A new version of the GPL is in the works. The thing that got the most attention on /. was the fact that the source of web services based on GPL software should be made available.

Well, isn't that a very good idea? With the rise of AJAX applications, which are getting more and more impressive each time. Indeed, since an AJAX application is not distributed, but accessed via your browser, there is no need to make the source available if it is build on existing OSS. And that is a dangerous path, because people who choose for a GPL license want information to be free.

For me personally, the most interesting change is that 'a clause to penalize companies that use software patents against free software and a clause to prevent companies from using digital rights management in free software applications.' and while the part about DRM is explained, nothing is mentioned on patents and what measures they would like to take. Software patents are just another tool for multi billion corps to stay multi billion corps. It is their ultimate weapon, it allows them to kill or neutralize others as they please. The only valid penalty is that patents used in programs making use of GPL code will have to make that patent free for all other programs using the GPL license.

Recently I have been getting the feeling we are going back into time instead of advancing as a human race. The proof is in this article. You should know that I am an atheist, and thus news like this makes me shake my head in disbelieve.

It is scary and hopeful at the same time. Scary, because these kind of stories are becoming more common all the time. Most of the they are time originating from the US. Hopeful, because there are still people who find it reason enough to take this to court.

You should have figured out by now that I can only accept Darwinism as a valid evolutionary process, backed up by science. And science is the key word here people, how can anybody, who has had an decent education still believe in god(s) or the like?

Science is a very broad word, but it has brought us humans where we are now. The common argument of believers (any god) are that science is not able to explain everything. This is true, many questions remain unanswered, but this does not mean we should presume by default it is gods work. Remember in prehistoric times every natural occurrence was a sign of god, ofcourse they did not have science to explain these phenomenas to them and so it was just as easy to explain everything as supernatural. Even in more recent history, and for this we should only go back for 100-80 years, the church was keeping the common folk down with claims of heaven and hell so people would keep quiet and not revolt with fear for the afterlife. This made the church mighty powerful, and since most people still had no education (and could not even read, less pay for education) they didn't know any better then to believe any good or bad was the way god intended and it would be better not to taunt the lord.

Let me get this straight, if you are a Christian and you want to put more believe in your evolutionary theory, that is 100% your right and your freedom of choice (yes, we believe everybody can have his believe, unlike most religions who do not allow other religions to exist). The problem in this case is that it should not be in the general tutoring package. I couldn't care less if they discussed this to death in the Christianity class, but it does not belong in biology which should deal with science only!

I hope they win their court case, they should, but since the judge is appointed by Bush I'm just not so sure.

Isn't this just great news?
It was just painful to see adventure games die as they did. They were my favorite type of game back in the days, and Lucas Arts was the best of all. Sure, I started out with dialog adventures like the famousInfocom games and then the mixed gfx-txt adventures from Sierra but after playing one Lucas game I was sold for ever.

Never had more fun playing a game then the Monkey Island series. I played this game together with 5 friends and even after finishing it it came up in discussions every now and then. Talk like a pirate day brought back the good memories as well, and just then I read the good news. Sam & Max was not their best adventure, but it was a good typical wacky Lucas type of game.

Ron Gilbert, you are a pain in the backside, sir!

A few days ago the new Nintendo controller was presented to the world. Certainly exciting as several spoof articles were released in the last year, and none of them were correct.

When I saw the pictures for the first time, I didn't know what to think. It is the most radical change in console controller history ever. My first thought was that most games probably would use it in horizontal mode (mimicking the old NES controllers),and it took me a while to realize how neat the whole idea was.

Admit it, the first time you played a game on console you couldn't keep your hands still, and the controller moved along with the action on the screen. Soon enough you learn not to do this and just laugh at the next kid who discovers games for the first time.
It is such a great idea, because it is so natural. I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo got this idea from watching kids play games for the first time. This idea is great and good for the same reason the analog buttons on the PS2 pads are so neat.

The idea there was that the pressure on the button would have an impact in game, like the gas pedal in a car, the impact of punches, the hight of jumps etc. Though it seems this feature is not used much, so we'll just have to see how much this revolutionary controller from Nintendo catches on.

I'm a dad, yeeh! World, say hello to; Daan my baby boy.

Seems like a never ending story. I already discussed some of the points previously, but I want to touch on something different now; the filesystem.

If I try to understand the point that this guy is making I fail to see how it is better. What he and a lot of people are saying is that each application should have its own directory separated from the rest of the programs. Wrong! Again, this is thinking Windows, where indeed you install each program in a separate directory. God forbid if you put them all in one or two folders.

Important to know is that filesystems are outdated. Sure you need them, but who cares how they are organized? If I install me application through Synaptic it is added in my menu and just works automagically. Why should I care about where all the files are located, all I want to do is use that program.

What about user data? This is already taken care of in every Unix, each user has his own directory, called home to populate with anything he wants. Ubuntu takes the right approach and will try to guide the user into only his home directory with his own personal stuff in it. Browsing the whole drive is possible, but not many people will access it (this proves the point again that nobody is interested in what the OS does with programs).

How the user structures his data is unimportant. If you haven't figured it out yet, the way data is displayed to users has changed. Programs like F-Spot, Rhythmbox, Evolution and Beagle all take care of data sorting and searching for you. No longer is it necessary to create deeply nested directory structures which are mostly lagging in efficiency anyway.

Still, to provide all these features the filesystem needs to be good, stable, fast and recover easy from errors or failures. Luckily Linux already provides several of these, unlike other systems out there which require the user to spend time managing the filesystem.

Once again this years edition of Rock Werchter has finished. This is not, for me personally, the best festival in Belgium, but it is certainly the biggest in number of visitors. Since a few years now it lasts for 4 days and the music is spread out over 2 stages, the main and the pyramid stage. Although the weather was horrible, the music was extremely good.

On the Thursday we had New Order doing their thing. They brought a good mix of old and new songs, ofcourse the crowd went wild when they played Blue Monday. The band itself hates this song and feels Temptation is better while at the same time I think Bizarre love triangle is their greatest, it was also the best performed number of the excellent set. Next up was Ozark Henry, an old time favorite of mine. One of the best performing Belgian artists and a real musical talent. The songs were played perfectly, but seemed lost on the big main stage. The band was having a good time for sure, but somehow it didn't seem to translate to the public. Best performed song of the set was Intersexual. The surprise and certainly in the top 3 of best gigs this year is courtesy of Kraftwerk. They blew me away. Those old German geezers still performed with a minimal of content but a perfect, spotless, amazing set. Best songs in the set where Man machine and Radio activity, although when they started The model the crowd went through the roof. If you get the change to see them perform, don't hesitate!

The next day Garbage wasn't doing to bad, although it seemed they had a hard time getting the people in the right mood, although that didn't stop Shirley Manson to show us her ass, yep, nothing beats showing your ass in front of 70.000 people, except playing a great version of Push it. As far as I know, the only Dutch singing band on Werchter this year was Monza, which is a reincarnation of Noordkaap. People who know Stijn Meuris, know he is a real performer. It seems like he gets consumed by his own music once he is on stage, this time it was not different. Funny was the way they dressed up, like a band from the 60's or something, looking like they walked out of a bad episode of Happy Days. The set was dead on; new work, older work and even several oldies from the Noordkaap repertoire. Ik hou van U had the usual effect, although Panamarenko was my favorite. The happy punk songs and excellent show of Greenday did nothing but confirm this had been a great second day. The band sure knows how to entertain, fireworks, interaction with the crowd, and although I saw them already once and this was mostly a rehash it didn't bore for one second. Again they selected 3 people to come on stage and play a song, this time they even gave away their guitar. And although it is a punk band and they are naughty they are mostly entertaining and I'm sure they gain a few fans each time. It is difficult to pick their best performed song, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be Boulevard of broken dreams.

Everybody who knows me, should know that Millionaire is one of my favorite bands, since Tim Vanhamel is an ex Evil Superstar and he is not afraid of trying new things and touching the boundaries of musical genres. Anyway, after a few songs Mauro came on stage and played one song along. Great, great, great! The set however was mostly made up out of new songs, so I didn't know that many of them. Played very loud and required some effort to appreciate. Surprise nr.2 of the festival was Interpol, as I don't really like their songs when played on the radio, they are not bad at all, but they seem a bit over-hyped. Still I must confess to being totally blown away by the set they played. Perfectly played, enjoyable music and the crowd loved every second of it. Although there wasn't much going on on stage, except some light effects, the music did all it had to do and impressed. Best performed song was Evil. Go see this band if you get the chance.

Zita swoon is really transforming as a band, going back to their roots, which are Moondog Jr. Gone are the days of disco and Banana Queens, back are the gentle, relaxed songs. I really like this band, no matter how they play their music, however some of their songs don't translate to this relaxed musical way of playing (like banana queen), but the overall set was beautifull, an oasis of love and wisdom. The side effect of playing this way is that the crowd is not easily pumped up, so it was difficult for them to get interaction at some times. Still it rates as one of the best performances this year, best played song was Jintro and the great Luna. I like the Foo's more then Nirvana. And it seems there is nothing that can get in the way of these party animals. What a perfect set! This was not the first time I saw them, but certainly the best. Although the sound was hard, rough and loud it was also very clear and perfectly performed. Best song; My hero

Bands that should be avoided at all costs are: Snoop dogg, Within temptation, Faithless, Audioslave and propably others but I didn't have a change to see everything.