When did Linux users go number-plate crazy?

Reg reg coverage Welcome back to the Reg's vehicle registration coverage. It's been another exciting day in the world of LINUX number plate auctions.

L7 NUX has now reached the mighty price of £61,101 on eBay and the reserve has not been met. The seller, John Leitch, did send in a link to the auction page earlier this morning showing £110,000 had been bid and the reserve met - but this bid was later retracted.

According to eBay
It is OK to retract a bid if...

• You accidentally enter a wrong bid amount. For instance, you bid £99.50 instead of £9.95. (If this occurs you will need to quickly re-enter the correct bid amount).
  
• The description of an item you have bid on has changed significantly.
  
• You cannot reach the seller. This means that you have tried calling the seller and his or her phone number doesn't work, or you have tried emailing a message to the seller and it comes back undeliverable.

It is NOT OK to retract a bid if...

• You change your mind about the item.
  
• You decide you can't really afford it.
  
• You bid a little higher than you wanted.
  
• You bid on multiple listings of the same item and you don't want to purchase all of them.

The DVLA regulations on how you present your number plate might cover the 'description of an item you have bid on has changed significantly' get out clause. If you buy L7NUX, it has to look like L7 NUX, on your car, not LINUX, as pictured on the auction site.

Leitch doesn't agree. "Skewiffy plates have always been here always will be and will continue to be positioned so. "

[For our US readers - in the UK you seem to be able to get your car number plate made up in a variety of different fonts and letter spacing at your local car supplies shop. The government is trying to stomp on this practice and is introducing new rules about it on 1 September.]

Meanwhile another plate - L2NUX - has appeared on eBay. The current bid is £1,000, reserve not met, and the seller has got very creative in stretching out the 2 on his number plate

The seller, pangdene_puppy, writes in his description: "Photo shows how this looks on the vehicle. (It has passed an MOT in this format.) I am regularly asked about the reference to Linux, so it obviously looks right. I've had the plate for 15 months but no longer work in the Open Source business."

The MOT is a basic certificate of roadworthiness. It lasts a year and every car on the road has to pass it. But one garage's MOT success is another man's rusty old death trap. It's not much of a guide to anything, except that the car won't disintegrate in the next 20 minutes. The number plate will be the last thing on an MOT testers mind, as long as its not dangling off the back of the car. The Register's merchandising maestro Lester Haines got his very rusty trusty transit van through its MOT with the skilful application of black gaffer tape. ®

PS: Does anyone think iwantl7nux, the bidder behind the £61,101 offer, is genuine?

Related Links
L2NUX eBay auction
L7NUX eBay auction
Newsforge: License plates spell out OS preference: LINUX

Related Story
Bidders beware the L7NUX number plate