SpecOps Labs offers $10,000 to Emulator Developers

mparaz writes "SpecOps Labs, the makers of the "David" Windows emulator previously accused of ripping off WINE, are offering $10,000 to a team who can build a Windows XP emulator in 15 days. " This whole thing reads really strangely to me.

I wonder...

[ackthpt (218170)]

How much would the pay for a Linux emulator running on Windows XP?

must be able to run David in it.

In Unrelated News...

[flyingsquid (813711)]

SpecOps Labs insists that this has nothing to do with the fact that they have told their investors that the company will have a completed Windows emulator product fifteen days from now...

Re:In Unrelated News...

[op12 (830015)]

And that they need to borrow $10000.

I'll give $5...

[by Anonymous Coward]

I'll give $5 to the first team to write an X-Box 360 emulator for Windows, but you have to have it finished in 3 days.

Any takers?

Re:I'll give $5...

[Hogwash McFly (678207)]

You whippersnappers, thinking you've got it hard. Back in my day, we had to write a Dreamcast emulator in Win95 Solitaire (with fully working audio) each and every day using keyboards with only Q, 8, ) and Scroll Lock on 'em. And our mice didn't have fancy multiple axes on 'em like you young punks have, we had to make do with just X! After a 16 hour shift the only reward we got was a slap round the face with a huge trout, on both cheeks, but we were glad for it! Visual Basic? Luxury!

cheap labour

[kamikazejay (824744)]

from TFI: 4. System becomes the property of SpecOpS Laboratories.
I doubt many people will be willing to build their product for them, for just $10,000 anyway

you knew it was coming...

[Viper Daimao (911947)]

System.out.println(bsod.gif);

Do I win?

Re:you knew it was coming...

[Lehk228 (705449)]

the gif patents have expired

A from-scratch implementation in 15 days?

[defile (1059)]

That's totally impossible. Even if you had a trillion dollars it'd be impossible.

Whoever made that offer doesn't understand software or, more likely, is trying to encourage someone to spend 15 days obfuscating WINE to deliver it to him so he can start selling and then plausibly deny it when it comes up.

An XP emulator is not what they're asking for.

[Fly (18255)]

The summary of this story is a misunderstanding or fabrication. The offer appears to be for an XP application installer solution for Wine, not for an XP emulator. Then again, maybe the Full Text post and mirror are fabrications, but from what I read, they just want the installer, not a full XP emulator.

15 days!?!?!?

[Spy der Mann (805235)]

This is *RIDICULOUS*. Assumming the Wine team only worked 2 hour per day, they've been at least 5 years working on it, which means 3650 hours.

Working 24 hours-a-day, 15 days would only mean 360 hours. Assumming they're not the EA-slavery kind of guys and give decent schedules (12 hours a day), that'd be 180 hours.

It's impossible, period. I say we bring the whole GNU community and investigate them.

Re:15 days!?!?!?

[MoogMan (442253)]

It's impossible, period. I say we bring the whole GNU community and investigate them.

Why? Who cares? This is what they would want. I say we ignore them and deny them of their publicity.

Obg. Star Trek:

[Skadet (528657)]

Geordi: We can do it! Picard: Good! Geordi: It'll take 15 years, and an engineering team of 100, but we can do it. Picard: ....

No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

[ultrafastneal (894807)]

They are just trying to get something for nothing, and they have a deadline. They obviously need to get this done quickly, and cannot afford to pay a developer team to write it.

Do they really think anyone in the open source community will be their personal slave for a few thousand dollars? Nice try, but anyone talented and fast enough to write this thing in 15 days doesn't need their money.

An Installer, rather than emulator

[by Anonymous Coward]

This reads (or skims, the way I read it) more like they want an intaller than an emulator. Doesn't it say needs to run on WINE?

Full text

[mparaz (31980)]

I made another copy of the text [pinoytechblog.com]:

SpecOpS Laboratories

$10,000 Open Challenge

                        SpecOpS Laboratories (SpecOpS Labs) invites the Philippine ICT Community to participate in the DAVID Project. We are seeking a highly talented Consultant or Consulting Team that can contribute to the DAVID Project.

                        SpecOpS Labs is searching the Philippines for Systems-Level Hacker/s to serve as Development Consultant to the DAVID Project. As proof or our sincerity, we are offering US$10,000.00* to the first Consultant or Consulting Team who can take our challenge and prove their capabilities. Our challenge requires the delivery of a solution that will allow an MS-XP compatible application to install and run under Linux using x.org and open source WINE by October 5, 2005.

                        So, take the challenge now!

Criteria to Award and Conditions:

1. System has no proprietary software imbedded / required.

2. System is stable.

3. MS-XP compatible modules / functions are working as expected.

4. System becomes the property of SpecOpS Laboratories.

Registration Procedure:

1. Send us an Email indicating your intent to take up the challenge at [e-mail]. Attach your CV(s) or company profile (if applicable).

2. SpecOpS will Email you the Challenge Registration Form and further instructions.

Challenge Activities:

1. Present the running solution at SpecOpS Labs office before October 5, 2005.

2. Validation of solution using SpecOpS Labs's criteria.

3. Award immediately.

* All monies in this challenge are subject to tax. The decision of SpecOpS Labs for the award is final.

Poor Westley

[mblase (200735)]

SpecOps Labs are offering $10,000 to a team who can build a Windows XP emulator in 15 days.

And what are our assets?

Your brains, his beowulf cluster, and my codebase.

That's it? Impossible. If I had a month to plan, maybe I could come up with something, but this?

Looking for a cutout

[jalefkowit (101585)]

As I read it, it sounds like they are looking for a cutout.

This bit in the contest terms caught my attention:

1. System has no proprietary software imbedded / required.

So why would you set up a contest that you know nobody could win by following the rules?

Let's say that you represent an organization whose Windows emulation solution was to rip off someone else's solution (in this case, Crossover Office).

The owners of that original solution find out and you're busted. So now you're back to square one.

You could, of course, try to roll your own Windows emulator. But as others have pointed out, that's way more than fifteen days of work.

You could also license Crossover Office from Codeweavers. But for purposes of our discussion let's assume that you're a cheap SOB and won't do that.

So what you might do is decide to continue using ripped-off software, but this time, to do so using a cutout -- a third party standing between you and the code. In this case the cutout is the person who submitted the entry that won.

That way, when Codeweavers (or whoever) comes calling, you can say "But we're victims too! We were assured that the product didn't contain any proprietary IP! Look, it's right in the rules for submission!" And so the liability shifts from you to whover "fooled" you by submitting the ripped off software.

(Of course, if I were Codeweavers in that situation I'd argue that you should have inspected the software to ensure it met your rules before paying out the $10K. But maybe these guys haven't thought that far...)

By setting a ridiculously short deadline, you can be sure that any takers are going to be giving you exactly what you want -- someone else's ripped-off IP -- instead of trying to actually solve the problem from scratch.

Now you've got what you wanted without getting your hands dirty -- you have a fall guy to pass the buck to.

That's the only reasonable explanation I can come up with for why you would construct such a ridiculous contest, anyway...

What goes around...

[sstidman (323182)]

Ha...it looks like someone tried to pull a fast one on SpecOps Labs. From their Investor Relations page [specopslabs.com]:

PUBLIC WARNING

The website listed at domain name http://specops.jeff.net.ru/ [jeff.net.ru] is no way affiliated with Specops Laboratories, Philippines; the unscrupulous owners of the aforementioned website are infringing on our copyrighted material and have no authorization to represent our company in any fashion.

We believe that the purpose of this web site may to mislead the public and to defraud unsuspecting persons. We are now conducting an investigation to determine the person(s) behind this fraud and we will be seeking assistant from legal authorities in the appropriate jurisdiction. If you have any information about the person(s) involved in this fraud please contact us at [e-mail]

The website they mention is gone, but you can still see most of it using Googles cache [64.233.161.104] or via using Archive.org.

Re:10K, Thats all?

[AKAImBatman (238306)]

That's because the story poster needs to read a litte more carefully:

As
proof or our sincerity, we are offering US$10,000.00* to the first
Consultant or Consulting Team who can take our challenge and prove their
capabilities. Our challenge requires the delivery of a solution that
will allow an MS-XP compatible application to install and run under
Linux using x.org and open source WINE by October 5, 2005.

In other words, if you can upgrade WINE to handle a new application in 15 days, they'll give you a $10,000 hiring bonus. At least, that's my interpretation.

Re:10K, Thats all?

[justforaday (560408)]

The posting makes it sound like they have a specific app in mind. You email them indicating that you're interested and they email back a challenge registration form along with further instructions (I take this to be the "details" part).

Re:10K, Thats all?

[AKAImBatman (238306)]

1. System has no proprietary software imbedded / required.

This is important to the contest, because WINE *can* use Windows DLLs. If you patch in a Windows DLL to get the code working, then that's considered cheating.

2. System is stable.

Whatever.

3. MS-XP compatible modules / functions are working as expected.

i.e. The program doesn't have oddities like unimplemented dialog boxes, or images that don't get loaded. The complete API used by the program must function.

4. System becomes the property of SpecOpS Laboratories.

They will take your changes and make them their own, but you get the $10,000. Whatever.

extremely vague.

I agree. Anyone looking to take up this challenge should contact SpecOps Labs and first verify the details of the contest. It would suck to pick something like Microsoft Calculator to implement only to have SpecOps say that it doesn't count. Of course, maybe nothing counts. Maybe they'll reject all entries on some technicality expecting to pick up the code when the developers give up and give their changes to the WINE project. *shrug*

I wonder ...

[Ungrounded Lightning (62228)]

I wonder if:
  - the management already sold "their" windows emulator to somebody,
  - has finally figured out that "their" windows emulator is a thinly-disguised, nearly verbatim copy of wine, in violation of the license terms,
  - they need to deliver Real Soon Now,
  - have very little money, and
  - are trying very hard to bail themselves out before the delivery date.

Re:10K, Thats all?

[cdrudge (68377)]

If you can do this in 15 days working 8 hours a day, I'll guarantee you can demand more then $83/hour in the open market.

XP OS - Games

[SeanDuggan (732224)]

The game support (and isn't Games why most people running Linux maintain a Windows partition) in XP was better than in 2000, which was supposed to be more of a work OS. And, as useless as they usually are, the "compatibility mode" option for running programs occasionally comes in very handy.