Lawyer: Microsoft patent claims won't affect UK
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft's claims that open-source software infringes its patents do not
| apply in the UK, according to a top lawyer.
`----
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39289297,00.htm?r=2
It turns out the the legal summit mentioned before is just one among two...
Legal summits to tackle Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| "Many of today's legal conferences unnecessarily scare or confuse open source
| users, developers and vendors," said Jim Zemlin, executive director of The
| Linux Foundation, in a statement.
`----
http://www.builderau.com.au/news/soa/Legal-summits-to-tackle-Linux/0,339028227,339282015,00.htm
Microsoft confuses with FUD in its pamphlets in Europe and apparently it has
impact (but it's a case of illegal tactics)...
UK public sector views open source as too risky
,----[ Quote ]
| "The UK government spends 12.4bn pounds a year on IT. The answer to whether
| open source can reduce that is clearly, yes," said Mark Taylor, president of
| the Open Source Consortium and CEO of Sirius.
`----
http://www.cbronline.com//article_news.asp?guid=DCD89290-68D2-4869-9B73-C734B45F9B6F
But the UK just shots itself in the foot (never mind MSBBC-type sellouts).
Open source apathy damages UK prospects
,----[ Quote ]
| The UK's position as the open source laggard of Europe is preventing the
| growth of UK software industry and skills, according Alfresco, an open source
| enterprise content management company.
`----
http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=2E0D402A-DE18-4C9F-868E-194BF15F8A58
More about this from Matt Aslett, who has just gotten a better job!
Risk and opportunity: open source in the UK
,----[ Quote ]
| The debate indicated that risk aversion is preventing the UK public sector
| from exploiting the benefits of open source, but that UK’s position as the
| open source laggard of Europe is preventing the growth of UK software
| industry and skills.
`----
http://www.businessreviewonline.com/os/archives/2007/09/risk_and_opport.html
Related:
The trainwreck-waiting-to-happen that is UK government IT spending
,----[ Quote ]
| Think about that. Think about what this means: eight vendors have a
| tremendous amount of leverage over the taxpayers of the United Kingdom.
|
| [...]
|
| The UK, in other words, is a captive of its IT vendors. That is shockingly
| wrong.
`----
http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9777862-16.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=TheOpenRoad
BBC Corrupted
,----[ Quote ]
| Today the BBC made it official -- they have been corrupted by Microsoft. With
| today's launch of the iPlayer, the BBC Trust has failed in its most basic of
| duties and handed over to Microsoft sole control of the on-line distribution
| of BBC programming. From today, you will need to own a Microsoft operating
| system to view BBC programming on the web. This is akin to saying you must
| own a Sony TV set to watch BBC TV. And you must accept the Digital
| Restrictions Management (DRM) that the iPlayer imposes. You simply cannot be
| allowed to be in control of your computer according to the BBC.
`----
http://defectivebydesign.org/blog/BBCcorrupted
The [UK] politics of open source
,----[ Quote ]
| There's been a suggestion of a shift towards open source in the
| houses of government in the UK recently, with the Conservative
| Party promising to promote open source if elected and the incumbent
| Labour Party releasing the code behind its new carbon footprint
| calculator under the General Public License.
`----
http://www.businessreviewonline.com/os/archives/2007/07/the_politics_of.html
Lessig: Required Reading: the next 10 years
,----[ Quote ]
| Yet governments continue to push ahead with this idiot idea -- both Britain
| and Japan for example are considering extending existing terms. Why?
|
| The answer is a kind of corruption of the political process. Or better,
| a "corruption" of the political process. I don't mean corruption in the
| simple sense of bribery. I mean "corruption" in the sense that the
| system is so queered by the influence of money that it can't even get
| an issue as simple and clear as term extension right.
`----
http://www.lessig.org/blog/archives/003800.shtml#003800
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