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GNU is not an ideal system... but the "best one available"
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 30 Apr '03

30 Apr '03

------------------------------------------------------------------ NEWSFACTOR: DEVELOPER'S DILEMMA: CHOOSING AN OPEN-SOURCE LICENSE "The GPL is not perfect, but it is the preferred option, says Marten Mickos, CEO of MySQL AB. 'GPL is like democracy--not perhaps an ideal system, but most definitely the best one available. We have no regrets as to choosing GPL.' COMPLETE STORY: http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/21280.html More IT Management stories: http://linuxtoday.com/it_management ------------------------------------------------------------------

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Writing stored procedures for MySQL
by Biju G C 30 Apr '03

30 Apr '03

While searching web I came across these projects and thought it may be interesting. MySQL+LUA=MyLUA Is a patch to MySQL that allow users to write procedures in a scripting language called LUA Allow to write a MySQL procedure in a scripting language, without rebuild the server. http://www.fastflow.it/mylua/ PHP functions 4 MySQL Is a user defined function for MySQL that allow users to write functions in PHP. It allow users to write a MySQL function in a scripting language, without rebuild the server. http://www.fastflow.it/myphp/ DBTCP DBTCP is a proxy server for ODBC connection. Allow to make a query from a linux machine to a database in a Windows machine trough ODBC. Allow to connect all ODBC compliant databases from a Linux server from shell scripts, perl via DBD and PHP. http://www.fastflow.it/dbtcp/ Why a proxy for odbc connections ? The main reason for using dbtcp is the lack of support for a few odbc databases under Linux and the fact that you can use multiple dbtcp clients on a pay-per-odbc-connection database management system. Example: COUNT.LUA - Append a column to the result with the row number linux: $ mysql mysql Welcome to the MySQL monitor. Commands end with ; or \g. Your MySQL connection id is 2 to server version: 3.23.32-gamma-log Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer mysql> select user from user procedure lua("/usr/src/mysql/sql/count.lua"); +-----------+---------+ | user.User | Counter | +-----------+---------+ | | 1 | | root | 2 | | | 3 | | root | 4 | +-----------+---------+ 4 rows in set (0.01 sec) Source -- Called when the procedure is initialized function init () ROWS.init=1 end -- Modifica un campo del risultato -- Change a field definition of the result set function set_field ( num, name, type, length ) if ( FIELDS[num] == nil ) then FIELDS[num]={} end FIELDS[num].name=name FIELDS[num].type=type FIELDS[num].length=length end -- Richiamata per cambiare le definizioni delle colonne -- Called to change the columns definition for the result set function change_columns () set_field ( FIELDS.num, "Counter", "STRING", 10 ) FIELDS.num=FIELDS.num+1 end -- Richiamata appena prima di inviare il set di risultati al client -- Called just before sending the result set to the client function end_of_records () local idx, new_tab, idx2 local i,v new_tab={} -- Crea la struttura vuota per i valori idx=0 while ( idx&ltROWS.num ) do ROWS[idx][FIELDS.num-1]=idx+1; idx=idx+1 end end __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo. http://search.yahoo.com

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fsf-friends@gnu.org.in at nntp://news.gmane.org/gmane.org.fsf.india.fsf-friends
by Biju G C 30 Apr '03

30 Apr '03

Hi all, Thanks to Tom Koelman and others at http://gmane.org fsf-friends(a)gnu.org.in is now available as a news group at server : news.gmane.org groupname : gmane.org.fsf.india.fsf-friends U can set it up in ur news reader with the above information or by clicking nntp://news.gmane.org/gmane.org.fsf.india.fsf-friends in mozilla browser/mail reader U can also view it online at http://news.gmane.org/thread.php?group=gmane.org.fsf.india.fsf-friends Arun, Thanks for ur willingness to allow fsf-friends(a)gnu.org.in at http://gmane.org Admins, If v want to hav our old mails available at http://gmane.org V hav to import old mail archives into Gmane Here is the instruction (from http://gmane.org/import.php ) Importing Archives Into Gmane Mailing list archives can be imported into Gmane. Archives to be imported can be in one of two formats: Either a tar file of a one-message-per-file directory, where the files have names that increase numerically, or a Unix mbox file. No other formats are acceptable. A Unix mbox file is preferred. If you wish to have an archive of a mailing list you administrate imported into Gmane, send a mail to Lars ( larsi+gmane(a)gnus.org ) with the URL of the mailing list archive, and which group it should be imported into. The list admin/owner should OK this before the archive is imported. If you're the list admin, please say so in the email where you request the import. If not, please get in touch with the list admin first and get an approval before you request the import. The list admin often has access to an mbox format mail archive for the list, so get the URL for the archive at the same time. For the technically inclined, here's how a mailing list archive import is done. It's not always as straightforward as it may seem. * If there are no articles already in the group, the archive is simply imported. * If there are already articles in the group, things get a bit more complicated, since Gmane tries to keep at least a loose correlation between the order of the article numbers and the sequence in which the messages were posted. 1. Let's say there's already articles 1-1000 in the group, and there's 2000 (unstored) articles in the archive. 2. Reception of new articles for the group is temporarily disabled. 3. The archive is imported into the group, ignoring any articles that have already been stored in the group. The articles from the archive get article numbers 1001-3000. 4. Articles 1-1000 are renamed to 3001-4000. 5. Using a hacked-up version of the prunehistory inn command, the storage tokens for these moved articles are altered. 6. The overview file for the group is regenerated. 7. Any articles that arrived while doing this operation are handled and injected into the group. This means that if you've read articles in the group before doing the import, they'll suddenly become unread again, since they're assigned new article numbers. This is inconvenient, but it's a one-time inconvenience. Having the articles permanently out of sequence would be a permanent inconvenience. The web interface to the articles will still respect the old article numbering, as well as the new. http://article.gmane.org/gmane.test/44 and http://article.gmane.org/gmane.test/348 both refer to the same article after one of these renumberings. Cheers Biju --- Tom Koelman <tkoelman(a)xs4all.nl> wrote: > The following message is a courtesy copy of an article > that has been posted to gmane.discuss.subscribe as well. > > bijumaillist(a)yahoo.com writes: > > > #gmane.fsf.india.fsf-friends fsf-friends(a)gnu.org.in > > An open list which invites questions, proposals, suggestions, comments to aid the > FSF-India\'s activities. > > mailman dummy > > encode=encrypt > > A subscription message for the requested mailing list has been sent. > The resulting group will be created when the first message arrives > from the mailing list. New groups that are created are announced in > gmane.announce. > > Tom > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo. http://search.yahoo.com

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Free software debate in Parliament...
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 29 Apr '03

29 Apr '03

URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=444… TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2003 [2]THE TIMES OF INDIA INDIA Oppn soft on Linux, wants no Windows TIMES NEWS NETWORK [spacer.gif] [ FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2003 11:05:12 PM ] NEW DELHI: In a sign that the cyber age has well and truly dawned inside Parliament, the Opposition on Thursday warned the government against the Microsoft monopoly over software. It urged that open source software like Linux be given preference in official procurement. The government, they said, should not insist on proprietary software while issuing tenders for computers, since open source software is available at one-tenth or even one-twentieth the cost of proprietary software like Windows. Participating in the discussion on the working of the communications and information technology ministry in the Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Prithviraj Chavan referred to competition between proprietary and open source software as a "clash of civilisations". Referring to the recent developments in Iraq, Chavan pointed out that cheap alternatives to Microsoft are available and that countries like China, France and Germany are sponsoring the development of this software. He pleaded that the "user should have a choice" of software and that the government should not restrict its procurement only to proprietary products. Replying to the debate on Friday, IT minister Arun Shourie said that the government was not thinking in terms of a rigid policy framework as the life of technology in the information technology sector is just 20 months. "It is not a good idea to have a detailed statutory framework" as this could impede growth in this sector... Policy must be technology neutral," the information technology minister said. ______________________________________________________________________

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Bioinformatics on GNU/Linux (India)... optimism from Malaysia
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 29 Apr '03

29 Apr '03

------------------------------------------------------------------ TIMES OF INDIA: TCS DEVELOPING INDIA'S FIRST BIOINFORMATICS SOFTWARE ON LINUX "IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is developing an end-to-end bioinformatics software package, 'Biosuit' on Linux platform for which 20 leading Indian institutions have provided the domain knowledge..." COMPLETE STORY: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=439… More High Performance stories: http://linuxtoday.com/high_performance ------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------ UTUSAN ONLINE: MIMOS UPBEAT ON OPEN SOURCE CENTRE, SAYS COULD SAVE ASIA BILLIONS "MIMOS Bhd which recently launched the Asian Open Source Centre... is confident that the centre would produce more home-grown pool of software developers and in the process, save billions of dollars for Asia..." COMPLETE STORY: http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2003&dt=0425&pub=Utusan_Expre… More Developer stories: http://linuxtoday.com/developer ------------------------------------------------------------------ -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frederick Noronha (FN) | http://www.fredericknoronha.net Freelance Journalist | http://www.bytesforall.org http://goalinks.pitas.com | http://joingoanet.shorturl.com http://linuxinindia.pitas.com | http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks ------------------------------------------------------------------------- T: 0091.832.2409490 or 2409783 M: 0 9822 122436 -------------------------------------------------------------------------

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NEWS: Microsoft deflects shared-source critics
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 29 Apr '03

29 Apr '03

------------------------------------------------------------------ ZDNET UK: MICROSOFT DEFLECTS SHARED-SOURCE CRITICS "Microsoft has responded to criticisms of the new version of its shared source initiative for Windows CE, announced on Wednesday..." COMPLETE STORY: http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-996502.html More Developer stories: http://linuxtoday.com/developer ------------------------------------------------------------------

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NEWS: ToI -- Oppn soft on [GNU]Linux, wants no Windows
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 29 Apr '03

29 Apr '03

------------------------------------------------------------------ TIMES OF INDIA: OPPN SOFT ON LINUX, WANTS NO WINDOWS "The government, they said, should not insist on proprietary software while issuing tenders for computers, since open source software is available at one-tenth or even one-twentieth the cost of proprietary software like Windows..." COMPLETE STORY: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=444… More Infrastructure stories: http://linuxtoday.com/infrastructure ------------------------------------------------------------------ -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frederick Noronha (FN) | http://www.fredericknoronha.net Freelance Journalist | http://www.bytesforall.org http://goalinks.pitas.com | http://joingoanet.shorturl.com http://linuxinindia.pitas.com | http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks ------------------------------------------------------------------------- T: 0091.832.2409490 or 2409783 M: 0 9822 122436 -------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Membership of the Free Software Foundation
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 28 Apr '03

28 Apr '03

THE ADVERT in the May 2003 issue of Linux Journal was interesting. It said: "Become a card carrying member of the Free Software Foundation. Your membership dues help FSF protect your freedom to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer software, fight for rights of all users of technology, and defend the GNU GPL...." But the $120 associate membership fee ($60 for students) could put it beyond the reach for many in the Third World. Could the FSF think of a special South Asian rate for potential members in this part of the globe? There's a lot of interest in your ideals here... but try not to price it beyond our reach. Thanks. FN -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frederick Noronha (FN) | http://www.fredericknoronha.net Freelance Journalist | http://www.bytesforall.org http://goalinks.pitas.com | http://joingoanet.shorturl.com http://linuxinindia.pitas.com | http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks -------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Graphics for FSF-India
by Kanti Jadia 27 Apr '03

27 Apr '03

Some artwork has been done for FSF-India. have a look at http://www.gnu.org.in/graphics/ We need comments and suggestions. regards Kanti ----------------------------------------- Enjoy your Freedom,use GNU/Linux. http://www.gnu.org/gnu/why-gnu-linux.html -----------------------------------------

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Torvalds' comments... (on DRM)
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 27 Apr '03

27 Apr '03

--__--__-- Message: 1 From: Sudhir Gandotra <sudhir(a)netshooter.com> To: Linux India General <linux-india-general(a)lists.sourceforge.net>, Linux Users Group Delhi <ilugd(a)wpaa.org> Date: 25 Apr 2003 23:20:46 +0530 Subject: [LIG] Torvalds: "DRM is Perfectly OK with Linux" Reply-To: linux-india-general(a)lists.sourceforge.net Here is an article by Linus. (I am reproducing the full thing, hoping that no one dislikes it) ========================================================================= Torvalds: "DRM is Perfectly OK with Linux" Apr 24, 2003, 13 :00 UTC (36 Talkback[s]) (9738 reads) (Other stories by Linus Torvalds) Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 20:59:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Linus Torvalds <torvalds(a)transmeta.com> To: Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel(a)vger.kernel.org> Subject: Flame Linus to a crisp! ------------------------------- Ok, there's no way to do this gracefully, so I won't even try. I'm going to just hunker down for some really impressive extended flaming, and my asbestos underwear is firmly in place, and extremely uncomfortable. I want to make it clear that DRM is perfectly ok with Linux! There, I've said it. I'm out of the closet. So bring it on... I've had some private discussions with various people about this already, and I do realize that a lot of people want to use the kernel in some way to just make DRM go away, at least as far as Linux is concerned. Either by some policy decision or by extending the GPL to just not allow it. In some ways the discussion was very similar to some of the software patent related GPL-NG discussions from a year or so ago: "we don't like it, and we should change the license to make it not work somehow". And like the software patent issue, I also don't necessarily like DRM myself, but I still ended up feeling the same: I'm an "Oppenheimer", and I refuse to play politics with Linux, and I think you can use Linux for whatever you want to - which very much includes things I don't necessarily personally approve of. The GPL requires you to give out sources to the kernel, but it doesn't limit what you can _do_ with the kernel. On the whole, this is just another example of why rms calls me "just an engineer" and thinks I have no ideals. [ Personally, I see it as a virtue - trying to make the world a slightly better place _without_ trying to impose your moral values on other people. You do whatever the h*ll rings your bell, I'm just an engineer who wants to make the best OS possible. ] In short, it's perfectly ok to sign a kernel image - I do it myself indirectly every day through the kernel.org, as kernel.org will sign the tar-balls I upload to make sure people can at least verify that they came that way. Doing the same thing on the binary is no different: signing a binary is a perfectly fine way to show the world that you're the one behind it, and that _you_ trust it. And since I can imaging signing binaries myself, I don't feel that I can disallow anybody else doing so. Another part of the DRM discussion is the fact that signing is only the first step: _acting_ on the fact whether a binary is signed or not (by refusing to load it, for example, or by refusing to give it a secret key) is required too. But since the signature is pointless unless you _use_ it for something, and since the decision how to use the signature is clearly outside of the scope of the kernel itself (and thus not a "derived work" or anything like that), I have to convince myself that not only is it clearly ok to act on the knowledge of whather the kernel is signed or not, it's also outside of the scope of what the GPL talks about, and thus irrelevant to the license. That's the short and sweet of it. I wanted to bring this out in the open, because I know there are people who think that signed binaries are an act of "subversion" (or "perversion") of the GPL, and I wanted to make sure that people don't live under mis-apprehension that it can't be done. I think there are many quite valid reasons to sign (and verify) your kernel images, and while some of the uses of signing are odious, I don't see any sane way to distinguish between "good" signers and "bad" signers. Comments? I'd love to get some real discussion about this, but in the end I'm personally convinced that we have to allow it. Btw, one thing that is clearly _not_ allowed by the GPL is hiding private keys in the binary. You can sign the binary that is a result of the build process, but you can _not_ make a binary that is aware of certain keys without making those keys public - because those keys will obviously have been part of the kernel build itself. So don't get these two things confused - one is an external key that is applied _to_ the kernel (ok, and outside the license), and the other one is embedding a key _into_ the kernel (still ok, but the GPL requires that such a key has to be made available as "source" to the kernel). Linus ================================================================ Peace, Force & Joy! Sudhir Gandotra. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Transform lives: http://humanistmovement.org/ !!! Treat Others As You Would Have Them Treat You !!! --__--__--

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