Thursday, December 29, 2005

Online Mathematics Textbooks

Online texts: "The writing of textbooks and making them freely available on the web is an idea whose time has arrived. Most college mathematics textbooks attempt to be all things to all people and, as a result, are much too big and expensive. This perhaps made some sense when these books were rather expensive to produce and distribute--but this time has passed.

Here follow links to the online mathematics texts of which I am aware. I urge everyone to let me know of others in order that I may add them to this list."

Monday, December 26, 2005

iRex : Our solutions

iRex : Our solutions: "iRex Technologies redefines electronic paper applications by providing a total solution for companies who would like their members (subscribers, students, workers) to be able to read the latest updated content from electronic paper, independent of location."

Sunday, December 25, 2005

LXer: The Open Standards Monopoly Challenging Innovation in Redmond

LXer: The Open Standards Monopoly Challenging Innovation in Redmond: "For instance, where ODF implements W3C XForms, MSXML uses a WinForms - InfoPath derivative. Where ODF implements W3C SVG, MSXML is geared to the up and coming proprietary 'sparkle'. Where ODF uses standard HTML, MSXML embraces the bastardized MSHTML. The list goes on and on, with one point becoming increasingly clear: Microsoft continues to embrace and extend open standards with proprietary enhancements designed to break both compatibility and interoperability with everything outside their OS Stack."

US libraries back Massachusetts ODF plan - Computer Business Review

US libraries back Massachusetts ODF plan - Computer Business Review: "The letter was signed by the American Library Association, the American Association of Law Libraries, the Association of Research Libraries, the Medical Library Association, and the Special Libraries Association, which together represent over 139,000 libraries in the US."

::PeaceJournalism.com - The Peace Media Research Center's e-magazine::

::PeaceJournalism.com - The Peace Media Research Center's e-magazine::: "We were trying to teach the English language to Nepalis so they could use computers but we decided it�s much easier to teach computers Nepali,� says MPP�s Outreach Officer, Kedar Sharma. NepaLinux allows users to copy or redistribute the product and since the source code is open, developers can freely customise and may further develop the available products."

Friday, December 16, 2005

Google: Search or Destroy? Moyra McAllister Roger Clarke Chris Creswell Sarah Waladan Michael Handler Matthew Rimmer - openDemocracy

Google: Search or Destroy? Moyra McAllister Roger Clarke Chris Creswell Sarah Waladan Michael Handler Matthew Rimmer - openDemocracy: "Moyra McAllister: “Librarians as a profession are committed to the principles of equitable access to information”"

Monopolists at the Academic Gates. Moore's Lore:

Monopolists at the Academic Gates. Moore's Lore:

BBC NEWS | Technology | What is it with Wikipedia?

BBC NEWS | Technology | What is it with Wikipedia?: "An educated audience is the only realistic way to ensure that we are not duped, tricked, fleeced or offended by the media we consume, and learning that online information sources may not be as accurate as they pretend to be is an important part of that education.

I use the Wikipedia a lot. It is a good starting point for serious research, but I would never accept something that I read there without checking."

Thursday, December 15, 2005

TYPING TUTOR

TYPING TUTOR

Firefox Scholar (aka SmartFox) - ToolCenter

Firefox Scholar (aka SmartFox) - ToolCenter

Firefox Scholar. I am looking forward to see this.

Wikipedia:Errors in the Encyclop�dia Britannica that have been corrected in Wikipedia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikipedia:Errors in the Encyclop�dia Britannica that have been corrected in Wikipedia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Internet encyclopaedias go head to head : Nature

Internet encyclopaedias go head to head : Nature: "Jimmy Wales' Wikipedia comes close to Britannica in terms of the accuracy of its science entries, a Nature investigation finds."

Guardian Unlimited Business | Business latest | Wellcome boost for open access

Guardian Unlimited Business | Business latest | Wellcome boost for open access: "Three major publishers of scientific research, including Oxford University Press, will today announce a deal with The Wellcome Trust, the world's second largest charitable funder of medical research after Bill Gates, that will see thousands of research papers available free to everyone over the internet."

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Chinese walls

Chinese walls: " “And I was very disappointed to learn that Microsoft has agreed to block Chinese blog entries that use words like “democracy“, “freedom“, “human rights“ and “demonstration.”

It seems like Microsoft is not alone in “bad company“. Google has agreed to exclude publications that the Chinese government finds objectionable. And Yahoo has even gone further. They collaborated with the Chinese government and gave up the name of a writer who sent an e-mail that commented on a party decision. Based on this information, the man received a ten-year prison sentence.”"

InfoWorld Nederland

InfoWorld Nederland: "Google's Blogger gets blocked again in China"

IBM Promotes Red Hat and Novell

IBM Promotes Red Hat and Novell: "Handy recalled IBM's pledge in 2001 to invest $1 billion into Linux. The third quarter of 2005 was the first quarter of $1 billion in revenue from Linux-related activities for IBM.

'We're now getting our investment back on a quarterly basis,' Handy said."

Monday, December 12, 2005

MercuryNews.com | 12/12/2005 | Wikipedia needs safeguards that work

MercuryNews.com | 12/12/2005 | Wikipedia needs safeguards that work: "Unlike Newmark, I have a suggestion: Wales should issue a royal decree moving Wikipedia to a ``gatekeeper'' model, borrowed from successful open-source software projects such as the Linux operating system and the Firefox browser."

Stanford Boosts Scholarship On the Web - OhmyNews International

Stanford Boosts Scholarship On the Web - OhmyNews International: "
In the official blog it was reported by David Tebbutt that, 'Nervous laughter echoed around the room. But, in between the laughter, you could almost hear some deep thinking taking place. Engage with the New World or seek early retirement.'"

E-LIS - Designing a Semantic Web Path to e-Science

E-LIS - Designing a Semantic Web Path to e-Science: "This paper aims at designing a possible path of convergence between the Open Access and the Semantic Web communities. In section 1, it focuses on the problems that the current Web has to face to become a fully effective research means, with particular regard to the question of selection according to subjective quality criteria."

Open Source Software Will Permeate Enterprise Software, Says The 451 Group | Tekrati Research News

Open Source Software Will Permeate Enterprise Software, Says The 451 Group | Tekrati Research News: "The 451 Group believes that enterprise software vendors can no longer afford to ignore open source. In a special report, the IT industry analysts evaluate open source software as a powerful force of change with both upside and downside potential. As the lines between open and proprietary blur, licensing models will increasingly contain hybrid approaches to code ownership and permitted use. The end result: nearly every piece of enterprise software will eventually contain open source elements."

Sunday, December 11, 2005

EducationGuardian.co.uk | E-learning | Open access failings 'cost UK �1.5bn'

EducationGuardian.co.uk | E-learning | Open access failings 'cost UK �1.5bn': "Prof Harnad has dismissed the publishers' fears. 'Not only are these claims unsubstantiated, but all the evidence to date shows the reverse to be true: not only do journals thrive and co-exist alongside author self-archiving, but they can actually benefit from it - both in terms of more citations and more subscriptions,' he said."

Saturday, December 10, 2005

EducationGuardian.co.uk | Research | Royal Society attacked for 'negative' open access stance

EducationGuardian.co.uk | Research | Royal Society attacked for 'negative' open access stance: "'In seeking to delay or even to block the proposed RCUK policy, the Royal Society appears to be putting the concerns of existing publishers (including the society itself) ahead of the needs of science. The position statement ignores considerable evidence demonstrating the viability of open access, instead warning ominously of 'disastrous' consequences for science publishing. We believe that these concerns are mistaken.'"

EducationGuardian.co.uk | E-learning | Science academy defends open access policy

EducationGuardian.co.uk | E-learning | Science academy defends open access policy: "A spokesman added: 'The Royal Society is absolutely supportive of the principle of open access and is committed to the widest possible dissemination of research outputs. The society is itself a delayed open access publisher, providing free access after 12 months, and provides immediate access to researchers in developing countries and also to scientific papers that are of major public interest - for example the results of the farm scale evaluation of genetically modified crops."

Friday, December 09, 2005

Support the Commons | Creative Commons

Support the Commons | Creative Commons: "In order for us to build upon this success, we need your support. Our future depends on your investment so that unique and important projects like these can continue to grow:"

Please readers of this post. Contribute 25 dollar today. Best from Paul

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Winneba Linux User Group, GHANA

http://www.onevillagefoundation.org/ovf/WILUG.html

Monday, December 05, 2005

� ODF subpar for the disabled? Not so fast says Google researcher. | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

� ODF subpar for the disabled? Not so fast says Google researcher. | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

MercuryNews.com | 12/05/2005 | Gates heads to India, key front in competition with open source

MercuryNews.com | 12/05/2005 | Gates heads to India, key front in competition with open source: "India has 200,000 open-source software programmers, and ``companies are switching over to open source, layer by layer by layer,'' said Atul Chitnis, a software consultant in Bangalore, the country's technology hub.

Linux is also attracting researchers with high performance and stability, said Professor Gopi Garge of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

``People have opened their windows for Linux now,'' he said."

MercuryNews.com | 12/05/2005 | Gates heads to India, key front in competition with open source

MercuryNews.com | 12/05/2005 | Gates heads to India, key front in competition with open source: "India has 200,000 open-source software programmers, and ``companies are switching over to open source, layer by layer by layer,'' said Atul Chitnis, a software consultant in Bangalore, the country's technology hub.

Linux is also attracting researchers with high performance and stability, said Professor Gopi Garge of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

``People have opened their windows for Linux now,'' he said."

Friday, December 02, 2005

Instructional Videos from WVU ACM | The Fridge

Instructional Videos from WVU ACM | The Fridge: "Chris Del Checcolo and Ricky Hussmann from the West Virginia University Student Chapter of the ACM have put together an awesome set of instructional videos that feature Ubuntu.

* Ubuntu Linux / Windows Dual Boot Instructional Video
* Installing Software on Ubuntu Linux

Warning: Soundtrack contains gratuitous use of Survivor and Styx."

ZDNet India > Insight > software > So why not put Linux on your business desktops?

ZDNet India > Insight > software > So why not put Linux on your business desktops?: "Conclusion
Linux desktops are ready to step into the shoes of Windows, but IT managers have to make a decision for it to happen. Linux may be free, but Windows is already there when you buy the PC.

There is extra work involved in getting a Linux desktop up and shutting Windows down, but increasingly, it looks like the main factor keeping us in a Microsoft world is inertia."

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Desktop Linux for small businesses: ZDNet Australia: Reviews: Software: OS

Desktop Linux for small businesses: ZDNet Australia: Reviews: Software: OS: "Our Editor's Choice for the small business, however, is the solid, well integrated and free Ubuntu Linux 5.10."

Monday, November 28, 2005

TECTONIC: Join the Geekcorp, see the world.

TECTONIC: Join the Geekcorp, see the world.

Ubuntu and Founder Mark Shuttleworth Win New Awards

Ubuntu and Founder Mark Shuttleworth Win New Awards: "Mark thanked everyone involved, in particular the Debian community, and added “This is the tipping point for Software Libre – we are starting to see Linux on the desktop become a reality not just for high end power users, but for the rest of the family too. The hard work of hundreds of thousands of anonymous contributors has reached critical mass, our momentum is now unstoppable. It's a great privilege to be part of this quiet revolution.”"

Friday, November 25, 2005

Consortiuminfo.org Standards Blog

Consortiuminfo.org Standards Blog: "It's still far too early to say that the dust has settled, but I'll attempt to pull together here the most significant pieces of information that I've located since last night's post, and what it all means."

Monday, November 21, 2005

Ten tips for making the most of Google Mail - ZDNet UK Insight

Ten tips for making the most of Google Mail - ZDNet UK Insight

I recommend the Gmail very much.

Sidebar: Gates Seeks High-End Role for Windows - Computerworld

Sidebar: Gates Seeks High-End Role for Windows - Computerworld: "According to the latest Top500 supercomputing list, which was released at last week's conference, Linux is running on nearly 75% of the 500 largest systems worldwide, while Unix is installed on 20% of them. Even Mac OS X was given a 1% share. Windows wasn't noted at all."

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Why Browsers Should Be Able to Display OpenDocument - OSNews.com

Why Browsers Should Be Able to Display OpenDocument - OSNews.com: "'The' format for longer texts, spreadsheets and presentations. Of course, this would not really work as long as Internet Explorer does not support OpenDocument. But eventually, Microsoft may be forced to support OpenDocument sooner or later. Let's hope the best. Lots of cool possibilities ahead!"

Friday, November 18, 2005

TuxMobil: Linux With Laptops, Notebooks, PDAs and Mobile Cell Phones

TuxMobil: Linux With Laptops, Notebooks, PDAs and Mobile Cell Phones: "Linux With Laptops, Notebooks, PDAs and Mobile Cell Phones

TuxMobil is dedicated to Linux And Mobile Computers. It leads you to a lot of useful hands-on information, HOWTOs, and FAQs about installing and running Linux, BSD, Solaris and other UniXes on laptops, notebooks, PDAs, mobile cellular phones, portable music and video players, wearables and other mobile computer devices."

Linux on Laptops

Linux on Laptops: "This is an index of information and documentation of interest to those who now use or are considering using the Linux operating system on a notebook or laptop computer. This resource is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/."

Thursday, November 17, 2005

LinuxElectrons - Christians Challenge Microsoft to Support OpenDocument for Disadvantaged

LinuxElectrons - Christians Challenge Microsoft to Support OpenDocument for Disadvantaged: "Charlotte, NC – Several Christian Ministers and laymen from across the US and Britain have spoken out against Microsoft's refusal to support OpenDocument.

Several Christian Ministers and laymen from across the US and Britain have spoken out against Microsoft's refusal to support OpenDocument, thus leaving visually-impaired users of their office suite effectively unable to use the new standard adopted by Massachusetts. The Christians see Microsoft's stance as intentionally withholding support so that it can turn a technical business decision into a political fight."

Linux PR: Linux Professional Institute Certification Exams Top 100,000 Worldwide

Linux PR: Linux Professional Institute Certification Exams Top 100,000 Worldwide: "'Just over a year ago we reached the 50,000 mark after only four years as an organization. We have since doubled that number,' said Jim Lacey, Chairman of the LPI Board of Directors. 'This demonstrates the growing significance and need for a certified body of Linux professionals to support the integration of a Linux platform within an enterprise environment. Furthermore it demonstrates that LPI has unequivocally increased its industry reputation as the global leader in providing standardized, vendor-independent Linux certification,' added Mr. Lacey. Mr. Lacey noted that the organization announced in February that it had delivered 75,000 exams worldwide--reaching two milestones in a single year."

GCLUG - GCLUG

GCLUG - GCLUG: "This is an unofficial test Wiki for the GCLUG. The main site is at http://goldcoastlinux.com and there is a mailing list available there to support members and linux enthusiasts. Feel free to add some content or any comments to this Wiki. If you are unfamiliar with Wiki formatting, or this particular Wiki's variation, then checkout How To Use A Wiki and then play around in the Sand Box. You can also join us on IRC in #gclug at freenode.org.

* Our Meetings - When and where we next meet"

Software: No longer business as usual - page 2 | Tech News on ZDNet

Software: No longer business as usual - page 2 | Tech News on ZDNet: "Commercial software makers spend on average 82 percent of new license revenue on sales and marketing--that is, finding new customers--according to a Goldman Sachs report. That's up from 66 percent in 2000."

Monday, November 14, 2005

eWEEK Labs Review: Ubuntu Linux 5.10

eWEEK Labs Review: Ubuntu Linux 5.10: "Canonical's Ubuntu Linux 5.10 (fancifully code-named Breezy Badger) is only the third Ubuntu release since the distribution launched one year ago, yet it exhibits considerable maturity thanks in large part to the Debian foundation on which Ubuntu is built. Ubuntu still has some growing up to do, particularly where its graphical administration tools (or lack thereof) are concerned, but Version 5.10 boasts the best software installation system we've yet seen on any platform. More information is available at www.ubuntu.com."

eWEEK Labs Review: Ubuntu Linux 5.10

eWEEK Labs Review: Ubuntu Linux 5.10: "Canonical's Ubuntu Linux 5.10 (fancifully code-named Breezy Badger) is only the third Ubuntu release since the distribution launched one year ago, yet it exhibits considerable maturity thanks in large part to the Debian foundation on which Ubuntu is built. Ubuntu still has some growing up to do, particularly where its graphical administration tools (or lack thereof) are concerned, but Version 5.10 boasts the best software installation system we've yet seen on any platform. More information is available at www.ubuntu.com."

Sunday, November 13, 2005

The car that makes its own fuel

The car that makes its own fuel: "A unique system that can produce Hydrogen inside a car using common metals such as Magnesium and Aluminum was developed by an Israeli company."

Saturday, November 12, 2005

IBM, Sony, Philips, Red Hat, Novell in Open Invention Network

IBM, Sony, Philips, Red Hat, Novell in Open Invention Network: "SAN FRANCISCO - IBM, Sony Corp., Philips N.V, Red Hat Inc. and Novell Inc. have announced on Thursday that they are forming a new company to share Linux patents, but without charging any royalties. The new company is to be called Open Invention Network. "

LGM : Libre Graphics Meeting

LGM : Libre Graphics Meeting: "The first Libre Graphics Meeting will be held on 17, 18 and 19 March 2006 in Lyon, France in the Ecole d'Ing�nieurs CPE on the university campus at La Doua, Villeurbanne.

LGM will be a melting pot, with free software graphics developers and artists meeting each other, exchanging ideas and tips, and planning the future of free graphics. Graphics professionals interested in learning about the state of the art in free software are also welcome.

LGM will bring together developers and users of the best of free software graphics applications - GIMP, Inkscape, Scribus, Blender and more. It promises to be a fun ride through what is on offer, with tutorials and presentations of applications, and lots of time and space to chat, meet up with old friends, make new ones. Plans will be made, hacking and drawing will be done, fun will be had."

Forget Munich's Linux Migration, It's Already Done by Extremadura - OSNews.com

Forget Munich's Linux Migration, It's Already Done by Extremadura - OSNews.com: "After reading in the Linux forums all the pains and troubles that Munich is going trough to migrate their desktop systems to Linux this sounded to me like something incredible. When he finished his talk and the floor was open for questions I could not help but ask him about this subject again, the answer was simple: 'We changed the desktop systems from Windows to Linux during the weekend, when the civil servants came back next Monday morning they found Linux running on their desktop machines'. Wow! So Munich is receiving all the press about their careful and detailed migration to Linux on the desktop and here comes one of the poorest region in Europe showing that this can be simply done during a weekend."

gnuLinEx.org, para la Libertad :: S�legal...copia gnuLinEx

gnuLinEx.org, para la Libertad :: S�legal...copia gnuLinEx: "Para ponerte en contacto con nosotros, por favor, rellena el formulario que aparece haciendo click aqu�. Recuerda que no obstante tienes las faq's y los foros para resolver dudas"

Friday, November 11, 2005

typeonline - free online touch typing course in five lessons

typeonline - free online touch typing course in five lessons: "We offer:

* a structured touch typing course for motivated individuals looking to develop their keyboard skills.
* a free resource to complement supervised keyboarding education in schools."

Thursday, November 10, 2005

MercuryNews.com | 11/10/2005 | Viruses exploit Sony CD copy-protection scheme

MercuryNews.com | 11/10/2005 | Viruses exploit Sony CD copy-protection scheme: "SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A controversial copy-protection program that automatically installs when some Sony BMG audio CDs are played on personal computers is now being targeted by malicious software that exploits the antipiracy technology's ability to hide files."

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Marginal Revolution: How to write a paper or give a seminar

Marginal Revolution: How to write a paper or give a seminar: "How to write a paper or give a seminar

At the Ph.d. level, that is. John Cochrane has great advice throughout. It starts as follows:

Figure out the one central and novel contribution of your paper. Write this down in one paragraph. As with all your writing, this must be concrete.

Here are John's far more specific (and for most people less useful) suggestions for paper topics."

tecosystems: Documenting the Open Document Format Summit

tecosystems: Documenting the Open Document Format Summit: "Documenting the Open Document Format Summit

ODF Summit
Originally uploaded by sogrady.
As some or all of you know by now, I had the privilege of attending the Open Document Format summit last Friday in Westchester. As has been well documented by some of the other attendees such as Andy Updegrove (whose notes on the MA hearing from last week are not to be missed, incidentally) and Sam Hiser, the summit was an interesting mix of some of the usual ODF suspects (Adobe, IBM, OpenOffice.org & Sun) along with some newcomers like CA, Corel, Google, Nokia, Novell, Oracle, Red Hat & Scalix, not to mention non-vendors such as Adelstein Hiser, Gesmer Updegrove, OASIS, Open Document Fellowship, & the OSI. "

� MS competitors gather to fast track ODF's evolution | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

� MS competitors gather to fast track ODF's evolution | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com: "Within days of OASIS' OpenDocument Format (ODF) suffering a political setback in Massachusetts (a drama which has yet to fully play itself out yet), many of Microsoft's competitors gathered in IBM-stronghold Armonk, NY on Friday, November 4 to plot the next steps for the fledgling XML-based document standard."

Open source financial apps offer alternatives to Quicken, Money

Open source financial apps offer alternatives to Quicken, Money: "Matzan describes the pros and cons of Moneydance (Reilly Technologies), GPL-licensed jGnash, KMyMoney, GnuCash, and CrossOver Office. "

French opt for laissez-faire Linux - ZDNet UK Insight

French opt for laissez-faire Linux - ZDNet UK Insight: "The French tax agency claims that upgrading its 80,000 desktops to Office XP would cost €29.5m, but switching to OpenOffice.org only €200,000"

Consortiuminfo.org Standards Blog

Consortiuminfo.org Standards Blog: "First, the full list of attending companies is now public. They are as follows: Adobe, Apple, Computer Associates, Corel, Google, IBM, Intel, Nokia, Novell, Oracle, Red Hat, Scalix, and SIIA."

Golden's Rules: The real story behind the Massachusetts ODF flap

Golden's Rules: The real story behind the Massachusetts ODF flap: "Boiled down, the discussion goes something like this:

Massachusetts has a responsibility to make its documents available to all interested parties. In addition, it must make them available for extended periods. Just as you now can see 200-year-old documents relating to the state, future generations will need to have access to documents created in the 21st century."

Monday, November 07, 2005

Standards and specs: Digital rights management: When a standard isn't

Standards and specs: Digital rights management: When a standard isn't: "Whether you're a buyer or a seller of a product, the essential goal of standardization is to make interoperability possible, allowing communication with anyone else using the same protocol and media. In some cases though, vendors have specific reasons for not being compatible -- and those vendors have developed a standard for incompatibility, digital rights management (DRM). The goal of DRM is to limit compatibility because things which are compatible can be copied and distributed freely. In this installment, Peter Seebach looks at a potential oxymoron -- standards designed to subvert and prevent interoperability."

� MS-Office schema not as open source friendly as Microsoft says it is | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

� MS-Office schema not as open source friendly as Microsoft says it is | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com: "What Massachusetts was concerned about — and rightfully so — is that just like with Adobe's license for the Portable Document Format, any open source developer could develop OXRS-compliant software without being restricted to using a specific open source license — particularly one of the ones with ambiguous language that the open source community has since addressed with newer, more unambiguous licenses. Compared to OXRS, ODF gives open source developers the latitude to pick whatever open source license they want, which is one reason why it passed Massachusetts/ test for openness and why ODF was ultimately selected as a standard format for storing the state's documents."

� Politics and the perversion of standards | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

� Politics and the perversion of standards | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com: "Sometimes, fact is just a better read than fiction. I promise you, if you have any interest in technology standards ….any interest..– or if you have been paying any attention to the OpenDocument Format (ODF) saga as it unfolds in Massachusetts — that the word for word transcription I've done of certain parts of a political hearing that took place last week in that state will be well worth the read. "

� MS-Office schema not as open source friendly as Microsoft says it is | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

� MS-Office schema not as open source friendly as Microsoft says it is | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com: "What Massachusetts was concerned about — and rightfully so — is that just like with Adobe's license for the Portable Document Format, any open source developer could develop OXRS-compliant software without being restricted to using a specific open source license — particularly one of the ones with ambiguous language that the open source community has since addressed with newer, more unambiguous licenses. Compared to OXRS, ODF gives open source developers the latitude to pick whatever open source license they want, which is one reason why it passed Massachusetts/ test for openness and why ODF was ultimately selected as a standard format for storing the state's documents."

? Digital Restrictions Management | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

? Digital Restrictions Management | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

Some good articles about DRM.

Knowledge Sharing: Knowledge Sharing

Knowledge Sharing: Knowledge Sharing: "This paper provides an understanding of an emerging paradigm of business where knowledge and knowledge sharing has become the singular basis not only for competitive success but also for corporate survival. It also describes how business organizations can use knowledge and knowledge sharing tools as strategic enabler to transform their operation paradigm."

CIO Asia - Totally Open

CIO Asia - Totally Open: "The Total Linux Breakfast Seminar held by CIO Asia together with IBM saw a number of speakers addressing the new trend in decisions by organisations to go with Linux, the reasons why, and the reasons why some have not."

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Alice Hill?s Real Tech News - Independent Tech ? Open Office 2.0 Kicks MS Office Around the Block

Alice Hill?s Real Tech News - Independent Tech ? Open Office 2.0 Kicks MS Office Around the Block

Intel to create software development centre in Argentina

Intel to create software development centre in Argentina: "Intel to create software development centre in Argentina"

Wired News: Imagine, Make It Real in Fab Lab

Wired News: Imagine, Make It Real in Fab Lab: "'If you give people access to means to solve their own problems, it touches something very, very deep,' said Neil Gershenfeld, an MIT physicist and computer scientist who is among the movement's chief proponents. 'Somehow it goes back to nest-building, or mastering your own environment. There's sort of this deep thing inside that most people don't express that comes tumbling out when they get access to these tools,' he said."

informitv - Interactive TV - Opinion - iMP - First impressions of BBC media player trial

informitv - Interactive TV - Opinion - iMP - First impressions of BBC media player trial: "The BBC iMP or integrated Media Player project is a broadband service that will enable selected television and radio programmes to be downloaded over the internet up to seven days after first transmission. Based on experience with the trial service, informitv offers an extended review of the innovative offering."

College life, powered by Google

College life, powered by Google: "You spend your life dealing with information. A lot of it is academic, a lot more is personal, it all matters, and you can probably use better tools for handling it effectively. On this page, we?d like to introduce you to a few of them."

Brazil Offers Half a Million Cheap Linux-Powered Computers

Brazil News 24/7 - Nothing But Brazil - Brazzil Magazine - Fresh news daily - English-language Magazine on Brazilian Culture - Brazil - Brasil - Br�sil: "Beginning next week, stores all over Brazil will start selling computers on the installment plan, at low interest rates, for no more than US$ 440, as part of the Linked Citizen Program, known as 'Computers for All.'
This information comes from the secretary of information policy in the Ministry of Science and Technology, Marcelo Lopes, according to whom 500 thousand units should be sold in a period of four to six months. "

Wired News: Ghana Gets a Fab Lab

Wired News: Ghana Gets a Fab Lab: "CBA director Neil Gershenfeld said that over time the components of the labs will themselves be replaced with new components made in the labs, until eventually the Fab Labs are totally self-reproducing. The technology isn't there yet, but Fab Lab staffers believe that within a decade or two this could be feasible.

Lassiter said a future goal for Fab Labs is to use open-source hardware. That would enable staffers to make their own machines that work better for lab purposes. Currently, the labs use open-source software across the board, from the Linux operating system to all the applications used for 3-D design tools, circuit design tools, math tools, graphics tools and other equipment."

LXer: Intel? Linux? versus Microsoft? Windows

LXer: Intel? Linux? versus Microsoft? Windows: "Recently, I had a chance to vet information from a leaked document. The process usually involves verification of the original source through a number of techniques. I often find vetting leads to more discoveries which lead to more and more.

I call this last adventure an eye-opener. You might see it the same way. But let's keep this a secret between us. We wouldn't want the press to find out about it because they would certainly bury it. "

Technology News: Software : MySQL, OpenOffice Upgrades Getting Good Reviews

Technology News: Software : MySQL, OpenOffice Upgrades Getting Good Reviews: "The big new feature in OpenOffice 2 is the inclusion of a basic database program, which has been described as an Access clone. Also noteworthy for the purists in the crowd is strict XML compliance and adherence to Open Document standards. Sounds good."

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Click Online | Open source turns money-spinner

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Click Online | Open source turns money-spinner: "Open source code, written by a community of thousands of software developers, has always been made freely available. But there are ways of making money from it, as David Reid finds out in Amsterdam."

Friday, November 04, 2005

XMax in pictures - ZDNet UK News

XMax in pictures - ZDNet UK News: "Picture Story: Can xMax live up to the bold claims of its supporters, and turn the wireless industry on its head? Take a look at the evidence for yourself"

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

LXer: How Microsoft Got its OS Declared an "Open System" and wound up in Government

LXer: How Microsoft Got its OS Declared an "Open System" and wound up in Government: "History repeats itself. Monopolists are almost impossible to unseat without the will of Congress, the Administration and the Courts and ultimately each and every one of us.
"

Lawyer: Open-source risks overblown | Tech News on ZDNet

Lawyer: Open-source risks overblown | Tech News on ZDNet: "'The secret of the GPL was taking a small quantum of risk and putting it on the distributors,' Moglen said. 'The total risk could be brought close to zero.' "

Linux News: Legal Issues : Open-Source Compliance Insurance Hits the Marketplace

Linux News: Legal Issues : Open-Source Compliance Insurance Hits the Marketplace: "Insurance underwriter Kiln plc, a Lloyd's of London underwriter and Miller Insurance Services Limited, a Lloyd's broker, said yesterday that they will offer a new product called Open Source Compliance Insurance. Open Source Risk Management, Inc. (OSRM) will act as the exclusive worldwide risk-assessor and advisor."

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

� Auditor inquisition could determine ODF's fate in Massachusetts | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

� Auditor inquisition could determine ODF's fate in Massachusetts | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com: "At a hearing yesterday in room 437 of the venerable State House in Boston, Mass., a Commonwealth Senate oversight committee chaired by Senator Marc R. Pacheco opened yet another chapter in the ongoing saga of Massachusetts' Enterprise Technical Reference Model — a blueprint for the state's information technology, authored by the state's IT Department (ITD)"

Albert Einstein Institution - Publications - 005 From Dictatorship to Democracy

Albert Einstein Institution - Publications - 005 From Dictatorship to Democracy: "In recent years various dictatorships�of both internal and external origin�have collapsed or stumbled when confronted by defiant, mobilized people. Often seen as firmly entrenched and impregnable, some of these dictatorships proved unable to withstand the concerted political, economic, and social defiance of the people."

Monday, October 31, 2005

Answering Microsoft: Comments on Microsoft's Letter to MA ~ by David A. Wheeler

GROKLAW: "As most readers probably know, Massachusetts has chosen the OpenDocument standard as their standard for office suite data exchange. Massachusetts has published the comments about this decision from many sources, including Adobe, Corel, IBM, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems. Microsoft was extremely unhappy that the OASIS OpenDocument standard was selected instead of their proprietary XML format, aka the Microsoft Office Open XML format, that is under development."

Friday, October 28, 2005

Educational Sites Inform a Growing Audience

Educational Sites Inform a Growing Audience: "A new report released by Internet statisticians Nielsen NetRatings contends that educational and reference-oriented sites are experiencing a dramatic increase in traffic, and currently reach nearly one-third of all Web users."

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Press release

Press release: "The SADC-wide network “it@ab - Information Technology in African Business” recently held a two days conference on Free and Open Source Software in Lusaka, Zambia on “Smooth integration of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) into existing software environments”."

Sunday, October 23, 2005

LinuxElectrons - Linux Industry Unites Behind LSB Desktop Project

LinuxElectrons - Linux Industry Unites Behind LSB Desktop Project: "SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Free Standards Group, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing and promoting open source software standards, and the LSB workgroup have announced thirteen leading Linux vendors have united behind its new Linux Standard Base Desktop project and pledged their support."

Technetra : Review: Ubuntu 5.10 "Breezy Badger"

Technetra : Review: Ubuntu 5.10 "Breezy Badger": "Conclusion

In the short time that I've spent using Ubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger), I've really come to like it. The installation was painless, all my hardware was detected and configured correctly, package management was easy, and the clean-cut GNOME desktop is terrific. If you haven't tried Linux on your desktop yet, get your hands on the 'Live CD' version of Breezy Badger -- if you like what you see, this is a great distribution to embark on your desktop Linux journey. For users already into Ubuntu, an upgrade to Breezy Badger is definitely worth it."

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Debate over clean car technology rages on

Technology News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "DaimlerChrysler AG (DCXGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research), another major player in the field, debuted a prototype car that can run either on fuel cells or on a lithium ion battery and can crank out 115 horsepower. Fully charged, the family sized car has a range of 400 km.

'It's going to take collaboration to transform the industry,' Burns said.

'The world is on a trajectory where it's becoming even more urgent to get this done, whether it's 9/11, the Iraq war, the explosive growth of China's economy or hurricanes that expose the vulnerability of energy infrastructures."

Friday, October 21, 2005

Linux News: International : Estonians Use Linux for Groundbreaking Internet Election

Linux News: International : Estonians Use Linux for Groundbreaking Internet Election: "The tiny Baltic republic of Estonia is breaking new ground in digital democracy. Last week, the country nicknamed 'e-Stonia' because of its tech-savvy population became the first country in the world to hold an election allowing voters nationwide to cast ballots over the Internet "

TP: How NSA access was built into Windows

TP: How NSA access was built into Windows: "According to one leading US cryptographer, the IT world should be thankful that the subversion of Windows by NSA has come to light before the arrival of CPUs that handles encrypted instruction sets. These would make the type of discoveries made this month impossible. 'Had the next-generation CPU's with encrypted instruction sets already been deployed, we would have never found out about NSAKEY.'"

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Guardian Unlimited Technology | Technology | Minister of counterculture

Guardian Unlimited Technology | Technology | Minister of counterculture: "Gilberto Gil is a musical legend - and a senior Brazilian politician. He tells Oliver Burkeman how poverty can be challenged if ideas are shared for free

Friday October 14, 2005
The Guardian "

So stop using -- Yagotta B. Kidding's comment on "Democracy and standards" | TalkBack on ZDNet

So stop using -- Yagotta B. Kidding's comment on "Democracy and standards" | TalkBack on ZDNet: "So stop using
Government is supposed to be REACT to the market, NOT shape it. Massachusetts stepped over the line, IMO.

Declare your independence. Stand on principle! Refuse to use products based on:

ANSI specifications
TCP/IP
ASTM specifications
National Electrical Code specifications
FAA standards
FCC standards
...

Oh, and I take it that you've informed your employer that lobbying the FCC is fundamentally wrong?
Posted by: Yagotta B. Kidding Posted on: 10/17/05"

Cautious welcome for new MS shared source licences | The Register

Cautious welcome for new MS shared source licences | The Register: "This, he added, is something of a turnaround for the company, which he says has previously referred to GPL as 'viral', 'cancerous' and 'communist'."

Ubuntu Wins Linux Journal Favourite Linux Award 2005

Ubuntu Wins Linux Journal Favourite Linux Award 2005: "The Linux Journal Readers' Choice award is the latest in a line of awards that Ubuntu has won recently, including the UK Linux & Open Source Awards 2005, Tux magazine Reader's Choice 2005 for Favourite Linux Distribution, and Ars Technica's best distribution award.
"

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Stopping Linux desktop adoption sabotage, part two

Stopping Linux desktop adoption sabotage, part two: "Major retailers are not interested in giving customers a less expensive, more reliable PC platform. They more interested in not damaging the relationship with Microsoft. This layer of the anti-Linux movement has wide repercussions, as I'll discuss in the concluding installment of this column."

DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.

DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.: "One more issue worth mentioning here is the subject of the kernel supplied on the Ubuntu installation CD for the i386 architecture. It seems that many people installing Ubuntu Linux on a modern computer do not realise that they might be running their operating system with a seriously underpowered kernel. That's because the Ubuntu installation CD contains only one kernel, which quite naturally is the one that will work on all x86 architectures. However, if you are using a modern processor, such as Intel Pentium or the AMD processors, you will get a much better performance if you download and install one of the kernels specially compiled for those processors. Just run 'apt-get install linux-image-686' if your system is powered by at least an Intel Pentium II processor or 'apt-get install linux-image-k7' on systems with the AMD K7 processor. You can check your current kernel version with the 'uname -r' command.

Robert originally reported this issue as a bug. However, the Ubuntu developers dismissed it explaining that there just isn't enough space on the installation CD to provide more than one binary kernel. It is up to us, the users, to install the optimal kernel after the initial installation."

LyX - The Document Processor

LyX - The Document Processor

Open formats make history - and maintain it

Technology, Technology news, Times Online: "Paradigm shifts are often preceded by tiny, almost unnoticeable shivers. So you could be forgiven for missing the news that late last month, the government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (for historical reasons it does not call itself a state) decided that all the documents its employees create have to be in a data format called OpenDocument."

Consortiuminfo.org Standards Blog

Consortiuminfo.org Standards Blog: "So there is no line drawn in the sand, nor (to put it another way) has Microsoft painted itself into a corner. If OpenDocument picks up steam, a back door for support is ajar. "

Sunday, October 16, 2005

FOXNews.com - Views - Your Mail: Open Debate About OpenDocument

FOXNews.com - Views - Your Mail: Open Debate About OpenDocument: "The column 'Massachusetts Should Close Down OpenDocument' that appeared on FOXnews.com Sept. 28 identified author James Prendergast as executive director of Americans for Technology Leadership, but failed to disclose that Microsoft is a founding member of that organization."

They admit it when they have to :-)

Google and NASA enter joint computing venture

Technology News covering consumer electronics, computing, robotics and more: "The two organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding that outlines plans for cooperation in various areas, including supercomputing and 'bio-info-nano convergence' --- the combination of biological, information and nanotechnology research to make new materials."

Friday, October 14, 2005

Microsoft's claims of foul play in Massachusetts don't hold up | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

� Microsoft's claims of foul play in Massachusetts don't hold up | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com: "However, in the bigger picture, what most people may not realize is that Massachusetts is the new ground zero for the biggest battle this industry has seen in years. In what I can only describe as one of the most masterful games of industry chess I've seen in years, some of Microsoft's biggest competitors including IBM, Sun, and Adobe took advantage of a tool that until now, may not have been available in their arsenals: Democracy. With dozens, perhaps hundreds of other governments and organizations monitoring the Massachusetts situation — a situation that's easy to emulate — the Microsoft franchise now faces a new and very real threat."

Wow -- technodolt's comment on "Bricklin: OK, so where are the ODF developer kits?" | TalkBack on ZDNet

Wow -- technodolt's comment on "Bricklin: OK, so where are the ODF developer kits?" | TalkBack on ZDNet: "Wow
For someone just being hired into the tech industry, but having been a geek since I was old enough to sit on a chair and play with my dad's IBM XT, the revolutionary nature of ODF and what it means for my, my organization, and the tech world at large is something to wow at. I've seen revolutions like these before from the outside, when they are already started, such as HTML/the web and advertising-supported internet related content, but I've never been a part of it from before it really took off.

The only question I have is, would anyone care to make a timeframe estimate for when this technology is going to explode into its true potential? I want to start using it, and to be able to convince my employers to use it, but when am I going to be able to convert my MS documents to ODF? When am I going to be able to open any formatted text document with my copy of OpenOffice? When when when?

I can't wait."

Enthusiasm!

LinuxWorld | Microsoft faces a serious open source press

LinuxWorld | Microsoft faces a serious open source press: "If there's one thing I learned from my recent sojourn into the depths of Microsoft's future vision, it's that the concept and popularity of open source software has shaken Redmond to its core. "

Editing audio in Linux : Page 1

Editing audio in Linux : Page 1: "Given Linux's strengths, weaknesses, history, and ideology, it's interesting to see where Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FOSS) competes well with proprietary software, where it falls behind, and where it provides novel innovation. The FOSS pro-level Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), Ardour, competes with industry-standard apps like ProTools, Logic, Nuendo, and Digital Performer. Audacity, on the other hand, is a more casual FOSS audio editor, but infuses the task with some distinctly geeky scripting facilities. SND, 'modeled loosely after Emacs and an old, sorely-missed PDP-10 sound editor named Dpysnd,' is a distinctly Linux audio app, complete with an ass-ugly interface, a mountainous learning curve, and the ability to wash your dishes if you know how to ask."

Thursday, October 13, 2005

� No surprise: DRM nightmare rears ugly head. Again. | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

� No surprise: DRM nightmare rears ugly head. Again. | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com: "Sound familiar? Well, if you've been reading my series on why the world needs declare inDRMpendence by saying no to DRM — at least until everyone is on board with a single open DRM standard — then you'd know that I'm encountering exactly that problem right now because I can't play the 99 cent songs that I bought on iTunes on my whole home entertainment system."

� Could ODF be the Net's new, frictionless document DNA? | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

� Could ODF be the Net's new, frictionless document DNA? | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com: "Between the way the recently OASIS-ratified OpenDocument Format (ODF) was approved as the Massachusetts standard file format for productivity applications, and the way it was submitted for consideration as a global standard to the International Standards Organization (the ISO) and the way the thin-client discussion has suddenly moved front and center again, could we be on the verge of an ODF-inspired document revolution? Could ODF serve as the frictionless DNA that allows any thick or thin authoring tool to create, edit, and exchange documents of all types?"

VERY INTERESTING!

Fox News Anti OpenDoc Writer Funded By Microsoft

Fox News Anti OpenDoc Writer Funded By Microsoft: "
There was one little bit of information left out of the Prendergast article, which now appears there. Prendergast's organization was founded by and is funded by Microsoft."

Top Tech News - Tech Trends - Open Source Attracts Public Sector

Top Tech News - Tech Trends - Open Source Attracts Public Sector: "'With open source, there's no company that's going to take the source code away if they fold or get bought out,' said Peter Gallagher, president of Development InfoStructure, a consulting firm."

TECTONIC: Review: Breezy makes Tectonic eat its words

TECTONIC: Review: Breezy makes Tectonic eat its words: "The Ubuntu team can't get all the credit for Breezy. They simply put the best-of-the-best software into one distribution, tested the integration and packaged it very well. But they could not have made such a lovely operating system without the active development of all the software that makes up Ubuntu, such as the Gnome and KDE teams, the kernel developers, the translators, the testers, and the whole open source community. I believe that the reason Breezy rocks so much is a sign that the open source development community is more active than ever, making huge strides forward, and has a level of commitment and dedication never seen before in this sector. "

TECTONIC: Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu 10.5 all out today

TECTONIC: Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu 10.5 all out today: "“The Ubuntu team is proud to announce Ubuntu 5.10. This is the official Ubuntu 5.10 release, and includes installation CDs, live CDs, and combination DVDs for three architectures,” announced Matt Zimmerman in an open e-mail to the Ubuntu community today."

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Why multi-party stewardship of the OpenDocument Format matters so much | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

� Why multi-party stewardship of the OpenDocument Format matters so much | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com: "The state is obviously comfortable with letting its goal of sovereignty trump any questions of technical prowess and here's why.

One of the beautiful things about the degree to which ODF is open is that developers are free to do whatever they want with it. For example, they can deconstruct it and come up with some new derivative. They can also extend it to make it better (in the developer's and maybe even the end users' eyes). They can remake it however they want to. It's exactly that freedom to innovatively remix the format that eventually leads to improvements in the standard and hundreds if not thousands of interesting solutions that are in some way, shape, or form, connected with the ODF ecosystem. The same goes for the PDF format (Adobe just says you can't call it 'PDF' if you remix it in a way that's no longer 100 percent compatible with the PDF format). This stands in stark contrast to Microsoft's license for Office XML Reference Schema which has some open attributes. For example, it is open to royalty-free use by any developer. But, Microsoft's license demands 100 percent compliance of its licensees thereby preventing any sort of remixing of the technology. "

Mass. plan to dump MS Office for OpenDocument a 'matter of control'

Mass. plan to dump MS Office for OpenDocument a 'matter of control': "What is Massachusetts' main motivation for moving from MS Office to the OpenDocument standard?

Stephen O'Grady: Essentially, it's their belief that the state of Massachusetts, as a sovereign power, needs to exercise that power to protect its interests [for a] longer term. What that means in their terms is that whatever the basis for document interchange will be, it needs to be independently managed and owned. It can't be owned by a single commercial entity as Microsoft's OpenDocument alternative -- the Office Open XML formats -- is. It comes down to sort of a matter of control, and, in the case of the OpenDocument format, it's not controlled by any single party. Therefore, Massachusetts, as a sovereign entity, feels more comfortable with that approach longer term."

Linux Enters the Mainstream

Linux Enters the Mainstream

heise online - City of Mannheim to switch to Linux "quietly"

heise online - City of Mannheim to switch to Linux "quietly"

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Electronic paper development kit runs Linux

Electronic paper development kit runs Linux: "The kit's SBC module comes preloaded with Linux and a variety of open source drivers and applications, E Ink says."

OpenDocument - The truly open XML document file format

www.spreadopendocument.org

WordPerfect Will Support OpenDocument … Someday

WordPerfect Will Support OpenDocument … Someday: "While Corel won't commit to a date for adding OpenDocument to WordPerfect, the company made it clear that it is working towards that goal."

Would You Rather Own Google or Indonesia?: William Pesek Jr.

Bloomberg.com: Bloomberg Columnists: "Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Faced with poverty, surging oil prices and terrorist threats, many of Indonesia's 235 million people probably never noticed the milestone. Ditto for global investors, who care more about such things.

In April, Google Inc. surpassed Indonesia's entire stock market in value."

Ubuntu Linux Wins Best Distribution at UK Linux and Open Source Awards 2005

Ubuntu Linux Wins Best Distribution at UK Linux and Open Source Awards 2005: "Ubuntu Linux Wins Best Distribution at UK Linux and Open Source Awards 2005


Voted for by the public, at this year's Linux Expo in the UK, Ubuntu Linux won the Best Distribution category

(PRWEB) October 12, 2005 -- Ubuntu Linux has won the prestigious 'Best Linux/Open Source Distribution' award at this year's UK Linux and Open Source Awards, after the readership of Linux User & Developer voted for their favourite Linux Distribution.

In just under a year, Ubuntu has grown to be one of the most respected versions of Linux, being the most popular distribution on Distrowatch for over six months, as well as winning the inaugural Tux Magazine's Favourite Distribution award in September this year.
"

University of Michigan Computing Environment

UMCE: Linux -- An Emerging Community: "An Emerging Linux Community is Saving Money, Improving Services, and Learning a Lot Along the Way"

Monday, October 10, 2005

OASIS submits OpenDocument as standard | Tech News on ZDNet

OASIS submits OpenDocument as standard | Tech News on ZDNet: "The group behind the OpenDocument standard has submitted the document format to a key standards organization, a move that could make open-source desktop applications more attractive to governments."

Consortium launched to support OpenDocument - ZDNet UK News

Consortium launched to support OpenDocument - ZDNet UK News: "The Open Document Fellowship has been created to give the OASIS Open Document Format added momentum, as the war of words between Sun and Microsoft gets bitter"

Mass. plan to dump MS Office for OpenDocument a 'matter of control'

Mass. plan to dump MS Office for OpenDocument a 'matter of control': "Stephen O'Grady: Essentially, it's their belief that the state of Massachusetts, as a sovereign power, needs to exercise that power to protect its interests [for a] longer term. What that means in their terms is that whatever the basis for document interchange will be, it needs to be independently managed and owned. It can't be owned by a single commercial entity as Microsoft's OpenDocument alternative -- the Office Open XML formats -- is. It comes down to sort of a matter of control, and, in the case of the OpenDocument format, it's not controlled by any single party. Therefore, Massachusetts, as a sovereign entity, feels more comfortable with that approach longer term."

Sun Links StarOffice to Microsoft Suite - Computerworld

Sun Links StarOffice to Microsoft Suite - Computerworld: "Mike Prince, CIO at Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp., has been receiving 25 to 30 Office documents per day while using a beta copy of StarOffice 8 since February. Prince said the only interoperability problems involved fonts in about six documents out of the more than 2,500 that he has opened. 'With earlier versions, the compatibility wasn't as flawless as what I've observed with [StarOffice] 8,' he said."

Pity poor Microsoft's midlife crisis - Next - Technology - theage.com.au

Pity poor Microsoft's midlife crisis - Next - Technology - theage.com.au: "Most worrying of all in an industry based on the creation of pure thought stuff, Microsoft is finding it harder to recruit world-class engineering and software talent."

NSW government Linux plan close to fruition: ZDNet Australia: News: Software

NSW government Linux plan close to fruition: ZDNet Australia: News: Software: "A protracted NSW government project to give its agencies cheaper and quicker access to Linux and open source software is reaching fruition with several vendors preparing to sign contracts as pre-approved suppliers."

Techworld.com - World Bank report recommends 'open standards'

Techworld.com - World Bank report recommends 'open standards': "A World Bank report aimed at helping governments and large companies review their IT systems will recommend the adoption of open standards.

"

Open standards "voice browser" supports Windows CE devices

Open standards "voice browser" supports Windows CE devices: "VoxBrowser 'reaffirms our commitment to advanced, platform independent, open, standards-based software,' said Tom Drury, Voxware CEO. 'The days of expensive and proprietary solutions are over. By eliminating the barriers to entry, VoxBrowser will, for the first time, allow any CIO or logistics industry solution provider to deliver high quality, robust, thin-client voice solutions.'"

BBC NEWS | Technology | Defending Google's licence to print

BBC NEWS | Technology | Defending Google's licence to print: "Clear motivation

Stanford Law professor Lawrence Lessig, chair of the Creative Commons, puts it clearly when he points out that the authors 'don't really want the court to stop the new technology. Then, like now, they simply want to be paid for the innovations of someone else. Then, like now, the content owners ought to lose.'"

Get OpenLab ! - GO OpenLab4!

Get OpenLab ! - GO OpenLab4!: "OpenLab International proudly announces the international release of OpenLab4. OpenLab4 is an all-encompassing GNU/Linux software distribution, catering to desktop, power and server users alike.

OpenLab started development in 2001, with OpenLab1 released in April 2001 in London, UK, as a thin-client, disk-less computer centre solution, based on Linux Terminal Server technology. The initial release was based on Mandrake (now Mandrivia) and catered to the education market.

Says AJ Venter , Chief Software Architect, “OpenLab has evolved immensely since the first public release in 2002. It was really with OpenLab3's release in 2004, particularly 3.2.8, that OpenLab started to get international attention, having reached the balanced blend of simple end-user appeal and functionality, and powerful back-end services. OpenLab 3 was developed on the base of Slackware, and this tradition has continued with the release of OpenLab4”

OpenLab4 allows for the use of varied computer technologies, ranging from obsolete to state-of-the-art, from stand-alone PC, fat-client to diskless workstation configuration. “You will be surprised at the new lease on life given to older PCs through this solution. Old PCs can perform as new, enabling schools and community facilities with limited resources to bridge the Digital Divide”, says , MD of OpenLab International.

Brandjes adds, “The solution, based on the Free and Open Source Software models, comes bundled with a range of relevant desk-top productivity applications and back-end server software. OpenLab4 has a look and feel just like that of other graphical desktops, based on KDE. For the educational sector, server-based, browser-based, platform-independent, specialist educational software and a range of applications ensure that the tools are available for an effective and meaningful educational experience”.

OpenLab4 is distributed across a number of CDs. The base distribution is OpenLab4-LIVEcd, which is available for free download or low-cost CD. LIVEcd contains the entire Operating System, and all basic applications including KDE, OpenOffice and Firefox, all on a single cd. What is unique to OpenLab is the fact that OpenLab4-LIVEcd contains both a LIVEcd and an installable system, all on one CD. Thus, you get to try OpenLab4, booting on your own PC, with the security that all your data and files are safe! Even better is the fact that LIVEcd installs in a fraction of the time it takes to install the equivalent Linux or WinX-based products. Says Venter , “From 10 to 20 minutes for a complete environment install is quite impressive!”

LIVEcd is complimented with 2 further CDs. POWERcd contains loads of Desktop add-ons and all the server services, including thin-client. KARMAcd includes loads of language packs and games, to 'bring balance to life'. The full set of 3 CDs or 1 DVD is available as a set, at low cost from the OpenLab store. In addition, OpenLab offers various value packs, suited for particular markets. These load on top of OpenLab OS, and provide content and specific solutions for particular markets, including the education sector.

OpenLab solutions are distributed on-line, or through appointed partners. These include Olamandla Technologies in South Africa, and SchoolNet Namibia in Namibia. OpenLab has now been implemented in over 500 sites throughout Africa, with downloads recorded as over 3,500 since April 2004."

Saturday, October 08, 2005

::Civiblog Central:: :: Africa Source II - Free and Open Source Software for Local Communities

::Civiblog Central:: :: Africa Source II - Free and Open Source Software for Local Communities: "Africa Source II will be an eight day hands-on workshop aimed at building the technical skills of those working with NGOs on the
continent. It will take place in one of the most beautiful parts of
the Kalangala Island on Victoria Lake during the beginning of January 2006.

Africa Source II will bring together more than 100 NGOs and NGO technology support professionals working at the local level across the region, together with a handful of field leaders from Africa, Europe, North America and Asia. Africa Source II will be a free and open source software (FOSS) event. It's primary goal will be to increase the practical use of FOSS desktop applications and tools amongst the non profit sector in Africa."

Friday, October 07, 2005

Why OpenDocument Won (and Microsoft Office Open XML Didn’t)

Why OpenDocument Won (and Microsoft Office Open XML Didn’t): "As noted in Groklaw, FT.com, ZDNet, and other places, the State of Massachusetts is backing the OpenDocument standard as the standard format for office applications, text documents, spreadsheets, charts and graphical documents like drawings and presentations. All Massachusetts agencies are expected to migrate by January 1, 2007. This is instead of Microsoft’s new Office XML format (aka Microsoft Office Open XML File format).

This is big news. Currently most people exchange office documents using Microsoft’s binary formats (known as .doc, .ppt, and .xls), but now that the XML technologies are available and more mature, many people want to switch to an XML-based approach. There’s general acceptance in the information technology community that for office documents some XML format will eventually replace the obsolete binary formats. Most people, a few years ago, expected that whatever XML format Microsoft created would win. Yet Microsoft appears to have lost the war, due to its own poor decisions."

NewsForge | Citizens Against Government Waste vs. Massachusetts OpenDocument decision

NewsForge | Citizens Against Government Waste vs. Massachusetts OpenDocument decision: "Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is warning of the interoperability disadvantages and long-term higher costs of open standards and open source software again, this time calling the Massachusetts directive adopting the OpenDocument format as standard for the state 'bad procurement policy.'"

My opinion: It is not often that I use the word morons, but in this case it is relevant. The Citizen Against Governtment Waste is doing oposite of what they should do. And it must be morons behind this, even paid corrupt people dont want to write something that is so stupid. But it is typical that some pressure groups change to the opposite sometimes.

By the way, the people that has fighting for competition in US for 50 years has changed to become the most protectionistic you can imagine. The laissez faire has won over the free competition for many years ago in the new conservative US. But, they have right in some ways because the fight against the tobacco industry has been a media driven thing. But anyway, these peoples are NUTS!

Thursday, October 06, 2005

LinuxElectrons™ - Sun Wah Linux Chosen by Chinese Government for the Largest Linux Desktop Roll-Out in China's History

LinuxElectrons™ - Sun Wah Linux Chosen by Chinese Government for the Largest Linux Desktop Roll-Out in China's History: "NANJING, China – Six PC makers, including Haier and Founder, announced yesterday that they have won contracts to provide a total of 141,624 PCs to the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education for an educational program called, 'School-to-School Project.' At the same time, Sun Wah Linux's Debian-based Chinese Operating System RAYS LX was also chosen as the operating system used in all 141,624 PCs.

'This project marks the cooperative effort of Sun Wah Linux and the Jiangsu government's use of Linux to fight against Microsoft's monopoly in China,' said Alex Banh, CEO, Sun Wah Linux. 'This is the largest Linux desktop roll-out in Asia, thus proving that national Linux OS is moving toward more practical usage by saving millions of dollars and bringing profound influence to China Linux development and application promotion.' "

Why OpenDocument Won (and Microsoft Office Open XML Didn’t)

Why OpenDocument Won (and Microsoft Office Open XML Didn’t)

Flock has landed.

Flock has landed.

Zimbra™�- Home

Zimbra™�- Home: "Zimbra is an open source technology and community for building the next-generation messaging and collaboration server and client. The Zimbra community is committed to innovation for both the administrator and the end-user as well as to compatibility with existing enterprise infrastructure and applications. We believe that by open sourcing this technology to the community we ensure innovation, investment protection, scale and integration with different enterprise systems."

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Skal prise fri programvare

Skal prise fri programvare: "�rets prisutdeler er Mark Shuttleworth, en s�r-afrikansk gr�nder kjent som opphavsperson bak Linux-distribusjonen Ubuntu og it-sikkerhetsselskapet Thawte. Ubuntu har etter hvert blitt en popul�r Linux-distribusjon. I Computerworld fikk den i v�r mye skryt av Norges 'rikshacker', Jon Lech Johansen."

http://www.nuug.no/prisen/galleri-2005/

Flickr: Stock Exchange

Flickr: Stock Exchange: "The Stock Exchange pool is for sharing free stock photos. If you are a photographer, please contribute. Bear in mind that community projects such as Wikipedia can use a lot of stock photographhs - take a look in the list of requested pictures.

If you are a designer or a student, this is a place where you can find stock photos for your project without infringing anyone's copyright."

Canonical launches the Ubuntu Partnership Programme

Canonical launches the Ubuntu Partnership Programme: "Since its launch in October 2004, the Debian Linux based Ubuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com) has become one of the most popular Linux distributions in the world. With so many Ubuntu installations, there has been a steady growth in the number of businesses using Ubuntu as a cornerstone to the provision of their solutions and support.

To help these companies and individuals, the Partnership Programme will develop and enlarge the healthy ecosystem around Ubuntu. The Partnership Programme will enable both companies and individuals to benefit from this remarkable growth in the interest and implementation of Ubuntu."

NewsForge | A first look at GIMP 2.4

NewsForge | A first look at GIMP 2.4: "2.4 is the first GIMP release to support color management, a feature dearly missed by photographers and designers up until now. In the preferences dialog you will find a new Color Management control panel where you can set rendering intent and specify your working colorspace and device profiles."

Darik's Boot and Nuke

Darik's Boot and Nuke: "Darik's Boot and Nuke ('DBAN') is a self-contained boot floppy that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction."

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

MarkShuttleworth - Ubuntu Wiki

MarkShuttleworth - Ubuntu Wiki

Very interesting!

Fergal Breen's Blog : FireFox amongst Techies

Fergal Breen's Blog : FireFox amongst Techies: "I was suprised then to see Internet Explorer being used by only 52% of IDN surfers.
Firefox is now being used by 28% of IrishDev.com surfers and the remainder is spread across multiple browsers."

Monday, October 03, 2005

Next Up: Google Office?

Next Up: Google Office?: "'Imagine StarOffice running on the desktop, and Google perfecting the [file synchronization],' said Edwards. 'Then you have your collaboration space carved out immediately for you, and Google is hosting it.'"

Like rock n' roll, open source here to stay

Like rock n' roll, open source here to stay

Commission unveils plans for European digital libraries

EUROPA - Rapid - Press Releases: "The European Commission today unveiled its strategy to make Europe’s written and audiovisual heritage available on the Internet. Turning Europe’s historic and cultural heritage into digital content will make it usable for European citizens for their studies, work or leisure and will give innovators, artists and entrepreneurs the raw material that they need. The Commission proposes a concerted drive by EU Member States to digitise, preserve, and make this heritage available to all. It presents a first set of actions at European level and invites comments on a series of issues in an online consultation (deadline for replies 20 January 2006). The replies will feed into a proposal for a Recommendation on digitisation and digital preservation, to be presented in June 2006.

"

Sunday, October 02, 2005

IT AsiaOne - News - S'pore risks missing out on open-source wave: RedHat

IT AsiaOne - News - S'pore risks missing out on open-source wave: RedHat: "'Governments from Argentina to Vietnam have now introduced over 125 national open source policies into the public policy arena,' Tom Rabon Jr, executive vice-president of corporate affairs at RedHat told BizIT."

"another example of modern-day coopetition"

RED HERRING | TechSpin: Redmond Opens Up: "In another example of modern-day coopetition, Microsoft and JBoss, the open-source middleware products company, announced plans on Tuesday to improve interoperability between their platforms."

Open minds on open source - Next - Technology - theage.com.au

Open minds on open source - Next - Technology - theage.com.au: "There's consensus, however, on one critical aspect of today's innovation landscape - and that's the shift away from the closed, internalised attitudes of the past, to a more open approach."

Asterisk PBX: Open Source VoIP Branches Out

Asterisk PBX: Open Source VoIP Branches Out: "An open source PBX like Asterisk is in demand because it's almost infinitely customizable, says Mark Spencer, the original creator of Asterisk and president of Digium, the primary developer and sponsor of Asterisk, and supplier of interface cards and support for the software. 'In the telecoms business the advantage of customization is at a premium."

Peru's parliament approves pro-open source bill | Channel Register

Peru's parliament approves pro-open source bill | Channel Register: "Legislators in Peru have approved a hotly contested bill sanctioning use of open source software by government and levelling the playing field for start-ups against Microsoft."

LinuxWorld | Dell bets on Linux to capture enterprise market

LinuxWorld | Dell bets on Linux to capture enterprise market

To gutter i Haugerudveien 78

I dag kom Wasi og Zuqi på saft hos meg og Barbara.
Zurqanain Garabagih

Saturday, October 01, 2005

BBC NEWS | Technology | Whose fault is it anyway?

BBC NEWS | Technology | Whose fault is it anyway?: "Security consultant Bruce Schneier, one of the most sensible, well-informed and insightful people working in the field, has argued for some time that without proper vendor liability we will never solve the problems of computer security."

Open Source: Now It's an Ecosystem

Open Source: Now It's an Ecosystem: "This software movement is branching into not just mainstream business applications but also the associated services. And VCs are eager to help "

OpenDocument could 'turn the world inside out' - ZDNet UK News

OpenDocument could 'turn the world inside out' - ZDNet UK News: "The data format standard has the potential to transform the world just as the Web did, according to a senior Sun executive"

Friday, September 30, 2005

TalkBack: ubuntuguide.org deserves some credit | reader response on| CNET News.com

TalkBack: ubuntuguide.org deserves some credit | reader response on| CNET News.com: "That site is exactly to the point. Also, if you are too lazy to copy paste from ubuntuguide.org to get flash, java, mp3 support etc. up and running look no further than the Ubuntu Add-on CD found here
http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=150088&postcount=1

Install Ubuntu, put in the add on CD, run 'sudo sh $HOME/ug-install.sh -auto' and you are done."

Will Linux Benefit from Microsoft's SNAFU in Massachusetts?

Will Linux Benefit from Microsoft's SNAFU in Massachusetts?: "With all the pressure aagainst Microsoft, the levees had to experience a breech at some point. On September 23rd, I believe the levee broke. Only time will prove us right or wrong."

September 23rd 2005, the beginning of the end for Microsoft.

EmperorLinux Brings the ThinkPad X41 Tablet in Linux Flavor

EmperorLinux Brings the ThinkPad X41 Tablet in Linux Flavor: "EmperorLinux has announced the Raven Tablet, the ThinkPad X41 by Lenovo, to the Linux world with a 1.5 GHz Pentium-M, 1.5 GB RAM and a 60 GB hard drive, built-in ethernet and WiFi. "

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Open Source Victoria Urges Australian Agencies to Follow Massachusetts in Open Document Standards - Sep 28, 2005

Open Source Victoria Urges Australian Agencies to Follow Massachusetts in Open Document Standards - Sep 28, 2005: "'Open Source Victoria congratulates the U.S. State of Massachusetts for taking the lead and acting to future-proof its electronic archives. We urge all Australian Governments, federal, state and local to do the same,' said OSV spokesperson Donna Benjamin. "

Americans for Technology Leadership - SourceWatch

Americans for Technology Leadership - SourceWatch: "Pro-Microsoft letter campaign discovered

In August 2001 the Los Angeles Times reported that a ATL was behind a 'carefully orchestrated nationwide campaign to create the impression of a surging grass-roots movement' behind Microsoft. 'The campaign, orchestrated by a group partly funded by Microsoft, goes to great lengths so that the letters appear to be spontaneous expressions from ordinary citizens."

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

TECTONIC: Shuttleworth buys into ImpiLinux

TECTONIC: Shuttleworth buys into ImpiLinux: "Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth today announced his venture capital business HBD had made a 'significant investment' and taken a majority stake in South African distribution ImpiLinux. Other investors include empowerment group Khuselo Investments. "

Numenta, Inc.

Numenta, Inc.: "Numenta is developing a new type of computer memory system modeled after the human neocortex. The applications of this technology are broad and can be applied to solve problems in computer vision, artificial intelligence, robotics and machine learning. The Numenta technology, called Hierarchical Temporal Memory (HTM), is based on a theory of the neocortex described in Jeff Hawkins' book entitled On Intelligence (with co-author Sandra Blakeslee)."

InformationWeek Weblog: Why In The World Would Big Companies Use Open Source?

InformationWeek Weblog: Why In The World Would Big Companies Use Open Source?: "Why in the world would they use open source? Actually, the question has become: why in the world wouldn't they use open source?"

Peru's green light to open-source software - Breaking - Technology - smh.com.au

Peru's green light to open-source software - Breaking - Technology - smh.com.au: "In July 2002, Toledo clearly sided with the software companies, appearing with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates to announce the donation of $550,000 (euro458,142) in funds, software and consulting services to the Peruvian government for educational and 'e-government' initiatives.

Several countries, including Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan and South Korea have been actively moving toward open-source alternatives, like the Linux operating system."

Open Framework Systems AS

OFS�� - om

xG Technology says xMAX test a success

xG Technology says xMAX test a success: "Using an omnidirectional antenna 850 feet off the ground operating in the 900 MHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band, xG said it achieved a data rate of 1.46 MB/s over a distance of 12.5 miles using just 50 milliwatts of power."

Monday, September 26, 2005

NewsForge | What has Microsoft done for Massachusetts lately? (Recommended links)

NewsForge | What has Microsoft done for Massachusetts lately?: "IBM's Bob Sutor and Sun's Tim Bray have already shared constructive and entertaining comments. Sutor, in particular, is keeping us nicely abreast of any worthwhile new items (here's his RSS feed). Nicholas Carr at Harvard Business School has weighed in, and Stephen Walli, an ex-Microsoft manager, gives us a valuable primer on open vs de facto standards in context of Microsoft's letter of response. I hope to amplify those valuable comments here in order to shed more light on Microsoft's extraordinary disposition."

University wastes millions on software for students

Minnesota Daily

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Massachusetts Verdict: MS Office Formats Out

Massachusetts Verdict: MS Office Formats Out: "'We've had an active, ongoing conversation with Microsoft since January about this, and they've been open to hearing our position,' Quinn said. 'But I don't know one way or the other how they're ultimately going to react to this. Also, this isn't just about Microsoft. We're focusing on the formats here, not necessarily the software.'

Unless Microsoft starts supporting OO.org, Quinn said, the state will gradually phase out Microsoft Office in favor of OO.org."

State's Open Document Dispute Raises Legacy Questions

State's Open Document Dispute Raises Legacy Questions: "Government is trusted with preserving for its citizens the integrity of their public records. Because most, if not all, permanent records will eventually move from that universal data format—paper—to electronic formats, IT bears responsibility now and in the future to preserve access to those records. Consistent with that responsibility, we think Microsoft—and all software vendors—should support accepted and ratified open formats.

We think Massachusetts officials are right to take a stand."

BetaNews | Mass. Finalizes Plan to Drop MS Office

BetaNews | Mass. Finalizes Plan to Drop MS Office: "There's a bit of a recurring misconception here that Microsoft is encouraging the media to spread.

Firstly, the plan is plainly NOT primarily about 'cost', but (as the recordings and transcripts of the recent meeting make clear) rather about 'soveriegnty' (that is, the state's data belongs to the STATE and its citizens, not Microsoft Corporation or any other entity.). The focus is on ensuring that the state's data is in a format that is completely and openly documented, is readily implementable by anyone without restrictions (Microsoft carefully crafted their 'patent' license for their data format in a manner designed to forbid 'GPL'-licensed software from being able to agree to the terms), and is of a standard that is not under exclusive control of a single entity.

'Microsoft' has not, by any means, been locked out. They need only support the OASIS format in their 'Office' suite to remain in consideration"

PCWorld.com - Massachusetts Finalizes Plans to Phase Out Microsoft Office

PCWorld.com - Massachusetts Finalizes Plans to Phase Out Microsoft Office: "Massachusetts Finalizes Plans to Phase Out Microsoft Office

In a first for a U.S. state, executive branch agencies will adopt the OpenDocument standard by 2007.

Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service
Friday, September 23, 2005

The state of Massachusetts has finalized a proposed move to an open, nonproprietary format for office documents, a plan that involves phasing out versions of Microsoft's Office productivity suite deployed in the state's executive branch agencies."

Industry Summit on the Commercial Adoption of Open Source Software - October 12 - Palo Alto, CA

The 451 Group | Products And Services | 451events: "Event Focus

The 451 Group is hosting a senior executive-level industry summit to discuss the impact of open source software in the enterprise IT arena and to identify how to build a successful business model around open source. The use of open source software is fundamentally changing the way that vendors, end users and investors do business and make money. Like all powerful tools, open source can do damage if used improperly; however, the potential benefits also are massive, and that's why it's important to understand where there is upside potential in the commercial adoption of open source."

Friday, September 23, 2005

Venture Capital: Open source startups are hot -- too hot?

Venture Capital: Open source startups are hot -- too hot?: "But lawyers aren't the only ones looking to cash in on what many believe will be a tectonic shift in the technology industry -- possibly shaking up the way software is developed, distributed and sold.

Venture capitalists are tossing money at open source startups every chance they get, prompting some to utter the dreaded 'B' word: bubble."

Government's role in open source | Open Source | ZDNet.com

Government's role in open source | Open Source | ZDNet.com: "In the developing world much of the open source excitement is driven by government.

Brazil's efforts in this area are well-known. While the general public may just pirate software and movies, government must be more circumspect. The Brazilian government figures it can save $500 per worker by switching to open source, and is thinking of making the switch mandatory.

This has caused big moves in the private sector. Look at the Zope Web site, for instance, and you'll find a grand training tour being undertaken this fall in Brazil by a local company. That's a lot of knowledge, and more on the way.

The point today is other countries are seeing this success and starting to emulate it.

Take South Africa, for instance. The State Information Technology Agency estimates it has 300,000 computers, and can save billions of rand in making the switch to open source. "

Irish Developer Network NEWS HEADLINES - Latest Technology News & Daily Expert Tech Features for programmers, software developers and ICT professional

Irish Developer Network NEWS HEADLINES - Latest Technology News & Daily Expert Tech Features for programmers, software developers and ICT professionals in Ireland: "The success of this test confirms what weve always believed, said Rick Mooers, Executive Chairman of xG Technology. xMax is likely to be an equation-changer in the wireless and wireline telecom industries."

LinuxWorld | Can open source companies innovate?

LinuxWorld | Can open source companies innovate?: "The interesting thing about this model is that when you strip it down to brass tacks it looks an awful lot like an insurance business. Customers pay for a number to call even though they hope to never dial it. The problem is that in practice these support contracts don't work like health insurance; they're more like dental insurance."

Thursday, September 22, 2005

XML in Firefox 1.5, Part 1: Overview of XML features

XML in Firefox 1.5, Part 1: Overview of XML features: "open"

Google Wi-Fi Would Have a Big Impact

Google Wi-Fi Would Have a Big Impact: "Opinion: If Google does offer free wireless Internet access, it could change the political, social and economic fabric of the country. And that's not a bad thing. "

U-M statement on Google library project

U of M News Service: "'This is a tremendously important public policy discussion. In the future, most research and learning is going to take place in a digital world. Material that does not exist in digital form will effectively disappear. We need to decide whether we are going to allow the development of new technology to be used as a tool to restrict the public's access to knowledge, or if we are going to ensure that people can find these works and that they will be preserved for future generations.'"

Top Tech News - Tech Trends - Trusted Computing Making Headway

Top Tech News - Tech Trends - Trusted Computing Making Headway: "Research-firm IDC predicts that 50 percent of all computers shipped by 2007 will contain hardware-encryption chips, a key component of the trusted-computing initiative. Other industry watchers report that more than 20 million encryption chips will be shipped by year's end."

Overview: Gartner Open Source Summit

Overview: Gartner Open Source Summit: "Open source software is increasingly sharing the spotlight with traditional solutions across a great number of markets. Indeed in many areas open source has taken center stage."

Are the final open source skeptics coming around? Open Source ZDNet.com

� Are the final open source skeptics coming around? | Open Source | ZDNet.com: "It was a fairly balanced look at Linux, from a corporate perspective. It cited two main reasons to choose Linux, a 'drastic reduction of hardware costs' and 'fear of being locked into proprietary software.' It did say Linux isn't free, and called performance enhancements over Windows and Unix a myth, but it noted 'many firms do realize significant cost reductions' when they switch, and that 'Linux is the perfect service-oriented architecture.'

There was nothing remarkable here except the byline — Laura DiDio."

SourceWire | Press Releases - UK school switches to Linux

SourceWire | Press Releases - UK school switches to Linux: "A preparatory school with 350 pupils aged from five to thirteen, the Mall School has an excellent academic reputation and is keen to offer the very best IT facilities without blowing the budget. The new system, which came fully installed for less than �15,000, offered an estimated 60% saving over an equivalent proprietary solution. Installation took less than a week and the system is proving very easy to use and administer. "

Big Picture | Google builds an empire to rival Microsoft | CNET News.com

Big Picture | Google builds an empire to rival Microsoft | CNET News.com: "This feature allows you to view a selected story in a broader context by automatically expanding its related coverage.

Google builds an empire to rival Microsoft
Search giant could become more important than Redmond rival, says author who has studied its patents and engineering."

Good article!!!

PRESS RELEASE Bryant University Commits to Open-Source Future With IBM

PRESS RELEASE Bryant University Commits to Open-Source Future With IBM: "Bryant University is following a general trend in academia to advance the capabilities of applications using the Linux operating system, considered to be critical to any organization looking to build a reliable, innovative and flexible technology platform based on open-source solutions. By using the Linux OS, students are collaboratively building their computer skills foundation for application development and as a result, broadening their technical expertise for future job opportunities."

OpenOffice is great alternative to Microsoft

OpenOffice is great alternative to Microsoft: "Feature-wise, I'd guesstimate that OpenOffice 2.0 is only missing about 5 percent of MS Office's feature set, and nearly every missing feature is a power tool. Which is sort of an all-or-nothing thing: either it's a feature that you've never used and never will, or it's something you absolutely rely on each and every day."

Troubling Exits At Microsoft

Troubling Exits At Microsoft

Very interesting article!!

Ubuntu Norge (Fantastisk bra nyhende!!)

FrontPage - Ubuntu Norge: "Velkommen til Ubuntu Norge
Velkommen til sidene for Ubuntu Norge. Sidene er bygd på en wiki, det vil si at alle som vil kan bidra med innhold på sidene bare ved å registrere seg.

Noe av formålet med å opprette Ubuntu Norge er å samle alle norske Ubuntu-fans, og spre det videre. Vi håper å kunne være representert på flest mulige dataparties, LAN, osv. Alt er opp til de som vil være med i Ubuntu Norge av hva som skjer i den Norske Ubuntu-leiren. Vil du bli med, så heng på! Registrer deg på [WWW]medlemssiden, så kan vi kontakt når vi trenger en person til aktiviteter i ditt område!"

Slouching Toward a Flatter World - Computerworld

Slouching Toward a Flatter World - Computerworld: "In a nontechnical style, the author shows how IT breakthroughs such as open-source, global networks, Web browsers and search engines have driven the world to become increasingly flat."

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Open Resource

Open Resource

Top Tech News - Tech Trends - Battle Lines Drawn Between Browsers Again

Top Tech News - Tech Trends - Battle Lines Drawn Between Browsers Again: "Leal says that even if Firefox use exploded, it would still be hard to get off Internet Explorer internally where Web-based tools, such as teller applications and virus monitoring, rely on the Microsoft software's features. 'Switching browsers isn't a decision we could make lightly. We would have to work with countless vendors to ensure their applications run,' he says."

Mozilla slams Firefox security critics - Security Strategy - Breaking Business and Technology News at silicon.com

Mozilla slams Firefox security critics - Security Strategy - Breaking Business and Technology News at silicon.com: "'Basically their vulnerabilities are more critical,' he said. 'With Firefox - yeah, you have holes but they're much less serious.' Nitot likened the differences between Firefox and IE vulnerabilities to injuries: 'Which would you prefer, to have a broken finger, or your head ripped off?"

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

FT.com / Technology / Digital Business - How open source gave power to the people

FT.com / Technology / Digital Business - How open source gave power to the people

Computerworld Singapore - Say no to software piracy! (Use open source)

Computerworld Singapore - Say no to software piracy! (Use open source)

Open-source solutions for eGovernance to be discussed

: "Ha Noi (VNA) - Specialists will speak extensively on the technical and economical aspects of open-source solutions for eGovernance at an international conference in Ha Noi from September 28-30, said the Viet Nam Institute of Information Technology (IOIT Viet Nam).

The conference aims to draw attention to the growing importance of open-source solutions in this field by presenting the political and economical incentives, business models and market opportunities that will arise from eGovernance."

Monday, September 19, 2005

O'Reilly Network: U.S. Patent Reform Bill: An Interview with Mark Webbink

O'Reilly Network: U.S. Patent Reform Bill: An Interview with Mark Webbink

Interesting interview!

A NEW PARADIGM FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN SOFTWARE

A NEW PARADIGM FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN SOFTWARE: "A Winter 2004 article by Bradford L. Smith and Susan O. Mann of Microsoft published in The University of Chicago Law Review suggests that the development and growth of the software industry in the U.S. is a direct outgrowth of the implementation of intellectual property regimes, specifically copyright and patent, with respect to software in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This paper suggests that such patents were neither the sole nor the principal factor for the development of the software industry, that concerns about patents manifested prior to or soon after their application to software have proven true, and that patents are, in fact, not serving the interests of either the U.S. software industry or the consuming public. To that end, this paper advances recommendations for reforming the U.S. patent system as well as consideration of a new schema for protecting software."