back to article Spain grovels to penguins over 'Linux' anti-terror plot

The Spanish Ministry of the Interior has expressed its regret that an international crackdown on IT masterminds inside the violent Basque separatist group ETA was dubbed "Operation Linux". Apparently, penguin-loving outfits are complaining that the antiterrorist operation sullies their good name. "The Ministry of Home Affairs …

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  1. Daniel B.
    Linux

    Naming

    "Penguin lovers have been known to complain about things that are ultimately of no consequence whatsoever."

    Like calling Linux "GNU/Linux". It's just a matter of time that the terminology nazis complain that it should've been called Operation GNU/Linux, blah blah blah.

    Anyway, it does seem kinda weird to call a counterterrorism operation 'Linux'. Does that mean they're going to go after MS after they clamp down on ETA?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Linux

      re: GNU/Linux

      I bet RMS is angry as hell.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Coat

        RMS is always as angry as hell

        ..so I honestly lose track.

    2. Jim 59
      FAIL

      Naming

      It should've been called Operation GNU/Linux, dammit.

  2. Petrea Mitchell
    Coat

    Waiting for Operation OpenBSD

    That'll show they've gotten really serious about security.

    (Joke! Joke! I run neither OpenBSD nor Linux at home...)

    1. ArmanX
      Joke

      There are actually a few operations in progress...

      There is Operation Vista, only they are still tied up in red tape - "Sit at conference table, allow or deny?" - and there's always the idiot that says "Deny!"

      There is Operation HURD, but they've been in the planning stage for 15 years and no one really knows about them.

      There's Operation Windows Phone 7, which sounds really exciting, but no one has actually seen them.

      And finally, Operation Apple, who have only just recently begun to infiltrate other criminal networks.

  3. asiaseen

    his righthand woman, Itxaso Uritiaga Valderrama

    I shudder to think what is lefthand woman is called

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      RE: his righthand woman, Itxaso Uritiaga Valderrama

      The right hand is "the wife" and the left is "the other woman"

      <-- "the wife" icon

    2. Mephistro
      Joke

      @ asiaseen

      "I shudder to think what is lefthand woman is called"

      I think the name is Gonorrhea Nitxeria Eturriberrigoicoerrotaberigoetxea :)

  4. Cunningly Linguistic
    Jobs Horns

    Could've been worse...

    ...they could have called it Operation Snow Leopard.

    1. Robert E A Harvey

      and

      If they;d called it operation windows phone 7 they would have been too late to achieve anything

  5. jake Silver badge

    I think you'll find ...

    That it's only teenagers & evangelists who get pedantic over things like this. The rest of us just use it and get on with our lives :-)

    1. elderlybloke
      Linux

      Jake,I am as mad as Hell

      and I am not a teenager, but an Octogenarian (what a big word).

      Just as well I am having a cup of tea or I would have been even more angry .

      Take that

      Finally - Linux is loverly.

      (and -Peace and Joy to all)

      1. jake Silver badge

        Well, elderlybloke, that would make you an evangelist, no?

        Yes, Linux is loverly ... I've been using it as my main desktop for over a decade and a half. But I'm not emotional about it. It's a tool that gets the job done better than any of the other options, nothing more, nothing less.

        Coffee here ... 3:15AM, and one of our mares is foaling ...

        1. serviceWithASmile

          true comment is true

          bloody teenagers!!

          How long before Sarah Palin hunts down Linus Torvalds like Osama Bin Laden?

          http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1334341/WikiLeaks-Sarah-Palin-demands-Julian-Assange-hunted-like-Al-Qaeda-terrorist.html

          Please forgive the link. I couldn't resist.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Top security

    "Iraitz Gesalaga and Itxaso Uritiaga"

    Usernames that will stand up to a dictionary attack. I'm impressed.

  7. MacroRodent

    Operation <insert a trade mark>

    "Linux" is actually also a trade mark owned by Linux Torvalds. I don't know if he has commented on this or not, but I am pretty sure Apple would have objected, if the name had been "Operation iPhone".

    1. Ken 16 Silver badge

      Operation X?

      isn't that one of theirs too?

    2. TeeCee Gold badge
      Coat

      "Operation iPhone"?

      That has a ring to it.......

    3. James Butler

      Um ...

      "Linus" Torvalds. Not that I'm being anal, or anything.

    4. JohnG

      Linux: a brand of washing powder

      "Linux" is a brand of laundry detergent from Switzerland:

      http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_(Waschmittel)

      Maybe the Spanish thought their Operation Linux was some kind of cleanup.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    The Linux community demands free electrical power

    Because it should be free and GPL. And free. Because!

  9. tkioz
    Black Helicopters

    I can sort of..

    I can sort of understand why they might be unimpressed about it, it doesn't matter if you agree or disagree with the actions of the Spanish Security Service, having something you have a vested interest in used as a publicised code name in an operation that very well may lead to violence isn't something most people would approve of.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Everyone gets publicity from the bogus "controversy"

    Just yawn and move on.

  11. Gerardo Korndorffer
    Coat

    Just for the sake of correctness...

    Please check the article, where it says "(...)Fernández, 27, (...)", it should be "Gesalaga, 27" as in Spain you bear your father's and mother's family name, and for this alleged terrorist it would be like this:

    Surname: Iraitz

    Father's family name: Gesalaga

    Mother's family name: Fernández

    That is if he has not changed the default, as you can reverse the order to be the other way around, (having your mother's name first), as I did.

    Regards,

    G.K.

    P.S. Now, where did I put my penguin?

    1. Daniel B.

      Surname Snafu

      That's the same reason why some US-based stuff I receive insists on using my mother's surname as my "surname" instead of either the first one ro both of them. I actually like bearing both of them, otherwise I would have the same name as my father!

      There are some fun cases, when someone's first or second surname are a composite one, and the person has three names:

      Given Name: Maria Alicia Norma

      Surname 1: Lopez Velarde

      Surname 2: del Palomar

      Full Name: Maria Alicia Norma Lopez Velarde del Palomar

      Guess why I have to use varchar(50) for those fields when setting up databases...

      PS: Latin American countries will do hideos things with their male population, putting them FEMALE names like "Maria" or "Guadalupe". Ow!

  12. Number6

    Could be worse

    Imagine Operation Windows, doomed to grind to a halt and fail embarrassingly just at the critical moment, or preventing them from do something important. At least they picked a name associated with stability (hence being used for all those servers and website).

  13. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Terrorist Group

      Actually the IRA are trying to secure the reunification of Ireland. They are not trying to secure a seperate state for themselves.

      The problem is that most people in Northen Ireland font want to leave Britain and become part of Ireland.

      There is a treaty in place that says that if the people of Northen ireland did want to reunite with southern ireland then they can.

      I actually despise the general use of the blanket word Terrorist. It's a stupid term applied to just about anyone that does not agree with government.

      The Taliban for example, are fighting against a foreign invader on their own soil yet they are somehow terrorists.

      still, branding everyone terrorists certainly makes it easier for governments to wipe them out.

      Anyway, stupid code name to use, stupid non event of a story to complain about as well

      1. FuzzyTheBear
        Pint

        Distorted perspective.

        It's funny ..

        You invade a country , bomb the hell out of them , massacre them , kill them , occupy the country

        and topple their government and all of a sudden , for no reason , they resist and try to get you out of their country.The people who fight for their country are termed terrorists.

        Like they don't have a choice to abide by what the US lays down as law in THEIR OWN COUNTRY!.

        Well F THAT .If it was my country , id resist too and give my life for it.

        Did you call the French terrorists when they resisted Germany ? Hell no !

        These people are heroes to their nations.Not terrorists.The term is made for us to think that the US way is the only way on the planet and that the blame is always on the other nation. Well BOOHOO it aint !. The USA is as much a terrorist nation than those fighting for their freedom in their countries are. Think the drone attacks aren't terrorism ?

        If these were to happen to the USA what do you think they'd say ?

        Im gone for a drink

    2. william henderson 1

      both

      as per title.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Us Spaniards?

      Or just "us Spaniards in the Castilla/Madrid region?" or "Us followers of the PP?"

      Yes, ETA have been pretty much a violent gang, but they did come about thanks to the "Spaniard Hitler" known as Francisco Franco. Is it any surprise that ETA has stopped being so violent now that the Francoist lovers have been rooted out of power?

      Of course, ETA wants an independent Euskadi country, which isn't quite a sensible goal for the Spanish government. But they seem to have softened in recent years.

      1. John Sanders
        Alert

        Surprise surprise...

        "Is it any surprise that ETA has stopped being so violent now that the Francoist lovers have been rooted out of power?"

        What surprise?

        The surprise that after Franco died, when the Spanish Democratic constitution came to be all members of ETA were offered TOTAL AMNESTY?

        The surprise was that against all belief they refused the amnesty, killing over 900 people during the democracy, and all for the same reasons they killed during the dictatorship.

        ETA are terrorists, a criminal organization not too different from the Mafia, they are even extorting protection money to business in the Basque region in the name of the cause.

        ETA never killed for democracy nor anybody's rights, they killed because they believe in their mythical country that was invaded by the Spaniards. An invasion that of course only happened in their imaginations.

        Is it that the surprise?

        Learn your bloody history man.

        1. James Butler
          Joke

          And ....

          Francisco Franco is STILL dead!

          = chirp chirp =

          What ... no old school Saturday Night Live fans out there?

        2. The Indomitable Gall

          Learn YOUR history

          John Sanders:

          " ETA never killed for democracy nor anybody's rights, they killed because they believe in their mythical country that was invaded by the Spaniards. An invasion that of course only happened in their imaginations. "

          ETA did originally kill for democracy. Unfortunately, direct action of this kind ends up attracting the wrong kind of person. The internal politicking in the film "El Lobo" isn't too far from the truth, by all accounts.

          OK, so Navarre wasn't invaded by Spain -- it was allied by marriage -- but the historical Basque nation is far from a "mythical" country.

          You cannot disarm the power of groups like ETA by labelling them with the broad brush term "terrorist". Certainly they *are* terrorists, but that's only part of it.

          Whether you are a supporter of Basque independence or not, you have to take into account the very real issues of self-image and collective identity that ETA draws its support from. If you deny the Basque identity, you push people who hold that identity towards those that do recognise it.

          Respecting people's personally identity is the only way to undermine secessionist terrorism.

          Personally, I say the same thing about both the Basque Country and Scotland. Give us a referendum, then we'll all have to live with the results and stop arguing about what they would be. In both cases, I'm in favour of independence, but in both cases, I believe that's a minority view and that the vote would come out as "no". So just ask us, please....

  14. BristolBachelor Gold badge
    Joke

    Linux improving world security again...

    Hey it's only a joke, relax.

  15. Roger Greenwood

    In other penguin news (BBC) :-

    "The standard way of tagging penguins for science - putting bands around their flippers - affects their survival and reproduction, a study has found." Tag the terrorists instead.

    There is no such thing as bad publicity.

  16. GrantK
    Paris Hilton

    Code names

    When did codenames become publicity tools? (Desert Shield maybe)

    The proper way to use a codename for military purposes is to maintain a central list of "random" codenames. When someone wants a codename for an operation they simply get assigned the next name on the list.

    In particular you should never be able to infer anything about an operation from its codename.

    Commencing operation "Paris"...

  17. Steve Brooks

    operation Windows

    So we can expect to see the next operation targetting ill-doers called operation windows......and we can expect MS to just stand there and ignore it? Silly, what was I thinking, cue lawyers and threats of sanctions and removal of MS discounts (cough, cough) for the Spanish government.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    Ciboure

    Ciboure is also a Basque town, but on the French side of the border and is known as Ziburu in Basque. It is next to St Jean de Luz, which is Donibane Lohitzune in Basque.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Linux

    WAT?

    "Penguin lovers have been known to complain about things that are ultimately of no consequence whatsoever."

    I wish to complain about this remark.

  20. Jan 0 Silver badge

    Well, why not? In Spain they put out fires with UNIX!

    Unix is a popular brand* of fire extinguisher in Spain, so extending the idea to a police operation

    isn't so different.

    *Made by "Universal de Extinctores S.A."

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Cryptography expert?

    Someone who can install Truecrypt?

    I could do that job.....

    1. DavCrav

      Send in a CV.

      It sounds like ETA has a position vacant.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    They wanted reliability

    They wanted it to work; they wanted it to be reliable...

    Linux seems like a good name to me!

  23. LawLessLessLaw
    Boffin

    Linux is a cleaning product on t'continent

    Looks like kitchen roll

    http://masalaforall.com/funnypic.asp?id=3362&hid=20&s=1&c=1&wp=1&ps=9

  24. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    So anyone search Google for Linux...

    is a potential terrorist?!?

    Then we're all criminals now, (apart from the Apple fanbois).

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Grenade

    Crack-Down on Crime

    I'm only bringing one thing to the argument, and thats because I live on the Costa, being a UK ex-Pat, and this thing well, it's right getting on my tits.

    The UK populus in general sees the Costa as the “Costa del Crime”, because a few bad apples made it over here. Well, they probably did, and are RAKING money in from UK wombats who think they should be a model or a movie star. Many Kids who see TV these days in the UK expect stardom, and when that's not delivered on a plate to them, they turn to the net.

    We (All Reg readers) know it's a crock of shite, but if there is money to burn, someone will have it.

    That could be anywhere.

    I'm now going to defend Fuengirola, because I left Northampton to come and work and live here. It's a lovely town, with great people. The Spanish residents are a GREAT community, and are people I sup a bevvy with often. The English holiday makers, well, 'nuff said.

    I'm NOT marketing for the Costa, I'm a programmer. Just stop dissing the Costa. It's a lovely place, and how many of you sad lot actually get off the beaches and explore a Country?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      dude

      did you even read the article?

  26. Martin Maloney
    Coat

    I just can't help it, folks

    Never put all of your Basques into one exit.

    And where is the outraged press release from the Penguin Anti-Defamation League?

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Happy day for Linus :D

    Since he owns the rights to the name "Linux", he can sue the hell out of the Spanish government for trademark dilution.

    "Tarnishment occurs when the mark is cast in an unflattering light, typically through its association with inferior or unseemly products or services." http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/metaschool/fisher/domain/tm.htm#7

    And if I were him, I would not let this opportunity slip to do that, just for fun, to make a point and earn a little extra money.

  28. Bro
    FAIL

    Get a clue

    Dear author of this drivel: If you haven't got the knowlegde of the Spanish language to read an official press release without resorting to Google translate, you obviously lack the tools to understand the bigger picture of what happened.

    Please get a clue or STFU.

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