IBM busted for its Linux graffiti

Even IBM showed it is subject to bouts of extreme stupidity when company

officials deemed it a good idea to deface sidewalks in Chicago and San Francisco

with large graffiti stencils showing peace symbols, hearts and smiling penguins.

"This was part of our 'Peace, Love and Linux' campaign,'' said IBM

spokeswoman Trink Guarino said, who added that in the face of a storm of protest

from Chicago and San Francisco city authorities, "We have discontinued that

part of the campaign.''

The smiling penguin is the logo of the Linux software movement, which has

quickly turned as cold as the water, the birds typically swim in. Apparently

caught up a bit too much in the spirit of "open source ­ everything is

free," IBM defeated common sense and a lot of city ordinances by

authorizing the signs, measuring up to 2 metes in diameter onto hundreds of them

on heavily populated walks spots on the downtown San Francisco and Chicago

street.

San Francisco ordered IBM to remove the graffiti last week. Andrea Gibson, of

Chicago's Streets and Sanitation Department, said the city is considering fining

IBM up to $50 for each of the 100 graffiti locations. Debbie DeLopez, who runs

the city's graffiti removal program, said the city will also try to charge IBM

for the cost of the cleanup -- about $140 per half sign in labor and supplies.