Bonum Certa Men Certa

IRC: #boycottnovell @ FreeNode: July 25th, 2008



*RogerBacon (i=RogerBac@bas3-sherbrooke40-1279576176.dsl.bell.ca) has joined #boycottnovellJul 25 01:47
*RogerBacon has quit (Read error: 104 (Connection reset by peer))Jul 25 01:51
schestowitz*LMAO* @ http://www.schneier.com/blog/archiv...Jul 25 07:19
PetoKrausschestowitz: what theJul 25 07:28
PetoKraushow can sunscreen be dangerous?Jul 25 07:29
schestowitzThis one also: http://news.cnet.com/8301-179... (just sent it to my dad)Jul 25 07:29
schestowitz" He suggests that people try to avoid constantly carrying their cell phones on their bodies and also try not to keep the devices nearby at night under the pillow or on a nightstand. He even warns against using cell phones in public places like buses because it exposes others to the phone's electromagnetic fields. "Jul 25 07:29
PetoKrausi still don't get how can be sunscreen dangerous :PJul 25 07:32
PetoKrausah. seems to me they're gonna ban toothpaste as well :PJul 25 07:34
schestowitzHave you seen the war on shampoo?Jul 25 07:34
schestowitzhttp://www.schneier.com/blog/archi...Jul 25 07:35
schestowitzThey should ban bladder too because they may contain liquid. :-)Jul 25 07:35
PetoKrausaha ahaJul 25 07:36
PetoKrausyou mean, the external one, how's it calledJul 25 07:36
PetoKrauswhich the people with kidney diseases have to use... and the guards should smell the contents as wellJul 25 07:37
schestowitzIt's like the war on so-called 'piracy'. A civil society doesn't need to chase liquids; it needs to adapt; no lawsuits against single mothers, you know?Jul 25 07:39
PetoKrausbut... but that would require us to change, not only them :PJul 25 07:39
schestowitzHaha. Just found: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-9999... DRM Collapse!Jul 25 07:40
schestowitzA DRM apocalypse... begging for a riot.Jul 25 07:40
PetoKrausheheJul 25 07:46
schestowitzI never touched anything DRM. I read about it though.Jul 25 07:48
*PetoKraus has quit (Read error: 113 (No route to host))Jul 25 08:47
*kentma (n=user@host86-156-216-2.range86-156.btcentralplus.com) has joined #boycottnovellJul 25 08:59
*PetoKraus (n=Peter@host-77-247-224-25.isper.sk) has joined #boycottnovellJul 25 09:02
*PetoKraus has quit (Read error: 113 (No route to host))Jul 25 09:24
schestowitzMicrosoft has just bought some Linux. http://www.networkworld.com/communi... "Perhaps the most interesting is that DATAllegro [...] It was built on Ingres and Linux."Jul 25 10:28
*baijum (n=baiju@122.166.39.10) has joined #boycottnovellJul 25 10:35
*moparx has quit ("leaving")Jul 25 10:50
*baijum has quit ("Ex-Chat")Jul 25 10:56
*baijum (n=baiju@122.166.39.10) has joined #boycottnovellJul 25 13:17
*baijum has quit ("Ex-Chat")Jul 25 14:57
kentmaIt would seem that Microsoft are accepting that the naughties will be the decade of the appliance & mobility.Jul 25 15:12
schestowitzYes, found this a minute ago.Jul 25 15:13
schestowitzhttp://money.cnn.com/news/newsfee...Jul 25 15:13
schestowitzMainly about clouds really, but Linux is mention in the Dow Jones for a change.Jul 25 15:13
schestowitz*mentionedJul 25 15:13
kentmaInteresting... I was just looking at your practical-tech article - 60% of admins with no intention of adopting Vista.  The door is absolutely wide-open for alternatives now.  If only we can get some standards established and put an end to the nearly 3 decades of Microsfot lock-in.Jul 25 15:14
kentmaMmm. cloud computing...  I'm not sure how that will play out, myself.Jul 25 15:15
schestowitzODF.Jul 25 15:15
schestowitzWell, marbux sent me this some hours ago: http://boycottnovell.com/2008/07...Jul 25 15:15
kentmawow - did you see the losses for live-search in that article?Jul 25 15:15
kentma$488mio for 4Q08 cf $210mio for 4Q07Jul 25 15:16
schestowitzClouds are more of a danger to applications like Office, which make the most money for Microsoft. Google Apps is seen as sufficient for most people. Formats matter less because you pass people URLs, not files.Jul 25 15:16
schestowitzThat's an underestimate.Jul 25 15:17
schestowitzConsider the fact that Microsoft made acquisitions as big as $6bn for this divisions. Not fruitful so far, and it runs Linux as far as I know.Jul 25 15:17
kentmaAlso the note about "live mesh" is interesting - Microsoft appear to be trying to innovate schedule-world - they seem to be, finally, accepting mobility.Jul 25 15:18
schestowitzMicrosoft tries to destroy not Google. It's trying to destroy 'the Internet' like it fought Netscape and then froze development with IE. Now it decides that killing the Web is like suing Frees software (suing the sky), so it tries to become part of it.Jul 25 15:19
schestowitzI've watched Microsoft feeds for years and recently there has been little output from them (other than patents). I say this because today there is a stunning lack of news. Just the departure of Johnson...Jul 25 15:20
kentmaMicrosoft have been at war with everyone, including their own customers, for a very long time.  This is at the root of their cultural problems.  Interestingly, the BPI/RIAA appear to have achieved the same thing.Jul 25 15:20
kentmaAh, just looking at the O'Reilly remarks about "reduced vendor lock-in".  Until I started walking around the world and talking about this stuff, nobody was even mentioning it - now everyone uses these phrases, along with "exit-barrier" and "exit-cost".  It's great!Jul 25 15:22
schestowitzPaul Graham was right two years ago when he said "Microsoft is Dead". Google is the one the beat... but not the only one.Jul 25 15:22
kentmaAgreed.  Also, the desktop is dead, too...Jul 25 15:22
schestowitzThis dirty trick from Microsoft (spotted a while ago) reminded me of Google's brain draining: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...
schestowitzMicrosoft: "Gathering intelligence on enemy activities is critical to the success of the Slog." Article: "Head hunters may like to call this intelligence gathering."Jul 25 15:24
*kentma looksJul 25 15:24
kentmaah  -  industrial espionage.Jul 25 15:24
schestowitzGoogle does this too, I think. It got accused.Jul 25 15:25
schestowitzBut it makes it no fairer than otherwise. Didn't Microsoft do the same to Borland when I was a young lad?Jul 25 15:25
kentmaBorland's compilers and assemblers were so much better than MS's it was embarrassing.  They even had special modes to emulate the Microsoft bugs called "quirks" mode!Jul 25 15:26
schestowitzI think I once read about Microsoft trying to steal (make defect) their employees.Jul 25 15:27
schestowitzMicrosoft was milking Yahoo! for its workforce in this way around March. For a fact.Jul 25 15:27
kentmaWhen things go wrong, they /really/ go wrong, don't they?  Microsoft are not going to help themselves by grabbing employees from elsewhere.  That's really not where their problems are.Jul 25 15:28
schestowitzThey snatched a few. The press didn't really cover such things. Well, I found this out not in the 'Big Papers'.Jul 25 15:30
kentmaUnfortunately, this kind of thing is also normal movement of employees, so it's hard to drill into anything deeper, even if there is something there.Jul 25 15:35
schestowitzThe invitations were there for all to see.It's a two-way thing: Microsoft needs to seed influence /inside/ (plamt) rivals and also steal their valuable people.Jul 25 15:37
schestowitz"In private a government delegate compared Microsoft’s public affairs methods with the scientology cult." ( http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-54... )Jul 25 15:39
kentmaWow - even more on breaking free from vendor lock-in...Jul 25 15:41
schestowitzWhere?Jul 25 15:44
kentmain the article you linked to.Jul 25 15:53
schestowitzNovell makes lock-in with SUSE.Jul 25 15:56
*PetoKraus (n=Peter@host-77-247-224-25.isper.sk) has joined #boycottnovellJul 25 16:42
schestowitzBT Calls on Open Source ( http://www.computerworlduk.com/toolbo... )Jul 25 17:21
*PetoKraus has quit (Read error: 104 (Connection reset by peer))Jul 25 17:26
*moparx (n=moparx@pdpc/supporter/base/moparx) has joined #boycottnovellJul 25 19:27
kentmahehe - we're finally getting some traction!Jul 25 20:23
schestowitzI saw another one.Jul 25 20:23
schestowitzI think it was from Dana Blankenhorn. It's good publicity, for sure.Jul 25 20:23
schestowitzJust got a bunch of nasty comments here: Jul 25 20:24
schestowitzhttp://boycottnovell.com/2008/07...Jul 25 20:24
kentmado you know who is leaving the abusive remarks at all?Jul 25 20:27
schestowitzI think it's someone from Germany.Jul 25 20:27
kentmaconsistent IP at all?Jul 25 20:41
kentmaI/we need the publicity so badly - changing the culture and direction of a company which employs 120,000 people scattered all around the planet is bl**dy difficult.  At least I'm not on my own any more.Jul 25 20:42
schestowitzThe IP is consistent, IIRC. The DNS gives "telekom" something. I'd have to recheck.Jul 25 20:47
*kentma has quit ("Leaving.")Jul 25 22:32

Recent Techrights' Posts

Gemini Links 11/01/2026: Scott Morgan and 'The Unix Way'
Links for the day
IBM to Be 'Reorganised'
The rich look for ways to 'monetise' what's left IBM
Dr. Andy Farnell Explains Why He'll Stop Sending E-mail to Microsoft and Gmail Users
The article is long and well worth reading
GNOME Foundation's Microsoft Developer Account
"Lately they're teaming up with Mozilla to eliminate middle click paste - something which I use continuously."
Links 10/01/2026: "Abolish ICE or GTFO", Calls to Ban X/Twitter From Apple/Google App Stores (or Implement National Blocks) Over MElon Turning It Into Non-consensual Deepfake Porn Site
Links for the day
EPO People Power - Part XXX - New Year Starts, Cocainegate Still Discussed a Lot, António Campinos Desperate for Distraction From It
Why the sudden change or 'generosity'? [...] Actual cocaine addicts caused nervous breakdowns among sober people
 
Links 11/01/2026: Bob Weir and Stewart Cheifet Perish
Links for the day
Higher Adoption Rates of GNU/Linux in Cyprus in Recent Years
there are some Cypriots who are championing Free software
Microsoft's linkedin.com is Shrinking, Expect LinkedIn Layoffs to Carry on in 2026
Expect the mass layoffs and office closures to carry on there, maybe as early as next week
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, January 10, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, January 10, 2026
Monday, January 12, Red Hat Layoffs Allegedly Planned
We'll update this post or follow up if or when we get more information
Slop Still Becoming Rare as Another Week Ends
Generally speaking, calm and quiet is desirable, it's what we hope for (an absence of slop, a lack of need to keep abreast of it, ultimately)
Links 10/01/2026: Iran Offline, Venezuelans Decry Civilian Casualties
Links for the day
GAFAM Wants War
Go war! Go bailouts! Go debt! Go Wall Street!
GNU/Linux and Chromebooks Rose to Almost 10% in Haiti
What's noteworthy is that this month GNU/Linux is measured at around 8% and ChromeOS at about 2%
2026 Might be the Year Microsoft Replaces Layoffs With Mass Firings (No Severance Payments to Dismissed Staff)
It's hard to "see" PIPs unless insiders blow the whistle
IBM and Microsoft Hiding Layoffs in Similar, Overlapping Ways
Performance Improvement Plans aplenty
IBM is a Cancer That Attaches Itself to Everything
Red Hat should have remained an independent company
Links 10/01/2026: STV Layoffs (Scottish TV), “CBS Evening News” in Chaos (Culls and Censorship by the US Regime)
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, January 09, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, January 09, 2026
Gemini Links 10/01/2026: Blackout, E-Waste, and Secondary Smartphone
Links for the day
Plot Twist: Microsoft MSN Relays Articles Hinting at or Pointing to Mass Layoffs Soon, Other Gossip
the narrative from Microsoft's "PR bunny" (Shaw) is showing mold already
Links 09/01/2026: Google and Character.AI Implicitly Accept Chatbots Kill Kids and GLP-1 ‘Slimming Pens’ Turn Out to be a Lot Worse Than Advertised
Links for the day
'Vibe Coding' is Not "AI", It's a Sewer, It is Junk
Linus Torvalds was wrong. 'Vibe coding' isn't good for anything.
GNU/Linux May be Approaching 10% "Market Share" in Montenegro
The surge started around 2021
At IBM, "Employee Reviews" (or Appraisals in the UK) Are a "Trojan Horse" for RAs (Mass Layoffs), a Waste of Time
comments from IBMer serve to suggest that appraisals can be precursors
Links 09/01/2026: Technical Blogging Lessons Learned and Google's Gmail Getting a Lot Worse
Links for the day
More IBM Layoffs in India
If IBM cannot afford to retain workers in India, then something is truly "out of control" at IBM
Escaping GAFAM Colonialism Requires Homegrown Free Software
GNU/Linux now measured at 3% in Zambia
Dr. Richard Stallman Has Done No Harm to the GNU Project or the FSF (He Had Benefited Both, Always, Even After the Attacks on Him Began)
Some people try to prevent Dr. Stallman from speaking or having a platform where many people can hear him
GNU/Linux at 4% in Saudi Arabia, Says statCounter
Some years ago Windows fell to a "market share" of just 11% there
Microsoft Isn't Denying the Mass Layoffs
Still silence from Microsoft
In Western Africa GNU/Linux Flirts With 5% Market Share
there's a gradual increase in GNU/Linux usage there
Gemini Links 09/01/2026: Pro1 X Repair and the Mercury Protocol
Links for the day
Links 09/01/2026: Cambodia and China Extradition, "NATO’s High-risk Patrols Near Ukraine"
Links for the day
No, Microsoft Did Not Deny the Q1 Mass Layoffs (Microsoft Can Delay These)
Maybe they disperse or delay the layoffs (changing plans), but the layoffs are going to happen
Only One Person in Charge of Fedora is Not IBM Staff
This is not a community project, it's just a way for IBM to onboard unpaid volunteers
This Is Not a Drill, GNU/Linux is Really Going 'Mainstream' on Laptops (and Desktops)
It is important to explain to people software freedom
IBM Albany Layoffs
not only did many in the site lose their job; there's more to come "and likely another one in February" (weeks from now)
EPO Workers' Industrial Action to Include Many Strikes, to Last Several Months
In some ways, The Hague and Bavaria are becoming almost indistinguishable from Moscow
EPO People Power - Part XXIX - Getting DER SPIEGEL, FAZ, Deutschlandfunk and Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) to Cover EPO Scandals
We kindly ask our readers to contact their local media and urge it to cover the scandals
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, January 08, 2026
IRC logs for Thursday, January 08, 2026