Microsoft and Novell: Hidden Agenda?

06 Nov 2006

Microsoft and Novell announced a deal at a press-conference held on November 2nd 2006. This is the first time that Microsoft actually is accepting Linux as an even competitor. Furthermore this deal has raised a lot of speculation because Novell only recently took over SuSE (popular Linux distribution from Germany). Also we should not forget that Microsoft did a large amount of lobbying nearly leading to the legalization of software patents in Europe.

In particular contributors and users of openSuSE are annoyed:

1. Microsoft and Novell are promoting the idea of software patents and are thus violating the interest of the openSuSE-community.
2. Novell is going to pay a part of its revenue to Microsoft as patent royalties. Microsoft thus is profiting from the work of opensource-developers without consideration.
3. Novell agreed to develop and market a number of "new techniques" (i.e. patentable) together with Microsoft. It is to be expected that Yast2 (the core software of the openSuSE-distribution) is going to be compromised even further.

Here are some references:

• Novell's press release
• Microsoft's press-release
• Analysis by Bruce Perens
• Novell Microsoft partnership faces GPL hurdle
• Comment on Groklaw
• Linux-Watch on the Novell/Microsoft deal
• Linux-Watch on Patents vs. GPL
• Joe Barr's interviews with people from Novell
• Angry posting by Nicholas Petreley (also on Slashdot)
• Jack Loftus interviewing Red Hat's general counsel Mark Webbink
• Balmer inviting other Linux-distributors to pay patent fees to Microsoft

openSuSE-users and -developers are even considering switching to another Linux distribution.

Here’s a funny picture which was posted to the SuSE-forum.

Object Recognition and Real-Time Tracking in Microscope Imaging

01 Sep 2006

The publication about Object Recognition and Real-Time Tracking in Microscope Imaging is available for download now. The paper is about recognising objects under a microscope. Using focus stacks the depth of the object is estimated as well as the rotation around the optical axis and translations parallel to the focus plane (i.e. four degrees of freedom). You can download the publication at Scribd.com:

• Object Recognition and Real-time Tracking in Microscopic Imaging

Red-Cyan Anaglyphs

18 Nov 2005

I’ve made a small anaglyph image (you need red-cyan glasses to watch it) of a plastic figure of a knight and a dragon.

You can read an article about anaglyph images in the Wikipedia. There you’ll also find further links to more images.

Guru Yogi Ramesh's Laughing Yoga

22 Oct 2005

If you would like to feel better, Guru Yogi Ramesh’s laughing yoga may prove to be helpful to you!

Also see here for some Zen Koans.