Bonum Certa Men Certa

Links 19/09/2009: Ubuntu 10.04 to be Called Lucid Lynx





GNOME bluefish

Contents





GNU/Linux

  • Interview: Martin Maurer from Proxmox
    I've been aware of Proxmox VE for a couple of years now. I've installed it a few times and tested it out. I have recommended it to others and know a few local people using it in production (at MSU-Bozeman and Rocky Mountain College for example). Since I'm involved in the OpenVZ community I've also noticed some of the contributions to OpenVZ that have come from Proxmox VE (vzdump for example) and have run into Martin Maurer in the comments section of this site. I asked him if he would be interested in doing an interview and he accepted. I hope to add a picture of Martin to this interview in the near future.


  • It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's A...Mouse?
    What Hillcrest Labs announced yesterday is about more than just Linux compatibility. Hillcrest is the company behind Freespace, a "complete solution for the creation of in-air pointing and motion control devices for a broad range of applications including pointing remote controls, hybrid 2D/3D mice and motion-sensing game controllers." Companies can license Freespace to develop precision devices for all manner of tasks, from presentation pointers to medical monitoring gear.


  • Top 12 Linux & FLOSS advertisements & videos
    Surfing the net all this time on topics related to GNU/Linux, Free and Open Source Software, I came across various interesting, imaginative and some times funny videos and advertisements.




  • Distributions







Free Software/Open Source

  • 12 Excellent Free and Open Source Graphics Apps
    The worlds of open source and freeware both include many outstanding applications for working with graphics and photos. These include standard fare such as image editors, but it's also worth looking into free desktop publishers, web design templates, and quirky graphics tools. Whether you want to produce splashy graphical documents, enhance graphics on a blog or web site, create eye-catching logos, or more, check out our newly updated collection of 12 applications and resources here.


  • FOSS v Proprietary? – A debate between two geeks?
    In regards to my comment to him “championing the Mac” I use the word champion to describe something any user has settled on as a result of their own research and needs. I champion Linux since I have chosen it above alternatives as its best for me. Throttlemeister has done so with Mac on the same basis.

    Throttlemeister makes reference to the needs of work and MS Office. I think this highlights perfectly that far from Microsoft being “standards compat” and as some would like you to believe [1] entering into a brave new world of cooperation and interoperability with FOSS. The fact remain that intentional or not, there are barriers for people wanting freedom of choice in their software solutions and its not a fault of FOSS.


  • Mozilla Firefox Cleared of U.S Export Rules
    Vendors with normal software containing encryption are required to file for a license exception, but that regulation offers an exemption to open source vendors.

    However, that exemption is nullified if the source code is distributed to any of the countries on the U.S embargo list, such as Cuba, Iran or North Korea. Under the open source export exemption, the project isn't supposed to have knowledge of distribution to any of the embargoed countries, Anderson said.


  • Mozilla Firefox Not In Violation of US Export Rules
    "While the internet may know no borders, the US government does. There are a number of rules that affect software vendors, including encryption export regulations from the US Department of Commerce and export sanctions by the Department of Treasury. But what do you do when your application is open source and freely available to anyone in the world? Do the same the rules apply? It's a question that Mozilla asked the US government about. The answer they received could have profound implications not just for Firefox but for all open source software vendors. 'We really couldn't accept the notion that these government rules could jeopardize the participatory nature of an open source project, so we sought to challenge it,' Harvey Anderson, VP and General Counsel of Mozilla, told InternetNews.com. 'We argued that First Amendment free speech rights would prevail in this scenario. The government took our filing and then we got back a no-violation letter, which is fantastic.'"




  • Software Freedom Day

    • Software Freedom Day 2009


    • Promoting the free software
      A special talk by the founder of the free software movement, Richard Stallman, will lead the list of special programmes put together by the IT@School on the VICTERS channel on the occasion of the Software Freedom Day (SFD) on September 19.


    • Welcome to Freedom Movement
      For those uninitiated to this concept -- a full-fledged philosophy for many -- applying something as lofty as freedom to the world of bits and bytes may seem a tad misplaced. However, advocates of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) will tell you that ‘freedom’ is as critical in the digital world, especially in one that is largely controlled by proprietary (and market) forces.

      Richard Stallman, the foremost torchbearer of the Free Software Movement, points out ‘Free’ is a matter of liberty, not price: “‘Free’ as in ‘free speech,’ not as in ‘free beer’,” he distinguishes. In simple terms, the user is free to run, copy, modify and distribute software, and this, enabled by the fact that its source code (a set of instructions that calls the shots) is freely available.


    • City wants software freedom for all
      This year September 19, is software freedom day (SFD), a global celebration of free and open source software.

      There are three types of software, you can buy and use it, you can download and use for free and the third is where you could dowload it, modify the code and upload it for others to use.

      [...]

      Announcing programs for SFD, Lokayat on Friday issued a roadmap for countering monopoly of big companies.

      They will mark this day by not using softwares like Windows, Adobe Photoshop etc. Rishikesh Yewalekar, Neeraj Jain and Vaibhav Gupta of the organisation said, “SFD is a worldwide celebration of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The goal is to educate the public about ethical reasons and benefits of using high quality FOSS.








  • Programming







Leftovers

  • Five ways that Apps.gov is a trendsetter
    I'm one of many who believe this week's announcement of Apps.gov--a portal targeted at reducing the cost and effort for public agencies to acquire cloud services--is forcing all of IT to face the economics of cloud computing.




  • AstroTurf

    • Federal Appeals Court Voids Campaign Finance Reform Rules
      "The First Amendment, as the Court has construed it, safeguards the right of citizens to band together and pool their resources . . . to express their views about policy issues and candidates for public office," Kavanaugh wrote in his 44-page opinion.

      A FEC spokeswoman, Judith Ingram, said officials were reviewing the opinion.

      The challenge by Emily's List is just one of several assaults on campaign finance laws and regulations in the courts. Last week, in a case with high stakes for campaign finance advocates, the Supreme Court heard arguments in an appeal that seeks to strip decades of restrictions on corporate support of candidates.

      "We in the reform community are seeking attacks on all fronts of campaign finance laws," said Tara Malloy, associate counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit group that supports campaign finance reform.

      Friday's ruling will be felt next year and in 2012, the experts said.








  • Censorship/Web Abuse

    • FCC To Introduce Net Neutrality Rule
      Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, plans to propose a new so-called net neutrality rule Monday that could prevent telecommunications, cable and wireless companies from blocking Internet applications, according to sources at the agency.


    • Save the BBC from Draconian Restrictions Management
      Either I am licensed to view BBC content, or I am not. If I am, then it should be none of the BBC's concern what method I use to view that content. If I wish to use equipment officially "endorsed" by the BBC, or if I wish to use a self-built PVR running my own choice of software, I should be able to do so without the BBC imposing restrictions on my activities, but their proposed DRM system will indeed impose such a restriction.

      This restriction will also compel me to purchase equipment manufactured only by certain companies, which I feel is also in violation of the spirit of the BBC's charter of impartiality. Is it right that the BBC should essentially endorse products in this way?






  • Intellectual Monopolies

    • Wait, Was That An RIAA Education Campaign... Or Is It About Turning Schoolkids Into Unpaid Shills?
      Of course, since we were suggesting more reasonable responses to the RIAA's proposals, why not have those same kids do a class project where they talk about artists who have embraced what their fans want, and have showed that it's possible to do quite well with models that don't involve going to war with your best fans.


    • RIAA Asks Schoolkids To Assist With Propaganda
      We wrote about Music-Rules! and similar industry propaganda efforts in May, outlining some of their falsehoods and biases. For instance, the RIAA tells kids, "Never copy someone else's creative work without permission from the copyright holder" — omitting the important right to make creative fair use of existing content. It also coins a misleading term, "songlifting," (which the curriculum says is "just as bad as shoplifting"). Perhaps most disturbing of all given that the curriculum is supposed to be adopted by schools, it teaches kids bad math as part of its lessons on peer to peer file-sharing.


    • Cable Lobbyists Side With MPAA On Getting Permission To Break Your TV
      The MPAA and cable companies could offer up movies whenever they want. They just don't want people to record them, because they want to introduce yet another annoying window. So, they declare that they need to break your TV and DVR from recording.


    • Oregon: You Have To Pay Us To Explain The Laws To You
      However, Oregon is back in the news on a similar issue, as Slashdot points us to the news that a professor is challenging the state's attorney general to sue him after he scanned and posted a state-produced guide to using public-records laws. You would think, again, that the state would want such a document spread as widely as possible, as it would better help Oregonians understand the law. But the state claims it needs to sell the book for $25 to cover production costs.


    • Linden Lab Sued Over Copied Virtual Goods
      Way back in 2003, when Linden Lab announced that individuals owned the real world copyright on virtual trinkets they made in the game, we noted that this was a bad idea that would lead to problems. It was, in effect, taking bad real world laws and bringing them into a virtual world. It was even worse, because it was taking real world laws that were designed for a world of scarcity, and bringing them into a world of abundance -- and effectively allowing the laws to reach from the real world into the virtual world. That's a recipe for trouble.


    • Post-Medium Publishing
      Almost every form of publishing has been organized as if the medium was what they were selling, and the content was irrelevant. Book publishers, for example, set prices based on the cost of producing and distributing books. They treat the words printed in the book the same way a textile manufacturer treats the patterns printed on its fabrics.

      Economically, the print media are in the business of marking up paper. We can all imagine an old-style editor getting a scoop and saying "this will sell a lot of papers!" Cross out that final S and you're describing their business model. The reason they make less money now is that people don't need as much paper.


    • The Great Debate on Micropayments and Paid Content, Part 1


    • The Great Debate on Micropayments and Paid Content, Part 2








Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day



Jim Hogg teaches GNU Linux to high school kids 10 (2008)

[an error occurred while processing this directive]



Digital Tipping Point is a Free software-like project where the raw videos are code. You can assist by participating.

Recent Techrights' Posts

IBM HR "Process is Similar to Raising Farm Animals"
IBM "silent layoffs" won't stop
Brett Wilson LLP Has Just Lost a Case of Its Biggest Client "IN THE COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION)"
Is Brett Wilson LLP proud of such clientele?
Gary Smith Says Brett Wilson LLP Engages in SLAPP Against Him Over LinkedIn Post, "This is the Streisand Effect in Real Time"
"Lawyers who front SLAPP‑style threats on behalf of powerful institutions are not “defending reputation”; they are abusing legal process to intimidate and silence legitimate public‑interest scrutiny."
 
Not Tolerating Death Threats
Death threads are a serious matter
Silent Layoffs, 'Happy' Layoffs, and 'Buyouts' (Pretending to Voluntarily Retire)
We've been seeing lots of that at IBM and Microsoft
SLAPP Censorship - Part 125 Out of 200: Litigants in Person (LIPs) Handling American Lawfare Funded by Third Parties (About a Million Pounds for 100 Kilograms of Legal Papers)
An appeal to the Court of Appeal can be justified at one point
Attacks on the Sites
These are clearly censorship attempts
Links 02/07/2026: Microsoft May be Shutting Down 5+ Studios, Slop Got Too Expensive, "RAMpocalypse" Discussed
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, July 01, 2026
IRC logs for Wednesday, July 01, 2026
Gemini Links 02/07/2026: Kondo, Theological Thought, and X4
Links for the day
Links 01/07/2026: Apple and Microsoft Price Hikes, Political Catchup
Links for the day
Parroting the Script of RAs and PIPs, "Buyouts" and Layoffs by Any Other Name
Over time people will find out just how many people "leave" IBM
Slop Gives No Real Edge, It's Just Falsely Marketed That Way (FOMO)
Plagiarism in some measurable form is always bad, irrespective of what we call it
The Microsoft-Owned Media Shows What Spin Microsoft Will Use Amid Mass Layoffs
Microsoft says goodbye to over 10,000 workers this month
The Media is Shooting Its Own Foot by Peddling Slop and Spam
Nobody wishes to read slop; as soon as people realise "the news" (or "news site") is LLM trash, they will walk away
Gemini Links 01/07/2026: Wild Flowers, Slop, and Waystone Tools
Links for the day
Links 01/07/2026: Bending Spoons Makes an 'Exit' ("Going Public"), US Supreme Court Rules on Many Issues
Links for the day
Misattributing Blame, the Core Issue is Slop
that issue has nothing to do with Bash
Microsoft: Layoffs Are an Investment
Sales of the console will take another plunge and debt will skyrocket
Links 01/07/2026: MElon (Elon Musk) "Confronted With List of People He Has Killed", Microsoft Ignores Union, Chooses "Bloodbath"
Links for the day
The Register MS: Paid-For SPAM Advocating Chinese Colonialism in Africa, Not Even a Disclosure (as Before)
Does The Register MS recognise what this piece is promoting and who for?
Techrights Never Defended Rapists
In the past, I and others got falsely accused of "defend[ing] a rapist"
"Regular Silent Layoffs and PIPs" at Microsoft, According to Microsoft Insider
Many people leave without a fuss, only a signed NDA
Gaming Companies Help Promote Rootkits ('Anticheat') and Help Microsoft Take Control of People's PCs
The industry in its current form acts a bit more like a cabal of power-hungry companies that actively try to back-door everything and smear people who oppose that
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) Turns 38 Next Month
IRC did well because over 300k users are on significant networks (simultaneous, also counting bots and cross-network overlaps)
opensourceforu.com is a Slopfarm, It's Not "Open Source" and It's Not "For U"
Slop "For U"
DRM and Ownership
We now even have PCs that "expire"
GNU/Linux Reaches 6% in North America
Tomorrow around 10AM we'll see what preliminary data they get for July
IBM Layoffs Still Happening in 2026, They're Just Not Being Reported
The demise of IBM accompanies the demise of the media
SLAPP Censorship - Part 124 Out of 200: The Court Deems My Wife Connected to the Case of the Serial Strangler From Microsoft, Invites Her to the Hearing Last Week
Brett Wilson LLP does not play by the rules
Paying Severance to Staff Laid Off by Microsoft Too Expensive for Microsoft Now?
When companies earn such a bad reputation (not paying severance to people they discard) it lowers morale even further
Microsoft Mass Layoffs Due to Money Problems (Debt, Lack of Money to Complete Payroll), Not "Hey Hi"
If Microsoft later comes up with some "Hey Hi" narrative, then immediately reject it
Stop Conflating Free Software With Slop Plagiarism and Time-wasting
Even decades ago people could use "compute" for lots of fuzzing, then file away false or unaudited reports using bots
What Security Means
Security does not mean asking Microsoft for permission
Microsoft May be Losing 10,000+ Workers This Month
Here's the quick math
BSN Senior School Leidschenveen is Shutting Down and What That Means to the European Patent Office (EPO)
Follow-up meeting with Site Manager VP1 on school matters
Gemini Links 01/07/2026: Keeping (Relatively) Cool plus Adventures in Solar, Camp Snap Cameras and XTEINK X4 Ereader Reviews
Links for the day
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Different Strokes For Different Folks
Organisation operating in two parallel universes
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, June 30, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, June 30, 2026
GNU/Linux Measured at 4.4% by statCounter, Even More by analytics.usa.gov
GNU/Linux has fared well
Getting Skyped: Closure of Studios Microsoft Bought
wait till July and the mass layoffs outside XBox
Several Waves of Red Hat Layoffs This Year, Is This Still Going on Under IBM?
The PIPs and NDAs hard to get a clear picture
Sabine Hossenfelder Versus IBM Scamming Shareholders
IBM has become a garage of BS
Some XBox Layoffs Underway, At Least Five Studios to be Shut Down
Insiders are in a state of panic
Gemini Links 30/06/2026: Music Theory, Addiction, Clown Computing
Links for the day
Links 30/06/2026: France Recorded 1,000 Excess Deaths During Heat Wave, Slop Replaced by Human Staff
Links for the day
WordPress Becoming What We Feared It Would Become
WordPress and other such bloatware (WordPress used to be fast and light) are moving in the same trajectory that GAFAM leads
People Given the Totally Wrong Idea That "Secure Boot" is About Security (It's the Opposite, It's About Handing Control Over to NSA/Microsoft)
"Secure Boot" with capital "B" is conflating compromise with security.
Today The Register MS is Publishing Fake Articles About "AI", 100% of All "Content"
Maybe the media is dying because it is selling its soul [...] The Register MS has no standard
America Has Cost Europe Too Much
Countries ought to be controlling all their own systems
GAFAM Debt Will Surge, in July We'll Know by How Much
Do not fall for slop or sloppy narratives
Call for European Patent Office (EPO) Whistleblowers
The European Patent Organisation (EPO) might not reform the Office
400-Page US Federal Court Against Abuses by Google, Microsoft and Front Groups That Abuse Volunteers for American Corporations
There are 386 pages in total (in the US claim)
Projection Tactics - Part IV: SLAPP by Americans Against Techrights (UK) to Hide Serious Abuses Against American Women
"PRs need to stop being complicit in suppression of information via SLAPPs"
Five Years Ago, After We Broke the Story About Richard Stallman Rejoining the FSF's Board, All Hell Broke Loose (for Me and My Family)
They generally seem to target anyone who thinks Richard Stallman (RMS) should be in charge or thinks alike about computing
Projection Tactics - Part II: Causing "Serious Harm" to Many People (Even Animals)
Narcissists and sociopaths are like that
Too Many "Marketers on the Payroll" at IBM, Selling Impossible Products That Cannot be Delivered or Will Never Deliver
IBM is rotting away
Media Says Microsoft's (XBox) Layoffs May be Record-Breaking
think somewhere in the range of ~5000 for gaming/XBox alone
Sirius Open Source's Latest Report: Fake (False) Number of Staff, Almost No Money in the Bank, Overdraft, and Growing Debt (About £100,000 More Borrowed)
massive (and still growing) debt
Links 30/06/2026: What's Wrong With EU Age Verification, RSA Keys with Many Zeros
Links for the day
This is Not a Security, This is a Circus
Security does not mean "asked Microsoft for permission"
Communities Need Strong Leadership, Not Dictators Like IBM
Leadership in Free software is not ownership [...] Fedora will only last as long as IBM can somehow make some money out of it or leverage it to attract sharecropping
Patents Are Not "Cash Cows"
People who deliberately don't understand patents (or believe lies about them) will fail to understand how the world works (or does not work)
Sad Lives of People Who Think Women Are Just Sexual Toys (All They Have is Money)
money is still a man-made concept and life is finite
SLAPP Censorship - Part 123 Out of 200: Why Violence Against Animals Matters
Starting tomorrow (Wednesday) we'll begin telling stories about what happened last week
EPO Staff Union's (SUEPO) The Hague Committee, With Help of Lawyer, Challenges Lack of Rewards for Hard Work
The EPO is not about granting valid patents anymore. The horse-trading corrupt officials just see the EPO as some thing that "prints money"
Massive EPO Demonstration Today
It'll start in about 6 hours
More Layoffs in Microsoft's PR Department, Even Ahead of 'D-Day'
Notice they are not even waiting for the official date (nor week)
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Photo-Ops Galore and Suspicions of Influence-Peddling
coverage of the EPO's Croatian junket
Gemini Links 30/06/2026: Music and Broken Hearts
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, June 29, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, June 29, 2026