The WFTL-LUG

Want to get sued by Microsoft? Then read on. At the end of this post, you'll have your opportunity. By now, you've no doubt heard the story that Microsoft claims that Linux and FOSS violates at least 235 of their patents. Once again, Microsoft innnovates through intimidation and litigation. Does anyone really think they'll come clean as to which patents Linux supposedly violates? To quote Ballmer, "What's fair is fair." Well, fair comes with a price, even for the mega-rich like Mr. Ballmer. If he honestly means what he says, that is. In that corner wherein our wildest imagination wanders about, can we even begin to conceive that Microsoft might allow their closed source to be examined for the patents it might violate?

In May 2006, the BBC aired a documentary it called "The Codebreakers". This two-part series looked into the adoption of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) and its impact on the so-called digital divide. Some nice history and interesting interviews make this worth watching. Enjoy!

Soon, my pretties, I shall join the lush tropical landscape of Ubuntu, and leave behind the frigid wastelands of Fedora. Long have I camped in the lands of Red Hat, but after using Ubuntu and having things "just work" (like MIDI) without requiring Herculean efforts, I have opted to try Ubuntu on my main machine. Soon... very sooon... :)

This LUG lives mostly via the wftl-lug@salmar.com mailing list, but it doesn't stop us from having a presence in a whole lot of other places. So, why not join the Facebook version as well. Just click here to join and let the Facebook world know about the WFTL-LUG.

I have been using the 64 bit edition of Fedora Core 6 for a few weeks now and I am really impressed with the speed of it all. The main problem I had was getting the wireless adapter to work, I had gone into The #fedora channel for some help, and all I got several times on different days was "use Ndiswrapper" after telling them that that was what I was trying, I was ignored. This is the problem in Linux, and the reason I try my hardest to support it.

In my opinion the computer hardware industry is being pushed around by the gamers and multimedia markets. I have a TV for watching video content and a radio for music. I do not NEED a multimedia computer at home, (but it is nice if I can) but it is certainly not necessary in the office environment.