07.17.19

Red Hat’s Freedom Reduced to Just Online Partner Enablement Network (OPEN) and Microsoft as a Close Partner; Canonical’s Ubuntu Just an ‘App’ for Windows?

Posted in GNU/Linux, IBM, Microsoft, Patents, Red Hat, Ubuntu at 3:20 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Summary: Free software is being snapped up by proprietary software giants and patent bullies that treat it as little more than an ‘add-on’ for their proprietary offerings

WE HAVE long been sceptical and apprehensive about IBM, not only because it lobbies for software patents at the EPO and USPTO (IBM spearheads a lobbying campaign against 35 U.S.C. § 101). IBM still did it — quite a lot in fact — since announcing its plans for Red Hat. IBM that we remember from one or more decades ago is very different from today’s IBM; the management too isn’t the same. For example, 2 decades ago IBM aggressively pushed (GNU) “Linux”, but in recent years it was mostly in bed with Apple. A decade ago IBM promoted OpenDocument Format (ODF), but IBM has since then more or less abandoned office suite-type endeavours (sold outwards, just like the ThinkPad business which had become famous for Linux friendliness).

“No connection whatsoever to Free software; also remember that the word “community” means nothing to IBM.”When I first heard about Red Hat getting bought by IBM I found solace in nothing but the fact that Red Hat did not sell to Microsoft or to Oracle. As it turned out days later, Red Hat had actually entertained a Microsoft takeover. What a betrayal that would have been (had that happened).

Last night (or around the afternoon/evening) Red Hat published this worrisome new page entitled “Microsoft and Red Hat, inspired,” which said “we’re pleased to be recognized as the 2019 Microsoft US Partner Award winner for ISV Azure Accelerator.”

Here we go again with the Azure agenda, which is all about Microsoft controlling GNU/Linux. Then came another new Red Hat page, this one entitled “Red Hat Global Services + IBM” and to quote: “Last week, we announced the IBM acquisition of Red Hat. It is a monumental deal, one that will enable us to work together to help customers deliver any app, anywhere, to realize the true value of the hybrid cloud.”

Here they go again with “cloud” (meaningless nonsense, pure marketing), but scroll down and find that under IBM “open” at Red Hat is reduced to just an acronym: “Online Partner Enablement Network (OPEN).”

No connection whatsoever to Free software; also remember that the word “community” means nothing to IBM. Nothing.

“They are promoting Microsoft Windows (Vista 10) using the “Linux” brand. “We are getting somewhat worried here. Ubuntu fans will be very pissed off if or when Microsoft decides to buy Ubuntu via Canonical (it’s now possible as it changed the way it’s registered). Canonical still refuses to delete GitHub (even after an embarrassing security incident). Microsoft is already 'eating' desktop GNU/Linux with WSL and Michael Larabel has just highlighted this post we cited a day ago. Hosted on GitHub, i.e. Microsoft, what we have is the next phase of EEE: “Ubuntu-WSL Package Offers Better Ubuntu Integration On Windows Subsystem For Linux” (to quote the headline)

Here’s another one: “Want Better Integration with Ubuntu on Windows Subsystem for Linux? Try This New Metapackage”

So this is where the efforts go?

“In related reading,” Larabel said, “Microsoft’s Tara Raj wrote a Medium post yesterday on more background information on Linux/WSL for Windows.”

They are promoting Microsoft Windows (Vista 10) using the “Linux” brand.

“WSL is about ensuring people never leave Windows; Microsoft already works to make it a lot harder to install GNU/Linux as a standalone/dual OS…”See the Phoronix comments. One person said: “MS has realized that Linux is superior for development, and developers are moving to Linux. However, why would anybody compromise security by using Windows and WSL instead of Linux? Also, I’m considering to run Qubes OS to strengthen security, not other way around,… Lowering security by moving to windows.”
​​​​​​
A further comment says: “MS has realized that Linux is superior for development, and developers are moving to Linux. However, why would anybody compromise security by using Windows and WSL instead of Linux? Also, I’m considering to run Qubes OS to strengthen security, not other way around,… Lowering security by moving to windows.
​​
“No, Microsoft isn’t acknowledging any such thing, and there’s a great many Windows developers that would disagree with you. What you’re seeing is Microsoft acknowledging it’s basically lost the server closet and data center wars. So to stop hemorrhaging server platform and administrators to MacOS and Linux who require a decent compatible terminal to do their job – much like the graybeards used to need for IBM mainframes (3270 compatible terminal software) – they are adding Linux compatible terminal software in Windows along with the ability to prototype Linux server software in Windows.

“Will it work? Probably. Most people still need Windows to do the rest of their job and WSJ is more convenient than VirtualBox et al.

“But if you think business client development and the multi billion dollar gaming industry are starting to or going to switch en mass to Linux you are sadly mistaken.”

WSL is about ensuring people never leave Windows; Microsoft already works to make it a lot harder to install GNU/Linux as a standalone/dual OS, e.g. using UEFI ‘secure boot’ restrictions — an agenda incidentally shared by IBM. █

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Linux Foundation Apparently Celebrates Sysadmin Day With a Microsoft Windows Site!

Posted in GNU/Linux, Kernel, Microsoft, Servers, Windows at 1:34 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

“Greed is not a financial issue. It’s a heart issue.”

–Andy Stanley

Summary: The Linux Foundation shows ‘love’ to actual GNU/Linux (the real thing) by apparently rejecting it and badmouthing it

WHEN selling the soul of Linux is more profitable than actually promoting this GPL-licensed kernel it’s not hard to understand how the Linux Foundation turned from a supposed ‘charity’ to a massive enterprise and near-monopoly in that space (e.g. events/conferences).

They ‘own’ Linux.com. They control or manage the Linux trademark. So why would they link to anti-Linux stories (authored by “swapnilbhartiya” yesterday)? Because they just do and most of them don’t even use Linux! As someone put it yesterday:

If you go to any winduhs (Linux) Foundation event you can see Macs everywhere. No GNU/Linux in sight. Anywhere. Wasn't like that when they started in the first year.

— SleepyPenguin (@SleepyPenguin1) July 16, 2019

You go to Google, you look for “Linux” news, a site called Linux.com then shows up with anti-Linux material (this isn’t about Linux but bad devices/users). Well done, Swapnil and Jim. The articles posted nowadays in Linux.com give room for concern. Misleadingly-titled FUD.

“You go to Google, you look for “Linux” news, a site called Linux.com then shows up with anti-Linux material (this isn’t about Linux but bad devices/users).”We’ve meanwhile noticed lots of spammy blog posts (yesterday, Sysadmin Day) from the Linux Foundation in various “Linux” blogs. “Linux Security Blog” participated and “It’s FOSS” did so too. Linux Journal said (in the headline) that “the Linux Foundation Is Having a Sysadmin Day Sale,” adding a promotional link with what seems like tracking/referral code. But that in itself isn’t the issue. It seems like the site in question uses Windows for the server, but we’re not entirely sure. It’s very well disguised (see IRC discussion at the bottom).

It would not be unprecedented for the Linux Foundation to use Windows; applicants apply for a job there using LinkedIn (Microsoft), as we’ve noted before and there’s a lot of Microsoft stuff used by the Foundation’s staff (see discussion below; I know this from my old interactions with Foundation staff). Over the past months I’ve had to resort to humour just to get the point across without offending the offenders, for example:

2019: where do you work?
A: I work for the Linux Foundation.
What's that?
A: it's some operating system something…
Ah, I see…
A: OK, let me go back to my Facebook wall on my Mac…

— Dr. Roy Schestowitz (罗伊) (@schestowitz) July 17, 2019

Yesterday I also noticed this text: “Have directly led revenue growth from $20MM to $50MM, from $80MM to $100MM…”

No, that’s not the Foundation’s chief Jim Zemlin (who sold out Linux… for his 'nonprofit' to make about $100,000,000 per year). That’s what his wife’s LinkedIn profile says. It’s all about money and both strive to grow in just one respect: money! From 20 million to 100 million. What is being achieved? Nothing. A Windows-powered and Mac-powered ‘Linux’ Foundation (Linux only in name). █

“Large corporations, of course, are blinded by greed. The laws under which they operate require it – their shareholders would revolt at anything less.”

–Aaron Swartz

schestowitz	Help needed! Am I crazy or is this site WINDOWS-powered? Help me out here, geeks… https://cloud.email.thelinuxfoundation.org/SysadmindaY	Jul 17 01:52
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights-cloud.email.thelinuxfoundation.org | NO TITLE		Jul 17 01:52
schestowitz	my initial tests say yes	Jul 17 01:52
schestowitz	based on more shallow tests	Jul 17 01:52
schestowitz	I might publish “Celebrates Sysadmin Day With a Microsoft Windows Site!”	Jul 17 01:52
schestowitz	I mean, LF Celebrates Sysadmin Day With a Microsoft Windows Site!	Jul 17 01:52
schestowitz	but I am not yet 100% sure it”s Windows at the back end	Jul 17 01:53
schestowitz	could be mod-speling [sic] in Apache	Jul 17 01:53
schestowitz	https://identity.linuxfoundation.org/checkout/540473	Jul 17 01:54
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights- ( status 404 @ https://identity.linuxfoundation.org/checkout/540473 )		Jul 17 01:54
schestowitz	also this..	Jul 17 01:54
schestowitz	https://identity.linuxfoundation.org/checkoUt/540473	Jul 17 01:54
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights- ( status 404 @ https://identity.linuxfoundation.org/checkoUt/540473 )		Jul 17 01:54
schestowitz	note case	Jul 17 01:54
schestowitz	still works with the token here	Jul 17 01:54
schestowitz	bloody hell!	Jul 17 01:55
schestowitz	LF…. you also apply for a job there using LinkedIn (Microsoft)	Jul 17 01:55
XRevan86	https://identity.linuxfoundation.org/checkoUt/540473 – Varnish	Jul 17 01:56
XRevan86	The first link is served by something else. But it won’t tell by which.	Jul 17 01:57
schestowitz	can you check with me?	Jul 17 01:57
schestowitz	this is important	Jul 17 01:57
XRevan86	It’s not HTTP/2 capable.	Jul 17 01:58
XRevan86	https://cloud.email.thelinuxfoundation.org/	Jul 17 01:59
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights- ( status 403 @ https://cloud.email.thelinuxfoundation.org/ )		Jul 17 01:59
XRevan86	The 403 page looks like something done by Apache Tomcat	Jul 17 01:59
schestowitz	I did the same thing	Jul 17 02:00
schestowitz	why is the site case insensitive?	Jul 17 02:00
schestowitz	Also, see page source	Jul 17 02:00
schestowitz	lots of “MS” bits	Jul 17 02:00
schestowitz	I want to be 100% sure we don’t get the story, if any at all, wrong	Jul 17 02:00
XRevan86	schestowitz: Maybe they configured case-insensitive matching	Jul 17 02:01
XRevan86	It is peculiar.	Jul 17 02:02
schestowitz	no clues in http headers?	Jul 17 02:03
schestowitz	Ages ago, more than 10 years, I had FF extensions for that	Jul 17 02:03
schestowitz	before Mozilla killed xul	Jul 17 02:03
XRevan86	schestowitz: Not even a Server header.	Jul 17 02:03
XRevan86	schestowitz: Firefox’s devtools can do the job.	Jul 17 02:04
XRevan86	but I test with curl	Jul 17 02:04
schestowitz	any other tricks we can employ?	Jul 17 02:04
schestowitz	This is a big deal if it turns out to be windows	Jul 17 02:04
XRevan86	If I had experience with Windows servers, maybe I’d know what to look for…	Jul 17 02:04
XRevan86	or with Java servers for that matter…	Jul 17 02:05
XRevan86	I know https://linux.org.ru/ is using Tomcat, and it is case-sensitive.	Jul 17 02:05
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights-LINUX.ORG.RU — Русская информация об ОС Linux		Jul 17 02:05
XRevan86	https://www.linux.org.ru/gallery/ – Gallery	Jul 17 02:05
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights-www.linux.org.ru | Галерея		Jul 17 02:05
XRevan86	https://www.linux.org.ru/Gallery/ – 404	Jul 17 02:05
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights- ( status 404 @ https://www.linux.org.ru/Gallery/ )		Jul 17 02:05
XRevan86	schestowitz: But maybe it is really mod_speling	Jul 17 02:08
XRevan86	and they then just turned off HTTP headers that give away configuration	Jul 17 02:08
XRevan86	At least we know it’s Java and not ASP.NET	Jul 17 02:09
schestowitz	which domain?	Jul 17 02:11
XRevan86	cloud.email.thelinuxfoundation.org	Jul 17 02:11
cubexyz	check with netcraft?	Jul 17 02:12
-viera/#techrights-Tux Machines: Proxmox VE 6.0 released! http://www.tuxmachines.org/node/125966 [https://pleroma.site/objects/f3b82e95-d9ea-42e1-b380-6be86812a61b]		Jul 17 02:12
XRevan86	cubexyz: Doesn’t tell anything of interest.	Jul 17 02:13
schestowitz	I thought about it	Jul 17 02:13
schestowitz	but did not do it	Jul 17 02:13
schestowitz	as I thought it might not even be on their radar yet	Jul 17 02:13
cubexyz	merely says “unknown”	Jul 17 02:13
schestowitz	seems like a new site or some internal “office” crap	Jul 17 02:13
schestowitz	how else can we test?	Jul 17 02:14
schestowitz	I don’t want to get the story wrong, that’s all	Jul 17 02:14
XRevan86	> OS: F5 BIG-IP	Jul 17 02:14
XRevan86	It did say that though	Jul 17 02:14
schestowitz	as that can be used to discredit everything we ever said re LF	Jul 17 02:14
XRevan86	How can it tell?	Jul 17 02:14
cubexyz	there’s wappalyzer	Jul 17 02:14
schestowitz	can you have a go at it?	Jul 17 02:14
cubexyz	sure	Jul 17 02:14
schestowitz	Maybe they have the OS quite well	Jul 17 02:14
schestowitz	mind you, they use LOTS of MSFT internalluy	Jul 17 02:15
schestowitz	I know this from their PR rep	Jul 17 02:15
schestowitz	but demonstrating it, like link with proof, would help…	Jul 17 02:15
cubexyz	mysql, php, wordpress, OWL, bootstrap, jquery	Jul 17 02:17
XRevan86	cubexyz: I doubt that	Jul 17 02:17
XRevan86	there’s no wordpress there	Jul 17 02:17
-viera/#techrights-Tux Machines: Univention Corporate Server 4.4-1/Point Release UCS 4.4-1: performance improvements, app recommendations and UDM REST API Beta http://www.tuxmachines.org/node/125967 [https://pleroma.site/objects/94f199ef-a04b-473c-a4a1-288f05bf6166]		Jul 17 02:18
schestowitz	cubexyz: does not look like wordpress	Jul 17 02:19
schestowitz	even if you look at page source	Jul 17 02:19
schestowitz	it looks like a really poorly-made CMS of some kind	Jul 17 02:19
schestowitz	but I want to know the US	Jul 17 02:20
XRevan86	WordPress is PHP.	Jul 17 02:20
schestowitz	OS	Jul 17 02:20
cubexyz	no idea, just saying what wappalyzer says	Jul 17 02:20
XRevan86	This is Java.	Jul 17 02:20
schestowitz	I imagine the CMS is proprietary anyway	Jul 17 02:20
schestowitz	https://twitter.com/schestowitz/status/1151297943745568768	Jul 17 02:21
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights-@schestowitz: We are the LINUX FOUNDATION We OWN Linux dot com! We link to anti -Linux stories Because we just do (and we don’t e… https://t.co/UoJrMddR6K		Jul 17 02:21
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights-@schestowitz: We are the LINUX FOUNDATION We OWN Linux dot com! We link to anti -Linux stories Because we just do (and we don’t e… https://t.co/UoJrMddR6K		Jul 17 02:21
schestowitz	https://twitter.com/schestowitz/status/1150987858083295232	Jul 17 02:21
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights-@schestowitz: “swapnilbhartiya” at #zemlinpac continues using the site LINUX dot com to promote #microsoft crap. [facepalm] https://t.co/BOIY5nmFWU		Jul 17 02:21
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights–> Aqua Security Launches Microsoft Azure Marketplace Private Offers | Linux.com | The source for Linux information		Jul 17 02:21
XRevan86	I don’t think there’s a way to tell	Jul 17 02:24
cubexyz	thelinuxfoundation.org runs nginx on linux	Jul 17 02:25
cubexyz	according to netcraft	Jul 17 02:25
XRevan86	Does plain Tomcat support “Content-Encoding: gzip”?	Jul 17 02:25
schestowitz	That would make sense for the main site	Jul 17 02:25
schestowitz	but for sales etc.	Jul 17 02:25
schestowitz	not sure	Jul 17 02:25
XRevan86	And they’re using AWS	Jul 17 02:27
schestowitz	that’s not unusual	Jul 17 02:27
schestowitz	would be worse if they used MSAzure	Jul 17 02:28
XRevan86	That’d make my day	Jul 17 02:28
XRevan86	Port scanning (nmap) revealed only that whoever configured cloud.email.thelinuxfoundation.org configured the firewall restrictively	Jul 17 02:29
XRevan86	At least ICMP is open	Jul 17 02:30
XRevan86	80, 113, 443, nothing else	Jul 17 02:30
-viera/#techrights-Tux Machines: Network Security Toolkit 30-11210 http://www.tuxmachines.org/node/125968 [https://pleroma.site/objects/ec0ec5d4-88eb-4a05-9512-c9c86c76140a]		Jul 17 02:31
XRevan86	The main site has IPv6, cloud.email. doesn’t.	Jul 17 02:31
schestowitz	I guess we still don’t know what it runs	Jul 17 02:33
schestowitz	and the checkout (identity) part	Jul 17 02:33
schestowitz	they got some company from the outside to do it	Jul 17 02:33
schestowitz	and maybe it’s not Linux	Jul 17 02:33
XRevan86	It’s most likely Linux just because the odds are generally in that direction.	Jul 17 02:34
XRevan86	Who’d deploy a Java website on Windows? Some kind of insane Microsoft fan I guess. But then, why not ASP.NET?	Jul 17 02:34
schestowitz	don’t bet on kt!	Jul 17 02:34
schestowitz	it!	Jul 17 02:34
schestowitz	This is the LF	Jul 17 02:34
XRevan86	oh no	Jul 17 02:37
XRevan86	I’ve checked nmap’s capabilities	Jul 17 02:37
XRevan86	-O: Enable OS detection	Jul 17 02:37
XRevan86	-sV: Probe open ports to determine service/version info	Jul 17 02:37
XRevan86	> 443/tcp open   ssl/upnp Microsoft IIS httpd	Jul 17 02:37
XRevan86	Guess flipping what	Jul 17 02:37
XRevan86	> Running (JUST GUESSING): F5 Networks embedded (93%), F5 Networks TMOS 11.6.X (87%), OpenBSD 4.X (87%)	Jul 17 02:38
XRevan86	> OS CPE: cpe:/o:f5:tmos:11.6 cpe:/o:openbsd:openbsd:4.0	Jul 17 02:38
XRevan86	> Aggressive OS guesses: F5 BIG-IP Edge Gateway (93%), F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager load balancer (TMOS 11.6) (87%), OpenBSD 4.0 (87%	Jul 17 02:38
XRevan86	Just like netcraft, it thinks it’s most likely something from F5	Jul 17 02:38
XRevan86	but HTTP server probing gave a better idea	Jul 17 02:39
XRevan86	schestowitz: Good thing I didn’t bet.	Jul 17 02:39
XRevan86	You seem speechless %)	Jul 17 02:40
cubexyz	isn’t port 443 just HTTP over SSL… not necessarily M$	Jul 17 02:41
XRevan86	cubexyz: That’s “-sV: Probe open ports to determine service/version info”	Jul 17 02:41
XRevan86	that’s its guess	Jul 17 02:42
cubexyz	hmmm, yeah	Jul 17 02:43
cubexyz	doesn’t look good	Jul 17 02:44
schestowitz	maybe I will publish IRC noted to accompany this	Jul 17 02:44
schestowitz	*IRC notes	Jul 17 02:44
schestowitz	as we are not sure	Jul 17 02:44
schestowitz	Get a load of this today	Jul 17 02:44
schestowitz	https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/microsoft-and-red-hat-inspired	Jul 17 02:44
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights-www.redhat.com | Microsoft and Red Hat, inspired		Jul 17 02:44
XRevan86	schestowitz: The evidence is:	Jul 17 02:45
XRevan86	1. case-insensitivity for no apparent reason	Jul 17 02:45
XRevan86	2. nmap -sV cloud.email.thelinuxfoundation.org guesses HTTP is handled by “Microsoft IIS httpd”	Jul 17 02:45
schestowitz	I think it is probable	Jul 17 02:46
schestowitz	as soon as I saw the site and then the structure (marketing cruft appended to URL)	Jul 17 02:47
schestowitz	Then I checked page source	Jul 17 02:47
schestowitz	Been there, seen that… red flags	Jul 17 02:47
schestowitz	Also “cloud”	Jul 17 02:47
schestowitz	I know they used MS for office things	Jul 17 02:47
schestowitz	like in-office comms	Jul 17 02:47
schestowitz	Their PR reps used that to communicate with me ages ago	Jul 17 02:47
schestowitz	Dan Brown and others…	Jul 17 02:48
XRevan86	https://cloud.email.thelinuxfoundation.org/SYSADM~1/ well, at least this didn’t work	Jul 17 02:49
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights- ( status 400 @ https://cloud.email.thelinuxfoundation.org/SYSADM~1/ )		Jul 17 02:49
schestowitz	joke or some element of truth to it?	Jul 17 02:50
cubexyz	didn’t M$ give the win7 code to russia recently?	Jul 17 02:50
schestowitz	I get the joke	Jul 17 02:50
cubexyz	or not recently… it may have been a while ago	Jul 17 02:50
XRevan86	https://github.com/irsdl/IIS-ShortName-Scanner some element of truth to it	Jul 17 02:51
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights-GitHub – irsdl/IIS-ShortName-Scanner: latest version of scanners for IIS short filename (8.3) disclosure vulnerability		Jul 17 02:51
XRevan86	Tried using https://nmap.org/nsedoc/scripts/http-iis-short-name-brute.html, no effect.	Jul 17 02:56
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights-nmap.org | http-iis-short-name-brute NSE Script		Jul 17 02:56
XRevan86	StackOverflow isn’t either.	Jul 17 02:57
XRevan86	nmap -sV detects Varnish on StackOverflow	Jul 17 02:59
XRevan86	> via: 1.1 varnish	Jul 17 02:59
XRevan86	I thought they’re on Windows Server	Jul 17 02:59
schestowitz	no, not likely	Jul 17 02:59
schestowitz	the (co)founder has some MSFT connections	Jul 17 02:59
schestowitz	books etc.	Jul 17 02:59
schestowitz	CodingHorror guy	Jul 17 03:00
schestowitz	the site, however, isn’t so… and he clarified to me he never worked for Microsoft directly	Jul 17 03:00
XRevan86	Wikipedia states that Stack Overflow is written in C#	Jul 17 03:00
XRevan86	Considering that .NET Core is a very new thing, it is most likely on Windows.	Jul 17 03:01
XRevan86	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stack_Overflow#Technology	Jul 17 03:01
-TechrightsBot-tr/#techrights-en.wikipedia.org | Stack Overflow – Wikipedia		Jul 17 03:01
XRevan86	I guess they have a separate server as a reverse proxy for security and reliability.	Jul 17 03:01
XRevan86	it is also case-insensitive	Jul 17 03:03
XRevan86	no Varnish will change that	Jul 17 03:03
schestowitz	that’s quite common	Jul 17 03:03
XRevan86	So yea, nmap detected it right.	Jul 17 03:03
schestowitz	only hours ago at work I deat with	Jul 17 03:03
XRevan86	it figured it’s Varnish, and it is	Jul 17 03:03
schestowitz	apache behind nginx, on Ubuntu/Debian	Jul 17 03:04
schestowitz	no varnish	Jul 17 03:04
schestowitz	nginx stuff as reverse proxy	Jul 17 03:04
XRevan86	schestowitz: Apache httpd is redundant in this case in most cases.	Jul 17 03:04
schestowitz	also helps hide fro probers like nmap	Jul 17 03:04
XRevan86	schestowitz: The Stack Overflow is different in that they have to get a separate server to do the job.	Jul 17 03:05
XRevan86	Because Varnish reportedly doesn’t work on Windows.	Jul 17 03:05
XRevan86	* The Stack Overflow case	Jul 17 03:05
XRevan86	schestowitz: nginx in front of Apache httpd introduces almost no overhead.	Jul 17 03:06
schestowitz	yes, or a VM	Jul 17 03:06
schestowitz	it does not have to run on the host/backend	Jul 17 03:06
XRevan86	So… why wouldn’t you, right	Jul 17 03:06
schestowitz	you could even run it as a VM under Windows	Jul 17 03:07
XRevan86	schestowitz: True, but I doubt that’s very efficient either.	Jul 17 03:07
XRevan86	It’s a high-load website.	Jul 17 03:08
-viera/#techrights-Tux Machines: Seven Concerns Open Source Should Worry About – Part 1 http://www.tuxmachines.org/node/125969 [https://pleroma.site/objects/387bf941-25b0-41b6-be31-c401127a895f]		Jul 17 03:09
XRevan86	3. they don’t bother this much on the main website to hide set-up information	Jul 17 03:12
XRevan86	Overall it looks like it was an outsource job, and no one cared enough to do it differently. But cared enough to cover the tracks a little bit.	Jul 17 03:14
XRevan86	If they really wanted to hide the fact that this is Windows, they’d reverse proxy it.	Jul 17 03:15
XRevan86	But I guess since it’s likely not in their network (I didn’t check), the overhead from proxying is unpleasant.	Jul 17 03:16
-viera/#techrights-Tux Machines: Top 15 Best Forum Software For Linux in 2019 http://www.tuxmachines.org/node/125970 [https://pleroma.site/objects/f850f594-b34a-40fa-bf10-ee8544d1f956]		Jul 17 03:18
schestowitz	might be worth checking host location	Jul 17 03:24
schestowitz	LF is in Portland IIRC	Jul 17 03:24
schestowitz	if not SF	Jul 17 03:24
schestowitz	I think it’s ambiguous and some are ‘home workers’	Jul 17 03:24
schestowitz	I’m pretty sure Jim Zemlin isSF-based, or somewhere near in CA	Jul 17 03:24

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EPO Looney Tunes – Part 3: The Legal Line-up for G 2/19

Posted in Europe, Patents at 12:51 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

“Genius thinks it can do whatever it sees others doing, but is sure to repent of every ill-judged outlay.”

–Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Summary: The deck appears to have already been stacked for G 2/19, a decision on EPO judges’ exile to Haar (veiled disciplinary action/collective punishment by those whom the judges are supposed to ‘oversee’)

IN THE previous part (Part 2) and in Part 1 we explained that the European Patent Office (EPO) not only attacked its own judges but also rigs the process designed to check the legality of it. Battistelli started it and his ‘butler’ António Campinos is eager to ‘finish the job’…

“They just drop a bunch of lies and then pressure media (we know their modus operandi) to shower the EPO with praise to the tune of these ‘prepared’ puff pieces.”As we noted here yesterday evening, there was high density of puff pieces throughout the day yesterday; on the date the hearing began there were, uncharacteristically enough, two EPO puff pieces (“2018 Social Report: key indicators of an attractive, modern and diverse organisation” and “EPO hosts annual meeting of Ethics Network of Multilateral Organisations”) as well as more defamation of Judge Corcoran. See the EPO’s news index (warning: epo.org link) and compare publication intervals; in the latest puff piece (warning: epo.org link) the EPO is trying to wash itself in “ethics” while the not-so-independent judges ‘assess’ its gross violations of the law over in Haar. To quote just some of the nonsense, naming even “whistleblowing” (believe it or not!):

The ENMO meeting provides a platform for open exchange: Members shared best practices and discussed issues of common concern related to institutional ethics. Delegates discussed several key topics, including conflict of interest, whistleblowing and policies for co-operating with investigations and audits.

One could argue that Corcoran was severely punished for whistleblowing. “Delegates discussed ethics related issues at the ENMO meeting held at the EPO’s Munich office,” says the ‘diverse’ image (not representative of actual EPO staff). They’re hoping to generate some distracting puff pieces from complicit and at times bribed media (like Handelsblatt, which the EPO paid). “The EPO strives to maintain an ethical culture within its engaged, knowledgeable, collaborative and respectful workplace,” said Mathilde ten Seldam. Pardon while people grab a bucket to vomit into. They just drop a bunch of lies and then pressure media (we know their modus operandi) to shower the EPO with praise to the tune of these ‘prepared’ puff pieces. Perhaps the best response to that is acceleration of our publication. Henceforth starts Part 3:

As might be expected, in the run-up to the Enlarged Board hearing in the “Haar case” (G 2/19), the German mainstream press is maintaining its usual discreet silence about EPO affairs.

Back in March of this year there was a report on the case in the Handelsblatt but since then it’s been very much a case of “All quiet on the Western front”.

In the run-up to the European Parliament elections in May, the Süddeutsche Zeitung published a thinly disguised pro-EU “puff piece” which presented the Boards of Appeal as an exemplary case of pan-European co-operation although it was forced to admit between the lines that the EPO is not actually an EU institution.

According to the Süddeutsche, the move to Haar initially caused some discontent among the staff of the Boards but in the meantime everything had quietened down and now it was all “Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen” as the Germans say when referring to a situation where peace appears to prevail, at least on the surface.

It seems that the hacks from the Süddeutsche were never told about the pending referral G 2/19 which threatens to re-open the old controversy surrounding the banishment to Haar or else they were instructed to feign ignorance.

In fact the Süddeutsche article reads like it was dictated by the EPO’s PR department.

Such lazy journalism seems to have become par for the course these days.

All that would have been required was a quick look in the EPO’s Official Journal (warning: epo.org link) where the details can be found about the referral and the composition of the Enlarged Board for dealing with the case.

According to the Official Journal, the composition of the Enlarged Board is as follows:

C. Josefsson (Chairman),
I. Beckedorf,
M. Sachs,
G. Weiss,
J. Gröning,
G. Eliasson,
P. Gryczka.

This tells us that apart from the Chairman of the Board, Carl Josefsson, there are two legally qualified internal members (Ingo Beckedorf and Gérard Weiss), two technically qualified internal members (Gunnar Eliasson and Pascal Gryczka) and two external judges (Jochen Gröning from the German Federal Court of Justice and Michael Sachs from the Austria Federal Administrative Court).

The Chairman of the Enlarged Board, Carl Josefsson

The internal members of the Board.
Ingo Beckedorf, Gérard Weiss, Gunnar Eliasson (no photo) and Pascal Gryczka

The external members of the Board.
Jochem Gröning (Germany) and Michael Sachs (Austria)

In the next installment we will take a closer look at the above individuals and consider whether the composition of the Board might give some clues to the likely outcome of the case. █

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