operating

WikiLeaks fans should think before they botnet

Do you support WikiLeaks? Are you mad at critics trying to snuff it out? Maybe you're thinking about joining the online protests aimed at shutting down the Web sites of its opponents. Don't.

A loosely organized group of vigilantes under the name Anonymous have turned the botnet guns of their Operation Payback campaign, which previously targeted antipiracy organizations, on PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Senator Joe Lieberman, Sarah Palin, and others who have criticized WikiLeaks or stopped doing business with the document-sharing project. The WikiLeaks fallout has hit a frenzy since the site began releasing diplomatic cables last month that … Read more

Reporters' Roundtable: Chrome OS and the future of operating systems

The big geek news this week was Google's public beta launch of the Chrome OS and its prototype Chrome notebook, the Cr-48. It's a significant product for Google and for computing in general. Will this new platform finally break the hold that traditional operating systems and software have on computing? Has the shift already happened? Who needs operating systems today, anyway? Or is Chrome OS just another "network appliance" initiative that's doomed to fail?

Our guests today are Stephen Shankland, CNET senior writer, and Steve Fox, former editor in chief of CNET and now editorial director at PC World.

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Show notes and talking points… Read more

Dutch police arrest suspected pro-WikiLeaks hacker

Dutch authorities said today that they have arrested a 16-year-old hacker involved in the pro-WikiLeaks attacks on the Web sites of MasterCard and PayPal.

The Dutch National Prosecutors Office said that the teen, who was not named, was arrested by a high-tech crime team last night.

The arrest comes after a group known as Anonymous--a label that's been adopted before by activists who have electronically assaulted the Church of Scientology and the Australian government--organized attacks on Web sites of companies that have distanced themselves from WikiLeaks. Distributed denial-of-service attacks enlist thousands of computers, all making simultaneous connections, in hopes … Read more

STOP WRITING IN ALL CAPS!

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Netflix gets licensing rights to stream Disney and ABC TV shows and movies

Google shows off a much-needed update to Google Groups

YouTube is holding a popularity contest for musicians

Forthcoming notebooks running Google's Chrome operating system seem to be missing the caps lock key

Bing Maps now help you navigate the local mall

A new study shows that Android users hog up more data than other smartphone users

And don't forget to visit CNET TV today to see our review of Google's new flagship phone, the Nexus S

Facebook, Twitter boot WikiLeaks supporters after Visa attack

A hacker group that calls itself "Anonymous" says it took the Visa Web site down today in retaliation for the credit card company suspending payments to the WikiLeaks site.

Earlier today, the group hit the MasterCard site with a distributed denial-of-service attack for the same reason, and it took down PayPal over the weekend. The MasterCard site was back up this afternoon.

"IT'S DOWN! KEEP FIRING!!!" the group tweeted on its Operation Payback campaign page.

Visa said yesterday that it was suspending payments to the controversial whistle-blower site, joining MasterCard and PayPal.

Operation Payback also … Read more

WikiLeaks supporters attack MasterCard site

Activists fighting on behalf of WikiLeaks brought down MasterCard's Web site today, according to the BBC and other sources.

The hacking group Anonymous is taking responsibility for a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on the credit company's site in retaliation for MasterCard's decision on Monday to block donations and payments to WikiLeaks, which was first reported by CNET.

MasterCard's main site was at times either offline or extremely slow to load this morning. Ping requests to the site also timed out, an indication that the site was unreachable.

Early this morning, the Anonymous group, which … Read more

Chrome Web Store a gift for developers, a sea change for users

The Google Chrome Web Store, which went live today, is a big gift to Web developers: it's a marketplace, like Apple's iOS App Store and Google's Android Market, that lets developers put their apps in a place where users and buyers are likely to be looking for them. It also collects money on developers' behalves.

Unlike most of the apps for iOS or Android, developers don't really have to program a new app for the Google Web Store to get it into the market. Especially in this early stage of the store, many of the "… Read more

Surgeons using iPads in operating rooms

Georgetown University has begun a program that uses iPads in their operating rooms to assist doctors with complicated operating procedures.

The iPads allow surgeons easy access to all sorts of medical data, imagine, and processes during an operation. The ease of using iOS comes in handy (no pun intended), since no stylus or keyboards are needed. It's quick and efficient, according to a Journal of Surgical Radiology statement:

With its attractive screen and networking capabilities, the iPad offers surgeons real-time access to images and patient data during an operation. Integrating it into routine clinical practice can save lives and … Read more

Get a Windows 7 Family Pack for $119.99 shipped

Haven't yet upgraded your home PCs to Windows 7? I can understand why: a single upgrade license retails for $119.99, which I find exorbitant for an operating system--even one as solid as Windows 7.

As you may recall, about a month ago, Microsoft rereleased the Windows 7 Family Pack, a three-PC upgrade edition of Windows 7 Home Premium (32 bit or 64 bit, your choice). The price: $149.99. That's a little more like it.

If it wasn't "like it" enough for you, though, your patience just paid off: Dell Home has the Windows 7 Family Pack for $119.99 shipped. (… Read more