For those who think that software patents are not a threat to open source, read this interesting article on Patently-O about a patent suit against RedHat. The dispute is generated by US Patent 6,101,502, a patent for an ” Object model mapping and runtime engine for employing relational database with Read more
Some interesting papers from the 2nd day: – Institutional Entrepreneurs and the Bricolage of Intellectual Property DiscoursesAnn Westenholz – Open Source and e-JusticeCuno Tarfusser Unfortunately the papers are not available online, which is rather strange from an “open” conference. Why not release them under Creative Commons? I am participating in Read more
Some very good papers at the conference, I’ve been enjoying the excellent scholarship on offer, although practically none of it is legal. Interdisciplinary conferences can be tiring and challenging, but you are always open to an entirely different way of thinking. Some papers I’ve particularly enjoyed: – Evolution of Open Read more
I’m in the beautiful Lake Como in Italy for the Second Open Source Systems conference. Some very interesting papers already, and more to come. I will be highlighting some of the best in the next days.
The Venezuelan Parliament is going to start discussing the draft legislation called “Ley de Infogobierno”, which will overhaul e-government and software procurement in the Venezuelan public sector. Although I am often sceptical about Chavez and his Venezuelan project, some aspects of the legislation are rather interesting. Here are some highlights. Read more
The Daily Telegraph has published an article on why Firefox is stealing market share from Internet Explorer. Being a sticker-carrying Firefox evangelist (yes, I also own a Firefox t-shirt), I am surprised at the growing importance of the browser. I believe that people are finally realizing that IE is very Read more
The Consortium for studying, evaluating, and supporting the introduction of Open Source software and Open Data Standards in the Public Administration (COSPA) has made available a series of documents and resource listings of open source, open data and open standards tools and projects in Europe. I’m in Spain this week Read more
(Thanks to Burkard for the link). Do you ever ask yourself WWLD (What Would Linus Drive?) Meet OScar, the first open source car project. Can open source ideals be brought to design and eventually manufacture a car? The people at the OScar project think they can. They are bringing together Read more
I have finished reading a report by the Committee for Economic Development, which has membership from representatives from IBM, GE and Citigroup (not precisely a group of leftie pinko liberals). Their report is entitled Open Standards, Open Source, and Open Innovation: Harnessing the Benefits of Openness. The report is considerably Read more
This is a story that has all the makings of a geek legend. A stupid bureaucrat in the city of Tuttle, Oklahoma, noticed that the website belonging to the city that he administers was missing. What was in its place? An Apache Server page. The bureaucrat freaked. Imagine what he Read more