Xbox Live Disallows Linux, Unix As Keywords

shafty023 writes "The Xbox Live online service disallows screen names like LINUXRULES, L I N U X, and other variations of these kinds. Other bloggers are reporting that variants of 'Unix' also result in the message: 'Your motto contains inappropriate language. Please try again.'" If this is an extension of Microsoft's anti-Linux campaign, perhaps it's time they gave it up.

Maybe not completely anti-linux.

[Anonymous Coward]

Words like Microsoft aren't allowed either. It hard to say what they are going for here. Maybe preventing smack-talk too.

Re:Maybe not completely anti-linux.

[hc5duke]

I would guess "Microsoft" is banned to prevent phishing scams where someone pretends to be from MS

Re:Maybe not completely anti-linux.

[fractoid]

And 'Linux' is banned to prevent phishing scams where someone pretends to be from Linux.

...are you trying to tell me there AREN'T people that stupid out there? On XBox Live?! O_o

Re:

[OECD]

Is "HaloIsDumbedDownMarathon" allowed? 'Cause that'd be almost worth getting an XBox for.

Re:Maybe not completely anti-linux.

[Scottoest]

As I already replied in this news post, I think they try to prevent any trademarked terms from being used in Gamertags.

This is another non-story, as is the case with most of kdawson's Microsoft related posts.

- Scott

Re:

[VENONA]

WTF? I don't see a reference to kdawson. Not the submitter, and not a poster or respondent. Is this something where you have to hang out here daily in order to get it? Part of me wants to know how to judge the quality of any poster's efforts, but most of me wonders if assuming specific knowledge of a poster's biases (and I have my own, as most of us probably do) isn't setting the bar a bit high.

Re:Maybe not completely anti-linux.

[Scottoest]

kdawson was the Slashdot editor that posted this story - you can see his name at the top of the page. He has a tendency to post unsubstantiated FUD about Microsoft, which is ridiculous, given the amount of substantiated issues people have with them.

Seriously - submit a story like "Micro$oft gives babies herpes, says new report", and then have the "report" link go to some drooling teenager speaking in all "leet speak"on the IGN forums, and I predict your story will hit the front page by the top of the hour.

- Scott

Re:Maybe not completely anti-linux.

[BronsCon]

I don't consider them editors, either.

Re:

[NickFitz]

...being able to apply a mental kdawson filter is a useful tool.

Or you could just change your preferences so you don't see stories posted by him, or any other editors you don't like.

Re:

[tsm_sf]

Uh, ok "Scoot80". Bet you get a lot of funny looks buying beer.

Re:

[nuzak]

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday September 04, @04:26PM

Browsers have this neat ability to search within a page.

I don't know if there's a single editor here who really is one. The bulk of editors work here is limited to filling in the "from the words-separated-by-dashes dept" field when clicking on the green articles in the firehose. Oh and adding scintillating color text to the end of submissions like like "worth reading".

Re:

[VENONA]

I was all down on Slashdot editors earlier today in a post to "Scientist Must Pay to Read His Own Paper."

So I guess I have at least something in common with this kdawson person. OTOH, various replies lead me to believe that applying a mental kdawson filter would be a Good Thing. A random sig spotted today seems appropriate. To paraphrase: You are probably an asshole, and don't know it.

I should probably filter my own posts.

Re:

[RealityMogul]

Maybe you could use the services of an editor?

Re:

[hedwards]

That was my thought when I saw that Unix was also disallowed. If MS is concerned about losing their desktop market to Unix, they are in an amazing amount of trouble already. Even if they are just concerned that Unix might in the foreseeable future represent a threat, they're losing their edge.

Just seems like this is a more or less honest attempt at avoiding as many future trademark complaints as possible. I don't think that the complaints would be valid, as I'm pretty sure that all but the dumbest people wo

Re:

[Skillet5151]

I think they try to prevent any trademarked terms from being used in Gamertags.

While that makes some sense, it seems pretty worthless to block two (three including Microsoft's own) of the tens of thousands of trademarked names and phrases in the US.

I doubt it's malicious. Just seems like an oddity to me.

Try "monkeyboy"

[Anonymous Coward]

Or maybe "chairboy".

How about "monkeychairboy"?

It's anti-retarded fanboy

[Sycraft-fu]

Seriously, if your gaming handle is based around your OS, you are kinda of... Well... A jackass. Nobody gives a shit what OS you like, just play the game. It could be anti-Linux, but as you noted, it's more Kiley just anti-moron. There's not reason to make mention of OSes in handles on Live other than to start shit, which just really isn't needed.

Re:

[mattgreen]

You seem to forget that people around here believe their choice in OS to be a moral one. :)

Flamebait?

[mattgreen]

I'm curious why exactly the parent comment is flamebait. I'm sure someone has an excellent reason for moderating it that way, so why not share it with us?

Re:

[Hatta]

WTF do you care what someone elses handle is? It's completely arbitrary so it might as well have something to do with the person. What better to name yourself after than something you like?

If someone named themself "dachshund17" or "GTO-1963", would that be a jackass move? Dogs and cars are just are popular hobbies just like computers, so if they're ok then "LinuxRules" should be fine too. If those names aren't OK, wtf is someone supposed to us as a screen name and not be a jackass in your opinion?

Re:

[at_slashdot]

Linus is a trademark, maybe Microsoft doesn't allow trademarked words (I wonder if there is such a list)

Re:

[WurdBendur]

There is a list, but I can't show it to you. That would violate all the trademarks.

Re:

[catman]

Did anyone tell Linus Torvalds that his parents violated a trademark?

Horny not allowed. "FingeredAnus" is O.K.!

[J_Omega]

http://amarok.kde.org/blog/archives/2007/09/04.htm l [kde.org]

Posted today. They pulled this guys 3-yo tag of "HornyChinchilla" because, it is assumed, they found it to be offensive.

Their filter suggested "Fingered" and completely accepted "FingeredAnus"

I'm sure that there's a joke in there somewhere about how it feels to use MS products...

Re:

[batkiwi]

They likely pulled his tag because someone made a complaint. They have a basic filter for super-naughties, but rely on people complaining for most of the bans.

Re:

[J_Omega]

oh, I completely agree that that is most likely what is happening here.

However... don't you think that the "super-naughties" list might first include(exclude) words like, oh, ANUS instead of Linux/unix?

Re:

[Macthorpe]

There are completely legitimate words that contain 'anus' all in a line, like 'Uranus'.

Re:Horny not allowed. "FingeredAnus" is O.K.!

[Jesus_666]

Of course we'd all be happy to play against someone called "FingeredUranus"...

Re:

[LMacG]

Several years back, when I worked with Unisys microcomputer systems, somebody had filed a bug report mentioning that the spell-checker flagged "Unisys" and the first suggested correction was "anuses." The report was closed with the notation "works as intended."

Re:

[Rocketship Underpant]

Reminds me of when Yahoo forced me to downgrade my Flickr account to a Yahoo account. Naturally every permutation of ever single handle I've ever used was taken, and nothing with "Yahoo" in it was allowed. I ended up going with a homophonous variant, "yahuuarebastards". :)

What do you have against Yahoo!?

[cp.tar]

You Houyhnhnm, you.

Aren't they both.....

[bherman]

trademarked or copyrighted names? Wasn't that one of the items SCO claimed ownership to (the Unix name)?
Could be another reason.

Re:

[interiot]

If so, then they'd block Walmart and Ford too.

Other words?

[FST]

Can someone try...other words like

ubuntu,fedora,redhat...suse,novel? xandros, freespire...lindows...

GPL.... FOSS

Richard Stallman Linus torvalds al qaeda?

Just wondering what's allowed and what isn't.

Re:Other words?

[WwWonka]

ubuntu,fedora,redhat...suse,novel? xandros, freespire...lindows...
GPL.... FOSS Richard Stallman Linus torvalds al qaeda

...we didn't start the fire, it was always burning since the worlds been turning.

Re:

[Jarjarthejedi]

You sir, win. That gave me a good laugh, and brought numerous cries of 'What? What's so funny' from everyone around me :P.

Re:

[yabba-dabba-do]

Great, just great, Now you are going to get the RIAA ticked off at us. btw, can you use RIAA in a gamer id?

Re:Other words?

[bladesjester]

Great, just great, Now you are going to get the RIAA ticked off at us. btw, can you use RIAA in a gamer id?

Only if you reallllly wanted to be sniper bait =]

Re:

[jonnythan]

But how awesome would it be to piss off Halo 2 players by fragging them under the gamertag RIAA_Executive?

Re:

[McFadden]

...we didn't start the fire, it was always burning since the worlds been turning.

Funniest I've seen on /. this year.

Re:

[CrazyJim1]

Sometimes I wish the moderation didn't cap at 5. I'd really want to go back and see what some of the highest rated comments were. This would definitely rank up there.

Re:

[DeepZenPill]

In the Halo 3 Multiplayer beta you can assign your character a 3 character ID, consisting of a letter followed by 2 numbers. Disallowed ID's included N64, P53, N35, and a few others that escape me right now. I mean come on Microsoft.

Fortunately

[Anonymous Coward]

SlashdotSUX seems to work just fine. OH SNAP!

I registered

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

XXX-Box and MiniXbox360.

I guess they were on Tannenbaum's side of the argument. ;-)

Next I'm trying StallMan!

Re:I registered

[megaditto]

StallMan? Does that refer to the FOSS geek or to the gay Senator?

Re:

[Attila Dimedici]

Probably the one who pled guilty, not the one who's crimes have yet to be confirmed by anyone but a right wing attack dog.

I'm not quite sure what you mean. Barney Frank's boyfriend was convicted of running a prostitution ring. Larry Craig plead guilty to being very creepy, although from the general tenet of conversation on here, I don't understand why most of the people complaining on here think he did anything wrong. I mean it is just about sex, what's the big deal?

Re:

[jasen666]

Even if he did proposition gay sex in the bathroom (which my only problem with is knowing my own damn kid could have walked into that bathroom), I don't find that particularly bad in itself. I'm just very amused at how he toes the anti-gay party line while secretly doing men in the bathrooms.
Criminal? Nah. Hypocrite who shouldn't deserve to be making decisions regarding anyone else? Yep.

other banned words...

[Starteck81]

penguins
penguinsrock
penguinseatMS
Iluvpenguins

Re:

[MightyMartian]

msanalrapesiso - Anybody tried that one?

Re:

[Saint Stephen]

I just wanted to pipe up and vote for LeeNooks, the way Linus used to pronounce it back in 1991.

Correct me if I'm wrong (seriously)

[Scottoest]

But doesn't XBOX Live prevent users from using any trademarked terms when making a username?

If this is not the case, then my apologies.

If it is (and I think it is), then kdawson, you really need to give this up already. You are fast becoming notorious for posting complete non-stories, especially when the subject is Microsoft.

- Scott

Re:

[Ant P.]

Geez, one month and he's already going back on my front page block list. Guess he's still as gullible/ignorant/whichever-derogatory-statement-t hat-applies as 12 months ago.

Re:

[westlake]

If it is (and I think it is), then kdawson, you really need to give this up already. You are fast becoming notorious for posting complete non-stories, especially when the subject is Microsoft.

I thought Twitter owned that franchise.

Re:

[Reziac]

He does. This kdawson person is infringing on Twitter's intellectual property rights. ;)

Re:

[ColdWetDog]

He does. This kdawson person is infringing on Twitter's intellectual property rights. ;)

That's pushing on the definition of "intellectual" pretty hard, don't you think?

Or don't you?

Re:Correct me if I'm wrong (seriously)

[TheTopher]

The Halo 3 Public Beta demonstrated a new feature that allows players to choose an alphanumeric "call sign" of the form A00. The call sign "N64" was not allowed due to trademark issues. I would imagine that such issues are the same reason why Linux is not allowed in gamer tags.

Re:

[Jeff DeMaagd]

I didn't realize that N64 was a trademark, but you are right. I thought it was just a fan designation.

Get a sense of humor.

[Erris]

If nothing else, the error message about "inappropriate language" is news. It's bad enough that xbox would restrict normal behavior, but M$ make it worse by not explaining why. It made me laugh.

If it is a Trademark thing, it must take forever to get a screen name. Next time you are in a grocery store, just look at all of the names for tampons. It's hard to imagine the size of the database they will have to parse though and that's before you get to L337 stuff like T4mpax or V46ici11

trademarks? no

[EllynGeek]

It is not illegal for private citizens to use trademarked names any old non-commercial way they want to. This new /. generation is seriously uninformed, and way too willing to put up with corporate bullshit.

Snow

[HTH NE1]

A friend hated snow so much that he put it in his dial-up BBS's filter, so "snow" would be rendered "****".

Someone decided to post a Christmas song, to hilarious results from the other possible 4-letter substitutions. He relented and removed it from the filter.

Unfortunately, I'm not certain what song it was: "Frosty the ****man" or "Let It ****" are the ones that leap to mind.

Re:Snow

[Anonymous Coward]

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
in the lane, **** is glistening

---

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Ev'rywhere you go;
There's a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well,
The sturdy kind that doesn't mind the ****.

---

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the ****.

---

Hear the **** crunch, see the kids bunch, this is Santa's big scene
And above all this bustle you'll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city

---

Another tender Tennessee Christmas
The only Christmas for me
Where the love circles around us
Like the gifts around our tree
Well, I know there's more **** up in Colorado
Than my roof will ever see
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
is the only Christmas for me.

But maybe...

[davmoo]

perhaps it's time they gave it up

But perhaps its also time that the people writing these headers realize that a) Xbox Live is a private network, and as such, they can set their own rules, b) Microsoft may have a policy against trademarks in names (I don't use Xbox Live, so I don't know their rules), and finally c) Microsoft is in competition with Linux, and is not going to publish or permit anything that is pro-Linux.

Its like you people expect Microsoft to advertise with a slogan like "Linux is better, but buy our stuff anyway". You're probably also waiting for American car manufacturers to come up with the slogan "Our cars suck, but buy American!"

Grow up, people, that's how capitalism works. Build your own game network (at your own expense) and you can set the rules.

Re:

[NiceGeek]

I don't think anyone is claiming that MS doesn't have the right to do this...but it does strike me as very immature of them.

Re:But maybe...

[garett_spencley]

I was dying to post some joke about just how hilarious the whole concept is, but couldn't think of anything. Immature or not I found the whole idea that MS would do such a thing extremely amusing.

Then I read the other comments and people pointed out that "Microsoft" and "Windows" are also disallowed words, as well they pointed out that there is a policy that using trademarked terms in screen names is disallowed. Assuming those posts are correct, it now seems like a complete non-story and non-issue. Ironically (as the parent poster is currently modded Troll), kdawson and shafty023 should be the ones modded Troll for the article. IMO.

Re:

[davmoo]

Even if its because they don't allow trademarks in user names? I know *MANY* networks with that policy.

Re:

[Grishnakh]

Its like you people expect Microsoft to advertise with a slogan like "Linux is better, but buy our stuff anyway". You're probably also waiting for American car manufacturers to come up with the slogan "Our cars suck, but buy American!"

I only expect honesty from people; I don't think that's too much to ask. So if honesty demands American car manufacturers to say their cars suck, or MS to say Linux is better, then that's what they must do.

It's also worth nothing that...

[Mike Rubits]

"Windows" is also a disallowed word.

Re:It's also worth nothing that...

[Black Copter Control]

Hey, buddy- I don't know if you noticed, but we're talking about X-box live, here .... Not Slashdot.

That's nothing

[erroneus]

On LinuXbox Live, you cannot use any name with "MS" in it.

Take a hint from the spammers

[earthforce_1]

There are lots of fun ways past a (lame) keyword filter
Some suggestions to start:
Lenucks
Leenux
LeanUcks
LeeenUcks
LinusesOs
|_inux
Linu}{
L!nux
L|nux
Linuks
Linu>

Or some variant of...
TorvaldsOs
PenguinOs
GplV2Os
Free$wIsBetter
FO$$

Finally:
$u$E SueSee
Nohvell Nove||
UhBuntu, EwBhunthu
RedH@t, RhedHatt
Debi@n, DehBian

What about...

[WPIDalamar]

What about Sony or Mitsubishi?

They probably just filter trademarked names.

slashdot banned too

[wardk]

I just made that up so you would waste more time on this non-event

way-beyond-childish

[Kuciwalker]

That's what this article is, kdawson. As others have noticed, words like "Microsoft" and "Windows" are also disallowed. And really, even if it were some plot to keep people from advocating linux on Live, so fucking what? How could this be more of a non-story?

Spike isn't allowed by sup-com

[complete loony]

Not sure why, but my usual kick of spike is not allowed by supreme commander...

Could it be that they want to cover their bases?

[Opportunist]

And this all has nothing to do with an anti-linux marketing?

After all, someone could choose names like "Linuxsux" or "LetLinuxDie". Be creative and you find more offensive anti-linux names. And then, you'll certainly see some people get kinda irate.

In turn, they MUST filter trademark names (at least to some sensible extent). Now, I don't know if Linux is a trademark, but let's assume it's not. Then people could call themselves "Linuxsucks" but not "Windowssucks". Worse, at least in the eyes of MS, people co

Re:Could it be that they want to cover their bases

[Kalriath]

Linux is a registered trademark of the Linux Foundation actually.

LINUX YOU!

[Sj0]

LINUX YOU, YOU LINUXING LINUXERS!

I can't believe these linuxheads are doing this. linux isn't linuxing inappropriate language, linux-linux-it!

I can't believe this linux. It's linuxing insane.

Re:

[the phantom]

Smurf your smurfing language!

in other news...

[SaturnNiGHTS]

BallmerThrowsChairs is also banned.

*Sigh*

[Seven001]

Blizzard does the same thing in World of Warcraft. No trademarks as names.

As others have suggested, we should bash Microsoft for what they deserve to be bashed for, not stupid shit like this.

Re:

[Quila]

Difficult to do across the board, since many, probably most, trademarks only apply for that specific field. If they did, then the words apple, gateway, red hat, and live would have to be disallowed.

Re:

[Tom]

No trademarks as names.

How many words are not trademarked? There's an awful lot of trademarks out there if you take every word that's a trademark for something in some country.

vague error messages...

[dAzED1]

Your motto contains inappropriate language. Please try again

Ok, so folks are droning on and on about "Windows" and "Microsoft" not being allowed either.

So here's a question: if you tried to make a username that was ilovemicrosoft (and it wasn't already taken), would it respond with the "Your motto contains inappropriate language. Please try again?"

"Inappropriate" seems like an odd word there. If they wanted it to be more generic, shouldn't they have used something like "disallowed?"

Not that microsux has ev

who's making a religion out of this?

[Locutus]

Microsoft wants Linux and any other who threatens their monopoly power. There is no end to their madness and so they must go.

Oh, and ask you boss if this is the kinds of developers you want behind your enterprise software, because they are there too.

LoB

Re:who's making a religion out of this? (oh crap)

[Locutus]

Should have read:
Microsoft wants Linux and any other who threatens their monopoly power gone . There is no end to their madness and so they must go.

Oh, and ask you boss if these are the kind of developers you want behind your enterprise software, because they are there too.

and you don't want me writing your technical papers either

LoB

Stories about games attract the stupid?

[Zero__Kelvin]

I would not go so far as to actually claim that stories about games and game consoles attract the stupid, but I will go so far as to say that there are many stupid comments here.

If they disallow Linux they have to disallow Windows, or even the morons could not claim they are justified. In order to block the use of Linux they would have to believe that they might get sued. We all know how suit happy Linus and the registered trademark holder for Linux are, and how scared M$ is of lawsuits. Since they ar

Try this instead...

[Dracos]

Register with usernames that include CEMENT (CE, ME, NT). I'm sure someone will get creative with it.

Anyone tried variations on distro names yet?

It's GNU/Linux dammit

[rgo]

Calling it Linux is an offense to the FOSS community...

At it seems even Microsoft knows that.

geez...

I have Linux in my motto.

[Bender Unit 22]

I used a often posted line here on Slashdot as the "motto" in live account, since it really is my motto.
They must have added this limitation later on.

But what does it help? Can't you just go around it like fx. instead of writing "running linux", write "running on penguin power".

Re:

[hc5duke]

Maybe you're remembering the Scunthorpe problem [wikipedia.org]?

Re:MSN messenger...

[Reverend528]

My friend Frank Ucker had this problem.

Re:

[fractoid]

And never forget www.expertsexchange.com :P

Re:

[Bender Unit 22]

In February 2003 Members of Parliament at the British House of Commons found that a new spam filter was blocking e-mails containing references to the Sexual Offences Bill then under debate, as well as some messages relating to a discussion about censorship. [11]

That one is pure gold.

Re:

[Liquidrage]

Yeah, this story is pure garbage. A very trivial amount of effort by either the submitter or the "editors" would have made them realize there is nothing to the story and they just overreacted to the situation because, like most overreactions, they came to conclusions without having enough facts.

Re:And to think I was going to buy an Xbox 360!!

[bherman]

Maybe you should do some research about your claims.
1) Vista only support for DX10
This isn't availible on XP either, and since no one is buying Vista no developer will support it. They don't want to only sell to a small install base.
2) MS is actually helping Mono develop Silverlight for Linux Link [sdtimes.com]
Now, since they are helping a community that is actually fluent in Linux development as apposed to getting their feet dirty and then eveyone blaming them for intentionally introducing bugs to the Linux version we're now yelling "They aren't supporting Linux?" I don't like them as much as the next guy, but at least attack them on some more valid claims (OOXML perhaps)

Re:

[Burz]

2) MS is actually helping Mono develop Silverlight for Linux Link [sdtimes.com]

Which MS will toss aside like old underwear as soon as Adobe tanks.

Why should the FOSS community care about receiving the great blessing of a me-too format with zero market share? That isn't helpful. MS Office for Linux perhaps, but not this old anticompetitive tactic of theirs.

Re:

[TheTopher]

The First Amendment protects your freedom of speech from the *government*. Microsoft is under no obligation to let you speak freely while you use their online service. As much as you would like this to be about you, this is about preventing the Xbox division from losing even more money due to trademark infringement. That said, the 360 is an excellent system and I don't think that the inability to use "Linux" or other trademarked terms in your gamertag is a valid reason to not get Halo 3.

I reported it about four years ago

[Myria]

I dumped the bad word list stored in the Xbox version of Phantasy Star Online soon after it came out. Linux was in there. It was clearly Microsoft's; the list in the GameCube and Dreamcast versions was much shorter.

Re:

[tjr]

GNU's Not Unix!

Re:

[Gogo0]

No, he doesnt like christians, that means he is a democrat.

wait, is it possible that ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE have FUCKED UP opinions?!
nah, didnt think so. go back to dailykos, AC