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Rare Photos: Gnu Crashing a Windows 8 Launch Event

Posted by Soulskill on from the somebody-call-attenborough dept.

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."

11 of 313 comments (clear)

  1. Crashing, huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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!

  2. It was funny in 1995 by Joe+U · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    1. Re:It was funny in 1995 by TraumaHound · · Score: 4, Insightful

      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.

    2. Re:It was funny in 1995 by icebraining · · Score: 4, Insightful

      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.

      --
      Dilbert RSS feed
  3. So it wasn't a real, live Gnu... by BrownLeopard · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...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.

    1. Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu... by icebraining · · Score: 4, Insightful

      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.

      --
      Dilbert RSS feed
    2. Re:So it wasn't a real, live Gnu... by artor3 · · Score: 4, Insightful

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

  4. Windows 8 downgrades security? by Wrath0fb0b · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

  5. only Windows 8? by mschaffer · · Score: 4, Insightful

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

  6. Re:Worthless by larry+bagina · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    --
    Do you even lift?

    These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  7. Re:Real live gnu? Seriously? by PPH · · Score: 4, Insightful

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

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.