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Content Tagged with Editorial + linux

First...get yourself a blog and get it running. It doesn’t matter if it is from wordpress, google, or the media company you work for...just get a blog up and running.

To get maximum exposure in the past, you had to use keywords. Now is no different. The keyword we’ll focus the most on is one that can get you thousands of hits in a few minutes if submitted to the right news outlet. That keyword is Ubuntu. Add this keyword to EVERY post you make. Name your blog with Ubuntu in the title to make sure that it is vaulted up the rankings. Just remember, you must use the word Ubuntu in everything you post.

For your first post, announce that you’re going to stop using Windows XP and use Ubuntu instead. Do a lousy job of documenting your installation procedure and make sure you don’t talk about anything of worth to someone who might be making the same change...just talk about how cool it is to be running Ubuntu and go over all the pluses. Don’t focus on anything negative...afterall, you don’t want any of the fanbois to come in and flame you now do you? Best to avoid confrontation...you know that someone else will fix that nasty problem you ran across during install right? Why should you report it? You’re just a blogger trying to amass hits and/or a journalist trying to become hip right?

Ok, so now that you’ve announced to the world that you’re switching and you’ve blogged about installing and setting things up...you have to follow it up with a "this is the best thing since sliced bread" post. Make sure you talk about how Ubuntu has completely replaced everything you’ve ever done...talk ferverently about how it does your laundry, makes you breakfast, and changes the linen on your bed.

Make sure that you make claims about how Ubuntu is THE best Linux available despite not trying another distribution of Linux or having anything other than Windows XP to compare it to. Remember, always use the word Ubuntu!! When you go to install and compile a program that can install and compile on ANY DISTRIBUTION, make sure that you title it “Installing SoftwareX on Ubuntu” so that everyone will know that you are cool and hip by using Ubuntu...plus, it’s good to confuse people into thinking that SoftwareX can only be installed on Ubuntu and no other distributions out there.

Finally, always speak as though you are a complete subject matter expert on Ubuntu. Don’t worry! You won’t have to be. Countless people will flock to your aid in comments on your blog. You won’t have to defend yourself at all...even when people bring up actual problems or maybe discuss the shortcomings of Ubuntu there will be many people that will completely thwart these idiotic attempts to actually improve Ubuntu. And how dare people even think they can improve Ubuntu! They don’t work for Canonical and everyone knows that the best distros out there are from companies and people who get paid to develop for said company.

Follow this how-to and you’ll be raking in the readers! Plus you’ll be considered one of the coolest and hippest bloggers/journalists around! You don’t need talent...you don’t need knowledge...you don’t even need experience...you just need to remember the magic word Say it with me now...Ubuntu!

This blog post has been brought to you by the letter U and our word of the year Ubuntu. Remember, Ubuntu is not a four letter word...it has 6 letters in it. Claims of this bloultg about Ubuntu doing laundry may not work for you as results may vary.  If you start to believe that this post is from someone who is ignorant and that it is a serious blog post, hit yourself on the head numerous times with a tack hammer and point into the sky shouting “airpane!! airpane!!”.  Someone will get you the help you need

I remember a time in high school when we had a substitute teacher. This teacher was previously retired but still subbed in from time to time. His look on things was of the old school circa 1960...so he ran quite a tight ship and didn’t appreciate any adverse feedback or smart remarks from the students. I never had a problem with him until the day that I chuckled at a fellow classmate who was in a tug of war match with another student over a text book (evidently, one of them stole the other student’s textbook...whatever) and the teacher decided to get in the fray...so here we have 2 students and a teacher pulling on a textbook in three different directions. I laughed aloud...it was silly to see an older teacher and two ‘punks’ as he’d call them pulling on that book.

I was immediately reprimanded and given detention. When I asked what I did, the response was “apparently nothing but you’re going to stay after anyway”. When I pressed harder for an explanation, I was told that since I thought ‘my two buddies’ were funny, I was staying after. I had been caught in a perplexing situation many people, groups and companies find themselves in...I was guilty by association.

I was reading an article at Linux Today earlier and saw this line from the article, which was penned in defense of Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (and rightly so...I have no idea why people would call SJVN a shill...he’s the farthest thing from it). I’m not so much concerned with people attacking SJVN so much as I am with the editor’s (it’s an editor’s note) second item that he’s bugged by:

So...people shouldn’t do this. We all know that it isn’t fair...but the main fact is they are doing this and have always done this, just like that teacher of mine in high school. I wanted to understand why people aren’t making the connection that openSuse shouldn’t be held accountable for Novell’s actions...but then it hit me...The technology and code being sunk into openSuse as a test ground will one day make it into the Novell Desktop...which, as part of the now famous deal, will make money for Microsoft.

When you look at it in this logical manner, I don’t blame the people the article is condemning for targeting openSuse and I don’t see how anyone can blame them. How many Linux users out there do you know that want to bankroll Microsoft?

Continue reading "devnet: Guilty by Association"

I remember a time in high school when we had a substitute teacher. This teacher was previously retired but still subbed in from time to time. His look on things was of the old school circa 1960...so he ran quite a tight ship and didn’t appreciate any adverse feedback or smart remarks from the students. I never had a problem with him until the day that I chuckled at a fellow classmate who was in a tug of war match with another student over a text book (evidently, one of them stole the other student’s textbook...whatever) and the teacher decided to get in the fray...so here we have 2 students and a teacher pulling on a textbook in three different directions. I laughed aloud...it was silly to see an older teacher and two ‘punks’ as he’d call them pulling on that book.

I was immediately reprimanded and given detention. When I asked what I did, the response was “apparently nothing but you’re going to stay after anyway”. When I pressed harder for an explanation, I was told that since I thought ‘my two buddies’ were funny, I was staying after. I had been caught in a perplexing situation many people, groups and companies find themselves in...I was guilty by association.

I was reading an article at Linux Today earlier and saw this line from the article, which was penned in defense of Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (and rightly so...I have no idea why people would call SJVN a shill...he’s the farthest thing from it). I’m not so much concerned with people attacking SJVN so much as I am with the editor’s (it’s an editor’s note) second item that he’s bugged by:

So...people shouldn’t do this. We all know that it isn’t fair...but the main fact is they are doing this and have always done this, just like that teacher of mine in high school. I wanted to understand why people aren’t making the connection that openSuse shouldn’t be held accountable for Novell’s actions...but then it hit me...The technology and code being sunk into openSuse as a test ground will one day make it into the Novell Desktop...which, as part of the now famous deal, will make money for Microsoft.

When you look at it in this logical manner, I don’t blame the people the article is condemning for targeting openSuse and I don’t see how anyone can blame them. How many Linux users out there do you know that want to bankroll Microsoft?

Continue reading "Guilty by Association"

Something that is really counterproductive in many Open Source communities are people who are so rabidly fanatical about one line of thinking that they try to pressure everyone into their line of thinking. One long standing example of this is the whole FLOSS vs. FOSS concept. Some outspoken individuals try to lash out at all people who don't take their view on Free and Libre Open Source Software...that is, software that is Open Source, Free, and Libre (aka without proprietary parts included). It's really sad because this shouldn't be an issue in Open Source and Linux communities but it often is.

There are two labels that can be applied to these stances...promotion or activism. A majority of the people who love and support Open Source software are promoters. They're the ones that always put in a plug for their distro during tech conversations or tell their co-workers excitedly why they don't have viruses. The others are activists who lobby congress (like lobby4linux.com), sue for GPL violations, and take an active role in the proliferation of Open Source. Both of these stances and labels are needed in Open Source and to proliferate Open Source. But just like the old saying, "too much of a good thing can kill you" so can too much activism or promotion inside Open Source.

It's my experience that there are more of the promotionists than the activists. Of course, activists are needed with Open Source as well. They're the informed individuals that debate the GPLv2 and v3 until they're blue in the face...they're the ones that force GPL compliance on those not observing that license. They ARE needed. It's the extreme fringes of both promotionists and activists that we don't need. When someone goes over the top and over-promotes something...their promotion becomes counterproductive because of over saturation. The same is true for activism...no one wants to hear about how wrong they are for using X or not installing X.

So which group would be worse? It's really up in the air. Over saturation means that (when people hear about Linux after a promotionist has filled their ears to the brim with how great it is) a person will more than likely ignore something with Linux or not consider it when it would be worthwhile to them. On the contrary, activists may distract new advocates and new users by focusing them not on promotion of using Open Source but rather, debating on Libre vs. Non-Libre or whatever their argument might be (as Libre vs. Non-Libre is not the only area that has activists vs. promotionists). Remember, we're speaking of the rabidly fanatical end aka fringes of the spectrum...not generalizing here. People can be rabid on the promotion side of things too...it's important to note that when you're on the extreme side of either, you're counterproductive to the proliferation of open source software.

Continue reading "devnet: Activism and Promotion"

"It's not the big that beats the small; it's the fast that beats the slow." Niklas Zennstrom

There was a time early in the dawn of computers where .edu's and .orgs co-mingled ideas and thoughts via IRC and newsgroups in a conducive and non-proprietary way. The great ideas that were born from this still thrive today in the form of RFC's, Internet Standards, Protocols, and other surges of genius that sprung from these beginnings.

Lately however, certain things have begun to become apparent. Proprietary software vendors have locked the advancement of technology. This is to be expected. The open source movement is in full swing to counteract that. The only problem with the open source movement is in trying to counteract this huge pendulum and swing it from closed source proprietary toward a multi-source, multi-national technological advancement (for the gain of mankind and not company kind). Instead, open source has begun to push the stone uphill on it's own without assistance from the VERY companies that take from it.

The bottom line is that companies will take from open source without any inhibitions at all. But when it comes to defending that which they take, they shrivel into the shadows and hope no one notices them. Companies are not in symbiosis with open source...oh sure, some of them might be sympathetic to open source. As we've seen with the Linux Core Consortium, companies will pledge their favor but not their resources. But until ALL companies that take from open source give back through REAL support (financial or otherwise)...they'll continue to be identified as an entity that takes from another without providing anything in return. The word for that is PARASITE.

Companies that take from open source without giving back are a parasite to open source; they are killing it from within. The bad part about this is that we are helping this parasite...even applauding what it is doing. Many of us cheer when company X converts 250 computers to Novell or RedHat...but that isn't open source anymore! They're companies who happen to use Linux...they're just not pure open source no matter what their beginnings are or were. The support and recognition go to Novell and Redhat...the financial gain goes to those companies and not back into open source. Sure, they provide some packages and free-for-home-use downloads and other niceties to try and counteract things...but open source still loses. It loses because there are more takers than givers.

Open source advocates shouldn't be cheering when company X converts 250 computers it has to Novell or Redhat because they're just cheering for the company. Even when Linux becomes THE accepted alternative for business and enterprise applications we should refrain from cheering companies such as Redhat and Novell because the money they earn doens't go back into open source...and the name they make for themselves...does nothing for open source. No matter how hard they try, they'll always take more than they give.

Some of you might be saying, "But the simple fact is that when Company X converts to Linux, they are embracing Linux in general...not just the company that sells it. This means that they'll open up more to open source programs such as OpenOffice and Firefox". Perhaps. But I'd be more willing to believe that company X won't do ANYTHING that the vendor who provided them with Linux advised against...especially if warranty and license prevent it. So if said Linux vendor who provided them with 250 Linux desktops decided they didn't want Company X to use OpenOffice...that company wouldn't use it. The power of choice has been removed.

Until companies aren't afraid to offer FULL and unadulterated support for Linux (LSB 2.0 standard or the Linux Core Consortium) and free open source software, the open source movement will not succeed.

When his defense asked,"Which computer has Jon [DVD Jon] trespassed upon?" the answer was: "His own."

Once upon a time there was a man named Frank. Frank was just like any other Frank, albeit a bit more cynical and curious. Frank was walking through the park one day when he happened upon a curious sight of a glowing doorway. Being curious, he investigated this curious phenomenon with infinite impetuosity. Unbeknownst to him, this doorway led to the future. The sights he beheld on the other side of this time warp doorway continued to pique his innate curiosity. Frank wanted to know what was going on at the other side of this door and he quietly slid through it.

Frank was astounded at what he saw. There were no cars on the road. People were walking everywhere. He grabbed a newspaper that blew slowly past him on the wind and was surprised that the date was 10 years ahead of the date he saw in his morning newspaper. Frank quickly came to terms with what had just happened...he had found a doorway through time which propelled him 10 years into the future.

He sat down on a bench with millions of thoughts whizzing through his brain. Questions began popping in his thoughts. He decided to investigate this future world so that he could find out where society was headed.

Frank quickly located someone walking by, stood up and asked the question, "Excuse me but, I don't see any vehicles, why is that?"

The person looked at Frank with wide eyes and said, "Well, no one uses vehicles anymore since the RM Movement restricts types that can be used in different regions of the country"

"RM Movement?"

"Yes, Rights Management Movement. A few years ago, the Digital Rights Management act was passed which allowed for the regulation of consumers right to use digital media as they saw fit in the privacy of their own home. This paved the way for the Rights Management Act to go into effect a few years later."

"But I don't understand...this is America right? There's no way we could restrict rights like this."

The person responded in kind, "It was much easier when the Patriot Act became permanent."

Frank pondered the point a minute and asked, "But this still doesn't explain where the vehicles went!"

"Well, yes it does. With Rights Management, vehicle manufacturers required that you register the vehicle with them and buy a license to operate that vehicle on top of the operators license the government has. This license limits you to drive their cars in certain areas of the United States. This is one of those areas. For example, you can't drive Fords in Kentucky since its region code is a 2, which is for Chevy's only."

"Region codes?" Frank interrupted. "You mean like DVD's?"

"Yes, region codes like DVDs...although Blu-Ray and HD-DVD antiquated the region requirement for media, automotive manufacturers picked up the region idea from DVDs. The US has been divided up into regions where rights are managed according to physical location. Companies purchase rights in these different regions through the government so that their products can be sold and used in these regions."

"But how can they expect to tell me what to do with something that I BOUGHT?" Frank exclaimed

"Well, they started it with Digital Rights Management. DVD's and Music were first and since these are just creative works...the Rights Management spread to other creative works. Since an automobile is just a product of manufacture like a computer or DVD player the line was blurred as to how much control companies could put on their products. With the DRM Act, you couldn't play a DVD on any player other than the ones approved of by that DVD company...they regulated where and how you could play it"

"But that' s idiotic" Frank said, "I bought the stinkin' thing, I should be able to do whatever I want with it after I buy it. If I want to use it as a Frisbee or drive it off a cliff, I should be able to do so!"

"With the DRM and RM Acts, you can't. The company reserves the right to have you use their product the way they intended it to be used."

"But doesn't this stifle creativity?" Frank asked. "Doesn't this limit things considerably? For example, Post Its would never have been invented because they used an adhesive that was already available right? So that would have been illegal because the adhesive wasn't being used in the right way and if 3M didn't own the adhesive.."

"Well," the person responded, "if Post Its had been invented after this act and 3M didn't own the adhesive, I guess they'd have been outlawed...but since it happened before, they slip past regulation."


Continue reading "Once Upon a Time, in DRM Land"