No Download iPlayer for GNU/Linux in 2008

The BBC will launch a download version of its iPlayer online video service for Apple Mac users by the end of 2008.

But no mention of GNU/Linux obviously means we won't be seeing one this year....

And somebody should tell Mark Thompson about platform-independent technologies:

He wrote: "Were we to choose to not develop any systems or services until they could be received by every single individual licence-fee payer, our capacity for development and innovation - in the interest of serving those who fund our services - would be severely limited."

Welcome to the Spectrum Commons

Dana Blankenhorn gets it:

When the history of this era is written, it will be seen that one of the biggest bi-partisan mistakes was to treat spectrum as property rather than a commons.

Billions have been earned off the spectrum, first by the government, then by those who won the auctions. But the spectrum has been under-utilized and it has been over-priced.

Open Source Airbus

I always knew that that the A380 Airbus was cool:

An Airbus aircraft has a working life of up to 30 years. On-board hardware and software needs to be maintained, updated and adapted to new specifications for the same amount of time. However, 30 years is an eternity in the short-lived software industry. Which software vendor can nowadays guarantee that their tools will still be usable and meet all the relevant requirements in 2030? And the production path from system specifications to tested control programs and the hardware to run them on requires many tools.

Led by aircraft manufacturer Airbus, several companies located in the French Aerospace Valley close to Toulouse have, therefore, formed a consortium and initiated the TOPCASED Open Source project to create the necessary system development tools. TOPCASED is an acronym for Toolkit in Open source for Critical Applications & Systems Development.

OpenID - and Openness - Is Winning

I am very happy to be able to say that Google, IBM, Microsoft, VeriSign and Yahoo are joining the OpenID Foundation (on whose board I sit.) It marks the end of a lot of hard work by all parties involved, as well as -- at least for me personally -- the hope that we will be able to get a decentralized federated single sign-on technology across the internet.

Nearly there....

Australia: The New Commons Hero

One of the surprising - and heartening - recent developments in the environmental world has been the transformation of Australia into a real commons hero. Not just in terms of signing the Kyoto Protocol, but also in taking a very active part in revealing the reality of the scandalously callous and egotistical behaviour of the Japanese whalers.

The latest result of this new position is a truly shocking video that shows the death-throes of two Minke whales, almost certainly a mother and her calf. Be warned: this is literally revolting in its capture of the slow suffering inflicted by the Japanese.

But appalling as it is, it is a valuable document in the fight against this totally senseless slaughter and the Japanese government's cynical portrayal of such butchery as "science". The Australian government and people should be proud of their work in attempting to defend this fragile commons. (Via The Times.)

Copyright Laws: What a Load of Rubbish

Unbelievable:

If you came across a trash can filled with lawfully made compact discs and DVDs that the copyright owner had authorized to be put in that trash can and then thrown away because it didn’t want to pay the postage to have them returned, do you think you could be criminally prosecuted for selling those copies, and would you think that the copyright owners would be entitled to restitution under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act? If you answered no to these questions, you would be wrong according to the Eighth Circuit.

Open Enterprise Interview: Javier Soltero

On Open Enterprise blog.

Is Dead Code Worth Open Sourcing?

On Open Enterprise blog.

Running the Internet - All of It - on GNU/Linux

Everyone knows that Google uses hundreds of thousands of commodity PCs running GNU/Linux to power its services. Well, IBM wants to go one further: running everything - the entire Internet, for example - on an Blue Gene/P supercomputer running GNU/Linux:

In this paper we described the vision and exploration of Project Kittyhawk, an ongoing effort at IBM Research which explores the construction of a next-generation compute platform capable of simultaneously hosting many web-scale workloads. At scales of potentially millions of connected computers, efficient provisioning, powering, cooling, and management are paramount.

...

To test our hypothesis, we are prototyping a stack consisting of a network-enabled firmware layer to bootstrap nodes, the L4 hypervisor for partitioning and security enforcement, Linux as a standard operating system, and an efficient software pack-
aging and provisioning system. An important aspect is that while these building blocks allow us to run a large variety of standard workloads, none of these components are required and therefore can be replaced as necessary to accommodate many diverse workloads. This flexibility, efficiency, and unprecedented scale makes Blue Gene a powerhouse for running computation at Internet scale.

(Via The Reg.)

Dissing OOXML

On Open Enterprise blog.

Michael Geist on a Misleading Microsoft

The Hill Times this week includes an astonishingly misleading and factually incorrect article on Canadian copyright written by Microsoft.

So says Canadian Copyright Crusader Michael Geist.

Why is that interesting? Because it shows that Microsoft regards copyright as within its purview. Which also indicates why people in the open source world need to stand up for copyright rights around the world: it's all connected.

I've Got a Little Brown(Book)

On Open Enterprise blog.

UN University Launches OpenCourseWare

It seems a no-brainer that the United Nations University (yes, it exists) should make available its courses for the world and her dog to use - and now it has:

The United Nations University OpenCourseWare Portal makes course material used by the university's Research & Training Centres and Programmes available on the web free of charge to anyone. With the opening of the site, the UNU joins a select group of over one hundred leading universities from around the world committed to supporting the growth of free and open digital publication of high quality educational materials.

Initially the UNU OpenCourseWare Portal offers open access to about a dozen courses developed by three of the university's centres (in Canada, Macao, and the Netherlands) and the Tokyo-based UNU Media Studio. Expressing his support for this initiative, UNU Rector Konrad Osterwalder said, "This signifies our commitment to broadening access to high-quality educational materials and will contribute to the United Nations University's core mission, which seeks to further the generation and sharing of knowledge in order to strengthen individual and institutional capacities to resolve pressing global problems."

The topics currently covered include e-governance, economic development and innovation, mangrove biodiversity and integrated watershed management. More courses are in production and in 2008, additional UNU units will participate in this initiative which promotes open sharing and global benefits for self-learners and educators.

Ah, yes, mangroves. (Via Open Access News.)

The Most Important Fish You've Never Heard Of

The Menhaden:

The only remaining significant checks on the phytoplankton that cause algal blooms and dead zones are those menhaden schools, and they are now threatened by the ravages of unrestrained industrial fishing. By the end of the twentieth century, the population and range of Atlantic menhaden had virtually collapsed. The estimated number of sexually mature adult fish had crashed to less than 13 percent of what it had been four decades earlier. Although northern New England had once been the scene of the largest menhaden fishery, adult fish had not been sighted north of Cape Cod since 1993.

Marine biologist Sara Gottlieb, author of a groundbreaking study on menhaden's filtering capability, compares their role with the human liver's: "Just as your body needs its liver to filter out toxins, ecosystems also need those natural filters." Overfishing menhaden, she says, "is just like removing your liver."

If a healthy person needs a fully functioning liver, consider someone whose body is subjected to unusual amounts of toxins -- just like our Atlantic and Gulf coasts. If menhaden are the liver of these waters, should we continue to allow huge chunks to be cut out each year, cooked into industrial oils, and ground up to be fed to chickens, pigs, and pets? Menhaden have managed to survive centuries of relentless natural and human predation. But now there are ominous signs that we may have pushed our most important fish to the brink of an ecological catastrophe.

Menhaden are therefore a commons - something owned by all, and in this case, needed by all. Just for a change, human greed is destroying that commons. And once again, there will be a heavy price to pay.

Submarines Ahoy

I've not been following the details of the US Patent Reform Act, but this sounds worrying:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation supports the Patent Reform Act of 2007, but the group does worry that the law in its present state could reform the EFF's Patent Busting Project right out of existence.

The EFF has sent a letter to Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) outlining its problems with the Patent Reform Act (the bill has already passed the House). Under the bill's current language, patents will be subject to a post-grant review process, but the current reexamination system would be scrapped.

The post-grant review system would allow nonprofits like the EFF to challenge bum patents for only 12 months after they are issued. In the EFF's view, this isn't nearly enough time to become aware of dodgy patents and the impact they will have on the tech community at large. The group would prefer to retain the current reexamination system and simply add post-grant review to the process.

In particular, this would seem to encourage "submarine patents" - those which aren't used for a while, and then sprung on an unsuspecting world. By which time, of course, it would be too late to challenge.

As the EFF points out:

The public has a right to defend itself against patents that should never have been granted, and organizations like EFF exist to assist in this process. Reexamination proceedings are essential for us to continue this work.

The Free University

You mean....they don't do this now?

Vision

* An institution to address the needs of the knowledge society
* Universities as the intellectual, cultural, and innovative infrastructure of society
* Like public roads & parks, their product should be free

The Free University

* Open access to research publications & proceedings
* Open access to research data
* Open educational resources
* Free & open source software
* Open access to library holdings
* Open standards & file formats
* Socially responsible patent policies

Approving the AGPL: Funambol to the Rescue

On Open Enterprise blog.

Of Sharing and Salience

Here's an elegant meditation on the past, present and future of media production, written by Mark Pesce, one of the pioneers of VRML. This section on sharing (naturally) caught my attention:

In order to illustrate the transformation that has completely overtaken us, let’s consider a hypothetical fifteen year-old boy, home after a day at school. He is multi-tasking: texting his friends, posting messages on Bebo, chatting away on IM, surfing the web, doing a bit of homework, and probably taking in some entertainment. That might be coming from a television, somewhere in the background, or it might be coming from the Web browser right in front of him. (Actually, it’s probably both simultaneously.) This teenager has a limited suite of selections available on the telly – even with satellite or cable, there won’t be more than a few hundred choices on offer, and he’s probably settled for something that, while not incredibly satisfying, is good enough to play in the background.

Meanwhile, on his laptop, he’s viewing a whole series of YouTube videos that he’s received from his friends; they’ve found these videos in their own wanderings, and immediately forwarded them along, knowing that he’ll enjoy them. He views them, and laughs, he forwards them along to other friends, who will laugh, and forward them along to other friends, and so on. Sharing is an essential quality of all of the media this fifteen year-old has ever known. In his eyes, if it can’t be shared, a piece of media loses most of its value. If it can’t be forwarded along, it’s broken.

Pesce then introduces what I think will become a key concept in this space, that of "salience":

All the marketing dollars in the world can foster some brand awareness, but no amount of money will inspire that fifteen year old to forward something along – because his social standing hangs in the balance. If he passes along something lame, he’ll lose social standing with his peers. This factors into every decision he makes, from the brand of runners he wears, to the television series he chooses to watch. Because of the hyperabundance of media – something he takes as a given, not as an incredibly recent development – all of his media decisions are weighed against the values and tastes of his social network, rather than against a scarcity of choices.

This means that the true value of media in the 21st century is entirely personal, and based upon the salience, that is, the importance, of that media to the individual and that individual’s social network.

Highly recommended (Via P2P Foundation.)

How to Win Enemies and Lose Influence

Ever wonder what happened to Alexander Ponosov, the headmaster charged with using illegal copies of Microsoft software in Russia?

Alexander Ponosov, the principal of the Sepych rural school in the Perm Region, resigns to get engaged in the open source software promotion, Mr. Ponosov reported today February 1st when speaking to a CNews correspondent.

Alexander Ponosov has become widely popular early last year, when he was charged with using pirated versions of the Microsoft Office software in the rural school, where he was the principal. Then the criminal case against the rural teacher from the North Urals village Sepych attracted wide attention. Mikhail Gorbachev, the USSR former president, spoke in defense of Mr. Ponosov, while after the current RF president Vladimir Putin said the proceedings were complete nonsense, Mr. Ponosov’s prosecution actually stopped.

Moreover:

he is already engaged in the open source software promotion and promulgation. Because of the investigation and proceedings Mr. Ponosov has become Linux great adherer. He tells CNews, the Linux OS is installed on the computers of his friends, acquaintances and the school, where he is currently working. Mr. Ponosov names the Linux OS installation on the computer of the vicar his ‘latest feat on the arena’.

Microsoft certainly knows how to win enemies.

Community Managers Become More Common

On Open Enterprise blog.

Apache on the Up

Not much, mind you, but given that I commented when it was on the way down, it's only fair to point out moves in the other direction:

Apache continues its recovery after steep falls in share over the last eighteen months and is back over 50%. Its share had been negatively affected over that period by the increasing number of blog sites in the survey on large providers like Microsoft and Google, using their own server software. But it is also benefiting from growth at other blog providers like multiply.

Linus on the Desktop

On Open Enterprise blog.

Is Sarko Uxorious?

You can't help wondering whether Sarkozy's chanteuse missus had something to do with this one:

Taking a position contrary to that of the British Government, the French President is to fight for an extension to the 50-year period under which musical recordings are protected by European copyright.

Particularly annoying is this comment:

Mr Sarkozy, who loads his iPod with Hallyday and Elvis for his jogs in the Bois de Boulogne, will make copyright extension a priority for France's six-month turn in the European Union presidency, which starts in July.

Christine Albanel, the Culture Minister, has already asked the European Commission to do the groundwork.

“Today, whole swaths of the recording catalogue of the 1950s and 1960s, representing a significant part of the national pop heritage, are falling progressively into the public domain,” she said.

What this neglects to take into account is the fact that falling into the public domain is a gain for the public - and hence the actual moment when it becomes part of the "national pop heritage" - and that the gain vastly outweighs any minimal effect it has on ageing rockers' royalties. Unfortunately, with this action, as with others (including the "three strikes and you're out" approach to fighting filesharing), Sarkozy shows himself to be an old man - however young his new wife may be.

The Power of the Boycott

One of the surprising things about the Internet is the power of public opinion. Time and again, things have happened - or rather, been made to happen - because enough people have become indignant about it online.

That fact lends some hope to the following idea:

Anti virus developer Trend Micro accused Barracuda Networks of patent infringement but what they really did was attacking the users of ClamAV free anti virus software with a bogus patent. As a first reaction we feel disgusted about what Trend Micro did: stabbing free software with a knife right in the heart. A company should operate between borders of a certain ethical environment. When a company exceeds the borders of decency - as Trend Micro did by attacking computer users and free software developers - it has become a pariah and should be punished.

You can help by starting to get rid of Trend Micro software in your organization

Will it catch on? Will it have any effect? We shall see? (Via Boycott Novell.)

Softver Otvorenog Koda na Srpskom

Or, put another way:

The Serbian Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society organized the localization of several popular open source packages.

The Linux operating system, OpenOffice package, the Mozilla Firefox internet browser and Mozilla Thunderbird e-mail client are among these software packages. The localization task was given to the experts from Belgrade University’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering, the Faculty of Organization Sciences and the Faculty of Mathematics, and the School of Electrical Engineering in Nish.

Currently, the two Linux versions – Ubuntu and Fedora are being localized whereas the first versions of these programs in Serbian will be available for use starting from March, 2008.

The public bid for localization of other important open-source software packages is announced for the beginning of 2009.

All very good news. (Via Free Software Daily.)

Kevin Kelly Joins the Club

Nothing new here for readers of this blog, but good to see someone else saying it:

the previous round of wealth in this economy was built on selling precious copies, so the free flow of free copies tends to undermine the established order. If reproductions of our best efforts are free, how can we keep going? To put it simply, how does one make money selling free copies?

I have an answer. The simplest way I can put it is thus:

When copies are super abundant, they become worthless.
When copies are super abundant, stuff which can't be copied becomes scarce and valuable.

Etc.

Auntie Throws Us a Crumb

The BBC has finally made the download version of its iPlayer on-demand TV service compatible with Firefox, after six months as an Internet Explorer-only product.

There's still no support for operating systems other than Windows, but it marks the first official break with the multi-million-pound application's Microsoft-only status. Linux and Mac versions have been promised within two years.

Well, I suppose it's a start....

MS-Yow!, not MS-Yahoo! for Open Source

The Microsoft-Yahoo merger meme has been out and about for ages. It's not hard to see why Microsoft finally decided to jump: the decline in Yahoo's share price has been pretty precipitous in the last three months, and it's obviously reached a too-good-to-refuse level.

And I have to say that were I in Microsoft's position, I'd do the same: the fit looks good, and it would give the company a chance of fighting back against Google - something that looks hopeless, currently.

But as I wrote when I considered this idea last year, I have this feeling that if the deal goes through, Microsoft won't be looking very kindly on the open source software that Yahoo owns - such as Zimbra - or uses - like MySQL.

Why not? Well, one of the areas where Microsoft is getting whupped by free software is in top-end clusters. Moreover, the open source world continually throws in its face that Google, the very acme of computer power, runs on GNU/Linux, albeit a customised version. So what better way to show that Windows is fully the equal of the latter for extreme computing conditions than to turn Yahoo into a high-profile advertisement for the power of Windows (and SQLServer) on clusters?

To be sure, that would be more expensive than sticking with Yahoo's current choices, but Microsoft is playing for high stakes, and willing to gamble accordingly - as this $45 billion proposed acquisition of Yahoo demonstrates only too clearly.

Knock, Knock, Nokia

Here's some good news:

A company backed by hedge fund and private equity company Fortress Investment Group has filed a lawsuit against the world's top cell phone maker, Nokia, for alleged patent infringement.

Why am I calling this good news, since my position on intellectual monopolies has been made fairly plain on these pages? Well, because of this:

IP-Com decided to sue Nokia after the mobile-phone maker refused to pay 12 billion euros ($17.77 billion), which IP-Com had demanded from Nokia for using the patents for mobile communications technology, Schoeller said.

Yeah, 12 billion euros: that's a reasonable demand, isn't it? Maybe reasonable enough to dun into Nokia's corporate brain that patents really aren't a good idea, since in the past it has sometimes aligned itself with those wanting *more* software patents in Europe. Maybe reasonable enough that it's even prepared to fight the idea now.

Why Developing Nations Love Free Software

How about for these reasons?

- In Georgia, most library management systems are available in English or Russian… any student of eastern European politics will understand why Georgians don’t want to use a Russian-language tool. Open software can be translated and adapted into different languages.

In Bhutan, there’s a great desire to preserve the local language - Dzonghka - against the encroachment of Mandarin Chinese. Local authorities wanted a Dzonghka version of Windows, and raised some money to demonstrate a market for the software, but weren’t able to persuade Microsoft to create the product. But it wasn’t difficult to localize Linux, and there’s now Dzongkha Linux, with support for Open Office, GAIM, Mozilla and other key pieces of software.

- There’s a strong desire in developing world libraries to put digital collections online… which suprises many library professionals in the developed world, as they’re just moving towards digital collections now. Sadler quotes a Ghanaian librarian: “Students in Ghana can view artifacts from Britain more easily tha they can artifacts from their own heritage.” Open source software systems like Greenstone are allowing libraries to scan and preseve documents and share them online. There’s a hope in the future for a pan-African digital library which will allow libraries across the continent to share their resources.

Amazing Mozilla Metrics

Much of the power and popularity of Firefox and, to a lesser extent, Thunderbird, come from their addons. This shows just how powerful and popular:

Earlier this week, [addons.mozilla.org] served its 600 millionth add-on download. That’s original downloads, not including updates. We currently have over 4000 add-ons hosted on the site and between 800,000 and 1 million downloads every day. The site has around 4.5 million pageviews per day, not including services hosted on AMO such as update checks and blocklisting.

AMO now receives around 100 million add-on update pings every day, which means that of those 600 million downloads, about 100 million add-ons are still installed.

Amazing Mozilla. (Via Mozilla Links.)

Good Bill, Bad Bill, and The Art of Philanthropy

On Linux Journal.

Enclosing the Language Commons

One of the many arguments against patenting software is that it's as stupid as copyrighting language: if you did that, nobody could talk without getting sued. Similarly, thanks to the essential nature of software algorithms, nobody can program without infringing on something.

It seems that we may need to revise that example of ridiculousness:

Last year, in an attempt to wrestle a few pennies of the GST from the tight-fisted grip of the federal government, the City of Toronto launched a snazzy public relations campaign under the banner “one cent now.”

Unfortunately, before they could enjoy the fruits of their labour, they were slapped with a cease-and-desist order by the Royal Canadian Mint.

The dispute was over the phrase “one cent.” It turns out it is not in the public domain. For the privilege of using it, the City of Toronto needed to pay the mint more than $47,000 in licensing fees, something it neglected to do.

It was an honest oversight. After all, who would have thought a corporation, private or public, could own a phrase so common to everyday language?

Those Altruistic Aussies

Despite frequent speculation that corporate financing is dangerous to the ethos of the open source software (OSS) community, most Australian open source developers don't see payment as a primary influence on their contributions, a straw poll of attendees at Linux.conf.au in Melbourne suggests.

During her conference keynote presentation, Stormy Peters, the director of community and partner programs for OpenLogic, asked how many audience members were currently working in a paid position to develop OSS projects. Around one-third raised their hands. Almost exactly the same number said they would continue to work on OSS even if they lost their current position.

No surprise there. (Via A Chaotic Flow of Open Source Ideas.)

Eee – That's Clever

On Open Enterprise blog.

I've Been Banned - by Volvo

Apparently:

When I was at Volvo IT (my former employee until 2000) for a meeting today, it became sadly clear that Volvo IT have entered further down the path of radical ignorance. I’ve heard about their strange firewall filters before stopping people from visiting web pages containing the phrases “IP telephony”, “sex” and “”games”. Apparently the filters have broadened and now they seems to have added phrases like “social software” as well.

I couldn’t resist asking if I could do a quick test for a number of web-sites I read or write. Here are 4 examples of sites that was blocked.

* http://brintam.blogspot.com/ (my personal photo blog in Swedish - maybe not that strange that it is blocked)
* http://www.weconverse.com (Richard Gatarskis web/blog where he discusses e g social media in companies and society)
* http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/ (Thinker and author John Robbs blog)
* http://opendotdotdot.blogspot.com/ (Glyn Moody’s blog where he writes about and explores e g open source)

Subversive stuff, this blogging.

OSA Goes Euro

On Open Enterprise blog.

Yes, But What About the Uighurs?

I'm a big fan of all things Turkic, so I was interested in this post exploring the scale of Turkish online activity, especially in the world of social networking:

when you take a look at Alexa's ranking of Ning's biggest networks, you see that they are either adult-oriented or Turkish. So Ning is being nourished by Turkish traffic as well.

Last but not least, Turkey's high potential in social networking comes from its very young demographics. The number of young people in Turkey exceeds even the most populated countries in Europe. Moreover, the Internet penetration is quite high, and similar to Brazilians, Turkish people have very social characteristics; Turkey was the 2nd biggest market for Live Messenger, after all.

Just one question: what about the Uighurs?

Avoiding the Microsoft Tax

In the UK, at least....

Open Media Definitions

Definitions matter. If you want to see why, compare the worlds of open source and open access. The very specific definition of what is open source - having an OSI-approved licence - means that it is relatively easy to police. Open access, by contrast, does not have anything like a tight, "official" definition, with the result that less scrupulous publishers try to pass off their wares as open access if it's vaguely open or vaguely accessible. (That, BTW, seems to me a very strong argument for something to be set up along the lines of the OSI, to give its stamp of approval to open access resources. Are you listening, Peter?)

For this reason, trying to define open media is an excellent move:

With the change in the media climate and distribution experiments such as Radiohead’s In Rainbows (in music), and Four Eyed Monsters (in film) which have open qualities (temporarily available to watch or listen/download for free, for example) but are not truly open content, it is getting harder to tell what you can and cannot officially do with your media.

These are three proposed states for open media, each building on the next:

Open (O-):
The baseline, concerned with freely consuming and sharing the content (1-3)

Open source (O):
Being able to view and remix the source files (1-5).

Open Plus (O+):
The ability to participate in a transparent, documented process (1-8).

* 1. Freely accessible
Available to stream, or download without a fee. Should be available via direct download and P2P media, so it is not behind a gateway.
* 2. Freely available.
Permanently available without DRM, or release windows. The end user able to share the work without restriction.
* 3. Freely viewable
Available in multiple formats, and to be converted freely (in the case of video works, for example, as dvd, xvid/divx, mp4, and HD formats).

The above qualities are essential for open content. Open source content adds to the cultural commons by making creation of new content from the work.

* 4. Giving source files
Source media, such as rushes and raw graphics files should be archived and available for other creators to work with.
* 5. Allowing remixing
Materials should be licensed explicitly to allow derivative work (eg. other works based on the script, or video mashups, and remix edits) for at least non-commercial/artistic purposes. Creative Commons and other licenses are available for flexible copyrighting.

Open Plus adds more opportunities for participation and involvement in the work whether as a creator, or as part of what used to be called ‘the audience’.

* 6. Reveal the process
Allowing access to not only the final source media, but work-in-progress material and software files, adding another layer of transparency and documentation.
* 7. Open contribution
Adding ways to influence and participate in the creation of the original work through various types of community/audience involvement (opportunities such as open crewing, direct feedback or contribution mechanisms).

I think this is really important work: let's hope it can be built on. Open Media Initiative, anyone? (Via P2P Foundation.)

Open Enterprise Interview: Jono Bacon

On Open Enterprise blog.

Deciphering OCR Cuneiform

One area of weakness for open source is OCR, so news that OCR Cuneiform is available now as freeware, and will be released as open source, is highly welcome.

"Various Forms of Coercion" for ID Cards an "Option"

This is one of the most despicable documents from the UK Government it has been my misfortune to read. Ostensibly, it is an objective "options analysis" for the introduction of the ID cards. But in its cynical, cold-blooded laying out of methods to ram the things down the population's throat, it reads more like a fascist manifesto. Take the following, for example:

Various forms of coercion, such as designation of the application process for identity documents issued by UK Ministers (e.g. passports), are an option to stimulate applications in a manageable way.

How much clearer do you need it, people?

Against Intellectual Monopoly

On Open Enterprise blog.

Schneier on the False Dichotomy

Once more, Brucie tells it as it is:

Security and privacy are not opposite ends of a seesaw; you don't have to accept less of one to get more of the other. Think of a door lock, a burglar alarm and a tall fence. Think of guns, anti-counterfeiting measures on currency and that dumb liquid ban at airports. Security affects privacy only when it's based on identity, and there are limitations to that sort of approach.

When are they going to make this man President of the USA?

Not Patently Clear...

In a surprising (to this Kat at least) turn of events, the Honourable Mr Justice Kitchin has ruled today that the current UK Patent Office practice of flatly rejecting patent claims to computer program products is wrong.

This is obviously bad news, if true, but looking at the very interesting comments to the above post, there seems to be a lot of doubt about whether the ruling does, in fact, mean precisely that, or something else.

Clear as mud, then. But certainly worrying....

Update: Some clarity provided in this useful post; bad news, though....

Is MySQL's Fate the Future of Open Source?

On Linux Journal.

Free Music Goes Mainstream

What's interesting about this piece in the Guardian describing how the music industry is finally waking up to the virtues of free is that it brings together most of the arguments that I and others (notably Mike Masnick on Techdirt) have been banging on about for years. Looks like the industry has (almost) got it. We shall see.

Coincidence, Or...?

Ha!

PLIO, the volunteer association behind the Italian version of OpenOffice.org, underlines the incredible and funny coincidence between the number of Italians that have downloaded Microsoft Office 2007 Trial Version - just ove one million, according to a Microsoft Italia press release - and the number of new downloads of OpenOffice.org in 2007.

FT: No ID - No Comment...

In the two years since legislation for a UK national identity card scheme gained royal assent, the case against the multi-billion pound programme has become overwhelming. The government’s arguments in favour have crumpled. Now, if leaked official documents are to be believed, its roll-out is to be delayed until 2012. Some investors, concerned that it is not worth the wait, are already walking away. Gordon Brown inherited this deeply flawed plan from his predecessor as prime minister. He should follow his instincts and abandon it altogether.

Not only would ID cards be an unwelcome infringement of personal freedom – they were scrapped in Britain after the second world war because people resented being asked to prove who they were – there is no evidence their introduction would deliver tangible benefits.

No, not another of my rants, but the editorial in a little publication called the Financial Times.... (Via Open Rights Group.)