Fsf-friends February 2008

fsf-friends@gnu.org.in

7 participants
6 discussions

[X-POST] Microsoft lobbying the Government through ``friendly'' NGOs
by Raj Mathur 29 Feb '08

29 Feb '08

My my, hey hey, OOXML is here to stay (with apologies to Neil Young) And if you don't believe that then your friendly neighbourhood NGO is only to willing to try to convince your Government on behalf of one of its benefactors, MS. Now I'm beginning to think that $1.4B was too little :) http://wiki.linux-delhi.org/cgi-bin/twiki/view/OpenStandards/MsNgoLobby Also made it to Groklaw somehow. Regards, -- Raju -- Raj Mathur raju(a)kandalaya.org http://kandalaya.org/ Freedom in Technology & Software || February 2008 || http://freed.in/ GPG: 78D4 FC67 367F 40E2 0DD5 0FEF C968 D0EF CC68 D17F PsyTrance & Chill: http://schizoid.in/ || It is the mind that moves

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Article on why India should adopt open document standards
by V. Sasi Kumar 28 Feb '08

28 Feb '08

Dear friends, Please see my article on why India should adopt open standards and a response from Microsoft at http://www.infochangeindia.org/analysis236.jsp Microsoft's respose is actually a big joke. For instance, they claim that "Microsoft software is completely interoperable.". And just yesterday Microsoft has been fined a record $1.35 billion precisely for not providing information to enable interoperability! A response to Microsoft is on my blog http://swatantryam.blogspot.com/ since Infochange was not willing to publish my response. Best -- Dr. V. Sasi Kumar Please visit http://keralachinthakal.blogspot.com/ -- V. Sasi Kumar Free Software Foundation of India http://swatantryam.blogspot.com

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Google Summer of Code 2008
by CK Raju, Thrissur 26 Feb '08

26 Feb '08

Friends, thinkers, countrymen, "Google Summer of Code 2008 is on! Over the past three years, the program has brought together over 1500 students and 2000 mentors from 90 countries worldwide, all for the love of code. We look forward to welcoming more new contributors and projects this year. We'll begin accepting applications from mentoring organizations on Monday, March 3, 2008, and student applications on Monday, March 24th...." Link at http://code.google.com/soc/2008/ Nice news. Google is doing what most democratic governments are repeatedly failing to do ! CK Raju Thrissur

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Community-based networks -answer to last mile broadband.
by shirish 23 Feb '08

23 Feb '08

Hi all, For a long long time I had been wondering that couldn't community based networks be the answer to last mile broadband. I knew I had read something about it sometime ago but the link was lost. Found it again, hence posting it so other people could take a lake at it as well & see if there is something that can be done about it.. If its a repeat, then sorry, its just the sort of thing which should be taken up. What do u guys think? http://emperor.canarie.ca/pipermail/news/2006/000281.html . If for some reason you're unable to reach the site use google's cache to retrieve them. Here's the gist of that mail. Bill St.Arnaud bill.st.arnaud at canarie.ca Wed Jun 7 10:08:29 EDT 2006 * Previous message: [CAnet - news] Looking for candidates to serve on ICANN board and related committees * Next message: [CAnet - news] The Changing Nature of Intellectual Authority * Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] For more information on this item please visit the CANARIE CA*net 4 Optical Internet program web site at http://www.canarie.ca/canet4/library/list.html ------------------------------------------- [In a recent trip to Sweden I was pleasantly surprised to discover a very successful community fiber project in Vasteras Sweden. The local electrical utility Malarenergi has developed a unique and very successful solution for deploying FTTH to over 50% of the homes with an amazing 53 take up rate. They have over 30,000 customers and this is in despite of stiff competition from both a local telephone and cable company. More amazingly they have only a staff of less tan 18 FTEs to operate and manage the network. The Malarenergi is also a good example of how banks can play an important role in financing customer owned last mile networks. The banks have the security of the home to loan against and provide low cost financing - and they are not in the business of running networks. In Amsterdam the ING bank is a major financier of the Amsterdam FTTH project. As well a Swedish home can reduce 650 USD from the infrastructure cost in a tax reduction, which is another significant incentive for homes to get connected with fiber. For single homes Malarenergi have two kinds of customers. 1) Those who are organized in a community or condominium. This community makes agreements regarding cable Tv etc 2) Those who are stand alone customers. In the former case the network is a LAN which is purchased and owned by the community in that area. The juridical person is the community who can take loans and rent the networks out to the different homes. Two banks provides financing. For the individual home the customers usually arranges their own financing for the fiber by loaning on their house. The typical cost for the fiber is $USD 2800. For both types the Malarenergi sales pitch is 1) Futureproof. Malarenergi does not start building unless 60% or more of the homes in that area sign up. Most people do not want to be left behind. The homes increases in value (ap/prox 6500 USD according to some firms. See the sign up page http://stadsnat.malarnetcity.se/villa/ 2) Freedom of choice of the services. This means competition and valuable services. See for example internet prices http://www.malarnetcity.se/services/services.php?category=Privatpersoner&kin d=Internet 100 Mbps for less than $40 a month and a choice of at least 20 ISPs including Telia - the local telephone incumbent 3) The cost for the new fiber infrastructure spread out over 10 years is about (20-25 USD/month) plus 10 mbps internet (22 USD/month)is cheaper than an equivalent ADSL service. The network technology is provided by a company called PacketFront - www.packetfront.com which uses web services to allow customers to do their own provisioning and selection of service providers. Thanks to Matt Wenger of PacketFront and Robert Kelljberg of Malarenergi for this information -- BSA] ------------------------------------- To SUBSCRIBE: send a blank e-mail message to news-join at canarie.ca To UNSUBSCRIBE: send a blank email message to news-leave at canarie.ca ------------------------------------- These news items and comments are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the CANARIE board or management. ----------- Bill.St.Arnaud at canarie.ca www.canarie.ca/~bstarn skype: pocketpro SkypeIn: +1 614 441-9603 http://www.fraserinstitute.org/ http://www.canarie.ca/canet4/library/customer/Last_Mile_Customer_Owned_Netw… :- If one isn't getting this link go to google's cache & read the same as html. http://www.frankston.com/ Engage, debate, say what u will , hoping for a better tomorrow :) -- Regards, Shirish Agarwal This email is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ 065C 6D79 A68C E7EA 52B3 8D70 950D 53FB 729A 8B17

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WORKSHOP by Moving Republic in vibgyor 2008
by MOBIN M 13 Feb '08

13 Feb '08

WORKSHOP BY MOVING REPUBLIC http://movingrepublic.org/ Date : February 14 and 15 Event: Vibgyor 2008- short and documentary film festival http://2008.vibgyorfilm.com/ Schedule : Workshop1- Towards hactivist media culture; Introduction to free software video production Date : February 14 Time :10-12A.M Place : Town Hall, Thrissur Workshop2- Towards hactivist media culture; Introduction to free software audio production Date : February 15 Time :10-12A.M Place : Town Hall, Thrissur Talkers: Anivar Aravind Hiran Venugopal Suresh P Krishnanunni

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Microsoft is like the Matrix
by Praveen A 04 Feb '08

04 Feb '08

MORPHEUS We are trained in this world to accept only what is rational and logical. Have you ever wondered why? As children, we do not separate the possible from the impossible which is why the younger a mind is the easier it is to free, while a mind like yours can be very difficult. NEO Free from what? MORPHEUS From the Microsoft. Do you want to know what it is, Neo? It's that feeling you have had all your life. That feeling that something was wrong with the world. You don't know what it is but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad, driving you to me. But what is it? The Microsoft is everywhere, its products are all around us, here even in this room. You can see it out your window, or on your television. You feel it when you go to work, or go to church or pay your taxes. The computers use Microsoft products everywhere. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. NEO What truth? MORPHEUS That you are a slave, Neo. Read the full story http://siryes.blogspot.com/2008/01/microsoft-is-like-matrix.html Really superb. -- പ്രവീണ്‍ അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില്‍ <GPLv2> I know my rights; I want my phone call! <DRM> What use is a phone call, if you are unable to speak? (as seen on /.) Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now! http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign

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Fsf-friends February 2008