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Linux Corporate Influence: Boon or Bane?
Mark Tobenkin writes "Are corporations exploiting the Open Source community? The Linux Public Broadcasting Network has video interviews with Ian Murdock (of Progeny and Debian fame), Martin Roesch (author of Snort), Jeremey White (CEO of CodeWeavers), Bradley Kuhn (FSF), Mike Balma (Linux Business Strategist for HP) and others on the evolving OSS business models. The interviews center around whether integration with proprietary products endangers the Open Source effort or increases consumers' freedom to choose."
The Quiet War Over Open-Source
By Jonathan Krim
Thursday, August 21, 2003 [original article]
Every day now, it seems, we do battle with technology. If it isn't spam, it's worms. If it isn't the worms, it's viruses, or hacking, or identity theft. Sometimes, it's the gadgets and software we buy that are still too hard to use.
But as technology in general, and the Internet in particular, drives deeper into the fabric of daily life, battles also rage behind the scenes. They are struggles for control over how the Internet should work, over who sets the rules for its pipes and gateways and who owns the material that moves through them. These are the wars fought with armies of corporate lobbyists, technologists and citizen activists but largely ignored by the general public. And none is larger, or carries higher financial stakes, than the issue with the eye-glazing name of intellectual property.
Consumers are getting a taste of this right now, as the major record companies sue hundreds of people for stealing their works by using file-sharing programs. On another front, "open-source" software, which relies on collaboration and sharing of computer code rather than traditional for-profit development and distribution of programs, is capturing the attention of cash-strapped governments and businesses as a less-expensive alternative to commercial products.
Open-source software has been embraced by some companies that are building businesses around it. But it is the bane of others, including the industry's most powerful player, Microsoft Corp. The world's largest software maker is lobbying furiously in state, national and international capitals against laws that would promote the consideration or use of open-source software. So alarmed agents of Microsoft sprang into high gear in June after a surprising quote appeared in Nature magazine from an official of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The official said that the Switzerland-based group of about 180 nations, which promotes intellectual-property rights and standards around the globe, was intrigued by the growth of the open-source movement and welcomed the idea of a meeting devoted to open-source's place in the intellectual-property landscape.
The proposal for the meeting had come in a letter from nearly 60 technologists, economists and academics from around the world, and was organized by James Love, who runs the Ralph Nader-affiliated Consumer Project on Technology.
Love and others argue that in some areas, such as pharmaceuticals or software that powers critical infrastructure or educational tools, developing nations in particular would benefit from less restrictive or alternative copyright, patent or trademark systems.
In short order, lobbyists from Microsoft-funded trade groups were pushing officials at the State Department and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to squelch the meeting. One lobbyist, Emery Simon with the Business Software Alliance, said his group objected to the suggestion in the proposal that overly broad or restrictive intellectual-property rights might in some cases stunt technological innovation and economic growth.
Simon insists that his group does not oppose open-source software, or discussion of the issue, but fights to defend the notion that a strong system of proprietary rights offers the best avenue for the development of groundbreaking software by giving its inventors economic incentive to do so.
And he said that the BSA's governing board, composed of several companies in addition to Microsoft, unanimously opposed the letter and the meeting.
The U.S. government, which wields considerable clout in WIPO, might not have needed prodding from Microsoft to demand that the idea of an open-source meeting be quashed.
Lois Boland, director of international relations for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,
MoFscker
Everyone keeps making the incorrect assumption that Free software is "Free as in Speech". Wrong.
Free Software means "Free as in Freedom". The software itself is Free, unshackled by anything. The outcome of this is that the software would always carry its source around with it, and it couldn't lose its Freedom because it is legally protected from people who would seek to usurp that Freedom. The GPL specifies the rights of the Software, and it does a good job in protecting the Freedom of the Software.
Think of the GPL as a Bill Of Rights (U.S.) or Charter of Rights and Freedoms (CND) for software. It lists the Freedoms that cannot be taken away from the software.
Since the GPL and Free Software (and OSS by association) pertain to the Freedom of Software and not the matter of Choice, there is nothing to talk about except that it is up to the user whether they intend to use UnFree (enslaved) software on their system.
Perhaps one day we will all use unshackled software on our systems, but until then it is imperative that we focus on the ills of software enslavement rather than on welcoming software slave traders into our midst.
Adobe Photoshop now works under Wine, thanks to Disney of all people. Also, Open Office can create PDFs.
And if you mean Macromedia Flash, I expect SVG to replace it in a couple years. Of course, that means there will need to be a comparable editor for SVG.
The link for CodeWeavers is wrong. It's www.codeweavers.com
-newman
It has aspirations of becoming to vector graphics what gimp is to bitmap, and is taking the right steps towards following in it's footsteps, and soon may be second best in it's field just like the gimp is (if it isn't at the moment).
When Argumentum ad Hominem falls short, try Argumentum ad Matrem
No, I'd say it implies that SCO claims some part of the code is of their design, as indicated by the fact that it was a quote from Vomit. You must not like reading much if you think that every quote is a claim of fact and not something expressed by the characters.
Mod me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!
Sadly, not much. I'm a Mac user, too, but I used to use dual boot linux and windows. Linux just doesn't have the market share on the desktop to be worth Adobe's time and trouble.
/. story not too long ago about Disney or somebody getting Photoshop to work through Wine... That may be the better way to go for Linux enthusiasts who want to run Photoshop.
First, I know that photographers are not the only users of Photoshop. However, I'm a professional photographer, but I have a Master's in electrical and computer engineering. You simply have no idea about the level of cluelessness amongst photographers with regards to computers. I go to my local professional photographers guild meetings and I just have to bite my tongue to keep from screaming at their ignorance. These people can barely handle windows. Linux would scare them out of their gourds. I really don't think Adobe would see any more sales by porting their products to Linux. Also, I seem to recall seeing a
We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
the first "computers" were people who computed the trajectory of artillery (renaissance mathematics was driven by artillerists in a major way).
In french those people were called (IIRC) ordinateurs (from ordinance)
so the french name for the same role reflected the general field of endeavour, whereas the english name reflected what they were doing within that endeavour.
as early mechanical calculators took over the role of trajectory prediction the english called them computers, and the french called those machines ordinateurs.
It could be bollocks but thats how i heard it.
'There is a Light that never goes out.'
From "ordonner", to put into order, sort, arrange.
Watch this Heartland Institute video
Watch this Heartland Institute video
I have to say that my box has been attacked plenty too. I see ~20 attacks per day, people scanning etc. I also haven't had one break in, I built with all it needed and setup firewall rules on it. The only thing that is touching it, is what I allowed.
/worms attempts I see are for WINDOWS servers. Obviously, these exploits don't pose a problem, but it is actually about 90% of the 'illegal' log entries.
I check my logs on my linux web server, and the vast majority of script kiddies
Adding to your point: Any computer that has an internet connection is going to have attempted break ins/script kiddies/worms hit it regularly. That has nothing to do with what OS you are running. The net result from those attempts, DOES have to do with the OS.
I have only had ONE linux box 0wned in the last 5 years, about 4 years ago, because of not updating wuftp quickly enough. It was a learning experience, and a mistake I am not likely to make again. I learned the most important component to securing your computers is the person doing the securing.
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!