Lord of the CDs

I got the following text from a friend, and I thought I should share it with you:

--
Listen to this:

Recently one of my friends, a computer wizard, paid me a visit. As we
were talking I mentioned that I had recently installed Windows XP on
my PC. I told him how happy I was with this operating system and
showed him the Windows XP CD. To my surprise he threw it into my
microwave oven and turned it on. Instantly I got very upset, because
the CD had become precious to me, but he said, "Do not worry, it is
unharmed."

After a few minutes he took the CD out, gave it to me and said, "Take
a close look at it."

To my surprise the CD was quite cold to hold and it seemed to be
heavier than before. At first I could not see anything, but on the
inner edge of the central hole I saw an inscription, an inscription
finer than anything I had ever seen before. The inscription shone
piercingly bright, and yet remote, as if out of a great depth:

12413AEB2ED4FA5E6F7D78E78BEDE820945092OF923A40EElO
E5IOCC98D444AA08EI324

'I cannot understand the fiery letters,' I said in a timid voice.

"No but I can," he said. '"The letters are Hex, of an ancient mode,
but the language is that of Microsoft, which I shall not utter
here. But in common English this is what it says:

'One OS to rule them all, One OS to find them,
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.'

It is only two lines from a verse long known in System-lore:

'Three OS's from corporate-kings in their towers of glass,
Seven from valley-lords where orchards used to grow,
Nine from dotcoms doomed to die,
One from the Dark Lord Gates on his dark throne
In the Land of Redmond where the Shadows lie.
One OS to rule them all, One OS to find them,
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Redmond where the Shadows lie.'
--

...Enjoy!

Danger! Royalty-Bearing So-Called Standards

Microsoft is at it again, this time big-blue is right along with them. IBM and Microsoft are trying to erect so-called standard-bodies that would allow them to get-around the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) requirements for standards to be royalty-free.
Read this article over at ZDNet to get an overview of what is going on.

While they did release the core SOAP and UDDI specifications to the royalty-free process, they are trying to create "piggy-back" protocls that will ensue royalties (i.e. security signing of SOAP messages, file attachments on soap messages and security policy negotiations). They are trying to establish these standards through the UDDI and WS-I organizations. These organizations are perceived to be open and acceptable standard bodies, but they are not. They are heavily controlled by both juggernauts and conform to their interests.

The W3C and the IETF are the only true standard bodies of the Internet! Do not be fooled by IBM and Microsoft and do not be sucked into their grip!
They are trying to ensure that Open-Source, Free implementations of these standards will not be possible! They will be trying to become "toll-boothes" on the Internet.