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Actually its just the opposite that linux today [Wired news] reported few days back. Slow going for linux in Iraq

"SCO Corporation of Lindon, Utah (formerly Caldera) has lately taken to an extortion campaign of demanding license fees from Linux users for code that they themselves knowingly distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL. They have also refused to accept the GPL, claiming that some preposterous theory of theirs makes it invalid (and even unconstitutional)! Meanwhile they have distributed GPL-licensed Nmap in (at least) their "Supplemental Open Source CD". In response to these blatant violations, and in accordance with section 4 of the GPL, we hereby terminate SCO's rights to redistribute any versions of Nmap in any of their products, including (without limitation) OpenLinux, Skunkware, OpenServer, and UNIXWare. We have also stopped supporting the OpenServer and UNIXWare platforms."

Linux 2.6.7

While I like Linux and use it in some situations, I can tell you for sure that most distributions are far from competing with OpenBSD in terms of safety. You are right in saying that OpenBSD has a lot less resources than Linux, but they use their resources in a far more focused way.

• Yes, there are 3rd party patches which hack many anti-buffer overflow protections into the Linux kernel, similar to what OpenBSD has.

• Yes, there is a stateful firewall for Linux.

• Yes, there is ipv6 support for Linux.

But OpenBSD takes all of these things, which under Linux can be half baked and kludged, and packages them together as a polished, stable end product. Their PF work is quite frankly amazing. The features and documentation are unbeatable. Checkpoint and Cisco, watch out!

The key difference between GNU/Linux and the various BSDs is integration. The BSDs assure you that the various things will play together properly. Features are added more conservatively, but they are going to work. The system as a whole is stable.

You know that for example the buffer overflow protections are not going to break half your userland applications, because it has been thouroughly tested on the system as a whole. Some example results of this:

• You know that the packet filter will play nice with the IPv6 subsystem.
• You know that Systrace will work on an SMP kernel.

You also don't get silly things like stable kernels which corrupt your filesystem or ripping out the virtual memory subsystem in a stable kernel and completely changing it.

All these things are very nice when you are running serious production servers.

Linux can perform a large number of roles adequately.

OpenBSD can perform a smaller number of roles excellently

(Use the Preview Button! Check those URLs!)

Indeed. Linuxtoday.com

You also have to tell them that you're boycotting their product, and why. The best link I could find was to contribute a news story to their site.

Should I worry that there's a "Anti-Microsoft bias" since there was no linuxtoday link in the story?

Not that I care, but Linuxtoday hasn't been slashdotted yet. :)

I've gone to Linux Today, clicked around a whole lot, and I've yet to see any Windows ads. Gateway ads, AOL ads, Centrino ads, but no Windows ads. Where are they?

...here.

I sympathize with his points, and it's not just LinuxToday. I received the July 2004 (odd enough, that) copy of Dr. Dobbs Journal and thought "wow, it's really getting to be pretty thick". Then I realized that the middle 40% of the magazine was a long Microsoft advertisement. After ripping that out, there wasn't much left - except for 4 different articles on Java-to-COM-and-ActiveX bridges. Crikey.

Now you are trolling. But here goes, IBM gets most of its revenues from services. It is not alone. This is a model of doing business that works for millions of companies round the world. OSS supports that model. Many (some would say most) service organisations that use OSS to support their services also contribute in some way to the betterment of those products.

See, it's simple, it's all about good service - unlike certain commercial telescope manufacturers I could mention.

Glad to hear you are so knowledgeable about economics - try applying that knowledge.

When I said "you Linux advocates", I was not referring to you specifically. I was referring to the masses of posts here saying that there isn't a problem. The fact is that there is a problem. Even Linus Torvalds admits it.

I apologize if I singled out your specific instance of this attitude.

At least for patch submissions anyway. new patch submissions It's going to take a while to integrate full blown political ass-covering into the linux kernel process -- if that's even what the developers/Linux want. Adding too much of that stuff eventually makes it hard to even fart without signing-off on a dozen "TPS reports" first. Good luck guys.

Another analyst added, "they pay 5 guys to sit around and post blog entries to the internet. They don't even write their own content; they just cut and paste what other people send them. They don't even correct glaring spelling errors or correct obvious factual inconsistencies".

Furthermore, industry pundits have also revealed the truth around the questionable business practices being exposed by the lack of demand for LNUX stock. It appears that Linux's own community has begun to change their collective viewpoint.

"If linux is so great", said one, "why did they change their name from VA Linux"?

Another analyst added, "they pay 5 guys to sit around and post blog entries to the internet. They don't even write their own content; they just cut and paste what other people send them. They don't even correct glaring spelling errors or correct obvious factual inconsistencies".

Furthermore, industry pundits have also revealed the truth around the questionable business practices being exposed by the lack of demand for LNUX stock. It appears that Linux's own community has begun to change their collective viewpoint.

"If linux is so great", said one, "why did they change their name from VA Linux"?

BTW I thought I read that the new spatial mode could be turned off, and the filemanager could return to normal operation... Ah yes, according to a post on Linux Today:

I actually have tried spatial mode in Garnome. i don't like the clutter either. But it definitely does make browsing the filesystem easier. All they need to do is add a button to 'close all windows' and I'm happy. You should really give spatial an chance before you turn it off. BTW you can turn it off with the --browser option.

I'm also going to wait for Fedora 2 to be released so I can upgrade. Gnome is really starting to rock!!!

I haven't tried gnome 2.6 yet, as it hasn't been packaged for Mandrake 10, and I don't want to mess with source, so I haven't tried this recommendation.

If you're stuck on nautilus, perhaps this will help. I've never been a big fan of nautilus (hence my ROX-Filer usage =).

But this is Slashdot! Didn't you read the headline? "BILL GATES FINED $800,000 OVER STOCK PURCHASES!!"

This is clearly News for Nerds and Stuff That Matters. I'd definitely rather read about this than, say, a controversial paper on Linux security, or some Diebold news. Or hell, even NES-themed Gameboy Advance, complete with classic NES game releases to coincide, all coming out in June.

After all, those wouldn't be interesting at all and certainly aren't newsworthy...

I tend to agree.. there is so much pent up demand for this stock that I'll be staying away (or at least observing from a distance).

But, the market is still a lot more cautious than a few years ago, and Google is a profitable company. So, we won't see any of the historic craterings of times past. For example: VA Systems, whose IPO was followed by one of ESR's many moronic writings - this one talking about his being fabulously wealthy.. an amusing insight into this idiot's mind

But software which OpenBSD uses and redistributes must be free to all (be they people or companies), for any purpose they wish to use it, including modification, use, peeing on, or even integration into baby mulching machines or atomic bombs to be dropped on Australia.

Other pertinent, although slightly dryer points on the topic:

• Debian Free Software Guidelines, section 6: The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic research.
• From What is Free Software - Free Software Foundation...The freedom to use a program means the freedom for any kind of person or organization to use it on any kind of computer system, for any kind of overall job, and without being required to communicate subsequently with the developer or any other specific entity...
• From the GNU GPL: Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this License; they are outside its scope.

It's hard to see how the point could have been made by the people at the very foundation of free/open source software.

However, I'm sure the president of the LUG understands all that, and was just conducting a publicity stunt for his cause. I think it was unwise, because it'll do bugger-all for the antiwar cause (a cause which I support - that 200-odd billion dollars could have made the world a lot safer spent in a myriad other ways) and it reinforces the image of Linux enthusiasts as long-haired hippies, which still remains an impediment to wider adoption sometimes.

> Actually I am a developer that switched to Windows from Linux.

It was recently estimated that there are over 1 million Open Source developers in North America alone.

It's only logical that some of them are going to decide to switch to Windows.

And you're one of them. Good for you.

> Bullshit you switched because of all the hype and bull that accompanies the regular Linux religous preachers.

You're calling me a liar. That's mature.

> You wanna know why I switchd to Windows? It was to get away from the whiney, immature and the "Open Source it or you are a peice of crap" mentality.

So let me see if I have this straight...

I switched to Linux for rational business reasons. The platform APIs are relatively stable, so I don't have to keep changing my applications to match changes in the platform. All the interfaces are open and documented, plus I have the source code, so my development and debugging is faster and more accurate. And I know the owner of the platform is not going to try to undercut my product, and steal my business. All of thse things contribute to my bottom line.

You, on the other hand, switched to Windows because some people -- people who aren't even your customers -- are whining. You're not even doing it on principle, in fact you're bothered that _they_ have principles. That seems like a pretty poor way to run a business to me.

> Funny, all my favorite apps from Linux are available for Windows and they work flawlessly, can you say full of crap? Yes we know you are. . . . All my Windows apps work on all versions of Windows and not just the newer ones, hmmmmmmmmmmm

Wow, I am amazed. Can you possibly be that ignorant of Microsoft's history?

Here was Microsoft's plan for Java:

"Strategic Objective [is to] kill cross-platform Java by grow[ing] the polluted Java market."

Here is what Bill Gates said about Intel's multimedia support for Java:

"If Intel has a real problem with us supporting [AMD's 3DX technology] then they will have to stop supporting Java Multimedia the way they are. I would gladly give up supporting this if they would back off from their work on JAVA..."

Here is Microsoft's strategy to stop Open Source:

OSS projects have been able to gain a foothold in many server applications because of the wide utility of highly commoditized, simple protocols. By extending these protocols and developing new protocols, we can deny OSS projects entry into the market.

I could go on, but you get the point. Microsoft's entire history revolves around sabotaging competitors' products. Some Microsoft officials should probably be in jail. But, hey, if you're happy working with them, then that's your choice.

> When you show me some code then and only then will I be a little impressed, until then since you posted anonymously I put you at 14? 15? maybe 16

Not worthy of a response.

Bullshit - or at least I'm not the one flaming here. Here is some information about Microsoft's past behaviour.

2000 was also the Year Of The Penguin, but that turned out to be a bad thing...

That is, according to Chris Schlaeger, vice president, Research and Development in SUSE.

He said this at Novell's BrainShare in this LinuxToday article.

SUSE Personal will only be a KDE-distro now.

Here's an English edition of the story: Poland: It's official! Tax for Free Software [2000-11-20].

also, Harry Potter, Ferrari&Lamborghini, the names for pizza, mozzarella, etc. (they keep the stuff they sell by those names though :-) ... what else? Uhmmm... the Linux kernel?

By return of post, we will send back:

Wait! You forgot to send back Eminem, Snoop Dog & co. - (I'd hold on to some jazz though)

I've ignored these guys since.
iksrazal
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." Stephen Hawking

Let the blocking site shoot themselves in the foot (in the end).

Talk about cutting off your nose for all the trees!

They can't see the forrest to spite their face!

[/mixed-metaphors]

It does demonstrate quite a lack of understanding of how the internet works and a complete unawareness of the benefits of links from news collecting sites.

It does seem odd that a publication that puts itself forward as an authority on techj issues would be this clueless, but if they truly desire to block any potential new readers from LinuxToday, there's nothing that can be done, and nothing that should be done, about this.

The only real harm is to their own business, and if they wish to devalue their web presence by limiting their potential readership, let them.

The story has been re-posted, with a link to the same original story, but this time the link is to the same story on a different site.

http://linuxtoday.com/developer/2003042401126OSKNL L

Dang... wish I'd saved the whole thing though; the original osopinion.com website had long since morphed into something else. Maybe I oughta chuff up a resume' and call Wired? Nah.

Come on guys... quit making slashdot suck.

Maya Works on Linux? Since when?

Well, let's see...

• DaimlerChrysler is testing the Nokia Communicator, which "runs on an operating system from Nokia-controlled Symbian, a rival to Microsoft's Windows Mobile" ... " also promoting it as an alternative for companies that do not want to use only Microsoft software."
• DaimlerChrysler Corp. is working on a Linux-based management and navigation system for its cars.
• Related company: DaimlerChrysler Services used Unix and IBM software to merge its financial systems.
• Reporters say that DaimlerChrysler did not like Microsoft's annuity licensing plan and was examining Linux.
• DC using IBM Linux for car crash simulations.
• DC is a German/US merger, as is Novell/SuSe. Affecting DC may affect SuSe in its home market
• "IBM and the German government are getting together to implement Linux as the government's computing platform of choice."
• June 17, 1999, the Financial Post, Canada, Business Group Makes Push for Software Competition (pdf)

  The Canada Europe Round Table, launched yesterday, wants governments to take the lead in using operating systems such as Linux instead of Microsoft's proprietary Windows. The group of 28 companies -- which includes Bombardier Inc., Nortel Networks Corp., Corel Corp., DaimlerChrysler AG and Ericsson AG of Sweden -- suggests "competitive systems" such as Linux should be endorsed at the next round of World Trade Organization (WTO) talks. ... "CERT member Corel" ...

• "Ferrari, Volvo and DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group are among the companies that have turned to IBM for systems built around Linux."
• DaimlerChrysler Services Management Awarded 'Best Service' for Progress-Based Application With SonicMQ Integration: Award-winner Uses Progress(R) OpenEdge(TM) (Both Progress and SonicMQ can run on Unix/Linux)
• MySQL has acquired full commercial rights to develop and market future releases of SAP DB, of which there are roughly 5,000 customer installations. SAP DB users include Intel, DaimlerChrysler, Braun, Bayer, Colgate, Yamaha and Toyota South Africa. MySQL and SAP are also developing a future MySQL enterprise database that uses both MySQL and MaxDB.
• DC has been a user of MS products (2003)

AutoZone...

• SCO had claimed that IBM interfered with a contract (which SCO has not provided) and helped AutoZone migrate from SCO software to Linux. But there already is evidence that AutoZone used no SCO software after the change and its own employees did the change. The same statement also indicates that SCO drove AutoZone away, not that IBM interfered. The Red Hat distribution and support was chosen.
• AutoZone is using Wincor Nixdorf Linux store/POS tools.
  Wincor Nixdorf customers:

  * AutoZone * Books-

Well, let's see...

• DaimlerChrysler is testing the Nokia Communicator, which "runs on an operating system from Nokia-controlled Symbian, a rival to Microsoft's Windows Mobile" ... " also promoting it as an alternative for companies that do not want to use only Microsoft software."
• DaimlerChrysler Corp. is working on a Linux-based management and navigation system for its cars.
• Related company: DaimlerChrysler Services used Unix and IBM software to merge its financial systems.
• Reporters say that DaimlerChrysler did not like Microsoft's annuity licensing plan and was examining Linux.
• DC using IBM Linux for car crash simulations.
• DC is a German/US merger, as is Novell/SuSe. Affecting DC may affect SuSe in its home market
• "IBM and the German government are getting together to implement Linux as the government's computing platform of choice."
• June 17, 1999, the Financial Post, Canada, Business Group Makes Push for Software Competition (pdf)

  The Canada Europe Round Table, launched yesterday, wants governments to take the lead in using operating systems such as Linux instead of Microsoft's proprietary Windows. The group of 28 companies -- which includes Bombardier Inc., Nortel Networks Corp., Corel Corp., DaimlerChrysler AG and Ericsson AG of Sweden -- suggests "competitive systems" such as Linux should be endorsed at the next round of World Trade Organization (WTO) talks. ... "CERT member Corel" ...

• "Ferrari, Volvo and DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group are among the companies that have turned to IBM for systems built around Linux."
• DaimlerChrysler Services Management Awarded 'Best Service' for Progress-Based Application With SonicMQ Integration: Award-winner Uses Progress(R) OpenEdge(TM) (Both Progress and SonicMQ can run on Unix/Linux)
• MySQL has acquired full commercial rights to develop and market future releases of SAP DB, of which there are roughly 5,000 customer installations. SAP DB users include Intel, DaimlerChrysler, Braun, Bayer, Colgate, Yamaha and Toyota South Africa. MySQL and SAP are also developing a future MySQL enterprise database that uses both MySQL and MaxDB.
• DC has been a user of MS products (2003)

AutoZone...

• SCO had claimed that IBM interfered with a contract (which SCO has not provided) and helped AutoZone migrate from SCO software to Linux. But there already is evidence that AutoZone used no SCO software after the change and its own employees did the change. The same statement also indicates that SCO drove AutoZone away, not that IBM interfered. The Red Hat distribution and support was chosen.
• AutoZone is using Wincor Nixdorf Linux store/POS tools.
  Wincor Nixdorf customers:

  * AutoZone * Books-

Uh, the source of the leak was already identified long ago. It came from a Linux machine on a certain corporate network. Of course, you never saw that reported here, because this is Slashdot. It would destroy all the hairbrained "M$" conspiracy theories that continue to make the community look bad.

Bill Gates dares claim Windows is better than Linux in some obscure keynote speech, and it gets a front page headline of "Bill Gates Takes Swipe At Linux." Then an article gets posted called "Microsoft Violates Human Rights In China" simply because Windows is sold there--ignoring the fact that KDE removed the Taiwanese flag to be there, and China actually houses its own custom Linux distribution.

Now it's an entire article about an "anonymous e-mail" that ESR even admits he can't certify.

Has Microsoft become so jaded that they have turned to the dark art of trolling? Do they get some sort of perverse pleasure by fishing strong feelings out of educated people who know better just so their board of directors can laugh at the zeal of the rebuttals, knowing full well they were full of shit?

head of security? The article is pure genius by trolling standards. And having just read about Microsoft wanting to pollute java, maybe their new business strategy is to troll all aspects of the computer world... just to pollute it?

Everyone's read ESR's open letters, but the real, convincing, extremely well-written case was done by Ganesh Prashad in a Linux Today editorial yesterday. Ganesh lays it out in terms Sun can understand, without ESR's controversial style. This article is a must read for us, but it's also something that should be absolutely wallpapered in Scott McNealy's office, and maybe his home too.

Ganesh very clearly demonstrates how Sun will lose J2EE's 'lingua franca of business logic' status to .NET if they don't let the community galvanize and help out, and the only way to do that is to open source the Java core.

I guess this did them in - it was clear they were using the Mandrake the Magician theme, even if by today they are avoiding it. Similar to merchandising, King features would have charged them for using the theme, so I guess they were able to argue in court that financial damage has occurred even if Linux Mandrake did not compete directly with their trademark.

Somebody should call a distribution Donaldux and get sued by Disney, Les Editions Albert Rene, and Trump alike. Then the law suits could cancel each other out.

It would seem a bit difficult for ESR to have much credibility with McNealy after he trashed them in his "Sun is dead" article.

Mod story down (-1, troll).

Can we please stop letting people use slashdot to increase the hit rate on their articles in order to make themselves seem relevant to their bosses?

Fred moody, the infamous anti-Linux ABC News columnist, was doing the exact same thing four years ago. In fact, he was writing on pretty much the same subject, that Open Source is insecure and untrustworthy by its very nature.

Those who do not study history are doomed to repost it.

It's SUSE not SuSE.

Didn't you get the memo?

PR: SCO Sidesteps Attack with New Domain
Feb 2, 2004, 14 :15 UTC

The SCO Group, Inc. today announced it has put alternatives in place for individuals wanting to access its company Web site. The company is asking customers, resellers, developers, shareholders and all other Web site visitors to use www.thescogroup.com as the destination for the company's Web site through the end of Feb. 12, 2004. The company is putting this alternative Web address in place because the recently announced Mydoom or Novarg virus creates an attack that is designed to prevent access to www.sco.com from Feb. 1 - 12, 2004.

"Security experts are calling Mydoom the largest virus attack ever to hit the Internet, costing businesses and computer users around the world in excess of $1 billion in lost productivity and damage," said Darl McBride, president and CEO, The SCO Group, Inc. "Because one of its purposes is to interrupt access to the www.sco.com Web site, we are taking steps to help our important stakeholders continue to access the information, data and support that they need from this new www.thescogroup.com Web site."

The www.thescogroup.com Web site will provide visitors with all of the accessibility and resources that they would normally have when visiting www.sco.com. In addition, the company is including links that point visitors to security vendors, including Network Associates and Symantec, that will provide them with all of the latest information on how to download software updates and protect their PCs against the Mydoom virus.

"Increased traffic has already begun hitting www.sco.com in the last couple of days," said Jeff Carlon, director of worldwide IT infrastructure, The SCO Group. "We expect hundreds of thousands of attacks on www.sco.com because of these viruses. Starting on Feb. 1 and running through Feb. 12, SCO has developed layers of contingency plans to communicate with our valued customers, resellers, developers, partners and shareholders. The first step of that plan is the implementation of www.thescogroup.com."

Earlier this week, SCO announced that it is working with U.S. law enforcement authorities including the U.S. Secret Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to determine the identity of the perpetrators of the Mydoom virus. The company also announced that it has offered a reward of up to a total of $250,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual(s) involved with the creation of the virus. Anyone with credible information or leads should contact their local FBI office.

"We believe that Microsoft's $250,000 reward in addition to the $250,000 reward offered by SCO will significantly assist the FBI in obtaining serious leads that may help catch the perpetrators of this virus," said McBride.

Don't do that!
Microsoft is patenting word processor document based XML files!
M$FT owns XML format for word processors

...But this wouldn't be the first time SCO's been DOS'd by a misguided Linux user.

Whether or not this was really written by a fanatical user of my favorite OS, it's really bad PR for Linux that only goes to prove SCO's point. Especially if news reports also reference this DOS attack against sco. Undoubtedly, SCO will use it to bolster their Linux==terrorism garbage

We may know better, but the media doesn't. But at this point I wonder whether it's more likely that someone who isn't even involved in Linux thought this would be the perfect trinket to add to his latest virus. Here's hoping this won't turn out to be done by a Linux hacker...

try here (text description), here (text) and question/answer 1 (also text) on a *retro* '99, slashdot. I remember seeing a picture of carmack long ago (probably quake 2 - that I couldn't find) with a dual monitor LCD setup in a darkened windowless room, back when they where pretty rare. One screen with an editor, the other with a debugger or renderer. The thing I remember most was the ugly pink/red screen - though I reckon this is chosen due to low contrast (easier on the eyes). Nothing there but code.

I thought it was clear but I'll explain again.

My company writes software that we like to distribute as free software. I started doing this in 1995, and the tools and packages I make are quite widely ported and used. When I started my company our policy was that anything we could not rapidly turn into a product we would release as open source. Software that is not used dies, we figured.

Our license was a BSD-style license that basically allowed people to do what they liked with the software.

In 2001 I noticed that some commercial products incorporating our code were being sold. Very good, I thought, it's nice to see our work being used. But when I asked them to provide us with some of the extensions and patches they'd made, the answer was "no, this is not possible". Now, seeing people use the results of years of work then refusing to contribute anything back rather annoyed me. My company was selling support licenses for our products, and these were in fact our competitors.

The solution came in the form of an article by Richard Stallman which explained why using the LGPL was in fact giving help to closed-source developers who directly or indirectly compete with open source developers.

We decided to switch to the GPL, and in 2002 we moved all our OSS products to this license. At the same time, we had a number of commercial licensees. To give these groups a non-viral package, we developed a dual licensing model.

Since the code is ours, it's our right to license it to specific users under specific terms. The GPL is not incompatible with commercial licenses, so long as it's the copyright holder who decides what license to apply in each case.

To summarize: for OSS developers we use the GPL, for commercial developers we use a commercial license.

It works well. We've had no GPL violations, and enough commercial licensees to make it worth developing our core packages further.

SCO doesn't mind using Samba.

Wrong, sorry. Their stock value doesn't influence their cash flow directly, nor the amount of cash in bank.

As stated above, we're paying Boies Schiller and Flexner primarily in stock. That was $7.9 million in sotck just in relation to the RBC / Baystar deal. If we had to pay all that in cash we'd quickly run out of money all together.

How, exaclty, would this cause SCO to lose money and not be able to afford lawyers? I mean, I'm not stock genius, and admittedly know little of such things, but doesn't the stock price matter to their current finances only when they are going to be selling off some stock to raise money?

We're paying our lawyers primarily in stock. $1 million in stock plus $7.9 million in stock to Boise, Schiller and Flexner following the RBC / Baystar deal.

None of your examples are specific enough or pan out to support your premise that RMS is against choice.

Emacs. Running emacs on X did not help the hurd, so he found a new developer and forked the project away from the existing developer. The mailing list emails of the time look incredibly childish. Plus the whole man vs info idiocy.

I'll have to ask you for a specific thread so I can see exactly what you're referring to. As for man and info, the choice of info is not to everyone's liking (including my own), but this is hardly denying choice. Nowhere in the licenses that cover GNU are you denied the freedom to make derivative works or distribute those derivatives to help other people. This power could be denied because that's how US copyright law works by default. It takes special action to grant these powers.

The long held grudge against Trolltech and KDE long after they moved from their own free licence to his GPL is another example.

Again, a specific post or essay would be helpful here. I remember when Qt was not free and eventually GNOME and Harmony were started. GNOME took off and the Harmony project became unnecessary because Qt was made free. RMS RMS examined and explained the legal issues involved in Qt's GPL-incompatibility including how KDE had been infringing upon the copyrights of some GPL-covered works. This was KDE developer's fault, not RMS or the FSF.

Contrary to the picture you're attempting to paint, RMS granted the forgiveness that KDE developers legally needed in order to continue to distribute their own (previously copyright infringing) code. RMS urged KDE's developers to get forgiveness from the other copyright holders whose code they had infringed upon. This is not the behavior of someone who holds a grudge, this is the behavior of someone who recognizes how valuable KDE is to the free software community and wants to make KDE legally available to all.

To this day, the Q Public License is a non-copyleft free software license that is GPL-incompatible meaning one cannot legally combine QPL-covered works with GPL-covered works without getting special permission. This doesn't affect the KDE project because Qt is also licensed under the GNU GPL.

GNU is very political.

"The Free Software movement *is* politics" and that is not news to people who understand what software freedom is all about.

I just wish the GNU pages would spend less time putting others down and have more documentation.

Then I hope you'll choose to help them out by writing the documentation you feel is absent or lacking quality. I'm sure many free software projects would welcome your discerning eye. But I don't think this has anything to do with RMS disliking choice or denying others the ability to choose.

I did not see any mention in the article about being denied the right to create commercial closed software.

Search Google for what Stallman said during the "Freedom Zero" debate. Stallman rejects the idea that you should be free to choose any license you want for software that you write; he believes that you should use the GPL. He never quite says he wants other licenses made illegal, but he has never ruled that out, either.

http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2001-08 -17-016-20-OP-CY

steveha

The ELKS project is a version of Linux designed to run on embedded, specifically MMU-less, systems. It runs just fine on an 8086.

And without the memory management that virtual-mode addressing makes possible, you can't have proper preemptive multitasking.

Were you sleeping in your Operating Systems class? All you need for preemptive multitasking is a timer interrupt. You're thinking of memory protection, and yes, an MMU-less CPU doesn't support that.

And if you haven't got that, it's not really UNIX-like, and that means it's not really Linux, is it?

Why don't you tell that to Alan Cox then. He seems to think otherwise. In fact, he seems right proud of ELKS.