LINUX PIPELINE NEWSLETTER
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/
February 3, 2004

EXTREMISM IN DEFENSE OF LINUX MUST BE CONDEMNED

I've been doing a bit of Googling today, and I've discovered that
there's something missing from the statements by Linux leaders about
the MyDoom attack. It needs to be said:

Vigilante action is wrong. The author or authors of the MyDoom virus
should be prosecuted with the full vigor of the law. They are
villains, they should be thrown into prison and made into examples
to make the entire community of computer criminals afraid.

The Linux community is being invaded by zealots, extremists and
kooks who are, in fact, doing far more damage to the Linux community
itself than to anyone else.

One of today's lead stories touches on this bad element within the
open source community. The headline is "Extremist Linux Advocates
Doing More Harm Than Good," and the story describes the threats,
abuse and foul language brought to bear against individuals and
organizations that Linux extremists have decided are enemies of
Linux.

http://www.linuxpipeline.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=17601634

The story begins:

     Industry watcher Rob Enderle no longer responds to angry e-mails
     from Linux supporters. The principal analyst for the Enderle Group
     (San Jose, Calif.) says he replied to the first thousand or so. 
But
     after that, the anger and profanities that many of the missives
     contained began to wear on him.

     "I've been threatened and other analysts have been threatened, as
     well," Enderle said. "Some of the e-mail is incredibly vile...

We thought about it for nearly a day before deciding to publish the
story; I was concerned that it might simply be a hatchet job against
the Linux community. We finally decided to publish it - and one
thing that changed my mind is the fact that I've gotten the
nastygrams too.

It is not a perfect story. There's going to be some elements of that
story that you hate. But I urge you to read it over with an open
mind, because the core of the story is true: Linux *is* attracting
extremists, and the extremists *are* damaging the credibility of the
entire community.

The authors of hateful messages against Linux critics should be
given punishment appropriate to their actions. A tiny few should
face criminal prosecution for their violent threats; the vast
majority should simply be taken out to the schoolyard and spanked.

Laura DiDio, an analyst with The Yankee Group in Boston, is right in
saying:

     "The open-source and Linux community in 2004 is going to have to
     distance themselves from the questionable tactics of this fringe
     element of Linux extremists. If they don't, it's going to hurt 
them
     more than SCO can."

That's going to be hard to do, given that the responsible elements
of the Linux and open source community have no legal or financial
bludgeons with which to bring the kooks and criminals into line. The
kooks and criminals may intend to harm Linux's enemies, but the
Linux community is being hurt more.

Vigilante action, threats and nasty language simply serve to help
Linux's enemies create the impression that Linux is not suitable for
a business environment. They need to be stopped, somehow. One good
start is for Linux leaders to unequivocally condemn the deplorable
behavior, starting with us, now.

--Mitch Wagner, Co-Editor, Linux Pipeline
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/
mwagner@cmp.com

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-----------------------------------------

IN THIS ISSUE

IN THIS ISSUE

1. Special Report: MyDoom
2. Only The Best Linux And Open-Source News
3. Trends: Extremist Linux Advocates Doing More Harm Than Good
4. Review: SuSE 9.0: A Distro Worth Paying For
5. Voting Booth: Is Desktop Linux 5-10 Years Out?
6. Expert Views: Linux Needs A Committed Champion
7. Dig Into Open Source Network Management Tools in Product Finder
8. Check Out The Linux Pipeline Topic Categories
   - Core Linux
   - Applications
   - Enterprise Open Source
   - Business
9. Tell A Colleague About Linux Pipeline Newsletter
10. Have You Discovered The Other Pipelines?
11. Change Your Subscription Options

1. SPECIAL REPORT: MYDOOM

SCO Moves Web Site To Battle MyDoom; Microsoft Braces For Hit
A MyDoom variant hit Microsoft's site on Tuesday. SCO moved its site
to another URL after being KO'd by a denial-of-service attack.
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/17601576
	
MyDoom Brings Down SCO Site
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/17601331

Microsoft Offers Bounty For MyDoom Author
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/17600292

SCO Offers Reward For MyDoom Virus Creator
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/17501550

Look for More MyDoom Coverage on Security Pipeline
http://www.securitypipeline.com/shared/search/search_results.jhtml?SortSpec=default&site=35&queryText=mydoom&Submit.x=23&Submit.y=9


2. ONLY THE BEST LINUX AND OPEN-SOURCE NEWS

Novell Launches New Linux Certifications
The Novell Certified Linux Engineer program certifies basic
competency and skills in Linux and Novell middleware; the SUSE
Certified Linux Professional adds expertise in SUSE Linux.
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=17601494

Oracle 10g Hits The Streets
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/17601697
	
NTT Signs On To OSDL
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/17601666

Symantec Launches Linux-Based VPN
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/17601488

For Wesley Clark, Open Source Is A Product Of Compressed Schedule
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/17601428

Novell HQ Moves to Boston Suburb
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/17600139

Sun Reaches Out To Eclipse In Effort To End Disputes Over Java
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/17600117

White-Box Market Slow To Embrace Linux
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/17601382

Researcher: SMBs Wary Of Depending On Microsoft
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/17501793

Fidelity Scoops Up Sanchez Computer Associates And Its Linux-Based
Deposit And Loan System
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/news/17501794

3. TRENDS: Extremist Linux Advocates Doing More Harm Than Good
Foul language, abuse, and threats brought by angry Linux advocates
could be giving a good operating system technology a bad name.
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=17601634

4. REVIEW: SuSE 9.0: A Distro Worth Paying For
SUSE 9 offers a superb printed manual, a great installation
interface, a modern KDE system in addition to the more standard,
older GNOME interface, and a new kernel build. It's easy to see
why Novell thought enough of the software to buy the company.
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/howto/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=17300224

5. VOTING BOOTH: Is Desktop Linux 5-10 Years Out?
Is Linus Torvalds right that "it's going to take literally five
to 10 years before 'normal users' start seeing" Linux emerge as a
serious contender on the desktop?

So far, the voting is running 51 percent saying "no" - in other
words, Linus is wrong that it'll take 5-10 years for Linux to emerge
as a serious contender. 41 percent say "yes," they agree with Linus
that it'll take 5-10 years.

http://www.linuxpipeline.com/vote/desktop_1-27.jhtml

6. EXPERT VIEWS: Linux Needs A Committed Champion
Nuts to Linus Torvalds. On January 19, Bruce Perens, executive
director of the Linux Desktop Consortium extolled the virtues of the
latest round of Linux desktops for businesses.

http://www.linuxpipeline.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=17502005

Read more Linux insight on the Linux Pipeline blog
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/trends/

7. DIG INTO OPEN SOURCE NETWORK MANAGEMENT TOOLS IN PRODUCT FINDER
This week, delve into open-source network management tools in Linux
Pipeline's Product Finder:

http://productfinder.linuxpipeline.com/index.cgi?search=Search&final_cat1=6&category=18&sub_cat=58

For other Product Finder product categories, browse or search the
database from its home page:

http://productfinder.linuxpipeline.com/


8. CHECK OUT THE LINUX PIPELINE TOPIC CENTERS

Core Linux:
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/corelinux/

Applications:
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/applications/

Enterprise Open Source:
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/enterprise/

Business:
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/business/


9. TELL A FRIEND
If you know a colleague or co-worker who might be interested in
signing up for this newsletter, please forward it to him or her
and point out the subscription page:

http://www.linuxpipeline.com/newsletter.jhtml


10. HAVE YOU DISCOVERED THE OTHER PIPELINES?
Linux Pipeline is one is a series of specialized IT sites that
might be to your liking. There are now seven other Pipeline
sites. Our two newest sites, Small Business Pipeline and IT
Utility Pipeline launched last week:

Small Business Pipeline: http://www.smallbizpipeline.com/
IT Utility Pipeline: http://www.itutilitypipeline.com/

These Pipelines have been around for quite some time:

Security Pipeline: http://www.securitypipeline.com/
Mobile Pipeline: http://www.mobilepipeline.com/
Storage Pipeline: http://www.storagepipeline.com/
Networking Pipeline: http://www.networkingpipeline.com/
Server Pipeline: http://www.serverpipeline.com/

Every Pipeline site has its own newsletter. Give them a try.


------- Advertisement -------------------

Maximize the potential of Linux with CA Management Software.
CA solutions can backup, secure and manage your Linux
implementation, while also allowing seamless integration into
your existing infrastructure. As a result, Linux can be easily
adopted into your enterprise. To find out more about our continuing
commitment to Linux innovations, visit http://www.ca.com/linux

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