I am proud as hell to be writing this post. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my unbelievable pleasure to introduce to you the new undisputed champions of Punk, the band which has single handedly brought the rock crown back to New York City where it belongs--our good friends Bayside.
They are quickly rising to the top and it's no surprise. Never since the days of the Ramones has a guitar's every riff smacked you like taking an elbow to the face in the pit. Layered with deeply entertaining and thoughtful lyrics, grooving baselines, killer drums and vocals harmonies so sticky you'll swear they were covered in honey, it is some of the best punk since Green Day first hit the scene.
New York is mighty proud of our boys. Anthony, Jack, Nick and Chris, it was nice seeing you guys again earlier in the week. Keep on rockin' and take over the world! We'll be waiting for you when you get back.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Lay Down Your Arms
I need to get something off my chest. Recently, I feel as though there has been too much distro bashing going on. I admit my guilt in having participated wholeheartedly. I have also come to a realization that it has been, thus far, relentless, childish, foolish and immature. Consequently, it has proven contrary to the spirit of the greater community and clearly not productive.
We are all (well, mostly) reasonable people just looking out for the community and for each other. A difference of opinion shouldn't constitute a declaration of war. More importantly, we all have the same long term goals.
Don't get me wrong, I will still be the first to call out any iniquity on the part of anyone. I can never turn down a good fight--its just not my nature. However, I think that everyone needs to act more diplomatically, myself included, and pursue more savory discussion in an effort to create and coact better policy and solutions.
We need to work better together as a community, have more open dialogue and work in a concerted effort to disenfranchise the real enemies here. Unforgivable are the actions which desperate entities such as Novell take. Likewise, Microsoft is also clearly in our sights. Do I even need to mention SCO?
Sun on the other hand seems to have turned a new leaf. I don't think any of us views them as the bad guy any more. The same goes for IBM. Adobe seems to be opening their clamshell slowly. We really need to get on them. Ubuntu, by all accounts has been a run away success and has done much to forward the cause. Given they have all had some missteps, but then again, who hasn't. It just goes to show you how far competent management can take an organization.
The olive branch has been extended. Onward to victory.
We are all (well, mostly) reasonable people just looking out for the community and for each other. A difference of opinion shouldn't constitute a declaration of war. More importantly, we all have the same long term goals.
Don't get me wrong, I will still be the first to call out any iniquity on the part of anyone. I can never turn down a good fight--its just not my nature. However, I think that everyone needs to act more diplomatically, myself included, and pursue more savory discussion in an effort to create and coact better policy and solutions.
We need to work better together as a community, have more open dialogue and work in a concerted effort to disenfranchise the real enemies here. Unforgivable are the actions which desperate entities such as Novell take. Likewise, Microsoft is also clearly in our sights. Do I even need to mention SCO?
Sun on the other hand seems to have turned a new leaf. I don't think any of us views them as the bad guy any more. The same goes for IBM. Adobe seems to be opening their clamshell slowly. We really need to get on them. Ubuntu, by all accounts has been a run away success and has done much to forward the cause. Given they have all had some missteps, but then again, who hasn't. It just goes to show you how far competent management can take an organization.
The olive branch has been extended. Onward to victory.
Riddled with Metaphors
I would like to take a moment here to thank Novell for providing me with countless hours of priceless comedy. No matter how insanely terrible the weather outside might be, and no matter how crappy my day might be going, I can always look forward to getting an awesome laugh out of the latest story about the Microsoft/Novell deal.
I still don't understand how some people are so easily fooled. Look at what Novell's good friend Steve Ballmer said today.
I still don't understand how some people are so easily fooled. Look at what Novell's good friend Steve Ballmer said today.
"I would not anticipate that we make a huge additional revenue stream from our Novell deal, but I do think it clearly establishes that open source is not free, and open source will have to respect the intellectual-property rights of others, just as any other competitor will."
So thanks for selling not only yourselves out, but everyone else, as well. We live in an age where the senselessness of one person or group is amplified and causes a definite domino effect.
To me, the above says that two things. First, Novell might as well fold up today, they're done. Second, the higher ups at Microsoft believe that the only way they can effectively compete with Open Source is via litigation. That's sad news because I know that there are smarter people at Microsoft who understand exactly how Open Source dramatically changes the value proposition for the customer, and are trying to reform that corrupt culture. Who knows, they might one day be successful. After all:
To me, the above says that two things. First, Novell might as well fold up today, they're done. Second, the higher ups at Microsoft believe that the only way they can effectively compete with Open Source is via litigation. That's sad news because I know that there are smarter people at Microsoft who understand exactly how Open Source dramatically changes the value proposition for the customer, and are trying to reform that corrupt culture. Who knows, they might one day be successful. After all:
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Speak the Truth or Make Your Peace Another Way
I feel like I have to respond to the bigillion emails I received over the weekend with regard to my prior post. I am assuming that I owe most of the traffic to Matt Asay quoting me in his InfoWorld blog. Matt is one of that rare breed of people who bring delight with every word they write. If you're not reading him, you should be.
First, to make this blatantly, unequivocally and unmistakably clear--I do not hate neither Mark Shuttleworth nor Ubuntu. We should all be jealous. Mark is a stand up guy. After all, how many people do you know that have invested $10 Million in a true Linux company? I am also very appreciative of all the great work he has done with Canonical/Ubuntu, penetrating into markets which would have otherwise never heard the word Linux. I also have interminable admiration for his awesome humanitarianism. After all, is that not what we fight for day in and day out? To create a culture which values both physical and intellectual freedom and transparency so that future generations can have a freer existence?
Second, with regards to what I said last time, I meant every word of it, although I will admit it was said, somewhat, in the heat of the moment. I will however further explain the context within which I wrote it. I couldn't believe what I read because I believe that what they are doing is such a bad idea. Ubuntu is choosing to act pre-emptively, by providing users a means to access software, which although they might know they want, they don't understand why it is so bad for them to have. The fact that they want it so badly proves the point exactly; it's like an illegal drug.
Now I'm not saying that the users are idiots, which they are clearly not, but what I am saying is that if you are going to target the mainstream desktop and the whole wide world user base which comes along with it, odds are that people are going to be none-the-wiser. The same thing happened to us with fossil fuels and look at the sorry state we are in now, trying with all our wonderous ability to break its suffocating grip.
I believe that education about these social issues (and yes they are as much social issues as anything else), prior to opening these potentially hazardous channels is the only way to solve this problem. Like Matt Asay said in his blog, pragmatism needs to be balanced with advocacy. If we don't educate people then we are opening doors for the same travesties we suffer with to occur over and over and in other parts of the world as well. That being said, I view this as one whole big marketing mess, and while I do believe that the letter of the announcement was written in good faith, (providing value to the user base) it certainly violated the spirit of the values of the Open Source community.
On a final note, Linspire claims that they are going to unify packaging in the Linux world. They also claim the Click-N-Run source is open and available. I spent about two hour earlier today looking through various Linspire sites, wikis, and software repositories and was unable to find the code. Also, I think I sort of figured out they were saying was that the Click-N-Run plugin is Open Source but that the web service backend is not. I am dying for a member of the Linspire community to prove me wrong on this and point me the place where they offer the CNR code. And as for their claims that they will be the end all and be all of Linux package management, well, as they say in Missouri
--SHOW ME!
P.S. I am in no way affiliated with the state of Missouri, either officially, unofficially or clandestinely. I had a friend who was a reporter there once, but he's moved on. In fact the St. Louis Cardinals of Missouri defeated my Mets in the NLDS this year. Boy did that suck. ;)
First, to make this blatantly, unequivocally and unmistakably clear--I do not hate neither Mark Shuttleworth nor Ubuntu. We should all be jealous. Mark is a stand up guy. After all, how many people do you know that have invested $10 Million in a true Linux company? I am also very appreciative of all the great work he has done with Canonical/Ubuntu, penetrating into markets which would have otherwise never heard the word Linux. I also have interminable admiration for his awesome humanitarianism. After all, is that not what we fight for day in and day out? To create a culture which values both physical and intellectual freedom and transparency so that future generations can have a freer existence?
Second, with regards to what I said last time, I meant every word of it, although I will admit it was said, somewhat, in the heat of the moment. I will however further explain the context within which I wrote it. I couldn't believe what I read because I believe that what they are doing is such a bad idea. Ubuntu is choosing to act pre-emptively, by providing users a means to access software, which although they might know they want, they don't understand why it is so bad for them to have. The fact that they want it so badly proves the point exactly; it's like an illegal drug.
Now I'm not saying that the users are idiots, which they are clearly not, but what I am saying is that if you are going to target the mainstream desktop and the whole wide world user base which comes along with it, odds are that people are going to be none-the-wiser. The same thing happened to us with fossil fuels and look at the sorry state we are in now, trying with all our wonderous ability to break its suffocating grip.
I believe that education about these social issues (and yes they are as much social issues as anything else), prior to opening these potentially hazardous channels is the only way to solve this problem. Like Matt Asay said in his blog, pragmatism needs to be balanced with advocacy. If we don't educate people then we are opening doors for the same travesties we suffer with to occur over and over and in other parts of the world as well. That being said, I view this as one whole big marketing mess, and while I do believe that the letter of the announcement was written in good faith, (providing value to the user base) it certainly violated the spirit of the values of the Open Source community.
On a final note, Linspire claims that they are going to unify packaging in the Linux world. They also claim the Click-N-Run source is open and available. I spent about two hour earlier today looking through various Linspire sites, wikis, and software repositories and was unable to find the code. Also, I think I sort of figured out they were saying was that the Click-N-Run plugin is Open Source but that the web service backend is not. I am dying for a member of the Linspire community to prove me wrong on this and point me the place where they offer the CNR code. And as for their claims that they will be the end all and be all of Linux package management, well, as they say in Missouri
--SHOW ME!
P.S. I am in no way affiliated with the state of Missouri, either officially, unofficially or clandestinely. I had a friend who was a reporter there once, but he's moved on. In fact the St. Louis Cardinals of Missouri defeated my Mets in the NLDS this year. Boy did that suck. ;)
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Have a Drink! They're Buying!
It's mighty funny how things come full circle, often out of the blue. I got back from FUDCon on Sunday and started digging through my collection of CDs and records, trying to organize everything since it was a terrible, hopeless mess. I happened to come upon a CD which I hadn't listened to for a while--Pearl Jam's Binaural. I used to think it wasn't that good for some reason, but then again I hold them to really high standards. Anyway, a review of a 7 year old album isn't the point of the story here.
FUDCon was great. Everything worked out well, we got tons of work done and things were looking up. The community was solid, stronger than ever and I was high on life and confident that we were making inroads, positive progress, in our battle for freedom and liberty. I was so happy and my outlook so positive that even in the frozen New York air I felt like was on a beach somewhere in the Bahamas perhaps. Then I read this and this. Oh crap! What the hell is this nonsense?
I would like to point out one very important part of this press release.
[Que sound of needle coming off record]
The timing of this was impeccable. Right as I was listening to Binaural, track 9, Grievance. I instantly began to think this song was a message from God or Shadow Man; no one else could have timed this better. Let me explain. It all goes along so well with the lyrics of the song.
Mark Shuttleworth claims that Ubuntu is "Linux for Human Beings" and that they are going to be the entity which is going to be the pioneer of Linux on the desktop, coming in with guns blazing and driving Microsoft out of Dodge. Yet, the only thing I've seen from Ubuntu is crap, crap, proprietary crap and now, CNR--so more crap essentially. Ubuntu being "Linux for Human Beings" is at this point the same as saying "The Flu is for Human Beings". Hey, we will even ship you up to 5 copies of "The Flu" for free through our proprietary online application.
While some of us in the community are fighting for liberation, fighting to prove that we have a substantial enough user base to warrant the opening of drivers, fighting to be free, apparently the folks over at Canonical and Linspire couldn't care less. They're more than willing to force the poison apple down people's throats. Hey, is the tree too high for you to grab that poison? Why here's a ladder! It's named Ubuntu.
Progress simply cannot be laced with ramifications. It's all or none in this battle. Canonical and Linspire are perpetrating the biggest blur of freedom. In this fight, you are either pure of heart or not. There is no middle ground.
This line of the songs is clearly talking about CNR and Launchpad. If you're going to be open, be open and enable openness. Don't introduce "solutions" into the community which are going to put people in shackles and then drag them into a hell. A proprietary hell. I just want to call out Eric Raymond here for encouraging this kind of rubbish specifically. Are we so freaking desperate to have Linux win the desktop war that we are willing to compromise our values in order to succeed? To Mark Shuttleworth, Kevin Carmony and Eric Raymond the answer is apparently, yes. Yes we are.
This is why people like Richard Stallman and our very own Max Spevack are heroes. Sure, one of them might be conceived as a little crazy (I'm talking about Max there) but at least they know what is right and are unwilling to compromise the integrity of our community. While RMS actively advocates from freedom, people like Max are doing things to facilitate and further the cause, like collecting stats about our user base and shifting the burden of proof onto the hardware and software vendors. That, my friends, is the right combination, not the mixing of closed and open software. People like Mark Shuttleworth on the other hand might have their hearts in the right place, but they're drinking the wrong cocktail.
You heard that? You don't give blood then take it back again.
P.S. I mentioned the other two 8 times, so I need to make up for it. Fedora, Fedora, Fedora, Fedora, Fedora, Fedora, Fedora, Fedora, Fedora. Fedora will set you free.
FUDCon was great. Everything worked out well, we got tons of work done and things were looking up. The community was solid, stronger than ever and I was high on life and confident that we were making inroads, positive progress, in our battle for freedom and liberty. I was so happy and my outlook so positive that even in the frozen New York air I felt like was on a beach somewhere in the Bahamas perhaps. Then I read this and this. Oh crap! What the hell is this nonsense?
I would like to point out one very important part of this press release.
"Beginning with Ubuntu 7.04, Ubuntu users will be able to use CNR to access commercial programs and proprietary drivers with one click of the mouse. In subsequent releases CNR technology will be integrated to provide an even better desktop user experience for getting commercial software."
[Que sound of needle coming off record]
The timing of this was impeccable. Right as I was listening to Binaural, track 9, Grievance. I instantly began to think this song was a message from God or Shadow Man; no one else could have timed this better. Let me explain. It all goes along so well with the lyrics of the song.
Progress laced with ramifications; freedom's Big Blur.
Mark Shuttleworth claims that Ubuntu is "Linux for Human Beings" and that they are going to be the entity which is going to be the pioneer of Linux on the desktop, coming in with guns blazing and driving Microsoft out of Dodge. Yet, the only thing I've seen from Ubuntu is crap, crap, proprietary crap and now, CNR--so more crap essentially. Ubuntu being "Linux for Human Beings" is at this point the same as saying "The Flu is for Human Beings". Hey, we will even ship you up to 5 copies of "The Flu" for free through our proprietary online application.
While some of us in the community are fighting for liberation, fighting to prove that we have a substantial enough user base to warrant the opening of drivers, fighting to be free, apparently the folks over at Canonical and Linspire couldn't care less. They're more than willing to force the poison apple down people's throats. Hey, is the tree too high for you to grab that poison? Why here's a ladder! It's named Ubuntu.
Progress simply cannot be laced with ramifications. It's all or none in this battle. Canonical and Linspire are perpetrating the biggest blur of freedom. In this fight, you are either pure of heart or not. There is no middle ground.
For every tool they lend us a loss of independence.
This line of the songs is clearly talking about CNR and Launchpad. If you're going to be open, be open and enable openness. Don't introduce "solutions" into the community which are going to put people in shackles and then drag them into a hell. A proprietary hell. I just want to call out Eric Raymond here for encouraging this kind of rubbish specifically. Are we so freaking desperate to have Linux win the desktop war that we are willing to compromise our values in order to succeed? To Mark Shuttleworth, Kevin Carmony and Eric Raymond the answer is apparently, yes. Yes we are.
This is why people like Richard Stallman and our very own Max Spevack are heroes. Sure, one of them might be conceived as a little crazy (I'm talking about Max there) but at least they know what is right and are unwilling to compromise the integrity of our community. While RMS actively advocates from freedom, people like Max are doing things to facilitate and further the cause, like collecting stats about our user base and shifting the burden of proof onto the hardware and software vendors. That, my friends, is the right combination, not the mixing of closed and open software. People like Mark Shuttleworth on the other hand might have their hearts in the right place, but they're drinking the wrong cocktail.
I pledge my grievance to the flag, cause you don't give blood then take it back again. Oh we're all deserving something more.
You heard that? You don't give blood then take it back again.
P.S. I mentioned the other two 8 times, so I need to make up for it. Fedora, Fedora, Fedora, Fedora, Fedora, Fedora, Fedora, Fedora, Fedora. Fedora will set you free.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
N800 Envy
All these people posting rave reviews of the N800 is making me jealous. Someone send me a code. Please? Pretty Please?
Send me a code or the kitten gets it.
Send me a code or the kitten gets it.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Rudy
I was completely oblivious to the news today that Rudy Giuliani had officially announced his candidacy for president until someone sent me an email a little while ago. I must say that I am strongly inclined to vote for him, should he win the Republican nomination. Before anyone goes and freaks out, let me explain why I think he would be an excellent president. Only a true New Yorker could describe to you what a phenom Rudy truly is.
Rudy Giuliani is a true political centrist. The man has courage and conviction. Never have I ever seen another politician in my life who was so purely interested in making life better for people. His political ideology and decisions are based on solid logic and good common sense. He doesn't jump to conclusions, he exhibits thought and practices due diligence.
How do I know this? A proven track record. Giuliani is pro-stem cell research, civil unions, social programs and all the other progressive ideas our country seems to want. He doesn't consider them progressive though, he considers them necessary for the betterment of peoples' condition. Giuliani doesn't focus on "right and wrong" as so many Republicans foolishly do, he focuses on "good and bad." The man is a true centrist and a true fighter for the rights people.
When I was growing up, New York City was a terrible shit hole. The physical condition of the city was terrible, graffiti covered almost every square inch, the city agencies ran like crap, there was rampant crime to the point where people were scared to walk around the streets past rush hours. Poverty was everywhere, in every neighborhood, drugs and guns flowed freely on the streets and everyone in the city felt like we were on the verge of the apocalypse. Rudy Giuliani came in and turned all that around and restored New York to its pinnacle. He reformed social programs and city agencies to ensure that they could deal with the growing poverty rate effectively and basically all but stamped it out in New York. He cleaned up our corrupt ass police force and actually made the streets safe for parents and kids alike. Giuliani rehabilitated the MTA and other critical services which restored life to the city and drastically increased the quality of our lives. He pushed the city council to enact fair, thoughtful and useful legislation. Legislation which encouraged freedom and innovation. He works with all sides and pays service to none. New York was on top again, where it belongs. Then came 9/11.
It is what we do in our most trying of times that defines us. Those with natural character and ability will always triumph over any obstacle. The ignorant will fall by the wayside and true leaders emerge. When we were down late in the game, an unlikely hero, Rudy, got us back in it and back on our feet. We went on to win that game.
In a world where New York is a microcosm, a melting pot, a mirror of the country, and even of the world, New Yorkers already know--Rudy Giuliani is not only a president, but a king.
Rudy Giuliani is a true political centrist. The man has courage and conviction. Never have I ever seen another politician in my life who was so purely interested in making life better for people. His political ideology and decisions are based on solid logic and good common sense. He doesn't jump to conclusions, he exhibits thought and practices due diligence.
How do I know this? A proven track record. Giuliani is pro-stem cell research, civil unions, social programs and all the other progressive ideas our country seems to want. He doesn't consider them progressive though, he considers them necessary for the betterment of peoples' condition. Giuliani doesn't focus on "right and wrong" as so many Republicans foolishly do, he focuses on "good and bad." The man is a true centrist and a true fighter for the rights people.
When I was growing up, New York City was a terrible shit hole. The physical condition of the city was terrible, graffiti covered almost every square inch, the city agencies ran like crap, there was rampant crime to the point where people were scared to walk around the streets past rush hours. Poverty was everywhere, in every neighborhood, drugs and guns flowed freely on the streets and everyone in the city felt like we were on the verge of the apocalypse. Rudy Giuliani came in and turned all that around and restored New York to its pinnacle. He reformed social programs and city agencies to ensure that they could deal with the growing poverty rate effectively and basically all but stamped it out in New York. He cleaned up our corrupt ass police force and actually made the streets safe for parents and kids alike. Giuliani rehabilitated the MTA and other critical services which restored life to the city and drastically increased the quality of our lives. He pushed the city council to enact fair, thoughtful and useful legislation. Legislation which encouraged freedom and innovation. He works with all sides and pays service to none. New York was on top again, where it belongs. Then came 9/11.
It is what we do in our most trying of times that defines us. Those with natural character and ability will always triumph over any obstacle. The ignorant will fall by the wayside and true leaders emerge. When we were down late in the game, an unlikely hero, Rudy, got us back in it and back on our feet. We went on to win that game.
In a world where New York is a microcosm, a melting pot, a mirror of the country, and even of the world, New Yorkers already know--Rudy Giuliani is not only a president, but a king.
Lost and Found
I just want to report about the awesomeness that is Pam Andrews and Matt Miller at BU. I left my camera in the Computer Lab Room 307 and they helped me track it down and now have it in their posession and it's on its way back to me. Special thanks to Jim Bardin as well.
BU is freaking awesome. I honestly have never seen an institution run as smoothly and as coordinated as the team at BU does. I guess that what happens though when you've got Pam and Matt running the show. My younger brother is applying to colleges right now and BU is one of his top choices. I am most definitely making sure he ends up at BU. This is one relationship worth fostering.
BU is freaking awesome. I honestly have never seen an institution run as smoothly and as coordinated as the team at BU does. I guess that what happens though when you've got Pam and Matt running the show. My younger brother is applying to colleges right now and BU is one of his top choices. I am most definitely making sure he ends up at BU. This is one relationship worth fostering.
Camera Left in Room 307
Did anyone who was at the hackfest on Sunday perhaps see or pick up a Canon Powershot S3 IS in a small Samsonite case?
I remember I took my camera out and took a couple of shots and then put it back down, not near my belongings. I forgot it wherever I laid it down and didn't pack it up when we were in the mad rush to leave. I just arrived home and realized it isn't in my bag.
If you have any information please email me at jaboutboul@fedoraproject.org .
Thanks,
Jack
I remember I took my camera out and took a couple of shots and then put it back down, not near my belongings. I forgot it wherever I laid it down and didn't pack it up when we were in the mad rush to leave. I just arrived home and realized it isn't in my bag.
If you have any information please email me at jaboutboul@fedoraproject.org .
Thanks,
Jack
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Undercover Agent
For those who frequently find themselves around a prominent and well wired coffee chain try setting your user agent to this:
User Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.0)
App Name: Microsoft Internet Explorer
App Version: 4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.0)
Platform: Win32
Restart your browser and there should magically appear a link to a Windows Vista Promotion. Enjoy your free wifi until April 30th.
User Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.0)
App Name: Microsoft Internet Explorer
App Version: 4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.0)
Platform: Win32
Restart your browser and there should magically appear a link to a Windows Vista Promotion. Enjoy your free wifi until April 30th.
Monday, December 04, 2006
All I Wanna Do Is Zudeo
I don't usually go out of my way to point out new fancy-shmancy Web 2.0 services, but I stumbled upon something this morning which I felt I had to make known. The good folks over at Azureus have started a new video sharing site, called Zudeo. The kickers here are that there is no flash required to view the videos (YES!!!!!!) and they actually solved the #1 problem with youTube--Zudeo supports HD!!
To my surprise, there wasn't much press coverage of this, except for this Wired story.
To my surprise, there wasn't much press coverage of this, except for this Wired story.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Word Up Magazine
More Novellgate, more Microsoft, more garbage. We all knew what the truth was, and now we have confirmation from the mouth of the ass, err, donkey. Wait, no, it is actually the ass. But I wouldn't dare paraphrase anything as good as this, you can read it yourself right here.
For those who will undoubtedly say your browser doesn't work with links, or that for some reason that link doesn't work, I'll paste the relevant lines below.
For those who will undoubtedly say your browser doesn't work with links, or that for some reason that link doesn't work, I'll paste the relevant lines below.
"We've had an issue, a problem that we've had to confront, which is because of the way the GPL (General Public License) works, and because open-source Linux does not come from a company -- Linux comes from the community -- the fact that that product uses our patented intellectual property is a problem for our shareholders. We spend $7 billion a year on R&D, our shareholders expect us to protect or license or get economic benefit from our patented innovations. So how do we somehow get the appropriate economic return for our patented innovation, and how do we do interoperability. The truth is, because of the complex licensing around the GPL, we actually didn't want to do one without the other."
"What we agreed, which is true, is we'll continue to try to grow Windows share at the expense of Linux. That's kind of our job. But to the degree that people are going to deploy Linux, we want Suse Linux to have the highest percent share of that, because only a customer who has Suse Linux actually has paid properly for the use of intellectual property from Microsoft. And we took a quota, you could say, to help them sell so much Suse Linux. That's part of the deal."
"What we agreed, which is true, is we'll continue to try to grow Windows share at the expense of Linux. That's kind of our job. But to the degree that people are going to deploy Linux, we want Suse Linux to have the highest percent share of that, because only a customer who has Suse Linux actually has paid properly for the use of intellectual property from Microsoft. And we took a quota, you could say, to help them sell so much Suse Linux. That's part of the deal."
I don't know what else to say right now. We clearly knew all along that this is what they were getting at. Novell played right into their hands, easily. I would like to ask Ron Hovsepian what it's like to live without a soul. Did you gain the ability to fly? Can you teleport? It must be interesting.
I'm not going to take this sitting down, and surely, nobody else in the Open Source world should take this lightly. It's time to start churning the gears of war. I already have a plan. Are you with me?
I'm not going to take this sitting down, and surely, nobody else in the Open Source world should take this lightly. It's time to start churning the gears of war. I already have a plan. Are you with me?
Monday, November 13, 2006
Software Learnings for Make Benefit Glorious Open Source
What a glorious day for Open Source. I don't remember a day as good as this in a long while. My next post is going to include a ton of stuff from the Fedora Summit being held today, so I figured I should get to all the other great news of the day first.
First and Foremost, in what took a back seat in the news today, more than just reaction and raw emotion has started to pour out of the community regarding Novellgate. Today, the Samba Team sent Novell a big Fuck You (Sorry Kids). I'm glad to see projects becoming actively vocal about this and letting Novell know that the GPL and Open Source is not just another whore in their harem of short-term solutions to rectify their long standing history of malfeasance.
Secondly, Sun has finally acted upon their long standing promises of Open Sourcing Java. J2SE, J2ME and yes, even J2EE (read the press release) will now be offered under GPLv2. That's great news all around the table and truly a shot heard 'round the Open Source world. It's even better news for companies offering enterprise Java Application Stacks.
Jonathan Schwartz even got in on some of the Novell bashing fun. Awesome!!! So now, let's give credit where credit is due, Jonathan Schwartz, myself and freedom loving people around the world applaud you. Of course though, in traditional Sun-has-delusions-of-grandeur fashion, they decided to post this on their Open Source Java FAQ site.
First and Foremost, in what took a back seat in the news today, more than just reaction and raw emotion has started to pour out of the community regarding Novellgate. Today, the Samba Team sent Novell a big Fuck You (Sorry Kids). I'm glad to see projects becoming actively vocal about this and letting Novell know that the GPL and Open Source is not just another whore in their harem of short-term solutions to rectify their long standing history of malfeasance.
Secondly, Sun has finally acted upon their long standing promises of Open Sourcing Java. J2SE, J2ME and yes, even J2EE (read the press release) will now be offered under GPLv2. That's great news all around the table and truly a shot heard 'round the Open Source world. It's even better news for companies offering enterprise Java Application Stacks.
Jonathan Schwartz even got in on some of the Novell bashing fun. Awesome!!! So now, let's give credit where credit is due, Jonathan Schwartz, myself and freedom loving people around the world applaud you. Of course though, in traditional Sun-has-delusions-of-grandeur fashion, they decided to post this on their Open Source Java FAQ site.
"This singular act is the largest contribution ever made to the free software community, and places Sun squarely at the front of the open-source movement - as the single biggest commercial contributor."
Yeah, nice try. I think they make have gotten a little too excited. I really just posted that because I thought spot would get a kick out of reading it.
All in all, today should serve as a validation to all involved or watching the community that we are winning, we are affecting change and we will ultimately succeed in changing the world. It should also serve as a warning to all those skeptics who thought Open Source was and still is going nowhere fast (yes, I'm pointing at you guys at Gartner).
All in all, today should serve as a validation to all involved or watching the community that we are winning, we are affecting change and we will ultimately succeed in changing the world. It should also serve as a warning to all those skeptics who thought Open Source was and still is going nowhere fast (yes, I'm pointing at you guys at Gartner).
Fedora Summit - Day 1
I'm not going to go into too much detail since everyone sitting next to me is about to post in heavy detail about all that's going on. We nailed down an agenda concentrating on the key issues, started talking about defining what a Fedora "Platform" should be defined as, and got a good way through before everyone got brain dead. I blame it on the lack of caffeine here. I'll update stuff on this post as the day progresses and as time allows.
UPDATE: A one photo summary of the day's events thus far.
Don't Upset the Kernel Hacker!!
UPDATE: A one photo summary of the day's events thus far.
Don't Upset the Kernel Hacker!!
Monday, November 06, 2006
Listen All Of Y'all It's A Sabotage
Based on Jesse's request for a more eloquent scathing. Directed at all Novell Linux-centric Employees:
[For those who like song]
[To the tune of Beastie Boys' Sabotage]
I Can't Stand It, It Seems They Plan It,
But I'm Gonna Set It Straight, This Novell-Gate.
I Can't Stand Hacking When I'm In Here,
Because Your Commitment to Freedom Ain't So Crystal Clear.
So While You Sit Back And Wonder Why,
I Got This [censored for the kids] Thorn In My Side.
Make No Mistakes, This Is Not A Mirage,
I'm Tellin' All of Y'all It's Sabotage!
[For those who like prose]
I don't know how they do it in other places, but in New York, we throw down. That's right. We're not afraid to issue challenges, question mediocrity, expose improbity and when it comes down to it, just down right fight. The Free and Open Source and Free Culture movements are unabashedly and intensely committed to upholding the noble principles we hold so dear: Freedom, Liberty, Choice, Transparency, Candor, Responsibility and Value. What's more is that we always exhibit constancy of commitment towards those principles. In the battle we fight, perfidiousness is not an option.
So this is my challenge to all the Novell employees who are involved in Free and Open Source software in any way shape or form, from the lowliest hacker to directors, managers, VPs, former Ximian Employees, etc. Now that it is blatantly obvious that your corporation's commitment to these values is nothing more than a brief interlude on an infinitely unsuccessful and fruitless path, and if you yourselves are truly committed to the aforementioned values, pack up and leave. You heard me right--QUIT!
"Dems be big words from a small man," many of you might say. Yes, that might be true; I am a little on the short side. Last time I checked though, the minds and hearts of men are what truly define them. Those words are at least as big as my thoughts. That you're continued commitment to Novell, and this evil indenture, at this point and forever forward, constitutes nothing more than a concordat on your own parts to conspicuously taint the Open Source community, imperil the future of the movement and jeopardize your fellow hackers.
Those who feel threatened by Free and Open Source will always be lurking, waiting and eager to sink their loathsome claws into the next unassuming piece of prey, to attempt to hinder freedom and progress and delay their own inevitable fate. The only way to ensure that your life's work remain salubrious to the Open Source movement is to disassociate yourselves from these entities. You needn't fret about your livelihood either; there are many benevolent entities seeking hackers of your magnitude, which would warmly embrace your arrival.
All legal assurances and PR jabberwocky aside, you know in your hearts what is true and just and prudent and brave. Do it now so that come impending times you won't be unwillingly trapped, fighting for the enemy. You must escape with your conscience and souls while you can.
[For those who like song]
[To the tune of Beastie Boys' Sabotage]
I Can't Stand It, It Seems They Plan It,
But I'm Gonna Set It Straight, This Novell-Gate.
I Can't Stand Hacking When I'm In Here,
Because Your Commitment to Freedom Ain't So Crystal Clear.
So While You Sit Back And Wonder Why,
I Got This [censored for the kids] Thorn In My Side.
Make No Mistakes, This Is Not A Mirage,
I'm Tellin' All of Y'all It's Sabotage!
[For those who like prose]
I don't know how they do it in other places, but in New York, we throw down. That's right. We're not afraid to issue challenges, question mediocrity, expose improbity and when it comes down to it, just down right fight. The Free and Open Source and Free Culture movements are unabashedly and intensely committed to upholding the noble principles we hold so dear: Freedom, Liberty, Choice, Transparency, Candor, Responsibility and Value. What's more is that we always exhibit constancy of commitment towards those principles. In the battle we fight, perfidiousness is not an option.
So this is my challenge to all the Novell employees who are involved in Free and Open Source software in any way shape or form, from the lowliest hacker to directors, managers, VPs, former Ximian Employees, etc. Now that it is blatantly obvious that your corporation's commitment to these values is nothing more than a brief interlude on an infinitely unsuccessful and fruitless path, and if you yourselves are truly committed to the aforementioned values, pack up and leave. You heard me right--QUIT!
"Dems be big words from a small man," many of you might say. Yes, that might be true; I am a little on the short side. Last time I checked though, the minds and hearts of men are what truly define them. Those words are at least as big as my thoughts. That you're continued commitment to Novell, and this evil indenture, at this point and forever forward, constitutes nothing more than a concordat on your own parts to conspicuously taint the Open Source community, imperil the future of the movement and jeopardize your fellow hackers.
Those who feel threatened by Free and Open Source will always be lurking, waiting and eager to sink their loathsome claws into the next unassuming piece of prey, to attempt to hinder freedom and progress and delay their own inevitable fate. The only way to ensure that your life's work remain salubrious to the Open Source movement is to disassociate yourselves from these entities. You needn't fret about your livelihood either; there are many benevolent entities seeking hackers of your magnitude, which would warmly embrace your arrival.
All legal assurances and PR jabberwocky aside, you know in your hearts what is true and just and prudent and brave. Do it now so that come impending times you won't be unwillingly trapped, fighting for the enemy. You must escape with your conscience and souls while you can.
Friday, October 20, 2006
It Rains on Our Parade
The Mets were just eliminated from the postseason. I am deeply saddened by this fact. The team with the best record in baseball was just beaten by the team with the least wins coming into the postseason. It's a terrible tragedy and its very fitting and tragic that it was raining throughout most of the game while the Mets were experiencing an offensive drought.
You're not going to win games when you let key opportunities slip through your grip. Teams without good starting pitching will never win, even if those who fill in are successful in that role. Leaving 11 men on base, while your worst pitcher is 1 hitting the other team, is no recipe for success. As good as the Mets bullpen was all season, they gave up the game, but I don't blame them. I don't fault Aaron Heilman for giving up the home run.
The blame is all Willie Randolph's. He has made some horrible mistakes managing the team throughout this series. The most blatant being letting Oliver Perez continue to pitch, although he is bouncing pitches in the dirt, to pitch to Scott Rolen. Thank God for Endy Chavez and his Spiderman like leaping ability. Letting Cliff Floyd swing away in the bottom of the 9th. Also, why let Heilman continue to pitch the 9th when in the same situation he brought in Wagner in Game 2 (a game in which the Mets also had the lead 3 times and gave it up).
All in all it was an excellent, but the bitter taste in Mets' fans mouths will not be washed away quickly.
You're not going to win games when you let key opportunities slip through your grip. Teams without good starting pitching will never win, even if those who fill in are successful in that role. Leaving 11 men on base, while your worst pitcher is 1 hitting the other team, is no recipe for success. As good as the Mets bullpen was all season, they gave up the game, but I don't blame them. I don't fault Aaron Heilman for giving up the home run.
The blame is all Willie Randolph's. He has made some horrible mistakes managing the team throughout this series. The most blatant being letting Oliver Perez continue to pitch, although he is bouncing pitches in the dirt, to pitch to Scott Rolen. Thank God for Endy Chavez and his Spiderman like leaping ability. Letting Cliff Floyd swing away in the bottom of the 9th. Also, why let Heilman continue to pitch the 9th when in the same situation he brought in Wagner in Game 2 (a game in which the Mets also had the lead 3 times and gave it up).
All in all it was an excellent, but the bitter taste in Mets' fans mouths will not be washed away quickly.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Revelations
Here comes the bombshell. After much introspection and after conferring with many hundreds of people, and one in particular just a few hours ago, I have decided that it would be prudent and wise to run for public office. It's the only way that certain goals can realistically be accomplished. I'm not talking about my own selfish, albeit important, goals. Although those would be nice. I am thinking of more noble ideals; which I am not going to spell out right now. I don't want to ascribe to any specific platforms right now--except for one. Things suck and I can, and will, make them better.
If you want more information, please email me. If you have money and would like to see it wisely appropriated (yes you, Mark Shuttleworth,) email me. If you think I'm crazy, email me.
While you won't be seeing me on any ballots on November 7th, 2006, know my friends that the day is not far away. Incumbents watch your backs.
If you want more information, please email me. If you have money and would like to see it wisely appropriated (yes you, Mark Shuttleworth,) email me. If you think I'm crazy, email me.
While you won't be seeing me on any ballots on November 7th, 2006, know my friends that the day is not far away. Incumbents watch your backs.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Summer Has Come and Gone
Okay, so Summer is pretty much officially over here in New York. The last couple of days we've had 60 degree weather with cold winds. It just happened way to fast. Literally in the span of 3 days. Saturday was really nice and then on Sunday I needed to break out the jacket and jeans. Looks like its going be a long cold winter, which sucks. The upside though is that it means much more time indoors, thinking, writing, planning and working on cool things. Especially in a new environment there are many opportunities to exploit. Let's see what develops.
Jack
Jack
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
OSCON Day 0 - Freedom 2.0
So after 14 hours in the airport, I finally made it to Portland, got some rest, woke up right on time to head into the Conference Center for the O'Reilly Executive Briefing session, starring none other than our own Michael Tiemann. I wouldn't normally write about something like this, except that there was an interesting point made by Tim O'Reilly which was expanded upon by Michael.
A question was posed to the panel about what they thought the next big thing in technology will be? Obvious answers, such as virtualization, VoIP, "the ubiquitous network," faster and flashier toys, came pouring out rapidly. Then with a bit of a pause, Tim O'Reilly offered up an answer. "We seem to be heading towards a Cassandra complex." The unfortunate truth is, we have become so good at "doing tech", we are able to foresee and predict disasters and societal impediments, but we are still slow as ever to act, and sometimes it stems from just disbelief, or more likely just not being brave enough to face the future.
Michael expanded on this by relating a story of how while working with NOAA, they successfully rolled out a new platform which allowed them to track weather changes and patterns for windows as small as five minutes. The severity and likely damages of Hurricane Katrina were predicted two weeks in advance and we still failed miserably on the most important level of the game. A few hours later, irrelatively, Spot mentioned how odd it was to watch on television how the hotel which had just hosted the first Red Hat Summit in New Orleans, where an award was given out for Open Source Crisis Management Software, was being used as a triage center for Katrina victims.
Michael closed the talk by revising his earlier answer. The next big thing in technology will be when we can effectively democratize action based on the information which we have become so adept at processing. This is the true promise of a technologically advanced society.
Dean Raymond von Dran, of the Syracuse University School of Information Management related that many of society's most pressing issues are fundamentally, information problems. Whether it be faulty intelligence in a war or a certain Senator rambling on about the Internet being a series of tubes (I'm sure the intern feeding him information was fired), many of our modern dilemmas exist because of inability or callous reluctance to react to information.
Linux and Open Source have now grown up and matured past the point of arcane popsicle stick and glue black magic and Fantasia-like wizardry concocted with crude tools. Face it. We aren't alternative anymore, we ARE mainstream. The greatest contribution of the movement has been a truly viable and robust platform for processing all the world's information. We are now at a critical juncture where we must step back and face the future. If we cannot grow up and, as Michael said, enable the evolution of societal ripostes to our most critical contexts, what have we really accomplished? Have we really accomplished anything?
Everything seems to be 2.0 these days. We, as a community say we stand for freedom and rights. My dear friends, code for code's sake is fun, but now it's time to work towards Freedom 2.0.
A question was posed to the panel about what they thought the next big thing in technology will be? Obvious answers, such as virtualization, VoIP, "the ubiquitous network," faster and flashier toys, came pouring out rapidly. Then with a bit of a pause, Tim O'Reilly offered up an answer. "We seem to be heading towards a Cassandra complex." The unfortunate truth is, we have become so good at "doing tech", we are able to foresee and predict disasters and societal impediments, but we are still slow as ever to act, and sometimes it stems from just disbelief, or more likely just not being brave enough to face the future.
Michael expanded on this by relating a story of how while working with NOAA, they successfully rolled out a new platform which allowed them to track weather changes and patterns for windows as small as five minutes. The severity and likely damages of Hurricane Katrina were predicted two weeks in advance and we still failed miserably on the most important level of the game. A few hours later, irrelatively, Spot mentioned how odd it was to watch on television how the hotel which had just hosted the first Red Hat Summit in New Orleans, where an award was given out for Open Source Crisis Management Software, was being used as a triage center for Katrina victims.
Michael closed the talk by revising his earlier answer. The next big thing in technology will be when we can effectively democratize action based on the information which we have become so adept at processing. This is the true promise of a technologically advanced society.
Dean Raymond von Dran, of the Syracuse University School of Information Management related that many of society's most pressing issues are fundamentally, information problems. Whether it be faulty intelligence in a war or a certain Senator rambling on about the Internet being a series of tubes (I'm sure the intern feeding him information was fired), many of our modern dilemmas exist because of inability or callous reluctance to react to information.
Linux and Open Source have now grown up and matured past the point of arcane popsicle stick and glue black magic and Fantasia-like wizardry concocted with crude tools. Face it. We aren't alternative anymore, we ARE mainstream. The greatest contribution of the movement has been a truly viable and robust platform for processing all the world's information. We are now at a critical juncture where we must step back and face the future. If we cannot grow up and, as Michael said, enable the evolution of societal ripostes to our most critical contexts, what have we really accomplished? Have we really accomplished anything?
Everything seems to be 2.0 these days. We, as a community say we stand for freedom and rights. My dear friends, code for code's sake is fun, but now it's time to work towards Freedom 2.0.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Intending to Burn
This is primarily a test post, so you can go ahead and ignore it. I wanted to test out the new automatic feed translation that I enabled on my feed. I would prefer to publish in Atom, but of course not every reader (including Planet) likes parsing Atom feeds, so I had resorted to manually doing the Atom -> RSS 2.0 conversion. Theoretically, this should allow automatic detection of the client's capabilities and give it the right version of the feed. If things look messed up to someone, or if your client is choking and/or is spewing garbage please email me and let me know.
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