Slashdot Mirror

There are only two reasons why Telstra would make a press release announcing their intention to use Linux:
(1) 'cos they've found a way to further screw their customers by their use of Linux, or
(2) 'cos they've found a way to further screw their competitors by their use of Linux.

That aside, if you go one step further, and read the article, you see that they're actually not using linux at all. They're beating around the bush with lines about XP and NT and Sun and HP-UX and Solaris and Linux and Citrix and XP-on-a-chip and you-name-it. The article is completely meaningless marketeer speak designed to trick some journo's into picking up on the key words "unix" and "linux", and it worked.

Don't get me wrong, I'm as happy as the next guy if a large corporate makes the switch to Linux, but that's not what this article is about. Never lose site of the fact that Telstra are evil. Every bit as evil as Microsoft or SCO.

There are only two reasons why Telstra would make a press release announcing their intention to use Linux:
(1) 'cos they've found a way to further screw their customers by their use of Linux, or
(2) 'cos they've found a way to further screw their competitors by their use of Linux.

That aside, if you go one step further, and read the article, you see that they're actually not using linux at all. They're beating around the bush with lines about XP and NT and Sun and HP-UX and Solaris and Linux and Citrix and XP-on-a-chip and you-name-it. The article is completely meaningless marketeer speak designed to trick some journo's into picking up on the key words "unix" and "linux", and it worked.

Don't get me wrong, I'm as happy as the next guy if a large corporate makes the switch to Linux, but that's not what this article is about. Never lose site of the fact that Telstra are evil. Every bit as evil as Microsoft or SCO.

SMH article about indian company that looks to get deal

According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald "The SCO Group said today it had never planned to sue any Linux companies, had no concrete plans to sue anyone and also no current plans to take a commercial Linux customer to court."

At GROKLAW there is speculation that this is the start of an attempted defense to the Red Hat suit.

It's certainly an odd move, as only days ago, SCO said "We are in the process of contacting them about coming into compliance and taking a UnixWare license from us. If they refuse to do so, we will sue them directly and see them in court", and apparently claimed to have three groups working on identifying and approaching Linux users, plus were preparing to take a Linux user to court.

As this really does seem like the beginning of an attempted defense to Red Hat's law suit. It would seem like a good idea for the community to collect as many examples of SCO's legal threats as possible - especially to Linux companies and Red Hat in particular - and post them - as well as make Red Hat aware of SCO's latest PR spin, and all the contradictory evidence in their prior actions.

It's interesting that the first thing they said about it was that there was only a tiny chance that the foam had anything to do with it. It's weird how things turn around like that.

I think the bottom line behind all this is most likely money. They have cut so many budgets as far as space goes and forced them to do fewer and fewer pre-flight inspections that something like this was almost guaranteed.

"Confidential interviews with shuttle workers at NASA and its contractors, 'from line technicians all the way through management', found no one who believed that preflight safety inspections were adequate, a member of the independent board investigating the loss of the Columbia has said." Linkage (and more of the same): http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/29/10541776 72378.html

It's sad that it had to come to something like this for a wakeup call to be heard, but i guess all they can get out of it is to be more careful and not let it happen again. what else can ya get i guess... :-/

Like I said before, our polititions are dickheads, but our courts are great. Personally, I don't care if they are fairly bland seeming, I don't care how many gay hookers Michael Kirby did or didn't pick up in how many government cars, I wouldn't even care if they found me guilty of murder (if I did it of course). I have a deep respect for those guys, and I believe that until they are mainly replaced they will keep making nice decisions.

Buy, rent.. or steal it. Like the Boeing 727 converted to a fuel tanker that was stolen from Luanda airport in May.

Missing 727

Didn't SCO just announce the other day a new product that would be distributed with Samba 3.0? I know I read that somewhere...

Ahh, yes...there's this and this.

Does violating the GPL with one product (the kernel) violate it under another (samba)?

That is, could the Samba team actually file against SCO for injunctive relief to prohibit them from distributing Samba for license violation just because they violated the GPL where the Linux kernel is concerned?

-FL

This is the single, dumbest, thing I have ever heard of.

However...

If you combine these robots with a Blood Thirsty Chip you could REALLY be on to something.

Scientists at Matsushita's Nanotechnology Research Laboratory in Japan are developing a power generator that uses blood to produce electricity. It emulates the process the body uses to convert food into energy. The scientists say the "bio-nano" generator could be used to run devices embedded in the body, or sugar-fed robots. Dr. Kazuo Eda, who heads the research, says bio-nano fuel cells are the next step for researchers after generators powered by hydrogen, natural gas and methanol. Hmmm... robots that use humans as batteries -- can The Matrix be far behind? ;)

"The AussieChip DualMod modchip cannot in fact be used to play unauthorised copies of XBox games. The legal Cromwell BIOS that we ship pre-programmed onto the chip can only be used to run Linux."

Yes, Smith is going to be jumping... Eddie Jones is talking him up big time. It's going to be an interesting experiment...

I fully expect that if everyone did revert to 2.2 kernels that SCO would find something to extort with there as well.

Indeed, one of the analysts who signed the SCO NDA said she was shown copied code in 2.2 as well as 2.4.

My hunch is that SCO will be exposed for multiple counts of libel, slander, copyright violation, and stock pumping. I also have a hunch that one analyst under NDA will break it if it becomes clear SCO falsified information or misrepresented the origin of code the analysts were shown.

Sydney 2000 ... "best Olypics ever"

Look what we do about our, sometimes dodgy media ... and it is shown on the Government owned, national TV station :

Media Watch - top right - real player required unfortunately.

What is even better .. the host is a journo on un-paid leave from the Sydney Morning Herald, one of the newspapers the show gets into if they do something wrong. I hope he doesn't want his job back in the future ...

Sometimes our media tries to do the right thing ... here is the answers, and a number of questions, set to the Australian Recording Industry Associate (Oz RIAA), regarding recent survey results ARIA published about file swapping / stealing music.

ARIA refuses to answer queries about survey

LinuxTag in Germany has gotten an injunction that makes a German equivalent of the Monday conference call illegal. Open Source Victoria has made a formal complaint to their government. When are 'We the People' in the US going to at least try to get an official requirement that SCO have to put up or shut up and be dismissed as FUDsters?

By that logic, SCO has no case. To most people, if it isn't Windows it doesn't exist.

They could throw out some nice, Judge-convincing BS like "We only made these files available via the 'FTP' program, which is only for highly advanced technical individuals such as corporate IT managers, for the convenience of our paying customers. It was not intended for download by unlicensed individuals, and in fact doing so constitutes hacking as per the terms of the DMCA..."

Unless reading security advisories from LinuxSecurity.com constitutes "hacking", I don't see that argument as particularily convincing. SCO posted the kernel on their FTP server May 9th. A Linux kernel developer told SCO about it a month ago. Links to the story were posted on many popular news sites. The code is still there.

Question #10 Laura Didio, Yankee Group

Question: How can you be so sure that this code did not come from BSD Unix or from Linux versions?

Question: Have you had talks with Linux gurus such as Linus Torvalds?

This Laura Didio?

I wonder why she would lob a question like this in McBride's direction.

Her interview is worth reading again--if the infringing code is in both 2.4 and 2.2, as Didio claims she saw, and the UnixWare licence is only being applied to 2.4 distributions, then does that mean the infringing code in 2.2 is worth nothing?

Tin foil hat privacy issues aside, the reason for this is because Gilette Mach 3 Razor Blades are the most shoplifted item in Britain. This is due to Gilette's "strategy" of giving away the razors and charging through the nose for the blades.

This story needs to be put in context with recent developments and crowing about Windows being chosen over Linux. The biggest story out of this surprising admission is that analysts and large organizations are starting to recognize the value proposition of Linux and Open Source, as described in the rejected post below. The most telling comment is in the quotation in boldface, which lends support to Mitch Kapor's predictions.

Microsoft Ranks Linux its Number Two Threat

While most media are focusing on Microsoft's growing sales and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 replacing Linux servers based on the June 2003 Netcraft survey, (also at SMH, but disputed by the Register) there's a more interesting story to Microsoft's latest earnings report and conference call. Speaking about the top five risks for Microsoft, CFO John Connors said, ''The general economic environment is risk and driver number one. Linux and non-commercial software is risk number two.'' The recent Munich win for Linux is partly credited for making Microsoft take Linux and OS software seriously. Said one analyst about future threats, ''People are underestimating Linux on the desktop. They're going to be surprised at how quickly Linux's threat will be an issue on the desktop.''

I think we've been seeing the conservative manner of game production a great deal lately. I would have to call the latest wave of game production to be, at best, uninspired. There are the occasional gems in the PS2 library, Halo deffinately kicks (for an FPS) and, as far as I am concerned, just about anything from Nintendo's camp is gold. That's Nintendo, not GCN.

As the videogame market has overtaken the movie industry in profits, it has taken on more and more of that industries characteristics.

-Games are now extremely expensive to produce. Enter the Matrix at est. 31.2 million

-Games now have much more style than substance. BMX XXX, depending upon your opinion of style. Or the majority of the XBox library

-Games are becoming formulaic. how many more Tony Hawk sequels can we have?

-Games are produced by large development houses that are in it for the profit derived from the "safe bet" and not "risky innovation." i lost count on what SSX(EA), Dave Mirra(Acclaim), Tony Hawk (Activision), and Pokemon (Nintendo) we were on

Don't get me wrong, there are some real gems out now. GTA, MetalGear and Metroid Prime are all standouts. I personally feel a lot of "nitch" games are the most entertaining because they break the molds that are becoming more prominent today. Pikmin, Eternal Darkness, Super Monkey Ball, ICO, the reimerging Rygar and Maximo (you know its Ghosts n' Goblins/Ghouls n Ghosts) are all different from what's out there. But, as long as we are sheep, this is the way video games will be made. If you are not willing to risk buying a non-formulaic game, why should one be produced? Nintendo is still pumping out some great stuff, but they do not have the market share anymore. (Nintendo is to video games what Sundance was to movies at one point in time.) I already have a DVD player for movies. I wanna play video games. Animal Crossing and ICO not the next 5 Devil May Cry clones that are a shadow of the original.

1) No one here seems to have a fucking clue about the music industry.

are you sure you have been reading Slashdot? You have a "low" user number....hmmmmm

2) Nearly everyone here has a hyper-inflated sense of entitlement.

Thats bullshit. Everyone here understands the arguments perfectly, from both sides. You are a typical old model industry SLAG, and youre "i implimented ogg" Johnny Ryal BS doesnt wash at all.

Everyone is entitled to fair use rights, they are entitled to copy for thier own personal, non profit use, and this has nothing to do with the scale of the copying.

3) People seem to equate feeling strongly about something with being knowledgeable about it.

That was a simple minded and pointless barb. You should be reading Slashtot very carefully so that you understand the strong feelings that are going to put you out of a job.

Its also clear that you understand nothing about what is really happening in the marketplace people are buying MORE music because of filesharing, not less.

Get a grip, stop whining and learn to READ!

already read it :) interesting book though.

isn't fbi the new saviour of the sydney radio scene?

Oh and although we will agree to disagree on the music policy - I am right (whether the policy has been honestly and generally applied in the past may be another matter)

already read it :) interesting book though.

isn't fbi the new saviour of the sydney radio scene?

Oh and although we will agree to disagree on the music policy - I am right (whether the policy has been honestly and generally applied in the past may be another matter)

"Reference to the SCO web site shows that they own certain intellectual
property and that they correctly attribute the trademark to The Open Group.
SCO has never owned "UNIX". SCO is licensed to use the registered trademark
UNIX "on and in connection" with their products that have been certified by The
Open Group, as are all other licensees," the statement said.

"These are the only circumstances in which a licensee may use the trademark
UNIX on and in connection with its products. Statements that SCO 'owns the
UNIX operating system', has 'licensed UNIX to XYZ' are clearly inaccurate and
misleading."

Q: What is SVR6?
A: SVR6 is the code name for the next-generation operating platform designed to take advantage of Web services and is the foundation of our SCOx strategy. As the owners of the UNIX operating system, it is incumbent upon SCO to advance the UNIX kernel for both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures. This will be accomplished through the support of key industry partners who will also contribute to this next-generation platform. SVR6 will be formally announced at our upcoming SCO Forum event to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 17-19 at the MGM Grand Hotel.

First Minors, what's next? Pensioners?

... according to a story in todays Sydney Morning Herald they are violent enough already

First Minors, what's next? Pensioners?

... according to a story in todays Sydney Morning Herald they are violent enough already

according to an article from SMH the dam is filling but is cracking. Thats a bit of a worry. THey tried fixing them but failed. Nice. These dams are a real worry.

This is an environmental disaster in the making. Maybe 150-200 years later when the dam is all gone, all those villages and that lost ground will reappear.

Some more images for you tabbed browsing pleasure:

http://old.smh.com.au/news/0107/12/graphics/012aim eetop.jpg
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimstergirl03.jpg
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimstergirl05.jpg
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimeeGif2.gif
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimstergirl10.jpg
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimstergirl12.jpg
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimstergirl01.jpg
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimstergirl06.jpg
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimee1.jpg
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimee3.jpg
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimee2.jpg
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimeeGif1.gif
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimstergirl07.jpg
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimstergirl02.jpg
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimstergirl08.jpg
http://www.aimster-madster-download-mp3-music.com/ aimstergirl11.jpg

Posted anonymously because I don't want people to think I am this good at finding pictures on the web. Google helped :)

Ahhh, but I didn't say completely get rid of defence did I? Nup. What saddens me is that so much money is spent on it... Now what are the main reasons for the need for defence? Leaders deciding they should invade other countries, impoverished nations being taken advantage of by the rich and violent, Holy crusades against those not of the same beliefs...

How about, let's say... 1/2 of their current budget is spent on some worthwhile things, like... feeding those who are starving, educating those who have no schools, giving people the information and the ability to stand up to these types of things...

Now if you're thinking "That money won't make a difference", think about this...

The current US defence budget is $US359 billion, with it possible reaching $US480 billion in the next decade (source). Now, the World Food Programme fed 77 million people in 82 countries at a cost of $1.74 billion in 2001 (source) ... so... let's see... if we have HALF of the current US defence budget to spend on feeding people... we could feed... let's see... 4.056 BILLION people... and seeing as though the entire world population is around 6.3 Billion (source)... and not all of them are starving.

So, we could feed 2/3rds of the world's population using just HALF of the current US defence budget.

Now, surely, that's got to make a difference to the amount of anger and suffering in the world, and conversly reduce the amount of violence? Surely.

I know Till (the lawyer here) in person. He's a good guy, and he certainly knows what he's doing.

A fool and his money are soon parted...
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/23/10535856 93509.html

"Indeed, FSF holds documents from SCO regarding some of this code. SCO has disclaimed copyright on changes that were submitted and assigned by their employees to key GNU operating system components."

"SCO was not merely a distributor of the kernel named Linux; they were the distributor off the entire GNU/Linux system, which includes Linux as well as the core components of the GNU operating system, such as glibc, GCC, GDB, etc.

"Most of the core GNU components are all copyrighted by the Free Software Foundation and distributed under our auspices under GPL. SCO's right to redistribute them, and Linux too, is the GNU GPL and only the GNU GPL."

"For nearly two decades, the FSF has carefully and arduously collected copyright assignments on each contribution to the GPL'ed programs on which we hold copyright. We carry out due diligence to ask contributors if they have any reason to believe that trade secrets, patents, or other copyright claims cover their work before they submit it to us. We then collect a copyright assignment from the contributor (and a copyright disclaimer from their employer when necessary) to ensure that we hold proper title to the software on which we place our copyright notice and license freely under GPL or LGPL.

"Individuals and companies using FSF copyrighted programs know as much as one can know that the software has been examined carefully, that its authors certify that the work is their own, and that the authors have no knowledge of other claims conflicting with its licensing under GPL or LGPL."

For several other interesting quotes, see the whole interview.

Anyone else noticed that SCO continued to sell their Linux distribution for two months _AFTER_ they sued IBM? They even had a kernel source code on their servers available for download >:)


For more information click here.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/20/10531965 88204.html

Chimps are people too
By Deborah Smith, Science Writer
May 21 2003

Chimpanzees and people are so genetically similar that our closest hairy relatives should be welcomed into the human family.

That's the conclusion of researchers who have shown that 99.4 per cent of the most crucial bits of DNA in chimp and human genes are identical.

The homo genus only includes modern man, Homo sapiens, and our immediate ancestors. But the two species of chimpanzee now grouped with the great apes - the common chimp, Pan troglodytes and the bonobo, Pan paniscus - also deserve to be homo members, Wayne State University of Detroit research team leader Dr Morris Goodman said.

The recommendation was supported by Australian geneticist Simon Easteal, of the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University, who said "it makes sense, they are very similar to us, in genetic terms".

Such a move would be consistent with the way genetically similar species of bats, rodents and whales have been grouped.

It would also stimulate much needed debate about the rights of these close relatives, Professor Easteal said.

Chimpanzees and humans split from a common ancestor about 5 million to 6 million years ago.

American scientist Jared Diamond, of the University of California, Los Angeles was the first, in 1991, to call for the two to be grouped together, coining the term the third chimpanzee to describe humans.

Professor Easteal made a similar call in 1996, based on his genetic studies showing DNA of chimps and humans was about 98.4 per cent similar. He also said gorillas should be included in the homo genus.

Last year an American study concluded that the DNA of chimps and humans was only 95 per cent similar.

The latest study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was based on a comparison of 97 genes. It examined the DNA sequences which were important in making proteins to come up with the figure of 99.4 per cent identical.

Some groups, such as the Great Ape Project, argue apes should have the same legal and moral rights as humans, and not be kept in zoos or used in experiments.

Professor Easteal said it was a difficult issue. Chimpanzees had problems in the wild. "And in good facilities like Taronga Zoo they probably have a reasonable life."

But by emphasising our similarities with chimps, the new research might make people think more.

US needs Europe at least as much as Europe needs the US.

The Germans and the French are beginning to learn otherwise.

here

And it's even less funny when you consider that Australian police just instigated the world's first criminal proceedings against 3 students charged with music piracy.

Not civil proceedings; this is federal pound-me-in-the-arse prison we're talking about.

> Why do you think Saddam had so many dollars stashed?

Is this kind of like the "why did the chicken cross the road" joke?

Umm... because U.S. currency is all Donald Rumsfeld brought back in December 1983. Saddam Hussein wasn't going to fall for the old I.O.U. trick again.

The SMH is also running the story here .

Yes, the BSD-license allows proprietary developers to club their users over the head. The GPL does not. One is anarchistic in that regard, the other is not.

If I release something BSD, someone can come along and change it so me or my friends don't have access to it any more?

What I'm saying is that you won't necessarily have access to the source of modifications/additions on your code. Whereas in the GPL, you will. This is why BSD-licensed software simply cannot compete with proprietary software -- because proprietary developers can simply incorporate everything into their own code, and return nothing; thus, always being ahead of FS/OSS developers.

Its guild socialism.

Lets not make up meaningless phrases here. Socialism means that everyone's forced to give what they've worked for and their creations to the community, whether they use community resource X or not. It also means you can't keep anything for yourself, privately. This is not the GPL. Giving aid to a neighbor on the condition that (s)he give aid to another when the other's in need is not socialism; it is simply being a good neighbor, and doing that which will make a good neighborhood. Kantianistic philosophy.

No, it doesn't ensure the end-user of anything.

Wrong. Please turn off your FUD-machine: GNU Public License:

Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the Program (independent of having been made by running the Program). Whether that is true depends on what the Program does.

In fact, users aren't even required to accept the GPL

5. You are not required to accept this License, since you have not signed it. However, nothing else grants you permission to modify or distribute the Program or its derivative works.

In other words, by default under the GPL, the end-user has every user right conceivable; no restrictions are placed on the use of GPL'ed software. The GPL guarantees that no restricitons be placed on the use of the software by including such a phrase. The FSF specifically chose not to enumerate end-user rights because that would require many more clauses, and because it would imply that the user does not have the right to use the software unless that right is granted. Also see clause #5: no-one is even required to accept the GPL.

Does the GPL guarantee that you get the software for free? No, it does not (in theory). So what. The FSF and FS advocates are not concerned with getting something for free. That is the slashdot gimme gimme gimme attitude. In practice, however, GPL'ed software tends to be either free or priced at very competitive and affordable prices. The GPL grants end-users many rights by default (that is, it does not place any restrictions on the user of the software) that EULAs deny (refer to /.'s reference to MS' EULA vs. the GPL.

zealot...RMS worshiper...upset your ideologies

Why is it that any time an individual has firm beliefs, (s)he's accused of being a zealot? Simply because I agree with RMS on a few issues does not mean I worship him. I disagree with him on a few issues too; see the Open Software License, and patent-arguments. I form my own opinions on various issues, and change them accordingly as new information and cases present themselves.

Just do a little searching on Sam Varghese and see what an idiot this supposed journalist is. His articles are little more than the whining of an ill-informed, angst-ridden gadget-geek.

His "article" on Mono, for instance.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/24/10507773 42470.html

http://news.com.com/2100-1027-998132.html

It is easter, all entertainment and technology businesses are closed, and therefore in slashdot's view of the world it is a slow news day.

Now, if you would.. please READ THE SUBJECT. Americans enjoy something known as humor. Thats all I have to say, dont want to start a war

Oh yeah, that great American humor.
Like protecting the oil ministry in
Baghdad and letting hospitals and
museums be ransacked by looters.

Oil ministry an untouched building in ravaged Baghdad

Looters ransack Baghdad hospitals

True, this legislation won't have a big effect on international spamhausen, but it can be used to nail the ones that we know exist and operate from within Australia. For example, The Which Company, also trading as Business Seminars Australia and T3 Direct:

ABN: 90 091 728 620
Postal: P.O. Box 159, Northbridge W.A. 6865
Phone: (08) 9463 7807 Fax: (08) 9463 7808

These guys send me 2 or three spams a day selling their 'Positive Workplace Strategies' workshops, and 'guaranteed sales handbooks'.

This particular bunch of inbreds gained recent notoriety by attempting to sue a local individual who put a spam block on them. /. reported this, but I can't find the link... here is an article in the SMH about the case.

If this legislation served only to eliminate this bunch from my inbox, it would serve the eliminating a known and prolific source of spam from my inbox, plus give me a warm fuzzy feeling for weeks... and I'm certain that BSA/Which are not the only Australian based spammers.

Russ %-)

From this article

Laptop burns boffin's penis
November 22 2002

Doctors are warning that laptop computers may inflict a burn even through clothed skin, after the bizarre case of a Swedish scientist who scorched his penis and testicles while writing a report in his armchair.

The unnamed 50-year-old father of two had balanced the computer on his lap while he wrote the report at home, taking about an hour to do it, according to a letter published in the next issue of the British medical weekly The Lancet.

The following day, he started to develop painful blisters on his foreskin and scrotum, which became infected but eventually cleared up without the need for antibiotics.

Laptop manuals usually advise users not to use the computer while its base is resting directly on exposed skin, as heat can build up if the device is left on for a long time.

In this case, however, the patient had been wearing trousers and underpants.

The tale "should be taken as a serious warning against use of a laptop computer, in a literal sense," said the letter's author, Claes-Goran Ostenson of the department of molecular medicine at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute.

There's a great first hand account of the life of an embedded journalist in the SMH.

And there's an interesting blurb here about the US killing non-embedded journalists.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/03/10387129 28734.html

Even though there are some articles saying this is not true.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/s740789.htm