Survey Shows GPLv3 Adoption Not Widespread

This is good news. I’d like to see more open source and “free” projects abandon GPL in favor of unrestricted licenses.

Open Source Developers Staying Away From GPLv3:

Only 6% of developers working on Open Source software have adopted GPLv3, according to Evans Data Corp’s recently released Open Source Software Development Survey. Two-thirds say they will not be adopting GPLv3 anytime in the next year, and 43% say they will never implement the new license. In addition, almost twice as many would be less likely to join a project that implements GPLv3 than would be more likely to join.

Eight “Must-Have” Linux Applications - And Seven Will Run in Windows!

Here’s another example where a writer confuses issues and suggests that applications are operating system-specific. Something that compiles in Linux will generally compile in other POSIX-compliant operating systems with C compilers (including Windows NT, albeit limited). This is where Richard Stallman’s bleating about “GNU/Linux” is valid: Linux is a kernel, and it relies on the GNU (or some other) C compiler — though GCC is the usual suspect — and other tools to complete an operating system. Thus, there isn’t a really a single “Linux application” so much as there are applications that will compile and/or run in an environment running on a Linux kernel.

So here’s the list of Eight Must-Have Linux Applications. The funny thing is, only one (Rosegarden) is exclusively Linux-oriented. The rest either have Windows ports or available Windows installers. Those with Windows ports include AVG (anti-virus — yes, this is apropos for Linux desktops!), GIMP, Thunderbird, Open Office, and Pidgin. The two with Windows installers are Amarok and Evolution.

By the way, that wouldn’t be my top eight list. I need to post an update on my BSD blog about how I’ve set things up since switching to FreeBSD.

The point is, you can use good open source software regardless of your choice of operating system. Those with Windows ports work the same exact way in Windows that they work in Linux, FreeBSD, or whichever operating system makes you feel most comfortable. You don’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Half Truths Don’t Make for Good Open Source Advocacy

Here’s an example of the kind of thing that doesn’t help Linux advocates. It’s a list of things a user says he can do in Linux. Problem is, I do them almost all in Windows as easily as I do them in FreeBSD and Linux. It’s not personal, it’s just all too typical. I’m not picking on this particular person’s choice, I’m just picking apart the argument he presents.

Things I can do in Linux:

1. Update every single piece of software on my system with a single action. This is one of the main reasons I run Linux. For every Linux distribution I’ve used (Gentoo, Red Hat, Suse, Ubuntu,Fedora, Mandriva), updating is simple. When you update, you have every application, every library, every script - every single piece of software upgraded automatically for you. And on most of them, they will check for updates automatically and notify you. This is great for security, fixing bugs quickly, and getting the latest in features.

That sounds almost like Windows Updates. There’s a qualitative difference, though, between security updates and “latest features” — what I call the bleeding edge. That’s especially true when comparing updates between commercial vendors and those from open source projects, and it boils down to user threshold for instability. Projects like Ubuntu aren’t suitable for enterprise, in my opinion, because their six-month arbitrary release cycle is tied less to stability (and security!) than similar offerings from, e.g., Debian. Or Windows.

Moreover, software I use in Windows, like Firefox and Thunderbird, will prompt me when there are new versions for me to download. Or I can set them up to update automatically. I prefer a hands-on approach to see what’s fixed before I install something. I do that whether I’m using Windows or Linux or FreeBSD.

2. Update nearly everything on my computer without a reboot. On Linux, there is only one thing that requires a reboot after updates. The kernel. And even then you can continue to run on the previous kernel. You just need to reboot to get the benefit of using the new kernel (say, if it has a bug fix or a new feature).

Most Linux users I know shutdown and/or reboot their systems at least daily. I know many Windows users who leave their computers on 24/7 and don’t shutdown — their computers stay on until they make a system change that requires a reboot. You can do that. Windows doesn’t require daily or even weekly rebooting. This is hardly a reason to adopt one operating system over another unless there’s a pressing need for uptime, such as in a server setting. And that really doesn’t affect most desktop users.

3. Keep my system secure without software that consumes my system resources, requires my time, and frequently nags me.

Oh, so you don’t run Gnome or KDE or Sunbird or Open Office? Hahaha.

You don’t need a. Antivirus protection. AV software consumes resources and requires routine scans.

That’s not entirely true. There are rootkits and other malware that affect Unix-like operating systems — not to mention keyloggers, cross-scripting vulnerabilities, phishing, etc. The Internet is a dangerous place regardless which OS you choose to run. The resources of my Windows AV and firewall software combined run in less than 10 MB (8.3 to be precise). That’s not a high price to pay for security on a modern computer.

b. A software firewall like ZoneAlarm or the one built into Vista that constantly asks you if you want to allow software to contact the Internet. More time on your part.

Time?! It only constantly asks you such things if you don’t know how to configure it properly. How much time do you waste setting backgrounds and icons compared to properly setting up firewall rules?

c. Adblock Adaware and/or Spybot Search & Destroy on a routine basis, consuming your time, and requiring your manual intervention. People often forget or don’t “get around to it”.

Ever set up such things in Scheduled Tasks (Start-All Programs-Accessories-System Utilities)? It’s a lot like cron. It helps if you actually know what the tools are across platforms, not to mention how to use them. It’s also a lot more intuitive to set up than cron. Users who DO know how to use their tools can take care of such tasks without much “manual intervention” — even run them while their computers aren’t being used, just like scheduling system cron jobs in Linux and FreeBSD.

d. Never trusting software. You have to go through life assuming every bit of software and every website on the Internet is going to screw you over. What a sorry state of affairs that is.

Do you trust everything you use in Linux? Perhaps you should check out secunia and other security-related sites for examples of why you shouldn’t. Not all open source is safe. Only fools trust things implicitly regardless of operating system choice.

All of this requires your attention, slows your computer, and ruins the open experience of the Internet. None of this is necessary in Linux.

Bullshit. Total bullshit. The weakest link in any situation is the user, not the OS. The OS can make things easier or harder, but it comes down to the user knowing how to secure his computer and how to avoid compromising it by careless downloads, visiting untrusted sites, clicking on links in e-mails, etc. There are dumbasses using Linux who think they’re immune, there are Windows users who practice safe computing. It’s the USER, not the OS, that makes computing safe.

You get your software through your distribution. As long as you can trust your distribution, you can trust the software available.

Software distribution is something of an irony: I tend to use the same software in Windows that I use in FreeBSD and that I also used in Linux. Firefox, Thunderbird, vim, python, ruby, etc. It’s a comfort factor.

Having a firewall is a good thing even in Linux, but most of us have a firewall built into our Cable and DSL modems, or our wi-fi router.

A cable bridge isn’t a suitable firewall. Firewall software isn’t bloatware regardless of OS.

4. Run an entire operating system for free without pirating software, and without breaking the law..

I can also run Windows without resorting to piracy. I have multiple licenses. I happen to think the convenience of Windows — having something that works without the hoops Linux users have to jump through to get various drivers or wifi working — is well worth the cost of a license. I also don’t buy the FUD that Windows authentication is a hassle or invasion of privacy.

While unlikely, the potential is there for software companies to come after you just like the RIAA has come after countless people. With Linux, this isn’t necessary.

First, the people RIAA have gone after can actually be counted. Second, this is more bullshit especially when making points about running IE — proprietary software — in an emulator. Moreover, it depends how you intend to use open source software. The FSF and other groups do go after people they believe violate open source licenses, such as the case today with the lawsuit against Monsoon Multimedia. The point remains that you can run Windows legally without paying a lot of money: nearly all the same open source applications you run in Linux are available for Windows.

You can run the software you need without paying for it, and without breaking the law. I know I sleep better at night.

That’s nice. So you broke the law before you switched to Linux? In any event, someone with a Windows license can run many of the same open source applications without ever having to learn how Linux works.

5. Take my settings with me where ever I go.

So do I. See my pages on PortableApps. Since I use the same apps in Windows, FreeBSD, and Linux, I’m never without an excuse for not having my files or apps with me.

In Linux, all your personal settings are stored in your Home folder, most in folders that begin with a period (like .gaim). So, I can copy all these settings from one computer to another. I can put these settings on a USB drive. When I switched from Gentoo to Ubuntu, I kept all my settings.

Maybe you didn’t realize it, but you also have a similar file structure in Windows and it’s just as portable. Some of the same open source synchronization apps — look here — you use in Linux also run in Windows. And since that one I linked to is samba, it can work between Linux/BSD and Windows (with permissions issues since Unix-like differs from Windows; same issues when using CDs, DVDs, and USB storage).

6. Run Internet Explorer 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 7.0 on the same desktop. I have all installed thanks to the wonderful IEs4Linux project. I can even run them side-by-side if I want. For a web developer, that’s huge. Testing browser compatibility to that level on Windows requires multiple machines or something like VMWare. Further, when I run IE under Linux, I don’t have to worry about any malware or virus getting onto my system.

This kind of gullibility can only get people in big trouble. You run a browser in Linux that I don’t run in Windows. I run a browser in Windows that you can run in Linux. That doesn’t explain why anyone should run Linux instead of Windows or even OSX.

7. Understand everything that is going on in my computer. Linux is not a black box where you can see the outside, but you have no idea what is going on inside. Under Linux, you can look at the system logs, where you can see most issues.

Same is true for Windows — and its logs are just as useful in troubleshooting. Most distros are increasingly covering up boot processes just like Windows does (at least by default — you can set it up to boot without splash and see everything in its glory, like I do). I don’t think, though, you “understand everything” going on in your computer regardless of which OS you run.

You can search for the log messages on Google, and can usually track the cause and often find a fix.

Windows users do the same thing.

If not, I can even go look at the source code to find the offending problem. Granted, most people aren’t capable or don’t have the time to look at the source code.

Counting yourself. How well do you know C and the Linux kernel?

But the fact that tens-of-thousands of geeks do is often very, very helpful. And if you do spend the time filling out a bug report, you are helping other people just like yourself, not contributing your time to a rich software company.

That presumes that by “rich software company” you mean a software company that oversees fixing bugs that affect over 90% of computer users. That’s selfish of you. But that also suggests that all bugs are OS-specific and the purview of only one company (singular). Most issues and bugs are related to specific applications, not the OS itself. Microsoft doesn’t fix bugs that affect Firefox. Firefox users and maintainers do. Windows users participate in such bug-fixing, too. Because it benefits other users. Same as in the Linux world.

8. Customize every aspect of my desktop.

This can also be done in Windows. My Windows desktop looks more like NeXT than XP, squarish icons and auto-hide taskbar on the right side (and apps on a separate always-on-top bar across the top). There are plenty of options available to customize Windows XP and Vista appearances. Some are sold, some are free. The only thing it takes is creativity.

I can choose the window manager, the desktop environment, the theme, the GTK engine, the icon theme, the special effects (see Beryl or Compiz), the file system browser, and so on.

Ironic, so can I. Right down to choosing Crux for my GTK2 apps in Windows. I can also choose file managers, same as I can in FreeBSD or Linux. I’m not limited to what I have in my ports collection, what’s in apt pools, or what Ubuntu has in their repository. I can go buy one if it suits my needs. Wow.

Nearly every aspect of the system has competitive options. If you look around the internet at screenshots of various Linux desktops, you rarely see two that look the same.

Same with Windows. Look at the gallery above. I see as many bland Ubuntu desktops as I see bland default Windows desktops. The only thing that tells me is that the people using those computers have something to do, are go-getters, and aren’t time-wasters who can’t decide if they need 10% more transparency in their menus. Do you actually use your computer or sit around and admire your most recent screenshots?

9. Benefit from competition between projects for each system on my computer.

Windows users likewise benefit from competition. If you don’t like Norton, you can use Macaffee. There are also free and open source alternatives for Windows users. So Windows users have even more competition to benefit them.

As I mention in point 8, there are options for every aspect of the Linux desktop. Not only is it fun to try the various options,

Most Windows users are practical and want something that works rather than fiddling for weeks on end for something that fits their needs and without a list of half-assed or completely missing things in a project’s “to do” wiki.

but it leads to better software as multiple projects compete against each other to be the best.

How is that any different than in proprietary settings where companies have a vested interest in putting out the best possible product? This isn’t a selling point exclusive to open source, it’s one of the barriers to adoption of open source because there is often more than one fully functional proprietary option available to users. And if there isn’t and it’s a level playing field, there are perceptions that you get what you pay for.

Can you imagine competing printing backends, competing desktop environments, or competing USB mounting systems.

I can imagine connecting my webcam and printer in Windows and both working without any further interaction. I can also imagine trying to configure them both with certain distros, including one that’s supposedly among the best at automagic set up, and still not getting the webcam to work right. Not only can I imagine these scenarios, they’ve actually happened to me.

10. Learn about, support, and appreciate the value of free software.

Firefox. Thunderbird. Open Office. Abiword. Apache. Ruby. Python. Perl. Emacs. Vim. Pidgin. Ogg vorbis.

All of the above are open source. All of them are free. All of them will run on Windows.

I believe free software is important to us all.

So do I. I also believe there’s room for proprietary systems. People should be free to choose between systems that suit their own levels of comfort, their own needs, and have accurate information about their options. Unfortunately, those who are the most vocal proponents of Linux adoption are the least accurate about reasons why people should switch.

Even if you use non-free software, the free software movement ensures checks and balances on non-free software by offering an alternative. By running a free operating system and becoming involved in the community, I’ve contributed to free software, even if only in a small way.

I view competition favorably. There are some excellent open source software projects. There are also many half-assed projects up on SourceForge. They serve as a reminder for why there should always be proprietary software — because there are people are willing to pay for software development if it means the software is useful, usable, and fills needs.

I think that includes Windows. Windows fills a need that Linux doesn’t. It’s useful, it’s usable. It doesn’t have as steep a learning curve as Linux. It can be nailed down tighter than some Linux distros — Puppy and Dynebolic run as root-only, something Windows hasn’t done since the mid-90s — and adequately maintained by both free (as in beer) and open source projects.

I also think imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The increased prevalence by distros like PCLOS and Ubuntu of hiding boot processes, point and click management, automagic hardware detection and set up, and other things that make Linux look and “feel” more like Windows is why those distros are more popular with Windows refugees. I don’t think that’s enough in the long run, though, to win over the masses. Linux desktop adoption has plateaued and it’s below 5%. Windows still rules the desktop world.

And it’ll take much more convincing arguments — and much more accurate arguments — than those above if that’s ever going to change.

New PDF Vulnerabilities

Security Researcher Warns of Adobe PDFs:

This would not be the first time that PDFs have been considered security risks, but some observers note that previous attacks were designed for specific versions, while the risk uncovered by Petkov might be for all PDFs. This could point to a serious underlying flaw in the format or the way readers work.

iPhone Vulnerable to Attacks

Researcher Sees Potential iPhone Security Problems:

The iPhone has no security software, but Apple doesn’t let people load third-party programs on the device, reducing the risk of infection from malicious software. But when the iPhone is connected to the Web, possibilities emerge, said Marius van Oers, a security researcher with McAfee’s AVERT Labs in Amsterdam. He doesn’t claim to have uncovered a specific security hole in the device, but listed several ways that determined hackers could use to try to find a way in.

More Thoughts on Cooperation Between and Integrating Open Source Projects

I posted a comment on a Ziff-Davis blog the other day in which the author, Dana Blankenship, suggested cooperative efforts between Mozilla Sunbird and Open Office. While I agree that such cooperation between projects can only benefit users, I think those are the wrong projects to marry — at least in their present forms.

Sunbird is too bloated to even use as a standalone let alone as the Lightning extension available for Thunderbird. I don’t see how something so clunky in a Mozilla-only setting will work if it’s integrated in a setting even more bloated as Open Office’s is.

As it stands now, I no longer use Sunbird/Lightning. It’s just too big, too slow to load. I also disabled and removed the Lightning plug in from Thunderbird. I increasingly use Google Calendar and calcurse.

The former is germane to what I wrote in the aforementioned comment. Google Calendar is totally portable. I can access it via my phone and PDA as well as any computer where I can access the Internet. I can download my calendar and use it locally, etc.

And Google Calendar’s mobility is important: I can change, add, delete wherever I am. With Sunbird/Lightning, I have to be in front of a computer where I have it installed.

Open Office and Sunbird aren’t very portable, much less mobile. The future will be increasingly mobile. Google is already steps ahead of the ball in bundling the services Blankenship suggests should be bundled and taking a lead in providing mobile applications. Google services like Apps and Gears are already popular in some small businesses, and Google appears ready to make a bigger play for enterprise adoption. With a push into wireless communications, Google stands ready to dominate the market for years to come.

Of course, Microsoft is also already a big player in integrated mobile applications. So, too, is Apple with the launch of the iPhone and with what it will be able to do as more applications become available.

That’s the future. Not taking big, bloated desktop applications and throwing them together.

There’s already some desktop integration of office and productivity applications. KDE’s offerings — Kalendar and Koffice — come to mind. They already share a common codebase, and even though KDE’s base libraries are as comparably large as Open Office and Mozilla offerings, the apps don’t add nearly as much overhead as would standalones like Open Office and Sunbird because KDE’s apps share so much of their own code. One thing where KDE may have more relevance, though, is in mobility. Nokia already has developed a browser for their phones based on KDE’s Konqueror.

Mozilla needs to prune the codebase of Sunbird regardless of what they do. So does Open Office. If Open Office can develop their own lean calendaring app, they won’t need Mozilla. I don’t know how two disparate projects can work together if they can’t share more common code to make their offerings nimble and sleek enough to be used in mobile environments, let alone on desktops.

Morning Update 20070919

First up this morning, a long-overdue paradigm shift to trusted computing whereby security is set upon levels of explicit trust rather than reactive policies that attempt to cover holes. I’ve increasingly done a similar thing on my computers via the content blocking add on for firefox I wrote about a couple months ago (I’ll edit the link later; meantime, search: favorite firefox extensions).

Secondly, it looks like Google will roll out their phone some time next year. That’s when excitable Google fanboys can stand in line for days and then throw tantrums a few weeks later when the prices drop. Wait, wrong company. Only Apple’s brain-dead cultists do that.

Moving Security from Blacklist to Whitelist:

Under the current system, a security firm discovers a new threat, adds it to its black-list database and updates its customers’ anti-virus software to combat the problem. A “white list” would instead compile every known legitimate software program, including applications such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat, and add new ones as they are developed. Every program not on the list would simply not be allowed to be function on a computer. “This is the future of security technology,” Murphy said at a presentation of the company’s twice-yearly security report on Friday. The trick is to develop a “global seal of approval.” A white list would likely require co-operation and funding from a majority of players in the technology industry. Industry observers think it is a good idea, but it raises several issues. The oversight body would have to be neutral, mindful of open-source software — which is quickly and often modified — and speedy in its approval process.

Google Gphone still on the way, say sources:

Although market rumors previously stated that Google is likely to use an EDGE solution developed by Texas Instruments (TI) for its planned handset, recent developments indicate that Google is also evaluating the possibility of launching a 3G handset initially. TI’s handset chipsets will find their way into the Google phone should the company decide to roll out an EDGE-compliant handset, but Qualcomm could turn out to be the winner if Google decides to bet on a 3G model, the sources noted. However, the choice of a 3G platform might force Google to postpone the launch of the so-called Gphone to the first half of 2008 instead of the latter half of this year as expected due to the change of platform and problems related to licensing of patented technologies, the sources indicated.

Mozilla Fixes Quicktime Flaw

Mozilla fixes QuickTime flaw in Firefox:

The Firefox 2.0.0.7 update was pushed out to users starting around 3 p.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday. It contains only one security update: the QuickTime fix.

Skype Gets Competition

And the cool part is you use real phones. Yes, it’s proprietary. So is Skype.

Free phone calls with startup’s $399 box:

A Silicon Valley startup will begin selling $399 gadgets Wednesday that consumers with broadband Internet service can use to make unlimited free domestic phone calls.

Daily Roundup 20070918

Today’s roundup has a little bit of everything. First up is an article about the continuing saga of CPU scheduling in Linux 2.6. Seems the Con Kolivas ordeal is far from over, even with calls for a fork in Linux to “settle” things. Never mind the fact that Linus based his decision on two factors: first, he thinks the scheduler (CFS) offered by Ingo Molnar is better, and second, because he knows Ingo’s track record in sticking with things. In fairness to Torvalds, too, he never said that CFS was the last word on the subject — that didn’t stop Kolivas from high-tailing it.

Second up is a renewed emphasis on e-mail by the Mozilla Foundation. Mozilla is way behind the eight-ball when it comes to mobile browsing and e-mail. I think one of the best things they could do with Thunderbird is to re-integrate it into Firefox, more the way Opera’s e-mail client is integrated into the browser rather than the way it’s done in Seamonkey (and previous incarnations of Netscape). This would make more sense with the popularity of services like gmail. Especially if their focus is on mobility rather than features, a la Opera. My two-cents (versus their $3 million).

Third, an article about scams involving e-cards. The recent onslaught has hurt the e-card sector by causing consumers to distrust links. The new caution is a good thing. Steps taken to secure e-card commerce now include requiring senders to include first and last names.

Finally, some clarification on issues related to Vista. Many open source activists have gone beyond the facts when it comes to analyzing Vista in particular and Windows in general. Ed Mott writes about one prolonged abuse of the facts and demonstrates that much of the anti-Vista rhetoric is short on substance. (And yes, I’m the same lucky13 defending copyright law in the comment section.)

Advocates and activists do their cause more harm than good when they stretch truths or otherwise engage in deceit. It’s time for those trying to make cases for using Linux or any other alternative to Windows to use whatever truths they have on their side. I’ve written against those who’ve suggested one operating system is more secure than another (users are always the weakest links, not the operating systems), that one operating system is as “easy” to use as any other (the role of knowledge works both ways: knowledgeable Windows users have as few issues and security vulnerabilities as knowledgeable Linux users), that one operating system has outrageous hardware requirements over another (total BS because Linux distros increasingly have the same requirements as Vista), etc. If you’re correct, you shouldn’t have to engage in such deceit and distortions. Tell the truth and hold Linux distros to the same standards upon which you judge Microsoft and quit being hypocrites. Microsoft no longer ships single-user with no administrative privilege operating systems, but some Linux distros (puppy, dynebolic, etc.) do. Vista requires modern hardware to run efficiently, but so do distros like Mepis and Ubuntu that are set to use Beryl and Compiz by default.

Don’t fork Linux because of Linus:

Given the track record of the Linux kernel, and Torvalds’ own history of integrity and straight-talking, the notion of forking the Linux kernel because of Con’s wailing and gnashing of teeth makes sense only to those hunkered down in the executive bunkers in Redmond.

Mozilla’s New Focus on Thunderbird and Internet Communications:

Mozilla is launching a new effort to improve email and internet communications. We will increase our investment and focus on our current email client — Thunderbird — and on innovations in the email and communications areas. We are doing so by creating a new organization with this as its sole focus and committing resources to this organization. The new organization doesn’t have a name yet, so I’ll call it MailCo here. MailCo will be part of the Mozilla Foundation and will serve the public benefit mission of the Mozilla Foundation. (Technically, it will be a wholly owned subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation, just like the Mozilla Corporation.)

E-card industry gets the message from fraudsters:

The pain felt over the past few months by the greeting card industry shows how quickly scammers can undermine confidence in what has become a crucial communication tool for many industries. Because this kind of malicious spam is usually sent from the compromised botnet computers themselves it costs almost nothing to distribute. But it can take a toll on the reputation, and ultimately the revenues of companies that are targeted.

Everything you’ve read about Vista DRM is wrong (Part 1):

Gutmann’s work is riddled with factual errors, mistaken assumptions and unproven assertions, distortions, contradictions, misquotes, and outright untruths. In short, it’s a work of fiction all on its own.