-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
Open Source 101: Paying for Free Software
,----[ Quote ]
| Though most Linux binaries are indeed free,
| there are a few out there that do come at a
| cost. Like, for instance, Red Hat Enterprise
| Linux. But, if I wanted to, I am more than
| able to go out and download the source RPMs
| and compile the code myself to make a full-
| blown instance of RHEL.
|
| Even though I have the skill set to do this,
| the question then becomes, why would I? My
| time is worth way more then the fee Red Hat
| charges for putting this all together, so
| even if it hits my wallet right up front,
| it's well worth it in the long run.
|
| This is the core advantage of open source
| software for most users like me: it's not
| that we can get the source code ourselves,
| but rather that other people with more time
| on their hands (and ideally a paycheck to do
| it) can take the code and make it into a
| form we can use.
`----
http://www.itworld.com/open-source/97740/open-source-101-paying-free-software
Thinking about open source: There are three types of software
,----[ Quote ]
| Let me break down software into three
| categories:
|
| 1. Open source software, where every
| single byte of the programming source
| code is covered by some license
| sanctioned by the Open Source Initiative
| (OSI).
| 2. Proprietary software, where none of
| the code making up the whole is covered
| by an OSI-sanctioned license or is
| otherwise made available for free reuse
| and distribution.
| 3. Hybrid software, where some of the
| code is covered by an open source licence
| and some of it is not.
|
| Whoa!, you might say, it is ethically and
| ideologically wrong to do anything but #1!
|
| Whoa!, you might say, capitalists abhor
| âfreeâ when it comes to anything they are
| trying to sell, so #2 wins!
|
| Whoa!, you might say, youâre allowed to mix
| open source and non-open source code to
| create software, as in #3?
`----
http://www.sutor.com/c/2010/02/three-types-of-software/
Open Source vs. the White Supremacists
,----[ Quote ]
| The open source connection is indirect, but
| essential---Facebook is built on open source
| technologies, and the Internet itself is one
| of the biggest open source success stories
| of all: open software, and open standards
| and protocols.
|
| [...]
|
| Once again I give my heartfelt thanks to all
| the great Linux and FOSS people who made all
| this possible. It's making a big difference
| to my little community.
`----
http://blog.linuxtoday.com/blog/2010/02/open-source-in.html
Recent:
When using open source makes you an enemy of the state
,----[ Quote ]
| The US copyright lobby has long argued
| against open source software - now
| Indonesia's in the firing line for
| encouraging the idea in government
| departments
|
| It's only Tuesday and already it's been an
| interesting week for the world of digital
| rights. Not only did the British government
| changed the wording around its
| controversial 'three strikes' proposals,
| but the secretive anti-counterfeiting
| treaty, Acta, was back in the headlines.
| Meanwhile, a US judge is still deliberating
| over the Google book settlement.
|
| As if all that wasn't enough, here's
| another brick to add to the teetering tower
| of news, courtesy of Andres Guadamuz, a
| lecturer in law at the University of
| Edinburgh.
|
| Guadamuz has done some digging and
| discovered that an influential lobby group
| is asking the US government to basically
| consider open source as the equivalent of
| piracy - or even worse.
|
| What?
|
| It turns out that the International
| Intellectual Property Alliance, an umbrella
| group for organisations including the MPAA
| and RIAA, has requested with the US Trade
| Representative to consider countries like
| Indonesia, Brazil and India for its
| "Special 301 watchlist" because they use
| open source software.
`----
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/feb/23/opensource-intellectual-property
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.9 (GNU/Linux)
iEYEARECAAYFAkuGta0ACgkQU4xAY3RXLo4NggCggvOUw637043MNPYz903VyEz3
KaUAnjEOclI4GWJzue7Jx3VpLIY/BtiY
=j22c
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
|
|
