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ESR's Removal from the VA Software Board of Directors!

In fact, that article on Linux Today is the only one you'll be able to find on the entire WWW.

ESR'S HOMEPAGE DOES CONFIRM THE STORY, THOUGH.

No more " [representation of] the interests and values of the open-source community [at VA Software -- owners of OSDN and Slashdot]" then, I guess!

Oh, and for further information about VA Software's demise, you may want to read this email.

ESR's Removal from the VA Software Board of Directors!

In fact, that article on Linux Today is the only one you'll be able to find on the entire WWW!

ESR'S HOMEPAGE DOES CONFIRM THE STORY, THOUGH!

No more " [representation of] the interests and values of the open-source community [at VA Software -- owners of OSDN and Slashdot]" then, I guess!

Oh, and for further information about VA Software's demise, read this!

ESR's Resignation from the VA GNU/Linux^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H Software Board of Directors!

In fact, that article on Linux Today was the only one I could find. ESR's homepage does confirm the story, though.

No more " [ representation of ] the interests and values of the open-source community there" then, I guess!

Oh, and for further entertainment, read this.

It said "Linux-terminal" computer labs, so it sounds like everyone doesn't have a full blown computer. So hardware could be much less than $800. I think more details are needed on this.

Also check out this recent newsforge article on this same project.

Surely you shouldn't have committed gross copyright violation by reposting that post from Newsforge. You made no attempt at "fair use", you just ripped it all straight off. You sir, are a blackguard and a scoundrel.

huge difference (#13146)
by Anonymous Reader on 2002.05.11 13:21

I am not a lawyer (thankfully), but I do know that if I pay for something, and it fails, I am entitled to compensation. If it fails from negligence or designed error, then there can be punitive damages. But let's examine the case of a Linux/BSD web server, running Apache, MySQL, and PostNuke.

To be safe, I download for free a non-commercial Linux such as Debian, or FreeBSD. I might be mistaken, but both are developed by groups of people, and anyone is allowed entry if they are competent enough coders. But a group is not a company. The whole corporation/private/public/IPO thing. I acquire, freely and legally, a copy of their work. They might have benefactors and patrons, but that isn't the same as employers.

So I download Apache, MySQL, and PostNuke. All fall under the same category. Maybe MySQL doesn't, then just replace MySQL/PostNuke with Perl/DBI.

So now a huge bug develops, a hole so large, it had to be coded in Redmond. I lose all my data, my competitors get my secrets, and I'm on unemployment line next to Enron execs. Who do I have to blame?

Let's see, someone or some people worked on a project that was supposed to do some particular task. They made it freely available, source and all, so that others might work on it as well. They made no claims about it's security, stability, etc. Others may have, but they did not misrepresent the software in any way.

I did not contribute, but I saw an opportunity to use their work. So I did. They received nothing from me, not money, not anything. And, the whole time, the company kept no secrets about the product, and in fact, by making the source available, does just the opposite.

There was no intent to decieve, nor any misrepresentation. By not purchasing the product nor any sort of service contract, I entered into no agreement with the group.

Going in, I understand the risks. I assume the responsibility if problems occur. This is 180 degrees different from microsoft, since they make plenty of claims, and since there is a legal agreement between a company and microsoft, and because they are marketing a product with known liabilities.

No, free/open source software doesn't stand to be shut down, rather it stands to gain tremendously. The problem is for companies like RedHat which sell and service open source software. So, form the commercial standpoint, it hurts linux companies who don't have billions to spend on lawyers, like er um, microsoft. But it doesn;t hurt open source software.

rob mandel
^^^----- Posted anonymously here

Check out this Newsforge article by Roblimo: Custom browser developer says it's easy to switch from IE to Gecko

Lycoris had some HP desktops and have apparently sold out of the things.

A company called OEone makes a distro based on Red Hat but using Mozilla for the desktop. They are selling "internet computer" boxes with their product installed. Here is Robin Miller's review of the appliance/OS. I saw a more negative review of the OEone Homebase distro all by itself, but I can't cite it.

There is definitely some demand for preinstalled machines, but perhaps the distros reckon they are better off just supplying OEM versions to small vendors.

From my bookmarks for preinstalled desktops:

http://www.linux-works.com/html/desktops.html
h ttp://www.indybox.com/products/
http://www.hardda ta.com/x86.html
http://www.dsgzone.com/linux_lab/
http://www.swt.com/
http://www.buypogo.com/
ht tp://www.gtweb.net/custom.html
http://www.linuxco mputersystems.com/
http://www.micronux.com/cgi-bi n/system.cgi?pid=9
http://www.atipa.com/
http:// www.sunsetsystems.com/

While this was widely hailed in the Open Source community as a victory over the "Microsoft tax," which usually afflicts buyers of Linux PCs, one major question remained unanswered: How well do these machines support Linux? Some PCs produced today are crammed with "value-added" (otherwise known as "brain dead") hardware that only works with specific drivers -- drivers that are frequently available under Windows alone.

So, in order to get the straight scoop, we went off to the Wal-Mart Web site to purchase a system and load Linux on it.

Choices, choices

As previously mentioned, the Wal-Mart site currently lists 14 machines without an operating system. All are listed under the Microtel brand, and include a selection of Celeron, Duron, Athlon, and Pentium 4 processors ranging from 1 to 2 GHz. The prices range from a consumer-friendly U.S. $398 for a 1 GHz Duron or Celeron box, to a top-end 2 GHz Pentium 4 at U.S. $868. The low end offerings start with a "mere" 128 MB of memory, while the upper end tops out at hefty 512 MB installed. And to think that I still have a few 256 KB (yes, that's one quarter of a megabyte) SIMMs sitting in my drawer. The low end is a heck of a lot nicer than it was just a few years ago.

For the purposes of this review, we ordered a 1 GHz Duron system for U.S. $398. We figured that this would be a relatively popular selection among the more cost-conscious Linux users. With shipping, the total was a manageable U.S. $413. We ordered the PC on the evening of April 11 and it came to my door on April 22.

First look

The order arrived in a single, well-designed shipping box. In addition to the standard mini tower, the system includes a keyboard, a two-button mouse with scroll wheel, a pair of inexpensive speakers, and all the usual cables. The mini tower reminds me of any number of PC clone towers I have seen recently, but people buying these units are interested in functionality, not geek chic. The system also included the manufacturer's booklets for the motherboard and CDROM drive, as well as CDs with Windows drivers.

Inside the unit, there is a 40 GB Samsung drive, 128 MB of memory (8 MB of which is shared as video), and 52x LG CDROM Drive. The motherboard is a Microstar MicroATX motherboard model MS-6378. It has 2 DIMM slots (1 used), 3 PCI slots (one of which is occupied by a modem card), and 1 unused CNR slot. Sound and ethernet are handled on the motherboard, which also sports an Award BIOS dated 2/25/2002.

For those so inclined, the motherboard manual does say that the board supports overclocking, but it also provides the usual warnings about the risks of overclocking. So, it appears that speed freaks may be able to tweak the clock speed at their own risk.

Setting up the system was the same as setting up any standard clone. Plug in the keyboard, mouse, speakers, and power cord. The only essential item that is missing is a monitor (you will probably want to add a mouse pad and a surge suppressor, but those are optional).

Running under DemoLinux V3

For a quick check of the system, I put a DemoLinux version 3 CD in the CDROM drive and booted the system up. I found that the video came up fine using the framebuffer driver. Sound, likewise, was detected without incident. The only two items that did not function on boot-up were the modem and the ethernet. The ethernet was brought to life easily by loading the tulip driver and configuring the network interface. The modem, however, was another matter. I decided to wait to until I actually installed Linux to tackle that problem.

Installing Mandrake 8.1

Figuring that it was time to get serious, I began installing Mandrake version 8.1 on the system. I selected the most automated form of installation (as a Linux newbie might) to see how the process would fare. I was pleased with the results.

The installation went without incident. The Mandrake installer detected and configured the video, sound, and network without pain. At no time was there any indication that the installer was fighting strange hardware. I was thrilled.

But there was one fly in the ointment: the modem. The modem clearly was not a true hardware modem. So, using the "lspci -vv" command from an xterm (you can get the same result by looking at the PCI Information from the KDE Control Center), I tried to identify the type of modem in the machine. It was identified as an unidentified "Lucent Microelectronics" device. Thankfully, this meant that there might be a working Linux driver for this modem.

I traveled to linmodems.org and found the link to Randal Oliveira's site for Lucent drivers. Note that the Lucent drivers require kernel modules that must be recompiled for each version of the kernel, so it is essential that you either find a module that is compiled against the appropriate kernel, or else you will need to compile it yourself. After a couple of minutes, I located an RPM that someone had created for the Lucent drivers under Mandrake 8.1. After downloading and installing the RPM, I decided to reboot to see if the device would now be found on startup. Much to my delight, it was!

Unfortunately, my delight did not last. When I actually tried to use the modem, I found that the AT commands all worked as expected, but I could not get the modem to go off hook, recognize the dial tone, or generate touch tones. I spent hours on this with no joy.

Running under SuSE v7.2 Live Eval

Next, I wanted to see how SuSE Linux would handle the machine. I didn't have a full SuSE kit on hand, but I did have a V7.2 Live Evaluation CD handy. Like DemoLinux, this allows you to run SuSE Linux from the CD with no actual installation. I found that the SuSE Live Eval system detected everything fine, except for the modem. Not a bad result from a non-installed system.

Installing Red Hat v7.1

I then tried to install Red Hat V7.1 and found results close to my Mandrake experience. Everything loaded fine, except for the sound card and modem. The sound card was quickly activated by choosing the automatic configuration option from the sound configuration utility. I then downloaded a copy of the Lucent modem driver for Red Hat V7.1 and promptly found that the modem was behaving exactly as it did under Mandrake. The AT commands all seemed to work until you attempted to dial. The phone line never went off-hook and touch tones were never generated.

After several hours of investigation on the Web and experimentation, I could not find an answer. I tried different IRQs, changed settings in the CMOS, checked the phone line ... nothing.

So, in my desperation, I decided to confirm that the darn modem actually worked. I pulled an unused Windows ME distribution off the shelf, installed it, and loaded the modem driver. To my surprise, the modem dialed the phone. I checked the settings under Windows and found they were identical to the default settings detected under Linux.

I reloaded Red Hat and played some more. No change. I could get replies to the AT commands, but I could not get it to do anything remotely productive with the telephone line. There may be a solution to this, but it certainly isn't obvious.

Conclusion

The Wal-Mart machine itself strikes me as a very reasonable clone. With the exception of the modem, all the hardware seems to work. I have had to live with useless modems in clones before, but at least this modem is a card that can be removed from the machine. I should also note that Mandrake installed on the box easier than Windows ME did. If I had wanted to keep Windows on the machine, I would have had to manually install drivers for both the ethernet and sound card, because Windows did neither on installation.

So it appears that the Wal-Mart machine as tested makes a very reasonable Linux box. But I suggest you lose the Lucent modem card and replace it with a real hardware modem.

While this was widely hailed in the Open Source community as a victory over the "Microsoft tax," which usually afflicts buyers of Linux PCs, one major question remained unanswered: How well do these machines support Linux? Some PCs produced today are crammed with "value-added" (otherwise known as "brain dead") hardware that only works with specific drivers -- drivers that are frequently available under Windows alone.

So, in order to get the straight scoop, we went off to the Wal-Mart Web site to purchase a system and load Linux on it.

Choices, choices

As previously mentioned, the Wal-Mart site currently lists 14 machines without an operating system. All are listed under the Microtel brand, and include a selection of Celeron, Duron, Athlon, and Pentium 4 processors ranging from 1 to 2 GHz. The prices range from a consumer-friendly U.S. $398 for a 1 GHz Duron or Celeron box, to a top-end 2 GHz Pentium 4 at U.S. $868. The low end offerings start with a "mere" 128 MB of memory, while the upper end tops out at hefty 512 MB installed. And to think that I still have a few 256 KB (yes, that's one quarter of a megabyte) SIMMs sitting in my drawer. The low end is a heck of a lot nicer than it was just a few years ago.

For the purposes of this review, we ordered a 1 GHz Duron system for U.S. $398. We figured that this would be a relatively popular selection among the more cost-conscious Linux users. With shipping, the total was a manageable U.S. $413. We ordered the PC on the evening of April 11 and it came to my door on April 22.

First look

The order arrived in a single, well-designed shipping box. In addition to the standard mini tower, the system includes a keyboard, a two-button mouse with scroll wheel, a pair of inexpensive speakers, and all the usual cables. The mini tower reminds me of any number of PC clone towers I have seen recently, but people buying these units are interested in functionality, not geek chic. The system also included the manufacturer's booklets for the motherboard and CDROM drive, as well as CDs with Windows drivers.

Inside the unit, there is a 40 GB Samsung drive, 128 MB of memory (8 MB of which is shared as video), and 52x LG CDROM Drive. The motherboard is a Microstar MicroATX motherboard model MS-6378. It has 2 DIMM slots (1 used), 3 PCI slots (one of which is occupied by a modem card), and 1 unused CNR slot. Sound and ethernet are handled on the motherboard, which also sports an Award BIOS dated 2/25/2002.

For those so inclined, the motherboard manual does say that the board supports overclocking, but it also provides the usual warnings about the risks of overclocking. So, it appears that speed freaks may be able to tweak the clock speed at their own risk.

Setting up the system was the same as setting up any standard clone. Plug in the keyboard, mouse, speakers, and power cord. The only essential item that is missing is a monitor (you will probably want to add a mouse pad and a surge suppressor, but those are optional).

Running under DemoLinux V3

For a quick check of the system, I put a DemoLinux version 3 CD in the CDROM drive and booted the system up. I found that the video came up fine using the framebuffer driver. Sound, likewise, was detected without incident. The only two items that did not function on boot-up were the modem and the ethernet. The ethernet was brought to life easily by loading the tulip driver and configuring the network interface. The modem, however, was another matter. I decided to wait to until I actually installed Linux to tackle that problem.

Installing Mandrake 8.1

Figuring that it was time to get serious, I began installing Mandrake version 8.1 on the system. I selected the most automated form of installation (as a Linux newbie might) to see how the process would fare. I was pleased with the results.

The installation went without incident. The Mandrake installer detected and configured the video, sound, and network without pain. At no time was there any indication that the installer was fighting strange hardware. I was thrilled.

But there was one fly in the ointment: the modem. The modem clearly was not a true hardware modem. So, using the "lspci -vv" command from an xterm (you can get the same result by looking at the PCI Information from the KDE Control Center), I tried to identify the type of modem in the machine. It was identified as an unidentified "Lucent Microelectronics" device. Thankfully, this meant that there might be a working Linux driver for this modem.

I traveled to linmodems.org and found the link to Randal Oliveira's site for Lucent drivers. Note that the Lucent drivers require kernel modules that must be recompiled for each version of the kernel, so it is essential that you either find a module that is compiled against the appropriate kernel, or else you will need to compile it yourself. After a couple of minutes, I located an RPM that someone had created for the Lucent drivers under Mandrake 8.1. After downloading and installing the RPM, I decided to reboot to see if the device would now be found on startup. Much to my delight, it was!

Unfortunately, my delight did not last. When I actually tried to use the modem, I found that the AT commands all worked as expected, but I could not get the modem to go off hook, recognize the dial tone, or generate touch tones. I spent hours on this with no joy.

Running under SuSE v7.2 Live Eval

Next, I wanted to see how SuSE Linux would handle the machine. I didn't have a full SuSE kit on hand, but I did have a V7.2 Live Evaluation CD handy. Like DemoLinux, this allows you to run SuSE Linux from the CD with no actual installation. I found that the SuSE Live Eval system detected everything fine, except for the modem. Not a bad result from a non-installed system.

Installing Red Hat v7.1

I then tried to install Red Hat V7.1 and found results close to my Mandrake experience. Everything loaded fine, except for the sound card and modem. The sound card was quickly activated by choosing the automatic configuration option from the sound configuration utility. I then downloaded a copy of the Lucent modem driver for Red Hat V7.1 and promptly found that the modem was behaving exactly as it did under Mandrake. The AT commands all seemed to work until you attempted to dial. The phone line never went off-hook and touch tones were never generated.

After several hours of investigation on the Web and experimentation, I could not find an answer. I tried different IRQs, changed settings in the CMOS, checked the phone line ... nothing.

So, in my desperation, I decided to confirm that the darn modem actually worked. I pulled an unused Windows ME distribution off the shelf, installed it, and loaded the modem driver. To my surprise, the modem dialed the phone. I checked the settings under Windows and found they were identical to the default settings detected under Linux.

I reloaded Red Hat and played some more. No change. I could get replies to the AT commands, but I could not get it to do anything remotely productive with the telephone line. There may be a solution to this, but it certainly isn't obvious.

Conclusion

The Wal-Mart machine itself strikes me as a very reasonable clone. With the exception of the modem, all the hardware seems to work. I have had to live with useless modems in clones before, but at least this modem is a card that can be removed from the machine. I should also note that Mandrake installed on the box easier than Windows ME did. If I had wanted to keep Windows on the machine, I would have had to manually install drivers for both the ethernet and sound card, because Windows did neither on installation.

So it appears that the Wal-Mart machine as tested makes a very reasonable Linux box. But I suggest you lose the Lucent modem card and replace it with a real hardware modem.

Says they chose Redhat due to the RHN software update feature... obviously they haven't used it recently :)

As I am sure many people will mention, a simple way to look at it is as a question of how much your time is worth. If it takes you 6 hours more to setup each custom built machine than a prepackaged machine, then is your time worth $67/hour to the company? You also have to compare this down the line. When a machine's hard disk, etc. dies, is a quick call to the box maker easier than spending time dealing with the drive manufacturer?

Of course it isn't quite that simple. This last point used to be a big reason for me not to build my own machines. Flaky CD, noisy hard disk, sticking keyboard? Call Dell and a new one will show up tomorrow morning. However, in the last year or so Dell's service has gone to crap, so now I spend an hour on the phone with them to get a dead CD drive replaced. When the cheapest CD drive at newegg is $29 shipped, it is more cost effective for me to buy a new drive than deal with Dell.

There is also the issue of finding a company that will build the machine you want. I want to spend $1300 on a dual athlon. I can't get that from any of the big box companies, and the smaller companies often have markups too large for me to swallow, or don't quite offer what I want. I am sure I could work with many of them to get just what I want, but by the time I have done that I could have chosen the pieces I want from newegg, mwave, gogocity, etc. 1-2 hours of my time to put the pieces together is worth $50-100, it isn't worth $500.

I find the balance tends to go in cycles. For a time I can build boxes better and cheaper than I can buy them ready made, and then for a while I can get what I want ready made for only a trivial markup. The combination of being in the "I can't get what I want" and the decline in customer service I have experienced recently unfortunately puts me in the building boxes phase.

Of course this only applies for boxes I care about and will have to support. Any box that even if I helped buy, I don't have to support, I just order ready made. That way if something goes wrong I just shrug and tell the user to call Dell, or whoever.

You also might look at the no OS boxes from Wal-mart. there is an article at NewsForge about setting Linux up on one. Spending $450 (including upgrading the memory) to get a 1Ghz Duron all put together isn't bad. Just wipe the commercial OS from the drive of the old machine, and install it on the new machine.

Newsforge is running a very good article summarizing some of Gates' testimony with a number of links to further info. The author makes some good points. There's a claim that Windows' code is too complicated to document and it's not at all modular. Any good software developer knows that modular design is important in large projects. Only a monopoly could claim their software is poorly designed without fearing loss of customers.

I want to know, why on earth would Dreamworks want to switch to Linux.

Yeah, too bad there's not some sort of article about it to explain why they switched.

What Every Parent Should Know About Linux

What is Linux?

Linux is a type of malicious computer program commonly known as a "Trojan Horse", which is similar to the more common "virus" program. The Linux program was written by a small group of communist hippie perverts, who wrote it as a means of satisfying their sick sexual urges.

Unlike a normal virus, which spreads from computer to computer without human intervention, a trojan horse program must be run by a person using the computer. In most cases, a child is contacted online by a Linux predator, who first tries to establish friendship and gain the child's trust, then provides him with the Linux program and encourages him to install it. Once installed, Linux destroys all programs and user data on a computer, and makes the computer system nearly unusable. In severe instances, the normal graphical computer display is broken, leaving only a crude text display on which commands must be manually typed.

This is where the Linux predator's plan becomes the most insidious. When the child complains that his computer is unusable, he is first shamed and made to feel stupid; then, he is encouraged to attend a "LUG" meeting. Allegedly, "LUG" is an acronym for "Linux User's Group"; however, authorities have heard Linux predators using the expressions "Little Underage Gonads" and "Lube Up, Guys!" In any case, once at these "LUG" meetings, children will be expected to perform sex acts upon the middle-aged Linux predators, in exchange for rudimentary instructions on how to "use" the Linux program.

Is my child at risk?

Yes. All children are at risk, although male children are obviously at greater risk due to the predominance of homosexuality in the Linux "community".

What can I do?

First and foremost, you must monitor your child's computer activities. Make sure you know exactly who he is chatting with online. Check the browser history frequently; In particular, you should look for the web sites slashdot, OSDN, and NewsForge. These three sites are the primary message boards where Linux predators plan and discuss their molestations.

Often times, children who are experimenting with Linux will communicate using code words; unfortunately, unsuspecting parents will often assume this is nothing more than harmless "computer talk". Some samples of this code, along with the translations, are given below:

• I need to recompile my kernel
  Translation: I wish to masturbate to homosexual pornography
• Do you have the latest patch for Apache / Sendmail?
  Translation: May I perform oral / anal sex upon you?
• Did you see that article about RMS on Slashdot?
  Translation: Last night I performed my first rimjob (an act of homosexuality too disgusting to describe here).
• Has that code been released under the GPL?
  Translation: My rectum is still bleeding from the homosexual acts performed at last night's LUG meeting
• Dude, Microsoft totally sucks
  Translation: I do not even use a condom when performing acts of sodomy

If you believe that your child has been experimenting with Linux, you need to take immediate action. Turn on their computer and allow it to boot; if it does not load the familiar Windows "start" screen, TURN THE COMPUTER OFF IMMEDIATELY. It has been infected with the Linux program. You will need to retrieve the Windows installation disk which came with your comptuer, insert it in your CD-Rom drive, and run the "resintall" procedure. This is the only way to return your comptuer to a functional, usable state. If your computer is more than one year old, it is recommended that you purchase and install the latest version of Windows; see your local authorized software retailer for details.

Finally, write your congressman. I know this is shocking, but due to a technicality in the law, the Linux program is currently legal. Contact your congressman and demand that he take steps to close this ugly loophole, so that these Linux deviants can be put behind bars, where they belong. The future of America is in your hands. God bless you all.

What Every Parent Should Know About Linux

What is Linux?

Linux is a type of malicious computer program commonly known as a "Trojan Horse", which is similar to the more common "virus" program. The Linux program was written by a small group of communist hippie perverts, who wrote it as a means of satisfying their sick sexual urges.

Unlike a normal virus, which spreads from computer to computer without human intervention, a trojan horse program must be run by a person using the computer. In most cases, a child is contacted online by a Linux predator, who first tries to establish friendship and gain the child's trust, then provides him with the Linux program and encourages him to install it. Once installed, Linux destroys all programs and user data on a computer, and makes the computer system nearly unusable. In severe instances, the normal graphical computer display is broken, leaving only a crude text display on which commands must be manually typed.

This is where the Linux predator's plan becomes the most insidious. When the child complains that his computer is unusable, he is first shamed and made to feel stupid; then, he is encouraged to attend a "LUG" meeting. Allegedly, "LUG" is an acronym for "Linux User's Group"; however, authorities have heard Linux predators using the expressions "Little Underage Gonads" and "Lube Up, Guys!" In any case, once at these "LUG" meetings, children will be expected to perform perverted sex acts upon the middle-aged Linux deviants in exchange for rudimentary instructions on how to "use" the Linux program.

Is my child at risk?

Yes. All children are at risk, although male children are obviously at greater risk due to the predominance of homosexuality in the Linux "community".

What can I do?

First and foremost, you must monitor your child's computer activities. Make sure you know exactly who he is chatting with online. Check the browser history frequently; In particular, you should look for the web sites slashdot, OSDN, and NewsForge. These three sites are the primary message boards where Linux predators plan and discuss their molestations.

Often times, children who are experimenting with Linux will communicate using code words; unfortunately, unsuspecting parents will often assume this is nothing more than harmless "computer talk". Some samples of this code, along with the translations, are given below:

• I need to recompile my kernel
  Translation: I wish to masturbate to homosexual pornography
• Do you have the latest patch for Apache / Sendmail?
  Translation: May I perform oral / anal sex upon you?
• Did you see that article about RMS on Slashdot?
  Translation: Last night I performed my first rimjob (an act of homosexuality too disgusting to describe here).
• Has that code been released under the GPL?
  Translation: My rectum is still bleeding from the homosexual acts performed at last night's LUG meeting
• Dude, Microsoft totally sucks
  Translation: I do not even use a condom when performing acts of sodomy

If you believe that your child has been experimenting with Linux, you need to take immediate action. Turn on their computer and allow it to boot; if it does not load the familiar Windows "start" screen, TURN THE COMPUTER OFF IMMEDIATELY. It has been infected with the Linux program. You will need to retrieve the Windows installation disk which came with your comptuer, insert it in your CD-Rom drive, and run the "resintall" procedure. This is the only way to return your comptuer to a functional, usable state. If your computer is more than one year old, it is recommended that you purchase and install the latest version of Windows; see your local authorized software retailer for details.

Finally, write your congressman. I know this is shocking, but due to a technicality in the law, the Linux program is currently legal. Contact your congressman and demand that he take steps to close this ugly loophole, so that these Linux deviants can be put behind bars, where they belong. The future of America is in your hands. God bless you all.

Next time search for a good review that's thorough rather than linking to some half-baked MSNBC article.

The best review out there isn't exactly a top-secret either, as is apparent below.

1] http://www.tuxreports.com/modules.php?op=modload&n ame=News&file=article&sid=670&mode=thread&order=0& thold=0
2] http://www.tuxreports.com/modules.php?op=modload&n ame=News&file=article&sid=667&mode=thread&order=0& thold=0
3] http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2002-04 -12-014-26-RV-DT
4] http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2002-04 -12-005-26-NW-DT
5] http://pclinuxonline.com/modules.php?name=News&fil e=article&sid=1856
6] http://pclinuxonline.com/modules.php?name=News&fil e=article&sid=1848
7] http://newsvac.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=02/04/ 12/1740252
8] http://newsvac.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=02/04/ 11/1459213
9] http://www.distrowatch.com/index.php

Thanks.

Next time search for a good review that's thorough rather than linking to some half-baked MSNBC article.

The best review out there isn't exactly a top-secret either, as is apparent below.

1] http://www.tuxreports.com/modules.php?op=modload&n ame=News&file=article&sid=670&mode=thread&order=0& thold=0
2] http://www.tuxreports.com/modules.php?op=modload&n ame=News&file=article&sid=667&mode=thread&order=0& thold=0
3] http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2002-04 -12-014-26-RV-DT
4] http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2002-04 -12-005-26-NW-DT
5] http://pclinuxonline.com/modules.php?name=News&fil e=article&sid=1856
6] http://pclinuxonline.com/modules.php?name=News&fil e=article&sid=1848
7] http://newsvac.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=02/04/ 12/1740252
8] http://newsvac.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=02/04/ 11/1459213
9] http://www.distrowatch.com/index.php

Thanks.

Open Source advocates may find opposing Hollings bill makes for strange bedfellows. It actually suggests that Microsoft might be our ally (gasp!) because of their recently found devotion to streaming media and peer to peer networking.

http://newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=02/03/01/17362 43

.... One audience member asked him if there are ways to effect change from inside the political establishment, instead of outside it like the EFF seems to be doing. Barlow noted the EFF used to have an office in Washington, and the White House would call frequently to get the organization to "sign off on something diabolical."

"We found ourselves with a greater incentive to stay at the table than to be right," he said. "There's a Washington phenomenon called logrolling, which is to maintain negotiations at all costs. We found ourselves whoring around in so many different ways that the only way to buy our vision back was to leave Washington."

But Barlow said he still wants the EFF to be a force for change, even as a Washington outsider, by pointing out to the public what's wrong there. "Somebody needs to maintain a sense of clarity about this, and there are relative degrees of outsiderness," he said. "I'm not Richard Stallman. Richard has done a valuable service to what has become the Open Source movement, but it seems that Richard has placed more value on being an outsider than on winning."

Still, it's possible that the American Open Technology Consortium (which is its name, not GeekPAC, since they haven't even decided yet if it will be a PAC) could draw some money away from the EFF, if it's successful. In a perfect world, people who care about these issues would give money to both the EFF and a "geek PAC," so that these issues could be attacked in Congress, in the courts, and in the court of public opinion.

Grant

1. "Enough is enough is enough," he added. "It is time for people in the technology community to open up their wallets and donate money to the EFF and fund this political action committee ... We've got to do this or we're going to lose, folks, it's that simple."

The EFF had a Washington D.C. based branch, but backed out of it because they didn't like how they were pressured into endorsing really bad ideas inorder to gain clout on the issues they were primarily interested in.

Will Geek Pac work better? If they know going in that this is the way D.C. works, they might be able to deal with it.

Either way, it might be more effective to have two different organizations -- one 'Washington insider' and another clean of such dreck and nonsense.

Someone from my LUG posted a much more detailed review to our mailing list and a similar one to NewsForge. Read it there for a detailed review from a Linux user's point of view.

Bottom line, it's nice, but still has some snags. We in the Linux community need to accept that it has some flaws and even try to help fix them. Hopefully Sharp will see it through another revision to work out all the kinks. With some of the problems it sees to have, the market may not be kind to it.

randy

I would still like to see a review from a technical magazine/journal/website that I trust.

I found this review useful.

If Taco were to write his own.. well, they'd probably look like these, courtesy of NewsForge.

Why does information want to be free? Why not cupcakes?
By Robin "Roblimo" Miller

Online tech pub The Register merges with Weekly World News
By Robin "Roblimo" Miller

There's Funny, and then there's Not Funny. Too bad Not Funny doesn't own any mirrors.

If Taco were to write his own.. well, they'd probably look like these, courtesy of NewsForge.

Why does information want to be free? Why not cupcakes?
By Robin "Roblimo" Miller

Online tech pub The Register merges with Weekly World News
By Robin "Roblimo" Miller

There's Funny, and then there's Not Funny. Too bad Not Funny doesn't own any mirrors.

Stallman Now Threat To Betty Crocker, Too
Microsoft To Acquire Catholic Church
Falwell Ministries Takes Over TSR, Inc.
RFC 748 - TELNET Randomly-Lose Option

Newforge has this commentary by James Treleaven about the possible implications to Open Source if Microsoft implements a database driven filesystem.

Actualy, is all about the OS being pre-installed.

Take a look at this article:
Linux for Mom and Dad

This article "kills" a myth: only geeks can use Linux.

When reality says: only an expert can install and configure Linux or Windows so anyone can use it

This is why Microsoft is so against Linux being pre-loaded on computers, as seen recently.

Right. this is a review. follow the link

Not sure if you realized this (I hope you did) but the first link in the Slashdot blurb goes to the actual review. He doesn't address everything you've asked (good points, btw) but he does talk about who should buy it and why, as well as potential cost savings.

You need to read the actual review. The little blurp here on slashdot is worthless.

Someone already mentioned Telsa Gwynne (although she isn't a programmer), but how about Val Hanson and Jenn Vesperman? I'm gonna talk this over with some friends and see who else we can come up with. Hopefully the interviews I've linked to can tide you over.:P Apparently Newsforge is doing a series on women in open source, although I don't think that should get any one else off the hook... Oh yeah, I'd just like to say that I don't think that the author(s) of the original interviews are sexist... I just think they could stand to work towards being more inclusive... In the end, that will inspire more women to get involved in what is ultimately an ALIENATING community. Which can only lead to positive input and the general growth of the community.--katie

Someone already mentioned Telsa Gwynne (although she isn't a programmer), but how about Val Hanson and Jenn Vesperman? I'm gonna talk this over with some friends and see who else we can come up with. Hopefully the interviews I've linked to can tide you over.:P Apparently Newsforge is doing a series on women in open source, although I don't think that should get any one else off the hook... Oh yeah, I'd just like to say that I don't think that the author(s) of the original interviews are sexist... I just think they could stand to work towards being more inclusive... In the end, that will inspire more women to get involved in what is ultimately an ALIENATING community. Which can only lead to positive input and the general growth of the community.--katie

Someone already mentioned Telsa Gwynne (although she isn't a programmer), but how about Val Hanson and Jenn Vesperman? I'm gonna talk this over with some friends and see who else we can come up with. Hopefully the interviews I've linked to can tide you over.:P Apparently Newsforge is doing a series on women in open source, although I don't think that should get any one else off the hook... Oh yeah, I'd just like to say that I don't think that the author(s) of the original interviews are sexist... I just think they could stand to work towards being more inclusive... In the end, that will inspire more women to get involved in what is ultimately an ALIENATING community. Which can only lead to positive input and the general growth of the community.--katie

I've found that the female programmers I know are some of the most interesting, intelligent, well-spoken, and polite people I've ever met. And they give good interviews.

I've found that the female programmers I know are some of the most interesting, intelligent, well-spoken, and polite people I've ever met. And they give good interviews.

I've found that the female programmers I know are some of the most interesting, intelligent, well-spoken, and polite people I've ever met. And they give good interviews.

From reading this, the answer is "no".

AOL could be switching from IE to Mozilla - hadn't you better rethink?

But, this sort of situation is why companies go public (like mandrake did) and I'd wonder where their capital has gone. Perhaps they haven't been as frugal as required to survive in these recessionary times.

As the article suggests, they are paying for the screw-ups of the previous management. While the big management shake-up happened before they went public, it's not surprising that there are lingering costs considering how bad the previous management appears to have been.

Some relavent links:
MandrakeSoft loses more than CEO
Mandrake refocuses on Linux business

I remember reading another article that went into more detail on the past managements blunders, but unfortunately, I can't recall where. Sorry!

Newsforge has reported that the new 8.0 version of AOL will use Gecko (the rendering engine in Mozilla) rather than IE!

It did no such thing. Here is the passage to which I think you refer:

"The Gecko rendering engine at the heart of the Mozilla Web browser is scheduled to replace Microsoft's Internet Explorer as AOL's default browser [...] in the 8.0 version of AOL's client software."

Emphasis mine. For those playing at home, you may want to note two things:

1. "scheduled" != "will"
2. this is not an official announcement from AOL

Please don't fan the flames of speculation any higher. I would suggest taking a conservative approach to "news" pieces such as these in the future. Then again, why should you listen to me?

There's not only that, but Newsforge has reported that the new 8.0 version of AOL will use Gecko (the rendering engine in Mozilla) rather than IE!

W

More info available from

Mozillaquest

Newsforge

LinuxOrbit

According to "Exclusive: AOL embraces Linux ...", AOL is "switching to Linux". This news is a major blow to Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ: SUNW).

AOL is a major customer of SUNW servers and currently uses 4000 SUNW servers, according to "Sun steers clear of computing slump". However, AOL now intends to replace each "$80,000 box running proprietary UNIX with two $5000 Linux boxes". Clearly, "proprietary UNIX" means Solaris running on an ultra-expensive SUNW server.

Finally, one important point to note about the article is that AOL still refuses to produce a Linux version of the AOL (i. e. Internet) client. So, AOL's move hurts Solaris more than it helps Linux. Can someone please convince Steve Case to produce a Linux version of the AOL client? Anyone?

Some More Links.

Misstion Critical Linux announced that they had new financing and a renewed focus on high availability. Newsforge Mention of Press Release Here

You definitely don't get it. You can write entire apps using MS's IE dll, embedding their browser functionality within your own app. Does that mean there has to be an IE user interface from Microsoft with an icon on your desktop, start menu, Programs menu, and "Quick Launch" bar? No. In fact, in VB you can run a wizard that creates your very own brower with their DLLs with no coding.

What you are saying is that you force your users to have IE on their desktops in order to use your software. Well that's your problem for removing the user's options. Why should they be forced to use IE when you could put your stuff in your own standalone app and still have IE functionality? This goes back to one reason people like linux: they can add and remove whatever they want from the OS. Don't force your users into using software available from one monopoly vendor. Read Roblimo's article and you may change your mind.

* Microsoft continues to make new versions of windows: "Ack! Forced upgrades is a major reason you should switch to Linux!."

* Microsoft stops making new versions: "Ack! No more upgrades! This is insane. - you need to switch to Linux as fast as you possible can!"