Guys,
we're getting somewhere with this analysis of the interview this
morning, and as I'm wearing my Chairman's hat I'd like to request a few
small things:
a) Under NO circumstances should any DDOS / DOS attempt be condoned
(regardless of the target)
b) NO personal attacks ... I don't care how clueless the individual
is ... lets stick to the facts.
In addition ... http://perens.com/Articles/SCO/DOS/ has an interesting piece
from Bruce Perens, one of the more well known Open Source Software
activists.
-----------------------8<-------------------------------
Message to the Linux and Free Software Community Regarding the SCO
Denial-of-Service Virus
Bruce Perens <bruce at perens.com> (U.S.) 510-526-1165
Version 2, January 27, 2004.
The master version of this notice is at http://perens.com/Articles/SCO/DOS/
Please check that location for a more recent version. You may re-publish
this material. You may excerpt it, reformat it and translate it as necessary
for your presentation. You may not edit it to deliberately misrepresent my
opinion.
On January 26, 2004, a new virus became rampant. I have read reports that
the virus payload has two purposes: to install a remote-execution back-end
of a type commonly used by spammers to redistribute email, and to perform a
denial-of-service attack on SCO's web site.
Denial-of-service attacks via virus have been a common trick of email
spammers. They were first used to take out some of the anti-spam blacklist
sites. Several of those sites had their (non-spam-related) business so
heavily disrupted that they closed the doors of their anti-spam projects
rather than be attacked again.
The Open Source developers are a target of spammers. We are the creators of
most high-profile anti-spam technology. For example, SpamAssassin started
out as, and remains today, an Open Source project. The predominant mail
delivery programs of the Internet are Open Source projects such as Sendmail
and Postfix, and thus most efforts to spam-proof those programs are Open
Source as well. This is important, because it gives spammers a reason to
defame us.
SCO also has a reason to defame us, as part of their stock-kiting scheme. We
have assembled ample evidence that they have lied under oath in court. Such
a company would not balk at attacking their own site in order to paint their
opponents in a bad light.
Thus, it is likely that this virus has been assembled for the purpose of
defaming the Linux developers by spammers, SCO, or others. Your behavior
will influence whether or not it succeeds in this mission.
Thus, I urge all persons who have sympathy for Free Software, Open Source,
and Linux:
* Do not cheer on attacks on the SCO site. By doing so, you falsely
implicate our community in the attacks, in the eyes of outsiders who read
your words. Our community believes in freedom of speech, not silencing our
opponent's speech through net attacks. We will defeat SCO using the truth,
not by gagging them.
* Publicly deplore the attacks as an attempt to defame us, and not an
effort of our community. Show others this notice.
* Continue to fight SCO, using all legal means at your disposal. Show
others the analysis of SCO's ongoing fraud at Groklaw.net and elsewhere, and
explain to them your own experience as a participant in the Free Software
community.
* Continue the visible presence of Free Software as a force for good in
the world by producing excellent original software for everyone's free use
and deploying it wherever possible. Promote these projects to the press and
public as you carry them out. Do what you can for other public-good projects
such as schools and non-profit organizations. FreeGeek.org is an excellent
example of how to carry this out.
* Show others by example that our side always takes the high road. When
they see a low-road sort of action like denial-of-service, spam, or stock
fraud, they'll know who to blame.
Remember that your actions count. You are ambassadors of our community.
Many Thanks
Bruce Perens
-----------------------8<-------------------------------
--
Proinnsias Breathnach
Chairman Irish Linux Users Group www.linux.ie
Maintained by the ILUG website team. The aim of Linux.ie is to
support and help commercial and private users of Linux in Ireland. You can
display ILUG news in your own webpages, read backend
information to find out how. Networking services kindly provided by HEAnet, server kindly donated by
Dell. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds,
used with permission. No penguins were harmed in the production or maintenance
of this highly praised website. Looking for the
Indian Linux Users' Group? Try here. If you've read all this and aren't a lawyer: you should be!
