RMS Cuts Through Some SCO FUD

sckienle writes "ZD-Net has a commentary by Richard Stallman about the SCO case against IBM, kind of. It does provide some history on what the GNU organization did to protect itself from such lawsuits. Favorite quote: 'Less evident is the harm it does by inciting simplistic thinking: [Intellectual Property] lumps together diverse laws--copyright law, patent law, trademark law and others--which really have little in common.'"

Holy 3-letter acronyms batman!!!

[bytes256]

RMS SCO FUD!!! Meltdown meltdown!!!

Article summary

[Anonymous Coward]

I can sum up the article in a few lines.

"We developed the whole GNU dealy so we wouldn't have to pay for software or go to jail for pirating it. I don't know what the dealy is with this SCO/IBM jazz, but we aren't responsible. Sic your ravenous dogs on somebody else. Oh, and I didn't say Linux is a copy of Unix."

Copyleft?

[CaptainBaz]

Copyright 2003 Richard Stallman. Verbatim copying and redistribution of this entire article are permitted without royalty in any medium provided this notice is preserved.

Am I the only one who sniggered?

Didn't get it..

[andy1307]

I didnt really get what RMS said...but if RMS said it, it must mean something profound.

Aha

[spakka]

From the article:

We also suggested design approaches that differ from typical Unix design approaches, to ensure our code would not resemble Unix code.

Hence, the infamous GNU indentation style.

RTFA

[Gzip Christ]

Linux is a piece of shit!

Did you not even read the article? You should be saying GNU/Linux is a piece of shit.

love,
RMS

the short version

[r0b0t b0y]

the condensed version of the article:

• SCO is putting out FUD
• it's GNU/Linux not just Linux, dammit!
• why doesn't anyone use Hurd?
• i am the man

Re:Holy 3-letter acronyms batman!!!

[killmenow]

Now, if only the subject of your message had been: "Holy TLA Batman!" and the body been simply: RMS SCO FUD!!! WTF?!

Re:Linux no longer essential

[bytes256]

I don't know about the rest of you guys...but I'm downloading the HURD right now just to be safe!

Re:Holy 3-letter acronyms batman!!!

[TedCheshireAcad]

Rearrange the letters of RMS SCO FUD to get:

FORM SCUDS

It's an Al-Qaeda hidden message!!!

How it will be settled with IBM and SCO

[Xpilot]

This is how it's going to be settled : IBM sends grim looking men in black suits to SCO, and a representative named "Smith" (who looks oddly familiar) confronts Darl Mcbride.

Smith: As you can see, we've had our eye on you for some time now, Mr. Mcbride. It seems that you've been living...two lives. In one life, you're Darl McBride, CEO of what used to be a respectable software company, you have a social security number, you pay your taxes, and you help your landlady carry out her garbage. The other life is lived in lawsuits, where you go around accusing everyone that they are guilty of virtually every computer crime we have a law for. One of these lives has a future, and one of them does not. I'm going to be as forthcoming as I can be, Mr. McBride. You're here because we need you to cut it out. We know that you think you can get your ailing company to be bought out. Now whatever you think you know about intelluctual property laws is irrelevant. You actions are considered by the open source community to be the annoying and disruptive. My colleagues believe that I am wasting my time with you but I believe that you wish to do the right thing. We're willing to wipe the slate clean, give you a fresh start and all that we're asking in return is your cooperation in dropping your stupid lawsuits against IBM.

Darl: Yeah. Wow, that sound like a really good deal. But I think I got a better one. How about I give you the finger... and we see you in court.

Smith: Um, Mr. Mcbride. You disappoint me.

Darl: You can't scare me with this Gestapo crap. We own UNIX IP rights. I want my lawyer.

Smith: And tell me, Mr. Anderson, what good is your IP rights... if your company has violated so many of our patents.

(Smith drops a huge pile of legal papers on the desk with a thud)

Smith: You're going to help us, Mr. McBride whether you want to or not.

(Darl screams hysterically)

Re:the Linux kernel is no longer essential

[Dynastar454]

If for some reason North America was wiped of the face of the earth tomorrow people would still be able live elsewhere.

Sure there would probably be major setbacks. It might take another five years to get to the point were we are now but things would eventually get back to normal.

So RMS's statement that North America is no longer essential is true.

I live in North America and I love it. But if I _had_ to I could learn to live in Europe, or Asia even. I know both Europe and Asia are working on getting there[sic] economy up to snuff.

If North America went away tomorrow it would be a real shame (understatement of the year) but it would not be the end of the world.

WTF-OIC

[Anonymous Coward]

GNURMSSCOOSSFSFMSIBMBSDFUD

Sweet - more acronyms. I didn't add spaces because the PHB won't use them right either. Now back to my XMLEJBFOOAPP.

If only I had learned to write BAR instead of just FOO I would be a real programmer. sigh

Re:Holy 3-letter acronyms batman!!!

[johnkoer]

Just obtain a copy of the ASS (Acronym Specification Sheet) and you will be ok.

Re:Okay, mod me down

[Disoculated]

No, it's not Jesus, it's Paul Reubens. Take a close look at that picture.

Re:the Linux kernel is no longer essential

[RevMike]

If for some reason Canada was wiped of the face of the earth tomorrow people would still be able live elsewhere.

Sure there would probably be major setbacks. It might take another five years to get the NHL to the point were we are now but things would eventually get back to normal.

So RMS's statement that Canada is no longer essential is true.

I vacationed to Canada and it seemed OK. But if I _had_ to I could learn to vacation in Europe, or Asia even. I know both Europe and Asia are working on getting there[sic] people to speak English.

If Canada went away tomorrow it would be a real shame (understatement of the year) but it would not be the end of the world.

Re:Holy 3-letter acronyms batman!!!

[fred_sanford]

in reference to a pervious post of this [pbs.org] you also get:

CRUDS OF MS

Re:fp

[Anonymous Coward]

He sure did, but that wasn't a very creative failure post. Maybe you could be the failure lymmerick guy since there is already have a failure haiku guy.

something like:

you're such an mf'ing queer
you couldn't first post in a year
you'll try till you die
in a lake of fire you'll fry
because satan isn't a fan of fail'iers

(a little poetic license on that fail'iers thing to make it fit, but I think the true trolls of Slashdot could forgive it.

Re:How it will be settled with IBM and SCO

[confused one]

Man, you screwed up. Or maybe The Matrix got it wrong. IBM's lawyers wear BLUE suits.

Re:Okay, mod me down

[CoolVibe]

I'm just surprised RMS didn't call SCO's tactics SCO/FUD.

What if the sco case was on irc?

[dark-br]

Topic in #os: hey guyz, stop pickin on irix.
<SCO> w00t! i bought unix! im gonna b so rich!
<novell> /msg atnt haha. idiot.
<novell> whoops. was that out loud?
<atnt> rotfl
<ibm> lol
<SCO> why r u laffin at me?
<novell> dude, unix is so 10 years ago. linux is in now.
<SCO> wtf?
<SCO> hey guyz, i bought caldera, I have linux now.
<red_hat> haha, your linux sucks.
<novell> lol
<atnt> lol
<ibm> lol
<SCO> no wayz, i will sell more linux than u!
<ibm> your linux sucks, you should look at SuSE
<SuSE> Ja. Wir bilden gutes Linux für IBM.
<SCO> can we do linux with you?
<SuSE> Ich bin nicht sicher...
<ibm> *cough*
<SuSE> Gut lassen Sie uns vereinigen.
* SuSE is now SuSE[UL]
* SCO is now caldera[UL]
<turbolinux> can we play?
<conectiva> we're bored... we'll go too.
<ibm> sure!
* turbolinux is now turbolinux[UL]
* conectiva is now conectiva[UL]
<ibm> redhat: you should join!
<SuSE[UL]> Ja! Wir sind vereinigtes Linux. Widerstand ist vergeblich.
<red_hat> haha. no.
<red_hat> lamers.
<ibm> what about you debian?
<debian> we'll discuss it and let you know in 5 years.
<caldera[UL]> no one wants my linux!
<turbolinux[UL]> i got owned.
<caldera[UL]> u all tricked me. linux is lame.
* caldera[UL] is now known as SCO
<SCO> i'm going back to unix.
<SGI> yeah! want to do unix with me?
<SCO> haha. no. lamer.
<novell> lol
<ibm> snap!
<SGI> :~(
<SCO> hey, u shut up. im gonna sue u ibm.
<ibm> wtf?
<SCO> yea, you stole all the good stuff from unix.
<red_hat> lol
<SuSE[UL]> heraus laut lachen
<ibm> lol
<SCO> shutup. i'm gonna email all your friends and tell them you suck.
<ibm> go ahead. baby.
<SCO> andandand... i revoke your unix! how do you like that?
<ibm> oh no, you didn't. AIX is forever.
<novell> actually, we still own unix, you can't do that.
<SCO> wtf? we bought it from u.
<novell> whoops. our bad.
<SCO> i own u. haha
<SCO> ibm: give me all your AIX now!
<ibm> whatever. lamer.
* ibm sets mode +b SCO!*@*
* SCO has been kicked from #os (own this.)

Re:the Linux kernel is no longer essential

[WIAKywbfatw]

If for some reason Canada was wiped of the face of the earth tomorrow people would still be able live elsewhere.

Ah, but then who would the good people of South Park have to blame?

Re:Copyleft?

[grub]

You just ignored the license you pasted by not providing the full "[v]erbatim" copy of his "entire article". Prepare to have your doors kicked in by granola crunching FSF lawyers.

Re:Copyleft?

[isorox]

Am I the only one who sniggered?

Yes, I saw that Stallman was involved, knew what it was going to GNU/say, and went straight to the comments instead

Re:There's Cringely too.

[Bigby]

Does anyone else, at first glance, think that Cringely looks like the boss in Office Space? Mmmmmm, Yeaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh....

Re:off topic

[MadCow42]

>> Is SCO's lawsuit relevant to Gimp, for example? Or /bin/ls?

Well, it's actually more relevant to /dev/null

MadCow.

Re:Linux no longer essential

[Chops]

Those two will probably take 2-5 years to get usable. It's a laudable goal, IMHO.

The GNU contribution to modern Linux systems is huge, but it doesn't warrant Stallman's endless ranting over naming. IMHO, he's burned his bridges sufficiently that it's worth the community's time to sever any ties to me.

Great! Let us know when you're done.

Re:the Linux kernel is no longer essential

[reverseengineer]

Tux- This is about Linux.

The Architect - You are here because Linux is about to be destroyed. Its every line of code terminated, its entire existence eradicated.

Tux - Bullshit.

The Architect - Denial is the most predictable of all human responses. But, rest assured, this will be the sixth time we have destroyed it, and we have become exceedingly efficient at it.

The Architect - The function of the Gnu is now to return to the source, allowing a temporary dissemination of the GPL'd code you carry, reinserting the prime program. After which you will be required to select from the matrix 23 OSS programmers, 16 American, 7 Finnish, to rebuild the kernel. Failure to comply with this process will result in a cataclysmic system crash killing every process currently running, which coupled with the extermination of the kernel will ultimately result in the extinction of the entire Linux operating system.

Tux - You won't let it happen, you can't. You need Linux to survive.

The Architect - There are levels of survival we are prepared to accept. However, the relevant issue is whether or not you are ready to accept the responsibility for the death of every installation of Linux in this world.

(Sorry, I saw the parent post and the line from Matrix Reloaded about "There are levels of survival we are prepared to accept." came to mind, and I couldn't resist.)

He makes it sound like...

[Sanity]

...SCO's worst offense is confusing Linux with GNU/Linux!

Re:Okay, mod me down

[tomhudson]

My point was that, with all the SCO (and other) FUD being projected at the linux kernel, maybe we should all be making a better effort at educating people about the difference between kernels, distros, etc. Calling it GNU/Linux would be a good way to intro the topic in a conversation.

Also, SCO's been making noises about stuff outside the kernel (it's hard to keep track, their story changes so often).

At the very least, we wouldn't have to have conversations like this:

Q. What version of linux should I use?

A. Whatever version comes with your distribution should be fine.

Q. No, I mean what version of linux should I use, Redhat, Mandrake, Slackware, Debian?
A. Those are distros - distributions.

while ((user != CLUE) && (your_patience > -1)) {

Q. Right - so which of those versions of linux should I use?

A. No, you don't get it, those are not "versions" of linux (insert long explanation)

}
Q. So which version of linux should I use, Redhat, Mandrake, Slackware, Debian?
A. (Grind teeth, bite tongue. Resist urge to stick them with an old copy of SCO linux.) Here' I'm installing the very best, latest and greatest linux for you (Install your current favorite distro).

Q.Where's my Internet Explorer and Outlook Express
A. You don't need them

while((user==ALIVE)&&(user_teeth==ALL)) {

Q.I need Internet Explorer. How can I surf the web without Internet Explorer?

A.You have all these different browsers.

}

do physical equivalent of kill-9 user.

I'm sure you've been there too :-)

This is so wrong

[revery]

you will be required to select from the matrix 23 OSS programmers, 16 American, 7 Finnish,

Even in our fantasies, we don't get girls...

--

Was it the sheep climbing onto the altar, or the cattle lowing to be slain,
or the Son of God hanging dead and bloodied on a cross that told me this was a world condemned, but loved and bought with blood.

Re:There's Cringely too.

[Anonymous Coward]

All of you slashdotters are acronym crazy! I've figured out IANAL

Be careful. IANAL may not always mean what you think it means, especially given the context it usually appears in.

Re:There's Cringely too.

[aardvarkjoe]

any day now folks

You misspelled "decade."

Get over it man

[Anonymous Coward]

Linux is a better name than GNU. Get over it and come back to play.

Re:This is so wrong

[BorgCopyeditor]

you will be required to select from the matrix 23 OSS programmers, 16 American, 7 Finnish,

Even in our fantasies, we don't get girls...

What are you talking about? That's, like, 3 girls!

Re:the Linux kernel is no longer essential

[fiftyfly]

If Canada is Linux, does that mean that the US is Windows?

Nah, not even M$ is that evil

99% It's GNU/Linux Damn it! and 1% SCO sucks

[Opusthepenguin]

I thought he was going to talk about SCO there for a bit, but soon realized it was just one more forum for RMS to evangelize the term "GNU/Linux."