GNU Hurd

Has anybody here tried the GNU Hurd kernel instead of the Linux kernel?
Or does anybody know anyone who has? (What people generally refer to as Linux is actually GNU/Linux -- a Linux kernel supported by largely GNU software.)

Richard Stallman says that the GNU system, using Hurd as its kernel, "is completely self-contained (you can compile all parts of it using GNU itself). You can run several instances of the Hurd in parallel, and debug even critical servers in one Hurd instance with gdb running on another Hurd instance. You can run the X window system, applications that use it, and advanced server applications like the Apache webserver."

The Hurd is still in its early stages (still has quite a lot of bugs and doesn't handle many devices yet), but it sounds to me like an extremely interesting project. I am especially interested in the fact that different users are able to tinker with, and run, altered kernel parts... and do so without rebooting or affecting other users. Being able to easily accept multiple processors is also neat, as I believe the next big speed revolution will be in parallel processing (after we have run out of cheap improvements to current processor design).

Richard Stallman lists some of Hurd's advantages:
http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd.html

- free, GPL, software
- Unix-compatible
- object-oriented design lets it survive even major rewriting
- scalable for single or multiple processors and network clusters
- every part is designed for easy modification and extension
- users can alter the kernel without rebooting or affecting others
- it exists right now

GNUnet

The GNUnet project for anonymous, censorship-resistant, peer-to-peer networking http://www.gnu.org/software/gnunet/index.html and http://www.ovmj.org/GNUnet/documentation.php3

Cool stuff. Very important in this time of increasing restrictions on freedom.

Propaganda on Radio National

I was listening to the news (something I don't do very often) and was astonished to hear an item about a policeman who has been charged with operating a website with mp3 files on it. I don't really think that qualifies as news, but then they went on to give a whole lot of commercial propaganda about the corporations having millions of dollars "stolen" in this way. Never mind that sharing is not stealing, and never mind that the corporations actually seem to benefit from filesharing (they are just too blind and greedy to see it). Making that kind of misleading value-laden statement is not what I would expect of our national broadcaster. I am very disappointed.

good future in the long-term

I was thinking this morning, that all through history people have gotten sick of listening to those who preach messages of violence and hate.

Fear and violence are potent motivators all too often used by small-minded, sociopathic politicians, and good messages of non-violence and tolerance are usually corrupted later by organised religion and turned inside-out.

Nevertheless I think the long-term future is a good one because no matter how far the pendulum swings toward the bad, people always end up rebelling against it and working toward peace again.