Tuttle, Oklahoma, located just south-west of Oklahoma City, successfully turned a minor web server problem into a national fiasco.

The issue exploded when city manager Jerry A. Taylor emailed the development team from CentOS demanding that CentOS stop hijacking the Tuttle city web site. Johnny Hughes, a lead developer for the CentOS Linux operating system replied that CentOS was not a hacking program, but an operating system, and that Taylor should speak with his IT department about properly configuring the city’s web server.

Apparently that answer didn’t suit Taylor who went on to threaten Hughes that he would “…file a complaint with the FBI.”

Hughes displayed what some might call valor and extreme patients as he continued to explain that CentOS was an operation system not a hacking program. In total 17 emails were exchanged between the two men. Finally, Hughes decided to do some research and responded to Taylor with very specific details on who the city’s web presence provider was, his web server’s IP and who to contact. Taylor then replied stating that it was in fact not CenOS’s problem, that the problem was resolved by their Internet provider and that:

I am sorry that we had to go through the process and accusations to get the
problem resolved. It could have been resolved a lot quicker if the initial
correspondence with you provided the helpful information that was
transmitted in the last messages.
~Jerry Taylor to Johnny Hughes

There are two morals to this story.

1. Just because something happens that we don’t understand, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions and threaten people.
2. Try to have the patients of a saint like Johnny Hughes.

As all good stories go, there is more… The Register, a British news site, picked up the story on March 24th. Reporter Ashlee Vance sent a request for comment to Mr. Taylor but did not receive any response. Taylor did however email a marketing team member and had this to say:

I do not follow instructions that show up when a website that I am not familiar with appears on my computer and I do not think anyone with experience would do so either. Once the Centos site appeared on four computers at one site I contacted our web service provider. The web service provider did not know what could cause the problem and had never heard of “CentOS”. I then contacted the internet provider’s local office and was told that they did nothing to cause the problem. I checked the building’s server and found nothing relating to CentOS on the server. I was then left with only the web page email address to contact. I asked for the strange website to be removed because it blocked my City web site and I could not post public information. I only got help after threatening to contact the FBI.

Now I am being flooded with emails from CentOS users that after knowing the answer say the problem was simple. I think this is unjustified and would like for this to stop. Your website should provide useful information and be a credit to the IT world. I do not believe it should be used to incite the users. Your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.
~Jerry Taylor to The Register Marketing Team

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Further Reading:

• City of Tuttle
  • City of Tuttle Web Site
  • City Manager Jerry A. Taylor
• CentOS
  • Entire Email Conversation
  • Type of Configuration Page Taylor Was Complaining About
• The Register
  • Oklahoma city threatens to call FBI over ‘renegade’ Linux maker
  • Oklahoma man asks Reg to turn off the internet

Well I’ve had an interesting experience. Had my article about Internet Governance submitted to Digg.com. Apparently foreign readers do not agree with me at all.

I received some lovely comments about what an idiot I am. Well those comments have been deleted and I can’t help but wonder if the commenter actually thought I’d leave them online. Sigh.

Anyway, you can read the Digg comments if you like. For my part, the comments only serve to strengthen my belief that I am correct. (UPDATE: Looks like someone agreed with me afterall.)

Although the United States is losing its liberty, we are still the best equipped to protect the Internet as a free, open society. The comments only serve to prove my point; those in other countries have very little understanding of freedom.

Well, I just went looking through Digg and found this story.

Seams our “good ‘ol boy” president went to visit NSA and see how their spying on American citizens is going. The Washington Post wrote an article about the event featuring a photo by Evan Vucci of the Associated Press.

The photo shows the “Prez” and several important looking gentlemen in front of some impressive plasma displays showing “security data”.

Don’t you feel safe?

Anyway, it ends up that “security data” application shown on the plasma is actually from the Talisker Computer Network Defense Operational Picture. The Talisker project is a grass-roots project with volunteers from around the world that give of their time to run network sensor applications to create a central repository of Internet security information.

What’s more, you can access Talisker for free.

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Further Reading:
Varied Rationales Muddle Issue of NSA Eavesdropping - Washington Post
Talisker Network Defense Picture
Internet Storm Center Article
Evan Vucci Bio

As the European Union continues it’s pursuit of Microsoft^®; their lack of understanding of basic rights has drastically been revealed to the world.

An Associated Press article recently reported on the conflict between the EU and US based Microsoft. At stake is Microsoft’s right to the basic code that makes up the Windows operating system. The EU has requested for some time that Microsoft share its proprietary code with European competitors. Their stated reasoning is that Microsoft has such control of the technology market in European countries that competing companies can not even begin to compete.

If you remember, the United States government brought an anti-trust suit against Microsoft in 1998 claiming that the software giant was taking actions to actively hinder its competitors.

… if one firm controlled the licensing of all Intel-compatible PC operating systems world-wide, it could set the price of a license substantially above that which would be charged in a competitive market and leave the price there for a significant period of time without losing so many customers as to make the action unprofitable. Therefore, in determining the level of Microsoft’s market power, the relevant market is the licensing of all Intel-compatible PC operating systems world-wide.
–United States v. Microsoft Corporation (Civil Action No. 98-1232, http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f3800/msjudgex.htm#findings)

Microsoft’s choke hold on the technology market actually threatened to completely exclude competing companies from the market altogether; not to mention the above stated possibility that Microsoft could set the licensing fees for their operating system much higher than needed, thus causing undue harm to the consumer.

When the dust settled, Microsoft had lost, no surprise there, and each of the states within the United States got a piece of the pie. Microsoft refined its methods and the world moved on.

Now the EU is after Microsoft but the tables have turned in a manner no one expected. Microsoft may just be in the right this time. The Europeans want Microsoft to share the basic code that forms the Windows operating system.

Microsoft has been writing a handbook for developers on how to write programs for the Windows environment. The EU Antitrust Commission has come back numerous times, however, demanding more and more information be shared in the documentation.

The Associated Press article reported that:

In March 2004, the EU ordered Microsoft to pay 497 million euros ($613 million), share code with rivals and offer an unbundled version of Windows without the Media Player software for what it saw as an abuse of its dominant position in the industry. The Court of First Instance, the EU’s second-highest court, has not yet set a date to hear Microsoft’s appeal.

Requiring Windows Media Player be removed from Windows is as ridiculous as asking Burger King® to stop including fries with your Whopper®. Business thrives on competition and secrecy can mean the difference between conformity and true competition.

If Microsoft’s code was shared with competing companies the world would end up with multiple clones of Windows. The possibility of a competitor developing new and innovative software would be reduced exponentially. By forcing the release of Windows code, the EU Commission would actually be forcing a Microsoft monopoly more powerful than ever before.

We’ve shipped a new version of Windows, we’ve paid a historic fine, and we’ve provided unprecedented access to Microsoft technology to promote interoperability with other industry players. In total, we have now responded to more than 100 requests from the Commission.
We continue working quickly to meet the Commission’s new and changing demands. Yet every time we make a change, we find that the Commission moves the goal post and demands another change.
– Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith

Microsoft may not be everyone’s friend. In fact many people intensely hate Bill Gates and his software megalith. But Microsoft is an American success story; the kind of story that the EU will never have. The idea of free speech and an all inclusive natural right to what we create is not ingrained into the European mind as it is in Americans.

Most of you have probably never heard of a root kit before. That is unless you are a hacker, your kid is a hacker (and strongly forthcoming in his nefarious dealings) or you have become the victim of a hacker.

Nevertheless, if you recently purchased a new music CD (Christmas shoppers be warned) distributed by Sony BMG, congratulations, you just received a root kit without even knowing. Ironically, that’s just what a root kit does; hide computer files on your PC.

Enough banter, let us dig into this story.

On October 31st Mark Russinovich wrote an online article that blew the cover off of Sony’s underhanded plan. Russinovich, who creates anti-spyware security software, was testing his latest creation, RootkitRevealer, and found, to his surprise evidence of an authentic root kit on his own computer.

Russinovich’s article is somewhat technical as he reviews each step he took (there were many) to finally determine the root kit’s origins and to uninstall the hidden files. In the process he was able to uninstall the root kit, but then the root kit uninstalled his CD drive.

The origin of the hidden files was not apparent at first, but with some research Russinovich found the creators, First 4 Internet had a contract with Sony to provide DRM software. This caught Russinovich’s eye because he recently purchased “Get Right with the Man”, the Van Zant Brothers latest album, and had installed it on his computer. His research confirmed his suspicions; Sony BMG had installed files on his computer without his knowledge.

Mark Russinovich broke the story, but now we learn from the Electronic Frontier Foundation that Sony also has a contract with SunnComm to provide software similar to that created by First 4 Internet. The EFF has filed a class action lawsuit against Sony BMG stating that Sony BMG should pay for any damage created by both the SunnComm and First 4 Internet software.

The issue is further complicated by Sony who has silently released software to uninstall the First 4 Internet software. However the uninstaller creates more security problems than the original software.

What about SunnComm? Well Sony BMG has been so kind and offered software patches to all the major anti-virus software makers. This would allow the anti-virus makers to create software that will let them check the Sony BMG files for viruses. The catch is Sony BMG said they will not release an uninstaller for the SunnComm software.

To summarize, Sony BMG says that they have the right to install software on your computer that will allow them to keep you from copying songs and that will send them statistics about your music listening.

The obvious question is: does Sony have any right to do this? Strangely enough they may, but only with your consent. And on that point we find a catch-22. Sony’s CDs featuring the new Digital Rights Management software includes an End User License Agreement or EULA.

The EULA does mention proprietary software:

“As soon as you have agreed to be bound by the terms and conditions of the EULA, this CD will automatically install a small proprietary software program (the “SOFTWARE”) onto YOUR COMPUTER. The SOFTWARE is intended to protect the audio files embodied on the CD, and it may also facilitate your use of the DIGITAL CONTENT.”

This obviously is referring to software, not music, however it says nothing about the software being hidden, opening security holes or disabling computer hardware when uninstalled.

If a user purchased and played in his computer one of Sony BMG’s new CDs, such as Switchfoot’s release “Nothing Is Sound”, he had to agree to the EULA. The EULA is lacking in sufficient information at best, and misleading at worst.