Apparently Ehcache includes an automatic update check that is also effectively a phone home. Terracotta software conveniently collects some extra information (such as your IP address) when Ehcache phones home. The information they collect is benign. But, seriously? A library phoning home, by default?

Who decided it would be a good idea to add this feature to a popular Java library? It’s a transparent attempt at gathering usage statistics.  As a participant in a professional FLOSS project, I can fully identify with the need for knowing who is using your software. But automatically, secretly phoning home is not the way to do it!

Terracotta, will you turn this feature off by default in the next Ehcache release?

I see this issue has come up in forums:

• Ehcache update check
• Can Ehcache check user local info?!
• ehcache 1.7.0 calling home to check for updates?!?!?

Other tidbits:

• We use Ehcache 1.4.1 in Mifos, but that (pre-Terracotta) version does not phone home
• Quartz, another recent Terracotta acquisition, also phones home
• Here’s an open issue about the update checker creating unnecessary threads

Why is performance so bad? Why does the server keep failing? Sun and CollabNet have been responsive (thank you Sonya and Eric!) but mainly all we hear is “we’re working on it”.

The outages are costing us. If service doesn’t improve, we need to move to another provider. SourceForge sounds hopeful, especially since we can directly migrate over our Subversion repository and, eventually, switch to a dVCS like Mercurial.

If you’re an eligible and interested student, check out our ideas page, hop on IRC during US/Pacific business hours, ask away on the mailing list, download the code, try building it, etc. and we’ll get you signed up!

The phrase double bottom line refers to having a bottom line besides just profit.

See you there!

Here’s how to set up a Freenode IRC account in Pidgin:

1. Open Pidgin; click Accounts -> Add/Edit.
2. Click the Add button.
3. Change the protocol to IRC and enter
   irc.freenode.net as the server.
4. If you have a Screen name (called a “nick” or “nickname” in IRC
   parlance), type it (e.g. MrOpenSource) in the Screen
name field. If you don’t own one yet, make one up.
5. Click on the Advanced tab, and fill in the Real
name field.

Now, register your nickname. This helps people recognize you, protects your
identity, and allows you to send private messages.

1. Click on Buddies -> New Instant Message.
2. Fill in NickServ for Name.
3. Change Account to the Freenode account you just created,
   and click Ok. Now you can “talk” with the
   NickServ robot.
4. The first message you send should be register PASSWORD
   (where PASSWORD is one of your choosing).
5. Next, set an email address. This will give you a way to reset your
   password later should there be a need. Send set hide email on
   to NickServ.
6. Next message should be set email ADDRESS (where
   ADDRESS is your email address)

Then, join #mifos. :)

One problem sometimes occurs when you have connection problems. You may be disconnected from the internet and the IRC server may not realize you’ve dropped off. When you reconnect, you may see what appears to be two of your username in the channel with slightly different names. Like: USERNAME and USERNAME_. Send help release to NickServ, and NickServ will tell you how to release the original, correct nickname.

Further instructions can be found here or by saying help to NickServ. Commands like /msg NickServ help do work in Pidgin.

This guide was heavily inspired by the following article on freesoftwaremagazine.com.

One more final tip: enable the “Join/Part Hiding” plugin to supress the many “so-and-so joined the room, so-and-so left” messages that will likely show up in the channel.

I was also lucky enough to catch a lecture by the founder of Grameen Bank, Muhammad Yunus. Dr. Yunus’ delivered an inspiring message about the end of poverty. “We will have poverty museums to remember what poverty was, and we will run full-page ads in the New York Times and Washington Post offering a reward to anyone who can find a poor person.”

It was announced today in a press release that United Online acquired Classmates.com for $100 million. Congratulations to everyone at Classmates.com for your hard work!