Fsf-friends April 2005

fsf-friends@gnu.org.in

29 participants
45 discussions

Kerala free software meeting
by Arun M 04 Apr '05

04 Apr '05

Dear Friends, Two days back members of free software movement and Teacher community in kerala came together and discussed how to take free softwares to schools across the state. Around 50 people participated in discussions happened. We had representations from 12 districts of the state (14 in total). >From free software community we had representation from Ernakulam, Trivandrum, Kannur, and Malappuram. We hope that situation will improve when district level meetings are held. I request members from Kerala to join fsf-kerala(a)gnu.org.in so that Kerala specific discussions can happen there. In coming days we can expect more members from teachers community to join that list. regards, arun.

2 1

[FSFE PR][EN] How to make Microsoft respect European Authorities - FSFE recommends permanent monitoring (fwd)
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 03 Apr '05

03 Apr '05

---------- Forwarded message ---------- The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) and the Samba Team have presented terms explaining how Microsoft could be brought into compliance with the decision of the European Court of First Instance of December 2004. "In order to write interoperable software, developers use so-called Interface Definition Language Files (IDL). These are currently held secret by Microsoft, so no one else can write interoperable software. In order to comply with its obligations, Microsoft should have to make these available, along with a description of the encryption methods they have employed, under a license enabling them to be implemented in Free Software. This is the only way to make sure the Samba Team is given a real chance to compete and interoperate with Microsoft," Georg Greve, president of FSFE explains. He continues: "Given past experiences, we also recommend to the Commission that it set a strict delivery date for these specifications." Last December, the European Court decided that Microsoft should not be granted more time to expand its monopoly by withholding interoperability information from competitors, requesting that the antitrust decision of the European Commission be put into immediate effect. "Microsoft can no longer hide behind bland statements such as 'we will comply', FSFE attorney Carlo Piana pointed out. "Now it is time to see how committed they are to compliance. Our proposal is very balanced and does not request more than the Samba Team could achieve by 'network analysis', but it forces the disclosure of the protocols in a timely manner. We have asked the Commission to submit our proposal to a reliable independent expert". In the recent proposal from the FSFE [1], Samba developer Jeremy Allison pointed out that : "IDL definitions are purely a way to describe an interface - they describe a protocol." In order to develop interoperable products is it necessary to have access to these specifications. "It is similar to needing to know the grammar and spelling rules in order to write in a language", Allison concludes. Regarding encryption, Allison says: "Encryption of network traffic is a well established practice and is not a Microsoft innovation. But to successfully interoperate it is necessary to know what kind of encryption is used, under what circumstances, and with what kind of keys." Regarding any compensation Microsoft feels it is entitled to, Carlo Piana said: "The information we request is not secret because it is valuable, it is valuable because it is secret. Additionally, we are convinced that Microsoft has been over-compensated many times by its monopoly position. Their extraordinary large operating profit demonstrates that. Such profits have been made possible because of the effects of and technological lock-ins and tying together of clients and servers." The only reasonable compensation that would not entirely defeat the purpose of the European Commission decision would be a one-off fee for obtaining a copy of the protocol documentation. A reasonable benchmark for this fee might be the cost developers pay to get access to the Microsoft Developers Network (MSDN), which contains much similar information. As with the MSDN terms and conditions, it would not be unreasonable to also charge developers for updated and revised versions of the protocol documents. However, these would have to be supplied in a complete and timely fashion, the FSFE and the Samba Team emphasized. "The Free Software world has once again shown how it is capable of providing high-quality work even under adverse circumstances," Georg Greve summarizes. "With the input of FSFE and the Samba Team to the European Commission, they now hold in their hands what is needed to make their decision have consequences. Taking into account how Microsoft struggled to 'comply' with the decision, however, we recommend that they constantly monitor Microsoft's behaviour." Background: The FSFE has been involved as third party in the original investigation and also the European Court case. It was originally admitted to the court to defend the interests of the Samba Team and is now permitted to bring up any aspect relevant to Free Software. The Samba Team and FSFE worked as one team during the entire proceedings and Samba representative Jeremy Allison spoke on behalf of FSFE at the European Court. [1] http://www.avvocatinteam.com/repository/request.tar.gz About the Free Software Foundation Europe: The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a charitable non-governmental organisation dedicated to all aspects of Free Software in Europe. Access to software determines who may participate in a digital society. Therefore the Freedoms to use, copy, modify and redistribute software - as described in the Free Software definition- allow equal participation in the information age. Creating awareness for these issues, securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues of the FSFE. The FSFE was founded in 2001 as the European sister organisation of the Free Software Foundation in the United States. Further information: http://www.fsfeurope.org If you would like to receive our press releases regularly please subscribe to our mailinglist at http://mail.fsfeurope.org/mailman/listinfo/press-release. Thank you very much for your interest. -- Joachim Jakobs <jj(a)office.fsfeurope.org> Press Speaker - FSF Europe (http://fsfeurope.org) Heinrich-Heine-Str. 3, 67134 Birkenheide (Tel: +49-179-6919565) Join the Fellowship and protect your freedom! (http://www.fsfe.org) _______________________________________________ Press-release mailing list Press-release(a)fsfeurope.org https://mail.fsfeurope.org/mailman/listinfo/press-release

1 0

[Fsf-friends] (OT) News.individual.net gone paid! Any good news servers around?
by Srikanth NS 03 Apr '05

03 Apr '05

Hi All, I was using news.individual.net news server (previously news.cis.dfn.de). It has gone into paid subscription mode from April 1 onwards. Is there any other reliable free news server which hosts a good number of linux newsgroups like news.indivdual.net? About 2,3 years back , news.vsnl.net.in news server was there , now it seems to be dead. Any other good, free, reliable news server please? Srikanth

2 1

Ubuntu vs other Distributions
by Dilip V 02 Apr '05

02 Apr '05

Hi, I have just gone through the http://distrowatch.com/ where I could find that Ubuntu is second only to Mandrake in the distribution popularity, and the gap is narrowing fast. So I am sure that Ubuntu will reach the top of the ladder with in days.. Regards, - - Dilip V, My Life : http://www.dilpu.net/

1 0

Workshop on TRIPS Treaty and Computer Programs at UoM
by Ramanraj K 01 Apr '05

01 Apr '05

Workshop on "TRIPS Treaty and Computer Programs" on 8th April, 2005 (Friday) at Hall No: S23, First Floor, Department of Legal Studies, University of Madras, Chepauk, Chennai - 600 005 Talks: Sivasankar Chander, B.Tech. (IIT), M.E. (IISc), Chief Architect, Qryptix Topic for Talk : Introduction to Computer Programs M. Murali, Business Practices Division, AU-KBC Research Centre, MIT, Chrompet. Topic for Talk : Business and Trading in Computer Programs Rohit Rai, Manager - Enterprise Sales, RedHat India. Topic for Talk : Legal Framework for Free and Open Source Software K. Ramanraj, M.L., Advocate, High Court, Madras Topic for Talk : TRIPS Treaty and Computer Programs Other Speakers: Dr. David Ambrose, Professor, Department of Legal Studies. Na. Vijayashankar, Cyber Law Solutions Ltd. S. Ravichandran, Advocate, (Surana & Surana), High Court, Madras Schedule: 9.30 AM - 10.00 AM : Tea and Registration 10.00 AM - 10.15 AM : Inauguration 10.15 AM - 1.00 PM : Talks by Experts 1.00 PM - 2.00 PM : Lunch 2.00 PM - 3.00 PM : Talks by Experts 3.00 PM - 3.45 PM : Open House & Discussion 3.45 PM - 4.30 PM : Valedictory About the Workshop: Recently, the Patents (Amendments) Ordinance, 2004, introduced patentability for "embedded software", but the change was dropped while passing the Patents (Amendments) Bill, 2005. This is an out reach programme for Software Professionals. The legal aspects of Computer Programs are governed by the TRIPS Treaty. Today, globalisation, governance, and almost every human activity hinges upon effective use of Computer Programs and its legal setting. The workshop will discuss the true nature of computer programs, and the character of rights surrounding them, in the light of the TRIPS Treaty, and the relevant Indian Law applicable to Computer Programs. The harm caused by mis-application of patent law to cover Computer Programs in some member states of the TRIPS Treaty, notably US and Japan, impeding free trade, and the possible remedies against such practices, would also be critically discussed. Participation: All participants would be presented with a Certificate of Attendance. Registration may be done at the Venue, or in advance at the Department of Legal Studies. More information at: http://www.chennailug.org/wiki/TRIPS_Treaty_and_Computer_Programs All are Welcome ===============

1 0

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

Fsf-friends April 2005