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Linux Pipeline Newsletter www.LinuxPipeline.com WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2006 In This Issue: - Judge OKs Sony BMG Spyware Settlement - Novell Unveils Linux Security Software Project - Mass. Picks IT Chief To Succeed Embattled Open Source Advocate - More News... - State IT And Open Source: Scared Straight? - Richard Stallman: Freedom Is Worth The Price - IBM Tops Patent List, But Still Backs Reforms - More Picks... Register for a FREE Optimize TechWebCast: Strategies for Driving eBusiness Success with Customers and Partners. Featuring Gartner's VP of CRM, Gene Alvarez, and Comergent's CTO, Bill York, this webcast will share ideas for: simplifying the selling and ordering processes; leveraging current infrastructure; and developing a unified catalog, configuration, pricing, and quoting facilities; and more! Thurs., January 26, 2006 - 11:00 AM PT / 2:00 PM ET Register now: "https://www.cmpnetseminars.com/btg/Comergent/?&K=4OP6&Q=382" ----------------------------------------- Editor's Note: Helpless So many rants, so little time: I spent most of the past week dead sick (we don't need no stinkin' bird flu, the regular variety is more than hideous enough for my taste, thanks), and nothing promotes a speedy recovery like the sight of work piling up by the minute while you're feeling too exhausted to do any of it. Fortunately, I've got an easy enough topic to share this week: an update on my experiences with Ubuntu Linux. It's not exactly a happy story this time, but it needs to be told. First, the good news: I still love Ubuntu and think of it as the Distro Most Likely To Matter, eventually, to folks whose favorite PC component will always be the nifty power cup holder that comes free with every model. Now, on to the bad news: While installing Ubuntu on a Gateway Profile compact PC that we keep in our kitchen (I'm in the kitchen a lot, OK?), I finally planted my kisser in the obligatory brick wall that, sooner or later, any dedicated desktop Linux user is bound to discover the hard way. Nor will the source of my suffering surprise those of you who have traveled this path a few times: A D-Link USB wireless adapter that Breezy Badger can't even see, much less recognize and install properly. What really burns me about my recent misadventures in Wi-Fi, however, is what I found when I went looking for help, first within the Ubuntu documentation and then anyplace else on the Web: a whole bunch of nothing. We're not talking about OpenVMS punch-card tutorials here, folks: USB wireless adapters are about as rare these days as ants at a picnic. In fact, if you spend enough time eyeballing the annoyingly abundant documentation on Wi-Fi hardware using any other interface, you can almost hear the sound of someone, somewhere, whistling just a bit too cheerfully while they stroll past the graveyard. Here's my sorta-happy ending to this sob story: I think that just maybe, possibly, I can get this thing to work, given a few hours and a bit of luck. This particular adapter, it turns out, uses an Atheros chipset, making it both a rarity among USB wireless hardware and far more similar to some of the Wi-Fi gadgets Ubuntu does explicitly support courtesy of MADwifi. Hooray. Whether or not I muddle through, however, the hours I spent Google-hunting sketchy third-party how-tos, scrolling through grumpy-pants support forum posts, and playing silly circle-surfing games at all hours of the night, all make one thing perfectly clear: The top Linux vendors need to get off their stacks, pull out their checkbooks, and launch a Manhattan Project-style assault on their products' deadly lack of USB Wi-Fi support. Finally, I would also like to see my favorite distro -- along with all of its open-source kin -- make my documentation frustration an experience that's impossible to duplicate a year from now. The best way to get started on that job is to take this lesson to heart: The most useful documentation is the type you need when things are absolutely certain to go wrong, not they type that picks apart stuff that works so well you'll never even notice it, much less need to fix it. Gotta run -- have a good week, and stay in touch.
Matt McKenzie
Don't let future editions of Linux Pipeline Newsletter go missing. Take a moment to add the newsletter's address to your anti-spam whitelist: linuxed@techwire.com If you're not sure how to do that, ask your administrator or ISP. Or check your anti-spam utility's documentation. Thanks. Top Linux News Judge OKs Sony BMG Spyware Settlement The embattled record label, facing the prospect of ruinous lawsuits over its use of spyware- and rootkit-laden copy-protection schemes on millions of music CDs, makes a deal: Buyers of specific Sony BMG music CDs will receive cash payments, additional album download privileges, or both; and the company is barred from using similar copy-protection schemes in the future.
Novell Unveils Linux Security Software Project
Mass. Picks IT Chief To Succeed Embattled Open Source Advocate
IBM Opens Up Lotus WorkPlace With OpenDoc Support
Late Surge Carries Firefox To Market-Share Milestone
Microsoft Confirms Dropping Chinese Journalist's Blog
Novell Courts App Developers With OpenSUSE Effort
CERT Security Survey: Serve With A Grain Of Salt? Editor's Picks State IT And Open Source: Scared Straight? It's doubtful that, in the wake of Massachusetts' open-source missteps, anyone in a state IT organization will have the courage to suggest state-wide adoption of open-source software for quite some time.
Richard Stallman: Freedom Is Worth The Price
IBM Tops Patent List, But Still Backs Reforms
Apple Launches 'Intel Era' -- Ahead Of Schedule
Google Video: Does The World Need Another DRM Scheme? Cast Your Vote Now! We have a new poll question this week, and it's another one that everyone is sure to have an opinion about: Will the Sony BMG court settlement discourage other music and digital media companies from expanding the use of DRM technology? (Vote early, vote often! http://www.linuxpipeline.com/vote/060111_drm.jhtml)
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Register for a FREE Optimize TechWebCast: Strategies for Driving eBusiness Success with Customers and Partners. Featuring Gartner's VP of CRM, Gene Alvarez, and Comergent's CTO, Bill York, this webcast will share ideas for: simplifying the selling and ordering processes; leveraging current infrastructure; and developing a unified catalog, configuration, pricing, and quoting facilities; and more! Thurs., January 26, 2006 - 11:00 AM PT / 2:00 PM ET Register now: "https://www.cmpnetseminars.com/btg/Comergent/?&K=4OP6&Q=382" ----------------------------------------- Manage Your Newsletter Subscription
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