Slashdot Mirror
Library of Congress Explores Ways To Release OS Software
An anonymous reader writes "The Library of Congress has established an internal process to start creating more open source software which will make it easier for software developers and sponsors within the Library to produce software that can be freely redistributed to users worldwide. The Library has released some open source software to this point, concentrating on developing tools that support digital preservation processes, including the secure transfer of digital files. This includes the release of a full suite of digital content transfer tools that support the Bagit specification."
Why can't they just use source forge like everybody else?
Once we know how much software this program creates, we can finally express amounts of software in the universal "a Library of Congress worth of" units!
Didn't RTFA, did you?
BTW, They're designating the software created by staff as Public Domain in the comments, but in repositories that don't offer that category using the least restrictive category they provide, typically BSD.
Publications of the US Government are typically in the public domain.
I, for one, welcome our new code-sharing librarian overlords. For the most part code writ at taxpayer expence should be made available if possible so the taxpayers can use it for themselves - and other government agencies can as well without duplicating effort and expense.
How many Libraries Of Congress will the source code amount to?
Or is it easier to measure it in VW Bugs? Football field lengths?
I'm confused.
I think this is great news, but what happens if inadvertently some of this software infringes on a patent or two?
... they should just Bagit
bag it Slang
1. To cease discussion of an issue: Finally in disgust I told my debating opponent to bag it.
I can't understand the meaning of this without a reference to how many libraries of congress this equates to.
I don't want to tweet, I don't want to poke, I just want to digg!!! WHERE IS THE FUCKING DIGG BUTTON?!?!!!??
[oooooooooooo]
[o o]
[oooooooooooo]
Libraries of Congress store multiples of YOU!
I find it ironic in a sad shoot myself in the head sort of way that the copyright.gov requires IE 6 and does not work with the firefox. I was trying to copyright some material today ( graphic art not software), and was finally forced to run windows xp using vbox with windows 6 on linux to be able to upload the images.
Perhaps they could start by consulting someone like RMS and Linus rather than involving themselves with Microsoft and proprietary software:
"Taxation without web presentation
The Library of Congress recently signed a deal to accept 3 million dollars worth of "technology, services and funding" from Microsoft towards building a new website powered by Microsoft's Silverlight plug-in."
"Most disturbingly, users are locked in, too: anybody using an iPhone, an old version of Windows, any version of Linux, or any other operating system or device not supported by Silverlight will be unable to use the Library of Congress' new website. How is that compatible with the principles of democracy or librarianship? It's taxation without web presentation. And how exactly is that a quantum leap forward? (If the LOC really wanted to make a quantum leap, it would open up its data.)"
* http://www.librarything.com/thingology/2008/02/taxation-without-web-presentation.php
Silverlight lockins - references with links re: Silverlight
http://boycottnovell.com/2008/02/24/silverlight-ooxml-sharepoint-and-more/
LOC / Silverlight news
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Stewart/?p=724
Do your own searches for more references:
"library of congress" silverlight
"library of congress" silverlight site:boycottnovell.com
etc.
So, LOC, does this mean you'll redo any portions of your site(s) which feature Silverlight, which is proprietary (troll posters need not bait us by mentioning the useless Moonlight plugin which did not work when major media outlets streamed stuff like the Olympics which required Silverlight, where was Microsoft's big ball of interoperability goodness then? Nowhere! Linux users were scrambling all over posting VLC and other type of workarounds. this is about FREEDOM, not % of population using a certain OS)
How many LOCs could a LOC produce if a LOC that could LOC would?
Considering the negative effects of varous forms of Foreign aid on the recipients and the prevalence of skimming by graft, it wouldn't bother me if the US goverment hired some foreign codemonkeys instead. It's better for them and better for us.
The problem with your plan is that if a foreign corp contractor contracts to write code for the Navy, another foreign corp can't use that code for the CIA because they don't have the right to publish it Public Domain so they can't use it. Look - it's not the crown jewels of intellectual property, it's mostly minor applets or business intelligence for .gov organizations that are highly custom. But if it becomes a beautiful suite of APIs and frameworks that incidental to its main purpose advances the art, where's the problem?
Help stamp out iliturcy.
I liked what you said, but you should dial the emphasis back just a skosh, k? I know it's important but you're not going to sway many minds if you're creeping people out.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
I am a coder, I run a development team, and I work for the U.S. Government in the DOD. All code I create is the property of the U.S. Government and can be used by all other military branches. We have our own Forge. And, while technically, it is PD...
Nanani boo boo, you can't see it.
Seriously, though, there is a process for vetting this stuff and making it available, but no one in government is motivated to review it for release. And even though most of the code (99.9%) is mundane, it will never see the light of day in any outside repository.
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.