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[OFFTOPIC] India's march towards open access
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 27 Nov '04

27 Nov '04

Fascinating article, of relevance to those in the Free Software world. FN INDIA's MARCH TOWARDS OPEN ACCESS Subbiah Arunachalam Source: SciDev.Net +---------------------------------------------- Subbiah Arunachalam argues that the best way to make scientific research more available worldwide is to encourage scientists to self-archive their research. +----------------------------------------------+ In December 2003, the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) held a one-day conference on access to scientific data and information as part of its annual meeting in Pune. The conference was held to address two key problems faced by Indian scientists -- poor access to international journals and the low visibility of papers published by Indian scientists -- and the possible solutions offered by electronic publishing and open archives. Inaugurating the conference, Raghunath A. Mashelkar, director-general of India's Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, spoke of how international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) were helping developing countries improve electronic access to expensive journals through the HINARI and AGORA programmes, respectively. Unfortunately, however, India has not benefited from either of these programmes. Although journal publishers are willing to provide toll-free electronic access to researchers in countries where relatively few scientists read their journals, they are not prepared to do so in larger developing countries such as India, where they already have a considerable number of subscribers. Yet India's average gross domestic product (GDP) is, per capita, less than half the threshold agreed upon by the WHO and FAO when they set up the HINARI and AGORA programmes. A RADICAL RESPONSE So scientists in such countries need to find a more radical response by harnessing the new opportunities provided by information and communication technologies (ICTs). We need to break away from the existing model of publishing and communicating scientific knowledge. One way of doing this is to embrace the 'open-access' approach being promoted by the Budapest Open Access Initiative with its two complementary strategies of setting up interoperable open archives and promoting open-access journals. Several Indian publishers have already adopted the open-access philosophy for the electronic versions of their journals. Unlike some open-access journals in other countries, in which authors pay to publish their papers, Indian open-access journals use government grants and subscriptions to their print version to cover publishing costs. All 10 journals of the Indian Academy of Sciences, for example, as well as the four journals of INSA, are open-access journals. In fact, INSA has already produced free-access electronic versions of back volumes for all its journals, and the Indian Academy of Sciences is also attempting a similar 'retro-digitisation'. The Journal of the Indian Institute of Science is also available in this form back to its very first issue, published in 1914. The Indian Medlars Centre of the National Informatics Centre, New Delhi, is bringing out electronic versions of 22 biomedical journals, all of them accessible without subscription. The Medlars Centre also has an online bibliographic database, www.indmed.nic.in, providing titles and abstracts of articles from 77 Indian biomedical journals. Medknow Publications, a small company based in Mumbai, has helped 10 medical journals -- including the Journal of Post Graduate Medicine and Neurology India -- make the transition from print to electronic open access and all of them are doing much better now than before. In addition, some Indian open-access journals are using international agencies such as Bioline, a not-for-profit electronic publishing service for developing countries, and JournalServer.org, an online library of academic journals, to gain greater visibility. However, open-access publishing needs to be complemented by setting up interoperable institutional archives, which allow researchers to make versions of their articles publicly available online both before and after publication. An additional attraction of such archives is that they would raise the profile of Indian research. At present, research originating in an Indian laboratory and published in expensive journals all too often goes unnoticed, even by other researchers in India. Creating institutional archives of such work would help to integrate it into the global knowledge base, to reduce the isolation of our scientists and to improve opportunities for funding and international collaboration. The clear advantages offered by institutional archiving over the present publishing system, in which many research papers are held in the back issues of journals controlled by commercial (and some society) publishers in other countries, suggests that the government should have an interest in ensuring its success. India's University Grants Commission, for example, should insist that major universities with a large output of science and technology papers set up institutional archives. Other funding agencies -- such as the Department of Science & Technology, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, Department of Biotechnology, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Indian Council of Medical Research -- should also insist that research papers resulting from work supported by their funds be made available through open-access archives and toll-free journals. India is not the only country being drawn towards open access. In China - for example, among officials of the National Natural Science Foundation and the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information in China, as well as researchers with the Chinese Academy of Sciences -- there is already significant interest in its benefits to the country's scientists. Reflecting this interest, in mid-June 2004 China will hold a major national conference on open access in cooperation with the US National Academy of Sciences. And in the last week of June, the Eighth International Conference on Electronic Publishing will take place in Brasilia. The first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, held last December, has given a considerable boost to these efforts: the WSIS Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action include strong statements in favour of open access to scientific literature. UN secretary-general Kofi Annan has also offered his support. NURTURING THE NETWORK International action is one thing, but genuine free access is another. It will need a champion (or champions) in every institution to promote the creation of institutional archives, and persuade scientists to place their papers in them. Free access also requires adequate hardware and connectivity. Many universities and research institutions in the developing world lack both computers and high bandwidth Internet connectivity, so part of the strategy of open-access proponents must include campaigning for improved ICT facilities. Luckily, costs of both hardware and Internet bandwidth are coming down all over the world. Another important hurdle to overcome is the fact that many scientists labour under the impression that journal editors may not accept archived papers, claiming that this represents an unacceptable form of 'pre-publication'. These scientists worry that it will be difficult to assess the impact of their research if it isn't published in conventional journals. After all, they argue, promotions and awards are often determined by the impact factor of the journals in which one's work is published. Many are also unaware of the advantages of gaining greater visibility and are reluctant to make the effort to post their articles on archives. Just over a year ago, for example, the National Centre for Science Information (NCSI) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the country's best-known higher education institution in science and technology, set up an institutional archive. The institute publishes about 1,800 papers a year, of which about 900 are indexed in the Web of Science, which gives access to the world's most prestigious, high impact research journals. Yet so far, the archive has attracted less than 70 papers. This experience emphasises an important point: it is not enough just to create an open-access archive. Filling it is far more important (and difficult). After all, an empty archive is worse than having no archive at all. But attitudes of the journals are changing, making institutional archiving a more attractive proposition. It is important for champions of open access to let scientists know that many journals, including high-impact titles such as Nature and the British Medical Journal, already permit authors to archive both preprints and postprints. The emphasis should therefore be on setting up open archives rather than on persuading journal publishers to make their journals open access. If scientists and scientific establishments in China, India and Brazil can be persuaded to adopt open access quickly, then it is likely that the rest of the developing world will follow. Related links: Indian National Science Academy Indian Academy of Sciences Indian Medlars Centre HINARI AGORA Budapest Open Access Initiative Bioline International JournalServer.org M S Swaminathan Research Foundation Quick guides: Science Publishing ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This article is courtesy Scidev.net. Check out the new South Asia section of this website, focussing on science and development issues. -FN FORWARDED VIA: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frederick Noronha (FN) Nr Convent Saligao 403511 GoaIndia Freelance Journalist P: 832-2409490 M: 9822122436 http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks http://fn.swiki.net http://www.ryze.com/go/fredericknoronha http://fn-floss.notlong.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulties to send email across? Write to fredericknoronha at vsnl.net ============================================================================ Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments See http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html

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FSFE becomes WIPO observer
by Mahesh T. Pai 27 Nov '04

27 Nov '04

http://lwn.net/Articles/112837/ -- Mahesh T. Pai <<>> http://paivakil.port5.com ``Those willing to give up a little liberty for a little security deserve neither security nor liberty''

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any lisp programmers?
by ISAAC PRAVEEN 27 Nov '04

27 Nov '04

Hi friends, Would like to know if there are any Lisp programmers, not essentially AI programming. I work on common Lisp and Scheme (the future exn language for GNU)! Currently, writing an extension language called ACE-lisp for algebraic(symbolic) computing. Not a replica of maxima though! Just for fun. So I would lve to meet any Lisper, so far I havent met a single one. Regards, icy 9886120247 Bangalore -- ______________________________________________ Check out the latest SMS services @ http://www.linuxmail.org This allows you to send and receive SMS through your mailbox. Powered by Outblaze

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[COMMERCIAL] [JOB] System Administrator
by Avinash S 27 Nov '04

27 Nov '04

Hello, System Administrator required for a Bangalore based company which provides desktop and server solutions based on GNU/Linux. The following are the requirements - In depth knowledge of GNU/Linux (Debian preferred). - Apache, Bind, DHCP, Any MTA. - Perl, HTML, BASH. - Good knowledge of computer hardware. - Good communication skills Qualification: BE/BTech Experience: 0-6 months Please send your resumes to avinashss(a)tatanova.com Regards Avinash.

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Monkey business
by Ramanraj K 26 Nov '04

26 Nov '04

I am afraid this whole thread is getting way off topic ;) ,----[Rakesh Ambati wrote: ] | And to add to my misery, the community is quiet about it.Is the who | list filled with the sound box's,isn't there a soul with enough guts | to box someones ears and live with it. | | What a Shame !!! If am overly rude,I' MEANT TO BE. | | [Damn, the drugs are wearing off.Got to get my fix.] Cya `---- There is no Superman, Shakthiman or other super beings in there ;) Also, getting emotional or throwing tantrums won't help :) What legal right do you have to demand that others, the state in particular, use and teach only free software? It is a policy matter and representations are the best way to supply useful information to bring about changes in policy decisions. If they agree fine, if they don't, it is only a question of time, and they should come around sooner or latter, for many good well known reasons. ,----[Sandip Bhattacharya wrote: ] | Unfortunately, while there is considerable merit in reason why we need | to use Free software, mere representations might not suffice. ... My | point is - We need to encourage industry participation in the | evangelising process... `---- A few institutions, academic centers in particular, need to be fiercely independent. Ideally, they should be able to study, evaluate, use and teach independantly. "Industry participation" has to be minimal, say procuring and installing very difficult hardware or software, where it is absolutely required. Industry is driven solely by profit, whereas academics is about getting to the truth of matters. Both don't gel well, and mixing up the two is needless and pointless. Whether we like it or not, we need to understand and appreciate the concept of Academic Freedom. Our ancient Gurukulam system is the ultimate in Academic Freedom, but it has been largely replaced with centralised controls during the British period, and finding ways to foster Academic Freedom is the ideal normative. The concept of Academic Freedom is well defined in the US, and we may take a closer look there. In 1859, Charles Darwin wrote about the Origin of Species and the Descent of Man. By 1920, the question whether the theories propounded by Darwin, which went contrary to the prevailing biblical theories on the origin of man, should be taught in schools vexed many people of those times in the US, and the State v. John Scopes case, popularly called the Monkey Trial was staged in the US, to get a declaration that a Tennesse anti-evolution law was unconstitutional. History tells us that in as many as 15 states, anti-evolution legislation was pending in 1925, and two states Arkansas and Mississippi actually passed laws restricting teaching of Darwin's theory. The Monkey Trial failed in its mission and subsequently decades later in Epperson v. Arkansas, 393 U.S. 97 (1968), anti-evolution laws were declared unconstitutional by the US SC and a report is available at: http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/epperson-v-arkansas.html The Monkey Trial was sensational throughout the US, and probably led to the statement on Academic Freedom now also available at http://www.aaup.org/statements/Redbook/1940stat.htm which is endorsed by the general academic community in the US. <quote> The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. </quote> It is trite to observe that any institution teaching CS won't get very far in its search for truth with non-free software, and free software is the only option that enables free search for truth and its free exposition at every level. If teachers have not yet understood enough about free software, training the teachers and other academics is the first thing to do. Surely, CS graduates are qualified to do this work. Attempts to include Microsoft software in schools in the US have been rejected as unethical and monopolistic. http://news.com.com/2100-1001-276058.html?legacy=cnet http://news.com.com/2100-1001-808241.html http://www.defenselink.mil/dodgc/defense_ethics/2004_Advisories/ADV_0402.htm Things are no different here, and no gov. would be interested in taking steps that would be struck down as arbitrary, unethical, and as promoting monopolies. The Supreme Court of India recently in Jan 2004, directed inclusion of environmental studies into curricula at every level, enforcing a 1991 ruling obtained by M.C. Mehta. It ought to be possible to litigate on similar lines, to have free software included into curricula, if the gov. does not voluntarily take necessary steps. http://www.elaw.org/news/partners/text.asp?id=2283 IMO, effective representations directly addressed to those concerned, citing suitable examples should help in this matter.

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any lisp programmers?
by ISAAC PRAVEEN 26 Nov '04

26 Nov '04

Hi friends, Would like to know if there are any Lisp programmers, not essentially AI programming. I work on common Lisp and Scheme (the future exn language for GNU)! Currently, writing an extension language called ACE-lisp for algebraic(symbolic) computing. Not a replica of maxima though! Just for fun. So I would lve to meet any Lisper, so far I havent met a single one. Regards, icy 9886120247 Bangalore -- ______________________________________________ Check out the latest SMS services @ http://www.linuxmail.org This allows you to send and receive SMS through your mailbox. Powered by Outblaze

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Another storm
by Sriharsha Vedurmudi 25 Nov '04

25 Nov '04

Is this "Project Shiksha" (Shiksha -> Teachin) or 'Project Siksha' (Siksha -> Punishment)? http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2004/nov/25ms.htm So, M$ is now kicking off with a colourful Trojan Horse. -- ***************************** * Sriharsha Vedurmudi * Software Engineer * * Redpine Signals Inc. * Gate #395, Plot 87,88 * Sagar Society, Road #2, * Banjara Hills, * Hyderabad - 500 034 * www.redpinesignals.com * * +91-40-23559911 (Office) * +91-9849133133 (Mobile) *****************************

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Hyderabad's Linux_schools case study
by Rakesh 'arky' Ambati 25 Nov '04

25 Nov '04

FYI --arky > > Added a small case study of the K12LTSP > implementation at > http://k12ltsp.org/casestudy.html . The case study > is at the bottom of > the page. You can search for Hyderabad keyword to go > directly to the > case study. > > > Cheers > Herald. ===== ____________________________________ /\ \ \_| Rakesh 'arky' Ambati | | Bangalore (INDIA) | | Homepage: http://arky.port5.com/ | | _______________________________|_ \_/_________________________________/ __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - What will yours do? http://my.yahoo.com

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Test
by Joe Steeve 24 Nov '04

24 Nov '04

-- A proud GNU user http://www.joesteeve.tk/ | http://gnukid.shyper.com/

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education project using free software
by Tathagata Banerjee 23 Nov '04

23 Nov '04

hello. a friend of mine has recently launched a project that aims to spread basic computer literacy using free software in the semi-urban and rural areas of the South 24 Parganas district of WB. he has primarily identified two or three localities where the programme can be initiated as test cases. if these prove successful, he wishes to spread to other areas. he has formed an NGO to handle the affair, and the basic logistics have been planned. in this regard, he wishes to raise certain issues and place certain questions in front of fsf-india and fsf-westbengal, and has asked me to mediate. so here they are. 1. the programme is aimed at beginner-level students of the largely poor and lower-middle-class populations (who are a majority in the designated area), and will try to train them to the point where they should be able to impart training to the next generation of students. the orientation of the course will be towards providing basic computing skills which will (at least) enable them to compete in the informal sector of the market (eg. net cafe-s, dtp setups, medical transcription setups, small-scale computer training centres and so forth). the questions are, A. what kind of syllabus needs to be framed? what software should be included? B. what is an ideal duration for a course that accepts computer-illiterate people and leaves them at the intended skill level as indicated above? 2. whom should they approach for funds? government aid can be ruled out because first, it is very difficult to solicit successfully and secondly, it wil carry a baggage of political and bureaucratic complications that had best be avoided. there is the option of talking to 'linux' businesses which seem interested in increasing spending in india. will it be acceptable to or compaible with the free software philosophy to receive financial support from redhat or novell in exchange of a certain 'branding' of the training programme (supposing they demand that)? if no, then what other options do they have? 3. in order to set a credible and fixed standard for the programme and award a meaningful certificate to the graduates, they need an authoritative body to affiliate the project. will fsf-india frame/endorse the syllabus and act (on its own or through its west bengal chapter) as certifying authority for the course? 4. should they restrict their scope to setting up independent training centres or should they also start an awareness and advocacy programme at the colleges of the designated region and try to get them to invite the course? how can fsf-india help them in approaching these institutions? if anyone has any comments outside the scope of these issues, please make them. i will forward a summary of the discussions to my friend. thanks. tathagata banerjee co-ordinator fsf-westbengal -- cogito, ergo es.

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[Fsf-friends] [Fwd]: FSF seeks a full-time Senior GNU/Linux Systems Administrator andPro grammer
by Mahesh T. Pai 22 Nov '04

22 Nov '04

----- Forwarded message from "Bradley M. Kuhn" <bkuhn ) at ( fsf.org> ----- > Due to the unfortunate resignation of the esteemed Paul Fisher, FSF is > currently seeking a full-time Senior GNU/Linux Systems Administrator and > Programmer. The full job posting, including instructions on how to apply, > can be found at: > > http://www.fsf.org/jobs/fsf-sysadmin.html > > -- > Bradley M. Kuhn, Executive Director > Free Software Foundation | Phone: +1-617-542-5942 > 59 Temple Place, Suite 330 | Become an Associate Member of FSF: > Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA | http://member.fsf.org/ > _______________________________________________ > GNU Announcement mailing list <info-gnu ) at ( gnu.org> > http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu ----- End forwarded message ----- -- Mahesh T. Pai <<>> http://paivakil.port5.com A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing? A: Top-posting. Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet and in e-mail?

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[Fsf-friends] Another potential candidate for software company going GPL...
by Rishi 21 Nov '04

21 Nov '04

Hi I met the director of a software company and I got them to think about licensing their software with GPL. They currently deliver their software product as a service to their customers. As usual the ethical issue always comes up and people consider thinking about it... so he agreed and felt the need to license his software with the GNU GPL. However, one of his concerns was his service (software) would be compromised by others (competitors) who have access to the source code. Since I'm not a programmer, I was unable to explain why making his source code to the public, would actually enhance the security. Can anyone help me with examples to deliver to this guy/ Regards Rishi

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UNESCO UNDP and M$
by Anivar 20 Nov '04

20 Nov '04

Dear Friends, M$ is targetting Education and Culture of Communities communities with the help of UNESCO. http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre/PressRelease.aspx?file=MSUNESCOPR… [quote] M$ and the UNESCO will focus on increasing the use of ICT through the following projects: Education and Learning -- Syllabus for integrating ICT curriculum into teaching. UNESCO and Microsoft believe that ICT can play a significant role in improving teaching and learning, provided that teachers have the training they need to effectively integrate ICT into instructional design, planning and other critical components of education. With assistance from Microsoft, UNESCO will create resource materials supporting the development of curricula and training courses on the use of ICT for teachers and classrooms. The materials will provide content guidance to curriculum authors and course providers, as well as tools to help teachers, education policy-makers and others evaluate the effectiveness of available courseware. This multistakeholder project will draw on Microsoft's expertise in designing ICT products and services for education; in conjunction with its Partners in Learning and Unlimited Potential initiatives, Microsoft recently announced the global availability of two ICT curriculum series for use in schools and community learning settings. -- UNESCO Knowledge Communities. Utilising the Microsoft(R) Solutions Sharing Network platform, UNESCO will develop multiple online communities that allow international and national experts and agencies to exchange content and best practices, share tools, mobilise interested parties, and suggest solutions and strategies to address critical issues in education. Initial community themes will include Technology Solutions in Education, Multilingualism in Cyberspace and Information for All. -- Teacher support and knowledge sharing. UNESCO and Microsoft will explore how Microsoft's Innovative Teachers programme and its online community, the Innovative Teachers Network, can further UNESCO's aims in education. The Innovative Teachers Network connects a global community of educators and provides forums in which teachers can share ideas, content and best practices with other teachers who share a common interest in using technology to enhance teaching and learning. -- ICT access and skills training for teachers and students. UNESCO and Microsoft will also explore how Microsoft's Partners in Learning initiative can help advance efforts to improve education in developing countries. Partners in Learning seeks to deliver teacher and student skills development, tailored curricula, technical support and research, and increased access to technology by working with governments, local schools and teachers. UNESCO and Microsoft will explore opportunities to collaborate under Partners in Learning in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and Africa, Eastern Europe, and Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Community Access and Development -- Youth technology and learning centres in the North African Arab states. Microsoft and UNESCO will establish a subregional technology centre that will provide North African youth with improved access to ICT and ICT skills development. The facility will share resources and expertise with other centres throughout the region, with the ultimate aim of helping develop North Africa's future work force. The project will draw on resources and best practices from UNESCO's international information and data exchange network INFOYOUTH, and Microsoft's Unlimited Potential initiative. INFOYOUTH organises national, regional and international consultations among a wide variety of stakeholders to facilitate exchanges of data, experiences and analysis on which national and international youth policies are based. Unlimited Potential focuses on improving lifelong learning for underserved young people and adults by providing technology skills through community technology centres. Under the alliance, UNESCO and Microsoft will also explore the potential to collaborate on additional Unlimited Potential projects. -- Computer refurbishment. UNESCO, in collaboration with Microsoft, will foster international cooperation and the sharing of best practices to support refurbishment efforts that can help developing countries increase access to cost-effective computer technology. Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Preservation -- Local language development. UNESCO and Microsoft will explore ways to provide access to technology that preserves language and culture. As part of this exploration, UNESCO will provide consultation to Microsoft and support the company's efforts with local governments to prioritise and expand the number of languages served by its Local Language Program. Launched in early 2004, the Local Language Program is a global initiative that provides desktop software and tools in local languages by collaborating with local experts including governments, universities, language authorities and other interested parties. [/quote] UNESCO is not the only one doing back room deals with Microsoft (and others) while paying lip-service to FLOSS. UNDP also has its double standards. Or if it is not that, they should at least come out and declare what the rationale behind it,. and where it is all leading. This is a open letter to UNESCO i got earlier from MISTICA virtual Community, after getting some informaion abt this deal between UNESCO and M$. http://www.funredes.org/mistica/carta_unesco.htm?lan=en -- .-"""-. Anivar Aravind <anivar(a)riseup.net> /* * * *\ :_.-:`:-._; Use Free Software visit http://www.gnu.org (_) >@)_// >@)_// >@)_// >@)_// _\|/(_) (__) (__) (__) (__) \|/________________________________________________

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NEWS: IT software is taxable, rules SC
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 20 Nov '04

20 Nov '04

Interesting debate that could have *some* implications for FLOSS. FN ---------- Forwarded message ---------- NEWS: IT software is taxable, rules SC Deccan Herald, Bangalore. Nov 6, 2004 NEW DELHI: DHNS The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday ruled that computer software is liable to Sales Tax, a decision that may boost the dwindling revenue of states. This ruling would be applicable only to "off-the-shelf" software and not to "customised" ones. Ninety per cent of the software sales account for the customized category. A five-judge bench comprising Justice N Santosh Hegde, Justice S N Variava, Justice B P Singh, Justice H K Sema and Justice S B Sinha, gave this judgement on a petition by the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The TCS had challenged the Andhra Pradesh High Court order allowing the state government to levy sales tax on the computer software, as it classified it as "goods" under the provisions of the Sales Tax Act. Upholding the High Court order, the apex court said that when a person goes to buy a CD, he or she is not paying for the mere CD but also for the software contained in it. While the TCS argued that software was nothing but knowledge and hence could not be categorised as goods, Andhra Pradesh said that the off-the-shelf software cannot be treated as "knowledge" making it liable for sales tax. ST WILL SPUR PIRACY Meanwhile, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) has said the Supreme Court judgement making computer software liable to sales tax, will encourage pirated software and affect the speed of PC penetration in the country, reports UNI from New Delhi. "Immediately, however it may impact the price paid by the user and this could affect the speed of penetration of PCs in the country and also give an impetus to pirated software," Nasscom president Kiran Karnik said in a statement here.

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Hi
by V.Vidhya Lakshmi 19 Nov '04

19 Nov '04

Hi Friends Hi About me�� This is V.S.Vidhya here. I like to make friends and I like to be one of ur friend. I am interested in making friendship with u. If u like to make friendship with me please mail me at yellow_20582(a)yahoo.com Bye Vidhya --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! � Get yours free!

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Favourites from the world of FLOSS... a short-list
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 18 Nov '04

18 Nov '04

Linux New Media Award 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Below are the products and names short-listed for the Linux New Media Award 2004. Just thought of sharing the same so that we could see how the FLOSS world looks from the heart of Europe: Hardware Favorite Notebook Vendor Acer global.acer.com/products/notebook/ Apple www.apple.com/hardware/ Asus www.asus.com/products/notebook/ Dell www1.us.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/notebooks?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s… Fujitsu Siemens www.fujitsu-siemens.com/home/products/notebooks/ HP welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/prodserv/notebooks_tabletpcs.html IBM www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=-840&la… Samsung www.samsung.com/Products/NotebookPCs/ Sony www.sonystyle.com Best Free Project for Hardware Support ACPI4Linux acpi.sourceforge.net Linux on iPod ipodlinux.sourceforge.net Ndiswrapper ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net X.Org www.x.org XBox Linux www.xbox-linux.org Linuxprinting.org www.linuxprinting.org VDR www.cadsoft.de/vdr/ growisofs/mkisofs for DVD Support fy.chalmers.se/~appro/linux/DVD+RW/ Linux Friendliest Printer Vendor Canon www.canon.com/technology/ Epson www.epson.com HP www.hp.com/united-states/consumer/gateway/printing_multifunction.html Lexmark www.lexmark.com Kyocera global.kyocera.com OKI www.oki.com/en/products/ Software Best Newcomer Linux Distribution gnuLinEx www.linex.org SkoleLinux www.skolelinux.org Ubuntu Linux www.ubuntulinux.org UserLinux www.userlinux.com White Box Linux www.whiteboxlinux.org Yoper www.yoper.com Best Distribution for Beginners Linspire www.linspire.com Xandros Desktop OS www.xandros.com Fedora Core fedora.redhat.com Suse Personal/Professional www.suse.com Mandrake Linux www.linux-mandrake.com Best Multimedia Framework Arts www.arts-project.org GStreamer gstreamer.freedesktop.org Jack jackit.sourceforge.net LADSPA www.ladspa.org MAS www.mediaapplicationserver.net NAS radscan.com/nas.html NMM www.networkmultimedia.org OpenML www.khronos.org/openml/ USound mattcamp.paunix.org/usound/ SDL www.libsdl.org Best Media Player XMMS www.xmms.org Xine/Kaffeine xinehq.de MPlayer www.mplayerhq.hu/homepage/design7/news.html Amarok amarok.kde.org JuK developer.kde.org/~wheeler/juk.html Ogle freshmeat.net/projects/ogle/ Helix Player player.helixcommunity.org Best Mail Client Sylpheed/Sylpheed-Claws sylpheed.good-day.net Kontact/KMail kmail.kde.org Thunderbird/Mozilla Mail www.mozilla.org Evolution www.novell.com/products/evolution/ Mutt www.mutt.org Best Database System MaxDB 7.5 dev.mysql.com/downloads/maxdb/7.5.00.html Oracle 10g www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/oracle10g/ MySQL 5.0 www.mysql.com/products/mysql/ PostgreSQL 8 www.postgresql.org/news/223.html DB2 www-306.ibm.com/software/data/db2/udb/ Apache Derby (Cloudscape) www-306.ibm.com/software/data/cloudscape/ Sybase Adaptive Server www.sybase.com/products/databaseservers/ase Special Award for outstanding promotion of Linux and Open Source* Institution/Organization Creative Commons creativecommons.org Free Software Foundation www.fsf.org Eurolinux/FFII www.eurolinux.org Groklaw www.groklaw.net City of Munich www.muenchen.de Government of Brazil www.brazil.gov.br China Open Source Software Promotion Alliance Junta de Extremadura (Spain) www.juntaex.es/ OSDL www.osdl.org END OF EXTRACT... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frederick Noronha (FN) Nr Convent Saligao 403511 GoaIndia Freelance Journalist P: 832-2409490 M: 9822122436 http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks http://fn.swiki.net http://www.ryze.com/go/fredericknoronha http://fn-floss.notlong.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulties to send email across? Write to fredericknoronha at vsnl.net ============================================================================

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M$ in India
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 17 Nov '04

17 Nov '04

MICROSOFT to support UPA's IT plans: Ballmer Moneycontrol.com - Mumbai,India ... He also talked about investments, especially in education, which, he says, is the focus area for India to grow in the IT literacy sphere. ... <http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/highlights/newsdetail_new.php?filename=new…> MS wants to log in to Indian PSUs Business Standard - New Delhi,India ... IT literacy. The company had tied up with nearly 4,000 schools for the Partner in Learning Programme. Listing out Microsoft's community initiatives in India, ... <http://www.business-standard.com/iceworld/storypage.php?hpFlag=Y&chklogin=N…>

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Fedora Core 3
by swathantra software 17 Nov '04

17 Nov '04

Dear Sir, With pleasure we offer you the following CDs. These CDs are ready to deliver immediately after receiving order. In case you need other specific free/open source packages, we can arrange that also on request. We look forward your valuable order. FEDORA CORE 3 -set of 4 Cds.Rs.250/- -------------------------------------------- The following CD's are also vailable on mail order. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 01)Fedora Core 2 -( 4cd set)- Rs 200. 02)Mandrake -10 Official -( 4cds)-Rs 200 03)Knoppix 3.6 - Recent release - Rs 70 04)Fedora Core 1 ( 3cd set) - Rs 150 05)Mandrake 9 ( 3cds) - Rs 150 06)Mandrake 9.2 ( 3cds) - Rs 150 07)Debian 3.0r2 ( 7cd set) - Rs 500 08)FreeBSD 5.2.1 ( 2cd set) - Rs 180 09)K12LTSP-latest (4 cds) -Rs 260 10)Slackware 10 2CD- Rs.120/- 11)Slackware 9.1 2CD- Rs.100/- 12)SuSe 9.1 (one CD)Rs.90/- 13)Buffalo 1.2.2 (one CD) Rs.70/- 14)Buffalo 1.2.3 (one CD) Rs.80/- 15)Xandros OCE 2.01 (1 CD) Rs.80/- 16)GNUWIN (2 CDs) Rs.150/- 17)Redhat 7.1(2CD),7.3,8,9(3CDs)-Rs.40 per CD. 18)Custom HOWTO CD (more than 3000 howtos) - Rs 100/- 19)Custom Single CD based on RH7.3/8 (AUto Installation)- Rs 60/- 20)GISMorphix - Rs 100/- 21)Custom PACKAGE CD -With MONO,Blender,Scribus,Anjuta..etc (Sources) Rs.100/- 22)Gentoo 2 Cds Rs.130/- 23)Openoffice 1.1.2, Firebird .8,GIMP (Windows & linux) - Rs 90/- 24)Linare Linux Single Rs.100/- 25)Educational free/opensource package available on request The Software - on - Request CD will take at least 2 weeks to be shipped -------------------------------------------------------------- Add Rupees 10/- for shipping charges by ordinary post. If you want delivery by courier, add courier charges extra Payments by DD/MO.( Draft/cheque in favour of s2s2, Cannanore Or Sujeevan.P,Cannanore) Payment by cash on delivery (V.P.P) is also available at extra cost. Payments by SBI steps Counter also possible. For ordering please contact by mail or telephone. Sujeevan. P S2S2, 33/876,Brigade center,Ground floor, Near Prabhat Complex,Fort road, Kannur -670001. Kerala,India. Phone: Off 0497-2761182 Resi : 0497 -2790811 cell :09447449107 Email: s2s2service(a)gmail.com Web:http://s2s2net.netfirms.com

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<incom> First Monday on FLOSS (fwd)
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 16 Nov '04

16 Nov '04

---------- Forwarded message ---------- First Monday on FLOSS Begin forwarded message: The November 2004 issue of First Monday (volume 9, number 11) is now available at http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_11/ ------- Table of Contents Volume 9, Number 11 - November 1st 2004 FLOSS at Large: Selected papers from the 4SEASST 2004 joint conference, Paris, 25-28 August 2004 Introduction: FLOSS at Large by Yuwei Lin http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_11/linintro/ ------- Opening the sources of accountability by Shay David http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_11/david/ Abstract: This paper scrutinizes the concept of accountability in light of free and open source software. On the view that increasing accountability grants value to society by motivating those most likely and able to prevent risk and harm to do so, I argue that while developing software collaboratively, licensing it openly, and distributing its source code freely are promising first steps in the long journey to rehabilitate accountability in our highly computerized society, our very understanding of what accountability is changes too. This paper analyzes the concept of accountability in an open environment and explores the implications in two mission-critical application fields in which software plays a significant role - electronic voting, and electronic medical records. It further considers the potential remedies to accountability's erosion that free and open source software offer, and the ways in which accountability can be generalized to collective action if we understand it less as punishability and more as a culture that encourages the prevention of risk and harm. With such reconceptualized accountability in mind, I find that code visibility, a self-imposed standard of care and sensible licensing arrangements, are a potent, practical, and effective alternative to the strict liability standards offered as a solution to the accountability problem by earlier scholars. ------- FLOSS developers as a social formation by Frauke Lehmann http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_11/lehmann/ Abstract: Developers of Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) are often referred to as a community or as a scene. But so far this seems mostly just a rough expression. This paper takes a closer look at FLOSS developers and their projects to find out how they work, what holds them together and how they interact. Community and social movement seem not to apply as descriptors. Looking at norms, values, structures, and conflict resolution, a hacker subculture appears which is compartmentalised into differently organised projects. By testing empirical findings against various theoretical approaches, ideas for further research are identified. ------- Contextualising knowledge-making in Linux user groups by Yuwei Lin http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_11/lin/ Abstract: A common critique on free/libre open source software (FLOSS) is that FLOSS-oriented products, often mutated from or based on parallel works, are not really innovative. FLOSS' development process and subsequent products (e.g. software packages, maintaining services, or the formation of user groups, etc.) definitely denote a kind of innovation driving our world towards a knowledge-based society. This perspective challenges the conventional notion of innovation in technological and economic arenas from a glocalised perspective. I argue that software development is not solely a matter of technical engineering or economic progress. Rather, it also involves cultural, social and political factors. ------- A case for Indian insourcing: Open Source interest in IT job expansion by Casey O'Donnell http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_11/odonnell/ Abstract: The controversy surrounding the "off-shoring" of IT jobs from the United States to other countries, in particular to India, has become a focal point in American political discourse and has been widely represented in the media. Disturbingly, little attention has been paid to this occurrence beyond its implications for American employment opportunities. Representing Indian and American IT workers as unified groups whose interests are mutually exclusive and opposed to one another is problematic given the material realities that propel "outsourcing." Among the potential benefits of growing demand for, and supply of, skilled IT workers is increased participation in the Open Source Software (OSS) movement. Expanding global involvement offers a significant opportunity for developing countries to influence the direction, importance, and future of OSS. ------- Free software: Some Brazilian translations by Alexandre Silva Pinheiro and Henrique Luiz Cukierman http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_11/pinheiro/ Abstract: We examine two histories in this paper. First, we briefly look at a North American history, in which we look at the relationship of free software with the founding principles of democracy. Second, we examine recent Brazilian history, especially the most policy decision to adopt free software, affirming technological autonomy. Democratic ideals, defended by the free software movement, are transformed in Brazilian politics, leading both to further free software development and a stronger democracy. ------- The realities of Free/Libre/Open Source Software developers in Japan and Asia by Hiroyuki Shimizu, Jun Iio, and Kazuo Hiyane http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_11/shimizu/ Abstract: A variety of individuals around the world are furthering development of Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) through the Internet. Why do they participate in developers' communities and continue to develop FLOSS? Is their treatment enough to sustain their activities? Surveys, using online questionnaires, were conducted to answer these questions to analyze the FLOSS movement sociologically. However these surveys tend to focus on developers in the West. We decided to see if there are regional differences in FLOSS development. To that end, we conducted two surveys, the FLOSS-JP survey in Japanese and the FLOSS- ASIA survey in other Asian languages. In this paper, we describe regional differences, especially among Asian and Japanese FLOSS developers and compare the results to those from Western FLOSS surveys. ------- Reducing transaction costs in information infrastructures using FLOSS by Marcus Vinicius Brandao Soares http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_11/soares/ Abstract: Firms, or more generally, organizations, develop and become larger along time, using more and more computers to work. This growth in the number of computers leads to a growth of software use (operating systems and their applications, for example) and, as a result, to the growth in the number of software use/access licenses to be purchased and managed. For the owners of software intellectual property rights, this process leads to a greater supervision of users to regulate lawful access to software. The situation occurs when all of the software used by an organization is proprietary. This results in some costs - transaction costs - that are not usually taken into account by administrators and managers. What happens if FLOSS is used? We will show that this choice leads to a reduction in transaction costs in terms of computation costs and in terms of the number of managed contracts, which can be numerically reduced by half. ------- End of forwarded message ------- _______________________________________________ incom-l mailing list incom-l(a)incommunicado.info http://mail.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/incom-l

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Why one more??????
by Raj Shastrakar 16 Nov '04

16 Nov '04

> A new GNU/Linux distribution based on GNU/Debian > aimed > at desktop users has Gnome as its Desktop and > includes > new vesrsions of the most wanted softwares, like > word > processor, web browser, image processing .... It > features brand new Gnome 2.8 (latest) and you can > order cds now (CDs are free of cost not even > shipping > cost!). So hurry and download the single feature > rich > cd or order. > > http://www.ubuntulinux.org I never undestand why one more ... as for single user is consern then i think that knoppix is better off ... well i think that ppl are wasting there energy in doing something else which is not actually required.. i asid this in may LUG ... dont invent wheel ... itz of no use .. if u agree make it a point to convey this to the author.. when u order one copy .. RNS __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Check out the new Yahoo! Front Page. www.yahoo.com

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Guidence needed
by Sriharsha Vedurmudi 15 Nov '04

15 Nov '04

Hello Friends, I am facing a problem and need your suggessions. There is some material in english which I want to translate into our local language (Telugu). I also want the font to be in Telugu. While there are some free fonts that I know of for Telugu (IIT Madras has got one for their multi-lingual editor, and it looks decent enough to me), I am not able to find a nice editor. I have considered the editor from IITM (at acharya.iitm.net.in....), but its very difficult, given my knowledge of telugu on these keyboards. If I have a Telugu Keyboard it would have solved some problem but I searched the market but found none. Now, there are two things that I can imagine: 1. Go to a type institute and copy the keys layout, then come back and experiment on my keyboard until i get them right. (it sure is going to take a _LOT_ of time, given my current pressures in office). 2. Get hold of a nice editor. Earlier when I was using wind**s, I used a s/w called TeluguLipi Editor, it had this wonderful feature that if I type a word in english, it would automatically convert every syllabi of it to Telugu. So, its practically a breeze to type in Telugu using that editor with out any knowledge of the telugu keyboard layout. Is there any such editor (Mr. google returned unsatisfactory results) for Linux? I'd be indebted if anyone can help me out. Also, one more thing: A couple of days ago, some of my friends, also in the s/w field (and running a very small charitable trust), donated a computer to a school in a very remote village. (I am not a member as such, now, so I dont have a big say). When my friend told me that, I appreciated him but his very next sentence disappointed me, he said they had installed M$ Win into it. When I asked them why they were wasting money when they can get what ever they wanted to using Free Software, they said its because of the following reasons: 1. No one in the village knew anything about computers, so had to be taught from scratch. 2. None of their group are comfortable with *nix. (A pity) 3. The software that they are planning to provide now is the ones by Azim Premji Foundation http://www.azimpremjifoundation.org/html/educationalsoftware.htm which runs on Windows only. So, they had no choice but to shell out some money and buy Windows in the gray market and load it. When I raised my voice, they expressed helplessness saying that their first aim is not to teach computers to kids but to grab their attention towards studies and use educational s/w for this purpose. Since I did not know any Edu S/w for linux, I had to shut my mouth. So, im immediately writing to you friends, does anyone know anything about this? Waiting for your replies: Sriharsha.

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Videos of WOS3 (june 2004)
by balachandran c 15 Nov '04

15 Nov '04

hi, http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=wizards%20of%20os%20AND%20mediatype… I found some good videos of the discussions at Wizards of OS 3, june 2004. If this is redundant, kindly ignore. regards, bala.

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Microsoft search encounters glitches on first day
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 15 Nov '04

15 Nov '04

Friday November 12, 7:30 AM Microsoft search encounters glitches on first day SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp.'s widely anticipated search engine, which launched in test mode on Thursday, encountered some glitches on its first day, the world's largest software maker said. The new search engine, Microsoft's first assault on Google Inc.'s leading position in the market, returned "temporarily unavailable" messages to some users looking for answers to queries at its Web site at beta.search.msn.com. "In the process of making our new MSN Search Beta globally available, we experienced technical difficulties that rendered it unavailable for some consumers for periods of time," Microsoft said in an e-mailed statement. Microsoft said it had expected such problems with MSN Search during its beta, or test mode, while soliciting feedback from users. "We expected to find some problems in the beta, and we anticipate there will be additional times when we limit service availability for maintenance purposes," the company said. Microsoft had been working on its search engine for the last 18 months after deciding to challenge Google's leading position the market. Microsoft's said its new search engine would deliver results from a database index of more than 5 billion indexed Web documents and pages. Google said on Wednesday that it had nearly doubled its index database to 8 billion pages.

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Test
by jeffrin 12 Nov '04

12 Nov '04

Test mail

1 0

Test
by jeffrin 12 Nov '04

12 Nov '04

This is a Test Message.

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[Fsf-friends] Financial Express (Delhi) on GNU/Linux... and insurance
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 12 Nov '04

12 Nov '04

SWITCHOVER to Linux: Insurance majors to invest Rs 400 crore Financial Express - New Delhi,India ... Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive officer, comes calling next week, he has to convince government-owned insurance companies that rival Linux is no ... <http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=73952>

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Ubuntu GNU/Linux cds available now!
by Praveen A 11 Nov '04

11 Nov '04

A new GNU/Linux distribution based on GNU/Debian aimed at desktop users has Gnome as its Desktop and includes new vesrsions of the most wanted softwares, like word processor, web browser, image processing .... It features brand new Gnome 2.8 (latest) and you can order cds now (CDs are free of cost not even shipping cost!). So hurry and download the single feature rich cd or order. http://www.ubuntulinux.org

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Re: [ilugd] [Fwd: [Fsf-friends] Guidence needed]
by Raj Shekhar 09 Nov '04

09 Nov '04

bimal pandit wrote: > Dear Sriharsha, > > there is a project for the same purpose as you are looking for and not > to say help from all over the globe even here in india!! > > the project is LTSP(linux terminal server project) just give it a > thought and i will try to help you as much as i can. > > the site is <http://www.ltsp.org> I think you wanted to point to http://k12ltsp.org/ rather than LTSP page. However, I think he does not want a LTSP setup .. (but LTSP will make things easier to maintain) . After grepping through my memory, I was able to locate the following projects that may be helpful to you http://schoolforge.net/ --> start your search here http://www.linuxforkids.org/ -- lots of softwares, well indexed and I hope much better than what your friend is planning to use :-) http://www.bluelinux.org/ --> BlueEDU is a distribution of the Linux operating system focused on educational packages. http://www.tux4kids.com/tux4kids/projects/ --> more software That should be enough to get you started -- ,-.___,-. Raj Shekhar \_/_ _\_/ System Administrator, programmer and slacker )O_O( home : http://rajshekhar.net { (_) } blog : http://rajshekhar.net/blog/ `-^-' work : http://netphotograph.com

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what is wrong with s/w patents?
by Mahesh T. Pai 09 Nov '04

09 Nov '04

Most comprehensive listing of problems with software problems so far:- http://technocrat.net/article.pl?sid=04/11/08/1640206 also at http://perens.com/Articles/PatentFarming.html -- Mahesh T. Pai <<>> http://paivakil.port5.com End Users are just friends who haven't submitted a patch yet.

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i4d Monthly Digest - FLOSS
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 09 Nov '04

09 Nov '04

---------- Forwarded message ---------- i4d Monthly Digest October, 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This i4d monthly digest is to bring to you of the features and stories in the October issue on Free / Libre And Open Source Software, which are also available on http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/content.asp Coming Soon: i4d thematic issue on e-Culture -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IN THIS ISSUE Theme: Free / Libre And Open Source Software (FLOSS) Features: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Free / Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) Understanding the global debate http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/global.asp Foss Usage in Africa Untapped potential http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/untapped_full.asp FLoss in Latin America and the Caribbean A social movement for freedom of knowledge http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/floss_full.asp FLoss In Asia Bridging the yawning digital divide http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/floss_asia.asp Closed Vs. Open Software License fee and GDP per capita http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/license_full.asp A Vision In the years to come... http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/vision_full.asp Revolutionising The Process FOSS and localisation http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/process_full.asp Columns: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Foss and Civil Society Organisations (CSO) Why civil society is not embracing FOSS http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/civil.asp Floss Down to basics http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/down.asp Interview Red Hat: Fuelling the OSS movement http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/interview.asp Free / Libre and Open Source Software (floss) Understanding the global debate http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/global.asp Open Content and Open Standards in FLOSS Promoting partnerships http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/promoting_full.asp Insight Ankur Bangla Project http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/ankur_full.asp Bytes for All... http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/bytes_full.asp ICT and Education FOSS resources in education http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/ict_edu.asp In Fact FLOSSophy http://www.i4donline.net/oct04/infact.asp -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For subscribing to daily/weekly/monthly i4d newsletter click here You can search all the news by date at www.i4donline.net Learn more about e-Learning projects http://www.i4donline.net/elearn.asp Now you can subscribe to the i4d print magazine online. http://www.i4donline.net/subscribe.asp Your comments and suggestions and request to subscribe/unsubscribe are welcome at info(a)i4donline.net [The first daily news service on ICT4D] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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INDIA: Pantoto, a communities software with the GPL
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 09 Nov '04

09 Nov '04

Pantoto communities software Anand Balasubramanyan <anand.groups(a)gmail.com> informs that the PANTOTO Communities software is being made available on Source Forge. The software is available under both GPL and Apache Licenses. Says Balasubramanyan: "Please join the effort." http://SourceForge.net/projects/pantoto> PANTOTO is a platform independent, web-enabled software product that allows end-users to configure information management systems, online communities, and extranets It is targeted at SMEs, not-for-profit organizations and government organizations by being a software that aims to reduce the dependency on the software developer. Developed in Java, PANTOTO uses a MySQL database and a Tomcat/Resin web-server. The user interface has been developed using the WebMacro template engine. To know more about the PANTOTO Communities project please visit http://www.PANTOTO.com Who is developing PANTOTO? * Development of the PANTOTO Communities project is being driven by Servelots Infotech Pvt. Ltd. * Servelots is a Bangalore based IT company and its sole agenda is to develop, enhance and service the PANTOTO software. * With a current team strength of ten, the team is expanding, also into other cities, to meet a growing set of customization needs of clients. * PANTOTO is a free/open source software on sourceforge.net, and the developer circle extends beyond the team at Servelots. What is the profile of PANTOTO users? Mostly from the NGO and SME sector. PANTOTO adopters are typically functional experts who are not computer savvy, but are able to put together simple web-based applications for information and community management for their needs. ~~~~Calling for Participation~~~~ * We are currently seeking software developers who have worked with Open Source and in an Open Source Environment. * We also invite participation from individuals who have experience in information management/documentation/networking with an interest in the social development sector. Working with us in this project requires an understanding of the significance of your contribution to the NGO sector. We are today in an environment where IT resources are inaccessible to the NGO and SME sectors. Visit < http://PANTOTO.com> for more information. ----------------------------------------- PANTOTO Communities - Communities Managing Community Knowledge 3354 KR Road, Bangalore 560070 totomaster(a)servelots.com < http://PANTOTO.com> ------------------------------------------ Pagelet ID: 1064 Pagelet Title: Press Release: Latest Public Release on Sourceforge Posted by: Totomaster < http://www.pantoto.com/servlet/ViewPosting?urlid=webs&di_p=1064> Last Updated: 2004-09-20 22:28:18 This pagelet is posted in these categories: News ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frederick Noronha (FN) Nr Convent Saligao 403511 GoaIndia Freelance Journalist P: 832-2409490 M: 9822122436 http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks http://fn.swiki.net http://www.ryze.com/go/fredericknoronha http://fn-floss.notlong.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulties to send email across? Write to fredericknoronha at vsnl.net ============================================================================

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Re: [ilugd] [Fwd: [Fsf-friends] Guidence needed]
by Sriharsha Vedurmudi 09 Nov '04

09 Nov '04

Hi Bimal, I've checked LTSP. But I did not understand how it is useful for me? I was not looking for a server for Thin Clients..... :-) As far as I understood, its a server that uses BOOTP, TFTP and the like protocols to serve remote thin-client machines. Im very sorry, I did not get the relation.... Thank You and Regards, -Harsha. bimal pandit wrote: > Dear Sriharsha, > > there is a project for the same purpose as you are looking for and not > to say help from all over the globe even here in india!! > > the project is LTSP(linux terminal server project) just give it a > thought and i will try to help you as much as i can. > > the site is <http://www.ltsp.org> > > regards, > > bimal > -- ***************************** * Sriharsha Vedurmudi * Software Engineer * * Redpine Signals Inc. * Gate #395, Plot 87,88 * Sagar Society, Road #2, * Banjara Hills, * Hyderabad - 500 034 * www.redpinesignals.com * * +91-40-23559911 (Office) * +91-9849133133 (Mobile) *****************************

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Re: [Fsf-friends] Guidence needed
by Sriharsha Vedurmudi 09 Nov '04

09 Nov '04

Hi Vijay, Thank you. This looks very promising. Im trying to install it (though it warns of many requirements). Will let you know if it gets correctly installed and I start working. Then, can you please tell me if I should include any Notice (that it is a free software/document and is unrestricted, in anyway, for reproduction/alteration as long as the person does not claim (s)he has done the work from scratch on his/her own). Any link is fine. Thank You Very much. Harsha. Vijay Kumar Bagavath Singh wrote: >> I am facing a problem and need your suggessions. There is some material in english which I want to translate into our local language >>(Telugu). > > > Did you try out ITRANS. It is availabe from http://www.aczoom.com/itrans/ > > Regards, > Vijay -- ***************************** * Sriharsha Vedurmudi * Software Engineer * * Redpine Signals Inc. * Gate #395, Plot 87,88 * Sagar Society, Road #2, * Banjara Hills, * Hyderabad - 500 034 * www.redpinesignals.com * * +91-40-23559911 (Office) * +91-9849133133 (Mobile) *****************************

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Re: [Fsf-friends] Guidence needed
by Sriharsha Vedurmudi 09 Nov '04

09 Nov '04

Hi Vijay, Thank you. This looks very promising. Im trying to install it (though it warns of many requirements). Will let you know if it gets correctly installed and I start working. Then, can you please tell me if I should include any Notice (that it is a free software/document and is unrestricted, in anyway, for reproduction/alteration as long as the person does not claim (s)he has done the work from scratch on his/her own). Any link is fine. Thank You Very much. Harsha. Vijay Kumar Bagavath Singh wrote: >> I am facing a problem and need your suggessions. There is some material in english which I want to translate into our local language >>(Telugu). > > > Did you try out ITRANS. It is availabe from http://www.aczoom.com/itrans/ > > Regards, > Vijay

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Patents and India
by Rajeev J Sebastian 09 Nov '04

09 Nov '04

Hi, Just a question: What is FSF and the free software/linux user groups in India doing about getting rid of software patents in India ? And what is the impact on India wrt global patent regimes like WIPO ? Does India have clauses in its agreement with the global patents organizations such that software patent rights cannot be exercised in India ? What are the recommendations given and actions taken, by FSF-India regarding the new Royalty-free license agreement of Microsoft for Internel protocols ? Rajeev J Sebastian

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Reg. a M$ patent application
by Joe Steeve 08 Nov '04

08 Nov '04

I was searching for something and stumbled into this http://l2.espacenet.com/dips/viewer?PN=WO0057315&CY=ep&LG=en&DB=EPD Now is that not close to what NFS does? -- A proud GNU user http://gnukid.shyper.com/ | http://www.joesteeve.tk/ PS: This is insecure mail. If you have problems please request for a secure confirmation. Geschenkt: 3 Monate GMX ProMail + 3 Top-Spielfilme auf DVD ++ Jetzt kostenlos testen http://www.gmx.net/de/go/mail ++

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[Fwd: [slugnet] Richard Stallman's talk in Singapore]
by Dileep M. Kumar 08 Nov '04

08 Nov '04

Sorry, the files are in non-free format -- Dileep -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [slugnet] Richard Stallman's talk in Singapore Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2004 23:47:07 +0800 From: Lim Swee Tat <st_lim(a)stlim.net> Organization: Ernitech Consulting Pte Ltd To: committee(a)lists.lugs.org.sg CC: slugnet(a)lists.lugs.org.sg Hi folks, For those of you who did not attend the Richard Stallman talk on Monday, the links below should allow you to access and listen in on what he has to say. Latest link:- Lecture http://media.smu.edu.sg/sis/041101/lecture.asx Questions & Answers http://media.smu.edu.sg/sis/041101/q&a.asx Ciao ST Lim

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Asia Source: Tech camp for the voluntary sector [Details and Form] (fwd)
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 06 Nov '04

06 Nov '04

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Dear Friends, Please apply if you are interested in Free/Open Source Software and Development. AND/OR Please forward to your colleagues from the voluntary sector in South Asia / South East Asia. Thanks, Sunil -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asia Source: Tech camp for the voluntary sector [Details and Form] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangalore, India. January 28th to February 4th 2005. Asia Source hopes to bring together over 100 people from 20 countries to increase the use of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) amongst the voluntary sector in South and South East Asia. This week long event will bring together NGOs and NGO technology support professionals working at the grassroots level across the region to learn new skills, exchange tips, and share experiences. Together with regionally and globally renowned experts and specialists they will look at the use of FOSS within the non-profit sector from both an access and a content perspective. Offering participants the opportunity to explore the practical technical side of FOSS whilst providing a conceptual backdrop. Asia Source will be the first event of its kind in the region, bringing together regional non-profit professionals with a rights based focus, it will invite those from both the technical and content end of the spectrum to focus on the practical elements of FOSS deployment. Participants with a range of expertise will be provided with a space for intensive peer learning. They will be given the opportunity to develop their understanding of FOSS, learn how to select and apply alternative technologies, and be provided with the skills and tools to utilise this within the context of their daily work. They will also be encouraged to explore the challenges and the future potential of FOSS adoption within the social context. During this 'camp' style event, participants will take part in a range of sessions. From planning and helping an NGO to migrate to FOSS, to sharing tips and techniques on using FOSS tools for content development, advocacy and campaigning. In parallel to this they will look beneath user-level scenarios, and break-down tricky issues such as localisation techniques and how to develop total cost of ownership models. Four themes will flow throughout the event 1. 'FLOSSophy' for NGOs 2. Migration and Access 3. Tools for content and communication 4. Localisation Asia Source will be held in a small artists community on the outskirts of Bangalore. Its aim is to become a community building event, with the potential to seed connections and future partnerships across borders and between skillsets. The event is co-organised by Mahiti.org (Bangalore) and the Tactical Technology Collective (Amsterdam). The event is guided by an advisory board of established non-profit and FOSS professionals from across the South and South East Asian region. Asia Source belongs to a larger family of Source Events that seek to increase the viability of FOSS use by the non-profit sector. Other source events have taken place in South East Europe, Southern Africa and are planned in 2005 in Western Africa. For more information please visit http://www.tacticaltech.org/asiasource or http://www.mahiti.org/asiasource Participants will be selected by the advisory board based on their interest and experiences. There will be a small registration fee for the event. A limited number of travel and registration fee scholarships will be available and may be applied for on application. If you have any questions please write to asiasource(a)tacticaltech.org. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asia Source: Application Form -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please send the application to asiasource(a)tacticaltech.org. The deadline for sending applications is 19th of November 2004. We will confirm receipt of the application immediately and will ask you to check and reserve (if you do not have to pay for this) your flight to Bangalore, India. We will also ask people who need visas to check how they can apply for it. As we have limited space and funds, we cannot accept all participant applications and cannot reimburse the expenses for all of them. Between the 19th of November and 3rd of December 2004 we will personally inform each applicant by email if we are able to invite him/her and in some cases reimburse expenses. Dates:- Asia Source is a week-long meeting, to be held January 28th - February 4th 2005 in Bangalore, India. If you would like to participate, you will need to attend the entire event, which means arriving in Bangalore on or before January 27th and leaving on or after February 5th. Fees and subsidies:- Participants will arrange for their own travel to Bangalore, India. Once there, transport to the venue from the airport in Bangalore will be provided. All meals and accommodation during the meeting will be provided, for the modest participation fee of US$ 75. There are a limited number of participation fee subsidies available to cover this US$ 75 for those who are not able to raise the funds. Travel subsidies are also available for participants who would not otherwise be able to attend the meeting. Please apply as soon as possible for subsidies as there availability is limited. Who should attend? This is an event for experienced professionals actively working with the non-profit sector in South and South East Asian countries. To be eligible to attend, you will need to answer the questions below, providing detailed information about projects you have worked on. The application deadline is November 19th, 2004. We are interested in all kinds of non-profit and technical experience, but areas of particular focus will include the following: 1. Localisation and multi-language projects 2. The use of technology within monitoring or campaigning projects 3. The use of technology for organising and collaborating 4. Audio/video, streaming media and/or radio 5. Innovative use of technology within non-profit projects 6. Experience deploying FOSS operating systems or applications Demonstrating that you have worked on projects in one or more of the above areas will make your application stronger. All participants at Asia Source are required to be proficient desktop users of computers, have been involved in at least one NGO/technology project before and to have an existing awareness of the concept of Free and Open Source Software. Applications from women are highly encouraged by the event organisers. Application Questions:- Please answer the following questions. You do not need to write long responses, but please provide us with enough information to understand your skills and interests, and to have a sense of why you want to attend Asia Source and what you can contribute to the event. Please provide answers to all the following questions. 1) Basic personal information: a. Name: b. Gender: c. Nationality: d. Country where you live and work now: e. E-mail address: f. Telephone and emergency contact number(s): g. Anything else we should know about you (allergies, diet, medical condition, special needs): h. Do you need a visa to come to India? 2) What is your experience of working with non-profit organisations/the voluntary sector. What kinds of projects and initiatives have you worked on? 3) Have you been involved with any technology projects for non-profit or civil society organizations? If so please briefly explain them. 4) Where are you from, where do you live now, and what is your current professional affiliation (organization you work for, mission of the organization, position you have in the organization, is your organization a non-profit, etc.)? 5) Please describe your current technical expertise and ability. 6) Why are you interested in attending Asia Source; what do you hope to learn? 7) Asia Source participants are encouraged to teach as well as to learn. What tutorials, development sessions or discussions would you like to lead (or help lead)? 8) Will you need to receive a participation fee subsidy in order to attend Asia Source? If so, please explain why. 9) Will you need to receive a travel subsidy in order to attend Asia Source? If so, please explain why and estimate how much your round-trip travel to Bangalore will cost. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ್ ್ ್ ್ ್ Thanks, ಸುನೀಲ್ -- Sunil Abraham, sunil(a)mahiti.org http://www.mahiti.org 314/1, 7th Cross, Domlur Bangalore - 560 071 Karnataka, INDIA Ph/Fax: +91 80 51150580. Mob: (60) 1-6311-1330 Currently on sabbatical with APDIP/UNDP Manager - International Open Source Network Wisma UN, Block C Komplex Pejabat Damansara. Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights. 50490 Kuala Lumpur. P. O. Box 12544, 50782, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: (60) 3-2091-5167, Fax: (60) 3-2095-2087 sunil(a)apdip.net http://www.iosn.net http://www.apdip.net "A world opened up by communications cannot remain closed up in a feudal vision of property" - Gilberto Gil, Minister of Culture, Brazil _______________________________________________ s-asia-it mailing list s-asia-it(a)lists.apnic.net http://mailman.apnic.net/mailman/listinfo/s-asia-it

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[Fsf-friends] News:Indian government initiative launches Linux portal
by Praveen A 06 Nov '04

06 Nov '04

India's National Informatics Centre (NIC) has launched an Open Source Forum (OSF). The project is part of an initiative of the government's Department of Information Technology. OSF encourages an exchange of ideas, information, and first-hand reports of Linux in practice. Read full story at : http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS2209345962.html

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RMS on FSM and patents
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 06 Nov '04

06 Nov '04

http://www.iosn.net/country/singapore/events/rms-singapore-2004/ Richard M. Stallman on the Free Software Movement and Patents The Free Software movement highlights the issues regarding patents and the generalization and use of the term Intellectual Property Rights. For countries that are entering into global agreements such as WIPO, it is now crucial to assess the implications and impacts of international patent practises and policies, and to examine and assess the arguments introduced by the Free Software movement. UNDP-APDIP International Open Source Network in collaboration with the School of Information Systems, Singapore Management University cordially invites you to attend an open session featuring Richard M. Stallman, founder of the Free Software movement. Topic ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Frederick Noronha 784 Near Convent, Sonarbhat SALIGAO GOA India Freelance Journalist TEL: +91-832-2409490 MOBILE: 9822122436 http://fn.swiki.net http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks fred at bytesforall.org http://www.bytesforall.org

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DotNet
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 05 Nov '04

05 Nov '04

Re the request by Microsoft to speak at the Hyderabad usergroup on DotNet, I think a similar topic was presented at LinuxBangalore in 2002 or 2003. I wonder how someone like RMS would respond to such a development, which seems to me like an 'embrace and extend' style of combatting GNU/Linux. FN ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frederick Noronha (FN) Nr Convent Saligao 403511 GoaIndia Freelance Journalist P: 832-2409490 M: 9822122436 http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks http://fn.swiki.net http://www.ryze.com/go/fredericknoronha http://fn-floss.notlong.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulties to send email across? Write to fredericknoronha at vsnl.net ============================================================================

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Linux Magazine
by Raj Shastrakar 02 Nov '04

02 Nov '04

Hi can anyone highlight good linux magazine for my own personal subscription both here in India and US . I currently have linux for you subscribed. Is there any mag from GNU..with RMS as chief editor ..or something on same lines ( just a wild guess ... ) Please enlighten... Raj __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Check out the new Yahoo! Front Page. www.yahoo.com

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[Fsf-friends] OFFTOPIC: Shoot, share and create -- looking beyond copyright and film
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 02 Nov '04

02 Nov '04

Interesting example of Free Software ideas spreading to film. FN SHOOT, SHARE AND CREATE: WHY LOOKING BEYOND COPYRIGHT MAKES SENSE IN FILM Young lawyer Lawrence Liang, based in city of Bangalore, makes an articulate case of why documentary and alternate film makers in India could do well to think of starting to license their works under an 'open content' license. By Lawrence Liang lawrenceliang99(a)yahoo.com Let's begin with a small personal statement, when I was in law school, I had great aspirations of wanting to be a film maker , and an FTII-type (Film and TV Institute of India, a prominent school for film-making) friend told me that the best place to start was to watch a lot of foreign films and documentaries. So I did that rather dutifully and spent many hours when I should have been reading corporate law, watching documentaries. My fondest memory of my placement in Mumbai with a law firm was when we took off to the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and watched Anjali Monteiro and Jayasankar's film on the Yeravada prison. Then, I gave up on the idea of becoming a film-maker after we finally did do a documentary on law school. But by then the bug had bitten and I had fallen in love with cinema and the documentary form as well. And yeah I think watching documentaries has also made me a better lawyer than I would have been if I read Ramiaya on the Indian Companies Act. So if I have written this rather longish argument about why documentary film makers should start thinking about open content licenses, it is with a sense of repaying a debt. But firstly a few clarifications: what does an open content / creative commons license actually mean? Open content licenses have basically been inspired by the Free Software movement, where they try to reverse the principles of copyright to build a more vibrant public domain of materials which can be used by people. Copyright grants the author of a work an exclusive right to copy, distribute, create adaptations etc of his or her work. Any person using any material without the permission of the author, or without paying royalty, is presumed to be infringing the exclusive copyright of the author of the work. While copyright was initially supposed to be a means of balancing between providing incentives for authors and ensuring that works circulate in the public domain, over the past few decades, this balance has been completed tilted in favour of the owners of copyright. Increasingly, one sees the use of copyright to supplement restrictions on freedom of speech and expression. A quick example: Alice Randall, an African American author, wrote a rewriting of 'Gone With The Wind', from the perspective of Scarlett O Hara's mullato half-sister. The publishers claimed that this was an infringement of copyright and obtained an injunction against the publication of the book. Thankfully, in this case, the court of appeal then overturned the injunction. Similarly, copyright licensing makes the acquisition or use of a pre-existing work very very expensive, and let's hope that we don't go down the US route where you have to take a hundred copyright permission before you use any music, clip etc while making your own film. Think about your own experiences. If you had to pay for every time you wanted to use a clip or a song, how much would that add to your overheads? A cautionary take: In 1990 Jon Else, an American documentary film-maker was working on a documentary about Wagner's 'Ring Cycle'. The focus was stage-hands at the San Francisco Opera. Stage-hands are a particularly funny and colourful element of an opera. During a show, they hang out below the stage in the grips' lounge and in the lighting loft. They make a perfect contrast to the art on the stage. During one of the performances, Else was shooting some stage-hands playing checkers. In one corner of the room was a television set. Playing on the television set, while the stage-hands played checkers and the opera company played Wagner, was The Simpsons. Else judge thought this shot would be great to use and he went ahead and shot it; he then decide to obtain permission form the owners of the copyright in The Simpsons to use the four-second clip. While Matt Groening, the creator, did not have a problem, he did not own the copyright. Gracie Films, the owner, demanded that he pay them $ 10,000 for the use of the four seconds. Else obviously could not afford to pay them. He could have gone ahead and used the clip, and it would have fallen under his 'fair use' right to do so. But this was too risky given that Elsie films had a record of pursuing copyright infringement cases, and the average costs of defending a law suit in the US is $250,000. The situation in the US is pretty bleak now, and any documentary film maker submitting a film to a broadcast organization has get copyright clearances for all materials used, otherwise they refuse to broadcast the film. This sounds almost like the Indian scenario of obtaining the censor certificate for films before broadcast. >From software to the other world -------------------------------- Anyway, as a response to the stifling copyright regime, the Free Software movement began. What it did was to create something called the GNU General Public License. This license, instead of denying people access or restricting their rights over a work, made software available for all with the freedom to copy, modify, redistribute etc. It is, of course, important to remember that the word Free here refers to freedom, and not to price. The only condition was that if someone created something new out of a Free Software, then that work would also have to be licensed on the same terms and conditions, namely that it could not be taken outside the public domain. The movement has now spread to other domains of cultural production and the creative commons is the best example of how this idea is being used with respect to movies, music, documentaries, literature etc. So why should documentary film makers start taking the Free Software movement seriously and think about similar licensing models for their works, as well as the very idea of collaborative production for the future? Here are some sound reasons: * DISTRIBUTION, A MAJOR HEADACHE NOW: One of the biggest problems faced by documentary film makers in India has been the question of circulation and distribution. This is an issue which has been discussed in a number of meetings as well as on electronic mailing-lists in cyberspace. If the work were available freely (again note this does not mean that you cannot charge for the documentary, but means that a person who has bought a copy may make a copy and distribute it to others), there would a far greater circulation of documentaries amongst other film makers, students, activists, scholars and general public. It is a fact that, currently, if you want to access documentaries, then you either have to approach the film maker or approach an NGO (non-governmental organisation) which keeps documentaries. Greater availability will ensure greater distribution and subsequently promote documentary-film watching. * IF YOU HAVE NO PROBLEM, SAY SO: I am sure that most documentary film makers do not have a hassle if people circulate their work, but it is important to remember that unless you state explicitly that people have a right to do so, to use your work etc it is presumed that they do not have a right to do so. In that sense, Copyright by default applies to your work. Which is why it is important to start thinking in terms of a pro-active licensing policy that allows people to use your work. * THIS DOESN'T MEAN WAIVING ALL YOUR RIGHTS: There may be one or two immediate concerns that arise. If I make my work available, isn't there a danger that someone will use my materials and pass it off as their own work. By licensing under a 'open content' license, you do not waive all your rights as the author of the work. It is really up to you to determine the nature of the usage involved. For instance, you could have a license that allows the work only to be copied for non-profit purposes, so I can't make a hundred copies of your work and then start selling the work for profit. Similarly, by licensing under an open content license, you do not loose your other rights, such as the right to be identified as the author of the work, and so on. You may allow or not allow someone to modify the work or use significant portions. * FILM-MAKERS DON'T LIVE OFF ROYALTY: More importantly is the fact that most documentary film makers do not live off royalty in any case. Their films are either commissioned or they earn some money from various prizes, invitations and the like. So, the fear of the loss of revenue cannot be a very serious one. But apart from the fear of loss of revenue on the film maker's part is the more important issue. When a film-maker is commissioned to make a film, it is important to ask the question as to where that money comes form, and if the money comes from public finding, there should be no reason why the film that is made from public money should then become the private property of an individual film-maker. Let's assume that the money that is provided for the film is not that great and cannot be measured in terms of the efforts that the film maker has put in. It is important to acknowledge that the film maker still benefits in terms of experience, credits, recognition, future assignments etc. * THEN, THERE'S THE COLLABORATIVE NATURE OF FILM-MAKING: Copyright's myth of the individual creator genius is perhaps more violently expressed in film making. Film making, as we all know, is perhaps one of the most collaborative of the arts, and the amount of diverse labour that goes into it is incredible. Yet, for the purposes of copyright, the author of the film is considered to be a single individual, namely the producer of the film. To its credit, the system of credits in film making, especially in feature film, still recognizes this process of joint authorship. Another issue, of course, is to recognise the hundred and thousands of influences and inspirations that have gone into our own films. We need to work beyond the assumed myths of copyright law, and develop alternative practices that recognise the multiplicity that goes into the making of a film. When we extend this principle to the making of films, we can start thinking in terms of the great benefit that making film-footage available has on film-making itself. I think at this point we really need to laud the efforts taken by a few documentary film makers post-Gujarat, in the form of the shared footage project. Given that we (documentary film-makers in India) are a small community, it is important to start thinking in terms of the benefits of collaboration, prime among which will obviously be vast amounts of footage available to be used. COPYRIGHT, INCREASINGLY THREATENING CREATIVITY: If copyright is increasingly threatening creativity, then one of the means of protecting this creativity is by ensuring that we take pro-active steps that build towards an ethic of the public domain in our own practices as well. One thing is sure: the digital revolution has arrived. You have more and more people from a non-film-making background who want to experiment with films, use it in the course of their work etc. In that sense the media and the medium is no longer external to any of our practices. At some level, we all have to, whether we are academics or lawyers or activists, start thinking of ourselves as media professionals as well. And the great thing that digital media has done is that it has enabled almost any person to become a low-cost production studio. You have a decent computer, and you can mix and match and edit your own stuff. Tinkering cultures are a critical part of the way we are learning the grammar of new media, for instance at the Alternative Law Forum, we have been working to bring out a CD on queering Bollywood which brings together clips of subversive queer readings of Bollywood. Three years ago we wold not have imagined ourselves doing it. Two students at the law school -- Warisha and Vinay -- have made their own films, one on Kashmir and one on Pakistan. I think we are living in very interesting times as far as democratic media is concerned, and we cant allow the freedom provided by technology to get curbed through a content barrier that arose in the 18th century as Copyright. * IT'S A QUESTION OF POLITICS, ABOVE ALL: Finally most documentary film makers would identify themselves as being against the neo-liberal global order. It's therefore important to start realizing that intellectual property is one of the key pillars upon which this neo-liberal order is built, and important to incorporate the subjects of our film into our own practices as well. It does sound a little ironic to make a film on protests against the hegemonic order of the WTO, and then claim strong protection for your own film! ENDS Lawrence Liang is a Bangalore-based lawyer, and leads the Alternate Law Forum. He wrote the above essay in an open letter addressed to Indian documentary film-makers recently, over the docuwallahs2 mailing-list on Yahoogroups.com -- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/docuwallahs2 He can be contacted via email at lawrenceliang99(a)yahoo.com

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"Intellectual property" -- a seductive mirage
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 01 Nov '04

01 Nov '04

Apologies for cross-posting. FN Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 11:23:15 +0000 From: Sunil Abraham <sunil(a)mahiti.org> Subject: [fsug-kochi-discuss] [Commons-Law] Did You Say "Intellectual Property"? It's a Seductive Mirage To: Commons Law <commons-law(a)sarai.net> Did You Say "Intellectual Property"? It's a Seductive Mirage -- by Richard Stallman It has become fashionable to describe copyright, patents, and trademarks as "intellectual property". This fashion did not arise by accident--the term systematically distorts and confuses these issues, and was promoted by those who gain from this. Anyone wishing to think clearly about any of these laws would do well to reject the term. One effect of the term is a bias that is not hard to see: it suggests thinking about copyright, patents and trademarks by analogy with property rights for physical objects. (This analogy is at odds with the legal philosophies of copyright law, of patent law, and of trademark law, but only specialists know that.) These laws are in fact not much like physical property law, but use of this term leads legislators to change them to be more so. Since that is the change desired by the companies that exercise copyright, patent and trademark powers, these companies have worked to make the term fashionable. According to Professor Mark Lemley, now of the Stanford Law School, the widespread use of the term "intellectual property" is a fad that followed the 1967 founding of the World "Intellectual Property" Organization, and only became really common in the past few years. (WIPO is formally a UN organization, but in fact it represents the interests of the holders of copyrights, patents and trademarks.) Those who would prefer to judge these issues on their merits should reject a biased term for them. Many have asked me to propose some other name for the category--or proposed alternatives themselves. Suggestions include IMPs, for Imposed Monopoly Privileges, and GOLEMs, for Government-Originated Legally Enforced Monopolies. Some speak of "exclusive rights regimes", but this means referring to restrictions as rights, which is doublethink too. But it is a mistake to replace "intellectual property" with any other term. A different name could eliminate the bias, but won't address the term's deeper problem: overgeneralization. There is no such unified thing as "intellectual property". It is a mirage, which appears to have a coherent existence only because the term suggests it does. The term "intellectual property" operates as a catch-all to lump together disparate laws. Non-lawyers who hear the term "intellectual property" applied to these various laws tend to assume they are instances of a common principle, and that they function similarly. Nothing could be further from the case. These laws originated separately, evolved differently, cover different activities, have different rules, and raise different public policy issues. Copyright law was designed to promote authorship and art, and covers the details of a work of authorship or art. Patent law was intended to encourage publication of ideas, at the price of finite monopolies over these ideas--a price that may be worth paying in some fields and not in others. Trademark law was not intended to promote any business activity, but simply to enable buyers to know what they are buying; however, legislators under the influence of "intellectual property" have turned it into a scheme that provides incentives for advertising (without asking the public if we want more advertising). Since these laws developed independently, they are different in every detail as well as in their basic purposes and methods. Thus, if you learn some fact about copyright law, you had best assume that patent law is different. You'll rarely go wrong that way! Laymen are not alone in getting confused by this term. I regularly find that experts on patent law, copyright law, and trademark law, even law professors who teach these subjects, have been lured by the seductiveness of the term "intellectual property" into general statements that conflict with the facts they know. The term distracts them from using their own knowledge. People often say "intellectual property" when they really mean some other category, larger or smaller than "intellectual property". For instance, rich countries impose laws on poor countries to squeeze money out of them. These laws often fit the category of "intellectual property"--so people who question the fairness of these laws often use that label, even though it does not really fit. That can lead to incorrect statements and unclear thinking. For this subject I recommend using a term such as "legislative colonization" that focuses on the central aspect of the subject, rather than the term "intellectual property". For other subjects, the term that describes the subject would be different. The term "intellectual property" also leads to simplistic thinking. It leads people to focus on the meager commonality in form of these disparate laws, which is that they create special powers that can be bought and sold, and ignore their substance--the specific restrictions each of them places on the public, and the consequences that result. At such a broad scale, people can't even see the specific public policy issues raised by copyright law, or the different issues raised by patent law, or any of the others. These issues arise from the specifics, precisely what the term "intellectual property" encourages people to ignore. For instance, one issue relating to copyright law is whether music sharing should be allowed. Patent law has nothing to do with this. But patent law raises the issue of whether poor countries should be allowed to produce life-saving drugs and sell them cheaply to save lives. Copyright law has nothing to do with that. Neither of these issues is just an economic issue, and anyone looking at them in the shallow economic perspectives of overgeneralization can't grasp them. Thus, any opinion about "the issue of intellectual property" is almost surely foolish. If you think it is one issue, you will tend to consider only opinions that treat all these laws the same. Whichever one you pick, it won't make any sense. If you want to think clearly about the issues raised by patents, or copyrights, or trademarks, or even learn what these laws say, the first step is to forget the idea of lumping them together, and treat them as separate topics. If you want to write articles that inform the public and encourage clear thinking, treat each of these laws separately; don't suggest generalizing about them. And when when it comes to reforming WIPO, among other things let's call for changing its name. Copyright 2004 Richard Stallman Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are permitted worldwide without royalty in any medium provided this notice is preserved. Thanks, ಸುನೀಲ್ -- Sunil Abraham, sunil(a)mahiti.org http://www.mahiti.org 314/1, 7th Cross, Domlur Bangalore - 560 071 Karnataka, INDIA Ph/Fax: +91 80 51150580. Mobile: +91 80 36701931 Currently on sabbatical with APDIP/UNDP Manager - International Open Source Network Wisma UN, Block C Komplex Pejabat Damansara. Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights. 50490 Kuala Lumpur. P. O. Box 12544, 50782, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: (60) 3-2091-5167, Fax: (60) 3-2095-2087 sunil(a)apdip.net http://www.iosn.net http://www.apdip.net _______________________________________________ commons-law mailing list commons-law(a)sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/commons-law

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invitation
by raghesh a 30 Oct '04

30 Oct '04

I am a student of MES College of Engg, Kuttippuram. Our association, Students Assocition of Information Technology(SAIT) wish to conduct an inauguration ceremony for this years activities on 8th Nov at our college. This letter is to invite any one person from your group to conduct a seminar on topic related to your working field. So we humbly request to accept the invitation.We expect a reply from you. Yours Sincerely, Raghesh A, Secretary, SAIT __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Re: DotNet
by Praveen A 29 Oct '04

29 Oct '04

I also think that they be allowed to talk about .Net, but on the basis of mono .Net which is a completely free (GPLed) .Net platform originally developed by Ximian (now owned by Novell). http://www.mono-project.com/about/index.html <quote> Mono is a comprehensive open source development platform based on the .NET framework that allows developers to build Linux and cross-platform applications with unprecedented productivity. Mono's .NET implementation is based on the ECMA standards for C# and the Common Language Infrastructure. Sponsored by Novell and led by Miguel de Icaza, the Mono project has an active and enthusiastic contributing community. Mono includes both developer tools and the infrastructure needed to run .NET client and server applications. </quote> Regards Praveen A On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 23:58:27 +0530, Sandip Bhattacharya <sandip(a)lug-delhi.org> wrote: > Ramanraj K wrote: > > My two cents. If someone from MS is going to talk about an MS only > > product or MS only tools that are not OSS (and have no direct > > relevance to the lug), however technical it might be, I think the > > answer should be NO. Same goes for a Mac. IMHO, that is completely > > off-topic for a LUG. LUGs are not only-tech-groups. There are > > certain philosophies and common sense rules that we do follow. > > We have had quite loud discussions in this matter at ILUG-Delhi. The > general consensus is that private sponsorship is acceptable, there will be > no opportunity for any vendor to talk about proprietary products. > > Talking about .Net is a bit into the gray area though, because it has some > relevance to the Mono community. However, a condition can be put, that the > only implementations that can be demonstrated, would be using FOSS > toolkits, and not using Visual Studio IDE or the MS command line .Net > compiler. I personally believe this is a reasonable condition, which wont > let other people complain that we are "prejudiced to the company". > > - Sandip > > -- > "à¦¸à¦¨à§à¦¦à§€à¦ª" > > > Sandip Bhattacharya * Puroga Technologies * sandip(a)puroga.com > Work: http://www.puroga.com * Home: http://www.sandipb.net > > PGP/GPG Signature: 51A4 6C57 4BC6 8C82 6A65 AE78 B1A1 2280 A129 0FF3 > > _______________________________________________ > Fsf-friends mailing list > Fsf-friends(a)mm.gnu.org.in > http://mm.gnu.org.in/mailman/listinfo/fsf-friends >

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Re: Fsf-friends Digest, Vol 18, Issue 23
by Free Software Foundation 28 Oct '04

28 Oct '04

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[Fwd: Re: [Ilugc] [Fwd: [Fsf-friends] Re: DotNet]]
by Ramanraj K 27 Oct '04

27 Oct '04

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Ilugc] [Fwd: [Fsf-friends] Re: DotNet] Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 21:59:09 +0530 From: Prabhu Ramachandran <prabhu_r(a)users.sourceforge.net> To: kumarayil(a)asianetindia.com CC: ilugc(a)ae.iitm.ac.in References: <4180E9F3.6000605(a)asianetindia.com> Hi, >>>>> "DK" == Dileep M Kumar <kumarayil(a)asianetindia.com> writes: >> If anybody has serious objections (that is they DONT want the >> >Microsoft person to speak) regarding this please let me know. DK> I do like to point out that in a not-so-recent interview to DK> one of the computer magazines in India (forgot which, might DK> have been PCQuest or something), Microsoft India's DK> some-big-shot mentioned (not in so many words) that part of DK> their strategy in India is to "infiltrate" the LUGs and slowly DK> brainwash these LUGs into being MUGs (Microsoft User Groups - DK> pun intended :) . Let us not be the first or only LUG to fall DK> into that trap. My two cents. If someone from MS is going to talk about an MS only product or MS only tools that are not OSS (and have no direct relevance to the lug), however technical it might be, I think the answer should be NO. Same goes for a Mac. IMHO, that is completely off-topic for a LUG. LUGs are not only-tech-groups. There are certain philosophies and common sense rules that we do follow. As regards MS's strategy to 'brainwash' lug members. Hehe, nice try. Its dumb plans like these that really get my rolling my eyes over. The significant thing about OSS is that the bar to entry is very low and the distribution mechanisms allow me to scratch my itch and let others use the tools I built in that process to scratch theirs. Its a community from the ground up. Any community that is based on a policy of unmotivated mutual help and sharing builds an extremely strong and robust emotional bond. The instant you bring a company to the party that does not understand this, the company will be simply ignored like an outsider in a family affair. This is simply not a community that revolves around a mega-corp whose raison d'etre is to make a profit and please its shareholders. This is the definition of a successful company and MS is probably one of the most successful ones around. So if MUGs are to be as successful and meaningful to their members as LUGs then MSFT would cease to exist (atleast in its current form). Heads I win, tails you lose. cheers, prabhu

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test <please ignore>
by Joe Steeve 27 Oct '04

27 Oct '04

-- A proud GNU user http://www.joesteeve.tk/ | http://gnukid.shyper.com/

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I think FSFI should endorse this
by Krishna Pagadala 27 Oct '04

27 Oct '04

Towards a "World Intellectual Wealth Organisation" http://www.fsfeurope.org/documents/wiwo.en.html ===== To Reflect, to Inspire and to Empower http://www.employees.org/~krishnap/ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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