Mike Pelley's Musings

I’m a little ticked at Sony as I realized, again, that they haven’t updated their firmware for the PlayStation 3 to include the Newfoundland time zone. It is always 30 minutes off and that really bugs me. I’m wasn’t going to go into a diatribe about Linux but I think I will.

Anyway, here is the note I sent to Sony. Yes, I am sarcastic but after being out for so long Sony deserves it. Anyway, here is the note:

Hi Folks – when are you going to fix the Newfoundland timezone? You know, that one that is -3:30 (-2:30 in the summer)? It is quite annoying that the time is off by 30 minutes (no, we are NOT Nova Scotia nor New Brunswick nor Prince Edward Island – we are not part of the Canadian Maritimes).

Every other Java or Linux based system out there has their timezone information including Newfoundland – what is Sony’s excuse? This has been apparently going on since the PS3 was launched – and that wasn’t yesterday!

Thanks
Mike

I have to say that I’m a little saddened that Sony has dropped Linux support (a/k/a “Other OS”) from the latest firmware. Not that I used Linux very much at all on the PS3 (I use it a great deal on servers and my Dell Mini) but it was nice to have a choice. Here’s what the update said what would happen if you didn’t update to 3.21:

• Ability to sign in to PlayStation Network and use network features that require signing in to PlayStation Network, such as online features of PS3 games and chat
• Playback of PS3 software titles or Blu-ray Disc videos that require PS3 system software version 3.21 or later
• Playback of copyright-protected videos that are stored on a media server (when DTCP-IP is enabled under Settings)
• Use of new features and improvements that are available on PS3 system software 3.21 or later

To further quote them

It will disable the “Install Other OS” feature that was available on the PS3 systems prior to the current slimmer models, launched in September 2009. This feature enabled users to install an operating system, but due to security concerns, we’re now removing this feature.

Riiight. I can keep Linux and then I likely won’t be able to watch any Blu-ray discs that have update copy protection or that I won’t be able to watch any Blu-ray discs that need the updated firmware (which the studios owned by Sony will obviously need).

I think that this might be the result of DTCP-IP that is noted above.

From Webopeida:

DTCP-IP Digital Transmission Content Protection over Internet Protocol, a specification for copy protection of copyrighted content that is transferred over digital interfaces in home networks that adhere to IP. Under this specification, digital content can be shared securely between devices in a user’s home but not shared with third-parties outside the home network. Using an authentication scheme, DTCP-IP allows the user to designate devices in the home network as trusted destinations that can transfer data back and forth, but DTCP-IP will not allow the content to be transmitted over the Internet to be shared outside of the home network.

What I think is happening is that via Linux you can stream from the PS3 partition outside the outside home… …Or, maybe there is something with the Blu-ray copyprotection that having Linux on the system will break… …Or, maybe some aliens will come an capture the world. Anyway, I don’t know the reason for them dropping Linux or the security reasons but if I found out I’ll post.

Well, x10hosting is still working to migrate to their new server farm. After a couple of days of being down I’ve moved the site back “home.” At least for now. As I noted the real reason why I moved to an outside hosting solution was so that I didn’t have to worry about bringing my server down. For now, at least, my server is up 😉

I can’t believe that this has been ongoing since 2002!  The short story is (from memory, which may be dubious at times):

SCO’s claims that it owns Unix (and parts of Linux based upon IBM, Sequent and other “donations” to the Linux-family) based upon contracts that may have transferred UNIX System V Release 4 intellectual property assets. The intellectual property rights for Unix came from Unix System Laboratories (USL) which was a division of AT&T. In 1993, USL sold all UNIX rights and assets to Novell (yes, the big 1990’s network operating system company famous for NetWare).  The sale from USL included copyrights, trademarks and active license contracts.  In 1995 some of these rights and assets (and some additional assets from Novell’s development work) was sold to the Santa Cruz Operation (the original SCO Unix). The Santa Cruz Operation had developed and sold an Intel-based UNIX until 2000. (SCO Unix was the follow-on from SCO Xenix – which was partially developed by none other than Microsoft). SCO resold its UNIX assets to Caldera, which later changed its name to SCO Group (Caldera also had its own distribution of Linux). Once Linux became popular, with IBM being a major backer of Linux (despite being committed to AIX, their version of Unix) the suites began. Anyway, SCO then sued Novell (and was counter-sued by Novell saying that they actually didn’t sell SCO the rights to Unix but just the right-to-use). SCO then sued DaimlerChrysler and AutoZone when they refused to sign licensing agreements with SCO to use Linux. Then ironically, Microsoft provided funding to SCO (indirectly) to help keep SCO going. I say ironically because the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) that originated would be a boost to Microsoft’s Windows product line which didn’t have Unix code included – or did it? Microsoft licensed Unix code and Xenix was a Microsoft product which it sold to SCO… Hmmmm….

Well, maybe this wasn’t such a short story.

So, where we are today: After many trials (I wonder who got rich out of these, but I digress…) a jury in District Court of Utah trial between SCO Group and Novell issued a verdict. The jury confirmed that Novell’s ownership of the Unix copyrights, which SCO had said it owned during its attack on Linux.

Not that this really mattered. Linux has continued to grow. Red Hat, Ubuntu, etc has continued to grow. Oracle sells Unbreakable Linux and often talks about the value of Oracle database using RAC on Linux as the way to go. So much for killing Linux!

My main web site is down. I host with x10hosting.com, which has been pretty reliable for the past 9-10 months. They decided to move sites and now www.pelleys.com doesn’t work. Now you will get x10hosting’s main web page.

Obviously, something needs to be properly configured on x10hosting’s side. I’ll give them a couple of days. After all, it is a free hosting service so I can’t be too hard on them.

I did look into 000webhost.com but I don’t want to use their DNS servers. I’ve used dtdns.com for years and it has been very stable and the cost is very reasonable (not free, but damn close).

Anyway, if this keeps up I’ll look into a couple of other free hosting solutions. I used to host www.pelleys.com on my own webserver but I actually like to be able to take my time on maintenance, etc (or when the hardware failed which happened with the old server). webpics.pelleys.com and blog.pelleys.com (obviously) is still up but they are hosted at home.

Microsoft Watch‘s posting today on Microsoft Bob brings back memories. Memories like: Why? I never could understand why someone would like let alone need such an interface. Even granting that it was 15 years ago and people weren’t quite as sophisticated as they are now…

Microsoft BOB from Nathan's Toasty Technology page

Anyway, take a look at the article. Two quotes that I love are “…Bob could have been a success–or, at the very least, not something that Microsoft needed to drag behind the barn and shoot by 1996…” and “…turned programs into icons such as grandfather clocks and scattered them around a desktop designed to resemble living rooms and kitchens, had more issues than the waiting room of a psychoanalyst’s office…” I bet you someone at Microsoft was really, really glad they didn’t name it Microsoft Bill 😉

I really can’t understand Americans and their stand on health care. Maybe it is as a Canadian I’ve had “socialized” health care since I was one year old. Ever since 1969 Newfoundland and Labrador has had government health care. Sometimes it isn’t the quickest – but I haven’t died yet! I don’t have to worry about getting sick and having to visit the E.R. – yes, they have to treat you in the U.S. – and then having to mortgage the rest of my life to pay for the six cotton balls and two bandaids that were used on me.

I can remember being down in North Carolina on business and talking to a senior at Chapel Hill University. When I asked him about it, noting that I couldn’t understand why there was so much resistance, his response was it was all about “entitlements.” Maybe it is that we don’t have all the illegal immigrants that the U.S. has. In fact, I was surprised by all the Central Americans trying to make a better life in the land of opportunity and the free and the brave.

I also can’t understand the difference between the “socialized” education (Kindergarten to grade 12 or 13), the “socialized” public safety protection (better known as the police) or the “socialized” Interstate highway system. The last being what seems to be the greatest “sin” in personal freedom and small government in that their Federal Government provides it, albeit through grants to the individual states. Once could go even further with Medicare (for seniors and others with disabilities) and Medicaid (a means-based test) which are provided to the states by the Federal Government. That system even seems like the Canadian model – monies from the Feds with rules provided to the states for other controls. I guess the difference is that there isn’t the same level of having each state provide a minimum level of consistent care as there is in Canada.

As I am obviously not old enough to understand any debates in Canada during the mid-1960s about implementing socialized medicine, I can’t really see Canadians getting to the point of threatening death to those who supported – even if it is through all the negative thoughts that will be channelled to the offenders in the US Congress and House.

I guess live free (of having the Feds take your money or impinge on any decision) or die really rings true.

This is my first post. Nothing really to say other than the Blog is alive.