中秋节快乐 Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节Zhōngqiūjié), together with the Spring Festival(春节Chūnjié), Dragon Boat Festival(端午节Duānwǔjié), Qing Ming Festival(清明节Qīngmíngjié) are four of China’s major traditional festivals. It was celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar moon, around the time of the autumn equinox. In the Western calendar, the day of the festival usually occurred sometime between the second week of September and the second week of October.

Microsoft confirms open-source code in Windows 7 utility

When I read the title of this article "Microsoft confirms open-source code in Windows 7 utility", I was happy that Microsoft adopted Open Source. However, if Microsoft did not publish their source code, it had violated GPLv2 instead.

* By Kurt Mackie
* Nov 16, 2009

Microsoft confirmed Nov. 13 that the utility software used to install Windows 7 inadvertently contained open-source GNU code.

Microsoft's Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool facilitates the creation of a Windows 7 ISO image that can be stored on bootable USB or DVD media. It's particularly helpful for installing Windows 7 on netbooks, which typically lack CD or DVD drives.

The tool uses General Public License Version 2 (GPLv2) code, said Peter Galli, open-source community manager at Microsoft's Platform Strategy Group.

"After looking at the code in question, we are now able to confirm this was indeed the case, although it was not intentional on our part," Galli wrote on Microsoft's "Port 25" blog.

Galli said a third party had developed the tool, and Microsoft had failed to detect the GPLv2 code when reviewing the project. The tool appears to have been removed from the Microsoft Store, though at press time, CNet's Download.com Web site still offered it as a free download.

Windows blogger Rafael Rivera Jr. was the first to note that the tool's code had been lifted from the ImageMaster project on Microsoft's open-source CodePlex site. The project has since been removed from the site.

However, rather than eliminating the tool's code, Microsoft plans to make it publicly available in accordance the GPLv2 license. Users of GPL code are free to modify it for their purposes but then must share the modified code.

"As a result, we will be making the source code as well as binaries for this tool available next week under the terms of the General Public License v2 as described here and are also taking measures to apply what we have learned from this experience for future code reviews we perform," Galli wrote.

Violations of the license are a daily occurrence, said Bradley Kuhn, policy analyst and technology director at the Software Freedom Law Center. He provided some reporting guidelines in a recent blog post for those who help track GPL violations.

In other software intellectual property news, the Groklaw Web site said Nov. 11 that it appeared that Microsoft had received a patent on sudo, a command-line interface commonly used in open-source Linux operating systems. Groklaw, which tracks free software and legal issues related to open-source technology, pointed to Patent No. 7617530, which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently granted to Microsoft. The patent's description matched that of sudo, according to Groklaw.

However, Seattle-PI reporter Nick Eaton interviewed one of the maintainers of sudo, Todd Miller, about the patent. Miller said Microsoft's technology differed from sudo.

"I really don't think that that patent applies to sudo," Miller told Seattle-PI. "I read through it, and it seems to be something completely different."

About the Author

Kurt Mackie is online news editor, Enterprise Group, at 1105 Media Inc.

source : http://gcn.com/articles/2009/11/16/windows-7-general-public-license-gpl-code.aspx

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri 1429

Taking this opportunity to wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri 1429.

Chinese Valentine's Day

Chinese Valentine's Day, or Qixi, falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. According to Chinese legend, a beloved couple, a cowherd and a weaver, are allowed to meet only once a year in heaven on this day.

This year, Qixi fall on 26 Aug 2009. In Singapore, there is no celebration which I know of, however, in China many couples throughout the country are set to celebrate in both modern and traditional ways.



In Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, a large-scale festival will be held at the Huaqing Pool. Residents have been invited to contribute love stories, with 77 pieces, representing the seventh day of the seventh month, being read aloud. 77 couples will participate in a collective wedding ceremony, Tang Dynasty style.



In Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County in south China's Hainan Province, young people spray water to each other during the Double Seventh Festival

Happy National Day 2009

List of National Day Award 2009


http://www.pmo.gov.sg/NationalHonoursandAwards/2009/

Happy Vesak Day 2553

Happy Vesak Day to all Buddhist! Vesak day is celebrated by Buddhist from all over the world to commemorate the birth and enlightenment of Guatama Buddha. Apart from traditions like prayers, chants - practicing compassion and goodwill are equally important - therefore observing vegetarian meals and giving gifts to the needy or old folks homes are also commonly practice.

Puthaandu

Today (14 April 2009), is the Tamil New Year.

I dont even know about it until I read the CNA website.

Singapore's Tamil, Sri Lankan and Sikh communities celebrate New Year
By Pavalam Pavalakantham, Channel NewsAsia
Posted: 14 April 2009 1620 hrs

Indian Sikh devotee

SINGAPORE : Singapore's Tamil, Sri Lankan and Sikh communities celebrate their New Year on Tuesday.

"Puthaandu" or better known as Tamil New Year is celebrated on the first day of the Tamil calendar traditionally in mid-April.

It is observed by people of Tamil origin in India and by the Tamil population in Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. The Sikhs celebrate Vesakhi.

Special prayers at the temple and new traditional clothes are the order of the day for most of the communities.

There is also special vegetarian food prepared at home to welcome the new year.

The first month of the Tamil New Year is called Chithirai, and it is based on the Hindu solar calendar. Altogether there are 12 months.

The Tamil New Year begins with the same date which is observed by most traditional calendars, and it has a 60 year cycle.

Over at the Sri Lankan High Commissioner's residence, the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils celebrate the day with traditional rituals like boiling milk, preparing traditional food and playing folk games.

This is the only festival both Sri Lankan communities celebrate together - illustrating their cultural traditions. - CNA /ls