Slashback: Matrix, Terminology, Topology

Slashback is back from a Thanksgiving hiatus with a bigger-than-usual collection of updates, corrections and followups to previous Slashdot stories, including pretty maps of the Internet, spammers' OS choices, stupidity in the wild, and more. Read on for the details. Of course, Red Hat didn't claim to be the first ... cmeyer writes in response to the news that Red Hat is expected to attain Common Criteria certification. "Linux achieved the first Common Criteria certification back in the beginning of August. It was a joint effort of IBM and SUSE." He points to this August Slashdot posting about the news and to a press release on SUSE's site.

Well, it's robust, stable and handy for networking tasks ... Linux and Unix users may be justifiably smug about our machines' resistance to viruses and trogans (including ones that send spam), since most of these things are aimed at Microsoft Windows. Maybe it should be no surprise that spammers like Linux, too:

Niels Provos writes "You might remember Honeyd? I have been using it since June to capture spam emails in an attempt to better understand how spammers operate. A recent feature in Honeyd is passive fingerprinting which allows Honeyd to passively identify the operating system that contacts it. For spammers, it turns out that about 43% seem to be running Linux. And mostly Unix, Windows ranks at around 0.7%. The unknown fraction is 52%, so there might be surprises lurking there."

Apple products must be ripened before consumption. Ipodlounge.com editor Dennis Lloyd was one of several readers to note that, rather than the November date named in the recent 2-year iPod retrospective in the New York Times, the device came out just a bit earlier. "The iPod's anniversary was in October ;) The iPod was officially launched on Oct. 23, 2001. The NYT article is incorrect."

May the tide be with you. Doc Searls writes: "Thought I'd direct your attention to the first half of a transcription of the talk Linus gave on the September Geek Cruise that got Slashdotted a few weeks ago. Can't find the link to the Slashdot item, but as i recall it didn't have the benefit of a real transcription." (Here's the Slashdot post about the cruise.) "This one is not only a full transcription (by yours truly, all disclaimers apply), but features pix of his slides and demos as well."

Searls also has up the second part: "That's the Q&A, which is even longer than the prepared part of the talk," as well as the third: "The third part is a transcription of a talk Linus and others gave to the Victoria Linux Users Group. Shorter than the first two."

Searls' three-part report on the cruise itself ran in Linux Journal.

This way to the Egress! Rick Chapman, author of the recently reviewed In Search of Stupidity , writes to point out that book excerpts are available at insearchofstupdity.com, along with some of the book's illustrations.

"Also, I recently was interviewed live on a local CT business show and I've had the session digitized and am mounting on the site today. It runs about 45 minutes and I discuss a lot of the stuff in the book as well as other issues revolving around software marketing and development. ... I have a lot of samples of really bad things I brought to the taping and I think you'll get a kick out of the session."

They should sell nice prints to buy bandwidth. An anonymous reader writes "From the New Scientist article: A project to create a comprehensive graphical representation of the Internet in just one day and using only a single computer has already produced some eye-catching images."

Back pedal, back pedal, baker's man, cover that label with tape if you can. Mr. Slippery writes "According to this Yahoo! News story, L.A. County did not ban the use of 'master' and 'slave' in labeling, but made more of a polite request to vendors. A subtle but important distinction.

'"I do understand that this term has been an industry standard for years and years and this is nothing more than a plea to vendors to see what they can do," said Joe Sandoval, division manager of purchasing and contract services. "It appears that some folks have taken this a little too literally."' (As, perhaps, did those who got offended in the first place...)"

The original memo called Master and Slave labels "not acceptable" -- how non-literally can that be taken? -- and as further news stories have reported, was prompted by an employee's workplace discrimination complaint against the city. That sounds to me like more than a polite request. At least the city has found that a little tape is enough to make the world safe from misinterpreted words.

I bet Bill is a better actor than Keanu. Karma Sucks writes "After some embarrassing PR backlash it seems as if Microsoft is clamping down on distribution of pictures or videos related to the Matrix Spoof that featured Linux and Windows at COMDEX. Even more interesting are the reports that Microsoft is systematically scouting Open Source desktop technology."

And this is what percentage of the industry's profits? dlh writes "Boston.com is reporting that a federal judge Thursday approved a $143 million settlement of a lawsuit that accused major record companies and large music retailers of conspiring to set minimum music prices."

Time to get a new watch. Krellis writes "DynDNS.org, a major dynamic DNS provider, has announced that they will shut off access to any customers using the Linksys WRT54G wireless router to update their service on December 8th unless the router is patched. See the story on ExtremeTech and the DynDNS Press Release for more details. Updated firmware can be downloaded from Linksys."

Comments

Frosty Pist

[Anonymous Coward]

bawahahahhahahahaa

OMG! first post

[Anonymous Coward]

matrix is gay, just like apple.

Re:OMG! first post

[fastidious edward]

I suggest you see your optician. The sky is infact blue, mainly because of light diffraction (that light coming from the sun). Sometimes the sky may have many interesting colours called the northern lights, or there may be a change in the deffraction when the sun sets but the sky should not be red at midday.

fp

[Anonymous Coward]

first post
hsf lksdjfl kjsakldf slkdajflkasjfl;kj salfkj fklwejrio jasdlfj sdfjoiwjlekj lksdjf

TOASTER!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

toaster,toaster toaser, do you have toast in you yet i think
so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Im not a toaster!!!!!!!!!!And one more
thing........YOUR A TOASER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND A COOKIE WITH MILK SOAGE
MILK!!!!!!!!!!AND A BUTT WITH POOP IN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re:Linux and Spammers

[Oopsz]

Haha, i just noticed who I was replying to.. hi rus!

Re:Son of Tsarkon Reports Major Tom's Greased Up Y

[GinRummy33]

...your prostrate's dead... I think you mean "prostate" for the thing in your ass. Prostrate means laying down flat. Unless you've got a squashed butt gland on the floor.

blinking red text

[Anonymous Coward]

Please remove the blink red text from your "I say Bill Gates doing something stupid" web site. Arrrrrrrrrgh.

FUQN I HATE NIGGERS/JEWS/FAGS/ETC.

[Anonymous Coward]

EVERYONE I'M FAT what do i do about it

Re:Son of Tsarkon Reports Major Tom's Greased Up Y

[bandy]

And that would be a prolapsed prostate lying prostrate.

Re:Speaking of the Matrix spoof...

[Anonymous Coward]

Funny? Who the fuck modded this funny? Who gave you your sense of humor? Sweet Jesus, this may be the most retarded thing ever.

Son of Tsarkon Yoda Doll to Major Tom

[Anonymous Coward]

Son of Tsarkon Reports on a Space Oddity

Synopsis:
Major Tom goes to the bathroom and shoves a Yoda doll up his ass, and then gimps back to his desk to post AC Trolls on Slashdot.

Soddity

Yoda Doll to Major Tom.
Yoda Doll to Major Tom.
Take your ex-lax bars and put my do-rag on.
Yoda Doll to Major Tom.
Commencing countdown, rope is on.
Begin insertion and may Goatse's love be with you.

This is Yoda Doll to Major Tom,
You've rectally been flayed!
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear.
Now it's time to leave the crapper if you dare.

This is Major Tom to Yoda Doll,
I'm stepping through the door.
And I'm farting in a most peculiar way!
And my ass looks very different today.
For here...
Am I shitting in the tincan?
Far...too busy posting trolls.

Slashdot censors you and there's nothing I can do.

Uploading one hundred thousand files,
I'm feeling very ill.
I don't think my feces know which way to go.
I can't tell my intestines from spaghetti-
code.

Yoda Doll to Major Tom, your prostate's dead, there's something wrong,
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom? Can you hear...

Am I shitting in the tincan?

My ass like a baboon's

Slashdot censors you and there's nothing I can do. Suspendisse viverra, metus eget dapibus vestibulum, mauris ipsum porta diam, sit amet congue sem augue et pede. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nullam eu massa sed leo malesuada pellentesque. Nunc luctus hendrerit sem. Suspendisse tincidunt convallis nunc. In id justo et tortor malesuada hendrerit. Proin ac augue vitae lectus sagittis vulputate. Integer a magna. Aliquam erat volutpat. Suspendisse in velit. Duis eleifend congue odio. Maecenas at est. Suspendisse porta, mauris sit amet blandit suscipit, sem leo faucibus mi, sit amet molestie sem velit vel nulla. Aenean neque velit, faucibus vel, luctus sed, vulputate sit amet, eros. Integer tincidunt interdum mauris. Phasellus augue. Nam luctus, massa ac hendrerit gravida, nibh ante vestibulum leo, sit amet dapibus pede purus at nisl. Sed est libero, gravida sed, vulputate sed, semper quis, lorem. Ut tincidunt. Vestibulum mauris turpis, consectetuer non, scelerisque et, vestibulum eget, felis.