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NewsVac: News from around the Web
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'Happy Birthday to GNU' marks 25 years
3 days, 1 hour ago
The Free Software Foundation has released Happy Birthday to GNU to celebrate the silver anniversary of the operating system. -
Tomorrow's War: Why FOSS Needs to Change its Views of Apple
4 days, 4 hours ago
Open source software advocates have long railed against Microsoft while largely ignoring proprietary vendor Apple. That’s a profound mistake. -
Quebec government sued for buying Microsoft software
1 week, 2 days ago
Facil wants ban on regulatory loophole that lets Quebec purchase proprietary software. -
FOSS: Marketing Isn't Enough
1 week, 4 days ago
Our own Joe Brockmeier made some great points recently about why free isn't enough. He says that smaller open source projects need to be just as mindful as the larger companies when it comes to PR and marketing because "free isn't enough to carry the day." That's true, but PR isn't enough either. -
The Microsoft-Novell Deal and Trust in Princes
1 week, 4 days ago
Forced to choose, the average Free and open sourced-based (FOSS) business is going to choose business interests over FOSS every time. -
GPL compliance guide published
2 weeks ago
The Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) has published an 8,000-word guide to effective compliance with the GNU General Public License (GPL), the most popular open source software license in the world. The guide overviews the legal obligations of GPL users, and recommends best practices for avoiding violations. -
Free FOSS Cloud Computing Environment For 12 Months
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Java developers aiming to work on the open source application server Glassfish now have some free infrastructure they can leverage. OStatic is offering 100 free hosted accounts to developers looking to build web applications powered by the open source Glassfish Application Server and the open source MySQL database. -
Software Freedom Law Center Publishes Guide to GPL Compliance
2 weeks, 1 day ago
The Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC), provider of pro-bono legal services to protect and advance Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FOSS), today published a guide to effective compliance with the GNU General Public License (GPL) and related licenses. -
Free Software Licenses Finally Benefit from Protection
2 weeks, 6 days ago
Yesterday marked a big step in copyright protection of open source licensed software, as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that an open source software developer can claim copyright infringement, even if the work is released under a free software license. -
A Big Day in Court for the FOSS Community
3 weeks, 1 day ago
Today those who believe in free content and free and open source software won a major victory in court, as reported by Larry Lessig, Mark Radcliffe, and Pamela Jones, among others. The underlying facts, and the legal counsel involved, were hardly major figures on the commercial landscape: the open source software at issue had been developed for model train buffs under an infrequently used free and open source license, and the attorney representing the plaintiff - a solo practicioner in Maryland - was young and inexperienced. But as often happens, a small case between small parties can have huge implications. And decisions that may make good strategic sense to the parties can also have disastrous consequences for those that are not in the same situation. -
Felton, California Residents Eschew Proprietary Software
3 weeks, 3 days ago
It takes a village? How about a whole city? How about 100 cities? Residents of Felton, California pledged to go proprietary software-free for at least a week. If you've ever been to Felton, which has a Santa Cruz-like countercultural flavor, this pledge makes sense. Felton isn't alone, though. Similar plans are in place for towns in Oregon and New Mexico, and 100 towns in Italy. -
Why Free Software has poor usability, and how to improve it
1 month ago
When I wrote the first version of this article six years ago, I called it “Why Free Software usability tends to suck”. The best open source applications and operating systems are more usable now than they were then. But this is largely from slow incremental improvements, and low-level competition between projects and distributors. Major problems with the design process itself remain largely unfixed. -
Free Linux Wireless Driver from Atheros
1 month, 1 week ago
picture Atheros Communications, a pioneer in wireless network solutions, is pleased to announce the free availability of the ath9k Linux driver for IEEE 802.11n wireless devices. The ath9k driver will be soon included in the Linux kernel. "The ath9k driver comes shortly after Atheros hired two key Linux wireless developers - Luis Rodriguez and Jouni Malinen. [..] We have been informed Atheros does plan to add access point support to ath9k and to work with the community to enhance and complete access point support in the Linux kernel. It is understood there is plenty of work required on the wireless stack to complete full access point support. Jouni Malinen will help drive this process within the community while Luis helps enhance regulatory compliance in the Linux kernel." - the MadWifi team. -
FSF launches a denial-of-service attack on Apple's Genius Bars
1 month, 1 week ago
At OSCON this year, MySQL's Brian Aker made this bold statement: "Microsoft is irrelevant....We're more worried about Apple." Perhaps he was taking a cue from MySQL's Zack Urlocker, who has been buying Macs for family members, but I understand the sentiment. Microsoft still dominates the desktop, but the momentum is Apple's. -
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The Year of the Free Software Desktop
1 month, 2 weeks ago
Why is it that so many are focused on promoting the Linux kernel on the desktop as opposed to Free Software or Open Source Software on the desktop? Or, why does Linux have to be the kernel of the F/OSS desktop when there are now other available options which may be better suited to the task? - More News
Linux.com : Free Software
Actor/author Stephen Fry endorses free software
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has kicked off a month-long celebration of the GNU Project's 25th anniversary with a video in which British actor and comedian Stephen Fry expresses his support for free software.
Behind the doors of the Free Software Foundation
The purpose of the Free Software Foundation (FSF) is probably obvious from its name -- but what does promoting free software mean in terms of everyday activity? Examining the roles of the organization shows how complex the FSF's advocacy role has become. It also reveals the range of services available to the free software community, and helps to explain how such a small group has had such a major influence on computer technology.
Inside the SFLC's "Practical Guide to GPL Compliance"
One of the goals of the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) is to become a center for education in free and open source software (FOSS) legal issues. As part of this effort, the SFLC has already published "A Legal Issues Primer for Open Source and Free Software Projects." Its latest effort in public education, released last week, is "A Practical Guide to GPL Compliance," a 15-page guide for FOSS projects on how to avoid violations of the GNU General Public License (GPL) and Lesser General Public License (LGPL). The guide is a practical summary of its subject, but its wording is unnecessarily legalistic, and its structure and omissions sometimes fall short of the goal of being a standalone reference.
Nepomuk and KDE to introduce the semantic desktop
If you follow technology trends, you have probably heard of the semantic desktop -- a data layer for annotating and sharing the information in your computer. But what you may not be aware of is that the semantic desktop is not a distant goal, but scheduled to arrive at the end of 2008. And, when it does, the idea will probably be implemented through the work done by the Nepomuk project, and, most likely, by KDE first.
South American FOSS show is a big deal
Last week's 8th Jornadas Regionales de Software Libre (Free Software Regional Sessions) at the University of Belgrano in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was an opportunity for around 1,300 FOSS enthusiasts to share experiences, learn more, and have fun together.
Bradley Kuhn discusses software innovation, freedom, and the law (video)
Bradley Kuhn is not a lawyer, but he works at the Software Freedom Law Center and heads the Software Freedom Conservancy. He is fun to watch and listen to because he walks the tightrope between creative, carefree developers and cautious, legally-minded lawyers. Linux.com talked with Kuhn a few months ago, but he says lots more in this 30-minute video than in that interview -- including plenty of thoughts on how businesses based on free software can (and often do) turn a profit, plus some comments on how and why open source is helping the next generation of programmers develop and improve their skills.
Help your favorite "public interest" free software project win $10,000
Nominations are now open for the Antonio Pizzigati Prize for Software in the Public Interest. The winner could be someone you know, or someone whose work you admire, but don't mull over your recommendation too long -- entries must be submitted by September 30.
autonom.us aims to be think-tank on network service software licensing issues
Network services are one of the fastest growing areas in modern software. However, while network services have much of the convenience of free software, only a minority are available under a free license. In fact, it was only last November that the Free Software Foundation (FSF) released the GNU Affero General Public License for network services. Under these conditions, last week's announcement of the formation of autonom.us, a new activist group "to focus on issues of software freedom in network services," seems overdue. The group's immediate plans are still evolving, but currently, its main goal -- so far as it has one yet -- seems to be as a policy discussion and advocacy group.
Linux-libre project meets rocky reception
This year has already seen the second release of gNewSense, the completely free distribution endorsed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF), and the announcement that Ubuntu will have a free software option as part of its installation program. Now, if Alexandre Oliva, a Red Hat employee best-known as a board member of the Free Software Foundation Latin America (FSFLA), has his way, building a 100% free distribution will become easier thanks to his linux-libre project. Unfortunately, the path to freedom, he's finding, is often blocked by politics and a preference for convenience over ideals.
FSF organizes against Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement
Nobody knows yet what the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) will consist of, but the few available indications are so ominous that the Free Software Foundation (FSF) has started a campaign to raise public awareness of the possibilities. According to Matt Lee, an FSF campaign manager, ACTA threatens to "create a culture of fear and suspicion," and, in the worst-case scenario, undermine and demonize free software.
Web apps: the next battleground for FOSS?
Concerned about the increasing popularity of Web applications, Marco Barulli of the Clipperz project has written one of the first detailed suggestions about how free and open source software (FOSS) should respond to the trend. Although neither Barulli nor Clipperz is well-known, his ideas are being listened to by such figures as Richard M. Stallman of the Free Software Foundation and Fabrizio Capobianco, the CEO of Funambol and a long-time advocate of FOSS in Web applications.
How to risk your project and your livelihood with sloppy licensing
Recently the makers of the free-as-in-cost iPhone jailbreaking utility PwnageTool discovered that someone was reselling their creation -- without permission, under a new name, and for profit. That's a situation no software developer wants to be in, but the PwnageTool team was in an even tougher position because of the license under which it released its code. It didn't have one.
GPLv3, one year later
After 18 months of widespread consultation with community and corporate interests, the third versions of the GNU General Public License (GPL) and GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) were released one year ago on 29 June 2007. In November, they were joined by the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL). Looking back at these licenses today, observers of free and open source software (FOSS) judge them a modest success, and credit them with continuing to educate people about free software.
Version labeling is out of control
Anybody who spends time trying new free software applications and distributions will soon notice that version numbering and labeling is next to meaningless. These days, versioning rarely gives an accurate idea of the state of development, except relative to other builds of the same project. It is simply a label that distinguishes one build from another. That's too bad, because a properly labeled release can give users a sense of how advanced the build actually is.
Rawstudio turns 1.0
The free software RAW photo converter Rawstudio released version 1.0 in April, marking the culmination of two years of work. This release carries on the Rawstudio tradition of providing a lightweight, dependable tool for photographers.
Predictive text input with Soothsayer
Soothsayer is a predictive text input system. Many folks reading that sentence will think of the word completion offered by mobile phones. Soothsayer is different from such mobile phone systems in that it tries to use context and other statistical information to offer predictions instead of just presenting a list of words that might match the first few letters you type.
The iPhone SDK and free software: not a match
Apple's recently released a software development kit (SDK) for the iPhone, but if you were hoping to port or develop original open source software with it, the news isn't good. Code signing and nondisclosure conditions make free software a no-go.
Gnash Flash player reaches milestone, not destination
Gnash, the free software Flash player, has released its first beta. The new release is a milestone for both the project and the GNU/Linux desktop, which remains dependent on the proprietary Adobe player for handling Flash files (.swf). Although Flash support is not complete in version 0.8.2, Gnash has now reached the point where it is usable for the most common everyday purposes, such as watching videos on YouTube -- a point that Gnash was exaggeratedly reported as having reached last June. However, in many other ordinary circumstances, Gnash's success remains hit or miss.
Inside the SFLC's guide to legal management of FOSS projects
From the concept of copyleft to the status of community projects, free and open source software (FOSS) raises endless legal issues, many of which are subject to rumors and misconceptions floating around the community. To help reduce the confusion for those managing software projects, the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) has released a freely distributable guide entitled "A Legal Issues Primer for Open Source and Free Software Projects." Although only 45 pages long -- shorter if you don't count the front matter -- the primer still manages to provide a highly structured introduction to these issues that carefully outlines options and is full of practical advice.
Rare Jon 'maddog' Hall video interview - and an even rarer maddog video speech excerpt
He's a popular guy, that maddog. And with good reason. It's a little surprising that there is nary a video of him speaking to be seen anywhere on the Web. So here you go, video-lovers and maddog fans. These videos are for you.
