Links 15/07/2008: No More Solaris for Salesforce.com, New Migrations to GNU/Linux
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2008-07-15 10:40:41 UTC
- Modified: 2008-07-15 10:40:41 UTC
GNU/Linux
Qt/KDE
- Chinese educational handhelds get Qt
- KDE Commit Digest: Issue 114
Global keyboard shortcuts for applets, and an Amarok and "python expression" runner in Plasma. A Java test applet and various interaction improvements in Plasma. Simple network and CPU monitors in the system-monitor Plasmoid. Initial import of PeachyDock, a Plasma-based alternative panel.
F/OSS
OpenOffice.org
SaaS
Abuse of Rights
Recent Techrights' Posts
- This New Determination on a Case Echoes the Modus Operandi of Microsoft's Serial Strangler vs Techrights (Its Online Decision/Judgment Says Truth and Public Interest Defend the Publisher)
- Noel Anthony Clarke hopefully has enough money left to pay his victims, which include the publishers
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- Links 26/08/2025: DNS Tampering and TikTok Layoffs
- Links for the day
- Microsoft's Windows "Market Share" Overestimated
- Microsoft's income sources are shrinking
- We Shall See...
- My wife and I are hardly the first victims of Brett Wilson LLP
- Going Offline
- There was life before the Net
- The Register MS Has Apparently Shut Down Its Office
- It is basically a fake address on the face of it
- There Are Also Expectations of IBM Layoffs Very Soon With "Narrative Control."
- Some of them mention Red Hat and how IBM failed to achieve anything substantial with that acquisition
- After at Least Two Rounds of Mass Layoffs in August Microsoft Said to Have "September Layoff Confirmed - Performance Based"
- Those "M5 level meetings" sound plausible
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Monday, August 25, 2025
- IRC logs for Monday, August 25, 2025
- Slopwatch: Slopfarms All Over Google News and Real News Sites Pushed Out of Visibility
- Google News is dying (as a tool of value)
- Gemini Links 25/08/2025: Numeric-only VM and Alhena 5.3.0
- Links for the day
- Links 25/08/2025: ‘Panama Playlists’ and Live Nation/Ticketmaster Suit Aims at Class Action
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 25/08/2025: Empathy Towards Autistic People and Old Gadgets
- Links for the day
- Links 25/08/2025: Datacentres Versus Water Supplies and "The IPv6 Divide"
- Links for the day
- Links 25/08/2025: Data Breaches, Politics, and Financial Strain
- Links for the day
- GNU/Linux Distros Ought to Replace Firefox (and Firefox ESR) With Something Like LibreWolf
- Perhaps it's come to replace Firefox
- Father of Julian Assange Said the US Government Was Trying to Bankrupt WikiLeaks, Now the Assange Family Promotes Fake Currencies
- Using the name for bad purposes?
- Bailing Out GAFAM, Giving Taxpayers' Money to Failing Companies, and Trying to Outlaw Lawsuits Against Them
- What would the late Lincoln have said?
- Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) Inc. Lost 2 Million Dollars Last Year and Its Chief Took a Salary Increase of Almost $6,000
- Another year or two like this... and the SFC will be bankrupt [...] Hallmark of mismanagement
- The "New Techrights" Turns Two Very Soon
- Accomplishing something each year is what's important, not merely "finishing" another year
- Gulf Nations Leave Microsoft Behind
- How much lower will Microsoft stoop in an effort to raise money from oil-rich lenders?
- How to Combat IRC Trolls (in Our Experience)
- Today I want to share my experience (or knowledge) of how to deal with IRC trolls
- The Register MS Needs to Stop Participating in the "Hey Hi" (AI) Hype, But It Gets Paid to Participate in This Hype
- the publisher (The Register MS) wants to have it both ways
- Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Living With Your Parents, Zürich Zoo, and Macondo
- Links for the day
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 24, 2025
- IRC logs for Sunday, August 24, 2025
- Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Signal on OpenBSD and Keyboard Layouts Compared
- Links for the day
- Men Who Abuse Women Should Never Spend Over 3 Years of the UK High Court's Time
- This demonstrates that we need a reform in the UK
- Links 24/08/2025: Microsoft Settles Data Breach Lawsuits and Climate Change Causes Heatwaves, Water Shortages
- Links for the day
- CachyOS is Rising Fast, But Slopfarms Are 'Googlebombing' It
- CachyOS receives more media attention
- No Reason for Red Hat Relief Yet (Layoff Rumours)
- the execution could be stalled, delayed, or scheduled for some time after people come back from holiday
- GNU/Linux 6%, Windows 60% in Venezuela, Suggests statCounter
- The cash cows are dying
- Mass Layoffs Continue at Microsoft This Month (Remaining Workers See Conditions That Deteriorate)
- So far this month (one week remaining) we saw at least two waves of layoffs at Microsoft
- How SPAM E-mails With Windows-Centric Files Get Twisted as Linux Threats, Then Slopfarms Spread the Word
- Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt/Fear-mongering/Dramatisation
- Links 24/08/2025: Heatwaves Threaten Workers, Maldives Versus Press freedom
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Digital Cameras and Printers
- Links for the day
- Links 24/08/2025: GAFAM Lie About Pollution and Slop's Carbon Footprint, The Guardian Says Slop ("Hey Hi") is a Bubble That Will Send Stock Markets Into a Freefall
- Links for the day
- 80% of the Sponsored (Fake) Articles in The Register MS Are Promotions of Ponzi Schemes (Unethical Money), the Rest is Banned Chinese Business
- Is that an ethical way to make money? No.
- The UEFI Restricted Boot 'Time Bomb' is About to Go Off in a Few Weeks
- Garrett was the first person to face sanctions (like muting) in our IRC channels because of his abuse; worse yet, he hijacked other people's names and then locked them out of their own accounts
- Should Currys PCWorld Start Voiding Warranties of Users of Vista 11?
- If a person's laptop has a mechanical issue, should this person replace GNU/Linux with Vista 11 for the repair shop? Only to damage the SSD?
- Newer is Not Always Better, and It's Possible That 'Peak' is the Past
- People creating their own platforms means progress, whereas centralisation (like moving from blogs to social control media) is the opposite of progress
- LLM Hype is Sowing Destruction: It Contributes to DDoS Attacks and Makes the Web Less Accessible (JavaScript "R U Human?" Tests)
- If it was googlebot, it would be possible to argue that you'd at least then get referral traffic from Google Search. With LLMs, all you get is plagiarised.
- Links 24/08/2025: New York Times Talks About Hey Hi (AI) Bubble
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Upgrading Debian and Mobile-indifferent Design
- Links for the day
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Saturday, August 23, 2025
- IRC logs for Saturday, August 23, 2025
Comments
RyanT
2008-07-15 13:38:45
http://somethingmild.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-to-make-software-agreeable.html
Was wandering what you thought about it, and if it is right/good enough, maybe you could include it in a future links section.
Roy Schestowitz
2008-07-15 19:41:51
I've just included a link to this. It's also up for discussion in USENET and in http://digg.com/linux_unix/How_To_Make_Software_Agreeable http://tech.propeller.com/story/2008/07/15/how-to-make-software-agreeable/
Saul Goode
2008-07-15 20:20:59
I haven't read your piece in detail yet (I will do so this evening), but it seems well-written and addresses a growing concern with regard to licensing of copyrighted works.
I tend to disagree with the presumption that the existence of a licensing agreement excludes the concept "sale/purchasing". While the courts have occasionally been inconsistent, for the most part they (U.S. courts, anyway) recognize a one-time payment in exchange for use of the software as being a "sale", regardless of any verbiage included in an EULA or other license. A recent court case supporting this "quacks like duck" interpretation is the one involving Ebay sales of Autodesk software [1]. To summarize the decision, a EULA can not trump the laws of copyright in the case of a "sale" of a copyrighted work.
Another recent case which might be interpreted as supporting your position (assuming my basic understanding of your position is correct) would be the Blizzard World Of Warcraft lawsuit against the "Glider" bot [2]. However, I think the distinguishing characteristic of this case is that -- and correct me if I'm wrong -- WoW is a subscription service (not a one-time fee) and as such is more of an ongoing lease arrangement. At least I hope that this distinction was critical to the otherwise worrisome decision.
I hope that as further litigation is resolved, the courts will continue to interpret the "first sale doctrine" as valid and that if a company wishes to have their EULAs recognized as lease agreements then it must not employ "sales" of their software. Those parts of EULAs which would grant the copyright holder more prerogative than the exclusive rights delineated in copyright law should be considered invalid.
I look forward to perusing your article in depth and apologize if I have misinterpreted your position on the issue. It is certainly an issue which warrants further scrutiny and discussion.
[1]http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080523-court-smacks-autodesk-affirms-right-to-sell-used-software.html
[2]http://www.davis.ca/en/blog/Video-Game-Law/2007/02/26/WoW-LAWSUIT-OVER-BOT-SOFTWARE
RyanT
2008-07-15 23:42:51
If anyone wants to discuss further, I'll put my email here:
theamazingjanet@hotmail.co.uk
Not my main account, as this is public, but still. I look forward to the in-depth responses, and yes, Saul it seems you've gotten my position correct.
I might elaborate in future, which will most likely go down the path of the likes of the GPL and propriatary models purely becoming applicable to development, and only being extended in fringe cases, and the standard model of ownership being the common/middle ground. Even if not agreed upon by some, it would certainly be more agreeable than the licensed proprietary model (I hope).
RyanT
2008-07-15 23:44:34
Roy Schestowitz
2008-07-16 17:27:51