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Domain: xns.org

Stories and comments across the archive that link to xns.org.

Stories · 2

  1. XNS Specification Finally Released

    Yro · Privacy · · posted by timothy · from the who's-who-on-the-internet dept. · 15 comments
    Gleep The Dragon writes: "After many months of back room wrangling it looks like XNSORG has finally managed to get the legal stuff out of the way so that they can publish the XNS specification. You can pick it up here. In case you haven't heard about this effort, here's how they describe it on the XNS.ORG web site: 'eXtensible Name Service (XNS) is an open, XML-based protocol for digital identity and relationship management. Originally developed by OneName Corporation, it has been released under an open public license to the non-profit XNS Public Trust Organization (XNSORG) to govern on behalf of the Internet community.'"

  2. Reverse Engineering .NET - Good, Bad or Inevitable?

    Ask · Microsoft · · posted by Cliff · from the stuff-to-talk-about dept. · 254 comments
    It was only a matter of time until someone posed this question to the readership. After its announcement, last year, a Slashdot reader wants to know your thoughts on the issues surrounding a potential Open Source port of Microsoft's .NET.

    legLess asks: "The Register has an interesting article about reverse-engineering Microsoft's .NET. Apparently ESR, Bruce Perens and Miguel de Icaza have all dropped hints that the project's already underway. The Register has this to say, though, which I think is worth discussing:

    ...In fact it's a risky strategy for the Open Sorcerers. If .NET isn't reverse engineered, it will surely remain a Microsoft-only platform, as even the best funded efforts to port Microsoft technology to non-Windows platforms in the past have remained at best, a niche option. But if a good implementation is produced, it has the effect of legitimizing the platform, and making much more attractive to conservative, non-committed corporate buyers. Which is certainly the last thing the Beast's foes want to see."

    Yes, if we could get .NET working on non-Microsoft platforms, it would be a good thing, but I don't think that the Redmond Redwood will roll over and let this happen without a fight. How difficult would it be to port .NET, if Microsoft is free to add, extend and modify the underlying protocol to break any third-party implementation that may rear its head?

    Jamie adds: XNS is worth keeping an eye on. This is a nonprofit, (promised) open source infrastructure to allow individuals to save private data which corporations can only access if they agree to (legally enforceable) point-and-click contracts. In short, it's the groundwork for an open version of .NET focused on privacy, and more. But they're making progress slowly if at all. They have a good team heading it up, and I really want to see them succeed at something besides writing whitepapers, but their mailing lists have slowly gone cold and they still haven't released any source.