Essay critiques the ideas of Clay Shirky and others advocating higher ed disruption | Inside Higher Ed
An interesting exchange.
2012-12-09
2012-12-07
2012-11-28
2012-11-14
EU Court refuses FFII amicus curiae brief on ACTA | ACTA
EU Court refuses FFII amicus curiae brief on ACTA | ACTA
I continue to be mystified by the insistence of courts and legislative bodies, as for international treaties, to hide what they do from the public or otherwise exclude the people affected directly from the processes. But of course I'm not really mystified, just appalled.
I continue to be mystified by the insistence of courts and legislative bodies, as for international treaties, to hide what they do from the public or otherwise exclude the people affected directly from the processes. But of course I'm not really mystified, just appalled.
2012-11-13
Colloque STandeX « Département d'histoire des sciences de la vie et de la santé
Colloque STandeX « Département d'histoire des sciences de la vie et de la santé
From the announcement:
From the announcement:
Standardisation is omnipresent in communication, production, negotiation,
and trade between partners. The means and processes of standardisation
have been explored in industrial production and the manufacturing of large
quantities, in the development of state health administrations and drug
regulations, and in changes in therapeutic and bedside practices.
This workshop will be centred on an exchange between historians, economists,
political scientists and sociologists. The goal is to strengthen historical
observations and examinations of standards by confronting diverging
interpretations of standards, standardization and parallel entities, such
as routines, norms and codes. We herein bring together studies that link
the concept of standardization to a larger history of health and medicine,
studies those that take a theoretically inspired approach of the
relationship of standardization in economy and science, as well as
contributions that look to apply, criticize or explore these concepts with
regard to pharmaceuticals and history of drugs.
Please find the StandEX programme for download on our website:
There are no participation fees, but registration is strongly recommended.
For more
details and registration please contact nils.kessel@unistra.fr or
We are grateful for funding and support from
ESF Research Networking Programme Standard drugs, drug standards (DRUGS)
2012-11-09
Facebook warehousing 180 PETABYTES of data a year • The Register
Facebook warehousing 180 PETABYTES of data a year • The Register
I have to say that I'm increasingly impressed by the sheer quantity of open source code Facebook issues each cycle. The more interesting problematic, from my perspective (as a professional in this space): the communities developing the code, working on it, productizing it--doing all the things that open source communities do--seem far less visible than one would expect. That's odd, given the essential nature of Facebook... or is it?
I have to say that I'm increasingly impressed by the sheer quantity of open source code Facebook issues each cycle. The more interesting problematic, from my perspective (as a professional in this space): the communities developing the code, working on it, productizing it--doing all the things that open source communities do--seem far less visible than one would expect. That's odd, given the essential nature of Facebook... or is it?
2012-11-07
OpenOffice.org - CNET Download.com
OpenOffice.org - CNET Download.com
Well, it ought really to be just Apache OpenOffice.... but the fun thing about this review of nearly a month ago, upon the release of 3.4.1 (more recent work to be had), is the one word summary: "Spectacular."
Okay, I can live with that. But more to the point, I live with and use OpenOffice daily for, well, everything related to document production and distribution. My needs are not particularly pedestrian, either, as I look to see how the suite of tools can be configured and adapted using templates.....
Well, it ought really to be just Apache OpenOffice.... but the fun thing about this review of nearly a month ago, upon the release of 3.4.1 (more recent work to be had), is the one word summary: "Spectacular."
Okay, I can live with that. But more to the point, I live with and use OpenOffice daily for, well, everything related to document production and distribution. My needs are not particularly pedestrian, either, as I look to see how the suite of tools can be configured and adapted using templates.....
2012-11-04
UNITY: Game Development Tool
UNITY: Game Development Tool
I was doing the usual and came across this tool and also http://www.molequedeideias.net/ and http://www.moleque.com.br/jogos/CROWD/.
From Brazil, very interesting, especially the tool for developing games, Unity. As perhaps readers know, I find the game logistics of community compelling, for several reasons. One is that I deplore the renunciation that accompanies so much of community engagement--that we must renounce pleasures of consumption to be better and more responsible producers. And I further deplore the notion that community work is somehow hostile to market activity. Or that it is, by dint of being community, insulated from the world at large and opposed to supracommunal endeavours. Gaming logistics--not "gamification" but an understanding, rather of the reward logic implicit in multiplayer games--recognizes these pleasures and scope of online (and even offline) community identity. And this tool, Unity, seems quite interesting, in this regard.
I was doing the usual and came across this tool and also http://www.molequedeideias.net/ and http://www.moleque.com.br/jogos/CROWD/.
From Brazil, very interesting, especially the tool for developing games, Unity. As perhaps readers know, I find the game logistics of community compelling, for several reasons. One is that I deplore the renunciation that accompanies so much of community engagement--that we must renounce pleasures of consumption to be better and more responsible producers. And I further deplore the notion that community work is somehow hostile to market activity. Or that it is, by dint of being community, insulated from the world at large and opposed to supracommunal endeavours. Gaming logistics--not "gamification" but an understanding, rather of the reward logic implicit in multiplayer games--recognizes these pleasures and scope of online (and even offline) community identity. And this tool, Unity, seems quite interesting, in this regard.
2012-11-02
Getting it Right: Gov.uk | TechPresident
Getting it Right: Gov.uk | TechPresident
Dave Eaves's short article points to what works well --- provided that the government site actually wants to work well, and on behalf of its users (citizens, residents, any inquirer). There are some clear user experience elements to consider, and there are also the backend components: those which anticipate that any service oriented architecture (SOA) like this will very likely grow and evolve in accord to what its users need and want. But again, it depends on whether the government in question takes seriously its role as a government for questions and also answers.
Dave Eaves's short article points to what works well --- provided that the government site actually wants to work well, and on behalf of its users (citizens, residents, any inquirer). There are some clear user experience elements to consider, and there are also the backend components: those which anticipate that any service oriented architecture (SOA) like this will very likely grow and evolve in accord to what its users need and want. But again, it depends on whether the government in question takes seriously its role as a government for questions and also answers.
Abacus adds up to number joy in Japan | Alex Bellos | Science | guardian.co.uk
Abacus adds up to number joy in Japan | Alex Bellos | Science | guardian.co.uk
My interest here is in the model: community enabled, promoted by a logic/logistics of gaming, where there are rewards, teams, cheers, and the prevailing sense of fun and games, even as something (or somethings) probably useful and practical are taught. Isn't that the point of games, at least those we play as a child? (You know, you learn teamwork, gamesmanship, and how to push or pull yourself. And perhaps what it means to consider that somethings are games and some things are not.)
My interest here is in the model: community enabled, promoted by a logic/logistics of gaming, where there are rewards, teams, cheers, and the prevailing sense of fun and games, even as something (or somethings) probably useful and practical are taught. Isn't that the point of games, at least those we play as a child? (You know, you learn teamwork, gamesmanship, and how to push or pull yourself. And perhaps what it means to consider that somethings are games and some things are not.)
2012-11-01
Read: Cabinet Office UK on Open Standards
It's a position to be praised but also to make us wonder: What's so difficult about moving toward open standards? To accountable government? To establishing a level market place, unchasmed, unrifted by monopoly or cronyism? And I suppose I answered my own question.
2012-10-26
Apache OpenOffice
Apache OpenOffice
That is the link to the AOO homepage, and it's nice, clean and efficient. I rather like it. It also departs from the prior OpenOffice homepage--and the differences are worth going over.
The old page, at http://www.openoffice.org/, ultimately had shifted to focus more on the user, less on the developer. The new AOO page actually resembles the initial pages of OpenOffice, and not coincidentally. OpenOffice was squeezed into CollabNet's original template for collaborative projects, and that template was designed, at least in part, by the same people who ended up designing Apache's. (CollabNet was co-founded by Brian Behlendorf, who was instrumental in founding the Apache project. I joined CollabNet in 2000, to work on OOo, among other projects.)
Despite my likes or dislikes--they're pretty irrelevant, I hope--I'm also interested in promoting (and that means, "creating," too) the associated ecosystem. I'm frankly indifferent if that ecosystem works with other ODF implementations, or no ODF implementation but tools that nevertheless support OpenOffice technology. Elemental to that promotion is ensuring that users of all abilities, experiences, languages, expectations are able to negotiate the site, get what they want, and also--important!--contribute as they can and as they may.
But does that page we have now provide for that set of desires?
That is the link to the AOO homepage, and it's nice, clean and efficient. I rather like it. It also departs from the prior OpenOffice homepage--and the differences are worth going over.
The old page, at http://www.openoffice.org/, ultimately had shifted to focus more on the user, less on the developer. The new AOO page actually resembles the initial pages of OpenOffice, and not coincidentally. OpenOffice was squeezed into CollabNet's original template for collaborative projects, and that template was designed, at least in part, by the same people who ended up designing Apache's. (CollabNet was co-founded by Brian Behlendorf, who was instrumental in founding the Apache project. I joined CollabNet in 2000, to work on OOo, among other projects.)
Despite my likes or dislikes--they're pretty irrelevant, I hope--I'm also interested in promoting (and that means, "creating," too) the associated ecosystem. I'm frankly indifferent if that ecosystem works with other ODF implementations, or no ODF implementation but tools that nevertheless support OpenOffice technology. Elemental to that promotion is ensuring that users of all abilities, experiences, languages, expectations are able to negotiate the site, get what they want, and also--important!--contribute as they can and as they may.
But does that page we have now provide for that set of desires?
2012-10-24
El software libre ahorró a Brasil 225 millones de dólares en el 2010
El software libre ahorró a Brasil 225 millones de dólares en el 2010
Personally, I think that the number cited is incorrect. A lot more was not only saved but implicitly invested. Free software is not, in my estimation, about saving money; it's not cheap software or "free" software, as in licensed no-fee software that's given away as a kind of loss-leader.
Rather, free and open source software (Foss) is a strategic investment that is aimed at not only providing the applications people want so as to continue with their habits but also to provide them with the tools that allow them to go beyond those habits and create something new--and valuable. That is, locally, regionally valuable, not just sentimentally or affectionately valuable but something of value that can be exchanged in the recognized market for money. You know, commodities, things.
I mean to say: it's not about cheap alternatives. It's not about altruism. It's about creating new markets where new things are bought and sold; and it's about emerging economies gaining a foothold on grounds other than natural resources or indentured servitude (extracted materials, cheap labour). Foss is crucial because it enables regions to optimize local education and other intellectual resources in making valuable commodities.
Personally, I think that the number cited is incorrect. A lot more was not only saved but implicitly invested. Free software is not, in my estimation, about saving money; it's not cheap software or "free" software, as in licensed no-fee software that's given away as a kind of loss-leader.
Rather, free and open source software (Foss) is a strategic investment that is aimed at not only providing the applications people want so as to continue with their habits but also to provide them with the tools that allow them to go beyond those habits and create something new--and valuable. That is, locally, regionally valuable, not just sentimentally or affectionately valuable but something of value that can be exchanged in the recognized market for money. You know, commodities, things.
I mean to say: it's not about cheap alternatives. It's not about altruism. It's about creating new markets where new things are bought and sold; and it's about emerging economies gaining a foothold on grounds other than natural resources or indentured servitude (extracted materials, cheap labour). Foss is crucial because it enables regions to optimize local education and other intellectual resources in making valuable commodities.
2012-10-23
US data centers get bigger, but there are fewer of them – survey • The Register
US data centers get bigger, but there are fewer of them – survey • The Register
The IDC report that El Reg uses for this is very much worth looking at. Essentially, starts by numerating the obvious--the cloud's increasing dominance--but does so by nuancing the crucial point often elided: that this move away from corporate centralized intranets is a move to 3rd-party service providers. That migration is immensely important, for a couple of reasons. One is that it implicitly promotes the development of specific technologies able to manage a renaissance of data. Another is that it puts into play a logic of standards and even code openness. And it implicitly lays the groundwork for the creation of a professional class able to work in this burgeoning field.
The IDC report that El Reg uses for this is very much worth looking at. Essentially, starts by numerating the obvious--the cloud's increasing dominance--but does so by nuancing the crucial point often elided: that this move away from corporate centralized intranets is a move to 3rd-party service providers. That migration is immensely important, for a couple of reasons. One is that it implicitly promotes the development of specific technologies able to manage a renaissance of data. Another is that it puts into play a logic of standards and even code openness. And it implicitly lays the groundwork for the creation of a professional class able to work in this burgeoning field.
2012-10-18
ApacheCon NA 2013 | Welcome
ApacheCon NA 2013 | Welcome
And ApacheCon EU has not even taken place yet! But it's not too early to consider the North American version. Apache Software Foundation is an institution that has steadfastly nurtured and promoted open source projects benefiting all who use just about anything to do with computing. That means that each Apache Conference offers the rare opportunity to meet and even discuss software and community with the contributors making up Apache.
And ApacheCon EU has not even taken place yet! But it's not too early to consider the North American version. Apache Software Foundation is an institution that has steadfastly nurtured and promoted open source projects benefiting all who use just about anything to do with computing. That means that each Apache Conference offers the rare opportunity to meet and even discuss software and community with the contributors making up Apache.
2012-09-12
Michael Geist - Has Canada Effectively Shifted from Fair Dealing to Fair Use?
Michael Geist - Has Canada Effectively Shifted from Fair Dealing to Fair Use?
Probably already posted on this but it is important. There is also an analysis of the ruling, today: http://www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/events/sep-12-fair-dealing
Geist's analysis holds open the idea that Canada is moving from the more limited fair dealing to the more expansive fair use, which is in use in the US. Because fair use does not rely on what is effectively a list of exceptions to copyright but allows for unimagined possibilities, it seems friendlier to innovation, or the use of existing copyrighted sections in ways novel (and previously unimagined and unspecified). As Geist and others point out, fair use is not free for all, however. But read the analysis and the other references.
Probably already posted on this but it is important. There is also an analysis of the ruling, today: http://www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/events/sep-12-fair-dealing
Geist's analysis holds open the idea that Canada is moving from the more limited fair dealing to the more expansive fair use, which is in use in the US. Because fair use does not rely on what is effectively a list of exceptions to copyright but allows for unimagined possibilities, it seems friendlier to innovation, or the use of existing copyrighted sections in ways novel (and previously unimagined and unspecified). As Geist and others point out, fair use is not free for all, however. But read the analysis and the other references.
2012-09-11
2012-06-11
What are OpenOffice backers doing for cloud/mobile era? | ZDNet
What are OpenOffice backers doing for cloud/mobile era? | ZDNet
Sigh: conclusions reached without much research, it seems. There are actually several efforts underway to deploy OpenOffice (or any full ODF editor) as a cloud-based service, accessible via desktop or cloud. One in particular, demonstrated at the Brussels ODF Plugfest, uses HTML5, but others are looking to native iOS apps. The point is that the public sector and many, many consumers want this. (Can anyone say, "Kickstarter"?)
Sigh: conclusions reached without much research, it seems. There are actually several efforts underway to deploy OpenOffice (or any full ODF editor) as a cloud-based service, accessible via desktop or cloud. One in particular, demonstrated at the Brussels ODF Plugfest, uses HTML5, but others are looking to native iOS apps. The point is that the public sector and many, many consumers want this. (Can anyone say, "Kickstarter"?)
2012-05-25
Free Software Licensing in India Is Easier Now
Analysis of the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2012 — Centre for Internet and Society
This is not an insignificant milestone.
This is not an insignificant milestone.
2012-05-22
No, Google's Chrome isn't the world's leading browser - yet: see our map | Technology | guardian.co.uk
No, Google's Chrome isn't the world's leading browser - yet: see our map | Technology | guardian.co.uk
worth considering: Chrome works quite well with Google Docs, which optionally saves to "OpenOffice" format, aka a version of ODF. It's also easy to write extensions for Chrome. Apache OpenOffice? the lesson is that newer users and markets do *not* axiomatically opt for IE/Win. It's an open market.
worth considering: Chrome works quite well with Google Docs, which optionally saves to "OpenOffice" format, aka a version of ODF. It's also easy to write extensions for Chrome. Apache OpenOffice? the lesson is that newer users and markets do *not* axiomatically opt for IE/Win. It's an open market.
2012-05-21
Flame retardants: The role of Big Tobacco - chicagotribune.com
Flame retardants: The role of Big Tobacco - chicagotribune.com
A superb article. I'm working now on an essay examining consumer trust of household commodities supposedly safe *because* they can be bought at a regular market and opposing it to instances where the commodity or thing in question has *not* undergone that sort of vetting (real or imagined). My guess is that most people are really not cynical (enough) and assume that their government is committed to making their lives safer. I'd further guess that in those instances, contexts, situations, where one must trust the evidence given by peers, there will be interesting behaviour effects.
This issue of trust in the presumed goodness of government authority (however that is read, but "state authority" is probably more accurate), has analogues in those services that bear some similarity to government works, in that they exist pretty much as if they always had existed, the way that roads, traffic lights, and so on exist for so many who are not intimately involved in government doings. The trust may not be by any means misplaced. But as there is very little in the political world, which is to say, the world, that is not actually disinterested, questioning the accuracy of one's trust simply seems a good practice.
A superb article. I'm working now on an essay examining consumer trust of household commodities supposedly safe *because* they can be bought at a regular market and opposing it to instances where the commodity or thing in question has *not* undergone that sort of vetting (real or imagined). My guess is that most people are really not cynical (enough) and assume that their government is committed to making their lives safer. I'd further guess that in those instances, contexts, situations, where one must trust the evidence given by peers, there will be interesting behaviour effects.
This issue of trust in the presumed goodness of government authority (however that is read, but "state authority" is probably more accurate), has analogues in those services that bear some similarity to government works, in that they exist pretty much as if they always had existed, the way that roads, traffic lights, and so on exist for so many who are not intimately involved in government doings. The trust may not be by any means misplaced. But as there is very little in the political world, which is to say, the world, that is not actually disinterested, questioning the accuracy of one's trust simply seems a good practice.
2012-05-18
IBM contributes Symphony to Apache OpenOffice - The H Open Source: News and Features
IBM contributes Symphony to Apache OpenOffice - The H Open Source: News and Features
I was first shown the work that IBM could do with OOo back in 2004 or so, at the Almaden Center near San Jose, CA. It was impressive. But so was the center! But about the divergence: I, along with so many others in the Apache OO podling are delighted that this narrative has come to a happy conclusion that is also, and far more interestingly, a very strong beginning. As I wrote on the list, Thanks. More words would only dilute the sentiment and diminish the actuality of what is being done now by a rapidly growing and active global community.
(Once again, I feel well, invigorated by the enthusiasm of new members and old hands--those I've known for more than a decade. it's terrific. And it makes me want to learn, again, so much more, and so many more languages and of the people speaking them.)
I was first shown the work that IBM could do with OOo back in 2004 or so, at the Almaden Center near San Jose, CA. It was impressive. But so was the center! But about the divergence: I, along with so many others in the Apache OO podling are delighted that this narrative has come to a happy conclusion that is also, and far more interestingly, a very strong beginning. As I wrote on the list, Thanks. More words would only dilute the sentiment and diminish the actuality of what is being done now by a rapidly growing and active global community.
(Once again, I feel well, invigorated by the enthusiasm of new members and old hands--those I've known for more than a decade. it's terrific. And it makes me want to learn, again, so much more, and so many more languages and of the people speaking them.)
Apache OpenOffice - Windows Users Dominate Downloads - InternetNews.
Apache OpenOffice - Windows Users Dominate Downloads - InternetNews.
Kerner is seemingly outraged (or its milder form) that the vast majority of AOO downloads are Windows. He ought not to be. During the heyday of OOo (say, 2010), more than 95 percent of downloads from the website were Windows users. It makes sense, as most computers bought in stores do not come packed with OOo. (Most is not all, of course.) That said, there are Linux downloads, and I'd expect these to increase, as more public sector departments heave that sigh of relief that OOo is back, its better, and they can get it now, in Linux, Windows, Mac OS X and other forms. We broke 1M the first week or so, and I will go out on a very stout limb and predict that we'll be seeing even more spectacular numbers. (Especially if Facebook decides to promote us, as a free software option.... after all, it would surely help their business model in getting into enterprises and schools in a way that goes beyond the banal and dull plopping of ads in otherwise publicly personal spaces.)
Kerner is seemingly outraged (or its milder form) that the vast majority of AOO downloads are Windows. He ought not to be. During the heyday of OOo (say, 2010), more than 95 percent of downloads from the website were Windows users. It makes sense, as most computers bought in stores do not come packed with OOo. (Most is not all, of course.) That said, there are Linux downloads, and I'd expect these to increase, as more public sector departments heave that sigh of relief that OOo is back, its better, and they can get it now, in Linux, Windows, Mac OS X and other forms. We broke 1M the first week or so, and I will go out on a very stout limb and predict that we'll be seeing even more spectacular numbers. (Especially if Facebook decides to promote us, as a free software option.... after all, it would surely help their business model in getting into enterprises and schools in a way that goes beyond the banal and dull plopping of ads in otherwise publicly personal spaces.)
2012-05-17
Apache OpenOffice™ 3.4 Blows Past 1M Downloads
Apache OpenOffice™ 3.4 Blows Past 1M Downloads
Okay, I'm impressed. Clearly, there is a hunger for OpenOffice, and that is not too surprising, given just how many millions had downloaded pre-Apache OpenOffice. Apache OpenOffice is, in many ways, improved.
But now we have to re-establish the ecosystems* that had begun to form. I'd be interested to start by leaning the scope and location of OpenOffice (old) and Apache OpenOffice (new) use. We can start with the old account: Major OpenOffice.org Deployments - Apache OpenOffice.org Wiki .
* Ecosystem here means not just those companies selling support and services related to OO but also a lot of other business that derives in whole or in part from the use and production of the application and its extensions. Consider: Nearly every public sector adopter of OpenOffice is legally required to buy support and offer training; they also often want services (migration, ad hoc work) and certification. And as OO is available in many immensely popular languages, the possibilities of making money in this ecosystem is not insignificant.
Okay, I'm impressed. Clearly, there is a hunger for OpenOffice, and that is not too surprising, given just how many millions had downloaded pre-Apache OpenOffice. Apache OpenOffice is, in many ways, improved.
But now we have to re-establish the ecosystems* that had begun to form. I'd be interested to start by leaning the scope and location of OpenOffice (old) and Apache OpenOffice (new) use. We can start with the old account: Major OpenOffice.org Deployments - Apache OpenOffice.org Wiki .
* Ecosystem here means not just those companies selling support and services related to OO but also a lot of other business that derives in whole or in part from the use and production of the application and its extensions. Consider: Nearly every public sector adopter of OpenOffice is legally required to buy support and offer training; they also often want services (migration, ad hoc work) and certification. And as OO is available in many immensely popular languages, the possibilities of making money in this ecosystem is not insignificant.
2012-05-12
AOO 3.4.0 Release Notes
AOO 3.4.0 Release Notes
These notes are really well done. I think a good release note ought to describe not only what is new and how it affects what is old, but also give a sense of the narrative underlying the changes made, including, when feasible, identifying the actors who did the work. (Usually, that is done by citing the relevant issue.) With the release of AOO 3.4, thoughts slide to future milestone releases....
These notes are really well done. I think a good release note ought to describe not only what is new and how it affects what is old, but also give a sense of the narrative underlying the changes made, including, when feasible, identifying the actors who did the work. (Usually, that is done by citing the relevant issue.) With the release of AOO 3.4, thoughts slide to future milestone releases....
2012-05-11
South Korea Still Paying The Price For Embracing Internet Explorer A Decade Ago | Techdirt
South Korea Still Paying The Price For Embracing Internet Explorer A Decade Ago | Techdirt
Moody's article is excellent. It accurately describes the terrible situation South Korea finds itself in: Locked in to an antiquated technology and unable to take advantage of modern software. This is the fate that choosing proprietary standards leads to: costly, very costly, isolation.
Moody's article is excellent. It accurately describes the terrible situation South Korea finds itself in: Locked in to an antiquated technology and unable to take advantage of modern software. This is the fate that choosing proprietary standards leads to: costly, very costly, isolation.
2012-05-08
Apache OpenOffice Downloads
Apache OpenOffice Downloads
Try it. I've been using early versions for some time now and have yet to experience a crash--more than I can say about many other applications. But to me, the most important part is it's use of ODF 1.2 and what that means for interoperability among so-called office applications--and then some.
Here the issue. What makes a document? The physical form? The logical frame? Sheer convention? So, too, the "office" document. A generation has come to expect of a suite those things that are found in the prevailing application. But that assemblage is, however useful, nevertheless rather arbitrary. It was also spawned by the desires of white-collar workers in large corporations, not by the needs and desires of those outside of the corporate walls. Times have changed. Today, and even more so, tomorrow, virtually all people will have access to some form of a computer, and they will be wanting to create, edit, distribute their works. The number of those coming to this 21st century table is not small, it's in the billions.
The ODF can accommodate them, as can open source implementations of the format. I'd imagine that people will be using tablets and other thin devices to access Web services (aka "the cloud"), so it's probable that the implementation we will see on these devices may differ from what we see on the desktop. But the implementations will still offer all users the productivity tools they need and want for their creations, be they text or graphic or musical or voice or some wonderful combination.
Finally: Open source is a community effort. It works best when the community of users substantially overlaps the community making it. In its best form, open source products defy the static and disposable quality of the shrinkwrapped commodity. Open source products are dynamic, they are not limited to a specific slice of time and place, and the old commodity is. The future of an open source product is endless, that of the closed commodity landfill or its electronic equivalent.
Try it. I've been using early versions for some time now and have yet to experience a crash--more than I can say about many other applications. But to me, the most important part is it's use of ODF 1.2 and what that means for interoperability among so-called office applications--and then some.
Here the issue. What makes a document? The physical form? The logical frame? Sheer convention? So, too, the "office" document. A generation has come to expect of a suite those things that are found in the prevailing application. But that assemblage is, however useful, nevertheless rather arbitrary. It was also spawned by the desires of white-collar workers in large corporations, not by the needs and desires of those outside of the corporate walls. Times have changed. Today, and even more so, tomorrow, virtually all people will have access to some form of a computer, and they will be wanting to create, edit, distribute their works. The number of those coming to this 21st century table is not small, it's in the billions.
The ODF can accommodate them, as can open source implementations of the format. I'd imagine that people will be using tablets and other thin devices to access Web services (aka "the cloud"), so it's probable that the implementation we will see on these devices may differ from what we see on the desktop. But the implementations will still offer all users the productivity tools they need and want for their creations, be they text or graphic or musical or voice or some wonderful combination.
Finally: Open source is a community effort. It works best when the community of users substantially overlaps the community making it. In its best form, open source products defy the static and disposable quality of the shrinkwrapped commodity. Open source products are dynamic, they are not limited to a specific slice of time and place, and the old commodity is. The future of an open source product is endless, that of the closed commodity landfill or its electronic equivalent.
2012-03-22
Microsoft and Skype set to allow backdoor eavesdropping | memeburn
Microsoft and Skype set to allow backdoor eavesdropping | memeburn
The issue of privacy is really one of understanding domains and limits of personal power. "Power" is the term, as it is that which identifies and then defends against intrusions.
The issue of privacy is really one of understanding domains and limits of personal power. "Power" is the term, as it is that which identifies and then defends against intrusions.
2012-01-18
Stop American Censorship — a campaign from Fight for the Future
Stop American Censorship — a campaign from Fight for the Future
Today, 18 January 2012, we are seeking to stop SOPA and PIPA now. These two bills, the first a US House, the second a US Senate, purport to stop piracy but they are such poorly drafted bills that they actually lay the groundwork for a regime of censorship that would, as virtually every major Internet organization has recognized, destroy the freedoms that have made the Internet and Web a vehicle for economic and cultural growth.
I have proposed to the Apache OpenOffice podling, where I intermittently contribute, to support the protest.
And I blacked out my other blog, www.luispo.com, in support.
I support the protest.
And for the remainder of the day, I ask you, too, to support the protest, if not by blacking out your site or your posts, then by looking at the bills and reading over the discussions. And then by doing what is really very effective: if you are a US citizen, contact your representative and express yourself. This is an election year; your voice counts.
And if you are not a US citizen, keep this in mind: The US is hardly exceptional and the laws that are in circulation and not yet enacted, also work to diminish freedom and weaken community and return us to a regime that didn't work and cannot work this century--but which can still make the oligarchs even richer, and at your expense.
Today, 18 January 2012, we are seeking to stop SOPA and PIPA now. These two bills, the first a US House, the second a US Senate, purport to stop piracy but they are such poorly drafted bills that they actually lay the groundwork for a regime of censorship that would, as virtually every major Internet organization has recognized, destroy the freedoms that have made the Internet and Web a vehicle for economic and cultural growth.
I have proposed to the Apache OpenOffice podling, where I intermittently contribute, to support the protest.
And I blacked out my other blog, www.luispo.com, in support.
I support the protest.
And for the remainder of the day, I ask you, too, to support the protest, if not by blacking out your site or your posts, then by looking at the bills and reading over the discussions. And then by doing what is really very effective: if you are a US citizen, contact your representative and express yourself. This is an election year; your voice counts.
And if you are not a US citizen, keep this in mind: The US is hardly exceptional and the laws that are in circulation and not yet enacted, also work to diminish freedom and weaken community and return us to a regime that didn't work and cannot work this century--but which can still make the oligarchs even richer, and at your expense.
Le logiciel libre propose un potentiel d'économie incroyable | Francis A-Trudel | Économie
Le logiciel libre propose un potentiel d'économie incroyable | Francis A-Trudel | Économie
See, this is not only interesting but important. And here's a message to Ben: Let's collaborate. Change can start now. It's not a political or cultural thing, it's a simple case of legacy and momentum. There are alternatives now and choices, and we are on the brink of transmigrating to the Cloud for informatics. So now is the perfect time to choose to make data open, source open, and to decide that in the interests of all, it's best to use open standards. The alternative, a life licensed into boxed paralysis, cannot work for all, and not even all the time, for some.
2012-01-13
'German cities following Munich's open source example' | Joinup
'German cities following Munich's open source example' | Joinup
Suppose that several key cities in Germany, such as Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn, Frankfurt--others, too--join Munich in moving, at least in part, their government offices to open source and open standards. What effect would that have on the Foss and open-standards ecosystems? For starters, once every time a major group migrates, it makes it easier for others. Not only does one--ideally--learn about what to do and not do, but also each migration spawns an ecosystem composed of small(ish) companies whose business is helping and supporting the migration. And this further aids the growth of the community, which increasingly includes contributors very interested in sustaining their business, solving client needs, and in making their own work easier by working with--collaborating--others to resolve bugs, add enhancements, and so on.
This is how a market is made, modulo 21st century technologies. It's not too different from any other time. A new technology or commodity or other product finds demand, and the suppliers rejoice, as do all the business people in the middle and periphery. Jobs are created, wealth, too, and it's overall a generally good thing, provided that the community (or in the plural) so established is able to sustain itself and is not simply a useful but temporary outgrowth of a larger business, one very much susceptible to the vagaries of the market.
For instance, here in Ontario, it seems that the largest industrial/manufacturing ecosystem depended--or depends--upon the US automotive industry. Sure, Canadians also drive these vehicles. But, as with so many other things Canadian, it really comes down to what the US buys. So, when the Lesser Depression began in 2008, and continued--continues--and the US automotive companies, once so mighty, once even defining the nature of the American economy, once they were shaken to the point of collapse, Ontario's manufacturing economy was bushwhacked. Poor planning had not provided for a real alternative, meaning that jobs lost to cars gone were jobs gone, at least until the car companies revived enough to resume their ways across the border. The point: The ecosystem up here was big and strong but depended upon the market strength of companies far removed from it and its concerns. The community so formed up here was intensely vulnerable. The solution is to establish a base that removes that vulnerability. But most cities around the world do not have the luxury of doing that. Yet some manage. Berkeley, where I pretty much lived half my life, was ridiculed by its neighbours--San Francisco, for instance, but also the much smaller and somewhat odd Emeryville--for not just ignoring the dot.com businesses of the 90s but for actually disdaining them, and favouring, instead, more or less failed efforts at re-establishing a manufacturing base by developing--way ahead of its time--electrical vehicles, for instance, as well as other things that were meant to provided *lasting* and less vulnerable jobs. The idea was not some Marxist fantasy. It was rooted in the clear perception that the dotcom boom was a bust waiting to happen and that a better future lay in making real things that real people would want because they really solved real problems. Cue to the present: Modern Web technology does not depend upon the mystery of the connection between the eyeball and the wallet. It uses Web and other Internet technology to connect, the represent and to build, and is not an end in and of itself. It's not about eyeballs--though my fellow community managers don't always seem to get this--it's about making things that last, using tools, such as the lowly mobile phone, that are now actually ubiquitous.
2012-01-08
City, Red Hat tout Raleigh as open-source leader - Technology - NewsObserver.com
City, Red Hat tout Raleigh as open-source leader - Technology - NewsObserver.com
Raleigh is by no means an insignificant city. So there are at least a couple of things of interest here, not least being the turn to, or at least the decline of a turn away from, open source. The other is that it's Red Hat that's moving this, it seems, and not any of the other big players in Raleigh and the associated Triangle. (The Triangle is one of the key intellectual and business centres of the US, and in some ways rivals Silicon Valley, but not quite: not enough ferment of new companies.)
I look forward to see how this plays out. For instance, will there be a public sector big-scale deployment of Foss? Or is this to be a deferred action, aka lip service.
Raleigh is by no means an insignificant city. So there are at least a couple of things of interest here, not least being the turn to, or at least the decline of a turn away from, open source. The other is that it's Red Hat that's moving this, it seems, and not any of the other big players in Raleigh and the associated Triangle. (The Triangle is one of the key intellectual and business centres of the US, and in some ways rivals Silicon Valley, but not quite: not enough ferment of new companies.)
I look forward to see how this plays out. For instance, will there be a public sector big-scale deployment of Foss? Or is this to be a deferred action, aka lip service.
2012-01-04
App Shopper: CloudOn (Productivity)
App Shopper: CloudOn (Productivity)
Interesting--but when I tried to download it (it's free), the message, "not available for..." this or that country came up. Perhaps that's a sign of how popular it is? For my guess is that there are many who want what I want: an app for the iPad (or equiv Android) device allowing me to create and edit (or even just edit) ODF and (yes) OOXML files.
I will actually try to contact the makers of CloudOn, to see if they are interested in working on something related for ODF. Again, I'm sure there is a market there. It is one both for enterprises and similar environments, such as public sector offices and education institutions, and those who simply want to have a tablet and not a full computer and see the tablet as something more than a purely consumer object. Yes, they can use Apple's productivity apps--they are quite good, in fact, and operate nicely with Apple's own Cloud offerings. But that Procrustean hobble cuts out a huge market.
Interesting--but when I tried to download it (it's free), the message, "not available for..." this or that country came up. Perhaps that's a sign of how popular it is? For my guess is that there are many who want what I want: an app for the iPad (or equiv Android) device allowing me to create and edit (or even just edit) ODF and (yes) OOXML files.
I will actually try to contact the makers of CloudOn, to see if they are interested in working on something related for ODF. Again, I'm sure there is a market there. It is one both for enterprises and similar environments, such as public sector offices and education institutions, and those who simply want to have a tablet and not a full computer and see the tablet as something more than a purely consumer object. Yes, they can use Apple's productivity apps--they are quite good, in fact, and operate nicely with Apple's own Cloud offerings. But that Procrustean hobble cuts out a huge market.
Mozilla Public License, version 2.0
Mozilla Public License, version 2.0
So, as Luis Villa announced on a list, Mozilla Public License v. 2.0 has just been published. It's actually an interesting evolution. (Indeed, the overall evolution of open licenses bears scrutiny, as they--the licenses--are being taken as seriously as any other legal instrument.)
As Luis explains in his brief message,
So, as Luis Villa announced on a list, Mozilla Public License v. 2.0 has just been published. It's actually an interesting evolution. (Indeed, the overall evolution of open licenses bears scrutiny, as they--the licenses--are being taken as seriously as any other legal instrument.)
As Luis explains in his brief message,
What's New
The result of a two year revision process that included feedback and suggestions from the Mozilla community, users of the MPL (both community and corporate), and the broader open source legal community, MPL 2.0 contains several important changes from MPL 1.1. In particular, MPL 2.0:
is simpler and shorter, using the past 10 years of in-practice application of the license to help better understand what is and isn't necessary in an open source license.
is modernized for recent changes in copyright law, and incorporates feedback from lawyers outside the United States on issues of applicability in non-US jurisdictions.
provides patent protections for contributors more in line with those of other open source licenses, and allows an entire community of contributors to protect any contributor if they are sued.
provides compatibility with the Apache and GPL licenses, making code reuse and redistribution easier.
2012-01-03
Apache OpenOffice (Incubating)
Apache OpenOffice (Incubating)
I suspect that finding the newly christened and newly energised project and application formerly known as "OpenOffice.org" is less than super easy for some. So, the link is there... Right now, I'm using the latest build for Mac OS X of Apache OpenOffice (thanks to Raphael Bircher!), and not only is it stable but fast. I've also added the usual extensions, etc.
And I can further view my ODF files on my iOS devices. (Android-oids can also do this, with different apps.) Increasingly, office apps will read ODF, at least ODT; some are more complete than others. Symphony's ODF reader is the lastest on the scene, and very useful. I do wish I could edit--at least minimally--the ODF files, without converting them or having to use an online Web service. But I'd guess that won't come into play until yet more enterprises demand it by their acts alone, such as giving out iPads to employees.
I suspect that finding the newly christened and newly energised project and application formerly known as "OpenOffice.org" is less than super easy for some. So, the link is there... Right now, I'm using the latest build for Mac OS X of Apache OpenOffice (thanks to Raphael Bircher!), and not only is it stable but fast. I've also added the usual extensions, etc.
And I can further view my ODF files on my iOS devices. (Android-oids can also do this, with different apps.) Increasingly, office apps will read ODF, at least ODT; some are more complete than others. Symphony's ODF reader is the lastest on the scene, and very useful. I do wish I could edit--at least minimally--the ODF files, without converting them or having to use an online Web service. But I'd guess that won't come into play until yet more enterprises demand it by their acts alone, such as giving out iPads to employees.
2012-01-02
H.P.’s TouchPad, Some Say, Was Built on Flawed Software - NYTimes.com
H.P.’s TouchPad, Some Say, Was Built on Flawed Software - NYTimes.com
This is a fascinating article, in particular:
The narrative I read is that a community failed to coalesce around the project and it did so because a) the code was inapt--proprietary, and architected with a proprietary developer group in mind; and b) there was no forethought and no figure or apparatus to bring in developers.
Apple's iOS is famously closed but the charisma of Jobs transcended that huge fence because it promised an exciting market--the point not being (or not being only) money but the excitement of others using as well as devising competing products. That's a compelling, intoxicating complex and its produced wonderful things. (We see a more diluted form of this in Android, simply because Android utterly lacks a charismatic lead who mysteriously figures the market and all its promises.)
So, what can be done to fix this problem with WebOS? Probably, the answer lies in the description of the problem. And the same could be said for RIM's new OS. To form a successful community of app developers there has to be the exciting flux that what one does will be appreciated not only by the consumer (sigh....) but by one's peers--who, if they like the idea, will probably try to one-up it: which is to say, take it seriously, even if they think they can do what you did better.
Put another way, it's not about consumers only. It's really about engaging an open community. The former leads to what we've seen and will continue to see (just wait for MSFT/Nokia?): irrelevance. The latter to ... interesting life and huge markets.
This is a fascinating article, in particular:
Mr. Mercer gained fame at Apple as a software designer for the first iPod, and Palm recruited him in 2007 to help create the Pre. After some internal debate, the company chose to have WebOS rely on WebKit, an open-source software engine used by browsers to display Web pages. Mr. Mercer said that this was a mistake because it prevented applications from running fast enough to be on par with the iPhone. But a former member of the WebOS app development team said the core issue with WebOS was actually Palm’s inability to turn it into a platform that could capture the enthusiasm and loyalty of outside programmers. There were neither the right leaders nor the right engineers to do the job, said this person, who declined to be named because he still had some ties to H.P.
From concept to creation, WebOS was developed in about nine months, this person said, and the company took some shortcuts. With a project like this, programmers typically start by creating the equivalent of building blocks that can be reused and combined to create different applications. But with WebOS, Palm employees initially constructed each app from scratch. Later, they made such blocks, but they were overhauled once by Palm and then again by H.P., forcing programmers to relearn how to build WebOS apps.
Another issue was recruiting. In 2009, it was hard to find programmers who had a keen understanding of WebKit, Mr. Mercer said, and Apple and Google had already snatched up most of the top talent.
The narrative I read is that a community failed to coalesce around the project and it did so because a) the code was inapt--proprietary, and architected with a proprietary developer group in mind; and b) there was no forethought and no figure or apparatus to bring in developers.
Apple's iOS is famously closed but the charisma of Jobs transcended that huge fence because it promised an exciting market--the point not being (or not being only) money but the excitement of others using as well as devising competing products. That's a compelling, intoxicating complex and its produced wonderful things. (We see a more diluted form of this in Android, simply because Android utterly lacks a charismatic lead who mysteriously figures the market and all its promises.)
So, what can be done to fix this problem with WebOS? Probably, the answer lies in the description of the problem. And the same could be said for RIM's new OS. To form a successful community of app developers there has to be the exciting flux that what one does will be appreciated not only by the consumer (sigh....) but by one's peers--who, if they like the idea, will probably try to one-up it: which is to say, take it seriously, even if they think they can do what you did better.
Put another way, it's not about consumers only. It's really about engaging an open community. The former leads to what we've seen and will continue to see (just wait for MSFT/Nokia?): irrelevance. The latter to ... interesting life and huge markets.
2012-01-01
BBC News - Man sued for keeping company Twitter followers
BBC News - Man sued for keeping company Twitter followers
The article cited above is about Noah Kravitz, who gained his far more than 15 mins of fame earlier this fall when his previous employer sued him for "taking" Twitter followers with him upon his departure from the company.
It's a tricky issue, and one that has particularly concerned me. My own claim to fame derives, in no small part, I am sure, from my role with OpenOffice.org. I've tried, always, to distinguish what I do strictly on behalf of OOo, on behalf of OOo's corporate sponsors and my (former) employers, and on behalf of my own interests.
It gets complicated fast, as my own personal interests overlap those of the others'. For instance, I'm interested in open source, open standards, social media, and the theory and practice of developing community. What's more, I've been interested in these issues since at least my first year in college, when I joined the UC Berkeley Student Cooperative Association (USCA) and by the next year was the youngest elected Workshift Manager (think: community manager but having to coordinate all jobs all the time) and then the youngest member to the university-wide USCA board of directors. (I also held several other positions.) How communities work, whether they be cooperatives or collaboratives or some other form of commons-based peer production networks and how to keep them together, so that things that need to get done actually are done, and that everyone more or less agrees with doing those things--all this has long coloured my working life. It also, in a perverse way, shaped my dissertation: I wrote on the romance of the vagabond (tramp) in the US at the turn of the 19th/20th century. The vagabond, or tramp, as the romantics like Twain and others called him, was a community disruptor. Of course, his disruptions enabled and indeed strengthened the affected community, for he figured a threat that unified those making up the community. It's an old story.
Open source relates in abstract ways: it works (as advertised, say) because of the community, which adds a kind of value that intramural employees can sometimes exceed but which is essentially unlimited in its boundaries, unlike corporate walls. But that's the nature of community and its difference from corporations; and it also points to the great difficulty of commodifying the productive community. One can easily put a price on a corporation. Corporate boundaries exist, in part, just for that reason. A peer network, on the other hand, cannot be priced--and indeed, perhaps the historical record of the transition from commons to property can provide a useful analogy--I'm thinking of the British enclosure movement, which more or less is coeval with the rise of the modern liberal (and propertied) state. But that shift was literally violent, and there seems to be (so far?) little violence associated with free software and any migration it might undergo to privatization. In part, that's no doubt because free- and open-source software *starts* from a position of property. It's not a denial of property nor of any of its rights. Rather, it's an extension of it, but instead of limiting access, open source enables it; by the same token, it limits how one can privatize it, and some licenses are more hostile to privatization than others.
As individuals, when we join a community, we thus have to be clear as to what will happen to the intellectual property we contribute: who owns it and for how long? That is, will rights revert to me? And what can I claim about my contribution? But these questions pertain more to copyright assignment. Some community projects require contributors, for one reason or another, to assign the copyright of their contribution to the project. Usually, "the project" means the governing and organizing foundation that will then disinterestedly manage all contributions. (Ideally, the foundation is not beholden to a primary corporation/contributor/sponsor. If it were, there would likely be a failure--or at least questioning--of trust.) We then join productive communities and participate as essentially rational beings (in the classical economic sense), able not only to understand the (immediate and longterm) value of our contribution but able also to act rationally on that basis. Of course, that, like most other planks making up the classical economic ship is fiction. Indeed, part of the lure of community is precisely to get us to act exuberantly (famous word....): in excess of reason--but also in a way that fulfills our enthusiasm.
I tend to believe that for a great many, it's as much the love of what community offers as the value one invests that makes "community" now so immensely important--even regardless whether the community in question is a production or consuming one. (Disclosure: my current work relates to what I've done all my life, only in a more effective and refined way: making community, and using--as needed and strategically [fancy way of saying, "with some idea of what I'm doing"] the ever-evolving social media tools, coupled with another key driver for me, "marketing.") And I also tend to believe that our love of community is sort of like our love of and ability to use--our capability for--language, especially as Chomsky would present it: as something essential to being human. And you cannot carve that quality into quantity and price it, though you can--and this is done all the time--price specific instances.
But identifying and then applying, and doing so consistently and coherently, the boundaries making up a community, especially one that is characterized as economically essential to the production of a commodity sold by a private company, and distinguishing those boundaries from one's own is difficult. It's easy to say, "If you do something on company time, it's the company's." But if you are fully salaried, there is no moment in time when you are not operating on company time and representing the company. Some company's will allott you private time, say, or loosen the legal identity so that you can represent yourself as yourself, without implicating the company in any way. But that's a rarity, though I expect the logic of community participation social media has made and is making possible will force a change in that. Kravtiz' instance is an interesting case, and it's not by any means unique.
For if the historical corporation "owned" your time and implicitly all you did, and therefore all your representations, at least as long as you were employed by them (and for whatever period after you agreed to), the modern corporation must now also deal not only with your multiple engagements, via social media but also, arguably, what you did prior to your employment. (It's Calvinism/Puritanism yet again.) The company can simply decree that no blogs, no Tweets, no other equivalent public communication is permitted without authorization. That will naturally dampen enthusiasm, but the company that decrees that sort of policy also clearly does not really see any value gained by enthusiastic speech. Or, the company can articulate a nuanced approach, and some speech is the employees and other is not. How do--or should--shareholders then view the private rantings of a senior executive? Of course, such an executive is probably a fool for ranting publicly in the first place, modern technology or not; but move it down a notch and the question remains as a fact. Shareholder value is frequently determined by the actions and speech of the company decision makers and producers, and evaluating speech extra-mural speech makes the overall valuation of the company more difficult. It's not unlike the situation of the late 90s, when a company's worth was determined by how many page hits--eyeballs--it received, even if revenue was hardly commensurate with popularity. The belief was that at some future date, the page hit would translate to hard cash. A blog post or Tweet is quite different, but it still suggests a dimension of valuation that is must be appreciated on its own terms and which cannot easily be converted--metrically or any other way--to coins. (This is not an argument *for* privacy as such; it's rather an observation that community today is a manifold unsettling traditional, fixed and bounded corporate modes of valuation. And that this new modality of creating value--the community way--implies virtues that potentially exceed the traditional.)
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