Posted on May 13, 2011 by Simon Phipps
As Glyn Moody discussed yesterday, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) annual report on “piracy” is out. I hate that usage – the word “piracy” refers to about the worst crime humanity is able to conceive, involving theft by intimidation, hostage-taking, rape and murder, and it is cynical marketing of the most disgusting kind for the BSA to continue to equate it with the unauthorised use of copyright materials, perhaps under circumstances their own members have created.
On this topic, I’ve taken today’s link post and expanded it on it over on ComputerWorldUK – take a look.
Filed under: ComputerWorldUK, Copyright | 1 Comment »
Posted on May 12, 2011 by Simon Phipps
Some people seem to think Google’s ChromeBook is just a cheap laptop with Linux on it. But I think that’s short-sighted. This is yet another attempt at a network computer. Read about it on ComputerWorldUK.
Filed under: ComputerWorldUK | Tagged: ChromeBook, Google | Comments Off on ☝ ChromeBook, SunRay Reborn?
Posted on May 6, 2011 by Simon Phipps
I’ve read the USTR‘s Special 301 report so you don’t have to. The worrying conclusions are over on ComputerWorldUK.
Filed under: ComputerWorldUK | Comments Off on ☝ Special 301
Posted on May 3, 2011 by Simon Phipps
The Free Software Foundation Europe has a new campaign group in the UK, and their first target is BT’s upcoming music streaming service. Read about it over on ComputerWorldUK.
Filed under: ComputerWorldUK | Comments Off on ☝ BT, Set My Music Free!
Posted on April 20, 2011 by Simon Phipps
News just broke jointly from the US Department of Justice and the German Federal Cartel Office that they have directed CPTN to change the way they acquire Novell’s software patents so that the open source community is protected, just as OSI and FSFE requested
Read my views on CWUK.
Filed under: ComputerWorldUK, Open Source | Comments Off on ☝ Open Source Landmark
Posted on April 6, 2011 by Simon Phipps
If we try to define what an “open standard” is, we’ll probably find the definition being gamed by well-funded corporate interests within a short time. But what if there was another way to get an indication that a standard was problematic? I suggest using a sentinel. Read about it on ComputerWorldUK.
Filed under: ComputerWorldUK, Standards | Comments Off on ☝ The Sentinel Principle
Posted on April 4, 2011 by Simon Phipps
One of the keys to a successful open source community is appropriate transparency. A community with strong values around transparency will also be likely to respect its participants privacy. Such a community will also be unlikely to have a copyright assignment benefiting a commercial party. Read why over on ComputerWorldUK.
Filed under: ComputerWorldUK | Tagged: Harmony | 1 Comment »
Posted on March 30, 2011 by Simon Phipps
How did Document Freedom Day go for you? If you need a reminder about it, I wrote about why document freedom matters a month or so ago. But I note that in Switzerland there’s been a setback against openness. Read my views over on ComputerWorldUK.
Filed under: ComputerWorldUK, Procurement | Tagged: Document Freedom Day, Switzerland | Comments Off on ☝ Switzerland Celebrates Document Freedom Day
Posted on March 25, 2011 by Simon Phipps
As you may recall from my links a few days ago, I actively avoid using Skype. I’ve explained why in more detail over on ComputerWorldUK today.
Filed under: ComputerWorldUK | Tagged: Skype | Comments Off on ☝ Avoiding Skype
Posted on March 10, 2011 by Simon Phipps
In the future, where will most of the patents that patent trolls use come from? Find out in my article today on ComputerWorldUK.
Filed under: ComputerWorldUK | Tagged: Patent troll | Comments Off on ☝ Parallel Filing
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