LONG [News Digest] Linux News Digest for the 24hrs preceding 16-03-07
Mark Kent
* Recent Linux Success Stories Listed
* Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Has Very Early Adopters; GNOME 2.18.0
Released
* Company Advocate Use of Open Source Software (including Linux)
* Europe Moving Away to OpenDocument
* KDE Establishes Release Roadmap with KDE 4 Milestone
* Ubuntu Preparing Self for Businesses, OEMs
* Microsoft Plays Dirty Tricks with Journalists
* Microsoft Falls Behind as Industry Shifts to Services?
* Linux Beats Windows Because It's Already Modular
* a la Mobile Bets on Linux for VoIP Stack
* Xandros Linux Embraces a SharePoint-like Functionality
* Linux PC the Size of a a Credit Card
* DRM is Dying, But Draconian Studios Want to Control Your Television
* 160,000+ Students in SA Exposed to Linux
* Free/Libre Open Source Companies Coming to Wall Street
* Sun Launches Site to Deliver Open Source Applications
* Symantec Gives Its Blessing to Red Hat's New Linux
* Breaking a Myth -- Linux is Actually Harder for Advanced Users,
Not Casual Users
* Linux Leadership Speaks Out (Zemlin, Debian)
* Education Ready for Free Open Source Software
* Microsoft EULAs Hard to Read -- Coincidence or Deliberate?
* Windows Suitable Only for Experts; Linux Suitable for Beginners
As Well
* Red Hat Exchange Launched, Will Distribution Free/OS Software
* Beryl 0.2.0 Grows Up, Reaches Stablity
* Microsoft Looks Into IE7 Vulnerability (PK: "Here We Go Again")
* CrossOver Linux Certified to Run More Win32 Programmes Than Windows
Vista
* SUSE Linux Will Have Virtuozzo Preloaded
* Dockers for Linux - An Overview with Videos
* Microsoft Still Goes Nowhere in High-performance Computing
* Are Keyloggers, Malware, and SPAM Taking Our Money?
* Add Romania to List Of $100 Linux Laptop Countries
* Pakistan Fights Piracy by Encouraging Use of Open Source Software
* Mary Jo Foley: Windows Live Won't Live for Much Longer
* Microsoft Commits Its Own 'Craplet' Crime/Sin
* Review of ReactOS 0.3.1 (Wine)
* What if the Traditional Operating System Layer Vanished?
* Red Hat Works with IBM, Filrts with Microsoft
* Op-Ed: Free Software a Case of Evolve or Be Gone
* Music Industry Lost Touch with Clients' Needs
* SCO Doing Worse Than They Have People Believe (and They Lie)
* Linux Reciprocity is a Major Merit
* Printer Design Simulation Done with Linux
* Neoware Puts Linux in Thin Client, 2.5 Times Cheaper Than Windows
* Windows Vista Already Gets "High Priority" Patches
* Microsoft Zune Shill Caught (Joke?)
* Vista Bad News As Corporate Customers Walk Away - Digest
* Microsoft PR Making a Mountain of a Mole Hill
* Windows Retreats on Activation?
* Novell linked to 'Windows cheaper than Linux' statement
This is a digest of the previous 24 hours (GMT day) of [News] postings
in comp.os.linux.advocacy. If you have any comments, suggestions or
remarks, please reply to this message and I will take account of all
that I can. The digest is created from my leafnode news spool, which is
pre-filtered, so some poster's articles might not appear.
Try the faq at: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/linux/advocacy/faq-and-primer/
for more information about cola.
Just like other public, unmoderated discussion fora, cola has
its share of disruptive posters. This blog has been created by
a concerned cola netizen to assist newcomers in identifying them:
http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/
In order to find the last week's digests, try:
http://groups.google.co.uk/groups/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&num=10&q=group%3Acomp.os.linux.advocacy+insubject%3Alinux+insubject%3Anews+insubject%3Adigest+author%3Amark.kent%40demon.co.uk&as_drrb=q&as_qdr=w&safe=off&qt_s=Search
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message-ID: <5232737.A...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Recent Linux Success Stories Listed
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:08:57 +0000
A Decade of Linux & Increasingly Stronger
,----[ Quote ]
| Munich
|
| Macedonia
|
| Extremadura
|
| Linux desktop avalanche?
|
| CCA, New York
|
| Windsor School, California
|
| Zaragoza
|
| [...]
|
| The stories above took place because the responsible parties are people
| who have recognised the risks of staying with Microsoft, or could not
| afford the costs of upgrading. These stories tend to spread rapidly.
`----
http://reallylinux.com/docs/adecadeoflinux.shtml
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1251036.K...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Has Very Early Adopters; GNOME 2.18.0 Released
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:07:00 +0000
Wotif.com adopts Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
,----[ Quote ]
| Red Hat Linux Enterprise Version 5 has just been released and already
| Australian accommodation Web site Wotif.com is implementing the solution.
`----
GNOME 2.18 (Simply Beautiful)
,----[ Quote ]
| GNOME 2.18 is out, on time as usual. The top-class free desktop
| for the masses looks and feels better than ever. This is another
| progressive release in our road to perfection.
`----
http://www.gnome.org/start/2.18/notes/C/
------------------------------
Message-ID: <5186768.g...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Company Advocate Use of Open Source Software (including Linux)
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:19:58 +0000
Open source software empowers Web widget maker
,----[ Quote ]
| "Don't be ignorant about the amount of infrastructure you need to
| get the company off the ground," he says. "With open source, you
| can get better than the commercial stuff, with a huge community
| around it. You don't want to spend your time building a Web server
| when there's already something powerful and supported. You need to
| hire someone familiar with Web technologies and servers, but open
| source lets you focus on your core competencies."
`----
http://community.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/03/06/2059236&tid=5&tid=3&tid=63
------------------------------
Message-ID: <28647415....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Europe Moving Away to OpenDocument
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:22:49 +0000
EU Conclusions from Open Document Exchange Formats Workshop
,----[ Quote ]
| [...]
|
| * One format for one purpose: Administrations should be able to
| standardise (internally) on a minimal set of formats;
|
| * No incomplete implementations, no proprietary extensions;
|
|
| [...]
|
| OpenForum Europe (who attended and participated in the workshop)
| strongly endorse these conclusions. In particular we take note of
| the overwhelming view from Member States on the detrimental effect
| that more than standard in one area would have, significantly
| increasing confusion, complexity and cost.
`----
http://www.openforumeurope.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=937&Itemid=1
Related:
Q&A: Former Mass. CIO feels 'bittersweet pride' after battles with Microsoft,
legislature
,----[ Quote ]
| As CIO of Massachusetts from February to November last year, Louis
| Gutierrez had to endure most of the brunt of Microsoft Corp.'s political
| wrath over a state policy calling for the adoption of the Open Document
| Format for Office Applications, or ODF -- a rival to the software vendor's
| Office Open XML file format.
|
| [...]
|
| Do you see any reason for there to be two standards? If you were
| starting blank-slate, there certainly would not be value to creating
| two separate standards. Over time, it has sometimes been useful to
| have the competition of two standards to keep both sides honest.
| But I don't see particular value in the long-term co-existence of
| two separate standards.
`----
From the previous CIO....
,----[ Quote ]
| Quinn: Almost to a person, to anybody involved or who knows about
| the ODF issue, they attributed the story to Microsoft, right, wrong
| or otherwise. Senator Pacheco may be a bully but I do not believe he
| is disingenious and would stoop to such a tactic. Senator Pacheco and
| Secretary Galvin's office remain very heavily influenced by the
| Microsoft money and its lobbyist machine, as witnessed by their
| playbook and words, in my opinion.
|
| Quinn: I believe that the ODF decision will stand. I believe MS
| will continue to do anything and everything it can to stop it. And I
| know my seat wasn't even empty and they (MS) took another shot at
| the title, to no avail. This horse is out of the barn and I see no
| way for it to go back in. Remember, all we are asking for was and is
| for Microsoft to commit to open and the standards process; so
| everyone looks really bad if the plug gets pulled at this juncture.
`----
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060119232859729
MA Governor-Elect Names MS Anti-ODF Lobbyist to Technology Advisory Group
http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20061128161343183
The Sorry State of Massachusetts
http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=2006111603531029
Microsoft offers schools in Mass. free software (to stop ODF adoption)
http://news.com.com/2100-7344_3-6090196.html?part=rss&tag=6090196&subj=news
Microsoft plays Massachusetts Senate card
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=32515
Politics and tech companies: follow the money
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061110-8194.html
Years of deadlock on EU patent bring some new thinking
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/08/business/patents.php
,----[ Quote ]
| "A source that deals with the company said unofficially that Gates
| proposed Microsoft's Digital Rights Management technology as a national
| standard to fight piracy at the governmental level."
`----
http://www.kommersant.com/p719683/r_528/
Leaked letter warns of open source 'threat to eco-system'
http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=7109
Study: open source needs official support; Lobbyist disagrees with "flawed"
conclusions
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061017-8011.html
Report Says Nonprofits Sold Influence to Abramoff
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/12/AR2006101200889.html
Open Source Foes In Bed With Abramoff
http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/12/2036223&from=rss
EU official joins consultancy serving Microsoft
US ambassador to the EU was former Microsoft lobbyist
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=34706
US politicians go to bat for Microsoft
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/26/microsoft_eu_political_lobbying/
Changing the Report, After the Vote
http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/01/commission
Microsoft playing three card monte with XML conversion
,----[ Quote ]
| Gary Edwards of the Open Document Foundation, a leading member
| of its technical committee, says Microsoft is playing proprietary
| games aimed at controlling XML file formats and preventing the
| Open Document Format from gaining a foothold.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=959
------------------------------
Message-ID: <45f8960f$0$17200$4c36...@roadrunner.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] KDE Establishes Release Roadmap with KDE 4 Milestone
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:25:48 +0000
Draft KDE 4.0 release roadmap
,----[ Quote ]
| Hereby we, the Release Team, present a draft KDE 4.0 Release roadmap
| which has been discussed on our mailinglist the past few weeks. It's
| an optimistic schedule that aims to release in late October, based on
| 3 Beta's and 2 release candidates.
`----
http://lwn.net/Articles/225957/
------------------------------
Xref: ellandroad.demon.co.uk comp.os.linux.advocacy:504968
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Ubuntu Preparing Self for Businesses, OEMs
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:28:38 +0000
Ubuntu's Easy Business Server
,----[ Quote ]
| On top of the migration-assistant and other features being worked
| on by Ubuntu developers for future releases, one of the items that
| has been on the table for a while is an Ubuntu Easy Business Server.
`----
http://www.michaellarabel.com/index.php?k=blog&i=104
Ubuntu Founder: Let's Make Pre-Installed Linux Easier For OEMs
,----[ Quote ]
| Mark Shuttleworth, founder of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, responded
| to the groundswell of interest in pre-installed Linux on PCs by
| suggesting the Open Source community take it easier on computer
| makers who would try to give the people what they want...
`----
http://www.crn.com/software/198000735
------------------------------
Message-ID: <6840424.p...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Microsoft Plays Dirty Tricks with Journalists
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:08:50 +0000
I'm glad that some journalists have blogs. Have a look...
'Legitimate concerns' - a non-correction
,----[ Quote ]
| I just noticed that Microsoft's director of corporate standards,
| Jason Matusow, has published a clarification of a recent story I
| wrote about Open XML's route through the ISO standardisation process.
`----
http://www.businessreviewonline.com/os/archives/2007/03/legitimate_conc.html
Microsoft/Novell patent deal -- a customer doesn't speak
,----[ Quote ]
| I asked Matthew O'Neill, group head of distributed systems for HSBC
| global IT operations, whether he was ever worried about either Microsoft
| or Novell suing it for using the other company's products.
|
| Before O'Neill could answer, however, Susan Hauser, general manager
| of strategic partnerships and licensing at Microsoft, chipped in to
| answer for him, giving the stock answer that the companies? customers
| had concerns about intellectual property and wanted peace of mind.
|
| Well here I was asking the companies' customer to explain his concerns
| about intellectual property and he wasn't being given a chance to
| speak. Eventually he did make his feelings known, but it would seem
| HSBC isn't as concerned about IP infringement as Microsoft.
`----
http://www.businessreviewonline.com/os/archives/2007/03/microsoftnovell.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1196337.b...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Microsoft Falls Behind as Industry Shifts to Services?
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:30:57 +0000
Why IBM's Software Position Makes Sense
,----[ Quote ]
| I have opined here more than once that Microsoft is facing a
| major business-model decision between being either an information
| technology [IT] supplier or an IT services provider.
|
| [...]
|
| Can it give the commodity away and make money on backup business
| and technical acumen services (open source software--OSS)? Can it
| do all of the above? Very few companies, maybe not even IBM, can do
| it all in my opinion.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070314/29525_id.html?.v=1
Also today:
,----[ Quote ]
| 12:02PM Red Hat and IBM announce new development innovations in linux
| kernel 22.55 -0.15 : The co and IBM (IBM) announced developers
| at the companies' world renowned Linux labs have collaborated to
| integrate new technologies in the Linux kernel that will help
| customers improve efficiency and gain a competitive edge in
| their industries.
`----
http://finance.yahoo.com/marketupdate/inplay#rht
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2299217.o...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux Beats Windows Because It's Already Modular
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:27:19 +0000
Red Hat release renews OS debate
,----[ Quote ]
| Makers of "software appliances" are using the launch as an opportunity
| to predict that the days of the monolithic OS are numbered. They say
| the future lies in a modular system in which software runs with only
| enough lines of OS code to make it work.
|
| Some see promise in the appliance alternative to the OS, while
| skeptics think large enterprises will still need a general-purpose OS.
|
| The same questions arose recently around the launch of Microsoft
| Corp. Windows Vista. A trio of Gartner Inc. analysts published a
| report in 2006 that said the increasing complexity of Windows
| makes it "unsustainable." Gartner predicted Windows will be
| broken up into modular components.
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2007/031407-red-hat-release-renews-os.html?fsrc=rss-linux-news
Related:
Microsoft to Release Modular Operating Systems
,----[ Quote ]
| Confirming Gartner's prediction, Microsoft has filed for a patent with
| the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a modular operating system.
| The title of Microsoft's patent applications is "System and method
| for delivery of a modular operating system."
|
| [...]
|
| Instead of releasing a complete operating system, Microsoft will
| fragment the product, delivering a universal and basic core OS, and
| allowing the users to built upon the nucleus OS with additional
| operating system segments. In this manner, users will be enabled
| to buy the fundamental Windows Modular operating system and then
| add components, capabilities, features, each fragment with its own
| price tag and licence.
`----
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-To-Release-Modular-Operating-Systems-42462.shtml
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2415980.E...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] a la Mobile Bets on Linux for VoIP Stack
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:32:49 +0000
a la Mobile Readies Complete VoIP Linux Stack for Dual-Mode Phones
,----[ Quote ]
| a la Mobile has announced the immediate availability of a complete
| Voice over IP (VOIP) Linux system stack for WiFi/GSM dual-mode
| phones. Designed for market entry readiness, it is the first of
| the company's new Made-Ready Series of Linux software offerings
| tuned for function-centric mobile phones.
`----
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/mobile/la-mobile-readies-complete-voip-linux-stack-dual-mode-phones
http://tinyurl.com/ypwkhp
Related:
A La Mobile CEO Pauline Alker Trumpets Mobile Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| Because Linux is an open source technology, it is ideally suited to a
| market that does not want to be held captive by a single provider.
`----
http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/54559.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3616303.Y...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Xandros Linux Embraces a SharePoint-like Functionality
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:34:45 +0000
Xandros and O3Spaces Team up to Deliver OpenDocument Collaboration,
Management and Retention
,----[ Quote ]
| Xandros and O3Spaces have announced an agreement to provide OpenDocument
| and MS Office document collaboration, management and retention services
| for the forthcoming release of Xandros Server 2.0 - Standard Edition.
`----
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/linux/xandros-and-o3spaces-team-deliver-opendocument-collaboration-management-and-retention
http://tinyurl.com/24xeem
Related:
Competition for Microsoft & Co.: Mindquarry Forms Up With an Open Source Team
Software
,----[ Quote ]
| Launch for a user friendly and easy to use teamwork software: since
| Feb. 28th 2007, Mindquarry offers the first Open Source alternative
| to Microsoft's Sharepoint Server or IBM's Lotus Connections.
`----
http://www.pr-inside.com/competition-for-microsoft-amp-co-r58135.htm
OpenOffice extension rivals SharePoint
,----[ Quote ]
| The O3OSpaces server is a J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) application,
| built on top of Apache Tomcat and the PostgreSQL database server. The
| web client uses AJAX, while the Assistant client programme is a Java Web
| Start application.
|
| Besides StarOffice and OpenOffice.org, companies can use O3Spaces with
| Microsoft Office documents. "While O3Spaces is developed for use with
| OpenOffice.org/StarOffice, it can handle Microsoft Office documents
| equally well," stated O3Spaces B.V. CEO Rob Mentink. "This is crucial
| for companies and users that work in mixed environments."
`----
http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS3513176830.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1204713.1...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux PC the Size of a a Credit Card
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:41:32 +0000
Credit Card Sized ARM9-Based Linux Embedded Computer
,----[ Quote ]
| The M-501, powered by a 180MHz ATMEL AT91RM9200 RISC SoC, comes with
| onboard 32MB SDRAM and a 16MB Flash memory which has the Linux 2.6
| kernel, BusyBox utility collection, boa Web server, and various
| hardware device drivers pre-installed.
`----
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/embedded/arm9-based-linux-embedded-computer
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2008400.1...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] DRM is Dying, But Draconian Studios Want to Control Your Television
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:44:58 +0000
DRM won't last: Zimmermann
,----[ Quote ]
| "I think that in the long run, we will look back at DRM as a
| temporary phase," says Phil Zimmermann, inventor of the PGP
| (Pretty Good Privacy) cryptography system for e-mail.
`----
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?src=rss&id=1406
American Studios' Secret Plan to Lock Down European TV Devices
,----[ Quote ]
| An international consortium of television and technology companies is
| devising draconian anti-consumer restrictions for the next generation of
| TVs in Europe and beyond, at the behest of American entertainment giants.
|
| [...]
|
| Having failed in those efforts, they have now turned to creating
| technical standards that, when backed by law, are likely to
| restrict consumers' existing rights and threaten the future of
| technological innovation.
`----
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2349163.Q...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] 160,000+ Students in SA Exposed to Linux
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:47:07 +0000
Back to school - tuXlab reviewed
,----[ Quote ]
| tuXlabs is a freely distributed educational software package running
| on a specialised Ubuntu derivative which has been rolled out to
| schools across South Africa and serves over 160 000 learners.
`----
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?src=rss&id=1397
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1335825.M...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Free/Libre Open Source Companies Coming to Wall Street
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:49:34 +0000
Interpreting recent open source IPO buzz
,----[ Quote ]
| Open source IPS maker Sourcefire is now a publicly-traded company,
| with its IPO last week on the Nasdaq. Meanwhile, reports say that
| open source database company MySQL is thinking about a similar move.
`----
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/linux/2007/0312linux2.html
Related:
The bottom line on Novell-Microsoft may be RedHat stock surge
,----[ Quote ]
| * Oracle -- Down 3.56%
| * Microsoft -- Up 2.7%.
| * Novell -- Up 8.13%
| * RedHat -- Up 36.82%
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=930
Red Hat profit tops Wall Street view, shares soar
,----[ Quote ]
| "Open-source is not going away and Red Hat is the leader," Chowdhry
| said in a telephone interview. "Oracle is a nonevent when
| it comes to open source."
`----
http://yahoo.reuters.com/news/articlehybrid.aspx?storyID=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20061221:MTFH61389_2006-12-21_23-31-42_N21218848&type=comktNews&rpc=44
http://tinyurl.com/y57
Analyst: March update should help Red Hat
,----[ Quote ]
| Stimson considers the competition from Oracle and Microsoft/Novell
| "a nonevent so far" as he's seen little evidence that Oracle is
| winning support business away from Red Hat.
`----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20070206/tc_infoworld/85778
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3072406.u...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Sun Launches Site to Deliver Open Source Applications
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:58:27 +0000
Sun Unveils Pay-per-Use Online Service to Access ISV, Open Source Apps
,----[ Quote ]
| Sun also targets open source developer communities with this
| initiative. "This really promotes the wider use of open source
| software. The open source developers typically don't have access
| to a super-computing resource. Now any open source community with
| an HPC application can make that application available on
| Network.com," said Rohit Valia, head of marketing for Network.com.
`----
http://www.sda-india.com/sda_india/psecom,id,22,site_layout,sdaindia,news,16139,p,0.html
Some Open Source software releases:
Open Source Systems Management Leader Hyperic Announces General Availability
of Hyperic HQ 3.0 Enterprise Extensions
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=226404
Open Source Software Institute Launches the OpenCrypto Management Programme
http://newsvac.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=07/03/13/2029247
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1288562.i...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Symantec Gives Its Blessing to Red Hat's New Linux
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 03:00:11 +0000
Symantec tips Red Hat
,----[ Quote ]
| Symantec Corp has boosted its support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux,
| promoting it to what it says will be 'Unix class' support and promising
| that within three months Veritas-branded software will support the
| version 5.0 of the OS that has just begun shipping.
`----
http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=A6AD018F-4E82-447E-8C80-17D83A9011D0
------------------------------
Message-ID: <4091430.t...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Breaking a Myth -- Linux is Actually Harder for Advanced Users, Not Casual Users
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 03:04:57 +0000
Four weeks with Ubuntu Linux on the desktop. Part 2: Down the rabbit hole.
,----[ Quote ]
| Interestingly, this shows that the notion that Linux is only for
| highly technical computer geeks is a myth. The opposite is more
| likely to be true.
|
| [...]
|
| So far, Ubuntu has been a terrific experience. Most of the minor
| issues I had are the types of problems new users commonly have
| with computers in general (How do I adjust the sound? How do I
| get apps to start automatically when I login? And so on.).
| Getting to a functional and aesthetically pleasing desktop
| environment is essential and Ubuntu handled that critical
| first step with ease. The more I use it, the more my old
| Windows habits fade, and the easier it becomes.
`----
http://flagrantdisregard.com/index.php/2007/03/14/ubuntu-linux-down-the-rabbit-hole/#more-699
http://tinyurl.com/2ezfdq
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1231828.6...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux Leadership Speaks Out (Zemlin, Debian)
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 03:09:33 +0000
Candidates for Debian Project Leader sound off
,----[ Quote ]
| Once again, the Debian project is gearing up to elect a new project
| leader, with voting set to begin late this month. As we did last
| year, we asked the DPL candidates to sound off on some of the
| issues that will face the Debian Project in the next year.
`----
http://distrocenter.linux.com/distrocenter/07/03/08/1636224.shtml?tid=106
The NWC Interview: Jim Zemlin, The Linux Foundation
,----[ Quote ]
| I'm the first to acknowledge that Microsoft is this great monopoly.
| But there are regions all over the world that see a reason to
| promote the Linux desktop as an alternative to Microsoft Windows
| in order to grow a domestic software ecosystem. Open source
| represents a great opportunity for them to get that sort of
| head start by taking some of the great work that's been done
| and innovating on top of that. I think what you'll see is a
| very quick closing of the gap in building a more effective
| desktop at significantly lower cost.
`----
http://www.networkcomputing.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=198000129
------------------------------
Message-ID: <4192970.n...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Education Ready for Free Open Source Software
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 03:07:06 +0000
More Than Open Source: A Second Look at Sakai
,----[ Quote ]
| Because it often gets the most press for being "open source" software
| you may not know that Sakai has unique features--many not found in
| other course management systems--that have attracted schools all over
| the world, from small liberal arts colleges to large Ivy League
| institutions to online universities--campuses with and without
| enormous IT resources. And one or more of these unique features
| may solve a particular problem on your campus.
`----
http://campustechnology.com/articles/45387/
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1585713.Y...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Microsoft EULAs Hard to Read -- Coincidence or Deliberate?
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 04:11:47 +0000
Unusable EULA's
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft's instant messenger app had a surprisingly readable EULA,
| but was a snooze-inducing 12 pages and 6,343 words long.
`----
http://www.usabilityblog.com/blog/archives/2007/03/unusable_eulas.php
This is not the first time...
MSN AdCenter - Impossible to read TOS
,----[ Quote ]
| As you can see from the screenshot above (click it to enlarge), the
| MSN AdCenter TOS is enclosed in a small box, approximately 1-inch
| wide by about 1/2-inch tall! Maybe it's because I was using Firefox
| and not Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but I still find it comical to
| the point of absurdity. I still signed up, but I wonder what Microsoft
| is hiding in that tiny box?
`----
http://grownupgeek.blogspot.com/2007/01/msn-adcenter-impossible-to-read-tos.html
Related:
Windows Vista's new spin on licensing
,----[ Quote ]
| As with corporate software licences, the primary end goal here seems
| to be to maximise revenues for Microsoft, but MS's moves have the
| unfortunate secondary effect of eroding the consumer's fair-use rights
| --or at least the very useful illusion of fair-use rights--in the
| process.
`----
http://techreport.com/etc/2007q1/vista-licensing/index.x?pg=1reve
Vista Home Editions Won't Run On Mac, Linux Virtual Machines
,----[ Quote ]
| That means Linux aficionados or users of Apple Macs will not legally
| be able to use software from vendors such as Parallels or EMC's VMWare
| to create so-called virtual machines on their desktops to run Vista
| alongside their favourite OS. Windows users wanting to run Vista in a
| virtual machine environment for security or productivity purposes
| also will need either the Business or Ultimate Edition.
`----
http://www.channelweb.com/sections/allnews/article.jhtml?articleId=197003013&cid=ChannelWebNews
http://tinyurl.com/39xozq
Exchange 2007 facing integration issues with other Microsoft software
,----[ Quote ]
| In a nutshell, Exchange 2007 can't run on Microsoft's most
| current virtualisation software...
|
| [...]
|
| In any case, users are already reacting, especially in regards to
| virtualisation, which has become a hot bed of networking activity, as well
| as, a major area of competition for Microsoft with VMWare and open source
| Xen on Linux platforms
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2007/011107-exchange-vista-integration.html?fsrc=rss-linux-news
Vista's legal fine print raises red flags
,----[ Quote ]
| For greater certainty, the terms and conditions remove any doubt about who
| is in control by providing that "this agreement only gives you some rights
| to use the software. Microsoft reserves all other rights."
|
| [...]
|
| When Microsoft introduced Windows 95 more than a decade ago, it adopted the
| Rolling Stones "Start Me Up" as its theme song. As millions of consumers
| contemplate the company's latest upgrade, the legal and technological
| restrictions may leave them singing "You Can't Always Get What You Want."
`----
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/175801
MSN AdCenter - Impossible to read TOS
,----[ Quote ]
| As you can see from the screenshot above (click it to enlarge), the
| MSN AdCenter TOS is enclosed in a small box, approximately 1-inch
| wide by about 1/2-inch tall! Maybe it's because I was using Firefox
| and not Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but I still find it comical to
| the point of absurdity. I still signed up, but I wonder what Microsoft
| is hiding in that tiny box?
`----
http://grownupgeek.blogspot.com/2007/01/msn-adcenter-impossible-to-read-tos.html
A sneaky change in Windows licensing terms
,----[ Quote ]
| With a retail version of Windows XP, there are no restrictions on the
| number of times you can transfer the software from one computer to another
| in your household or office. That's about to change for the worse in
| Vista, with only one lifetime transfer allowed. It makes the outrageous
| price difference between retail and OEM copies even more difficult
| to justify.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=156
At a glance 2: GPL, CDDL and BSD -vs- EULA
,----[ Quote ]
| (EULA) ...if you spend some time reading it, you will understand that
| besides what the picture below shows, they (publishers) do not take any
| responsibility if something goes wrong while using their products and
| still care to charge us for their product and to ensure that it is the
| best. On top of that you will find some more "amazing" arguments that
| you never even knew and by clicking <accept>, well at least morally,
| agree to oblige)
`----
http://linux.wordpress.com/2006/10/04/at-a-glance-2-gpl-cddl-and-bsd-vs-eula/
Microsoft patent hints at pay-as-you-go OS
,----[ Quote ]
| A Microsoft patent application from June 2005, published only today,
| titled "System and method for delivery of a modular operating system"
| may signal a fundamental change for what an operating systems stands
| for and how it is sold.
`----
http://www.istartedsomething.com.nyud.net:8080/20061215/pay-as-you-go-os-patent/
Vista Starter ready for developing nations
,----[ Quote ]
| According to Wickstrand, the Windows XP Starter Edition was
| marketed primarily to consumers in Southeast Asia, Russia and
| India, with particular focus on families with school-age children
| and those who had purchased their first computer.
`----
http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-6153667.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news
Microsoft is bad for business
,----[ Quote ]
| I recently read an article regarding the copy protection methods of
| Microsoft's next Operating system, Vista. And my jaw literally dropped to
| the floor.
|
| Microsoft is, in essence, a control freak.
|
| [...]
|
| Microsoft is bad for business because they take this level of
| annoyance to the highest level in Windows Vista.
|
| [...]
|
| Microsoft, hear what your customers are saying. You're doing a lot of
| things wrong lately. You're making the wrong choices in your business
| decisions. Other available operating systems are staking a claim at
| your dominance of the market. What will you do next?
`----
http://techstuff.goboardz.com/forum_topic.asp?ID=1102
Vista's EULA Product Activation Worries
,----[ Quote ]
| Mark Rasch looks at the licence agreement for Windows Vista and how its
| product activation component, which can disable operation of the computer,
| may be like walking on thin ice.
|
| [...]
|
| "Does the Microsoft EULA adequately tell you what will happen if you
| don't activate the product or if you can't establish that it is
| genuine? Well, not exactly. It does tell you that some parts of the
| product won't work - but it also ambiguously says that the product
| itself won't work. Moreover, it allows Microsoft, through fine print
| in a generally unread and non negotiable agreement, to create an
| opportunity for economic extortion."
`----
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/423
TechnoFile: Incomprehensible gobbledygook and you
,----[ Quote ]
| Another fun tidbit: "The software is licensed, not sold. This
| agreement only gives you some rights to use the software.
| Microsoft reserves all other rights." So you don't own your
| operating system, Microsoft is just lending it to you.
|
| [...]
|
| Compare these terms with Ubuntu, the Linux distribution I use:
| "You may modify your copy or copies of the Programme or any portion of
| it, thus forming a work based on the Programme, and copy and distribute
| such modifications or work." I'm free to copy and change it as I please,
| and then to give those changes to other people. I sincerely doubt
| Microsoft will be issuing those terms anytime soon.
`----
http://www.mcgilldaily.com/view.php?aid=5712
Tough new rules on Vista "OEM"
,----[ Quote
| This marks the death of the popular once-off 'I'll take one hard drive
| and an OEM copy of Windows with that, thanks' flavour of
| OS-sundae.
|
| Microsoft has also tightened up the specific rules around what
| hardware an OEM copy of Windows can be sold with.
|
| Straight from the horse's mouth -- "spokesperson" at Microsoft
| Australia:
|
| "OEM versions of Windows Vista must be distributed to end-user
| with a fully assembled computer system and must be pre-installed."
|
| Dang!
|
| To make the matter even more complex, Microsoft says that even with a
| "transfer to a new PC as many times as you like" retail edition, you will
| only be allowed to transfer your licence for Vista to someone else once.
`----
Vista licensing also limits benchmarking
,----[ Quote ]
| Licence transfers aren't the only thing the End User Licence Agreement
| (EULA) for Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Vista OS limits. The licence
| also puts restrictions on how benchmarks of certain components of
| the OS can be published, another issue that is raising eyebrows as
| Microsoft still has not clarified how changes will specifically
| affect users.
|
| According to the Vista EULA, because the OS contains "one or more
| components" of the .Net Framework 3.0, users can conduct internal
| benchmarking of those components, but can't disclose the results
| of those benchmarks -- or measurements to compare rival products
| -- unless they comply with conditions found at a Microsoft Web
| site.
`----
http://www.itworld.com/Comp/2218/061101vistalicense/index.html
Vista EULA stirs up a storm
,----[ Quote ]
| Is Microsoft trying to stop people from copying their icons?
| The same icons that were stolen from the likes of varying
| icon sets under Linux? Are they trying to keep the layout
| or organisation of their screens protected as an IP right?
| I think that was done away with in the 90s when Apple sued
| Microsoft over Windows and the judge said basically thats
| ome things just can be copyrighted. Is Microsoft worried
| that the Linux community might try to copy their structure
| and implement it into various distibutions of Linux?
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35184
Vista EULA restricts display to one person
,----[ Quote ]
| Paragraph 3C of the EULA states that while the software
| is running, you can use but not share its icons, images,
| sounds and media.
|
| If Microsoft means to word the EULA this way, that implies
| you can't use projectors or linked video monitors if there's
| more than one human being present.
|
| It also implies that you can't take a screen shot of the
| Vista desktop.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35108
Vista "upgrade" drops compliance checking, requires old OS to install
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft's quest to closely control the way Windows Vista can be used
| on PCs has taken a turn for the worse as new information indicates
| that the company is breaking tradition when it comes to Windows
| Vista upgrades.
|
| [...]
|
| A 'per device' obsession
|
| Microsoft has been adamant in recent years that Windows is licensed
| per device and not per person. One practical ramification of this
| viewpoint is that the company typically does not allow users to
| install one copy of Windows across multiple machines, even if
| only one machine is in use at a time.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070128-8717.html
Boycott The Windows Vista Release
,----[ Quote ]
| For reference, this is the list of features Microsoft says is added
| in Vista Ultimate
|
| * "Help protect against hardware failure"
| * "Business Networking and Remote Desktop"
| * "Better Protect Your Data"
|
| Hell, I've used the top two features in XP Professional so much I
| don't know what the heck I'd do without them, and better protect my
| data? YES PLEASE!
`----
http://www.nigelj.com/blog/2007/01/windows-vista-release/
Acer: Vista Home Basic is a lemon
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is effectively smuggling through a price hike for Windows
| Vista - by making the entry-level version so poor that no-one will
| want to use it. So says Jim Wong, senior veep at Acer, the world's
| number four PC maker, who told UK hack Jon Honeyball: "The new
| [Vista] experience you hear of, if you get Basic, you won't feel
| it at all. There's no [Aero] graphics, no Media Center, no
| remote control."
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/27/acer_slams_vista_home_basic/
Vista Home Basic's half-baked bits
,----[ Quote ]
| More suspicious, of course, is that that Home Basic can't run the
| Aero Glass UI, even if the PC is suitably equipped with WDDM-supported
| graphics (this includes some integrated graphics chipsets, such as
| Intel's 945G/GM Express and Core 2 Duo 965 Express) and backed by
| enough RAM.
|
| [...]
|
| Yet three of Home Basic's components -- Backup, Mobility Centre and
| Meeting Space -- are present in an oddly stripped-down form which we
| expect will lead to confusion among people running different versions
| of Vista.
|
| [...]
|
| Another quirk of the cut-down Home Basic build is the Mobility Centre,
| which is intended to aggregate all notebook-centric features into a
| single control strip. Home Basic lists its version of the Mobility
| Centre as being 'limited', which doesn't say much.
`----
http://www.apcmag.com/4900/vista_home_basics_half_baked_bits
Microsoft Screws Students With Academic Licensing Package
,----[ Quote ]
| Now, to be honest, I am quite impressed with the options for Office
| 2007. What I'm focusing on, is the fact that Microsoft plan to
| distribute Vista "Home Premium" as Academic software instead of
| Vista "Ultimate" edition. Why is this? It's because even though
| it's an "Upgrade" version, it doesn't facilitate upgrades from the
| previous Academic release!
|
| Conspiracy? I think so!
`----
http://www.nigelj.com/blog/2007/01/microsoft-screws-students-with-academic-licensing-package/
http://tinyurl.com/yxy7jo
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1725984.g...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Windows Suitable Only for Experts; Linux Suitable for Beginners As Well
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 04:14:47 +0000
When Non-Experts Use Windows
,----[ Quote ]
| Now I feel the need to bring up some user stories. Today I was trying to
| help my friend fix her computer over the phone. I inevitably ended up
| driving the 45 minutes to her house.
|
| [...]
|
| Windows should be blamed for not bringing stricter accountability
| for third-party software on Windows. There are a lot of
| irresponsible programmers out there. The irony is all of the
| proprietary third party software that has been built around
| the problems caused by third party software in Windows. Yep,
| you have to spend even more money to save money if you're a
| non-expert user of Windows. I say, Windows costs more than
| what I won't spend on it. If you tout lower usability costs
| for Windows, please think twice.
`----
http://www.uvm.edu/~jrbeaure/20070314.html
Yesterday:
Four weeks with Ubuntu Linux on the desktop. Part 2: Down the rabbit hole.
,----[ Quote ]
| Interestingly, this shows that the notion that Linux is only for
| highly technical computer geeks is a myth. The opposite is more
| likely to be true.
`----
http://flagrantdisregard.com/index.php/2007/03/14/ubuntu-linux-down-the-rabbit-hole/#more-699
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2076962.S...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Red Hat Exchange Launched, Will Distribution Free/OS Software
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 04:17:34 +0000
Red Hat bands with open-source allies
,----[ Quote ]
| Red Hat, planning a new expansion beyond its core Linux operating system
| business, will launch a service later this year called the Red Hat Exchange
| to sell partners' open-source software.
|
| [...]
|
| "This is a big step in making Red Hat the hub of the open-source
| ecosystem, which I think is its rightful place," Asay said. "I
| think it's Red Hat finally exerting the kind of leadership it
| should have exerted years ago. (It) just a few months ago acted
| like it was Red Hat against the universe--open source or
| proprietary companies."
`----
http://news.com.com/Red+Hat+bands+with+open-source+allies/2100-7344_3-6167370.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2326460.J...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Beryl 0.2.0 Grows Up, Reaches Stablity
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 04:20:51 +0000
Beryl 0.2.0 Released!!!
,----[ Quote ]
| Beryl 0.2.0 is a complete overhaul of Beryl. The last stable release
| 0.1, featured a very fun, and eye-candy based compositing window
| manager. However, since it's release, many parts of beryl have
| been rewritten, replaced, or simply dropped.
`----
http://blog.beryl-project.org/?p=29
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ8IIyikhkc
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3840689.C...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Microsoft Looks Into IE7 Vulnerability (PK: "Here We Go Again")
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 11:50:37 +0000
Microsoft probes possible IE 7 phishing hole
,----[ Quote ]
| The vulnerability relates to the message IE displays when Web page
| loading is aborted, Raff wrote. An attacker can rig the message by
| creating a malicious link. The message will offer a link to retry
| loading the page; hitting it brings up the attacker's page, but
| showing an arbitrary Web address, he wrote.
`----
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6167410.html
Some flaws listed below. Most secure Web browser. Ever.
Related:
Attack code out for 'critical' Windows flaw
,----[ Quote ]
| All recent versions of Windows are vulnerable when all recent
| versions of IE, including IE 7, are in use, according to Microsoft.
`----
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6150642.html
Microsoft Releases First IE7 Update
,----[ Quote ]
| When visiting certain web pages, the Phishing Filter may increase
| CPU usage while evaluating the page contents and the system may
| become slow to respond.
`----
http://www.msfn.org/comments.php?shownews=19020
Information disclosure bug blights IE7 release
,----[ Quote ]
| The flaw stems from error in the handling of redirections
| for URLs with the "mhtml:" URI handler. Security
| notification firm Secunia reports that the same bug
| was discovered six months ago in IE6 but remains unresolved.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/19/ie7_first_bug/
Way Too ActiveX
,----[ Quote ]
| Today, over at Symantec's Security Response Weblog, Greg Ahmad
| reveals startling--and I do mean shocking--increases in ActiveX
| vulnerabilities. According to Symantec, ActiveX vulnerabilities
| stayed in the 12- to- 15-a-year range from 2002 to 2005. For
| 2006, the number of vulnerabilities "reached 50," with 42 in
| the second half of the year--coincidentally, the same time
| period Microsoft finished up and released Internet Explorer 7.
`----
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/security/way_too_activex.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535
http://tinyurl.com/33cfno
Wake up and smell the IE7!
,----[ Quote ]
| The results of our study suggest that around 12.7 million websites are
| in need of a little TLC because of IE7. Maybe even more.
`----
http://www.thinkvitamin.com/features/design/wake-up-and-smell-the-ie7
IE7 'critical update' causes headaches for managed desktop environments
,----[ Quote ]
| As many organisations may not feel compelled to turn off automatic
| updates, they should be prepared to face this is issue when Internet
| Explorer 7 is downloaded and installed automatically.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/12/ie7_critical_update_managed_desktops/
IE 7 bugs abound
,----[ Quote ]
| "But browser testers may already be at risk, according to security
| researcher Tom Ferris. Late Tuesday, Ferris released details of a potential
| security flaw in IE 7. An attacker could exploit the flaw by crafting a
| special Web page that could be used to crash the browser or gain complete
| control of a vulnerable system, Ferris said in an advisory on his Web site.
| Microsoft had no immediate comment on Ferris' alert."
`----
http://news.com.com/2100-1002_3-6034054.html?part=rss&tag=6034054&subj=news
CLARION CALL: IE 7 Not Ready For Prime Time
,----[ Quote ]
| Either leave your dog at home, or make sure it's trained better
| before inviting it into my house to make a mess on my carpet.
`----
http://saunderslog.com/2006/10/18/clarion-call-ie-7-not-ready-for-prime-time/
IE7 Released As High-Priority Update
,----[ Quote ]
| "Looks like FF2 is already outnumbering FF 1.5, while IE7 is having a
| hard time to find followers. Will today's release as a
| high-priority, force-fed update fix this issue?"
`----
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/02/1424203&from=rss
Attackers end-run around IE security
,----[ Quote ]
| The vulnerability underscores that the improvements in security in the
| latest version of Microsoft's browser, Internet Explorer 7, do not
| eliminate the threats of older components of Windows, said Gunter
| Ollmann, director of IBM Internet Security Systems' X-Force
| vulnerability research team.
|
| [...]
|
| Online criminals frequently use flaws in ActiveX to install malicious
| code on victims' PCs via their browsers. One tool - known as WebAttacker
| and sold from a Russian website for about $20 - has had great success
| in compromising the security of victims' computers.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/08/ie_security_analysis/
IE7 users: beware! Microsoft telling their staff not to touch it...
,----[ Quote ]
| My mum's friend, who's been working for Microsoft for quite a while,
| just told my mum that Microsoft have started telling their employees
| not to use IE7 as it crashes a lot.
`----
http://forums.tauonline.org/index.php?topic=36928.0
IE7's anti-phising scheme worries small business owners
,----[ Quote ]
| ...small business owners and corporations are worried that users
| will leave their sites feeling unsafe, as they are not eligable
| to smaller businesses.
`----
http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1163.html
Is Internet Explorer 7 Explorer Too Locked Down for You?
,----[ Quote ]
| A store owner in a bad neighborhood must balance safety against
| commerce. Too many locks and bars will keep away customers with
| the crooks. Based on Microsoft Watch reader feedback, Internet
| Explorer 7 sacrifices too much usability in the interest of safety.
|
| [...]
|
| Many Microsoft Watch readers complain of incompatibilities with
| Web sites, Web services or desktop software. Back in December, I
| wrote about one company's new satellite office devastated by an
| IE 7 upgrade, which knocked out access to CRM and e-mail software.
`----
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/web_services_browser/how_you_see_internet_explorer_7.html
http://tinyurl.com/2opg76
IE7 breaks Outlook Printing
,----[ Quote ]
| Beware, be very aware. Upgrading to Internet Explorer 7 can break
| the printing of email headers from Outlook.
`----
http://blogs.ittoolbox.com/linux/locutus/archives/ie7-breaks-outlook-printing-14819
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1361672.L...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] CrossOver Linux Certified to Run More Win32 Programmes Than Windows Vista
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 11:53:11 +0000
CrossOver Linux 6.01 review
,----[ Quote ]
| Though each CrossOver Linux (formerly known as CrossOver Office)
| release offers substantial improvements, version 6.01 is the most
| revolutionary release I have seen since I started reviewing this
| product circa version 3.0. Many important new programmes are
| supported, but the real news is not in the number of programmes
| supported, but also their purpose: World of Warcraft, Half Life,
| and iTunes now have silver (almost perfect) status along with
| dozens of other applications. There are nine gold applications
| now as well. Overall, CrossOver has again made a number of
| significant and upgrade-worthy improvements to an already
| useful product.
`----
http://www.softwareinreview.com/cms/content/view/69
http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/
"2755 applications in database."
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1271426.v...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] SUSE Linux Will Have Virtuozzo Preloaded
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 11:58:18 +0000
SWsoft in virtualisation pact with Novell
,----[ Quote ]
| SWsoft, seller of the Virtuozzo virtualisation software, has
| begun a partnership to bundle its product with Novell's Suse
| Linux operating system, the companies plan to announce Thursday.
`----
http://news.com.com/SWsoft+in+virtualization+pact+with+Novell/2100-7339_3-6167416.html
Related:
Psst. Wanna hear about Novell's secretive virtualisation company buyout?
,----[ Quote ]
| The company acquired RedMojo for $9.72 million, though chose not to
| make an official announcement at the time.
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2007/031307-novell-virtualization-buyout.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1441848.D...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Dockers for Linux - An Overview with Videos
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 11:56:00 +0000
An overview of dockers available for the KDE and Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| If you run KDE, you aren't just stuck with the standard "kicker"
| panel to operate as your app launcher and taskbar. There are a
| bunch of nice panel replacements that will spice up your desktop
| nicely. The ones that I've used and tested are kooldock,
| kxdocker and the nkotb kiba-dock...
`----
http://liquidweather.net/howto/index.php?id=111
Related:
Ubuntu 6.10 with XGL & Kiba-Dock
,----[ Quote ]
| After some modifications, here's a video of my Ubuntu 6.10
| desktop with Beryl XGL and Kiba-Dock.
`----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYsxaMyFV2Y
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1821444.4...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Microsoft Still Goes Nowhere in High-performance Computing
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 12:07:30 +0000
Oil and Gas Industry Prefers Personal HPC Capacity, Says Microsoft
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft only had a brief moment on the Top 500 supercomputer list before
| the machine was rebooted as a Linux cluster last fall.
`----
http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=B2413430-EEAF-455C-9D85-706DC25D148D
The experimental setup of Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 in our Division
has thus far been embarrassing, if not abysmal. It's like alpha release, so
no wonder it's virtually free for the time being. They try to beat Linux
using guinea pigs.
Poor lads. How long before the team folds just like Zune, Origami and Live?
This was Gates' vision, but he has left the building.
Related:
Microsoft using early Vista users as guinea pigs?
,----[ Quote ]
| Interesting to read in the International Herald Tribune this week
| about Microsoft hitting a 'crisis of confidence' with its new Vista
| operating system.
|
| [...]
|
| Sounds familiar? Your bet - it's almost an exact re-run of the
| security issues that affected Windows XP in its earliest days.
|
| Microsoft wouldn't be using its Vista users - as it did with XP -
| as guinea pigs, now would it?...
`----
http://securityblog.itproportal.com/?p=646
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2344639.7...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Are Keyloggers, Malware, and SPAM Taking Our Money?
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 12:19:22 +0000
UK card and check crime drops while online banking fraud rises
,----[ Quote ]
| A report released by UK payments association Apacs has revealed that card
| and check crime in the UK has witnessed a drop for the year 2006, while
| online banking fraud has climbed significantly over the year.
`----
http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=4920B166-5B5C-498A-9BC6-D64720ED360F
Sadly, everyone shares the financial burden. Same with the ISP (network
capacity for zombies), the corporate software licences (Windows and Office
mass/bulk licensing), and general security which is costing tri/billions.
The lost productivity is another matter altogether.
Related:
Online banking fraud 'up 8,000%'
,----[ Quote ]
| The UK has seen an 8,000% increase in fake internet banking scams
| in the past two years, the government's financial watchdog has warned.
|
| The Financial Services Authority (FSA) told peers it was "very concerned"
| about the growth in "phishing".
`----
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6177555.stm
International Hacker gang nets 300,000 from bank robbery, tells Sophos
,----[ Quote ]
| According to Sophos, law enforcement agencies claim that the gang worked
| alongside three Russian hackers, who provided them with banking usernames
| and passwords stolen through spyware.
|
| The Russian hackers are said to have shared the password information
| of thousands of unsuspecting Turkish internet users in exchange for
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| ten percent of the money stolen.
`----
http://www.irishdev.com/NewsArticle.aspx?id=5121
Swedish bank hit by 'biggest ever' online heist
,----[ Quote ]
| Haxdoor typically installs keyloggers to record keystrokes, and
| hides itself using a rootkit. The payload of the .ki variant of
| the Trojan was activated when users attempted to log in to the
| Nordea online banking site. According to the bank, users were
| redirected to a false home page, where they entered important
| log-in information, including log-in numbers.
`----
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39285547,00.htm
'9 out of 10 e-mails now spam'
,----[ Quote ]
| Criminal gangs using hijacked computers are behind a surge in unwanted
| e-mails peddling sex, drugs and stock tips.
|
| The number of "spam" messages has tripled since June and now accounts for
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| as many as nine out of 10 e-mails sent worldwide, according to U.S. email
| security company Postini.
|
| [...]
|
| "E-mail systems are overloaded or melting down trying to keep up with all
| the spam," said Dan Druker, a vice president at Postini.
`----
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/11/27/uk.spam.reut/index.html?eref=rss_tech
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2265251.R...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Add Romania to List Of $100 Linux Laptop Countries
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 13:35:19 +0000
Romania bites the OLPC bait!
,----[ Quote ]
| Yesterday, the Prime Minister of Romania (otherwise, an intelligent guy)
| fell for the One Laptop Per Child project.
|
| [...]
|
| In brief, the targeted audience is 1.2 million children, and the
| programme is planned to be "operational" (what is this supposed to mean?!)
| on September 15.
`----
http://beranger.org/index.php?article=2590&from=rss
Related:
A Brief Overview -- Open Source Software in Romania
,----[ Quote ]
| Romania is developing its own Linux distributions. One of the biggest
| is Darkstar Linux, based on Slackware. Furthermore, the open source
| community is translating free software projects into Romanian, e.g.
| KDE or GNOME. The Romanian Linux User Group (RLUG) translates and
| improves the Debian documentation.
|
| Like many other European countries, Romania has caught a glimpse of
| what Linux and other open source software can do for business or
| private use. Romanian user hope the government will realise one
| day that instead of wasting money on proprietary products, it can
| not only improve the functionality of institutions but also use
| open source software as a way to direct those funds to other more
| important issues.
`----
http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/5016/470
Romania: Software piracy made us what we are today
,----[ Quote ]
| Experts have called for stronger action from Romanian officials on
| software piracy, with prosecutors encouraged to stop dismissing
| potential cases. The International Intellectual Property Alliance
| in 2006 said dismissals are acting as a disincentive on police to
| clamp down on criminals, who are mostly end-users and distributors.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/02/romania_microsoft_piracy/
Australia To Trial OLPC
,----[ Quote ]
| In a surprise announcement, the government of the Northern Territory
| has announced that they are testing the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child)
| machines with a view to launching trials in remote communities.
|
| The OLPC has been designed for children in the developing world, in
| regions that struggle for basic infrastructure like clean running
| water, and electricity. So it may come as a surprise to some that
| an Australian state government has put up a hand to trial the new
| laptops.
`----
http://www.localfoss.org/Australia_To_Trial_OLPC
Rwanda Commits to Low-Cost Laptop Project
,----[ Quote ]
| Rwanda is the eighth developing country to join the One Laptop
| Per Child initiative aimed at giving away inexpensive
| computers to all young students.
`----
http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/54987.html
$100 laptop project eyes launch
,----[ Quote ]
| The first countries to sign up to buying the machine include
| Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Nigeria, Libya,
| Pakistan and Thailand.
`----
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6224183.stm
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3039288.Y...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Pakistan Fights Piracy by Encouraging Use of Open Source Software
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 13:51:46 +0000
500 professionals trained in open-source software
,----[ Quote ]
| The ministry has begun the project Open Source Resource Centre
| (OSRC) to address queries related to open-source software. The
| resource centre provides assistance to companies intending tos
| ave money by shifting to open-source software solutions.
`----
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C03%5C15%5Cstory_15-3-2007_pg11_11
Related:
Pakistani students might be using $100 laptop next year
,----[ Quote ]
| Pakistan Wednesday expressed its resolve to introduce an
| enabling atmosphere to the country's schools and colleges
| to allow students to use low-cost laptops which would
| serve as electronic school bags.
`----
http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?161609
Pakistan looks to free software
,----[ Quote ]
| Pakistan, a country often criticised for software piracy, is
| looking at free and open source software as a way to transform
| its image and build local skills.
`----
http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?src=rss&id=1262
Pakistan takes to alternative software
,----[ Quote ]
| Pakistan, often criticised for software 'piracy', is
| placing its faith on the Free Software and Open Source
| options to get out of this trap and also build local skills.
|
| Also called Free/Libre and Open-Source Software (FLOSS),
| it is a family of software liberally licensed to grant
| the right of users to study, change and improve its
| design through the availability of its source code.
|
| [...]
|
| In Pakistan, the attempt is also to build skills.
| FOSS-FP has been holding short-duration, single-day
| literacy campaigns. 'We give (students) free training
| on installing and using Ubuntu Linux, Open Suse, Red Hat
| Fedora Core,' Bajwa said.
`----
http://www.indiaenews.com/technology/20061024/26059.htm
The First International Conference on Open-Source Technologies
,----[ Quote ]
| Open-Source Software Engineering (OSSE) has emerged as a
| cross-disciplinary paradigm for distributed enterprise
| computing. OSS, in many cases, has kept the software market
| away from monopolies. It is helping organisations to keep
| a control on the cost of development and deployment.
`----
Will UAE possibly support Laptops for every child in Pakistan?
,----[ Quote ]
| Prime Minister of Pakistan Shaukat Aziz stated in November 2006
| that the Government of Pakistan will consider the feasibility
| for making low-cost laptop computers available to school going
| children in Pakistan. With this, newspapers recently carried
| the news that Pakistan is gearing up to buy the OLPCs "One
| Laptop Per Child" for every child in Pakistan and this may
| possibly be done with the support by the United Arab Emirates
| as mentioned earlier by Negroponte.
`----
http://www.localfoss.org/UAE_May_Support_OLPC_In_Pakistan
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3512693.E...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Mary Jo Foley: Windows Live Won't Live for Much Longer
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:00:25 +0000
Not all Microsoft 'Lives' are created equal
,----[ Quote ]
| Is it time for a Microsoft-wide purge of the "Live" brand? If you look
| at the myriad, incongruous ways that Microsoft is using "Live" across
| its various product divisions, you might say yes.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=324
Related:
Is Windows Live dying?
,----[ Quote ]
| Over the last year, Microsoft's Windows Live service lineup has
| grown exponentially. At one point months ago, it seemed clear
| that every service Microsoft brought online would fall under the
| Live brand, but lately the trend seems to be moving slowly in
| the opposite direction. What's happening to Windows Live?
`----
http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2007/2/20/7154
Windows Live Shopping no more - MSN Shopping to remain
,----[ Quote ]
| From today Windows Live Shopping beta will be taken offline, with users
| being sent to MSN Shopping, available at shopping.msn.com.
`----
http://www.liveside.net/blogs/main/archive/2007/02/19/windows-live-shopping-no-more-msn-shopping-to-remain.aspx
http://tinyurl.com/287gy6
Sources: Several Windows Live Projects Halted
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft's Windows Live desktop search project has been
| shelved "indefinitely," although not much reasoning has been
| given as to the reason for its demise.
`----
http://www.betanews.com/article/Sources_Several_Windows_Live_Projects_Halted/1163715423
Microsoft Office Live migration is adding insult to injury
,----[ Quote ]
| On January 29, Microsoft posted to the Office Live blog a status update
| re: the migration. The news isn't good.
|
| Office Live logoBeta testers are still potentially "months" away fromb
| eing migrated to the final version of their Office Live services.
| Functionality like backup and restore isn't going to work until
| their accounts are migrated. And Microsoft will give testers only
| a 24-hour heads-up when they are set to be migrated. During that
| 24-hour period, users won't be able to make changes to their
| Office Live sites.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=243
Office Live: Better Off Dead?
,----[ Quote ]
| Last month I killed Office Live in an act of self defence, after
| repeated access problems and attempts to move my domain to another
| registrar. Judging from the comments to that post, there's an Office
| Live killing spree going on. Not surprisingly, Microsoft wants to put
| an end to the wanton killing.
`----
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/web_services_browser/office_live_better_off_dead.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535
http://tinyurl.com/ybsz2o
Microsoft profit on slide
,----[ Quote ]
| Some analysts are looking for any signs of improvement from
| Microsoft's internet division, which continues to lose market
| share in web search to Google.
|
| Microsoft's online services group saw revenue fall for the last
| four quarters and posted a loss in the past three quarters while
| it shifted to a new internet advertising platform and overhauled
| the company's web properties.
`----
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,21109542%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <61816274....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Microsoft Commits Its Own 'Craplet' Crime/Sin
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:05:33 +0000
[Live Bundle:] Cut the Craplet?
,----[ Quote ]
| According to a January CBC News story, an unnamed Microsoft
| executive complained about OEM preloaded software as potentially
| causing problems with Windows Vista.
|
| CBC News quoted the Microsoft exec, "We call them craplets,"
| referring to the preloaded software.
|
| Many PC buyers don't want the extra software, either. Last
| month, Dell opened the Idea Storm Website to collect feedback
| from customers on what they wanted or didn't want on their PCs.
| Currently, with 52,068 "promotes," the "No Extra Software Option"
| ranks number six. Apparently, Idea Storm respondents want their
| Linux, OpenOffice or no operating system more than they don't
| want the extra software, or so-called craplets.
`----
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/vista/cut_the_craplet.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535
He took my tip (comment) and decided to write about the hypocrisy. They said
PCs were slowed down by unnecessary software.
Related:
Connecting the dots on Windows 7
,----[ Quote ]
| I would have asked one more follow up: Was Gates hinting that
| Microsoft will build more of its currently standalone Windows
| Live services right into the operating system?
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=241
Where Should Vendors Stick Their Services?
,----[ Quote ]
| Wondering if you noticed the news over at Microsoft Watch this week
| that Microsoft has done what many considered inevitable: Started
| using Windows as a way to hawk Windows Live Services?
|
| It's not too surprising to me that Microsoft is splashing all over
| its Welcome to Vista screen (at least in one of the latest Vista test
| builds, No. 5506) promotional links, inviting users to download Windows
| Live Messenger, Windows Live OneCare, Windows Live Mail Desktop, and more.
| But I was surprised the Redmondians would be so bold as to actually
| embed Windows Live Messenger into Vista. After all the antitrust
| lawsuits Microsoft has been slapped with here, there and everywhere ?
| many of which have focused on its "innovative integration" (a k a,
| bundling) strategies, you'd think they'd be a little more cautious.
|
| With the actual Windows Live Messenger code (not just a download link)
| being integrated right into Vista, I think Microsoft might be really
| going out on a limb. When backed into a corner before about its
| integration strategy, Microsoft's defence was that removing any of
| the integrated components (Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player,
| etc.) would break the OS. But if Vista test builds have been working
| just fine (well, middling, maybe, based on some not-so-happy tester
| comments) without Windows Live Messenger, how can Microsoft make a
| case for it being part of Windows?
`----
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,2005413,00.asp?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535
Welcome to college, here's your Windows Live account
http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2006/4/23/3719
Software rivals say Microsoft's Vista illegal in Europe
,----[ Excerpt ]
| Software manufacturers, citing 2004 European Commission finding,
| contend the operating system violates server laws in Europe.
`----
'Microsoft broke anti-trust agreement,' prosecutors claim
,----[ Quote ]
| It's claimed Microsoft's engineers used at least 500 undocumented APIs
| to ensure Microsoft's applications worked better with Windows than
| those of competitors.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/18/microsoft_breached_antitrust/
Microsoft rivals file second European complaint
,----[ Quote ]
| ...Microsoft was preventing access to Vista's programming interfaces
| and hindering the development of compatible products, thus repeating
| anti-competitive violations the commission had identified three
| years ago in a previous operating system.
`----
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7bAF5B8FB2-488F-4468-80B8-21F6EEE223E3%7d&siteid=yhoo&dist=yhoo
http://tinyurl.com/2ybdot
------------------------------
Message-ID: <4425982.U...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Review of ReactOS 0.3.1 (Wine)
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:07:40 +0000
Peeking in the Windows of ReactOS 0.3.1
,----[ Quote ]
| The ReactOS website states, "ReactOS is a free and open-sourced
| operating system based on the Windows architecture, providing
| support for existing applications and drivers, and an alternative
| to the current dominant consumer operating system." It also says
| what it ain't. It's stated as, "It is not another wrapper built
| on Linux, like WINE. It does not attempt or plan to compete with
| WINE; in fact, the user-mode part of ReactOS is almost entirely
| WINE-based and our two teams have close ties.
`----
http://www.tuxmachines.org/node/14298
------------------------------
Message-ID: <21373790....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] What if the Traditional Operating System Layer Vanished?
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:11:38 +0000
Do We Need Operating Systems?
,----[ Quote ]
| "Software appliances are sounding the death knell for the general
| purpose OS," says Billy Marshall, who worked at RedHat in Raleigh
| before founding rPath. "Historically you have to port applications
| with each new release. With Xen they can just wrap them up as
| virtual appliances and deploy onto RHEL 5 without being compatible."
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=968
SharePoint: The next big 'operating system' from Microsoft?
,----[ Quote ]
| Ballmer also provided one of the most succinct definitions of
| SharePoint Server I've heard from any Microsoft exec. SharePoint
| is just like Office; it's a bunch of point products gathered
| together into a suite. Although Microsoft is not fond of calling
| out the six or so servers that comprise Office SharePoint Server,
| it is a bunch of server apps loosely joined.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=327
------------------------------
Message-ID: <10701468....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Red Hat Works with IBM, Filrts with Microsoft
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:16:38 +0000
IBM and Red Hat Announce New Development Innovations in Linux Kernel
,----[ Quote ]
| IBM and Red Hat said that the two companies have collaborated to
| integrate new technologies in the Linux kernel that will help
| customers improve efficiency and gain a competitive edge in
| their industries.
`----
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/linux/ibm-red-hat-announce-new-development-innovations-linux-kernel
http://tinyurl.com/22s38d
A little word about this was mentioned earlier.
Podcast: HP pretexters get wrist-slaps, the mortally wounded copyright, Red
Hat seeks threesome with Microsoft, and Tellme more
,----[ Quote ]
| Speaking of Microsoft, we've got audio of Red Hat EVP Paul Cormier
| talking about why it would be beneficial for the Redmond software
| giant to cozy up to his company now that it has shipped version 5
| of its Red Hat Enteprise Linux (kids, it's not just an OS, it's
| platform!). But, in Novell (with its SuSE distribution), Microsoft
| already has a Linux dance partner. Is Red Hat now feeling the pinch
| of those nuptials and is the olive branch out for a threesome? It
| sure sounds that way.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=4658
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1750488.V...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Op-Ed: Free Software a Case of Evolve or Be Gone
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:19:26 +0000
Open-Source Globalisation
,----[ Quote ]
| Managers and investors must understand and embrace this paradigm
| change. Once managers adapt their practices, shifting from what
| Thomas Malone calls "command-and-control" to "coordinate-and-cultivate"
| environments, open-source globalisation is poised to have an even
| higher impact on the industry than IT offshoring.
`----
http://www.ddj.com/dept/opensource/198000902
------------------------------
Message-ID: <6080462.b...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Music Industry Lost Touch with Clients' Needs
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:23:11 +0000
Where did the music industry go so wrong?
,----[ Quote ]
| Wasn't it all so gloriously simple back when people listened to top
| 40 radio and obediently paid $20 for discs at record store chains?
`----
http://news.com.com/2010-1027_3-6167346.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news
Open Letter to eMusic and EZTakes for Linux Support
,----[ Quote ]
| eMusic, consider working with a developer to create a plugin that
| will work with either Rhythmbox or amaroK. You will make your
| presence untouchable in the Linux realm and discover that Linux
| users do in fact, have jobs, buy music and will present you with
| more brand loyalty than you ever found on other platforms.
`----
http://www.madpenguin.org/cms/?m=show&id=7792
Related:
An Economic Explanation For Why DRM Cannot Open Up New Business Model
Opportunities
,----[ Quote ]
| DRM is fundamentally opposed to this concept. It is not increasing
| value for the consumer in any way, but about limiting it. It takes
| the non-scarce goods, the very thing that helps increase value, and
| constrains them. Those non-scarce goods are what increase the pie
| and open up new opportunities for those who know where to capture
| the monetary rewards of that value (within other limited resources).
| DRM, on the other hand, holds back that value and prevents it from
| being realised. It shrinks the pie -- and no successful business
| models come out of providing less value and shrinking the overall
| pie. Fundamentally, DRM cannot create a successful new business
| model. It can only contain one.
`----
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070301/005837.shtml
iTunes DRM Inspires People to Pirate Content
,----[ Quote ]
| BitTorrent Inc president and co-founder, Ashwin Navin says that iTunes'
| DRM is "a time bomb waiting to happen," and that it will inspire
| people to pirate content. The irony is that his company is about to
| launch a video store that heavily implements Microsoft's Windows DRM.
`----
http://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-inc-itunes-drm-inspires-people-to-pirate-content/
MPAA: Frustrated Consumers Will Pirate
,----[ Excerpt ]
| The MPAA's Brad Hunt outlined some of the ways the MPAA is working
| to standardise content protection controls in the age of digital
| home networking. But he also acknowledged that piracy is the
| consumer's answer to the content industry's inability to provide
| a simple digital-rights-management solution.
`----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/zd/20061016/tc_zd/191502
http://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-inc-itunes-drm-inspires-people-to-pirate-content/
There Ain't No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
,----[ Quote ]
| 1) The product they want--electronic texts--are hard to find, and
| thus valuable.
|
| 2) The products they want are high-priced, so there's a fair
| amount of money to be saved by stealing them.
|
| 3) The legal products come with so many added-on nuisances
| that the illegal version is better to begin with.
|
| Those are the three conditions that will create widespread
| electronic copyright infringement, especially in combination.
| Why? Because they're the same three general conditions that
| create all large-scale smuggling enterprises.
|
| And . . .
|
| Guess what? It's precisely those three conditions that DRM
| creates in the first place. So far from being an impediment
| to so-called "online piracy," it's DRM itself that keeps
| fueling it and driving it forward.
`----
http://preview.baens-universe.com/articles/salvos6
------------------------------
Message-ID: <etbp53$ing$1...@tux.glaci.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] SCO Doing Worse Than They Have People Believe (and They Lie)
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:33:26 +0000
SCO's big campaign that wasn't
,----[ Quote ]
| That was the end of the conversation... and you know, I haven't seen
| that "significant campaign" appear anywhere. Maybe they really were
| planning something big, but my call for Darl's removal scuttled
| their entire marketing programme. Or maybe these were empty words
| intended to punish SD Times and attempt to ensure that future
| opinion essays and editorial coverage would be more positive.
|
| Another day in the life of a publishing company... and I still
| think that SCO should fire Darl McBride.
`----
http://ztrek.blogspot.com/2007/03/scos-big-campaign-that-wasnt.html
Recent:
Microsoft's dirty tricks archive vanishes
,----[ Quote ]
| Readers will recall how 937 boxes of material from the Caldera lawsuit were
| destroyed in 2003 - apparently at the request of SCO.
|
| Neither of the press contacts for the Iowa Case had returned our calls at
| time of writing; the office number for media enquiries in the case has been
| delisted.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/20/microsoft_missing_archive/
Related:
Concerns mount over missing SCO web admin
,----[ Quote ]
| It's day five of the SCO High Availability Clusters link fiasco, and
| there are no signs of life from the Unix vendor. SCO's homepage link
| to the HA Clusters software remains down, despite our plea for the
| company simply to add "ing" to the URL to fix the situation.
|
| It seems clear that demand for SCO's clustering software is running
| pretty low, since the company has failed to notice its broken link. It
| also seems clear that SCO's web staff has taken on skeleton crew
| status.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/05/sco_web_down/
,----[ Quote ]
| "There you have it. At least a third of SCO's entire market
| capitalisation, and their entire current cash reserves, is payoffs
| funnelled from Microsoft. Their 10Qs reveal that every other line of
| cash inflow is statistical noise by comparison. The brave new
| SCO source business model is now clear: sue your customers, shill
| for Microsoft, kite your stock, and pray you stay out of jail."
`----
http://www.catb.org/~esr/halloween/halloween10.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2179247.m...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux Reciprocity is a Major Merit
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:28:22 +0000
Giving Back [to Linux]
,----[ Quote ]
| My contribution to Vector Linux is quite small even when compared to
| some of the other volunteer packagers. It's minuscule compared to
| the core developers. The point is that the strength of the Open
| Source community is that lots of people give back and contribute
| what they can. Lots of little contributions make a huge impact.
`----
http://www.oreillynet.com/linux/blog/2007/03/post_3.html
[H]omer, for example, builds RPMs for Fedora. And look what we have as a
result:
Four good reasons to switch to RHEL 5
,----[ Quote ]
| Sometimes you don't want the hassle of the big upgrade. For example,
| there is no good reason to "upgrade" Windows to Vista. On the other
| hand, there are upgrades like Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 (RHEL) that
| give you some darn good reasons to make the jump.
`----
http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6991009676.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1549813.e...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Printer Design Simulation Done with Linux
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:34:57 +0000
Real-time Linux simulates toner motion for printer design
,----[ Quote ]
| Concurrent reports that its commercial, real-time Linux
| implementation for multi-processor AMD Opteron processors
| was selected by a Toshiba engineering team designing
| multi-function peripherals with built-in laser printers.
| Toshiba engineers will use the "RedHawk" real-time OS for
| time-critical simulation of toner particle motion, the
| vendor said.
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS2116849600.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1369277.3...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Neoware Puts Linux in Thin Client, 2.5 Times Cheaper Than Windows
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:37:36 +0000
Neoware stirs virtualisation tech into thin client soup
,----[ Quote ]
| The "entry level" c50 VDI runs Neolinux, the company's customised
| Linux-based embedded operating system, while the e140 VDI and m100
| VDI are based on Windows XP Embedded software platforms.
|
| [...]
|
| The c50 VDI, e140 VDI, and m100 VDI thin client devices are
| immediately available, priced at $280, $700, and $850, respectively.
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS9176644785.html
Recent:
New thin client series runs Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| Acropolis updated its Linux-based thin-client OS earlier this month.
| Its NLX (New LinuX) 5 OS is based on Debian, and is available on an
| IDE flash plug-in module suitable for turning old PCs into modern
| thin clients.
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS2016451866.html
Vyatta Delivers Twice the Performance of Cisco at Half the Price
,----[ Quote ]
| Vyatta today announced the release of independent third-party testing
| results from The Tolly Group that measured the throughput and
| performance of the open-source, x86-based Vyatta router and
| firewall appliance versus the proprietary Cisco 2821 ISR.
|
| "This report shatters the myth that proprietary hardware products
| are a better choice than standard x86-based systems for network
| infrastructure," said Dave Roberts, VP of strategy and marketing
| at Vyatta. "For the majority of routing applications, open-source
| software and x86-based hardware can easily address the performance
| requirements and at significantly lower price points."
`----
http://www.topix.net/content/prweb/2794294903426800112404643709233288209670
Related:
Athena Thin Clients Introduces New Open Source Embedded Linux Using Debian
2.6
,----[ Quote ]
| Athena development engineers are the first to build a Linux Thin
| Client based on Debian kernel 2.6. This new Linux version carries
| the name NLX 5 where NLX stands for New LinuX.
`----
http://www.cgidir.com/news/press/070228AthenaThinClients.html
Low-cost thin client runs Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| The fanless DIT6040A runs Devon's Linux-based "Devon Terminal
| Operatiing System" (DeTOS) on a 400MHz Via Eden processor.
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS2234730114.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1607043.X...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Windows Vista Already Gets "High Priority" Patches
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:47:36 +0000
Microsoft releases two Vista fixes
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft has released several "high priority," patches including
| two for Windows Vista.
`----
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsID=8257&pagtype=all
Related:
Vista still vulnerable
,----[ Quote ]
| Vulnerabilities in Windows Vista will plague users in coming months
| and years, a prominent security researcher warns, despite its
| security improvements over predecessor XP.
`----
http://www.smh.com.au/news/security/vista-still-vulnerable/2007/02/26/1172338546822.html
http://tinyurl.com/2o82lf
Flaw found in Office 2007
,----[ Quote ]
| Researchers have discovered a "highly critical" security flaw in
| newly released Office 2007, despite Microsoft's efforts to deliver
| its most secure version yet of the productivity software.
`----
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6161835.html
Botnet 'pandemic' threatens to strangle the net
,----[ Quote ]
| Cerf estimated that between 100 million and 150 million of the
| 600 million PCs on the internet are under the control of hackers,
| the BBC reports.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/26/botnet_threat/
------------------------------
Message-ID: <12789531....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Microsoft Zune Shill Caught (Joke?)
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:20:55 +0000
Zuned! Austin P.D. Hauls Off Microsoft Street Spammers at SXSW
,----[ Quote ]
| In a rare instance of us supporting The Man, Austin P.D. hauls off a
| guerrilla marketing posterer for Microsoft Zune on 6th St. at SXSW.
|
| I am not sure I heard everything clearly, but I think he said: "We'll
| have none of your advertising for your DRM'd crippleware'd crappy
| MP3 player littering our town.
`----
http://www.losanjealous.com/2007/03/14/zuned-austin-pd-hauls-off-microsoft-street-spamers-at-sxsw/
See photos.
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1398988.f...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Vista Bad News As Corporate Customers Walk Away - Digest
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:34:19 +0000
Microcast Shifting From Windows to Mac?
,----[ Quote ]
| Now, even Microcast's CEO is spending considerable time over at the
| local Apple Store. Could he be mulling a move to the Mac? Or is he
| simply buying a new iPod to manage one of the world's largest
| private collections of jazz tunes?
`----
http://techiqmag.com/2007/03/14/microcast-shifting-from-windows-to-mac/
Windows Vista: BAN or ALLOW?
,----[ Quote ]
| Then, yesterday, I hear this bit of news! The National Institute of
| Standards and Technology (NIST) bans Windows Vista. NIST is now
| considering a Linux + Google Apps alternative. This is a bold move,
| and one that I do not particularly agree with; Perharps topic for
| another blog post though.
`----
http://www.cto20.com/?EntryID=32
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3674970.V...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Microsoft PR Making a Mountain of a Mole Hill
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:38:14 +0000
The Vista Wow...What or Why?
,----[ Quote ]
| After all this I'm wondering if the 'Wow' isn't just a stop gap for
| the actual OS to be released by Microsoft in the next 5 years. Maybe
| what we are witnessing now are just the possibilities of what's
| to come. The desktop hasn't changed since it's first inception -
| it's just gotten a facelift.
`----
http://www.arsgeek.com/?p=1195
Microsoft Live Gaming Service on PC? Who Cares?
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft announced today that PC gamers will soon be able to
| subscribe to its LIVE service (assuming you have Windows Vista)
| and get the privilege of playing with console gamers - la dee
| freakin da. I mean seriously, what are they smoking over there
| in Redmond? Do you know of any serious PC gamer who has shelled
| out thousands of hard-earned dollars on his/her PC who'd take
| them up on this?
`----
http://www.bootdaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=348&Itemid=52
The latter is being advertised very aggressively. It's probably being
forcefed for journalists to be overwhelmed by hype. Same as Windows 95.
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1604925.3...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Windows Retreats on Activation?
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:40:57 +0000
Microsoft Provides Windows Vista Activation Workaround
,----[ Quote ]
| Windows activation has been controversial from day one. Tomorrow, my
| friend Brian Livingston, will demonstrate a simple process that will
| enable any user to delay Windows Vista activation indefinitely.
`----
http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/03/14/microsoft-provides-windows-vista-activation-workaround/
DRM activation is there indefinitely though. Even when DRM dies, it'll remain
right there in the heart of the pig.
Why DRM Sucks
,----[ Quote ]
| DRM puts Big Brother in my PC!
|
| Suppose we came to live in a world where every PC was a media
| policeman and called home to rat us out when we did something the
| RIAA might consider suspicious?
|
| [...]
|
| DRM does not need draconian laws or sneaky technologies. Content
| owners and consumers must remain free to choose from various
| technologies and business models, developed in open,
| competitive marketplaces.
`----
http://www.info-mech.com/drm_flaws.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <te7oc4-...@news.harry.net>
From: AB <fardb...@gmail.com>
Subject: [News] Novell linked to 'Windows cheaper than Linux' statement
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 10:05:17 -0600
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39286295,00.htm
Novell has issued a joint press release with Microsoft, in which
HSBC, a customer of joint technology from the two companies, claims
that Windows has a lower total cost of ownership than Linux.
The press release, issued late on Wednesday, announced that UK-based
bank HSBC has agreed to adopt technology from Novell and Microsoft's
recently announced partnership.
In the release, Matthew O'Neill, group head of distributed systems
for HSBC Global IT operations, states that the bank's existing Linux
environment is more expensive to maintain than its Windows
environment. "Some will be surprised to learn that our Windows
environment has a lower total cost of ownership than our current
Linux environment."
HSBC claims it will achieve cost savings by reducing the number of
Linux distributions it uses and by improving the interoperability of
its open-source operating system deployments with Windows. "Our
decision to simplify our mixed-source environment with Microsoft and
Novell will allow us to reduce the cost and complexity," said
O'Neill.
It has a negative effect on OpenSuse as well, rightly or wrongly. Any
association Novell has that undermines, or appears to undermine, linux
has the effect of screwing everything that the name touches.
The open people might start looking for a new name and association if
they want to continue.
------------------------------
End of Cola Digest
--
| Mark Kent -- mark at ellandroad dot demon dot co dot uk |
| News Digester |