Fsf-friends February 2007

fsf-friends@gnu.org.in

21 participants
22 discussions

Fwd: When is a standard not a standard (sub-titled Microsoft and BIS)?
by Arun M 24 Feb '07

24 Feb '07

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Gora Mohanty <gora(a)sarai.net> Date: Feb 23, 2007 6:55 PM Subject: When is a standard not a standard (sub-titled Microsoft and BIS)? (This message is being sent primarily to the ILUG-Delhi and Sarai PRC mailing lists, but is also copied to people that Venkatesh Hariharan had sent the original message to. Please note that henceforth, I will only be following up on the ILUG-Delhi list. You have to join the list to post there (see <http://www.linux-delhi.org/cgi-bin/anCMS/mailingList.cgi?action=mailingLists> ), but the archives are available publicly at http://frodo.hserus.net/pipermail/ilugd/ and http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi/ ) Hello, I had the (mis-)fortune of attending a seminar on Information Technology Standardization [sic] organised for the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), by MAIT. The ostensible reason for the meeting was to identify requirements of the IT industry in order "to formulate effective, meaningful and implementable standards". The background for this is an effort by Microsoft to push through a 6000-page document on Office Open XML (OOXML), presumably as a counter-standard to Open Document Format (ODF). Details on this are available on Venky's blog at http://www.osindia.blogspot.com/ Due to other commitments, I had time to attend only the inaugural session, which had a keynote address by Craig Mundie, the chief research and strategy officer of Microsoft Corporation. Incidentally, Microsoft was the only company represented on the panel, and allowed to give a formal presentation, though representatives from open-source companies, and the community were also present. Questions on the talks were also not entertained. What was frankly disgusting was the attitude of BIS officers, even those of senior ones, towards Microsoft; going beyond courtesy, and even obsequiousness, to border on servility. The HP laptop being used for the presentation prominently displayed the Microsoft Vista logo. Mr. Mundie's presentation was, in my opinion, a masterpiece of double- speak, and fascinated me so much that I made sure to make a transcript of his slides. Apparently, having solved issues with security, privacy, and reliability, Microsoft has been focusing on inter-operability over the last 1.5 years. While this might seem like great news, Mr. Mundie was diligent in avoiding any specific commitments, such as the simple one of guaranteeing that any Microsoft application will be able to export to an openly-published, patent-unencumbered, standard format, without loss of information. While the presentation went ahead to extol the virtues of meta-data, and the use of XML data formats, Mr. Mundie somehow omitted to mention that XML does not automatically imply openness, or freedom from patent restrictions. Finally, it seems to be the opinion of Mr. Mundie that industry standards are needed to keep a check on "unconstrained innovation", which leaves me wondering how Microsoft knows about innovation, unconstrained or otherwise. Fun and games aside, I think that it is worthwhile for the open-source community in India at large to formulate a coherent position on the use of openly documented, and patent-free standards for any government data, and to publicise the same to both government organisations, and the media. It is our data, so we should have an absolute guarantee of freedom in using it. I believe that Venky is drafting such a document, that we can put up on a Wiki, and use as a basis for a formal policy paper. Regards, Gora

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New release of the deepOfix Mail Server (version 3.1) is available for download now...
by Abhas Abhinav 24 Feb '07

24 Feb '07

Dear Friends, DeepRoot Linux is pleased to announce a new release of the deepOfix Mail Server! Version 3.1 of the deepOfix Mail Server is a major release encompassing a large number of fixes, enhancements and additions. Please do give the new deepOfix Mail Server a try. We are confident that it can meet the server requirements of anyone wanting to use GNU/Linux and Free Software. About the deepOfix Mail Server ------------------------------ The deepOfix Mail Server makes it possible for organisations with minimal technical expertise to have robust server infrastructure. The mail server effortlessly delivers the freedom, reliability and excellence of GNU/Linux to you and is available as Free / Open Source Software itself. It offers unprecented ease of use, doesn't require prior GNU/Linux experience and is backed by a full-time development and support team. As always, we will eagerly await any feedback, criticism, bug reports, wisdom or advice that you might have for us. Cheers, Abhas. Links ----- * Download the deepOfix Mail Server Install CD (version 3.1) http://sourceforge.net/projects/deepofix * deepOfix Mail Server - Version 3.1 - What's new? http://deeproot.in/deepofix/version-3.1 * Development websites deepOfix Installer and OS - http://code.deeproot.in/deepofix EasyPush Server Manager - http://code.deeproot.in/easypush http://deepofix.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/deepofix/ * Subscribing to deepOfix-related mailing lists http://deeproot.in/deepofix/mailing-lists -- i-take-charge at DeepRoot Linux http://www.deeproot.in / +91 (80) 4112 4784 / 85 Getting GNU/Linux to work for you. Faster. Better. Today. Every way.

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X.org officially supports GNU Hurd now!
by Praveen A 20 Feb '07

20 Feb '07

Hi, Interesting news http://xorg.freedesktop.org/wiki/PressReleases/X11R72Released Cheers Praveen -- പ്രവീണ് അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില് Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now! http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign

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Cuba Embraces Open-Source Software
by Frederick Noronha 19 Feb '07

19 Feb '07

http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20070216/D8NB1EK05.html Cuba Embraces Open-Source Software Email this Story Feb 16, 3:42 PM (ET) By JOHN RICE (AP) Richard Stallman, President and founder of the Free Software Foundation, speaks during the... Full Image HAVANA (AP) - Cuba's communist government is trying to shake off the yoke of at least one capitalist empire - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) - by joining with socialist Venezuela in converting its computers to open-source software. Both governments say they are trying to wean state agencies from Microsoft's proprietary Windows to the open-source Linux operating system, which is developed by a global community of programmers who freely share their code. "It's basically a problem of technological sovereignty, a problem of ideology," said Hector Rodriguez, who oversees a Cuban university department of 1,000 students dedicated to developing open-source programs. Other countries have tried similar moves. China, Brazil and Norway have encouraged the development of Linux for a variety of reasons: Microsoft's near-monopoly over operating systems, the high cost of proprietary software and security problems. Cuban officials, ever focused on U.S. threats, also see it as a matter of national security. Communications Minister Ramiro Valdes, an old comrade-in-arms of President Fidel Castro, raised suspicions about Microsoft's cooperation with U.S. military and intelligence agencies as he opened a technology conference this week. He called the world's information systems a "battlefield" where Cuba is fighting against imperialism. He also noted that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates once described copyright reformers - including people who want to do away with proprietary software - as "some new modern-day sort of communists" - which is a badge of honor from the Cuban perspective. Microsoft did not return calls seeking comment. Cuba imports many computer preloaded with Windows and also purchases software in third countries such as China, Mexico or Panama. Valdes is a hard-liner who favors uniforms and military haircuts, but the biggest splash at the conference was made by a paunchy, wild-haired man in a T-shirt: Richard Stallman, whose Free Software Foundation created the license used by many open-source programs, including Linux. Middle-aged communist bureaucrats and ponytailed young Cuban programmers applauded as the computer scientist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology insisted that copyright laws violate basic morality; he compared them to laws that would threaten people with jail for sharing or modifying kitchen recipes. Stallman also warned that proprietary software is a security threat because without being able to examine the code, users can't know what it's doing or what "backdoor" holes developers might have left open for future entry. "A private program is never trustworthy," he said. Cuba also has trouble keeping proprietary software current. Its sluggish satellite link to the outside world makes downloads of updates agonizingly slow. And U.S. companies, apparently worried about American laws restricting trade with Cuba, are increasingly blocking downloads to the island. Cubans try to get around the problem by putting software updates on a server located on the island. But many computers wind up unpatched and vulnerable. Cuba's Cabinet also has urged a shift from proprietary software. The customs service has gone to Linux and the ministries of culture, higher education and communications are planning to do so, Rodriguez said. And students in his own department are cooking up a version of Linux called Nova, based on Gentoo distribution of the operating system. The ministry of higher education is developing its own. Rodriguez's department accounts for 1,000 of the 10,000 students within the University of Information Sciences, a five-year-old school that tries to combine software development with education. Cuba is also training tens of thousands of other software and hardware engineers across the country, though few have computers at home. Most Cubans have to depend on the slow links at government internet cafes or schools. Rodriguez shied away from saying how long it would take for Cuba to get most of its systems on Linux: "It would be tough for me to say that we would migrate half the public administration in three years." But he said Linux use was growing rapidly. "Two years ago, the Cuban free-software community did not number more than 600 people ... In the last two years, that number has gone well beyond 3,000 users of free software and its a figure that is growing exponentially." Even so, most of the computers at this week's technology conference showed the red, green, blue and yellow Windows start button in the bottom left-hand corner of their screens. And the start of the open-source sessions was delayed as organizers fiddled with the computer running their projector. The conference room screen had been displaying the words "Windows XP." -- FN M: 0091 9822122436 P: +91-832-240-9490 (after 1300IST please) http://fn.goa-india.org http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com

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Key expiry breaks most D-I Etch RC1 images
by Debarshi Ray 15 Feb '07

15 Feb '07

http://times.debian.net/1073 "The expiration of the Debian archive's signing key for 2006 has broken most of the installation media from etch RC1." Cheers, Debarshi -- After the game the king and the pawn go into the same box. -- Italian proverb

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The Government of West Bengal speaks out in favor of FOSS
by Sankarshan Mukhopadhyay 11 Feb '07

11 Feb '07

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 An article in Anandabazaar Patrika (a leading Bengali daily) dated 11th February 2007 - From the article এ বার মুক্ত সফটওয়্যার ব্যবহারের পক্ষে রাজ্য [Bengali] রাজ্যের তথ্যপ্রযুক্তি মন্ত্রী দেবেশ দাস বলেন "ফ্রী অ্যান্ড ওপেন সোর্স সফটওয়্যার (ফস) এর ব্যাপকতর ব্যবহার এই সম্যসার সম্ভাব্য সমাধান" । [...] আরও অনেক বেশি সংখ্যক লোকের কাছে কম্পিউটার শিক্ষার সুযোগ পৌঁছে দেওয়ার জন্য লিনাক্স এর মত মুক্ত সফটওয়্যার বড় ভূমিকা নিতে পারে বলে তাঁর দাবি [/Bengali] ie the Minister of Information Technology for the state of West Bengal Debesh Das said (in the context of not having enough developer/software engineering skills in the state) that "the wider usage of Free and Open Source software would be a possible solution to the problem". He also stated that FOSS software like Linux have the potential to reach out to a wider audience for the training of Computer. The article also quotes him as saying "In the present times, most of the computers come with a preloaded OS that have a high royalty tag associated with them, using FOSS can change that situation. With the reduction in the prices of the computer hardware the usage and penetration would increase in schools, colleges and administrative offices. An increase in the skilled manpower base would also be observed. - -- You see things; and you say 'Why?'; But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?' - George Bernard Shaw -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Fedora - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFFzonbXQZpNTcrCzMRAvZiAKC3Igq2wMqWl+z4l1tX9e7aYbWTDACfWLDR gRLSNnW7PHqabXeXMn/FNrg= =rqFb -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Microsoft and their Indian promoters can be sued...
by CK Raju, Thrissur 09 Feb '07

09 Feb '07

Information Technology Act provides stiff penal clauses through which proprietary software agencies like Microsoft and their (scrupulous) Indian promoters like IKM (in Kerala) can be sued. Here's the relevant paras ... "70. Protected system (1) The appropriate Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare that any computer, computer system or computer network to be a protected system. (2) The appropriate Government may, by order in writing, authorise the persons who are authorised to access protected systems notified under sub-section (1). (3) Any person who secures access or attempts to secure access to a protected system in contravention of the provision of this section shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years and shall also be liable to fine.72. Penalty for breach of confidentiality and privacySave as otherwise provide in this Act or any other law for the time being in force, any person who, in pursuance of any of the powers conferred under this Act, rules or regulation made thereunder, has secured assess to any electronic record, book, register, correspondence, information, document or other material without the consent of the person concerned discloses such material to any other person shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees, or with both." All we need to demonstrate is loss of data without the consent of the owner, here, the Government, for which only an internet connection to a protected system is needed. Microsoft, would pull out data without the requisite consent, and they and their promoters can be tried in Indian courts. "75. Act to apply for offence or contravention committed outside India (1) Subject to the provisions of sub-section (2), the provisions of this Act shall apply also to any offence or contravention committed outside India by any person irrespective of his nationality. (2) For the purposes of sub-section (1), this Act shall apply to an offence or contravention committed outside India by any person if the act or conduct constituting the offence or contravention involves a computer, computer system or computer network located in India." State IT Policy can remind the agencies of this issue, though its not mandatory, law is binding, whether you know it or not. Traitors, beware.... CK Raju Thrissur -------------------------- All fire, no smoke... http://ernakulam.sancharnet.in/doxa

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Electronic Voting Machines Software
by Ajay Pal Singh Atwal 06 Feb '07

06 Feb '07

Sorry and asking the same questions without using abbreviation Can anyone advise if the the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) in use in India have their firmware open for inspection. -- Sincerely Ajay Pal Singh Atwal Dept of CSE & IT BBSBEC, Fatehgarh Sahib Punjab, INDIA -------------------------------- http://www.bbsbec.ac.in http://www.ajaypal.com -------------------------------- ajaypal[at]bbsbec.org, ajaypal[at]acm.org

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EVM Software
by Ajay Pal Singh Atwal 06 Feb '07

06 Feb '07

Hi Can anyone advise if the the EVM in use in India have their firmware open for inspection. -- Sincerely Ajay Pal Singh Atwal Dept of CSE & IT BBSBEC, Fatehgarh Sahib Punjab, INDIA -------------------------------- http://www.bbsbec.ac.in http://www.ajaypal.com -------------------------------- ajaypal[at]bbsbec.org, ajaypal[at]acm.org

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congratulations and thanks
by Nagarjuna G. 04 Feb '07

04 Feb '07

My hearty congratulations to all of you, who made the gnowledge.org portal launch a great event. let us all continue to make this one of the largest collaborative portals in the world. Though the event marks the end of a project, for those who are in it, it is a beginning. The gnowledge portal team is now ready to take calls to conduct workshops to introduce the new way of organizing a very large amount of free knowledge that already exists on the Internet. Best way to begin is to register at the portal and begin contributing in your area of work. We can all decide together, how to shape this portal in future. Nagarjuna

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Fsf-friends February 2007