Are We Ready???

[linuxmad]

I am from Portugal, which is a small country by nature and also in the software market, very far away from countries like Germany, France, Japan,US or even from Spain. Last month a montly Windows computer magazine brought to ligth an article saying that Linux is growing fast in the world of Portuguese companies. There are major companies trading windows for Linux. Important companies like RTP(Portuguese Public Television), SECIL(another important Portuguese Company),Wurth, and even the Army are using Linux. No surprise for me. Linux offers everything: Quality, stability, and ... last but not least .... it's FREE. I think that none of you is surprised. We all knew that this was going to happen .. sooner or later. We are growing fast and with quality, we are becoming a menace to Mr Gates pocket. Recently in Munich (Germany) i heard, that the local government substituted 14.000 windows machines for Linux. Very good policy!!!!, still after reading Mr Palmer's memo, i realised that hard times are coming.They are pointing guns in our direction. They have always done it. No surprise.... for none of us. But... ARE WE READY?? Are we ready for that monopolist behavior that led so many good companies to an end?? ... and are they so damn confident they can make us disapear?? Aren't they forgeting that Linux depends on a comunity that supports and helps on everything??. Yes, i think they are forgeting that most of us have already tasted their flavour. We didn't like it. WE DO NOT WANT ANYONE TO SPY ON US. We want to be free to run whatever we want in our computers. We want freedom ...and we will defeat them if they mess up with our guts. Still one question remains: ARE WE... ALL READY TO ...FIGHT??
:D
Please post!!!:rolleyes:

[Elijah]

MS bringing us down is just the same as attacking their "own" consumers IMHO ;)

[nothingbutlinux]

We have no choice but to be ready. We all know M$ is not going down without a fight. Was the SCO thing M$ based? Maybe some day we'll find out, but in my opinion it has a definite M$ smell. I think it eroded a bit of confidence in Lunux here in the US ... I don't think it had much effect in other countries, thank goodness. I'm sure M$ has been brainstorming for months to come up with strategies to combat Linux, and discrediting it has to be one of them. The beauty of Linux, and the reason I think it will prevail, is Open Source and it isn't just one company, like Dr Dos was in the 80s. If SCO's claims are actually true, how long would it take the open source community to fix the problem and create an update to the kernal? No more problem.

I've been wondering what strategies M$ will attempt in their battle. Viruses specifically targeting Linux? I doubt that's even possible, thanks to the great design of Linux security. I could see M$ paying off big web sites to run THEIR software, then make it work with only IE, similar to what they did with Opera. I'm just speculating, and rambling, but it's coming, and we have to be ready.

[noidea]

Some interesting thoughts.

I see M$ more as a marketing imperium than a software maunfacturer meanwhile.
And this is a thing LINUX still lacks. Redhat (though some people smell greed!) is on a good way.
M$ has billions of $$$$$ behind them. LINUX is an open community consisting of mere hobbyists. With their $$$$ M$ has the chance to sell their stuff even to the government. And I wonder if M$ even has some lawmakers on their paylist. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to go on with their illegal tricks.
I remember when I had my AS/400 classes that the instructor told us why the AS/400 was the only system with US government approval for high security. M$ is breaking into the AS/400 market now with much less security. How is that possible?
Is it because the marketing department of M$ is more aggressive (criminal?), while IBM rests on their laurels?
How comes that computers in the size of a C64 under UNIX could send people to the moon, while a 2ghz machine under Windose2000 is not even able to have a word processor, IE, and an MP3 player open without crashing twice a day?
More and more government agencies around the world step over to LINUX. In the US Bill Gates is still celebrated as the hero of the american dream (please no offense to any american). His criminal tactics are THE tactics of the free market.
Just think about his investments into India. India is known as the breeding place for IT people in the world (which could lead to a discussion if the hinduism is superior to the christian belief, but that is totally off topic). Well, Billy tries to breed even more programmers in India. It is good and human idea to invest money into a third world country. But think about it! I It is going to end up in that way that the programming headquarter of M$ is gonna be in Kalkutta somewhen, because in India they only get paid $2.50/hour, while the US progarmmers (what is the actual payrate in the US?)are unemployed. For Billy boy this has three advantages: He will fill his pockets even more, and he will be hailed as pioneer of globalization (later on he will be celebrated as inventor of globalization) and helping a third world country to prosperity, while US programmers are only another number in the unemployment statistic.
If any european company would do act like M$ it would have had to close shop already - together with the government supporting them (please no offense to any american in person!)

I only have one wish: Somebody go out and stop Billy!!!!

[mage492]

As for the idea of Linux-specific viruses, I don't think it's likely to succeed (though they're sure to try). The main reason is that, IMHO, the average Linux user knows more about what's going on inside their computer (and computers in general) than the average other user. There are certainly exceptions, but the average kinda speaks for itself. I'm somewhat security-paranoid, to begin with, so I'm not too worried. What can they throw at me that an experienced cracker can't?

With the servers running only M$ stuff, we could always retaliate! :D

[kZahradnik]

My guess is that MS is ging to kill itself. The whole idea of taking over the users PCs with their "trustworthy computing" isn't appreciated here in europe. But then again, in the US where a governor can run the whole country, claiming he is the president (without ever beeing elected - he was appionted by a judge) it seems good pratice to tell people they need to give more control - for their own sake - to the software company. Cos then they (the users) can be protected from the evil linux and all the lawlessness which it brings.

Bill Gates and MS fit into the US justice and government systemn like a fist fits on the eye. But they will not succeed. Cos people want their freedom, they want control over their own lifes as well as over their belongings. Nobody wants to give away their security to a company which is facing a 2 trillion dollar panalty - out of their own fault - for security issuses in their "secure software".

Microsoft never could, nor will it ever be able to produce quality software, cos they do not care. All they want is the "amercan dream" cash - and best would be yours. And please don't forget to sign up for the "security updates" cos then we (MS) can lock your software whenever you miss a payment or update. PLEASE! Who is going to do this? Right, nobody. MS is dead, they just don't know it yet. Somebody should thell them thought!

Sorry if I sound a lilltle "off". I just am so pissed at the way the big comapanies get away with everything. Coorporate america has to learn not to treat it's customers like stupid morons, and the US government (not the people) has to learn that they cannot have everything their way.

best regards and god bless amercie (I mean that!)

Klaus
Austria

[Hairball]

First off, I'd like to say I do not find Microsoft terribly offensive. They think stupid things, like having my computer call home every 20 minutes doesn't annoy the hell out of me (without my explicit permission it never should). Do stupid things, like long time features that I have come to rely on as a convenience suddenly vanish and never to come back after a patch. Or an inability to remove software I simply don't use. I hate divided loyalties corner Microsoft painted itself into, and hearing you can't do this that or the other on something I paid 300+ for.

It's not quite in Microsofts' profile to make such a pact with one single company (while doing the dirty, anyways). What I believe what we may see is more incompatability between Microsoft formats and standard file formats. We'll likely see hardware incompatibility, we'll likely see and know more about DMCA and TCPA than the legalities of spitting on the sidewalk. We will see more misinformation about linux, linux users, linux software, and offhanded dismissals of the linux ether. And of course lower Microsoft product pricing.

The next generation of "innovative" software could be used as a big push for linux on the casual desktop. During the Longhorn release there needs to be an "easily available point and click well publicized linux alternative". Longhorn is going to be a downstream terminal for the most part->with preplanned and ever growing licencing *agreements* "when economicly feasible" and enforced with TCPA/DRM technology. Microsoft has made some bad deals with other parties that give alot of control of Microsoft's products to another enitity. Microsoft's software will be limited by such agreements and it's partner(s) are still free to shop. Policy and laws within the United States right now don't go far enough to insure that an alternative can't do the same thing for cheaper or for free. What passes on capital hill in the next few years will likely decide whether or not Microsoft maintains it's tongue and cheek *monopoly*.

A legal monkey see monkey do attitude can be applied to larger companies. For example an *on going legal conundrum* showed how to mount an attack on a competators' customers using accusations of liability without the need of proof, exactly how this so-called plaintiff got away with this type of aggressive/suicidal marketing, I'm still unsure of. What was implied is very suggestive and based upon assumptions where there is no precedent, if I were a judge, I'd likely be offended, as a user and a voting taxpayer, I am.

[trilarian]

They are already implementing a plan to knock off other OS's that refuse to "comply" with Microsoft security standards....it's called Palladium. It's a hardware chip(Fritz) that will be in new Intel processors that allows a back door into your pc for Microsoft to "moniter" your pc for illegal installs or illegal files like mp3's. What is worse is that it also allows M$ to have administrative access to delete what they want or to lock you out from your own computer. They could delete your login and change the bios to only boot from the hard drive. Then you would have to pay M$ to unlock your pc for having illegal files or installs. The chip also has the ability to see if the OS will allow it to work, and if it does not then it shuts down the cpu. So you CAN'T turn it off unless you rip out the chip and re-program the cpu to run without it. The US government loves it because I'm sure the FBI, CIA, and DEA all get a backdoor as well. Then in years to come, you don't do what the government says we will shutdown your whole countries computer network. Reminds me of Big Brother. Check out this (http://www.bluehaze.com.au/unix/palladium.html) for details. Maybe a nuke at M$ central HQ?