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News
Oracle Stakes Claim in Open-Source 'R' Language 'R' - CFOworld
Oracle Stakes Claim in Open-Source 'R' Language 'R'
CFOworld
By Chris Kanaracus Oracle is hoping to carve out a prominent place in the world of "R," the open-source statistical modeling language with roots in academia but an increasingly high profile in enterprise IT shops. It announced a new Advanced Analytics ...
Oracle Analytics Package Expands In-Database Processing OptionsInformationWeek
Oracle launches Advanced Analytics for R modeling languageInfoWorld
all 24 news articles »
Open source based workflow management systems - CIOL
CIOL
Open source based workflow management systems
CIOL
They manage to do this by keeping their own costs under control with the help of open source software. We interacted with the founding director of the company, Manish Dhingra to know more about their tryst with open source. Q> What Open Source software ...
Weave open-source data visualization offers power, flexibility - Computerworld
Computerworld
Weave open-source data visualization offers power, flexibility
Computerworld
By Sharon Machlis Computerworld - When two Boston-area organizations rolled out an interactive data visualization website last month, it represented one of the largest public uses yet for the open-source project Weave -- and more are on the way.
HP releases Android on TouchPad code to happy hackers - SlashGear
Android Community
HP releases Android on TouchPad code to happy hackers
SlashGear
The version of Android that those tablets were running has now been gifted from HP to the open-source geeks of the world. HP never did figure out how exactly those tablets shipped with Android pre-installed. The tablets shipping with Android created a ...
HP Releases TouchPad's Android Debug Kernel Source CodePhoneNews.com
HP releases source code for its internal TouchPad Android kernel to CyanogenModAndroid Community
HP releases Android TouchPad kernel, CyanogenMod to see improved featuresThe Next Web (blog)
all 14 news articles »
Government Imposes Time Allocation on Bill C-11
Government House Leader Peter Van Loan announced yesterday that the government is imposing time allocation on the second reading debate on Bill C-11. That means debate on the bill should conclude on Friday and the bill will be sent to committee for further hearings and review. While the government's overuse of time allocation is a concern, sending C-11 to committee places the core issues on the table - will it amend the digital lock rules as so many are asking and/or will it cave to copyright lobby pressure and add SOPA-style amendments to the bill? Now is the time to speak out.
"Bill C-11 Is No SOPA": My Response
Barry Sookman, lawyer and registered lobbyist for the Canadian
Recording Industry Association (now Music Canada), the Motion Pictures
Association - Canada, and Canadian Publishers Council, has an op-ed
in the National Post claiming that concerns that proposed amendments to
Bill C-11 could result in SOPA-style rules in Canada are the stuff of
wild claims and hysteria.
The short response is that Sookman's column - along with his clients - downplay the dramatic impact of their proposed amendments. Their proposed amendments to C-11 would radically alter the bill by constraining consumer provisions, heaping greater liability risk on Internet companies, and introducing website blocking and Internet termination to Canada. Several of these provisions are very similar in approach to SOPA in the U.S. and the comparison is both apt and accurate. Moreover, the column leaves the false impression that Bill C-11's digital lock rules are standard when they are widely opposed by numerous stakeholders that Sookman would not dare to call anti-copyright.
There is much more to take issue with in the column and I've done so in paragraph-by-paragraph format below. Sookman's column is posted in italics and my response immediately follows:
While hysterical predictions about copyright reform in Canada have been ratcheted up yet again, this time the claims are so outrageous that they can perhaps best be described as having âjumped the shark.â Canadians are being told that Bill C-11, an act to amend Canadaâs outdated copyright law, could be used to shut down popular websites such as YouTube, fundamentally change the Internet, sabotage online freedoms and hog-tie innovators.
Further details on how the proposed amendments to Bill C-11 could be used to target YouTube are available here and discussed in greater detail below. As noted in the post, the language in the bill - if combined with amendments supported by Sookman's clients - could be used to target legitimate sites such as YouTube. Those same proposed amendments call for website blocking and ISP policies that could lead to loss of Internet service.
Activist organizations are urging Canadians to protest what they call the impending Bill C-11 âInternet lockdown.â Making wild claims about the bill that have no basis in reality are groups such as OpenMedia and Avaaz and illicit businesses who sell hacking devices for pirated video games, all urging online protests and all relying on the hyperbolic musings from University of Ottawa academic Michael Geist of what might or possibly or could one day happen. To fully ratchet up the frenzy, these groups are claiming attempts are being made to bring U.S.-style legislation to Canada.
I have written in detail about the SOPA-style rules including website blocking and expansion of liability for sites that could even cover legitimate sites here and here. The concerns about an "Internet lockdown" likely stem from the recording industry's demand for ISP provisions that could lead to termination of Internet services.
These warnings are an attempt to exploit the controversy and unpopular anti-copyright sentiments about the much-misunderstood U.S. legislation in Congress called the Stop Online Piracy Act, and to derail parts of Bill C-11 and proposals to amend it. It doesnât seem to matter that SOPA and Bill C-11 are entirely different pieces of legislation, with different goals and legislative text. Canadians should examine the facts and see the hysteria for what it is.
SOPA and C-11 are different pieces of legislation as I emphasized in an FAQ on the issue. What matters is the substance of the provisions in C-11 and the proposed changes that would add SOPA-style provisions to the bill.
Bill C-11 contains many provisions that would greatly expand the freedoms of Canadians to copy creative products under new exceptions for format shifting, time shifting and creating mash-ups. ISPs and other online service providers would have new wide exceptions when they act as neutral intermediaries. The bill also proposes new exceptions for broadcasters and to support learning and education. With these new exceptions, Canadaâs copyright law would become one of the most user-friendly, if not by far the most user-friendly, in the world. An Internet lockdown? Hardly.
Bill C-11 certainly includes some user-friendly provisions. From the day the bill was introduced, I have argued that there are many aspect of the bill that deserve support. In fact, a review of the transcript of my committee appearance shows I was more supportive of the bill than Sookman, who appeared on the same day. The public has become concerned, however, because Sookman's clients are seeking radical amendments that would scale back even the user-focused provisions. The proposed amendments (this is their document, not mine) includes limitations on the format shifting, time shifting, and user generated content provisions, restrictions on the ISP provisions, and elimination of the broadcaster provision. To suggest that the bill is user-friendly while simultaneously seeking to change those provisions amounts to a classic bait and switch.
Bill C-11 also proposes amendments to provide legal protection for technological protection measures (a.k.a. digital locks or TPMs) that safeguard intellectual property products. These amendments would use internationally accepted measures to support new business models and innovation in digital products and services such as online music and movie streaming services.
This is by far the most contentious aspect of the bill with a digital lock approach that is widely opposed by both major opposition parties, business groups, creator associations, consumer groups, and education associations. The issue is not whether to provide legal protection for digital locks, but rather how to do so in a manner that supports businesses and retains the copyright balance. The Canadian approach goes far beyond international requirements and raises legitimate fears about its impact on consumer property rights, free speech, and privacy. More information on the digital lock rules here.
The SOPA rhetoric has led opponents of legal protection for TPMs to mount further opposition to Bill C-11 by trying to link the anti-copyright sentiments about SOPA to the TPM provisions in Bill C-11, arguing, for example, that they are the âCanadian version of SOPA.â They do this even though there is no connection whatsoever between them.
The argument is that some of the proposed amendments to C-11 are the Canadian version of SOPA. Bill C-11 as it stands is better characterized as the Canadian DMCA, since it largely mirrors the digital lock approach found in that legislation. I discussed this point during my appearance on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight.
Bill C-11 also proposes an amendment intended to make it an infringement of copyright for a person using the Internet to knowingly enable copyright infringement. The poster children for this legislation are BitTorrent sites such as IsoHunt.com that have been found to facilitate the distribution of files, 95% to 99% of which are infringing. Other targets of the enablement provision are sites such as Megaupload.com, a cyber locker site whose principals were just indicted for criminal copyright infringement. The FBI estimates that the founder, Kim Dotcom, personally made $115,000 a day from his network of sites.
In 2008, Sookman sent isoHunt a cease and desist letter that threatened legal action that would seek up to $20,000 per infringement. That letter was based on current Canadian copyright law. In 2010, Sookman's firm filed a lawsuit against isoHunt, citing a long list of copyright infringing activities based on current law. IsoHunt may be the poster child for the enabler provision, but Sookman is the poster child for how current Canadian law can be used to target these same sites.
This provision is currently worded to apply only to sites that are âdesigned primarily to enable acts of copyright infringement.â Mr. Geist claims that clarifying the wording to expressly cover services that are âprimarily operated to enable infringement or induce infringementâ could be used to shut down sites such as YouTube and would stifle innovation. These claims are ridiculous, though not surprising given his historical antipathy to laws designed to protect the creative industries from theft.
The amendments proposed by the recording industry are not "clarifications" of the enabler provision. They represent a significant expansion of the provision that would risk being applied to legitimate sites as well. I provide a full analysis of why the expanded provision could be used to target sites such as YouTube here.
To be clear, SOPA was intended to target foreign rogue websites that would already be illegal under U.S. copyright law if those sites were operated from the U.S. Bill C-11 is not about foreign pirate sites: It is Canadaâs attempt to establish rules about what is and isnât legal in Canada. This is long overdue. The fact that Canada has not updated its copyright laws to deal with the Internet environment has led to our reputation as a haven for internet piracy operations both with our trading partners and pirate operators including Megauploadâs Kim Dotcom.
As noted above, Sookman's legal threats and lawsuits make it clear that he thinks these sites are illegal under current Canadian law. Canada's reputation as a piracy haven is due to the hyperbolic claims of Sookman and his clients. The Business Software Allianceâs annual Global Piracy Report shows Canada among the 15 lowest piracy countries in the world with the Canadian piracy rate at an all-time low. The Canadian Motion Pictures Distributors Association has acknowledged that illegal camcording had largely disappeared from the Canadian market. In 2010, the World Economic Forum found that global executives rank Canadian intellectual property protection ahead of the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and most of Europe. Canada is a world leader in digital music sales that even the Canadian Recording Industry Association now characterizes as a commercial opportunity.
The current wave of opposition to the amendments appears to be an opportunist effort to turn the tide on effective copyright reform by leveraging anti-SOPA public opinion. The amendments that are being objected to were first tabled before the Parliamentary Committee examining Bill C-32 in March 2011 and were publically disseminated even by Mr. Geist, well before the SOPA ruckus. At that time there was no public opposition to the proposed amendments as going too far.
The Bill C-32 committee solicited comments and proposed amendments from all Canadians. It received dozens of submissions, but none were posted online or made publicly available. I obtained copies of the submissions last summer after Bill C-32 died on the order paper as part of a request from the committee clerk. There was no public opposition to the proposed amendments because few people were actually aware of the specifics. Moreover, by Sookman's standard, there were no objections to the dozens of suggested changes, the majority of which called for reforms to the digital lock rules.
The new argument that amendments would cover sites such as YouTube is spurious. Bill C-11 provides a series of criteria that a court would need to consider in determining if a site primarily enables infringement. The targeted sites are those: promoted to enable acts of infringement; that know they are being used to enable significant infringements; that have no significant uses other than enabling infringement; that benefit from enabling infringement; and that would be economically unviable but for enabling infringement. The types of sites that would be affected are such sites as IsoHunt and Megaupload, the very wealth-destroying âinnovatorsâ the bill targets.
I outlined how the specific criteria could applied to YouTube here. To repeat, contrast the Bill C-11 criteria that a court may consider with Viacom's claims against YouTube, as found in its appellate brief:
Bill C-11
Viacom's Claims
whether the person expressly or implicitly marketed or promoted the service as one that could be used to enable acts of copyright infringement
"YouTubeâs founders built an integrated media entertainment business, in the district courtâs words, by âwelcom[ing] copyright-infringing material being placed on their website.â That copyrighted material was âattractive to usersâ and âenhanced defendantsâ income from advertisements,â enabling YouTubeâs founders to sell the business to Google for $1.65 billion."
whether the person had knowledge that the service was used to enable a significant number of acts of copyright infringement
"Almost immediately after YouTube came online, YouTube became aware of widespread infringement on its site. And it was the copyrighted videosânot home moviesâthat people flocked to YouTube to see."
whether the service has significant uses other than to enable acts of copyright infringement
"In their written presentation to Googleâs board and senior management, Googleâs financial advisors stated that 60 percent of YouTubeâs views were âpremiumâ âi.e., copyrightedâand only 10 percent of the premium videos were licensed."
the personâs ability, as part of providing the service, to limit acts of copyright infringement, and any action taken by the person to do so
"Dunton similarly put a stop to efforts to implement software that would notify copyright owners when infringing videos were uploaded. Even though a YouTube engineer said that implementing an automated anti-infringement tool to alert copyright owners when suspected infringing content was uploaded âisnât hardâ and would âtake another day or [weekend],â Dunton ordered the engineer to âforget about the email alerts stuffâ because âweâre just trying to cover our asses so we donât get sued.â"
any benefits the person received as a result of enabling the acts of copyright
infringement
"Unable to compete with YouTubeâs pirated content, in late 2006, Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion."
the economic viability of the provision of the service if it were not used to enable acts of copyright infringement
"As early as June of 2005, YouTubeâs Internet service provider complained that YouTube was violating its user agreement by, YouTube founder Steve Chen believed, âhosting copyrighted content.â But Chen resolved that YouTube was ânot about to take down content because our ISP is giving us shit.â And, in emails with the other founders, he later remarked âwe need to attract traffic. . . . [T]he only reason why our traffic surged was due to a video of this typeââi.e., copyrighted and unauthorized"
The government has acknowledged that technical amendments to Bill C-11 are required. A healthy debate based on facts can be expected as Parliamentâs Special Legislative Committee continues to consider it, and thoughtful debate is always helpful in ensuring a proposed law meets its objectives. But letâs not be fooled by Chicken Little claims. Canadians will all be hurt if the debate continues to be marred by political opportunism and misinformation spread for political purposes.
If there has been political opportunism and misinformation, it has been the consistent mischaracterization of Canadian law by groups such as CRIA and their representatives, which sue on the one hand and lobby for reform on the other. The fact that tens of thousands of Canadians have woken up to Bill C-11 and the radical proposed amendments supported by Sookman's clients is a welcome development, one that will help ensure a full debate with politicians from all parties better aware of where Canadians stand on copyright reform.
The short response is that Sookman's column - along with his clients - downplay the dramatic impact of their proposed amendments. Their proposed amendments to C-11 would radically alter the bill by constraining consumer provisions, heaping greater liability risk on Internet companies, and introducing website blocking and Internet termination to Canada. Several of these provisions are very similar in approach to SOPA in the U.S. and the comparison is both apt and accurate. Moreover, the column leaves the false impression that Bill C-11's digital lock rules are standard when they are widely opposed by numerous stakeholders that Sookman would not dare to call anti-copyright.
There is much more to take issue with in the column and I've done so in paragraph-by-paragraph format below. Sookman's column is posted in italics and my response immediately follows:
While hysterical predictions about copyright reform in Canada have been ratcheted up yet again, this time the claims are so outrageous that they can perhaps best be described as having âjumped the shark.â Canadians are being told that Bill C-11, an act to amend Canadaâs outdated copyright law, could be used to shut down popular websites such as YouTube, fundamentally change the Internet, sabotage online freedoms and hog-tie innovators.
Further details on how the proposed amendments to Bill C-11 could be used to target YouTube are available here and discussed in greater detail below. As noted in the post, the language in the bill - if combined with amendments supported by Sookman's clients - could be used to target legitimate sites such as YouTube. Those same proposed amendments call for website blocking and ISP policies that could lead to loss of Internet service.
Activist organizations are urging Canadians to protest what they call the impending Bill C-11 âInternet lockdown.â Making wild claims about the bill that have no basis in reality are groups such as OpenMedia and Avaaz and illicit businesses who sell hacking devices for pirated video games, all urging online protests and all relying on the hyperbolic musings from University of Ottawa academic Michael Geist of what might or possibly or could one day happen. To fully ratchet up the frenzy, these groups are claiming attempts are being made to bring U.S.-style legislation to Canada.
I have written in detail about the SOPA-style rules including website blocking and expansion of liability for sites that could even cover legitimate sites here and here. The concerns about an "Internet lockdown" likely stem from the recording industry's demand for ISP provisions that could lead to termination of Internet services.
These warnings are an attempt to exploit the controversy and unpopular anti-copyright sentiments about the much-misunderstood U.S. legislation in Congress called the Stop Online Piracy Act, and to derail parts of Bill C-11 and proposals to amend it. It doesnât seem to matter that SOPA and Bill C-11 are entirely different pieces of legislation, with different goals and legislative text. Canadians should examine the facts and see the hysteria for what it is.
SOPA and C-11 are different pieces of legislation as I emphasized in an FAQ on the issue. What matters is the substance of the provisions in C-11 and the proposed changes that would add SOPA-style provisions to the bill.
Bill C-11 contains many provisions that would greatly expand the freedoms of Canadians to copy creative products under new exceptions for format shifting, time shifting and creating mash-ups. ISPs and other online service providers would have new wide exceptions when they act as neutral intermediaries. The bill also proposes new exceptions for broadcasters and to support learning and education. With these new exceptions, Canadaâs copyright law would become one of the most user-friendly, if not by far the most user-friendly, in the world. An Internet lockdown? Hardly.
Bill C-11 certainly includes some user-friendly provisions. From the day the bill was introduced, I have argued that there are many aspect of the bill that deserve support. In fact, a review of the transcript of my committee appearance shows I was more supportive of the bill than Sookman, who appeared on the same day. The public has become concerned, however, because Sookman's clients are seeking radical amendments that would scale back even the user-focused provisions. The proposed amendments (this is their document, not mine) includes limitations on the format shifting, time shifting, and user generated content provisions, restrictions on the ISP provisions, and elimination of the broadcaster provision. To suggest that the bill is user-friendly while simultaneously seeking to change those provisions amounts to a classic bait and switch.
Bill C-11 also proposes amendments to provide legal protection for technological protection measures (a.k.a. digital locks or TPMs) that safeguard intellectual property products. These amendments would use internationally accepted measures to support new business models and innovation in digital products and services such as online music and movie streaming services.
This is by far the most contentious aspect of the bill with a digital lock approach that is widely opposed by both major opposition parties, business groups, creator associations, consumer groups, and education associations. The issue is not whether to provide legal protection for digital locks, but rather how to do so in a manner that supports businesses and retains the copyright balance. The Canadian approach goes far beyond international requirements and raises legitimate fears about its impact on consumer property rights, free speech, and privacy. More information on the digital lock rules here.
The SOPA rhetoric has led opponents of legal protection for TPMs to mount further opposition to Bill C-11 by trying to link the anti-copyright sentiments about SOPA to the TPM provisions in Bill C-11, arguing, for example, that they are the âCanadian version of SOPA.â They do this even though there is no connection whatsoever between them.
The argument is that some of the proposed amendments to C-11 are the Canadian version of SOPA. Bill C-11 as it stands is better characterized as the Canadian DMCA, since it largely mirrors the digital lock approach found in that legislation. I discussed this point during my appearance on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight.
Bill C-11 also proposes an amendment intended to make it an infringement of copyright for a person using the Internet to knowingly enable copyright infringement. The poster children for this legislation are BitTorrent sites such as IsoHunt.com that have been found to facilitate the distribution of files, 95% to 99% of which are infringing. Other targets of the enablement provision are sites such as Megaupload.com, a cyber locker site whose principals were just indicted for criminal copyright infringement. The FBI estimates that the founder, Kim Dotcom, personally made $115,000 a day from his network of sites.
In 2008, Sookman sent isoHunt a cease and desist letter that threatened legal action that would seek up to $20,000 per infringement. That letter was based on current Canadian copyright law. In 2010, Sookman's firm filed a lawsuit against isoHunt, citing a long list of copyright infringing activities based on current law. IsoHunt may be the poster child for the enabler provision, but Sookman is the poster child for how current Canadian law can be used to target these same sites.
This provision is currently worded to apply only to sites that are âdesigned primarily to enable acts of copyright infringement.â Mr. Geist claims that clarifying the wording to expressly cover services that are âprimarily operated to enable infringement or induce infringementâ could be used to shut down sites such as YouTube and would stifle innovation. These claims are ridiculous, though not surprising given his historical antipathy to laws designed to protect the creative industries from theft.
The amendments proposed by the recording industry are not "clarifications" of the enabler provision. They represent a significant expansion of the provision that would risk being applied to legitimate sites as well. I provide a full analysis of why the expanded provision could be used to target sites such as YouTube here.
To be clear, SOPA was intended to target foreign rogue websites that would already be illegal under U.S. copyright law if those sites were operated from the U.S. Bill C-11 is not about foreign pirate sites: It is Canadaâs attempt to establish rules about what is and isnât legal in Canada. This is long overdue. The fact that Canada has not updated its copyright laws to deal with the Internet environment has led to our reputation as a haven for internet piracy operations both with our trading partners and pirate operators including Megauploadâs Kim Dotcom.
As noted above, Sookman's legal threats and lawsuits make it clear that he thinks these sites are illegal under current Canadian law. Canada's reputation as a piracy haven is due to the hyperbolic claims of Sookman and his clients. The Business Software Allianceâs annual Global Piracy Report shows Canada among the 15 lowest piracy countries in the world with the Canadian piracy rate at an all-time low. The Canadian Motion Pictures Distributors Association has acknowledged that illegal camcording had largely disappeared from the Canadian market. In 2010, the World Economic Forum found that global executives rank Canadian intellectual property protection ahead of the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and most of Europe. Canada is a world leader in digital music sales that even the Canadian Recording Industry Association now characterizes as a commercial opportunity.
The current wave of opposition to the amendments appears to be an opportunist effort to turn the tide on effective copyright reform by leveraging anti-SOPA public opinion. The amendments that are being objected to were first tabled before the Parliamentary Committee examining Bill C-32 in March 2011 and were publically disseminated even by Mr. Geist, well before the SOPA ruckus. At that time there was no public opposition to the proposed amendments as going too far.
The Bill C-32 committee solicited comments and proposed amendments from all Canadians. It received dozens of submissions, but none were posted online or made publicly available. I obtained copies of the submissions last summer after Bill C-32 died on the order paper as part of a request from the committee clerk. There was no public opposition to the proposed amendments because few people were actually aware of the specifics. Moreover, by Sookman's standard, there were no objections to the dozens of suggested changes, the majority of which called for reforms to the digital lock rules.
The new argument that amendments would cover sites such as YouTube is spurious. Bill C-11 provides a series of criteria that a court would need to consider in determining if a site primarily enables infringement. The targeted sites are those: promoted to enable acts of infringement; that know they are being used to enable significant infringements; that have no significant uses other than enabling infringement; that benefit from enabling infringement; and that would be economically unviable but for enabling infringement. The types of sites that would be affected are such sites as IsoHunt and Megaupload, the very wealth-destroying âinnovatorsâ the bill targets.
I outlined how the specific criteria could applied to YouTube here. To repeat, contrast the Bill C-11 criteria that a court may consider with Viacom's claims against YouTube, as found in its appellate brief:
Bill C-11
Viacom's Claims
whether the person expressly or implicitly marketed or promoted the service as one that could be used to enable acts of copyright infringement
"YouTubeâs founders built an integrated media entertainment business, in the district courtâs words, by âwelcom[ing] copyright-infringing material being placed on their website.â That copyrighted material was âattractive to usersâ and âenhanced defendantsâ income from advertisements,â enabling YouTubeâs founders to sell the business to Google for $1.65 billion."
whether the person had knowledge that the service was used to enable a significant number of acts of copyright infringement
"Almost immediately after YouTube came online, YouTube became aware of widespread infringement on its site. And it was the copyrighted videosânot home moviesâthat people flocked to YouTube to see."
whether the service has significant uses other than to enable acts of copyright infringement
"In their written presentation to Googleâs board and senior management, Googleâs financial advisors stated that 60 percent of YouTubeâs views were âpremiumâ âi.e., copyrightedâand only 10 percent of the premium videos were licensed."
the personâs ability, as part of providing the service, to limit acts of copyright infringement, and any action taken by the person to do so
"Dunton similarly put a stop to efforts to implement software that would notify copyright owners when infringing videos were uploaded. Even though a YouTube engineer said that implementing an automated anti-infringement tool to alert copyright owners when suspected infringing content was uploaded âisnât hardâ and would âtake another day or [weekend],â Dunton ordered the engineer to âforget about the email alerts stuffâ because âweâre just trying to cover our asses so we donât get sued.â"
any benefits the person received as a result of enabling the acts of copyright
infringement
"Unable to compete with YouTubeâs pirated content, in late 2006, Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion."
the economic viability of the provision of the service if it were not used to enable acts of copyright infringement
"As early as June of 2005, YouTubeâs Internet service provider complained that YouTube was violating its user agreement by, YouTube founder Steve Chen believed, âhosting copyrighted content.â But Chen resolved that YouTube was ânot about to take down content because our ISP is giving us shit.â And, in emails with the other founders, he later remarked âwe need to attract traffic. . . . [T]he only reason why our traffic surged was due to a video of this typeââi.e., copyrighted and unauthorized"
The government has acknowledged that technical amendments to Bill C-11 are required. A healthy debate based on facts can be expected as Parliamentâs Special Legislative Committee continues to consider it, and thoughtful debate is always helpful in ensuring a proposed law meets its objectives. But letâs not be fooled by Chicken Little claims. Canadians will all be hurt if the debate continues to be marred by political opportunism and misinformation spread for political purposes.
If there has been political opportunism and misinformation, it has been the consistent mischaracterization of Canadian law by groups such as CRIA and their representatives, which sue on the one hand and lobby for reform on the other. The fact that tens of thousands of Canadians have woken up to Bill C-11 and the radical proposed amendments supported by Sookman's clients is a welcome development, one that will help ensure a full debate with politicians from all parties better aware of where Canadians stand on copyright reform.
Rockbox developer interview: Open source firmware for MP3 players - IDG News Service
Rockbox developer interview: Open source firmware for MP3 players
IDG News Service
Techworld Australia recently caught up with some of the developers of Rockbox to discuss the open source project, which is designed to replace the firmware shipped on MP3 players and portable media players. Techworld Australia recently caught up with ...
NGINX Adds Support for Open Source Web Server - Server Watch
NGINX Adds Support for Open Source Web Server
Server Watch
By Sean Michael Kerner (Send Email) The open source nginx web server has been gaining in popularity in recent months. According to at least one survey, nginx is now in fact the second most popular web server used for active domains.
NGINX Launches Commercial Support for Its World Renowned Open Source Web ServerMarketWatch (press release)
all 5 news articles »
50 Open Source Tools That Could Help You Find (or Keep) a Valentine - Datamation
50 Open Source Tools That Could Help You Find (or Keep) a Valentine
Datamation
Don't panic if you haven't planned the perfect date yet -- the open source community has you covered. In honor of the season, we've put together a list of open source tools for romantics. If you're looking for the perfect gift, we found open source ...
Nokia Belle released
"People who have the latest Symbian Nokia smartphones can now update them to Nokia Belle - bringing a fresh look to their screens thanks to the latest user interface. Once you have installed Nokia Belle you will still have the same phone, but it will feel like new, with improved performance." Love the version name.
Categories: News
ReactOS 0.3.14 released
Oh ReactOS. This project has been with us for a very long time now, and since day one, I never really knew what to think of it. They always seem to be running at least 300 miles behind the Win32 bandwagon, but what they've accomplished so far is insanely impressive nonetheless. This new release comes with quite a lot of new stuff.
Categories: News
RIM's Blackberry 10 native SDK will be open source
"Research in Motion has said the native software development kit for Blackberry 10 will be committed to open source. The firm, which has a history of basing its business on being a closed system, is shifting more and more to open source. Its upcoming Blackberry 10 native SDK will include many open source code resources."
Categories: News
OpenStack Decides to Remove Hyper-V From Essex Release - Huffington Post
OpenStack Decides to Remove Hyper-V From Essex Release
Huffington Post
OpenStack, the largest collaboration on open source cloud computing in the world, decided to remove the code that supports Hyper-V despite a statement from Microsoft that pledged a "commitment" to working with OpenStack to resolve the issues with the ...
and more »
Bloomberg Open Sources its Market Data Distribution Technology - NY Convergence
Bloomberg Open Sources its Market Data Distribution Technology
NY Convergence
This is truly open source, free use,” Edwards told Wall Street & Technology. Bloomberg believes the move will make their product even more competitive. “We sell market data systems and that is our business,” Edwards told Wall Street & Technology.
Facebook may open source some of its back-end code this year - Digitaltrends.com
Facebook may open source some of its back-end code this year
Digitaltrends.com
We hope to open source the project some time this year.” While Facebook opened its API long ago to developers so they could build applications on top of its product, the site is far from open-source. Advocates of the standard would cut your tongue out ...
Facebook may release its core C++ library this yearZDNet (blog)
all 2 news articles »
Android open source could lose bundled browser, but Chromium will fill the gap - The Verge
TIME
Android open source could lose bundled browser, but Chromium will fill the gap
The Verge
This means that once Chrome fully replaces Browser on Android, there will no longer be a browser that's a part of the open source Android. In other words, the Android Open Source Project — the core build of Android that's freely available to anyone ...
Google Releases Chrome For AndroidInformationWeek
Google's Android+Chrome likely a winning comboZDNet (blog)
Chrome Finally Comes to AndroidNew York Times (blog)
The Guardian -Know Your Mobile -MobileSyrup.com
all 370 news articles »
'The Apple fanboy problem'
Let this be a lesson. After posts by John Gruber and Shawn King, this happened to Violet Blue. "The misinformation gave a significant number of people fuel to stalk me, attack me for hours at a time, malign, insult me in disgusting ways, threaten me with weapon-specific violent death (an axe), and lead social media attempts to force me to lose my job over the matter. Many referenced John Gruber, and/or his post as they did this. Plans were openly made to make media to attack me - another Angry Mac Bastards podcast." Disgusting story, and sadly enough, this isn't the first time this has happened, as Blue notes in her article. I don't like talking about these matters (you don't want to know the kind of crap that gets thrown my way at times), but I can assure you my inbox has seen its share of pure vitriol after Gruber links to an OSNews piece. It ain't pretty.
Categories: News
Super-communities emerging to serve open source vertical supply chains - ZDNet (blog)
ZDNet (blog)
Super-communities emerging to serve open source vertical supply chains
ZDNet (blog)
These vertically-oriented super-communities, the Olliance Group point out, serve the needs of all players in open source supply chains. The emergence of super-communities –vertically-driven open source communities — is ongoing and will be a key trend ...
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Cloud proves that OldSQL is still cool - Register
Cloud proves that OldSQL is still cool
Register
While Oracle has faced down challenges to its core database business before from open source, the cloud presents an even thornier problem. If the world wants NoSQL and its ilk, will Oracle be forced to capitulate? In part this is because the relational ...
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RIM's Blackberry 10 Native SDK will be open source - Inquirer
CTV.ca
RIM's Blackberry 10 Native SDK will be open source
Inquirer
By Chris Martin in Amsterdam CANADIAN PHONE MAKER Research in Motion (RIM) has said the Native software development kit (SDK) for Blackberry 10 will be committed to open source. The firm, which has a history of basing its business on being a closed ...
RIM BlackBerrys to be replaced by Apple iPhones at Halliburton, US military ...Toronto Star
BlackBerry DevCon Europe 2012, effortless new user paradigm or same old same old?ComputerWeekly.com (blog)
BBDevCon 2012: RIM's Sean Paul Taylor on providing robust game development ...Pocket Gamer.Biz
Mobiledia
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