || 2 || To replace the An-26 and An-72
|-
| Ilyushin Il-276 || Russia || Jet || Transport || 2023 || 2026 || || To replace the An-12
|-
| Ilyushin Il-106 PAK VTA || Russia || Jet || Transport || 2024–2026 || || || To replace the An-124 and An-22
|-
| Kamov Ka-60 || Russia || Rotorcraft || Transport/Utility || || || 2 ||
|-
| Kamov Ka-65 || Russia || Rotorcraft || ASW || || || 1 ||
|-
| Kronstadt Grom || Russia || UCAV || Attack/Reconnaissance || || || || Loyal wingman
|-
| Kronstadt Orion-2 (Helios) || Russia || UCAV || Attack/Reconnaissance || 2023 || || ||
|-
| Kronstadt Sirius || Russia || UCAV || Attack/Reconnaissance || 2022 || 2023 || ||
|-
| Luch Korsar || Russia || UCAV || Attack/Reconnaissance || 2018 || || >3 || It includes also an upgraded variant
|-
| Mikoyan MiG-41 || Russia || Jet || Fighter || 2025 || || || To replace the MiG-31
|-
| Mikoyan Skat || Russia || UCAV || Attack || || || ||
|-
| Sokol heavy striker drone || Russia || UCAV || Attack/Reconnaissance || || || || Similar to the General Atomics Avenger
|-
| Sokol Altius || Russia || UCAV || Attack/Reconnaissance || 2017 || 2021 || 3 ||
|-
| Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate || Russia || Jet || Multirole || || || || Single engine fifth-generation multirole fighter
|-
| Sukhoi PAK ShA || Russia || Jet || Ground attack || || || || Project for a combat aviation complex to replace the Su-25 after 2030
|-
| Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B || Russia || UCAV || Attack/Reconnaissance || 2019 || 2024 || 2 ||
|-
| Tupolev PAK DA || Russia || Jet || Bomber || 2023 || 2027 || ||
|-
| Tupolev PIAK || Russia || Jet || ASW || || || || Based on the Tu-214 airliner
|-
| Yakovlev VTOL fighter || Russia || Jet || Carrier-based fighter || || || || Planned VTOL fighter for future Russian aircraft carrier
|}
Experimental aircraft
See also
List of active Russian Air Force aircraft
List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS
Lists of currently active military equipment by country
References
Russian
Russia
Russian and Soviet military-related lists
|
12101926
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mpstat
|
Mpstat
|
mpstat is a computer command-line software used in Unix-type operating systems to report (on the screen) processor-related statistics. It is used in computer monitoring in order to diagnose problems or to build statistics about a computer's CPU usage.
Description
The mpstat command writes to standard output activities for each available processor.
The mpstat command can be used both on SMP and UP machines, but in the latter, only global average activities will be printed.
Usage
$ mpstat <interval> <count>
Interval is the time in seconds between printing out a line of statistics. Count is the number of lines of output you want.
Note that the first line of output from mpstat (like iostat, vmstat, etc.) contains averages since system boot. The subsequent lines will show current values.
Examples
Different examples of output under different operating systems:
under Linux kernel 4.14 on a two CPU machine:
Linux 4.14.24.mptcp (hostname) 05/23/2018 _x86_64_ (2 CPU)
03:51:19 PM CPU %usr %nice %sys %iowait %irq %soft %steal %guest %gnice %idle
03:51:20 PM all 2.51 0.00 2.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 95.48
03:51:21 PM all 2.53 0.00 2.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 95.45
under Linux kernel 2.4:
$ mpstat
Linux 2.4.21-32.ELsmp (linux00) 07/04/07
10:26:54 CPU %user %nice %system %iowait %irq %soft %idle intr/s
10:26:54 all 0.07 0.00 0.16 8.48 0.00 0.09 91.18 165.49
under Solaris 11:
$ mpstat
CPU minf mjf xcal intr ithr csw icsw migr smtx srw syscl usr sys wt idl
0 0 0 0 329 121 169 6 0 0 0 406 0 1 0 98
under AIX 6:
$ mpstat 1 1
System configuration: lcpu=8 ent=1.0 mode=Uncapped
cpu min maj mpc int cs ics rq mig lpa sysc us sy wa id pc %ec lcs
0 8 0 0 182 336 102 0 0 100 1434 38 51 0 12 0.02 1.8 185
1 0 0 0 11 5 5 0 0 - 0 0 19 0 81 0.00 0.1 12
2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 42 0 58 0.00 0.0 0
3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 43 0 57 0.00 0.0 0
4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 45 0 55 0.00 0.0 0
5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 44 0 56 0.00 0.0 0
6 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 2 0 98 0.00 0.0 0
7 0 0 0 53 5 5 0 0 - 0 0 66 0 34 0.00 0.2 54
U - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 99 0.99 99.0 -
ALL 8 0 0 251 346 112 0 0 100 1434 0 0 0 99 0.02 2.0 251
See also
nmon
top
References
Linux mpstat man page
AIX mpstat manual page
External links
sysstat - includes mpstat
Unix software
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42762142
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface%20Pro%203
|
Surface Pro 3
|
The Surface Pro 3 is the third-generation Surface-series 2-in-1 detachable, designed, developed, marketed, and produced by Microsoft. It originally ran the Windows 8.1 Pro operating system (OS), but the optional upgrade to Windows 10 Pro (OS) operating system was later added.
History
The older, original Surface and Surface 2, with their ARM-based processors and Windows RT operating system, are pitched against the iPad and other tablets. The Surface Pro 3 (like the preceding Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2), with its x64 Intel CPU and Windows 8 OS, is a full-fledged PC that competes against Ultrabooks (particularly those convertible laptops with touchscreens for a tablet functionality, flexible hinges, detachable keyboards, or sliders) and other high-end sub notebooks such as the MacBook Air.
The Surface Pro 3 was announced on May 20, 2014, at a New York City event, pre-orders were opened on May 21, 2014, and the first models were released on June 20, 2014 in the U.S. and Canada, with the Intel Core i3 and Intel Core i7 models released on August 1, 2014. The Surface Pro 3 was launched in 25 additional markets on August 28.
On October 6, 2015, Microsoft released its successor, the Surface Pro 4 with a bigger screen with a higher resolution and reduced bezels, faster CPU options, a thinner body and improved cooling system.
Features
Hardware
The Surface Pro 3 has a body made of magnesium alloy giving a gray matted finish to the back of the device. The charging port is magnetized and connects securely to the charger.
It comes with an improved kickstand, allowing the device to be set at any angle between 22 and 150 degrees. The kickstand has a high resistance which provides firmness and prevents accidental sliding.
The Surface Pro 3 features a larger (screen display area 25.4 cm x 16.9 cm) display over its predecessor. The screen has a 3:2 aspect ratio which Microsoft claims allow the device to be used more comfortably in the portrait orientation. Because the touch screen digitizer and the pen digitizer are combined into a single layer, the screen is physically thinner than that of its predecessors, which improves viewing angle.
Although the Surface Pro 3 has a larger screen than its predecessor, it is both thinner and lighter, weighing less. Microsoft claims the Surface Pro 3 is capable of up to 9 hours of web browsing.
The Surface Pro 3 is built on the 4th generation Intel Core processor with TPM chip for enterprise security. It includes a USB 3.0 port and a Mini DisplayPort on the right, an audio jack on the left, and a hot swap microSD slot on the back of the device. The microSD slot supports memory cards up to 200 GB. The internal solid-state drive and system memory are not user upgradeable.
External display connectivity
Like its predecessor, the Surface Pro 3 is capable of connecting up to three external displays. To connect a third display the 2-in-1's own screen should be turned off.
The device itself has a single Mini DisplayPort output and in order to connect two external displays one can additionally use a secondary Mini DisplayPort on a docking station accessory (sold separately). To attach three (or fewer) displays, an aftermarket DisplayPort Multi-Stream Transport hub can be used or a daisy chaining feature of compatible displays. One of external displays can be attached over-the-air utilizing Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) technology.
In a single external display mode over DisplayPort, the i5 and i7-based models also support a resolution of 3840x2160 at 60 Hz, known as 4K Ultra HD.
Software
The Surface Pro 3 initially shipped with Windows 8.1 Pro, but since the Windows 10 release on July 29, 2015, new devices come with the updated OS pre-installed, eliminating the need to upgrade as is the case on existing devices. The Windows 10 upgrade, among other features, brings a Tablet mode, which can be useful when device is used as a tablet, that is without a keyboard attached.
InstantGo
The Surface Pro 3 is one of the first 64-bit Windows devices that features InstantGo (formerly Connected Standby), allowing for smartphone-type power management capabilities. This allows for Windows Store apps to update info (such as email) while the device appears off, and for the operating system to run automatic maintenance when connected to AC. The Surface will enter hibernation state after four hours of no activity, to further conserve battery power.
With InstantGo active there is only one power plan available with a limited options. InstantGo is currently not supported when Hyper-V is enabled, instead the device will enter hibernation each time it is put into sleep mode.
Accessories
The Surface-series devices feature a Type Cover accessory, an attachable protective keyboard, which is sold separately, yet has continually appeared in every Surface ad since the launch of the original Surface. The Type Cover for Surface Pro 3 features backlit keys, is thinner and has an improved touchpad over its predecessors. It also has a magnetic strip which binds to the front bezel of the display for additional stability. The magnetic strip can also be used to elevate the position of the keyboard, which can help to comfortably use a Type Cover on a lap.
The Surface Pro 3 is the first Surface device to feature an improved version of the Surface Pen, which is included with each device. In contrast to that from the earlier devices of the Pro line, which was based on Wacom technology, the Surface Pen of the Surface Pro 3 features N-trig DuoSense technology with 256 levels of pressure sensitivity.
Microsoft also offers a docking station, which adds five USB ports (including three USB 3.0), a Gigabit Ethernet port, an additional Mini DisplayPort (which can be used simultaneously with the port on the Surface Pro 3) and a 3.5 mm audio socket for audio input/output.
Some of Microsoft's wireless touch mice were restyled to match the Surface-series devices design, added where applicable a Bluetooth connectivity and relaunched as Surface Edition series mice: Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition and Wedge Touch Mouse Surface Edition.
Reception
The Surface Pro 3 has received positive reviews. David Pogue suggested "The upshot is that, with hardly any thickness or weight penalty, the kickstand and the Type Cover let you transform your 1.8-pound tablet into an actual, fast, luxury laptop". Pogue said that the Surface Pro 3's form factor works well as a tablet, in contrast to the Surface Pro 2, whose bulk and weight limited its appeal as a tablet. Pogue also stated that the new multi-stage kickstand, 3:2 screen aspect ratio, and new Type Cover 3 detachable keyboard made it a competent laptop.
It has been suggested that the Surface Pro 3 comes closest to the Microsoft Tablet PC concept that company founder Bill Gates announced in 2001, being the first Surface to become a credible laptop replacement. Time magazine included Microsoft Surface Pro 3 in the list of the 25 best inventions of 2014.
The Surface Pro 3 received a repairability score of 1/10 from iFixit because of the use of a strong adhesive material throughout and the difficulty in removing the display.
Timeline
References
External links
Surface Pro 3 features
Surface Pro 3 update history
Microsoft Surface
Tablet computers introduced in 2014
2-in-1 PCs
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2189529
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western%20Latin%20character%20sets%20%28computing%29
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Western Latin character sets (computing)
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Several binary representations of 8-bit character sets for common Western European languages are compared in this article. These encodings were designed for representation of Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Dutch, English, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic, which use the Latin alphabet, a few additional letters and ones with precomposed diacritics, some punctuation, and various symbols (including some Greek letters). Although they're called "Western European" many of these languages are spoken all over the world. Also, these character sets happen to support many other languages such as Malay, Swahili, and Classical Latin.
This material is technically obsolete, having been functionally replaced by Unicode. However it continues to have historical interest.
Summary
The ISO-8859 series of 8-bit character sets encodes all Latin character sets used in Europe, albeit that the same code points have multiple uses that caused some difficulty (including mojibake, or garbled characters, and communication issues). The arrival of Unicode, with a unique code point for every glyph, resolved these issues.
ISO/IEC 8859-1 or Latin-1 is the most used and also defines the first 256 codes in Unicode.
ISO/IEC 8859-15 modifies ISO-8859-1 to fully support Estonian, Finnish and French and add the euro sign.
Windows-1252 is a superset of ISO-8859-1 that includes the printable characters from ISO/IEC 8859-15 and popular punctuation such as curved quotation marks (also known as smart quotes, such as in Microsoft Word settings and similar programs). It is common that web page tools for Windows use Windows-1252 but label the web page as using ISO-8859-1, this has been addressed in HTML5, which mandates that pages labeled as ISO-8859-1 must be interpreted as Windows-1252.
IBM CP437, being intended for English only, has very little in the way of accented letters (particularly uppercase) but has far more graphics characters than the other IBM code pages listed here and also some mathematical and Greek characters that are useful as technical symbols.
IBM CP850 has all the printable characters that ISO-8859-1 has (albeit arranged differently) and still manages to have enough graphics characters to build a usable text-mode user interface.
IBM CP858 differs from CP850 only by one character — a dotless i (ı), rarely used outside Turkey and with no uppercase equivalent provided, was replaced by euro currency sign (€).
IBM CP859 contains all the printable characters that ISO/IEC 8859-15 has, so unlike CP850 it supports the euro sign, Estonian, Finnish and French.
IBM code pages 037, 500, and 1047 are EBCDIC encodings that include all of the ISO-8859-1 characters.
The Mac OS Roman character set (often referred to as MacRoman and known by the IANA as simply MACINTOSH) has most, but not all, of the same characters as ISO/IEC 8859-1 but in a very different arrangement; and it also adds many technical and mathematical characters (though it lacks the important ×) and more diacritics. Older Macintosh web browsers were known to munge the few characters that were in ISO/IEC 8859-1 but not their native Macintosh character set when editing text from Web sites. Conversely, in Web material prepared on an older Macintosh, many characters were displayed incorrectly when read by other operating systems. The Macintosh Latin encoding, a modification of Mac OS Roman to support ISO/IEC 8859-1, was created by the creators of Kermit (protocol) to solve this problem.
History
The earlier seven-bit U.S. American Standard Code for Information Interchange ('ASCII') encoding has characters sufficient to properly represent only a few languages such as English, Latin, Malay and Swahili. It is missing some letters and letter-diacritic combinations used in other Latin-alphabet languages. However, since there was no other choice on most US-supplied computer platforms, use of ASCII was unavoidable except where there was a strong national computing industry. There was the ISO 646 group of encodings which replaced some of the symbols in ASCII with local characters, but space was very limited, and some of the symbols replaced were quite common in things like programming languages.
Most computers internally used eight-bit bytes but communication (seen as inherently unreliable) used seven data bits plus one parity bit. In time, it became common to use all eight bits for data, creating space for another 128 characters. In the early days most of these were system specific, but gradually the ISO/IEC 8859 standards emerged to provide some cross-platform similarity to enable information interchange..
Towards the end of the 20th century, as storage and memory costs fell, the issues associated with multiple meanings of a given eight-bit code (there are seven ISO-Latin code sets alone) have ceased to be justified. All major operating systems have moved to Unicode as their main internal representation. However, as Windows did not support the UTF-8 method of encoding Unicode (preferring UTF-16), many applications continued to be restricted to these legacy character sets.
The euro sign
The introduction of the euro and its associated euro sign () introduced significant pressure on computer systems developers to support this new symbol, and most 8-bit character sets had to be adapted in some way.
Apple with MacRoman and Sun Microsystems with Solaris OS simply replaced the generic currency sign (). This caused difficulty in some places because organisations had found other uses for its code point, such as the company logo.
ISO introduced a further variant of ISO 8859, ISO 8859-15, which replaced the generic currency sign with the euro sign as well as making some other replacements of symbols with letters with diacritics. ISO 8859-15 never received widespread adoption.
With Windows-1252, Microsoft placed the euro sign in a gap (position 80hex) in the existing C1 control codes, a decision that other vendors considered counter-architectural.
Whilst these decisions had limited effect for documents that were only used within a single computer (or at least within a single vendor's "digital ecosystem"), it meant that documents containing a euro sign would fail to render as expected when interchanged between ecosystems.
All of these issues have been resolved as operating systems have been upgraded to support Unicode as standard, which encodes the euro sign at U+20AC (decimal 8364).
Comparison table
Code points to U+007F are not shown in this table currently, as they are directly mapped in all character sets listed here. The ASCII coding standard defines the original specification for the mapping of the first 0-127 characters.
The table is arranged by Unicode code point. Character sets are referred to here by their IANA names in upper case.
The mappings for the IBM code pages are from the Unicode site supplied by Microsoft. Refer to the Unicode Consortium's document on the differences between IBM's and Microsoft's mappings for these code pages.
IBM437 and IBM850 defined printable characters for the control code ranges. While these could not be used when printing text through DOS, as they would be trapped before reaching the screen, they could be used by applications that used screen memory directly.
Macintosh has an Apple logo at 0xF0, and translates it to U+F8FF in the Private Use Area for Unicode.
Notes
References
Character sets
Articles with unsupported PUA characters
History of computing
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1149440
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dropper%20%28malware%29
|
Dropper (malware)
|
A dropper is a kind of Trojan that has been designed to "install" some sort of malware (virus, backdoor, etc.) to a target system. The malware code can be contained within the dropper (single-stage) in such a way as to avoid detection by virus scanners or the dropper may download the malware to the target machine once activated (two stage).
See also
Drive-by download
References
Types of malware
|
17407144
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOSO
|
IOSO
|
IOSO (Indirect Optimization on the basis of Self-Organization) is a multiobjective, multidimensional nonlinear optimization technology.
IOSO approach
IOSO Technology is based on the response surface methodology approach.
At each IOSO iteration the internally constructed response surface model for the objective is being optimized within the current search region. This step is followed by a direct call to the actual mathematical model of the system for the candidate optimal point obtained from optimizing internal response surface model. During IOSO operation, the information about the system behavior is stored for the points in the neighborhood of the extremum, so that the response surface model becomes more accurate for this search area. The following steps are internally taken while proceeding from one IOSO iteration to another:
the modification of the experiment plan;
the adaptive adjustment of the current search area;
the function type choice (global or middle-range) for the response surface model;
the adjustment of the response surface model;
the modification of both parameters and structure of the optimization algorithms; if necessary, the selection of the new promising points within the search area.
History
IOSO is based on the technology being developed for more than 20 years by Sigma Technology which grew out of IOSO Technology Center in 2001. Sigma Technology is headed by prof . Egorov I. N., CEO.
Products
IOSO is the name of the group of multidisciplinary design optimization software that runs on Microsoft Windows as well as on Unix/Linux OS and was developed by Sigma Technology. It is used to improve the performance of complex systems and technological processes and to develop new materials based on a search for their optimal parameters. IOSO is easily integrated with almost any computer aided engineering (CAE) tool.
IOSO group of software consists of:
IOSO NM: Multi-objective optimization;
IOSO PM: Parallel multi-objective optimization;
IOSO LM: Multilevel multi-objective optimization with adaptive change of the object model fidelity (low-, middle-, high fidelity models);
IOSO RM: Robust design optimization and robust optimal control software;
Purpose
Performance improvement and design optimization
IOSO NM is used to maximize or minimize system or object characteristics which can include the performance or cost of or loads on the object in question. The search for optimal values for object or system characteristics is carried out by means of optimal change to design, geometrical or other parameters of the object.
Search for optimal system management laws
It is often necessary to select or co-ordinate management parameters for the system while it is in operation in order to achieve a certain effect during the operation of the system or to reduce the impact of some factors on the system.
Identification of mathematical models
When the design process involves the use of any mathematical models of real-life objects, whether commercial or corporate, there is the problem of co-ordinating the experiment findings and model computation results. All models imply a set of unknown factors or constants. Searching for the optimal values thereof makes it possible to co-ordinate the experiment findings and model computation results.
Robust design optimization and robust optimal control
Introduction
Practical application of the numerical optimization results is difficult because any complex technical system is a stochastic system and the characteristics of this system have probabilistic nature. We would like to emphasize that, speaking about the stochastic properties of a technical system within the frame of optimization tasks, we imply that the important parameters of any system are stochastically spread. Normally it occurs during the production stage despite of the up-to-date level of modern technology. Random deviations of the system parameters lead to a random change in system efficiency.
An efficiency extreme value, obtained during the optimization problem while solving in traditional (deterministic) approach, is simply a maximum attainable value and can be considered as just conventional optimum from the point of view of its practical realization. Thus, one can consider two different types of optimization criteria. One of them is an ideal efficiency which can be achieved under the conditions of absolutely precise practical replication of the system parameters under consideration. Other optimization criteria are of probabilistic nature. For example: mathematical expectation of the efficiency; the total probability of assuring preset constraints; variance of the efficiency and so on
It is evident that the extreme of the one of these criteria doesn't guarantee the assurance of the high level of another one. Even more, these criteria may contradict to each other. Thus, in this case we have a multiobjective optimization problem.
IOSO robust design optimization concept
IOSO concept of robust design optimization and robust optimal control allows to determine the optimal practical solution that could be implemented with the high probability for the given technology level of the production plants. Many modern probabilistic approaches either employ the estimation of probabilistic efficiency criteria only at the stage of the analysis of obtaining deterministic solution, or use significantly simplified assessments of probabilistic criteria during optimization process. The distinctive feature of our approach is that during robust design optimization we solve the optimization problem involving direct stochastic formulation, where the estimation of probabilistic criteria is accomplished at each iteration. This procedure reliably produces fully robust optimal solution. High efficiency of the robust design optimization is provided by the capabilities of IOSO algorithms to solve stochastic optimization problems with large level of noise.
References
I.N. Egorov. Indirect Optimization Method on the Basis of Self-Organization. ICOTA'98, Perth, Australia, July 1...3, 1998 Conference Proceedings, vol.2, pp. 683–690
Brian H. Dennis, Igor N. Egorov, Helmut Sobieczky, George S. Dulikravich, Shinobu Yoshimura. PARALLEL THERMOELASTICITY OPTIMIZATION OF 3-D SERPENTINE COOLING PASSAGES IN TURBINE BLADES. GT2003-38180, Proceedings of Turbo Expo 2003; Power for Land, Sea, and Air; June 16–19, 2003, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Brian H. Dennis, Igor N. Egorov, George S. Dulikravich, Shinobu Yoshimura. OPTIMIZATION OF A LARGE NUMBER OF COOLANT PASSAGES LOCATED CLOSE TO THE SURFACE OF A TURBINE BLADE. GT2003-38051, Proceedings of Turbo Expo 2003; 2003 ASME Turbo Expo; Atlanta, Georgia, June 16–19, 2003
Egorov, I.N., Kretinin, G.V. and Leshchenko, I.A. "Robust Design Optimization Strategy of IOSO Technology". WCCM V, Fifth World Congress on Computational Mechanics, July 7–12, 2002, Vienna, Austria
Egorov, I.N., Kretinin, G.V. and Leshchenko, I.A. "How to Execute Robust Design Optimization" (.pdf, 395Kb), 9th AIAA/ISSMO Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization, 04–06 September 2002, Atlanta, Georgia
External links
IOSO technology website
Application examples
Optimization of the Gas Turbine Engine Parts Using Methods of Numerical Simulation (pdf, 1500Kb)
Sam146 Fan Stress Characteristics Optimization by IOSO (pdf, 120Kb)
Parallel Thermoelasticity Optimization of 3-D Serpentine Cooling Passages in Turbine Blades (pdf, 260Kb)
Optimization of Turbine Disk aimed to Mass and Stress Reduction (pdf, 680Kb)
Calibration of Microprocessor Control Systems (pdf, 480Kb)
Optimization of concentrations of alloying elements in steel (pdf, 370 Kb)
Application of IOSO NM and ABAQUS at Civil Structures of NPP (pdf, 550Kb)
Mathematical optimization software
Computer system optimization software
Computer-aided engineering software
Computer-aided design software
Optimization algorithms and methods
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31698397
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korg%20Kronos
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Korg Kronos
|
The Kronos is a music workstation manufactured by Korg that combines nine different synthesizer sound engines with a sequencer, digital recorder, effects, a color touchscreen display and a keyboard. Korg's latest flagship synthesizer series at the time of its announcement, the Kronos series was announced at the winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California in January 2011.
Much like Kronos' predecessor and Korg's previous flagship synthesizer workstation, the OASYS, Kronos is basically a custom software synthesizer running on an Intel x86 processor and operating system based on the Linux kernel with RTAI extensions; it includes 9 different sound engines which encompass the entire range of Korg synthesis technologies.
The Kronos X was introduced in July 2012 with OS version 2 and the Kronos 2 with OS version 3 was announced in November 2014 (marketed as "new Kronos"). Updated versions have more memory and new factory sounds, but otherwise have similar hardware based on the Intel Atom processor series, so older models can be upgraded to the newer specs with user-installable OS updates and sound banks.
Sound engines
Like its predecessor, the OASYS, the Kronos has multiple sound engines:
1) The SGX-1 Premium Piano sound engine uses continuous (not looped) stereo piano samples sampled at eight velocity layers per key to produce a Steinway-styled "German Grand" or Yamaha-styled "Japanese Grand" acoustic grand piano; an optional Bösendorfer-styled "Austrian Grand" sound set is available. The samples are directly streamed from the internal solid state drive by using VMT (Virtual Memory Technology). This synth engine didn't exist on Korg Oasys.
With the release of Kronos 2, SGX-2 Premium Piano superseded the SGX-1 sound engine. SGX-2 adds modeled string resonance and support for soft pedal samples and 12 velocity layers per key, making possible a new Bechstein-styled "Berlin Grand" soundset which is factory installed on the Kronos 2. Older Kronos models receive an OS update which includes the SGX-2 engine.
2) The EP-1 MDS Electric Piano sound engine offers four models based on specific classic Rhodes electric pianos and two based on Wurlitzer pianos, with software control over hammers, tines, reeds, and mechanical noise elements. It also simulates amplifiers, cabinets, speakers, and effects associated with those historic electric pianos. This synth engine didn't exist on Korg Oasys.
3) The CX-3 Tonewheel Organ engine is carried over from the Korg CX-3 modeled tonewheel organ released in 2001 (not Korg's 1980 CX-3 based on octave-divider technology). The CX-3 engine models a classic tonewheel organ, including rotary speaker effects, vibrato and chorus effects, and tube amplifier. Nine hardware sliders on the Kronos' control panel function as organ drawbar controllers. This synth engine first appeared on Korg Oasys. A significant upgrade to this engine was made in November 2013 with OS 2.1 which improved both the organ model and the Leslie speaker simulation, and was accompanied by two extra banks of organ patches.
4) The HD1 High Definition Synthesizer, which Korg first introduced in the OASYS, uses sample-based synthesis and wave sequencing to generate sounds from the multisamples stored on an internal solid state drive. The capacity of the built-in preset PCM ROM is 314 MB.
5) The MS-20EX Legacy Analog Collection models an expanded version of the original Korg MS-20 semi-modular monophonic analog synthesizer originally released in 1978. This engine is basically an update to the version released by Korg in their "Legacy Collection" software. It is also found on Korg Oasys as part of the LAC-1 engine.
6) The PolysixEX Legacy Analog Collection models an expanded version of the 6-voice Korg Polysix analog synthesizer produced by Korg from 1982-3. Similar to the MS-20EX, this engine is also an update to the version in Korg's "Legacy Collection" software, and can be found on Korg Oasys as part of the LAC-1 engine.
7) The AL-1 Analog Synthesizer models analog subtractive synthesis, with a range of modeled oscillator waveforms, filters, hard sync, analog-style FM, and ring modulation. This is another sound engine passed down from the Korg Oasys.
8) The MOD-7 Waveshaping VPM Synthesizer is capable of classic FM sounds and has import compatibility with Yamaha DX7 SysEx formatted sounds. The MOD-7 engine also combines Variable Phase Modulation (VPM), waveshaping, ring modulation, samples, subtractive synthesis, and modular patching to create a wider range of sounds than would have been possible on a classic Yamaha DX-series synthesizer. This synth engine first appeared on Korg Oasys.
9) The STR-1 Plucked Strings engine creates sounds derived from the physical properties of struck or plucked string sounds. This sound engine is well-suited for creating sounds like guitar, harpsichord and clavinet, harp, and bell sounds, as well as other sounds based on the physics of a plucked string but not directly related to any known instrument. The STR-1 was first released as an expansion to the Korg Oasys.
Other capabilities
There are 61-, 73-, and 88-key versions of the Kronos, with the latter two employing graded hammer action keys, and the former synth action keys.
The Kronos has a 16-track MIDI sequencer combined with a 16-track 24-bit audio recorder. The recorder can record up to four tracks simultaneously.
197 effect types are available. They can be applied as 16 internal effects, 12 insert effects, 2 master effects, & 2 total effects. In addition to these effects, a separate 3-band EQ for each track is available.
Kronos features the Kay Algorithmic Realtime Music Architecture, or KARMA, a complex arpeggiator that generates complex musical phrases in realtime based on the input of a performer. KARMA was developed by Stephen Kay and first appeared in the Korg KARMA keyboard workstation.
Kronos is capable of sampling audio and has full sample editing functionality. Sample import and export are supported. Import sample formats supported include Korg, Akai, SoundFont, WAV and AIFF files.
Kronos sounds can be computer edited using Kronos editor software. Kronos can also be integrated within a computer digital audio workstation as a software plug-in.
Notable users
Ilaiyaraja
A.R.Rahman
Adam Blackstone
Arca (musician)
Felix Cavaliere (The Rascals, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band)
Chick Corea
Tom Coster
Jae Deal (Janet Jackson, Diane Warren)
Eldar Djangirov
George Duke
Gary Barlow
Spike Edney (Queen)
Keith Emerson
Russell Ferrante
Ike Stubblefield
Mike Finnigan
Guy Fletcher (Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler)
Eloy Fritsch
Peter Gabriel
Jem Godfrey
Larry Goldings
Herbie Hancock
Tuomas Holopainen (Nightwish)
Bob Katsionis (Firewind, OUTLOUD)
Jeff Lorber
Chris Lowe (Pet Shop Boys)
Simon Mavin (Hiatus Kaiyote)
Lyle Mays (Pat Metheny Group)
Frank McComb
Greg Phillinganes (Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour)
Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater)
Kurt Ader (KAPRO)
David Sancious (Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel)
Derek Sherinian
Çağri Tozluoğlu (Karnataka)
Vangelis
Erick Pastrano
Adam Wakeman
Rick Wakeman (Yes, ARW)
Scott Storch
Yaanie
Time line - Models
2011 Original Kronos - 2GB RAM, 30GB SSD
2012 Kronos X - Doubled the size of the internal memory and SSD.
2015 Kronos 2 - Major redesign including gold plated sockets, new generation Intel CPU, etc, top of keyboard casing, ventilation mesh, OS V3 (including SGX-2), famous songs library
2016 Kronos 88 Platinum Limited Edition - Identical to Kronos 2 but with platinum color
2017 Kronos 88 Gold Limited Edition - Identical to Kronos 2 but with gold color
2017 Kronos LS - Kronos 2 with light-touch keyboard (only 88), 14 lbs lighter than Kronos 2 88, OS v3.1, sunburst side panels
2019 Kronos Special Edition - Identical to Kronos 2, includes EXs21 Italian F from Korg Grandstage and EXs272 KApro Showcase sound libraries, red/black finish
2020 Kronos Titanium Limited Edition (61 & 88) - Identical to Kronos 2, includes additional EXs library (TBD). Brushed aluminum finish with ebony real wood end cheeks
References
Kronos
Music workstations
Polyphonic synthesizers
Digital synthesizers
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright%20infringement
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Copyright infringement
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Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to make derivative works. The copyright holder is typically the work's creator, or a publisher or other business to whom copyright has been assigned. Copyright holders routinely invoke legal and technological measures to prevent and penalize copyright infringement.
Copyright infringement disputes are usually resolved through direct negotiation, a notice and take down process, or litigation in civil court. Egregious or large-scale commercial infringement, especially when it involves counterfeiting, is sometimes prosecuted via the criminal justice system. Shifting public expectations, advances in digital technology and the increasing reach of the Internet have led to such widespread, anonymous infringement that copyright-dependent industries now focus less on pursuing individuals who seek and share copyright-protected content online, and more on expanding copyright law to recognize and penalize, as indirect infringers, the service providers and software distributors who are said to facilitate and encourage individual acts of infringement by others.
Estimates of the actual economic impact of copyright infringement vary widely and depend on other factors. Nevertheless, copyright holders, industry representatives, and legislators have long characterized copyright infringement as piracy or theft – language which some U.S. courts now regard as pejorative or otherwise contentious.
Terminology
The terms piracy and theft are often associated with copyright infringement. The original meaning of piracy is "robbery or illegal violence at sea", but the term has been in use for centuries as a synonym for acts of copyright infringement. Theft, meanwhile, emphasizes the potential commercial harm of infringement to copyright holders. However, copyright is a type of intellectual property, an area of law distinct from that which covers robbery or theft, offenses related only to tangible property. Not all copyright infringement results in commercial loss, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1985 that infringement does not easily equate with theft.
This was taken further in the case MPAA v. Hotfile, where Judge Kathleen M. Williams granted a motion to deny the MPAA the usage of words whose appearance was primarily "pejorative". This list included the word "piracy", the use of which, the motion by the defense stated, serves no court purpose but to misguide and inflame the jury.
"Piracy"
The term "piracy" has been used to refer to the unauthorized copying, distribution and selling of works in copyright. It dates back to at least 1700, as attested to in Edward Ward's 1700 poem A Journey to Hell:Piracy, Piracy, they cry'd aloud, / What made you print my Copy, Sir, says oneThe practice of labelling the infringement of exclusive rights in creative works as "piracy" predates statutory copyright law. Prior to the Statute of Anne in 1710, the Stationers' Company of London in 1557, received a Royal Charter giving the company a monopoly on publication and tasking it with enforcing the charter. Article 61 of the 1994 Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) requires criminal procedures and penalties in cases of "willful trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy on a commercial scale." Piracy traditionally refers to acts of copyright infringement intentionally committed for financial gain, though more recently, copyright holders have described online copyright infringement, particularly in relation to peer-to-peer file sharing networks, as "piracy".
Richard Stallman and the GNU Project have criticized the use of the word "piracy" in these situations, saying that publishers use the word to refer to "copying they don't approve of" and that "they [publishers] imply that it is ethically equivalent to attacking ships on the high seas, kidnapping and murdering the people on them."
"Theft"
Copyright holders frequently refer to copyright infringement as theft, "although such misuse has been rejected by legislatures and courts". The slogan "Piracy is theft" was used beginning in the 1980s, and is still being used. In copyright law, infringement does not refer to theft of physical objects that take away the owner's possession, but an instance where a person exercises one of the exclusive rights of the copyright holder without authorization. Courts have distinguished between copyright infringement and theft.
For instance, the United States Supreme Court held in Dowling v. United States (1985) that bootleg phonorecords did not constitute stolen property. Instead,
"interference with copyright does not easily equate with theft, conversion, or fraud. The Copyright Act even employs a separate term of art to define one who misappropriates a copyright: '[...] an infringer of the copyright.'"
The court said that in the case of copyright infringement, the province guaranteed to the copyright holder by copyright law – certain exclusive rights – is invaded, but no control, physical or otherwise, is taken over the copyright, nor is the copyright holder wholly deprived of using the copyrighted work or exercising the exclusive rights held.
A 1979 East German court ruling found that software was "neither a scientific work nor a creative achievement" and ineligible for copyright protection.
"Freebooting"
The term "freebooting" has been used to describe the unauthorized copying of online media, particularly videos, onto websites such as Facebook, YouTube or Twitter. The word itself had already been in use since the 16th century, referring to pirates, and meant "looting" or "plundering". This form of the word – a portmanteau of "freeloading" and "bootlegging" – was suggested by YouTuber and podcaster Brady Haran in the podcast Hello Internet. Haran advocated the term in an attempt to find a phrase more emotive than "copyright infringement", yet more appropriate than "theft".
Motivation
Some of the motives for engaging in copyright infringement are the following:
Pricing unwillingness or inability to pay the price requested by the legitimate sellers
Testing and evaluation try before paying for what may be bad value
Unavailability no legitimate sellers providing the product in the language or country of the end-user: not yet launched there, already withdrawn from sales, never to be sold there, geographical restrictions on online distribution and international shipping
Usefulness the legitimate product comes with various means (DRM, region lock, DVD region code, Blu-ray region code) of restricting legitimate use (backups, usage on devices of different vendors, offline usage) or comes with non-skippable advertisements and anti-piracy disclaimers, which are removed in the unauthorized product, making it more desirable for the end-user
Shopping experience no legitimate sellers providing the product with the required quality through online distribution and through a shopping system with the required level of user-friendliness
Anonymity downloading works does not require identification whereas downloads directly from the website of the copyright owner often require a valid email address and/or other credentials
Freedom of information opposition to copyright law in general
Sometimes only partial compliance with license agreements is the cause. For example, in 2013, the US Army settled a lawsuit with Texas-based company Apptricity which makes software that allows the army to track their soldiers in real time. In 2004, the US Army paid the company a total of $4.5 million for a license of 500 users while allegedly installing the software for more than 9000 users; the case was settled for US$50 million. Major anti-piracy organizations, like the BSA, conduct software licensing audits regularly to ensure full compliance.
Cara Cusumano, director of the Tribeca Film Festival, stated in April 2014: "Piracy is less about people not wanting to pay and more about just wanting the immediacypeople saying, 'I want to watch Spiderman right now' and downloading it". The statement occurred during the third year that the festival used the Internet to present its content, while it was the first year that it featured a showcase of content producers who work exclusively online. Cusumano further explained that downloading behavior is not merely conducted by people who merely want to obtain content for free:
I think that if companies were willing to put that material out there, moving forward, consumers will follow. It's just that [consumers] want to consume films online and they're ready to consume films that way and we're not necessarily offering them in that way. So it's the distribution models that need to catch up. People will pay for the content.
In response to Cusumano's perspective, Screen Producers Australia executive director Matt Deaner clarified the motivation of the film industry: "Distributors are usually wanting to encourage cinema-going as part of this process [of monetizing through returns] and restrict the immediate access to online so as to encourage the maximum number of people to go to the cinema." Deaner further explained the matter in terms of the Australian film industry, stating: "there are currently restrictions on quantities of tax support that a film can receive unless the film has a traditional cinema release."
In a study published in the Journal of Behavioural and Experimental Economics, and reported on in early May 2014, researchers from the University of Portsmouth in the UK discussed findings from examining the illegal downloading behavior of 6,000 Finnish people, aged seven to 84. The list of reasons for downloading given by the study respondents included money saving; the ability to access material not on general release, or before it was released; and assisting artists to avoid involvement with record companies and movie studios.
In a public talk between Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Brent Schlender at the University of Washington in 1998, Bill Gates commented on piracy as a means to an end, whereby people who use Microsoft software illegally will eventually pay for it, out of familiarity, as a country's economy develops and legitimate products become more affordable to businesses and consumers:
Although about three million computers get sold every year in China, people don't pay for the software. Someday they will, though. And as long as they're going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They'll get sort of addicted, and then we'll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade.
Developing world
In Media Piracy in Emerging Economies, the first independent comparative study of media piracy focused on Brazil, India, Russia, South Africa, Mexico, Turkey and Bolivia, "high prices for media goods, low incomes, and cheap digital technologies" are the chief factors that lead to the global spread of media piracy, especially in emerging markets. According to the study, even though digital piracy inflicts additional costs on the production side of media, it also offers the main access to media goods in developing countries. The strong tradeoffs that favor using digital piracy in developing economies dictate the current neglected law enforcements toward digital piracy.
In China as of 2013, the issue of digital infringement has not merely been legal, but social – originating from the high demand for cheap and affordable goods as well as the governmental connections of the businesses which produce such goods.
Motivations due to censorship
There have been instances where a country's government bans a movie, resulting in the spread of copied videos and DVDs. Romanian-born documentary maker Ilinca Calugareanu wrote a New York Times article telling the story of Irina Margareta Nistor, a narrator for state TV under Nicolae Ceauşescu's regime. A visitor from the west gave her bootlegged copies of American movies, which she dubbed for secret viewings through Romania. According to the article, she dubbed more than 3,000 movies and became the country's second-most famous voice after Ceauşescu, even though no one knew her name until many years later.
Existing and proposed laws
Most countries extend copyright protections to authors of works. In countries with copyright legislation, enforcement of copyright is generally the responsibility of the copyright holder. However, in several jurisdictions there are also criminal penalties for copyright infringement. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's 2021 IP Index, the nations with the lowest scores for copyright protection were Vietnam, Pakistan, Egypt, Nigeria, Brunei, Algeria, Venezuela and Argentina.
Civil law
Copyright infringement in civil law is any violation of the exclusive rights of the owner. In U.S. law, those rights include reproduction, the preparation of derivative works, distributing copies by sale or rental, and public performance or display.
In the U.S., copyright infringement is sometimes confronted via lawsuits in civil court, against alleged infringers directly or against providers of services and software that support unauthorized copying. For example, major motion-picture corporation MGM Studios filed suit against P2P file-sharing services Grokster and Streamcast for their contributory role in copyright infringement. In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of MGM, holding that such services could be held liable for copyright infringement since they functioned and, indeed, willfully marketed themselves as venues for acquiring copyrighted movies. The MGM v. Grokster case did not overturn the earlier Sony v. Universal City Studios decision, but rather clouded the legal waters; future designers of software capable of being used for copyright infringement were warned.
In the United States, copyright term has been extended many times over from the original term of 14 years with a single renewal allowance of 14 years, to the current term of the life of the author plus 70 years. If the work was produced under corporate authorship it may last 120 years after creation or 95 years after publication, whichever is sooner.
Article 50 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) requires that signatory countries enable courts to remedy copyright infringement with injunctions and the destruction of infringing products, and award damages. Some jurisdictions only allow actual, provable damages, and some, like the U.S., allow for large statutory damage awards intended to deter would-be infringers and allow for compensation in situations where actual damages are difficult to prove.
In some jurisdictions, copyright or the right to enforce it can be contractually assigned to a third party which did not have a role in producing the work. When this outsourced litigator appears to have no intention of taking any copyright infringement cases to trial, but rather only takes them just far enough through the legal system to identify and exact settlements from suspected infringers, critics commonly refer to the party as a "copyright troll". Such practices have had mixed results in the U.S.
Criminal law
Punishment of copyright infringement varies case-by-case across countries. Convictions may include jail time and/or severe fines for each instance of copyright infringement. In the United States, willful copyright infringement carries a maximum fine of $150,000 per instance.
Article 61 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) requires that signatory countries establish criminal procedures and penalties in cases of "willful trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy on a commercial scale". Copyright holders have demanded that states provide criminal sanctions for all types of copyright infringement.
The first criminal provision in U.S. copyright law was added in 1897, which established a misdemeanor penalty for "unlawful performances and representations of copyrighted dramatic and musical compositions" if the violation had been "willful and for profit". Criminal copyright infringement requires that the infringer acted "for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain" (). To establish criminal liability, the prosecutor must first show the basic elements of copyright infringement: ownership of a valid copyright, and the violation of one or more of the copyright holder's exclusive rights. The government must then establish that defendant willfully infringed or, in other words, possessed the necessary mens rea. Misdemeanor infringement has a very low threshold in terms of number of copies and the value of the infringed works.
The ACTA trade agreement, signed in May 2011 by the United States, Japan, and the EU, requires that its parties add criminal penalties, including incarceration and fines, for copyright and trademark infringement, and obligated the parties to actively police for infringement.
United States v. LaMacchia 871 F.Supp. 535 (1994) was a case decided by the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts which ruled that, under the copyright and cybercrime laws effective at the time, committing copyright infringement for non-commercial motives could not be prosecuted under criminal copyright law. The ruling gave rise to what became known as the "LaMacchia Loophole", wherein criminal charges of fraud or copyright infringement would be dismissed under current legal standards, so long as there was no profit motive involved.
The United States No Electronic Theft Act (NET Act), a federal law passed in 1997, in response to LaMacchia, provides for criminal prosecution of individuals who engage in copyright infringement under certain circumstances, even when there is no monetary profit or commercial benefit from the infringement. Maximum penalties can be five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. The NET Act also raised statutory damages by 50%. The court's ruling explicitly drew attention to the shortcomings of current law that allowed people to facilitate mass copyright infringement while being immune to prosecution under the Copyright Act.
Proposed laws such as the Stop Online Piracy Act broaden the definition of "willful infringement", and introduce felony charges for unauthorized media streaming. These bills are aimed towards defeating websites that carry or contain links to infringing content, but have raised concerns about domestic abuse and internet censorship.
Noncommercial file sharing
Legality of downloading
To an extent, copyright law in some countries permits downloading copyright-protected content for personal, noncommercial use. Examples include Canada and European Union (EU) member states like Poland, and The Netherlands.
The personal copying exemption in the copyright law of EU member states stems from the Information Society Directive of 2001, which is generally devised to allow EU members to enact laws sanctioning making copies without authorization, as long as they are for personal, noncommercial use. The Directive was not intended to legitimize file-sharing, but rather the common practice of space shifting copyright-protected content from a legally purchased CD (for example) to certain kinds of devices and media, provided rights holders are compensated and no copy protection measures are circumvented. Rights-holder compensation takes various forms, depending on the country, but is generally either a levy on "recording" devices and media, or a tax on the content itself. In some countries, such as Canada, the applicability of such laws to copying onto general-purpose storage devices like computer hard drives, portable media players, and phones, for which no levies are collected, has been the subject of debate and further efforts to reform copyright law.
In some countries, the personal copying exemption explicitly requires that the content being copied be obtained legitimately – i.e., from authorized sources, not file-sharing networks. Other countries, such as the Netherlands, make no such distinction; the exemption there had been assumed, even by the government, to apply to any such copying, even from file-sharing networks. However, in April 2014, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that "national legislation which makes no distinction between private copies made from lawful sources and those made from counterfeited or pirated sources cannot be tolerated."
Legality of uploading
Although downloading or other private copying is sometimes permitted, public distribution – by uploading or otherwise offering to share copyright-protected content – remains illegal in most, if not all countries. For example, in Canada, even though it was once legal to download any copyrighted file as long as it was for noncommercial use, it was still illegal to distribute the copyrighted files (e.g. by uploading them to a P2P network).
Relaxed penalties
Some countries, like Canada and Germany, have limited the penalties for non-commercial copyright infringement. For example, Germany has passed a bill to limit the fine for individuals accused of sharing movies and series to €800–900. Canada's Copyright Modernization Act claims that statutory damages for non-commercial copyright infringement are capped at C$5,000 but this only applies to copies that have been made without the breaking of any "digital lock". However, this only applies to "bootleg distribution" and not non-commercial use.
DMCA and anti-circumvention laws
Title I of the U.S. DMCA, the WIPO Copyright and Performances and Phonograms Treaties Implementation Act has provisions that prevent persons from "circumvent[ing] a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work". Thus if a distributor of copyrighted works has some kind of software, dongle or password access device installed in instances of the work, any attempt to bypass such a copy protection scheme may be actionable – though the US Copyright Office is currently reviewing anticircumvention rulemaking under DMCA – anti-circumvention exemptions that have been in place under the DMCA include those in software designed to filter websites that are generally seen to be inefficient (child safety and public library website filtering software) and the circumvention of copy protection mechanisms that have malfunctioned, have caused the instance of the work to become inoperable or which are no longer supported by their manufacturers. According to Abby House Media Inc. v. Apple Inc., it is legal to point users to DRM-stripping software and inform them how to use it because of lack of evidence that DRM stripping leads to copyright infringement.
Online intermediary liability
Whether Internet intermediaries are liable for copyright infringement by their users is a subject of debate and court cases in a number of countries.
Definition of intermediary
Internet intermediaries were formerly understood to be internet service providers (ISPs). However, questions of liability have also emerged in relation to other Internet infrastructure intermediaries, including Internet backbone providers, cable companies and mobile communications providers.
In addition, intermediaries are now also generally understood to include Internet portals, software and games providers, those providing virtual information such as interactive forums and comment facilities with or without a moderation system, aggregators of various kinds, such as news aggregators, universities, libraries and archives, web search engines, chat rooms, web blogs, mailing lists, and any website which provides access to third party content through, for example, hyperlinks, a crucial element of the World Wide Web.
Litigation and legislation concerning intermediaries
Early court cases focused on the liability of Internet service providers (ISPs) for hosting, transmitting or publishing user-supplied content that could be actioned under civil or criminal law, such as libel or pornography. As different content was considered in different legal systems, and in the absence of common definitions for "ISPs", "bulletin boards" or "online publishers", early law on online intermediaries' liability varied widely from country to country. The first laws on online intermediaries' liability were passed from the mid-1990s onwards.
The debate has shifted away from questions about liability for specific content, including that which may infringe copyright, towards whether online intermediaries should be generally responsible for content accessible through their services or infrastructure.
The U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (1998) and the European E-Commerce Directive (2000) provide online intermediaries with limited statutory immunity from liability for copyright infringement. Online intermediaries hosting content that infringes copyright are not liable, so long as they do not know about it and take actions once the infringing content is brought to their attention. In U.S. law this is characterized as "safe harbor" provisions. Under European law, the governing principles for Internet Service Providers are "mere conduit", meaning that they are neutral 'pipes' with no knowledge of what they are carrying; and 'no obligation to monitor' meaning that they cannot be given a general mandate by governments to monitor content. These two principles are a barrier for certain forms of online copyright enforcement and they were the reason behind an attempt to amend the European Telecoms Package in 2009 to support new measures against copyright infringement.
Peer-to-peer issues
Peer-to-peer file sharing intermediaries have been denied access to safe harbor provisions in relation to copyright infringement. Legal action against such intermediaries, such as Napster, are generally brought in relation to principles of secondary liability for copyright infringement, such as contributory liability and vicarious liability.
These types of intermediaries do not host or transmit infringing content, themselves, but may be regarded in some courts as encouraging, enabling or facilitating infringement by users. These intermediaries may include the author, publishers and marketers of peer-to-peer networking software, and the websites that allow users to download such software. In the case of the BitTorrent protocol, intermediaries may include the torrent tracker and any websites or search engines which facilitate access to torrent files. Torrent files do not contain copyrighted content, but they may make reference to files that do, and they may point to trackers which coordinate the sharing of those files. Some torrent indexing and search sites, such as The Pirate Bay, now encourage the use of magnet links, instead of direct links to torrent files, creating another layer of indirection; using such links, torrent files are obtained from other peers, rather than from a particular website.
Since the late 1990s, copyright holders have taken legal actions against a number of peer-to-peer intermediaries, such as pir, Grokster, eMule, SoulSeek, BitTorrent and Limewire, and case law on the liability of Internet service providers (ISPs) in relation to copyright infringement has emerged primarily in relation to these cases.
Nevertheless, whether and to what degree any of these types of intermediaries have secondary liability is the subject of ongoing litigation. The decentralised structure of peer-to-peer networks, in particular, does not sit easily with existing laws on online intermediaries' liability. The BitTorrent protocol established an entirely decentralised network architecture in order to distribute large files effectively. Recent developments in peer-to-peer technology towards more complex network configurations are said to have been driven by a desire to avoid liability as intermediaries under existing laws.
Limitations
Copyright law does not grant authors and publishers absolute control over the use of their work. Only certain types of works and kinds of uses are protected; only unauthorized uses of protected works can be said to be infringing.
Non-infringing uses
Article 10 of the Berne Convention mandates that national laws provide for limitations to copyright, so that copyright protection does not extend to certain kinds of uses that fall under what the treaty calls "fair practice", including but not limited to minimal quotations used in journalism and education. The laws implementing these limitations and exceptions for uses that would otherwise be infringing broadly fall into the categories of either fair use or fair dealing. In common law systems, these fair practice statutes typically enshrine principles underlying many earlier judicial precedents, and are considered essential to freedom of speech.
Another example is the practice of compulsory licensing, which is where the law forbids copyright owners from denying a license for certain uses of certain kinds of works, such as compilations and live performances of music. Compulsory licensing laws generally say that for certain uses of certain works, no infringement occurs as long as a royalty, at a rate determined by law rather than private negotiation, is paid to the copyright owner or representative copyright collective. Some fair dealing laws, such as Canada's, include similar royalty requirements.
In Europe, the copyright infringement case Public Relations Consultants Association Ltd v Newspaper Licensing Agency Ltd had two prongs; one concerned whether a news aggregator service infringed the copyright of the news generators; the other concerned whether the temporary web cache created by the web browser of a consumer of the aggregator's service, also infringed the copyright of the news generators. The first prong was decided in favor of the news generators; in June 2014 the second prong was decided by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which ruled that the temporary web cache of consumers of the aggregator did not infringe the copyright of the news generators.
Non-infringing types of works
In order to qualify for protection, a work must be an expression with a degree of originality, and it must be in a fixed medium, such as written down on paper or recorded digitally. The idea itself is not protected. That is, a copy of someone else's original idea is not infringing unless it copies that person's unique, tangible expression of the idea. Some of these limitations, especially regarding what qualifies as original, are embodied only in case law (judicial precedent), rather than in statutes.
In the U.S., for example, copyright case law contains a substantial similarity requirement to determine whether the work was copied. Likewise, courts may require computer software to pass an Abstraction-Filtration-Comparison test (AFC Test) to determine if it is too abstract to qualify for protection, or too dissimilar to an original work to be considered infringing. Software-related case law has also clarified that the amount of R&D, effort and expense put into a work's creation does not affect copyright protection.
Evaluation of alleged copyright infringement in a court of law may be substantial; the time and costs required to apply these tests vary based on the size and complexity of the copyrighted material. Furthermore, there is no standard or universally accepted test; some courts have rejected the AFC Test, for example, in favor of narrower criteria.
The POSAR test, a recently devised forensic procedure for establishing software copyright infringement cases, is an extension or an enhancement of the AFC test. POSAR, with its added features and additional facilities, offers something more to the legal and the judicial domain than what the AFC test offers. These additional features and facilities make the test more sensitive to the technical and legal requirements of software copyright infringement.
Preventive measures
The BSA outlined four strategies that governments can adopt to reduce software piracy rates in its 2011 piracy study results:
"Increase public education and raise awareness about software piracy and IP rights in cooperation with industry and law enforcement."
"Modernize protections for software and other copyrighted materials to keep pace with new innovations such as cloud computing and the proliferation of networked mobile devices."
"Strengthen enforcement of IP laws with dedicated resources, including specialized enforcement units, training for law enforcement and judiciary officials, improved cross-border cooperation among law enforcement agencies, and fulfillment of obligations under the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)."
"Lead by example by using only fully licensed software, implementing software asset management (SAM) programs, and promoting the use of legal software in state-owned enterprises, and among all contractors and suppliers."
Legal
Corporations and legislatures take different types of preventive measures to deter copyright infringement, with much of the focus since the early 1990s being on preventing or reducing digital methods of infringement. Strategies include education, civil and criminal legislation, and international agreements, as well as publicizing anti-piracy litigation successes and imposing forms of digital media copy protection, such as controversial DRM technology and anti-circumvention laws, which limit the amount of control consumers have over the use of products and content they have purchased.
Legislatures have reduced infringement by narrowing the scope of what is considered infringing. Aside from upholding international copyright treaty obligations to provide general limitations and exceptions, nations have enacted compulsory licensing laws applying specifically to digital works and uses. For example, in the U.S., the DMCA, an implementation of the 1996 WIPO Copyright Treaty, considers digital transmissions of audio recordings to be licensed as long as a designated copyright collective's royalty and reporting requirements are met. The DMCA also provides safe harbor for digital service providers whose users are suspected of copyright infringement, thus reducing the likelihood that the providers themselves will be considered directly infringing.
Some copyright owners voluntarily reduce the scope of what is considered infringement by employing relatively permissive, "open" licensing strategies: rather than privately negotiating license terms with individual users who must first seek out the copyright owner and ask for permission, the copyright owner publishes and distributes the work with a prepared license that anyone can use, as long as they adhere to certain conditions. This has the effect of reducing infringement – and the burden on courts – by simply permitting certain types of uses under terms that the copyright owner considers reasonable. Examples include free software licenses, like the GNU General Public License (GPL), and the Creative Commons licenses, which are predominantly applied to visual and literary works.
Protected distribution
To prevent piracy of films, the standard drill of film distribution is to have a movie first released through movie theaters (theatrical window), on average approximately 16 and a half weeks,
before having it released to Blu-ray and DVD (entering its video window). During the theatrical window, digital versions of films are often transported in data storage devices by couriers rather than by data transmission. The data can be encrypted, with the key being made to work only at specific times in order to prevent leakage between screens. Coded Anti-Piracy marks can be added to films to identify the source of illegal copies and shut them down. In 2006 a notable example of using Coded Anti-Piracy marks resulted in a man being arrested for uploading a screener's copy of the movie "Flushed Away".
Economic impact of copyright infringement
Organizations disagree on the scope and magnitude of copyright infringement's free rider economic effects and public support for the copyright regime.
The European Commission funded a study to analyze "the extent to which unauthorised online consumption of copyrighted materials (music, audiovisual, books and video games) displaces sales of online and offline legal content", across Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Poland and Sweden; the public funding behind the study provided a necessary basis for its neutrality. 30,000 users, including minors between 14 and 17 years, were surveyed among September and October 2014. While a negative impact was found for the film industry, videogame sales were positively affected by illegal consumption, possibly due to "the industry being successful in converting illegal users to paying users" and employing player-oriented strategies (for example, by providing additional bonus levels or items in the gameplay for a fee); finally, no evidence was found for any claims of sales displacement in the other market sectors. According to the European Digital Rights association, the study may have been censored: specifically, as of 2018, the European Commission has not published the results, except in the part where the film industry was found to be adversely affected by illegal content consumption. Access to the study was requested and obtained by Member of the European Parliament Felix Reda.
In relation to computer software, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) claimed in its 2011 piracy study: "Public opinion continues to support intellectual property (IP) rights: Seven PC users in 10 support paying innovators to promote more technological advances."
Following consultation with experts on copyright infringement, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) clarified in 2010 that "estimating the economic impact of IP [intellectual property] infringements is extremely difficult, and assumptions must be used due to the absence of data", while "it is difficult, if not impossible, to quantify the net effect of counterfeiting and piracy on the economy as a whole."
The U.S. GAO's 2010 findings regarding the great difficulty of accurately gauging the economic impact of copyright infringement was reinforced within the same report by the body's research into three commonly cited estimates that had previously been provided to U.S. agencies. The GAO report explained that the sources – a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) estimate, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) press release and a Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association estimate – "cannot be substantiated or traced back to an underlying data source or methodology."
Deaner explained the importance of rewarding the "investment risk" taken by motion picture studios in 2014:
Usually movies are hot because a distributor has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting the product in print and TV and other forms of advertising. The major Hollywood studios spend millions on this process with marketing costs rivalling the costs of production. They are attempting then to monetise through returns that can justify the investment in both the costs of promotion and production.
Motion picture industry estimates
In 2008, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) reported that its six major member companies lost US$6.1 billion to piracy. A 2009 Los Angeles Daily News article then cited a loss figure of "roughly $20 billion a year" for Hollywood studios. According to a 2013 article in The Wall Street Journal, industry estimates in the United States range between $6.1B to $18.5B per year.
In an early May 2014 article in The Guardian, an annual loss figure of US$20.5 billion was cited for the movie industry. The article's basis is the results of a University of Portsmouth study that only involved Finnish participants, aged between seven and 84. The researchers, who worked with 6,000 participants, stated: "Movie pirates are also more likely to cut down their piracy if they feel they are harming the industry compared with people who illegally download music".
However, a study conducted on data from sixteen countries between 2005 and 2013, many of which had enacted anti-piracy measures to increase box office revenues of movies, found no significant increases in any markets attributable to policy interventions, which calls into doubt the claimed negative economic effects of digital piracy on the film industry.
Software industry estimates
Psion Software claimed in 1983 that software piracy cost it £2.9 million a year, 30% of its revenue. Will Wright said that Raid on Bungeling Bay sold 20,000 copies for the Commodore 64 in the US, but 800,000 cartridges for the Nintendo Famicom with a comparable installed base in Japan, "because it's a cartridge system [so] there's virtually no piracy".
According to a 2007 BSA and International Data Corporation (IDC) study, the five countries with the highest rates of software piracy were: 1. Armenia (93%); 2. Bangladesh (92%); 3. Azerbaijan (92%); 4. Moldova (92%); and 5. Zimbabwe (91%). According to the study's results, the five countries with the lowest piracy rates were: 1. the U.S. (20%); 2. Luxembourg (21%); 3. New Zealand (22%); 4. Japan (23%); and 5. Austria (25%). The 2007 report showed that the Asia-Pacific region was associated with the highest amount of loss, in terms of U.S. dollars, with $14,090,000, followed by the European Union, with a loss of $12,383,000; the lowest amount of U.S. dollars was lost in the Middle East/Africa region, where $2,446,000 was documented.
In its 2011 report, conducted in partnership with IDC and Ipsos Public Affairs, the BSA stated: "Over half of the world's personal computer users – 57 percent – admit to pirating software." The ninth annual "BSA Global Software Piracy Study" claims that the "commercial value of this shadow market of pirated software" was worth US$63.4 billion in 2011, with the highest commercial value of pirated PC software existent in the U.S. during that time period (US$9,773,000). According to the 2011 study, Zimbabwe was the nation with the highest piracy rate, at 92%, while the lowest piracy rate was present in the U.S., at 19%.
The GAO noted in 2010 that the BSA's research up until that year defined "piracy as the difference between total installed software and legitimate software sold, and its scope involved only packaged physical software."
Music industry estimates
In 2007, the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) reported that music piracy took $12.5 billion from the U.S. economy. According to the study, musicians and those involved in the recording industry are not the only ones who experience losses attributed to music piracy. Retailers have lost over a billion dollars, while piracy has resulted in 46,000 fewer production-level jobs and almost 25,000 retail jobs. The U.S. government was also reported to suffer from music piracy, losing $422 million in tax revenue.
A 2007 study in the Journal of Political Economy found that the effect of music downloads on legal music sales was "statistically indistinguishable from zero".
A report from 2013, released by the European Commission Joint Research Centre suggests that illegal music downloads have almost no effect on the number of legal music downloads. The study analyzed the behavior of 16,000 European music consumers and found that although music piracy negatively affects offline music sales, illegal music downloads had a positive effect on legal music purchases. Without illegal downloading, legal purchases were about two percent lower.
The study has received criticism, particularly from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which believes the study is flawed and misleading. One argument against the research is that many music consumers only download music illegally. The IFPI also points out that music piracy affects not only online music sales but also multiple facets of the music industry, which is not addressed in the study.
Media industry estimates
In a March 2019 article, The New York Times reported that the Qatar-based beIN Media Group suffered "billions of dollars" of losses, following the unilateral cancellation of an exclusive contract it shared with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the past 10 years. The decision by the AFC to invalidate its license for broadcasting rights to air games in Saudi Arabia came after the kingdom was accused of leading a piracy operation through its television broadcaster, beoutQ, misappropriating sports content owned by beIN Sports since 2017, worth billions of dollars.
In January 2020, the European Commission released a report on protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in third countries. The report named as many as 13 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia, the last being included for the first time. The report said piracy is "causing considerable harm to EU businesses" and high economic losses have occurred in Argentina, China, Ecuador and India. It also informed Saudi Arabia has not "taken sufficient steps to stop the infringement" caused via BeoutQ, like other countries have, to minimize the extent of financial and economic loss.
Criticism of industry estimates
Some claims made by industry representatives have been criticized as overestimating the monetary loss caused by copyright infringement.
In one example, the RIAA claimed damages against LimeWire totaling $75 trillion – more than the global GDP – with the judge overseeing the case ruling that such claims were "absurd". The $75 trillion figure had been obtained by counting each song downloaded as an infringement of copyright. After the conclusion of the case, LimeWire agreed to pay $105 million to RIAA.
In another decision, US District Court Judge James P. Jones found that the "RIAA's request problematically assumes that every illegal download resulted in a lost sale", indicating profit/loss estimates were likely extremely off.
Critics of industry estimates argue that those who use peer-to-peer sharing services, or practice "piracy" are actually more likely to pay for music. A Jupiter Research study in 2000 found that "Napster users were 45 percent more likely to have increased their music purchasing habits than online music fans who don't use the software were." This indicated that users of peer-to-peer sharing did not hurt the profits of the music industry, but in fact may have increased it.
Professor Aram Sinnreich, in his book The Piracy Crusade, states that the connection between declining music sales and the creation of peer to peer file sharing sites such as Napster is tenuous, based on correlation rather than causation. He argues that the industry at the time was undergoing artificial expansion, what he describes as a perfect bubble'—a confluence of economic, political, and technological forces that drove the aggregate value of music sales to unprecedented heights at the end of the twentieth century".
Sinnreich cites multiple causes for the economic bubble, including the CD format replacement cycle; the shift from music specialty stores to wholesale suppliers of music and 'minimum advertised pricing'; and the economic expansion of 1991–2001. He believes that with the introduction of new digital technologies, the bubble burst, and the industry suffered as a result.
Economic impact of infringement in emerging markets
The 2011 Business Software Alliance Piracy Study Standard estimated the total commercial value of illegally copied software to be at $59 billion in 2010, with emerging markets accounting for $31.9 billion, over half of the total. Furthermore, mature markets for the first time received fewer PC shipments than emerging economies in 2010. In addition with software infringement rates of 68 percent comparing to 24 percent of mature markets, emerging markets thus possessed the majority of the global increase in the commercial value of counterfeit software. China continued to have the highest commercial value of such software at $8.9 billion among developing countries and second in the world behind the US at $9.7 billion in 2011. In 2011, the Business Software Alliance announced that 83 percent of software deployed on PCs in Africa had been pirated (excluding South Africa).
Some countries distinguish corporate piracy from private use, which is tolerated as a welfare service. This is the leading reason developing countries refuse to accept or respect copyright laws. Traian Băsescu, the president of Romania, stated that "piracy helped the young generation discover computers. It set off the development of the IT industry in Romania."
Pro-open culture organizations
Free Software Foundation (FSF)
Open Source Initiative (OSI)
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Creative Commons (CC)
Demand Progress
Fight for the Future
Pirate Party
Plan S, by major funders of scientific research
Anti-copyright infringement organizations
Business Software Alliance (BSA)
Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft (CAAST)
Entertainment Software Association (ESA)
Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT)
Federation Against Software Theft (FAST)
International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA)
Association for the Protection of Internet Copyright (APIC)
Copyright Alliance
See also
Abandonware
In re Aimster Copyright Litigation
Australian copyright law
Cable television piracy
Center for Copyright Information
Comparison of anti-plagiarism software
Computer Associates Int. Inc. v. Altai Inc.
Copyfraud
Copyleft
Copyright aspects of downloading and streaming
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
Copyrighted content on file sharing networks
Copyright Remedy Clarification Act
Criminal remedies for copyright infringement
Elektra Records Co. v. Gem Electronic Distributors, Inc.
Fair Use
FBI
Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT)
Intellectual property in China
Internet Privacy Act
Jacobsen v. Katzer
Legal aspects of copyright infringement
Missionary Church of Kopimism
Online piracy
Open Letter to Hobbyists
Pirated movie release types
Plagiarism
Product activation
Public domain
Radio music ripping
Software copyright
Software cracking
Trade group efforts against file sharing
Trans-Pacific Partnership
Video copy detection
Video game piracy
Warez
Windows Genuine Advantage
World Anti-Piracy Observatory (WAPO)
References
Further reading
Infringement
Organized crime
Organized crime activity
Tort law
File sharing
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thackeray%20%28film%29
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Thackeray (film)
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Thackeray is a 2019 Indian biographical film written and directed by Abhijit Panse and made simultaneously in Marathi and Hindi. The film follows the life of Balasaheb Thackeray, the founder of the Indian political party Shiv Sena. The film stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Thackeray and Amrita Rao as his wife. The film released on 25 January 2019, right after the 93rd birthday of Bal Thackeray.
Plot
The film is a biopic based on Marathi politician Balasaheb Thackeray.
Cast
Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Bal Thackeray
Amrita Rao as Meena Thackeray
Mukund Gosavi as Prabodhankar Thackeray
Sachin A. Jayavant as Uddhav Thackeray
Vishal Sudarshanwar as Raj Thackeray
Rajesh Khera as Morarji Desai
Sanjay Narvekar as Krishna Desai
Praveen Tarde as Dattaji Salvi
Sandeep Khare as Manohar Joshi
Prakash Belawadi as George Fernandes
Nikhil Mahajan as Sharad Pawar
Avantika Akerekar as Indira Gandhi
Sudhir Mishra as Mastan
Sanjay Kulkarni as Diwakar Raote
Mohaniraj Khare as Pramod Navalkar
Prabhakar More as Wamanrao Mahadik
Ashok Lokhande as Yashwantrao Chavan
Praful Samant as Vasantrao Naik
Abdul Quadir Amin as Jaidev Thackeray
Vidyadhar Paranjape as Subhash Desai
Balaji Deshpande as Rajni Patel
Anand Vikas Potdukhe as Jambuwantrao Dhote
Anil Sutar as Dada Kondke
Chetan Sharma as Dilip Vengsarkar
Ashish Pathode as Javed Miandad
Jaywant Wadkar as Police officer
Vineet Sharma as DCP Emmanuel Modak
Soundtrack
The music of the film was composed by Rohan-Rohan and Sandeep Shirodkar with lyrics by Dr Sunil Jogi, Manoj Yadav and Manndar Cholkar. The film's score was composed by Amar Mohile.
Reception
Critical response
Thackeray received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Times of India gave the film 3 stars out of 5 and states: "While the honesty is commendable, it comes across that the lead character's political motivations lack clarity. Perhaps a more seasoned writer, could have fleshed out Thackeray's characters and eccentricities a lot better. But, its Nawaz's nonchalant performance that overshadows the flaws and leaves a lasting impact."
Times Now went with 2.5 stars out of 5 and has to say: "A lot of focus is put on making the film a tearjerker by emphasizing the aftermath of the riots, violence and fights that pretty much summed up Shiv Sena's history under the guidance of founder, Bal Thackeray. The film is good because of Nawazuddin's performance but it cannot be considered as one of the best biopics ever created."
The life time domestic Box office collection is as per Taran Adarsh. Raut also plans to continue the film with a sequel.
Controversy
Popular Tamil and Telugu actor Siddharth has slammed Bal Thackeray for abusing South Indians. “Nawazuddin has repeated 'Uthao lungi bajao pungi' (lift the lungi and *'#$ him) in the film #Thackeray. Clearly hate speech against South Indians... In a film glorifying the person who said it! Are you planning to make money out of this propaganda? Stop selling hate! Scary stuff!"
References
External links
2019 films
Indian films
Hindi-language films
Marathi-language films
2010s Hindi-language films
Indian biographical films
Indian films based on actual events
Indian political films
Indian multilingual films
Viacom18 Studios films
Biographical films about politicians
Cultural depictions of Indira Gandhi
Cultural depictions of prime ministers of India
2019 multilingual films
2010s Marathi-language films
Bal Thackeray
Morarji Desai
Thackeray family (Maharashtra)
Cultural depictions of cricketers
Cultural depictions of actors
Cultural depictions of Indian men
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3582323
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware%20architecture
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Hardware architecture
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In engineering, hardware architecture refers to the identification of a system's physical components and their interrelationships. This description, often called a hardware design model, allows hardware designers to understand how their components fit into a system architecture and provides to software component designers important information needed for software development and integration. Clear definition of a hardware architecture allows the various traditional engineering disciplines (e.g., electrical and mechanical engineering) to work more effectively together to develop and manufacture new machines, devices and components.
Hardware is also an expression used within the computer engineering industry to explicitly distinguish the (electronic computer) hardware from the software that runs on it. But hardware, within the automation and software engineering disciplines, need not simply be a computer of some sort. A modern automobile runs vastly more software than the Apollo spacecraft. Also, modern aircraft cannot function without running tens of millions of computer instructions embedded and distributed throughout the aircraft and resident in both standard computer hardware and in specialized hardward components such as IC wired logic gates, analog and hybrid devices, and other digital components. The need to effectively model how separate physical components combine to form complex systems is important over a wide range of applications, including computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, surgical instrumentation, satellites, and submarines.
Hardware architecture is the representation of an engineered (or to be engineered) electronic or electromechanical hardware system, and the process and discipline for effectively implementing the design(s) for such a system. It is generally part of a larger integrated system encompassing information, software, and device prototyping.
It is a representation because it is used to convey information about the related elements comprising a hardware system, the relationships among those elements, and the rules governing those relationships.
It is a process because a sequence of steps is prescribed to produce or change the architecture, and/or a design from that architecture, of a hardware system within a set of constraints.
It is a discipline because a body of knowledge is used to inform practitioners as to the most effective way to design the system within a set of constraints.
A hardware architecture is primarily concerned with the internal electrical (and, more rarely, the mechanical) interfaces among the system's components or subsystems, and the interface between the system and its external environment, especially the devices operated by or the electronic displays viewed by a user. (This latter, special interface, is known as the computer human interface, AKA human computer interface, or HCI; formerly called the man-machine interface.) Integrated circuit (IC) designers are driving current technologies into innovative approaches for new products. Hence, multiple layers of active devices are being proposed as single chip, opening up opportunities for disruptive microelectronic, optoelectronic, and new microelectromechanical hardware implementation.
Background
Prior to the advent of digital computers, the electronics and other engineering disciplines used the terms system and hardware as they are still commonly used today. However, with the arrival of digital computers on the scene and the development of software engineering as a separate discipline, it was often necessary to distinguish among engineered hardware artifacts, software artifacts, and the combined artifacts.
A programmable hardware artifact, or machine, that lacks its computer program is impotent; even as a software artifact, or program, is equally impotent unless it can be used to alter the sequential states of a suitable (hardware) machine. However, a hardware machine and its programming can be designed to perform an almost illimitable number of abstract and physical tasks. Within the computer and software engineering disciplines (and, often, other engineering disciplines, such as communications), then, the terms hardware, software, and system came to distinguish between the hardware that runs a computer program, the software, and the hardware device complete with its program.
The hardware engineer or architect deals (more or less) exclusively with the hardware device; the software engineer or architect deals (more or less) exclusively with the program; and the systems engineer or systems architect is responsible for seeing that the programming is capable of properly running within the hardware device, and that the system composed of the two entities is capable of properly interacting with its external environment, especially the user, and performing its intended function.
A hardware architecture, then, is an abstract representation of an electronic or an electromechanical device capable of running a fixed or changeable program.
A hardware architecture generally includes some form of analog, digital, or hybrid electronic computer, along with electronic and mechanical sensors and actuators. Hardware design may be viewed as a 'partitioning scheme,' or algorithm, which considers all of the system's present and foreseeable requirements and arranges the necessary hardware components into a workable set of cleanly bounded subsystems with no more parts than are required. That is, it is a partitioning scheme that is exclusive, inclusive, and exhaustive. A major purpose of the partitioning is to arrange the elements in the hardware subsystems so that there is a minimum of electrical connections and electronic communications needed among them. In both software and hardware, a good subsystem tends to be seen as a meaningful "object." Moreover, a clear allocation of user requirements to the architecture (hardware and software) provides an effective basis for validation tests of the user's requirements in the as-built system.
See also
Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)
Electronic design automation (EDA)
Elmer FEM solver
Finite element analysis
Hardware architect
Integrated circuit (IC)
System-on-a-chip (SoC)
Very-large-scale integration (VLSI)
VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL)
Technology CAD (TCAD)
Open Cascade Technology
ASIC
Open source hardware
References
Engineering concepts
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5902241
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers%20Wanted
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Hackers Wanted
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Hackers Wanted is an unreleased American documentary film.
Directed and written by Sam Bozzo, the film explores the origins and nature of hackers and hacking by following the adventures of Adrian Lamo, and contrasting his story with that of controversial figures throughout history. The film is narrated by Kevin Spacey.
Originally named "Can You Hack It?" in 2007, the film failed to get a conventional release, according to Lamo, because of conflicts between its producer and others on the team. The more commonly cited reason is a problem with the quality of the finished product. On May 20, 2010, a version of the film was leaked to BitTorrent. Lamo has stated that he had no involvement in the leak.
On June 12, 2010, a director's cut version of the film was also leaked onto torrent sites. This version of the film contains additional footage and is significantly different from the one previously leaked.
See also
Phreaking
Trigger Street Productions
Blue box
John Draper
Steve Wozniak
Leo Laporte
Kevin Rose
References
External links
Hackers Wanted Trailer
American independent films
American films
Documentary films about the Internet
Unreleased American films
Hacking (computer security)
Works about computer hacking
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25093833
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WHCA%20Roadrunner
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WHCA Roadrunner
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The White House Communications Agency Roadrunner vehicle is an element of every American presidential motorcade. It is also known as the MC2V (mobile command and control vehicle). The vehicle serves as the communications hub for the motorcade by encrypting duplex radio and streaming video which in turn is beamed up to a military satellite which in turn beams that data back down to a ground entry point and through to the WHCA switchboard.
The vehicle is a heavily modified Chevrolet Suburban equipped with protective armor, runflat tires, vehicle transponder, and turbocharger. The most obvious feature is a configurable antennae platform mounted on the roof. This contains a large SATCOM dome containing a tracking dish that serves as the data uplink and downlink as the primary communications path for the motorcade. Also on the roof are smaller VHF antennas that serve as a repeater for the other motorcade elements as well as another communications path to local authorities and the onsite White House Communications Agency office. VHF antennae configuration changes according to the mission operational requirements. This also serves as the hub for the LCP or Limousine Control Package that allows C2 functions to be performed from USSS control cars, presidential parade limo or presidential suburban. 22 of these vehicles were built by Assurance Technology Corporation in Carlisle, MA and developed with NRL (Naval Research Laboratory).
The primary communications path was via the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) III (U) satellite. There were nine of these satellites in orbit, each one providing six super-high-frequency encrypted data and voice channels and a single channel dedicated for Emergency Action Messages which would be used to direct a nuclear release from the motorcade.
Voice channels are all encrypted, most likely with FASCINATOR encryption. FASCINATOR is a digital voice encryption standard for the federal government. It is based on voice being digitized using 12 kbit/s Continuously Variable Slope Delta modulation (CVSD) and then encrypted using a National Security Agency (NSA) Commercial COMSEC Endorsement Program (CCEP) Type I encryption algorithm.
References
White House
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36731269
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposal%20software
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Proposal software
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Proposal software also known as proposal management software, proposal writing software, or proposal automation software is a computer program designed to help users develop proposals, presentations, and responses to RFPs. Proposal management software is becoming increasingly popular in companies that manage frequent and extensive proposal writing projects. Such software allows businesses to automate more routine tasks while easily tracking multiple versions.
Proposal software allows users to create and manage all important sales and marketing documentation such as business proposals, welcome letters, contracts, quotes, and marketing collateral. Often available as a web-based cloud service, proposal software helps sales, marketing, and legal teams both administer the proposal creation process and communicate their needs through a digital document. Many software applications integrate with CRM software, content management solutions, accounting platforms, and electronic signature providers. Some integrate with Microsoft Office.
Proposal management software is considered to be a sales efficiency tool as it helps cross-selling and upselling by spending less time on creating and managing sales documents and delivering timely and relevant information. In some cases, it's argued that this software solution bleeds into an up-and-coming "sales enablement" software genre. However, proposal management software addresses inefficiencies and lack of visibility in the sales cycle, rather than "sales enablement" efforts defined as sales coaching and guiding the sale.
Forrester Research, a business technology analyst firm, views sales enablement and efficiency tools, such as proposal management software, as the key linchpin required to help a B2B company bridge the gap between their business strategies and how they execute in the field.
Main features
The core features of proposal management software vary widely between systems. Many simpler programs have only basic features, while others, especially enterprise systems, are more complex and powerful. Proposal management software is a set of automated processes that may support the following features.
Allow for a large number of people to share and contribute to both stored proposal templates and data;
Control access to proposals based on defined user roles (i.e., define information that users or user groups can view, edit, publish, etc.);
Provides multi-tier approval;
Facilitates storage and retrieval of proposals;
Control over data validity;
Simplify proposal writing;
Improve communication and collaboration among users;
Management of specific sections of a document;
Increased content and brand compliance;
Decrease in time to final assembly;
Track the time spent by various contributors, enabling management to calculate ROI of each document.
Data types and usage
Proposal software is frequently used for storing, controlling, revising, semantically enriching, and publishing documentation. Serving as a central repository, the proposal software increases the version level of new updates to an already existing file.
A standard requirement for salespeople is to have a standard proposal that you can modify to meet the specific requirements of your customer or prospect. Simple cutting and pasting of boilerplate materials can make it easy to create good proposals.
The software enables users to assemble individual components into a document structure. Some solutions offer uses a 'shopping cart' experience, where salespeople are able to select which content components to include in the final document. These components are then reused (rather than copied and pasted) within a document or across multiple documents. Data tags and smart content sections allow for automatic tailoring by client name, region, or product selection. This ensures that content is consistent across the entire document set.
Web-based
Software as a service (SaaS) or web-based proposal management software require content to be imported into the system. However, once content is imported, the software acts like a search engine so users can find what they are looking for faster. The HTML format allows for better application of search capabilities such as full-text searching and stemming.
Enterprise system
Enterprise software tend to offer more customized solutions intended to improve the enterprise's productivity and sales efficiency by providing advanced functionality, robust business logic, and support functionality.
References
Business software
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58224199
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CloudEndure
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CloudEndure
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CloudEndure is a cloud computing company that develops business continuity software for disaster recovery, continuous backup, and live migration. CloudEndure is headquartered in the United States with R&D in Israel.
History
CloudEndure was founded in 2012 by Ofer Gadish (CEO), Gil Shai (CRO), Ofir Ehrlich (VP R&D), and Leonid Feinberg (VP Product). The same founders previously established AcceloWeb, which was acquired by Limelight Networks in 2011.
CloudEndure has raised a total of $18.2 million from private investors and companies such as Dell EMC, VMware, Mitsui, Infosys, and Magma Venture Partners.
Awards for CloudEndure include the 2017 CRN Emerging Vendors Award for Storage Startups and the 2016 Gartner Cool Vendor Award.
CloudEndure products have been integrated as OEM software for several partner company services, including an integration into Google Cloud VM Migration Service and integrations with Cisco Systems CloudCenter Disaster Recovery and Migration and Sungard Availability Services Cloud Recovery.
Amazon made an offer to purchase CloudEndure in January 2019. Between $200 to $250 million was the negotiated price. They outbid Google and acquired the company on January 10, 2019.
Products
CloudEndure Disaster Recovery performs continuous block-level replication and saves a dormant copy in the target infrastructure, which uses a smaller percentage of compute, storage, and memory than the primary site; this leads to minimal RTOs (recovery time objective) and RPOs (recovery point objective) when spun up in a disaster.
The company offers two tiers of Disaster Recovery, as well as Continuous Backup and Live Migration products.
CloudEndure's Software as a Service (SaaS) are application-agnostic and can replicate workloads from physical, virtual, and cloud-based infrastructure to a variety of target sites, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Microsoft Azure, and VMware.
Patents and licensing
CloudEndure Ltd. holds (or has pending) seven US patents including:
- System and method for maintaining a copy of a cloud-based computing environment and restoration.
- System and method for asynchronous replication of a storage in a computing environment.
- System and method for name resolution of replicated components in computing environments.
- System and method for orchestrating replicated components in a replicated cloud-based computing environment.
- System and method for restoring original machines from replicated machines in a secondary computing environment.
- Synchronization of an order of access instructions from a primary computing environment to a replicated computing environment.
- System and method for disk identification in a cloud-based computing environment.
See also
Disaster recovery
Disaster recovery plan (DRP)
Business continuity
Recovery time objective (RTO)
Recovery point objective (RPO)
Continuous data protection
References
Amazon (company) acquisitions
Disaster recovery
Cloud computing providers
Software companies based in New York City
Software companies established in 2012
Software companies of Israel
Software companies of the United States
VMware
2019 mergers and acquisitions
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34455963
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriella%20Coleman
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Gabriella Coleman
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Enid Gabriella Coleman (usually known as Gabriella Coleman or Biella; born 1973) is an anthropologist, academic and author whose work focuses on cultures of hacking and online activism, particularly Anonymous. She previously held the Wolfe Chair in Scientific & Technological Literacy at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada and is currently a full professor at Harvard University's Department of Anthropology. Nathan Schneider writing in the Chronicle of Higher Education named her "the world's foremost scholar on Anonymous".
Education
After completing her high school education at St. John's School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Coleman graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from Columbia University in May 1996. She moved to the University of Chicago where she completed a Master of Arts in socio-cultural anthropology in August 1999. She was awarded her Ph.D in socio-cultural anthropology for her dissertation The Social Construction of Freedom in Free and Open Source Software: Hackers, Ethics, and the Liberal Tradition in 2005.
Academic career
Coleman held positions including a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Cultural Analysis, Rutgers University and the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Postdoctoral Fellowship, Program in Science, Technology & Society, University of Alberta before being appointed assistant professor of media, culture and communication at New York University in September 2007.
During 2010–2011, Coleman spent some time working at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton as the recipient of the "2010–11 Ginny and Robert Loughlin Founders' Circle Member in the School of Social Science".
In January 2012, she moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada to take up the Wolfe Chair in Scientific & Technological Literacy at McGill University. The same year, she also spoke at Webstock 2012 in Wellington, New Zealand.
Study of Anonymous
Coleman's work on Anonymous has led to her becoming a regular media commentator in addition to her academic publications. In July 2010, Coleman made reference to the Anonymous "project" or "operation" Chanology against the Church of Scientology and uses what would become a central motif in her descriptions of the group, the "trickster archetype", which she argues is "often not being a very clean and savory character, but perhaps vital for social renewal". Coleman states that she had "been thinking about the linkages between the trickster and hackers" for "a few years" before a stay in hospital led her to read Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art by Lewis Hyde:
Coleman's theory concerning Anonymous (and associated groups such as 4chan) as the trickster has moved from academia to the mainstream media. Recent references include the three-part series on Anonymous in Wired magazine and the New York Times. Coleman has also been critical of some of the mainstream coverage of Anonymous. In Is it a Crime? The Transgressive Politics of Hacking in Anonymous (with Michael Ralph), Coleman responds to an article on the group by Joseph Menn in the Financial Times noting:
Our Weirdness Is Free: The logic of Anonymous — online army, agent of chaos, and seeker of justice, Triple Canopy 2012 January, is Coleman's first major piece of length on the group and draws from a range of observations of those she describes as "everything and nothing at once". Even Coleman admits she does not fully understand Anonymous, she told the BBC:
Coleman's multi-year ethnographic research on Anonymous culminated in the publication of Hacker Hoaxer Whistleblower Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous. Awarded the American Anthropological Association's Diane Forsythe prize and described by Alan Moore, the co-author of V for Vendetta as "brilliantly lucid", the book charts the history, rise, and impact of the Anonymous movement. Even though the book deploys journalistic writing conventions, Coleman continues to analytically frame the activity of trolling and Anonymous in terms of tricksterism. She argues in her book that tricksters "are well positioned to impart lessons—regardless of their intent.". And continues to note: “Their actions need not be accepted, much less endorsed, to extract positive value. We may see them as edifying us with liberating or terrifying perspectives, symptomatic of underlying problems that deserve scrutiny, functioning as a positive force toward renewal, or as distorting and confusing shadows.” The white nationalist troll weev, also treated as a foil to Anonymous, is presented as an example of the terrifying side of trickstermism, while Anonymous, argues Coleman, represents a more positive side, a force for political hope and renewal.
The issues of tricksters, trolls and Anonymous was further explored by a group of anthropologists in special issue of the Journal Hau that reviewed Coleman's book.
Publications
References
External links
Puerto Rican academics
McGill University faculty
Living people
American anthropologists
American women anthropologists
Columbia College (New York) alumni
University of Chicago alumni
American expatriate academics
American expatriates in Canada
1973 births
American women academics
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FitNesse
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FitNesse
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FitNesse is a web server, a wiki and an automated testing tool for software. It is based on Ward Cunningham's Framework for Integrated Test and is designed to support acceptance testing rather than unit testing in that it facilitates detailed readable description of system function.
FitNesse allows users of a developed system to enter specially formatted input (its format is accessible to non-programmers). This input is interpreted and tests are created automatically. These tests are then executed by the system and output is returned to the user. The advantage of this approach is very fast feedback from users. The developer of the system to be tested needs to provide some support (classes named "fixtures", conforming to certain conventions).
FitNesse is written in Java (by Micah Martin with help from Robert C. Martin and others). The program first supported only Java, but versions for several other languages have been added over time (C++, Python, Ruby, Delphi, C#, etc.).
Principles of FitNesse
FitNesse as a testing method
FitNesse was originally designed as a highly usable interface around the Fit framework. As such its intention is to support an agile style of black-box testing acceptance and regression testing. In this style of testing the functional testers in a software development project collaborate with the software developers to develop a testing suite.
FitNesse testing is based around the notation of black-box testing, in which a system under test is considered to be a black box and is tested in terms of the outputs generated in response to predetermined inputs. A functional tester is responsible for designing the tests in a functional sense and expressing them within the FitNesse tool, whereas the software developer is responsible for connecting the FitNesse tool to the system under test so that FitNesse can execute the test and compare the actual output to the expected output.
The idea behind this testing method, as described in Fit for Developing Software, is that the forced collaboration of testers and developers will improve mutual understanding of the system and requirements by forcing the two groups to develop a common language as they learn to communicate together.
FitNesse as a testing tool
Tests are described in Fitnesse as couplings of inputs and expected outputs. These couplings are expressed variations of a decision table. The FitNesse tool supports several of these variations, ranging from literal decision tables to tables that execute queries to tables that express testing scripts (i.e. a literal ordering of steps that must be followed to reach a result). The most generic form is a fully free-form table that can be interpreted in any way the test designers like. All tests are expressed in the shape of some sort of table, however.
FitNesse is focused entirely on easily creating tests, allowing testers and developers to focus on creating high-quality tests rather than getting lost in the mechanics of executing a test. Given the way FitNesse works, creating tests easily involves three factors:
Creating tables easily.
Easily translating tables into calls to the system under test.
Allowing ease and flexibility in documenting tests.
In order to meet these requirements, FitNesse leverages the wiki mechanism. Wikis classically allow for the easy and rapid creation of HTML pages and particularly simplify the expression of tables. These qualities make the basic WikiWiki language an ideal choice for a "user interface" for FitNesse: on the one hand it allows for the simple expression of very free-form tables, on the other hand it limits the contents of those tables to rather simple text. This means that the WikiWiki language can handle whatever shape of table is required for a particular test and at the same time limits the contents of those tables to alphanumeric text that can easily be mapped into a call to a piece of software. Finally, since each test in FitNesse is a wiki page it is possible to embed each testing table within wiki text; this allows a functional tester to include descriptive text with a reasonable layout quickly.
FitNesse as a software tool
FitNesse is a tool developed in Java and shipped as a single, executable jar file. The executable includes a wiki engine, an embedded web server, a testing engine and all the resources (images, stylesheets and so on) required to create a web site in FitNesse's own style.
FitNesse is focused very much on ease of use as a testing tool. As such it ships with all required components on board: upon execution the tool launches an embedded web server which allows test pages to be exposed locally or across the Internet with equal ease. The embedded server is quite lightweight and can be run from a laptop as well as full server machine.
Upon launch the tool deploys its own Wiki engine into its embedded server. This Wiki engine is similarly focused on simplicity, meaning that it does not require a backing database to run — it simply creates a file-based collection of Wiki pages which are interpreted by the Wiki engine and served by the embedded web server. The default wiki created by the tool includes the FitNesse user guide and some examples. The default document repository is created complete with everything needed to publish a default wiki in the FitNesse style (that is, all the images, stylesheets, JavaScript files and so on are created together with the basic wiki page repository).
The wiki engine is quite basic, but does offer all the basic facilities common among wiki engines: a search engine, revision history per page and a file overview. It also offers some refactoring operations that allow for deleting, moving and renaming files. In addition the wiki engine offers some test-specific facilities, such as standard buttons to run tests, ways of defining individual test pages and suites of tests and a historic overview of test results for trend analysis. Finally the engine offers some minor security facilities for locking pages and securing access to the wiki.
Test execution
Testing within the FitNesse system involves four components per test:
The wiki page which expresses the test as a decision table.
A testing engine, which interprets the wiki page.
A test fixture, which is invoked by the testing engine and in turn invokes the system under test.
The system under test, which is being tested.
Of these components the software development team produces two: the wiki page and the fixture (of course it also produces the system under test, but from the point of view of the black-box test only two). The wiki page includes some form of decision table which expresses a test. For example, it might express tests for a component that performs division (the example is based on the one given in the FitNesse Two Minute Example):
The link between the generic testing engine and the system under test is made by a piece of Java code called a fixture. In the case of the table above this code might look like this:
public class DivisionComponentTest extends ColumnFixture {
private double num;
private double denom;
public void setNumeratorValue (double numerator) {
num = numerator;
}
public void setDenominatorValue (double denominator) {
denom = denominator;
}
public double result() {
return SystemUnderTest.divide (num, denom);
}
}
The mapping between the wiki page and the fixture is a straightforward convert-to-camel case mapping. This mapping applies to all table headings and is used to identify the name of the fixture class as well as the methods of the fixture. A heading ending in a question mark is interpreted as a value to be read from the fixture, other headers are considered inputs to the fixture. Methods of the fixture are called in column order of the decision table, from left to right.
Testing engines
The actual mapping as described above (as well as the invocation of fixture methods) is done by a testing engine. FitNesse supports two of these engines: the Fit engine and the SLIM engine.
Fit
More than an engine, Fit is a testing framework unto itself. It combines functionality to invoke tests, interpret wiki pages and generate output pages. FitNesse was originally built around Fit as a user interface, which inspired the name of the tool.
Fit is a framework that combines many responsibilities in testing rather than separating responsibilities neatly. The software developer pays a price for this fact in that fixtures for the Fit engine must inherit from Fit framework base classes. This can be inconvenient in Java, as it means that the framework claims a developer's one chance at class inheritance. It also means that a fixture, by its nature, is a heavyweight construct. These considerations have prompted the FitNesse team in recent years to move to the SLIM testing engine.
SLIM
SLIM (Simple List Invocation Method) is an alternative to Fit.
The SLIM engine is an implementation of the Slim Protocol. Rather than combining all the elements of wiki-based testing, the SLIM engine concentrates only on invoking the fixture; it runs as a separate server which is invoked remotely by the FitNesse wiki engine. The interpretation of the wiki page and the generation of the result page is now part of the wiki engine.
The SLIM engine allows for far more light-weight fixtures which are simple POJOs. These fixtures are not required to extend or use any framework classes, which simplifies their design and allows the fixture designer to concentrate on calling the system under test properly and in the simplest way possible. It also keeps the inheritance route open, allowing fixture developers to create fixture hierarchies if necessary.
See also
Acceptance test-driven development
Specification by example
Acceptance testing (also referred to as functional testing)
Software performance testing
Regression testing
Watir
StoryTestIQ (STIQ) a mash-up of Selenium and the Fitness wiki (Please note: Wiki does not exist anymore (deleted in 2009), left here for reference only)
Books
Fit for Developing Software: Framework for Integrated Tests by Rick Mugridge; Ward Cunningham () published by Prentice Hall in June 2005
Test Driven .NET Development with FitNesse by Gojko Adzic () published by Neuri Limited (February 28, 2008)
Phillip A. Laplante: Requirements Engineering for Software and Systems, Auerbach Publications, Boca Raton, FL, 2009, pp. 166–167,
References
External links
Tool website
Source Repository
Languages supported by FitNesse
Discussion group dedicated to FitNesse
FitNesse presentation
Groupware
Software testing tools
Free software programmed in Java (programming language)
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59012195
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search%20engine%20privacy
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Search engine privacy
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Search engine privacy is a subset of internet privacy that deals with user data being collected by search engines. Both types of privacy fall under the umbrella of information privacy. Privacy concerns regarding search engines can take many forms, such as the ability for search engines to log individual search queries, browsing history, IP addresses, and cookies of users, and conducting user profiling in general. The collection of personally identifiable information (PII) of users by search engines is referred to as "tracking".
This is controversial because search engines often claim to collect a user's data in order to better tailor results to that specific user and to provide the user with a better searching experience. However, search engines can also abuse and compromise its users' privacy by selling their data to advertisers for profit. In the absence of regulations, users must decide what is more important to their search engine experience: relevance and speed of results or their privacy, and choose a search engine accordingly.
The legal framework for protecting user privacy is not very solid. The most popular search engines collect personal information, but other search engines that are focused on privacy have cropped up recently. There have been several well publicized breaches of search engine user privacy that occurred with companies like AOL and Yahoo. For individuals interested in preserving their privacy, there are options available to them, such as using software like Tor which makes the user's location and personal information anonymous or using a privacy focused search engine.
Privacy policies
Search engines generally publish privacy policies to inform users about what data of theirs may be collected and what purposes it may be used for. While these policies may be an attempt at transparency by search engines, many people never read them and are therefore unaware of how much of their private information, like passwords and saved files, are collected from cookies and may be logged and kept by the search engine. This ties in with the phenomenon of notice and consent, which is how many privacy policies are structured.
Notice and consent policies essentially consist of a site showing the user a privacy policy and having them click to agree. This is intended to let the user freely decide whether or not to go ahead and use the website. This decision, however, may not actually be made so freely because the costs of opting out can be very high. Another big issue with putting the privacy policy in front of users and having them accept quickly is that they are often very hard to understand, even in the unlikely case that a user decides to read them. Privacy minded search engines, such as DuckDuckGo, state in their privacy policies that they collect much less data than search engines such as Google or Yahoo, and may not collect any. As of 2008, search engines were not in the business of selling user data to third parties, though they do note in their privacy policies that they comply with government subpoenas.
Google and Yahoo
Google, founded in 1998, is the most widely used search engine, receiving billions and billions of search queries every month. Google logs all search terms in a database along with the date and time of search, browser and operating system, IP address of user, the Google cookie, and the URL that shows the search engine and search query. The privacy policy of Google states that they pass user data on to various affiliates, subsidiaries, and "trusted" business partners.
Yahoo, founded in 1995, also collects user data. It is a well-known fact that users do not read privacy policies, even for services that they use daily, such as Yahoo! Mail and Gmail. This persistent failure of consumers to read these privacy policies can be disadvantageous to them because while they may not pick up on differences in the language of privacy policies, judges in court cases certainly do. This means that search engine and email companies like Google and Yahoo are technically able to keep up the practice of targeting advertisements based on email content since they declare that they do so in their privacy policies. A study was done to see how much consumers cared about privacy policies of Google, specifically Gmail, and their detail, and it determined that users often thought that Google's practices were somewhat intrusive but that users would not often be willing to counteract this by paying a premium for their privacy.
DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008, claims to be privacy focused. DuckDuckGo does not collect or share any personal information of users, such as IP addresses or cookies, which other search engines usually do log and keep for some time. It also does not have spam, and protects user privacy further by anonymizing search queries from the website the user chooses and using encryption. Similarly privacy oriented search engines include Startpage and Disconnect.
Types of data collected by search engines
Most search engines can, and do, collect personal information about their users according to their own privacy policies. This user data could be anything from location information to cookies, IP addresses, search query histories, click-through history, and online fingerprints. This data is often stored in large databases, and users may be assigned numbers in an attempt to provide them with anonymity.
Data can be stored for an extended period of time. For example, the data collected by Google on its users is retained for up to 9 months. Some studies state that this number is actually 18 months. This data is used for various reasons such as optimizing and personalizing search results for users, targeting advertising, and trying to protect users from scams and phishing attacks. Such data can be collected even when a user is not logged in to their account or when using a different IP address by using cookies.
Uses
User profiling and personalization
What search engines often do once they have collected information about a user's habits is to create a profile of them, which helps the search engine decide which links to show for different search queries submitted by that user or which ads to target them with. An interesting development in this field is the invention of automated learning, also known as machine learning. Using this, search engines can refine their profiling models to more accurately predict what any given user may want to click on by doing A/B testing of results offered to users and measuring the reactions of users.
Companies like Google, Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon have all started personalizing results more and more. One notable example is how Google Scholar takes into account the publication history of a user in order to produce results it deems relevant. Personalization also occurs when Amazon recommends books or when IMDb suggests movies by using previously collected information about a user to predict their tastes. For personalization to occur, a user need not even be logged into their account.
Targeted advertising
The internet advertising company DoubleClick, which helps advertisers target users for specific ads, was bought by Google in 2008 and was a subsidiary until June 2018, when Google rebranded and merged DoubleClick into its Google Marketing Platform. DoubleClick worked by depositing cookies on user's computers that would track sites they visited with DoubleClick ads on them. There was a privacy concern when Google was in the process of acquiring DoubleClick that the acquisition would let Google create even more comprehensive profiles of its users since they would be collecting data about search queries and additionally tracking websites visited. This could lead to users being shown ads that are increasingly effective with the use of behavioral targeting. With more effective ads comes the possibility of more purchases from consumers that they may not have made otherwise. In 1994, a conflict between selling ads and relevance of results on search engines began. This was sparked by the development of the cost-per-click model, which challenged the methods of the already-created cost-per-mille model. The cost-per-click method was directly related to what users searched, whereas the cost-per-mille method was directly influenced by how much a company could pay for an ad, no matter how many times people interacted with it.
Improving search quality
Besides ad targeting and personalization, Google also uses data collected on users to improve the quality of searches. Search result click histories and query logs are crucial in helping search engines optimize search results for individual users. Search logs also help search engines in the development of the algorithms they use to return results, such as Google's well known PageRank. An example of this is how Google uses databases of information to refine Google Spell Checker.
Privacy organizations
There are many who believe that user profiling is a severe invasion of user privacy, and there are organizations such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and Privacy International that are focused on advocating for user privacy rights. In fact, EPIC filed a complaint in 2007 with the Federal Trade Commission claiming that Google should not be able to acquire DoubleClick on the grounds that it would compromise user privacy.
Users' perception of privacy
Experiments have been done to examine consumer behavior when given information on the privacy of retailers by integrating privacy ratings with search engines. Researchers used a search engine for the treatment group called Privacy Finder, which scans websites and automatically generates an icon to show the level of privacy the site will give the consumer as it compares to the privacy policies that consumer has specified that they prefer. The results of the experiment were that subjects in the treatment group, those who were using a search engine that indicated privacy levels of websites, purchased products from websites that gave them higher levels of privacy, whereas the participants in the control groups opted for the products that were simply the cheapest. The study participants also were given financial incentive because they would get to keep leftover money from purchases. This study suggests that since participants had to use their own credit cards, they had a significant aversion to purchasing products from sites that did not offer the level of privacy they wanted, indicating that consumers value their privacy monetarily.
Ethical debates
Many individuals and scholars have recognized the ethical concerns regarding search engine privacy.
Pro data collection
The collection of user data by search engines can be viewed as a positive practice because it allows the search engine to personalize results. This implies that users would receive more relevant results, and be shown more relevant advertisements, when their data, such as past search queries, location information, and clicks, is used to create a profile for them. Also, search engines are generally free of charge for users and can remain afloat because one of their main sources of revenue is advertising, which can be more effective when targeted.
Anti-data collection
This collection of user data can also be seen as an overreach by private companies for their own financial gain or as an intrusive surveillance tactic. Search engines can make money using targeted advertising because advertisers are willing to pay a premium to present their ads to the most receptive consumers. Also, when a search engine collects and catalogs large amounts of data about its users, there is the potential for it to be leaked accidentally or breached. The government can also subpoena user data from search engines when they have databases of it. Search query database information may also be subpoenaed by private litigants for use in civil cases, such as divorces or employment disputes.
Data and privacy breaches
AOL search data leak
One major controversy regarding search engine privacy was the AOL search data leak of 2006. For academic and research purposes, AOL made public a list of about 20 million search queries made by about 650,000 unique users. Although they assigned unique identification numbers to the users instead of attaching names to each query, it was still possible to ascertain the true identities of many users simply by analyzing what they had searched, including locations near them and names of friends and family members. A notable example of this was how the New York Times identified Thelma Arnold through "reverse searching". Users also sometimes do "ego searches" where they search themselves to see what information about them is on the internet, making it even easier to identify supposedly anonymous users. Many of the search queries released by AOL were incriminating or seemingly extremely private, such as "how to kill your wife" and "can you adopt after a suicide attempt". This data has since been used in several experiments that attempt to measure the effectiveness of user privacy solutions.
Google and Yahoo
Both Google and Yahoo were subjects of a Chinese hack in 2010. While Google responded to the situation seriously by hiring new cybersecurity engineers and investing heavily into securing user data, Yahoo took a much more lax approach. Google started paying hackers to find vulnerabilities in 2010 while it took Yahoo until 2013 to follow suit. Yahoo was also identified in the Snowden data leaks as a common hacking target for spies of various nations, and Yahoo still did not give its newly hired chief information security officer the resources to really effect change within the company. In 2012, Yahoo hired Marissa Mayer, previously a Google employee, to be the new CEO, but she chose not to invest much in the security infrastructure of Yahoo and went as far as to refuse the implementation of a basic and standard security measure to force the reset of all passwords after a breach.
Yahoo is known for being the subject of multiple breaches and hacks that have compromised large amounts of user data. As of late 2016, Yahoo had announced that at least 1.5 billion user accounts had been breached during 2013 and 2014. The breach of 2013 compromised over a billion accounts while the breach of 2014 included about 500 million accounts. The data compromised in the breaches included personally identifiable information such as phone numbers, email addresses, and birth dates as well as information like security questions (used to reset passwords) and encrypted passwords. Yahoo made a statement saying that their breaches were a result of state sponsored actors, and in 2017, two Russian intelligence officers were indicted by the United States Department of Justice as part of a conspiracy to hack Yahoo and steal user data. As of 2016, the Yahoo breaches of 2013 and 2014 were the largest of all time.
In October 2018, there was a Google+ data breach that potentially affected about 500,000 accounts which led to the shutdown of the Google+ platform.
Government subpoenas of data
The government may want to subpoena user data from search engines for any number of reasons, which is why it a big threat to user privacy. In 2006, they wanted it as part of their defense of COPA, and only Google refused to comply. While protecting the online privacy of children may be an honorable goal, there are concerns about whether the government should have access to such personal data to achieve it. At other times, they may want it for national security purposes; access to big databases of search queries in order to prevent terrorist attacks is a common example of this.
Whatever the reason, it is clear that the fact that search engines do create and maintain these databases of user data is what makes it possible for the government to access it. Another concern regarding government access to search engine user data is "function creep", a term that here refers to how data originally collected by the government for national security purposes may eventually be used for other purposes, such as debt collection. This would indicate to many a government overreach. While protections for search engine user privacy have started developing recently, the government has increasingly been on the side that wants to ensure search engines retain data, making users less protected and their data more available for anyone to subpoena.
Methods for increasing privacy
Switching search engines
A different, although popular, route for a privacy centered user to take is to simply start using a privacy oriented search engine, such as DuckDuckGo. This search engine maintains the privacy of its users by not collecting data on or tracking its users. While this may sound simple, users must take into account the trade-off between privacy and relevant results when deciding to switch search engines. Results to search queries can be very different when the search engine has no search history to aid it in personalization.
Using privacy oriented browsers
Mozilla is known for its beliefs in protecting user privacy on Firefox. Mozilla Firefox users have the capability to delete the tracking cookie that Google places on their computer, making it much harder for Google to group data. Firefox also has a button called "Clear Private Data", which allows users to have more control over their settings. Internet Explorer users have this option as well. When using a browser like Google Chrome or Safari, users also have the option to browse in "incognito" or "private browsing" modes respectively. When in these modes, the user's browsing history and cookies are not collected.
Opting out
The Google, Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN search engines all allow users to opt out of the behavioral targeting they use. Users can also delete search and browsing history at any time. The Ask.com search engine also has AskEraser, which, when used, purges user data from their servers. Deleting a user's profile and history of data from search engine logs also helps protect user privacy in the event a government agency wants to subpoena it. If there are no records, there is nothing the government can access. It is important to note that simply deleting your browsing history does not delete all the information the search engine has on you, some companies do not delete the data associated with your account when you clear your browsing history. For companies that do delete user data, they usually do not delete all of it keeping records of how you used the search engine.
Social network solution
An innovative solution, proposed by researchers Viejo and Castellà-Roca, is a social network solution whereby user profiles are distorted. In their plan, each user would belong to a group, or network, of people who all use the search engine. Every time somebody wanted to submit a search query, it would be passed on to another member of the group to submit on their behalf until someone submitted it. This would ideally lead to all search queries being divvied up equally between all members of the network. This way, the search engine cannot make a useful profile of any individual user in the group since it has no way to discern which query actually belonged to each user.
Delisting and reordering
After the Google Spain v. AEPD case, it was established that people had the right to request that search engines delete personal information from their search results in compliance with other European data protection regulations. This process of simply removing certain search results is called de-listing. While effective in protecting the privacy of those who wish information about them to not be accessed by anyone using a search engine, it does not necessarily protect the contextual integrity of search results. For data that is not highly sensitive or compromising, reordering search results is another option where people would be able to rank how relevant certain data is at any given point in time, which would then alter results given when someone searched their name.
Anonymity networks
A sort of DIY option for privacy minded users is to use a software like Tor, which is an anonymity network. Tor functions by encrypting user data and routing queries through thousands of relays. While this process is effective at masking IP addresses, it can slow the speed of results. While Tor may work to mask IP addresses, there have also been studies that show that a simulated attacker software could still match search queries to users even when anonymized using Tor.
Unlinkability and indistinguishability
Unlinkability and indistinguishability are also well-known solutions to search engine privacy, although they have proven somewhat ineffective in actually providing users with anonymity from their search queries. Both unlinkability and indistinguishability solutions try to anonymize search queries from the user who made them, therefore making it impossible for the search engine to definitively link a specific query with a specific user and create a useful profile on them. This can be done in a couple of different ways.
Unlinkability
Another way for the user to hide information such as their IP address from the search engine, which is an unlinkability solution. This is perhaps more simple and easy for the user because any user can do this by using a VPN, although it still does not guarantee total privacy from the search engine.
Indistinguishability
One way is for the user to use a plugin or software that generates multiple different search queries for every real search query the user makes. This is an indistinguishability solution, and it functions by obscuring the real searches a user makes so that a search engine cannot tell which queries are the software's and which are the user's. Then, it is more difficult for the search engine to use the data it collects on a user to do things like target ads.
Legal rights and court cases
Being that the internet and search engines are relatively recent creations, no solid legal framework for privacy protections in terms of search engines has been put in place. However, scholars do write about the implications of existing laws on privacy in general to inform what right to privacy search engine users have. As this is a developing field of law, there have been several lawsuits with respect to the privacy search engines are expected to afford to their users.
United States
The Fourth Amendment
The Fourth Amendment is well known for the protections it offers citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures, but in Katz v. United States (1967), these protections were extended to cover intrusions of privacy of individuals, in addition to simply intrusion of property and people. Privacy of individuals is a broad term, but it is not hard to imagine that it includes the online privacy of an individual.
The Sixth Amendment
The Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment is applicable to the protection of big data from government surveillance. The Confrontation Clause essentially states that defendants in criminal cases have the right to confront witnesses who provide testimonial statements. If a search engine company like Google gives information to the government to prosecute a case, these witnesses are the Google employees involved in the process of selecting which data to hand over to the government. The specific employees who must be available to be confronted under the Confrontation Clause are the producer who decides what data is relevant and provides the government with what they've asked for, the Google analyst who certifies the proper collection and transmission of data, and the custodian who keeps records. The data these employees of Google curate for trial use is then thought of as testimonial statement. The overall effectiveness of the Confrontation Clause on search engine privacy is that it places a check on how the government can use big data and provides defendants with protection from human error.
Katz v. United States
This 1967 case is prominent because it established a new interpretation of privacy under the Fourth Amendment, specifically that people had a reasonable expectation of it. Katz v. United States was about whether or not it was constitutional for the government to listen to and record, electronically using a pen register, a conversation Katz had from a public phone booth. The court ruled that it did violate the Fourth Amendment because the actions of the government were considered a "search" and that the government needed a warrant. When thinking about search engine data collected about users, the way telephone communications were classified under Katz v. United States could be a precedent for how it should be handled. In Katz v. United States, public telephones were deemed to have a "vital role" in private communications. This case took place in 1967, but surely nowadays, the internet and search engines have this vital role in private communications, and people's search queries and IP addresses can be thought of as analogous to the private phone calls placed from public booths.
United States v. Miller
This 1976 Supreme Court case is relevant to search engine privacy because the court ruled that when third parties gathered or had information given to them, the Fourth Amendment was not applicable. Jayni Foley argues that the ruling of United States v. Miller implies that people cannot have an expectation of privacy when they provide information to third parties. When thinking about search engine privacy, this is important because people willingly provide search engines with information in the form of their search queries and various other data points that they may not realize are being collected.
Smith v. Maryland
In the Supreme Court case Smith v. Maryland of 1979, the Supreme Court went off the precedent set in the 1976 United States v. Miller case about assumption of risk. The court ruled that the Fourth Amendment did not prevent the government from monitoring who dialed which phone numbers by using a pen register because it did not qualify as a "search".
Both the United States v. Miller and the Smith v. Maryland cases have been used to prevent users from the privacy protections offered under the Fourth Amendment from the records that internet service providers (ISPs) keep. This is also articulated in the Sixth Circuit Guest v. Leis case as well as the United States v. Kennedy case where the courts ruled that Fourth Amendment protections did not apply to ISP customer data since they willingly provided ISPs with their information just by using the services of ISPs. Similarly, the current legal structure regarding privacy and assumption of risk can be interpreted to mean that users of search engines cannot expect privacy in regards to the data they communicate by using search engines.
Electronic Communication Privacy Act
The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986 was passed by Congress in an effort to start creating a legal structure for privacy protections in the face of new forms of technologies, although it was by no means comprehensive because there are considerations for current technologies that Congress never imagined in 1986 and could account for. The EPCA does little to regulate ISPs and mainly prevents government agencies from gathering information stored by ISPs without a warrant. What the EPCA does not do, unsurprisingly because it was enacted before internet usage became a common occurrence, is say anything about search engine privacy and the protections users are afforded in terms of their search queries.
Gonzales v. Google Inc.
The background of this 2006 case is that the government was trying to bolster its defense for the Child Online Protection Act (COPA). It was doing a study to see how effective its filtering software was in regards to child pornography. To do this, the government subpoenaed search data from Google, AOL, Yahoo!, and Microsoft to use in its analysis and to show that people search information that is potentially compromising to children. This search data that the government wanted included both the URLs that appeared to users and the actual search queries of users. Of the search engines the government subpoenaed to produce search queries and URLs, only Google refused to comply with the government, even after the request was reduced in size. Google itself claimed that handing over these logs was to hand over personally identifiable information and user identities. The court ruled that Google had to hand over 50,000 randomly selected URLs to the government but not search queries because that could seed public distrust of the company and therefore compromise its business.
Law of Confidentiality
While not a strictly defined law enacted by Congress, the Law of Confidentiality is common law that protects information shared by a party who has trust and an expectation of privacy from the party they share the information with. If the content of search queries and the logs they are stored in is thought of in the same manner as information shared with a physician, as it is similarly confidential, then it ought to be afforded the same privacy protections.
Europe
Google Spain v. AEPD
The European Court of Justice ruled in 2014 that its citizens had the "Right to Be Forgotten" in the Google Spain SL v. Agencia Española de Protección de Datos case, which meant that they had the right to demand search engines wipe any data collected on them. While this single court decision did not directly establish the "right to be forgotten", the court interpreted existing law to mean that people had the right to request that some information about them be wiped from search results provided by search engine companies like Google. The background of this case is that one Spanish citizen, Mario Costeja Gonzalez, set out to erase himself from Google's search results because they revealed potentially compromising information about his past debts. In the ruling in favor of Mario Costeja Gonzalez, the court noted that search engines can significantly impact the privacy rights of many people and that Google controlled the dissemination of personal data. This court decision did not claim that all citizens should be able to request that information about them be completely wiped from Google at any time, but rather that there are specific types of information, particularly information that is obstructing one's right to be forgotten, that do not need to be so easily accessible on search engines.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The GDPR is a European regulation that was put in place to protect data and provide privacy to European citizens, regardless of whether they are physically in the European Union. This means that countries around the globe have had to comply with their rules so that any European citizen residing in them is afforded the proper protections. The regulation became enforceable in May 2018.
See also
References
Data protection
Internet privacy
Internet search engines
World Wide Web
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Toy Story
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Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the Toy Story franchise, it was the first entirely computer-animated feature film, as well as the first feature film from Pixar. The film was directed by John Lasseter (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow from a story by Lasseter, Stanton, Pete Docter, and Joe Ranft. The film features music by Randy Newman, was produced by Bonnie Arnold and Ralph Guggenheim, and was executive-produced by Steve Jobs and Edwin Catmull. The film features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Jim Varney, Annie Potts, R. Lee Ermey, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, and Erik von Detten. Taking place in a world where toys come to life when humans are not present, the plot focuses on the relationship between an old-fashioned pull-string cowboy doll named Woody and a modern astronaut action figure, Buzz Lightyear, as they evolve from rivals competing for the affections of their owner, Andy Davis, to friends who work together to be reunited with Andy after being separated from him.
Following the success of their 1988 short film Tin Toy, Pixar was approached by Disney to produce a computer-animated feature film told from a small toy's perspective. Lasseter, Stanton, and Docter wrote early story treatments, which were rejected by Disney, who wanted the film's tone to be "edgier". After several disastrous story reels, production was halted and the script was rewritten to better reflect the tone and theme Pixar desired: "toys deeply want children to play with them, and ... this desire drives their hopes, fears, and actions". The studio, then consisting of a relatively small number of employees, produced the film under only minor financial constraints.
Toy Story premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on November 19, 1995, and was released in theaters in North America on November 22, 1995. It was the highest-grossing film during its opening weekend, eventually grossing over $373 million worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing film of 1995. The film received critical acclaim, and holds a rare 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was praised for the technical innovation of the 3D animation, wit and thematic sophistication of the screenplay, musical score, and vocal performances (particularly Hanks and Allen); it is considered by many to be one of the best animated films ever made. The film received three Academy Award nominations (Best Original Screenplay (the first animated film to be nominated for this award), Best Original Song for "You've Got a Friend in Me", and Best Original Score) as well as winning a Special Achievement Academy Award. Deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress, Toy Story was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2005. The success of Toy Story launched a multimedia franchise and a series of three sequels, starting with Toy Story 2 (1999).
Plot
A group of living toys, who assume lifelessness around humans, are preparing to move into a new house with their owner Andy Davis, his sister Molly and their single mother. The toys become uneasy when Andy has his birthday party a week early; to calm them, Sheriff Woody, Andy's favorite toy and their leader, sends Sarge and his green army men to spy on the gift opening with a baby monitor. The other toys (which include Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Rex the tyrannosaur, Hamm the piggy bank, and Bo Peep the porcelain doll) are relieved when Andy receives nothing that could replace them. Andy then receives a last-minute surprise gift – a Buzz Lightyear action figure who believes he is a real space ranger. Buzz impresses the other toys with his various features and becomes Andy's new favorite, making Woody jealous.
Two days before the move, Andy's family plans for a dinner at Pizza Planet, where Andy is allowed to bring along only one toy. To ensure Andy chooses him and not Buzz, Woody tries to use the radio-controlled car RC to knock Buzz behind the desk, but accidentally knocks him out a window instead. The other toys (except for Bo and Slinky) believe Woody deliberately tried to kill Buzz, but Andy arrives and takes Woody before they can exact revenge. A vengeful Buzz stows away in the car, and confronts Woody when the car stops at a gas station on the way to Pizza Planet. The two fight, fall out of the car, and are left behind.
After a further argument, the two hitch a ride on a Pizza Planet delivery truck and sneak into the restaurant. Buzz mistakenly believes a claw crane full of Little Green Men to be a true rocket, and Woody climbs in after him. Andy's sadistic next-door neighbor Sid spots and captures the two and takes them to his house, where they encounter his Bull Terrier Scud and his much-abused "mutant" toys made from parts of other toys he has destroyed.
As Woody tries to find an escape route, Buzz is shocked by a TV commercial that reveals he is indeed a toy. In denial, he attempts to fly, but breaks his arm off and falls into despair. After Sid's toys fix Buzz, Sid returns and tapes Buzz to a rocket, but a thunderstorm forces him to delay the launch until the next morning. Overnight, Woody helps Buzz realize that his purpose is making Andy happy, restoring Buzz's resolve. Sid takes Buzz out to launch him, but Woody rallies the mutant toys to frighten Sid into never harming toys again, freeing Buzz.
Woody and Buzz pursue Andy's moving truck, but Scud sees them and gives chase, biting Woody. Buzz fights off Scud, while Woody, freed, climbs into the truck and pushes RC out, using him to distract Scud and rescue Buzz. The other toys, thinking Woody is now trying to get rid of RC, toss Woody back into the street. Having escaped Scud, Buzz and Woody pursue the truck on RC, and the other toys spot them coming and realize their error. During the chase, RC's batteries run out, forcing Woody to ignite the rocket still strapped to Buzz. As they launch towards the truck, they become airborne, and Woody drops RC into the truck. Buzz opens his wings to sever the tape just before the rocket explodes; he and Woody glide over the truck and fall through the sunroof of Andy's car, landing safely beside Andy.
At Christmas, in the new house, Sarge and his men spy on the gift opening again while the other toys wait. Mr. Potato Head is delighted when Molly gets a Mrs. Potato Head, and Woody and Buzz jokingly ponder what gift could be "worse" than Buzz, only to nervously smile at each other when Andy gets a dachshund puppy.
Voice cast
Tom Hanks as Woody, a pull-string cowboy doll who is Andy's favorite toy.
Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger action figure and Woody's rival, who later becomes his best friend.
Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, a cynical potato-shaped doll with put-together pieces on his body.
Jim Varney as Slinky Dog, a dachshund slinky toy.
Wallace Shawn as Rex, a cowardly green Tyrannosaurus figurine.
John Ratzenberger as Hamm, a smart-talking piggy bank.
Annie Potts as Bo Peep, a porcelain shepherdess doll and Woody's love interest.
John Morris as Andy Davis, The toy's owner.
Erik von Detten as Sid Phillips, Andy's next-door neighbor, who destroys toys for fun.
Laurie Metcalf as Mrs. Davis, Andy and Molly's mother.
R. Lee Ermey as Sergeant, the leader of a large troop of plastic green army men.
Sarah Freeman as Hannah Phillips, Sid's younger sister.
Penn Jillette as the Buzz Lightyear TV commercial announcer.
Production
Development
John Lasseter's first experience with computer animation was during his work as an animator at Walt Disney Feature Animation, when two of his friends showed him the light-cycle scene from Tron. It was an eye-opening experience that awakened Lasseter to the possibilities offered by the new medium of computer-generated animation. Lasseter tried to pitch The Brave Little Toaster as a fully computer-animated film to Disney, but the idea was rejected and Lasseter was fired. He then went on to work at Lucasfilm and in 1986, he became a founding member of Pixar. In 1986, Pixar was purchased by entrepreneur and Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs. At Pixar, Lasseter created short, computer-animated films to show off the Pixar Image Computer's capabilities. In 1988, Lasseter produced the short film Tin Toy told from the perspective of a toy, referencing Lasseter's love of classic toys. It won the 1989 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, the first computer-generated film to do so.
Tin Toy gained Disney's attention, and the new team at The Walt Disney Company—CEO Michael Eisner and chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg in the film division—began a quest to get Lasseter to come back. Lasseter, grateful for Jobs' faith in him, felt compelled to stay with Pixar, telling co-founder Ed Catmull, "I can go to Disney and be a director, or I can stay here and make history." Katzenberg realized he could not lure Lasseter back to Disney and therefore set plans into motion to ink a production deal with Pixar to produce a film. Disney had always made all their movies in-house and refused to change this. But when Tim Burton, who used to work at Disney, wanted to buy back the rights to The Nightmare Before Christmas, Disney struck a deal allowing him to make it as a Disney film outside the studio. This opened the door for Pixar to make their movies outside Disney.
Both sides were willing. Catmull and fellow Pixar co-founder Alvy Ray Smith had long wanted to produce a computer-animated feature, but only by the early 1990s were the computers cheap and powerful enough to make this possible. In addition, Disney had licensed Pixar's Computer Animation Production System (CAPS), and that made it the largest customer for Pixar's computers. Jobs made it apparent to Katzenberg that although Disney was happy with Pixar, it was not the other way around: "We want to do a film with you," said Jobs. "That would make us happy."
Catmull, Smith, and head of animation Ralph Guggenheim met with Walt Disney Feature Animation president Peter Schneider in the summer of 1990 to discuss making a feature film, but they found the atmosphere to be puzzling and contentious. They later learned that while Katzenberg was pushing the idea of working with Pixar, Schneider didn't want to bring in a non-Disney animation studio. Katzenberg arranged to meet directly with the Pixar contingent, this time including Lasseter and Jobs. The Pixar team proposed a Christmas television special, A Tin Toy Christmas, as a first step, but Katzenberg countered that as long as they were gearing up to transition from 30-second commercials to a half-hour special, they might as well go all the way and make a feature-length film. Katzenberg also made it clear that he was only working with Pixar to get access to Lassiter's talents, He also made it clear to the Pixar team that they were signing up to work with a self-described "tyrant" and micro-manager, but invited them to talk with Disney's animators and get their opinions on working under him. Lasseter was impressed with what he heard, and the two companies began negotiations, although they disagreed on key points including whether Disney would get the rights to Pixar's animation technology or whether Pixar would retain partial ownership of the films, characters, and home video and sequel rights. As Pixar was nearing bankruptcy and desperate for funds, they settled on a deal that would allow Disney to have complete ownership and control of the films and characters, including the rights to make sequels without Pixar's involvement, while Pixar would get approximately 12.5% of ticket sales. These early negotiations became a point of contention between Jobs and Eisner for many years.
An agreement to produce a feature film based on Tin Toy with a working title of Toy Story was finalized, and production began soon thereafter.
Writing
Originally, the movie was going to star "Tinny", the wind-up one-man band toy from the Tin Toy short, along with "the dummy", a ventriloquist's dummy. While the premise of the film was still about toys' desire to be played with by children, the rest of the script, which involved Tinny being left behind at a gas station, meeting up with the dummy, and having a series of adventures before finding their way into a kindergarten classroom where they can be played with every day, was quite different. Katzenberg was unhappy with the treatment drafted by Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Pete Docter, as the two character's motivations were too similar. Instead, he encouraged them to write it as a buddy film, giving the two main characters contrasting personalities, and having them only become friends after being forced to work together. Lasseter, Stanton, and Doctor delivered a revised treatment in September 1991 that more closely resembles the final film: Tinny replaces the ventriloquist dummy as a child's favorite toy, their bickering causes them to be left behind at a gas station, they almost catch up to the family at a pizza restaurant, they have to escape a kid that mutilates toys, and the movie ends with a chase scene as the two toys try to catch up to the family's moving van.
The script went through many changes before the final version. Lasseter decided Tinny was "too antiquated"; the character was first changed to a military action figure and then given a space theme. Tinny's name changed to Lunar Larry, then Tempus from Morph, and eventually Buzz Lightyear (after astronaut Buzz Aldrin). Lightyear's design was modeled on the suits worn by Apollo astronauts as well as G.I. Joe action figures. Also, the green and purple color scheme on Lightyear's suit was inspired by Lasseter and his wife, Nancy, whose favorite colors are green and purple, respectively. Woody was inspired by a Casper the Friendly Ghost doll that Lasseter had when he was a child; he was a ventriloquist's dummy with a pull-string (hence the name Woody). This was until character designer Bud Luckey suggested that Woody could be changed to a cowboy ventriloquist dummy. Lasseter liked the contrast between the Western and the science fiction genres and the character immediately changed. Eventually, all the ventriloquist dummy aspects of the character were deleted as the dummy looked "sneaky and mean". However they kept the name Woody to pay homage to the Western actor Woody Strode. The story department drew inspiration from films such as Midnight Run and The Odd Couple, and Lasseter screened Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky for further influence.
Since Toy Story's script writers had little experience with feature films, they attended a seminar given by screenwriter Robert McKee. They were inspired by his guidance, based on Aristotle's Poetics, that the main character in a story should be defined by how they react to the obstacles they face, and that it is those obstacles that make characters interesting. Disney also appointed the duo Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow and, later, Joss Whedon to help develop the script. Whedon thought the while script didn't work, it had "a great structure". He added the character of Rex and sought a pivotal role for a Barbie doll; the latter transformed into Bo Peep as Mattel would not license the character. Whedon also re-visioned Buzz Lightyear from being a dim-witted but cheerful and self-aware character to an action figure who isn't aware that he's a toy—an epiphany that transformed the film. A brainstorming session with members of Disney Animation's creative team resulted in the addition of the three-eyed squeaky toy aliens.
Casting
Katzenberg approved the script on January 19, 1993, at which point voice casting began.
Paul Newman, who subsequently accepted the role of Doc Hudson in another Pixar film, Cars, was considered for the role of Woody. Robin Williams and Clint Eastwood were also considered for the role. Lasseter always wanted Tom Hanks to play the character of Woody. Lasseter claimed that Hanks "has the ability to take emotions and make them appealing. Even if the character, like the one in A League of Their Own, is down-and-out and despicable." To gauge how an actor's voice might fit with a character, Lasseter borrowed a common Disney technique: animate a vocal monologue from a well-established actor to meld the actor's voice with the appearance or actions of the animated character. This early test footage, using Hanks' voice from Turner & Hooch, convinced Hanks to sign on to the film.
Billy Crystal was approached to play Buzz, and was given his own monolog, utilizing dialogue from When Harry Met Sally. However, he turned down the role, believing the film would be unsuccessful due to its animation. Crystal regretted this upon seeing the film; he subsequently accepted the role of Mike Wazowski in another Pixar film, Monsters, Inc.. In addition to Crystal, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Jim Carrey, along with a number of other actors, were also considered for the role of Buzz. Lasseter took the role to Tim Allen, who was appearing in Disney's Home Improvement, and he accepted. Crystal later stated in an interview that he would not have been right as Buzz, and that Allen was "fantastic" in the role. Before Wallace Shawn and Jim Varney were cast as Rex and Slinky Dog, Rick Moranis and John Cleese were originally considered for the roles.
To cast Andy, Pixar held an open call for young male actors to bring a toy with them. Morris brought multiple toys, specifically 45 X-Men figures, contrary to the instructions of bringing just one, and Pixar re-acted to his dumping of the toys with laughter.
Toy Story was both Hanks's and Allen's first animated film, and they recorded their lines together to make their characters' chemistry and interactions realistic.
Production shutdown
Every couple of weeks, Lasseter and his team showed Disney their latest storyboards or footage. Pixar impressed Disney with its technical innovation, but convincing Disney of the plot was more difficult. Katzenberg discarded most of Pixar's script ideas, giving his own extensive notes. Katzenberg wanted primarily to add "more edginess" to the two main characters. Disney wanted the film to appeal to both children and adults, and they asked for adult references to be added to the film. The characters ended up being stripped of their charm, with Hanks, while recording Woody's dialogue for the story reels, complaining that the character had been made into a "real jerk". Pixar screened the first half of the film for Disney executives on November 19, 1993—an event they later dubbed the "Black Friday Incident". The results were disastrous, and Disney's head of feature animation, Peter Schneider, halted production. Katzenberg asked colleague Thomas Schumacher why the reels were bad, to which Schumacher answered, "Because it's not their movie anymore; it's completely not the movie that John set out to make."
Lasseter was embarrassed by the current state of the film, later recalling, "It was a story filled with the most unhappy, mean characters that I've ever seen." Katzenberg allowed him to take the script back to Pixar for rewrites, and the production crew shifted to television commercials while the head writers worked out a new script, being funded personally by Jobs until Disney resumed production. Although Lasseter attempted to keep morale high by remaining outwardly buoyant, the production shutdown was "a very scary time", recalled story department manager BZ Petroff. Schneider appealed directly to Eisner to cancel the project altogether. Stanton and the other story artists worked to quickly produce new script pages, with help from consultants such as Whedon, and the revisions were completed in two weeks as promised.
Pixar's script rewrites took three months, and saw Woody transformed from a tyrant to a wise leader. It also included a more adult-oriented staff meeting amongst the toys rather than the juvenile group discussion that had existed in earlier drafts. Buzz Lightyear's character was also changed "to make it more clear to the audience that he really doesn't realize he's a toy". Katzenberg and Schneider resumed production with the new script by February 1994, and the voice actors returned one month later to record their new lines. The crew grew from 24 people to 110, and now included 27 animators and 22 technical directors. In comparison, The Lion King, released in 1994, required a budget of $45 million and a staff of 800. In the early budgeting process, Jobs was eager to produce the film as efficiently as possible, impressing Katzenberg with his focus on cost-cutting. However, the $17 million production budget was no longer going to be sufficient, and Jobs demanded more funds from Disney to compensate them for the time lost in rewrites based on Katzenberg's notes. Catmull was able to reach a compromise on a new budget, but the incident led Jobs to rethink their deal with Disney.
Animation
Recruiting animators for Toy Story was brisk; the magnet for talent was not mediocre pay but the allure of taking part in the first computer-animated feature. Lasseter said of the challenges of computer animation, "We had to make things look more organic. Every leaf and blade of grass had to be created. We had to give the world a sense of history. So the doors are banged up, the floors have scuffs." The film began with animated storyboards to guide the animators in developing the characters. 27 animators worked on the film, using 400 computer models to animate the characters. Each character was first either created out of clay or modeled from a computer-drawn diagram before reaching the computer-animated design. Once the animators had a model, its articulation and motion controls were coded; this allowed each character to move in a variety of ways, such as talking, walking, or jumping. Out of all the characters, Woody was the most complex, as he required 723 motion controls, including 212 for his face and 58 for his mouth. The first piece of animation, a 30-second test, was delivered to Disney in June 1992, when the company requested a sample of what the film would look like. Lasseter wanted to impress Disney with several things in the test that could not be done in traditional, hand-drawn animation, such as Woody's yellow plaid shirt with red stripes, the reflections in Buzz's helmet and the decals on his spacesuit, or Venetian blind shadows falling across Andy's room.
There were 8 teams responsible for different aspects of every shot. The art department was responsible for determining the overall color and lighting scheme. The layout department was responsible for determining the position of all elements of the shot, as well as programming the virtual camera's position and movements. The animation department created the movements of the characters, generally with one animator being assigned to animate an entire shot, but occasionally with each character having its own animator. The shading team used Pixar's RenderMan software to assign surface textures and reflectivity properties to objects. The lighting team placed global, spot, and flood lighting within the scenes. The "Render Farm" used Sun Microsystems computers, running around the clock, to produce the final frames of the film. The camera team recorded the finished frames, which had been rendered at a resolution of 1536 by 922, onto film stock. Finally, Skywalker Sound mixed sound effects, the musical score, and the dialogue to create the audio for the film.
In order to make the movie feel as realistic as possible, the layout department, led by Craig Good, avoided the sweeping camera shots popular in computer animation at the time, and instead focused on emulating what would've been possible had the movie been shot in live-action with real film cameras. The animation department, led by Rich Quade and Ash Brannon, used Pixar's Menv software to hand pose the characters at key frames based on videotape of the actors recording their lines, and let the software do the inbetweening. To sync the characters' mouths and facial expressions to the actors' recorded voices, animators spent a week per eight seconds of animation, as Lasseter felt that automatic lip syncing couldn't properly convey a character's emotions. The shading team, led by Tom Porter, used scans of real objects, as well as textures drawn by artists and created with procedural generation algorithms, to "dress" the objects in the film.
The film required 800,000 machine hours and 114,240 frames of animation in total, divided between 1,561 shots that totaled over 77 minutes. Pixar was able to render less than 30 seconds of the film per day.
Music
Pixar didn't want to make the film into a musical, as Lassiter felt that it would make the film less real. Whedon later agreed, saying "It would have been a really bad musical because it's a buddy movie. It's about people who won't admit what they want, much less sing about it. ... Buddy movies are about sublimating, punching an arm, 'I hate you.' It's not about open emotion." However, Disney had had much success with incorporating Broadway-style musical numbers into their animated film, and encouraged Pixar to do the same. As a compromise, although the characters would not sing, the movie would feature non-diegetic songs as background music. Randy Newman was hired, and composed three original songs for the film. The film's signature song "You've Got a Friend in Me", was written in one day.
On Newman, Lasseter said, "His songs are touching, witty, and satirical, and he would deliver the emotional underpinning for every scene." Newman wrote The soundtrack for Toy Story was produced by Walt Disney Records and was released on November 22, 1995, the week of the film's release.
Editing and pre-release
It was difficult for crew members to perceive the film's quality during much of the production process when the finished footage was in scattered pieces and lacked elements like music and sound design. Some animators felt the film would be a significant disappointment commercially but felt animators and animation fans would find it interesting. According to Lee Unkrich, one of the editors of Toy Story, a scene cut out of the original final edit featured Sid torturing Buzz and Woody violently at his house; Unkrich decided to cut right into the scene where Sid is interrogating Woody because the film's creators thought the audience would love Buzz and Woody by that point. Another scene, in which Woody tried to get Buzz's attention when he was stuck in the box crate, was shortened because the creators felt it would lose the energy of the film. Schneider had grown optimistic about the film as it neared completion, and he announced a United States release date of November, coinciding with Thanksgiving weekend and the start of the winter holiday season.
Sources indicate that Jobs lacked confidence in the film during its production, and had been exploring the possibility of selling Pixar to companies such as Hallmark Cards and Microsoft. However, as the film progressed, Jobs, like Schneider, became increasingly passionate about the film and the transformative nature of what Pixar might be able to accomplish. Eager for Pixar to have the funds necessary to negotiate with Disney as an equal partner, and optimistic about the impact the finished film would have, Jobs decided that he would schedule an initial public offering (IPO) of Pixar just a week after the film's November release.
Editors, including Lee Unkrich, worked on the film up until September 1995 deadline to deliver a final cut for scoring and sound design. They cut a scene that featured Sid torturing Buzz and Woody violently at his house because the film's creators thought the audience would love Buzz and Woody by that point. Another scene, in which Woody tried to get Buzz's attention when he was stuck in the box crate, was shortened because the creators felt it would lose the energy of the film. A test screening in July 1995 got encouraging responses from the audience, but the film was not rated as highly as had been hoped, leading to another last-minute round of edits. Eisner, who attended the screening, suggested that the final shot of the film should be of both Woody and Buzz, leading to the film's final shot of the two worried about the arrival of Andy's new puppy.
Release
Both Disney and Pixar held separate premiers for Toy Story, with Disney holding theirs at their flagship El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on November 19th, 1995, and Pixar holding theirs the following night at the Regency Center in San Francisco. According to David Price's 2008 book The Pixar Touch, the film deeply resonated with audiences, with even the adults being noticeably moved by the film.
The theatrical release of the film was preceded by either the Roger Rabbit short Roller Coaster Rabbit or the early Pixar short The Adventures of André and Wally B.. In addition to showing at the El Capitan, where tickets included admission to the Totally Toy Story funhouse that Disney had built in the Hollywood Masonic Temple next door, the film opened on 2,281 screens on the 22nd and later expanded to 2,574.
The film was also shown at the Berlin International Film Festival out of competition from February 15 to 26, 1996. Elsewhere, the film opened in March 1996.
Marketing
Marketing for the film included $20 million spent by Disney for advertising as well as advertisers such as Burger King, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and Payless ShoeSource paying $125 million in promotions for the film. Marketing consultant Al Ries reflected on the promotion: "This will be a killer deal. How can a kid, sitting through a one-and-a-half-hour movie with an army of recognizable toy characters, not want to own one?" Despite this, Disney Consumer Products was slow to see the potential of Toy Story. When the Thanksgiving release date was announced in January 1995, many toy companies were accustomed to having eighteen months to two years of lead time and passed on the project. Disney shopped the film at the Toy Fair trade show in February 1995, where only the small Canadian company Thinkway Toys, was interested in licensing the toy rights for the Toy Story characters. Disney promoted the film by inserting its trailer into the home-video re-release of Cinderella, showing a behind-the-scenes documentary on the Disney Channel, and incorporating the characters into a parade at the Disney-MGM Studios theme park in Florida.
It was screenwriter Joss Whedon's idea to incorporate Barbie as a character who could rescue Woody and Buzz in the film's final act. The idea was dropped after Mattel objected and refused to license the toy. Producer Ralph Guggenheim claimed that Mattel did not allow the use of the toy as "They [Mattel] philosophically felt girls who play with Barbie dolls are projecting their personalities onto the doll. If you give the doll a voice and animate it, you're creating a persona for it that might not be every little girl's dream and desire." Hasbro likewise refused to license G.I. Joe (mainly because Sid was going to blow one up, prompting the filmmakers to instead use a fictional toy, Combat Carl), but they did license Mr. Potato Head. The only toy in the movie that was not in production was Slinky Dog, which had been discontinued since the 1970s. When designs for Slinky were sent to Betty James (Richard James's wife) she said that Pixar had improved the toy and that it was "cuter" than the original.
3-D re-release
On October 2, 2009, the film was re-released in Disney Digital 3-D. The film was also released with Toy Story 2 as a double feature for a two-week run which was extended due to its success. In addition, the film's second sequel, Toy Story 3, was also released in the 3-D format. Lasseter commented on the new 3-D re-release:
The Toy Story films and characters will always hold a very special place in our hearts and we're so excited to be bringing this landmark film back for audiences to enjoy in a whole new way thanks to the latest in 3-D technology. With Toy Story 3 shaping up to be another great adventure for Buzz, Woody, and the gang from Andy's room, we thought it would be great to let audiences experience the first two films all over again and in a brand new way.
Translating the film into 3-D involved revisiting the original computer data and virtually placing a second camera into each scene, creating left eye and right eye views needed to achieve the perception of depth. Unique to computer animation, Lasseter referred to this process as "digital archaeology". The process took four months, as well as an additional six months for the two films to add the 3-D. The lead stereographer Bob Whitehill oversaw this process and sought to achieve an effect that affected the emotional storytelling of the film:
When I would look at the films as a whole, I would search for story reasons to use 3-D in different ways. In Toy Story, for instance, when the toys were alone in their world, I wanted it to feel consistent with a safer world. And when they went out to the human world, that's when I really blew out the 3-D to make it feel dangerous and deep and overwhelming.
Unlike other countries, the United Kingdom received the films in 3-D as separate releases. Toy Story was released on October 2, 2009. Toy Story 2 was instead released January 22, 2010. The re-release performed well at the box office, opening with $12,500,000 in its opening weekend, placing at the third position after Zombieland and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The double feature grossed $30.7 million in its five-week release.
Home media
Toy Story was released by Walt Disney Home Video on VHS and LaserDisc on October 29, 1996, with no bonus material. In the first week of this release, VHS rentals totaled $5.1 million, debuting Toy Story as the week's 1 video. Over 21.5 million VHS copies were sold the first year. A deluxe edition widescreen LaserDisc 4-disc box set was released on December 18, 1996. On January 11, 2000, the film was re-released on VHS, but this time as the first video to be part of the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection with the bonus short film Tin Toy. This release sold two million copies.
The film was released for the first time on DVD on October 17, 2000, in a two-pack with its first sequel Toy Story 2. The same day, a 3-disc "Ultimate Toy Box" set was released, featuring Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and the third disc of bonus materials. The twin-pack release was later released individually on March 20, 2001. The DVD two-pack, the Ultimate Toy Box set, the Gold Classic Collection VHS and DVD, and the original DVD were all put in the Disney Vault on May 1, 2003. On September 6, 2005, a 2-disc "10th Anniversary Edition" was released featuring much of the bonus material from the "Ultimate Toy Box", including a retrospective special with John Lasseter and a brand new DTS sound mix. This DVD went back in the Disney Vault on January 31, 2009, along with Toy Story 2. The 10th Anniversary release was the last version of Toy Story to be released before being taken out of the Disney Vault lineup along with Toy Story 2. Also on September 6, 2005, a UMD of Toy Story featuring some deleted scenes, a filmmakers' reflect, and a new "Legacy of Toy Story" was released for Sony PlayStation Portable.
The film was available for the first time on Blu-ray in a Special Edition Combo Pack that included two discs, the Blu-ray, and the DVD versions of the film. This combo-edition was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on March 23, 2010, along with its sequel. There was a DVD-only re-release on May 11, 2010. Another "Ultimate Toy Box", packaging the Combo Pack with those of both sequels, became available on November 2, 2010. On November 1, 2011, the first three Toy Story films were re-released all together, each as a DVD/Blu-ray/Blu-ray 3D/Digital Copy combo pack (four discs each for the first two films, and five for the third film). They were also released on Blu-ray 3D in a complete trilogy box set. Toy Story was released on 4K ULTRA HD Blu-ray on June 4, 2019.
Reception
Box office
Before the film's release, executive producer and Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs stated "If Toy Story is a modest hit—say $75 million at the box office, we'll [Pixar and Disney] both break even. If it gets $100 million, we'll both make money. But if it's a real blockbuster and earns $200 million or so at the box office, we'll make good money, and Disney will make a lot of money." Upon its release on November 22, 1995, Toy Story managed to gross more than $350 million worldwide. Disney chairman Michael Eisner stated "I don't think either side thought Toy Story would turn out as well as it has. The technology is brilliant, the casting is inspired, and I think the story will touch a nerve. Believe me, when we first agreed to work together, we never thought their first movie would be our 1995 holiday feature, or that they could go public on the strength of it." The film's first five days of domestic release (on Thanksgiving weekend) earned it $39.1 million. The film placed first in the weekend's box office with $29.1 million and maintained the number-one position at the domestic box office for the next two weekends. Toy Story became the highest-grossing domestic film of 1995, beating Batman Forever, Apollo 13 (also starring Tom Hanks), Pocahontas, Casper, Waterworld, and GoldenEye. At the time of its release, it was the third-highest-grossing animated film of all time, after The Lion King (1994) and Aladdin (1992). Toy Story became the second-highest-grossing film of 1995, just $3 million behind Die Hard with a Vengeance. When not considering inflation, Toy Story is number 96 on the list of the highest-grossing domestic films of all time. The film had gross receipts of $192.5 million in the U.S. and Canada and $181.8 million in international markets from its original 1995 release and two re-releases for a total of $374.4 million worldwide. At the time of its release, the film ranked as the 17th-highest-grossing film (unadjusted) domestically and the 21st-highest-grossing film worldwide.
Critical response
Toy Story has an approval rating of based on professional reviews on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of . Its critical consensus reads, "Entertaining as it is innovative, Toy Story reinvigorated animation while heralding the arrival of Pixar as a family-friendly force to be reckoned with." Metacritic (which uses a weighted average) assigned Toy Story a score of 95 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
Particular praise was offered for the film's 3D animation. Leonard Klady of Variety commended its "razzle-dazzle technique and unusual look" and said that "the camera loops and zooms in a dizzying fashion that fairly takes one's breath away." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times compared the animation to Disney's Who Framed Roger Rabbit, saying that "both movies take apart the universe of cinematic visuals and put it back together again, allowing us to see in a new way." Due to the film's creative animation, Richard Corliss of TIME claimed that it was "the year's most inventive comedy".
The voice cast was also praised by various critics. Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today approved of the selection of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen for the lead roles. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times stated that "Starting with Tom Hanks, who brings an invaluable heft and believability to Woody, Toy Story is one of the best voiced animated features in memory, with all the actors ... making their presences strongly felt."
Several critics also recognized the film's ability to appeal to various age groups. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote "It has the purity, the ecstatic freedom of imagination, that's the hallmark of the greatest children's films. It also has the kind of spring-loaded allusive prankishness that, at times, will tickle adults even more than it does kids."
In 1995, Toy Story was ranked eighth in TIMEs list of the "Best 10 films of 1995". In 2011, TIME named it one of the "25 All-TIME Best Animated Films".
It also ranks at number 99 in Empire magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Films of All Time" and as the "highest-ranked animated movie".
In 2003, the Online Film Critics Society ranked the film as the greatest animated film of all time. In 2007, the Visual Effects Society named the film 22nd in its list of the "Top 50 Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time". The film is ranked 99th on the AFI's list of the "100 greatest American Films of All-Time". It was one of the only two animated films on that list, the other being Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). It was also the sixth best in the animation genre on AFI's 10 Top 10.
In more recent years, director Terry Gilliam has praised the film as "a work of genius. It got people to understand what toys are about. They're true to their own character. And that's just brilliant. It's got a shot that's always stuck with me when Buzz Lightyear discovers he's a toy. He's sitting on this landing at the top of the staircase and the camera pulls back and he's this tiny little figure. He was this guy with a massive ego two seconds before... and it's stunning. I'd put that as one of my top ten films, period."
Accolades
The film won and was nominated for various other awards including a Kids' Choice Award, MTV Movie Award, and a British Academy Film Award, among others. John Lasseter received a Special Achievement Academy Award in 1996 "for the development and inspired application of techniques that have made possible the first feature-length computer-animated film". Additionally, the film was nominated for three Academy Awards, two to Randy Newman for Best Music—Original Song, for "You've Got a Friend in Me", and Best Music—Original Musical or Comedy Score. It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay for the work by Joel Cohen, Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, Alec Sokolow, Andrew Stanton and Joss Whedon, making it the first animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award writing category.
Toy Story won eight Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature. Animator Pete Docter, director John Lasseter, musician Randy Newman, producers Bonnie Arnold and Ralph Guggenheim, production designer Ralph Eggleston, and writers Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, Andrew Stanton, and Joss Whedon all won awards for Best Individual Achievement in their respective fields for their work on the film. The film also won Best Individual Achievement in technical achievement.
Toy Story was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, one for Best Motion Picture—Comedy or Musical, and one for Best Original Song—Motion Picture for Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me". At both the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards and the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards, the film won "Best Animated Film". Toy Story is also among the top ten in the BFI list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14, and the highest-placed (at 99) animated film in Empire magazines list of "500 Greatest Movies of All Time". In 2005, Toy Story, along with Toy Story 2 was voted the 4th greatest cartoon in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Cartoons poll, behind The Simpsons, Tom and Jerry, and South Park.
Impact and legacy
Toy Story had a large impact on the film industry with its innovative computer animation. After the film's debut, various industries were interested in the technology used for the film. Graphics chip makers desired to compute imagery similar to the film's animation for personal computers; game developers wanted to learn how to replicate the animation for video games; and robotics researchers were interested in building artificial intelligence into their machines that compared to the film's lifelike characters. Various authors have also compared the film to an interpretation of Don Quixote as well as humanism. In addition, Toy Story left an impact with its catchphrase "To Infinity and Beyond", sequels, and software, among others. In 2005, Toy Story was selected by the United States Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
"To Infinity... and Beyond!"
Buzz Lightyear's line "To Infinity... and Beyond!" has been used not only on themed merchandise, but among philosophers and mathematical theorists as well. In 2008, during STS-124 astronauts took an action figure of Buzz Lightyear into space on Space Shuttle Discovery as part of an educational experience for students while stressing the catchphrase. The action figure was used for experiments in zero-g. It was reported in 2008 that a father and son had continually repeated the phrase to help them keep track of each other while treading water for 15 hours in the Atlantic Ocean. The phrase occurs in the lyrics of Beyoncé's 2008 song "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", during the bridge. In 2012, the late Capital STEEZ released a song titled "Infinity and Beyond" in reference to the phrase as part of his AmeriKKKan Korruption mixtape.
Disney has also recycled the phrase in homage to Toy Story at least twice. In the "blooper reel" shown during the credits of A Bug's Life, Dave Foley says the line while in character as Flik, and Tim Allen himself repeated his famous line in The Shaggy Dog, in a scene when the titular character jumps off a bridge onto a moving vehicle.
Other influences
Toy Storys cast of characters forms the basis for the naming of the releases of the Debian computer operating system, from Debian 1.1 Buzz, the first release with a codename, in 1996, to Debian 11 Bullseye, the most-recently announced future release.
In 2013, Pixar designed a "Gromit Lightyear" sculpture based on the Aardman Animations character Gromit for Gromit Unleashed which sold for £65,000.
Sequels
The sequel, titled Toy Story 2, was released on November 24, 1999. In the story, Woody is stolen by a toy collector, leading Buzz and his friends to launch a rescue mission. Initially, Toy Story 2 was going to be a direct-to-video release, with development beginning in 1996. However, after the cast from Toy Story returned and the story was considered to be better than that of a direct-to-video release, it was announced in 1998 that the sequel would see a theatrical release.
Toy Story 3 was released on June 18, 2010. In the film, Andy's toys are accidentally donated to a day-care center as he prepares to leave for college.
Toy Story 4 was released on June 21, 2019, with most of the main cast returning for the film. Sheriff Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest get used to living with Bonnie, who creates a new toy named Forky, from recycled materials from school. As they go on a road trip with Bonnie, Woody is also reunited with Bo Peep, and must decide where his loyalties lie.
See also
List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a film review aggregator website
List of animated films considered the best
TM 31-210 Improvised Munitions Handbook
References
Bibliography
External links
Official Disney website
Official Pixar website
Toy Story on Archive
American animated feature films
1995 films
1995 animated films
1990s American animated films
1990s buddy comedy films
1990s children's animated films
1990s computer-animated films
1990s fantasy-comedy films
1990s English-language films
3D re-releases
American 3D films
American adventure comedy films
American buddy comedy films
American children's animated adventure films
American children's animated comedy films
American children's animated fantasy films
American computer-animated films
American films
Animated buddy films
Animated comedy films
Animated films about friendship
Best Animated Feature Annie Award winners
English-language films
Films scored by Randy Newman
Films about toys
Films adapted into television shows
Films directed by John Lasseter
Films produced by Bonnie Arnold
Pixar animated films
Films with screenplays by Joel Cohen
Films with screenplays by Pete Docter
Films with screenplays by John Lasseter
Films with screenplays by Joe Ranft
Films with screenplays by Alec Sokolow
Films with screenplays by Andrew Stanton
Films with screenplays by Joss Whedon
United States National Film Registry films
Walt Disney Pictures films
Films about dolls
1995 directorial debut films
1995 children's films
1995 comedy films
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational%20mathematics
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Computational mathematics
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Computational mathematics involves mathematical research in mathematics as well as in areas of science where computation plays a central and essential role, and emphasizes algorithms, numerical methods, and symbolic computations.
Computational applied mathematics consists roughly of using mathematics for allowing and improving computer computation in applied mathematics. Computational mathematics may also refer to the use of computers for mathematics itself. This includes the use of computers for mathematical computations (computer algebra), the study of what can (and cannot) be computerized in mathematics (effective methods), which computations may be done with present technology (complexity theory), and which proofs can be done on computers (proof assistants).
Areas of computational mathematics
Computational mathematics emerged as a distinct part of applied mathematics by the early 1950s. Currently, computational mathematics can refer to or include:
Computational science, also known as scientific computation or computational engineering
Solving mathematical problems by computer simulation as opposed to analytic methods of applied mathematics
Numerical methods used in scientific computation, for example numerical linear algebra and numerical solution of partial differential equations
Stochastic methods, such as Monte Carlo methods and other representations of uncertainty in scientific computation
The mathematics of scientific computation, in particular numerical analysis, the theory of numerical methods
Computational complexity
Computer algebra and computer algebra systems
Computer-assisted research in various areas of mathematics, such as logic (automated theorem proving), discrete mathematics, combinatorics, number theory, and computational algebraic topology
Cryptography and computer security, which involve, in particular, research on primality testing, factorization, elliptic curves, and mathematics of blockchain
Computational linguistics, the use of mathematical and computer techniques in natural languages
Computational algebraic geometry
Computational group theory
Computational geometry
Computational number theory
Computational topology
Computational statistics
Algorithmic information theory
Algorithmic game theory
Mathematical economics, the use of mathematics in economics, finance and, to certain extents, of accounting.
Experimental mathematics
References
Further reading
External links
Foundations of Computational Mathematics, a non-profit organization
International Journal of Computer Discovered Mathematics
Applied mathematics
Computational science
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows%2095
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Windows 95
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Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturing on August 15, 1995, and generally to retail on August 24, 1995. Windows 95 merged Microsoft's formerly separate MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows products, and featured significant improvements over its predecessor, most notably in the graphical user interface (GUI) and in its simplified "plug-and-play" features. There were also major changes made to the core components of the operating system, such as moving from a mainly cooperatively multitasked 16-bit architecture to a 32-bit preemptive multitasking architecture, at least when running only 32-bit protected mode applications.
Accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign, Windows 95 introduced numerous functions and features that were featured in later Windows versions, such as the taskbar, notification area, and the "Start" button.
Three years after its introduction, Windows 95 was followed by Windows 98. Microsoft ended extended support for Windows 95 on December 31, 2001.
Development
The initial design and planning of Windows 95 can be traced back to around March 1992, just around the time before the release of Windows 3.1. At this time, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and Windows NT 3.1 were still in development and Microsoft's plan for the future was focused on Cairo. Cairo would be Microsoft's next-generation operating system based on Windows NT, featuring a new user interface and an object-based file system, but it was not planned to be shipped before 1994. However, Cairo would partially ship in late July 1996 in the form of Windows NT 4.0, but without the object-based file system, which would later evolve into WinFS.
Simultaneously with Windows 3.1's release, IBM started shipping OS/2 2.0. Microsoft realized they required an updated version of Windows that could support 32-bit applications and preemptive multitasking, but could still run on low-end hardware (Windows NT did not). So the development of Windows "Chicago" was started and, as it was planned for a late 1993 release, became known as Windows 93 which was also known as Windows 4.0. Initially, the decision was not to include a new user interface, as this was planned for Cairo, and only focused on making installation, configuration, and networking easier. Windows 93 would ship together with MS-DOS 7.0, offering a more integrated experience to the user and making it pointless for the user to buy a DOS clone; this anti-competitive practice was denounced in Caldera v. Microsoft. MS-DOS 7.0 was in development at that time under the code name "Jaguar" and could optionally run on top of a Windows 3.1-based 32-bit protected-mode kernel called "Cougar" to better compete with DR-DOS. The first version of Chicago's feature specification was finished on September 30, 1992. Cougar was to become Chicago's kernel.
Beta
Before Windows 95's official release, users in the United States and United Kingdom had an opportunity to participate in the Windows 95 Preview Program. For US$19.95/£19.95, users would receive several 3.5-inch floppy disks that would be used to install Windows 95 either as an upgrade from Windows 3.1x or as a fresh installation. Participants were also given a free preview of The Microsoft Network (MSN), the online service that Microsoft launched with Windows 95. During the preview period, Microsoft established various electronic distribution points for promotional and technical documentation on Chicago, including a detailed document for media reviewers describing the new system highlights. The preview versions expired in November 1995, after which the user would have to purchase their copy of the final version of Windows 95.
Architecture
Windows 95 was designed to be maximally compatible with existing MS-DOS and 16-bit Windows programs and device drivers while offering a more stable and better performing system. The Windows 95 architecture is an evolution of Windows for Workgroups' 386 enhanced mode. The lowest level of the operating system consists of a large number of virtual device drivers (VxDs) running in 32-bit protected mode and one or more virtual DOS machines running in virtual 8086 mode. The virtual device drivers are responsible for handling physical devices (such as video and network cards), emulating virtual devices used by the virtual machines or providing various system services. The three most important virtual device drivers are:
Virtual Machine Manager (VMM32.VXD)Responsible for memory management, event handling, interrupt handling, loading and initializing virtual device drivers, creating new virtual machines and thread scheduling.
Configuration Manager (CONFIGMG)Responsible for implementing Plug and Play functionality; monitoring hardware configuration changes; detecting devices using bus enumerators; and allocating I/O ports, IRQs, DMA channels and memory in a conflict-free fashion.
Installable File System Manager (Input/Output Subsystem)Coordinates access to supported file systems. Windows 95 initially shipped with support for FAT12, FAT16, the VFAT extension, ISO 9660 (CDFS), Joliet and network redirectors, with later releases supporting FAT32.
Access requests to physical media are sent to Input/Output Supervisor, a component responsible for scheduling the requests. Each physical media has its device driver: access to the disk is performed by a port driver, while access to a SCSI device is handled by a miniport driver working atop the SCSI layer. Port and Miniport drivers perform I/O operations in 32-bit protected mode, bypassing MS-DOS and BIOS, significantly improving performance. In case there is no native Windows driver for a certain storage device, or if a device is forced to run in compatibility mode, the Real Mode Mapper can access it through MS-DOS.
32-bit Windows programs are assigned their memory segments, which can be adjusted to any desired size. Memory areas outside the segment cannot be accessed by a program. If a program crashes, nothing else is harmed. Before this, programs used fixed non-exclusive 64 KB segments. While the 64 KB size was a serious handicap in DOS and Windows 3.x, lack of guarantee of exclusiveness was the cause of stability issues because programs sometimes overwrote each other's segments. A crashing Windows 3.x program could knock out surrounding processes.
The Win32 API is implemented by three modules, each consisting of a 16-bit and a 32-bit component:
KernelProvides high level access to memory and process management, and access to the file system. Consists of KRNL386.EXE, KERNEL32.DLL, and VWIN32.VXD.
UserResponsible for managing and drawing the various user interface components, such as windows, menus and buttons. Consists of USER.EXE and USER32.DLL.
Graphics Device Interface (GDI) Responsible for drawing graphics in a device-independent way. Consists of GDI.EXE and GDI32.DLL.
Dependence on MS-DOS
To end-users, MS-DOS appears as an underlying component of Windows 95. For example, it is possible to prevent the loading of the graphical user interface and boot the system into a real-mode MS-DOS environment. This was done by inserting command.com in the autoexec.bat file or changing the BootGUI variable in the MSDOS.SYS file to 0. This sparked debate amongst users and professionals regarding the extent to which Windows 95 is an operating system or merely a graphical shell running on top of MS-DOS.
When the graphical user interface is started, the virtual machine manager takes over the filesystem-related and disk-related functionality. MS-DOS itself is demoted to a compatibility layer for 16-bit device drivers. This contrasts with earlier versions of Windows which rely on MS-DOS to perform file and disk access (Windows for Workgroups 3.11 could also largely bypass MS-DOS when 32-bit file access and 32-bit disk access were enabled). Keeping MS-DOS in memory allows Windows 95 to use DOS device drivers when suitable Windows drivers are unavailable. Windows 95 is capable of using all 16-bit Windows 3. x drivers.
Unlike Windows 3.1x, DOS programs running in Windows 95 do not need DOS drivers for the mouse, CD-ROM and sound card; Windows drivers are used instead. HIMEM.SYS is still required to boot Windows 95. EMM386 and other memory managers, however, are only used by DOS programs. In addition, CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT settings (aside from HIMEM.SYS) do not affect Windows programs. DOS games, which could not be executed on Windows 3. x, can run inside Windows 95 (games tended to lock up Windows 3. x or cause other problems). As with Windows 3. x, DOS programs that use EGA or VGA graphics modes run in windowed mode (CGA and text mode programs can continue to run).
On startup, the MS-DOS component in Windows 95 responds to a pressed key by temporarily pausing the default boot process and presenting the DOS boot options menu, allowing the user to continue starting Windows normally, start Windows in safe mode or exit to the DOS prompt. As in previous versions of MS-DOS, there is no 32-bit support and DOS drivers must be loaded for mice and other hardware.
As a consequence of DOS compatibility, Windows 95 has to keep internal DOS data structures synchronized with those of Windows 95. When starting a program, even a native 32-bit Windows program, MS-DOS momentarily executes to create a data structure known as the Program Segment Prefix. It is even possible for MS-DOS to run out of conventional memory while doing so, preventing the program from launching. Windows 3.x allocated fixed segments in conventional memory first. Since the segments were allocated as fixed, Windows could not move them, which would prevent any more programs from launching.
Microsoft partially removed support for File Control Blocks (an API hold-over of DOS 1. x and CP/M) in Windows 95 OSR2 (OEM Service Release 2). FCB functions can read FAT32 volumes, but not write to them.
User interface
Windows 95 introduced a redesigned shell based around a desktop metaphor; File shortcuts (also known as shell links) were introduced and the desktop was re-purposed to hold shortcuts to applications, files and folders, reminiscent of Mac OS.
In Windows 3.1 the desktop was used to display icons of running applications. In Windows 95, the currently running applications were displayed as buttons on a taskbar across the bottom of the screen. The taskbar also contained a notification area used to display icons for background applications, a volume control and the current time.
The Start menu, invoked by clicking the "Start" button on the taskbar or by pressing the Windows key, was introduced as an additional means of launching applications or opening documents. While maintaining the program groups used by its predecessor Program Manager, it also displayed applications within cascading sub-menus.
The previous File Manager program was replaced by Windows Explorer and the Explorer-based Control Panel and several other special folders were added such as My Computer, Dial-Up Networking, Recycle Bin, Network Neighborhood, My Documents, Recent documents, Fonts, Printers, and My Briefcase among others. AutoRun was introduced for CD drives.
The user interface looked dramatically different from prior versions of Windows, but its design language did not have a special name like Metro, Aqua or Material Design. Internally it was called "the new shell" and later simply "the shell". The subproject within Microsoft to develop the new shell was internally known as "Stimpy".
In 1994, Microsoft designers Mark Malamud and Erik Gavriluk approached Brian Eno to compose music for the Windows 95 project. The result was the six-second start-up music-sound of the Windows 95 operating system, The Microsoft Sound and it was first released as a startup sound in May 1995 on Windows 95 May Test Release build 468.
When released for Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0, Internet Explorer 4 came with an optional Windows Desktop Update, which modified the shell to provide several additional updates to Windows Explorer, including a Quick Launch toolbar, and new features integrated with Internet Explorer, such as Active Desktop (which allowed Internet content to be displayed directly on the desktop).
Some of the user interface elements introduced in Windows 95, such as the desktop, taskbar, Start menu and Windows Explorer file manager, remained fundamentally unchanged on future versions of Windows.
Technical improvements
Windows 95 included support for 255-character mixed-case long filenames and preemptively multitasked protected-mode 32-bit applications. 16-bit processes were still co-operatively multitasked.
Plug and Play
Windows 95 tried to automate device detection and configuration as much as possible, but could still fall back to manual settings if necessary. During the initial install process of Windows 95, it would attempt to automatically detect all devices installed in the system.
Windows 95 also introduced the Device Manager to indicate which devices were working optimally with correct drivers and configuration and to allow the user to override automatic Plug and Play-based driver installation with manual options or give a choice of several semi-automatic configurations to try to free up resources for devices that still needed manual configuration.
Long file names
32-bit File Access is necessary for the long file names feature introduced with Windows 95 through the use of the VFAT file system extension. It is available to both Windows programs and MS-DOS programs started from Windows (they have to be adapted slightly, since accessing long file names requires using larger pathname buffers and hence different system calls). Competing DOS-compatible operating systems released before Windows 95 cannot see these names. Using older versions of DOS utilities to manipulate files means that the long names are not visible and are lost if files are moved or renamed and by the copy (but not the original) if the file is copied. During a Windows 95 automatic upgrade of an older Windows 3.1 system, DOS and third-party disk utilities which can destroy long file names are identified and made unavailable. When Windows 95 is started in DOS mode, e.g. for running DOS programs, low-level access to disks is locked out. In case the need arises to depend on disk utilities that do not recognize long file names, such as the MS-DOS 6. x's defrag utility, a program called LFNBACK for backup and restoration of long file names is provided on the CD-ROM, specifically in its \ADMIN\APPTOOLS\LFNBACK directory.
32-bit
Windows 95 followed Windows for Workgroups 3.11 with its lack of support for older, 16-bit x86 processors, thus requiring an Intel 80386 (or compatible). While the OS kernel is 32-bit, much code (especially for the user interface) remained 16-bit for performance reasons as well as development time constraints. This had a rather detrimental effect on system stability and led to frequent application crashes.
The introduction of 32-bit file access in Windows for Workgroups 3.11 meant that 16-bit real mode MS-DOS is not used for managing the files while Windows is running, and the earlier introduction of the 32-bit disk access means that the PC BIOS is often no longer used for managing hard disks.
DOS can be used for running old-style drivers for compatibility, but Microsoft discourages using them, as this prevents proper multitasking and impairs system stability. Control Panel allows a user to see which MS-DOS components are used by the system; optimal performance is achieved when they are bypassed. The Windows kernel uses MS-DOS style real-mode drivers in Safe Mode, which exists to allow a user to fix problems relating to loading native, protected-mode drivers.
Core improvements in OEM Service Releases
OEM Service Releases of Windows 95 introduced support in Windows for several core new technologies which were not included in the original release of Windows 95. These include the Internet Explorer web browser, DriveSpace compression, DirectX, FAT32 file system support, UltraDMA mode for disk drives, Universal Serial Bus, IEEE 1394 (FireWire), and Accelerated Graphics Port.
Accessibility features
Windows 95 introduced computer accessibility features like Sticky keys, FilterKeys, ToggleKeys, Mouse keys. Microsoft Active Accessibility API was introduced as an add-on for Windows 95.
System requirements
Official system requirements were an Intel 386DX CPU of any speed, 4 MB of system RAM and 50–55 MB of hard disk space depending on features selected. These minimal claims were made in order to maximize the available market of Windows 3.1 migrations. This configuration would rely heavily on virtual memory and was only optimal for productive use on single-tasking dedicated workstations. It was possible to run Windows 95 on a 386 SX, but this led to even less acceptable performance due to its 16-bit external data bus. To achieve optimal performance, Microsoft recommended an i486 or compatible CPU with at least 8 MB of RAM.
Windows 95 may fail to boot on computers with a processor faster than 2.1 GHz and more than approximately 480 MB of memory. In such a case, reducing the file cache size or the size of video memory can help. The theoretical maximum according to Microsoft is 2 GB.
Most copies of Windows 95 were on CD-ROM, but a -inch floppy version was also available for older machines. The retail floppy disk version of Windows 95 came on 13 DMF formatted floppy disks, while OSR 2.1 doubled the floppy count to 26. Both versions exclude additional software that the CD-ROM version might have featured. Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 was also available on floppy disks.
Upgradeability
Windows 95 was superseded by Windows 98 and could still be directly upgraded by either Windows 2000 Professional or Windows Me. Office 2000 is the last version of Microsoft Office to be compatible with Windows 95. Similarly, Windows Media Player 6.4, released in April 1999, and DirectX 8.0a, released in February 2001, are the last versions of Windows Media Player and DirectX available for Windows 95, respectively.
Internet Explorer
Windows 95 originally shipped without Internet Explorer, and the default network installation did not install TCP/IP, the network protocol used on the Internet. At the release date of Windows 95, Internet Explorer 1.0 was available, but only in the Plus! add-on pack for Windows 95, which was a separate product. The Plus! The pack did not reach as many retail consumers as the operating system itself (it was mainly advertised for its non-Internet-related add-ons such as themes and better disk compression) but was usually included in pre-installed (OEM) sales, and at the time of Windows 95's release, the web was being browsed mainly with a variety of early web browsers such as NCSA Mosaic and Netscape Navigator (promoted by-products such as IBox).
Windows 95 OEM Service Release 1 was the first release of Windows to include Internet Explorer (version 2.0) with the OS. While there was no uninstaller, it could be deleted easily if desired. OEM Service Release 2 included Internet Explorer 3. The installation of Internet Explorer 4 on Windows 95 (or the OSR2.5 version preinstalled on a computer) gave Windows 95 Active Desktop and browser integration into Windows Explorer, known as the Windows Desktop Update. The CD version of the last release of Windows 95, OEM Service Release 2.5 (version 4.00.950C), includes Internet Explorer 4, and installs it after Windows 95's initial setup and first boot are complete.
While only the 4.x series of the browser contained the option to install the Windows Desktop Update features, the subsequent 5.x version had the option hidden. Editing the installer's configuration file located in a temporary folder would make the feature available in the installer. Alternatively, the user could install IE 4 with the desktop update before installing a newer version of Internet Explorer. The last version of Internet Explorer supported on Windows 95 is Internet Explorer 5.5 with SP2, which was released on July 23, 2001. Windows 95 shipped with Microsoft's dial-up online service called The Microsoft Network (MSN).
Release and promotion
The Windows 95 release included a commercial featuring The Rolling Stones' 1981 single "Start Me Up" (a reference to the Start button). It was widely reported that Microsoft paid the Rolling Stones between US$8 and US$14 million for the use of the song in the Windows 95 advertising campaign. However, Microsoft said that this was just a rumour spread by the band to increase their market value, and the company paid US$3 million. A 30-minute promotional video, labeled a "cyber sitcom," featuring Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry, was also released to showcase the features of Windows 95. Microsoft's US$200 million advertising campaign featured stories of people waiting in line outside stores to get a copy.
In the UK, the largest computer chain PC World received a large quantity of point-of-sale material; many branches opened at midnight to sell the first copies of the product. Copies of The Times were available for free, and Microsoft paid for 1.5 million issues (twice the daily circulation at the time).
In the United States, the Empire State Building in New York City was lit to match the colors of the Windows logo. In Canada, a banner was hung down the side of the CN Tower in Toronto.
The release included a number of "Fun Stuff" items on the CD, including music videos of Edie Brickell's "Good Times" and Weezer's "Buddy Holly," a trailer for the 1995 film Rob Roy and the computer game Hover!
Sales were strong, with one million copies shipped worldwide in just four days. According to International Data Corporation, by the end of 1998, Windows 95 was the most used desktop OS with 57.4% of the marketshare, with its successor Windows 98 coming in second at 17.2%. Windows 95 also still sold more non-OEM copies to large customers in the month of May 1999, which analysts attributed to large companies opting to wait for the release of Windows 2000.
Editions
Several Windows 95 editions have been released. Only the original release was sold as a shrink-wrapped product; later editions were provided only to computer OEMs for installation on new PCs. For this reason, these editions are known as OEM Service Releases (OSR).
Together with the introduction of Windows 95, Microsoft released the Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 pack, which contained several optional components for high-end multimedia PCs, including Internet Explorer, DriveSpace and additional themes.
The first service pack was made available half a year after the original release and fixed several small bugs.
The second service pack mainly introduced support for new hardware, most notably support for hard drives larger than 2 GB in the form of the FAT32 file system. This release was never made available to end-users directly and was only sold through OEMs with the purchase of a new PC.
A full third service pack was never released, but two smaller updates to the second were released in the form of a USB Supplement (OSR 2.1) and the Windows Desktop Update (OSR 2.5). Both were available as stand-alone updates and as updated disc images shipped by OEMs. OSR 2.5 was notable for featuring several changes to the Windows Explorer, integrating it with Internet Explorer 4.0—this version of Internet Explorer looks very similar to the one featured in Windows 98.
Legacy
On December 31, 2001, Microsoft ended its support for Windows 95, making it an "obsolete" product per the Microsoft Lifecycle Policy.
Many features have since become key components of the Microsoft Windows series, such as the Start menu and the taskbar, originated in Windows 95. Neil MacDonald, a Gartner analyst, said that Windows 95 "was a quantum leap in difference in technological capability and stability." Ina Fried of CNET said that "by the time Windows 95 was finally ushered off the market in 2001, it had become a fixture on computer desktops around the world."
Even though support for Windows 95 has ended, the software has occasionally remained in use on legacy systems for various purposes. In addition, some video game enthusiasts choose to use Windows 95 for their legacy system to play old DOS games, although some other versions of Windows such as Windows 98 can also be used for this purpose.
Windows 95 was implemented into a web-based DOSBox emulator around early 2016.
In March 2016, Fine Brothers Entertainment uploaded a reaction video on YouTube titled Teens React to Windows 95, wherein the teens complained about lack of Wi-Fi and having to use dial-up to access the Internet. The video received more than 14 million views and prompted stories in more than a dozen publications.
See also
Windows 9x
References
Further reading
Microsoft:
Third-party:
1995 software
Products and services discontinued in 2001
DOS variants
95
IA-32 operating systems
Products introduced in 1995
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xojo
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Xojo
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The Xojo programming environment and programming language is developed and commercially marketed by Xojo, Inc. of Austin, Texas for software development targeting macOS, Microsoft Windows, Linux, iOS, the Web and Raspberry Pi. Xojo uses a proprietary object-oriented language.
History
In 1996 FYI Software, founded by Geoff Perlman, bought CrossBasic, which had been marketed by its author Andrew Barry as a shareware product. CrossBasic got its name from its ability to compile the same programming code for the classic Mac OS and the Java virtual machine (although the integrated development environment was Mac only). A public beta was released in April 1996. The CrossBasic name was trademarked by another company, so the product was renamed REALbasic.
Prior to version 2, the Java target was dropped and later replaced with a Windows target and database support. The option to compile for Linux was added in 2005 and the integrated development environment (IDE) was ported to Windows and as a free public beta for Linux platforms. The new IDE employed a redesigned user interface.
In 2004 REAL software announced the "Made with REALbasic Showcase" program to highlight applications created with the product. In 2009, a migration assistant was launched to help move code from Visual Basic. In 2010, to combat the perception that it was similar to the original BASIC, it was renamed Real Studio.
The company announced Real Studio Web Edition, allowing developers to compile web applications without the knowledge of multiple web technologies.
On June 4, 2013 the company officially changed their name to Xojo, Inc. and Real Studio was renamed Xojo. Also on this date they released Xojo 2013 Release 1 which included an all-new user interface, full support for Cocoa on OS X, improved support for web applications, all new documentation and a new Introduction to Programming Using Xojo textbook that was designed for beginners to learn the fundamentals of object oriented programming. Xojo, Inc. calls it "the spiritual successor to Visual BASIC".
The Xojo IDE is currently available for Microsoft Windows, macOS, 32-bit x86 Linux, and can compile 32-bit and 64-bit applications for Windows (Windows XP and higher), macOS (running on Intel or Apple silicon Macs using the Cocoa frameworks), x86 Linux, iOS, the web, and Raspberry Pi. Xojo is self-hosted: the Xojo IDE is built with the current release of Xojo. The 2015r3 release includes 64-bit support for Desktop, Web and Console targets as well as a new platform, Raspberry Pi.
Xojo added many new features in 2018 and 2019, including support for macOS and iOS light/dark modes, a GraphicsPath for drawing Bézier curves, and a new DateTime class.
In 2020, Xojo introduced a new web framework, which is a ground-up re-write that adds modern-looking new controls, support for Bootstrap themes, two layout modes and more. The new web framework takes advantage of all that modern web browsers have to offer, providing a more robust foundation to build responsive web apps.
Xojo is among the top 150 most popular programming languages as published by TIOBE, a company which rates the quality of software.
Timeline
1990s
In 1996 Geoff Perlman founds the company that is now Xojo in Austin, Texas.
CrossBasic is acquired in 1997.
In 1998 REALbasic 1.0 released and introduced at MacWorld Expo. This first release made it easy for anyone, not just developers, to create apps for the Mac System 7 running on a 680x0 or PowerPC processor.
Windows support was added in 1999 with the release of REALbasic 2.0, making it a true cross-platform development tool.
2000s
Support for Mac OS X is added to REALbasic in 2001.
In 2002, the first Windows IDE of REALbasic is announced.
In September 2005, REALbasic is updated to include support for building Linux apps. REALbasic now compiles for three desktop platforms from a single code base.
Continuing to keep up with the rapidly changing needs of developers and hobbyists, Intel-based Mac support is added in 2006.
2010s
Expanding beyond desktop platforms, support for building web applications is added in 2010.
REALbasic becomes Xojo in 2013.
Xojo Cloud, Xojo's one-click deployment service for Xojo web apps, is launched in early 2014.
In December 2014, Xojo iOS, Xojo's first mobile platform, is released.
After much interest from the community, Xojo Pi is released, letting users build applications for Raspberry Pi with Xojo in 2015.
Support for macOS Mojave Dark Mode for the Xojo IDE and compiled apps was added in Xojo 2018 Release 3.
In 2019, Xojo Pi licenses are for free for building both console and desktop apps.
Xojo introduces new API in Xojo 2019 Release 2, which includes new classes and updated method and property names for better consistency across platforms.
In December 2019, Xojo formed the MVP program to facilitate community communication and serve as an informal advisory committee.
2020s
Xojo announced the 2020 Xojo Design Award winners during a video keynote on March 25, 2020.
On July 15, 2020, Xojo released an update for Xojo to run on macOS Big Sur as well as Apple silicon.
Xojo released their new web framework on August 26, 2020 for developing modern, responsive web apps with Xojo.
Xojo shipped 2020 Release 2 on November 24, 2020 with support for building native applications for Apple silicon (M1), making it the first cross-platform development tool to do so.
Xojo 2021 Release 1 added support for the Xojo IDE and XojoScript to run native on M1 Macs.
Xojo shipped 2021 Release 3 on November 18, 2021 that brings back cross-compilation from Windows and Linux to macOS. This release also introduces Dark Mode support for Windows.
On November 18, 2021, Xojo announces that their Android framework is in public pre-release testing.
Editions of IDE
The Xojo IDE is free to use for learning and development. Compiling or deploying applications with Xojo requires a license. Multiple license levels are available for purchase, enabling Desktop, Web and iOS. Xojo Pi for building applications for Raspberry Pi is free.
Licenses can be purchased a la carte, in any combination required and include 1 year of access to new releases. Xojo Pro, a bundle offered by Xojo, includes the ability to compile for Desktop, iOS, Web and Console, along with technical support, access to consulting leads, and a license that will work on three machines. Xojo also has a Pro Plus license that includes everything in Xojo Pro, plus additional support benefits and can be installed on up to six devices (for a single user).
The default database used with Xojo is SQLite.
Unlike most programming environments, project source code is not stored in plain text files by default, but in a proprietary, single-file format. However, source code can be saved to a plain-text format for use with version control systems and can be exported to XML format as well.
Xojo Cloud
On March 11, 2014 Xojo launched Xojo Cloud, their cloud hosting service for Xojo web applications.
In July 2014, Xojo Cloud added the ability to transfer files to the server using a client other than the Xojo IDE.
In March 2015, Xojo added MySQL and Postgres databases to Xojo Cloud. In addition, they also enabled the creation of SSH Tunnels for a direct connection to databases using a 3rd party management tool.
In 2018 Release 1, Xojo added server stats for Xojo Cloud.
A new Xojo Cloud control panel was introduced in August 2020 that is built using the new Xojo web framework. Other recent updates to Xojo Cloud include the ability to point domains at individual applications.
Example code
The Xojo programming language looks similar to Visual Basic.
The following code snippet placed in the Open event of a Window displays a message box saying "Hello, World!" as the window loads:
// Display a simple message box that says "Hello, World!"
MessageBox("Hello, World!")
This code populates a ListBox with the values from an array:
Var names() As String = Array("Red Sox", "Yankees", "Orioles", "Blue Jays", "Rays")
For i As Integer = 0 To names.LastRowIndex
ListBox1.AddRow(names(i))
Next
See also
Visual Basic
Gambas
Lazarus (IDE)
Comparison of programming languages
References
External links
Xojo, Inc., makers of Xojo
BASIC programming language family
IOS development software
Integrated development environments
Linux integrated development environments
MacOS programming tools
Programming tools for Windows
Self-hosting software
Web development software
User interface builders
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise%20content%20integration
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Enterprise content integration
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Enterprise content integration (ECI) is a marketing buzzword for middleware software technology, often used within large organizations, that connects together various types of computer systems that manage documents and digital content. ECI systems often work in tandem with other technologies such as enterprise content management, document management, groupware, and records management. It takes a decentralized approach in order to manage content from various resources. ECI implementations exist on a tier above the organization's existing software and provide wide-ranging search, indexing, and access functions.
Functions
ECI systems, in particular, and Unified Information Access systems in general, attempt to address the growing trend of the recognition that so-called “unstructured content,” such as a series of documents, can be important and can contribute to business development. Their other important function lies in their ability to increase the efficiency which with organizations can retrieve data by providing a single channel to access a wide variety of storage locations.
Enterprise content integration aims to answer a number of needs in today's organizations:
Migrating content (documents and images) from one system to another
Synchronizing part or all the content between two or more content repositories
Searching for documents across all content repositories
Offering a single point of access to all documents and content of the organization
Publishing or pushing this content to other systems (enterprise portals, web sites)
Features
ECI functions through the use of a metadata catalog that contains records regarding data throughout the enterprise in order to enable users to seek, browse, locate, and retrieve the necessary information. ECI metadata catalogs are able to collect data from a wide array of sources, including digital asset management systems, file and web servers, and individual users’ PCs. Vendors sometimes refer to this sort of decentralized content management as a virtual repository or a virtual file system.
In addition to gathering data for the metadata catalog, some ECI systems are able to connect to the resources offered by a computer system directly through an interface such as an API. These types of connections are often referred to as adapters, connectors, or content bridges by ECI vendors.
ECI systems can also offer automated aggregation, packaging, and distribution of indexed content through administrator-configurable channels, which allows flexible reporting and powerful analytic capabilities across a wide array of data sources. ECI administrators can design the system by specifying rules for the way indexed content should be packaged as well as how and to whom the content should be delivered. To accomplish these goals, some ECI systems are able to integrate with other computer systems such as publishing systems and format converters, often through web service interfaces.
Vendors
A number of vendors have provided ECI solutions through the history of the technology. One of the first was Context Media (now owned by Oracle); their Interchange Platform (now known as Interchange Suite 3.0) provided several cutting-edge features, including a dashboard interface for monitoring the flow of content and the creation of metadata, a component that allowed the definition of relationships among collected data, and a packaging and distribution function.
Venetica Corporation, founded in 1993, also pioneered ECI solutions with its flagship VeniceBridge product. Venetica was acquired in 2004 by IBM and its ECI technology is now sold as IBM Content Integrator, which provides out-of-the-box connectors for the industry's most popular content management systems, as well as several features for federation and developer services.
Agari Mediaware was another company among those in the first wave of ECI solution providers. However, the company filed for bankruptcy in July 2003. This was likely due to the poor market reception of the product; it was viewed by many implementers as an architecture rather than a complete solution, and most companies desired a solution that could be quickly put into place and enabled with a minimum of additional effort.
Other vendors of ECI systems include Day Software, EntropySoft, and SeeUnity, all of which offer a variety of connectors to various content management systems. A number of search-based applications vendors sell ECI systems, such as Aspire (Search Technologies), CloudView (Exalead), Lookeen Server, and Documentum.
Footnotes
References
Bergman, M.K. Untapped Assets: The $3 Trillion Value of U.S. Enterprise Documents. BrightPlanet Corporation White Paper, July 2005.
Brette, M., Chidlovskii, B., and Roustant, B. Documentum ECI self-repairing wrappers: Performance analysis. SIGMOD ’06: Proceedings of the 2006 ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data, pp. 708–717, New York, NY. ACM, 2006.
Rosenblatt, B. Enterprise content integration: a progress report. Seybold Report: Analyzing Publishing Technologies, 2003.
Content management systems
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S60%20%28software%20platform%29
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S60 (software platform)
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The S60 Platform (formerly Series 60 User Interface) is a software platform for smartphones that runs on top of the Symbian operating system. It was created by Nokia based on the 'Pearl' user interface from Symbian Ltd. It was introduced at COMDEX in November 2001 and first shipped with the Nokia 7650 smartphone. The platform has since seen 5 updated editions. Series 60 was renamed to S60 in November 2005.
In 2008, the Symbian Foundation was formed to consolidate all the assets of different Symbian platforms (S60, UIQ, MOAP), making it open source. In 2009, based on the code base of S60, the first iteration of the platform since the creation of Symbian Foundation was launched as S60 5th Edition, or Symbian^1, on top of Symbian OS 9.4 as its base. Subsequent iterations were named Symbian^2 (Japanese market only) and Symbian^3.
The S60 software is a multivendor standard for smartphones that supports application development in Java MIDP, C++, Python and Adobe Flash. Its API was called Avkon UI. S60 consists of a suite of libraries and standard applications, such as telephony, personal information manager (PIM) tools, and Helix-based multimedia players. It was intended to power fully featured modern phones with large colour screens, which are commonly known as smartphones.
Originally, the most distinguishing feature of S60 phones was that they allowed users to install new applications after purchase. Unlike a standard desktop platform, however, the built-in apps are rarely upgraded by the vendor beyond bug fixes. New features are only added to phones while they are being developed rather than after public release. Certain buttons are standardized, such as a menu key, a four way joystick or d-pad, left and right soft keys and a clear key.
S60 was mainly used by Nokia but they also licensed it to a few other manufacturers, including Lenovo, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Samsung, Sendo, Siemens Mobile, Sony Ericsson, Solstice and Vertu. Sony Ericsson notably was the main vendor using the competing UIQ Symbian interface.
In addition to the manufacturers the community includes:
Software integration companies such as Sasken, Elektrobit, Teleca, Digia, Mobica, Atelier.tm
Semiconductor companies Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, Broadcom, Sony, Freescale Semiconductor, Samsung Electronics
Operators such as Vodafone and Orange who develop and provide S60-based mobile applications and services
Software developers and independent software vendors (ISVs).
Editions
There have been four major releases of S60: "Series 60" (2001), "Series 60 Second Edition" (2002), "S60 3rd Edition" (2005) and "S60 5th Edition" (2008). Each release had an updated version called Feature Pack, sometimes known as relay. Each runs on a different Symbian version.
Series 60 1st Edition The devices' display resolution was fixed to 176×208. The Siemens SX1 meanwhile had 176×220.
Version 0.9 was the original and first shipped with Nokia 7650.
Version 1.2 (marketed as Feature Pack 1) first shipped with Nokia 3600/3650 in 2003.
Series 60 2nd Edition Also known as S60v2.
Version 2 was the original and first shipped with Nokia 6600.
Version 2.1 (Feature Pack 1) first came with Nokia 6620.
Version 2.6 (Feature Pack 2) first came with Nokia 6630.
Version 2.8 (Feature Pack 3) first started shipping with Nokia N70 in September 2005. FP3 now supports multiple resolutions, i.e. Basic (176×208), and Double (352×416). The N90 was the first Series 60 device to support a higher resolution (352×416).
S60 3rd Edition S60v3 uses a hardened version of Symbian OS (v9.1), which has mandatory code signing. In S60v3, a user may install only programs that have a certificate from a registered developer, unless the user disables that feature or modify the phone's firmware through third-party hacks that circumvent the mandatory signing restrictions. This makes software written for S60 1st Edition or 2nd Edition not binary-compatible with S60v3.
Version 3 was first introduced with Nokia N91 in 2005.
Version 3.1 (Feature Pack 1) first shipped with Nokia N95.
Version 3.2 (Feature Pack 2) first shipped with Nokia N78.
In 2006, a "Designed for S60 Devices" logo program for developers was launched. The logotype can be used with conforming programs regardless of them being native Symbian or Java.
S60 5th Edition In October 2008 Symbian^1, also known as S60v5, was launched as the first OS under the Symbian Foundation, based on the S60 code so therefore also called S60 5th Edition. Nokia skipped the number 4 as they traditionally always do (due to East Asian tetraphobia). S60 5th Edition runs on Symbian OS version 9.4. The major feature of 5th Edition is support for high-resolution 640×360 touchscreens; before 5th Edition, all S60 devices had a button-based user interface. S60 5th Edition also integrates standard C/C++ APIs and includes Adobe Flash Lite 3.0 with S60-specific ActionScript extensions that give Flash Lite developers access to phone features like contacts, text messaging, sensors and device location information (GPS). Despite the introduction of S60 5th Edition, the 3rd Edition continued to be marketed new as well, as 5th Edition is specially designed for, and exclusively available on touchscreens.
Version 5 was first introduced with Nokia 5800 XpressMusic in 2008.
S60 5th Edition was the last edition of S60. It was succeeded by Symbian^2 (based on MOAP) and Symbian^3 in 2010.
Versions and supported devices
Many devices are capable of running the S60 software platform with the Symbian OS. Devices ranging from the early Nokia 7650 running S60 v0.9 on Symbian OS v6.1, to the latest Samsung i8910 Omnia HD running S60 v5.0 on Symbian OS v9.4. In Symbian^3 the version of the revised platform is v5.2.
The table lists devices carrying each version of S60 as well as the Symbian OS version on what it is based. Note that new devices since Symbian^3 May be capable of upgrading to later systems, such as Symbian Anna and Symbian Belle. Therefore, you may see a device being listed in many systems.
Symbian is now progressing through a period of organisational change to metamorph into an open source software platform project. As an OS, Symbian OS originally provided no user interface (UI), the visual layer that runs atop an operating system. This was implemented separately. Examples of Symbian UIs are MOAP; Series 60; Series 80; Series 90 and UIQ. This separation of UI from underlying OS has created both flexibility and some confusion in the market place. The Nokia purchase of Symbian was brokered with the involvement of the other UI developers and all major user interface layers have been (or have been pledged to be) donated to the open source foundation who will independently own the Symbian operating system. The new Symbian Foundation has announced its intent to unify different Symbian UIs into a single UI based on the S60 platform. (Announcements made in March 2009 indicated this would be the S60 5th edition with feature pack 1).
Symbian Anna
On 12 April 2011, Nokia announced Symbian Anna as a software update to the Symbian^3 release.
Three new devices (500, X7 and E6) were announced which will have Symbian Anna pre-installed. Symbian Anna will be available as a Software Update for Symbian^3 based devices as well.
Most Significant updates that come with "Anna" are
Portrait QWERTY with split-view data entry
New Icon Set
New internet browser with an improved user interface, search-integrated address field, faster navigation and page loading.
Updated Ovi Maps (search public transport, download full country maps via WLAN or Nokia Ovi Suite, check-in to Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare).
Java Runtime 2.2, Qt Mobility 1.1 and Qt4.7.
Symbian Belle
On 24 August 2011, Nokia announced Symbian Belle (later renamed Nokia Belle) as a software update to the Symbian Anna release.
Three new devices (603, 700 and 701) [Nokia 600 is cancelled and is replaced with Nokia 603] were announced which will have Symbian Belle pre-installed. Symbian Belle was available as a Software Update for Symbian Anna-based devices as well.
Most Significant updates that came with "Belle" were
Free-form, differently-sized, live widgets
More homescreens
Improved status bar
Dropdown menu
Modernised navigation
New apps
Informative lock screen
NFC devices
Visual multitasking
Symbian Carla and Donna
In November 2011, Nokia announced the Carla and Donna updates. Carla was expected to be released in late 2012 or early 2013 and feature a new web browser, new widgets, new NFC capabilities and Dolby Surround audio enhancement. Donna was going to be a dual-core processor exclusive, and was planned to be released late 2013 or early 2014. In May 2012 a Nokia executive claimed that Carla and Donna were cancelled, and that Nokia would instead only release Belle Feature Pack 2 later in 2012, lacking many of the new features that were planned for Carla and Donna.
Legacy
In February 2011, Nokia announced a partnership with Microsoft to adopt Windows Phone 7 as Nokia's primary operating system, leaving further Symbian development in question. Nokia has promised support for Symbian and its newer devices until at least 2016, but no new Symbian devices will be released after Nokia 808 PureView. On 29 April 2011, Nokia announce that it would transfer Symbian activities to Accenture along with 3,000 employees.
See also
Series 20
Series 30
Series 30+
Sailfish OS, the open source Linux platform based on MeeGo from Jolla, the company which was established by ex-Nokia employees.
Android OS, a partly open-source mobile platform by Google
Maemo, Nokia's Debian Linux-based platform
MOAP, another Symbian-based platform
Series 40, Nokia's non-Symbian-based platform for mass-market devices.
Series 80
Series 90
UIQ, another Symbian-based platform
Web Browser for S60
References
Symbian Belle
Symbian Belle – the facts, the features and the pictures
External links
Forum Nokia – S60 developer site
Forum.Nokia.com – S60 2nd/3rd Edition: Differences in Features v1.5
Forum Nokia Russia – S60 developer site
Open Letter from Nokia CEO to Microsoft CEO
Series 60
Smartphones
Software that uses Qt
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