LWN: Comments on "SCO.com defaced"

GPL doesn't cover use

ljardine — 2004-12-11T00:01:40+00:00

You'll note that nowhere in #4 ( 4. You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Program except as expressly provided under this License...) does the word 'use' appear. It's perfectly legal to use a GPL program without accepting the license; furthermore, the GPL cannot take the right to use away, even if you have accepted it.

The right to use the program comes from the entity distributing the program to you having the right to do so; if you have aquired the program from someone with the right to give it to you, you can always use it. In addition, depending on your jurisdiction, you may have 'fair use' rights which the GPL (or other, less Free licenses) cannot take away either.

This is not legal advice. Consult your lawyer if you want legal advice.

SCO.com defaced

Saigua — 2004-12-05T23:00:56+00:00

Defacing web sites (intending good fun) is an excellent idea; it's just that WIKI's have a little learning curve. It's the fraud-in-turn around that makes people with cuffs get them out.

Hey you! Upload that uninstalled Oracle package back, it's 31 days old!

Okay, just some of the fraud, in cases where there's some sense to it. Hopefully the defacer can agree to suffer buying 4 more DVDs at the regular price and satisfy the relevant judge that he understands a liability to social order that much.

Not the $40k DVDs SCO May publish as long as they're blanks, either.

apparently an open door

dmarti — 2004-12-02T23:21:51+00:00

The last employee out the door at sco.pl put a toilet graphic on the home page, and it's still there.

apparently an open door

ccyoung — 2004-12-02T16:26:26+00:00

according to several posters on Groklaw, the site was not protected. it's contents could have been changed by anonymous FTP or through a HTTP "login" which required neither login or password.

my only concern it that it might have been a fly trap; however, although trivial to do (log client ip's), SCOX technical abilities have been far from stellar to date.

SCO.com defaced

janpla — 2004-11-30T10:54:23+00:00

A quick smile is the only purpose of this defacement, I suspect, and I think it was very well performed.

As for defeating SCO - do we really have to? Aren't they doing it all by themselves?

SCO.com defaced

XERC — 2004-11-30T08:07:50+00:00

...company with multi-millions in revenue...

Yeah, the, how much was it?, 50*10^6 $? from
Canopy Group for litigation.
Venture capital for law innovation.
As far as I know, the SCOx's only product is litigation
and FUD services. Clients: Micro$oft, Sun, ...?

OK, the defacing was a stumped idea, but I certainly
enjoyed to watch the result.

SCO.com defaced

ken_i_m — 2004-11-30T04:25:07+00:00

First, let me state that I am in no way defending the defacement. I even referred the the prepetrators as "script kiddies" (not a term of endearment). Additionally, the sk_idiots played into SCO hands by knocking the chip off their shoulder and giving them the opprotunity to cry "Woe, unto me. For I have been attacked by un-civilized vandals." Though they appear to be letting media hacks do the crying for them at the moment.

Regarding that chip on their shoulder. It was only last spring that sco.com was the target of a virus-spread DDoS. This establishes a clear precedent that there are *_idiots out there that may specifically target their web presence. Another interpretation is that they did not care if it got defaced or not. So...
Knowing that sco.com is an active target makes its comparision to "free software sites", an apples to oranges evaluation. FOSS projects are manned by voluteers. Part of the mindset is "hey, we are doing this cool thing for the community so why would anyone attack us". For the most part, no one did. Due to the word getting out about attacks on FOSS sites they are taking security more seriously. This is a pain since they are volunteers and their energy would be better spent elsewhere. But, hey, that is life in the early 21st century. On the other hand, SCO is a proprietary company with multi-millions in revenue. The admins responsible for the server, website, etc draw a payroll check with the SCO logo on it. Script Kiddie bait or incompentence? Does it matter?

Marginally related: SCO violating GPL?

dmaxwell — 2004-11-30T01:54:02+00:00

IBM includes GPL violation on their contributions to the Linux kernel among their counterclaims in the suit.

Marginally related: SCO violating GPL?

jzbiciak — 2004-11-29T23:21:27+00:00

Should someone sue SCO for violating the GPL, or am I misunderstanding this clause of the GPL:

4. You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Program except as expressly provided under this License. Any attempt otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense or distribute the Program is void, and will automatically terminate your rights under this License.

Since SCO wants $$ for Linux licenses, they're effectively abridging the GPL through sublicensing with an incompatible license, and so lose all rights to the software under the GPL. Thus, they cannot use Linux themselves. Yet, according to Netcraft, they run Apache on Linux. Or are they using a hosting company that won't eat the SCO dogfood?

Non-linux tools used

jzbiciak — 2004-11-29T23:12:57+00:00

Interesting. Yes, if you look at the headers in it, you see the following strings in the headers:

Ducky Adobe

Ducky is apparently an Adobe easter egg. (It's near the bottom of the page.)

--Joe

SCO.com defaced

dmarti — 2004-11-29T21:06:44+00:00

As we've read here in LWN, some important free software sites have also been compromised. Having a site defaced doesn't automatically make you incompetent.

Oh, and Intellectual proprietarian vandals trashed EFF documents at WIPO, so now both sides have pinheads to be ashamed of.

SCO.com defaced

ken_i_m — 2004-11-29T20:46:33+00:00

I think it points out the reason why SCO took their recent path to seek $$$ through litigation. The real story is not that some script kiddies defaced their website. The real story is that SCO lacks the technical chops to properly admin a websever. Is it any wonder they are having trouble getting customers to fork over major bucks for their OS?

That their legal case is doing so poorly just indicates that the folks still at SCO simply lack what it takes to be a contender in any field of endeavor.

cheers,
ken

Non-linux tools used

BrucePerens — 2004-11-29T16:48:07+00:00

Someone pointed out to me that Adobe (non-Linux) tools were used to edit the image. Check out the image header.

Big crooks have littler crooks to bite 'em, and so on down, ad infinitum.

Bruce

SCO.com defaced

bastiaan — 2004-11-29T16:40:17+00:00

You give SCO too much credit: they may think they can start an IP 'world war' , but we know better :-)

SCO.com defaced

jwb — 2004-11-29T16:35:33+00:00

Sociopathic assholes receive payment in-kind. More at 11.

SCO.com defaced

mattdm — 2004-11-29T16:09:32+00:00

I wouldn't've.

SCO.com defaced

bluefoxicy — 2004-11-29T16:02:50+00:00

s/thinks/is deluded with the notion that/

The world is full of idiots. Some of them run Linux, yes, because "OSS r wai betar tehn teh ms sh*te!!!1111" Those of us who bother to open our eyes can actually point out why and where OSS is better than closed software, and also why defacing web sites is a stupid idea.

Master Fu will be pleased when this stranger from the land of Woot returns, as he will surely have gained enlightenment to the ways of Unix.

SCO.com defaced

rjamestaylor — 2004-11-29T15:58:38+00:00

For those needing help with the reference: Google it.

Renegade loner gives excuse to purge dissidents.

SCO.com defaced

vondo — 2004-11-29T15:57:48+00:00

I would have preferred LWN to ignore such antics.

SCO.com defaced

soul_rebel — 2004-11-29T15:53:40+00:00

well then i would say, solidarity with marinus!
socialist greetings to holland, good luck with the trial.

SCO.com defaced

libra — 2004-11-29T15:52:52+00:00

Contrary to the corporate world, where firms have the responsability over their employee because they chose and pay them, the OSS community can not take the blame for each and any individual acting on his own, even when that individual thinks he shares the OSS movement spirit.

SCO.com defaced

StevenCole — 2004-11-29T15:22:08+00:00

A Dutch ~~Communist~~ Linux enthusiast named Marinus van der Lubbe has been arrested and charged.