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Linux Industry Calls It Quits 197

Posted by Hemos from the pretty-darn-funny dept.
A lot of readers have been submitting the story on SatireWire entitled "Linux Industry Calls It Quits". The title speaks for itself.
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Linux Industry Calls It Quits More

Linux Industry Calls It Quits

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  • ...you're still here.


  • Gates is expected to be released in three weeks. They'll probably slip that deadline as well :)
  • There is often bizzare moderation in response to my .sig. Sometimes the replys take the form of "Hah! I hacked your firewall, and all I see is p0rn, and its all stuff I have seen before!"

    I have seen replys like that modded up to +5 Funny and -1 Offtopic/Flamebait/Troll. I would love to see some statictics on overall moderation. (Personally, I would like to see how often people mod DOWN as opposed to up, In my 3-4 year ./ history I believe I have only modded down about 5 comments.)

    Maybe its time to move to Kuro5hin's format? Who knows.
  • Always glad to help out a fellow luser. The older DOS could be stopped with a three-finger salute, pressing the Ctrl-Alt-Delete buttons at the same time. Newer versions from the same company require this operation to be done twice. Microsoft can be saluted with one finger. If all else fails, pull the line cord plug from the wall. This will clear the computer for another try. Really stumped? Follow the lead of Dilbert's PHB and use an Etch-A-Sketch.
  • And then when the hyberbolic nonsense about anything doesn't do it for me anymore, I read hyperbolic nonsense about Everything [slashdot.org]
  • There used to be an old sid for that, I believe it was called "rejected"
    sid=rejected [slashdot.org]

    If there were still postings in there, you'd want to remember that the commentsort should be 1 to ensure that you see the newest comments first, if that isn't your default preference.

    --

  • Well, it seems obvious, considering the motivation of the founders of the US.
    They were all about personal freedoms, because they were trying to break away from a corrupt and tyrannical government.

    What they WOULDN'T want was a select and eletist group of individuals with the most money controlling the economic system.

    --
  • Not a day passes that Slashdot isn't full of laughably inaccurate, wildly hyperbolic nonsense about . . .

    . . . anything.

  • Corn (or insert food of your choice) grows pretty much anywhere. Even in your back yard.

    Get one packet of seeds for a few cents and plant it and you can feed yourself forever.

    How could anyone ever make any money from selling food? Do they think people would pay for someone just to package and transport (install) it when consumers can just grow it themselves for free?

    What a ludicrous business model!

  • You don't seem to be terribly familiar with the Free Software movement. For many people, the choice to use free software is as much a moral choice as anything else.

    Personally, I use linux because it doesn't crash and I can get under the hood and tinker with the OS and all my apps. But a lot of people use it because it's free.

    Check out the GNU [gnu.org] homepage for more info.

  • Ok, this talk of not being able to make a business of free stuff is getting ridiculous, especially when I see fellow /.ers nodding their heads.

    Everyone keeps saying that a linux business model is new and risky and blah blah blah. But the truth is, it is the oldest business model known to man. Commodities ranging from corn to metal follows the same model. You can grow food for free, and you can dig up iron or copper ore for free. We know it's there, and if we want it, we get it (or grow it). OR we PAY someone to dig it, grow it, whatever and package it or process it into the form that is most useful for us. A linux business isn't modeled around selling free software, it's modeled around taking that raw material (the kernel), and packaging it to fit our needs. Yeah any business can go out and grab the kernel or a stripped distro for free. But what they pay for is the processing of that raw material into what fits their needs. Some of the distros will realize this, and they will succeed by wrapping and configuring the kernel into a nice neat little package that your average CIO doesn't have to think twice about. It will happen, and it will be a beautiful day.

    $man microsoft

  • Satire.
  • What is satire? We don't have such cruel jokes in the tiny country of Marpodimanialand...
  • Linux has been here for 10 years. I don't see it going now. Just because VA decides they call it quit doesn't mean Linux will fall as an industry standard.

    Micro$hit can try every thing in the world, but they can't stop an operating system such as Linux. Why? Because its the USERS' CHOICE. NOT M$'S. I don't give a rat's ass what your opinion is on M$, or how I address them. I see Ms not staying in the market very well just because of the M$ vs. DOJ case. Micro$oft will be stompped, no question about it.

    The consumer does not even KNOW how large Ms is, or what they are up to. Or even what the quality of their product is other than the crashing they recive daily, and the computer shops getting only windows machines to repair.

    I belive it is time for the Linux community to rise up, and say 'Hey, we're not taking your shit anymore M$. We refuse to buy your products, and we will inform others of what IS TRULY out there.'
    Remember the 60's and early 70's when the African American community rose up and said "We won't take this shit anymore"? That is exactly what the Linux and *BSD communitys need to do. Linux users, and *BSD users may have their differences, opinions, and are on opposite sides of a ship; BUT WE ARE IN THE SAME DAMNED BOAT.

    Ive been using Linux for 4 years now, and I have NEVER given into M$. Why the hell should any of you do it now? I don't believe Linus, RMS, or Alan Cox will quit working on it just because 'VA' decides to kick the bucket. There is NO fucking way I will EVER use a M$ product after I experenced: 95, 98, Me, NT4, and NT5. So before you Micro$hit drones try to mod me down remember this. Ive used the same damned things you have, and am ALSO A MCSE, CCNA, and CNA. That means im certified to 'cut your closed-source products down'. :)

    I will not give up god damnit.


    The willingness of humanity to follow without question is the fall of them.
  • Just out of curiosioty, did you read satire wire's disclaimer about all stories posted on the site?

  • Whoa. (Score:2)

    by volsung ( 378 )
    Did you use sed to write that? :)
  • Where is that +5 Funny button? :)


    The willingness of humanity to follow without question is the fall of them.
  • Linux does not need industry support to stay alive. If VA Linux Systems ends up losing their current stock holdings lawsuit, and the financial impact is huge, whats going to happen to OSDN? to /. even? Lawsuits like that are the kinds that end businesses, which in turn, could end an era.
  • RE: The Fervent Hack My Win2k box ... Actually, the Win2k portion of that box is not yours, and you are not permitted to "hack" it...read your license agreement
  • Please don't tell me that we're going to have "Last Post" trolls now . . .
  • Well I've been able to install it. I can't very well use 3d studio max and photoshop in mandrake, can I? :)
  • I got all excited when I saw a "submitting" related link. I was expecting leather-clad, whip-holding women, but all I got was something about linux. Dunno 'bout you, but the image of a leather-clad penguin isn't all that appealing to me.

    Depends. What kind of whip is the penguin holding? Riding crop? Cat o' nine tails? Buggy whip?

    Also, is the penguin mounted on Bill Gates, and is Bill au naturel with the exception of a saddle, and iron bit in his mouth?

  • This was posted by satirewire, not Microsoft.

    --
  • It's too bad it ended so soon. I was so looking forward to getting the latest kernal in a box of cereal.
  • I believe what he is doing is pulling your leg.
    In the manner of "What if this happened?".

  • Sniff Sniff... surpised they did'nt mention that even with all the linux shops closing down that even Apple was gonna quit now too since thier kernel is freeBSD based and well hey... I heard Steve Jobs say "Since our kernel is based on *NIX and a free *NIX is never gonna be closing down, we will also close Apple down completely since our business model must be hopeless since its based on *NIX as our underlying kernel & we can obviously not keep up with the inovation of Microsoft" yep.. thats what i heard... linux, apple.. whos next? Sega.. oh wait.. they did :)

    cute story that was :)

  • HAHAHA

  • Did you read my Disclaimer?

  • No you didn't! So send flames to hollyl@microsoft.com.

    Yeah, d00dz!
    Let's be real bastards and flame this gal to death!
    After all flames are a sure way to raise someone's opinion of the linux 'community'!

    --K
  • Only 2 species of penguin live in the antartic. The rest live all over the coasts of nearby continets. Linus' encounter with a penguin was in Austrailia IIRC.

    Bad pedant! No penguin snack for you!
    --
  • Dude...Steve Ballmer is CEO now. Get it right!
  • Has there ever been any significant case where a company was sued for voilating GPL?

  • This would actually be quite funny if it weren't for the fact that the Linux crowd doesn't use FUD to the point that high level MS people do.


    --
    Why pay for drugs when you can get Linux for free ?

  • I never realized that having a Microsoft certification = the right to cut down their products.

    Maybe I won't hide my certification away after all.
  • Ok, I'm sick of these "recent security problems" with Linux. Have I been out of the loop here?

    Following the links reveals the "security problems with Linux" to be the BIND hole, which isn't even relevant to your desktop because you're not likely to use a desktop computer as a name server.

    (As though Microsoft has any room to talk about security holes....)
    --
    Ooh, moderator points! Five more idjits go to Minus One Hell!
    Delenda est Windoze

  • I see comments here, and some of them are serious... now tell me, is that a complete joke? is it already april 1st? ...power of the time zones, right?

  • I bet a lot of Mickeysoft employees believe some of this stuff . . . FUD within the company!

  • Another satire (Score:4)

    by Cassivs ( 183894 ) on Thursday February 01, 2001 @03:01PM (#463104)
    Another similar piece can be found here [segfault.org], entitled "Linus: Microsoft is Going Down."

  • I don't get it (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward
    What's linux?
  • Check out the bottom of the article. Down in the fine print. SatireWire is intended for use by those age 18 and older. All stories are fictional and satirical and should not in any way be construed as fact. Please read our disclaimer. All contents Copyright © 1999-2001, SatireWire, LLC. All rights reserved. Now I gotta say. That little thing had me going. I was getting ready to call this fud-rucker over at m$ and run his balls through the wringer!! :)
  • The last several months have seen most of the major music labels release songs in Microsoft's Windows Media format, which has built-in copy protection, or DRM (digital rights management) technology. Most of the labels are quick to say they are technology agnostics, but in a few cases their commercial download services are using exclusively Microsoft technology.

    Strange, I always thought DRM was the Direct Rendering Manager, which allows for the Direct Rendering Infrastructure to directly access graphics hardware in a safe and efficient manner.

  • Aw, sour grapes :(

    Microsoft has released the source to their operating systems for quite some time. This is hardly news. Now, if they released *all* of the source, that would be a bit more impressive. Article doesn't state what was released.

    The fact that Microsoft has some whoopbang encryption helper is no big deal either. It's all bullshit when you can build your own audio driver and capture everything to an (unencrypted) .wav file. Aside from the corporate fluff, there's really nothing in that article anyway.

  • It means if you are a MCSE then we can 'talk on the same level.' But if you are not. Then STFU. Because I will ignore the ignorance.


    The willingness of humanity to follow without question is the fall of them.
  • wait a sec. this is proably another mircosoft scare tactic, i mean come on linux is doing well, as a free operating system, people use it alot my own company uses it ans the main way to keep buisness costs down and cause its easy to find people that are willing to program for it since it is a recent start up. but this really sounds like microsoft is quivering in there boots due to what i have no idea but more than one person has tries such tactics to get things to fail and i wouldn't belive if this was one of them remember resistance is futile. and microsoft has screwed me more than once
  • I got all excited when I saw a "submitting" related link. I was expecting leather-clad, whip-holding women, but all I got was something about linux. Dunno 'bout you, but the image of a leather-clad penguin isn't all that appealing to me.

  • Shit! (Score:4)

    by multipartmixed ( 163409 ) on Thursday February 01, 2001 @03:03PM (#463112) Homepage
    Now what the hell am I going to run??

    --
  • I liked things better when everything was on the fringe and underground anyway. So what if a few companies have gone belly up trying to hawk $100 copies of Debian....(Debian was meant to be free and will always be free -- so Corel & Stormix can cry in their beer all they want....)...I am sure those people trying to sell icecubes to Eskimos can swap war stories with the "failed" linux companies....

  • I agree that is really a non-story but it's not without a few insightful comments.

    Hell what's the group product manager with Microsoft's Windows .Net server marketing group doing at LinuxWorld anyway?

    2001-02-01 23:00:00 Microsoft goes Open Source (articles,microsoft) (rejected)

  • Why is this posted on slashdot? is every segfault story that is mildly funny going to be posted now? THIS IS NOT NEWS, IT DOES _NOT_ MATTER.
  • Sure, Linux could survive without the "industry". But without it, it wouldn't be anywhere even remotely where it is today in terms of capability and future.
    • Would Linux be anywhere near as popular without commercial distributions like Red Hat and SuSE?
    • Journaling file systems, tons of hardware device drivers either contributed outright or aided by the manufacturer, XFree86 DRI, etc... none possible without the Linux "industry".
    • Red Hat, VA Linux, IBM and many, many others are paying for Linux development. Would these developers be able to contribute as much on a purely volunteer basis vs. full-time? Would they be able to contribute at all?
    The fact is that Linux will obviously grow much, much faster---both in market share and ability---with commercial support. And some things would simply not ever be accomplished without commercial support.

    I can understand some of the waryness, but to think Linux doesn't need "the industry" is fallacy. The only serious progress Linux can make is with industry support. If you don't want great improvements on the desktop, towards enterprise class server solutions and "Big Iron" mainframes, or towards embedded/portable devices, then fine, Linux can continue without the industry. But for Linux to truly succeed on a large scale, it needs "the industry" to take it there.
    ----------

  • Can anyone realize this is a joke piece? I reconized it almost immediately. Slashdot has yet to tell it's own users it is closing, companies don't liquidate just because the big MS says they will fail. If anything, the MS report of linux failing by the end of the year has and will cause the linux community to be even stronger as the linux community just loves to prove microsoft wrong. What will be interesting is if linux can do everything that the Microsoft story says linux can not do in the server area. then again, I don't believe Windows supports such features (hot swapping CPUs for instance) so it will be even more points for linux.

    Better be careful Microsoft, linux is gaining so much weigh against you that soon it will just have to look at you to cause you to fall, without a fight.
  • "No one is claiming that it is Open Source, or even Free Software. It's a story about some people being able to see the source if they need to/care enough."

    And what good does that do, if they're not allowed to make changes?

    FUD, FUD, FUD.




  • Well it is about time the Linux community faced the truth... I mean comon people. It took ten years to realize that Windows is superior and Linux is inferior. Windows is the Polar Bear and Linux is the helpless penguin getting helplessly gulped up on after another after another.

    ~AdmrlNxn
  • The main difference is stability and instability. Now I know what you are thinking, let me stop you from hurting yourself.

    Linux is unstable. Let me show you how.

    Kernel changes. The fucking kernel changes make Linux unstable. IDsoftware won't write games for Linux anymore becasue of the damn kernel changes. They said screw it. At least with Windows you can install Quake3 on two totally different OS's even after updates.

    I am sorry my friends but Linux may not die off, but it will never dominate. Windows is your daddy.

    ~AdmrlNxn
  • The penguin that was hatched is Linux, which was born in Finland. Have you ever done any interpretation of literature?

    (And penguins don't all come from the Antarctic, but it is true none live north of the equator in nature.)

  • Re:think about it (Score:3)

    by mpe ( 36238 ) on Friday February 02, 2001 @01:10AM (#463124)
    Linux and corporations don't go too well together.

    Actually they probably could get along fine. Just that corporations can't use the propriatary software business model. (The one a certain Mr Gates invented a while back.)

    Think about it: who's to say Microsoft doesn't create their own build and release it freely, along with the source, and then write a set of free libraries that works only with their distro and wuns all of windows programs.

    Because they would not have control over it. Once Microsoft released it it wouldn't belong before their extra bits would work with any distribution.
  • think that the hard part is getting companies to realize that it's free as in speech, not free as in beer. As much as I like free (price) software, I think opinions won't be changed unless OSS moves to a buy-our-product-and-get-the-freely-modifiable-sour ce-code model instead of being able to download it without cost on the Internet.

    This is highly unlikely. An effect of OSS being "free speach" is that there is no supplier monopoly, thus the "market price" is very close to the real cost of supply.
    The barrier here is people having had expensive software for so long that they think distributing software is intrinsically expensive.
    Also downloading from the Internet isn't "free" the connection isn't "free", the time isn't "free". It's a bit like the difference between someone paying a courier to deliver a parcel and taking a company vehicle to go and pick it up themselves.
  • Jesus, read the story before posting.

    TWW

  • You're wrong basically, what your saying is that people selling GNU/Linux will not make as _much_ money as those selling proprietry operating systems that cannot be given away for free.

    Actually you can sell GPL software at whatever price you choose, as you can with proprietary software. The difference is that the former has no monopoly on supply, so if the price is unreasonably high another supplier can undercut. With the latter there is no competition, no "market forces" on price, etc.
  • because you fail to understand so much about this. Your post was a Troll, right? OK, I'm taken in... "Linux and corporations don't go too well together." What makes you think this? It's false simply based on recent announcements by very large corporations. Do you regard Compaq, Dell, HP, IBM as corporations? They've all committed big money to supporting Linux, all in the last few weeks! "...but it can't last as a commodity for long." Linux isn't a commodity - it's free intellectual capital in software form, just like academic work. PC hardware is a commodity. MS Windows is likely a commodity soon - once they lose their preloads lock on new OEM PC sales. Just watch - MS Windows price will drop from $100 to practically nothing - $5-$25, and this will happen very fast, and soon. "...companies will start creating their own distros strictly for profit...." Here you reveal your inability to grasp the essence of the GPL. If anyone did this, they'd be sued and would lose. Read the GPL and come back when you understand it. As for the rest of your desperate post - it won't happen. Microsoft release Win/Linux free? You're dreaming. MS won't ever mess with Linux, but will instead attempt to FUD it out of a mass mindshare (like they did to OS/2). But it won't work simply because the market for Linux vs NT/2000 is smarter than the captive preload desktop market ever was. Go back into your Redmond bunker and try to think up a better set of arguments. These don't work.
  • How could anyone ever make any money from selling food? Do they think people would pay for someone just to package and transport (install) it when consumers can just grow it themselves for free?

    Because people growing their own food isn't zero cost.
  • That's if you can install it. I've finally managed to get it installed after numerous freezes. It's also crashed 3 times in the very short time I've had it installed. I've never had any trouble with any distro on this same machine, and the only time I've had Linux crash was when I screwed up my X configuration. I'm sorry, but until Microsoft can provide me with an OS that doesn't crash randomly then I'll only use them when I have to. Have you tried Mandrake Linux 7.2? Blows W2K out of the water for stability and usability.

  • Re:Uh (Score:2)

    by anothy ( 83176 )
    There's no benefit to just showing [your source] around, if you don't allow people to make improvements or derivatives.
    well, that's not quite true. showing your code around certainly doesn't make you Open Source, and you don't get a lot of the benefits that model gives. but you do get some benefits (or rather, the community does). we can examine code for security issues; we can't fix them, but we can let people (including the author) know they're there. it might also help write better apps - M$ has long been said to have hooks in their OS that they don't tell other people about. it'd be nice to know about those.
    that being said, you are correct that this is a far cry from Open Source, and still reflects the "trust us, we know best" attitude we all know so well.
  • Listen moron, Slashdot used to be a site for nerds, not just Linux Zealots such as yourself. They still have a lot of good articles posted every day that are NOT about Linux, it's just harder to use their basic tools to not display any Linux articles.

    I'm sorry if I upset your little world by bringing some reality into it: not everyone here likes Linux.
  • ahhhh

    Re:Microsoft redefines Open Source (Score:0)
    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 01, @09:03PM EST (#127)
    Link to interview with ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley [zdnet.com]

    Thank you very much, I looked for it quickly, but did not find it. You did.

    Again, Thank you, Anonymous Coward!

    - - -

    "Contrary to popular myth, Microsoft doesn't hate everything about open source. While Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) officials publicly vacillate between declaring Linux either the most hyped operating system or the biggest threat to Windows, in reality, the company has learned some powerful lessons from its open-source competitors."

    etc.

    The summary at the Register is fairly on the money.

  • PalmOS (Score:3)

    by macdaddy ( 38372 ) on Thursday February 01, 2001 @04:23PM (#463157) Homepage Journal
    Tis very sad to see it go. Good bye ole buddy.

    I guess it's a damn good thing someone ported the PalmOS to my 1Ghz x86 box so I'm not completely out in the cold!

    --

  • People will always need tech support and want printed manuals and phone support bundled with their software. Just stop and think of how much the Linux community is making off of Linux - and realize how small it is right now! Now take another step back and imagine Linux becoming commonplace and people from all over the place using it - especially non-hackers. Imagine the support you'll get off of that - MONEY! And of course, the really good software (not to say that Linux doesn't come with kick-ass software) such as Bru will still be made by corporations for some time - though I'm not sure how long.

    Money is still to be made. GNU/Linux will survive!

    The problem with capped Karma is it only goes down...

  • The Flip Side (Score:5)

    by Alien54 ( 180860 ) on Thursday February 01, 2001 @04:31PM (#463160) Journal
    I decided to try this out in reverse.

    Mind you, I support linux, etc., but this had a certain humor

    It is not perfect, but it is not bad.

    - - -

    SLASHDOT SAYS MICROSOFT HAS NO FUTURE, SO MICROSOFT INDUSTRY WILL STOP NOW
    Despite Gains in Market Share, Microsoft Firms To Call It Quits

    Redmond, Wash. -- Chastened Microsoft executives pledged to stop their "crazy dreaming" and disband their efforts Wednesday after an executive from SlashDot proclaimed Windows was doomed, and openly questioned whether the operating system should exist.

    The executive, Slashdot manager Commander Taco, told a reporter for Wired "Microsoft is not leading anything, it is failing to provide an operating system," adding that, ""Hype does not sustain a business," and, "the recent security problems with Microsoft ... really call into question whether Microsoft should be used at all."

    The startling reprimand from SlashDot sent shockwaves throughout the Microsoft industry, which was doubly disappointed because it had been steadily gaining share on Microsoft 's operating systems.

    "When I read what Cammander Taco said, it was like I'd been blindsided, like a doctor told me I had six months to live," recalled Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft. "We recently exceeded earnings expectations, and figured to be profitable for years to come, but it looks like we were wrong."

    Other Microsoft allied firms, public and private, said they would follow Bill Gate's example and liquidate. "If we don't have Slashdot 's blessing, then what's the point?" said a shaky anonymous employee

    Columnists have denounced as "absurd" allegations that Linux might be utilizing its infamous FUD tactics to spread Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt about an opponent in an effort to steal market share. "That would be deceitful," he replied, "and Linux Advocates have stated repeatedly that they do not lie or cheat or mislead."

    When it was pointed out that many people lie about their honesty, Commander Taco grew defensive. "Maybe some people do cheat, but then, most people tell the truth, just like Linux developers have had to do, over and over again!"

    At Microsoft community site ZDNet, which will be closing despite its remarkable growth and popularity, columnists grew introspective. "Somebody said to me that Linix was guilty of hypocrisy because it gave away it's source code for free to eliminate competition from the operating system market, but this is a totally different situation," said Anchor Desk's David Coursey. "We're talking about Microsoft , for God's sake, not a bunch of utopian, open source geeks like them."

    "No, we all have to take this for what it is," he added, "the cold, hard truth. Damn their probity."

    Reached at his office, Microsoft 's Bill Gates said he didn't enjoy delivering the sobering news, and prayed his opponents would be able to find peace. "Revealing that Microsoft is full of errors, shouldn't be used, and has no place in the software world was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," confessed Gates, who appeared to be holding back tears. "I can only hope that one day, they will see I was doing this to save them years of wasted effort."

  • Microsoft redefines "open source" (Score:4)

    by The Famous Brett Wat ( 12688 ) on Thursday February 01, 2001 @04:33PM (#463163) Homepage Journal
    I feel that The Register [theregister.co.uk] had a better take on the "Microsoft goes Open Source" thing. Puts it into perspective.

  • And exactly what is new and interesting about those stories? It's the same information that's been known before and debated to death on Slashdot.


    --

  • I've removed the email addresses to prevent harassment of the people involved.

    No you didn't! So send flames to hollyl@microsoft.com.

  • Re:Hmm, the Linux community has one last gasp... (Score:3)

    by dtr21 ( 120759 ) on Thursday February 01, 2001 @06:23PM (#463174)

    My firewall is here [2130706433]. And I bet it's at lease as hard to hack as yours :)

  • No matter, Slashdot will be active forever. (Score:4)

    by Chuck Chunder ( 21021 ) on Thursday February 01, 2001 @07:05PM (#463180) Journal
    Largely because of the quantity of dickheads who'd all be competing for the "Last Post".
  • First my Dreamcast, now Linux! What's next!? Cable modems? *sob*

  • Clearly the only way to save the linux industry will be to create a Microsoft Like linux. ML linux will be priced at $300 US for a workstation. If you plan to use it as a server it will be $1000 per conection.

    You might think that it will be difficult to emulate Window's no source feature because of the GPL. This requires the source to be made available. However, fortunately, the GPL contains a loophole. It never states that the source code cannot be encrypted. Furthermore it never states that you have to give away the key if it is encrypted.

    A kernel patch will be of course be required that will at random intervals kill all processes and display pretty blue and white text screen that with helpfull looking yet meaningless hex codes.

    To simulate Windows security features we will have to go through all the security advisories for the last two years and carefully remove about 70 % of the patches. A few of these patches would be shipped out at six month intervals as a service pack. Every fourth service pack would be sold (with a few useless GUI changes) as new version of the OS.

    This will give us the edge we need to beat Microsoft at their own game.

  • linux is a clone of the UNIX kernel created by some guy named Torvaldus or something like that. Despite its horribly broken Realtek 8139 network support, over 6 people run it on their computers.
  • In a bizarre twist, there is this related story [theregister.co.uk] from The Register [theregister.co.uk]:

    Microsoft redefines 'open source' - look, don't touch
    By: Andrew Orlowski [mailto] in New York Posted: 01/02/2001 at 18:24 GMT

    Remember the gag about how many Microsoft programmers it takes to change a light bulb? The answer's none: Redmond simply redefines darkness.

    As a variation, try this one - how does Microsoft make Windows open source? It doesn't: it redefines free software - software that gives the user the right to change the source code, as software that doesn't give the user the right to change the source code.

    In a slightly whimsical interview with ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley [zdnet.com], Microsoft's Doug Miller says the company has been opening up its Windows source code, with the intention to "make this (source code) available to many hundreds of customers" Mary Jo puts the number at less than a hundred.

    But it turns out, this isn't software libre at all. End users can't modify the source code, giving the statement the air of something that was dreamt up in a hurry. Microsoft has like most other major OS vendors, provided Windows source code to academic institutions for years: taking its cue from Sun Microsystems which worked academic modifications back into the old, Berkeley based SunOS successfully. But enthusiasm has waned more recently, as it did for Sun, because Microsoft increasingly viewed the exercise as a free bug fix. And lo, here's Miller expressing the hope that Microsoft customers "who find a bug... would contact Microsoft for tweaks".

    Miller admits that very few customers want to see the source code - shock! - and so presumably even fewer want to find Windows bugs and pay for the privilege twice over: once for the source code license, and secondly for the company time.

    And remember that not even Microsoft's biggest OEM customers and OS rivals wanted the responsibility of picking their way through the Windows source code. That suggestion was touted around the industry last spring by the AntiTrust Department as a suggested remedy against Microsoft. They received no takers. So if HP, IBM and Compaq don't want to fix Microsoft's Windows bugs, why would Marks and Spencer?

  • Uh (Score:4)

    by Fervent ( 178271 ) on Thursday February 01, 2001 @03:05PM (#463197)
    Instead, why not look at two of the stories [cnet.com]Slashdot didn't care to accept for you today [cnet.com].

  • Sow what? (Score:3)

    by Urban Existentialist ( 307726 ) on Thursday February 01, 2001 @03:05PM (#463198) Homepage
    The linux industry does not matter a whit to Linux. Personally, I would be glad to see the back of it, but I realise that is a little too extreme for most. Linux has always been about the grass roots supporter, coder and advocate. The 'Industry' is just a bunch of sharp suited financiers who have come along and tried to make a fast buck off our efforts. I've never liked them.

    I'm a true Linux user, and a follower of RMS and his insights. We don't need a Linux industry. I remember the days when this view was the mainstream, throughout the community, but ever since the 'Industry' came along, our ideals have shallowed. Look at that travesty Open Source - a retreat from our principles, not the first and not the last, caused by the 'Industry'.

    I yearn for the good old days. If this article is correct, we will get them back.

    You know exactly what to do-
    Your kiss, your fingers on my thigh-

  • Damn!

    I guess I'll have to to a ML BSD.

  • And here I thought having to use MS every day for the last several years would qualify me to speak to its poor quality. Silly me.


  • Of course the story was rejected. We need only one MS-centric post here per day (and it helps if it has a decidedly anti-MS flame quality to it). The Slashdot crew know you are going to crow about any rejected MS stories-- especially those that purport to make MS look good (although when I saw that article it further indicated to me that MS just doesn't get it, maybe some people there do, but it's not in their corporate genes). So Slashdot editors can save themselves the hassle of writing up and approving the story by simpling waiting for you to link it in the discussion of some other MS article. Consider it a cultural hack and a bona fide benefit to "open media".
  • ...the MS story [segfault.org] on Segfault. What I crave is originality in my humour.
    --
  • Oh, like if a headline makes those newspapers, that makes things true.

    Remember the headline from the Pons and Flieshmann's cold fusion debacle?

  • Open source programs close their source?

  • Hmm, the Linux community has one last gasp... (Score:5)

    by Mr. Flibble ( 12943 ) on Thursday February 01, 2001 @03:15PM (#463231) Homepage
    For a group of people who are calling it quits, we slashdotted that server really quickly.

    Damn Linux zealots, taking out the messenger with their last gasp!!!

    (In case you did not notice, that is a joke. Anyone have a mirror?)

  • Hah! (Score:5)

    by volsung ( 378 ) <stan@mtrr.org> on Thursday February 01, 2001 @03:17PM (#463233)
    That's pretty funny. We all need a little perspective on the never-ending OS flamewar. Of course, this goes both ways:

    In other news, Bill Gates has reportedly checked himself into a psychiatric ward for treatment of severe depression. Close friends of Gates say that he recently got himself an account on the popular Slashdot website. After several weeks of reading thousands of negative comments about his pride and joy, the Windows operating system, Gates became withdrawn and despondent. He reportedly spent hours in his Seattle mansion whimpering "Why do they hate me? I just want to make people happy. Why?"

    Just before checking himself into the nearby hospital, Gate instructed his Senior Vice President of Research, Rick Rashid, to look into the "Linux" operating system. He put him in contact with Slashdot operating systems expert TuXR0X who told Gates the startling news "L1nuX r0x0rS! Winbl0ws sux0rs!".

    Gates is expected to be released in three weeks.

  • Ok, I'm sick of these "recent security problems" with Linux. Have I been out of the loop here? I mean, I heared about problems with the default install of redhat, but those weren't holes is Linux. I bet I could take any network enabled OS, run a service(like a shell bound to port 8080) with all the access rights in the universe(as far as the OS in concerned), and let people hax04r away at it. Although a lot of the MCSEs out there think of redhat as linux, I believe the only true linux is the kernel. Then we have the GNU tools that are commonly installled, which many associate with linux, and then we have the pretty Boated-Do-It-All_For-You-'cause-You-Will_Assume-it s-Secure installers. I could probably configure any network enabled and disk writing OS to be insecure if I had the time.

  • Re:Uh (Score:2)

    by fors ( 310930 )
    If you don't like Linux, why on earth are you reading /.? That is kind of like hating business news and reading the Wall Street Journal. For all of those who keep complaining about the story choices: Please give it up. If you don't like it don't read it. I've been reading /. for quite a while now but only recently got an account. I have been around long enough to know that this is a Linux biased site and if I didn't like that fact I wouldn't moan and groan about it. I would just remove it from my bookmarks. Do us all a favor get lost.

  • Microsoft Aus. Recruiting from Linux User Groups (Score:4)

    by Nailer ( 69468 ) on Thursday February 01, 2001 @05:12PM (#463249)
    Yes, this is genuine. I'm a committe member for Linux users of Victoria [luv.asn.au] This was recently sent to out committee. I've removed the email addresses to prevent harassment of the people involved.


    Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 13:42:50 -0800
    From: Holly Lindsey
    To: "'XXX@luv.asn.au'"
    Subject: Networking Heaven

    Hello,

    My name is Holly Lindsey and I am a recruiter with Microsoft in the US.
    First, I want to apologize if it is inappropriate to approach your
    organization. I understand lovers of Linux/Unix sometimes don't have much
    love for Microsoft, but I'd like to get this information out to ALL the
    serious software developers.

    We will be conducting interviews in Sydney in March for the Windows Core
    Networking team. I have a deep respect for users of Linux/Unix and know they
    are sometimes the most hard core devoted programmers out there. We are
    looking for the best and brightest to join our team to produce the next
    generation of Windows. The Windows Core Networking team is responsible for
    building the next generation networking for Windows workstation and server
    platforms. This includes high performance network interfaces and transports,
    networking services that provide security, load balancing, scalable
    multicast capabilities and seamless wireless LAN experience, and
    technologies to make networking self configuring, self diagnosing and self
    healing. This group works with Windows Workstation (Consumer and Professional) and Server teams to ensure that these products are second to
    none in networking offerings. For more information about this product see
    their site at: http://microsoft.com/windows/default.asp.

    If you would be interested in learning more about our opportunities in this
    area, please don't hesitate to contact me directly at hollyl@microsoft.com
    and check out our web site at http://www.microsoft.com/jobs/intl.

    Sincerely,
    Holly Lindsey
    Associate Recruiter, International
    Microsoft Corporation



  • Microsoft will announce that Unix never should have been developed in the first place. Then all the BSD's will call it quits, Sun will go supernova, and Bell Labs will offer an apology for wasting everone's time and money.

  • Re:Uh (Score:2)

    by lizrd ( 69275 )
    So? That's the way that news is. There's going to be some items that you aren't interested it. Luck for you they all come with a headline and first paragraph if it's about something your're not interested in don't read it.

    Why would you expect /. to be any different from other news sources in this regard? I get a newspaper every day that has a sports page. I never read the sports section because I don't care, but I don't complain that it comes with a paper because I know that there are other people who are interested in the sports scores. I also don't complain when there's a story about sports that's on the front page instead of the sports page. I just read the headline and decide if I want to read the article or not.

    Surprisingly enough, I do pretty much the same thing on Slashdot. Mr. Malda is kind enough to put the headline and first paragraph right on the front page and you can decide if or ifn't you wish to read more or discuss that topic. It certianly isn't going to hurt you to read 2-3 paragraphs a day about Linux.
    _____________

  • Re:Uh (Score:5)

    by drig ( 5119 ) on Thursday February 01, 2001 @03:21PM (#463255) Homepage Journal
    The CNET peice about MS giving out the source to Windows is really a non-story. Just letting someone peak at your source doesn't make you open source. You have to allow criticizm, patches, branches, forks, etc. There's no benefit to just showing it around, if you don't allow people to make improvements or derivatives. Sun had this exact problem with the Java source licenses.

  • i understand that's its strictly meant to be amusing (hence satirewire) but even still, step back a moment and think about it...

    Linux and corporations don't go too well together. Yes right now companies are doing great, but that's because it's still in the "fad" stage. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Linux is a bad OS; I think it's a great OS, BUT it can't last as a commodity for long.

    Why?

    Because it's FREE

    That's the same reason most people can't some to understand how it can make any money. It goes against the essence of true capitalism, where everything is for the money and just for the money. Linux is a great OS, and written and maintained who want just that.

    Which is great for the product. But as soon as the product becomes popular (even right now it's beginning that stage) and more people begin using it, companies will start creating their own distros strictly for profit, which will result in lessened quality and eventually the birth of a new "underground" OS.

    Think about it: who's to say Microsoft doesn't create their own build and release it freely, along with the source, and then write a set of free libraries that works only with their distro and wuns all of windows programs. As much as the Slashdot community would try to stay away from it, you can't stop the inevitable. People would pick that up because its a free OS AND Windows-compatible. In doing so, they'd help and kill the Linux movement in the same sweep. True, they'd be ending their Windows sales but they'd also be ending the competition. And anyways, everybody knows that their major sales are from their other products, not Windows.

    Ah well, that's my 2 cents...

  • this is like the other news I saw.. (Score:3)

    by ejbst25 ( 130707 ) on Thursday February 01, 2001 @03:23PM (#463260) Homepage
    Where AMD states that Intel rules the planet and closes shop.
  • Instead, why not look at two of the storiesSlashdot didn't care to accept for you today.

    Hell, I'd be happy if they'd just categorize their stories correctly. Or give us better ways of sorting. I'm not interested in Linux news articles slashdot, but filtering out the "Linux" category does nothing because they post Linux articles in ALL categories.

    How about adding perl regex filtering to slashcode. (This IS news for nerds, right?)

    I could get rid of all other filtering options, and just use:

    $story !~ /linux/i;

    Or if you're a Linux fan, you could do:

    $story =~ /open\W?source/i or $story !~ /windows/i;

    =)

    -thomas

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