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Please post a link from a credible news source. Forbes magazine has an established record of anti-Linux bias. I'm sure you can find a web site that is a bit more level-headed.

Sincerely,
Seth Finklestein
Advocate for Fair and Balanced News (NOT FOX NEWS)

You mean, like that Jon Schwartz is leaving, to be replaced by John Loiacono?.

[This must have been in the works a few weeks anyway. I have to wonder how the MS-Sun rapprochement talks intertwined with ESR's proposal to make Java truly open source...]

Well, this article in Forbes seems to confirm that it isn't a joke, but then Forbes has been known to be untrustworthy...

These are all by Daniel Lyons, Forbes' licensed troll who wrote an entire column insinuating that the FSF and Eben Moglen were some sort of software mafia shaking down innocent companies for cash left, right, and center, just because (gasp!) they wanted collaboratively-produced software to continue to be released under terms consistent with its original licence.

His wonderful purple prose reveals his opinion of Linux fans:

The dispute, which was leaked to an Internet message board, offers a rare peek into the dark side of the free software movement--a view that contrasts with the movement's usual public image of happy software proles linking arms and singing the "Internationale" while freely sharing the fruits of their code-writing labor.

It's not in production, but something like this? Or if it's bystanders' lives you want to endanger, there's this. (I couldn't find a picture of it in operation, but that's a flamethrower on the port side, opposite the earsplitting loudspeaker. Also a one-off, obviously.)

The pages att http://gmail.google.com are still there. Also, in this article today on Forbes site Google say Gmail was no prank.

ali@gmail.com

Jonathan Rosenberg, Google's vice president of products quoted in Forbes.com Says it's real. And quotes /.

It's not fake according to this

But who knows...

Looks like gmail really is real.

Forbes says Gmail real, Copernicus joke

Observe yet another masterpiece of FUD by Daniel Lyons @ Forbes.

Actually, it's true

And hey look, Slashdot got a mention;

"It's going to go down in history as one of the biggest pranks ever pulled," wrote one message poster at Slashdot.org, which bills itself as a news provider for nerds.

I'd dearly love to see Forbes get suckered by this one. They've been such dorks about anything to do with Linux, it would be par for the course. It looks like they bought the Google mail story hook, line and sinker.

"'It's going to go down in history as one of the biggest pranks ever pulled,' wrote one message poster at Slashdot.org, which bills itself as a news provider for nerds."

Too bad they referred to you just as "one message poster" instead of LostCluster. I'd demand a correction.

if you must, mod me down. i have the karma. but it is an interesting article and it isn't going to be discussed here any other way.

Virtual accesories and avatars are a big business in Korea

The reason they have all that money is that they're not in the habit of handing it out to slobs like you and me.

According to Forbes, IBM made $1 billion on Linux servers in 2003. Hewlett Packard made $2.5 billion. That's billion with a "b".

$1 billion is a lot of money. Is it going to Free Software developers? I dunno. I keep seeing Free Software projects hustling for nickels and dimes from you and me. Developers like Tom Lord have to go begging for cash to pay their phone bills while the

Of course, IBM and other big players don't have to pay back the community making the software they're making billions off of with money. They could kick in some code instead. OS/2 would be a welcome piece of Open Source software; the Lotus Office Suite would help too. IBM has a whole hell of a lot of software that would help out a lot.

I dunno. I guess I'm not all that thrilled to see Fortune 500 companies make tons of cash off of Free Software while the developers of that software go begging. It just seems a little backwards.

Enjoy some context (not intended as a criticism). Part of the reason is demographic trends and part of the reason is financial. The ideas in the article seem to support a shift to creativity as discussed in an article with some game industry experts last year.

Reuters reports on the crisis of creativity in games 'as aging gamers' tastes increasingly shift toward sequels and games based on movies'. The supposed crisis was discussed by industry participants at the Game Developers Conference 2004. 'The gaming industry will shrink unless we start to see new games,' warned Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani. Sony's Ryoichi Hasegawa said, 'Core gamers are advancing in age and they are becoming more conservative'.

As the GDC panel sees it, the other big problem is the cost of producing games which encourages publishers and developers to 'take less risks on new, innovative titles.'

The argument for creative new games and game types echoes an article we ran last year where experts say game industry trends favor a shift to creativity and creative talent. Iwatani appears to agree, saying he had seen periods that lacked creativity in his 20-year career but 'new and revolutionary new games appear in a two- to three-year cycle.'

According to Forbes, Apple developed it themselves:

"Apple has over the last year been quietly developing a digital-rights management software technology called Fairplay. What it does is allow you to do things that generally you're already allowed to do with CDs."

Admittedly a non-technical description.

I think it's far more likely that Apple simply bought ought this "VeriDisc" company. Going by their web site (now accessable via IP address only) they haven't done anything since 2001...

I'm highly suspect of anyone who claims that Apple "licensed" FairPlay from a company which now no longer seems to exist...

I tell you, buy a Microsoft penis enlargment kit, and you'll increase in size by this amount in one day.

One World, One Party, One Operating System

When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you

A lot of bad things can happen to a company using non-windows Operating Systems, you know. We wouldn't want that to happen now would we?

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, we've got a customer who doesn't want to renew their software licenses. What are we going to do?

Says here that "Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith said the European Commission's decision amounted to a "compulsory licence" of the firm's intellectual property rights within Europe."

Ok, enough laughing. Back to the bash-fest.

Mostly the US has declared that it is 'unnecessary' for the EU to develop their own system or that the planned sytem would disrupt GPS (the planned improvements to GPS due to similar frequencies). Recently the US has come to an agreement with the EU about how the satellites will work. So it does appear that Galileo will become a reality.

Forbes magazine

EU viewpoint

Apple Records and Apple Computers have been able to coexist peacefully since the late 70s, as well.

and get raided by MPAA & RIAA.

And then the obligatory question "Yeah, but does it run Linux?

I guess one could also combine it with a trekkie badge

What they've produced is an ugly little box which you keep in your pocket, purse or belt. What they could have had -- for minimal extra investment -- is something that people would be proud to show off. Vocera need to have a conversation with the folk at Apple.

But, honestly who buys a phone for the CAMERA?

Yea, I own an LG-VX6000, and I tell you this...I bought it for the actual features it has as a phone and not the camera.

I've taken a few pictures with the camera, and put simply...there can be no replacement for film and digital cameras anytime in the near future.

doh, grumble, grumble. Hit submit instead of preview. Here is fixed link:

Forbes top 500 private companies

So far this story doesn't appear to be getting a lot of mainstream press, but Forbes Magazine does cover it in this article. A lobbyist for the MPAA confirms that they had something to do with it, but the MPAA VP denies authorship: "They sought our input. We didn't write the letter." Otherwise there doesn't seem to be much media interest. Not at all surprising.

I wonder how many of Lockyear's words in this DVD decryption case also came out of the mouth of the MPAA.

Side observation:
In the excerpts from the letter, the attorney general uses the term "consumer" 7 times to refer to the general public. He uses the term "citizen" only once, urging the business audience to be "good corporate citizens." Our government increasingly refers to us as "consumers." Apparently they recognize who the actual "citizens" are, whose rights they diligently strive to enforce.

The problem was actually one of training and clueless operators.

They still need more training.

A simple google search with 'patriot missile failure' gives all sorts of links to recent problems with this system. Still, it's not the system itself that is wrong. Software does not kill, software does what it's designed to do.

I don't know jack about the rate increases and how fair they are, though I have to wonder how much extra commercial networks (ALL of the affected broadcast/cable channels have paid commercial advertising) should be expecting Dish Network and, by extension, their customers to pay for those channels. But the Nicktoons issue is a clear example of a media conglomerate using its consolidated power to force the purchase of something that the customer doesn't want.

The only thing that would really affect me (and deeply at that) is the loss of Comedy Central. But I'm willing to put up with that in the hopes that the little guy (Echostar) can put the big guy (Viacom) in his place.

Substantially better writeup of the issues involved here.

Forbes praised the economics benefits in an issue they did called "Inside Dope".

And to take it to/from your work, you'll want to upgrade to a car of the same caliber

Of the top ten, all are self made . . .

BZZZT! WRONG! Of the Forbes 400, five of the top ten are heirs to the Walton family fortune.

Perhaps you should listen to a source other than Rush Limbaugh. Yes, it really is that bad out there and it's only going to get worse.

Even in this article, which is reasonably technically sophisticated, Verisign's SiteFinder is almost invariably described in terms which suggest it was just a helpful service for lost souls (people who'd typed a wrong URL) instead of being recognized for what it is, an aggressive land grab and a ridiculous abuse of monopoly power.

A perfect example of this is this crap article from Forbes which lists a whole bunch of problems, many genuine, with ICANN, then lumps in VeriSign with the rest as a party wounded by ICANN's policies. This is the emptiest description of Sitefinder I've seen yet:

"VeriSign's Galvin says the company is just trying to understand ICANN's process and is seeking clarity on ICANN's charter. Specifically, he says ICANN overstepped its bounds when in October it forced the company to discontinue a service called SiteFinder, which helps redirect Web surfers to sites, saying it had technical problems."

The 90% of the shares owned by US investors aren't owned by your next door neighbours, they're owned by multimillionaire investment traders. They don't give a shit about the people making them the money, they're just cogs in their money-machine.

You're right in that major shareholders are institutions - Coke's float is 67% held by them. However, that's because "institutions" are usually just investing the public's money. Coke in particular happens to be one of the S&P 500 companies -- know all those people invested in mutual and S&P index funds? Chances are most of them, including a few of your "next-door neighbors", own at least a few shares, and what profits Coke profits them too.

Ultimately, if you think that big multinationals are the ones that are going to be making the money, there's nothing that's stopping you from hitching your money to their wagon. There's nothing stopping you from being one of those investors that's profiting from their returns. Especially in this day with low-cost online brokerages, it's a fallacy to think that only rich people can afford to be investors.

Corrected URL

at forbes CEO approval rating site!:

http://www.forbes.com/2003/05/01/cx_ceointernetpol l.html

Oops, here's the actual link.
Forbes CEO Approval Ratings

Here is the Forbes CEO Approval Poll for Stratton Sclavos. See the steep dip in Sep-Oct 2003? That was Sitefinder. I think it's time to arrest that ratings climb.

(Apologies if Redundant.)

dude kerry is richer than you think. If elected he will be the third richest president in history. Beaten only by Washington and JKF. Kerry's family owns one big multinational company. You may have heard of it, its called Heinz Foods. I think it is something that should be mentioned if you are going to talk about rich people.
Yes, i have a link to back it up
Here. Electing kerry is almost like electing Heinz foods.

I covered this last week for Forbes.com, and got to play around with a Flipstart for about 60 seconds.
http://forbes.com/technology/2004/02/17/cx_ah_0217 flipstart.html

#1 Lets see...Austin, TX or LA, CA? Score one for Cali.

Actually, Austin is good for business.

Also, ordinary people can afford housing there, the quality of life is very good, and it's probably not going to be devastated by an earthquake anytime soon.

I think you meant:
Oh I'm torn, what to do, what to do... "litigious bastards" is already taken.

I worked on Japanese enterprise IT and from what I can see, the usage of Intenet in enterprise is terrible. Emails are barely acceptable form of communication and most things still require face to face meeting.

Things must look better in Internet industry. Back in early 90s, I was working in the US and everyone around me have a email address. However, Internet wasn't really known until mid 90s.

What I try to say is Japanese usage of Internet is disproportional to the awesome infrustructure and their econemic status. Look toward neighborhood countries: Korean with 70% broadband and China with rapid raising of Internet user. Interesting that you bring up business. Alibaba, a Chinese B2B portal, has 3M registered business and just finish raising US$80 millions VC funds.

I lived in both China and Japan for the past couple years and work in IT industry in the US, China and Japan. I have to say that the Internet infrustructure is most awesome in Japan but the utilization is the worst.

The EU Commission on Competition is about to rule on Microsoft's ongoing antitust issues. Part of the complaint is based inclusion and tying of it's Mediaplayer to the Windows OS platform. Essentially a replay of the Netscape affair.. Microsoft still faces some competition in streaming media from Apple's Quicktime and to a lesser extent Real Realplayer mediaplayers,but Microsoft, though it's position as dominant desktop platform, is gaining the lions market share. Other vendors hardware based audio/music players, either proprietary DRM based such as Apple's IPod or various MP3 players are for the moment holding their own in the marketplace.

Microsoft's negotiated settlement with the US DOJ and the settling US State Attorney Generals teminates after five to six years.If Microsoft remains unconstrained by either the EU or the US DOJ, it would be free to use the same tactics has it has done with the X-Box. Microsoft could use it's billions ripped from dominating the desktop market to subsidize streaming content providers bandwidth and flood the market with proprietary Microsoft-protocol-only mediaplayer hardware. Given the ongoing downward trend in chip prices, in five to six year time, Microsoft could easily afford to virually give away the hand held mediaplayers.

Attempting to regain a foothold back into such a Microsoft dominated market would be even more difficult than competing against Microsofts desktop monopoly is today.

Which gives me the segway to repost a "Lambaste from the past"

Microsoft and the recording industry are slealthfully
pushing Media Player 9 on the market, by requiring it to
view increasingly ever more "exclusive" content...

See 'Free' Costello CD seeds DRM, MS Media Player 9
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/27232.html
And Peter Gabriel album preview deployed in MS audio push
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/27272.htm

In the words of contemporary 80s artist of both Costello and
Gabriel, Dire Straits Mark Knofler - this is Money for
Nothing...

[ With deepest apologies to Mark Knofler and Dire Straits ]

"Money for Microsoft" by Dire Warnings
Sung by Steve Ballmer, backing by Bill Gates

You must buy ...
You must buy Win-XP,You must buy ...
You must buy Win-XP,You must buy ...
You must buy Win-XP,You must buy ...
You must buy Win-XP

Now look at them bozo's that's the way you do it
You lock them always on the Win-XP
That ain't workin' thats the way we do it
Money for Microsoft from Dot Net usage fees
Now that ain't workin' thats the way we do it
Lemme tell ya them guys are dumb
Maybe get a licence on your little desktop
Maybe get a licence on everyone

They gotta install Media Player
Passport Dot-Net deliveries
They gotta take these applications
They gotta take these subscription fees

Look at that, look at that

See the little Win-Troll spreading spin we makeup
Yeah buddy thats our own fear
That little Win-Troll got them always complain'
That little Win-Troll makes us billionares

They gotta install Media Player
Passport Dot-Net deliveries
They gotta take these applications
They gotta take these subscription fees

They shoulda learned to use the Linux
They shoulda learned to use them Macs
Look at that user, we got it stickin' to the customer
Man we could have some fun
And their down there, whats that? Protesting noises?
Plannin' on me dancing like a c

... rallied after it was announced that they had lost the bid for purchase of that ATT segment to Cingular.

A lot of relieved Vodafone investors (or potential investors for that matter) then who it seems didn't have much confidence in the ATT buyout.

Now, next try for Vodaphone: Vivendi.

..

A lot of relieved Vodafone investors then -- or potential investors for that matter -- who it seems didn't have much confidence in the ATT buyout.

Now, next try for Vodaphone: Vivendi.