[plug] The clarion voice of sanity in a slashmob of chaos.

[simon]

Senectus . (senectus at gmail.com) wrote:
>
> PJ speaks out about the latest mob-mentality derived, inappropriate
> and unfortunate net-crucifixion.
>
> http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20050816092029989
>

"But what about Linux Insider? All they ever seem to report is antiLinux news.
If I owned the Linux trademark, I'd want to make them stop, if I could. "

Thats it. The FOSS crowd have collectively gone insane.

If Linux Insider choose to publish antiLinux news, the historical FOSS stance
would be to listen to it, and learn from it. Suddenly we're trying to shut
people up.

When did the community change from 'it works for me, I scratched an itch,
YMMV' to 'we have to subvert trademark law to protect our product from people
who might want to say bad things about it - because expanding the linux
userbase is all important, and we dont need bad press'.

"What if Microsoft decided that the ultimate purpose of its Linux Lab (note
the name) is to put out a version of Windows, Windows apps running on a
twisted, poorly functioning pseudo Linux kernel, and they decide to call it
Windows Linux?"

Then theyd have a bad product. Many people have released, and will continue to
release, shoddy products based on linux with or without this trademark
protection. The only difference now is that people will have to pay. Show me
the clause in the GPL that says your product must maintain a certain level of
quality. If that were the case, most FOSS projects would disappear and the
linux kernel would never have existed.

Unless ofcourse the idea is that LMI will look at every product to be branded
'linux' and only award licenses to those they think are up to scratch. In that
case, Im not just scared, Im very very scared. Perhaps they will only deny
licenses to those they dont like or think are uberevil (MS and SCO)???? Read
the GPL again, and find me the clause about restricting usage only to people
we like.

The whole plan is so full of holes I dont know where to begin. I understand
the intent, but the execution needs to be taken out back and shot like a
whimpering dog.

Above all, its too damn late. Linus should have thought about this 12 years
ago. Everybody in the community sang out about the mp3 patents when suddenly
license fees were demanded after many years of open-slather usage of the mp3
codecs. Linus stated his position on the Linux name a decade ago, which
amounted to 'do what you want with it but play nice'. Amazing how people are
so accepting of locally-produced hypocrisy, and yet so condemning of anyone
else who might try to pull the same trick.

--
=================
Simon Scott
simon at plumtek.com
mob: 0409113359
=================