Re: ANY closed source software might have secret back doors

Sure you can get the source code. But unless you build it yourself, you can't know that what you are running matches the source code you were given under the contracted NDA.

That always amuses me about the Microsoft claims of "but we gave the organization the source code, so it's the same as Open Source/Free Software, honest !"

Unless the organization has the build system as well, and does their own builds, then no it really isn't the same.

The wonderful thing about the Linux-based Open Source/Free Software releases is that you get the build systems as well and they're really widely understood - so if you're really paranoid yes you *can* build everything yourself. From scratch - just like CentOS does.

Of course then you have to trust the compiler, but now we're going into an interesting recursive problem :-).

http://cm.bell-labs.com/who/ken/trust.html

Jeremy.

Re: Napoleon Was Right

As my brother famously (*) said, "Never mind the economy, we can always just sell each other haircuts over the Internet".

Sad, so sad to see the UK manufacturing base gone..

(*) Famous to me, at least.

Re: Microsoft Lock In

Stop the anti-GPLv3 fud, it won't wash here. I was on one of the committees tasked with creating the GPLv3 and I can tell you it's a *better* license for shippinging commercial FLOSS product than GPLv2. If you don't believe me believe IBM, EMC, Symantec, Dell, etc. All of whom ship and support enterprise storage products based on GPLv3 Samba code.

Jeremy Allison,

Samba Team.

Re: What a waste of time

You' re missing the point. The "free" in free software isn't about the money, it's about the freedom and control. The only thing I can say FOR SURE about what people will use the Samba 4 AD server for is that they'll want to do things with it that we in the Samba Team haven't thought of yet.

That flexibility is priceless. No one cares about spending the money, it's about doing things that are simply not possible with a Windows AD controller because you Don' get the source code.

Jeremy Allison

Samba Team

That was then

But this is now...

He's finally admitted he has some funding from Microsoft, which is as pro-patent as you get. I really wish people would stop quoting him, but he's the lazy journalists 'rent-a-patent-quote' machine. I think it's his business model, like Rob Enderle.

Jeremy.

Samba does not infringe any Microsoft patents.

Just want to be *very* clear about that. Microsoft has to notify us of any patents they claim cover the implemented protocols. See the EU agreement for details.

Nick Thompson wrote:

"Thanks for the personal insults. Grow up."

and then followed it up with:

"and cretins like Stallman and the FSF are trying to force it on everyone"

Pot, have a seat over here next to kettle :-).

Thanks !