Why Does Everyone Want to Sleep With Microsoft?

I just don't get it, why does everyone want to get into bed with Microsoft? It always ends in tears with the unlucky bedfellow usually catching something which causes their health to deteriorate rapidly thereafter. In the full knowledge of Microsoft's long list of jilted lovers there is active lobbying to have a Microsoft open source license approved by the OSI.

My first question is why do they need their own? If Microsoft really wants to participate in the open source world what better way to demonstrate that commitment than by using an existing OSI approved license. There are 59 listed on the OSI website, surely one of those will suit Microsoft's purposes.

But no, Microsoft want their own and considering all the intimidatory things Microsoft has said about Linux and Open Source is it any wonder many in the open source world are skeptical.

Matt Asay in support of approving the license wrote:

It would be morally wrong, in my worldview, to discriminate against Microsoft in this endeavor.

No Matt it is not "morally wrong" to discriminate against those that seek to harm you! Isn't this the same company that says Linux, Samba, and OpenOffice.org infringe it's patents illegally using Microsoft's intellectual property? Isn't this the company that called Open Source a cancer and equated it to communism. Isn't this the same company that is threatening to sue Open Source end users?

I think Glyn Moody has it right about Microsoft's courting of OSI. He connects it with Microsoft's attempts to have OOXML approved as an ISO standard.

Microsoft is aiming to blunt the undeniable power of openness by hollowing it out. If OOXML is an open standard, and some of its own software licences become OSI-approved, Microsoft will be able to claim that it, too, is an open standard, open source company.

This smells an awful lot like Embrace, Extend, Extinguish so lets avoid the embrace.

"the be very afraid tour"

Eben Moglen

I love this video. To me it marks a turning point, a turning point in the fortunes of Microsoft.

About half way through the video while describing Microsoft's clumsy attempts to intimidate the Free Software Community the audience starts the laugh. Eben tries to continue but also starts to laugh and says "I know, it sounds absurd, I know".

What does this mean? Well it means Microsoft have shown us part of it's hand, part of what it hopes is a winning hand. And what happens? We're laughing.

Not the response the strategists at Microsoft were expecting!

The Microsoft strategists would do well to read Mark Shuttleworth's blog, he has a really good handle on it.

"The real threat to Linux is the same as the real threat to Microsoft, and that is a patent suit from a person or company that is NOT actually building software, but has filed patents on ideas that the GNU project and Microsoft are equally likely to be implementing."

But as clumsy as Microsoft's behaviour is, and as counter productive as it is too their own image lets not forget it is very very poor behaviour! I think Leo LaPorte and Steve Gibson summed it up best on the Security Now podcast.

"So here's what's so frustrating, too, is that the fact that Microsoft won't name the patents prevents anyone from curing the problem that Microsoft is complaining about. So they really don't want the problem cured."

When gangsters do this it is call extortion or a protection racket, why should it be any different when Microsoft does it?

The Anti Dawkins

From The Sydney Morning Herald Aiming for knockout blow in god wars.

I have to confess I have never heard of the "ethicist" Margaret Somerville but a quick Google search reveals her to be the author of "The Case Against 'Same-Sex Marriage'” and "The Case Against Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide". Hmmm, I can't say I have read either of these writings but they smell more like theology than ethics to me?

She says, "By attacking religion Dawkins thinks he is going to eliminate the world's evils, but he is so negative, so destructive in his approach, that he is escalating the conflict between warring cultures at a time when we should be seeking common ground,"

Dawkins is "a dangerous man"? Never mind the people flying planes into skyscrapers, murdering doctors in America, and blocking the use of condoms in AIDS ravaged Africa. Apparently, Dawkins is the dangerous one!

Hmmm, "escalating the conflict"! I do have some sympathy for her position. People who believe in supernatural beings do tend to be some what un-hinged. And as Dawkins and his contemporaries such as Sam Harris have been trying to point the out, religion is a big problem which needs attention. But, I can't say I think Ms Somerville's, "Sssh, let's tiptoe around the loonies lest we disturb them" approach has much merit.

Let's hope Richard Dawkins continues his evangelism of science and his thoughtful reasoned critique of religion. Let's shine a very strong light the superstitions religious fundamentalists and moderates hide behind. Let's not let them influence our governments to create laws based on "bronze age myths".

Peter Garrett

• What happened to Peter Garrett?


• Is the Labor Shadow Minister for Climate Change Peter Garrett, the same Peter Garrett that used to front Midnight Oil?.


• Peter Garrett?

Supping With The Devil

This cartoon by Leunig made me laugh although I couldn't help but think there was something missing. Put George Bush in there and the ménage à trois would be complete.

I don't think it would surprise anyone if John Howard wasn't the only guest during the sleep over at George Bush's ranch. If my memory servers me correctly, I do recall Vladimir Putin also having a sleep over. Considering the rate at which Russian Journalists who write anti Putin stories die, perhaps Vladimir Putin is the devil?

The God Delusion

I have just finished reading the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. What a fantastic book! Dawkins examines religion from almost every possible angle exposing all the contradictions, inconsistencies and often utter nonsense that lies at the heart of most if not all religions. I found the book after listening to a podcast from the Background Briefing program on www.abc.net.au. Unfortunately they have taken down the mp3 file but you can read the transcript. If you find the transcript interesting you'll like the book.

Naturally Dawkins has come under some criticism from the religious and those sympathetic with people of 'faith'. They interpret Dawkins 'evangelising' of atheism as an attack on their sacred faiths which they believe deserve a respect not afforded to any other belief. I find this incredibly hypocritical since the religious relentlessly attack Dawkins for his beliefs! Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist which puts him in conflict with those who believe in creation and a world that is only 6,000 years old. Dawkins has as much right to speak critically and dismissively of religion as the religious do of evolution.

If spirituality interests you at all this is a must read book.

The Governator!

I'll have to start this post by eating a fairly large serve of humble pie. When the citizens of California elected Arnold Schwarzenegger governor I thought it was something of a joke. A bit like George W. Bush getting re-elected. I don't have to eat humble pie on that one, George W. Bush has proved himself an unethical, incompetent, fool many times over.

But The Governator is proving to be something of a progressive liberal. He's pro-choice, takes global warming seriously and advocates Universal health care for Californians. Astonishingly he is a Republican! Perhaps now that George Bush doesn't have a weekly conference call with outed sodomist Ted Haggard he could slot in the Governator. He could certainly learn a few things from Arnie.

Do You Use Firefox?

If you don't, why not? According to Brian Krebs , from the Washington Post, Internet Explorer was unsafe for 284 Days in 2006. Firefox by comparison was unsafe for 9 days!

"For a total 284 days in 2006 (or more than nine months out of the year), exploit code for known, unpatched critical flaws in pre-IE7 versions of the browser was publicly available on the Internet."

"Mozilla's Firefox browser -- experienced a single period lasting just nine days last year in which exploit code for a serious security hole was posted online before Mozilla shipped a patch to remedy the problem."

Why do people persist with IE, especially considering most of us use online financial services such as, Internet banking, shopping, ebay, etc? If you have not tried Firefox you can download it here. It is a smallish download and costs nothing.
Happy surfing.

A Land Of Droughts And Flooding Rains

I was having a clean up of my one of my machines when I came across these photos taken 2 years ago. Wow, what a contrast with today where it just doesn't rain at all. These shots were all taken around Melbourne and it's surrounding suburbs in January 2005.

Where's my laptop

Well I wasn't going to do a blog, that is until I learned that Microsoft is giving away free laptops to bloggers. In that case sign me up!

Now, in the interests of transparent disclosure, and just in case the marketing guys at Redmond are getting too exited, I am sorry to say, I won't be keeping Vista on it long enough to do a review. It'll have a Debian install disk in it before Vista has a chance to boot. But don't let that discourage you, I'll still gladly accept a free laptop.