Linus on slashdot AND "trademarking" Linux

Here's more of the post... Just wanted to point out Linus appreciates /. and others for their contribution. I agree, which is why I blog. You need a dose of personality, zazz, and a little "questionable" discussion to keep things lively. We could use a little Hunter S. Thompson in the geek world. I've started referring to John C. Dvorak as the H.L. Mencken of the tech world.

What I find more interesting about this than the inflammatory (and quoted about the internet-- quite out of context) comments are the points on trademarking. Point one: it's not about money. Point two: it's to protect Linux itself.

"aah. I don't tend to bother about slashdot, because quite frankly, the
whole _point_ of slashdot is to have this big public wanking session with
people getting together and making their own "insightful" comment on any
random topic, whether they know anything about it or not.

[ And don't get me wrong - I follow slashdot too, exactly because it's fun
to see people argue. I'm not complaining ;]

And I don't tend to worry about the Inquirer and the Register, because
both of them are all about being rough and saying things in ways that
might not be acceptable in other places, and that's what makes them fun to
read. So when they then write something nasty about Linux (or me), hey, it
goes with the territory.

But I was really hoping this particular wanking session wouldn't overflow
into Linux-kernel.

Anyway, the posting Jesper points to is a fine one. Partly to show that
this trademark thing sure as hell isn't anything new, and partly because
the rules really haven't changed.

So let's repeat that link again, just as background,

link truncated [tux.org]

and then people should think a bit (and maybe research) what a trademark
really means.

A trademark exists to set up some rules about using a "mark" (name, logo,
you name it) in trade. The people who pay to license (or get a unique
trademark of their own) a certain name do so because they care about that
particular name. People who don't care, don't pay. It's really that easy.
It's about getting legal protection for a particular name.

For example, this means that a _user_ would never pay a single cent over a
trademark. I don't know why/how the Inq even came to that "companies to
pay for using free software" idea. It shows a total lack of understanding
about what a trademark is in the first place.

Now, a company that has a company name usually _does_ want to protect
their name. Not always, but it's kind of embarrassing (and easily an
expensive and big bother) if somebody else trademarks that name, and then
sends a cease-and-desist order to you and forces you to switch to
something else.

So you'll find that most commerical entities protect their name some way,
regardless of _what_ that name is. For example, let's say that you called
your company or distribution "Lipro", then you'd like to trademark that.
Goodie. It's pretty expensive, but most companies feel that it's more than
worth it to know that you've got exclusive rights to that name, and nobody
else can force you to change,

So the first point here is that regardless of you call your Linux
distribution "Linux Something" or something totally different, you'll want
to protect that name if you are serious about making a big commercial
distribution. Exactly because you do _not_ want to be in the situation
that somebody else hijacks your name from you."

Recording your OS

Yeah, I wish it were that simple. There's a cool thread over at MacSlash about Automator for OSX. We all thought it was the "Great White Hope" of scripting the OS. That is, it was supposed to be easier than AppleScript. It was supposed to bring scripting to the masses.

Guess what? It didn't. There were some apps back in the 80's that would actually record almost anything you could do in the OS, or an application. I think it debuted a while after MultiFinder... After hitting "record" it would make one big-ass macro (before those just spread virii) of whatever you happened to do during the recording. Simple, yes? Well back then it wasn't too bad. A few thousand lines of code comprised every app you had memory to run. Nowadays thousands of lines of code might just be for a stupid printer driver.

That dang Record button is still in AppleScript, but I can't get it to work. Besides, there are too many things not supported by AppleScript. I quit using iChat because I couldn't "do something" via Automator or scripting. Every time I'd open my iBook, iChat would show me as available. Well, I wasn't always "available" when I just opened my machine. So I wanted that to stop. No prefs will allow it, and I found out it couldn't be scripted to do that either... Huh? Isn't this a computer? Since when does it tell me no?

Here's hoping Automator comes down to one simple button in the interface: RECORD.

Get this movie TODAY!

Or better yet, buy it.

What movie? It's called "What the bleep do we know!?"

It's fantastic. For anyone interested in the mind, quantum theory, the universe, or everything... well, this puts it mostly together in one compelling audiovisual spectacle. I applaud the filmmakers' for their vision and capability.

Geeks vs. Gawks

I started reading Dave Winer's blog again: http://www.scripting.com/

And there's apparently a huge rift between him and Adam Curry now. For the two pioneers of podcasting this is one of those classic, almost Asimovian twists. The flamboyant, brash "pretty boy" makes a big splash, while the "techie monkey" gets relegated to the historical footnotes.

Case in point: Dave continues to slog away on cool stuff like OPML (which your average Joe Sixpack has never heard of), and Curry just got a multi-million dollar investment deal in his personality. Or something like that.

But this got me thinking about a larger issue... The supposed rise of geek culture (video games, computing, email, etc.) hasn't necessarily raised the quality of life for your average science nerd or even computer geek. Why not? Because with the spread of technology comes the inevitable dumbing down of said technology. Podcasting was once relegated to people who knew what the hell RSS is. Now any fool with iTunes can get in on the action (several thousand vs. several million). What we are left with is another digital divide: the geeks versus the gawks.

Geeks: Dave Winer is a good example. Technically proficient, brilliant, a little bit of a curmudgeon (sorry Dave, but thank jehosaphat you're no Dvorak), and pioneering in their field. Geeks tend to absorb new technologies, repurpose and extend them. There is a natural curiosity, and a passion for their work.

Gawks: Adam Curry isn't necessarily a great example, because he does have an inner geek. But lately his gawk nature has taken over. Gawks (notice I didn't say gawkers, those are people with the grave misfortune of having to reading said blog-- Gawker makes my eyes bleed) are your typical dumbass. They want the nice things in life, don't worry about the technical aspects of things, just cruise through life trying to make their own lives better. Joe Sixpack couldn't care less what RSS is, what enclosures are, or even what a podcast is. They just know there's this sorta radio thing they can put on their mp3 player. Often, they totally misunderstand tech. For instance, they wouldn't know that podcasting doesn't require an iPod. In fact, they may be pissed off thinking you DO have to have an iPod. When they find out you don't, they might dip in... But maybe not.

Now I'm talking about the "average" person who does at least have a gadget or two. Game consoles have done a lot to democratize tech, for better or worse. I hope it's for the better, because the next generation of devices will further expand the gawks' intrusion. For instance, the rumor is that the Xbox360 will be able to push content to the PSP. Hot damn! Another portable device capable of getting podcasts, and you can connect it to yet another idiotbox extender...

When's the last time you saw Elijah Wood at gnomedex, defcon, or any other "tech" conference? CES does NOT count. No, the gawks are being fed on video games, hence the rise of both.

So what? Well, it takes two to tango in the marketplace. Apple did well for a long time because of the synergy between Steve Jobs (gawk) and Steve Wozniak (geek). Now that Jobs is back I think he's worked hard to balance the two. Hence, the iPod. They took the geek out of HD-based MP3 players. My advice: if you are a real geek, take a marketing or business class. Better yet, take an acting class and get involved in amateur team sports. You gotta get in the game if you want to win it.

Not that it's an "us versus them" kinda thing-- is it?