Rare Photos: Gnu Crashing a Windows 8 Launch Event

New submitter Atticus Rex writes "Reporters and security guards at the Windows 8 launch event weren't sure how to react when they were greeted by a real, live gnu. The gnu — which, on closer inspection, was an activist in a gnu suit — had come for some early trick-or-treating. But instead of candy, she had free software for the eager journalists. The gnu and the Free Software Foundation campaigns team handed out dozens of copies of Trisquel, a fully free GNU/Linux distribution, along with press releases and stickers. Once they got over their confusion, the reporters were happy to see us and hear our message — that Windows 8 is a downgrade, not an upgrade, because it steals users' freedom, security and privacy."

Comments

Sounds like a plan

[colinrichardday]

Way to spread the word!

Re:Sounds like a plan

[jhoegl]

Although their points are kind of redundant to techies, they do make some good ones.
Unlike the MS points about Linux and how it is the Hackers utility and is insecure due to code being open to the public...

Re:Sounds like a plan

[GoodNewsJimDotCom]

Is this what it takes to get GNUs in the news?

Re:Sounds like a plan

[Anonymous Coward]

Who cares about Gnu Linux anyway?

Re:Sounds like a plan

[Anonymous Coward]

No {GNUs,news} is good {GNUs,news}.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[Anonymous Coward]

Cute promo stunt, but F.S.F. and the movement shot its bolt years ago.

All they have is a couple of niches.

They should probably have spent their promo money on doing feel good stunts for the faithful.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[Austerity Empowers]

Or getting employed by MS and leaking doc(x)/xls(x) read/write code. Illegal? Yes. But not immoral and what a better place we'd all live in.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[Anonymous Coward]

What word? That we have to annoy the Windows Users with Stallmans GNU/Bullshit notation?

Re:Sounds like a plan

[Anonymous Coward]

I've always wondered how much vetting is done of repositories, though. Ubuntu has 1000+ pieces of software available in its repository. Is every line of code really being scrutinized by white hats and then compiled/signed/tested by white hats?

At least with something at the Android or MS store I can say "Well, this is Jimmy's crappy $0.99 game that wants access to my contact list and the ability to SMS. Jimmy can piss off." With Ubuntu I say "Well, Ubuntu wouldn't have it in its repository if I couldn't trust it, I guess?"

Even back in the Slackware days of downloading/compiling my own stuff, I never really scrutinized much of anything. I looked at the README for the ./configure; make; make install-type instructions and went on with my day. At the end of the day I had to trust someone.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[colinrichardday]

Sure, why not? They annoy me with their Windows stuff.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[Anonymous Coward]

Every line of every app? No way.

The ones people use do get reviewed though, as evidenced by any application with voluminous activity.

It should go without saying though, none of the lines of code in closed software get a lot of outside review.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[davydagger]

I think its the other way around

GNU and linux work on every sort of hardware imaginable. Windows runs on desktops, UNIX on servers, and old high end workstations no one uses any more.

the same linux kernel runs on everything.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[jellomizer]

The word has spread. The problem is people just don't care. It isn't like back in the 90's where people don't know about Linux and Open Source... They Do, they just don't care. They are willing to take the tradeoffs to get windows.

The problem when you give people a choice, they will often choose something you don't like.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[UnknownSoldier]

When _you_ write a C compiler and text editor then you can name after yourself.

Are you unable to acknowledge all the good the GNU foundation has done?

Re:Sounds like a plan

[Anonymous Coward]

finally someone says it. Yes linux has had it's chance, and it is a fine ods....however most people want something else.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[jep305]

"At the end of the day I had to trust someone."

Except once its released, open source software has thousands of people looking at it. You may not implicitly trust the people who manage the repos to make sure you don't get any bugged up code, but you can pretty much count on the global community to find and fix problems much more quickly than something evil buried in a black box that nobody can see inside.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[johnqeniac]

I take it you've pretty polled everyone on the planet to establish the validity of your assertion that 'people' (all 6.5 billion of us) know all about GNU, Linux, and all of their options, and have made a considered decision to buy Windows. Instead, I think it is far more likely (admittedly I haven't individuality asked everyone in the universe as you have) that aside from the set of measure zero of technically savvy users, most people have no clue that they have options. And that's the problem these people were trying to address.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[cheater512]

Say 100,000 use Ubuntu, and Ubuntu has 1,000 programs.

Only 1% of people would have to glance at one single program each to look for anything obvious.
99,000 people could do absolutely nothing.

Of course its not a full security audit, but a lot of software doesn't need a full audit, it just needs to make sure there is nothing specifically malicious to it.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[Anonymous Coward]

And then enjoy your life of prison and never getting a job, ever again.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[wirelessduck]

I think this comic is relevant here.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[jellomizer]

No I didn't have to poll everyone on the planet. However if you view the tech blogs outside of Slashdot. Where people who are going to being to be actually waiting to get windows 8. You check out those blogs, there is usually at least some passing discussion on Open Source and Linux. Going to these events, you are just going to piss off people who really wanted Windows 8.

Re:Sounds like a plan

[Golddess]

At least with something at the Android or MS store I can say "Well, this is Jimmy's crappy $0.99 game that wants access to my contact list and the ability to SMS. Jimmy can piss off." With Ubuntu I say "Well, Ubuntu wouldn't have it in its repository if I couldn't trust it, I guess?"

Fail troll is fail. I mean, how, exactly, did you come to the conclusion that "Jimmy's crappy $0.99 game" wants access to your contact list and the ability to SMS, why can you not use the exact same method for determining if something in the Ubuntu repository wants to do something similar, and why is the following statement not a much more accurate statement?

At least with something in the Ubuntu repository I can say "Well, this is Jimmy's crappy game that wants to email my every keystroke to some nigerian prince. Jimmy can piss off." With the Android or MS store I say "Well, Google/MS wouldn't have it in its store if I couldn't trust it, I guess?"

Crashing, huh?

[Anonymous Coward]

When I read the headline I was expecting something involving forcing their way into the event. This, however, turns out to be the kind of positive thing we want to present the community with. Also, that is a sweet head!

Re:Crashing, huh?

[Intrepid imaginaut]

Good thing it wasn't dark, they would have been likely to have been eaten by the GNU.

Re:Crashing, huh?

[SunTzuWarmaster]

GRUE - get it right! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grue_(monster)

Re:Crashing, huh?

[donaggie03]

Thanks for ruining the joke captain smartypants.

Re:Crashing, huh?

[Anonymous Coward]

Whoosh!

Re:Crashing, huh?

[donaldrobertson]

Yeah, that head is pretty cool. Some people brought it to an event a few years back in Brazil that RMS was at and gave it to the FSF as a gift. There are also hooves that go over your hands, but they couldn't hand out copies of Trisquel with them on.

Re:Crashing, huh?

[Anonymous Coward]

He certainly didn't know his "enemy's" strengths, did he?

argh

[Anonymous Coward]

damn hippies

Really quite...

[Anonymous Coward]

Pathetic.

Re:Really quite...

[Macrat]

And I'm a Linux user!

That's the problem. You're not a GNU Linux user!.

Re:Really quite...

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you saying that GNU/Linux users don't use Linux, because I'm pretty sure they do.

Re:Really quite...

[Anonymous Coward]

No, they use an operating system. The operating system uses Linux.

Re:Really quite...

[someone1234]

And linux uses the hardware, right? :D

Re:Really quite...

[robthebloke]

no, it only uses the electrons moving through the hardware at super quick speeds.....

Re:Worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

Have you seen a 3D printing story?

It was funny in 1995

[Joe U]

It was funny in 1995 when the "protesters" were in front of CompUSA on 35th street in Manhattan. It was cute when they were outside PC Expo in 1996. Started to get kinda sad at the Windows 98 launch and went downhill after that.

Now they're just a sideshow attraction.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

Especially when they're pushing a distro nobody's ever heard of and which does a terrible job of promoting itself. I looked on both Trisquel's home page and its Wikipedia entry, and the only justification I could find for its existence was that it had Gallician support. (Why they didn't just contribute Gallician localization to an existing distro is unclear.) Other than that, it appears to be a simple Ubuntu fork.

Now that is ironic. Not just a fringe OS, but a fringe version of the OS. How fringe? The very existence of the Gallician language is controversial. It's spoken only in the northwest corner of Spain, which would be part of Portugal if borders were drawn by actual cultural boundaries. (The Portugese language originated there.) But it's unpatriotic to refer to Gallician as a dialect of Portugese, so they have to pretend have their own language, mainly distinguished by the fact that Gallicia refuses to participate in efforts to reform Portugese spelling.

Do Linux zealots actually work at being marginal?

Re:It was funny in 1995

[tgd]

It was funny in 1995 when the "protesters" were in front of CompUSA on 35th street in Manhattan. It was cute when they were outside PC Expo in 1996. Started to get kinda sad at the Windows 98 launch and went downhill after that.

Now they're just a sideshow attraction.

Well, at least it gave a lot of people a funny story to laugh about later that day.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[Arker]

The existence of the Galician language, Galego, is most certainly not in doubt. It is quite similar to Portugese (particularly when written in the alternate orthography which makes it look more similar) but it is definitely not Portugese and I would love to see how long you would last saying that in Santiago del C. Galego has been distinct from both Castillian and Portugese for many centuries.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[Anonymous Coward]

The reason for promoting Trisquel is that it is one of the few Linux distributions on the FSF's approved list of completely free distributions. It's basically Ubuntu with a free kernel and without the option of installing Flash. Trisquel is one of the few distributions on the FSF's approved list which is quite user friendly. Personally, I'd rather they hand out a distribution with all the Linux firmware and drivers to provide better hardware support, but the FSF isn't about being practical, they are focused on software freedom.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[Anonymous Coward]

The very existence of the Gallician language is controversial. It's spoken only in the northwest corner of Spain, which would be part of Portugal if borders were drawn by actual cultural boundaries. (The Portugese language originated there.) But it's unpatriotic to refer to Gallician as a dialect of Portugese, so they have to pretend have their own language, mainly distinguished by the fact that Gallicia refuses to participate in efforts to reform Portugese spelling.

Huh. Portugal has hipsters, too.

So, when folks ask them where they're from and what's their native tongue, they say in their Gallician accent, "It's so cool, you've never heard of it."

Re:It was funny in 1995

[icebraining]

While we Portuguese do have hipsters, Galicia is not in Portugal, it's in Spain.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[icebraining]

Portuguese.

Whether Galician is or not a Portuguese dialet is debatable. The Academia Galega da Lingua Portuguesa (Galician Academy of the Portuguese Language) claims it is.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

but the FSF isn't about being practical, they are focused on software freedom.

Please don't use "software freedom" without scare quotes. If you leave them out, you imply that FSF actually matters.

Anyway, I'm glad this is about the Gospel According to Stallman and not about some weird geopolitical agenda. Had me worried.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[unixisc]

Or better still, use the term 'Software Liberation' with or without scare quotes. It avoids perverting the meaning of 'freedom', and instead focusses on what the agenda of Stallman really is - getting rid of software development as a profession that one can depend on alone to support one's livelihood.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[hawk]

Made extra funny by the notion that Portugese is a language, rather than a dialect of Spanish . . . :)

hawk

Re:It was funny in 1995

[JabberWokky]

you imply that FSF actually matters.

With not much enthusiasm, I simply note that two decades ago I couldn't run anywhere near the phenomenal library of free and Free software that I do today. Three decades ago, I was closer to being able to, so there was a very serious period of "you must license your software and only companies can own or alter it". I don't have much enthusiasm because it's a pretty non-notable fact these days. If you're coding something new, you first look for libraries or code that does much of what you need, and then use them for free. That's not surprising to say. Two decades ago, it would be.

So the FSF pretty much won (as did the many many non-FSF coders who contributed). Maybe not in terms of global dominance, but in real terms of "I can use my system and do what I want because I have rights to the software and can alter it at whim". This state of things was not a certain outcome. Now it is simply part of the IT world we take for granted.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[TraumaHound]

the FSF's approved list of completely free distributions. It's basically Ubuntu with a free kernel and without the option of installing Flash.

There goes my irony quota for the day.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude,I am Galician and I can tell you that the language exists and it's not a dialect of anything. What was your source for such a ridiculous claim? A dialect in Spain is Valencian, for example, but not Galician.
Of all the things I'd expect to hear in Slashdot, I'd never expect to hear that the language I studied at school for years is not a language. Seriously.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[pnot]

Amen. I use Ubuntu and am happy (on a pragmatic level) to have a set-up that's maybe 98% free software. I would sooner punch myself in the nuts than switch to Trisquel, but I'm keenly aware that were it not for RMS's single-mindedness, I would probably be using a set-up that's 98% non-free (or, more likely, doing something entirely different because the world of computers wouldn't interest me as much).

Re:It was funny in 1995

[Anonymous Coward]

This is a very funny story. Good on the GNU.

segway:
I used to call the store CRAPUSA. They would wait until you had paid for your stuff, had it in the bag and when you left the store they would ask to see your receipt. Once a person followed me to my vehicle to which I replied it will cost you $10.00 to see my receipt. That store was notorious for harassing customers who paid. They surprisingly went out of business. I guess having shot off all their toes with a shotgun they had no more legs to stand on.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

You're talking about "Open Source" software. I certainly agree that Open software matters, since I use it every day myself. But it's not the same as "Free" software, as the FSF people are the first to insist.

"Free" softwsare is about two thing: a collaorative, semi-anarchic development process, and a rebellion against "ownership" of software. The development model is the basis for all Open Source projects, and it is indeed a big deal. A lot (like thousands!) of good products have been created that way. The "Free" software crowd deserves credit for inventing this model.

But that's the extent of the credit any sane person gives them. They're too busy fighting ancient, irrelevent battles to have accommplished anything since then. All that kool free-as-in-beer software we all love is not their product, it's the product of the Open Source movement, a movement that FSF zealots thoroughly condemn. That's why the guy in the gnu costume was handing out copies of an obscure Linux distro that won't even run on most hardware.

Like I said, they simply don't matter.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[Anonymous Coward]

/.../ and the only justification I could find for its [Trisquell] existence was that it had Gallician support. (Why they didn't just contribute Gallician localization to an existing distro is unclear.) Other than that, it appears to be a simple Ubuntu fork. /.../

I've tried Trisquell on my home computer. And it really proves the point that the Gnu people is trying to prove

It runs much, much, much, much, much faster and more trouble free then any other Linux distro I've ever tried, and it has a very nice and responsive UI too. Granted, my computer is a some (5?) years old and I don't use any of the stuff that requires propriety drivers. Unfortunately, I need Adobe Flash player to use some websites, and that piece of software is hard to get to (kinda (*)) work with Trisquell, there are dependencies that create hell on updates. Getting proprietary video and audio codexes to work is easier, but no trip to the park, they are not as essential to me as Flash is either.

For a while, I was actually using both ordinary Ubuntu and Trisquell in parallel. Trisquell when I wanted to get things done, without anything bugging me (pun intended), and ordinary Ubuntu to get access to sucky, but essential, websites that you need Flash to use (ironically, all those sites also provide apps for smartphones).

What I would like to see, is a Linux distro that use no propriety software by default (using the Linux kernel of Trisquell), because Trisquell proves that using propriety software is what makes other distros troublesome, but that (unlike Trisquell) provides easy installation of propriety software when necessery (including loadable kernel drivers).

(*) My experience is that Flash never works properly whatever OS or distro you use.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

Actually, a lot of linguists feel that there's no such thing as "language" only "dialect". Portugese and Spanish are not as different as many dialetcts that are considered to be variations on the same language.

Another way of putting it: the language/dialect distinction is a political concept, not a scientific one. Someone once said that a language is a dialect with an army.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[VortexCortex]

Especially when they're pushing a distro nobody's ever heard of and which does a terrible job of promoting itself. I looked on both Trisquel's home page and its Wikipedia entry, and the only justification I could find for its existence was that it had Gallician support.

[...]
Do Linux zealots actually work at being marginal?

> implying that variety isn't the spice of life.
Oh, you. ;-)

Re:It was funny in 1995

[VortexCortex]

the FSF's approved list of completely free distributions. It's basically Ubuntu with a free kernel and without the option of installing Flash.

There goes my irony quota for the day.

"without the option" wasn't exactly correct. Of course you can install whatever software from whatever repository you want once it's installed, or even compile the sources-- Oh, Flash, well, no source for proprietary stuff like that, but you can still install it. Windows XP comes "without the option" of installing Flash. Last I checked you get Flash from Adobe's website after installing Windows. Some Linux distros make it easy to stay up to date by putting Adobe's Flash in their repository. However, now that Adobe will no longer release updates for Flash on Linux I can't blame some folks for not including the buggy product in their distros...

I wonder if you'll be able to add 3rd party markets to Windows 8's app store, like on most Android and Linux distributions, or if it'll actually be "without the option" like Apple's app store?

Re:It was funny in 1995

[AmazingRuss]

Marginal = Cool to hipsters, and the folks in that photo are most definitely hipsters. They doubtless went home and congratulated each other on their hipness.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

Marginal is cool to everybody. Look at the way the American Right talks about the evils of the "mainstream media" even though most American media actually caters to the Right.

What is a "hipster" anyway?

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

This isn't about being different. This is wanting to save the world, but doing everything you can to make sure the world ignores you.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually anyone who knows anything about Spain probably knows about Galicia. I can believe that you have never heard of Galicia, but it's definitely not in "so cool you've never heard of it" territory.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[Anonymous Coward]

I haven't talked about this topic with every many people, but in my experience the only people who I've heard make this mistake are Brazilians. I once showed a Brazilian a video of people speaking Galician, and they said, "oh yeah, that's Portuguese... they just talk funny like they do in Europe." i.e. the differences between Portugal/Brazil are seen to be bigger than the difference between Portugal/Galicia.

Maybe it's also plausible that a Portuguese person would also feel like Galicians are like them? I haven't ever asked anyone from Portugal about this.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[antdude]

Are there any videos and photo(graph)s of this one?

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

How ironic is it that you misspelled a word while playing spelling nazi?

Re:It was funny in 1995

[westlake]

It was funny in 1995 when the "protesters" were in front of CompUSA on 35th street in Manhattan. It was cute when they were outside PC Expo in 1996. Started to get kinda sad at the Windows 98 launch and went downhill after that.
Now they're just a sideshow attraction.

Not even that.

The sideshow draws a crowd.

Windows 7 Sins 2,580 hits.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[AmazingRuss]

True enough.

A hipster is anybody that I think might be cooler than me, but won't beat me up if I bag on them.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[icebraining]

Not at all. I made a typing mistake; parent (and GP) didn't - they wrote the same word three times with the wrong spelling.

And I wouldn't be playing "spelling nazi" for any word, it's just that I dislike how that word - which happens to describe me and my fellow countrymen - gets consistently misused.

And in any case, I'm not trying to prove anything about my language skills - I'm well aware of my poor command of English. I just consider the usage of a spell checker to be basic etiquette on the Web.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[icebraining]

My paycheck from developing AGPL licensed code must be an illusion, then.

RMS' ideology just eliminates jobs that depending on rewriting the wheel. New code still has to be written, and there's plenty of work and money to those who are willing to write it.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[icebraining]

GNU software:

• GCC
• coreutils
• grep
• tar
• Gnome
• Bash
• grub
• gettext
• make
• bazaar

Yeap, clearly all software that nobody in the open source community uses anymore. It's all irrelevant.

Oh, I forgot the GNU GPL. It's just the license that governs about half of all the free and open source projects, including small stuff like Linux. Completely irrelevant.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[icebraining]

As a Portuguese, I can tell you: we don't. The fact that much of the country has a real animosity against Spanish people doesn't help, but even descendants of Galicians like me and much of my family consider them different languages and cultures. I believe this is more blurry in the north near the border, though (there's also some rivalry between them and the south. And people ask why the EU integration dream is so hard to achieve!)

Re:It was funny in 1995

[icebraining]

As usual, you want Debian. Install whatever you want, while keeping a clear separation from the non-proprietary ("main"), the proprietary ("non-free") and the non-proprietary which depend on proprietary software ("contrib"). By default, only "main" is enabled.

Regarding Flash, have you tried Gnash? It mostly works, nowadays (much like Flash, but in different ways).

Re:It was funny in 1995

[Anonymous Coward]

The FSF had nothing to do with the tens of thousands of people that contributed outside the FSF. This isn't a meritocracy where because the FSF was first that they get claim over everything done. It's a do-ocracy, where the peers doing the work are the ones respected. Please remember this as it's an insult to those thousands of programmers to cite that it was all because of the FSF.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[gravis777]

Completely agree. I run pretty much a combination of the two. I do a lot of multimedia stuff, so I use Windows 7 as the OS, as well as a couple of Adobe products, but the majority of other software (Blu-Ray authoring, video converters and transcoders, etc) are either Freeware or Shareware. Granted, it is easy to pay a couple of grand for one software package that does everything, but I usually like to tinker with stuff a bit more, and so a dozen free software packages that do just one thing each is actually preferable to me, as I get better control every step of the way.

I have no issues paying for software, either, if its well written, it does something really useful, it is significantly better than free alternatives, and its reasonably priced. For example, I have paid for both Dreamweaver and Premiere in the past (with student discounts - not full price). However, I never bought Photoshop, because, as much as I like it (and actually prefer it), there is a great free alternative (Gimp). Encore I would buy if it actually worked right (I think its bundled with Premiere now, haven't upgraded in a while). Encore crashes if you look at it wrong, you can spend hours or days working on a project just to be told that you have some element that won't render right, etc. Other paid alternatives that actually work don't allow me as much customization (ie controlling bitrates, having different resolutions, or something). So I turned to free alternatives. Now if Encore would just work right, I would use it exclusively,as it really is DESIGNED to do what I want a piece of software to do, but the program is way too buggy (every single version has been. Piece of crap software).

BTW, my favorite piece of free software that I am currently using? Calibre! Man that software rocks!

Sorry, ADHD kicked in, where was I going with this? Oh, yeah, free software. So yeah, Free software has made an impact. It offers alternative, which drives down teh prices of proprietary stuff, the community support helps lead to innovation all the way around, but the proprietary stuff keeps educated people employed, drives the economy, and then offers funds tthat can be used for research and development. So proprietary software is not a bad thing. Overpriced proprietary software with heavy patents IS a bad thing.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[ChunderDownunder]

I'm (reasonably) flash free on Ubuntu - no gnash nor adobe plugin installed. Many sites are converting over to HTML 5 video.

For the odd website that requires flash, my secondary browser is Google Chrome - which maintains its own internal flash player. I'm guessing you could download Chrome for Trisquel.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[Anonymous Coward]

Segue. Segway is a motorised vehicle.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[unixisc]

The license claims are by no means adequate. Red Hat, Debian, Canonical, Gentoo, Slackware and other major Linux distros all release GPL software, but if you check out GNU home page, none of them have GNU endorsement. That's b'cos they give their users the option of running what RMS calls adulterated software. If you wish to get endorsed by the FSF, writing AGPL/GPL is by no means adequate - what gets you their endorsement is actually you making it difficult for your users to install any software w/o the source code. The only pure way for them is '.configure && make && make install'

Re:It was funny in 1995

[murr]

an army and a navy!

In any case, Portuguese would certainly qualify.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[icebraining]

Don't be ridiculous. Trisquel, the distro that's being endorsed, uses APT and you can just stick any Ubuntu-compatible repository into the sources list - like e.g. Skype's (and the distro comes with tools for that, like add-apt-repository) - and install proprietary software.

Debian, Red Hat, etc are not endorsed because they actually distribute themselves non-free software. Hell, one of the Debian repositories is called just that!

I'm not saying I follow their path - I'm a Debian fan, and I do have contrib and non-free packages installed - but what you said is just wrong.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[unixisc]

Take out programmers from the mix, and a Linux user can go w/o using any of the above (except maybe grub, and that too is now in question thanks to grub 2 being under GPL3). He could go w/ KDE, not do any compilation at all, use Mozolla apps like Thunderbird/Seamonkey/Firefox for internet or even KDE apps like Konqueror or Kmail. He doesn't need to touch GNOME - which Linux users have been deserting in droves since GNOME 3.0. Neither Calligra nor Libre Office nor Open Office are part of GNU. In fact, w/ the possible exception of GNU cash, I'm hard pressed to think of a GNU app that's actually useful. For people who are not programmers, that is.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[unixisc]

No, it ain't. They don't distribute squat - people download what they want from their sites. Like someone who wants Debian Linux would download it, and pick whatever liberated and unliberated software they want. That is what RMS has an issue w/ - not that they are actually passing out the unliberated software, but that they're making it available for distribution in the first place. To receive their endorsement, unliberated software should not even be available on a distro's servers.

Also, if you look at the GNU non-endorsements page, in a lot of cases, they say things like 'there's no clear policy about what software can be included, and nonfree blobs are included in Linux, the kernel.... Of course, with no firm policy in place, there might be other nonfree software included that we missed.' Translation: we can't tell whether they are compliant or not, so we're simply going to assume that they're not.

One new addition to that page is Canaima GNU/Linux - made by Venezuela's government to distribute w/ computers Which is a hoot, given how big a fan RMS is of Hugo Chavez. Somehow, Comrade Hugo forgot to get RMS's endorsement for the distribution his minions made, or else, they'd have left out that nasty 'Install non-free software' in the main menu.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[Anonymous Coward]

And I'm happy to be using Windows 7/8 with software I like using, and games I like playing, and not having to jack around with stuff to do certain things.

Isn't choice grand?

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

you can just stick any Ubuntu-compatible repository into the sources list

But if you do that, you're violating the "free software only" model, If you don't care about that model, why are you bothering with Trisuel in the first place? Just install Ubuntu and be done with it.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

Believe it or not, I've also worked on projects that produced GPL-licensed code. As I said before, FSF contributed the development model (including the idea of a license that requires repurposers to continue to make source code available) but that's all they've contributed. And that was 30 fucking years ago, so I think they've worn that one out.

I say FSF doesn't matter because their anti-IP ideology prevents them from participating in the Open Source movement, which they repeatedly condemn. Credit for your paycheck belongs to the OS movment, not to FSF.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

I live in Portland OR, and here you're not a hipster unless you have tattoos.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

Well, blame the latest release of Chrome, in which the automatic spell checker is broken. Without it, I can't even spell my own name, never mind that of a unphonetic country.

BTW, know any good Portuguese restaurants in Portland, OR? One of the few things I miss about my old place in San Jose is the food in the Little Portugal district.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

How many times must I repeat: FSF deserves credit for the basics. But their participation in the resulting Open Source movement (which all the fun stuff gets done) consists solely of complaining that its a sellout.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[Anonymous Coward]

I wonder if you'll be able to add 3rd party markets to Windows 8's app store, like on most Android and Linux distributions, or if it'll actually be "without the option" like Apple's app store?

Huh? IIUC, on linux and android these 3rd party markets require a 3rd party app to access them.

Since both Windows (including 8) and OSX allow you to run 3rd party apps that you download from the internet, there is nothing stopping anyone from creating 3rd party markets for these OS's as well.

Perhaps you were only talking about mobile devices? I wasn't sure since you talked about linux distributions as well.

I'm not sure if Windows Phone 8 supports side-loading (yet).

Re:It was funny in 1995

[unixisc]

But are the Linux based browsers that are available - Chrome, Firefox/Seamonkey/Iceweasel, Konqueror/ReKonq, GNOME Web/Epiphany, Opera, et al - do they all under Linux support HTML5? I thought that there was a lot of controversy on that, regarding whether to go w/ WebM, H.264, Ogg Theora or whatever other distribution format there is. And for the Liberated Linux crowd the includes the Trisquels and the gNewSenses of the world, things like WebM or H.264 would be non-starters. So do all the above browsers support HTML5 using Ogg Theora?

Re:It was funny in 1995

[minus9]

Take out programmers from the mix and Linux users (and any other users for that matter) would have no software.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[mcgrew]

I just consider the usage of a spell checker to be basic etiquette on the Web.

Dew knot truss yore spill checker! I'd rather people simply proofread what they wrote.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[icebraining]

Sadly, no. I've never been to the US and I know very little about the Portuguese community there.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[icebraining]

I think you are confusing thing because you're thinking of the FSF as an individual organization. The FSF is just an advocacy wing, and they didn't even contribute the license or the model.

The wing of the Free Software movement which did contribute stuff is GNU, which has projects like: the GPL, GCC (until recently, the only "real" C/C++ compiler), Bash, Gnome, coreutils, GNU grep, screen, emacs, etc.

Accusing the FSF of not contributing anything makes no sense, because that's just the way they're organized. It's like accusing Samuel Clemens of having wrote nothing of importance because he signed Mark Twain in his novels.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

Let's see. GCC has belonged to an external group for some time now, with the "blessing" of FSF. There are many versions of EMACs. The leading ones are all third-party, though many do use FSF-approved licenses.

(I used to know the main guy at XEMACS. He was actually a Sun employee, because Sun needed XEMACS to continue so they could provide an editor as part of their development tool bundle. Most FOSS projects are highly dependent on sponsorship by the companies that use their software.)

I give FSF credit for the core stuff — but not a lot of credit. In fact, most of the work these days on these tools is done by outsiders. I was at Borland in 2000 when we were porting our object-oriented programming language to Linux. We soon found a major memory leak in GLIBC. It must have been there all along (20 years!) but didn't become obvious until a language that did a lot of dynamic memory management started baning on it. Not impressive.

I find your idea of "wings" in the FSF a little silly. What I'm seeing is a lot of outsiders who could give a shit about the whole "free software" thing, but contribute to the maintenance of FSF products because their businesses depend on them. I guess they're your "working wing", the Mark Twain.

The "advocacy wing" (which still owns the copyright on all the code, BTW; your Samuel Clemens) is a bunch of guys who go around telling us all thatOpen Source is evil and everybody should Just Say No to any kind of IP protection. That's why we have them handing out a Linux distro that won't even run on most people's hardware. They just don't matter, because nothing the do or advocate now has any impact on the industry. I'll give them thanks for inventing a key development model (but grudgingly, since I consider them a bunch of prolix, overbearing assholes) but I refuse to give them any credit for things that others have managed to build on their rather shaky foundation.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[icebraining]

Well, I agree with you that the FSF doesn't really develop software; I just think that accusing them of such is like accusing NASA of not building PCs. It's simply not the purpose of the organization.

a bunch of guys who go around telling us all thatOpen Source is evil

Where have they done that? RMS' essay clearly says otherwise: "We in the free software movement don't think of the open source camp as an enemy".

They just don't matter, because nothing the do or advocate now has any impact on the industry.

You could say the same about social movements which for decades - sometimes centuries - have been composed of a small core of members who in their lifetimes changed nothing, yet are now the prevalent views. For example, the view that women are not property of their fathers and husbands. Certain groups have been arguing that since at least the Ancient Greece, yet it only became common very recently.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[icebraining]

I agree, but that wasn't my point; I was just disproving parent's ridiculous claim.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[icebraining]

They don't distribute squat - people download what they want from their sites.

Making it publicly available is one way of distributing. Otherwise, making proprietary software available on P2P networks wouldn't be copyright infringement.

Also, if you look at the GNU non-endorsements page, in a lot of cases, they say things like 'there's no clear policy about what software can be included, and nonfree blobs are included in Linux, the kernel.... Of course, with no firm policy in place, there might be other nonfree software included that we missed.' Translation: we can't tell whether they are compliant or not, so we're simply going to assume that they're not.

Well, of course. It'd be strange if they decided otherwise. Endorsing means they are claiming that the distro is purely free software; they can hardly claim that honestly if they can't assert that is it true, can they? That'd almost be fraud!

It'd be like a grocery shop saying "this product may or may not have sugar; since we can't tell, we're going to call it 'sugar-free'".

One new addition to that page is Canaima GNU/Linux - made by Venezuela's government to distribute w/ computers Which is a hoot, given how big a fan RMS is of Hugo Chavez. Somehow, Comrade Hugo forgot to get RMS's endorsement for the distribution his minions made, or else, they'd have left out that nasty 'Install non-free software' in the main menu.

I don't get your point.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[fm6]

My accusation is that they no longer matter. Every counterargument I've seen talks about all their wonderful software. So the fact that they don't do software anymore is kind of relevant.

Re:It was funny in 1995

[unixisc]

Same is true about any OS, but you don't see Visual Studio or Code Warrior being paraded around as an integral part of Windows or OS-X. Most of the apps listed by the GP are ones that only programmers use. Your statement seems to suggest that except programmers, nobody uses Linux.

Re:a real live gnu

[Forty Two Tenfold]

It's like showing up at a some kids first birthday and handing out condoms to all the adults.

Yeah, and the kid is retarded and quadriplegic.

So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[BrownLeopard]

...but someone in a Gnu suit? Kind of misleading, yeah? I do have to agree with the other posters though. It does seem like trolling an event. If Microsoft came into a Gnu event it would be bashed as them crashing a party. Same kind of thing here.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[jkrise]

If Microsoft came into a Gnu event it would be bashed

and do what? they would be speechless. GNU and other free software are 'free' in more ways than one; whereas MS-ware is non-free in every sense. MS would be foolish to try such a stunt. Any publicity is good publicity for Free Software though...

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[Zocalo]

If Microsoft came into a Gnu event it would be bashed as them crashing a party.

Of course it would. Chances are it would also be csh'ed, ksh'ed and zsh'ed (amongst others) as well.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[BrownLeopard]

No, not really. While techies will herald this as a good thing, normal computer users will go "Well that was rude!" and "What is Linux?". Case in point: when I shared this on my Facebook I had 3 comments go "I thought a Gnu was an animal?", "Did they have to crash the party? Why not just send the journos a press release with pros/cons?" and "What OS do you use?" to which I replied "I use Win 7 on my desktop, Win 7 with Ubuntu dual booting on my laptop, OSX Mountain Lion on my Macbook Pro and ICS on my phone."

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[BrownLeopard]

Ha! I knew someone would pick up on that.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[jkrise]

Chances are it would also be csh'ed, ksh'ed and zsh'ed (amongst others) as well.

You forgot the eminently appropriate and more common: BASHed

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[K. S. Kyosuke]

...but someone in a Gnu suit? Kind of misleading, yeah?

That person was afraid to show face in public, hence the artiodactyl suit. A clear example of an Anonymous Cow Herd!

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[mewsenews]

If Microsoft came into a Gnu event it would be bashed as them crashing a party. Same kind of thing here.

I agree with you but only to a certain extent. This incident was also a protest about user freedom, as much as it was a promotional activity for free software.

If microsoft protested a free software event they'd be laughed out of the room.

So I remain divided: showing up to someones launch event so that you can promote their competitor: utterly tasteless. Showing up somewhere to raise awareness of user rights and freedoms: admirable. Strange mix here..

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[Anonymous Coward]

It sounds like more fun than having MS employees dance. Awareness and choice is a good thing. Kudos to those guys for being out there.

Since when is a Halloween costume misleading? It's not like anyone was expecting a real four legged animal. Someone cheerful in costume handing out treats from a pumpkin adds to the festivity.

If Steve Ballmer wants to show up somewhere dressed as a donkey giving out free copies of Winodws I say let him.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[BrownLeopard]

I agree, it is mixed, but it's still not a constructive way to promote a competitor's software. It's kind of like Blizzard showing up at a Valve event.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[Anonymous Coward]

If Microsoft came into a Gnu event it would be bashed as them crashing a party.

Of course it would. Chances are it would also be csh'ed, ksh'ed and zsh'ed (amongst others) as well.

That was korny...

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[icebraining]

normal computer users will go "Well that was rude!" and "What is Linux?"

Getting people to ask the latter question is already a goal achieved.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[icebraining]

Whooosh!

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[artor3]

Not if the answer they come to is "a fringe OS pushed by weirdos dressed as wildebeests".

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[Anonymous Coward]

Microsoft goes to GNU/Linux events all the time actually. It wasn't trolling anyway. It was protesting. Trolling is what t3g does when he goes on the Trisquel forums. He doesn't get or support free software and makes comments that enrages the community members. He promotes non-free software and/or disparages freedom.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[blane.bramble]

GNU - the OS for furries?

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[Anonymous Coward]

or vagina

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[unixisc]

There is another shell by that name? Who wrote it?

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[FatLittleMonkey]

Yes, there is a difference between a for-profit corporation with a history of market suppression and three amateurs promoting a freely created alternative.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[jtownatpunk.net]

I was disappointed by the fake gnu. I wonder what it would cost to rent a real gnu. I'll bet a kickstarter project could make this happen for Windows 9.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[FatLittleMonkey]

...but someone in a Gnu suit?

Suit? It was just an oversized hat.

(A better gimmick would have been to give away USB flash drives with a rock solid linux distro that boots straight into a bunch of diagnostic and recovery tools. "For use after testing Win8." Hint hint.)

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[BrownLeopard]

Bootable LiveCD?

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm working on that as a debian fork! ... Wait... Shit...

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[10101001 10101001]

Compared to "a mainstream OS pushed by weirdos dressed in business suits" or "a mainstream OS pushed by weirdos dressed in sweaters". Of course, IBM pushing Linux in business suits didn't really produce mainstream support any more than Google's efforts really have--exclude Android, but it's hard to count that when people don't even realize Android is Linux based. Getting to the point of supporting GNU or FSF in any way? I'd say that mainstream support of that is really a lost cause given how if anything people are becoming more computer illiterate over time--or it could just be the ever growing adoption of computers. But, then, if the real point is to attract other weirdos to the cause through the use of a mainstream source by putting on a public spectacle, then a wildebeest is probably the best way to go--and since it's the support of weirdos that is needed to keep the GNU/FSF alive just as much as weirdos are needed for MS, Apple, etc...

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously. It is. There's a signifigant percentage of furries who run Linux, compared to the general population.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[Tablizer]

Sounds like a good thing to me

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[FatLittleMonkey]

I assume that's what they were giving away. But I think there's something especially geek-cool about having a tiny USB drive on your key-ring that houses an entire emergency operating system. (Maybe I'm just old.)

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[Anonymous Coward]

There will be a time when all Microsoft crashing are made in Hurd suit. Just think of the confusion, then.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[chrismcb]

When I read the summary, I was expecting a real live gnu. Not sure why I expected that, but I did. I was wondering why an animal would be handing out software. But it turns out this creature, that apparently looked so much like a real live gnu, needed closer inspection. And on closer inspection, it turns out it wasn't a gnu after all. But a person with gnu like head on.
I would definitely wonder why a gnu as there, and be confused. But why some random person wearing a costume, holding a plastic pumpkin?

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[chrismcb]

GNU and other free software are 'free' in more ways than one; whereas MS-ware is non-free in every sense.

Except the total cost of using any software is roughly the same. Considering the total cost of using the software is magnitudes greater than the actual cost of the software.
Never mind the fact that MS has some free as in beer software.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[Anonymous Coward]

..but someone in a Gnu suit? Kind of misleading, yeah? I do have to agree with the other posters though. It does seem like trolling an event.

Well at least the GUN has nice legs and pert young breast.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[Anonymous Coward]

Mostly it would just get fished.

Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu...

[marcosdumay]

Except the total cost of using any software is roughly the same.

If computers don't make us more productive, why do we use them? If they do make us more productive they can't all increase our productivity by the same amount (because Hello World seems to be completely useless).

Or, in ther words, you are wrong.

g'day—g'nu

[Anonymous Coward]

The gnu — which, on closer inspection, was an activist in a gnu suit

They're completely different! A "g'nu" in a "new" suit. It's not easy to confuse the two. I can see where they'd be confused, though.

Real live gnu? Seriously?

[Anonymous Coward]

The photos in TFA show a person wearing only a ridiculously huge gnu mascot head. Not even a 5-year old would think that's a real gnu regardless of distance.

Captcha: Delirium.

Re:Real live gnu? Seriously?

[EmagGeek]

My thoughts exactly. What's with all of this sensational bullshit on Slashdot lately?

Re:Real live gnu? Seriously?

[Mashiki]

My thoughts exactly. What's with all of this sensational bullshit on Slashdot lately?

New ownership. So, with new ownership we get a new direction. And this "new direction" sucks ass.

Re:Real live gnu? Seriously?

[PPH]

I don't know about that. A new UI on top of Windows 7 seems to have fooled them.

Re:Real live gnu? Seriously?

[larry bagina]

New here? Same suck, different ass. And /. is still owned by geeknet (aka sourceforge aka va linux).

Re:Real live gnu? Seriously?

[tgd]

My thoughts exactly. What's with all of this sensational bullshit on Slashdot lately?

The owner realized the same thing Fox News did -- if you present stories in ways to whip up a fringe zealot audience, you may lose a lot of your audience, but the audience you have comes back a lot and consumes a lot of ads.

Re:Real live gnu? Seriously?

[mooingyak]

Same suck, different ass.

If I ever decide to change my sig, that will be it.

Re:Real live gnu? Seriously?

[Anonymous Coward]

This post was removed due to Dice content standards violations.

Re:Real live gnu? Seriously?

[Scarletdown]

The owner realized the same thing Fox News did -- if you present stories in ways to whip up a fringe zealot audience, you may lose a lot of your audience, but the audience you have comes back a lot and consumes a lot of ads.

Ah. That would explain why I am not seeing any ads. Other people consumed them instead of just looked at them, so there are no more ads.

Re:Real live gnu? Seriously?

[Spy Handler]

New ownership. So, with new ownership we get a new direction. And this "new direction" sucks ass.

Slashdot has an owner? I thought it was GNU and free!

Re:Real live gnu? Seriously?

[Compaqt]

Didn't you get the memo? Slashdot is owned by dice.com.

Re:Real live gnu? Seriously?

[Anonymous Coward]

Please be fair, the developers at Microsoft have worked hard on this software. It's 7.1.

Re:Real live gnu? Seriously?

[larry bagina]

I was assuming the deal hadn't closed yet since the bottom of the page still says Geeknet, Inc.

Reporters happy to see you?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, you don't know reporters do you?

They're happy to see anything, or so they pretend. All smiles and glad-handling, they're as bad as politicians, who coincidentally enough are the ones you most often see you with.

Sorry, but your publicity stunt is not going to make this the Year of Linux on the Desktop and millions, even tens or hundreds will be gladly using Windows 8.

They won't do anything with your precious software except throw it away.

A valuable lesson learned today.

[FSWKU]

The software may be free. Enough computing power for the software to handle a slashdotting, however, is NOT free...

Re:A valuable lesson learned today.

[Anonymous Coward]

came here to post the same thing - unless their site is deliberately crappy

Re:a real live gnu

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, but you don't have to rub the parents' faces in it.
Although, I guess the parents didn't have much say in whether the kid was retarded,
whereas Microsoft deliberately made it this way.
So my analogy doesn't really hold up.
It still doesn't look like a real live gnu though.

A downgrade in many ways

[Anonymous Coward]

Windows 8 is a downgrade, not an upgrade, because it steals users' freedom, security and privacy.

True.

But the most visible reason that it's a downgrade is because it forcibly apples a tablet-style touch-optimized interface onto the desktop -- a drastic UI change that exactly 0% of desktop users have asked for, and that 100% of IT professionals are dreading.

Re:A downgrade in many ways

[Call Me Black Cloud]

I don't know how desktop users could have asked for something that hasn't yet existed on the desktop, but the classic desktop is still there:

http://www.ghacks.net/2012/10/08/how-to-switch-from-windows-8s-startscreen-to-the-desktop/

Re:A downgrade in many ways

[BrownLeopard]

Dreading? Not really. I can't wait to start invoicing for these migrations, myself. Should get me a new car out of it.

Re:A downgrade in many ways

[flimflammer]

You really don't know how someone could ask for something before it was actually created?

Really?

Re:A downgrade in many ways

[Noughmad]

it forcibly apples

I've never heard "apple" being used as a verb, but your use of it seems very fitting.

Re:A downgrade in many ways

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, I meant to type "applies". An interesting mistake, tho.

Powell's colon

[Tablizer]

John SuGnuGnu said only a Gnu could love a Gnu.

Activist is an old Indian word....

[Anonymous Coward]

...that translates roughly to "Doesn't have a real job.'

Re:Activist is an old Indian word....

[Anonymous Coward]

Strange, then most activist I know, are not really activist.

really? slashdotted?

[Anonymous Coward]

You really slashdotted fsf.org?

Guess they are running ISS on windows 8.

Windows 8 downgrades security?

[Wrath0fb0b]

Citation needed.

Now, it's quite possible that Windows 7 is not secure enough for your needs and 8 doesn't improve upon that significantly, but I'm skeptical that 8 is a step backwards in security.

Re:Windows 8 downgrades security?

[Call Me Black Cloud]

Citation needed.

You must be gnu here...

Re:Windows 8 downgrades security?

[swillden]

Citation needed.

Now, it's quite possible that Windows 7 is not secure enough for your needs and 8 doesn't improve upon that significantly, but I'm skeptical that 8 is a step backwards in security.

They weren't claiming that Windows 8 is insecure. They said it steals users' security. They're just pointing out (in arguably over-the-top language) that it takes control of users' information away from the users. This probably isn't because of anything specific that it does, it's just because it's closed and therefore unknowable and uncontrollable.

Re:Windows 8 downgrades security?

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps the issue is with Windows RT. The link hasn't been proven yet, but some believe that it is connected with RT (Russia Today), a television network seen on satellite, you tube, cable, some public tv stations, and their own web site. Bias? Well imagine a Fidel Castro version of Fox News. Is Windows RT a communist conspiracy? You decide.

Although the security mentioned in the story relates to use of user data, it is reasonable to expect some fresh bugs in a major new release. That said, in fairness major transitions in other software like browsers supporting HTML5 also bring a new crop of security bugs. At least the walled-garden of RT should reduce exposure to malicious apps.

I'm curious what alternate browser availability is or will be like for RT. I expect the EU to insist on support or inclusion of alternate browsers.

Re:Windows 8 downgrades security?

[VortexCortex]

Let me explain something: SECURITY MUST BE PROVEN. You can't just claim the product secure, we look back and then determine how secure it has been. Additionally: NEW SOFTWARE HAS NEW BUGS, and these bugs are what makes security exploits possible.

Considering that Windows8 is not just Windows7 in a different box, that it actually comes with more and newer code than Windows7 or XP, I think it's safe to say that it more likely than not that it contains more bugs than these already released and hammered on systems... In laymen's terms: Windows8 is less secure.

Re:Windows 8 downgrades security?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well imagine a Fidel Castro version of Fox News. Is Windows RT a communist conspiracy? You decide.

You mean Windows RT is actually spelled as Windows Really happened The what, Windows Real Truth, Windows Reality Twister, Windows Re-elect puTin, or the most controversial Windows Really,-Al-Qaeda-is-working-for-the-same-goal-as-the-US,-to-topple-al-Assad-so-why-can't-They-be-friends-in-Syria?

Re:Windows 8 downgrades security?

[jo_ham]

If that's your position then the lack of security must also be proven.

You cannot say "it's Microsoft's responsibility to prove they are insecure, otherwise it is 'safe to say' that it is less secure".

That's called hypocrisy.

Re:Windows 8 downgrades security?

[chrismcb]

I think it's safe to say that it more likely than not that it contains more bugs than these already released and hammered on systems... In laymen's terms: Windows8 is less secure.

Can't you say the same thing about any new version of anything? Including the latest linux distros?

Re:Worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

also girl they choose was not hot at all, i mean why cant they look up to PETA with their naked hot girls, i am not even vegetarian and i still like watching PETA girls protest, on the other hand i do use LINUX and a lot of GNU software every day and i felt my time watching this article was wasted

there is no better commercial as hot (preferably naked) female body

Sounds like Microsoft needs better security

[Culture20]

Well trained security guards would have quashed that right away, along with explanations of "You need to buy a vendor permit to distribute pamphlets/software at the show".
Microsoft Security Fail!

Re:Sounds like Microsoft needs better security

[Anonymous Coward]

If they used StaffPro, the gnu activist would have never got in. Let me guess, the used Elite or worse, Securitas.

Re:Sounds like Microsoft needs better security

[Anonymous Coward]

"I wanted Dynacore, Sharp Edge or Belltower."

only Windows 8?

[mschaffer]

Really? Only Windows 8? OSX/iOS steals users' freedom, security and privacy quite a bit.

Re:only Windows 8?

[Fishchip]

Shh, this is a Windows-bashing article. There'll be an OSX one in a little while.

Re:only Windows 8?

[VAElynx]

Well... it would be sort of retarded to point out the deficiencies of iOS on a Microsoft event. Kinda like when the soviet and the american argued about their countries.
American: "But we have freedom of speech!" Soviet: "What is that, even?" American: "For example , if I were to walk into the White House, shout Ronald Reagan is a filthy thieving lying fuck, nobody would do anything to me." Soviet: "Hah! We got it even better. If I were to walk into the Kremel, and shout Ronald Reagan is a filthy thieving lying fuck, it'd get into the newspaper and I'd get a commendation, even."

Re:only Windows 8?

[NIK282000]

Well that's not fair at all, you can't bash MS and Apple practices and then leave out Sony. I find this bias in /. to be shocking.

Re:only Windows 8?

[greyblack]

"For example , if I were to walk into the White House, before I could shout anything I would be moved to a "free speech zone" miles away from people where I could shout Obama / Romney is a filthy thieving lying fuck, and nobody would do anything to me."

FTFY

Re:only Windows 8?

[Anonymous Coward]

Try going anywhere near the White House to protest the president and see just how well you'll be recieved by the police.

Re:only Windows 8?

[Anonymous Coward]

So why have they never attended an Apple event if they are so concerned with users' freedom and security?

Re:only Windows 8?

[Anonymous Coward]

You seem to have missed this initiative by the FSF about general DRM technology. This includes Apple's technology.
http://defectivebydesign.org/
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/ipad
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/nobuyguide

Re:Worthless

[larry bagina]

Look, she can't help it if she's not pretty. Or if she's too poor to afford nice clothes.

FREE software is like people -- what's on the inside matters more than the external appearance.

Re:Worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

When the journalists find that the free software won't work on their iPhones they will brand it worthless.

Nice beard.

[Haxagon]

"The gnu — which, on closer inspection, was an activist in a gnu suit"
It's hard to tell the two apart sans suit, sometimes.

Said as a GNU/Linux enthusiast.

Way to go.

[hey!]

This will raise the Linux community's credibility with the public.

Re:Way to go.

[moderators_are_w*nke]

Guerrilla marketing is all the rage these days, but that is about the lamest example I've ever seen.

Re:Way to go.

[Anonymous Coward]

Your face is a lame example.

Re:Way to go.

[Magic5Ball]

> Guerrilla marketing is all the rage these days

Ahhh Des Moines, where Instagram is new and Hurd has some life in it.

Happy huh?

[Anonymous Coward]

> the reporters were happy to see us and hear our message

Sounds like an objective description of how reporters feel. Clearly they were distraught about the Windows 8 release.

Re:Worthless

[VAElynx]

If you think the purpose of a demonstration/event is "nude tits for the onlookers", you're a moron whose thought centre has moved from cranium to crotch.

Oh Dear

[Anonymous Coward]

I thought 'twas a real gnu; but what do I know, I'm a Windows user!

Trolls

[topgun966]

I have been a long time Unix/Linux/Windows/Dos etc developer user etc. And I can say this, Windows 8 is a very bold move for Microsoft. I actually like the power user features. Now with GNU/Linux, there is NO such thing as free. Ever. Time is money. I cost about 300 an hour to help business that switch to Linux and have issues. It depends on what you are using it for, but Windows 8 definitely has its place.

I'd like to add a small change

[Rooked_One]

"...Windows 8 is a downgrade, not an upgrade, because it steals users' freedom, security and privacy."

This may be so, but I think that statement detracts from the fact that windows is starting to make users very ignorant. Windows 7 took away the advanced search. I used to love to be able to search for files largers than 10MB very easily but now I must use third party software to do a very "Windows" function.

I sometimes mourn for the days that when you installed something, its functions went into its own directory. You could very easily find what you're looking for, and modify if possible. This constantly gets stripped down, at least for a few things.

Re:I'd like to add a small change

[Anonymous Coward]

It's still there, albeit hard to find. Just use size:>10mb in the search bar

Re:I'd like to add a small change

[Anonymous Coward]

I suggest you watch the film "idiocracy" which neatly describes the growth of ignorance. There are so many stupid users now that you have to sell to them to make cash which means dumbing features down so dribbling moronic apes can use them.

Re:I'd like to add a small change

[Anonymous Coward]

This may be so, but I think that statement detracts from the fact that windows is starting to make users very ignorant.

Oh and Apple is turning users in to practical computer wizards ;)

Re:I'd like to add a small change

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a shame that the UI designers did not choose to educate their users by having a case-sensitive search which differentiates between megabytes (MB) and millibits (mb) when people search for files. After all, the ratio between the two is 8G.

Re:I'd like to add a small change

[Anonymous Coward]

Funny in Win 8, in Explorer, I click the Search Tab, and can choose from a range of sizes....or type size:>10MB, etc.

Nothing has changed - well, except you becoming more of a moron for not even trying...

Re:I'd like to add a small change

[Anonymous Coward]

It's still there, albeit hard to find. Just use size:>10mb in the search bar

Kindly Fuck yourself.

Not a gnu

[Anonymous Coward]

Richard Stallman just hasn't shaved in awhile.

Re:Worthless

[Intrepid imaginaut]

Unless you happen to be at a strip club. Or a joining a school for strippers. Or teaching at a school for strippers.

"Free like the free apps in the iPhone app store?"

[Andy Prough]

If you think the majority of tech "journalists" have the slightest clue about software freedom vs the walled garden, you are sadly mistaken. And the tech consuming public is far worse off. Any effort to educate them is a GOOD thing - especially if its well communicated by professional looking young folks like this, instead of some of the rabid "kings" of open source.

Re:Worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

Or a bitcoin story for that matter.

Re:a real live gnu

[Forty Two Tenfold]

Yes, but you don't have to rub the parents' faces in it. Although, I guess the parents didn't have much say in whether the kid was retarded,

Unless they did drugs (ethanol, tobacco, amphetamines). Now the analogy is quite apt.

Re:"Free like the free apps in the iPhone app stor

[BrownLeopard]

I wouldn't know how they look since it was slashdotted. I agree that informing and educating the public is a good thing, but why not bring laptops running a distro and actually SHOWING them rather than just counting on them installing it on their own systems (I guarantee most of those disks hit the trash).

Insightful, however:

[Anonymous Coward]

> I looked on both Trisquel's home page and its Wikipedia entry, and the only justification I could find for its existence was that it had Gallician support [...] other than that, it appears to be a simple Ubuntu fork.

Now let's see why they really forked ubuntu, and copy pasted Portuguese and called it Galicia:

> Trisquel is a fully free operating system based in GNU/Linux, for home users, small enterprises and educational centers.

Versus (google description of ubuntu.com)

> Ubuntu: commercially sponsored Debian-derived Linux distribution that focuses on usability

Let's all take a moment to reflect that they created a fork of Ubuntu SOLELY so that it could be described as GNU/Linux instead of Linux.

It is NOT GNU/Linux. Just because n% of apps in Y operating system are from X organization, you don't arbitrarily qualify to call an /operating system/ X/Y. That's not how operating systems work. User space apps can be ported to another OS, and an OS can user different userspace apps. Because most people don't change the version of ls on their system, we should rename the OS?

Let me state on thing for the record: GNU applications are APPALLING. That's right, 99% of command line tools you use for instance, have poor interfaces, poor APIs, bad naming, bad flags, bad manuals, bad ideas, bad implementations. Still, we live with them and find work arounds, it could be MUCH better, but it is "good enough" for now.

GNU:Good'NUff?

Re:Insightful, however:

[unixisc]

This is absolutely true. Instead of trying to rig Linux and rid it of all its unliberated blobs, if the FSF just seriously worked on getting Hurd ready, and maybe forking Minix 3.0 and then using it as the microkernel for Hurd, they'd then have all the requirements of an entire GNU system. The kernel too would be GNU, as would userland, and then they could toss in GNOME 3.4 and even make everything GPL3.

I agree w/ the other statement as well - that GNU apps have poor interfaces, poor ideas and poor implementations. I've never seen a GNU app that I found interesting. If it's only selling point is that you can have the source code, that's also true of a lot of software that's not GNU approved - like Debian, BSD, and so on. And not having the system autodetect a lot of devices simply b'cos the drivers ain't liberated is a brain-damaged way to work.

Re:Insightful, however:

[icebraining]

Just because n% of apps in Y operating system are from X organization, you don't arbitrarily qualify to call an /operating system/ X/Y.

What about because Linux is licensed under the GNU GPL?

Re:Insightful, however:

[unixisc]

That by no means transfers ownership of Linux to the FSF. A lot of things are written under GPL/LGPL - it doesn't mean that their ownership automatically goes to FSF or the GNU projects.

Re:Insightful, however:

[icebraining]

The FSF has never claimed ownership of Linux.

Re:Insightful, however:

[unixisc]

No, but demanding that Linux be called GNU/Linux just b'cos it's under the GPL is what you are saying. Of course, the FSF says no such thing - they only demand that Linux be called GNU/Linux b'cos GNU userland utilities come bundled w/ the kernel

Re:Insightful, however:

[icebraining]

Yes, but even if they demanded it due to the license, it still wouldn't be a transfer of ownership.

they only demand that Linux be called GNU/Linux b'cos GNU userland utilities come bundled w/ the kernel

I've never seen they demanding anything. They just advocate for it.

Why this distro?

[mwvdlee]

They're fighting the Windows 8 downgrade by offering a fringe GNU-downgraded Linux distro.
I'm sure all those journalists will be convinced after they have learned to manually install the required hardware drivers.

Marketing isn't about promoting the things you personally like, it's about promoting the things your potential users like.
Windows and Apple users don't care about privacy, freedom, security or ownership. Either convince them of the importance of those issues before pushing Linux or promote the Linux features they do care about (i.e. "Linux is free and has the best tools for downloading the latest movies").

Re:Why this distro?

[swillden]

What distro would you suggest? Keep in mind that this is the FSF, so it must be one that is completely Free. No binary-only blobs and no licenses that would bar you from modifying, redistributing or both. This excludes Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Gentoo, etc.

Because, whether you agree with their message or not, the fact is that giving away a distribution that is only mostly Free would undermine it.

Re:Why this distro?

[dwlovell]

You should avoid absolute statements. I am a Windows user and I care greatly about privacy, freedom, security and ownership. Windows provides all of those things. If you don't think so, you probably aren't using it right.

Re:Why this distro?

[sunderland56]

And, why do they hate Linus so much? From the Tresquel web page:

"Linus Torvalds did not write a whole operating system, he only wrote the last missing piece, a kernel"

Yeah, sure, completely gloss over the fact that the kernel is by far the most important piece.

Re:Why this distro?

[Anonymous Coward]

That isn't the answer. It's unfair to put Trisquel down because they stand up for freedom. There is a solution to the problem of hardware not working and it is to buy the hardware that is freedom friendly (If you don't know where to go it's well advertised on EVERY PAGE of the Trisquel site: http://libre.thinkpenguin.com/) Microsoft's system is no better. The difference is you've bought the software with the hardware. If you did that for GNU/Linux things would work much much much better on ANY distribution (free or non-free). The reason being free software works better because of the design. When you upgrade you get a whole new kernel. If you are dependent on non-free software (as is Microsoft Windows) you are dependent on the company with the closed source driver supporting it. That rarely happens. If you upgrade to a new platform your likely to run into issues with printers and other devices not working on any platform with non-free software (Microsoft Windows, Mac, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, etc ). The only exception is where there are free drivers for yor hardware. The majority of hardware these days supported on GNU/Linux is free software friendly. Or near it.

Some exceptions: nVidia graphics, ATI graphics, Intel Wireless, Atheros Bluetooth, Realtek/Ralink Wireless, anything that is not from HP for printers/all in one device (although not all HP printers/all-in-one devices are free software friendly although they do a good job comparatively speaking of documenting this).

So there are a number of problem areas. And it's not just a driver/firmware issue. Oracle discontinued the licening which allowed Ubuntu and other distributions to push out security updates. This forced Canonical to pull Oracle's Java package. Adobe stopped supporting Flash on GNU/Linux (again!!!) and we no longer get updates (although we are getting security patches at least).

The FSF's approach is not that far off of reality. It's just dealing with it. Something the majority of people don't seem to understand. I'm not saying that it's the best approach. Although the majority are ignoring the problem which is putting us in more dangerous situations. What we see are many many setbacks in the advances we made because we have allowed non-free software into our distributions.

Re:Why this distro?

[Maow]

Marketing isn't about promoting the things you personally like, it's about promoting the things your potential users like.
Windows and Apple users don't care about privacy, freedom, security or ownership. Either convince them of the importance of those issues before pushing Linux or promote the Linux features they do care about (i.e. "Linux is free and has the best tools for downloading the latest movies").

I look at marketing more as promoting not what you think your potential users like, but simply what you have to offer.

Now to be successful, there should be significant overlap between those.

This story makes a great example, as this is a Windows 8 event and MS has the Sisyphean task of marketing TIFKAM (the interface formerly known as Metro) - certainly not what the users want (nor have been asking for).

Re:Why this distro?

[VortexCortex]

And, why do they hate Linus so much? From the Tresquel web page:

"Linus Torvalds did not write a whole operating system, he only wrote the last missing piece, a kernel"

Yeah, sure, completely gloss over the fact that the kernel is by far the most important piece.

The compiler is the most important piece. Without it you don't make kernels... I know, I've tried making one in machine code by entering hex. I gave up and wrote an assembler in machine code instead to develop the kernel with -- Linus just used the existing FLOSS compiler. Once you've got a compiler and Kernel running it doesn't do anything. You need at least a great shell program, some window managers if you're the GUI type, lots of command line tools, hell, even a file system before all that! The portion Linus contributed truly was a fraction of the work -- I've tried doing all of it myself from scratch (I have a crazy security related itch to scratch [separate stacks for data and instruction pointers] that means no C -- at first), and in doing so I gained a lot more respect for GNU and a lot less for Linus. That's when I started calling it GNU/Linux, and yes the GNU should come first.

Additionally, the kernel design of Linux is sort of dumb. It's the same insecure monolithic methodology that's applied in Windows. The fastest route, not the most secure, but hey, he was going for the fastest and easiest route. I don't discount what Linus did, but as someone who sometimes makes kernels for embedded systems, I can tell you that many people grossly overestimate the role a kernel plays. People make kernels all the time, it's not that hard to make them, just hard to be in the right place at the right time. Linus could have built his kernel on Windows, but I know from experience it wouldn't have attracted any users unless it had that awesome POSIX compliant GNU userland.

TL;DR: Why do think Linus deserves more love?

Re:Why this distro?

[MBC1977]

I'm not gonna speak for all Windows and Apple users, but as for me; I do care about privacy, freedom, security, and ownership. What I don't care about is having to learn the particulars of a particular flavor of a Unix/Unix-Like OS. Is it interesting...at times yes; do I want to do that on a daily basis, fuck no.

I've been using / building / programming computers since 1989 and I still do not like the arcane wizardry that using a Unix/Unix-like OS forces me to do. Has it gotten better, admittedly yes. I respect that there is a *nix OS flavor for every single quirk that a person may desire, but to me it is stupid (I'm just gonna put it out there). When you have to tweak code and / or settings or worse - recompile for each flavor; fuck that. I have Windows programs from 1990 that still work in Windows 8, nuff said.

I'm not saying Windows is the 'holy grail' of computing, it has come a long way. But the same way some of you advocate learning/using *nix; I say learn how to properly lock down your system. It can be done, quite simply in fact. Not to mention Windows is much easier to use (even as far back as Windows 3.1; it was miles ahead in ease of use than *nix).

Re:Why this distro?

[mwvdlee]

Yes, some users (presumably /. readers would likely fall into that category) care about those things.
The general population does not. They are perfectly happen buying into Apple and Microsoft's walled gardens, they are perfectly happy letting their vendors' control the software on their own devices and the only thing protecting them from downloading malware is the default installed antivirus software that has taken over their browsers' search engine.
They may say they care about all those things if you ask explicitely, but if you ask why they choose the OS they use, none of those reasons will be mentioned. I'd be surprised if many of them have even considered choosing a different OS than whatever came pre-installed on their HP, Mac or Dell.

Re:Why this distro?

[aNonnyMouseCowered]

Nothing in the sentence you quoted hints at "hate Linus so much". It's merely an assertion that Linus Torvalds didn't write all the pieces of the "whole operating system" popularly known as Linux. Here's your quote in context:

http://trisquel.info/en/i-notice-website-refers-trisquel-distribution-gnulinux-and-not-linux-why

A better citation for your "hate Linus so much" thesis would be the following passage. Reading between the lines, you can detect a whiff of prom-queen envy from the GNU folks about the prominence that had been given to the "contributions that come from Linus Torvalds' camp."

"For many years, the media and the user community itself has given undue weight to the contributions that come from Linus Torvalds' camp and fostered a skewed account of the operating system's history, while barely acknowledging the existence of the GNU project at all."

Re:Why this distro?

[Anonymous Coward]

I wouldn't suggest any distro, because most people could care less about OS politics.

Re:Why this distro?

[sunderland56]

Both the Microsoft and Intel C compiler already existed and could have been used.

The early stages of kernel development are all done with a cross-compiler anyway.

Re:Why this distro?

[dissy]

This excludes Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Gentoo, etc.

Wow, do they really exclude the base Debian distro?
I can completely understand all the others (Except Gentoo*), as they do include non-free drivers and even software in the default install.
(* I only exclude Gentoo due to my unfamiliarity, but not disagreeing.)

Debian does of course maintain three separate repositories.
"Free" which is the base and default, which they assure is only software with free licenses.
The other two, "Contrib" and "Non-Free" must be added in manually, and is where they put software with more restrictive licenses.

Is it the fact these repos can be added at all?
Does Debian now include non-free drivers or kernel modules in the base I'm unaware of?

Obviously I don't mind running software that isn't 100% free, and do add in all three repos right after an install, so likely take such things for granted. But I always thought Debian went out of their way to keep the base install completely free, while at the same time giving you the freedom to choose the level of free-ness your particular install(s) are.

Compared to the distro mentioned in this story, which restricts your freedom to choose less free software such as Flash, Java, and likely others, I would say Debian is actually more free than the FSF's apparent standards.

Re:Why this distro?

[swillden]

The FSF excludes Debian because of its non-free repo. Debian without non-free would be approved by the FSF -- and AFAIK that's exactly what the distro they were handing out is... Ubuntu with all of the non-free bits removed.

Re:Why this distro?

[Anonymous Coward]

Windows and Apple users don't care about privacy, freedom, security or ownership.

That could be a fair (if pretty silly) thing to say if people actually chose to install those operating systems. Here's a homework assignment for you: Go to a store selling computers. Which operating systems do those come with?

Windows 8 and missed opportunities

[WaffleMonster]

From what little of FSF page I could get to load seems they are reusing standard talking points on the perils of commercial software without making an effort to address windows 8 specifically.

To me it would have been more useful had they actually enumerate privacy and freedom transgressions committed by Windows 8. From calling home for nn reasons, live account login, RT store lockin... must be tons of legit points which can be made about win8 rather than the same blanket statements proclaiming commercial software to be evil.

OS/2 crashing

[PolygamousRanchKid]

Back about 20 years ago, Steve Ballmer went to an IBM booth at an computer show, and tried to crash OS/2 there. So, I guess you reap what you sow.

Eventually. Kinda sorta.

Re:OS/2 crashing

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, we know Ballmer failed. To crash something, it'd have to run first.

Re:OS/2 crashing

[icebraining]

That's nothing. Windows 98 crashed its own show.

Re:Worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow. I can't imagine more blatant dick sucking than this so called article and summary. What truly pathetic depths Slashdot has sank to.

Would you have been happier if they showed up with a real live python to promote, you know, Python?

Re:a real live gnu

[Anonymous Coward]

How far away do you have to be standing to think that is a real live gnu?

If you closed your eyes and stood real close it sure smelled like a real live gnu. They haven't washed the costume since Richard Stallman started gnu in 1984.

No insight here

[Riddler Sensei]

Eh, I'll give Trisquel a download and check it out in Workstation. Pretty much expecting a by the numbers Ubuntu based distro. But hey, why not?

Re:Worthless

[Austerity Empowers]

Certainly it is not to change opinions, or they would not be distributing a form of linux no one has ever heard of to MS loyalists. I think they would have better luck preaching tax loophole reform at a republican convention, at least there'd be press that'd listen.

Re:Worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

Except they are not selling to morons who think with their dicks, moron.

Re:"Free like the free apps in the iPhone app stor

[Andy Prough]

They were having to stand outside on a sidewalk in front of a building - not a good spot for a laptop demo. Given the circumstances, I'm sure they accomplished what they wanted - get some attention and educate some folks. Gnu was cool, although not near as hairy as RMS.

Re:Worthless

[VAElynx]

I don't think a reasonable person's choice of operating system is determined by the presence of human mammary glands. Otherwise Apple would be selling the iTit.

The obvious answer

[daboochmeister]

Switch. You'll never look back, believe me.

Re:The obvious answer

[AmazingRuss]

True. After a couple of years of fighting with endless niggling problems, you'll switch again, to OSX.

Re:The obvious answer

[Anonymous Coward]

OSX loses since it doesn't have a proper file manager. I use Directory Opus on windows, and I've yet to find an alternative for linux.

I'd hit it.

[Anonymous Coward]

That's hot

Closer inspection?

[devnullkac]

On closer inspection? More like "The person with an enormous mascot mask - which, on closer inspection, vaguely resembled a gnu."

Re:Worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

apple aims for fags.

Trolling are you?

[Anonymous Coward]

Trisquel is about users freedom. If you haven't figured that out then you don't get what it is about and shouldn't be talking about it.

Trisquel is a completely free distribution unlike Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and other mainstream distributions. There is nothing wrong with promoting users freedom.

Would it be better to hand out distributions which include some non-free software? Maybe. It's difficult to promote freedom if critical pieces don't work. However I think the fact most distributions go out of the way to encourage non-free software devlopers is only doing a detriment to GNU/Linux.

When we encourage non-free software it makes it hardware to move away from it and harder to support. Non-free software is not supportable The only reason it half works is because techy users are the only ones on GNU/Linux today.

If you want to switch to GNU/Linux you should buy freedom friendly hardware. Otherwise your getting short changed and will ultimately end up failing. Too many devices ultimately are flaky or stop working because the GNU/Linux community can't support te software. Without the source code and licensing agrements which allow for redistribution your shit out of luck. It's the same thing that happens with Microsoft Windows except GNU/Linux doesn't have the hardware industry by the balls and so gets shafted every time.

http://www.thinkpenguin.com/ is the ONLY (although they have the largest catalog) place to get free software friendly hardware without doing a ton of research and preying that you get the same thing. Model numbers don't equal sameness. Companies frequently switch chipsets and it is rarely clear what is and is not supported. The free software foundation has a program to solve this problem. They are certifying hardware now. It's been slow going although fortunately we have this companies catalog in the mean time. Plus they are doing a lot of good and working with companies designers new chipsets and freeing them.

Re:Trolling are you?

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry, even as a Linux user (since 0.99), GPL programmer and Linux supporter, this is bullshit. How exactly is Trisquel "more free" - does it support my freedom to use proprietary drivers with my video card, does it guarantee my freedom to buy what I want and use what I want, or does it think it needs to impose it's world view on me? That, my friend, is not freedom any more than Microsoft or Apple sell.

Re:Trolling are you?

[Magic5Ball]

Free as in Kaczynski and Liberty Dollars, don't you know?

Re:Trolling are you?

[andrew3]

does it support my freedom to use proprietary drivers with my video card

You are free to do whatever you want with it, including changing the repositories to Ubuntu.com and installing proprietary drivers.

Sure there's free software but...

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem with some of this free software IE linux distro's of which there seem to be hundreds including the most popular ones such as Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and Debian, and this "Trisquel" which I never heard of before now, is that if you are any kind of semi serious or serious PC gamer wanting to play newer titles or even classics like World of Warcraft you are limited to hoping WoW will run under WINE on your machine, or try to setup a dual boot system of windows 7. Apparantly you can't do that with Windows 8 because of the secure boot bullshit which makes it even harder.

Or use something like Win XP Black edition and have a stripped down windows that likely runs twice as fast as windows 8. :P

Re:Worthless

[Dr_Barnowl]

Despite the fact that it's a larger target market ....

I'm willing to bet that all the people who profess not to think with their dicks, at least allow their dicks to subconsciously influence them.

I really enjoyed seeing the Linux / Mac / PC adverts that Novell did, not least because they included an attractive, seemingly intelligent, stylish woman. Yes, the message was intellectually good. But I enjoyed the attractive woman too.

It has to be tastefully done, or people who are aware that they enjoy attractive females will just get disgruntled for being manipulated. But a good message delivered by an attractive messenger is a potent combination, even if you know full well what they are doing.

Re:Worthless

[wonkey_monkey]

What truly pathetic depths Slashdot has sank to.

They let you in for a start.

MS do it already

[Anonymous Coward]

By having double page adverts in LINUX magazines.
By getting their agents (PC makers) to advertise 'Windows only PC's and services' in Linux Mags.

Get the idea?

They deserve a dose of their own medicine.

On a side note, I went into a Central London branch of PC world today. The place was strewn with devices running Windows 8. No one, yes no one was using them or event trying out this wonderous new OS. There were more people interested in cheapo Gobo android tablets than Windows 8.
Sad but it seemd a fair reflection of the damp squib that W8 really it.

Re:Worthless

[sumdumass]

Actually, I think they are. A protest is not necessarily selling a product, it's selling the idea that there is support for the product. The product is generally being sold to whatever they are protesting against but by selling sex, it increases the appearance of support for their cause by the inclusion of morons thinking with their dicks.

Imagine if you will, 20 prudently dresses women holding a rally to support $insertcause. Now imagine 10 scantly dressed 21 year old hotties and 10 muscle bound shirtless men doing the same for the same cause. You will have a base showing for the prudent women because the cause is what is there. But you will have added women and men interested in looking at the hot bodies of the people involved so there will likely be an above base showing for the event. In the end, the people thinking with their primitive instincts lend the appearance of wider spread support increasing the power for the cause. So using sex to sell a concept is a powerful tool for a cause and I think that the sale of sex (metaphorically) is actually intended to some of not a large degree.

Re:Worthless

[SuperMooCow]

Use a 3D printer to print bitcoins to pay for Windows 8, you say? What a great idea!

Re:LOL

[Anonymous Coward]

What are you smoking? I want the same!

Re:Worthless

[davydagger]

trisquel is a libre version of Ubuntu, stripped of things like flash, and adobe reader, and runs the -libre kernel, which is stripped of unfree drivers and firmware.

The debian concept of free and nonfree repos is too much for the FSF who has strict guidelines on what software can be included in an FSF certified distro:

I've ran Free distros before, suprisingly useful, and many if not most hardware still worked.

That said, this is revenge for years of brownshirts.

Re:Worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously? You don't think she's cute? I mean...really?

Re:"Free like the free apps in the iPhone app stor

[Anonymous Coward]

Exactly like this: Now how do I get his thing on my phone?

Seriously, what THE FUCK is wrong with Microsoft

[Anonymous Coward]

Windows 8 is the absolutely the most retarded piece of shit ever. I mean, I've tried Unity, and it's even worse than Unity!

This is coming about because of the MS Office monopoly, you know. Apple cannot be a real competitor without having traditional "business" capabilities. In addition, Apple is to blame for their own poor software ecosphere, with a lack of developer support or backward compatibility.

Seeing as both Apple and Microsoft are severely fucking things up, the market is ripe for a third party to come in, and start selling business desktops with an improved office suit.

Re:Worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

Crashing a competitor's product release with nude women cannot be tastefully done.

Why do people go..

[tbird81]

To a Windows 8 opening?

Who really cares about getting it first? Who (non-geek) even installs new operating systems? People just use whatever is on their computer.

Re:Why do people go..

[pointyhat]

It used to be for the free merchandise that people went there. Now it's because people are just mental.

Back in the early 90's my father used to go to CeBit wearing a tidy suit with a pocket full of fake business cards. You'd be surprised at the stuff he screwed out of people by looking the part. That was why people went. Not to look at the new products, which were mainly crap.

Now it is Stevie B's sweaty ape-like figure prancing across the stage link a baboon with hemorrhoids after a vindaloo which drooling dropped mouths foam at the prospect of another half finished fad that probably won't sell because someone will sue them off the planet for it being round or something within the week.

Re:Why do people go..

[JustNiz]

Apparently there are still some losers out there that think Windows is 'cool'.
I know this because they apparently all work in our IT department.

Sounds like a way

[Anonymous Coward]

To look like a jerk and lose all credibility for yourself and the people you represent.

Re:Worthless

[VortexCortex]

You fail to control for those who are easily offended by over sexualized displays.

I wish GNU Hurd was ready

[Reed Solomon]

Then RMS wouldn't need to hijack linux for his cause.

The best thing to happen to Linux was the philosophy of Open Source.

I'm not unsympathetic to the FSF's goals, but Linux just isn't GNU to me.

Re:I wish GNU Hurd was ready

[Anonymous Coward]

Of course Linux is not GNU. That's exactly why RMS wants Linux and GNU/Linux to be distinct. By using the GNU/Linux name to refer to a GNU/Linux distribution, you can help assist in clear thinking by not implying GNU being a Linux project.

Re:Worthless

[Russ1642]

Also known as a man.

Re:"Free like the free apps in the iPhone app stor

[Andy Prough]

Exactly! Tech "journalist": "Uh-huh, uh-huh -- free software, free as in free, freedom. OK - got it. No, I don't need a DVD - I'll just download the app onto my iPhone. You said its free, right?"

I guess things have changed

[scdeimos]

Special thanks to our volunteers, Linnea the GNU and Tristan the photographer, for helping make this action a huge success!

Glad to see Linnea "The Planet Killer" is doing something more positive with her life now.

Re:I guess things have changed

[Anonymous Coward]

Glad to see Linnea "The Planet Killer" is doing something more positive with her life now.

Wha huh?

GNU, really ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Wishful thinking. I one year GNU will have 1% of windows 8 market share.

JAM

Re:Worthless

[sumdumass]

Not really. If they don't believe in the cause enough to over look that, they might have been distracted by the latest Brittany Spears blunder or something too.

Those people will be somewhat small in comparison to the gains. However, I do agree that it probably could be taken too far and turn a lot of people off. But having babes or bare chested firefighters doing something for the event that isn't indicative of a sexual act or something that would just gross most people out would likely help more then hurt.

Re:Worthless

[hairyfeet]

Well it could be worse, it could be one of the "fill in the blank" clickbaits like "Will (insert product) be the death of (insert something with crazed fanbase like FOSS, Apple)?" as God knows I've seen enough of THOSE with the release of Win 8.

This? this is....well its just sad, that's what it is. I'd have been asking if they'd like me to contact a therapist for them if I'd have been at the event as this is just a sad "look at me!" cry for attention. The fact that it made the front page is pretty damned pathetic though, I thought the firehose was supposed to end bullshit like this?

Re:Worthless

[kiddygrinder]

i'm angry at people for believing things

Re:Worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

If you think the purpose of a demonstration/event is "nude tits for the onlookers", you're a moron whose thought centre has moved from cranium to crotch.

The purpose of a demonstration/event is to advertise a product and create interest in said product. There's a reason people say "sex sells," and commercials always have sexy, or at least attractive, actresses in them. Maybe you should do some research about advertising, specifically sex in advertising, before you call someone else a moron, moron.

They could have at least worn a turtleneck...:)

Re:Worthless

[lurker1997]

She was cute. The GP has likely never been near a real woman to has no point for comparison.

Re:Worthless

[Kalriath]

Crashing a competitor's product release at all cannot be tastefully done (especially by the FSF) so I don't really see there being a huge issue at that point...

Re:Worthless

[Kalriath]

Yes, most emphatically, yes.

Re:Worthless

[hairyfeet]

I never understood all the "you sexist pig!" crap, I mean so what if guys like booth babes or hot babes in commercials? Its like when I pointed out the whole "booth babe" stink to my GF, know what she said? "Give us girls some guys that look like John Carter and you can ogle all you want honey, BTW did you see his abs? OMG he looked good in that little loincloth thingie!"

So just be fair about it, gals like to ogle too so give them a little eye candy and everyone will be happy. But you're right that only a blind guy would suggest that having someone seriously hot deliver the message makes no difference, as it does.

Re:Worthless

[kiddygrinder]

what do you mean moved?

Re:Worthless

[Fjandr]

Only people who already support their cause are supposed to look at them naked in public. It's in the EULA somewhere.

Re:Worthless

[Fjandr]

Don't know if the person was talking about the woman in the gnu costume or the woman in the red shirt and blue jeans. I'd say the former is definitely cute. The latter, while not unattractive, isn't what I would term cute. However, that's also highly subjective and very personal, so everyone's mileage will vary somewhat.

Re:Worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

sex sells dude, if you haven't figured that out by now you have problems.

Linux o'relly?

[Anonymous Coward]

At least there are drivers for Windows, I installed Linux and my printer, scanner, digital camera, phone wasn't supported, less my network card. Since I installed in dual boot I come to windows and asked support in some Linux forums. The answer? "Buy REAL hardware". So I did ponder: Buy a new printer, scanner, camera, network card and phone that is "real" because someone says its supported in Linux (on this case Linux is not free anymore) or I remove the Linux partition and forget the matter?

Written in Windows XP 64 bits ;)

Re:Linux o'relly?

[Anonymous Coward]

People who buy windows-only hardware contribute to the problem. Knowingly or unknowingly...

Imagine for a moment:
If there was hardware that only had linux drivers and nothing else, would you bitch about windows the same way or would it be the hardware producer's fault for locking you in to one system?

Wrong approach...

[Anonymous Coward]

If the gnutards want to be taken seriously, this is the wrong way to go about doing it. You won't stop being a fringe OS with this sort of behavior.

Re:Worthless

[Ol Olsoc]

Look, she can't help it if she's not pretty. Or if she's too poor to afford nice clothes.

I'll bet the boy GNU's found her plenty hot. Whoosh!

Debian?

[Anonymous Coward]

Most of these GNU distros are Debian with some stripped out stuff. Why not hand out Debian disk that work on a majority of systems, provide office software and do a great deal of what a desktop user needs.

I guess GNU and it's fight for the GNU/Linux name is valid...but where is my my Hurd OS?

Re:Worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

And by 'libre' you mean 'irrelevant to anybody but Stallman and a couple hardcore devotees,' right?

I can never keep track of these definitions.

Hurd of GNUs

[girlinatrainingbra]

(btw, first post to reference Hurd that I'm seeing. That's kinda lame for this being /., isn't it?)

There could/should have been a whole Hurd of GNUs sent over except for the fact that so many of them have been discontinued:

Hurd-based GNU distributions include:

-- Arch Hurd

-- Debian GNU/Hurd

-- NixOS[23][24]

-- Bee GNU/Hurd (discontinued)

-- Gentoo GNU Hurd (discontinued)

-- GNU/Hurd Live CD (discontinued) I kid, I kid. I love GNU. I love Linux. They taste great together, like peanut butter and chocolate. There's a commercial for you:

Your GNU ran into my Linux! No, your Linux ran into my GNU! Hey, they taste great together! And no unpopped kernels, either! (c) 2012-10-27-23h35PDF, by me.

BTW, first post to reference Hurd that I'm seeing. That's kinda lame for this being /., isn't it?

Re: Gospel According to Stallman

[Anonymous Coward]

From wikiquote:
  "Prostitution, adultery, necrophilia, bestiality, possession of child pornography, and even incest and pedophilia ... should be legal as long as no one is coerced. They are illegal only because of prejudice and narrowmindedness.

Some rules might be called for when these acts directly affect other people's interests. For incest, contraception could be mandatory to avoid risk of inbreeding. For prostitution, a license should be required to ensure prostitutes get regular medical check-ups, and they should have training and support in insisting on use of condoms. This will be an advance in public health, compared with the situation today.

For necrophilia, it might be necessary to ask the next of kin for permission if the decedent's will did not authorize it. Necrophilia would be my second choice for what should be done with my corpse, the first being scientific or medical use. Once my dead body is no longer of any use to me, it may as well be of some use to someone. Besides, I often enjoy rhinophytonecrophilia (nasal sex with dead plants).

I am skeptical of the claim that voluntarily pedophilia harms children. The arguments that it causes harm seem to be based on cases which aren't voluntary, which are then stretched by parents who are horrified by the idea that their little baby is maturing."

Re:Worthless

[smi.james.th]

Actually the second to last photo had her without the Gnu mask. I thought she was quite pretty.

Any Solutions

[assertation]

Does anyone offer for free or sell software that Windows users can use to disable those "features"?

Another reason to use linux for gaming

[Anonymous Coward]

A major reason I use Windows is for games, because my habit for state-of-the art graphics supports game developers for Windows and Mac. But native Steam on Linux, and even better, stand-alone kickstarter funded- games development, plus game engines like Epic's Unigine suggest that, if you build it, they will come, regardless of platform. Will Unreal Engine 4 and Squaresoft's new Luminous engines be use for linux sooner, rather than later?

http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/130535-real-time-tech-demos-that-showcase-the-future-of-console-and-pc-gaming

You Gnu it!

[Anonymous Coward]

I was expecting to see a wide eyed, blue, bulbous plant-like creature. The Gnu is in another castle.

I see a problem

[viperidaenz]

FSF are employing unattractive people to do their ground work. If you want people to remember you, show them people they want to remember.

Re:Worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

Look, she can't help it if she's not pretty. Or if she's too poor to afford nice clothes.

FREE software is like people -- what's on the inside matters more than the external appearance.

I think she's cute.

Re:Worthless

[Chatsubo]

FAIL: You didn't use a Raspberry Pi.

Well said

[Anonymous Coward]

I personally always feel clean and dignified when I install a 'free and free' OS. Could be in my head, but it feels the reverse from handing over sweaty banknotes for some crap I don't need. However, I would dearly like to see them focus more on Unix. With Unix, you can have the hybrid Darwin kernel - same as OSX and iOS. Windows 7 also has a hybrid kernel. It's the one area Linux falls behind in.

Galician vs Portuguese support?

[unixisc]

Now let's see why they really forked ubuntu, and copy pasted Portuguese and called it Galicia:

Does Trisquel support Galician but not Portugese? If they have support for both, then they're not doing what you suggest here

Re:Worthless

[SuperMooCow]

Maybe not, but the 3D printer is controlled by an Arduino!