Although not all of us are excempted, at least libraries, archives, research and scholarship to flourish without the current dark clouds of litigation. That is a small slap on this stupid law.
From the IA press release;
Thanks to the hard work of two great law school students of Peter Jaszi of American University, Jieun Kim and Doug Agopsowicz, the Internet Archive and other libraries may continue to preserve software and video game titles without fear of going to jail. This is a happy moment, but on the other hand this exception is so limited it leaves the overall draconian nature of the DMCA in effect. A total of more than $50,000 of pro-bono lawyer time has been spent to just affect this exemption and its continuation. We hope that Congress, and other governments, will pass more balanced copyright laws to allow at least libraries, archives, research and scholarship to flourish without the current dark clouds of litigation.
More formally, Internet Archive has successfully advocated for an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”). The DMCA prohibits circumvention of technological measures employed by or on behalf of copyright owners to protect their works (“access controls”). Specifically, 17 U.S.C. §1201(a)(1)(A) provides, in part, that “No person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title.” In order to ensure that the public will have continued ability to engage in noninfringing uses of copyrighted works, such as fair use, subparagraph (B) limits this prohibition. It provides that the prohibition against circumvention “shall not apply to persons who are users of a copyrighted work which is in a particular class of works, if such persons are, or are likely to be in the succeeding three-year period, adversely affected by virtue of such prohibition in their ability to make noninfringing uses of that particular class of works under this title” as determined in a rulemaking proceeding.
On November 27, 2006, the Librarian of Congress, on the recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, announced six classes of works which will not be subject to the prohibition against circumventing access controls (the DMCA) through October 27, 2009. One of these six classes includes:
“computer programs and video games distributed in formats that have become obsolete and that require the original media or hardware as a condition of access, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of preservation or archival reproduction of published digital works by a library or archive. A format shall be considered obsolete if the machine or system necessary to render perceptible a work stored in that format is no longer manufactured or is no longer reasonably available in the commercial marketplace.”
Links;
Internet Archive Announcement
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Internet Archive Secures Exemption To The DCMA
VOIP IP Telephony: Silver needle in the Skype
Skype analysis done by Blackhat Europe. Links and more info at VOIP IP Telephony
VOIP IP Telephony: Silver needle in the Skype
Vista in full view, Pro is out today
After many delays and as many tests, Vista comes out of hiding! Hiding in the middle of a football field.
Beginning Thursday, businesses that buy Windows licenses in bulk have first crack at the new operating system, called Vista. Consumers can get Vista on home PCs beginning Jan. 30.
The new Windows is the product of a cast of literally millions: more than 2 million consumers and businesses who tested it and offered their advice; tens of thousands of hardware and software partners who have helped mold the visually gripping operating system; and thousands of Microsoft employees who have sweated out the details.
But even with all the touted improvements, analysts expect Vista to only gradually emerge, especially in big organizations where upgrading can be a costly, complicated affair. Gartner Dataquest predicts that it will be 2010 before Vista outnumbers the previous operating system, Windows XP, on business computers.
Today's planned razzle-dazzle announcement in New York marks the availability of Vista, along with 2007 Microsoft Office system and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, for business customers. To underscore the event's magnitude, CEO Steve Ballmer will be master of ceremonies. May be some one will give him a comb as a present, this holidays, for what he is trying to do to Linux, self admitted rival in the market place.
Why can't we all get along? that is because Redmond is not LA and M$ wants all for itself I guess.
Links
News source
M$ guide to Vista
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
VOIP IP Telephony: Connect two FreePBX's together
Ravenii tlls how to connect two FreePBX's together
VOIP IP Telephony: Connect two FreePBX's together
Zune Ranks #2 but like 60 miles behind in a 100 mile race
After writing ti last article I did some more research. Yes Zune is ranked number two behind Apple's iPOD. The iPod remains No. 1 with 63 percent of unit sales and 72.5 percent of the dollar share. So what is the Zune share? it is nine percent of unit sales and 13 percent of the total dollar share during its first week on store shelves.
So it is like;
*************iPOD***********************************************Zune***********
for unit sales and
*******iPOD***********************************************Zune*****************
for Dollar value. The above graphs (if you are to call them graphs! are not accurate) shows them. I do not know what future holds, looks like apple is going full steam in this field and the question is will Zune hold the steam and do some catching up. Just because Apple had the in the market advantage, don't complain about it. Do the due diligences to bring a product to market. Me too some times works.
Anyway, I do not use MP3 players, because I stopped buying music long long time ago, in protest to RIAA. The only music I listen is on the radio when I am in the car. Those classic music I have at home do wonders, when I need them.
What I want to say is that If I wanted a MP3 player, I would get an iPOD, not a Zune. I have a Creative 1GB player just to record my meetings!
Good luck Zune.
Links;
SFGate article
Zune keeps on dropping in Munster report!
On Nov 16th Zune had the 7th spot on Amazon list of best selling MP3 players. But according to this PC Magazine article, It dropped to 13 on the list only five days after launch, on Nov. 20.
Do you believe in lucky numbers and Bad Omens?
"The buzz that Microsoft was able to generate for the Zune's launch clearly helped the player in its first week, but much of the publicity took the form of Zune/iPod comparisons," Munster wrote. He added that these comparisons show that Zune "failed to match up in the eyes of most reviewers" to the iPod, a fact that negatively affected sales of the device.
Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore wrote Monday that the iPod continues to be a strong seller going into the busy holiday shopping season, and the 30G-byte video iPods-- with which Zune competes-- "appear to be immune to the Zune." He said both the 30G-byte video iPods and the new 4G-byte iPods nanos currently are popular with consumers.
A note about Apple's performance from financial firm UBS IT hardware analyst Ben Reitzes also said that Zune does not appear to be any threat to iPod at this time.
You can read more at yahoo news article, listed below.
Links;
Microsoft's Zune Player Not Challenging iPod Sales
M$ creeps into MA Technology Advisory Group, one that is ANTI -ODF at that.
The Standards blog article made me sigh, After all the work went in to Massachusetts standardization in common document format, ODF, now the Governor elect has appointed an out of state, M$ Regional Director for Public Affairs, Brian Burke, to the technology Advisory group. What do you think he will advise on? Yes I am surprised but the author of the article, Andy Updegrove, has a better view of this whole affair. So instead of my rantings, I think you should read the article to get a better picture and who the other members are.
I will steal on line from him ;)
"Good fences not only make good neighbors, but good political sense as well. Deval Patrick should ask Burke to stay outside of one that should be built around ODF."
Also tied to this article is one from CIO Mag,
A Win for Microsoft in Massachusetts?
The battle to convert Massachusetts government to an open source format, and phase out MS Office, cost the state’s CIO his job and scared other government CIOs.
Links;
Standards Blog article, "MA Governor-Elect Names MS Anti-ODF Lobbyist to Technology Advisory Group"
CIO Mag Article.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
XandroOS 4.0 out Before Vista
XandrOS running MS Office APPlications.
Linux vendor Xandros Inc. today unveiled its latest Xandros Desktop Professional Version 4 of its enterprise Linux operating system, which debuts two days before Microsoft Corp. launches the enterprise version of Windows Vista.
Xandros Desktop Professional 4, which retails for $99.99 and is available in a boxed version or as a download, includes Bluetooth wireless support, desktop search, ISV support and advanced 3D desktop graphics effects. The new OS maintains what Xandros said is seamless compatibility with Windows, Linux and Unix networks, including Windows domain authentication -- plus support for logon scripts, group policy profiles and Microsoft Exchange.
Xandros CEO Andreas Typaldos said in a statement that Linux continues "to make inroads in the enterprise as Windows replacements," meaning companies must figure out how to manage disparate systems in mixed Windows and Linux networks. "Today, most companies utilize a silo-based approach by managing Windows and various Linux versions separately, each with their own administrators and tool sets."
Some features;
Create, open and edit MS Office files with Openoffice.org. Run important Windows applications including MS Office.
Xandros reinforces the already secure Linux platform with the Xandros Security Suite. The included firewall, anti-virus, file-system protector and Xandros Networks update alert ensures that your Xandros Desktop has the best and most current protection.
Authenticate to Windows PDC and Active Directory Domains. Connect to wired and wireless networks. Use PPTP VPN to connect remotely to the office. Broadband wireless connectivity with 3G, GSM and UMTS support.
So if you are worried about Vista's WGA, OGA, Vista EULA here is one way to have Happy Feet.
Links;
Geemodo: WGA, OGA, Vista EULA and Happy Feet
Source of the article
XandrOS Site
Monday, November 27, 2006
Microsoft Takes Advisory role, tries to teach Apple about Security
Ah Yes there is a tree in my eye, but let me takeout that dust spec out of your eyes before I attend to mine, because I know all about dust specs.
I got my Monday morning laugh after seeing the article, "Microsoft offers Apple security advice";
"As crazy as it sounds, a member of Microsoft's security team has blasted Apple for failing to coordinate its security efforts and to issue proper security advice."
Well the article is interesting as so far timeliness not the essence of M$. Also I don't think any out side security experts developed patches, security patches for Mac OS X. But I am certain that they did for Microsoft. So who is this Joker? According to his article, blog post, he has only been doing this years, I guess the guy need to add only few more years, from the state of Microsoft's timeliness and security patches.
Or may be he is just pushing Apple to do it, so that the methods of better security management could be emulated on windows platform!
Anyway, I guess his his next advise might be to Linus, explaining how to manage Linux security.
Hello Mr. Toulouse, go watch happy feet! You might learn something.
Links;
Security Focus "Microsoft Offers Apple Security advice"
A link to buggy buggy, sorry bloggy bloggy blog by Toulouse.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Oracle > Ms SQL, in flows by and independent study by one of Microsoft's best clients.
Today I was at computerworld site when I noticed the article, "Study: Oracle database software has more flaws than SQL Server" by Jaikumar Vijayan.
I went through the "STUDY" as I knew about the flaws in Oracle and the slow response by Oracle. I took it for granted that it is an independent study as I knew some of the issues with Oracle. As I earn some of my living with Oracle and MS Sql, I am interested in any Oracle or MS SQL problems or issues.
From the article;
"Between December 2000 and November 2006, external researchers discovered 233 vulnerabilities in Oracle's products compared to 59 in Microsoft's SQL Server technology, according to NGSS. The study looked at vulnerabilities that were reported and fixed in SQL Server 7, 2000 and 2005 and Oracle's database versions 8, 9, and 10g."
Looks like it is now a numbers game. 233 versus 59. Anyway I am yet to find the list so I do not know the details. So I wonder if those includes, on both sides, problems like SQL Slammer worm, which brought down Internet a while ago. I hope not.
Anyway just because of the interest in the article, I checked out who Next Generation Security Software (NGSS) is. Yes they turn out to be what they say they are, state–of–the–art security consultancy and a little bit more. Their one of the most prominent clients are Microsoft. That said, they do list Microsoft security issues on the site as well as other programs. Oh, I did read the study. Well the report seems to be in the right direction. How about graph of publicly known damages done due to those vulnerabilities? Guess who will come on the top!
Jaikumar, I would not rate this as a "STUDY" and certainly not a independent Study, when the report is written by a consultant to one of the parties in question. May be a report by Microsoft's security guardians, which they (NGSS) seem to be doing right.
Note; I am not a Microsoft Fan nor Oracle, they are applications I work with. But I prefer Oracle on Linux ;).
Update:
I really like what these guys do!
Argeniss
Links;
Jaikumar's article on Computer world
NGSS clients
WGA, OGA, Vista EULA and Happy Feet
Follow the Happy Feet, (Photo copy right of Happy Feet Movie)
M$ do something other than Balming FUD, they are coming.
With all the hoopla about WGA, that made a quite a stir, new stuff is on the way to stir up M$ scene. These includes OGA? (whats is this?) Vista EULA and WGA that is well hidden and protected should give much for Web loggers and tech writers to write about.
Sorry they already do. This morning I came across 3 such postings that made me think hard about an article that I am planing to write.
First, What is OGA? Office Genuine Advantage, just like WGA, office 2007 will carry the same disabling capabilities of Vista, rendering any documents created with office 2007. But M$ does not say that out right, just that it has that right to do so. Read about that right later.
ZDNets All about Microsoft states, "Buried in a Knowledge Base article that Microsoft published to the Web on November 14 are details of Microsoft’s plans to combat Office 2007 piracy via new Office Genuine Advantage lockdowns."
"But now Microsoft’s intentions are clear: Just as it is doing with Vista, Microsoft plans to incorporate what basically amounts to a “kill switch” into Office 2007. Office 2007 users who can’t or won’t pass activation muster within a set time period will be moved into “reduced-functionality mode,” according to Microsoft’s Knowledge Base article."
Read more at the link given below.
The other article I would like to bring to your attention is the one from Security Focus. I did not go there looking for vista, I was just checking security stuff when I noticed the article "Vista's EULA Product Activation Worries" by Mark Rasch. It was a really a good writing that I gulped all four pages in one go.The article is full of information and too long to summarize here. But I will add the last paragraph here;
"And what if Microsoft is wrong, and they disable your software erroneously? Well, you can keep buying and activating their software until you are successful. And that means more fees to Redmond. Or, following the movie “Happy Feet,” you can decide to find software with a little penguin on it."
Links;
ZDNets All about Microsoft article Yes, there is an Office 2007 'kill switch'
Security Focus Vista EULA
Why Ballmer's claim on Linux differs from SCO' claim
I am sure you may have gone through countless articles about M$ versus Linux, and M$ Novell deal, if you are interested in the subject. I have!. Google news has 2850 articles, if you search on "Novell Microsoft". And if you do a Google blog search on the same subject you get closer to 36000 results.
So how do you find the best articles, stay closer to the core. I visit Groklaw site daily to see the legal matters on it and the still continuing SCO saga. Then I browse sites like ZDNets Mary Jo's blog. What I learn today is that we cannot ask ballmer to lift up his holiday apron and show the code.The explanation come Mary Jo's post. Here is the most important part from one of her posts;
""Microsoft doesn't have to show infringing code. It has to demonstrate that some implementation "reads" on its patent. That implementation could be in grapefruit, tiddly-winks, or a final executable program.
"The 'show-me the code' thing worked with IBM SCO because SCO claims that IBM is infringing on its copyrights. "
So I think ballmer is on a well planned course on his game. Remember Lindows? I think they settled that case to keep copyright on a common word like "windows". May be ballmer and gates lived in huts without windows, prior to 1980's or 1990s, but many a people had windows, a long long long time ago.
That is why ballmer will not come forward with his patents, because some of them might get invalidated, or they are in violation some other patents. Or some patents might be containing such things as prior art. Prior art at Microsoft? Don't laugh, everything is original at M$.
There is another article that gives a yet another view on Eweek, "Is Microsoft Violating Some Patents Covering Open Source?"
Links;
Groklaw
Mary Jo's article (read her prior article on the same subject too)
Is Microsoft Violating Some Patents Covering Open Source?
PC games Versus Console games.
Although I have latest PC hardware, Dual Core CPU's, SLI Dual graphic cards, 4GB memory , Sata Hard drives, 22" wide LCD displays, I never play games on my PC. But I do have friends who spend countless hours on PC's playing Half life or counter strike.
When I want to play games, I reach for a console, PS2, Game cube, XBOX 360.(I don't have the latest consoles!, I am not the type who stand on th lines to get anything.) There is something different in playing games over the console and 42" latest Plasma TVs. I get immersed in the game, get tired and get back to work on my PC ;).
The only PC game I bought was the Microsoft Flight simulator, but I don't see my self playing it.
So when I saw the article by Playfuls, "Analysis: Did Consoles Kill the PC as a Gaming Platform?" my answer is yes! If all the people feel like I do, then it is certainly dead. But since it is not dead yet, I think there are more people still play games on PC's. But as these console wars, continue, more consoles in the market, I think there will be lesser and lesser PC games.
Go read the Playfuls article, it is a good analysis on the subject.
Links;
Analysis: Did Consoles Kill the PC as a Gaming Platform?
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Get your mobility and freedom back without wheels
Yes, it ’s a walking bike. It walks on four feet and seems to have a good balance. I am not sure if it can climb stairs! But on the road it is slower than a bicycle. But I guess you will have to spend a lot on shoes for this true Moped.
Link;
Four legged bicycle
Friday, November 24, 2006
XBOX 360 gets a rare birthday present
Playfuls news reports about XBOX 360's birthday. Yes M$ has lost millions on this game gear war, it is growing, the loses!, and these Brit gamers are helping a bit.
According to the article,
"a gang of die-hard fans (of Sony's most likely) from England, who hijacked a couple of transports estimated at £1,000,000 worth of Xbox 360 consoles. That's almost $2,000,000!"
Well at least M$ is winning in one direction, loses. And when these reach a certain number, say a few billions, M$ might drop and run.
Article ends with a note;
"The Staffordshire police made an appeal to the public, asking them to report if anyone offers them a shiny new console in suspicious circumstances, "such as in a pub, at a car boot sale or off the back of a lorry"."
Yeah, good luck
Links;
Playfuls Post
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Thanks Giving day!
I thank all of you on this thanks giving day!
Be good on black Friday! Get all the gizmo's, you want.
Kangaroos write laws, Dingos approve them making all Australians criminals.
Weseepeople, has an article about proposed Australian copyright laws that are rushed through the parliment.
One could get quite sick and angry about the consequences of these laws. I am.
Read more at following link;
weseepeople: Proposed Copyright laws turn all Australian to Criminals
Microsoft takes over Firefox.
While M$ and Novell agree to disagree, M$ has quietly acquired Firefox! From the MSfirefox site, the statement;
"Do more by doing less.
Open multiple copies of Microsoft websites in one window with tabbed browsing. See thumbnail images of all Microsoft sites in a single view. Organize multiple tabs of sites into a single tab group of everything Microsoft and save it as a favorite. Opening 30 of your favorite Microsoft sites has never been easier."
Is complimented by the press release;
" REDMOND, Wash. – October. 24, 2006 – Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT) today announced the completion of its acquisition of the Mozilla Firefox Web Browser. The transaction was finalized on Saturday, October 23, 2006. As a result of the acquisition, Microsoft share prices jumped 5.7%. Mozilla Corporation's share prices remained at zero.
So I will not say no more, please visit the MSFirefox site to find out more.
Links;
MSFirefox
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Novell and Microsoft agree to disagree?!
The recent agreement between software giants are bringing out disagreements. The webspace is awash with the information and I get my daily dose from Groklaw.net. Pamela at Groklaw has been an ardent supporter of the Open Source since SCO began it's fud (Fear Uncertinity and Doubt) and that long I have been a member of her Weblog, forum.
Through Groklaw, I landed on this news item, "Novell disputes claim by Microsoft on patents" on Seattlepi.
"
In a twist that underscored the unlikely nature of their alliance, Novell Chief Executive Ron Hovsepian publicly distanced his company Monday from Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer's statement last week that the open-source Linux operating system contains patented Microsoft technology.
"Importantly, our agreement with Microsoft is in no way an acknowledgment that Linux infringes upon any Microsoft intellectual property," Hovsepian wrote in a letter to the open-source community, posted on Novell's Web site. He added, "When we entered the patent-cooperation agreement with Microsoft, Novell did not agree or admit that Linux or any other Novell offering violates Microsoft patents.""
Links;
Friday, November 17, 2006
Is Fleck flaking? No Dashnote needs tweaking!
My previous post I wrote about Fleck;
Geemodo: Fleck is alive and you can leave flecks on any webpage
Which due to too many hits, began to run out of connections yesterday, I got such notices myself, thats is why I went to look at Dashnote.
But again I noticed a comment on Pete's blog by Ranjit telling us about Dashnote. I did go to the site and registered my self. It seems a decent enough product but my feeling is it needs improvement. Fleck furthers itself by providing slick interface compared to the Dashnote. Also Dashnote and Ranjit, You do need to make noise in cases like these! Now you are just another fleck. Just follow Microsoft, release what you got and fix whatever makes biggest noise.
I am in the process of (mainly procrastinating) cooking up some ideas in the same line and may be catch you guys later to embed dashnote into my idea, I don't have money to pay Fleck!
Here is the snippet by Ranjit on Pete's Article.
"As it happens, we’ve built something like this at DashNote. We’re a bit coy about making a lot of noise about this since rough edges remain (which will be cleared up in a few days), but it may be worth taking a look. Some key differentiators:
1. You can annotate specific content on the page (text, images, or image regions for things such as photo-tagging)
2. We preserve the notes and the original page (annotations and context)
3. Positional data is also maintained though there are some issues when comments are placed in IE and viewed in Firefox and vice-versa.
Example: http://dashnote.com/snapshot/Trpnlis1RBo"
Links;Dashnote
Fleck blog about running out of connections!
Fleck is alive and you can leave flecks on any webpage
Mashable' Pete has published about the much awaited information about the Amsterdam based Fleck.com. I also visited Fleck and it's blog. There seems to be some controversy about Pete's timing of the publishing the article. Here is a peevee about that, "And we urged them not to publish their articles before Techrunch posted their article. Apparently Pete couldn’t control himself any longer and I had a misunderstanding (see comments) and he published his post moments ago. This is unfortunate and I regret it happened.".
But I am happy that Pete did that because I am flecking away now. I will add this to one of my sites, once I get hang of it.
From Pete's mouth itself ;
"One of the advantages is that Fleck doesn’t necessarily require you to install a browser extension to start adding annotations to web pages - you can start adding notes by entering a URL on the site itself, or just drag and drop a bookmarklet into your browser. Once you start Flecking, you can add notes and bullet points to a page, save it to Fleck, blog it or share it via email. You don’t even need to create an account: Fleck seems to save these notes right in your browser. If you do create an account, however, you can log in on multiple computers. And if you don’t mind downloading another extension, there’s currently one available for Firefox users, with an IE extension in the works. This basic service is free, but they plan to charge $2.99/month for a Pro account. There’s no word yet on what that might include."
Links;
Pete's article
Fleck.com
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Chase and find your friends with Helio GPS Phone
Helio today unveiled a new phone it's first GPS phone,which allows users to track their location or locate their friends via a hand set produced by samsung and google maps.
The Drift as the phone is called is availabe from today from Helio and it's partners.
The Buddy Beacon service would allow a Helio subscriber to locate a friend who also subscribes to the service. Functionality like this is already available in South Korea, where Helio part owner SK Telecom operates.
"We're staying true to our mission of bringing advanced wireless technologies from Korea to the U.S. so Helio members can experience an entirely new wireless world," said Wonhee Sull, President & COO of Helio.
The "Drift" phone, which retails for $225 USD, will feature a 2.12-inch display, Bluetooth, 2.0-megapixel camera, and multimedia support. Additionally, the phone has 128MB of internal memory with the capability to expand through external MicroSD cards.
The Google Maps service would also include live traffic conditions and support for aerial imagery, much like the desktop version of the application.
links;
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Microsoft's best find of the year, Gmail is a Virus
As many have reported but I just finished reading a complete article on the ZDNET's Googling Google blog, Microsoft's virus scanning software Windows Live OneCare detects Gmail as a virus. None of the other virus scanning software does this and one left to wonder if Microsoft is trying to push it's own Live mail ahead of Gmail.
But when I reached the end of the Garett Roger's article, it seems M$ onecare made a tiny mistake;
"I would like to confirm that this was a false positive and let you know that we pushed a fixed signature to Windows Live OneCare users today.
We will investigate how this false positive happened and take steps to minimize the risks of additional incidents." — Ziv Mador, response coordinator in the Microsoft Antimalware team.
Links;
Googling Google
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Firefox 2.0 better at Phishing than IE7!
Washington post's Brian Krebs, I have referred to his articles here before, reports and writes about phishing (blocking) capabilities of two prominent browsers. From his article;
"The newly released Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Web browsers both include new technology to help flag and block phishing sites -- those authentic-looking Web sites set up by scammers to trick users into entering personal financial information.
So how do the browsers stack up against one another in a no-holds-barred, anti-phishing slug fest? One third-party test that pitted the browsers against two week's worth of phishing sites concluded that Firefox's phish net may have fewer holes than IE's."
Well I am not surprised and it is always pleasure to read Brian's articles. Head over there to get the scoop.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
DCMA at work again, this time with landmark
San Francisco-based Landmark Education, known for its Landmark Forum motivational workshops, is trying to suppress an investigative television news piece critical of its methods. Landmark contends that the documentary infringes its copyright in the Forum course, while citing to copyright registration of the Forum leader's manual. Using the alleged copyright violation as a pretext, Landmark subpoenaed three websites hosting the video -- the Internet Archive, Google Video, and YouTube -- seeking the identities of the anonymous uploaders. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) allows a content owner to issue a subpoena for the identity of an alleged infringer without first filing an actual lawsuit.
"This is a classic example of using a bogus copyright claim to squelch free speech," said EFF Staff Attorney Corynne McSherry. "To the extent that the documentary uses any Landmark material, that use is clearly non-infringing. Landmark is simply trying to use the streamlined DMCA subpoena process to obtain the identities of its critics."
Well DCMA is good for you and your fellow citizens, specially if they are big coporations. Read the rest of the article and motions at EFF, Deep Links site.
Links
Self help group bullies net critics
For EFF's objection to the Internet Archive subpoena: http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/landmark/eff_letter.pdfFor more on Landmark's subpoena campaign:
http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/landmark/
you also can contact;
Corynne McSherry
Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
corynne@eff.org
Kurt Opsahl
Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
kurt@eff.org
Google Docs & Spreadsheets gets 4/5 from PC MAG
Google Docs & Spreadsheets, which I use everyday now, got reviewed by Edward Mendelson
and it is worthwhile reading. It not just because I don't Like the bloated M$ apps, in any case it is Open Office for me for my day to day work on my desktop. The review on PC magazine gives you a picture of what you could do with Google Docs & Spreadsheets.
It describes very well some of the functions that I use very well;
"Though Google Docs doesn't try to match Microsoft Word's overpowering feature set, it does let you create fully formatted documents complete with pictures, tables, and hyperlinks. You can also upload documents as Word, RTF, HTML, OpenOffice, and plain text files and download documents in Word, RTF, HTML, OpenOffice, and PDF formats. The program has more power than you see on the menu. For example, if you upload a Word file with footnotes or endnotes, Writely displays the notes correctly, lets you edit their content, and exports them correctly—although you can't create new notes within Writely unless you make tricky manual edits to the underlying HTML.
You can invite other people to read or edit your document by entering their e-mail addresses on a form, and a toolbar notifies you if someone else is editing a document at the same time as you are. Revisions are synchronized every few seconds. If someone else deletes a sentence while you're adding words to it, a pop-up lets you preserve the words you were adding, but if you want to get back the sentence that your colleague deleted, you'll have to click on a Revisions tab and extract the sentence from the earlier versions that Writely stores automatically. A convenient button lets you compare two earlier versions, with the differences highlighted by color-coding. "
Links;
Official Google Docs & Spreadsheets Blog: A real treat
PCMAG article
PCMAG Google Docs & Spreadsheets slidshow
M$'s Allchin back tracks on Vista Virus Statement
"I meant Vista is the Virus" no I am just kidding. Anyway Allchin is no spin doctor, he cant spin his butt out of ****, if he had to.
But according to an article published on the official vista blog,
To counter the endless news stories, his official Vista blog carries a clarifying statement about what he actually said. To paraphrase, he explained that his son was able to use Vista without AV protection because it was locked down with parental controls, meaning no instant messaging, email or other common vectors of attack, and this coupled with Vista improved security model meant that it was possible to run without AV in this kind of heavily locked down situation.
What a load of bull Allchin, Put your sons computer on the net and see what happens. Anyway the final result is that Vista needs Virus protection and a firewall. Probably not M$ solution, they tend to hide what you don't know.
" In fact, later in the call, I explicitly made this point again, because I had realized I wasn’t as clear as I should have been."
It is alright Allchin, M$ never have been!
VOIP IP Telephony: Get your CIT310, a phone with Yahoo inside
Noticed this dual mode VOIP/POTS yahoo phone by Linksys.
VOIP IP Telephony: Get your CIT310, a phone with Yahoo inside
ZUNE is in the stores now, pre release! and install error
Someone already got hold of ZUNE here in bay area. FLX-Tech writer got himself a Zune and posted about it. From his article;
"By coincidence i got my hands early on an Microsoft Zune, bought as a regular customer at BestBuy in Union City Landing shopping centre.
They dont seem to care that the release day is next tuesday. They werent displayed in the store itself but i asked a salesmen if i could pre order a Zune. Then he told me they were already in and he could sell one to me. And so he did:"
He/She also has Photos to prove it and I stole the best Photo.
Links;
FLX-Tech article
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Open Source passes anti-trust test
Even Brown from Internetcases.com reports on the Judges opinion on Wallace v. IBM., No. 06-2454 case at The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit . Judge Easterbrook declares, "[t]he GPL and open-source have nothing to fear from the antitrust laws." The case is called Wallace v. IBM., No. 06-2454. [Download a copy of the opinion.]
"Although antitrust law serves the interests of consumers rather than producers, the Supreme Court has permitted producers to initiate predatory-pricing litigation," Judge Easterbrook wrote in the November 9 decision. "This does not assist Wallace, however, because his legal theory is faulty substantively."
Read more at Internetcases
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
All you want to know about any MAC, from 1983-2006
Mactracker provides detailed information on every Apple Macintosh computer ever made, including items such as processor speed, memory, optical drives, graphic cards, supported Mac OS versions, and expansion options. Also included is information on Apple mice, keyboards, displays, printers, scanners, digital cameras, iPod, AirPort Base Stations, Newton, and Mac OS versions.
Make a note of it...
Each of the info windows has a Notes tab that allows you to add your own comments as well as links to Internet addresses, files, and folders that relate to the selected model.
Smart Categories + Smarter Searching
Mactracker 4 gives you the ability create your own categories by selecting a specification item such as processor type, date introduced or your color label. In addition, a new search engine searches the entire database (including your comments) in one stroke and allows you to sort the results by model category, date, or specification in a Spotlight-inspired view.
Best of all you run it from your computer, be it a Mac with MACOSX, windows Machine, iPOD or Mac OS 8-9.22. Just download and run it.
I think it is a very well done project and if you are interested in MACs, a must have.
Links;
MacTracker
Microsoft pays millions (300-400) to Novell in their latest deal and Novell answers community questions.
I still cannot understand what drove Novell to sign pacts with M$. Not many understand it either as both sides are very close mouthed about the deal. This worries me if another FUD session like SCO in the making. M$ had a large hand in the SCO saga and I don't believe that M$ is kissing the hand of Linux.
Trust me I am a paying Linux customer of Novell, It was decided due to corporate policies while Suse was still owned by Suse. But the contracts got carried over. And we remained a loyal customer. I was also a Redhad customer too, Server and workstations. But I switched those to CentOS and I am very happy with the results.
Now I have to worry about Suse too. But before jumping or leaping I need to find out more about the nature of Novell/M$ pact. I am sure it will be dissected as soon as the people have enough information.
For now I visit Groklaw to keep updated. Also I have a few Mono projects under my belt and have to think about them too.
Today I found some answers on the Novell site on an article titled "Novell Answers Questions from the Community"
Here are the questions and Novells answers;
Q1. How is this agreement compatible with Novell's obligations under Section 7 of the GPL?
Our agreement with Microsoft is focused on our customers, and does not include a patent license or covenant not to sue from Microsoft to Novell (or, for that matter, from Novell to Microsoft). Novell's customers receive a covenant not to sue directly from Microsoft. We have not agreed with Microsoft to any condition that would contradict the conditions of the GPL and we are in full compliance.
Novell's end user customers receive a covenant not to sue directly from Microsoft for their use of Novell products and services, but these activities are outside the scope of the GPL.
Q2. Why did Novell make this deal with Microsoft? Was Microsoft threatening a lawsuit?
Novell started discussions with Microsoft in order to solve problems for our customers by improving Linux/Windows interoperability in areas like virtualization, heterogeneous server management, and office document compatibility. By securing a commitment from Microsoft to support the use of Linux and open source software, we have allayed any potential concerns for our customers and removed a barrier to enterprise-wide Linux adoption.
There was no threatened litigation.
Q3. Is this agreement an admission that Linux products from Novell infringe Microsoft patents?
No.
Patent concerns did not drive our entry into this agreement. Novell makes no admission that its Linux and open source offerings infringe on any other parties' patents. Our position has not changed as a result of this agreement.
Q4. With this agreement, will Novell include Microsoft patented code in its contributions to the open source community?
No. Novell will not change its development practices as a result of this agreement. It has always been our policy in all development, open source and proprietary, to stay away from code that infringes another's patents, and we will continue to develop software using these standard practices. If any of our code is found to infringe someone else's patents, we will try to find prior technology to invalidate the patents, rework the code to design around the infringement, or as a last resort remove the functionality.
Novell is committed to protecting, preserving and promoting freedom for free and open source software.
Q5. Novell's November 2 press release states that, "Novell will also make running royalty payments based on a percentage of its revenues from open source products." Are these payments for a patent license to Novell?
No. Novell has no license or covenant not to sue from Microsoft under this agreement. The payments are for Microsoft's covenant directly to Novell's customers. By the same token, Microsoft's customers receive the same covenant from Novell in return for payment from Microsoft to Novell.
Q6. Will Novell's involvement with the Open Invention Network (OIN) change due to this agreement with Microsoft?
No. The Open Invention Network is an independent organization formed to protect many commonly distributed open source and free software packages, including Linux, from legal attacks, no matter where an attack comes from. OIN provides coverage to the entire Linux industry by providing a form of retaliatory protection for Linux distributors and users that might be targeted in patent litigation.
Novell is a founding member of the OIN and remains strongly committed to its mission. We have contributed valuable resources to OIN and will continue to participate in OIN in the future. Novell remains firmly in support of the goal of creating an environment of open innovation in the Linux world, without worry about the threat of patent lawsuits.
The value of OIN's patents as a deterrent remains critical to the entire Linux industry, including Novell, and is not affected by our agreement with Microsoft.
Q7. What does your investment in Office Open XML mean to your commitment to the Open Document Format?
Open Document Format ("ODF") is the default file format of OpenOffice.org, and Novell is firmly committed to advancing ODF as a file format and a standard. We devote the bulk of our OpenOffice.org development efforts to ODF.
We also understand the need for Linux desktop systems to provide compatibility with Microsoft Office file formats. By supporting Office Open XML in OpenOffice.org, and by contributing to efforts to translate between ODF and Office Open XML, we will achieve better interoperability between Linux and Windows desktop systems. This will allow more businesses to choose Linux desktops freely.
Read Novell's statement on file formats for office applications.
Q8. What does this mean for Mono and its inclusion in non-SUSE distributions? Does Mono infringe Microsoft patents?
We maintain that Mono does not infringe any Microsoft patents. This agreement does not impact the rights and abilities of other distributions to bundle and ship Mono.
Novell is the leading contributor to Mono and we remain committed to the Mono project. Mono is a community project with many constituents and collaborators from companies, universities, governments and individuals.
The Mono project has a set of rules it uses to handle patents that might read on its implementation. The general policy is to work around, remove, or find prior technology on any patents that might read on any implementations in Mono. We continue to support this policy.
Links;Groklaw
Novell
Mono Project
Microsoft pays millions (300-400) to Novell in their latest deal and Novell answers community questions.
I still cannot understand what drove Novell to sign pacts with M$. Not many understand it either as both sides are very close mouthed about the deal. This worries me if another FUD session like SCO in the making. M$ had a large hand in the SCO saga and I don't believe that M$ is kissing the hand of Linux.
Trust me I am a paying Linux customer of Novell, It was decided due to corporate policies while Suse was still owned by Suse. But the contracts got carried over. And we remained a loyal customer. I was also a Redhad customer too, Server and workstations. But I switched those to CentOS and I am very happy with the results.
Now I have to worry about Suse too. But before jumping or leaping I need to find out more about the nature of Novell/M$ pact. I am sure it will be dissected as soon as the people have enough information.
For now I visit Groklaw to keep updated. Also I have a few Mono projects under my belt and have to think about them too.
Today I found some answers on the Novell site on an article titled "Novell Answers Questions from the Community"
Here are the questions and Novells answers;
Q1. How is this agreement compatible with Novell's obligations under Section 7 of the GPL?
Our agreement with Microsoft is focused on our customers, and does not include a patent license or covenant not to sue from Microsoft to Novell (or, for that matter, from Novell to Microsoft). Novell's customers receive a covenant not to sue directly from Microsoft. We have not agreed with Microsoft to any condition that would contradict the conditions of the GPL and we are in full compliance.
Novell's end user customers receive a covenant not to sue directly from Microsoft for their use of Novell products and services, but these activities are outside the scope of the GPL.
Q2. Why did Novell make this deal with Microsoft? Was Microsoft threatening a lawsuit?
Novell started discussions with Microsoft in order to solve problems for our customers by improving Linux/Windows interoperability in areas like virtualization, heterogeneous server management, and office document compatibility. By securing a commitment from Microsoft to support the use of Linux and open source software, we have allayed any potential concerns for our customers and removed a barrier to enterprise-wide Linux adoption.
There was no threatened litigation.
Q3. Is this agreement an admission that Linux products from Novell infringe Microsoft patents?
No.
Patent concerns did not drive our entry into this agreement. Novell makes no admission that its Linux and open source offerings infringe on any other parties' patents. Our position has not changed as a result of this agreement.
Q4. With this agreement, will Novell include Microsoft patented code in its contributions to the open source community?
No. Novell will not change its development practices as a result of this agreement. It has always been our policy in all development, open source and proprietary, to stay away from code that infringes another's patents, and we will continue to develop software using these standard practices. If any of our code is found to infringe someone else's patents, we will try to find prior technology to invalidate the patents, rework the code to design around the infringement, or as a last resort remove the functionality.
Novell is committed to protecting, preserving and promoting freedom for free and open source software.
Q5. Novell's November 2 press release states that, "Novell will also make running royalty payments based on a percentage of its revenues from open source products." Are these payments for a patent license to Novell?
No. Novell has no license or covenant not to sue from Microsoft under this agreement. The payments are for Microsoft's covenant directly to Novell's customers. By the same token, Microsoft's customers receive the same covenant from Novell in return for payment from Microsoft to Novell.
Q6. Will Novell's involvement with the Open Invention Network (OIN) change due to this agreement with Microsoft?
No. The Open Invention Network is an independent organization formed to protect many commonly distributed open source and free software packages, including Linux, from legal attacks, no matter where an attack comes from. OIN provides coverage to the entire Linux industry by providing a form of retaliatory protection for Linux distributors and users that might be targeted in patent litigation.
Novell is a founding member of the OIN and remains strongly committed to its mission. We have contributed valuable resources to OIN and will continue to participate in OIN in the future. Novell remains firmly in support of the goal of creating an environment of open innovation in the Linux world, without worry about the threat of patent lawsuits.
The value of OIN's patents as a deterrent remains critical to the entire Linux industry, including Novell, and is not affected by our agreement with Microsoft.
Q7. What does your investment in Office Open XML mean to your commitment to the Open Document Format?
Open Document Format ("ODF") is the default file format of OpenOffice.org, and Novell is firmly committed to advancing ODF as a file format and a standard. We devote the bulk of our OpenOffice.org development efforts to ODF.
We also understand the need for Linux desktop systems to provide compatibility with Microsoft Office file formats. By supporting Office Open XML in OpenOffice.org, and by contributing to efforts to translate between ODF and Office Open XML, we will achieve better interoperability between Linux and Windows desktop systems. This will allow more businesses to choose Linux desktops freely.
Read Novell's statement on file formats for office applications.
Q8. What does this mean for Mono and its inclusion in non-SUSE distributions? Does Mono infringe Microsoft patents?
We maintain that Mono does not infringe any Microsoft patents. This agreement does not impact the rights and abilities of other distributions to bundle and ship Mono.
Novell is the leading contributor to Mono and we remain committed to the Mono project. Mono is a community project with many constituents and collaborators from companies, universities, governments and individuals.
The Mono project has a set of rules it uses to handle patents that might read on its implementation. The general policy is to work around, remove, or find prior technology on any patents that might read on any implementations in Mono. We continue to support this policy.
Links;Groklaw
Novell
Mono Project
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Samsung SPH-P9000-MIT,It is a phone, it is a computer, it is a MP3 player
AP reports a new gadget by Samsung SPH-P9000-MIT. So what is this gadget do? Well it is a three-way gadget that's a phone, personal computer and music player tailored for an emerging wireless broadband technology, wimax. MIT in this cas stands for Mobile Intelligent Terminal
The Mobile Intelligent Terminal was unveiled at a Samsung-sponsored industry conference on Mobile WiMax, which is just coming into use and promises fast broadband connections over long distances.
The device weighs about a pound and contains a fold-out keyboard, 5-inch screen and 30 gigabyte hard drive. It runs the full version of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP operating system and also supports the CDMA mobile phone communications standard, which is used in South Korea and other countries including the United States.
The SPH-P9000 is not the smallest mobile device you will find, but it exchanges it’s portly exterier for some increased usability. The device folds out from it’s 143 x 92 x 29.7 mm dimension to have a full qwerty keyboard and viewable upright 5″ WVGA screen for some un-cramped typing and viewing of documents and movies on the Windows XP based OS.
The device has an MP3 player and 1.3 megapixel camera along with a 30 GB hard drive and altogether weighs 560 grams. The Samsung SPH-P9000 is expected to be launched in Korea by the end of the second quarter, 2007, Suwon.
The Suwon, South Korea-based company said it plans to launch the device in South Korea during the first half of 2007. Samsung didn't mention any plans for marketing the device in the U.S. and other markets. It also didn't provide a price.
WiMax has been strongly backed by Samsung, which is cooperating with U.S. companies Intel Corp., Sprint Nextel Corp. and Motorola Inc. to commercialize it in the United States. South Korea is the first country to commercialize WiMax, which promises fast wireless broadband connections and mobile roaming. Limited trials of Mobile WiMax are under way in South Korea, with plans to cover the capital, Seoul, by early next year. Sprint Nextel has said it aims to launch WiMax networks in some U.S. markets by late 2007, working with Samsung, Motorola and Intel.
Banking on Samsung's confidence on WiMax technology that it will soon become a global standard, a top executive said Tuesday, "We have established a standard in (South) Korea, but it won't take long to spread throughout the world," Lee Ki-tae, president of Samsung's telecommunication network business, told reporters.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Just the right note pad for that lab project.
If you ever used (Who has not?) note pads, the good old paper version, I am sure you had legal pad in your hand and wished if you had a graph pad instead. On the other hand you may have had a graph paper in your and and drew lines on it to make it look like a legal pad.
Doane Paper has just what you need. He has combined legal pad with graph paper. And I think it is a cool idea. These are the things that patenting worth it's purpose. Duane has a patent pending on it and is good old innovation, idea, result and a patent business. I do not approve patents in software and ideas. But this I would have patented my self, if I came with the idea.
On the single sheet of his paper representing the site, you can download a sample of the paper in PDF or Jpeg (next article is about jpeg patent!) format, or you can order a three pack of the pads.
Well done Doane
Links;
Doane Paper
Thursday, November 02, 2006
SUN shines on Qnext Desktop Messaging
News Release;
Qnext Corp. announced today that its groundbreaking peer-to-peer communications suite will be featured prominently on java.com as a showcase for Java™ innovation. This exposure will include a main feature banner on the java.com homepage and an additional listing in the "What's Cool" section. Each month, java.com reaches over seven million unique visitors who can browse the latest games, tools and applications that utilize Java technology.
Qnext is a category-breaking application that uses a single Java-based client to securely deliver P2P services such as Universal Instant Messaging (Qnext, MSN, AIM, Yahoo, ICQ), Video Conferencing, Voice over IP, File Transfer, File Sharing, Group Text Chat, Online Games, Photo Sharing and Remote PC Access.
"Since our launch at the JavaOne 2004 show in June, Qnext has established a rapidly growing network of early adopters in over 50 countries stretching around the world," said Oren Asher, Chairman & CEO of Qnext Corp. "Millions of visitors to java.com will now see Qnext prominently displayed and be able to learn why the media has been describing Qnext as the most powerful IM client on the market".
To correspond with the java.com showcase, Qnext will be releasing a special skin with the Java Powered™ logo for Qnext that incorporates the look and feel of the Java Powered brand. Banner advertisements for java.com will also be running on the Qnext home page and within the Qnext client.
"Java Powered products like Qnext demonstrate the innovation coming from the Java development community," said Cathy Guthrie, Director of Java Initiatives, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Java technology powers all of the core functionality of Qnext including the ability to run on multiple platforms and devices. All services deployed in Qnext are Java plug-in's which allows Qnext to easily deploy new services that offer tremendous value for the consumer and business users. Qnext is currently available for the Windows & Linux operating systems and is a Java Desktop System Ready application.
Qnext is completely free for all users and can be downloaded by visitingwww.qnext.com.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
With a two weeks (about) old trademark, utube sues youtube!
According to Sara Goo, Washington Post, Universal Tube & Rollform Equipment Corp., of Perrysburg, Ohio, sued YouTube Inc. Earlier this week, claiming that millions of people confused its Web site, utube.com, for the online video site where people watch entertaining home-made videos.
YouTube, which stands to be $1.65 billion richer after Google Inc. completes its purchase, because the trademark was only registered on October 18th. I am not a lawyer so I do not know the legal implications, but it is obvious that court will see this trademark info. It is up to the judge to decide I guess.
Sara has mentioned that she has emailed Youtube for a response and she might post it if she gets a reply.
Trademark info was provided by comment by Jake.
Links
Sara Goo
Youtube
utube (Huh no link, go find your self)
utube trademark registry if link does not work, search for trade mark ID 77023852.
MPAA sucks wrong pole again
Techdirt reports about another mishap by ever popular MPAA. This time they seem to have sued a guy for MPAA did not have copyright.
Excerpt from techdirt;
Shawn Hogan has received plenty of attention in the last year for his decision to fight the MPAA over the lawsuit they filed against him, claiming he had shared the movie Meet the Fockers via a file sharing program. The problem? Hogan didn't actually share the movie, has never downloaded it, and actually owns the DVD of the movie in question. The MPAA made it clear that if he just paid them $2,500, they would forget the whole thing -- which certainly has the feel of extortion. So, Hogan decided to fight the case in court to prove they were wrong, and said he wouldn't let them back out and run like they've done in other cases. All this, despite the fact that it would probably cost him over $100,000 in legal fees. Hogan decided it was worth it on principle. However, in preparing for the case, it looks like Hogan and his lawyer discovered that the studio might not actually have the rights to the movie.
Links;
Techdirt article
Go Digg it
