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Sourceforge.net Blocked In Mainland China

gzipped_tar contributed a link to Moonlight Blog, which says that "SourceForge, the world's largest development and download repository of Open Source code and applications, appears to be blocked in Mainland China. The current blocking may be related to the recent anti-China protests of Beijing Olympic Games, which will begin on 8 August. Some days before, a very popular free source code editor in SourceForge named Notepad++ start to boycott Beijing 2008. The project's developer said that the action is not against Chinese people, but against Chinese government's repression against Tibetan unrest earlier in this year. SF.net has once been banned by China in 2002. However, the ban was lifted later in 2003." gzipped_tar adds: "As a SourceForge user in Beijing, I can confirm this first-hand. I also tried traceroute to sourceforge.net, only to find the connection being dropped at a Beijing ISP's gateway router. It appears that the projects' respective homepages are available even if they are hosted by SF, but the summary and download pages are blocked." (As you probably know, Slashdot and Sourceforge share a corporate overlord.)

279 comments

  1. How is it blocked by geekoid · · Score: 2, Interesting

    at the DNS entry?

    Could you just enter the hex of the IP instead of the DNS name?

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    1. Re:How is it blocked by Paralizer · · Score: 5, Informative

      As a SourceForge user in Beijing, I can confirm this first-hand. I also tried traceroute to sourceforge.net, only to find the connection being dropped at a Beijing ISP's gateway router.
      Sounds like their router (or firewall) has a null route (or some equivalent device) for SF's IP addresses rather than where they are normally supposed to be sent to, ie the next closest router. DNS is just for IPhostname conversions, which would be done before the traceroute even starts (if he did traceroute sf.net).
    2. Re:How is it blocked by geekoid · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I have seen some blocking done pretty sloppily and I have used this method to get around it.

      Thanks.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    3. Re:How is it blocked by Drantin · · Score: 1

      opendns?

      --
      Actio personalis moritur cum persona. (Dead men don't sue)
    4. Re:How is it blocked by GuidoW · · Score: 5, Interesting

      As far as I know, the great firewall of China works by sending RST-packets to both ends of an unwanted connection as soon as one is detected.

      --
      If it's so secret, then how come I've never heard of it?
    5. Re:How is it blocked by bky1701 · · Score: 3, Funny

      So in other words, they learned how to handle networks from Comcast. Just great, now they have RSTs and nukes!

    6. Re:How is it blocked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly! We geeks pride ourself to memorize the numerical IP addresses instead of silly word-like names. First, we need to hack 127.0.0.1 to protest China's blocking of Sourceforge.net.

    7. Re:How is it blocked by houjenming · · Score: 5, Informative

      Posting from Shanghai.

      There are at least a couple of methods to the GFW. One, which you mentioned, is the bi-directional RST packet method. This is typically reserved for the higher infractions, such as searching in google or yahoo for the religious group "Fa1unG 0ng" ( i can't actually spell it out, lest the RST packets disconnect me from slashdot for a while). Or sometimes, there will be something similar, like tÂbet (inverted exclamation used here for 'i' - ) in a web page - the page will load halfway, the GFW will see that and then the page will disappear with a "the connection was reset" (in firefox, of course). Different keywords are bad at different times for different people. Lack of reliable and clear No-No words keeps people unsure and reluctant to take chances, which is undoubtedly more effective than telling people exactly what they can't do. For the *most* part, domains are not blocked this way. There *are* some exceptions, like xanga.com, for whatever reason.

      Second: Usually, IP blocks (or full-domain/subdomain blocks, which i think are just IP blocks) come in the form of a connection that times out, or firefox resulting in a "The server at sourceforge.net is taking too long to respond." (IE produces the same error for both the above mentioned situations). It is my belief that the method in one of the parent posts (null-route or something to that effect) is used for these type of blocks.

      The reason, I guess, is that the first kind of block, where the server is sending out lots of RST packets, and has to *SCAN* the entire payload of each POST/GET, and its entire response, is very resource-heavy, and having to scan for too much stuff would be a lot more expensive than just Null-routing a bunch of IP addresses.

      For the second kind of block, a proxy server works quite well (furthering my suspicion that it's actually just an IP block). For the first kind (RSTpacket kind), you need a secure connection like a VPN, or other terminal-type connection where plaintext is not so visible.

    8. Re:How is it blocked by kdemetter · · Score: 1

      If it's keyword based , it should be possible to browse an SSL encrypted site (https). Unless they completely block SSL.

    9. Re:How is it blocked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      in a web page - the page will load halfway, the GFW will see that and then the page will disappear with a "the connection was reset"

      Wait, so the GFW is doing on the fly packet scans? Isn't this currently not feasible? I can understand URL scans, that's relatively lightweight, but wouldn't constantly scanning website text content much more difficult?

      As I understand it, there is some sort of machine flagging mechanism that leads to a human technician to review the page later on, who then make a decision whether to blacklist the IPs or not.

    10. Re:How is it blocked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a SourceForge user in Beijing, I can confirm this first-hand. I also tried traceroute to sourceforge.net, only to find the connection being dropped at a Beijing ISP's gateway router.


      Sounds like their router (or firewall) has a null route (or some equivalent device) for SF's IP addresses rather than where they are normally supposed to be sent to, ie the next closest router. DNS is just for IPhostname conversions, which would be done before the traceroute even starts (if he did traceroute sf.net).

      bash-3.2$ ping www.sourceforge.com
      PING sourceforge.com (216.34.181.60) 56(84) bytes of data.
      ^C
      --- sourceforge.com ping statistics ---
      12 packets transmitted, 0 received, 100% packet loss, time 10999ms

    11. Re:How is it blocked by KiloByte · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Idea: could you split packets between "Ti" and "bet"?

      Reassembling the whole TCP stream for every flow would take a heap of memory and quite a bit of CPU, so I really doubt anyone they'll try that.

      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    12. Re:How is it blocked by timbo234 · · Score: 1

      Can you use the Tor onion routing to get around this?

      --
      Pre-canned Evolution Links for all those Slashdot holy wars.
    13. Re:How is it blocked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      other way around

    14. Re:How is it blocked by lukas84 · · Score: 1

      Most firewall appliances currently sold offer "Deep Packet Inspection" - and ones that can handle around a full gigabit of traffic with full inspection cost around 10k.

      (For example, the NSA 7500 http://www.sonicwall.com/emea/4986.html)

      So it should be easily possible to scale a system that handles chinas internation internet traffic (100 Gigabit? 1000 Gigabit?)

    15. Re:How is it blocked by flnca · · Score: 1

      Reassembling the whole TCP stream for every flow would take a heap of memory and quite a bit of CPU,

      Not necessarily. In a packet cache for instance, it would be easy to keep packets sorted, with minimal effort (a hash table). Scanning the packets for keywords is also very easy, by using a ring buffer. If this is done on the backbones or the routers, which have sufficient CPU power anyway, millions of streams can be handled easily.

      Do you know that old song, "Write in C"? "Whisper words of wisdom, write in C..." ;-)

    16. Re:How is it blocked by houjenming · · Score: 1

      I'm not an avid user of TOR, but as I understand it, it can be used in the same situations as proxies. Although lately, it has not been working for most people, so they may have found a way to block TOR specifically.

    17. Re:How is it blocked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      [Anonymous Coward? How about "Thanks for contributing to our discussion"]

      Posting from Beijing.

      The Great FW is actually quite a piece of work. I've spent some time studying it.

      A lot of the blocking happens by a spider, which goes around looking for offending words. But then it also has a "white list" of sites, which will not be blocked even if they match their dictionary or the IP matches something on the white list.

      I haven't seen a DNS block in several years. I suppose they realized that it's too easy to bypass.

      Blocking generally happens in batches. So if you change your IP, you will be unblocked for a week or so, but will then get blocked again.

      One of the best articles on the Great FW is here: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200803/chinese-firewall

  2. how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by thermian · · Score: 1

    This puzzles me.

    I rather like notepad++, and use it constantly. I haven't noticed anything about this.
    Mind you, I have been wrapped up in coding and haven't been following the China thing.

    --
    A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.' - D. Adams
    1. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by paroneayea · · Score: 4, Funny

      Their homepage has some information on there asking people to protest the olympics.

      Of course a piece of editing software can't itself consciously object to a global event. No software AI is that advanced, not even in a text editor.

      ... though it's my understanding that Emacs comes close. :)
      --
      http://mediagoblin.org/
    2. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Renderer+of+Evil · · Score: 2, Insightful

      See here

      I think it's idiotic for these project leaders are attaching their pet causes to software with bunch of contributors. It should be a rule to keep one's politics separate from such projects.

    3. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yea, there's no text editing software that couDOWN WITH COMMUNIST BEIJING! FREE TIBET!ld ever object.

      --
      "I only speak the truth"
      Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
    4. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by thermian · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It should be a rule to keep one's politics separate from such projects.

      In Open Source? One might as well ask Stallman to run Vista.

      --
      A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.' - D. Adams
    5. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by frp001 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why?
      Actors feel free to express their ideas on politics, some corporations do not hesitate to sponsor or take position for a given cause.
      Why should FREEsoftware refrain from doing so?
      It's even distributed under GPL v2 which means they are not even forbidding those with whom they disagree to use it.

      --
      May I use your sig please?
    6. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Tell your editor that "communist China" has been down for quite some time. "China the generic fascist state" still stands, it seems.

    7. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by RiotingPacifist · · Score: 2

      See here

      I think it's idiotic for these project leaders are attaching their pet causes to software with bunch of contributors. It should be a rule to keep one's politics separate from such projects.

      Why? they give you the software, if you cant stand getting a bit of politics with that, then mirror it elsewhere without the politics.
      --
      IranAir Flight 655 never forget!
    8. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by MrMr · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Commercial companies are doing politics and lobbying for money, so why can't somebody do it for a cause they care about?

    9. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by fishbowl · · Score: 5, Insightful

      >I think it's idiotic for these project leaders are attaching their pet causes to software with bunch of
      >contributors.

      And I think you miss something fundamental about "Free as in Speech." I'd go as far as to say you are supporting the suppression of free speech with your comment.

      --
      -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
    10. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Hatta · · Score: 4, Insightful

      As a conscientious human being, you have a duty to speak out against injustice when you see it. If you have a large audience because of your software, you have a responsibility to use that platform. As the saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you want change, you have to speak out, you may even have to be a bit disruptive. Yeah it sucks for the rest of us, but it would suck even more if no one ever spoke up.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    11. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Skuld-Chan · · Score: 1

      If its their software project why not? If sourceforge doesn't like it they could always tell Notepad++ to take a hike as well. Unlike China is a free country :).

    12. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by DMUTPeregrine · · Score: 4, Insightful

      They're not fascist, they're totalitarian. Similar, but different.

      --
      Not a sentence!
    13. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by BrentH · · Score: 1

      Human beings in groups are political beings. Trying to seperate them is simply impossible and a waste of time.

    14. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because actors are rich and famous. Sourceforge project teams are neither.

      In other words, people are much more likely to listen to actors and those actors have enough money to actually contribute something more than a pointless "free Tibet" chant.

    15. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Renderer+of+Evil · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Actors are responsible for own words and actions. As an open source developer you effectively solicit help from the community and that should give you a pause on types of things that you are trying to promote. I feel uneasy with things which are used as vectors to spread an agenda, regardless of what brand of ideology is being promoted.

      I just don't feel it's fair to the community to be engaged in irrelevant political controversies because some lead developer decided to air his controversial opinions through questionable means. As it stands right now, entire sourceforge is being punished because of actions of some idiot who decided to tie his political grievances into a notepad application that has fuckall to do with Tibet. You want a dialogue? Start a private blog or go harass Olympic torch-bearers. Keep that crap out of SF.

    16. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... Because others contributing to the project might respectfully disagree with the political views of the project leaders?

    17. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Renderer+of+Evil · · Score: 0

      And I think you miss something fundamental about "Free as in Speech." I'd go as far as to say you are supporting the suppression of free speech with your comment.

      I'm not so sure about that. What about the freedom of those developers who are being shut out of Chinese markets because someone decided to poison the waters?

      SF should show some leadership and yank this project from the servers so we can have unfettered access to users and contributors on the mainland. Let him take his rants elsewhere and not drag thousands of projects down for the sake of feeding own ego.

    18. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by mixmatch · · Score: 3, Insightful

      As it stands right now, entire sourceforge is being punished because of actions of some idiot who decided to tie his political grievances into a notepad application that has fuckall to do with Tibet.

      That is interesting, because I thought it was China that was being punished because they have an overly controlling government that believes in suppressing freedom(apparently as in speech and beer in this case).
    19. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by MarxNotDead · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't see the developer as the bad guy who keeps SF out of China, isn't it more the repressive chinese regime that is blocking SF because someone executes his right of free speach? So shouldn't we all rather be mad a this regime than at the guy who thinks he can say what he thinks (whether you agree or disagree with the content or form of delivery)?

    20. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by C0C0C0 · · Score: 1

      Why? Actors feel free to express their ideas on politics, some corporations do not hesitate to sponsor or take position for a given cause. Why should FREEsoftware refrain from doing so?

      Because we're smarter than actors and suits? Seriously. There are appropriate venues for political causes. Places where people go for that sort of thing. SourceFourge? Not so much.
      --
      You are totally blocking my view of the wall. - Dogbert
    21. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by SlashV · · Score: 1

      [...]entire sourceforge is being punished because of actions of some idiot who decided to tie his political grievances into [...] That's because of the (idiocy of) the chinese, not of the guy who states a political opinion, wouldn't you say ?
      You should blame the chinese for such a ridiculous response rather than someone who makes a statement in a world where one hopes there is still some freedom of speech.
      Otherwise I agree with you that it not desirable to mix software development and politics into one project for obvious reasons.
    22. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by bunratty · · Score: 1

      Do you think that by "free speech" it would be okay for me to knowingly add a feature that many others think is a bug to open source code? Would the suppression of my patch constitute the suppression of free speech? For example, should I be allowed to add a "Free Tibet!" splash screen to Firefox, no matter how much objection there is to it by other users?

      --
      What a fool believes, he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away.
    23. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Fantom42 · · Score: 1

      I guess that would be the free as in beer, not as in speech, philosophy?

    24. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by LWATCDR · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yea right.
      There was a KDE program that had a pro us message in the about dialog that got pulled because it was too "political".
      In this case it is more the author than must a project leader. IMHO it is his code and his site. If you don't like it write a better program and don't put in any politics.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    25. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by LWATCDR · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Actually I am still trying to figure out why I should care more about what an Actor has to say about some political idea than my barber.

      I have less of a problem when a hard working programmer puts us a little political statement than when some rich actor with a private jet tells me that I need to cut my carbon foot print:)

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    26. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by volxdragon · · Score: 3, Funny

      M-x boycot-olympics -- Yup, it's in there...of course it crashed it when invoked, but that might be the expected result...

    27. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Z34107 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes, but actors are the people least capable of discussing politics. I present Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey, and Al Gore as exhibits A, B, and C.

      Corporations have known for a long time that only 535 people control a country of 300 million. But, their "sponsorship" is balanced and offset by the equally loaded special interest groups. Democracy in action, and candidates get campaign funds - win-win questionmark?

      But, that doesn't mean the developers of open source software have no right to an opinion, public, private, protected, or otherwise. The idea of Notepad++ boycotting the Beijing Olympics sounds pretty silly - (the self-extracting installer was going to attend, but no longer will!) - but if Oprah gets to tell me who to vote for, then surely Notepad++'s dev can tell me about how evil China's government is.

      --
      DATABASE WOW WOW
    28. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by bit01 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      In Open Source? One might as well ask Stallman to run Vista.

      "In Closed Source? One might as well ask Gates to run Debian."

      Whether a project is open source or closed source is irrelevant in this context and people who continually pretend that open source is any more political than closed source are talking nonsense.

      All decisions, including monetary decisions, that affect other people are political decisions, whatever marketers might like to pretend.

      ---

      Beware deceptive astroturfers.

    29. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by clone53421 · · Score: 1

      Yea, there's no text editing software that couDOWN WITH COMMUNIST BEIJING! FREE TIBET!ld ever object.

      Great, now they'll block Slashdot.

      --
      Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
    30. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by SensiMillia · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The interesting thing is that their homepage (http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm) is very well accessible via the Beijing proxy of my company network; nicely showing the Beijing Olympics handcufs logo to every Chinese citizen who stumbles upon it.

      www.sourceforge.net and Sourceforge's download pages are blocked.

    31. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by porl · · Score: 2, Insightful

      yes. but the patch probably won't be accepted.... if you were the project leader and the majority of the other developers disagreed with something that you were forcing onto the project, then that is where forking happens, whether it is political, technical or even personal.

      porl

    32. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Daemonax · · Score: 3, Informative

      Thanks for the link... This is so funny. The notepad++ homepage loads from here in China, but sourceforge.net won't load. The only thing that won't load is the boycott logo. Here's a screenshot.

    33. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by ljgshkg · · Score: 1

      Probably another funny work done by the communists' marketing department. Even if this project promote such thing, they can just block his project instead of the whole sourceforge. This group of people (the communists' marketing department) are well known in the Chinese community to be very backward compare to the general population and even the upper level of the communist government. Recently, their actions in banning medias etc. are so not in line with the top government officals. One example is that this group of people try to ban a journalist/analyst from getting journalist/analyst (etc.) award in mainland China, while some top officals in government actually wrote to the journalist and express high agreement to his writing and encourage him to continue writing. This group just do weird things that nobody understand...

    34. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by story645 · · Score: 1

      For example, should I be allowed to add a "Free Tibet!" splash screen to Firefox, no matter how much objection there is to it by other users?

      So long as you aren't getting paid for it (and therefore don't have to follow any professional guidelines) add whatever you want 'cause nobody's forced to download the patch/software/etc.-There's another option for just about anything, and if it matters enough go with the worse one and fix it.

      --
      open source modern art: laser taggi
    35. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Jeremy+Erwin · · Score: 1

      It's this kind of ruthless compartmentalizing that leads to "free speech zones." Politics is a part of everyday life. It should not be relegated to a ghetto.

    36. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by vsync64 · · Score: 1
      The CLISP implementation of Common Lisp has a China protest buried inside. If you look at the timezone file it's something like

      (case country-code
      ...
      ("cn" (error "Remember Tiananmen Square!"))
      ...)

      --
      TO BUY A NEW CAR WOULD MAKE YOU SEXUALLY ATTRACTIVE.
    37. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by I+cant+believe+its+n · · Score: 2, Interesting

      why you are so high-sounding, you know the history of tibet?

      Do you? Or do you just think you know it?

      There are many faults in the western society that need to be addressed, but I doubt looking at those faults will help anyone in China or Tibet.

      --
      She made the willows dance
    38. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by kdemetter · · Score: 1

      Actually , i like the idea.
      Let's fork Notepad++ to do just that :-)

    39. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Yvanhoe · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I say we remove any political references to stuff like DRMs and software patents. And no more Microsoft bashing. Thanks.

      --
      The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
    40. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Open Source is a neutral way of defining free software. That is non offensive to certain companies. The "free" in free software is about freedom. The philosophical basis of free software is about freedom of the USER and the PROGRAMMER. Therefore the basis of free software is political.

    41. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While I understand "Free Speech" is important... This is most annoying. Sourceforge isn't a political forum, and being blocked for political reason in whatever country when you aren't political shouldn't happened.

      I won't advocate Chinese government here, what they did is stupid.

      So Ok, you should have the right to express political opinion, but you don't have to. I find it most inappropriate on sourceforge, and you have the goddamn right to disagree. To not get political on sourceforge isn't a matter of free speech, it's just not the purpose of the site. And still you have the right to be political. You have your "free speech", so be glad.

    42. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      As a conscientious human being, you have a duty to speak out against injustice when you see it.

      Let's have millions of Americans voluntarily give their land back to the natives. I'm waiting. As long as you aren't doing it, you're a hypocrite.

    43. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Carewolf · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Fascism is also totalitarian, so that is no objection.

    44. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by mysidia · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's ridiculous that a Sourceforge-hosted site contains such a message, when it is known that countries will react by blocking the site, hurting the primary goal of sourceforge (to collaborate on developing Open Source Software).

      The developers of said project should be ashamed of themselves.

      Sourceforge and its services are provided for developing Open source software, not about spreading $project_admins_ political_message_of_the_day.

      Not about doing $X where X is not developing OSS software and publishing details about OSS software.

      It's a no-brainer that if one project insists on attempting to use their SourceForge resources to spread such messages, which have nothing to do with the objectives of the site, that one project should clearly be expelled from sourceforge.

      There is a time and a place for posting political pro-boycott messages on a site that will cause enraged countries to block that site.

      That place is not a community site whose purpose is something else.

      It is really not very different from using your sourceforge pages to post viagra ads. (Which will get you banned as a spammer)

    45. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by alexgieg · · Score: 1

      you think so-called "freedome" you understand is always righteous?

      In one word: yes. As a matter of principle, my own position on this is that, if the majority of the population on any given piece of land want to become an independent nation, they have the right to, period. The right of secession should be an human right. No group should have the obligation of being the "property" of a certain nation.

      Now, of course history shows that almost no country accepts this right. USA, for instance, had a civil war 150 years ago to prevent secession; here in Brazil (I'm Brazilian) we had our fair share of small wars in the 19th century to prevent pieces of the country from becoming independent; nowadays Spain, England, Russia and probably others still have trouble with secession terrorists in a fight that never stops; and so on and so forth. Thus, I'm pretty sure China arguments against the independence of Tibet are far from unheard off elsewhere.

      But do you know what? I don't care. If someone doesn't want to be friends with you, you have no right to force him to fake it. This is valid for individuals and it should be also valid for nations.

      --
      Conservatism: (n.) love of the existing evils. Liberalism: (n.) desire to substitute new evils for the existing ones.
    46. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      Hey why didn't china just block those pages instead of all of SourceForge?
      SourceForge allows it. The author wanted to do it. You have the right to not like it but in this case that really doesn't matter.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    47. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by benhattman · · Score: 1

      It should be a rule to keep one's politics separate from such projects.

      Quite the opposite. It should be a rule that authors raise awareness in reasonable and meaningful ways. A small bulletin on the home page claiming support for one group, or declaring opposition for another is not just their right, but their responsibility.

      When a celebrity or athlete takes a meaningful position, people act like they are the return of . But when a geek does, we want to shoot them down?

    48. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by DeVilla · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm not sure I follow, but I'll try. If you want to add a "Free Tibet!" splash screen, please do. If you want to create a patch that others can use, by all means do. If you want to submit the patch, feel free. Just don't expect the patch to be accepted by anyone. If it gets accepted, don't be surprised if someone else submits a patch to remove it or forks a version lacking the patch or makes the splash screen optional. They'd be free to do so as well.

      I'm not sure were suppression comes into it unless you mean that rejecting your patch would be suppression. You can publish you patch or a forked version of the package all you want. You've no right to expect other to publish your work though. I'm free to not repeat what you say.

      Unless you expect someone to hunt you down and destroy all copies of such a patch. If thats the case, I'm not qualified to help you. Maybe you need to move?

    49. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by PFAK · · Score: 1

      At the expense of my karma:

      You must be Chinese.

      Why aren't you mad at the Chinese gov't for doing stupid shit like blocking Sourceforge just because of the actions of one of it's users?

      --

      Free means no restrictions, ironic the FSF's GPL forces restrictions, isn't it? What's your definition of free?
    50. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by rootooftheworld · · Score: 1

      Gates and debian, might actualy work, but we need to make something like moviemaker to atract him for sure, i hear hes pissed off he cant get the aformentioned on his box.

      --
      I know full well that tobacco is bad for you, so I smoke weed with crack
    51. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by flnca · · Score: 1

      ... though it's my understanding that Emacs comes close. :)

      After all, much of it is written in LISP! ;-)

    52. Re:how can a text editor boycott the olympics? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      An American, an Ethiopian, a Chinese and an Israeli are standing on a street corner. A reporter walks up and says, "Excuse me, could I get your opinions on the world food shortage?"

      The American says, "I don't understand. What do you mean, 'shortage'?"

      The Ethiopian says, "I don't understand. What do you mean, 'food'?"

      The Chinese says, "I don't understand. What do you mean, 'opinions'?"

      The Israeli says, "I don't understand. What do you mean, 'excuse me'?"

  3. Wait for it... by Cytlid · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... and yes in the "blocking freedom" event, China has already taken the gold!

    --
    FLR
    1. Re:Wait for it... by Darkness404 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      But don't forget that Europe and the US come in Bronze and Silver medals.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    2. Re:Wait for it... by Enlightenment · · Score: 5, Insightful

      zimbabwe? sudan?

    3. Re:Wait for it... by LandDolphin · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They were blocked from competing

      --
      Spelling and Grammar errors have been added to this post for your enjoyment
    4. Re:Wait for it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Disqualified for doping violations.

    5. Re:Wait for it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

      and north korea, the middle east or cuba come in what place?

    6. Re:Wait for it... by TorKlingberg · · Score: 3, Insightful

      While the neglect for human rights in Europe and the US is getting worrying, we should not use that as a reason to accept or belittle the far worse human rights crimes in China. Was that your purpose?

    7. Re:Wait for it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      lol, are you fucking kidding me?

    8. Re:Wait for it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think the Latino Illegal Immigrants that got raped, beaten and impregnated by your Border "GESTAPO" Patrol would agree with your red-white-and-blue-we-are-the-freedom-fighters thing.
      The USA lost their respect as a bearer of freedom and liberty since it is spying at their own citizens, torturing people in Abu-Ghrabi and jailing people without right to a neutral lawyer or bail in Guantanamo.
      So clean your dirt first before calling other countries spotted!

      And besides that, what you western kids call a Free Tibet? The Dalai Lama theocracy? Where working classes had no rights and were submitted to slavery to serve a bunch of guys wearing orange!?
      Ask the Tibetan people if they want China out. Not the Orange theocracy that exploited the poor people from Tibet for thousands of years. If there was such a big movement within the Tibetan people to restore the Dalai Lama theocracy, I don't think Chinese troops would be able to restrain it, as, for example, Soviet troops weren't able to restrain the debacle of communist dictatorships on the Eastern Europe. So, better for you western kids to Google a bit for the issue to find the diverging opinions about it, before get all Liberty-Statue over it...

      I don't think they going to publish this comment anyways as Slashdot is not a democratic forum, just another propaganda vehicle for the mighty-USA...

    9. Re:Wait for it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I often see this counter argument, and while it has some merit, I don't think it really addresses the (GP's) point. It's the whole "Do as I say, not as I do" issue; are Chinese people really going to take the United States and Europe seriously if we continue to erode human rights? I'm _not_ saying it's as bad here as it is in China, that's plainly ridiculous, but an example certainly needs to be set.

    10. Re:Wait for it... by mixmatch · · Score: 1

      I feel the same way. This is the same as certain political entities attempting to tie every crime on the planet to terrorism. The person who posted that is obviously unacquainted with world events. Its rather easy to do a little research and find sites like Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch

    11. Re:Wait for it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      zimbabwe? sudan? zimbawe = silver
      sudan = bronze :)
    12. Re:Wait for it... by Sir_Lewk · · Score: 1

      Europe is not a country shit-for-brains.

      --
      "linux is just DOS with a UNIX like syntax" -- Galactic Dominator (944134)
    13. Re:Wait for it... by burni · · Score: 1

      Made a very bad second and third place,
      mostly they lacked in technology.

    14. Re:Wait for it... by PRMan · · Score: 1

      America for the Bronze?

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    15. Re:Wait for it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually we should be blocking what we broadcast INTO China -- now that would really goad them!

    16. Re:Wait for it... by Jesus_666 · · Score: 1

      True. Americas "scary CIA plots to overthrow democratic countries" approach just isn't efficient and reliable enough; the EU never really made a serious attempt for the freedom suppression medal, focusing on the red-taping competition (and, quite seriously, we have a good chance for gold there).

      The USA will probably make gold in "public relations disaster"; China would have to nuke Tibet in order to outdo the last two legislative periods of the USA. The "lawsuit frenzy" medal is a toss-up between the USA and the EU - where the USA have a long-proven routine of suing everything and anything, the EU has shown that doing high-profile lawsuits against US corporations is a good way to get your name on the title pages.

      China will utterly dominate "MMORPG addiction", of course. Nobody gets close to those gold farmers. If China would let it compete, Tibet might make silver in "vocal minority"; gold would go to the USA because they have Cupertino, CA.

      --
      USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
    17. Re:Wait for it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's funny. Tibet and China are in a de-facto state of war, one side led by the capitalist pseudo-communists of China, the other by the semi-crazed monks who were used to running Tibet in their own autocratic fashion and want it back, with all the benefits of being pet dictators in any corner of the world. Get the situation right first.

      And of course, if you wanted to really put nations on a scale in terms of who is worse regarding human rights abuses, I am pretty sure they all stack up relative to (a) their power and (b) their size. All states abuse human rights, they have to in order to exist. Much like corporations in fact.

      Finally, while I completely agree that anyone, whether they run a free software project or not, can say whatever the heck they want, the call for protests itself is just plain silly. If you look up what the US was doing during Olympic Games held on US soil, you'll find that they were butchering people too, in every instance. You may have to look around a bit to find out where, easier to see that in sources outside the US for obvious reasons. So if you apply the same standards, all those US Olympic Games should have been boycotted too. And indeed they probably should have, but it's always easier to pretend to care about someone else's crimes than those perpetrated by your own country.

    18. Re:Wait for it... by whitehornmatt · · Score: 1

      America for the win!

    19. Re:Wait for it... by kvezach · · Score: 1

      Any idiot can run a country into the ground. On the other hand, it takes sophistication to restrain political freedom while allowing for economic growth. As such, China wins! In the run-down countries categories, that hermit state south of China would win before Zimbabwe and Sudan.

    20. Re:Wait for it... by MaDeR · · Score: 1

      "So clean your dirt first before calling other countries spotted!" You know what? I am from former communist country. I see that joke "but you in USA beat blackies!" never get old, even in China. Every natin have their own load of shit, and others shit is not any excuse of your own shit. Especially if is stinker. "Ask the Tibetan people" Funny that jorunalists preparing to Olympics 2008 have problem with it. They cannot do that you propose. Wonder why? "I don't think they going to publish this comment anyways as Slashdot is not a democratic forum" What an irony in this one short sentence. Yes, Slashdot is democratic forum. You prove it yourself. No one removed it. What, you expected Slashdot to behave like your favorite totalitarian regime? No all organisations or nations are like China. Projection, people, projection...

      --
      What modern Obelix would say today? Of course, "Those crazy Americans!".
  4. Not surprised. by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Recently I read that people were arrested and/or beaten because they didn't promote the Olympics. Is it strange that the chinese govt blocks EVERYTHING that protests against it?

    1. Re:Not surprised. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This doesn't look like a troll. One of the mods is on crack again... +1 Underated to undo

    2. Re:Not surprised. by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

      Is it strange that the chinese govt blocks EVERYTHING that protests against it?

      No?

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
  5. *Sigh* by dreamchaser · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I can see politics entering a free for all site like Slashdot, but Sourceforge??? While I personally think it's disgusting that China even GOT the Olympics and find their regime and it's actions reprehensible, there are proper forums for such matters. Sourceforge isn't one of them.

    1. Re:*Sigh* by Gat0r30y · · Score: 1

      Of no mention is whether slashdot is also down, and since it is reporting on the issue, it would seem that folks over there in the PRC would find it easy to find out WHY notepad ++ is no longer available. (when I was last in the PRC slashdot was available).
      Additionally on the olympics note, i think it is great that they got the olympics specifically because it raises the issue of their human rights abuses to the world wide stage. It's going to be hard to ignore when everyone is looking, however, when they are just making our sneakers and computers and cheap walmart crap its pretty easy to ignore.

      --
      Prediction: The real iPhone killer is going to be sex robots from Japan. Think about it.
    2. Re:*Sigh* by Presto+Vivace · · Score: 1

      While I personally think it's disgusting that China even GOT the Olympics and find their regime and it's actions reprehensible, there are proper forums for such matters. Sourceforge isn't one of them. Surely that is up to SourceForge

    3. Re:*Sigh* by dreamchaser · · Score: 1

      I see your point, but I am one who goes way out of his way to NOT buy products made in China, even if it costs me more to buy the equivalent made in S. Korea, Taiwain, the U.S., etc., so your last sentence doesn't apply to me. Yes, if I need something and a product made in China is the only option then I will buy it or go without, but I've been known to pay substantially more for options made elsewhere.

    4. Re:*Sigh* by dreamchaser · · Score: 1

      Yes it is. I wasn't aware that I had to spell out that I was expressing my opinion. Maybe I need a new sig.

    5. Re:*Sigh* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      You do not buy chinese products but you do buy US products ??? I really wonder how twisted your moral has to be, while US army is still killing civilists in two countries that it is illegaly occupaying and officialy admitting torturing enemy detainees (without even accusing them). How does this qualify being better than what china does with Tibet ????? Sorry for the rant but this kind of selective egocentric quasi morality just makes me want to climb the wall.

    6. Re:*Sigh* by bill_kress · · Score: 1

      Totally O/T, but I saw your sig and it really made me think:

      >Scientology is a greedy cult founded by a second rate science fiction author. It is bad fiction.

      Isn't this true of virtually every religion except The One(s) you happen to believe in?

    7. Re:*Sigh* by petermgreen · · Score: 1

      The trouble is afaict "made in" only represents where the "last significant manufacturing process" was carried out. Not where the bulk of the work was done.

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
  6. Boycott China! by jellie · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If there are posts on Slashdot advocating for the boycott of China and the Olympics, would the government block access to Slashdot?

    Yes, this is a test.

    1. Re:Boycott China! by kipman725 · · Score: 1

      haven't they already?

    2. Re:Boycott China! by RiotingPacifist · · Score: 1

      It would explain the lack of "china rocks, fuck tibet" "the US is bad too" (like that magically means what china do is ok) posts that have popped up so far in this topic.

      --
      IranAir Flight 655 never forget!
    3. Re:Boycott China! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If there are posts on Slashdot advocating for the boycott of China and the Olympics, would the government block access to Slashdot?

      Yes, this is a test.

      Will have to find out on Digg I suppose.
    4. Re:Boycott China! by mathnerd314 · · Score: 1

      haven't they already? Nope, not yet.
      --
      Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
    5. Re:Boycott China! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If we can boycott Roland, we can boycott China too!

    6. Re:Boycott China! by myang · · Score: 1

      Hi guys:

      I hate being involved into political discussion. But as a Chinese I'm really upset and sad to see your up-rise of anti-China, in a so-called free open source community. I'm not Olympic fan, I'm not a member of CPC, and of course I'm not brain-washed by any governments as you might have naively thought.

      Before coming to Canada, I thought in the same way as you are thinking about China right now. But you know what, now I'm totally changed by what happened recently, and by what I have found in West. So if I was brain-washed, I should have been brain-washed by West, not by my own country. Tell you one thing, the "GFW" also exists in Canada. When I was going to read news on a China website, my connection is reset immediately as I open the article by Canada network. You don't know it because you never found it out. Got what I mean? Then why you didn't find it out? Think about it !

      I also hate the blocking thing on Internet access, of course including what GFW has been doing. But I don't want this leads to anti-China activities. It's true that there are tons of problems China government is facing and waiting to deal with (every country has their problems), but they're indeed improving it as they've been claiming, I know it because I've been there for 25 years. I don't like that doesn't mean I will protest the government (reasons in the followed paragraph). Yes for sure, I complain of it. But this has nothing to do with the "Tibet" issue as you are relating it to.

      There WAS NO crack down on Tibet. If you anti-China only for this reason, I don't blame you. But I suggest you to investigate it more before you come to the conclusion. Find the truth by yourself. Most of those people who boycott Olympics due to Tibet violence don't even know where the Tibet is. Then how dare you criticize China of the things you have even no idea about it at all. You don't understand what Chinese people were going through. If you really want to know what's really happening there, go to China and find it out yourself, just like me, coming to West world to find the truth. Chinese people know that there are lots of complaints about the governments (no body denies that). But we know there is no better option right now (there is no perfect government in the world) for country's good. China has a large population to manage and is still under development. For a country, it has good reasons to leverage on many factors to make decisions considering economy, culture, internationalization, etc. Chinese people have the spirits to sacrifice the part of individual loss to push the country to develop, do you? That's because we have different cultures living in different world. Chinese are one family, as we are always claiming!

      There are too many misunderstandings on freedom or human rights between China and West. Western people are always accusing China of human rights as your forever excuse, but never think about the issues in your country. If you can do this to China, does that mean we can protest US and claims to destroy the US country for their killings of thousands of innocent people in middle East. Can anybody say that they are free and have rights to kill people and initiate the Wars to any countries they don't like? If you insists on "free Tibet", does that mean we can also protest US and claims to free America, and we also can free Canada, drive all the immigrants back to their own country and return the soil to the native people.

      Yes, there are some problems with human rights in China, I agree with you (every country does), if you are thinking in your western way. But from my point of view, human rights should be evaluated in the CONTEXT of this country. Don't ignore the China's situation if you really know about China well! You can not force every country to be the same as you, you are not POLICE on the earth! We know our country China very well, do you? In your country, what you see is really not "what you see"!! You are so luckily living in a rich country, so that you don't want to find the information by

  7. Re:Why would we care? by geekoid · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes, the committee is known for it's tolerance of complaints~

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  8. Good by furiousxgeorge · · Score: 5, Funny

    I heard those lousy pirates in China were downloading files from that site without paying! Another victory in the war against copyright infringement!

    1. Re:Good by __aahurc460 · · Score: 2, Funny

      they have crappy ratios too

  9. Correct me if I'm wrong... by pwnies · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Correct me if I'm wrong... but doesn't open source software share some of the same essence as Communism? Everyone working together towards a common goal overseen by a dictator (or Benevolent Dictator for Life in the case of OSS).

    Seems to me that China is shooting its own values in the foot.

    1. Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... by mastropiero · · Score: 3, Interesting

      By the same token I could say that free software is a perfect capitalist market with an entry cost only proportional to the difficulty to read the code.

      Anyone can bend the concepts like that.

    2. Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... by dreamchaser · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Except that an OSS project is voluntary. Totalitarian Marxism is not. It is imposed by a central Government and you have no option to fork the code...

    3. Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... by Gat0r30y · · Score: 1

      Oh my, chills just went up my spine imagining a central government in charge of code - with no option to fork.

      --
      Prediction: The real iPhone killer is going to be sex robots from Japan. Think about it.
    4. Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Except that China is no longer communist*; they're totalitarian capitalists.

      * (It could be argued that no state ever reached the state of communism, anyway, and that they were simply state-socialists striving for that goal.)

    5. Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... by Stormy+Dragon · · Score: 1

      With a key difference: as much as I dislike Richard Stallman, I don't fear that he will some day break down my door in the middle of the night and drag me off to some forced labor camp.

    6. Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Richard Stallman lacks the resources and power for that to happen. Zealotry of any kind is a dangerous thing.

    7. Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... by wilder_card · · Score: 2, Interesting
      You're making a basic assumption that what Marx wrote about and what is actually practiced as "Communism" are related. Actually China is a totalitarian fascist state, which is what most of the Communist experiments morphed into. (And I'm pretty sure I'll never be welcome there :)

      OSS, on the other hand, is more of the flavor of volunteerism. Or the "pro bono" work many lawyers do.

    8. Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... by NotZed · · Score: 1

      It is nothing like communism. Communism would be if RMS (for example, or the FSF) told everyone what they could work on (only) and had complete centralised control.

      Free software competes in a completely open market where all players are on a totally level playing field.

      That sounds a lot more like capitalism to me.

      --
      _ // `Thinking is an exercise to which all too few brains
      \\/ are accustomed' - First Lensman
    9. Re:Correct me if I'm wrong... by Samah · · Score: 1

      ...or mistake you for a Microsoft-loving ninja:
      http://xkcd.com/225/

      --
      Homonyms are fun!
      You're driving your car, but they're riding their bikes there.
  10. Re:Why would we care? by dreamchaser · · Score: 1

    You DO know what happens in China to people who complain in China, right?

  11. Why only China? by pembo13 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    How about the British government? Or the USA's government? All things considered, I don't see how the government most open about their bad behaviour is the one most worthy of this.

    --
    "Thanks for all the money you paid to us. We've used it to buy off ISO among other things" -Microsoft
    1. Re:Why only China? by kellyb9 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well I think the difference is the the US and British gov't stand for the ideals of freedom. I don't think freedom is something that exists... I think it's something we have to work towards. Sometimes we're not always as close as we'd like, but the ideals are still there. China has no interest and no desire for freedom of any kind. Ironically, they don't even like free software. China seems to work on the premise that if you block enough information for the outside people will begin to think they have it better than the rest of the world, and maybe they do... but I doubt it.

    2. Re:Why only China? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      China is open about its bad behavior? Can can't even get accurate figures on how many people are executed there every year, let alone how many people are in labor camps etc.

      Try to get some fucking perspective here.

    3. Re:Why only China? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Well I think the difference is the the US and British gov't stand for the ideals of freedom"

      Hahah...

      Gordon Brown and George Bush actually sat at a computer together and posted on Slashdot?? Lamers.

    4. Re:Why only China? by maxume · · Score: 1

      You type awesome for a six month old.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    5. Re:Why only China? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My friends Bull and Shit would like to beat you with a shovel now.

    6. Re:Why only China? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wouldn't say the US and British governments stand for the ideals of freedom. I'd say they pretend to stand for the ideals of freedom so that they can do whatever they want, such as bombing people for oil/freedom, arresting/torturing anyone they don't like by labeling them terrorists or preachers of hate (to ensure our freedom) and setting up huge surveillance so that we may keep our freedom. Isn't arresting "terrorists" worse than blocking information that that might entice someone to become a "terrorist"(relative to the ideals of the government protecting the people). The Chinese people seem to be pretty happy and don't even know nor care that information is blocked. I think its much worse for the most militaristic nation in the world with a record for getting involved in every war it can(for freedom of course) to try and force its views of right and wrong on a country who is only concerned with its own development. Anyone concerned with boycotting the Olympics and not concerned with boycotting the war in Iraq has a serious problem.

  12. I call this is stupid. by cyfer2000 · · Score: 1

    Ignorance leads to fear

    Fear leads to anger

    Anger leads to hate

    Hate leads to short sight

    Short sight leads to paranoid

    Paranoid leads to prejudice

    Prejudice leads to ignorance

    It is the cycle of stupidity

    It is us who keep it rolling

    --
    There is a spark in every single flame bait point.
    1. Re:I call this is stupid. by krystar · · Score: 1

      don't you mean Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. Yoda said it so it must be the truth.

    2. Re:I call this is stupid. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I sense much fear in you. Train you the council will not.

    3. Re:I call this is stupid. by kellyb9 · · Score: 1

      Ignorance leads to fear

      Fear leads to anger

      Anger leads to hate

      Hate leads to the DARK SIDE Couldn't help it... Isn't that from Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic?
    4. Re:I call this is stupid. by bigstrat2003 · · Score: 1

      The quote is from Yoda, in Phantom Menace, and goes, "Fear is the path to the Dark Side! Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering."

      --
      "16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
  13. And in other totally unrelated news... by paratiritis · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The latest Internet Explorer beta now uses the great firewall of China as a proxy (enabled by default)

  14. I'm in Beijing right now and it loads OK by sith · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I just loaded sourceforge.net from Beijing. Admittedly I'm in a hotel, but my connection appears to otherwise be filtered like all the others I've used in China, so I don't imagine there's anything special about this case.

    So, perhaps I'm just lucky, or perhaps it's not really blocked...

    1. Re:I'm in Beijing right now and it loads OK by pangloss · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I can't access it from Shanghai. However, if the Sourceforge website is being blocked, it's not from a tcp reset as is typical for most (all?) of the sites blocked by the Great Firewall. Sourceforge is just timing out so it's entirely possible this is all just paranoia. Notably, svn access is working just fine--which is to say, just as slowly as ever.

    2. Re:I'm in Beijing right now and it loads OK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's my understanding that hotels, airports, and other areas westerners frequent are subject to slightly relaxed filtering policies.

    3. Re:I'm in Beijing right now and it loads OK by kwabbles · · Score: 1

      Ahh hell, if svn works just pull everything and set up a mirror. :)

      --
      Just disrupt the deflector shield with a tachyon burst.
    4. Re:I'm in Beijing right now and it loads OK by hallucination · · Score: 1

      I, too, am in a hotel, and it works fine. I'll try it again in an hour or so when I get to work.

      I can tracert the IP from the article.

    5. Re:I'm in Beijing right now and it loads OK by _Qiang_ · · Score: 0

      no problem to access it for me from shijiazhuang(3 hours by train from beijing). maybe just a temp network problem.? that said, i do find that the network in my city is much slower than beijing.

    6. Re:I'm in Beijing right now and it loads OK by hallucination · · Score: 1

      I can access it from both work and my hotel in Beijing.

    7. Re:I'm in Beijing right now and it loads OK by topnob · · Score: 1

      I'm also in Shanghai and cannot access it! :( oh well there go my contributions for a while! :(

    8. Re:I'm in Beijing right now and it loads OK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you're in a hotel. China has openly admitted to having different blocking rules for those in tourist hotels (those that cater to Internationals).

    9. Re:I'm in Beijing right now and it loads OK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm in Beijing too and it works.

    10. Re:I'm in Beijing right now and it loads OK by dsg123456789 · · Score: 1

      I'm in Dalian, and sourceforge times out, which is characteristic of blocked sites. I've been here for a month, and half the time blocked sites time out, while the other half the time they're rst'd. The tracert for sourceforge.net ends at the Asia Pacific Network Center (202.112.61.*). I'm using a university's internet connection.

    11. Re:I'm in Beijing right now and it loads OK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, getting a time out as well from Shanghai, not the typical reset packet. Interestingly/ironically enough, the Notepad++ site on sourceforge.net is getting through just fine.

  15. Re:Why would we care? by JustinOpinion · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I don't get your comment.

    Why would we care if a utility site like Sourceforge is blocked? Who is "we"? If "we" is the Slashdot readership, then clearly some of "us" care, since some portion of Slashdot readers are in China, and/or use/contribute to Sourceforge.

    It saves us the hassle of providing the network traffic to that country What? So Sourceforge should be happy that an entire country can't access their services, because that reduces network traffic? By that logic, Sourceforge should just shut down completely: then the network traffic would be really reduced! In reality, Sourceforge wants people to go to the site, and so having an entire country blocked is bad for them.

    do we really want to answer 'Chinese' informed questions? I'm sorry if I've misinterpreted this question, but on the face of it, it seems racist.

    I wonder how much Chinese projects are hosted on Sourceforge "Chinese projects"? You do realize that Chinese people use the same kinds of software as everyone else, right? And that Chinese coders can (and do) contribute to the same open-source projects as everyone else, right?

    I guess I don't understand your comment because you seem to be saying "good riddance!"... but why should the open-source community be happy that a government firewall is fracturing the community?
  16. Re:Why would we care? by geekoid · · Score: 1

    They win there freedom on a tropical island?

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  17. I'm in China and i'm not blocked by bitocul · · Score: 2, Informative

    at the DNS entry?

    Could you just enter the hex of the IP instead of the DNS name?

    Don't know why i can still download from sourceforge.net, maybe just because i'm using ultravpn. it's like in the emirates where people prevent you to watch porn because you're a bad guy
    1. Re:I'm in China and i'm not blocked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What? No porn?

      How do they live like that?

      Savages...

  18. Re:Why would we care? by spun · · Score: 1

    That was so last century. Now the Chinese simply use their snazzy new mobile execution units.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  19. Alright mods... by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 1, Interesting

    who modded me troll, and WHY?

    1. Re:Alright mods... by doyoulikeworms · · Score: 1

      The Chinese government is on to you!

    2. Re:Alright mods... by Jesus_666 · · Score: 2, Funny

      In addition to RST packets and null routes, the Great Firewall of China now also supports Slashdot post moderation.

      --
      USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
  20. the Olympic Brand by Presto+Vivace · · Score: 4, Insightful
    1. Re:the Olympic Brand by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bullshit

    2. Re:the Olympic Brand by Jesus_666 · · Score: 1

      They still have a meaning if one assumes that the IOC and the Olympic spirit have no relation with each other whatsoever. The IOC is just an entity that, for some reason, has the ability to decide about technical details for the Games.

      Yes, I know. It's quite a stretch... In reality, the Glympic Games have devolved into a hybrid sport event/nation-level show-and-shine with an optimistic IOC hoping that some country will be miraculously converted to freedom if they're allowed to host them.

      --
      USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
  21. Sourceforge had nothing to do with it by spun · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It was one project page, notepad++. If a person wants to protest on their own personal project page, that's a perfect place to do it.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    1. Re:Sourceforge had nothing to do with it by dreamchaser · · Score: 1

      True, very true, but it hurts Sourceforge (and the Chinese people) far more than it hurts one project.

    2. Re:Sourceforge had nothing to do with it by spun · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So, you blame the fellow putting up the protest notice? The boycott notice is a relatively small part of the page. It's not over the top or crazy, simply one guy putting his opinion on his project page. Why is he to blame for this? Should we all censor ourselves lest we offend someone? Maybe we should protest only in the properly marked official protest spaces?

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    3. Re:Sourceforge had nothing to do with it by dreamchaser · · Score: 1

      I didn't say that either. I said it just doesn't seem like an appropriate forum to me, and the value of having contributions from and to China via OSS is high and was at least temporarily damaged by this. Relax :)

      I blame the Chinese more for blocking it than the project for protesting it, just for the record.

    4. Re:Sourceforge had nothing to do with it by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      How does it hurt Sourceforge?
      Are there that many Chinese contributers?
      I really hate politics as a rule but this really is pretty tame and I feel that it is within his rights.
      It is his project so big deal he can do what he wants with it. If you don't like it then just done use the program or contribute any code to it.
      Heck I don't even like it when protesters try to yell down speakers at political events but this little protest doesn't interfere with anybodies rights.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    5. Re:Sourceforge had nothing to do with it by pimpimpim · · Score: 1
      Maybe we should protest only in the properly marked official protest spaces?

      Good thing the US is already training their citizens to think this way by inventing the "free speech zones". If someone in, say, the 80s would have told us this would happen, would anyone have believed it?

      --
      molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
    6. Re:Sourceforge had nothing to do with it by Michael+Wardle · · Score: 1

      No it's not. He didn't pay for the site. It's not his.

    7. Re:Sourceforge had nothing to do with it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the properly marked official protest space

      Or as China would call it: /dev/null.

    8. Re:Sourceforge had nothing to do with it by gwniobombux · · Score: 1

      Should we all censor ourselves lest we offend someone?

      Sorry, but that's over the top. It is not tantamount to selfcensorship if you refrain from stating your political opinions on your software project page. This is not a free speech issue.
      Anyway, I'm kind of undecided on this issue. My first reaction was, he should keep software and politics separate. On the other hand, I applaud this dude for successfully directing media attention (/. frontpage at least) to the GFW.

  22. If they ban us by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If they ban us from the first olympic video games we are totally screwed

  23. Because they think it's "free" as in Tibet ... by MrData · · Score: 3, Funny
    instead of "free" as in beer!

    "Silly ChiComms never learn, Napalm(TM) sticks to kids!"

  24. Olympics should never be boycotted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I agree

    The olympics is one of the few things the entire world does together, regardless of ethnicity. People all over the world work hard to compete in them, and despite the competition between each other the entire world works towards one goal.This is a tradition that can be dated back to the time of the Romans.

    In a sort of way it unifies everyone, and I find it stupid that anyone would boycott such an event because of their own beliefs. If you have a problem with what the government is doing then do something more political. What really is going to come out of boycotting the Olympics? Do you think the freaken government is going to go "Oh you're right, we're sorry now", or do you think the government will repay the people? It's not going to happen that way, I'm sure.

    You just end up sounding like an ass, in my opinion.

    Hey, what's next? Should we all boycott the One Laptop Per Child group?

    1. Re:Olympics should never be boycotted by techwizrd · · Score: 1

      1. The Olympics dated back to the Greeks. Not the Romans.

      2. One Laptop Per Child is corrupt now. Yes, we should boycott it. If you would like to debate this, be my guest. You will be wrong.

      I respect your opinion, but you really must know. China is trying raise its public image with the rest of the world. Much of the world does not like China. Unfortunately, taking away awareness of an issue is not fixing an issue. The rest of the world (or at least most of it) would like China to fix the issue rather than try and cover it up. The US and the UK are getting really bad too, but that doesn't make what any country is doing right. The only way to get justice is to show your displeasure. Boycotters generally choose to do it nonviolently. Or would you rather we attempted an invasion. Boycotting seems like a much better option, or have you forgotten Iraq?

  25. Re:Why would we care? by Skinkie · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Who is "we"? If "we" is the Slashdot readership, then clearly some of "us" care, since some portion of Slashdot readers are in China, and/or use/contribute to Sourceforge. We are the users that don't have governments that limits this particular use of encryption technology or information exchange.

    I'm sorry if I've misinterpreted this question, but on the face of it, it seems racist. It is funny how factual difference in culture and expectation always be banned with racism. That sounds like FUD. Please inform yourself by reading at least 10+ mailinglist every day and the questions asked by our 'fellow' open source 'users' particularly coming from the east. It isn't difficult to recognize Chinese letters (the funny characters), or an Indian/Pakistan name. Western individuals usually ask 'smart' questions, now sadly, the amount of 'smart' questions I saw coming from Asia in these years can I count on one hand. I receive every day around 150 emails worth of mailinglist mail. Now that becomes statistically relevant over the years. So don't flame me because I comment something that more people see.

    "Chinese projects"? You do realize that Chinese people use the same kinds of software as everyone else, right? And that Chinese coders can (and do) contribute to the same open-source projects as everyone else, right? I'm talking about Chinese founded projects. Open Source that it. For @$@($&*@ I'm even the author of the SpeakGoodChinese project, why am I defending myself?! (The amount of volunteers living in China to that project was 0, zero, NULL... and not because we didn't ask!)

    ... but why should the open-source community be happy that a government firewall is fracturing the community? I cannot be bothered anymore by patent issues from the USA or the great firewall in China. If someone doesn't like it, please get your migration card or vote for another president... Time is better spend in coding something useful. If the government things that I cannot access my favorite site anymore *HELL YES* I would move.
    --
    Support Eachother, Copy Dutch Property!
  26. dalai lama vs hawaiian sovereignty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A week ago I sent the following email to Don HO, creator of Notepad++. It's germane to this discussion, so I'll post it:

    Have you boycotted all US olympics since 1983 because they have refused to recognize the sovereignty of Hawaii, a belief expressed by modern-day scholar and Hawaiian Native daughter Haunani-Kay Trask?

    The reality of Tibet is that the Dalai Lama's brand of Bhuddism[sic] is more seeded in feudalism than freedom. You would do well to read the following: http://www.michaelparenti.org/Tibet.html

    If you were at the bottom of the current hierarchical system in tibet, perhaps you would see things differently. If the dalai lama were a true change-agent for the oppressed, he would work toward changing this caste-like system and instructing his slaves that bring him his dinner or wash his toilet to go out and wash the toilet of the less fortunate. I certainly have much more respect for Haunani-Kay Trask who believes in equal freedom for all her native people than I do for the [recursively]-anointed Dalai Lama.

    America likes to disseminate propaganda, and they have are the leading voice when it comes to communism. Anytime they can take a swipe at China they will do so, even though China has a strict non-intervention foreign-policy when it comes to military (compare that to US bases in over 50 countries). Read Bill Blum's Killing Hope for a real eye opener.

    Regardless of all this, if you still chose to believe what you want to believe, you aren't offending chinese, you're offending the olympians who have trained their whole life and are thinking to themselves, "What can I do? Why are all these people so upset?" It isn't good karma, but hey, do what you want.

    The olympics should bring unity. Not division.

    Thanks for reading, and thanks for your [passion], honesty, sincerity, and generosity with notepad++ and all that you do. It's nice to see someone who really cares about other people.

    cheers!
    Ed

  27. Re:Why would we care? by RiotingPacifist · · Score: 1

    "Chinese projects"? You do realize that Chinese people use the same kinds of software as everyone else, right? And that Chinese coders can (and do) contribute to the same open-source projects as everyone else, right? Yeah but the comments are a bitch to read

    --
    IranAir Flight 655 never forget!
  28. anonymous coward by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I like to keep abreast of IT issues I like this site for reference. I'm not an expert or a blogger, but have a daughter living in China, who recently started having problems with gmail and chat. Her issues are on and off and the Great Firewall seems to be heating up once again. The good side is as soon as a site is blocked someone finds a work around and as the great communities such as this one get the message out on how to deal with it. Their voices will not be stopped!! technology has made that possible!

  29. Dare I say... by damista · · Score: 1

    ...it's a pitty the Chinese have no oil but nukes?

  30. Tempted to put up pro-Tibet things on my website by naken · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm tempted to put up pro-Tibet / anti-Chinese government things on my website just so they block me. Maybe it will help cut down on hacker attempts and spam email.

    Spread a good message and hinder the jerks.. it's win-win if you ask me.

  31. They're not the only ones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My work's IT blocks it because "IT does not want employees to be dowloading freeware/shareware". Of course, this means that we're forced to set up a proxy or download the same programs from less reliable sources.

  32. Boycott by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Regardless of how you feel about Tibet, everybody should just boycott the Olympics if only for all this censorship.

    1. Re:Boycott by pandrijeczko · · Score: 1
      Much as I agree with your sentiments, unfortunately the world no longer works that way, particularly when it comes to major sporting events.

      Even if they could buy tickets, just how many people in China (or indeed in my homeland for the 2012 London Olympics) are going to want to pay the extortionate ticket prices for any of the events?

      These days, it's all about corporate sponsorship. It's about company boxes and "jollies on expenses" so that salesman can take big clients to events in order to close huge deals and absolutely bugger all to do with the normal man in the street.

      I don't know how the Olympic stadiums and campuses were financed by the Chinese but here in the UK it's all being financed through council taxes paid by ordinary people - it's already many times over budget and, with usual British efficiency, there will surely be a huge great rush to complete it in time.

      So please don't confuse the Olympics with conscience and real people - in China, you can guarantee that the Chinese government will have conveniently placed happy smiling and flag-waving Chinese people whenever a camera points itself at a crowd and that big corporations will be out there in force making money.

      --
      Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
  33. Blocked? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I work for a webhosting company. So many of our Chinese customers have started having their sites blocked by the Great Firewall. I'd guess that the chinese government, like all makers of censorware, just goes overboard. For some reason, you can have someone make a blacklist that only blocks the worst of sites - browsing the web in China must be comparable to using the internet in a US High school.

    I'm not sure what these sites got blocked for - they're all written in Chinese.

  34. How does a source code editor "boycott" something? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > Some days before, a very popular free source code editor in SourceForge named Notepad++ start to boycott Beijing 2008.

    How does a source code editor "boycott" something?

    (Seriously -- I have no clue what the poster is trying to say here.)

    Also, compounding my confusion, the grammar makes no sense. Is the word "start" supposed to be "started" or something?

  35. Notepad++ banning China not logical.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm uninstalling Notepad++ until the author bans all countries that do bad things.

    Oh wait a minute...

  36. Re:Why would we care? by amRadioHed · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The code can be a bitch too.

    --
    We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
  37. extreme paranoia by peter303 · · Score: 1

    Very sad. Olympic tourism is way down. Might be a grand show, but no one may watch it.

  38. Are you running a TOR proxy on your PC? by Colin+Smith · · Score: 1

    No?

    Something similar?

    No?

     

    --
    Deleted
    1. Re:Are you running a TOR proxy on your PC? by grainofsand · · Score: 1

      Whilst I would never hold myself out to be an IT expert, I think I have some basic level of knowledge. Having said that, I have never been able to get TOR to work in China. It can never seem to connect with the outside world at all.

      I do not rule out that it is my own personal incompetence though.

      --
      A dream is good. A plan is better.
    2. Re:Are you running a TOR proxy on your PC? by Free+the+Cowards · · Score: 1

      I've used Tor from China (Beijing, specifically) a lot and never had any problems with it. Well, I should qualify that. I've had a lot of problems with it being slow because of crappy, crappy Chinese internet connections, which Tor tends to exacerbate, but I've never had any problems with Tor being blocked. I recommend that you try it again. And remember to wait a while after you turn it on, it can take Tor several minutes to gain enough information about the anonymity network to allow communication through it.

      --
      If you mod me Overrated, you are admitting that you have no penis.
  39. Broken record, check! by billcopc · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How often do I have to say it ? To hell with the Chinese government. They punish their own, then expect us to shake their hand and play nice ? They promised the IOC things would change for the better, then days after they secured the 2008 events, they turned around and bragged about how they were going to eliminate the Falun Gong movement, the Dalai Lama and the muslim separatists. So why the fuck are we still letting them host the olympics ? Does no one remember Moscow 1980 ?

    I've boycotted Chinese IP ranges for years, and I'm boycotting the Beijing Olympics. What that country needs is a coup d'état, and the Chinese people need to know the rest of the world will take side with them when the walls fall.

    Every nation is guilty of crimes against humanity, but at least the others have the decency to bow their heads and lie about it. The Chinese gov't parades around, flaunting their total disregard for equality. I don't see why we should tolerate it.

    --
    -Billco, Fnarg.com
    1. Re:Broken record, check! by Repton · · Score: 1

      I've boycotted Chinese IP ranges for years, and I'm boycotting the Beijing Olympics.

      Do you boycott Chinese goods?

      --
      Repton.
      They say that only an experienced wizard can do the tengu shuffle.
    2. Re:Broken record, check! by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      Dude I don't like the Chinese government but the last think I want to see is coup. It will be bloody.. I mean really bloody. Yes I think the Chinese government needs to be opposed but to do that we need to stop giving them money.
      I don't protest much but I sure try to find things not made in China. I hunted long and hard to find a Lawn mower that wasn't made in China. I finally did.
      If all people start not buying Chinese goods that will do more than all the ranting and yelling in the world.
      And maybe we will see another "velvet revolution" and not a bloody one. Maybe not but I sure can hope for it.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    3. Re:Broken record, check! by Kjella · · Score: 1, Insightful

      What that country needs is a coup d'état, and the Chinese people need to know the rest of the world will take side with them when the walls fall. Considering the debt and other economic ties many western nations have to China, as well as size and military power compared to most of its eastern countries, I think that support will amount to a "well done" pat on the back after it's clear the old regime has really fallen. The truth is that people might complain about lack of freedom, but it's poverty that brings out the pitchforks. How many really cared about US independence compared to British taxes? Was it really oppression or the collapse of the Soviet economy that lead to its downfall? How many people are dissatisfied with Bush because of his civil rights antics compared to the US economy being in recession?

      While it's grossly disproportional, there's been economic growth for everyone in China the last decades as they moved to a market economy. Try to understand me correct when I say this: If you lived under Mao's China and didn't know much about the outside world, you'd think the leadership was brilliant as the standard of living has much approved. One of the most subjective definitions in the world is "poor". I read about "poor" children here (we're one of the wealthiest and most well-distributed countries in the world) and you just have to laugh. Are they starving? Are they freezing? Are they wearing their older brother's worn out clothes? Do they have to work instead of going to school? Are they lacking fundamental medicines and healthcare? No, it's completely superficial things like not having the right fashion clothes, not being able to take part in expensive social events, sports club memberships or school outings. That's pretty much taken straight out of a news article about it. I think most people in China are happy with the economic growth, and many probably don't want to "jinx" it by starting some kind of revolution. Call me a pessimist but I don't think anything will happen politically unless they get a large downturn ecnomically.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    4. Re:Broken record, check! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What that country needs is a coup d'état, and the Chinese people need to know the rest of the world will take side with them when the walls fall.

      Considering the debt and other economic ties many western nations have to China, as well as size and military power compared to most of its eastern countries, I think that support will amount to a "well done" pat on the back after it's clear the old regime has really fallen. The truth is that people might complain about lack of freedom, but it's poverty that brings out the pitchforks. How many really cared about US independence compared to British taxes? Was it really oppression or the collapse of the Soviet economy that lead to its downfall? How many people are dissatisfied with Bush because of his civil rights antics compared to the US economy being in recession?

      While it's grossly disproportional, there's been economic growth for everyone in China the last decades as they moved to a market economy. Try to understand me correct when I say this: If you lived under Mao's China and didn't know much about the outside world, you'd think the leadership was brilliant as the standard of living has much approved. One of the most subjective definitions in the world is "poor". I read about "poor" children here (we're one of the wealthiest and most well-distributed countries in the world) and you just have to laugh. Are they starving? Are they freezing? Are they wearing their older brother's worn out clothes? Do they have to work instead of going to school? Are they lacking fundamental medicines and healthcare? No, it's completely superficial things like not having the right fashion clothes, not being able to take part in expensive social events, sports club memberships or school outings. That's pretty much taken straight out of a news article about it. I think most people in China are happy with the economic growth, and many probably don't want to "jinx" it by starting some kind of revolution. Call me a pessimist but I don't think anything will happen politically unless they get a large downturn ecnomically.

      LOL. A coup d'etat would create a big mess with 1.3 billion chinese refugees flooding the rest of the world.

      As long as they can keep themselves fed and they aren't crashing airplanes into our skyscrapers, I could care less what they do.

    5. Re:Broken record, check! by sydneyfong · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Every nation is guilty of crimes against humanity, but at least the others have the decency to bow their heads and lie about it.

      You're right to a certain degree, yet I don't know whether I personally would like to see the Chinese government lie about their deeds. It's a side effect of a lack of democratic process -- those in power don't need to please the unwashed masses with sugar coated words, and obviously that translates to a relative lack of ability to please foreign audiences. But that in itself doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing.

      I mean, if you accept that every nation is guilty of crimes against humanity (from time to time?), why not at least be honest and admit it's the darker side of human nature? Last I heard, honesty was a virtue. Or have those days gone by and all that matters now is the looks on the outside?

      You may have problems with the Chinese government blatantly doing things considered atrocious in more civilized countries, but then sometimes I look at the USA and are relieved that my government isn't telling *jokes* (not even "lies") like "War on Terror". Both aren't nice, but it's the matter of which poison you're willing to take.

      --
      That being said, some of the more famous accusations towards the Chinese government are simply magnified out of proportion. If you really investigate into the details you with a neutral, non-biased viewpoint, you might realize that they aren't as bad as how most western media paints them.

      --
      Don't quote me on this.
    6. Re:Broken record, check! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And not letting the Chinese government and institutions using your Open Source Software projects, if you have one or are collaborating with one of them.

      Placing a banner on the website of your OSS project will help as it will be blocked. How will China's economy grow if all OSS software would be blocked? Defenitely they will notice this as well!

    7. Re:Broken record, check! by billcopc · · Score: 1

      Honesty is one thing, bragging is another.

      The Chinese government brags about how it doesn't obey anyone's rules, not even its own, and yet continues to roll in the dough.

      Would we survive without chinese manufactured goods ? I think so. We used to, not so long ago. Prices would swell up a bit, back to the way they were, and the economy would be sustainable again.

      People have to realize, if they're getting something absurdly cheap, they're really just pushing the real cost onto someone else. The benefits are short-lived, things balance out over time, and we're left with the damages of a lifetime of overconsumption. They don't make a pill for that.

      --
      -Billco, Fnarg.com
  40. Not Enough by clampolo · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I wish the US would just completely firewall China out. No useful email or websites come from there. The only things that ever come across the internet from China are spam, worms, viruses, and malware.

  41. Re:Tempted to put up pro-Tibet things on my websit by digitrev · · Score: 3, Informative
    Tempting, but there's two key problems I see with that.

    1. First off, I doubt your website is popular enough to get banned. However, even if it does...
    2. The spammers are probably using botnets, and even then, I don't know how well the Great Firewall deals with SMTP traffic.
    --
    Cynical Idealist
  42. Iraqi freedom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, kill one million people in Iraq, that's how US gov't stands for the ideal of freedom.

  43. That project had no authority to do this by Jzanu · · Score: 1

    By the very principals governing the organization of open source projects, even for the anarchists, this instance of some members of one project acting and causing the entirety of source forge to be blocked is absolutely inappropriate. It is a clearly communicated and clearly known policy that has instituted the block, so all actions leading to the violation of that policy were directed at causing that block. Those people have have decided to take from the other projects had no authority to do so.

    1. Re:That project had no authority to do this by John+Whitley · · Score: 1

      By the very principals governing the organization of open source projects [...] So if I understand you correctly, you assert that freedom of speech is not a principle of open source projects. How very ironic.
    2. Re:That project had no authority to do this by Skinkie · · Score: 1

      The person that gave its opinion did nothing more than broadcasting this into the world, under freedom of speech. The only group who took something was the Chinese government, the freedom to gather information. Don't turn over the world because you think censoring any information is the right thing to do so.

      Other governments currently have nothing to hit China with because of economics, I wonder what we could do to actually put an embargo on information going to China, this will end up in a flaim again, but I agree with the commenter above, just block all traffic to China if we really have to, to make people care about censorship.

      --
      Support Eachother, Copy Dutch Property!
    3. Re:That project had no authority to do this by Jzanu · · Score: 1

      Incorrect. What I state is that the thing glossed over is more important. Free speech zealotry does not have the greatest priority. Contributors give their work for the project itself, not for the political purposes of any other member. It is the work itself that has the greatest priority, and any action causing reduction in how that work can be used is an affront to every single contributor to the project. Those who did this don't deserve to control the source forge presence of the project.

  44. Re:Why would we care? by ojustgiveitup · · Score: 1

    Maybe the Chinese didn't contribute to your project because they were offended by your poor grammar - shouldn't it be called SpeakChineseWell? Maybe it's supposed to be irony...

  45. Re:Why would we care? by Skinkie · · Score: 1

    The name was thought of by the Chinese project leader... next question.

    --
    Support Eachother, Copy Dutch Property!
  46. Socialists blocked by communists? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh the humanity...

  47. This violates SF.net rules by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What the Notepad++ author does violates SF.net rules. It is clearly mentioned in the documentation that you are not allowed to use the services provided by sourceforge to promote political causes.
    They are for software development ONLY.

    And that's a sensible rule, otherwise SF might end up hosting more political propaganda than open source software, because most projects never get anywhere but everyone has an opinion.

    Other problems are issues like this. Certain political statements are downright illegal in many countries, and that includes a region of the world were a very large part of the SF.net dev community is located: the European Union.
    Websites which contain "hate speech" might be blocked and might even face criminal persecution.
    E.g hosting a website which states that the holocaust might be hoax = jail.

  48. Any help on this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Any chance that someone would like to suggest a way to get by this? It's most certainly blocked from here in northern China...

  49. Re:Sources? by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080623/ts_nm/olympics_mosque_dc

    China demolishes mosque for not supporting Olympics: group

    Mon Jun 23, 3:56 AM ET

    BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese authorities in the restive far western region of Xinjiang have demolished a mosque for refusing to put up signs in support of this August's Beijing Olympics, an exiled group said on Monday.

    The mosque was in Kalpin county near Aksu city in Xinjiang's rugged southwest, the World Uyghur Congress said.

    The spokesman's office of the Xinjiang government said it had no immediate comment, while telephone calls to the county government went answered.

    "China is forcing mosques in East Turkistan to publicize the Beijing Olympics to get the Uighur people to support the Games (but) this has been resisted by the Uighurs," World Uyghur Congress spokesman Dilxat Raxit said in an emailed statement.

    Beijing says al Qaeda is working with militants in Xinjiang to use terror to establish an independent state called East Turkistan.

    Oil-rich Xinjiang is home to 8 million Turkic-speaking Uighurs, many of whom resent the growing economic and cultural influence of the Han Chinese.

    Dilxat Raxit added that the mosque, which had been renovated in 1998, was accused of illegally renovating the structure, carrying out illegal religious activities and illegally storing copies of the Muslim holy book the Koran.

    "All the Korans in the mosque have been seized by the government and dozens of people detained," he said. "The detained Uighurs have been tortured."

    The Olympic torch relay passed through Xinjiang last week under tight security, with all but carefully vetted residents banned from watching on the streets and tight controls over foreign media covering the event.

    (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)

    (For more stories visit our multimedia website "Road to Beijing" at http://www.reuters.com/news/sports/2008olympics; and see our blog at http://blogs.reuters.com/china)

  50. Newsflash! by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 1

    Oh my, chills just went up my spine imagining a central government in charge of code - with no option to fork. Newsflash! Recently the Chinese govt. reports that an undisclosed company just sent, as part of a negotiation to establish their new headquarters in China, an undisclosed amount of chairs for a new olympic event: Chair tossing.
  51. Surgical Strike? by rossturk · · Score: 1


    I think that banning the entirety of SourceForge.net because they have an issue with statements made by one of our projects is like killing a fly with a garage door. The URLs at SF.net are not that hard to parse.

    Clearly, the Notepad++ admins accept the risks of making the statement that they make, and they think it's worth it. Would the other 180,000 project admins make the same choice? Should the Chinese community really be denied access to all of the other projects? I guess all I'm saying is that *if* China is going to censor, perhaps they could be a bit more selective.

    I know what you're thinking: "Doesn't that mean SourceForge.net should be more strict about removing political statements from project data to protect access for everyone in China?" Some people might think that's a reasonable thing to do. But what then? If, for example, Microsoft decides to make IE stop working with SourceForge.net because they find anti-Microsoft sentiment on the site, should we censor that, too? Not if I have anything to do with it...

    (Disclaimer: I represent SourceForge.net, but this post is just my opinion.)

    --
    -- May cause nausea, headaches, and interference with electronic devices.
  52. Re:Hurting the people not the government by NotBornYesterday · · Score: 2

    If the developer will not do it himself then I would encourage Sourceforge itself to remove the offending page. And thus the Chinese government would succeed in censoring the internet even beyond their borders. I sympathize with the position you are in, but I see no justification in curbing the world's content to suit your government's whimsy.
    --
    I prefer rogues to imbeciles because they sometimes take a rest.
  53. Re:Why would we care? by Mr2001 · · Score: 1

    Er, there's nothing ungrammatical about "speak good Chinese". "Good" is an adjective there, modifying the noun "Chinese"; "good Chinese" is what comes out of your mouth when you correctly apply the rules of the Chinese language.

    If there is a problem with that name, it's semantic, not syntactic: one might argue that a person who speaks "bad Chinese" isn't really speaking Chinese at all, but their own language that sounds similar to Chinese.

    --
    Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
  54. Nice work... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...Even though the notepad++ is great on its own, it was this particular event that landed them a donation from me. I figure any small open source product that can get a whole -- hugely useful -- web site banned in China is easily worth a few bucks.

  55. Blocking party .. come on FREE whatsoever by burni · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Well then why not trying to defeat china by its own weapons, and let it cut itself
    off the net(or even blocking /.), but this should stop most attacks on western government run machines.

    here it comes

    a.) Free Tibet
    b.) down with the one-party-system
    c.) democracy for china
    d.) back to communism
    e.) Tienamen == red place of Bejing
    f.) Nukes for Taiwan
    g.) Nukes in Taiwan

    Now /. should be blocked within seconds, no chinising of /. anymore

    Post this on your site and you will not suffer chinise hackers

    and now some terms to be blocked from the U.S.

    a.) Chavez our hero
    b.) ..
    __CENSORED__

  56. My 2cents from a Chinese perspective by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    1. Those people who are in charge of GFW have pig heads with full load of shit, as always

    2. Not a wise move for N++'s coders neither. I have to say when I saw the black flag banner in their website, I feel very uncomfortable. They said the protest is not against Chinese people but Chinese government. However the banner works in exactly opposite way. Considering how most Chinese still keep enthusiasm welcoming foreigners to Olympics after the earthquake, boycating it because of the irrelevant Tibet issue is rather annoying. The Olympics is not for Chinese government, but a carnival for our Chinese people. If you don't like Chinese government, protest something else but please don't use the Olympics.

  57. Re:Why would we care? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You sir, are a moron.
    ALOT of great coders do come out from asian countries. In fact the entire java AXIS2 libraries is contributed and maintained by INDIAN coders.
    So yes, I know it suck to be ignorant, but please learn that just because you see some "funny" characters on mailing list doesn't mean that those written in english isn't from asia.

  58. Lacking culture awareness by celtic_hackr · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I agree that China is very bad when it comes to freedom, and that the country would have been better off if the Coomunist Party hadn't turned on the revolutionary partners they had in overthrowing the Monarchy. However, China hasn't had free thought in probably a millenia or more.

    You cannot use European filtered glasses and understand the Chinese mind (although there were visionaries in China during the revolution). Sure, there are many enlightened Chinese now, but life in China is still much the way it has been for over a thousand years (altough probably better for many and worse for some). Freedom is a new concept in China, not even a hundred years old. I think over all, they aren't doing too bad for a people just discovering free thought. Japan too struggles with this foreign concept. In Japan it is still often "the nail that sticks out that gets hammered down". Whereas, in many European cultures, "the nail that sticks out" often gets pulled out to see how it works (although, from what I read - the younger generation in Japan has made the transition).

    So, while we should continue to pursue a path to bring China and the other freedom denying countries into the light, one should try to keep a mind on the cultural heritage and other other factors when approaching them.

    In the end, free thinking will win out, because it open up many more avenues than any other mind set. Of course with free-thinking, I think you also get more crime. It's all Yin-Yang in the end. Eventually there will be a tipping point and a cascade event in China, much like I think Japan has recently undergone.

    Of course, I could be totally wrong.

  59. So Let Me Get This Straight. by STrinity · · Score: 1

    To get to Sourceforge you need to install TOR; but to install TOR you need to get to Sourceforge? Sounds like an impossible mission, Starfighter.

    --
    Les Miserables Volume 1 now up with my reading of
  60. reply by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Might as well throw in my $0.02

    If Beijing Olympics is boycottable, then we should have boycotted the Salt Lake Olympics, the Sydney Olympic, the Atlanta Olympics,...

    North America and Australia were the Tibets of the world 200 years ago.

    Some posters here either have deficient long term memory, or have convenient selective memory, or are just douchebags a la Richard Gere.

    Umm...change plz...;-)

  61. Americans never know what really happens by czbok · · Score: 0, Troll

    Boycotting Beijing Olympics is against Chinese people coz every Chinese wants the Games are held in China. The only reason that you boycott the Beijing Olympics is You are not a Chinese. Stupid Americans!!

    1. Re:Americans never know what really happens by czbok · · Score: 1

      Finally, you got a chance to have holiday with your family, which you have been waiting for long. But someone just comes in and ruins it. He/she said he/she is not against you, he/she just doesnt like what your father has done. Yeah, you did nothing to me but you made me hate you anyway!!!

    2. Re:Americans never know what really happens by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      how does it feel to be an asshat? you're just a puppet.

    3. Re:Americans never know what really happens by Rycross · · Score: 1

      And here I thought it was because I didn't approve of the Chinese government's human rights abuses. I had no idea it was simply because I wasn't Chinese. Gee golly, that must make me some kind of racist I guess.~

      Oh and my Chinese friends might want to hear about how I obviously hate them for what their government does. They don't seem to have gotten the message. Maybe its because they don't have their heads stuck up their asses?

    4. Re:Americans never know what really happens by czbok · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I don't approve of the government's human rights abuses as well. I wish that China could be a REAL republic. However, I hope you can understand the following two points: 1, All the Chinese want the Games are held in China. They(including your Chinese friends, I'm sure) are very proud of that, and don't want to see any boycotting of the Beijing Olympics. 2, The boycotting does nothing about the human right issue. Yes. I'm sure. The boycotting only makes ppl's lives harder.

  62. Don't care by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cheat Chinese people, cheat all the people in China. The GOV wants to do it, and we can do nothing. Like fucking a girl, the girl just can enjoy, but not revolt.

  63. Re:Sources? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Liars. All of them. Liars only after attention.

  64. Re:Why would we care? by Skinkie · · Score: 1

    Thanks for the flame A. Coward, I hope you can contact me under your normal account, I'll send you the mailinglists that get my special attention, and where I base my (bad) judgment on.

    You say that the entire AXIS2 libraries are maintained by INDIAN coders, now I don't want to be a smartass but looking at the team I see some pretty non-Indian sounding names out there. (It is probably pointless to say that I am avoiding Java as much as I can, and didn't notice this effort. It might also be true that I'm avoiding Apache as much as I can, but that is offtopic here)
    Refering to the 'funny' characters that was refering to footnotes and 'names' in the from field. Now you mentioned a project an Indian university works on, do you also have a big sourceforge project that is ran by lets say 'a Chinese university'? Just to add them to my radar...

    --
    Support Eachother, Copy Dutch Property!
  65. expression not repression by kimbatch · · Score: 1

    The Internet should be a medium for the freedom of expression, not repression. China's censorship helps conceal ongoing human rights abuses. http://uncensor.com.au/uncensor/

  66. Re:Why would we care? by Ksevio · · Score: 1

    It would be so much easier to develop software if it wasn't for those damn users...

  67. Router problems by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This happens with youtube and other sites all the time, someone can't access a certain popular website in china and suddenly everyone thinks its been blocked. However, most of the time its not because the site has been added to the great firewall but because one of the ISPs is having problems.

  68. Re:Sources? by grainofsand · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The reporter on this Reuters piece, Ben Blanchard, has lived and worked in China for many years and is widely regarded in China as one of the best of his generation in terms of China expertise. He speaks Mandarin fluently and reads and writes both traditional and simplified.

    No one, including China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has ever suggested that he is "anti-China" not biased against either China or its government.

    --
    A dream is good. A plan is better.
  69. Re:Tempted to put up pro-Tibet things on my websit by Jesus_666 · · Score: 1

    Just put some of the ultra-banned words where they are sent with every reply and watch the GFW bury them in RST packets. You just have to figure out a way to do that to their mail - and hope they don't use botnets.

    --
    USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
  70. This makes no sense . . . by Xojo · · Score: 1

    "Some days before, a very popular free source code editor in SourceForge named Notepad++ start to boycott Beijing 2008."

      . . . editor . . . start . . . ?

    --
    Regards, -- Chris Johansen
  71. Re:Sources? by xie.chaos · · Score: 1

    yah, "an exiled group said"; and Reuters did not bother to check with a single different source.

    I guess if the al Qaeda group claimed something, the news title will be different

  72. Story from terrorists by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The so called World Uyghur Congress is a terrorist organization, with links to Al Qaeda.

  73. wtf is notepad++? by NotZed · · Score: 1

    Hmm, why does this ring a bell?

    Sourceforge ... check.
    Windows-only 'open source' application ... check.
    Lots of publicity ... check.

    Hmm.
    http://www.microsoft.com/opensource/community.mspx

    "SourceForge.net is the world's largest open source software development Web site, providing more than 160,000 projects and over 1,700,000 registered users with a centralized resource for managing projects, issues, communications, and code. With over 70,000 of those projects based on Microsoft technology, SourceForge.net and Microsoft have worked together to provide the tools, programs and resources to help developers be more successful. Learn more..."

    http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view/20080624-144528/Microsoft-to-developers-Open-source-is-a-choice

    "Dela Cruz noted that within the SourceForge developer community, there are more than 77,000 listed applications that support Windows, more than half the same number of apps that work on Windows alone."

    http://www.microsoft.com/opensource/choice.mspx

    "By embracing diverse application development and business models, Microsoft provides a world of choice in which individuals and organizations can pursue their goals based on what uniquely inspires them. Whether you are a developer who wants to learn new skills, connect with the community, or build a business-or a systems administrator dealing with complex interoperability and business demands-Microsoft participates in an ecosystem that offers you the tools, resources, and programs to help you succeed."

    Coincidence? Probably.

    Ahh, it's all about choice now. Choice of where you want to run your applications, so long as it runs on windows anyway.

    I'm sure we'll be seeing more of that word over the next 6 months, and plenty of times on the front page of slashdot and sourceforge to boot.

    --
    _ // `Thinking is an exercise to which all too few brains
    \\/ are accustomed' - First Lensman
  74. Pot Kettle Black by Chicken_Kickers · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Free Tibet? Give me a break. Free Hawaii first before you shout for Free Tibet. Read up on how Hawaii was annexed by the US, how the language and culture of the polynesian inhabitants were eradicated, suppressed or bastardized. Read up how immigrants outnumber the natives and how the natives were pushed out of their ancestral lands. Does all this sounds familiar?

    1. Re:Pot Kettle Black by WoollyMittens · · Score: 1

      How many dissidents are "put down" annually in Hawaii?

  75. Mainland China?!? Taiwan is NOT a part of China! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mainland China?!? Taiwan is NOT a part of China!

  76. Is this a bad thing? by WoollyMittens · · Score: 1

    So this means that chinese companies can't abuse GPL'ed projects anymore for profit?

  77. meta type="free/tibet" by WoollyMittens · · Score: 1

    Maybe we could insert a "free Tibet" meta-tag in ever page served over the internet, just to spite them.

  78. Re:Hurting the people not the government by Jeremy+Erwin · · Score: 2, Insightful

    One application, which it is likely that most Chinese people don't use, is causing nearly all users of the internet in China to be blocked from a wonderful source of software that many more Chinese and foreigners alike will use.

    No, the Chinese Government is being silly. They are the ones who instigated the block, not sourceforge. They are the ones who are depriving chinese Internet users of a wonderful resource. Take it up with them. Protest. Sign petitions. Take up arms. Whatever. Don't blame us for the censorious policies of a foreign government.
     

  79. Governments need to grow up.... by 3seas · · Score: 1

    .. .and let people live their lives

  80. Re:Why would we care? by dodecalogue · · Score: 1

    Just because something is unknown does not mean it is difficult, necessarily. With 885 million native speakers, I imagine that Mandarin (I'm assuming that's the variety used in code) is not rocket surgery.

  81. Stop "not against people but your government" shit by pighead77 · · Score: 1

    Mod me down but why the f*** people use this line like a fashion, huh? Stop being naive or pretending to be naive.

    Government and people are one unit, God damn it! If a government is really f***'ed up, its people will rise and overthrow it; on the other hand, if nothing happens, that means the people support the government (or at least not against it to a point where uprising occurs). That simple. Don't give me the bull about brainwash, if people as a whole are so easily brainwash-able, maybe so called democracy is a big brainwash as well. ^_^

    The U.S. government doing evil things in Iraq is because Bush directed it so; Bush doing evil things in Iraq is because the American people elected him and don't have the guts to pull him down, or maybe we don't think he's that bad, and killing several hundreds of thousands of Iraqis is bad so..hm...which one is it?

    So at least be gutsy enough just say, "China and Chinese people, screw you", if you really believe in it.

  82. My Opinion. by NaishWS · · Score: 1

    The Dala Lama claims he wants to keep Tibetan peoples' culture and he is opposed to them becoming the minority. Look at the US, multiculturalism is forced down our throats, and if we complain, yep, we are racists. Look who is becoming the minority in the US. I am not saying that the cruelty towards Tibetans is acceptable, what I am saying is that there was an out cry when a large percentage of outsiders started migrating there, but hey we are forced to just accept it. Ofcourse I will be flamed, but hey I see things for how they are. Flame on.

  83. Freedom fries by jandersen · · Score: 1

    We all have the freedom to express our ideas, of course; but sometimes I really wish they wouldn't. This kind of demonstration is silly - it doesn't even qualify for an emotionally charged expletive, it's just silly. I mean, all that comes out of this is that they get banned for a while, like naughty school children, and rightly so. If you imagine you sympathise with Tibet, how on Earth is it going to help them that we insult the Chinese leaders?

    It's like that other daft gesture of "I don't want to play with you anymore, ever" - when high ranking American officials started calling the French names, like you would imagine primary school children. All it does is make people feel embarrassed about knowing you; as well as taking the attention away from more serious issues. Such as the problems in Tibet.

  84. why open source is messed up with politics? by ood · · Score: 1

    As a Chinese, I don't like the Olympic games. But the majority of those who boycott Beijing 2008 haven't been in Tibet and don't know there well. Why not go there and help those poor people to have a better life? They are simply anti-Chinese.

  85. It's for their benefit... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...to spare the Chinese from this sorry hackneyed excuse for a web portal.

  86. dalai lama vs everything else in the world by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Open letter to anyone boycotting the olympics. I'd love to hear your opinions:

    Have you boycotted all US olympics since 1983 because they have refused to recognize the sovereignty of Hawaii, a belief expressed by modern-day scholar and Hawaiian Native daughter Haunani-Kay Trask?

    (this is just one example, obviously no country's hands are clean, except maybe the poorest, and they never hold the olympics....)

    The reality of Tibet is that the Dalai Lama's brand of Bhuddism is more seeded in feudalism than freedom. You would do well to read the following: http://www.michaelparenti.org/Tibet.html

    If you were at the bottom of the current hierarchical system in tibet, perhaps you would see things differently. If the dalai lama were a true change-agent for the oppressed, he would work toward changing this caste-like system and instructing his slaves that bring him his dinner or wash his toilet to go out and wash the toilet of the less fortunate. I certainly have much more respect for Haunani-Kay Trask who believes in equal freedom for all her native people than I do for the recursively-anointed Dalai Lama.

    America likes to disseminate propaganda, and they have are the leading voice when it comes to communism. Anytime they can take a swipe at China they will do so, even though China has a strict non-intervention foreign-policy when it comes to military (compare that to US bases in over 50 countries). Read Bill Blum's Killing Hope for a real eye opener.

    Regardless of all this, if you still chose to believe what you want to believe, you aren't offending chinese, you're offending the olympians who have trained their whole life and are thinking to themselves, "What can I do? Why are all these people so upset?" It isn't good karma, but hey, do what you want.

    The olympics should bring unity. Not division.

    Thanks for reading, and thanks for your passion, honesty, sincerity, and generosity. It's nice to see someone who really cares about other people.

  87. Call to boycot from OSS websites by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    During the last period anybody has clearly seen that the Olympic games are strongly related to politics. Though this has been denied for a long time, and probably still is, by the IOC.

    I think it cannot been denied that Open Source Software is not related to politics, as well.
    Just because all Open Source Software is based on the human right of freedom of speech and expression.

    Of course, as a developer of a OSS project, I'd prefer to stay politically neutral. Nowadays I think such a banner is a good idea. Especially because China is using OSS intensively and is making profit of it!

    Therefore, I ask any developer of OSS licenced software to include such a banner on the web pages of his Open Source Software project.

  88. It is very offensive by bigtime007 · · Score: 1

    I found it very offensive to take such kind of reckless actions on a website which means to be shared by all open source developers and users. I have written to the Notepad ++ team and request them to remove the action. If they feel they must boycott, there are tons of places for them to do so. I will bring this to the attention of SF.net administrators if they don't repsond in a timely manner.

  89. It's Unblocked... by mutantcamel · · Score: 1

    I've just tried it now, and it's accessible. Long time China writer and rocker Kaiser Kuo made some interesting points in his keynote speech at the TWEEN conference regarding Chinese and western ideas of the Chinese internet.

  90. Ironic, isn't it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Free software would seem to mesh very well with the supposed ideals of communism. Here we've got a community working hard to create something for the common good instead of personal gain and what does China do? Shut them out. Nah, I'm not really surprised.

  91. Re:Sources? by handreach · · Score: 1

    I wouldn't put too much bet on the story even though maybe the reporter is good, because he basically copied the whole story from another source, i.e., the so called World Uyghur Congres.

  92. Re:Why would we care? by amRadioHed · · Score: 1

    No, it's not rocket science. In fact the spoken language is fairly simple with no verb tenses or genders and the grammar has many similarities to English. Learning the thousands of characters is a bitch though. It can be done, but it requires dedication.

    --
    We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
  93. Just use HTTS by quincunx55555 · · Score: 1

    China, so far, has not blocked any addresses starting with https

    https://sourceforge.net

  94. Can we calm down and dont bring politics here? by myang · · Score: 1

    Hi guys:

    I hate being involved into political discussion. But as a Chinese I'm really upset and sad to see your up-rise of anti-China, in a so-called free open source community. I'm not Olympic fan, I'm not a member of CPC, and of course I'm not brain-washed by any governments as you might have naively thought.

    Before coming to Canada, I thought in the same way as you are thinking about China right now. But you know what, now I'm totally changed by what happened recently, and by what I have found in West. So if I was brain-washed, I should have been brain-washed by West, not by my own country. Tell you one thing, the "GFW" also exists in Canada. When I was going to read news on a China website, my connection is reset immediately as I open the article by Canada network. You don't know it because you never found it out. Got what I mean? Then why you didn't find it out? Think about it !

    I also hate the blocking thing on Internet access, of course including what GFW has been doing. But I don't want this leads to anti-China activities. It's true that there are tons of problems China government is facing and waiting to deal with (every country has their problems), but they're indeed improving it as they've been claiming, I know it because I've been there for 25 years. I don't like that doesn't mean I will protest the government (reasons in the followed paragraph). Yes for sure, I complain of it. But this has nothing to do with the "Tibet" issue as you are relating it to.

    There WAS NO crack down on Tibet. If you anti-China only for this reason, I don't blame you. But I suggest you to investigate it more before you come to the conclusion. Find the truth by yourself. Most of those people who boycott Olympics due to Tibet violence don't even know where the Tibet is. Then how dare you criticize China of the things you have even no idea about it at all. You don't understand what Chinese people were going through. If you really want to know what's really happening there, go to China and find it out yourself, just like me, coming to West world to find the truth. Chinese people know that there are lots of complaints about the governments (no body denies that). But we know there is no better option right now (there is no perfect government in the world) for country's good. China has a large population to manage and is still under development. For a country, it has good reasons to leverage on many factors to make decisions considering economy, culture, internationalization, etc. Chinese people have the spirits to sacrifice the part of individual loss to push the country to develop, do you? That's because we have different cultures living in different world. Chinese are one family, as we are always claiming!

    There are too many misunderstandings on freedom or human rights between China and West. Western people are always accusing China of human rights as your forever excuse, but never think about the issues in your country. If you can do this to China, does that mean we can protest US and claims to destroy the US country for their killings of thousands of innocent people in middle East. Can anybody say that they are free and have rights to kill people and initiate the Wars to any countries they don't like? If you insists on "free Tibet", does that mean we can also protest US and claims to free America, and we also can free Canada, drive all the immigrants back to their own country and return the soil to the native people.

    Yes, there are some problems with human rights in China, I agree with you (every country does), if you are thinking in your western way. But from my point of view, human rights should be evaluated in the CONTEXT of this country. Don't ignore the China's situation if you really know about China well! You can not force every country to be the same as you, you are not POLICE on the earth! We know our country China very well, do you? In your country, what you see is really not "what you see"!! You are so luckily living in a rich country, so that you don't want to find the information b

    1. Re:Can we calm down and dont bring politics here? by myang · · Score: 1

      forget one thing, Olympics is for the world, the safety and stability are the main concerns for China government. I hope you could understand that any violence (like Dalai Lama did) during the Olympics are not allowed. I can understand that, can you?

      Just don't relate the Olympics with politics. Also don't mess here with politics. Politics sucks, I hate it!!

  95. free(tibet); by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    in somebodys sources

  96. Re:Why would we care? by myang · · Score: 1

    I hate being involved into political discussion. But as a Chinese I'm really upset and sad to see your up-rise of anti-China, in a so-called free open source community. I'm not Olympic fan, I'm not a member of CPC, and of course I'm not brain-washed by any governments as you might have naively thought.

    Before coming to Canada, I thought in the same way as you are thinking about China right now. But you know what, now I'm totally changed by what happened recently, and by what I have found in West. So if I was brain-washed, I should have been brain-washed by West, not by my own country. Tell you one thing, the "GFW" also exists in Canada. When I was going to read news on a China website, my connection is reset immediately as I open the article by Canada network. You don't know it because you never found it out. Got what I mean? Then why you didn't find it out? Think about it !

    I also hate the blocking thing on Internet access, of course including what GFW has been doing. But I don't want this leads to anti-China activities. It's true that there are tons of problems China government is facing and waiting to deal with (every country has their problems), but they're indeed improving it as they've been claiming, I know it because I've been there for 25 years. I don't like that doesn't mean I will protest the government (reasons in the followed paragraph). Yes for sure, I complain of it. But this has nothing to do with the "Tibet" issue as you are relating it to.

    There WAS NO crack down on Tibet. If you anti-China only for this reason, I don't blame you. But I suggest you to investigate it more before you come to the conclusion. Find the truth by yourself. Most of those people who boycott Olympics due to Tibet violence don't even know where the Tibet is. Then how dare you criticize China of the things you have even no idea about it at all. You don't understand what Chinese people were going through. If you really want to know what's really happening there, go to China and find it out yourself, just like me, coming to West world to find the truth. Chinese people know that there are lots of complaints about the governments (no body denies that). But we know there is no better option right now (there is no perfect government in the world) for country's good. China has a large population to manage and is still under development. For a country, it has good reasons to leverage on many factors to make decisions considering economy, culture, internationalization, etc. Chinese people have the spirits to sacrifice the part of individual loss to push the country to develop, do you? That's because we have different cultures living in different world. Chinese are one family, as we are always claiming!

    There are too many misunderstandings on freedom or human rights between China and West. Western people are always accusing China of human rights as your forever excuse, but never think about the issues in your country. If you can do this to China, does that mean we can protest US and claims to destroy the US country for their killings of thousands of innocent people in middle East. Can anybody say that they are free and have rights to kill people and initiate the Wars to any countries they don't like? If you insists on "free Tibet", does that mean we can also protest US and claims to free America, and we also can free Canada, drive all the immigrants back to their own country and return the soil to the native people.

    Yes, there are some problems with human rights in China, I agree with you (every country does), if you are thinking in your western way. But from my point of view, human rights should be evaluated in the CONTEXT of this country. Don't ignore the China's situation if you really know about China well! You can not force every country to be the same as you, you are not POLICE on the earth! We know our country China very well, do you? In your country, what you see is really not "what you see"!! You are so luckily living in a rich country, so that you don't want to find the information by yourself, you o

  97. Anonymous Coward by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well,.. sourceforge is blacklisted now. Maybe because of the action on the notepad++ site, giving this moron exactly what he was hoping for.

    The idiot blocking sourceforge is doing about the same amount of damage to China as the cultural revolution, and I actually suspect some thick bride to be involved from the Warlords of Industry that run the MS show in China. Only a traitor to the Chinese people can cook up such a measure as to block the single largest resource of knowledge on the internet.

    As to the communist nature of China,.. well,.. I guess US Rednecks are commies too then. Totalitarian and combining Friedmans capitalism if anything. Nothing communist about this regime but the name I'm afraid. Equality certainly isn't practice here. If you have money you can bride your way out of anything just like the states.