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Linux Software

Mad Dog Goes Underground 68

Posted by Hemos from the underground-tokyo dept.
Thanks to John Mark Walker for sending over a great spoof video performed by Jon "mad dog" Hall -and given the recent "myth debunking by Microsoft, the linux4u project seems timely. The project is intended to educate the corporate setting about the benefits of Linux. Grab the Mad Dog videos (high bandwidth) here and (low bandwith) here and see what I mean about mad dog going underground. RealPlayer is required.
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Mad Dog Goes Underground More

Mad Dog Goes Underground

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  • Thank you for that link :o) The video is just awesome.... and what that guy's saying is, well, true hehe Anyone have links to more such like stuff? *g*
  • Glad I caught it now...
    How long will it be before a site with a 300kb video stream is slashdotted? Not long I bet ;-)
    Is really amusing though.. Wish I could figgure out how to save it with the free realplayer alpha...

  • Unfortunately, the whole point of real player is to *prevent* you from saving it. I wish there was a MPEG or such avalible.

  • From the timeline of e-seminars...

    Oct. 27th
    Linux in Mission Critical Applications - Brookhaven National Labs


    It's nice to know they aren't using NT...

  • Been there, done that (Score:3)

    by cowboy junkie ( 35926 ) on Thursday October 07, 1999 @09:55AM (#1630945) Homepage
    Wow - this has to be the least insightful piece I've ever seen on posted on /. It's nothing that hasn't been said 10,000,000 times here before. It's just wrapped up in an unfunny, high-bandwidth package. I love Linux, but this is just silly...
  • I must have missed yesterday's article about Mad Dog going Underground.

  • Re:Cool... (Score:3)

    by Wolfier ( 94144 ) on Thursday October 07, 1999 @10:13AM (#1630947)
    There is a program I know that can download files using the pnm protocol. It requires Windows, though.
    (I'm sure that some Linux program for this exist, just too lazy to look for them now because I'm at work ;p)

    Get it at
    ht tp://hotfiles.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/texis/swlib/hotfil es/info.html?fcode=000T36&b= [zdnet.com]
    Download the .ram file and open it with a text editor to reveal the pnm location.

  • But the server is already starting to get slashdotted.

    Check out the fragments of code flying around in the background. Kernel source? Crypto code?

    Now, if only Hemos would fix the post to read correctly. The video is of Jon 'Maddog' Hall, for those who haven't seen him speak (bouncing and handwaving included)

    the AC
  • It's a real player file, you know, the program that plays Real Audio and Real Video. I'm not sure if it runs on Sparc, but you can check it at www.real.com [real.com].

  • Umm this is interesting? (Score:3)

    by JB ( 8504 ) on Thursday October 07, 1999 @10:23AM (#1630950)
    Was this video supposed to be funny? It was just some old guy with a beard telling us how Linux is stable and easy to administer. Duh. This is non-news.

    On the other hand, check out the latest Cringley column which talks about the bogus Israeli claim of the 12 ms 512 bit RSA crack. Also talks about how Jane's used /. input to re-write their article. And he says that that was a BAD idea. There's something to talk about.

    JB

  • Why do they require us to register? (Score:3)

    by Ungrounded Lightning ( 62228 ) on Thursday October 07, 1999 @10:23AM (#1630951) Journal
    One thing that bugs me about the seminar: It requires you to register to watch it.

    Why is that? They don't seem to be asking for money - just names and email addresses. If I register, will I get spammed? Will I get billed later?

    Banner ads are bad enough - more spam is a nightmare.

  • Doesn't the realplayer "plus" or whatever allow you to save streams? I thought that was one of it's main selling points... That's what they say on their site anyway...

  • Linux4u Seminars are Lame. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    I was hoping this topic might come up on slashdot. I am subscribed to receive notice of the Linux4u seminars. I've watched them and can honestly say they are a waste of time. Most slashdotters will learn nothing new. I wouldn't even recommend to uninformed management. But watch them yourself and I think you'll agree with me.

  • It's the streaming protocol for RealPlayer stuff. I'm pretty sure that there's nothing that even pretends to be a RealPlayer for ANY form of *NIX.

    And no plans for one, either.

  • Ah, an email address only consists of 3 letters, an "@", and a dot. it's worth it to hear that guy laugh, i thought that was hilarious
  • Personally, I think is a good idea - getting videos out that corporate people understand. It's a good answer to the marketing that Microsoft do, and its similar to some of thier presentations.

    The people that are being used are respected people in the industry and if yiu are looking for a way to convince your corporate ladder this sort of thing is a good way to go.

    The advancement of Linux, especially in critical areas is something thats more needed. People have to be willing to get it publicised too. Without good publicity and good presentations its always going to be seen in the light of the Microsoft FUD.

    Once Linux gets more publicity in areas that are critical it will start getting a wider industry approval, and especially if presentations and seminars like this are done more.

    When I got Linux into my workplace, I won it on the cost argument, but thats not always going to work. Being able to reference seminars like this is always a good thing.
  • I meant that you could see if they had a Real Player for a Sparc machine. I guess I should have made that clearer. They don't (as far as I know) release their source.

  • Unfortunately, the whole point of real player is to *prevent* you from saving it. I wish there was a MPEG or such avalible.

    This is easy enough to get around. Streaming Realplayer files come in two pieces; the audio/video clip itself (.ra for pure audio, .rm for movies), and a stub file, which has a .ram extension. The .ram file is just a 1-line text file which points to the URL of the actual content. This is so the browser knows to start the streaming media player plugin, rather than having the download the whole X megabytes of content first.

    In most cases, you can just download the .ram file to find out the URL of the actual content, and then get your browser (or better yet, something like wget) to pull down the .ra or .rm file for your archives. Of course, this doesn't work with "live" streaming content (like a concert simulcast) but for any pre-recorded clip it should work just fine.

  • Well, since Real [real.com] has native players for several Unix flavors there is no need for something that pretends to be one.
    ---
  • *feeding the troll*
  • No it doesn't. I used the software and downloaded the high-bandwidth version, it is almost exactly 3 Mb in size.

    I guess I'll take it home and watch it there...(no speaker at work, duh)
  • I must be doing something wrong then. I downloaded the .ram file, which gave me the real .rm file: pnm://rvarc001.broadcast.com/events/valinux/maddog _spoof_300.rm

    But when I use wget to get it, it tries to think it's from an FTP server.

    wget pnm://rvarc001.broadcast.com/events/valinux/maddog _spoof_300.rm
    --17:57:53-- ftp://pnm:21/%2Frvarc001.broadcast.com/events/vali nux/maddog_spoof_300.rm
    => `maddog_spoof_300.rm'
    Connecting to pnm:21...
    pnm: Host not found

    How do I get past that?
  • Old guy with a beard??? How long have you been using Linux? 3 weeks?

    Geesh! Next thing you know we'll have people on here how don't know who Alan Cox is!!
  • And this [1wh.com] is what a screenshot will look like : )
  • It's clear these aren't made for us, but for "them". Still, I think "they" will have as hard a time as I'm having staying awake over them.
    --
  • For those newbies who don't know who John "Maddog" Hall is....

    He's the Executive Director of Linux International, and a well known Linux advocate and developer. (to give you an idea how well known, a Google search for "John Maddog Hall" turned up 1030 entries. Not many of us can claim to be that well known). According to the www.opensource.org website, he is also one of the creaters of the phrase "opensource".

    Here's his bio from the Linux International web site...


    Jon "maddog" Hall

    Address: 80 Amherst St., Amherst N.H. 03031-3032, U.S.A.
    E-Mail: maddog@valinux.com
    Employer: VA Linux Systems


    Description: Jon has been in the computer industry for over a quarter century, 17 years of that with UNIX. He has been a software engineer, systems administrator, product manager, marketing manager and professional educator. Before accepting a job at VA Linux Systems working full time for Linux International, Jon was employed by Compaq Computer Corporation in the Digital UNIX Marketing group and Bell Laboratories. Before that he was Department Head of Computer Science at Hartford State Technical College, where his students lovingly (he hopes) gave him the nickname maddog. Maddog as he perfers to be called, has an MS in Computer Science from RPI (1977) and a BS in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University (1973).


  • he was the guy who arranged for Digital to ship one of their hot new Alpha systems to Linus. And this was when Alpha was still really new (eg 93 or something). Linus did the basic port to it in something like 2 weeks. The first ever port of linux.

    He's been pushing linux inside DEC/Compaq ever since. Mad Dog had the kind of standing to push linux at the boardroom level. So Compaq's pro-linux attitude is due to him in no small way.

    He also been a great Ambassador for linux, and has been an active member of Linux International for a very long time.

    One of linux's more low-profile, but most influential proponents.
  • If you don't get it, you haven't been there, done that. To know mad dog is to love mad dog. And you're right. It is silly. So is Linux in it's own ways.
  • Ummm....Alan who?

    All these acronyms, so little time.
  • seems like linux4u definately has a good intention. it also has well-known figures in opensource community and IT world.
    but is it really wise to put it on the net as video?
    there's quite a bit of material on this subject, readily available for viewing on the net.
    i personally think a good collection of several such resources would have a similar effect,
    instead of wasting lots of bandwidth (money?) on videos.
    it's also interesting to note that several of those giving speeches in the subject have written these documents.
    have a look at these few urls, which probably encapsulate what the videos do, at a fragment of the data
    www.linux.com
    www.opensource.org - tech cases, explanation of opensource and businessperson/customer cases
    www.samba.org
    www.redhat.com
    and so on... this is the internet! the data is out there! why send it out on bandwidth-consuming video?

    sidenote: bandwidth is a very precious resource where i live (outside the states), so that's a touchy subject...

    ln -s /dev/urandom .signature
  • hmmm, funny or flamebait...you decide.
  • What I hate about this stuff is that there is no option to just freaking download the damn video!

    Look, I live in the country. I have about as much chance of getting broadband access this millenium (i.e. before 2001 because that is the millenium dammit) as Bill Gates using Linux for his house. (less, actually). All I want to do is start a download at the paultry 28.8 kbps I get, and walk away. I'll watch the video when it is finished, whenever that is.

    Some things they stream to keep you from saving a copy, but something by maddog? Where's the "open source" in that? There ought to be an FTP site with the actual .RA file, so that we can just download it.

    This is one of the many areas that Geeks In Space gets right: I can just download the file, and listen when I get it!
  • How many other names have you been here done that with that you can put a face to? Or hear 'em talk and move and advocate? I've got high bandwidth. Include movies with EVERY story. Let's make /. even more freakin' amazing. Get yourself a G4, digival video camera, and start making content. Signal not noise. Maybe in a year or two you can be a milly-on-air like our Taco friend, whatever, just quit bitching.

  • Hey, if someone gets a video of Linus picking his nose and puts it online, should that be front-page news on Slashdot? I've got high bandwidth, too, but it doesn't make this video any more interesting.

    And as for your comment about signal to noise, that's exactly my point. This story was nothing but noise.
  • actually, i thought it was pretty funny. if you don't have something good to say about it, at least be a little more sarcastic and angry...
  • Correct me if I wrong, but Linux doesn't have video editing software, does it?
  • Sorry, but I liked seeing some of the folks I usually only hear about. It's more of the community side than hard news. I think there's room for both. Keeps things interesting and relates to the people, not just the products.
  • RealNetworks sells a copy of their RealProducer for linux. This allows you to create audio/video
    content in the RealMedia format on linux.

    http://www.real.com/products/tools/producerplus/ index.html

    There are free and pay versions available with different levels of functionality. Both support live capture and broadcast to server modes.

  • Guess what?

    There's RealPlayer 5, but not RealPlayer G2.

    So we're still screwed.
  • Yeah, but it still wasn't funny.
  • well ive seen a lot of people flaming this post but i think it is great.
    youve got to remember that most execs dont know ISA from PCI. so a simple yet informative method to get them to realize the value of linux and open source is great. sure no one that has been using linux for a few months is going to learn anything new. but i bet some admins who have used NT all their carreer and want a change are finding it very useful
    the linux4u [linux4u.com] project is a good idea and probably a little bit of what linux needs to get execs to understand the value.

    although thats just my two cents
    tyler
  • Oh look, a flock of pigs has just flown by!


  • What are you using? Linux? If so, then they have a RealPlayer 2 for it. If you are using Red Hat or Mandrake, you have to d/l the beta of Real Player, Real Alpha, because the regular Real Player refuses to work on those distributions. I found that out the hard way. And if you aren't suing Linux, RealPlayer 5 should do just as well.

  • Look, I live in the country. I have about as much chance of getting broadband access this millenium (i.e. before 2001 because that is the millenium dammit) as Bill Gates using Linux for his house. (less, actually).

    Yay, what he said!

    Us net.yokels and net.rednecks demand bandwidth NOW! I mean, what's the fucking point of wiring up towns for cable TV, teleshopping, multi-user chatlines and home offices when the video shop, supermarket, pub and place of work are on their doorstep? These amenities are often not available to rural users where not only remote location, but sheer lack of numbers, make even subsidised facilities uneconomic. And yet it is us folk out in the middle of nowhere who would benefit most!

    If I had a quid for every time a British Telecom operator has said "Well, if you're not happy with line quality, get ISDN or ASDL", and I've said "YOUR COMPANY WON'T GIVE ME ISDN OR ASDL YOU MORON, I LIVE OUT IN THE STICKS [custodian.com], IF IT WASN'T FOR GOVERNMENT REGULATION YOU GUYS WOULDN'T EVEN GIVE ME A 'PHONE LINE!!!" I would be a very rich man.

    ps. 2001 is not the millenium, it's the bi-millenium, and anyway the calendar is at least 6 years out- according to our current calendar, King Herod died in 5BC, at least six years before he ordered the killing of the newborn. Now THAT's what I call a fucking miracle. Christians, eh? Can we say "necromancy", children?

    score -1000 offtopic, flamebait, etc... :-)

    --

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