Reception for the Linux conferences, originally uploaded by tiki.robot.

at the exploratorium.

Linux Collaboration Summit ‘09 (1), originally uploaded by tiki.robot.

LCS started today. Attendee demographics changed as the Embedded conference ended…

Linux Storage and Filesystems Summit ‘09 (1), originally uploaded by tiki.robot.

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Embedded Linux Conference ‘09 (1), originally uploaded by tiki.robot.

Dirk Hohndel’s keynote. Why use Linux on an embedded device? "It’s the ability (for ODMs) to control your device (by not being locked in to proprietary OSes from chip vendors) … Not because it’s ‘free.’ "

• decodes 6 full-quality 720×480 MPEG-2 streams at 60fps
• on screen preview of both 3-channel decks
• fullscreen output to second display (vga projector)
• rock solid 60fps output, no dropping frames
• requires MacBook Pro 2GHz or higher
  

Apple’s uses Objective C because NeXT used Objective C. When Steve Jobs was at NeXT, he didn’t want to place their objc gcc frontend under the GPL, but ended up having to. Here is an excerpt of an email from Stallman:

I say this based on discussions I had with our lawyer long ago.  The
issue first arose when NeXT proposed to distribute a modified GCC in
two parts and let the user link them.  Jobs asked me whether this was
lawful.  It seemed to me at the time that it was, following reasoning
like what you are using; but since the result was very undesirable for
free software, I said I would have to ask the lawyer.
 
What the lawyer said surprised me; he said that judges would consider
such schemes to be "subterfuges" and would be very harsh toward
them.  He said a judge would ask whether it is "really" one program,
rather than how it is labeled.
 
So I went back to Jobs and said we believed his plan was not allowed
by the GPL.
 
The direct result of this is that we now have an Objective C front
end.  They had wanted to distribute the Objective C parser as a
separate proprietary package to link with the GCC back end, but since
I didn't agree this was allowed, they made it free.

So that’s why. Via this email thread between Richard Stallman and Bruno Haible about why Common Lisp is under the GPL. Via reddit.

Apple’s move to the GNU Toolchain has been very good for developers (remember MrC and MPW?), but it sure took a long time to get here. Yesterday I remotely debugged an iPhone app using gdb. Spending time in a debugger isn’t usually a very pleasant, but I surprisingly happy when gdb stopped at my first breakpoint…

Fixing a bug in gnu tar, originally uploaded by tiki.robot.

xeyes is watchin our back.

From Lawrence Lessig:

So for non-lawgeeks, this won’t seem important. But trust me, this is huge.
[snip]
In non-technical terms, the Court has held that free licenses such as the CC licenses set conditions (rather than covenants) on the use of copyrighted work. When you violate the condition, the license disappears, meaning you’re simply a copyright infringer. This is the theory of the GPL and all CC licenses. Put precisely, whether or not they are also contracts, they are copyright licenses which expire if you fail to abide by the terms of the license.

Important clarity and certainty by a critically important US Court.

via reddit

Update:

orig photo by Sam Ogden