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The last GPL?
by Ramanraj K 09 Jun '07

09 Jun '07

The last call draft of the GPLv3 is at: http://gplv3.fsf.org/gpl-draft-2007-05-31.html It is fairly easy for most licensees to comply with the terms and conditions in the General Public License, Version 2.0, whether they are users, developers or distributors. The few GPL violations I have heard of generally relate to the copyleft clause where the violators most probably fully deserved to be prosecuted as they failed to make their modifications public. On the contrary, the scary thing about the proposed GPL is that users, developers or distributors could be hauled up for not so obvious trademark violations. Trademarks are just proprietary shit - you would not want to touch them. Free software has nothing much to do with trademarks, warranties, income tax, sales tax/vat, central excise, and a lot of other things, which may be attracted in various jurisdictions under various circumstances, but do not concern us at all. Free software packages need and could use only non-proprietary generic names for identification, and inviting people to use trademarks for identifying the package itself is needles and only promotes the proprietary culture. Worse, it could easily be used to defeat copyleft freedom. Clause 7 makes room for clauses, which could be used to force you to use or not use alleged trademarks, and police modifications. The clause has the potential to cause distension in the free software community and the greatest danger is that it would make the GPL irrelevant in the free software community. TRIPs was negotiated in 1994, much after GPLv2 was published in 1991. After TRIPs, computer programs may be protected only as literary works, and misapplication of patent law to computer programs deserves to be challenged if any of the signatories to TRIPs continue its practice. It is mostly the proprietary software companies that support the illegal practice of "software patents", and any clause in the GPL now, as though "Software Patents" are legitimate, would only operate as estoppel against authors who wish to question the practice in the US, discouraging the use of the GPL. "Software patents" are an illegitimate practice and clauses based on such a practice could only be seen as opposed to public policy. Today, free software is moving from strength to strength, but the question would be if the GPL can continue to hold its influence in the free software community. Ramanraj K

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Re: Transcript of Eben Moglen Speech on 3rd June
by Praveen A 09 Jun '07

09 Jun '07

Hi Viswanath, Thanks for the transcript. It is added to http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Freeing_the_Mind:_Free_Software_and_the_end_o… Cheers Praveen 2007/6/7, Viswanath Durbha <viswanath.durbha(a)gmail.com>: > Hi, > > I've learnt from > http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Eben_Moglen_in_Bangalore that > help is needed in transcribing Eben Moglen's speech on 3rd June in Bangalore > on the topic " Freeing the Mind: Free Software and the end of proprietary > culture". > > I've finished writing a transcript of the same. Please find it attached. > Hope you can find it accurate enough to post it to the website. > > The audio quality of the speex file is not very good towards the end of the > speech. So there may be some words that might not be entirely accurate. But > I took care that the message in the speech is not altered. Please note that > the Q&A session is not transcribed. > > Thanks and Regards, > Viswanath > > -- പ്രവീണ് അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില് Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now! http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign

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Free Software Daily
by Praveen A 08 Jun '07

08 Jun '07

FSDaily is a news hub entirely dedicated to free and open source software, where users can vote stories up and down http://www.fsdaily.com/ -- പ്രവീണ് അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില് Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now! http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign

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Fwd: [smc-discuss] Re: [Debian-in-workers] Red Hat signs MoU with Kerala govt
by Praveen A 08 Jun '07

08 Jun '07

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anivar Aravind <anivar.aravind(a)gmail.com> Date: २००७ जून ८ १२:२७ Subject: [smc-discuss] Re: [Debian-in-workers] Red Hat signs MoU with Kerala govt To: debian-in-workers(a)lists.alioth.debian.org, smc-discuss(a)googlegroups.com -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 This mail seems that you are more focused on claims to kep ur ego than the facts . I dont want to continue this non productive discussion based on your articulated views with a lot of misconceptions. It only serves your ego. I dont want to spam Others in this list. This will be my last to this Thread in this list Mahesh T. Pai wrote: > Anivar Aravind said on Fri, Jun 08, 2007 at 12:27:46AM +0530,: > > > > Apart from Arun's ``I say so'', what are these statistics based on? > > > > http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/08/stories/2006050811430400.htm > > I am very much afraid that this article, or Biju Prabhakar's views do > not reflect the ground realities. Still u your rabbit has 3 hones. "Ground realities" are related to the ground. not your mind. > (That article coincides with the day my kid was born, so I believe I > missed it). > > The next question is probably off topic for this list and thread - the > URL says that the FSF India created the CD for IT@SCHOOL project; but > my understanding is that space-kerala.org is doing it. Which is true? That is the Problem with Your understanding It is well Written every CD's of IT@school & On Readme Files. If you ever seen a CD you can understand that And I already posted the following URL here earlier http://www.edugrid.in/webfolder/download/schoolGnu/README.html > > BTW Did u seen > > http://support.space-kerala.org/wiki/index.php/School_GNU_Linux_FAQ > > And > > http://support.space-kerala.org/wiki/index.php/School_GNU_Linux_Tips > > Before making authoritative comments? > > Which still does not answer my question -- ``where does the government > say that it is using free software in the IT@SCHOOL project?'' Dont try to manipulate questions. This was in answer to <quote> And there is nothing - absolutely nothing -- on space-kerala.org or it@school website or KSITM (kerala state IT Mission) website to provide continued support for the kind of roll out required now. </quote> So From where your new "my question" appeared? The Lawyers are infamous for quoting outof context in courts. But In Email lists It will not work everytime > Some years back, a government agency started packaging a version of > GNU Linux for the IT@SCHOOL project. One fine morning, it was splashed > all over the Malayalam language news papers that IT@SCHOOL is going to > violating some ``intellectual property'' if it goes ahead with the > proposed CD. > > There was a big song and dance by so many so many of ``community > leaders'' about IT@SCHOOL violating the sanctity of rights. The > community, instead of helping the government agency to fix the > problems took care to give that project (and the government agency > behind it) a bad name. You still running on out of memory. It was about RedHAT based custom Distribution for Akshaya Project created by CDIT, a quasi-govt institute. Please Dont FUD > Few months later, IT@SCHOOL gave the contract to building the cd for > IT@SCHOOL to the community. FUD Happens!!! Again & Again >> This happened a few months before you became involved with Free > Software (at least, actively on the internet). You are not the person for counting my involvement in free software. You can say that it may be sometimes before we met. I am a GNU/User atleast before 2 years before that. The same with "Active in Internet" Clause too > That scenario is repeating now. Probably there is something wrong with > the MoU (I cannot identify it yet). And the community, instead of > working the persons involved, is giving the MoU a bad name. The issues here are 1. The MoU is not published so far & It is happened in a non-transparent manner. 2. If It is a decision affecting the society( specifically on IT@school case) , It must be decided with proper consultations with all civil society Stakeholders ( Teachers Orgaisations, students, & free Software community ) associated with that Project. This MoU deserves a bad name because of it is an Untransperent undemocratic decision > Probably, the community wants to retain the contracts from the > IT@SCHOOL project? FUD again!! You are trying to link up the concerns of Free software Community to Money Matters and undermining the concerns by putting the money on top of that. Which completely not relevant here. > Quite fine with me if you do not take any mone from the IT@SCHOOL > project directly. That means, on government's records, you are not > involved with the project. Therefore, the government is perfectly > justified is not consulting you before entering into the MoU. Money Decides everything in your point of view. govt is much better in this case. earlier they called up volunteers for GNU/Linux in District level . That list is available with schools itself. I pointed It above On the second issue. Consultation with all civil society stakeholders associated with any project before taking decisions must be a mandate of Free software Community. The model systems & laws are already there on non-digital world. Before planning Big Projects that affect lives & livelihood of people there must be Public hearing based on an Environment Impact Assesement. We are demanding the same in Digital Era. Just see a similar demand by Fisherfolks (I got it right now) http://www.petitiononline.com/cmz/petition.html > That is why I repeatedly say, do not work for the government free of > cost. Do any work free of cost for the government free of cost, and > you can be assured that it will go down the town/village/district > drain. The Free software adoption of IT@school was not a boon given by Government. It was a civil society campaign for Essential freedoms in Computing Led by Various Individuals & Groups (including KSTA, FSF-I etc). Who pays for the campaign? Free Software Adoption in schools helped them (at least in my village) to link it up the expertise in society in a major way. In Kerala scenario Schools & Libraries are the social space in which people meet & discuss. This helped a lot of people to adopt free software (and a lot of people bought new systems too) and a lot of youth (who came out from schools) become free software users. Free software exits in society because of its strong social linkages. That society will surely support a free software developer for developing the solution they want. I am not subscribing ur "drain" theory on market equations > > Free software is not free masala dosa. I agree. Both r different. But is not only regarding cost. One is to finish your Thirst for freedom & other is an optional and need is related to the conditions of your stomach > > This is a usual problem for people thinking in Terms of Market & > > Money than Social Means of work. We work for Free Software & > > language Computing Mainly Because of Thinking Social Benefits of > > It. The social cause is the motivating factor here. Not Money. We > > know that people will support us too if we can address the social > > needs. > > Anivar, I know that you do not care much about money. But, do not deny > that you were involved with the space-kerala.org / FSF India. When you > criticise actions by the government [apparently] in favour of Free > software, but against the existing interests which support the present > day activities of the governments, I will need to scrutinise your > claims very closely. FSF India & space-kerala are not a part of the state. Those are civil society organisations. So how it matters!!.. Self Scrutinising will be also good at this moment I feel. > If you have not been financially involved with the space-kerala.org > and / or FSF India, I apologise about the money part, else my > statements stand. I am not getting your point. I professionally Involved with FSF-I & SPACE . Apologies accepted. But dont try to put mud on Organisations & People working to promote free software in the state on behalf of your undisclosed Personal agenda's or interests. - -- Anivar Aravind moving Republic Peringavu.P.O Thrissur-18 Kerala http://anivar.movingrepublic.org/about -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFGaP3bF+jWtLmEaycRAjFyAJ9viPmUQh6RyIyhAJPZ43tb0WfZ/QCfU8EH yVnMDTe6dqhJsG7YqtPMGOQ= =YmEC -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ സ്വതന്ത്ര മലയാളം കമ്പ്യൂട്ടിങ്ങ് - എന്റെ കമ്പ്യൂട്ടറിന് എന്റെ ഭാഷ പിരിഞ്ഞു പോകാന്: smc-discuss-unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com സംരംഭം: https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/smc -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- -- പ്രവീണ് അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില് Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now! http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign

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tools for collaboration, education
by Kussh Singh 08 Jun '07

08 Jun '07

http://sakaiproject.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=103&Itemi… -- www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook. available as a single zip file or use downthemall software (a firefox addon) to download all the links on any webpage.

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open courseware at MIT and other success stories
by Kussh Singh 08 Jun '07

08 Jun '07

I came across this interesting link http://oedb.org/library/features/how-the-open-source-movement-has-changed-e… Kussh -- www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook. available as a single zip file or use downthemall software (a firefox addon) to download all the links on any webpage.

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Luis Villa’s Blog / interesting paper on the GPL, talk at trilug
by Sankarshan Mukhopadhyay 08 Jun '07

08 Jun '07

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 http://tieguy.org/blog/2007/06/06/interesting-paper-on-the-gpl-talk-at-tril… - -- You see things; and you say 'Why?'; But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?' - George Bernard Shaw -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Fedora - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFGaOJQXQZpNTcrCzMRAvZoAJ9qdSqo8NcuDoiZyNbZwluYmVLzJgCgtvGp zHfYvaXDw1CtJAUf74sr+E0= =uedJ -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Techworld.com - Microsoft and LG agree Linux deal
by Sankarshan Mukhopadhyay 08 Jun '07

08 Jun '07

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Microsoft and LG yesterday announced a deal in which LG Electronics will license technology that Microsoft claims is included in Linux - thereby protecting LGE customers from potential intellectual property reprisals from Microsoft. http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?newsid=9068 - -- You see things; and you say 'Why?'; But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?' - George Bernard Shaw -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Fedora - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFGaOI7XQZpNTcrCzMRAsYSAJ46GFmNS1jil4SqgoJWcZNrsQFQiQCgx7Fu qeq0p1EzzxTmRcpoe7xzTtU= =/cVV -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Why DRM won't ever work
by Praveen A 07 Jun '07

07 Jun '07

Another interesting article from Jeremy Allison (he had written earlier about the document lockup with MS Office 2007) " ... Sure, there's gobs and gobs of extra software in the process which is usually run at the consumer end of the deal, trying to obfuscate and hide the fact that the consumer possesses all the information needed to decrypt the file they've just been given. They have to have been given this, else they can't listen to the song or watch the movie. Claiming that this process can ever be made secure from the people you've just given all this information to is like believing you can create a secure bank vault by drawing chalk lines on the pavement, piling the money inside and asking customers to "respect these boundaries". The media industries are trying to sell what they consider to be valuable data without any means of prohibiting access to it. This is not a business model that is ever going to work." http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6189011.html?tag=nl.e550 -- പ്രവീണ് അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില് Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now! http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign

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Re: [Debian-in-workers] Red Hat signs MoU with Kerala govt
by Praveen A 07 Jun '07

07 Jun '07

2007/6/7, Mahesh T. Pai <paivakil(a)gmail.com>: > I understand your feelings. I know that you have put in a log of > efforts into the IT@SCHOOL project. YOur efforts are certainly > commendable, but please, please, do not criticise the MoU without > disclosing your interest in it. Lets ask the government to publish the MoU. The issue here is, There has been a lot of effort (mostly volunteer based) to build up the current Free Software infrastructure that is about to finish (the transition from a proprietory infrastructure to a Free Software based one). It took 3 years of considerable effort and active participation from the Free Software community in Kerala. Now when everything is set up in a very commendable way, why is the change brought without the consultation with the community (teachers, students and volunteers)? We have played a part in this and it hurts when some one who claims to be a supporter of the "Knowledge Society" doesn't ask the community when such an important change is made. I'm not against the support for using Red Hat in goverment. The issue is the change brought out without cosultation with the community who had worked hard to bring about such a change. We had a lot of hopes in the IT policy and it is saddening to see the situation worsening and not any better. The previous government (which didn't have a IT policy supporting Free Software) took the decision to move to a completely Free Software based infrastructure because 85% of the teachers supported such a move (and they got such confidence because of the tireless efforts of the community and I'm proud to be a part of such an effort, though a smaller part). http://www.pravi.co.nr/2005/06/08/it-at-school-palakkad-support-group-forma… The issue here is the lack of consultation and transperency. We should know exactly what is in the MoU and what is the reasons for changing a successfully running project. It has been running successfully for the last 3 years. Cheers Praveen -- പ്രവീണ് അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില് Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now! http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign

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