Microsoft's risky, misleading ad campaign

"For now, repeat after me: The real risk is in proprietary software. Period. It requires you to pay before you actually touch the software. It's hard to think of a bigger risk than that. Because if you can evaluate open source and proprietary solutions before paying, then both would be essentially de-risked. But only open source is confident enough to treat customers like equals, rather than subjects."

http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9791652-16.html

The Dragon In My Garage - Carl Sagan

"A fire-breathing dragon lives in my garage"

http://www.users.qwest.net/~jcosta3/article_dragon.htm

[...]

Now, what's the difference between an invisible, incorporeal, floating dragon who spits heatless fire and no dragon at all? If there's no way to disprove my contention, no conceivable experiment that would count against it, what does it mean to say that my dragon exists? Your inability to invalidate my hypothesis is not at all the same thing as proving it true. Claims that cannot be tested, assertions immune to disproof are veridically worthless, whatever value they may have in inspiring us or in exciting our sense of wonder. What I'm asking you to do comes down to believing, in the absence of evidence, on my say-so.

[...]

Linux group calls Microsoft's bluff

The head of the Open Invention Network (OIN) has dismissed Microsoft's claims that Linux violates over 200 of its patents.

OIN chief executive Jerry Rosenthal told vnunet.com that Microsoft's assertions are simply an attempt to undermine the open source movement.

Rosenthal added that it is time for Microsoft to reveal the patents that are supposedly being infringed, or to drop the claims.

"The FUD is clear. If you have a patent that you are proud of, then disclose it," he said.

"If your patent is a good patent then you are not worried about revealing it before going to court because you would be confident of success."

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2200498/oin-calls-microsoft-bluff

Announcing openSUSE 10.3 GM

The openSUSE team is proud to announce the release of openSUSE 10.3. Promoting the use of Linux everywhere, the openSUSE project provides free, easy access to the world’s most usable Linux distribution, openSUSE. openSUSE is released regularly, is stable, secure, contains the latest free and open source software, and comes with several new technologies.

openSUSE 10.3 will be supported with security and other serious updates for a period of 2 years.

This version contains new beautiful green artwork, KDE 3.5.7 and parts of KDE 4, SUSE-polished GNOME 2.20, a GTK version of YaST, a new 1-click-install technology, MP3 support out-of-the-box, new and redesigned YaST modules, compiz and compiz fusion advances, virtualisation improvements, OpenOffice.org 2.3, Xfce 4.4.1, and much more!

http://news.opensuse.org/?p=400

Laptop With a Mission Widens Its Audience

"In November, you’ll be able to buy a new laptop that’s spillproof, rainproof, dustproof and drop-proof. It’s fanless, it’s silent and it weighs 3.2 pounds. One battery charge will power six hours of heavy activity, or 24 hours of reading. The laptop has a built-in video camera, microphone, memory-card slot, graphics tablet, game-pad controllers and a screen that rotates into a tablet configuration."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/technology/circuits/04pogue.htm

"Most of the XO’s programs are shareable on the mesh network, which is another ingenious twist. Any time you’re word processing, making music, taking pictures, playing games or reading an e-book, you can click a Share button. Your document shows up next to your icon on the mesh-network map, so that other people can see what you’re doing, or work with you. Teachers can supervise your writing, buddies can collaborate on a document, friends can play you in Connect 4, or someone across the room can add a melody to your drum beat in the music program. You’ve never seen anything like it."