ISC did not tell the Linux vendors. Mr Anonymous is wrong.
Why they didn't we don't know. They've not explained that yet. The exciting conspiracy theory is that its an attempt to force people to join their pay to play early notification stuff. The more boring posibilities are that they forgot, or that ISS didn't give them enough notice either.
Actually the LGPL bit isnt a buffer. The GPL explicitly says that GPL+LGPL becomes GPL. so GPL+LGPL becomes GPL+Nvidia binary.
Nvidia's driver (though I loathe it) probably is not a derivative work. Having picked apart bits of it its the sort of code you could move to another OS in a week, and I guess they may well use mostly the same code on Windows.
So is 400K of binary which uses the minimal generic set of os functions a derivative work or a seperate work. NVidia's legal people clearly think its the latter
If you've got the guts to continue this other than as an "anonymous coward" then I would be interested in evidence that something like that is going on so I can go kick people and find out what is happening.
It may also depend on the code involved. If its about 'web server software' and that software is dell written and created it may be Dell proprietary. If it is Apache mods then it is under a very weak BSD license and they can take their version proprietary.
Blessed binaries is a complicated issue. It comes down to what is source and what is equivalent functionality. There is a real difference between "you can't use my service but you can run your own" and "pay $100,000 and we will let you run your code on your computer"
Linux already has a standard for TV tuners, video cards and both analog and digital TV systems. The palladium thing does demonstrate the need for more GPL software authors to include language like this (from bits of the kernel...)
* For the avoidance of doubt the "preferred form" of this code is one which
* is in an open non patent encumbered format. Where cryptographic key signing
* forms part of the process of creating an executable the information
* including keys needed to generate an equivalently functional executable
* are deemed to be part of the source code.
*
and I'd urge the FSF to adopt such language in the GPL next generation too
Re:Easy - by not using blade servers....
on
Open Blade Servers?
·
· Score: 2
You can build youself a blade server right now dependng on your price target and CPU requirements. At the low end VIA sell entire fanless EPIA systems that draw 60W power including disk and you can pack them in tight. With a bit of origami you should be able to get quite a few of them in a 5U case.
I've seen small windtunnels on auction sites, is that the future of blade computing with Athlons - round machines with a chimney 8)
This depends upon the goal of the virus writer. The paper assumes a superworm with a goal of staying alive. Its equally valid to construct a superworm with a destruction goal, erasing bioses. disk firmware etc.
I like the paper, its another reminder that the current approach of virus control simply doesn't work. Security needs a lot more depth and a lot more work - and not just on windows either
There are lots of other possible fuels. There was a bit of a stink recently (in both senses) about people who were running diesel vehicles on a mixture of cooking oil and methanol. Apparently it works very well, far too well for the fuel tax people to be happy about 8)
[For those thinking fuel tax ? - the uk puts most of the cost of roads onto the fuel in taxes since not everyone has a car and the people who drive more do more of the wearing out]
At least I assume it is the redhat-logos that he means. If you sell a Red Hat 8.0 based distribution you need to replace the logos with your own logos so that people know it isnt the genuine Red Hat article.
So you swap the logo package for 'emporium linux' or whatever. Logo rules are there for the obvious trademark reasons, and helping to ensure people know if they are getting Red Hat or not.
In terms of non free packages - netscape is gone and the flash type stuff is on the extra app cds or available from the vendor rather than lurking in with the free stuff.
I'm not sure quite how the logos fit in with each persons individual definition of free. What we do is basically the same as for example Debian (http://www.debian.org/logos/)
Alan
Re:What about NORTH wales?
on
Wireless Wales
·
· Score: 2
The south wales one was done by people getting off their backsides and doing stuff. I'm sure the same can be done in the North.
The best answer I've seen to the whole question came from a developer who made one very good point
"Why worry about the US, its only 4% of the population"
I guess the fact he was chinese gave him a rather more balanced perspective on life. For the SGI patents it appears that SGI have already shipped code under the GPL using those patents so it should be a non issue.
However in the USSA you cannot simply ignore the problem. A kernel which is known to violate patents isnt shippable by vendors, and Debian would have to cease using it in the USSA too. Debian is going to be in a tricky position if the kernel is in the non-US packages.
Could we end up with a world where the US is the one nation that can't use free software - ultimately thats quite possible. After all the US has many other fields where some large corporations systematically obliterated any small competition.
Thats a shame. There is a lot of great music on independant labels who have a really good attitude to their fans. They don't hide lyric sheets, they often waive some radio fees and in many cases they work through local recording studios and cd firms helping them to survive and support local music.
I don't know about the USA but the UK has many relatively independant and completely independant small labels (eg www.showofhands.co.uk - a band whose musicians who actually go around teaching people to play their music, www.madrarua.com (ok Im biased they are in Swansea)). When I visited St Johns newfoundland I was amazed at the huge mostly independant and deeply vibrant music culture there.
They only apply to USSA citizens and other backward nations. I would not be suprised if Valgrind had US patent issues, but then so does just about anything but breathing
Its actually useless. It allows them to sell it to a friend, sue everyone and buy their patent back one afternoon. The exemption excludes authorizing applicaitons or protocols (ie everything NSALinux does)
Utterly cynical. However it demonstrates how bad the US patent problem is. Even the NSA, the US ultimate investigative and spook agency can't get patent stuff sane. So now the US government has written a security system that only foreign governments can profit from due to bad USSA law and poor planning.
Assuming the innovators dilemma is applicable on a trans-national scale we are all screwed and maybe the resulting shift of employment will actually sort the mess out. We have large corporations who can't expand their market. They can't expand their market because they lobby for things harming poor countries. If instead they improved things in poor countries the people would be able to afford toys and they could expand their markets.
It becomes an invasion of privacy if they decide to break into your computer. What is going on here is quite different. Its more akin to people leaving piles of copied movies on the road with a big "take one" sign.
If you make stuff available for download you stuck it up for people to see and put it out in the open.
There are guilty until proven innocent problems with the current take down approaches but the privacy one is a red herring here.
Actually my suggestions were coming from the UK side, and probably reflect the ones more appropriate to the UK than the USA (as someone noted above there are better and much more US sane ways to ask the questions)
Ask intellectuals about the fact works will be lost for ever. Ask socialists about the terrible effects on the disabled. Ask conservative anti-EU people how come the EUCD is forced on them by an unrepresentative foreign power. Ask conservative pro-EU people how the security services will function when things like watermarks will reveal which agent leaked documents that appear in court.
As to our dear Tony Blair and his cronies - don't bother. They have their heads so far up the arse of big business that if Bill Gates eats lentils for tea Tony is going to suffocate.
So find an equivalent item. I'm trying to help from across the pond. Im sure you can find *some* suitable figure - fear of being attacked, non government reports, drug induced violent crime ?
Its been known in the network community that filtering by source address of attacks does not work for the general case. It has been known for years. With such a system if I attack them spoofing your address range they shut *you* off and automatically alert your isp.
Worse, you would be entitled to sue the reporter if you suffered from them misreporting the attack, eg by being cut off....
Where it does work is on a backbone connected router because you can shut off BGP peers and also play games adjusting routes to see which peer the actual attack comes down.
1. What is the US doing about the terrible state of computer security (one to get him happy and talking) 2. What is the US government planning to do about the consequences this terrible security and lack of privacy laws is having on identify theft and the risk of terrorists using stolen identity (technique 2 - link two things in one question and make it hard for them to give answers heading in a direction away from you) 3 - The DMCA is supressing important research into security technologies, given the lack of security how do you justify this (get him on what he has admitted then force answers) 4 - What plans does the US government have for laws to prevent abuse of end user license agreements, digital rights management and other new technologies (note - you dont ask if there is a problem you state it and ask what they will do. a) this lets you make a point to him about what you see as important b) puts him in a position where he has to justify the position and explain it - the more you can keep them talking on such questions the better 8) 5 - Software patents, meritless lawsuits, high taxes and complex restrictions on exports are making it ever harder for business to justify remaining in the USA and not moving elsewhere. What are you doing to simplify it (same theory as above, and the word 'tax' requires an answer 8)) 6 - Copying a protected ebook, even to help a blind user read it now carries a typical sentence higher than that of assault and many other acts of violence against the person. In these times of rising violent crime isn't it about time the US government got back to the needs of the people not the needs of large corporations.
Red Hat ship a whole ton of Ximian code. Some of it like Evolution in 7.3 is really rather good too.
Re:But what about the struggling artists...
on
RIAA Sues Audiogalaxy
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
Audiogalaxy was actually helping small artists sell stuff. People who *wanted* their stuff on it to get URL's known and for people to buy actual albums. That seems to me much more likely -why- the RIAA wanted to sue them.
After all if there are alternatives to the kind of contracts the big media companies push who is going to sign up with the big boys ?
Very much so. The situation needs changing badly, but right now it forces people to play the stupid patent game either for good or for evil.
Expect a formal clarification from the Red Hat folks about this patent and usage (we didnt think it was news). Expect more patents too. In fact I've got two applications and I need to finish writing up - which I wouldn't be doing unless I was *convinced* this was the only way to do things in the short term, and that generic GPL use would be granted
Slashdot Mirror
ISC did not tell the Linux vendors. Mr Anonymous is wrong.
Why they didn't we don't know. They've not explained that yet. The exciting conspiracy theory is that its an attempt to force people to join their pay to play early notification stuff. The more boring posibilities are that they forgot, or that ISS didn't give them enough notice either.
Actually the LGPL bit isnt a buffer. The GPL explicitly says that GPL+LGPL becomes GPL. so GPL+LGPL becomes GPL+Nvidia binary.
Nvidia's driver (though I loathe it) probably is not a derivative work. Having picked apart bits of it its the sort of code you could move to another OS in a week, and I guess they may well use mostly the same code on Windows.
So is 400K of binary which uses the minimal generic set of os functions a derivative work or a seperate work. NVidia's legal people clearly think its the latter
If you've got the guts to continue this other than as an "anonymous coward" then I would be interested in evidence that something like that is going on so I can go kick people and find out what is happening.
It may also depend on the code involved. If its about 'web server software' and that software is dell written and created it may be Dell proprietary. If it is Apache mods then it is under a very weak BSD license and they can take their version proprietary.
You might also want to ask Matt Domsch at Dell
Blessed binaries is a complicated issue. It comes down to what is source and what is equivalent functionality. There is a real difference between "you can't use my service but you can run your own" and "pay $100,000 and we will let you run your code on your computer"
Linux already has a standard for TV tuners, video cards and both analog and digital TV systems. The palladium thing does demonstrate the need for more GPL software authors to include language like this
(from bits of the kernel...)
* For the avoidance of doubt the "preferred form" of this code is one which
* is in an open non patent encumbered format. Where cryptographic key signing
* forms part of the process of creating an executable the information
* including keys needed to generate an equivalently functional executable
* are deemed to be part of the source code.
*
and I'd urge the FSF to adopt such language in the GPL next generation too
You can build youself a blade server right now dependng on your price target and CPU requirements. At the low end VIA sell entire fanless EPIA systems that draw 60W power including disk and you can pack them in tight. With a bit of origami you should be able to get quite a few of them in a 5U case.
I've seen small windtunnels on auction sites, is that the future of blade computing with Athlons - round machines with a chimney 8)
This depends upon the goal of the virus writer. The paper assumes a superworm with a goal of staying alive. Its equally valid to construct a superworm with a destruction goal, erasing bioses. disk firmware etc.
I like the paper, its another reminder that the current approach of virus control simply doesn't work. Security needs a lot more depth and a lot more work - and not just on windows either
There are lots of other possible fuels. There was a bit of a stink recently (in both senses) about people who were running diesel vehicles on a mixture of cooking oil and methanol. Apparently it works very well, far too well for the fuel tax people to be happy about 8)
[For those thinking fuel tax ? - the uk puts most of the cost of roads onto the fuel in taxes since not everyone has a car and the people who drive more do more of the wearing out]
If Joe Desktop wants a cheap box thats going to use low power then the VIA Eden boards are much more credible platforms.
Not only are they low power but you can get cheap mostly metal cases (in black too) and they are almost silent, including an option of no CPU fan.
Finally as sites like www.mini-itx.com show you can recycle insane things like bread bins, sparc ipx's and even a nes as cases for them
At least I assume it is the redhat-logos that he means. If you sell a Red Hat 8.0 based distribution you need to replace the logos with your own logos so that people know it isnt the genuine Red Hat article.
So you swap the logo package for 'emporium linux' or whatever. Logo rules are there for the obvious trademark reasons, and helping to ensure people know if they are getting Red Hat or not.
In terms of non free packages - netscape is gone and the flash type stuff is on the extra app cds or available from the vendor rather than lurking in with the free stuff.
I'm not sure quite how the logos fit in with each persons individual definition of free. What we do is basically the same as for example Debian
(http://www.debian.org/logos/)
Alan
The south wales one was done by people getting off their backsides and doing stuff. I'm sure the same can be done in the North.
The best answer I've seen to the whole question came from a developer who made one very good point
"Why worry about the US, its only 4% of the population"
I guess the fact he was chinese gave him a rather more balanced perspective on life. For the SGI patents it appears that SGI have already shipped code under the GPL using those patents so it should be a non issue.
However in the USSA you cannot simply ignore the problem. A kernel which is known to violate patents isnt shippable by vendors, and Debian would have to cease using it in the USSA too. Debian is going to be in a tricky position if the kernel is in the non-US packages.
Could we end up with a world where the US is the one nation that can't use free software - ultimately thats quite possible. After all the US has many other fields where some large corporations systematically obliterated any small competition.
> I no longer buy CDs,
Thats a shame. There is a lot of great music on independant labels who have a really good attitude to their fans. They don't hide lyric sheets, they often waive some radio fees and in many cases they work through local recording studios and cd firms helping them to survive and support local music.
I don't know about the USA but the UK has many relatively independant and completely independant small labels (eg www.showofhands.co.uk - a band whose musicians who actually go around teaching people to play their music, www.madrarua.com (ok Im biased they are in Swansea)). When I visited St Johns newfoundland I was amazed at the huge mostly independant and deeply vibrant music culture there.
They only apply to USSA citizens and other backward nations. I would not be suprised if Valgrind had US patent issues, but then so does just about anything but breathing
Its actually useless. It allows them to sell it to a friend, sue everyone and buy their patent back one afternoon. The exemption excludes authorizing applicaitons or protocols (ie everything NSALinux does)
Utterly cynical. However it demonstrates how bad the US patent problem is. Even the NSA, the US ultimate investigative and spook agency can't get patent stuff sane. So now the US government has written a security system that only foreign governments can profit from due to bad USSA law and poor planning.
Its a pity Americans don't understand irony...
Assuming the innovators dilemma is applicable on a trans-national scale we are all screwed and maybe the resulting shift of employment will actually sort the mess out. We have large corporations who can't expand their market. They can't expand their market because they lobby for things harming poor countries. If instead they improved things in poor countries the people would be able to afford toys and they could expand their markets.
Alan
(wake me up when the dow is below 5000)
I doubt he cares. I believe he died about a week after the case
It becomes an invasion of privacy if they decide to break into your computer. What is going on here is quite different. Its more akin to people leaving piles of copied movies on the road with a big "take one" sign.
If you make stuff available for download you stuck it up for people to see and put it out in the open.
There are guilty until proven innocent problems with the current take down approaches but the privacy one is a red herring here.
Actually my suggestions were coming from the UK side, and probably reflect the ones more appropriate to the UK than the USA (as someone noted above there are better and much more US sane ways to ask the questions)
Ask intellectuals about the fact works will be lost for ever. Ask socialists about the terrible effects on the disabled. Ask conservative anti-EU people how come the EUCD is forced on them by an unrepresentative foreign power. Ask conservative pro-EU people how the security services will function when things like watermarks will reveal which agent leaked documents that appear in court.
As to our dear Tony Blair and his cronies - don't bother. They have their heads so far up the arse of big business that if Bill Gates eats lentils for tea Tony is going to suffocate.
So find an equivalent item. I'm trying to help from across the pond. Im sure you can find *some* suitable figure - fear of being attacked, non government reports, drug induced violent crime ?
Its been known in the network community that filtering by source address of attacks does not work for the general case. It has been known for years. With such a system if I attack them spoofing your address range they shut *you* off and automatically alert your isp.
Worse, you would be entitled to sue the reporter if you suffered from them misreporting the attack, eg by being cut off....
Where it does work is on a backbone connected router because you can shut off BGP peers and also play games adjusting routes to see which peer the actual attack comes down.
1. What is the US doing about the terrible state of computer security (one to get him happy and talking)
2. What is the US government planning to do about the consequences this terrible security and lack of privacy laws is having on identify theft and the risk of terrorists using stolen identity (technique 2 - link two things in one question and make it hard for them to give answers heading in a direction away from you)
3 - The DMCA is supressing important research into security technologies, given the lack of security how do you justify this (get him on what he has admitted then force answers)
4 - What plans does the US government have for laws to prevent abuse of end user license agreements, digital rights management and other new technologies (note - you dont ask if there is a problem you state it and ask what they will do. a) this lets you make a point to him about what you see as important b) puts him in a position where he has to justify the position and explain it - the more you can keep them talking on such questions the better 8)
5 - Software patents, meritless lawsuits, high taxes and complex restrictions on exports are making it ever harder for business to justify remaining in the USA and not moving elsewhere. What are you doing to simplify it (same theory as above, and the word 'tax' requires an answer 8))
6 - Copying a protected ebook, even to help a blind user read it now carries a typical sentence higher than that of assault and many other acts of violence against the person. In these times of rising violent crime isn't it about time the US government got back to the needs of the people not the needs of large corporations.
Poor little troll.
Red Hat ship a whole ton of Ximian code. Some of it like Evolution in 7.3 is really rather good too.
Audiogalaxy was actually helping small artists sell stuff. People who *wanted* their stuff on it to get URL's known and for people to buy actual albums. That seems to me much more likely -why- the RIAA wanted to sue them.
After all if there are alternatives to the kind of contracts the big media companies push who is going to sign up with the big boys ?
Very much so. The situation needs changing badly, but right now it forces people to play the stupid patent game either for good or for evil.
Expect a formal clarification from the Red Hat folks about this patent and usage (we didnt think it was news). Expect more patents too. In fact I've got two applications and I need to finish writing up - which I wouldn't be doing unless I was *convinced* this was the only way to do things in the short term, and that generic GPL use would be granted
Alan