Code Patents

[Aitch]

Hi

Recent legal development looks grim

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7307375.stm

Where do you stand on this?

Is there an official puppy line? (If anyone asks?)

Does this endanger the 3 laws of robotics, in the future?

After all, it's more 'contracted' controlled code

see Professor Lawrence Lessig's book Code 2, here

http://codev2.cc/about/

Should code be open? Like Speech?


Aitch

[MU]

Please look here, at bottom:

http://puppylinux.com/faq.htm
Q: What are the legal details?

My own scripts are usually GPL V3, though I often forget to add license-info
My Basic-compilers are LGPL, as they use code that was released under this license.

I think Open Source is the best solution for companies.
I know several companies, that bought closed software years ago.
The companies they bought it from do no longer exist, so it is very complicated and expensive to use the existing data with new programs/operating systems.
A workaround sometimes is Dosbox, but that does not solve everything.
If those programs were Open Source, it would be easier to write converters.

Mark

[Aitch]

@MU

thanks Mark

The companies they bought it from do no longer exist, so it is very complicated and expensive to use the existing data with new programs/operating systems

I worked in NGOs in the voluntary sector & one of my pet hates was having to show 'compliance', in order to get/keep funding, and I was a lone voice asking people to use/using myself, open source software

We were beaten over the head about doing projects within budget, when sometimes over 35% costs was software/licencing/updates

If those programs were Open Source, it would be easier to write converters.

exactly so
and creativity which drives growth and flow of ideas depends upon just that

I have seen recent articles about national uk spend in education alone sufficient to run a 3rd world country,
And the courts had always held the view that copyright laws covered the area, but to copyright a 'dll' seperately seems bizarre, as it's like copyrighting words in common use and saying if someone uses them then you can claim a royalty

I honestly believe this decision to be the beginning of the end
Edit: This is not just about copyrighting but about patenting a process, a way of writing code!

Future robots can be controlled not by the code that makes them function, but by the accountants and politically minded control freaks, who would enslave use all

My own scripts are usually GPL V3.....My Basic-compilers are LGPL

Have you seen the creative commons licences?, again done by Lawrence Lessig, he's quite a smart cookie, IMHO


puppy rules!

aitch

Edit:
Might have known, Look at the list of players in Symbian Shareholders

http://www.symbian.com/about/fastfacts/fastfacts.html
and the Chairman/Treasury Director man
http://www.defac.ac.uk/our-work/governa ... er-gershon

[Lobster]

puppy rules!

aitch

We have them if using GPL. We do (rule)

We make use of Flash ( proprietrary )
One of the programs I love (Xara) never fully merged open source and commercial.

People are still getting their head around open source.

Do you feel we can take a more active response in
persuading the monoliths that utilise open source
to provide coding, resources for us smaller dogs?

Are there are things we need to examine and be aware of?

[Aitch]

@Lobster

Good serious question at the end

Are there are things we need to examine and be aware of?

Oh so much, it's a mystery to me how so much is going on without getting media coverage

There are 3 main areas which need attention

1/ which puppy addresses, is old hardware
But how many people are aware of corporate/government/local political involvement down to the contracts for recycling being connected to the data mining industry in places like Nigeria
Do a poll of how many people even see old PCs etc in council refuse centres, as many are still landfilled - GGRR Many of those that aren't are being exported intact to be data mined of emails/bank details/bookmark lists/contact lists et al
2/ local political groups, - necessary consultation processes go on in order for local government to get their funding, to give even smaller grants to local groups, who get hooked into annual funding rounds & 'performance monitoring' which includes environmental , racial equality/disabled/ age access to services, financial monitoring with all funding being run in the red & paid as arrears sums including part interest payments, & 'compliance monitoring' - copyright/software policing on behalf of sony/ms/adobe/nokia et al,
Local government often sub licences its corporate software to small local groups who know next to nothing about computers, let alone open source software, and get sucked into this 'necessary evil' since they lose funding for non compliance
3/ IT buyers at local government level
IT supply is a tender process
Some 'genius' writes a spec based on last years use & reading various trade magazines & attending IT exhibitions provided by, you guessed it, 'the major players' at hotel junkets with lush food spreads & talks & demos 'targeted' to IT buyers, who go back & write reports recommending to - you got it , - buy corporate software!!!
There needs to be a concerted attempt to
A) publicise
B) inform
C) educate
D) account - yes finance it - do a costing project for say a school PC using corporate supply vs Open Source/ebayed hardware, then multiply it up to national levels and suggest 'savings'
E) make presentations, like ecomoney did, it's quite old now but still one of the few, & hacao's too
F) link - there are many campaigns going on to publicise support for open source, but the corporates have a raft of monthly computer magazines & reviewers brainwashing users with 'happy meals'
buy one get one free is considered more of a bargain than download this and roll your own

Ironically the topics you have recently posted are as much about waking people from their comfort zone and becoming more conscious and an ideal starting point for a community effort, to go with the new web prescence
Maybe the puppy is growing up & is going to become the faithful friend so many people yearn for, from their box of trix on the floor/table/shelf/cupboard/wherever
It's a shame that both my and raffy's attempts to get education discussed drew a blank, as it's very often the people who 'think' they know something are the inertia in the system preventing change of awareness from happening

That's my take on it

Wanna get active?
The potential to make some business is there as well, since what many do on the forum, could just as easily be an 'online local assist with your linux problem' for local groups venturing into open source
I think they are referred to variously as 'outreach' 'circuit riders' & 'pro bono techs'
In UK support such as there is, is through here
http://www.icthub.org.uk/about/#Core%20Partners
although they don't campaign or really do much publicising - most people have never heard of them
The potential to supply loaded working PCs to disadvantaged groups has always astounded me as to why it doesn't happen
- collectively we'd sooner landfill them than let someone less fortunate have use of them, and there are always projects that need distributed computing power such as 'folding at home'
1000 networked puppy boxes solve dna problem, - could happen
anyways, that's enough from me
.... what do you think?

Some video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twAyI4LP ... re=related

and a contrasting style

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9fqlI9B6QU&NR=1

Aitch

[Aitch]

see here

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 347#184347

aitch

[Pizzasgood]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FncILxaj ... re=related

That dude is proof enough for me that software patents are no good.