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LONG [News Digest] Linux News Digest for the 24hrs preceding 26-02-08

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Mark Kent

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Feb 26, 2008, 3:26:28 AM2/26/08

In today's digest, we have:
* [Rival] Defeat for XBox360 Confimed with Drive Burial
* Google Quietly Eats Microsoft's Cash Cow
* Red Hat Expands to More Areas
* Big Linux Computing at Georgia State, IBM Leads in UNIX
* Mozilla Does Not Support Microsoft's Web Hijack Attempts
* Linutop 2 Appears in New Zealand's Press
* Linux Beats Windows, Performance-wise, on Eee PC
* [Rival] Microsoft Brings Insecurities to Macs
* Upgrade From Macs to GNU/Linux
* Ubuntu Founder Explains Google's Role in Toppling Windows, Microsoft
* New GNU/Linux Users Express Satisfaction
* [Rival] Microsoft Brings SAP and Silverlight Infection to Your
Health?
* Another GNU/Linux Computer Lab Built for Students
* KDE 4 on a 350MHz AMD PC, Other KDE 4 Raves
* Keyboard-enabled Linux Handhelds (N810, Mylo) Compared
* [OT] 'Microsoft's French Ambassador' Gets Mouth Dirty
* [Rival] How Microsoft and Its ECMA Proxy Steal Citizens' Rights
* TurboTax Suffers Microsoft Dilemma, Cheaper Software Beats It
* Glimpse at Next Ubuntu, New Release of Ubuntu Derivative (CrunchBang)
* [Rival] Monopoly Abusers Don't Care About Improving Products Anymore
* [Rival] Microsoft Goes Headhunting, Faces Rejections
* Adobe AIR 1.0 for GNU/Linux Still Under Development
* EntirelyOpen-source Graphics Cards Coming Soon
* FSF Working to Ensure Software Freedom in a Web Era
* One Nation's Web Censorship Goes Titsup and Ruins Web for Everyone

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 posters' 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

Alternatively, you can start at the first one, posted 3/Sep/06, and
work fowards:
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/comp.os.linux.advocacy/browse_thread/thread/204520deb472e5ef/fa8c1f5e12433243?&hl=en#fa8c1f5e12433243

I very much hope that you find this digest useful. I also run a blog in
which I post occasionally, which you can find at http://thereisnomagic.org
It does tend to the philosophical end of free software, engineering and
economics, you have been warned!

You can email me at: echo ma...@NOSPAM.ellandroad.demon.co.uk, removing
the obvious bit.

Happy reading, Mark Kent, Digest Editor.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message-ID: <1297508.N...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] Defeat for XBox360 Confimed with Drive Burial
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:43:14 +0000

Microsoft Pulls Plug on HD DVD Players

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft Corp. said it will stop making HD DVD players for its Xbox 360
| video game system after Toshiba Corp. ceded the high-definition video format
| battle to Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray.
`----

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ifXeLMB28kre9AK-YgVq7Y4ZEJ9wD8V0RI780

It's the least successful console in the market. Even beaten by PS2...

The XBox360 has been good in driving Microsoft closer to debt.

[ Microsoft's plan to tax all media distribution is close to collapse. Ed. ]

Microsoft's Last Big Beat: Internet Domination or Death

,----[ Quote ]
| What can $44.6B USD mean? Well, for Microsoft (MSFT) it may mean the cost of
| survival.
`----

http://seekingalpha.com/article/63876-microsoft-s-last-big-beat-internet-domination-or-death?source=yahoo

Microsoft says to borrow money for Yahoo deal

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft Corp said on Monday it may borrow money for the first time in its
| history to fund a portion of its $44.6 billion unsolicited offer for Yahoo
| Inc.
`----

http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idUSN0455692920080205

Will Microsoft Survive the Next 10 Years?

,----[ Quote ]
| I am not really an expert in this but when I read all the negative
| headlines and articles I ask myself if Microsoft really will survive
| the next 10 years.
|
| [...]
|
| I am pretty sure that the Open Source Community, the new Ubuntu,
| Google and of course Apple are those companies that are ready for
| our century and they will get more and more people that know what
| they really want.
`----

http://websquirrel.blogspot.com/2007/03/will-microsoft-survive-next-10-years.html

P. Graham: Microsoft is Dead

,----[ Quote ]
| A few days ago I suddenly realised Microsoft was dead. I was talking
| to a young startup founder about how Google was different from Yahoo.
| I said that Yahoo had been warped from the start by their fear of
| Microsoft. That was why they'd positioned themselves as a "media
| company" instead of a technology company. Then I looked at his face
| and realised he didn't understand. It was as if I'd told him how much
| girls liked Barry Manilow in the mid 80s. Barry who?
|
| Microsoft? He didn't say anything, but I could tell he didn't quite
| believe anyone would be frightened of them.
`----

http://www.paulgraham.com/microsoft.html

Microsoft's DreamSpark – What a Giveaway

,----[ Quote ]
| The rest of the $44.6bn (£22.3bn) deal would be financed with an undisclosed
| amount of credit.
|
| What that means is that it must squeeze as much money as it can from its
| operations to fund that debt and still pay dividends to shareholders, who
| will be looking for some payback from the Yahoo takeover. Giving away
| software is the last thing it would want to do in these circumstances, and
| the DreamSpark announcement shows just how worried it is about the future.
`----

http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/microsofts-dreamspark-%E2%80%93-what-giveaway

------------------------------

Message-ID: <5328635.T...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Google Quietly Eats Microsoft's Cash Cow
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:47:08 +0000

Why Google Apps is a Serious Threat to Microsoft Office

,----[ Quote ]
| The significant advantage is collaboration. Since I started working on a new
| project where we all agreed to use Google Docs from the start, I have hardly
| used MS Office at all - even on other projects.
`----

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_apps_serious_threat_to_microsoft_office.php

Many people use both Office and Apps. It's a transition phase. Microsoft's
anti-Google Apps propaganda showed how scared it is.

Three Minutes With Google's Apps Manager

,----[ Quote ]
| This move, which puts it in direct competition with software
| heavyweights like Microsoft, builds on Google's first steps as
| an enterprise vendor years ago when it launched its firs
| enterprise search product.
`----

http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20070526/tc_pcworld/132241

Can Google and Linux Topple Microsoft?

,----[ Quote ]
| The story had a certain flair. In early March, the chief information
| officer of the Federal Aviation Administration, David Bowen, was
| reportedly considering forsaking Microsoft Windows and Office in
| favour of the Linux operating system and the Web-based Google Apps
| Premium office suite.
`----

http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/57534.html

FAA May Ditch Microsoft's Windows Vista And Office For Google And Linux Combo

,----[ Quote ]
| Bowen said he's in talks with the aviation safety agency's main
| hardware supplier, Dell Computer, to determine if it could
| deliver Linux-based computers capable of accessing Google
| Apps through a non-Microsoft browser once the FAA's XP-based
| computers pass their shelf life.
`----

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197800480

Google manager: Google Apps replaced Microsoft Office at 100,000 businesses

,----[ Quote ]
| Google's newly released online productivity suite Google Apps has
| already replaced Microsoft Office at more than 100,000 small to
| medium enterprises and has been deployed at two of the largest
| companies in the world, according to the search leader's
| enterprise product boss.
`----

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/9889/53/

Dumping Office for Google Apps

,----[ Quote ]
| Google has a friend in Disney, and that could leave Microsoft screaming
| like a jilted lover.
`----

http://videos.webpronews.com/2007/02/07/dumping-office-for-google-apps/

Apps vs. Office: Google Ups the Ante

,----[ Quote ]
| So apparently do some 100,000 small businesses and organisations that use
| Google's productivity and communications software. Even larger corporations,
| such as General Electric and Procter & Gamble , are becoming adherents.
`----

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2007/tc20070716_231231.htm?campaign_id=yhoo

------------------------------

Message-ID: <3532122.T...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Red Hat Expands to More Areas
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:48:34 +0000

New Red Hat boss defines company's future

,----[ Quote ]
| Red Hat appears to look towards evolving past its Linux operating system
| roots. The company is attempting to mix the Linux operating system,
| virtualisation, middleware, independent software vendor (ISV) applications
| and software delivered as services into an enterprise data centre platform.
`----

http://www.cpilive.net/v3/inside.aspx?scr=n&NID=2034&cat=TOP%20STORY&pub=COMPUTER%20NEWS%20MIDDLE%20EAST&k=Red%20Hat
%20Linux
http://tinyurl.com/2wxt62

Related and recent:

JBoss targets 50 percent market share by 2015, achieves 100 percent developer
retention

,----[ Quote ]
| JBoss was always an ambitious project and company. It would appear that not
| much has changed now that JBoss is a division within Red Hat, as Red Hat
| announced today its intention to push JBoss into 50 percent of enterprise
| middleware workloads by 2015. This isn't 50 percent of all installed
| middleware, but rather than half of every new enterprise middleware
| deployments in 2015 will be JBoss.
`----

http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9871387-16.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=TheOpenRoad

------------------------------

Message-ID: <1259592.D...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Big Linux Computing at Georgia State, IBM Leads in UNIX
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:34:47 +0000

Georgia State Adds New IBM Supercomputer to Keep Pace With Demand

,----[ Quote ]
| "We're experiencing increasing demand for supercomputer resources," said Art
| Vandenberg, director of the university's supercomputing centre. "Our strategy
| is to build a centre that supports a wide variety of disciplines. So, we're
| adding the Cluster 1350 to support research that requires commodity level,
| Linux computing."
`----

http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/080222/0365610.html

Say-for-pay shillnalyst Gartner has this one also:

Report: IBM Fastest Growing UNIX Vendor, Number One Server Vendor Worldwide in
2007

,----[ Quote ]
| Gartner reported today that IBM (NYSE:IBM - News) continues to hold the
| number one position in worldwide server revenue. IBM captured 34.2 percent
| revenue share in the fourth quarter of 2007, and 31.1 percent revenue share
| for the full year of 2007.
`----

http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/080222/0365766.html

HP closes in on IBM in server revenues -Gartner

,----[ Quote ]
| IBM's server sales grew one percent to $17 billion last year, giving it a
| market share of 31.1 percent, down from 32 percent in 2006, while HP
| increased market share to 28.3 percent, thanks to sales growth of 9 percent.
`----

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKL2240680920080222?rpc=44

Linux in more than 90% of top supercomputers

,----[ Quote ]
| Other operating systems, such as AIX (4.8%), Solaris (0.4%) and Mac OS X
| (0.4%) make the list, but Linux is alone at the top, where it is used in 459
| systems or 91.8% of the top supercomputer systems.
`----

http://blogs.the451group.com/opensource/2007/11/15/linux-in-more-than-90-of-top-supercomputers/
http://tinyurl.com/2rponk

http://antitrust.slated.org/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/3000/PX03096.pdf

NY Times bans Microsoft analysts from Microsoft stories

,----[ Quote ]
| Just days after banning Enderle from discussing Microsoft because
| he has Microsoft as a client, the Times quoted Gartner analyst
| Michael Silver and AMR Research analyst Jim Murphy in a story
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| about Microsoft's Windows and Office software.
|
| If the paper would prefer not to quote an analyst who has
| experience with a client, it did a poor job. Silver is Gartner's
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| vice president in charge of client computing. Microsoft happens to
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| do lots of business with Gartner and also happens to have a
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| client-software monopoly. We're guessing that Silver knows
| Microsoft's products well and has direct involvement with the
| company.
|
| And, sure enough, he appears a number of times on Microsoft's
| own site and thousands of times in stories about Microsoft.
|
| Jim Murphy - wait for it - covers Microsoft too and is even more
| prolific than Silver.
|
| [...]
|
| Part of the problem stems from the reticence of companies such as
| IDC and Gartner to reveal their clients. That should make everyone
| nervous, but it doesn't. So called objective technology publications
| keep publishing material bought by vendors without telling you this.
| They're also too lazy or scared to ignore the likes of Gartner and
| IDC until the firms change their disclosure rules.
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/15/nytimes_ms_ban/

Buy Vista or die

,----[ Quote ]
| Gartner research vice president Michael Silver said that outfits have delayed
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| their Vista migrations to the point of stupidity and now some are considering
| late 2008 or even 2009, while others mull skipping the OS completely.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/07/vista-die

------------------------------

Message-ID: <1975213.Z...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Mozilla Does Not Support Microsoft's Web Hijack Attempts
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:36:43 +0000

Interview with Tristan Nitot, President, Mozilla Europe,

,----[ Quote ]
| Q: Now, tell me, is support for Microsoft Silverlight coming to Firefox
| anytime soon? Why or why not?
|
| Tristan Nitot: [laughter] Oh, my God. Ah.... That's a good one. (laughter)
| It's very, very unlikely that Firefox will support Silverlight anytime soon.
| At least if I'm alive. [laughter]
`----

http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20080224073434286

Microsoft Shares the Love, but Not with Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft has put up an invitation to share the love, but not with Linux
| (just bear with me, it will make sense in the end). With Valentine's Day just
| a few weeks away, the teams over at Windows Live and Microsoft Silverlight
| have joined their forces to enable users to spread and share their love.
`----

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Shares-the-Love-But-Not-with-Linux-76929.shtml

Microsoft's Silverlight Promises to Disrupt Linux Web Users

,----[ Quote ]
| Just as it seemed that Linux users (especially 64-bit users) would
| finally be able to enjoy streaming content with a minimum of
| hassle, Microsoft's new Silverlight software promises to throw a
| wrench in the works. Because of sites like Google Video and
| Youtube, Flash video has become a common means of streaming
| multimedia over the Internet.
`----

http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1418.html

Microsoft's 'Everywhere' excludes Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| This browser add-on enables rendering of WPF content, but
| "Everywhere" doesn't include Linux.
`----

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/7794/53/

ECIS Accuses Microsoft of Plotting HTML Hijack

,----[ Quote ]
| An industry coalition that has represented competitors of Microsoft
| in European markets before the European Commission stepped up its
| public relations offensive this morning, this time accusing
| Microsoft of scheming to upset HTML's place in the fabric of
| the Internet with XAML, an XML-based layout lexicon for
| network applications.
`----

http://www.betanews.com/article/ECIS_Accuses_Microsoft_of_Plotting_HTML_Hijack/1169824569

------------------------------

Message-ID: <1369667.z...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linutop 2 Appears in New Zealand's Press
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:38:28 +0000

Pint-sized PC has offsite OS, low power-use

,----[ Quote ]
| Web browsing is provided by a Firefox browser, and instant messaging is
| provided by Gaim, now known as Pidgin, which supports a lot of protocols
| including AIM, Google Talk, MSN, and Yahoo etc.
`----

http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/tech/06B24AA794794D87CC2573F60074D27B

Linux-based mini PC upgraded

,----[ Quote ]
| French mini-PC vendor Linutop is shipping an upgrade to its compact, Xubuntu
| Linux-based computing appliance. The Linutop 2 offers a faster 500MHz Geode
| processor, 512MB of RAM and 1GB of Flash, along with a new optional VESA
| mounting bracket.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS2700059670.html

Lean, green, open source machine

,----[ Quote ]
| The Linutop is touted as a mainstream PC that can be used in shops, bars,
| kiosks and schools, or anywhere where desktop space is at a premium. Its tiny
| size also means that it is suitable to be embedded in cars, airplanes or
| boats, or in a digital signage offering.
`----

http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2008/021508-lean-green-open-source.html

Linutop Mini Linux PC Reviewed - Damn Small Linux Hardware

,----[ Quote ]
| The Linutop is a small Linux PC. Of course, if you think the Mac Mini is
| small, then perhaps the words, incredibly miniscule are closer to the mark.
|
| Running a customised version of xubuntu Linux, this little box could replace
| your desktop for most common tasks, including what you're doing right now.
|
| And if this wasn't impressive enough in a box slightly larger than a Nintendo
| DS, the Linutop does it all drawing a maximum of 5 watts - That's less than
| an energy saver light bulb!
`----

http://www.digitalreviews.net/reviews/pc-hardware/linutop-mini-linux-pc-reviewed-damn-small-linux-har.html
http://tinyurl.com/2kyd8y

Linutop v1.2: low-power Linux desktop Revisited

,----[ Quote ]
| Tech reviews are very much a snapshot process, making a decision after a
| relatively short period of time and of a single incarnation of the product.
| Useful, yes, but not an exact facsimile of living with something day in, day
| out that you’ve bought yourself.
`----

http://www.slashgear.com/linutop-v12-low-power-linux-desktop-revisited-048829.php

Linux web PC makers tout Linutop-like wares

,----[ Quote ]
| Linutop's recently announced Linux-based ultra-compact PC may have
| grabbed the hardware headlines earlier this week, but its rivals
| didn't take long to start shouting about their own take on the
| web-oriented unit.
`----

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/11/30/diskless_linux_web_pcs/

Linutop: Tiny Linux Computer On Sale

,----[ Quote ]
| Get ready for a bonkers-ly small Linux machine, called Linutop, as
| it comes on sale.
`----

http://digital-lifestyles.info/2007/05/02/linutop-tiny-linux-computer-on-sale/

SlashGear Review: Linutop's fanless Linux PC

,----[ Quote ]
| Much to my shame, Linux is something of a mystery to me. Actually,
| I think they should teach at least the basics of it in school
| computing classes, alongside English and at least one foreign
| language (though don't ask me about my French abilities either), but
| this is neither time nor place for my election campaigning. And so I
| look on with maudlin self-disgust at promises of Dell laptops with
| Linux pre-installed, or clever thumb-drives and Live CDs that offer
| a chance to fiddle with the OS without ruining your everyday copy of
| Windows; I inevitably fold when faced with some sort of command
| prompt. Perhaps, then, you?ll wonder why I was so keen to try the
| Linutop, a surprisingly compact and silent diskless computer that
| runs a specially tweaked version of xubuntu.
`----

http://www.slashgear.com/slashgear-review-linutops-fanless-linux-pc-315515.php

[Video Review] Review: Linutop

http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1005937

------------------------------

Message-ID: <4055165.9...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux Beats Windows, Performance-wise, on Eee PC
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:39:47 +0000

Slideshow: Inside the Asus EeePC

,----[ Quote ]
| On the standard CPU speed the Eee scored a 480 while running XP, and 558
| while running the Linux-based OS. After upping the front bus speed, we
| managed to get a score of 802 on the Linux system, effectively increasing the
| speed by 43 per cent.
`----

http://pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/pcw.nsf/feature/933874756C373495CC2573E70074EE30

Little Linux Laptops: Build It and People Will Come

,----[ Quote ]
| Verdict
|
| You can hardly go wrong in getting a notebook computer for less than $400.
| Any one of these units represents a highly compact and usable computer for a
| very reasonable price. The prevailing wisdom in computing has always been ‘Go
| smaller, pay more’, but these latest Linux laptops are battling that
| philosophy nicely. But then Linux has always gone against the wind.
`----

http://www.performancepccanada.com/?defaultarticle=1117&defaultnode=516&layout=20&pagefunction=Load%20Layout&formfields[sect_title]=Reviews

Asus expands Eee distribution

,----[ Quote ]
| Possibly reflecting increased supply of its popular subnotebook, Asus has
| announced the Eee PC will be available through mass-market outlets.
`----

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16075/1054/

Prototype 8.9" Asus EeePC Spotted at CES

,----[ Quote ]
| Not a full day after news comes from Asus that they’ve got some larger screen
| EeePCs in works do pics of one show up online. jkkmobile hits us up with
| some pictures of this new model.
`----

http://clumpc.com/?p=5

Asus Says Eee PC is Most Successful Product Ever

,----[ Quote ]
| An interesting piece of news from Asus’s press conference is that the Eee PC
| is their “most successful product ever,” according to Engadget. This is
| potentially huge news for Linux on two levels.
`----

http://www.linuxloop.com/news/2008/01/07/asus-says-eee-pc-is-most-successful-product-ever/

Asustek Eee PC shipments beat expectations

,----[ Quote ]
| Asustek has shipped almost 350,000 units of the Eee PC in the quarter, ahead
| of the 300,000 estimated, according to Taiwan's DigiTimes.
`----

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/12/21/asustek_eee_pc_shipments_beat_expectations.html

2007's most important IT lesson is spelt with an Eee

,----[ Qote ]
| The Eee shows too just how out of date the 'is Linux ready for the desktop?'
| argument is. Yes it is. Anyone can pick up an Eee with its standard Linux
| distro - or with a number of freely available alternatives - and just use it.
| That alone revitalises the 'is this paid-for operating system value for
| money?' question.
`----

http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10006830o-2000331777b,00.htm?new_comment

Asustek ups Eee PC sales f'cast by two-thirds

,----[ Quote ]
| Asustek had said that it hoped to become the world's fifth-largest laptop PC
| vendor by 2010.
`----

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTP4901620071128

Asus Eee PC as 'hard to get your hands on as a Wii'

,----[ Quote ]
| Asus' elfin Eee PC is coming to Japan and it's going to get 16GB of
| solid-state storage, it has been claimed. Meanwhile, in the UK availability
| has reached Wii-like limits, according to insiders.
`----

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/18/eee_pc_wii_japan/

Microsoft's Big Problem in a Small Box

,----[ Quote ]
| Vista is a big operating system that demands monster graphics and dual-core
| processors. But what if the market pines for a whole lot less?
|
| [...]
|
| The mass move to mobile computing is a destabilising force and harbinger of
| change. Microsoft's position would be better if Vista didn't demand so much
| when the market wants so little.
`----

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/desktop_mobile/microsofts_big_problem_in_a_small_box.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535
http://tinyurl.com/2sg6xy

Linux is about to take over the low end of PCs

,----[ Quote ]
| Opinion -- Sometimes, several unrelated changes come to a head at the same
| time, with a result no one could have predicted. The PC market is at such a
| tipping point right now and the result will be millions of Linux-powered PCs
| in users' hands.
|
| [...]
|
| Microsoft will fight this trend tooth and nail. It will cut prices to the
| point where it'll be bleeding ink on some of its product lines. And Windows
| XP is going to stick around much longer than Microsoft ever wanted it to.
| Still, it won't be enough. By attacking from the bottom, where Microsoft can
| no longer successfully compete, Linux will finally cut itself a large slice
| of the desktop market pie.
`----

http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS2414535067.html

I Love Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| I’m writing this post from my little EEE PC on a tiny table in my bedroom -
| the only room in the house with any furniture. As you can see in the photo,
| we are doing a little Home Improvement - new flooring. In the meantime, our
| world is total chaos. I’ve re-discovered my biceps - mostly because they are
| sore from moving all our stuff out of the house - and I’ve re-discovered my
| love of Linux.
`----

http://moultriecreek.us/family/2008/02/20/i-love-linux/

------------------------------

Message-Id: <3169778.x...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] Microsoft Brings Insecurities to Macs
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:18:07 +0000

Another Office 2008 installer security flaw

,----[ Quote ]
| This is the second installer-related issue with Office 2008. It was
| previously revealed that the installer incorrectly sets user ID 502 as the
| owner of the software, which could result in a user without admin rights to
| modify Office programme files.
`----

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16841/1054/

Microsoft cannot get security right, not even with POSIX.

[ Microsoft's applications are not designed for security. They're designed
for bling and lock-in. Ed. ]

Microsoft confirms Office for Mac 2008 snafu

,----[ Quote ]
| Office for Mac 2008 incorrectly assigns ownership of some files, Microsoft
| Corp. has confirmed, creating a potential security problem for businesses
| installing the new application suite.
`----

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9058840&source=rss_news10

------------------------------

Message-Id: <2613110.H...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Upgrade From Macs to GNU/Linux
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:19:51 +0000

Recovering Macintosh User

,----[ Quote ]
| Without these questions answered (yet), I have made the switch (last Friday,
| Feb. 22) to Linux on my desktop and as a web application developer, this was
| gutsy. So far, the system is running smoothly. I might add that I traded my
| Macintosh for a Dell 8100 with only 40 GB hard drive and 256 MB Ram… but the
| system is still running very well. The Dell is a stop gap measure until I can
| get either of the boxes that I mentioned earlier.
`----

http://jmikeneedham.dyndns.org/?p=4

Moving from Mac to Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| There is a transition and a learning curve in moving from one
| operating system to another. Since many new users of Linux are
| former Windows users, there are many, many Web sites that
| discuss tips on how to move from Windows to Linux. Here are
| some tips on how to move from the Mac to Linux.
`----

http://www.sharplabs.com:8668/space/Moving%20from%20Mac%20to%20Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| Early this month, Mark Pilgrim made waves when he went shopping for a
| new Mac, but decided not to buy one, and, in When the bough breaks, wrote
| at length about switching to Ubuntu. I've been thinking about this a
| lot recently, and now John Gruber's written And Oranges, a fine excursus
| on Mark's piece. I'm pondering the switch away myself, too, and maybe
| sharing my thoughts will be helpful. [Update: Lots of feedback on the
| state of the Ubuntu art.] [Update: More from Mark. I feel sick,
| physically nauseated, that Apple has hidden my email--the record of
| my life--away in a proprietary undocumented format. I've had this happen
| once before (the culprit was Eudora); fool me twice, shame on me. Hear
| a funny sound? That's a camel's back, breaking.]
|
| [...]
|
| Will I Switch? · Yes. For Mark's reasons, and because I'm pretty darn
| sure that either Ubuntu or some other distro will eventually get the
| key things right.
|
| Alternatively, Apple could open-source a few of their apps so we could
| all fix the pain points, and they could start having an actual
| conversation with the world. Nothing less is acceptable.
|
| As John Gruber points out, neither Mark nor I are exactly typical.
| But you know what? I think that if the GNU/Linux/Solaris community
| can sustain its current level of energy and progress, and if Apple
| maintains its dysfunctional communications culture, there are going to
| be better choices just not for me, but for a lot of other people too.
`----

http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2006/06/15/Switch-From-Mac

Linux Install Series Part 1: Why Install Linux on your Mac?

,----[ Quote ]
| That is the question my fellow Mac users. In today's world we take
| what we have for granted but we forget that we have freedom, we have
| choice. And we need to take advantage of this. It is important to
| realise that we are not limited to what is 'given' to us. Thus, Free
| Software gives us the freedom to chose.
`----

http://openengineering.blogspot.com/2006/12/linux-install-series-part-1-why-install.html

Switching From Mac To Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| The straw that broke the camel's back was the release of iTunes 7. I
| excitedly downloaded it, reading up on some of the new features. There
| wasn't much of interest for me, but who can resist a major update of a
| killer application? I turned on L7's "Smell The Magic" and began to
| check out the new interface.
|
| Revolting! The playlist panel was suddenly clunky, chopped into three
| chunks of ugliness. The "new" Coverflow interfaces made me think of
| Windows Media Player. This wasn't iTunes... it was a travesty! To add
| insult to injury, I noticed it had become sluggish, even on a G5.
|
| [...]
|
| My first mission was to eliminate Windows XP as quickly as possible. Even
| if my computing world had been turned upside down, Windows hadn't become
| any more appealing. Does anybody actually take XP seriously anymore?
| The interface is about as fun as programming a VCR. A good interface
| along with solid, intuitive design is still one of the most important
| things for an operating system, something Microsoft has never even
| attempted.
|
| The search for a suitable Linux distribution began. Which distro would
| best suit a Mac user? Besides a rainy day installation several few years
| ago, I had never used Linux. I knew a few Terminal commands that were
| essential for OSX during its growing pains, but I didn't even knowt
| he basics. I was sailing into uncharted waters, but found it quite fun.
|
| [...]
|
| And, as a side note, this write-up is pretty critical of Apple. I'm
| definitely not against Apple. OSX is one of the best operating systems
| known to man, I still use my iPod, and they make some damn sexy hardware.
| But I've realised that my devotion to them is more out of habit these
| days, and I would encourage any devotee to examine their true feelings.
`----

http://www.eightysevenfour.com/blog.php?id=3

------------------------------

Message-Id: <4001297.h...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Ubuntu Founder Explains Google's Role in Toppling Windows, Microsoft
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:22:48 +0000

Open Voices: Mark Shuttleworth

,----[ Quote ]
| Mark Shuttleworth: Some folks believe that Linux can replace Windows as we
| know and love it. I suspect that, in fact, the biggest threat to Microsoft
| comes not from another platform which is sort of doing exactly what their
| platform does, but instead it comes from a big shift in the way people try to
| achieve their goals or the way people use technology.
|
| And we see that already, I think, in the battle that emerged between
| Microsoft and Google. I do think Microsoft actually has the upper hand in
| that battle from a fundamental who’s-got-what-cards-up-their-sleeves
| perspective. It is still Microsoft’s game to lose. Google has played a
| spectacularly good game, but they are still playing from a relatively weak
| position.
`----

http://linux-foundation.org/weblogs/openvoices/mark-shuttleworth/

Adobe sees full shift to Web in next decade

,----[ Quote ]
| Adobe Systems is working to deliver all of its software via the Web as a
| service rather than a packaged product, but the transition to earn money from
| subscriptions or advertising could take a decade...
`----

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21359751/

------------------------------

Message-Id: <6021152.K...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] New GNU/Linux Users Express Satisfaction
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:27:01 +0000

Linux on a Dell Inspiron 1501

,----[ Quote ]
| At this point Linux was ahead of Windows, because I could get all my desired
| software through apt-get. I use Firefox on both sides, synchronising my
| bookmarks with Foxmarks. In contrast, it took hours to get all my necessary
| Windows programmes installed, including all the little free or paid-for
| shareware programmes I use.
|
| To be honest, I haven’t explored Ubuntu very deeply yet. I don’t currently
| have any programming projects, and I’m not setting up any special services.
| Mainly I’m doing email, surfing the web, and writing. But since getting Linux
| installed I don’t think I’ve booted into Windows once in the last two months
| except to install software, just in case I need it.
`----

http://blog.genewilburn.com/archives/30

My Review of Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon

,----[ Quote ]
| Ubuntu is an extremely popular Linux distribution. As usual, the servers got
| clogged with traffic from all the users trying to download Ubuntu all at
| once. After letting my Ubuntu installation sit for a while, I decide to write
| a review of it now.
`----

http://www.thegreatbitbucket.com/2008/02/my-review-of-ubuntu-710-gutsy-gibbon.html

Windows Vista, The best thing that ever happened to Linux?

,----[ Quote ]
| Millions of these units have been ordered by Countries such as
| Nigeria and Libya and pretty soon there will be millions of
| children around the world with Linux as their first operating
| system.
|
| In stark contrast Microsoft have just released Windows Vista,
| probably the most resource hungry Operating System ever, for
| the PC platform.
`----

http://www.otezz.net/windows-vista-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-linux/

Linux gains despite and because of Microsoft

,----[ Quote ]
| Despite the heightened competition over the last two quarters from
| Microsoft-Novell and a move by Oracle to undercut Red Hat on the cost of Red
| Hat Linux support service, Red Hat has reported double-digit growth in
| revenue and an increase in profit.
|
| “The success of Red Hat has been able to validate the future potential for
| open source software,” Szulik says.
|
| Emerging countries are also lucrative markets for Linux, says IDC’s Gillen,
| because there isn’t as much of the legacy Windows technology to have to
| displace.
`----

http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2007/072507-linux-microsoft-gains.html?page=3

Open source and Linux looking better every day

,----[ Quote ]
| Vista Home Basic - How do you figure out all these different
| versions available? Thankfully a desktop shortcut to download
| an upgrade - the upgrade treadmill head start programme?
|
| [...]
|
| Added openSUSE - dual boot, so I can use both.
`----

http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/14993

Vista Upgrade: Stuck in the Middle of Nowhere

,----[ Quote ]
| This is just another reason (again, that is another post for another
| time) why I am hoping to never upgrade my Windows XP laptop to Vista.
| I am hedging my bets on Linux and Wine improving to where I can
| abandon Windows before XP is no longer supported.
`----

http://www.imarc.net/blog/139/vista_upgrade_stuck_in_the_middle_of_nowhere/

Linux Says Bye-bye Windows XP!

,----[ Quote ]
| It's been one of those months! My computer crashed taking with it crucial
| XP system files. This is the 3rd crash in the last year and I've finally
| had enough with the Windows operating system!
`----

http://www.richtam123.com/wp/?p=20

------------------------------

Message-ID: <1326021.r...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] Microsoft Brings SAP and Silverlight Infection to Your Health?
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:32:03 +0000

[Stung by dirty Silverlight]

Maybe Microsoft Should Stalk Different Prey

,----[ Quote ]
| Having exhausted its best ideas on how to deal with Google, Microsoft is now
| working its way down the list to dubious ones — like pursuing a hostile bid
| for Yahoo. Michael A. Cusumano, who has written several books about the
| software industry and about Microsoft, is not impressed with Microsoft’s
| rationale for its Yahoo offer. He said the bid seemed to be a pursuit of “an
| old-style Internet asset, in decline, and at a premium.”
`----

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/business/24digi.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

He suggests they take SAP, but moments ago they announced a collaboration.

Microsoft Joins Forces with SAP America for Healthcare IT

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080225/clm104.html?.v=47

And Microsoft now boasts HealthVault but those 'nasty' Microsoft rivals can't
get access to much because of Silverlight. Yuck.

A Microsoft/Novell employees (de Icaza) has made his talk available in formats
we can all use... Not.

Lang.NET talks available

,----[ Quote ]
| The Lang.NET 2008 talks have been published.
|
| They require Silverlight 1.0, but Moonlight compiled from source with ffmpeg
| support is able to play those presentations back.
|
| If you are in a rush, see the following post for details on downloading the
| WMV file (so you do not need to install Moonlight from source on Linux).
`----

http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2008/Feb-24.html

Microsoftification of Novell.

Microsoft Shares the Love

,----[ Quote ]
| News Brief. I'm a huge fan of guerrilla marketing. Two excellent examples:
| Silverlight valentines and the Martin Luther King Jr. virtual tour.
|
| The first is a collaborative effort by Microsoft's Windows Live and
| Silverlight teams: Valentine's Day e-cards, created using Silverlight. PC
| users can send their love using photos from Flickr or Windows Live Spaces.
`----

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/web_services_browser/microsoft_shares_the_love.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535

Microsoft Shares the Love, but Not with Linux

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Shares-the-Love-But-Not-with-Linux-76929.shtml

Is Seven Renegade, Guerrilla Marketer or Fake?

,----[ Quote ]
| Some advice for Microsoft: If this site is unsanctioned but real, don't shut
| it down. The most recent post is reason enough. The anonymous blogger gives a
| short history of Windows architectural changes, and he or she provides the
| most information about Vista. Microsoft, you need some good Windows
| evangelism right now, and an anonymous and seemingly insider blogger is a
| great way to generate buzz. If Seven provides some juicy details, people will
| subscribe to his or her feed, and enthusiast sites will report or blog every
| little feature.
|
| Some kudos for Microsoft: If Seven is a sanctioned guerrilla marketer, he or
| she has been too long waiting to blog. Microsoft, you need to get some good
| leaks out there to generate buzz. Please, let's see more of this. Be
| aggressive, take marketing risks. A blog such as this is worth millions of
| dollars in advertising, if it delivers the goods (meaning details) and
| generates buzz.
`----

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/operating_systems/is_seven_renegade_guerrilla_marketer_or_fake.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535

Ustream.tv negotiating $50 million sale to Microsoft

,----[ Quote ]
| Our tipster also mentions that Microsoft would use Ustream as a way to
| promote its Adobe Flash competitor, Silverlight.
`----

http://valleywag.com/354140/ustreamtv-negotiating-50-million-sale-to-microsoft

Microsoft's Silverlight Promises to Disrupt Linux Web Users

http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1418.html

Microsoft's 'Everywhere' excludes Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| This browser add-on enables rendering of WPF content, but
| "Everywhere" doesn't include Linux.
`----

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/7794/53/

ECIS Accuses Microsoft of Plotting HTML Hijack

http://www.betanews.com/article/ECIS_Accuses_Microsoft_of_Plotting_HTML_Hijack/1169824569

------------------------------

Message-Id: <3064977.g...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Another GNU/Linux Computer Lab Built for Students
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:33:23 +0000

My Computer Lab nearly ready

,----[ Quote ]
| Yesterday I saw the monitors for my computer lab stacked outside of the IT
| Room at the American International School were I teach Computer Science part
| time. It was a nice site to see. By Monday, my student’s should be returning
| to Linux after a long 3 weeks away from it. I will have to give them a
| refresher. The IT Director and I decided that they will start to use Linux
| Mint instead of PCLinuxOS.
`----

http://www.saigonnezumi.com/?p=567

Recent:

23,000 Linux PCs forge education revolution in Philippines

,----[ Quote ]
| Providing high school students with PCs is seen as a first step to preparing
| them for a technology-literate future, but in the Philippines many schools
| cannot afford to provide computing facilities so after a successful
| deployment of 13,000 Fedora Linux systems from a government grant, plans are
| underway to roll out another 10,000 based on Ubuntu.
`----

http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1163450117

------------------------------

Message-Id: <3120531.Q...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] KDE 4 on a 350MHz AMD PC, Other KDE 4 Raves
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:34:26 +0000

KDE 4 on old hardware

http://gamemank.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/kde-4-on-old-hardware/

More Mepis

,----[ Quote ]
| A few weeks ago, I started looking at the current state of KDE 4 for an
| upcoming post here. Along the way I installed it on my Mac and an MS Windows
| computer, just to see what the state of the art was. Part of the idea
| originally of taking the time to do a Mepis look was to see where it was at
| with KDE. I took a bunch of side roads, noticed the Mepis had Evolution as an
| installable option, and that led to my post.
`----

http://talk.bmc.com/blogs/blog-carl/steve-carl/More-Mepis

KDE 4: like a dream on 256Mb/1Ghz/Intel!

,----[ Quote ]
| And I was pleasantly surprised with how well it all works. With a "debugfull"
| build from SVN. With kwin_composite 3d eye candy, on Intel. With KDE 3
| libraries loaded too (for KPowerSave, since it's not ported yet). As they
| like to say here in Franconia, it's like "a'Traum".
`----

http://www.kdedevelopers.org/node/3137

------------------------------

Message-ID: <2574049.H...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Keyboard-enabled Linux Handhelds (N810, Mylo) Compared
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:37:11 +0000

Sony mylo 2 (COM-2) vs. Nokia N810

,----[ Quote ]
| Although not intended to appeal to the same market, the Sony mylo 2 (COM-2)
| personal communicator and Nokia N810 Internet Tablet still share enough
| similarities to warrant head-to-head battles and other comparisons.
`----

http://www.pocketables.net/2008/02/sony-mylo-2-com.html

Nokia N800 + Flash Player = Perfect Video Blogging tool, or “Adobe should make
implementing proper web cam support in the Linux Flash Player part of its
mobile strategy”

,----[ Quote ]
| Devices like the Nokia N800, N810, and Asus Eee PC are already on the market
| and in the hands of content creators. With an update to Flash Player 9 on
| Linux that implements proper web cam support, we have the chance to give them
| a whole new use case and make the Flash the de-facto standard platform for
| mobile video blogging.
`----

http://aralbalkan.com/1223

Review: Mylo price tag may keep away target audience

,----[ Quote ]
| Sony Corp.'s latest effort to capture the hearts, minds and money of
| teens and twentysomethings is a Web browser, messaging programme, wireless
| phone and digital music player all rolled into a handheld gadget that goes
| by the name Mylo.
`----

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/09/21/sony.mylo.ap/index.html?section=cnn_tech
http://tinyurl.com/fc9e5

Sony's Linux-based Mylo to include Skype VoIP

,----[ Quote ]
| The Sony Mylo ("my life online") is a multifunction Linux- and
| Qtopia-based handheld gadget featuring WiFi connectivity, an Opera
| web browser, and a variety of text- and voice-messaging clients and
| media players. Given its resemblance to Sony's PSP (PlayStation Portable),
| the Mylo is also likely to include games. It was announced last month,
| with expected availability in September.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS4957394679.html

Using external USB storage, Bluetooth headsets with the Nokia N810

,----[ Quote ]
| We have a few nifty Nokia Internet Tablet tricks for you today. The first
| comes from Kate Alhola, Nokia's chief Maemo engineer, who wrote a blog entry
| explaining how to use external USB storage devices with the Nokia N810.
| Apparently, the N810 supports USB-OTG, which adds basic USB host support to
| the device, making it possible to use a limited range of USB peripherals.
`----

http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2008/01/22/using-external-usb-storage-bluetooth-headsets-with-the-nokia-n810

Nokia N810 Internet Tablet

,----[ Quote ]
| The N810, like its predecessors the N800 and N770, isn't a phone. It's a
| Linux-based handheld computer that connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi or with
| a Bluetooth connection through a mobile phone. Nokia has finally got the
| form factor right; the N810 is a pleasure to hold and to use.
`----

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2242831,00.asp

Nokia N810 Internet Tablet Review

,----[ Quote ]
| The Nokia N810 Internet Tablet is the third model in this companies series of
| traditional handhelds, and the best so far. It is the first with integrated
| GPS capabilities and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
|
| This Linux-based device lets you connect to the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot with
| 802.11b/g, and if that isn't enough, it can connect via Bluetooth to a mobile
| phone. You can then access the Web with the best mobile browser currently
| available, watch streaming video, make VoIP calls, and much more.
`----

http://www.tabletpcreview.com/default.asp?newsID=1044

Review of Nokia N810

,----[ Quote ]
| Due to the heavy marketing by Apple and Amazon, you are surely by now
| familiar with the iPhone and Kindle. Those are very interesting devices, but
| I recently made a comparison between them and the new Nokia N810 and, in the
| end, went with the N810.
`----

http://www.kendallgiles.com/kegblog/2007/12/review_of_nokia_n810.html

Nokia N810 review

,----[ Quote ]
| Like the N800, the N810 delivers one of the best experiences in mobile web
| browsing on the market. The new browser that ships with OS2008 is truly
| outstanding, and most of the rest of OS2008 is pretty darn impressive too.
| For Linux enthusiasts as well as regular users, Nokia's Maemo-based software
| platform offers power, flexibility, and ease of use.
`----

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/nokia-n810-review.ars

Nokia N810: unboxing and first impressions

,----[ Quote ]
| My shiny new Nokia N810 Internet Tablet was delivered yesterday. After
| fondling it for most of the day, I'm relatively impressed. The N810 is a bit
| smaller than the N800, which makes it more comfortable to use and easier to
| tote around in a pocket.
`----

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071123-nokia-n810-unboxing-and-first-impressions.html
http://tinyurl.com/238k6u

Laptops lookout - New Nokia N810 Internet Tablet hits store shelves

,----[ Quote ]
| Nokia announced today that the new Nokia N810 Internet Tablet has begun
| shipping nationwide in the United States. With a new slide-out keyboard,
| built-in GPS, digital audio/video playback and Wi-Fi capability for VoIP
| calling, the Nokia N810 provides the functionality of a traditional computer
| but all in one sleek, stylish and portable device.
`----

http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1169511

------------------------------

Message-Id: <10204242....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [OT] 'Microsoft's French Ambassador' Gets Mouth Dirty
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:39:48 +0000

Sarko verbal spat proves YouTube hit

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/25/sarko_youtube/

He was also shouting insults when he got caught in bed with Microsoft
executives, shortly before he started to lobby for and made laws for the
abusive monopolist.

,----[ Quote ]
| Sarkozy and his family have been vacationing at
| a lakefront estate in Wolfeboro owned by former Microsoft Corp. executive
| Michael Appe.
`----

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20137506/

Is Sarko Uxorious?

,----[ Quote ]
| What this neglects to take into account is the fact that falling into the
| public domain is a gain for the public - and hence the actual moment when it
| becomes part of the "national pop heritage" - and that the gain vastly
| outweighs any minimal effect it has on ageing rockers' royalties.
| Unfortunately, with this action, as with others (including the "three strikes
| and you're out" approach to fighting filesharing), Sarkozy shows himself to
| be an old man - however young his new wife may be.
`----

http://opendotdotdot.blogspot.com/2008/02/is-sarko-uxorious.html

France set to experience a revolution in public broadcast television

,----[ Quote ]
| French president Nicolas Sarkozy wants to ban advertising on public
| television and replace the income stream with a tax on mobile phones and
| Internet accounts. "Our national television must provide quality and access
| to culture; it must not be shaped solely by commercial considerations," said
| Sarkozy in Paris on Tuesday.
`----

http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/101533/from/rss09

------------------------------

Message-Id: <4561863.A...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] How Microsoft and Its ECMA Proxy Steal Citizens' Rights
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:43:04 +0000

Why the OOXML Vote Still Matters: A Proposal to Recognise the Need for “Civil
ICT Standards”

,----[ Quote ]
| In this way, standards can protect – or not – the rights of the individual to
| fully participate in the highly technical environment into which the world is
| now evolving. Among other rights, standards can guarantee:
|
| * That any citizen can use any product or service, proprietary or open,
| that she desires when interacting with her government.
| * That any citizen can use any product or service when interacting with
| any other citizen, and to exercise every civil right.
| * That any entrepreneur can have equal access to marketplace
| opportunities at the technical level, independent of the market power
| of existing incumbents.
| * That any person, advantaged or disadvantaged, and anywhere in the
| world, can have equal access to the Internet and the Web in the most
| available and inexpensive method possible.
| * That any owner of data can have the freedom to create, store, and move
| that data anywhere, any time, throughout her lifetime, without risk of
| capture, abandonment or loss due to dependence upon a single vendor.
`----

http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20080224143425160

Monday morning: OOXML BRM tidbits

,----[ Quote ]
| The ECMA resolution proposals are just some possible ways of dealing with the
| comments. If there is not time to deal with all the comments then maybe, just
| maybe, people might realise that OOXML should not be in the Fast Track
| process. Of course, there has been evidence for that from the beginning.
`----

http://www.sutor.com/newsite/blog-open/?p=2075

OOXML is too hard to implement … even for Microsoft

,----[ Quote ]
| So various things could be true here:
|
| * Microsoft is not putting proper resources behind maintenance of Office
| 2004 for the Macintosh.
| * The software engineers working on Office 2004 for the Macintosh aren’t
| very good.
| * OOXML at 6000+ pages is just too hard a specification for expert
| software engineers working closely with the people who designed OOXML
| to be implemented easily and completely.
`----

http://www.sutor.com/newsite/blog-open/?p=2069

,----[ Quote ]
| "[Microsoft:] For example, we should take the lead in establishing a common
| approach to UI and to interoperability (of which OLE is only a part). Our
| efforts to date are focussed too much on our own apps, and only incidentally
| on the rest of the industry. We want to own these standards, so we should
| not participate in standards groups. Rather, we should call 'to me' to the
| industry and set a standard that works now and is for everyone's
| benefit. We are large enough that this can work."
`----

http://www.os2site.com/sw/info/comes/px09509.zip

Microsoft admits Swedish employee promised incentives for Open XML support

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft Corp. admitted Wednesday that an employee at its Swedish subsidiary
| offered monetary compensation to partners for voting in favour of the Office
| Open XML document format's approval as an ISO standard.
`----

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9033701

Corrupt countries were more likely to support the OOXML document format

,----[ Quote ]
| Is this just a random coincidence? The median of the CPI index of the above
| mentioned 70 countries is 3.95. Of the most corrupted half (CPI index less
| than 3.95) 23 or 77% voted for approval (approval or approval with comments)
| and 7 or 23% for disapproval; 5 abstained. Of the least corrupted half (CPI
| index more than 3.95) 13 or 54% voted for approval and 11 or 46% voted for
| disapproval; 11 abstained - see the table below.
`----

http://www.effi.org/blog/kai-2007-09-05.en.html

Microsoft accused of more OOXML standards fiddling

,----[ Quote ]
| However the 11 new countries are refusing to say how they will vote. These
| include Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Ecuador, Jamaica, Lebanon, Malta, Pakistan,
| Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uruguay and Venezuela. Most people seem to think
| that these have been put there by Vole to make sure the standard gets pushed
| through.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=42106

------------------------------

Message-Id: <3752094.g...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] TurboTax Suffers Microsoft Dilemma, Cheaper Software Beats It
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:44:59 +0000

Intuit Isn't Recession-Proof

,----[ Quote ]
| When Intuit grew worried it was losing market share of its TurboTax tax
| preparation software to cheaply priced competitors, the company boosted its
| marketing campaign and its sales rose. But on Thursday after the bell, Intuit
| announced that its second-quarter earnings tumbled as increasing costs
| overshadowed robust sales of TurboTax.
`----

http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/22/intuit-financial-software-markets-technology-cx-ra-0222markets25.html?partner=yahootix

It's the gradual demise of the proprietary software monopoly and legacy.

Recent:

Microsoft's Last Big Beat: Internet Domination or Death

,----[ Quote ]
| What can $44.6B USD mean? Well, for Microsoft (MSFT) it may mean the cost of
| survival.
`----

http://seekingalpha.com/article/63876-microsoft-s-last-big-beat-internet-domination-or-death?source=yahoo

Microsoft says to borrow money for Yahoo deal

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft Corp said on Monday it may borrow money for the first time in its
| history to fund a portion of its $44.6 billion unsolicited offer for Yahoo
| Inc.
`----

http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idUSN0455692920080205

Will Microsoft Survive the Next 10 Years?

http://websquirrel.blogspot.com/2007/03/will-microsoft-survive-next-10-years.html

P. Graham: Microsoft is Dead

http://www.paulgraham.com/microsoft.html

------------------------------

Message-Id: <2700942.L...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Glimpse at Next Ubuntu, New Release of Ubuntu Derivative (CrunchBang)
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:46:59 +0000

Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron Alpha 5 Screenshots

http://www.thecodingstudio.com/opensource/linux/screenshots/index.php?linux_distribution_sm=Ubuntu%208.04%20Hardy%20Heron%20Alpha%205

New default wallpaper. Also yesterday:

CrunchBang Linux 7.10.02 Release Notes

,----[ Quote
| I've released another version of CrunchBang Linux, my remastered version of
| Ubuntu featuring the lightweight Openbox window manager. Version 7.10.02 is
| the version that was never meant to be; however, as soon as people started
| downloading and using the original [I'm still finding it hard to believe that
| anyone would actually do that] I realised I'd better try to clean up the
| distribution and start to attempt to fix any issues/problems.
`----

http://crunchbang.org/archives/2008/02/24/crunchbang-linux-7-dot-10-dot-02-release-notes/

First look: CrunchBang - A faster Ubuntu! - Fast and furious Ubuntu for geeks!

,----[ Quote ]
| CrunchBang is a fast and good looking Ubuntu remaster. It
| includes a lot of useful tools, scripts and applications. Give it a try!
`----

http://news.softpedia.com/news/First-look-CrunchBang-A-faster-Ubuntu-77535.shtml

OpenGEU - A new distro with a new name and a new look for Ubuntu

,----[ Quote ]
| I am honestly pleased to give this package a complete 5 Pennie review. I can
| clearly state that this is everything is a distro I want, with little given
| way of the politics for the day with removing the codecs and having to change
| the name. I didn't really like Geubuntu because the Ge confuses the reality
| of the day. Eubuntu was already out there, designed as an education bundle so
| how do you communicate what is under the hood?
`----

http://knolinux.com/2008/01/22/opengeu.aspx

Geubuntu Sunshine

,----[ Quote ]
| Geubuntu is a complete and fully functional operative system based on the
| popular Linux Distribution Ubuntu. Geubuntu, a project started and designed
| by the Italian artist Luca D.M. (aka TheDarkMaster) is perfect for any
| Desktop, Laptop PC or even for a Virtual Machine. Geubuntu mixes the power
| and simplicity of Ubuntu and parts of the Gnome Desktop with the wonder and
| astonishing eye-candy of Enlightenment DR17
`----

http://www.geubuntu.intilinux.com/Home.html

------------------------------

Message-Id: <10470399....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] Monopoly Abusers Don't Care About Improving Products Anymore
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:56:39 +0000

Microsoft, Intel attacked for feeble software efforts

,----[ Quote ]
| Rick Merritt said that while the Vole seems perfectly willing to throw $44
| billion in an attempt to buy Yahoo, the $10 million on offer to research
| bodies is trifling.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/02/25/microsoft-intel-attacked-feeble

They want to just "f**ckin kill Google" so that they don't have to invest in
actually improving products (no competition).

Moreover, Intel and Microsoft are still caught bribing, but nobody ends in
jail. Rich criminals might just be harder to prosecute. :-(

"When you taunt the referee, he usually
watches you even more closely. That’s what happened to Microsoft, whose
“up yours!” attitude toward the Department of Justice has inspired
investigators to dig even deeper. Now they’re looking at Microsoft’s
efforts to take over Java. These relentless investigations sap
Microsoft, and distract the DOJ from worse dangers such as Intel. And
Microsoft’s childish, insulting behaviour is largely to blame."

--Jesse Berst

Related and recent:

Intel overwhelmed by EU complaints

,----[ Quote ]
| So many charges, so little time.
|
| Intel Chairman Craig Barrett appears overwhelmed by a European Union
| investigation into the company's actions. Earlier this month, European
| Competition Commission officials busted open Intel offices in Munich, hunting
| for documents related to alleged price fixing with retailers. That raid added
| to an existing EC investigation into Intel's business practices.
`----

http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/02/22/intel_barrett_eu_gripe/

Google's Brin: Microsoft bid 'unnerving'

,----[ Quote ]
| The Internet has evolved from open standards, having a diversity of
| companies.
|
| [...]
|
| And when you start to have companies that control the operating system,
| control the browsers, they really tie up the top Web sites, and can be used
| to manipulate stuff in various ways. I think that's unnerving.
`----

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1700ap_microsoft_google.html

Microsoft, The European Union, and the United States: A Statement by the AAI

,----[ Quote ]
| The AAI comments on the European Court of First Instance's upholding of the
| EC's Microsoft decision, taking the USDOJ to task for poor diplomacy and
| mistaken policy in its criticism of the EC.
`----

http://www.antitrustinstitute.org/Archives/miceu3.ashx

Kroes slams US criticism of EU Microsoft ruling

,----[ Quote ]
| Kroes said that it was "unacceptable" that a representative of the US
| judiciary should criticise a court of law outside his jurisdiction.
|
| “It is absolutely not done,” she told journalists on Wednesday.
|
| “The European commission does not pass judgement on US rulings and we should
| expect the same from the US.”
`----

http://www.eupolitix.com/EN/News/200709/87884c7c-c721-49b1-b6f0-5ba4ece0897c.htm

Microsoft sets spinners on court verdict

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft may have lost in court, but it quickly tried to win the war of
| media reaction via organisations like CompTIA, the Computing Technology
| Industry Association and ACT (the Association for Competitive Technology)
| which both intervened in court on its side.
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/17/reaction_microsoft_verdict/

Euro punters get involved in Intel antitrust case

,----[ Quote ]
| A EURO CONSUMER group has asked to be heard by the European Commission in its
| inquiry into alleged antitrust practices by Chipzilla.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/02/21/euro-punters-involved-intel

INQUIRER named in Intel writ

,----[ Quote ]
| He alleges that the company has engaged in monopolistic conduct in the CPU
| market by “threatening, coercing, and bribing customers to refrain from
| dealing with Intel’s major competitor, Advanced Micro Devices”.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/02/21/inquirer-named-intel-writ

AMD sees Intel bias in tenders, to move Competition Commission of India

,----[ Quote ]
| The global battle for market share between the world’s largest chipmakers,
| AMD and Intel, has reached India’s doorstep. AMD, the world’s second largest
| chip maker, is planning to move the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to
| make a representation on monopoly trade practices in the fast-growing
| microprocessor market, specifically in the government vertical.
`----

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infotech/Hardware/AMD_sees_Intel_bias_in_tenders_to_move_CCI/articleshow/2793522.cms
http://tinyurl.com/2udqtn

EU regulator raids Intel offices

,----[ Quote ]
| Intel has been accused of trying to abuse its dominant market position by
| selling its products below cost price and making cash payments to customers.
`----

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7241022.stm

Investors sue Dell on payments from Intel: WSJ

,----[ Quote ]
| An investor lawsuit seeking class-action status accuses Dell Inc. of
| improper accounting in its relationship with chip giant Intel,
| according to a media report published Thursday evening.
|
| [...]
|
| The suit alleges that Dell received at times as much as $1 billion
| a year in "secret and likely illegal" kickbacks in the form of
| "e-Cap" or "exception to corporate average pricing" payments"
| from Intel to ensure that Dell used no other chip supplier,
| according to The Journal.
`----

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/investors-sue-dell-payments-intel/story.aspx?guid=%7B400315B0%2DE375%2D4920%2DB300%2D784220BEFE35%7D&siteid=yhoo&dist=yhoo

Microsoft, Intel and Dell: The Tech Love Triangle

,----[ Quote ]
| It is becoming well known that Microsoft have achieved their current market
| share status by making major computer manufacturers sign licensing deals, so
| as to distribute a copy of Windows with every computer sold. What many people
| don't realise, is how difficult it is to get a computer from the
| manufacturers without Windows.
|
| [...]
|
| This is first-hand experience of the power of Microsoft's monopolistic
| practices, and it really does annoy me. It seems not so long ago that I
| praised Dell for their support, but along with Microsoft, they have now lost
| a customer entirely.
|
| Needless to say, we are now looking to buy a system from a local shop with no
| OS.
`----

http://blog.raisingwaves.com/index.php?entry=entry071120-003039

http://edge-op.org/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/2000/PX02663.pdf

Kickback Case: Retired Lawyer Sentenced

,----[ Quote ]
| The law firm, previously known as Milberg Weiss Bershad & Schulman, paid
| $11.3 million in kickbacks to people who became plaintiffs in class-action
| lawsuits against companies such as AT&T Inc., Lucent, WorldCom, Microsoft
| Corp. and Prudential Insurance, prosecutors said.
`----

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080128/lawsuit_kickbacks.html?.v=7

Lenovo got financial help from Intel, claim

,----[ Quote ]
| Journalists on the title said Lenovo is being paid a "pretty
| penny" from Intel to use its chips.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37670

Laptop-Project Founder Faults Intel

,----[ Quote ]
| Oscar Becerra Tresierra, general director for educational technology at
| Peru's Ministry of Education, says that after the country recently agreed to
| buy 272,500 OLPC laptops for primary-school students, an Intel sales
| ^^^^^^^^^^^
| representative tried "to scare us" by claiming the machines and their power
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| adapters didn't work. "I don't feel very happy about it," he said. "We
| wouldn't like the project to fail because somebody is spreading gossip about
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| the machines that doesn't turn out to be true."
`----

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119948070480568405.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Laptop Project Blames Intel for Breakup

,----[ Quote ]
| Negroponte said Intel even tried to undo a deal One Laptop had already sealed
| in Peru by citing flaws in the One Laptop "XO" machine and telling government
| ministers "we ought to know, because we are on the board." Such hostile
| comments were prohibited, Negroponte claimed, under the July peace treaty
| that brought Intel into the One Laptop Per Child camp.
|
| "I want to say we tried, but it was never a partnership," Negroponte
| said. "There's not one single thing in their contract or agreement that they
| lived up to."
`----

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hXa0O9XLMsWfaqt-sI9FqFy2IewgD8TVAD7OA

Intel: doing the dirty on OLPC

,----[ Quote ]
| Intel’s agreement with the OLPC Foundation included a ‘non disparagement’
| clause, under which Intel and One Laptop promised not to criticise each
| other, according to Nicholas Negroponte in the latest article in the Wall
| Street Journal.
|
| Still Intel tactics have violated that repeatedly to kill OLPC efforts in
| Nigeria, Libya, Pakistan, India, China and Intel is also still trying to pull
| those tactics in Mexico, Brazil.
| This is simply disgracefull of Intel, scandalous.
|
| But Negroponte has signed an agreement saying that he is not allowed to
| criticise Intel, so he is not allowed to talk about these shameless tactics
| even though Intel is the one violating the agreement.
|
| So only independant voices on the Internet can get those messages of truth
| out about Intels tactics.
|
| In Nigeria, Intel came and donated 3000 laptops to counter OLPC efforts, then
| sells 17 thousand Classmates to Nigeria at a loss.
|
| Then Microsoft corrupted Nigerian officials with 400 thousand dollars to
| install Windows XP on those instead of Mandriva Linux.
`----

http://www.p2pnet.net/story/14124

One Laptop Per Child - Production Delays Caused By Microsoft, Intel?

,----[ Quote ]
| I sincerely hope that no matter what the people who are running the
| OLPC project decide, that their project will continue and not get
| bogged down in a play of corporate greed and ambitions.
`----

http://www.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/2007/04/28/one-laptop-per-child-production-delays-caused-by-microsoft-intel/

Negroponte says Intel should be "ashamed of itself"

,----[ Quote ]
| He is furious that Intel's CEO Craig Barrett called the One Laptop a
| gadget. The Negroponte initiative is caught in the middle of a vicious
| fight between AMD and Intel, he said.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=39733

,----[ Quote ]
| That software effort does not have the support of Mr. Otellini, who
| is concerned about incurring Microsoft's wrath, the executive said.
| The two companies have a long history of tension over who controls
| the hardware and software direction of the "Wintel standard." Intel
| has said it is supporting both operating systems.
`----

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/16/technology/16chip.html?ex=1177560000&en=2ef52cee6b1fb0e3&ei=5099&partner=TOPIXNEWS

Intel slapped with new antitrust investigation

,----[ Quote ]
| New York state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has launched an antitrust
| investigation of Intel, after his office served a wide-ranging subpoena on
| the chip giant.
|
| Cuomo is investigating whether Intel violated state and federal antitrust
| laws by coercing customers to exclude its main rival, Advanced Micro Devices
| (AMD), from the worldwide market for PC central processing units (CPUs),
| Cuomo said in a news release.
|
| The subpoena seeks information on Intel's pricing practices and possible
| attempts to exclude competitors through its market power, Cuomo's office
| said.
`----

http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?newsID=11099&pagtype=all

US antitrust group urges Intel investigation

,----[ Quote ]
| The American Antitrust Institute (AAI), a Washington DC lobby group, has
| written an open letter to the Federal Trade Commission urging an
| investigation of Intel's allegedly monopolistic business practices.
|
| [...]
|
| AAI say its insistence of an investigation is based on allegations by AMD in
| a private case and information obtained by the EC's complaint, which have not
| been made public
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/30/aai_wants_intel_probe_expansion/

EC says Intel influenced bids for computer projects

,----[ Quote ]
| The third type of allegation, however, was new, and sounded like a variety of
| predatory pricing. “In the context of bids against AMD-based products for
| strategic customers in the server segment of the market,” the commission
| press release said, “Intel has offered CPUs on average below cost.”
`----

http://legalpad.blogs.fortune.com/2007/08/03/ec-says-intel-influenced-bids-for-computer-projects/

AMD chief condemns Intel 'abuses'

,----[ Quote ]
| In 2005, after the Japan Fair Trade Commission found Intel guilty of
| offering illegal rebates to Japanese PC makers, AMD filed an anti-trust
| suit against its competitor in the U.S. District Court in Delaware. The
| case has not been decided.
`----

http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/06/21/amd_ceo_condemns_intel_abuses/

AMD: Intel Destroyed Evidence in Antitrust Case

,----[ Quote ]
| In an unpublished statement to the U.S. District Court of Delaware,
| AMD alleges Intel allowed the destruction of evidence in pending
| antitrust litigation.
`----

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6352

,----[ Quote ]
| In 2005, a unit of Shenzhen Donjin countersued, saying Intel engaged
| in monopolistic practices.
`----

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070514/china_intel_settlement.html?.v=7

Intel's anti-trust memos started vanishing from the top

,----[ Quote ]
| Chairman Craig Barrett, CEO Paul Otellini and sales chief Sean Maloney
| have appeared on a list of Intel employees thought to have deleted
| e-mails possibly relevant to AMD's anti-trust lawsuit against its
| larger rival. The missing e-mails have thrust a livid state of mind
| onto AMD's lawyers who have very serious problems with Intel's
| rather lax document retention policy.
|
| [...]
|
| CEO Otellini appears to have been one of these troublesome employees.
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/11/intel_tortellini_episode/

------------------------------

Message-Id: <2665109.I...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] Microsoft Goes Headhunting, Faces Rejections
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:52:15 +0000

Wealthy Software Titan Seeks Open-Minded Valley Natives

,----[ Quote ]
| This is one personal ad that will be hard to fill: Steve Ballmer & Co. are
| trying to woo "prominent" Silicon Valley denizens to be on a new slate of
| directors to replace the current Yahoo board, Kara Swisher reports. The
| problem is that Microsoft isn't exactly beloved in Silicon Valley.
|
| Microsoft has until March 13 to nominate a new board slate to replace Jerry
| Yang & Co. if the software giant wants to go hostile and take its unsolicited
| bid directly to Yahoo shareholders.
`----

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/3281/Wealthy-Software-Titan-Seeks-Open-Minded-Valley-Natives

Yahoo sued again for saying 'no' to Microsoft

,----[ Quote ]
| Earlier this month, another shareholder, the Wayne County Employees'
| Retirement Systems, also sued the Yahoo board for the way it has handled the
| Microsoft board.
`----

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/yahoo-faces-another-lawsuit-rejecting/story.aspx?guid=%7BC076BD5B%2D3EE2%2D47F1%2D8088%2D5FEC613C015A%7D&siteid=yhoof

Is Microsoft bribing these people? If so, what with/how much? To quote Sam
Hiser from the other day:

"Microsoft: still a bunch of gangsters."

They don't even try to hide this. Time to break the company apart and put some
executives in prison?

Related and recent:

Microsoft's IBM Moment

,----[ Quote ]
| News Commentary: Microsoft can only lose if it enters into a proxy fight
| against Yahoo.
|
| Supposedly, Microsoft is ready to make a hardball manoeuvre to replace Yahoo's
| board of directors. A proxy fight would be a highly aggressive move from a
| company that for years sought to remake its tarnished public image. Antitrust
| cases on two continents portrayed Microsoft as a bully, which is a label a
| Yahoo hostile takeover may just revive.
`----

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/corporate/microsofts_ibm_moment.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535

Why Microsoft Should Fret

,----[ Quote ]
| But what if at stake in the battle isn't just Microsoft's position in selling
| ads, but the very survival of its core software business? Microsoft would
| never admit that so much is on the line.
`----

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120277476716860601.html?mod=yahoo_hs&ru=yahoo

Microsoft to take case to Yahoo shareholders: report

,----[ Quote ]
| The board believes Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft is trying to take advantage
| of some recent weakness in Yahoo's share price in order to "steal" the
| company, the report said.
`----

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/microsoft-take-case-yahoo-shareholders/story.aspx?guid=%7B7F963245%2D5B26%2D4A77%2D8D18%2D4D2122A9D4AE%7D&siteid=yhoof
http://tinyurl.com/3dpl6n

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is threatening to launch a boardroom coup at Yahoo! within six
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| weeks if the internet search engine fails to accept its $45 billion (£23
| billion) hostile takeover proposal or start serious merger talks, The Times
| has learnt.
`----

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article3300964.ece?EMC-Bltn=LOXCF1

Options Before Microsoft: Upping Bid; Tender Offer; Hostile Takeover; Pressure
Tactics

,----[ Quote ]
| Hostile board overthrow: This would be the most contentious, and Microsoft
| has indicated its willingness to go through with this if need be: it could
| seek to oust Yahoo's board at its next election; it would have until March 13
| to nominate a new slate of directors. Yahoo has taken "poison pill"
| provisions, and Microsoft have to oust the board to get past these
| provisions.
`----

http://biz.yahoo.com/paidcontent/080209/1_319741_id.html?.v=1

Microsoft Replies To Yahoo Rejection

,----[ Quote ]
| The response to Yahoo's "no thanks" to a $44.6 billion acquisition held the
| not-so-subtle threat of a more aggressive takeover action by Microsoft.
|
| [...]
|
| "The Yahoo response does not change our belief in the strategic and financial
| merits of our proposal. As we have said previously, Microsoft reserves the
| right to pursue all necessary steps to ensure that Yahoo!’s shareholders are
| provided with the opportunity to realise the value inherent in our proposal,"
| Microsoft said in their statement.
`----

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/02/11/microsoft-replies-to-yahoo-rejection

Microsoft rejects Yahoo! rejection

,----[ Quote ]
| Steve Ballmer still wants to swallow Jerry Yang's company.
`----

http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2008/02/11/microsoft_still_wants_yahoo/

Microsoft's Last Big Beat: Internet Domination or Death

,----[ Quote ]
| What can $44.6B USD mean? Well, for Microsoft (MSFT) it may mean the cost of
| survival.
`----

http://seekingalpha.com/article/63876-microsoft-s-last-big-beat-internet-domination-or-death?source=yahoo

Microsoft says to borrow money for Yahoo deal

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft Corp said on Monday it may borrow money for the first time in its
| history to fund a portion of its $44.6 billion unsolicited offer for Yahoo
| Inc.
`----

http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idUSN0455692920080205

Will Microsoft Survive the Next 10 Years?

http://websquirrel.blogspot.com/2007/03/will-microsoft-survive-next-10-years.html

P. Graham: Microsoft is Dead

http://www.paulgraham.com/microsoft.html

------------------------------

Message-Id: <3910394.O...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Adobe AIR 1.0 for GNU/Linux Still Under Development
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:59:27 +0000

Adobe to launch AIR 1.0

,----[ Quote ]
| A version of AIR for Linux is expected later this year, he said. Adobe will
| also create versions that run on mobile devices in the future.
`----

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-6231761.html

Recent:

Adobe AIR on Linux: Pre-Beta Testers Needed

,----[ Quote ]
| As of today there have only been releases of Adobe AIR for Windows and Mac
| but Adobe is committed to also delivering a version for Linux. This is great
| news for developers like me who use Linux as their primary desktop operating
| system.
`----

http://www.jamesward.org/wordpress/2008/02/20/adobe-air-on-linux-pre-beta-testers-needed/

Adobe Pushes DRM for Flash

,----[ Quote ]
| Now Adobe, which controls Flash and Flash Video, is trying to change that
| with the introduction of DRM restrictions in version 9 of its Flash Player
| and version 3 of its Flash Media Server software. Instead of an ordinary web
| download, these programmes can use a proprietary, secret Adobe protocol to talk
| to each other, encrypting the communication and locking out non-Adobe
| software players and video tools. We imagine that Adobe has no illusions that
| this will stop copyright infringement -- any more than dozens of other DRM
| systems have done so -- but the introduction of encryption does give Adobe
| and its customers a powerful new legal weapon against competitors and
| ordinary users through the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
`----

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/02/adobe-pushes-drm-flash

------------------------------

Message-Id: <3290965.W...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] EntirelyOpen-source Graphics Cards Coming Soon
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:02:00 +0000

Project VGA Hopes To Ship Next Month

,----[ Quote ]
| Michael Meeuwisse of Project VGA, which spawned from the Open Graphics
| Project for creating a truly open-source graphics card, announced today at
| FOSDEM 2008 that next month he hopes to ship the first of his prototype
| graphics cards. However, before you get your hopes up, this is a very low-end
| graphics card. The current Project VGA board has 16MB of SD RAM, Xilinx
| Spartan 3 s400 FPGA under 100MHz, and uses the PCI bus.
`----

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=NjM1NQ

[ What a wonderfully low CO2 footprint it will have... Ed. ]

The Open Graphics Development Board

,----[ Quote ]
| Additional details are available on the Traversal Technology Product Page.
`----

http://wiki.opengraphics.org/tiki-index.php?page=OGD1

Project VGA

,----[ Quote ]
| Home of the Low Budget, Open Source, VGA Compatible video card
`----

http://www.wacco.mveas.com/projectvga.php

First Open Graphics board appears

,----[ Quote ]
| This project is on the basis that a GPU should not end up with
| tons of propriatary software or hardware, containing hidden
| problems that aren't mentioned to the press, and yet cause
| nervous breakdowns for developers worldwide.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=36761

Interview: Timothy Miller, Open Graphics Project

,----[ Quote ]
| The OGP grew rapidly after I first started it, and it's continued to
| grow gradually since then. Now, we have Traversal Technology and also
| the Open Hardware Foundation that's dedicated to the non-profit,
| community, and democratic aspects of the project. Our mailing list has
| over 500 members, including well-known Linux kernel hackers, 3D graphics
| experts, college professors, representatives of many other open
| source projects, hardware designers, and people who want to become
| hardware designers.
`----

http://linuxgazette.net/130/ruecker.html

------------------------------

Message-Id: <1422969.7...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] FSF Working to Ensure Software Freedom in a Web Era
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:04:27 +0000

FSF to Host Summit on Freedom for Web Services

,----[ Quote ]
| The Free Software Foundation will host a mini-summit on Freedom for Web
| Services to discuss how the free software community can ensure that software,
| and its users, stay free in this new technological environment.
`----

http://www.fsf.org/news/FreedomForWebServices

Microsoft's sinking to new low in order to fake openness (cartoon):

http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20080224

Chips and Motherboards that support a Free BIOS - LinuxBIOS

,----[ Quote ]
| You can help our campaign by buying AMD CPU chips and not buying Intel. AMD
| have been helpful but Intel needs to be persuaded. Likewise, buy motherboards
| that support free BIOS. Tyan Computer Corporation are very helpful to the
| LinuxBIOS project and employ a full-time LinuxBIOS developer.
`----

http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/supportlinuxbios.html

------------------------------

Message-Id: <1212764.8...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] One Nation's Web Censorship Goes Titsup and Ruins Web for Everyone
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:06:34 +0000

Pakistan 'sparks YouTube outage'

,----[ Quote ]
| Pakistan's attempts to block access to YouTube has been blamed for an almost
| global blackout of the video website for more than an hour on Sunday.
`----

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7262071.stm

Pakistan YouTube ban affected other nations

,----[ Quote ]
| An attempt by Pakistan to block access to YouTube spilt outside its borders
| and affected much of the world.
`----

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16832/1054/

Finland censors anti-censorship site

,----[ Quote ]
| Among the estimated 1,700 destinations on the secret block list is
| lapsiporno.info, which has vocally criticised the Finnish censorship programme,
| according to Matti Nikki, the site's creator and a long-time activist.
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/18/finnish_policy_censor_activist/

Is Microsoft tinkering with Live Search results?

,----[ Quote ]
| Is Microsoft filtering out from its Live Search results those it
| considers “undesirable” for the company?
`----

http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1127

AT&T admits it censored other bands

,----[ Quote
| It looks like Pearl Jam isn't the only band that has had its politically
| charged comments bleeped from concerts streamed from AT&T's Blue Room Web
| site.
|
| [...]
|
| AT&T quickly apologised for the incident and blamed the company that handles
| the Webcasting for performances on Blue Room.
`----

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9759184-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Thailand shuts down political Web site

,----[ Quote ]
| Thai authorities have shut down a political Web site that spoke out against
| the monarchy, the site's operator said Sunday, in another move to punish
| critics of Thailand's most revered institution.
`----

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080106/ap_on_hi_te/thailand_web_site_ban

China cracks down on 'vulgar' video

,----[ Quote ]
| China is launching a nationwide crackdown on sexually suggestive video and
| audio products, in the latest effort by government censors to curb content
| considered to be in bad taste.
`----

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080106/ap_on_hi_te/china_video_crackdown

NGO demands details of Saudi blogger's arrest

,----[ Quote ]
| A Saudi human rights group on Saturday demanded the interior ministry explain
| why an Internet blogger who called for political reforms has been imprisoned.
`----

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080106/tc_afp/saudimediainternetpolitics

Animal Rights Activists Forced to Hand Over Encryption Keys

,----[ Quote ]
| If you remember, this was sold to the public as essential for fighting
| terrorism. It's already being misused.
`----

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/11/animal_rights_a.html

FBI screwed up, spied on entire email network

,----[ Quote ]
| The FBI on Friday revealed that human error led to surveillance of an entire
| email network back in 2006, rather than the single email address approved by
| the secretive court which approves domestic wiretaps and other forms of
| e-surveillance.
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/18/fbi_email_surveillance/

Aussie Net Filtering Plans Challenged

,----[ Quote ]
| However, the filtering plan appears to involve blacklisting millions of
| websites. A web browser hitting a blacklisted site should immediately hit a
| message saying the site is unavailable, as is common in nations that practice
| censorship.
`----

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/01/02/aussie-net-filtering-plans-challenged

Saudi Blogger Still In Government Detention

,----[ Quote ]
| Fouad al-Farhan's criticism of the Saudi government earned him an
| investigation by authorities, followed by his detention for questioning.
`----

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/01/02/saudi-blogger-still-in-government-detention

------------------------------

End of Cola Digest

--
| Mark Kent -- mark at ellandroad dot demon dot co dot uk |
| News Digester |

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