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Symbian Foundation axing websites on December 17th, source repositories available 'upon request'
We'd heard that the Symbian Foundation would undergo some drastic changes as it transitions to a licensing body, and here's number one -- every official Symbian website will be shuttered on the 17th of next month. That goes for every page from symbian.org down to the Symbian Twitter and Facebook feeds, and the source code itself will be shelved. If you want access to any of it, even the databases of user-generated bug reports, you'll have to ask the Foundation for a hard copy and pay a nominal media and shipping fee after January 31st. We're trying to reach Symbian right now to figure out the full repercussions of this move, but assuming Nokia's promise to keep Symbian open-source still rings true, you might want to start stashing away the repositories and setting up mirrors before the Foundation drops off the face of the web -- and perhaps the Symbian crowdsource community, too.
PSA: Windows Phone 7's third-party apps easy to decompile, native code hooks exposed
We suspect most developers have gathered this since MIX earlier this year -- many of them have been dealing with variations of the problem since the genesis of Microsoft's .NET Framework -- but we thought we'd throw out a note that word's getting around on how easy it is to tear apart applications downloaded from the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, gain access to their resources, and get a look at their inner workings. Microsoft has been encouraging developers on the desktop to make this tough by using code obfuscation tools -- Dotfuscator, specifically -- for many years, but Dotfuscator's developer has only just released a free version (through March 31 of next year) for WP7, so it's made things tough to secure. In other words: business as usual, and "business as usual" isn't as airtight as your average white-hat dev would like. On a happier note, an enterprising coder by the name of Chris Walsh has fleshed out some hooks into unmanaged (read: native) Windows Phone 7 services. It's not what we'd call a "jailbreak" -- you're not altering the security settings of the device in any way -- you're just taking advantage of undocumented services Microsoft has in place, though it's still very cool. Walsh promises some tutorials on hooking into cool stuff like file system and registry access soon, but he notes that apps using these hooks are still running as managed tasks, meaning they can be slapped around by the kernel (killed, suspended, and so on) just as any other WP7 app can -- and we also doubt you'd be able to get Marketplace approval using this stuff.
Kinect running on OS X
Microsoft recently released its Kinect motion sensor system for the Xbox 360 -- it's a little camera-equipped device that plugs into the game console and lets you control game titles, Wii-style, with just your body in lieu of any actual controllers. Just a few days after release, the hardware was hacked, and now hacker Theo Watson has released an OS X port of libfreenect, a library that allows you to run Kinect's output directly into OS X. You can watch video of it all working right after the break -- he doesn't seem real excited about it (that, or he's tired after putting it together), but it is a cool little setup. It's still a work in progress (the device has only been out for a week or so), and of course this is all unofficial -- Microsoft will never be interested in wanting to hook the Kinect up to anything but one of their Xbox 360 gaming consoles. But we've certainly seen some fun things done with the Wii controllers an Apple devices, so maybe something cool will come out of this hack as well.
Froyo code for HTC EVO 4G, Droid Incredible goes open source
You know the drill: if you're rolling custom firmwares for your Android-powered devices, you've got to release the GPL portions of those binaries for all of our prying eyes to see. It's a drill HTC is well-acquainted with at this point, and once again, they've come swooping in with a couple that should pique the particular interest of the North American hacking community: kernel source for the Android 2.2 releases for Verizon's Droid Incredible and Sprint's EVO 4G. Of course, finding a frickin' Droid Incredible is another matter altogether... but hey, at least when you do, you'll have the source for it. Half the battle, right?
Motorola turns Droid X's source code loose -- some of it, anyhow
This might not have a ton of relevance as long as we've got a nearly airtight bootloader lock standing in our way, but we suppose it's a start: Motorola has outed the Droid X's source code, though it's apparently left some key bits out, just as it's entitled to do under the terms of Android's Apache License. Of course, this isn't anything new -- HTC does the same, mainly releasing only stuff that it has to by virtue of the kernel's GPL licensing -- and considering the customizations all these guys are doing, it's not an entirely surprising way to go about it. In other words, don't expect custom firmware to start popping up left and right -- not until our ever-trusty hacking community figures out a way to fully circumvent the eFuse noise.
Apple donates MacPaint source to museum
MacPaint was one of the first big "wows" of the graphical UI. Before the early days of Mac OS, operating systems were strictly text affairs, and creating graphics was done mostly by writing code. But MacPaint helped to change all of that, putting image creation in a graphical user interface (creating standby design ideas like the "marching ants" selection indicator), and allowing those images to be used in other programs and applications. Now, Apple has donated the MacPaint source code to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. Andy Hertzfeld (who writes about the MacPaint code here) is perhaps the one most responsible for the donation -- he hunted down some original floppy disk copies of the app, and then installed it on a networked Lisa computer to obtain the source code, and then came upon the idea of getting it donated to a museum so everyone could see it. After poking around Apple for a few years, he finally talked to Steve Jobs in January of this year, and Jobs fast-tracked the approval process so the donation could happen today. Very cool story, and it's excellent to see a little piece of Apple (and computer) history enshrined in a museum. You can get both the MacPaint and QuickDraw source code right off of the museum's website. [via Clusterflock]
Computer History Museum makes original MacPaint source code available to public
With all the tricky Photoshoppery we do 'round these parts, it's easy to forget that once the only way to get Justin Bieber into a shot with Steve Jobs and Bill Atkinson involved an X-Acto knife and rubber cement. For a peek into that dark and distant time (the 1980s) check out the Computer History Museum website, which has recently posted the source code for both MacPaint 1.3 and the QuickDraw graphics library. It's pretty amazing to consider that software this cutting edge consisted of a single, 5,822 line Apple Pascal file (in conjunction with another whopping 3,583 lines of code in assembly language). If poring over twenty-six year old code isn't your bag, the museum's website also contains an oral history of the development of MacPaint and more. Hit the source link to check it out.
Android 2.2 Froyo source code available today
It's still not hitting the bulk of Nexus Ones as far as we can tell, but for what it's worth, Google has unleashed the source code for Android 2.2 today, which is a solid sign that the code's been bulletproofed to the Open Handset Alliance's satisfaction and is ready for deployment across a number of phones from different manufacturers and carriers. It's still ultimately up to a bunch of gatekeepers in suits to decide when various models will get the upgrade, but this is basically zero day -- so let the countdown begin.
HTC pulls wraps off Droid Eris' kernel source
They knew this day was coming, but still, we can't help but feel like there must be some higher-ups at Verizon that are squirming today at the knowledge that the innermost workings of one of their highest-profile smartphones -- the Droid Eris -- are now available to anyone willing to invest the couple minutes that the package takes to download. This should give hackers some more elbow room to cook custom ROMs for Verizon's remix of the Hero -- and if they can beat an official Android 2.1 release for the phone by even a single day, that sounds like a win in our book.
HTC posts kernel source for Tattoo, Sprint Hero
The terms of the GPL require that developers of Android handsets out the source code for their phones' platform kernels, something HTC, Samsung, and others have generally been good about (emphasis on "generally") -- and now HTC's gone ahead and pushed a couple more notables into the public domain. The Tattoo and the Sprint-branded version of the Hero are the latest to get their innermost software workings exposed; the Tattoo should be an interesting choice here because it's one of the lowest-end Android sets released to date, and the Sprint Hero's been taking some heat for a while now for its lack of code exposure. We're happy to see HTC stay in compliance, yes -- but really, we're even happier to know that it's now in the hands of people who intend to tear it apart and do cool stuff with it.
Amazon puts code where its mouth is: releases Kindle source to the world
Well, here's a nice start to what Jeff Bezos was saying about giving the Kindle reader team some competition: Amazon just released source code for all its Kindle devices. It's fairly basic Linux underneath (kernel 2.6.22 on the latest 2.1 software), but obviously includes E Ink drivers and other relevant hardware support. What's unclear without compiling one of these and booting it up (to our untrained eyes, anyway) is whether Amazon stripped out its various DRM and licensed codec support -- MP3 and Audible seem very likely candidates for explosion, even if turns out Amazon did leave in its own Kindle Book DRM. We're also lacking an actual specific license for the code, though the folder we unpacked the OS to is called "gplrelease," so hopefully we're looking at the GNU General Public License -- which would mean manufacturers can take and repurpose this code to build their own Kindle clone / destroyer / gentle homage.
ZMP sells bi-ped robot source code to spur development, uprising
Tokyo-based ZMP has already teamed up with a consortium of other Japanese companies to take on the encroaching robot threat from South Korea, and it's now taken another step to spur on development and released the source code to its nuvo series of robots. Unfortunately, it's not going the open source route, with interested researchers and mad scientists instead required to dole out ¥257,250 (or $2,355) for a package that includes a nuvo robot, the source code, an electrical circuit diagram, three days of training, and an ID to give you access to the nuvo community. You'll also have to sign a non disclosure agreement with ZMP, and if you're not one of the first fifty to sign up, you're out of luck for now. Not exactly casting the widest of nets, but those looking for less expensive, more open robot platforms to play with certainly have plenty of other options to consider.
Roku serves up Netflix Player source code
Hope you're not too sleepy, you hacker you, 'cause we've got a juicy one coming your way. No sooner did we find that the Netflix Player would be streaming content from other players in the industry later this year than Roku opens up the source code vault. You heard right -- the GPL code has now been posted for the world to see, meaning that there's just one link standing between you and umpteen delicious tarballs. Mmm, tarballs.[Via Hack-A-Day]
Y2K finally strikes, crushes Grand Theft Auto 2 fans' dreams
Those who spent New Year's Eve, 1999 holed up in a bunker beneath their house, eating astronaut food while your superterranean contemporaries amused themselves with the ramblings of Dick Clark and the chonologically appropriate jams of Will Smith probably felt pretty silly when, you know, the world didn't end. Perhaps a technical snafu on Rockstar's website will slightly justify these worryworts' absence from the centennial shenanigans.The snafu in question was an apparent countdown for Grand Theft Auto 2, leading many to believe the PS1 classic would soon be heading to XBLA and PSN Stores near you. Unfortunately, a quick check of the page's source code reveals that the timer was created in 1999, and that certain parameters have caused the countdown to malfunction in the 21st century. Rockstar confirmed that they have no plans to port the title, but reluctantly admitted that the countdown timer has become self-aware, and that today is, in fact, Judgment Day.
Standoff over breathalyzer source code in DUI case
Not too long ago, we reported on a case brought to the Minnesota Supreme Court wherein a defendant in a DUI case asked (and was allowed) to view the source code of the breathalyzer machine which was used on him. Well, there's a new chapter in this book, it appears, as Minnesota authorities have missed the deadline for handing over the code to defense attorneys, thus dramatically increasing the chances that the defendant will be getting his case dismissed. Apparently, the Minnesota state public safety commissioner would not supply the source code, and the Department of Public Safety offered no explanation for the refusal. The state previously argued that it doesn't have the rights to hand over the data, as it is actually the copyrighted property of CMI -- the company who manufactures the machines. CMI has not been forthcoming with the source code in the past, leading to blunted or thrown out cases, though Court judges say the state must do whatever it takes to procure the software, even if it means suing CMI. A court hearing scheduled for September 19th will likely decide the defendant's fate, though we doubt this is the last we've heard of this case.
iPhone Coding: Recording Audio
%Gallery-5616% Yesterday, I figured out how to record audio on the iPhone. Today, by popular request, I'll go through the how-to part. And, for those of you paying close attention, I've updated the application with lots of nice new features. For those of you playing along at home, here are the basics you'll need to know to get started with audio recording.
Unearthed memo details possible e-voting negligence
In case the Brits were still wondering if we Americans finally had our act together in regard to e-voting, this should add yet another nail in the coffin. Among the bevy of states that saw all sorts of turmoil when voters turned to electronic machines to cast their support was Florida, and while a recent motion doesn't speak of that specific incident, it does highlight a good bit of potential negligence. Apparently, a note was "uncovered" last September (but was withheld until just last week) which documented a "possible problem" with Election Systems & Software's iVotronic touchscreen machine, but wasn't used to scrutinize the finicky system before loosed to the voting public. The eventually malfunctioning software was linked to a "dispute over the 13th Congressional District race in November," which supposedly caused a high rate of "undervoting," and allowed Vern Buchanan to take the questionable gold by a mere 400 votes. Regardless, it's a little late for a recount, don't you think? [Warning: PDF read link][Via Wired]
Archos unloads source code for all Generation 4 devices
Tinkerers, it's time to rejoice. Archos has gone and released the entire source code to its Generation 4 lineup of products, giving open source gurus yet another avenue to exert their tweaking skills. The ISO is reportedly quite thorough, including makefiles and documentation, but interestingly enough, the files still seem to lack signatures, which has the folks over at ArchosFans a bit bummed. Still, those rocking a 404, 504, or any flavor of the 604 should head on over and give this thing a download, and do tell if anything substantial can be exploited / enabled, cool?[Via ArchosFans, thanks Rick R.]
Second Life abuzz with source code release [update 1]
Linden Lab has released the source code for the Second Life Viewer under the GPLv2 free software license, opening up its virtual world's client to a host of potential new features and improvements. The 'open source' announcement comes amidst a period of scrutiny in which the media has begun to debunk the hype and seriously question Linden Lab's reported SL user base; a recent estimate suggests that Linden Lab has inflated user numbers by more than 2 million.Since the source code release has arrived sooner than anticipated, it's no stretch to suggest Linden Lab is attempting to redirect media buzz. Ploy or not, the open source SL era brings with it an opportunity for an unproven developer to generate some needed exposure.Update: clarified that this is a release of the client (not full game) source code.
EU hits Microsoft with $357 million fine
Even though we've resigned ourselves to the fact that Windows Vista isn't coming out until it's good and ready, EU regulators aren't as forgiving as us when it comes to Microsoft playing the delay game, and have hit the software giant with a $357 million fine based on that 2004 anti-competition ruling. What's more, EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes has decided to slap the company with a three million euro-per-day fine starting on July 31st if the document disclosure stipulation of the original decision -- which requires Microsoft to make the Windows source code more accessible to rivals provide technical information to makers of competing server software -- has not been fulfilled. Redmond, for its part, claims that it has been fully cooperating with regulators; general counsel Brad Smith argues that the commission's original demand was too vague, and therefore the issue is not one of compliance but clarity. In the end, Microsoft can complain all day and night about unfair rulings and unclear requirements, but if it wants to continue having unfettered access to the lucrative European market, it seems the company has little choice but to toe the line on this one.
