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EU Wants to Re-define âClosedâ as âNearly Openâ
,----[ Quote ]
| Version 1 came out in 2004, and since then
| battles have raged over how Version 2 would
| address the issue of âopennessâ. Judging by
| a leaked version of the near-final result,
| it looks like the lobbyists acting on the
| behalf of closed-source software houses
| have won.
|
| [...]
|
| Got that? âClosedâ lies at one end of the
| *open* spectrum, which conveniently means
| we can *include* closed solutions in the
| interoperability framework because they are
| part of that continuum.
`----
http://www.computerworlduk.com/toolbox/open-source/blogs/index.cfm?entryid=2620&blogid=14
Big business bullies EU into open source U-turn
,----[ Quote ]
| The European Union has long promoted open
| source software, but it seems that years of
| expensive lobbying by big software
| companies has finally worn down the
| bureaucrats' resistance.
|
| The latest version of the European
| Interoperability Framework - which aims to
| offer governments and businesses guidance
| on using open source software - has
| substantially weakened its definition of
| what open source is. This follows years of
| lobbying by the BSA, representing
| multinational, and substantially closed-
| source, companies.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/03/microsoft_open_source/
EU waffles on open standards in interoperability guideline
,----[ Quote ]
| The EIF's new definition of openness is
| also troubling. The text no longer
| explicitly requires that patents on
| standards be made available under royalty-
| free terms. Royalty-free patent grants are
| important because they ensure that open
| source implementations of the standard can
| be created without serious intellectual
| property impediments. The new draft
| attempts to address that same issue, but
| does so poorlyâit requires that the
| standard be possible to implement "under
| different software development approaches"
| and indicates that open source software is
| an example of one such approach.
|
| The ambiguity is potentially problematic.
| There are some cases where standards are
| provided under terms that make it
| technically possible to create open source
| implementations but with significant
| impediments that inhibit broad downstream
| redistribution or make it practically
| unfeasible. An arrangement like the
| controversial deal between Microsoft and
| Novell is arguably an example.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2009/11/eu-waffles-on-open-standards-in-interoperability-guideline.ars
Bob_Robertson - Subject: Orwell knew of what he wrote. ( Nov 2, 2009, 19:05:59 )
,----[ Quote ]
| Languages evolve, sometimes faster than
| others.
`----
http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2009-11-02-016-35-NW-LL-SD-0000
âStaff at the European Patent Office went on strike accusing the organization
of corruption: specifically, stretching the standards for patents in order to
make more money.â
âOne of the ways that the EPO has done this is by issuing software patents in
defiance of the treaty that set it up.â
--Richard Stallman
Recent:
Revision of the EIF and AG
,----[ Quote ]
| In 2006, the European Commission has started the revision of the European
| Interoperability Framework (EIF) and the Architecture Guidelines (AG).
`----
http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/7728
The 'European Interoperability Framework for pan-European eGovernment Services'
now available in printed version
http://europa.eu.int/idabc/3761
UK: Open Standards Forum 2008
,----[ Quote ]
| In today's Internet and in many large private network infrastructures,
| heterogeneity and diversity are the rule rather than the exception. Security
| infrastructures need open standards and interoperability to scale to the huge
| deployments that are being rolled out. Many security standards support a
| model where identity authentication, access control, digital signature
| processing, encryption and key management are provided as services that can
| be distributed and shared.
`----
http://www.epractice.eu/document/4914
IDABC EIF Info Day 2008 - Brussels
,----[ Quote ]
| The European Commission, Directorate General for Informatics (IDABC), is
| organising a special event aiming to present and inform on the new version of
| the European Interoperability Framework. This EIF Info Day is to take place
| on 25 June 2008 in Brussels.
`----
http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/7649
EU: Feedback welcome on the draft document based on which the new European
Interoperability Framework will be elaborated
,----[ Quote ]
| The draft document based on which the final EIF v2.0 will be elaborated is
| now available online on the IDABC website of the European Commission.
| External comments from all of those interested are welcome by 22 September
| 2008.
`----
http://www.epractice.eu/document/4918
Welcome to the Open Source Observatory and Repository for European public
administrations
,----[ Quote ]
| The OSOR provides a platform for the exchange of information, experiences and
| FLOSS-based code for the use in public administrations. Your are invited to
| participate in this exchange and make use of the OSOR services:
|
| * international news on Open Source topics;
| * a repository with code and documentation on software for public
| administrations;
| * a state-of-the art forge for working together.
|
| The value and usefulness of the platform will increase with the number of
| contributors and of contributions that are offered for sharing.
`----
http://www.osor.eu/
Using the European championship to spread malware
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is pushing their evil SilverLight platform very hard. They want to
| make sure that providers of cross-platform software for delivering rich
| applications via the web browser are thwarted. This is normal behavior for a
| monopolistic company and certainly for Microsoft. To accomplish this goal
| they are throwing around bucketloads of money and FUD to get content
| providers to use the Microsoft malware Silverlight exclusively.
`----
http://www.kdedevelopers.org/node/3509
European Commission publishes draft of interoperability framework
,----[ Quote ]
| The European Commission's Directorate-General for Informatics has published a
| proposal â PDF file â for a revised framework to promote interoperability in
| e-government services. In the revision of the European Interoperability
| Framework (EIF), Brussels calls for open standards to be used in public
| administration, arguing that open standards lower the bar for market entry,
| promote competition, increase quality, widen choice and lower prices. It goes
| on to point out that open standards also ensure access to information and
| services and argues that public administration benefits because public
| officials have to keep control of the standards and technical specifications
| used.
`----
http://www.heise-online.co.uk/news/European-Commission-publishes-draft-of-interoperability-framework--/111130
http://tinyurl.com/5d8ypm
53 answers to the revision of the European Interoperability Framework (EIF)
,----[ Quote ]
| The Commission has published on its website the list of stakeholders who
| contributed to the European Interoperability Framework (EIF) consultation.
| Even if the European Interoperability Framework is mostly directed to provide
| open standards to be used by governments when they communicate with citizens,
| it can be expected that some large industry players wants to put their
| patents and restrictions on how citizens can communicate with their
| governments.
`----
http://www.digitalmajority.org/forum/t-106014/53-answers-to-the-revision-of-the-european-interoperability-framework-eif
UK set to sidestep US patent affecting print management
,----[ Quote ]
| US print procurement company e-Lynxx has been awarded a patent covering
| competitive tendering of a specified item on an electronic platform, such as
| print management.
|
| The company plans to licence the business method to users.
|
| William Gindlesperger, patent inventor and chief executive of e-Lynxx,
| said: "Every organisation with an electronic procurement system... that
| follows the steps outlined in this new patent, will need a licence to use the
| patented methodology."
|
| However, the UK patent office said that merely transferring a process that
| already existed to an electronic platform was unlikely to result in an
| enforceable patent.
`----
http://www.printweek.com/news/862659/UK-set-sidestep-US-patent-affecting-print-management/
Chocolate coins for EPO cash cow
,----[ Quote ]
| Examiners of the European Patent Office have recently invaded one of the
| secret meetings of the Administrative Council with chocolate coins, pointing
| to the conflict of interests between the National Patent Offices (NPOs) and
| their appetite of "more patents, more money".
`----
http://stopsoftwarepatents.org/forum/t-105735/chocolate-coins-for-epo-corruption
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