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SCO Caught Copying
linuxwrangler writes "While accusing everyone else of copying "their" code, SCO has meanwhile been caught copying documentation. In fact they copied several chapters of the Book of Webmin directly into their online documentation. While the book is available online, it is not licensed for redistribution. Details are sparse but it appears that SCO had to pay the publisher for using the material."
So if they paid the publisher for the documentation, why is this even a story?
Things are awfully silent around SCO lately...Cat got Darl's tongue?
Hate me!
Yea right. I would expect that if you are going to try to destroy companies and extort money as such SCO has you would be cleaner than St. Peter. But nothing surprises me.
So, can't the publisher sue SCO now? I wonder how long until we see an update about that happening.
While accusing everyone else of copying "their" code, SCO has meanwhile been caught copying documentation
Hypocrits? ONLINE? My gosh... what is this world coming to?
<insert witty linux comment here>
It's just a matter of time before SCO gets what's coming their way.
The irony here is palpable. Not that we expected anything more. Aren't there suspicions that their "Linux Kernel Personality" is a direct Linux ripoff as well?
Error 404 - Sig Not Found
Bad Darl, bad, go to your office with no stock options...
This is not the sig line you are looking for... -- Old Jedi Sig Line Trick
They broke the law, got caught, and settled out of court. Sounds like a story to me...
-73, de n1ywb
www.n1ywb.com
"Caldera International, Inc. (Nasdaq: CALD), the global leader in ''Unifying UNIX with Linux for Business''" -- SCO Press Release
pwned
I know I speak for many on /. when I say:
BWAAAAA HAAAAA HAAAA HAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
thanks, I feel better now.
i'm going issue SCO an invoice for $699.
i know what you're thinking. well it doesn't matter that i don't hold the copyright, isn't that right SCO?
Marge, get me your address book, 4 beers, and my conversation hat.
its not that uncommon for a slimeball to go around and accuse others of doing what they themselves are doing. Thats the first sign of a cheating husband, he starts accusing his wife of running around.
Are we really shocked that SCO was stealing someone elses IP?
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
But I am too busy stealing songs and movies off the internet.
Well at least SCO will attempt to make there money back by finding a Red Hat Linux disc in the publishers IT Room and sue for millions! :rollseyes:
Copyrighs on books published on the web is unconstitutional
- We are the slashdot. Resistance is futile. Prepare to be moderated -
SCO spokesperson Blake Stowell could not be reached for comment.
What was that phrase again "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"? This story may not be news, but it's important to note how SCO is no better than everyone else next time Darl gets on his soapbox.
No, if you would have read the article you would be aware that the Publisher has already settled with SCO, which prevents them from suing SCO or collecting any further damages.
Controversial UNIX vendor The SCO Group apparently has paid to settle a copyright infringement complaint from San Francisco publisher No Starch Press.
I think it is saying that was their punishment.
I almost forgot for a sec that this is slashdot and that no one reads the articles.
Ha ha!
So much for all of SCO's hype about the importance of protecting IP.
No, the judge in SCO vs. IBM had a talk with him and told him to stuff it, or at least that's why everyone thinks he shut up so quickly after the judge called them both to chambers. He even cancelled some speech or another. It hasn't quieted him down *completely* however, as he still gives various media quotes.
His lawyers might have also explained how his statements have hurt SCO's cases, especially in RedHat vs. SCO.
This definately kills whatever legitimacy SCO had with their suit. I would be very suprised if they actually won.... maybe 0.00000000001% chance.
is there anyone out there to whom sco does not seem like a big joke?
if there was one smart person left in that company, they will remain quit, stop their court activities and die a peacefull death. i do not care about the harm sco may do to the gnu and linux community (because they do no harm), but i care about the harm they do to computer business in general. it is hard enough to raise vc nowadays, don't destroy the image of software companies any longer.
beer as in "free beer"
Does this mean that the authors of the Book of Webmin now own the SCO documentation? Cool!
Quite interesting.
Let's see, at $25 a copy for the infractions, they ought to owe about $25.
You know, I swear that posts are going up faster and faster. I clicked, wrote a quick reply, and when I check, there are 6 other posts saying exactly the same thing as mine.
That'll teach me to be baited in such a blatant way by a question that is so clearly not intended to be replied to.
Just so that I don't come off sounding rediculous or offtopic, let me say something that is original.
SCO as an organization didn't do this. One lazy person or group which was supposed to write documentation decided not to write their own. It may be that we can take this as a compliment to the Book of Webmin. It was so well written that SCO couldn't even improve upon it... wait... is that a compliment?
As to this infringement, I demand RIAA-style copyright sentencing. For each possible infringement SCO should have to pay the maximum fine, multiplied by the total possible number of people who had access to the material. Given that it's posted online on a public site, and not in a limited user base network (ala p2p) this means the entire world population had access and SCO should be fined roughly the total value of all money produced in the world from 1972 to present.
If our justice system is going to let all these companies warp the law as they do it seems only fair they should fall prey to their own tactics.
-- I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. It's not my fault that life sucks so much. --
It seems inevitable that SCO would ned up doing something they accuse others of doing.
OT: This post is really just to cancel a moderation error. Oops.
I don't subscribe to RMS's GNUtopian vision.
I hear SCO can license the Book of Webmin for the low, low price of $699 per document they want to use it in...
I think we can safely say what ever creditability SCO had left has been shot to hell in a handbasket after this. Not that I'm implying that they had much left.
I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
"let he who is without sin cast the first lawsuit"
Comment removed based on user account deletion
For great justice.
After all, if SCO does it, gets sued, and settles, it's funny and bad and an illustration of how evil SCO is.
But when a pirate does it, gets sued, and settles, somehow it's evil that the RIAA sued in the first place and the pirate is the good guy martyr.
This news came out a day or two ago. Sometimes Slashdot gets way behind on news.
just wait until SCO sues No Starch for infringing their copyright...
I need to quit accusing my wife of running around?
--- This
SCO is the "pot calling the kettle black".
This is it, they're done.
Even if their IP is found in Linux, their previous history of violating copyrights will be enough to convince the world that they stole it from Linux, not the other way around.
SCOX will soon be penny stock again, never to return.
Copyright infringement is a civil matter, not a crime.
Civil matters get you sued (because you wronged an individual), Crimes get you jail time (because you wronged the crown/the state/the peace/ whatever it is in your country).
How else would a customer know that their business wasn't using some illegal components that they couldn't depend on in the future because their vendor might have to remove them.
Just think if SCO or some other OS you might be using might be dependant on an illegally-copied component. Your business would be SOL if they had to remove it and couldn't find a replacement. Yipes. I think we should be insisting on audits of the commmercial packages we buy.
SCUM announced today the latest version of their Lawsuit Generator Wizard package. The updated version now has a web enabled user interface. "Using our patented lawsuit generator, companies can quickly and efficiently file numerous complaints without leaving their computer." said Blame Snowell. "People can now generate lawsuits from anywhere that has Internet access", said Darn McNugget, "even from non extradition treaty countries."
The new version has a simpler user interface than previous versions. The user answers a series of simple questions. Many questions are multiple choice.
For instance: "Do you want to sue a [x] current or [_] former [x] customer or [_] business partner? Do you have an existing contract to use against them?
You can specify a defendant, or the software can randomly assign a defendant. Administrivia such as filing the documents with the court, sending copies to the defendant's lawyers, and generating the certificate of service is handled automatically. The Professional Edition will generate motions and memorandums in support of those motions.
New modules in the updated package include the Affirmative Defense generator which automatically answers each of the defendant's counterclaims. For particularly unfavorable counterclaims, a motion to dismiss is automatically generated. In the Professional Edition, a new Case Law History module has been added. This module can find marginally relevant case law and then selectively quote favorable sounding portions using the selective quoting tool.
Industry rumors have been circulating that a new add on module is in the works and was expected to be released last quarter. Lack of this module has apparently been a significant setback to the company. Company officials have been unusually quiet about this. Sources suggest that the rumored package is a Lie Management add on, which can also run stand alone. It has been rumored that the core engine was licensed from Microshaft. Company officials declined to comment.
Anonymous sources told us on condition of remaining unprosecuted, that the Lie Management module can manage competing bundles of lies that are told to multiple parties. The lie consistency checker helps keep stories straight, preventing a runaway lie cascade of escalating magnitude. A bit of truth, from a large predefined gallery, can be mixed in to give documents a professional sense of credibility.
"This is a perfect example of how corporations can benefit from proprietary software over open source software" said analyst Lorra DiDdlings.
Also updated is the Case Scheduling module which generates motions to unnecessarily delay the case. If multiple cases are concurrently in progress, the software is now able to coordinate the motions into a deadlock such that each case depends upon the outcome of the other cases.
Company officials confirmed the development of a companion product, the SEC Filing wizard. This separate package will fully integrate with the Lawsuit Ganerator if both are installed together. Pricing and the expected release date were not available.
Analyst Robber Pretenderle said "I give SCUM a 99% chance of winning their lawsuits based on their statements alone." The company's stock rose quickly on the news. (symbol: SCUM)
About SCUM.
SCUM, the owner of all software operating systems, is the leading provider of business lawsuits worldwide. Suing and threatening customers and business partners in over 86 countries, SCUM provides a full range of litigation fiascos. The recognized leader worldwide in providing lawsuit protection licenses, SCUM has been in business for over 25 years.
SCUM, Lie, and Lawsuit are trademarks of The SCUM Grope. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
This story contains forward looking statements. Investors are advised that some forward looking statements may look further out than the expected life of the company.
Any similarity to the truth is unintentional and purely coincidental.
The price of freedom is eternal litigation.
It's not "information," it's unique creative works that are protected. If you want to protect your "information," you keep it secret as best you can. If you want to share your "information," you copyright your work and begin publishing it. People can use your "information" but cannot copy you verbatim.
Who do you get to be an expert to tell you something's not obvious? The least insightful person you can find? -J Roberts
heeeeeeey everybody, i'm looking at gay porno!
SCO... stupid copying oafs.
The book of Webmin is a great reference for a great tool. I've used both to take the initial fear of Linux out of newbie admins. Once I show them how frigging easy even SENDMAIL config is under webmin, they jump right in.
You are not the customer.
I thought at one time SCO and Caldera were one ... and Caldera owned Webmin... i remeber a big stink about how Webmin was not really open source it was owned by the guy who started it Jamie Cameron ... and he said he would make it GPL after version 1.0 ... weellll.. at about version .8 or .9 Jamie ended up selling the whole thing to Caldera .. everyones work... dont know if he went to work for them or not...
But since it was owned by caldera at one time.. and caldera was owned by SCO... isnt it SCo's now?
I hate SCO..
But that implies that the Author stole something from SCO...
I found the "Any" key.
Very interesting read. If only I had mod points...
Bob
Listen to my latest album here
The GPL isn't gospel to everyone, though. So one cannot support the RIAA, and at the same time not expect anyone to give a rats ass about the GPL.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
"Details are sparse..."
This should prefix ALL slashdot stories.
14:24 < chmeee> I'll say this about SCO: they have great documentation
I just used my mod points up the other day. Damn.
Linux is unix training wheels, while BSD *is* unix.
Darl, it looks like you're in control of two things right now: Jack and Shit. And Jack just left town...
Phantom of Krankor: I am the Phantom of Krankor. Ha ha ha ha.
Phantom of Krankor: I will arrive tomorrow night at precisely eight o'clock. At that time I shall make my wishes known to you. You will obey them... or die! Have a pleasant night's sleep... HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!
Phantom Of Krankor: Come now, Professor. What a silly question. I can't be bothered to keep track of your worthless servants. We blasted him out of an airlock, so by now he's probably fallen into a star! HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!
... there must be a "Darl Strangelove" joke in here somewhere...
on hindsight of cease and desist letters:
"Based on the findings of the report, my conclusion was that this idea was not a practical deterrent for reasons which at this moment must be all too obvious. "
on Free information:
"Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost if you keep it a secret! Why didn't you tell the world?"
Or at least you might be if software and music were the same, or if the methods used for enforcement were the same, or if any of a number of other things were the same. They aren't.
-- @rjamestaylor on Ello
The ideas of licensing and patenting and copyrighting were all originally conceived as a communal, societal gift to innovators; an acknowledgement that you can't own an idea but "we'll let you make some money off it anyways."
I would expect that period of money-making would be longer than a couple of years.
Information wants to be free.
Perhaps, but technical writers want to be $43,314 a year.
H... you get the rest.
Why do I have this? I don't smoke.
Two more points down, and SCOX will be back where it was before all the lawsuits, down around 3. That level looks likely within a month.
Another interesting resource, the new Yahoeuvre megachart. Plots shareprice vs events (and more).
Not Webmin. The Book of Webmin by Joe Cooper. The linked article says that it's owned by No Starch Press. That doesn't mean I don't hate SCO either. *grin*
-- Friends don't let friends buy Nokia.
"pimenta no cu do outros é refresco" (red peper in somebody else's arse is refreshment)
What ? Me, worry ?
How the fuck does this get modded insightful, a lame troll comment with a link to the "hey everybody I'm looking at gay porn" site. Come on Taco fix the moderation system, because at the moment slashdot is fucked, and yes I fully expect to get bitch slapped for daring to point out the obvious.
"Irony is when what we say or write conveys the opposite of its literal meaning"
http://www.jimloy.com/language/irony.htm
This situation is clearly comical, depressing, relieving, or what not, but it is not ironic.
It would be ironic for me to say I was totally in love with a woman after she makes a fool out of me in public... although that might just be inevitable instead.
Matt Fahrenbacher
James Tiberius Kirk: "Spock, the women on your planet are logical. No other planet in the galaxy can make that claim."
This post is a troll. Check his link for "GPL." (Not safe for work). I thought it was odd that it went to about.com, instead of something more obvious like the Free Software Foundation's site. He's using about.com to redirect to a disgusting picture of what appears to be feces on a woman's face. Check his posting history, lots of trolling.
I know a lot of people feel that there is some sort of hypocracy from Slashdot because some people are pro-GPL while some (not necessarily the same) people are anti-RIAA, but actually check that you're not being trolled before you up-mod it!
Search 2010 Gen Con events
The real important thing is that the stocks are going down, the money flies away and that sco closes down and we never hear about them ever. I think I dream of that very often...
This is totally insecure, but very convenient.
Trading under six now... I'm gonna have to break out the world's smallest violin soon...
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Am I also a hypocrite if I support the police employing violence against dangerous criminals, but don't support the mob doing the same against common citizens?
People don't blindly follow laws just because it's the law. I follow the law when I think it's fair, reasonable, and justified. The GPL is very fair and very reasonable, and is designed to give users as much freedom and empowerment over their system as possible. The RIAA want's to do exactly the opposite.
When I can respect where something is coming from like the GPL, I'm more inclined to comply with it. I can't say the same for the RIAA's stuff.
uNf! uNf!
:-)
These are the kinds of SCO stories that make me smile on a rainy day (like today). The irony is just too grand. Like John Lennon used to sing: "Instant karma's gonna get youuuu"
"Klaatu, verada, necktie!" -Ash
But I'm sure we can blame this on Microsoft.
FYI... There is a new article at groklaw describing a ruling in the Canopy vs. Novell case.
For those who don't know, this is yet another case where Canopy (parent company of SCO) says that what is written in the contract isn't as important as the oral agreements they made, and that what the parties agreed to is the opposite of what the written contract says they agreed to.
The price of freedom is eternal litigation.
Not really. We only expect companies to follow the GPL if they expect us to honour their copyrights. Most Free Software core members are perfectly happy for companies to ignore the GPL - provided WE HAVE A LEGAL RIGHT TO IGNORE THEIR LICENSES! We don't _care_ if our stuff is copied - we only viciously enforce the GPL on parties who try to keep things proprietary.
Copy"right" is incompatible with a free society.
Gee, where I was raised you were taught to read the contract before signing and get any adjustments needed to make the agreement then. After reading the revision you signed, or not, but if you signed, that was it, binding contract. If your dumb enough to sign and it isn't exactly right, in Russia the say tough shitsky.
Professional Politicians are not the solution, they ARE the problem.
That anyone with SCO would be capable of pouring piss out of a boot if the instructions were on the heel?
Professional Politicians are not the solution, they ARE the problem.
Let's try that free cache thing (Groklaw is known to fail under slashdot).
The fact that they put up the money without a real fight, could be their attempt at an example to the courts of what their own targeted "offenders" are supposed to be doing.
"We Own Linux. Pay Us If You Are Using It! You Have Been Caught Too."
People who complain loudest about being cheated are generally those most likely to cheat you. Those who talk about "being screwed" are the ones you generally have to watch most.
I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
The whole point of the T.S. Eliot quote is that there is no such thing as a "unique creative work". It's all derivative at one level or another. Way to miss the point there...
thanks, had to get that out.
Pots in glass houses shouldn't throw the first black kettle?
I think you miss the point of Eliot. He may have stolen the cadence of a nursery rhyme to finish off the Hollow Men, but that is not to say that that poem was neither unique or creative.
Who do you get to be an expert to tell you something's not obvious? The least insightful person you can find? -J Roberts
hmmm... it's actually not all that much $$. It's a nice chunk of change, but it isn't millions and milions of $. And it looks like a fairly orderly automatic selling plan. A lot of insiders set up these plans that automatically sell x$ of stock on y day of the month every month or a week after the 10-Q filing or such. If you are automatically selling in good times and bad it doesn't look to the SEC like you are trading on insider info.
-- your Web browser is Ronald Reagan
You know the rest.
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, it doesn't go away." - Philip K. Dick
What's wrong with the system? Someone carelessly didn't check the link. Others DID and modded it down as appropriate. The system worked, as well as any community based one can.
"Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
Yes, SCO was caught violating copyright. Is there any company in the world that doesn't do this, on occasion, by accident, or because some employee pretends he wrote something he didn't? I doubt it.
The test of respecting the copyright, however, isn't *never* violating one, but fixing it when you realize you have. SCO did exactly what it should have, here, and both parties are perfectly satisfied with the result, I should think. SCO's quick action shows that they are eager to demonstrate how much they respect copyrights of others.
Does any of this mean SCO's suit is more or less merited? No, of course not. Does this infringement make them hypocrites? Not unless those filing the lawsuits sanctioned this infringment.
Now, the one point that someone made which has some validity is that SCO is hypcritical to suggest that Linux's review process is tainted, when they themselves are unable to review sufficiently to avoid infringement. SCO has no business complaining about the review process of any software if they cannot guarantee their products are 100% clean (and no one can, of course). SCO has made that argument to make Linux sound out of control and "scary," but it is not really a legal argument, just a tactic.
Like SCO's documentation, Linux is open for review at any time by anyone. Like SCO's documentation, if something infringing is in Linux, it is likely to be noticed by the copyright holder. SCO is saying that they have noticed such a thing, but unfortunately isn't able to point it out. That is what makes this documentation case so cut-and-dry, and the Linux one so out of control.
Personally, I think SCO should put up or shut up...but the fact that they were caught infringing, and made amends doesn't do anything to the validity of their suit. From their point of view (assuming they actually believe there is infringement), they are just asking for the same treatment they offered here.
-Dan
You would have a point if there had not been three +1 insightful mods before it got modded down, and that such mods were not a regular feature for such posts from that account.
Was that SCO, like the RIAA, is further evidence that you can tell alot about the misdeeds of an organization based on the wild accusations that they make against everybody in the world.
LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
OK, but how would you fix this? OK, some dipshit is a troll... I don't think it's fair to expect mods to examine his history and make a judgement call on every poster they look at.
The mods messed up, other mods caught it... check and balances and all that shit.
Now, there is something to be said for checking a poster's history before responding (to avoid said trolls), but even that it tough to trust, given that any number of valid opinions (against the quasi-groupthink around here) can get you moderated troll...
"Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
Does the pirate in your analogy steal music, put it on a public share, and then launch facetious and expensive lawsuits against the neighbors that download it? Is the pirate cooking a scheme that will turn stolen mp3s into a lifetime of profit? That might be a better comparison.
===---===
Together, we will drive the rats from the tundra.
"...ideas are inherently free."
Only if you are not the person who invested time and effort developing the idea. I reserve the right to deny my ideas to the common domain if I am denied reasonable compensation for my work (not that any of my ideas are necessarily that valuable...there, I said it first, nyah, nyah!!).
"T.S. Eliot once said that "Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal""
If Hillaire Belloc, Sylvia Plath, and T. S. Eliot stood on their heads, T. S. Eliot would be "toilest"
Hmmm... around 3.5 this time last year. Around 5 right now. Up 43 percent in a year. A lot better than my Balanced Fund.
The reason SCO acted so quickly wasn't because they respect other peoples copyrights, since they obviously didn't check before ripping this material off.
It's simply that to do otherwise given their current legal shenanigans would have been foolish.
There's no honour involved, just cold calculation of the lawyer variety.
oh brave new world, that has such people in it!
OK, but how would you fix this? OK, some dipshit is a troll... I don't think it's fair to expect mods to examine his history and make a judgement call on every poster they look at.
Why not, moderators only get five mod points at a time. They're not asked to make a judgement on every post, just five. Of course the fact that regular viewers of slashdot are penalised and don't get mod points means that points go to those that neither have the time do so, nor the experience to recognise the trolls.
The mods messed up, other mods caught it... check and balances and all that shit.
It's not a case of mods messing up, such posts are regularly made from that account and always modded up before being modded down to -1. A clear indication that some people get a lot of mod points which they use to abuse the system, and that such abuse can continue over a period. If that's not a sign that the system is broken I don't know what is.
Now, there is something to be said for checking a poster's history before responding (to avoid said trolls), but even that it tough to trust, given that any number of valid opinions (against the quasi-groupthink around here) can get you moderated troll... Sorry I don't buy that one, it's a regular claim by trolls, but if you bother to check posts that go against the supposed group think are modded up more than those that go against. Though the modding in Mac stories is clearly coordinated.
Because I know funny. Down in the bottom batch of contributors...what's the least likely name you'd expect to see?
I wonder how the fact SCO steals things will effect their argument that others stole their code?
I could see the whole "But SCO stole it from us! look, they even stole before!" type argument coming out... i just hope it doesnt, because i would like to believe linux's code can stand without the lawyer tricks
"Thanks to the following companies and individuals for their support of Webmin over the years :
* Caldera Systems, for being the first sponsor of Webmin and paying me to work on it full-time for for over a year. Caldera was also the first distribution vendor to include Webmin as their standard administration tool, and developed the Caldera theme."
My guess is SCO had it lying around and thought it was theirs.
Webmin should have sued SCO without mentioning any details that would allow correcting the problem. :>
Eh, you don't have to buy it... it's just my personal observation. For example, I've failed to take the GPL as holy writ and been penalized many times for it.
This board works like a lot of society. People are free to be jerks, and generally they are shunned in time. In the long run it seems to work OK. So far as people abusing mod points, well... that's what meta-mod is for.
"Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
I never short stocks. Bought stocks can go to zero and all you loose is the entire principal. If on a fluke you shorted SCO and by another fluke they won in court, you can loose many times your investment. You could owe your entire future. The sky is the limit on your potential losses. I'd rather diversify than have the potential for unlimited losses. The potential of unlimited growth is why I'm in the market. The thought of unlimited loss is pretty scarry.
The truth shall set you free!
I never short stocks. Bought stocks can go to zero and all you loose is the entire principal. If on a fluke you shorted SCO and by another fluke they won in court, you can loose many times your investment. You could owe your entire future. The sky is the limit on your potential losses. I'd rather diversify than have the potential for unlimited losses. The potential of unlimited growth is why I'm in the market. The thought of unlimited loss is pretty scarry.
This is standard anti-shorting FUD. You can (and should) just as easily limit/hedge loss on a short position as on a long, and even if you don't no broker will let you go infinitely negative on any position, so your losses are limited to what you choose to risk.
That said, one of the biggest problems with the market today is not enough people take short positions on the questionable stocks. This creates a bias in the market because everyone wants "the market" to go up--meaning they want bad stocks rise in value along with good stocks. But that's just another way of saying "bubble" which is bad for everyone but the few crooks who get away with the goods without getting caught.
If you want a healthy market, learn how to short stocks, look for idiots trying to scam the system, and nail them for a tiddy profit. It's fun, it's helps the good guys and hurts the bad, and if you do your homework (you should always do your homework) it's an easier and safer way to make a profit than buying into the FUD and going long across the board.
-- MarkusQ
I just went there and kinda appreciated their way to wave good bye. Apparently being fired gave some of the crew the freedom to finally say what they think about their ex-boss.
Go look yourself:
http://www.sco.pl/
605413? Yes, it's a prime.
The conspiracies are jailable offences. The money laundering is a big time crime. Granted, some of the evidence is skimpy but the SEC has investigators and the power of subpoena.
--------------------
Steve Stites
The ideas of licensing and patenting and copyrighting were all originally conceived as a communal, societal gift to innovators; an acknowledgement that you can't own an idea but "we'll let you make some money off it anyways."
That's the first time I've ever seen IP put into acceptable terms. I appreciate that. However, I'm still not sure if it's really necessary, but I'll work on it. Then we can talk about who, how, time limits, etc.
What?
Your lame arguments are so boring. The underlying assumption you're making here is that Class A (SCO) is identical to Class B (music downloader), but nothing could be furthur from the truth.
But even if we entertain your bad assumption, it's still easy to demolish your argument: The point you're missing is money. SCO and the RIAA have big piles of it--they can fill Olympic-size swimming pools with it and still have plenty to fill their mansions with while on the other hand, you have Joe copyright infringer (pirate is an inaccurate term, but you like to inflame--don't we all?) who's lucky to see 20K a year. The question is, who has more power/representation in this scenario? Who gets to make the rules? The little guy? Are you starting to get the picture?
Probably not. So let me spell it out for you. If people are pointing at SCO and going "Ha ha!" that's because they see that powerful entity being taken down a notch whereas ruining someone's life over non-commercial copyright infringement is rightfully seen as the dastardly deed that it is.
Don't forget, copyright is not a natural right--it's a right that is enforced at the end of a sword. To pretend otherwise (as you often do) is disingenuous.
Steeples with mast pouches[1] wouldn't stow bones.
;)
Get it right, man!
[1] Apparently there are pouches on the masts of rescue slings. So I guess there are such things? Weird...
I know most of you prefer nothing more than foaming at the mouth, and checking facts isn't needed, but here are some:
www.webmin.com/partners.html
www.webmin.com/theage.html
www.webmin.com/intro.html
www.webmin.com/trans.html
So are you sure the book didn't copy the Webmin online doc, that Caldera made a significant contribution to. Who needs facts?
This is the court of public opinion, the facts are irrelevant.
Why yes; they steal only the best.
we're talking about. How many times do we keep seeing his posts modded up?
This creates a bias in the market because everyone wants "the market" to go up-
Actualy I like the stock to move both ways. Remember, buy low, sell high. When stock drops (glitch not company issue) then I buy when it's on sale. When it is too rich for my blood, sell, not buy more.
Again-- Buy Low Sell high. Stock that is never low, never gets bought. Stock that's never high never gets sold. Moving stock makes money.
The truth shall set you free!
I know my technical CS, but I don't understand shorting at all. I've heard you need quite a bit of non-shorted stock investments to cover potential losses from shorting. I've had a Schwab account before but haven't done more than invest in a few mutual funds.
I have about $2K to play with and about $20K in a Vanguard 401(K) plan. Is this enough to get started?
If you know of any literature for beginners on the subject, I'm sure I'm not alone on this board when I say that I'd be interested in you posting it.
Thanks.
can you suggest a broker?
go save some more money.
I don't have any good links handy, but Google is your friend. Try to find several explanations of all the key points, to make sure you really understand, especially since there are some odd terms used in specific and non-obvious ways (like computer jargon, but totally unrelated).
With today's discount brokerages, you don't need a lot of money to short productively, but you do need to do the math. Set up a spread sheet or write a program to get a feel for what will happen to your position if the stock rises or falls by different amounts; model your brokerages margin requirements, fee structure, tax impact (shorts are taxed sort of like longs, but with the sign flipped in such a way that you still pay taxes--of course). Know when you would expect a margin call, and what you will do about it, and likewise a short squeeze--if you've read enough about shorting, you'll know exactly what these terms mean; if you don't read more.
You can,of course, short stocks without learning all the terminology and doing the math, just as you can write code without learning a language or working out your design. But if your program doesn't run, you aren't out real money. So it pays to do the work up front. All in all, shorting is harder than SQL but easyier than perl.
As for having lots of long to ballance a short position, one technique I like is to have equal amounts long and short in pairs of companies in the same industry. If you think Amagimated Widgits has got the right stuff, and Widgits International is full of goose sprockets, go long on the first and short on the second. That way, you are buffered from fluctuations that move the whole market (or just the Widgit industry) one way or the other. You profit if your judgement of the two companies pans out, regardless of how "the market" performs.
-- MarkusQ