Fsf-friends June 2003

fsf-friends@gnu.org.in

11 participants
57 discussions

Novell moves networking services to Linux
by Soundara Rajan N.S. 26 Jun '03

26 Jun '03

Novell is to move its networking services to the open-source Linux platform. Paul Krill Nterprise Linux Services will consist of Novell's file, print, messaging, directory, and management services tailored to the Red Hat and SuSE distributions of Linux. It wil ship at the end of the year. Also being announced are partnerships with IBM, Dell Computer and Hewlett-Packard, who will offer the suite to their PC-based customers with full training and support, according to Novell. The company has been eyeing up datacentre environments deploying Linux, according to Jeff Hawkins, vice-president of the Linux business office at Novell. One analyst said Novell's Linux move was a logical one. "Novell has a long history of providing scalable, reliable, secure and manageable products," said analyst Dan Kusnetzky, vice-president of system software research at IDC. "It has a long history of being a part of the enterprise infrastructure. This is exactly what end-users tell us they want from Linux. So, Linux users or prospective Linux users who feel that these things are important just might feel a little more comfortable when Novell's directory services software, combined with Novell's management and security software, are combined with Linux." A closed beta program for Nterprise Linux Services, for approximately 150 customers, will begin next month. With the file services in the product, users can manage files based on Samba, an open-source software platform providing compatibility with Windows clients on file protocols, Hawkins said. The iFolder function in the package will protect personal information and enable file-sharing between PCs. Enterprise print capabilities in Nterprise Linux Services, hosted on Linux servers, will enable users to access multiple printers via a listing set up on a company's website. Paul Krill writes for InfoWorld

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Linux Security: The Seven Most Deadly Sins
by Soundara Rajan N.S. 23 Jun '03

23 Jun '03

Linux Security: The Seven Most Deadly Sins JUN 20, 2003 By Bob Toxen. Article is provided courtesy of Prentice Hall PTR. The difference between Linux and Windows, according to Bob Toxen, is that with knowledge and a little effort, Linux can be made very secure. However, there are seven problems that affect all unhardened Linux systems regardless of their use. Indulge any of these seven sins and almost certainly your systems will be broken into in one to twelve months. In this detailed excerpt from his book, Real World Linux Security, Bob lays out no-nonsense, thoroughly explained, practical advice that will boost the security of an "out of the box" Linux system by an order of magnitude. More at http://informit.com/content/index.asp?product_id={5E5625C1-0F22-4A8D-94D4-3… Source: InformIT

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DEBIAN: Plans in India for 10th anniversary?
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 21 Jun '03

21 Jun '03

_______________________________________________ Debian soon to be 10 years old The Debian GNU/Linux distribution will have been around for a decade on August 16th, and project members have planning celebrations on several continents. While few details have been confirmed at this stage, debconf.org has put together a page to coordinate efforts. In the UK, a party in Cambridge has been proposed, but there's still time for alternative proposals. http://www.debconf.org/10years/ _______________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frederick Noronha (FN) | http://www.fredericknoronha.net Freelance Journalist | http://www.bytesforall.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indialists.org: Taking the development debate online to discuss issues related to India's health, education, environment and more... -------------------------------------------------------------------------

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[Fsf-friends] NEWS: New initiative packages Free Software for Governments
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 20 Jun '03

20 Jun '03

New initiative packages Free Software for Governments SOMEWHERE IN CYBERSPACE, June 20: Governments bold enough to opt for the freedom that comes with Free Software now have another tool in their armoury that will make their switchover easier. A Free Software package know as Government Distro was launched on June 19th by the Free Software Consortium (FSC), a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and distribution of Free Sofware. Free Software gives its users the freedom to run, study, redistribute and improve the vital code that goes into the software programs, and a number of governments across the globe have been either opting for it or seriously studing its potential in anticipation of a switch-over. Some governments have favoured Free Software not just for its technological prowess, but also for the transparency it offers, its affordability and its very 'sharable' nature without being encumbered by licensing restrictions. Government Distro is a compilation of programmes that are already being widely used by the public sector in Brazil, Argentina and Spain. It contains the GNU/Linux Operating System, an Office suite called Open Office, email and instant messenger, and many other applications, according to a statement from the Free Software Consortium. "Government Distro is meant to be the first big step towards the implementation of Free Software in the public sector around the world", says Jaco Ainzenman, one of the FSC founders, and current Business Development Government Body Coordinator. "All these programs have been used and tested previously, in order to certify its functionality. They have all being designed by highly talented hackers all around the world," said Ainzenman. The a full version of Government Distro is available for download at www.fsc.cc/governmentdistro. All the programmes in Government Distro are user-friendly and have been in used since 1999. Besides, Free Software Consortium is offering technical assitance for Government Distro users. More information is available from governmentdistro(a)fsc.cc

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Robot... walking on GNU/Linux
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 20 Jun '03

20 Jun '03

---------- Forwarded message ---------- >From the PRC (Project Resource Centre) mailing list on sarai.net (Delhi): --__--__-- Message: 3 Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2003 23:51:02 +0530 From: Sagar Behere <behere(a)sancharnet.in> To: prc(a)mail.sarai.net Subject: [PRC] final update: project successfully completed :-))) Reply-To: prc(a)mail.sarai.net Hello all, We are the robotics guys. For those who were not following the initial posts (but clicked on this one after reading the subject ;-), here is a quick recap. "We were planning to build a robot and control it using free software." Now let's move on to the results. We have build a 4 degree of freedom SCARA type robot. SCARA stands for Selective Compliance Assembly Robotic Arm. A SCARA robot has an elbow and a forearm (both rotate) and a vertical linear arm. There is a last roll axis which is used for orientation of the tool. The joints used stepper motors as their actuators. We adapted the Enhanced Machine Controller software for our purposes. We wrote the robot kinematics module and the same has been successfully integrated into the mainstream code. Here is what the control software can make the robot do: 1) The robot can be programmed using the CNC industry standard G and M codes. You can create a drawing in a CAM software, it generates these codes. The codes can then be fed to the robot controller and the robot starts moving. Effectively, you draw a shape in the CAM software, and the robot will trace out exactly the same path. 2) The robot has pick-and-place capabilities and point-to-point motion. 3) It is also possible to have "continuous path control" over the robot. This means that the tool tip can be made to follow a desired trajectory in space. 4) Of course, the velocities and accelerations and other things are adjustable. 5) The software is capable of other things like driving servo motors, backlash compensation, PID control etc. 6) Ther eis a backplotter which graphically shows the motion of the tool tip as it moves. 7) Many, many other features :-) A few applications the robot will be useful for are: 1) Spot welding 2) arc welding 3) Applications like applying sealants, glue etc. in manufacturing processes. 4) vertical assembly operations. 5) certain types of machine loading and unloading. 6) painting and coating two and a half degree surfaces 7) light machining operations like drilling, boring, reamming, tapping etc. 8) Engraving. -------------- In conclusion, the robot has successfully achieved its design goals :-) If there are any questions, we'll be glad to answer. Sagar --__--__-- _______________________________________________ prc mailing list prc(a)mail.sarai.net http://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/prc End of prc Digest

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The Peacemaker
by Soundara Rajan N.S. 19 Jun '03

19 Jun '03

The Peacemaker How Linus Torvalds, the man behind Linux, keeps the revolution from becoming a jihad. By David Diamond It's no accident that Linus Torvalds has been calling the shots for Linux longer than most world leaders have been in power. In the 12 years since he uploaded his operating system and became de facto master of the open source universe, the 33-year-old programmer has endured waves of attacks from developer zealots seeking to hijack open source to further their own agendas - toppling Microsoft, fighting the music industry, stopping the commercialization of open source software. Through it all, Torvalds has maintained a Zen-like ability to defuse political opposition and saved Linux from being either co-opted or abandoned. Torvalds, who holds down a day job as a software engineer at chipmaker Transmeta, told Wired how he keeps the peace. WIRED: The open source community has all manner of rabid devotees. What's your strategy for keeping these forces at bay? TORVALDS: My basic strategy has always been to not care too much. It actually ends up working wonders - avoiding confrontation by just walking away. The thing is, I don't usually feel as deeply about some of the issues they feel strongly about, and that makes it easier just to ignore the politics - and as a result, the political consequences. That also allows me to concentrate on the things I do enjoy, namely the technical discussions. How long will that work? Well, it's worked so far. Every once in a while an issue comes up where I have to make a statement. I can't totally avoid all political issues, but I try my best to minimize them. When I do make a statement, I try to be fairly neutral. Again, that comes from me caring a lot more about the technology than about the politics, and that usually means that my opinions are colored mostly by what I think is the right thing to do technically rather than for some nebulous good. You got royally flamed for a recent statement on Slashdot.org in which you defended digital rights management, which is hated by many in the open source community because it allows hardware to lock out some applications. Why did you stick your neck out? I rewrote that post three times. I expected to offend some people, but I wanted to make sure I was fairly noninflammatory. I used humor and tried not to make it a black and white thing. You basically said you're OK with DRM. What effect will that have? The whole point of that post was to set developer expectations right. We've allowed a lot of the technology that DRM requires for a long while already, but from my discussions with some kernel developers, it was clear that not everybody was on the same page as to what that meant for Linux. To avoid future clashes and disappointment, I would much rather bring the issue into the open and make sure people know about it. That way developers can make up their own minds about whether they want to work on a system that may someday be used in ways they don't agree with. Have you lost any sleep over the DRM flamefest? I lose sleep if I end up feeling bad about something I've said. Usually that happens when I send something out without having read it over a few times, or when I call somebody names. I like being on friendly terms with most people. This time it's been a fairly amicable discussion. I expected much worse. Most leaders expend a lot of energy trying to stay in power. What do you do to maintain support? To me, the most important part has always been a certain aura of neutrality. By staying neutral, I end up being somebody that everybody can trust. Even if they don't always agree with my decisions, they know I'm not working against them. People know that when I make a technical decision, it's not politically motivated. Obviously, I also try to maintain support by just being good at what I do. Don't you run the risk of alienating supporters out on the fringes? Part of my job is managing expectations. I have a nagging fear that someone will come up to me years from now and say, "I gave you the best five years of my life, and look what you've let Linux become." You seem pretty thick-skinned and even-keeled. Do you ever doubt yourself? Not really. But I think part of that is because I'm fairly comfortable with the notion of saying "Sorry, I was wrong," even in public. Another way of putting it: I don't have to doubt myself, because to some degree I don't have to care whether I'm right or wrong. If I'm right, I'm right, and if I'm wrong we can go back and fix it. The only thing you generally can't go back and fix later on is that small detail of trust, which is another reason I'd rather bring these things out in the open, so that people know what I think. You've said that you're "just an engineer." What do you mean by that? I wear that as a badge of honor. I think of myself as an engineer, not as a visionary or "big thinker." I don't have any lofty goals. I just want to have fun making the best damn operating system I can. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- David Diamond (ddiamond(a)well.com) wrote about Philippine labor exports in Wired 10.06. He's the coauthor, with Torvalds, of Just For Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary.

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WinFS horn in Longhorn
by Amol Hatwar 19 Jun '03

19 Jun '03

I remember M$ touting a new file system called CIFS. I wonder what happened to that... This time they're playing the WinFS horn in their new OS codenamed Longhorn. WinFS is supposed to be M$'s new file system that will make searches faster by maintaining multiple indexes. Also, it also has a built-in RDBMS engine for tracking files... More here: http://www.tomshardware.com/storage/20030617/index.html Ciao, ah

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[En Avance] PDF is vulnerable
by Amol Hatwar 19 Jun '03

19 Jun '03

Those who follow security will find the following amusing: An anonymous person has again posted vulnerability information gleaned from the Computer Emergency Response Center (CERT) approximately 10 days in advance of CERT's intended release of information to the public. The vulnerability involves Adobe PDF files; the files might be able to execute arbitrary commands on a system viewing a PDF file that contains malicious hyperlinks. In past months, the anonymous poster who goes by the alias "Hack4life," has somehow managed to obtain private information from CERT without the company's knowledge and subsequently disclosed that information to the public before vendors were ready to do so. CERT works with vendors who experience security problems to coordinate patch and information release. The anonymous person's antics undermine that process. More here: http://www.wininformant.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=39320 -------- CERT walks the middle ground and does a good job of it, but it is a little humorous to see an entity dedicated to security struggle to protect its own information. The anonymous being behind the leaks even tells the world when new information will be released, and yet his or her identity remains a mystery. The lesson here is that security is only as good as your ability to discern the lack of it. If you ever reach a point where you think you're secure, you are at your most vulnerable then. Ciao, ah

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Linus ... the peacemaker
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 18 Jun '03

18 Jun '03

>From: "Soundara Rajan N.S." <searchlight(a)sancharnet.in> >Subject: [Fsf-friends] The Peacemaker >To: fsf-friends(a)mm.gnu.org.in >The Peacemaker >How Linus Torvalds, the man behind Linux, keeps the revolution from >becoming a jihad. >By David Diamond >It's no accident that Linus Torvalds has been calling the shots for Linux >longer than most world leaders have been in power. In the 12 years since >he uploaded his operating system and became de facto master of the open >source Linus Torvalds is an amiable guy, granted. But, it is perhaps a grave mistake to reduce an entire movement to simply building a technically more-efficient solution. Loaded terms by the media don't help either (e.g. "keeps the revolution from becoming a jihad"). Free Software is no more about software alone. It has grown far beyond that. Today, it is challenging the manner in which artificial blocks are used to control the spread of knowledge and information in fields ranging from education to music, from journalism to scientific knowledge. We need to take the boundaries of this debate further. This is an issue that affects the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of millions. We in the information-deficit, knowledge-scarce regions face this daily. Linus seems to look at the word "politics" as something negative. One could argue that even the decision to "keep out politics" is a very political stand in itself. Last year, when I visited Finland in connection with the FLOSS-in-the-developing-world study, there was quite some debate on Linus "just for fun" approach. Someone came up with the suggestion that he was keen to make himself seem less political, so as not to become unacceptable in the US. Sam Williams biography of RMS has an interesting point. To quote Williams: "Most importantly, the MacArthur (genius grant) money gave Stallman more freedom. Already dedicated to the issue of software freedom, Stallman chose to use the additional freedom to increase his travels in support of the GNU Project mission. "Interestingly, the ultimate success of the GNU Project and the free software movement in general would stem from one of those trips. In 1990, Stallman paid a visit to the Polytechnic University in Helsinki, Finland. Among the audience members was 21-year-old Linus Torvalds, future developer of the Linux kernel -- the free software kernel destined to fill the GNU Project's most sizable gap." (Okay, one can expect disagreement here from Free Software enthusiasts over the "sizable gap"...) Williams continues: "When it was time to release the 0.12 version of Linux, the first to include a fully integrated version of GCC, Torvalds decided to voice his allegiance with the free software movement. He discarded the old kernel license and replaced it with the GPL. The decision triggered a porting spree, as Torvalds and his collaborators looked to other GNU programs to fold into the growing Linux stew." Without intending to turn this into a Linus-versus-RMS or Linux-versus-GNU tug-of-war, we must not reduce the entire idealism (or politics, if you want to call it that) that has gone into this movement which is nearly two decades old. Should we diminish the goal to just building technically efficient software? Or is this a battle over whether knowledge itself becomes another commodity, sold to the highest bidder? FN PS: They say, reasonable men change to the ways of the world. Therefore, all progress depends on unreasonable men.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frederick Noronha (FN) | http://www.fredericknoronha.net Freelance Journalist | http://www.bytesforall.org http://goalinks.pitas.com | http://joingoanet.shorturl.com http://linuxinindia.pitas.com | http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks ------------------------------------------------------------------------- T: 0091.832.2409490 or 2409783 M: 0 9822 122436 -------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Links from the Gulf... an interesting story (long)
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 18 Jun '03

18 Jun '03

Looks like Microsoft is doing its bit to promote Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) in the more affluent parts of the globe, like the Gulf. Some background of an interesting case. Interesting, many of the key players in the Gulf FLOSS movement seem to be expat Indians, at least going by the active posters on this list. FN PS: As typical, the newspaper report has mixed up Free Software with "freeware". >From Linux-middleeast(a)yahoogroups.com Wed Jun 18 21:50:07 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe send an email to: Linux-middleeast-subscribe(a)yahoogroups.com ================================================ Linux Movement in the Middle East is sponsored by GoldenSun Internet Consulting & Research, Phone :971-4-2728310 /Fax:971-4-2728320 http://www.uaelug.org Moderator GSC Prabhakar James - Linux User Group -Founded 1999. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 1 Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 04:46:30 -0000 From: "prabhags" <prabhags(a)goldensun.com> Subject: Re: Business Software Alliance's faxes to Companies Dear Montuewed, Sorry for the late response. I expected other members would write about BSA 's faxes to companies.BSA is a watchdog for Microsoft and dozen other Propreitary companies. It is not a government organisation. But they think they are government and misrepresent to the companies like that. BSA was founded primarily by Microsoft and they operate from Microsoft office in Dubai. You need not give any information to BSA about the software in your company. They have no authorisation. But they can inform people about legalising the proprietary software and educating about anti-piracy on behalf of their sponsors. Anyway I have taken the arrogant faxes sent by BSA to companies in the UAE very seriously and warned BSA not to send any annoying faxes to Companies asking for Private software details in the guise of Software Audit and passing the information to BSA members. I am forwarding the copies of my letters to BSA and other information to the LUG members. We as Linux Users, who advocate and use Open Source should fight this type of dubious data collection by BSA who threaten companies indirectly to use their proprietary software. regards, Prabhakar --- In Linux-middleeast(a)yahoogroups.com, "Montuewed T.F.S" <montuewed@e...> wrote: > Hello, > > Many companies received faxes from BSA asking the companies to furnish > details about the software they have in their company ? They have given > deadline to submit information about the software with the copies of > licences and invoices to be sent to them. They have also attached > newpapers cuttings of people arrested for piracy and warning the > companies. > > My question is What is the role of BSA ? Is it a government company ? Do > we have to give information on the software we have in our companies ? > Where BSA office is located ? How to answer to BSA faxes? Cannot we use a > computer without any Microsoft software ? > > T.F.S.Montuewed ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 2 Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 21:52:07 -0700 (PDT) From: John Joseph <jjk_saji(a)yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Re: Business Software Alliance's faxes to Companies Dear Prabhakar Thanks for the information , even I thought it is a govt body , actually they are propagating open source in an indirect way. Bulling others and indirectly forcing them to look for alternative OS and application Thanks Joseph John _______________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 3 Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 08:55:29 +0400 From: "GSC Prabhakar $R$" <prabhags(a)goldensun.com> Subject: OOT -Copy of the FAX sent to BSA for their Hello Friends, Following is the copy of the Fax which I sent to BSA . Regards, Prabhakar COPY of the FAX sent to BSA Chairman. ==================================== 6th May 2003 Mr. Jawad Al Redha Chairman Phone : 8004828 Business Software Alliance Fax: 04-3811948 Post Box 9275 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Dear Mr. Jawad, I happened to see your faxes signed by you sent to our organization asking for details of software installed at our company and also informing that your records (?) currently do not show that our company as having purchased any software ( in all these years of our operation?!) . We would be glad to respond and enlighten BSA on various methods and alternatives available to curb software issues and initiate best alternative solutions available to all the software users in the middle east. Before we respond to your queries please fax the following information to 04-2728320 1. Your trading license and list of personnel involved in the software data collection. 2. Copy of the authorization letter obtained from the appropriate government ministry to collect this data from companies. 3. We know that BSA is working with Microsoft, functioning from Microsoft premises, Dubai, I would like to know whether your people have verified before sending the fax about the details about our company from your co-tenant Microsoft regarding the Software licenses obtained for our company ? It seems that proper data was not verified before sending faxes, signed by you. Unfortunately they have not even verified whom to send the fax. 4. I have a question, If we have more licenses but less number of computers which would use the software can you help us get the refund for the unutilized part of the licenses from Microsoft and other BSA members? 5. May we also know your Computer configuration, network security setup, Anti-virus software , other productivity and database software which you use , so we can get enlightened on the various software available for productive use. By the way can we get your phone number ( not the anonymous voice mail 8004828 number ), so we can call and get your advice or various matters ? 6. I appreciate your assistance for managing our valuable software licenses. As a matter of reciprocating your kindness we are glad to offer FREE awareness programs by Educating and Training BSA personnel and also to the companies which you recommend in HOW TO ACHIEVE ZERO PIRACY IN COMPUTERS. This would greatly help fighting Software Piracy. Please let us know when we can schedule this FREE awareness program. 7. I am glad to invite you and your friends to my office to have a cup of tea with us and know about us. We are with you in fighting Software Piracy though we use another effective method, which I would like to share with you soon. Regards, GSC Prabhakar Chief Executive Officer GoldenSun Internet Consulting & Research ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/News.asp?ArticleID=90419 ============================================================= Anti-piracy watchdog prod irks free software promoters - GULF NEWS 17th June 2003 Dubai | By Jay B. Hilotin | 17/06/2003 Proponents of freeware and Open Source in the UAE have been incensed by repeated warnings and veiled threats of raids from the Business Software Alliance (BSA), a global software anti-piracy watchdog funded by giants such as Microsoft. Open Source, a consortium composed of software publishers that promote zero piracy through 'freeware' and full access to application source codes, offers alternatives to what they call 'proprietary' programmes for which companies and individual users must pay to legally use a software. Dr G.S.C. Prabhakar James, CEO of GoldenSun Internet Consulting and Research, refused to submit an inventory of software used in his company to the BSA, saying that the alliance has no authority to demand private corporate information. "We're not questioning the anti-piracy drive. We are for the protection of intellectual property rights. Open Source actually helps to achieve zero piracy by giving the source codes away for the basic applications. "We think BSA's behaviour is arrogant, pestering companies for information on the software they are using. They need to be more polite and professional in their communication to the companies in the UAE. BSA is asking other people to do their homework for them," he told Gulf News. Source codes are the slew of commands that enable software programmers to customise or debug applications according to their requirement. The Open Source community encourages enhancements to be open for further developments. "What is the assurance that when companies submit a list of their software assets, the information won't be misused?" asked Prabhakar, an ex-Microsoft employee who currently considers himself an Open Source proselytiser. "These warning letters are a form of bullying. Even government departments in the UAE don't employ this strong-arm tactics when they ask for specific information from companies. They assure people the information will be used only for a specific purpose. The BSA is not even a government organisation but is trying to act as one." BSA-Middle East on its part said in a letter posted to companies in the UAE that it will not disclose any information concerning software inventory of customers who cooperate with them, except to the concerned members in order for them to offer support, upgrades, and promotional offers. The letter, signed by Jawad Al Redha, the alliance's co-chairman in Middle East, urges companies to fill out a software asset management form, along with newspaper clippings of raids conducted by UAE authorities in conjunction with the alliance. "This is something that we've been doing for many years now," said Al Redha. He maintained that such reminders are part of their regular campaign to curb software piracy. The letter says: "Because our records do not currently show your company as having purchased any software licenses, it could well be that the software in your possession has been installed without appropriate licenses and perhaps even without your knowledge." The form asks for a list of software applications, along with the copies of licenses. BSA also reiterated that for every copy of software being used, companies must purchase a user license. Therefore, a company that has 10 computers must have purchased 10 licenses. The group said that the campaign helps companies that use legal software own an inventory that can assist them in keeping tabs on software assets. It also help them identify upgradation requirements for the system. "The campaigns give users of illegal software a chance to benefit from the discounted rates offered by BSA members, in addition to saving time and money through free audits." Says Prabakhar: "If BSA has proper authorisation, they are welcome to check my software assets anytime." Another Open Source user is unfazed. "The tribe (of Open Source users) is growing," he said, pointing out that Apache, a freeware product developed by the Open Source community, now accounts for over 62 per cent of the market for Internet servers, while Microsoft accounts for 27 per cent. BSA reiterated that the campaign is just a request to customers to show that they are complying with the country's copyright laws. The campaign, which began in April 2003, ran for two months. According to BSA, the compliance rate will only be available after data from the current campaign has been collected. "Even if 99 per cent of the companies send their private data to the BSA, I won't comply with their demand, simply because of one basic principle: they have no right to demand so," said Prabhakar. He pointed out that there are many Open Source users now in the UAE, and he is willing to offer a free course on the subject to the BSA members here. "Even banks and government departments are now starting to migrate to use Open Source applications." C Al Nisr Publishing LLC - Gulf News Online

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Fsf-friends June 2003