Journal of a Sysadmin

QOTD from the “you have got to be kidding me” department…

From America’s Plan Executive Summary, Federal Communications Commision, National Broadband Plan, March 2010.

Broadband is the great infrastructure challenge of the early 21st century.
Like electricity a century ago, broadband is a foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness and a better way of life.

Broadband will not reverse the US Economic Crisis. Bailouts administered by the bankrupt institutions the bailouts were to save will not reverse the US Economic Crisis. Outsourcing even more Government services to companies legislated to generate revenue for their shareholders will not reverse the US Economic Crisis.

Perhaps the way the US looks at the rest of the world and the way American Institutions function should be looked at to resolve the current problems with the American Economy.

Exec Summary Broadband plan.

This just isn’t right

This just isn’t right.

Why is it that anyone has the power, through either the courts or via threats, to force another person to take down a site which did contain useful information to the internet community?

This is exactly what net neutrality is. Through the use of scare tactics and force the Telco’s are pushing people to use services which only serve to line the pockets of the telco’s.

I’ve sent an email message to my MP Lee Richardson. I would suggest that you all do the same. Anti-neutrality tactics by the telco’s will lead Canada to be a dark spot on the Internet. Speak up and make your elected officials speak out in Parliment!

Does something smell off to you?

On my way to work in the mornings, when I drive the car (which is almost always anymore), I listen to either 660 for news or CBC 1010.

This morning it was the CBC. So here they are, members of the news media, with other members of the news media and some bloke from the 3rd largest news media company in the US saying, (I’m paraphrasing here)

There’s all these great news sites on the internet but so much of it is user published news. How can you trust that?

Like I’m going to trust you more for saying something like that? Just because it doesn’t come from a large media company does not mean it isn’t trust worthy. Of course, you need to do some back ground checking and at least know a bit about who it is you are reading. Would you take the word of some joe that walked you to you on the street and said, “The sky is falling!”? Likely not that either.

This all smells like so much garbage, large media trying to spin another story.

I will continue to listen to the CBC, but as time goes on it seems like I’m getting more and more pessimistic as to who is telling the truth and when. I think blindly following the word of any news site is generally a bad idea: large media outlet or not. For the real deal, visit someone who doesn’t have a profit margin to protect.

Go Stats Canada! Census 2006 final update.

So, in follow up to the whole Stats Canada thing today is census day (we have to have our census done today). I also read on their web site:

The census online application now accessible to Linux operating system

In response to demand, Statistics Canada has removed the restriction for Linux. This change takes effect May 13th, 2006.

This broadened access to open-source users is available to those who have a valid browser and JVM. These minimum requirements are necessary in order to maintain the same level of data encryption with Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

With the addition of this new operating system, the capacity of the Census Help Line operators to respond to technical calls from open source users may be limited. However, we expect this will not be a major obstacle for the vast majority of these users.

A pat on the back and two thumbs up to Stats Canada for allowing us open source users to do our census online!

Census 2006 update

So, the census people finally replied to me and their reply actually makes sense, kind of.

They use a PKI java applet which is supposed to provide encryption and authentication all the way through the connection to the database. The fact that they responded and the fact that they are addressing (or attempting to address) the issue is good, thank you to Stats Canada for that.

Here’s the reply

Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 09:05:23 -0400
From: census-recensement@statcan.ca
To: jbourne@hardrock.org
Subject: RE: census 2006 restrictions

Hello,

Thank-you for contacting Statistics Canada. Please excuse the delay of
this response.

Statistics Canada has chosen to use PKI (Public Key Infrastructure)
encryption to provide the industrial strength security and data privacy
that the 2006 Census Internet application requires. The PKI encryption
of data starts at the browser and goes all the way to the end server at
Statistics Canada. In order to enable PKI encryption at the respondent’s
browser, the application uses a small Java applet based on Entrust
TruePass technology. At the time the Census application was developed,
the version 7.1 of TruePass did not provide support for Linux.

Although the most recent upgrade, TruePass version 8, now includes
Linux, that development came too late for the census production
schedule. We are currently investigating the feasibility of offering
one option to open source users. Consult www.census2006.ca for the most
recent update on our test results.

If you cannot complete your questionnaire online, I encourage you to
fill in the paper questionnaire and return it in the envelope provided.

Thank-you for taking the time to e-mail us.

Regards,
Statistics Canada

The question I’m asking now, why were Linux and MacOSX/Firefox not originally tested?

Proof that patents stifle innovation

Someone (thanks timball) posted this on IRC tonight and I read part of it. I found this was interesting because due to patents he stopped working in data compression.

Just imagine where he would have been if he had not had to deal with patent injustice. Just imagine what we as computer users would have if this person who was eating data compression for breakfast over 10 years ago would have been allowed to continue his work.

It’s a shame really, and a crime, that this is not only allowed to happen but encouraged by governments all over the world. Does anyone really think that hiding the details of how specific processes, possibly ones that could be improved upon by outsiders to a company, can actually do anything but impede progress? Where is BetaMAX today?
Just my 00000010 bits.

Stats Canada Excludes during Census

Statistics Canada has the 2006 Census available to be filled out online which is great, for some… Let me explain.

If you are a windows XP, 2000, 98, or Win NT user (Windows NT?) you can happily use pretty much whatever browser you want, well except Safari of course. That is the only browser you can use on the Mac it seems (Firefox and Mozilla although included are not supported on Mac, only Windows).
Linux and the BSD family (as well as Sun Solaris) didn’t even make the list! If they support Firefox and Mozilla on Windows they certainly should on Linux as well!

Do like I did, email infostats@statcan.ca (the only email I could find on their site).

Canadian Music Creators Coalition

Go directly to www.musiccreators.ca and sign up for their mailing list. If you know of a Canadian musician that would support their cause, tell that musician to sign up and support their cause.

We need to have a lot of involvment with this. Put a link to their site on your web page. Blog or Journal about it. Make it known.

I’d like to say thank you to those who decided to start this coalition. Without Canadian musicians speaking out we would not have the true picture of this issue. Thank you again to every single musician that signs up to show their support.

This is a good thing. GO CANADIANS!

Terry McBride of Nettwerk Music Group, the Canadian Company that produces albums for Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies, Dido, Guster, Sarah McLachlan and others is joining the fight against the RIAA.

All I can say is Go Canadian Artists. I do question where some of our more libral artists are in this debate. Where are those who pushed so hard for human rights in other countries or who were so very cutting edge at one time or another?

Maybe in Tokyo? Maybe he’s Last Year’s Man?

Whichever it is I wish those people would come forward and ask the question, before the time for asking has passed.

Muscian questions copy protection

Perfect example of the self serving mega corps.

A musician states in this New York Times article (free login required):

To be clear, I certainly don’t encourage people to pirate our music. I have poured my life into my band, and after two major label records, our accountants can tell you that we’re not real rock stars yet. But before a million people can buy our record, a million people have to hear our music and like it enough to go looking for it. That won’t happen without a lot of people playing us for their friends, which, in turn, won’t happen without a fair amount of file sharing.

As listeners we don’t want it. As a systems administrator I wouldn’t want this software on a machine on my network. Musicians have not asked for and can not really use this software.

DRM software serves one single purpose. The large mega corporations which control the music we listen to think it will drive money into their hands. They no longer control the means of distribution and they want to fight that until the end.

I hope the end comes soon.

Thank you to the New York Times for having the balls to publish this and to Damian Kulash Jr. for writing it. Flakey name for a band (OK Go), but maybe I’ll have to check it out anyway