From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Thu Feb  1 04:31:13 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92178AbRBADaR>;
	Thu, 1 Feb 2001 04:30:17 +0100
Received: from SMTP-OUT003.ONEMAIN.COM ([63.208.208.73]:44507 "HELO
        smtp02.mail.onemain.com") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with SMTP
	id <S92171AbRBAD3w>; Thu, 1 Feb 2001 04:29:52 +0100
Received: (qmail 22807 invoked from network); 1 Feb 2001 02:42:30 -0000
Received: from mocape01-282.midwest.net (HELO ldd.net) ([209.248.22.42]) (envelope-sender <jbaughn@ldd.net>)
          by smtp02.mail.onemain.com (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP
          for <humorix@humbolt.nl.linux.org>; 1 Feb 2001 02:42:30 -0000
Message-ID: <3A78C806.13A737F1@ldd.net>
Date:   Wed, 31 Jan 2001 20:20:54 -0600
From:   James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>
Organization: Humorix World Domination
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.07 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.0.36 i586)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To:     Humorix Mailing List <humorix@nl.linux.org>
Subject: [humorix] Microsoft Acquires Open Source (Again)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

Microsoft Acquires Open Source (Again)
January 31, 2001

REDMOND, WA -- In a stroke of genius that seems oddly out
of character for Microsoft, the software bohemoth has found
another way to claim ownership of every single piece of
open source software.  At the risk of flushing away any
journalistic integrity we still have (yeah right), we here
at Humorix blame the redesign of Freshmeat for this whole
mess.

That's right.  When Freshmeat II was unveiled, every
software project was temporarily given an owner of "N/A" or
"Not Available".  Microsoft employees somehow discovered
and exploited a bug in Freshmeat's new codebase that
allowed them to change "N/A" to "Microsoft".  Now every
single project on the Freshmeat system is owned by
Microsoft.  

A team of Microsoft employees have spent the last 24 hours
traversing the Freshmeat database and changing the license
for every software project to the GPL -- Grossly Private
License[1].  They've also pointed every link to the
Microsoft website (which, surprisingly, appears to be
online).

Unfortunately, Freshmeat's webmaster has been unable to
deal with the Microsoft hostile takeover because he has
been inundated with flame mail from disgruntled visitors
upset over the new site design.

You might be wondering, "So what?  Just because Freshmeat's
database is now corrupt doesn't mean that Microsoft
actually owns of these software projects."

Bzzzzzzt!  According to our own legal counsel, Mr. Noah
Morals, Microsoft has a strong claim on open source.  "Just
yesterday Microsoft created a subsidiary called 'Not
Available(tm)'.  Since 'Not Available' is a Microsoft
trademark, they can claim that Freshmeat's ownership field
refers to them, thus making Microsoft the rightful (gag)
owner of every piece of software listed on Freshmeat."

Well, we aren't going to argue with the fact that 'Not
Available' is a Microsoft trademark.  In light of their
recent website outages, 'Not Available' is quite an
accurate reflection of Microsoft's quality (or lack
thereof).  

Nevertheless, this biased reporter feels that Microsoft's
argument has more holes than Windows NT security.  But
don't be surprised if the next version of Linux is licensed
under the Grossly Private License and has the Microsoft
logo plastered all over the place.


[1] http://i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/aug00.shtml#MS-GPL


-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Wed Feb  7 23:34:01 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92271AbRBGWdC>;
	Wed, 7 Feb 2001 23:33:02 +0100
Received: from SMTP-OUT003.ONEMAIN.COM ([63.208.208.73]:53535 "HELO
        smtp04.mail.onemain.com") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with SMTP
	id <S92275AbRBGWcc>; Wed, 7 Feb 2001 23:32:32 +0100
Received: (qmail 11446 invoked from network); 7 Feb 2001 22:31:57 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO ldd.net) ([209.248.17.45]) (envelope-sender <jbaughn@ldd.net>)
          by smtp04.mail.onemain.com (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP
          for <humorix@humbolt.nl.linux.org>; 7 Feb 2001 22:31:57 -0000
Message-ID: <3A80C61D.99EBEECF@ldd.net>
Date:   Tue, 06 Feb 2001 21:50:53 -0600
From:   James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>
Organization: Humorix World Domination
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.07 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.0.36 i586)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To:     Humorix Mailing List <humorix@nl.linux.org>
Subject: [humorix] New Linux for Corporations
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

New Linux for Corporations
February 6, 2001
Geoff Lane, zzassgl@twirl.mcc.ac.uk

In an attempt to increase the use of Linux within 
<STRIKE>Big Evil Companies</STRIKE> corporations, I am
pleased to announce a new service <STRIKE>that will no
doubt be very appealing to the kind of people who like this
kind of thing</STRIKE>.

As of next Thursday, ClosedOpenSource.com, will be open for
business <STRIKE>but only with those companies who's Dun &
Bradstreet credit rating is suitably impressive of
course.</STRIKE>

What is ClosedOpenSource.com? Well, over the course of 
several months we've noticed through extensive monitoring
of information sources (well actually, we accessed Google a
couple of times) that one of the major obstacles that
prevents the widespread adoption of Linux in the enterprise
is... well, its open nature. The fear is that the
availability of the source to the operating system in some
manner enables hackers to more easily access sensitive
services provided by the larger, more
<STRIKE>self-important</STRIKE> responsible companies.

It is the intention of ClosedOpenSource.com to provide the
kind of closed source operating system services that
companies who normally deal with Microsoft have come to
know and enjoy.  Initially, the following services are
offered:

1. A closed source version of Linux, ClosedLinux(tm).  This
   will be identical to Linux from any other source with
   the following exceptions a) Some or all of it will be
   different, b) there may or may not be any security
   problems within the operating system, c) it may or may
   not make use of network protocols that are ever so
   slightly different to those used by everybody else, d)
   it may or may not be backwards or forwards compatible
   with any other version of   ClosedLinux(tm) that we may
   offer in the future.

   ClosedLinux(tm) will be available at a
   <STRIKE>massive</STRIKE> discount to selected, valued
   customers.

2. Non-disclosure Agreements (NDAs).  We at
   ClosedOpenSource.com realize that it is important for
   the modern business man or woman to think that they know
   something that others don't.  Obviously this is almost
   impossible with open source operating systems and
   applications.  To solve this difficulty,
   ClosedOpenSource.com will be offering, at very
   reasonable prices, a full range of NDAs on a number of
   topics.  We at ClosedOpenSource.com will
   <STRIKE>promise</STRIKE> <STRIKE>guarantee</STRIKE>
   pledge that each NDA will be unique.

   For an additional fee we also offer MetaNDA(tm), a new
   concept in the NDA world that will boost your profile
   within any company.  A MetaNDA(tm) is a NDA under which
   we will tell you which other people in your company have
   signed NDAs with us.

   Of course, all NDAs issued by ClosedOpenSource.com are
   covered by a NDA (this service is free.)

3. Poor support services.  It's widely recognised that one
   of the advantages with closed source software is the
   expensive and truly appalling support that most
   customers receive.  To ensure that we at
   ClosedOpenSource.com live up to this reputation we will
   supply a <STRIKE>Answer-Phone</STRIKE>telephone call
   center to which incidents may be reported at a (prepaid,
   minimum number of ten incidents per year) cost of only
   US$100 an incident.

   We regret that, in accordance with the DMCA, all
   information supplied when reporting an incident becomes
   ClosedOpenSource.com company confidential. 
   <STRIKE>If</STRIKE> When supplied, answers to an
   incident will be covered by a NDA (for which we will
   change a small fee.)

4. Unfortunately timed product withdrawals.  A perceived
   problem with open source products is that they just will
   not go away.  Once an open source application has been
   released it just keeps on getting improved.  Obviously
   this can reach a stage where the product is almost
   perfect, lacking bugs but not lacking any necessary
   features.  Should this unfortunate state of affairs be
   allowed, you may find yourself down-sized...  after all,
   who needs a software support organization if the
   software doesn't need support?

   To ensure that ClosedLinux(tm) never reaches this
   terrible condition, we at ClosedOpenSource.com will
   withdraw each ClosedLinux(tm) release at the most
   unfortunate time possible for your and your company and
   replace it with a new release of ClosedLinux(tm) which
   will have an undisclosed number of changes and problems.
   <STRIKE>John, Can we sell the fools the change log under
   NDA?</STRIKE>

5. Documentation.  We fully expect that any demand for
   documentation for our ClosedLinux(tm) will be covered by
   the full color sixteen page manual supplied free with
   every copy of ClosedLinux(tm) <STRIKE>John, if we use
   smaller type and take out the pictures can't we reduce
   that to twelve pages? Can we use "full color" if there
   are only two colors?  Check with legal.</STRIKE>

We at ClosedOpenSource.com hope that you will visit our web
site (www.MechanicallyRecoveredMeat.com best viewed with
Mosaic) soon and sign-up for one or more of our services.

<FONT FACE="Flyspeck 3">ClosedOpenSource.com reserves the
right to keep any of your money that we may obtain and to
change products and services  without notice.
<STRIKE>Contents may settle during storage and give the
appearance of a partially filled box.</STRIKE></FONT>

John, can you make sure that the indicated changes are made
before this goes out? And also check something out with
legal -- one of the bearded wonders down in the basement
was screaming about someone called JMS and something he
called a Grue. He said we would be in deep shit if we tried
to sell ClosedLinux(tm), Thanks.

-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Fri Feb  9 05:22:02 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92187AbRBIEUo>;
	Fri, 9 Feb 2001 05:20:44 +0100
Received: from SMTP-OUT003.ONEMAIN.COM ([63.208.208.73]:15202 "HELO
        smtp02.mail.onemain.com") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with SMTP
	id <S92173AbRBIEUU>; Fri, 9 Feb 2001 05:20:20 +0100
Received: (qmail 2785 invoked from network); 9 Feb 2001 04:01:10 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO ldd.net) ([209.248.17.158]) (envelope-sender <jbaughn@ldd.net>)
          by smtp02.mail.onemain.com (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP
          for <humorix@humbolt.nl.linux.org>; 9 Feb 2001 04:01:10 -0000
Message-ID: <3A836187.79AC0C0C@ldd.net>
Date:   Thu, 08 Feb 2001 21:18:31 -0600
From:   James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>
Organization: Humorix World Domination
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.07 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.0.36 i586)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To:     Humorix Mailing List <humorix@nl.linux.org>
Subject: [humorix] Linux Increases Brain Power
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

Linux Increases Brain Power
February 8, 2001

We here at Humorix are always on the lookout for news items
that we can put a proper spin on to "prove" that Linux is a
superior operating system.  When we heard about the
scientists in Japan claiming[1] that young people are
losing their memory abilities and are "becoming stupid"
because of their reliance on computers and PDAs... well, we
were quite ecstatic.

Let's think this through.  

ITEM: We have a number of people in Japan suffering from
severe memory loss and mental impairment.

ITEM: We can safely assume that many of these people have
been using Windows on their desktop machines; and perhaps
even a few might have been using Windows CE on their PDAs.

ITEM: Windows is built around a click-and-drool, 
mind-numbing, dumbed-down, interface-from-hell that is
enough to make any person lose their mind.

CONCLUSION: It's all Microsoft's fault.

Wasn't that fun?  But it gets even better:

ITEM: Installing a Linux system is often a challenging
mental exercise.

ITEM: A command-line interface requires a certain amount of
concentration; if  you don't pay attention you might do
something stupid as root.

ITEM: Effectively using each command requires memorizing
vast tracks of man pages.

CONCLUSION: Linux increases brain power.  

As a result of these findings, we here at Humorix urge
every school and college in the world to immediately
replace all PCs running Windows  with Linux (or FreeBSD --
which is even better for your mental prowess).  The mental
health of our children is at stake!  Won't somebody please
think of the children?!?


[1]
http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/02/04/stinwenws01005.html

-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Sat Feb 10 23:34:12 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92209AbRBJWdF>;
	Sat, 10 Feb 2001 23:33:05 +0100
Received: from SMTP-OUT003.ONEMAIN.COM ([63.208.208.73]:58308 "HELO
        smtp01.mail.onemain.com") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with SMTP
	id <S92204AbRBJWcl>; Sat, 10 Feb 2001 23:32:41 +0100
Received: (qmail 5319 invoked from network); 10 Feb 2001 22:02:42 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO ldd.net) ([209.248.17.218]) (envelope-sender <jbaughn@ldd.net>)
          by smtp01.mail.onemain.com (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP
          for <humorix@humbolt.nl.linux.org>; 10 Feb 2001 22:02:42 -0000
Message-ID: <3A85BAE6.E5F9C1B5@ldd.net>
Date:   Sat, 10 Feb 2001 16:04:22 -0600
From:   James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>
Organization: Humorix World Domination
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.07 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.0.36 i586)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To:     Humorix Mailing List <humorix@nl.linux.org>
Subject: [humorix] Operation Killer Penguin
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

Operation Killer Penguin
February 10, 2001
Nicholas Curran, nicholas35pulsar@linuxmail.org

Recently, Humorix reported that Microsoft had declared war
against Linux by launching a Denial Of Service Attack aimed
at Linus Torvalds[1].  The next week, Microsoft's website
was hit by a Denial Of Service Attack, denying millions of
Hotmail users from accessing their spam.

Coincidence?  Of course not.  Operation "Killer Penguin" is
in full swing.

On the morning of the Anti-Linux Patch Attack, Linus sent
the following strongly worded message to Microsoft: "Stop
your DOS attack or ELSE!"

The response?  "Or ELSE what? You'll attack us with an army
of killer penguins?  Ha!  I'd like to see that!  Signed,
Steve Baller."

Unfortunately, Linus didn't have any killer penguins on
hand, although Tux Penguin has promised to recruit a small
army from Antarctica within the next month.  Instead, Linus
retaliated with his own Denial Of Service Attack.  

"We decided to first hit Microsoft's soft underbelly: their
marketing department," explained one participant in "Killer
Penguin".  He continued, "If Microsoft can't spew marketing
hype, then Pointy Haired Bosses around the globe will
emerge from their brainwashed state and realize just how
crappy Microsoft shoveware really is."

The plan, while a paragon of brilliant military strategy,
hit a small setback early on: it was discovered that
Microsoft's PR department relies heavily on Linux servers.

"No matter how many spoofed packets and spam emails we hit
them with, those Linux servers just kept on chugging.  And
then the obvious dawned on us: since these servers were
administered by PR flacks, they wouldn't have any recent
(or even ancient) security patches applied.  Alan Cox and
his band of hackers -- the 'Sneaky Bastards' -- were able
to gain root access within minutes, and the PR department
was toast."

Reports from our Vast Spy Network(tm) indicate that
Microsoft's vast PR department has not fully recovered from
the attack.  Humorix reported that the crash of Microsoft's
website was not the end of the world[2] -- and while that's
still true, it may just have been the end of the
Microsoft's extreme profits and hopes of dominating the
world.

Or maybe not.  These are the same people that recovered
from the disastrous release of Microsoft Bob, so these
people can recover from anything.  They've already launched
a counter-FUD attack (albeit weak), calling Linux a "crummy
operating system". We'll just have to wait and see.


[1]
http://i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/jan01.shtml#Microsoft-Patches
[2] http://i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/jan01.shtml#MS-Outage
-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Wed Feb 14 05:53:40 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92177AbRBNEwb>;
	Wed, 14 Feb 2001 05:52:31 +0100
Received: from SMTP-OUT003.ONEMAIN.COM ([63.208.208.73]:53244 "HELO
        smtp01.mail.onemain.com") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with SMTP
	id <S92170AbRBNEwG>; Wed, 14 Feb 2001 05:52:06 +0100
Received: (qmail 24405 invoked from network); 14 Feb 2001 02:39:50 -0000
Received: from mocape01-39.midwest.net (HELO ldd.net) ([209.248.17.49]) (envelope-sender <jbaughn@ldd.net>)
          by smtp01.mail.onemain.com (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP
          for <humorix@humbolt.nl.linux.org>; 14 Feb 2001 02:39:50 -0000
Message-ID: <3A89F064.53240347@ldd.net>
Date:   Tue, 13 Feb 2001 20:41:40 -0600
From:   James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>
Organization: Humorix World Domination
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.07 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.0.36 i586)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To:     Humorix Mailing List <humorix@nl.linux.org>
Subject: [humorix] If You're Reading This, Prepare To Get Sued
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

If You're Reading This, Prepare To Get Sued
Timm Murray, admin@madtimes.com
February 13, 2001

We need money fast.  Two years ago we had to shoo Venture
Capitalists off our property with cattle prods.  But
nowadays, thanks to the Dotcom Downtown, the flow of free
money has dried up.  We can no longer maintain the standard
of living that we have become accustomed to -- no more
Faberge-Egg-Of-The-Month Club, no more New Ferrari Fridays,
no more 512-node Beowulf Clusters for every employee.

While our Plan A ("mooching off of Venture Capitalists")
has failed, we do have a Plan B ("file lawsuits against
everybody in sight").  Hey, all the other struggling
dotcoms are doing it.  Our legal counsel, Mr. Noah Morals,
Esq., has concocted a way to raise money quick -- and we'll
get some bonus evil points for using the DMCA to do it!

According to the DMCA:

   A technological measure 'effectively controls access to
   a work' if the measure, in the ordinary course of its
   operation, requires the application of information, or a
   process or a treatment, with the authority of the
   copyright owner, to gain access to the work[1].

Since it clearly does not state that the access control
measure be of any strength, plain old ASCII falls under the
above definition.  Since your computer had to decode the
ASCII sequence to put this on your computer screen (and did
so without our explicit permission), you are now in
violation of the DMCA (Direct Money Capturing Act).

You might say that just because we posted it to our
publicly accessible mailing list, that gives you permission
to decode it. Not so, says Noah Morals.  According to him,
that's only _implicit_ permission, not explicit. Ha ha,
suckers.

"This should put a stop to all those pirates who blatently
decrypt our stories!" he said. "This was costing us tens of
dollars a year.  It's good to know that the horror is
finally over... Now if you'll excuse me, I have a
once-in-a-lifetime invitation to have lunch with my heros,
Jeff Bezos and David Wetherell[2]."


[1] ftp://ftp.loc.gov/pub/thomas/cp105/hr796.txt
[2] http://slashdot.org/articles/01/01/17/1534254.shtml
-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Fri Feb 16 06:36:07 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92199AbRBPFes>;
	Fri, 16 Feb 2001 06:34:48 +0100
Received: from SMTP-OUT003.ONEMAIN.COM ([63.208.208.73]:58517 "HELO
        smtp04.mail.onemain.com") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with SMTP
	id <S92188AbRBPFdx>; Fri, 16 Feb 2001 06:33:53 +0100
Received: (qmail 14135 invoked from network); 16 Feb 2001 04:02:11 -0000
Received: from mocape01-149.midwest.net (HELO ldd.net) ([209.248.17.159]) (envelope-sender <jbaughn@ldd.net>)
          by smtp04.mail.onemain.com (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP
          for <humorix@humbolt.nl.linux.org>; 16 Feb 2001 04:02:11 -0000
Message-ID: <3A8C8DCB.396E1F70@ldd.net>
Date:   Thu, 15 Feb 2001 20:17:47 -0600
From:   James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>
Organization: Humorix World Domination
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.07 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.0.36 i586)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To:     Humorix Mailing List <humorix@nl.linux.org>
Subject: [humorix] Yes! Yes! Yes! Thank You, Jim Allchin!
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

Yes! Yes! Yes! Thank You, Jim Allchin!
February 15, 2001

Humorix's stock (Nasdaq: FAUX) soared 50% in heavy trading
today after word spread that Microsoft's OS chief, Jim
Allchin, had claimed that open source would "stifle
innovation" and had boasted, "We can build a better product
than Linux."
[http://news.cnet.com/investor/news/newsitem/0-9900-1028-4825719-RHAT.html?tag=ltnc]

The latest Microsoft FUD barrage is expected to produce a
windfall for online humor publications.  "You simply can't
make this stuff up," said one industry observer.  "We
haven't seen this kind of humor gold mine since Jesse Berst
or Microsoft Bob."

Morale has improved drastically at Humorix World
Headquarters following the news.  "Finally, something to
live for!" explained Dances With Herring, Humorix's
investigative reporter.  "We now have a nice easy target to
poke fun at.  What a morale boost for humor writers
everywhere."

Indeed, Jim Allchin's "What's Good For Microsoft Is Good
For The Country" pronouncement might single-handedly avoid
a second Humorix strike.  "Things were getting a little
tense... we're losing money and there just wasn't anything
worth poking fun at," explained one Vast Spy Network(tm)
member.  "Until now."

Unfortunately, some workers haven't quite gotten over the
first strike from last year.  Humorix's Investment
Relations Weasal & Executive Book Cooker never got the memo
about the first strike ending; he's been picketing alone
outside the front gates for months and hasn't figured it
out yet.   

Several investment houses have upgraded Humorix's stock
from "Only a complete idiot would consider this stock" all
the way up to "Go ahead and buy some, at least it's worth
the paper it's printed on, unlike most dotcoms". Some
analysts were startled to learn that Humorix has been
online for two-and-a-half years, a length of time that
exceeds the life expectancy for a typical dotcom by at
least 90%.

-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Sun Feb 18 19:52:14 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92207AbRBRSvH>;
	Sun, 18 Feb 2001 19:51:07 +0100
Received: from SMTP-OUT003.ONEMAIN.COM ([63.208.208.73]:41759 "HELO
        smtp02.mail.onemain.com") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with SMTP
	id <S92189AbRBRSuk>; Sun, 18 Feb 2001 19:50:40 +0100
Received: (qmail 5374 invoked from network); 18 Feb 2001 18:15:45 -0000
Received: from mocape01-142.midwest.net (HELO ldd.net) ([209.248.17.152]) (envelope-sender <jbaughn@ldd.net>)
          by smtp02.mail.onemain.com (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP
          for <humorix@humbolt.nl.linux.org>; 18 Feb 2001 18:15:45 -0000
Message-ID: <3A900EDB.998EDB8F@ldd.net>
Date:   Sun, 18 Feb 2001 12:05:15 -0600
From:   James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>
Organization: Humorix World Domination
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.07 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.0.36 i586)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To:     Humorix Mailing List <humorix@nl.linux.org>
Subject: [humorix] Have You Downgraded Your Browser Today?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

Have You Downgraded Your Browser Today?
February 18, 2001

Humorix is much more than a lame humor website that
constantly pokes fun at Microsoft and lawyers while
plotting improbable world domination attempts.  

Humorix is an institution dedicated to positive social
change.  (You can stop laughing now.)   For instance, we're
spearheading a movement to convince people to downgrade
their browsers in an attempt to fight off the effects of
Sturgeon's Law.

Years ago, 90% of everything was crap.  Unfortunately,
thanks to the Web, that number is now much closer to 99%,
and is asymptotically approaching 100%.

It's time to put a stop to the madness.  Everybody needs to
downgrade their browser to a version that only supports the
HTML 3.2 standard.  

We don't need JavaScript.  We don't need proprietary
plug-ins that only work with Microsoft shoveware.  We don't
need stupid animated GIFs of dancing babies.  We don't need
superfluous eye candy that sucks up 100% of virtual memory
and turns a Pentium into an XT (that's what Windows is
for).  We don't need pages created using tables within
tables within tables within tables within tables within
frames within frames within pop-up windows that invariably
cause Netscape to segfault.

Most of all, we don't need some snot-nosed webmaster or
clueless Pointy Haired Boss[1] telling us to piss off when
we try to visit his website using something other than
Internet Exploiter 2002 running under the latest
incarnation of Microsoft Windows XP (eXtremely Pathetic).

Can you imagine what would happen if a dotcom PHB became
the manager of a brick-and-mortar store?  "Sorry, Ma'am,
this store only supports the latest Nike(tm)(R)(C) brand
shoes.  Anything else is incompatible with our carpeting
and will prevent you from getting the most out of our
store.  You will have to upgrade your shoes before we can
let you in."

Just think of all of the crap we can eliminate if everyone
used an HTML 3.2 browser with JavaScript turned off.  We
can nip Sturgeon's Law in the bud, but only with your help.

Downgrade to an older browser that hasn't been infected
with Microsoft or AOL commercialism.  Boycott sites that
say "best viewed with IE 5.5" (which is really a warning
label).  And if somebody tells you to upgrade your browser,
just reply, "You'll pry Lynx from my cold, dead hard drive".

With your help, we can stop the JavaScriptization of the
Web.

Thank you for your support.


[1] Of course, using "clueless" and "PHB" in the same
sentence is redundant.

-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Wed Feb 21 12:03:18 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92195AbRBULBf>;
	Wed, 21 Feb 2001 12:01:35 +0100
Received: from lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au ([129.78.64.15]:43480 "EHLO
        lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with ESMTP
	id <S92183AbRBULBI>; Wed, 21 Feb 2001 12:01:08 +0100
Received: from grimmpt486 (p1809.net10.usyd.edu.au [10.0.7.17])
	by lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au (8.9.3/8.9.3) with SMTP id WAA00011
	for <humorix@nl.linux.org>; Wed, 21 Feb 2001 22:00:40 +1100 (EST)
Message-Id: <200102211100.WAA00011@lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au>
From:   "Andjam" <andjamgeo@yahoo.com>
To:     humorix@nl.linux.org
Date:   Wed, 21 Feb 2001 22:02:00 +1100
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Subject: Re: [humorix] New Linux for Corporations
X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.11)
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

Date sent:      	Tue, 06 Feb 2001 21:50:53 -0600
From:           	James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>
Organization:   	Humorix World Domination
To:             	Humorix Mailing List <humorix@nl.linux.org>
Subject:        	[humorix] New Linux for Corporations
Send reply to:  	humorix-l@nl.linux.org

Umm ... you'd better do a retraction on this story. Red Hat's legal 
department is strenuously confirming this article. :)

Andjam
-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Wed Feb 21 13:51:29 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92196AbRBUMs6>;
	Wed, 21 Feb 2001 13:48:58 +0100
Received: from lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au ([129.78.64.15]:33769 "EHLO
        lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with ESMTP
	id <S92190AbRBUMsP>; Wed, 21 Feb 2001 13:48:15 +0100
Received: from grimmpt486 (p1809.net10.usyd.edu.au [10.0.7.17])
	by lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au (8.9.3/8.9.3) with SMTP id XAA26288
	for <humorix@nl.linux.org>; Wed, 21 Feb 2001 23:48:01 +1100 (EST)
Message-Id: <200102211248.XAA26288@lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au>
From:   "Andjam" <andjamgeo@yahoo.com>
To:     humorix@nl.linux.org
Date:   Wed, 21 Feb 2001 23:49:33 +1100
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Subject: Re: [humorix] Have You Downgraded Your Browser Today?
X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.11)
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

Date sent:      	Sun, 18 Feb 2001 12:05:15 -0600
From:           	James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>
Organization:   	Humorix World Domination
To:             	Humorix Mailing List <humorix@nl.linux.org>
Subject:        	[humorix] Have You Downgraded Your Browser Today?
Send reply to:  	humorix-l@nl.linux.org

Um... Netscape introduced cookies, javascript and proprietary 
extensions to HTML. They probably also introduced some of the 
other things you berate Microsoft for, not to mention cookies.

Andjam
Waiting for IE for Linux...
-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Wed Feb 21 13:52:05 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92198AbRBUMst>;
	Wed, 21 Feb 2001 13:48:49 +0100
Received: from lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au ([129.78.64.15]:34793 "EHLO
        lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with ESMTP
	id <S92196AbRBUMsR>; Wed, 21 Feb 2001 13:48:17 +0100
Received: from grimmpt486 (p1809.net10.usyd.edu.au [10.0.7.17])
	by lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au (8.9.3/8.9.3) with SMTP id XAA26313
	for <humorix@nl.linux.org>; Wed, 21 Feb 2001 23:48:05 +1100 (EST)
Message-Id: <200102211248.XAA26313@lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au>
From:   "Andjam" <andjamgeo@yahoo.com>
To:     humorix@nl.linux.org
Date:   Wed, 21 Feb 2001 23:49:33 +1100
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Subject: Re: [humorix] Linux Increases Brain Power
X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.11)
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

Date sent:      	Thu, 08 Feb 2001 21:18:31 -0600
From:           	James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>
Organization:   	Humorix World Domination
To:             	Humorix Mailing List <humorix@nl.linux.org>
Subject:        	[humorix] Linux Increases Brain Power
Send reply to:  	humorix-l@nl.linux.org

> The mental
> health of our children is at stake!  Won't somebody please
> think of the children?!?

Isn't the last sentence trademarked?

Andjam
-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Wed Feb 21 13:52:23 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92197AbRBUMtZ>;
	Wed, 21 Feb 2001 13:49:25 +0100
Received: from lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au ([129.78.64.15]:34537 "EHLO
        lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with ESMTP
	id <S92193AbRBUMsP>; Wed, 21 Feb 2001 13:48:15 +0100
Received: from grimmpt486 (p1809.net10.usyd.edu.au [10.0.7.17])
	by lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au (8.9.3/8.9.3) with SMTP id XAA26305
	for <humorix@nl.linux.org>; Wed, 21 Feb 2001 23:48:03 +1100 (EST)
Message-Id: <200102211248.XAA26305@lorica.ucc.usyd.edu.au>
From:   "Andjam" <andjamgeo@yahoo.com>
To:     humorix@nl.linux.org
Date:   Wed, 21 Feb 2001 23:49:33 +1100
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Subject: (Fwd) Re: [humorix] Microsoft Acquires Open Source (Again)
X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.11)
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

Subject:        	[humorix] Microsoft Acquires Open Source (Again)

Talking of M$ acquiring OS, should there have been a crashback 
about M$ acquiring Corel (linux) as fake news that later on turned 
out to be true? :)

Andjam
-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Fri Feb 23 02:19:19 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92253AbRBWBSM>;
	Fri, 23 Feb 2001 02:18:12 +0100
Received: from SMTP-OUT003.ONEMAIN.COM ([63.208.208.73]:44863 "HELO
        smtp04.mail.onemain.com") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with SMTP
	id <S92252AbRBWBRx>; Fri, 23 Feb 2001 02:17:53 +0100
Received: (qmail 12734 invoked from network); 23 Feb 2001 01:09:38 -0000
Received: from mocape01-237.midwest.net (HELO ldd.net) ([209.248.17.247]) (envelope-sender <jbaughn@ldd.net>)
          by smtp04.mail.onemain.com (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP
          for <humorix@humbolt.nl.linux.org>; 23 Feb 2001 01:09:38 -0000
Message-ID: <3A95B8D1.81A67753@ldd.net>
Date:   Thu, 22 Feb 2001 19:11:45 -0600
From:   James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>
Organization: Humorix World Domination
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.07 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.0.36 i586)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To:     Humorix Mailing List <humorix@nl.linux.org>
Subject: [humorix] BSD And Microsoft On The Same Side?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

BSD And Microsoft On The Same Side?
February 22, 2001

Several members of the Open Source community nearly fainted
yesterday upon hearing the  news that Microsoft's Jim
Allchin had implicitly supported the BSD license while
trashing the GPL as un-American.[1]

Soon after the shocking news broke, leaders of the FreeBSD
project denied allegations that they had allied themselves
with the Evil Empire.  "That's bullshit," one hacker said
on IRC.  "Besides, everyone knows that it's the GNU Project
that has allied with the Evil Empire -- Communism, that
is."

A representative from the GNU Project fired back, "ALL YOUR
BASE ARE BELONG TO US."  He added after a brief hesitation,
"I have no idea what that means."  

This latest battle in the GPL vs. BSD (and Linux vs.
FreeBSD) flamewar ends the cease-fire that was created by
the 1999 Treaty of Helsinki[2].  Industry observers expect
hostilities to flare up again, with the possibility of
casualties.

Indeed, the Internet Weather Bureau has already issued a
"High Flame Warning" for Slashdot and portions of Usenet. 
"Users should expect high bandwidth use, extreme CPU usage,
and a slight chance of server explosions during the warning
period," the advisory states. "If your Web, news, or mail
server begins to overheat under the load, please seek
shelter immediately to reduce the risk of injury."

Many agree that the prospects for peace appear dubious. 
"This will go on until either Microsoft or the GNU Project
is destroyed.  We'll see lasting peace in the Middle East
before this one is settled," explained one neutral
observer.  "Besides, now that Microsoft is involved, any
hopes of a peace summit are gone.  Do you know what will
happen if Richard M. Stallman and Bill Gates were to meet
in the same room?"[3]


[1] http://slashdot.org/articles/01/02/21/0318213.shtml
[2] http://i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/sep99.shtml#Helsinki-Treaty
[3] http://i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/sep98.shtml#RMS-BG
-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Sat Feb 24 05:43:30 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92269AbRBXEmc>;
	Sat, 24 Feb 2001 05:42:32 +0100
Received: from SMTP-OUT003.ONEMAIN.COM ([63.208.208.73]:53764 "HELO
        smtp04.mail.onemain.com") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with SMTP
	id <S92169AbRBXEmA>; Sat, 24 Feb 2001 05:42:00 +0100
Received: (qmail 6298 invoked from network); 24 Feb 2001 04:41:38 -0000
Received: from mocape01-176.midwest.net (HELO ldd.net) ([209.248.17.186]) (envelope-sender <jbaughn@ldd.net>)
          by smtp04.mail.onemain.com (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP
          for <humorix@humbolt.nl.linux.org>; 24 Feb 2001 04:41:38 -0000
Message-ID: <3A973C03.79496BE8@ldd.net>
Date:   Fri, 23 Feb 2001 22:43:47 -0600
From:   James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>
Organization: Humorix World Domination
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.07 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.0.36 i586)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To:     Humorix Mailing List <humorix@nl.linux.org>
Subject: [humorix] Microsoft Ports Wine To Windows
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

Microsoft Ports Wine To Windows
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer, bero@redhat.de
February 23, 2001

REDMOND, WA -- Microsoft announced today that, after a
month of intense development, it had successfully ported
Wine to the Windows 9x operating system.  Microsoft(R)(tm)
Wine(R)(tm) for(R)(tm) Windows(R)(tm) is a closed-source
fork of the Wine project (an open source Windows emulator).
It consists of a standalone .exe file that uses less than 2
kB of diskspace.

Steven P. Ammer, Microsoft Marketing and PR Manager,
explained during a press conference:

"Microsoft(R)(tm) Wine(R)(tm) for(R)(tm) Windows(R)(tm) was
implemented to prove that Windows is ultimately more
efficient than Linux and other Communist^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H
open source systems. We guarantee that Microsoft Wine for
Windows can run all Windows applications perfectly...
something the Linux/*BSD versions of Wine aren't even close
to accomplishing (and never will, once we unveil the many
new innovative APIs in Windows XP that aren't
backwards-compatible)."

He added, "Similarily, Wine for Windows ultimately
demonstrates the vast superiority of the Win32 API, which
allows us to produce more efficient code.  We're pleased to
announce that WinWine reduces 5 megabytes of obsolete UNIX
calls and related bloatware into a nice, sleek 2 kilobyte
exectuable."

[Editor's Note: What Mr. Ammer fails to mention is the 25
megabytes of help files, dancing paperclip animations,
wizards, and license agreements that are bundled with
WinWine.]   

Asked by reporters on whether Microsoft intends to
embrace-and-extinguish other open source programs, Ammer
replied, "Microsoft has the world's largest concentration
of talented programmers, marketing geniuses, and crafty
lawyers.  Of course we could!  But why bother? We chose
Wine simply as a proof of concept of why the GPL license is
evil.  If Wine wasn't available under a BSD-style license,
we wouldn't have been able to innovate a Windows port. 
Nevertheless, we don't intend to port any other open source
applications, since all of them are clearly inferior to
Microsoft's own solutions."

Mindcraft, the Gartner Group, and several Ziff-Davis
pundits immediately issued advisories and statements
entitled "More Proof Linux Sucks", "Microsoft Beats Linux
Again", and "Could You Get Fired For Trying To Compete
Against Microsoft?" Microsoft stock rose 150% in heavy
trading before collapsing  after rumors leaked that Bill
Gates had unsuccessfully tried to "lobby" Bill Clinton into
pardoning Microsoft for anti-trust violations.
-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

From owner-humorix@nl.linux.org Tue Feb 27 05:09:26 2001
Received: by humbolt.nl.linux.org id <S92318AbRB0EIS>;
	Tue, 27 Feb 2001 05:08:18 +0100
Received: from SMTP-OUT003.ONEMAIN.COM ([63.208.208.73]:25863 "HELO
        smtp04.mail.onemain.com") by humbolt.nl.linux.org with SMTP
	id <S92315AbRB0EIB>; Tue, 27 Feb 2001 05:08:01 +0100
Received: (qmail 25764 invoked from network); 27 Feb 2001 04:07:52 -0000
Received: from mocape01-227.midwest.net (HELO ldd.net) ([209.248.17.237]) (envelope-sender <jbaughn@ldd.net>)
          by smtp04.mail.onemain.com (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP
          for <humorix@humbolt.nl.linux.org>; 27 Feb 2001 04:07:52 -0000
Message-ID: <3A9B2784.6C3AC28D@ldd.net>
Date:   Mon, 26 Feb 2001 22:05:24 -0600
From:   James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>
Organization: Humorix World Domination
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.07 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.0.36 i586)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To:     Humorix Mailing List <humorix@nl.linux.org>
Subject: [humorix] Death And Microsoft Taxes
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: owner-humorix@nl.linux.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: humorix-l@nl.linux.org
Return-Path: <owner-humorix@nl.linux.org>
X-Orcpt: rfc822;humorix-list

----
Warning:  humorous content ahead.
To prevent overdosage for the sensitive readers, please
take your discussions to humorix-l@nl.linux.org...
----

Death And Microsoft Taxes
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer, bero@redhat.de
February 26, 2001

REDMOND, WA -- No more Mr. Nice Monopoly.  That's the
message Microsoft is sending with a new initiative called
"Microsoft Tax 2.0".  Well, it's not actually called that. 
In order not to upset the ongoing appeals process,
Microsoft is using the euphemism "Intellectual Property
Royalty And It's For The Children Fee".

Microsoft claims that they have an ironclad trademark on
".NET".  Therefore, starting today, Microsoft will charge a
US$100 per month royalty fee on all .net domain names,
ranging from a.net to linux.net all the way up to
dammitmynamedotcomandmynamedotorgwerealreadytakensoihadtogetmyname.net

At a press conference, WIPO spokesperson C. Ashley Quick 
showed approval for Microsoft's new anti-piracy fee and
tax.

"Clearly .NET is a registered trademark of Microsoft," he
said. "In order to protect this valuable property from the
hordes of Napster-using, anti-capitalistic, immoral,
no-good pirates that span the globe, it is only natural,
and legal, that Microsoft collects these royalty payments. 
It is, after all, designed to protect the interests of
Microsoft's shareholder's children."

That same spokesperson was later seen on the street
carrying two large sacks bearing the words "MICROSOFT BRIBE
MONEY" and a large dollar sign.

Lawyers from Network Solutions have questioned the validity
of Microsoft's claim on the entire .net TLD.  "We at NSI
have always had the exclusive right to charge exorbitant
taxes...er, fees on domain registrations and then turn
around and sell our captives'... er, customers' marketing
data to other companies.  We have a patent on this business
model.  Our patent trumps your trademark any day of the
week!"

Microsoft's own lawyers shot back in a press release, "We
have considerable prior art.  Indeed, we have a restaurant
napkin from the 1970s in which Bill Gates sketched out his
world domination plan, part of which included snatching up
really obvious trademarks on popular things and then
hitting everyone on the head with royalty taxes.  So
there!"

-
Humorix:      Linux and Open Source(nontm) on a lighter note
Archive:      http://humbolt.nl.linux.org/lists/
Web site:     http://www.i-want-a-website.com/about-linux/

