Wild Webmink

• USTR’s Request for Comments on ACTA
  Your holiday project: send USTR at least one comment on ACTA. If you need ideas, let me know…
• The Anonymous WikiLeaks protests are a mass demo against control
  Really excellent article by Richad Stallman points out that the individuals arriving en masse to protest about the treatment of Wikileaks are no different from any othe form of consume protest and would be a great wrong to rac against hem in a way we would not treat a picket lne.
• Observation on hiring from open source
  This describes perfectly the logical endpoint I have repeatedly seen enterprise open source strategies reach.
• The Flawed Legal Architecture of the Certificate Authority Trust Model
  The bottom line is that the CA Trust Model’s legal architecture inures to the benefit of no one. Neither website operators, certificate authorities, nor end-users can be sure of their rights or exposure. The Model’s legal structure may therefore be just as troubling as its security vulnerabilities.”

Filed under: Links | Comments Off on ☞ Kinds Of Trust

• Towards interoperability for European public services
  Landmark publication of the European Interoperability Framework by the European Commission. Of course, this is only guidance, and the political context is very complex as evidenced by the language around “FRAND” and patents. Let’s see if they can stick to this better than they can stick to their own procurement guidelines.
• Freedom to compete: Fixing software procurement
  As if to provide caution for those welcoming the EIF publication, FSF Europe continues its very rational and well-argued assault on the European Commission’s failure to follow its own rules.

Also:

• EFF Location Privacy Victory at Third Circuit Stands, With Implications Far Beyond Your Cell Phone
  Second EFF win of the week establishes the important principle that your location data is protected by the 4th amendment and can’t be obtained
• Marwell Wildlife: Adopt a Penguin
  If you’re stuck for a gift idea for a Linux fan in the UK (or elsewhere actually), consider giving a Marwell animal sponsorship…

Filed under: Links | 2 Comments »

• An FBI backdoor in OpenBSD?
  If this is true, it punches a massive hole in the integrity of software that the whole hacker community relies upon. Evidence suggests it is a malicious rumour though.
• Appeals Court Holds that Email Privacy Protected by Fourth Amendment

  “In a landmark decision issued today in the criminal appeal of U.S. v. Warshak, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the government must have a search warrant before it can secretly seize and search emails stored by email service providers.”

  The EFF continues to help create a just framework for the meshed digital society, at least in the USA.

Also:

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager
  Cisco have OpenAM embedded in their product.

Filed under: Links | Comments Off on ☞ Karma Balance

• Australia Government Report Warns Against Including IP In Trade Agreements
  It ought to be obvious that concessions to create a copyright and patent regime that favours foreign corporations is a bad concession to make in a trade agreement. It amounts to selling your future industrial strength to buy temporary benefit for your legacy industries.
• Open source government needs open-minded procurement
  The number one reason why all those bold words abut adopting open source by the UK (and most other governments) is that the procurement policies aren’t updated to match the rhetoric. So it’s good to see a Conservative publication calling for change.

Filed under: Links | 1 Comment »

• WikiLeaks: Stop the crackdown
  As I said in the “Voltaire Moment” article I posted here yesterday, the attacks on our collective freedom resulting from Wikileaks need opposing whatever we think of Wikileaks. This Avaaz petition is worth signing as a way to speak out against extrajudicial actions against internet freedom, rather than in support of Wikileaks, and I’ve signed it. Please consider doing so too.

Also

• Easy expense tracking with Plendi’s mobile app
  A friend from Ireland has launched this expenses management company and the app that is its gateway.
• Lego Antikythera Mechanism
  Hitting many geek targets in one superbly produced video, this shows a Lego recreation of the Antikythera Mechanism, an astronomical calculator of great complexity built by the ancient Greeks which demonstrates their abilities went far beyond sculpture and philosophy.
  (tags: YuoTubeComputerAstronomyHistoryGreek)

Filed under: Links | Comments Off on ☞ Appropriate Action

• The ASF Resigns From the JCP Executive Committee
  The Apache Software Foundation quits Java’s governing body claiming that

  “[the] JCP is not an open specification process … Java specifications are proprietary technology that must be licensed directly from the spec lead under whatever terms the spec lead chooses”

• Oracle Response to Apache Departure from JCP
  Oracle’s response to Apache quitting the JCP, which pointedly ignores their actual reasons for doing so and instead pretends they are in some way anti-Java or anti-progress.
• The JCP Is Dead
  Apache’s President lays in to Oracle as Apache quits both the EC and the JCP, not least over their statement that “Oracle provides TCK licenses under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms consistent with its obligations under the JSP.”

Also:

Filed under: Links | 1 Comment »

• Defend WikiLeaks or lose free speech
  Dan Gillmor on leaks and journalism:

  “By [Washington Post journalist] Krauthammer’s sick standards, the death squads should be converging soon on his own offices, as well as those of the Times and London’s Guardian and more.”

• The lawless Wild West attacks WikiLeaks
  Glenn Greenwald forcefully argues that the reaction against Wikileaks from the US establishment is lawless and unforgiveable.
• Julian Assange and the Computer Conspiracy
  Fascinating overview of Julian Assange’s motivations and philosophies which has led to some people describing him as a peaceful peer of the Unabomber…
• About Those 882 Novell Patents: This is Where OIN Comes In
  Groklaw says licensees of OIN’s patents have a perpetual licence to those Novell patents – which Microft just paid hale a billion dollars for – as long as they join the scheme before the Deal closes in January. Glad we joined ForgeRock to OIN.

Filed under: Links | Comments Off on ☞ Meta-Wikileaks

• ICANN had no role in seizing torrent domains
  It was done directly by Verisign, over the registrars’ heads: “VeriSign received sealed court orders directing certain actions to be taken with respect to specific domain names, and took appropriate actions. Because the orders are sealed, further questions should be directed to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.”
• Hudson’s Secret: Kohsuke
  It’s said that “code talks”, and if that’s true then there’s an angelic chorus singing praises about KK somewhere – the data Eduardo has gathered here clearly shows he has the right to an opinion about Hudson.

Filed under: Links | Comments Off on ☞ Secrets

• Shopping-enabled Wikipedia Page on Amazon
  While the creative commons license that covers Wikipedia allows it, this attempt to divert traffic away from Wikipedia without adding any significant value to either the pages or the community looks like it’s in very poor taste.
• Wikileaks is not part of Wikipedia
  This may seem obvious to lots of people, but the way WikiMedia Foundation uses “wiki-” as a prefix for all its products makes it a reasonable assumption that Wikileaks is part of the Wikipedia empire. It’s not, and it’s not even a wiki.
• United States diplomatic cables leak
  If you’ve been wondering what all this Wikileaks stuff is all about, the Wikipedia page provides an excellent and detailed overview. So detailed, in fact, that I’d expect it to come under the same sort of political pressure to remove it as Amazon and Paypal caved to.

Filed under: Links | Comments Off on ☞ Wiki-this-and-that

• Full Body Scanners: What’s Next?
  Definitive explanation from Bruce Schneier why the nude scanners at airports are a waste of money, and why the will always be accmpanied by unreasonably invasive personal searches.
• ZFS imported into GRUB
  Excellent decision here. They could have done this at absolutely any time, but I’m pleased they’ve done it now.

Filed under: Links | Comments Off on ☞ Decisions