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GNU is Not Unix

Submission + - How to report Linux kernel violations? 1

Submitted by Guspaz
Guspaz writes: I recently bought an ADSL modem/router (the VersaXpress VER170PR) made by a company called VersaTek (http://www.versatek.com/). When I noticed that the modem ran Linux (2.6.8.1), as many routers do, and that it did not include any mention of the GPL, I sent an email to the company requesting a copy of the source. Their response was that the modem was made by an OEM in China, and that they didn't write any source code, and didn't have any to give.

I've sent them a second message explaining that selling or distributing their modem without a copy of the source or an offer to provide it is copyright infringement. I'd like to report it, but I have no idea how to proceed. Who should I contact to report a violation of the GPL as it pertains to the Linux kernel, and how should I contact them?
Media

Submission + - "Viacom hit me for infringing my own copyright (blogspot.com) 2

Submitted by
Chris Knight
Chris Knight writes: "Long story short: I ran for school board where I live this past fall and created some TV commercials including this one with a "Star Wars" theme. A few months ago VH1 grabbed the commercial from YouTube and featured it in a segment of its show "Web Junk 2.0". Neither VH1 or its parent company Viacom told me they were doing this or asked my permission to use it, but I didn't mind it if they did. It was great to see the commercial was being enjoyed by a far wider audience than I'd expected. I was honored that they chose to use it and thought that Aries Spears's commentary about it was pretty hilarious, so I posted a clip of VH1's segment on YouTube so that I could put it on my blog. This morning I got an e-mail from YouTube saying that the video has been pulled because Viacom is claiming that I'm violating its copyright. Viacom used my video without permission on their commercial television show, and now says that I am infringing on THEIR copyright for showing the clip of the work that Viacom made in violation of my own copyright! Talk about chutzpah! Needless to say, I would like to fight this: not for any kind of monetary compensation, but just for the right to employ my own self-created material per Fair Use."
The Internet

Submission + - Puzzling Wikipedia edits on wrestler's murder (wikinews.org)

Submitted by glesga_kiss
glesga_kiss writes: An interesting article on wikinews points to edits of WWE Wrestler Chris Benoit's page on wikipedia suggesting foreknowledge of the murder. Edits from an IP in Connecticut, later followed by one from a wifi provider in Australia state that he cancelled an engagement due to the death of his wife. These were posted 13 hours prior to the polices discovery of the bodies after concerned family members asked the police to check up on him after erratic behaviour. A member of the Wikimedia Foundation has suggested that the IP address quite likely belongs to the WWE Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
Patents

Submission + - Life Imprisonment for Copyright Infringement

Submitted by
ronadams
ronadams writes: "P. Parameswaran writes in his AFP article:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said he proposed comprehensive legislation to Congress Monday against copyright thieves, including raising the maximum penalty to life imprisonment and seizing the illicit profits of offenders.
Nick Ferrel at the Inquirer confirms the reports and adds a few interesting insights of his own. Good to know RIAA is a vital part of the US Government. I must have been asleep when my Government & Law professor glossed over that one."
Wii

Submission + - Wii Motherboards Changed to Prevent Piracy

Submitted by Croakyvoice
Croakyvoice writes: Nintendo in an effort to stop piracy on its Nintendo Wii Console is now shipping consoles in Japan with 3-pins that are physically cut from a surface-mounted IC, this latest move makes all present Wii modchips incapable of modding the new consoles. As yet this new motherboard change is only showing up in Japan where it has already pushed the price of consoles up.
It's funny. Laugh.

Submission + - The Ultimate Geek Clothing Collection

Submitted by Geek Guy
Geek Guy writes: The Uber-Review has put together a roundup of the geekiest clothing around. On the list is a Pong dress, NES belt buckle, USB Shirt and a shoe that charges the cell phone. From the article, ``You're a geek and you are proud of it, now it's time to show the world through your unique sense of style. Here is a collection of clothing that will make you stand out in the crowd even amongst the most hardcore of geeks.``
Security

Submission + - BBC reports Skynet going live

Submitted by rowleyrw
rowleyrw writes: The BBC are reporting "The British military is set to take one of its most significant steps into the digital age with the launch of the first Skynet 5 satellite. The spacecraft will deliver secure, high-bandwidth communications for UK and "friendly" forces across the globe." It's not yet the Skynet of Terminator, but how long before it becomes self aware :-)
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft conveniently missing some source code...

Submitted by
gmHumfrey
gmHumfrey writes: "This article at The Register has two interesting points. The first and major topic of the article is that microsoft thinks that Windows98SE in a virutal PC is a Macintosh. Maybe their just finally publically admitting to having borrowed the Mac desktop. Second and more interesting is this quote from the article:"In the Comes anti-trust case, it emerged that two dozen libraries were shipping with Windows, for which Microsoft couldn't produce the source code." Convenient. You might recall this slashdot article where showusthecode.com is trying to get Microsoft to put up source code in proof of their (future) patent dispute claims or shut up. So how is it that they can find all of this "offending" code in the millions of lines of code that makes up Windows, but can't find the source code for a couple of dozen libraries? Not knowing which two dozen libraries are missing, I wonder how many of these have been patched and released as part of a service pack or hotfix ; unless they were doing some assembler level editing, then how did would the "fix" these libraries without the source code?"
Music

Submission + - RIAA Opposes 'Fair Use' Bill

Submitted by
fishyfool
fishyfool writes: "Link to story There's a new bill in congress aimed at preserving our fair use rights. It should come as no surprise that the RIAA is against it. this quoted; "The Freedom and Innovation Revitalizing U.S. Entrepreneurship (FAIR USE) Act, introduced Tuesday by U.S. Representatives Rick Boucher, a Virginia Democrat, and John Doolittle, a California Republican, would allow customers to circumvent digital copy restrictions in six limited areas when copyright owners' business models are not threatened, Boucher said in a press release. So-called fair use doctrine allows customers of copyright works to make limited numbers of copies, particularly for reviews, news reporting, teaching and research. The bill would allow exemptions to the anticircumvention restrictions in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), passed by Congress in 1998. The bill is revamped from similar bills introduced in the last two sessions of Congress, Boucher said.""
Software

Submission + - Mathematica vs Matlab

Submitted by
Ahmad J
Ahmad J writes: "I am doing petroleum reservoir simulation and to do so I have to solve highly nonlinear set of partial differential equations simultaneously. I have access to both matlab and mathematica. I am wondering which one is better to go with: matlab or mathematica?"
Communications

Submission + - GPS without Navigation

Submitted by ejwong
ejwong writes: Looks like NYC taxis are getting mandatory GPS units with everything including entertainment, commercial, ... except navigation! As the Bloomberg administration sets out to install a high-tech GPS video monitor in every NYC taxi cab, many drivers are prepping to strike. Philadelphia cab drivers faced the same challenges last year and decided to strike, however, units were installed anyway — indicative of what we might see later on this year. The monitors would be mandatorily installed in the backs of all 13,000 NYC cabs, providing entertainment with commercials and allowing credit card transactions — great for the customer, but what do drivers get? Well, they'll pretty much get the shaft. The meter activates GPS tracking of each trip's beginning and end destination, which many drivers claim is an invasion of privacy. Also, drivers who are buying their vehicles will be forced to shell out $2,900 to $7,200 for use of the units over a three-year period. The real kicker is that they totally dropped the ball on any sort of navigational support. Hello? Spending major cash on new taxi-gadgets with GPS technology should, first and foremost, mean we no longer have to tell clueless drivers how to get around the city. At least we'll have the "entertainment with commercials" to distract us while taking the scenic route.
Programming

Submission + - Adding a web interface to a C++ application

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: One thing that is always sort of a pain is setting up a graphical user interface. This is especially true if you are making an embedded application or something that functions more as a system service or daemon. In this case you probably end up creating some simple network protocol which you use to control your application via some other remote piece of software or just telnet if you are feeling especially lazy. Another option is to create a web interface and this article shows via a simple example how you can do that in C++ in just a few lines of code.

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UNIX was not designed to stop you from doing stupid things, because that would also stop you from doing clever things. -- Doug Gwyn

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