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SpecOps Labs offers $10,000 to Emulator Developers 270
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.
15 days (Score:3, Funny)
Re:15 days (Score:2)
Re:15 days (Score:2, Funny)
XP OS - Games (Score:5, Informative)
Re:XP OS - Games (Score:2)
Not really, no
which is also available in Windows 2000 service packs 2 and above
whenever it happens to actually work (like... once in a blue moon or something)
Seriously, the only things that XP has above 2k are:
Re:XP OS - Games (Score:2, Informative)
which is also available in Windows 2000 service packs 2 and above
Apparently it is. I didn't know that until you mentioned it just now; that's because Microsoft have hidden it as carefully as they could, to the extent that you have to run a cryptic command line to enable it. (If anyone else is interested, the details are here [microsoft.com].)
Seriously, the only things that XP has above 2k are:
I wonder... (Score:5, Funny)
must be able to run David in it.
Re:I wonder... (Score:3, Informative)
Otherwise, there was a Linux emulator-like program called LINE -- it didn't get very far [sourceforge.net].
Re:I wonder... (Score:2)
OTOH cygwin is good enough for most people.
Re:I wonder... (Score:3, Interesting)
It was never going to "work" with many linux apps for the same reason that debian/cygwin failed.
The windows file system semantics are too kack and too much software is written with unix-style sematics assumed, i.e. case-sensitive, delete or rename in-use files, etc.
I got really excited when I first saw it but it is plain why they stopped after proof of concept.
Sam
Re:I wonder... (Score:3, Funny)
Hey! I have a brother named David! If I take a movie of him repeating saying "i am a linux emulator" while he runs in place ontop a retail box of Microsoft XP, do I get $10,000?
MS v.s. Linux? (Score:3, Funny)
Linux dev time making Windows: 15 days.
Re:MS v.s. Linux? (Score:2)
Maybe.. (Score:3, Funny)
In Unrelated News... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:In Unrelated News... (Score:5, Funny)
Hrm (Score:2)
Re:Hrm (Score:3, Informative)
From the requirements:
1. System has no proprietary software imbedded / required.
Loading a copy of Windows XP would be considered "proprietary software".
I'll give $5... (Score:4, Funny)
Any takers?
Re:I'll give $5... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I'll give $5... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I'll give $5... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I'll give $5... (Score:3)
Re:I'll give $5... (Score:3, Informative)
Our Emulators Emulate YOU!
Re:I'll give $5... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:I'll give $5... (Score:2)
cheap labour (Score:5, Insightful)
I doubt many people will be willing to build their product for them, for just $10,000 anyway
Re:cheap labour (Score:2)
What the hell?
Re:cheap labour (Score:3, Informative)
Note that copyright ownership *does not* automatically revert to the original author unless you explicity transfer the rights.
Re:cheap labour (Score:2)
you knew it was coming... (Score:5, Funny)
Do I win?
Re:you knew it was coming... (Score:2, Funny)
You should use png instead
32 bit alpha transparent goodness, just like vista will have.
Re:you knew it was coming... (Score:5, Informative)
A from-scratch implementation in 15 days? (Score:4, Insightful)
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.
Re:A from-scratch implementation in 15 days? (Score:3, Informative)
Totally agree.. that is utterly insane and any team that *could* do it would certainly be worth much more than $10,000
"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."
Nail. Head.
Re:A from-scratch implementation in 15 days? (Score:3, Insightful)
An XP emulator is not what they're asking for. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:A from-scratch implementation in 15 days? (Score:2)
0010 = 2
15 days!?!?!? (Score:4, Insightful)
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!?!?!? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why? Who cares? This is what they would want. I say we ignore them and deny them of their publicity.
Re:15 days!?!?!? (Score:2)
Got it.
Re:15 days!?!?!? (Score:2)
WINE Is Not an Emulator
Obg. Star Trek: (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Obg. Star Trek: (Score:2, Informative)
The exact dialogue was:
GEORDI Captain, we can do it! We can modify the transporters.
PICARD Excellent.
GEORDI It'll take fifteen years, and a research team of a hundred --
PICARD (dryly) Mister La Forge, I believe we will postpone
Re:Obg. Star Trek: (Score:2, Informative)
No Such Thing as a Free Lunch (Score:4, Insightful)
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.
Schneier (Score:3, Interesting)
An Installer, rather than emulator (Score:5, Informative)
Correct Re:An Installer, rather than emulator (Score:2)
Don't feed Spec Op Labs (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Don't feed Spec Op Labs (Score:2)
Re:Don't feed Spec Op Labs (Score:3, Funny)
Indeed. I found humor in the fact that SpecOps Labs' acronym is S.O.L.?
Full text (Score:5, Informative)
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 ablang@specoplabs.com. 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.
Present the running solution at SpecOpS Labs offic (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Present the running solution at SpecOpS Labs of (Score:2)
Re:Full text (Score:2)
"2. System is stable."
Tom
Re:Full text (Score:4, Funny)
Wait. Do you want this to emulate Windows XP, or do you want it to be stable?
Re:Full text (Score:2)
The first is technically impossible, even with the WINE codebase to work with. The second is theoretically possible, with a large enough staff, and given the application - and might even be worth the effort. But it doesn't appear to be the case.
Re:Full text (Score:2)
So theoretically if I can get any one MS-XP compatible application to install and work on Linux I get $10000. The easiest would probably be a screensaver. Who's with me?
This is so transparent (Score:2)
System is stable. - Defined how? What criteria will be used to judge stability?
SpecOpS will Email you the Challenge Registration Form and further instructions. - Which tells us that the text we're reading isn't the true offer.
Validation of the solution using SpecOpS Lab's criteria - Again, we don't know what the criteria are, and if they don't stip
Strategic partners (Score:2)
http://www.specopslabs.com/partners-stratigicpart
Done (Score:4, Funny)
Now show me the money!
See, they can't do it... (Score:2, Insightful)
Poor Westley (Score:5, Funny)
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?
Re:Poor Westley (Score:3, Funny)
With the penguin, I think.
Why didn't you list that among our assets in the first place? What I wouldn't give for a licensing agreement.
There we cannot help you.
Would this do?
Where did you get that?
At Silly Stallman's. It fit so nice, he said I could use it.
What? (Score:3, Interesting)
Of course, knowing the recent quality of Slashdot summaries and headlines, it's probably something completely different; probably "extend WINE (or the company's fork) to be fully Windows XP compatible".
I win! (Score:4, Funny)
We've seen these folks before...Serious Vaporware! (Score:4, Interesting)
DAVID is Windows compatibility middleware, which enables all major Microsoft Windows applications to run on the free and open source Linux OS.
Except, David (what they're promoting above) doesn't exist. Never has. Never will.
OK, fine. Here's your app. It's notepad.exe, and you can find it on your Win95 CD. Extract it from the cabfile and rename it. Throw dat sucker onto a FAT16 formatted floppy.
Stick the floppy in your XP box. a:\notepad.exe. Did it run? Awesome. First criterion settled. an MS-XP compatible application
Now, boot knoppix. Stick the floppy in your (currently) linux box. mount -t vfat
ALT-F2, konsole, (so we can watch), cd
Where's my ten grand?
SpecOpS were VC fishing... (Score:3, Interesting)
SpecOpS Labs slaims in 1 year time-lapse...
Looking for a cutout (Score:5, Interesting)
As I read it, it sounds like they are looking for a cutout.
This bit in the contest terms caught my attention:
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...
Deadlines... (Score:3, Funny)
Heh, this is ridiculous... (Score:2, Interesting)
Yes, yes it does. (Score:2)
Yes, yes it does. Specially that phrase. Thanks for the lovely grammar lesson, Taco.
What goes around... (Score:5, Interesting)
$10,000 (Score:3, Insightful)
If, in 15 days, I write such an emulator, I will be selling it, rather than giving it away for $10,000.
Re:Job Recuitment? (Score:3, Insightful)
$10K for 15 days work? I dunno, that seems rather good for one person, but one person couldn't pull it off. Water it down over a dev team and it certainly looks less attactive, but it would probably look pretty good on a resume.
Re:Job Recuitment? (Score:2)
Works for me!
--
telnet://sinep.gotdns.com [gotdns.com] -- TW2002, LORD, and USURPER registered!
Re:Job Recuitment? (Score:2)
Re:10K, Thats all? (Score:5, Informative)
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? (Score:3, Informative)
"perfect wine for us in 15 days and we'll give you ten grand".
************
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.
************
extremely vague. you can run some games and applications as expected right now so that can't possibly be what they're after, nor can they be looki
Re:10K, Thats all? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:10K, Thats all? (Score:5, Interesting)
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*
Re:10K, Thats all? (Score:4, Funny)
I thought this was supposed to be an XP emulator.
I wonder ... (Score:5, Insightful)
- 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:I wonder ... (Score:2, Insightful)
Judging from the responses, no one read the article (or at least the second post from the top). I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's just the usual Slashdot GroupThink(TM) resulting in a knee-jerk reaction.
Re:I wonder ... (Score:3, Interesting)
I just posted the link to this press release [turbolinux.com] in a sibling post.
I think that both are related.
depends on where you are (Score:3, Insightful)
Funny they get back to us, the local developers, when their president declared there's no talent here [pinoytechblog.com] and wanted to move on to India and Vietnam for his requirements.
Reminds me of RentACoder & the Bangaloreans. (Score:2)
Doesn't seem like much money to me
Just yesterday, I was surfing some code-for-hire sites, like RentACoder, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
People were asking for what I would consider to be $50,000-$100,000 worth of custom software, but were listing the projects with opening bid estimates at like $100.
Good grief, I thought: Bangalorean peasants would starve to death if they bid on those contracts.
As for SpecOps Labs, I sure as hell didn't RTFA, but just glancing at the headlines would lead
Re:10K, Thats all? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Gentoo?? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Gentoo?? (Score:2)
Re:Emulation (Score:3)
Re:Emulation (Score:2)
Re:Emulation (Score:2)
So what if you need to do both, you have one box, and dual booting isn't an option?
The reason to run Windows apps under Linux (Score:2)
And so I can open that Excel doc a client sent that uses VB for part of it's calculations.
Oh! Another reason (Score:3, Funny)
To watch pirated porn that's in WMV format.
That's a lot easier if you just run Windows Media Player under Linux.
Re:Oh! Another reason (Score:2)
Re:Emulation (Score:2)
Because Emulation is amazing... (Score:2)
Re:Microsoft maybe? (Score:3, Funny)
I strongly doubt it'll be finished in 15 days.