X-Git-Url: http://pere.pagekite.me/gitweb/homepage.git/blobdiff_plain/525c8f4d5fe33e5fec2c764cf123c4b2fffeba52..a0a971f55f61855eb0b27b68176b325f2a65995f:/blog/archive/2010/12/index.html diff --git a/blog/archive/2010/12/index.html b/blog/archive/2010/12/index.html index a00b37a1ce..acbe18f9cf 100644 --- a/blog/archive/2010/12/index.html +++ b/blog/archive/2010/12/index.html @@ -23,37 +23,39 @@
- Student group continue the work on my Reprap 3D printer + What standards are Free and Open as defined by Digistan?
- 9th December 2010 + 30th December 2010
-

A few days ago, I was introduces to some students in the robot -student assosiation Robotica -Osloensis at the University of Oslo where I work, who planned to -get their own 3D printer. They wanted to learn from me based on my -work in the area. After having a short lunch meeting with them, I -offered them to borrow my reprap kit, as I never had time to complete -the build and this seem unlike to change any time soon. I look -forward to see how this goes. This monday their volunteer driver -picked up my kit and drove it to their lab, and tomorrow I am told the -last exam is over so they can start work on getting the 3D printer -operational.

+

After trying to +compare +Ogg Theora to +the Digistan +definition of a free and open standard, I concluded that this need +to be done for more standards and started on a framework for doing +this. As a start, I want to get the status for all the standards in +the Norwegian reference directory, which include UTF-8, HTML, PDF, ODF, +JPEG, PNG, SVG and others. But to be able to complete this in a +reasonable time frame, I will need help.

-

The robotic group have already build several robots on their own, -and seem capable of getting the reprap operational. I really look -forward to being able to print all the cool 3D designs published on -Thingiverse. I even got -some 3D scans I got made during Dagen@IFI when one of the groups at -the computer science department at the university demonstrated their -very cool 3D scanner.

+

If you want to help out with this work, please visit +the +wiki pages I have set up for this, and let me know that you want +to help out. The IRC channel #nuug on irc.freenode.net is a good +place to coordinate this for now, as it is the IRC channel for the +NUUG association where I have created the framework (I am the leader +of the Norwegian Unix User Group).

+ +

The framework is still forming, and a lot is left to do. Do not be +scared by the sketchy form of the current pages. :)

- Tags: 3d-printer, english, reprap. + Tags: digistan, english, standard.
@@ -62,411 +64,236 @@ very cool 3D scanner.

- Martin Bekkelund: En stille bønn om Datalagringsdirektivet + The many definitions of a open standard
- 9th December 2010 + 27th December 2010
-

Martin Bekkelund ved -friprog-senteret har skrevet -følgende -korte -oppsummering rundt datalagringsdirektivet, som jeg videreformidler -her.

+

One of the reasons I like the Digistan definition of +"Free and +Open Standard" is that this is a new term, and thus the meaning of +the term has been decided by Digistan. The term "Open Standard" has +become so misunderstood that it is no longer very useful when talking +about standards. One end up discussing which definition is the best +one and with such frame the only one gaining are the proponents of +de-facto standards and proprietary solutions.

-

Det pågår i disse dager en intens diskusjon om -innføring av Datalagringsdirektivet (DLD) i norsk rett. Kanskje -har du gjort deg opp en mening, kanskje er du usikker. I begge -tilfeller ber jeg deg lese videre.

+

But to give us an idea about the diversity of definitions of open +standards, here are a few that I know about. This list is not +complete, but can be a starting point for those that want to do a +complete survey. More definitions are available on the +wikipedia +page.

-

Samtlige fagmiljøer, både i Norge og EU, har konkludert med at -DLD ikke bør -innføres på nåværende tidspunkt. Den tekniske kvaliteten på direktivet -er dårlig, det griper uforholdsmessig inn i personvernet, det har -store mangler og viktige spørsmål som hvem som skal ha tilgang og -hvordan data skal lagres er fortsatt uavklart.

+

First off is my favourite, the definition from the European +Interoperability Framework version 1.0. Really sad to notice that BSA +and others has succeeded in getting it removed from version 2.0 of the +framework by stacking the committee drafting the new version with +their own people. Anyway, the definition is still available and it +include the key properties needed to make sure everyone can use a +specification on equal terms.

+ +
+ +

The following are the minimal characteristics that a specification +and its attendant documents must have in order to be considered an +open standard:

    -
  • EU-ekspertene sier at konsekvensene av Ã¥ benytte vetoretten er minimale
    • -
  • Juristene pÃ¥peker at direktivet er i strid med EMK
    • -
  • Datatilsynet sier direktivet fÃ¥r store konsekvenser for personvernet og at direktivet er irreversibelt
    • -
  • Teknologene sier at sikker lagring ikke er mulig, at det er svært enkelt Ã¥ omgÃ¥ og mulig Ã¥ manipulere data og produsere falske beviser
    • -
  • Pressen sier nei av hensyn til kildevernet
    • -
  • Det er store interne stridigheter i EU. Blant annet har den tyske forfatningsdomstolen funnet at mÃ¥ten DLD er innført pÃ¥ er i strid med tysk grunnlov
    • -
  • Alle de store operatørene og tilbyderne sier nei, av tekniske og personvernmessige Ã¥rsaker
    • + +
  • The standard is adopted and will be maintained by a not-for-profit +organisation, and its ongoing development occurs on the basis of an +open decision-making procedure available to all interested parties +(consensus or majority decision etc.).
    • + +
  • The standard has been published and the standard specification +document is available either freely or at a nominal charge. It must be +permissible to all to copy, distribute and use it for no fee or at a +nominal fee.
    • + +
  • The intellectual property - i.e. patents possibly present - of +(parts of) the standard is made irrevocably available on a royalty- +free basis.
    • + +
  • There are no constraints on the re-use of the standard.
    • +
+
-

Jeg liker å tro at jeg er en hyggelig fyr. Jeg har et rent -rulleblad, og med unntak av to fartsbøter har jeg aldri vært en byrde -for samfunnet. Det akter jeg å fortsette med. Det er mange som meg, -lovlydige, pliktoppfyllende borgere som aldri vil utgjøre en trussel -mot noe som helst. Vi synes derfor det er trist og sårende at all vår -atferd skal overvåkes døgnkontinuerlig.

+

Another one originates from my friends over at +DKUUG, who coined and gathered +support for this +definition in 2004. It even made it into the Danish parlament as +their +definition of a open standard. Another from a different part of +the Danish government is available from the wikipedia page.

-

Understøttet av faglige vurderinger kan du trygt si nei til -DLD.

+
-

Ta kontakt med meg -hvis du har spørsmål om DLD, uansett hva det måtte -gjelde.

+

En åben standard opfylder følgende krav:

-

Denne teksten er å anse som Public -Domain. Spre den videre til alle som kan ha nytte av -den!

-

+
    -

    Siste melding -fra Nettavisen er at regjeringen planlegger å fremme sitt forslag -til implementering av datalagringsdirektivet i morgen, i ly av -fredprisutdelingen for å få minst mulig pressedekning om saken. Vi -får snart se om det stemmer.

    +
  1. Veldokumenteret med den fuldstændige specifikation offentligt +tilgængelig.
    2. -
-
- - - Tags: norsk, personvern. - - -
-
-
- -
-
- Now accepting bitcoins - anonymous and distributed p2p crypto-money -
-
- 10th December 2010 -
-
-

With this weeks lawless -governmental -attacks on Wikileak and -free -speech, it has become obvious that PayPal, visa and mastercard can -not be trusted to handle money transactions. -A blog post from -Simon -Phipps on bitcoin reminded me about a project that a friend of -mine mentioned earlier. I decided to follow Simon's example, and get -involved with BitCoin. I got -some help from my friend to get it all running, and he even handed me -some bitcoins to get started. I even donated a few bitcoins to Simon -for helping me remember BitCoin.

+
  • Frit implementerbar uden økonomiske, politiske eller juridiske +begrænsninger pÃ¥ implementation og anvendelse.
    • -

    So, what is bitcoins, you probably wonder? It is a digital -crypto-currency, decentralised and handled using peer-to-peer -networks. It allows anonymous transactions and prohibits central -control over the transactions, making it impossible for governments -and companies alike to block donations and other transactions. The -source is free software, and while the key dependency wxWidgets 2.9 -for the graphical user interface is missing in Debian, the command -line client builds just fine. Hopefully Jonas -will get the package into -Debian soon.

    +
  • Standardiseret og vedligeholdt i et Ã¥bent forum (en sÃ¥kaldt +"standardiseringsorganisation") via en Ã¥ben proces.
    • -

    Bitcoins can be converted to other currencies, like USD and EUR. -There are companies accepting -bitcoins when selling services and goods, and there are even -currency "stock" markets where the exchange rate is decided. There -are not many users so far, but the concept seems promising. If you -want to get started and lack a friend with any bitcoins to spare, -you can even get -some for free (0.05 -bitcoin at the time of writing). Use -BitcoinWatch to keep an eye -on the current exchange rates.

    + -

    As an experiment, I have decided to set up bitcoind on one of my -machines. If you want to support my activity, please send Bitcoin -donations to the address -15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b. Thank you!

    + -
    -
    - - - Tags: bitcoin, debian, english, personvern, sikkerhet. - - -
    -
    -
    - -
    -
    - Pornoskannerne på flyplassene bedrer visst ikke sikkerheten -
    -
    - 11th December 2010 -
    -
    -

    Via en -blogpost fra Simon Phipps i går, fant jeg en referanse til -en -artikkel i Washington Times som igjen refererer til en artikkel i -det fagfellevurderte tidsskriftet Journal of Transportation Security -med tittelen -"An -evaluation of airport x-ray backscatter units based on image -characteristics" som enkelt konstaterer at -pornoscannerne -som kler av reisende på flyplasser ikke er i stand til å avsløre det -produsenten og amerikanske myndigheter sier de skal avsløre. Kort -sagt, de bedrer ikke sikkerheten. Reisende må altså la ansatte på -flyplasser se dem -nakne eller la seg beføle i skrittet uten grunn. Jeg vil -fortsette å nekte å bruke disse pornoskannerne, unngå flyplasser der -de er tatt i bruk, og reise med andre transportmidler enn fly hvis jeg -kan.

    +

    Then there is the +definition from Free Software Foundation Europe.

    -
    -
    - - - Tags: norsk, personvern, sikkerhet. - - -
    -
    -
    - -
    -
    - Some thoughts on BitCoins -
    -
    - 11th December 2010 -
    -
    -

    As I continue to explore -BitCoin, I've starting to wonder -what properties the system have, and how it will be affected by laws -and regulations here in Norway. Here are some random notes.

    +
    -

    One interesting thing to note is that since the transactions are -verified using a peer to peer network, all details about a transaction -is known to everyone. This means that if a BitCoin address has been -published like I did with mine in my initial post about BitCoin, it is -possible for everyone to see how many BitCoins have been transfered to -that address. There is even a web service to look at the details for -all transactions. There I can see that my address -15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b -have received 16.06 Bitcoin, the -1LfdGnGuWkpSJgbQySxxCWhv8MHqvwst3 -address of Simon Phipps have received 181.97 BitCoin and the address -1MCwBbhNGp5hRm5rC1Aims2YFRe2SXPYKt -of EFF have received 2447.38 BitCoins so far. Thank you to each and -every one of you that donated bitcoins to support my activity. The -fact that anyone can see how much money was transfered to a given -address make it more obvious why the BitCoin community recommend to -generate and hand out a new address for each transaction. I'm told -there is no way to track which addresses belong to a given person or -organisation without the person or organisation revealing it -themselves, as Simon, EFF and I have done.

    +

    An Open Standard refers to a format or protocol that is

    -

    In Norway, and in most other countries, there are laws and -regulations limiting how much money one can transfer across the border -without declaring it. There are money laundering, tax and accounting -laws and regulations I would expect to apply to the use of BitCoin. -If the Skolelinux foundation -(SLX -Debian Labs) were to accept donations in BitCoin in addition to -normal bank transfers like EFF is doing, how should this be accounted? -Given that it is impossible to know if money can across the border or -not, should everything or nothing be declared? What exchange rate -should be used when calculating taxes? Would receivers have to pay -income tax if the foundation were to pay Skolelinux contributors in -BitCoin? I have no idea, but it would be interesting to know.

    +
      -

      For a currency to be useful and successful, it must be trusted and -accepted by a lot of users. It must be possible to get easy access to -the currency (as a wage or using currency exchanges), and it must be -easy to spend it. At the moment BitCoin seem fairly easy to get -access to, but there are very few places to spend it. I am not really -a regular user of any of the vendor types currently accepting BitCoin, -so I wonder when my kind of shop would start accepting BitCoins. I -would like to buy electronics, travels and subway tickets, not herbs -and books. :) The currency is young, and this will improve over time -if it become popular, but I suspect regular banks will start to lobby -to get BitCoin declared illegal if it become popular. I'm sure they -will claim it is helping fund terrorism and money laundering (which -probably would be true, as is any currency in existence), but I -believe the problems should be solved elsewhere and not by blaming -currencies.

      +
    1. subject to full public assessment and use without constraints in a +manner equally available to all parties;
      2. -

      The process of creating new BitCoins is called mining, and it is -CPU intensive process that depend on a bit of luck as well (as one is -competing against all the other miners currently spending CPU cycles -to see which one get the next lump of cash). The "winner" get 50 -BitCoin when this happen. Yesterday I came across the obvious way to -join forces to increase ones changes of getting at least some coins, -by coordinating the work on mining BitCoins across several machines -and people, and sharing the result if one is lucky and get the 50 -BitCoins. Check out -BitCoin Pool -if this sounds interesting. I have not had time to try to set up a -machine to participate there yet, but have seen that running on ones -own for a few days have not yield any BitCoins througth mining -yet.

      +
    2. without any components or extensions that have dependencies on +formats or protocols that do not meet the definition of an Open +Standard themselves;
      3. -

      Update 2010-12-15: Found an interesting -criticism of bitcoin. Not quite sure how valid it is, but thought -it was interesting to read. The arguments presented seem to be -equally valid for gold, which was used as a currency for many years.

      +
    3. free from legal or technical clauses that limit its utilisation by +any party or in any business model;
      4. -
    -
    - - - Tags: bitcoin, debian, english, personvern, sikkerhet. - - -
    -
    -
    - -
    -
    - How to test if a laptop is working with Linux -
    -
    - 22nd December 2010 -
    -
    -

    The last few days I have spent at work here at the University of Oslo testing if the new -batch of computers will work with Linux. Every year for the last few -years the university have organised shared bid of a few thousand -computers, and this year HP won the bid. Two different desktops and -five different laptops are on the list this year. We in the UNIX -group want to know which one of these computers work well with RHEL -and Ubuntu, the two Linux distributions we currently handle at the -university.

    +
  • managed and further developed independently of any single vendor +in a process open to the equal participation of competitors and third +parties;
    • -

    My test method is simple, and I share it here to get feedback and -perhaps inspire others to test hardware as well. To test, I PXE -install the OS version of choice, and log in as my normal user and run -a few applications and plug in selected pieces of hardware. When -something fail, I make a note about this in the test matrix and move -on. If I have some spare time I try to report the bug to the OS -vendor, but as I only have the machines for a short time, I rarely -have the time to do this for all the problems I find.

    +
  • available in multiple complete implementations by competing +vendors, or as a complete implementation equally available to all +parties.
    • -

    Anyway, to get to the point of this post. Here is the simple tests -I perform on a new model.

    + -
      + -
    • Is PXE installation working? I'm testing with RHEL6, Ubuntu Lucid -and Ubuntu Maverik at the moment. If I feel like it, I also test with -RHEL5 and Debian Edu/Squeeze.
      • +

      A long time ago, SUN Microsystems, now bought by Oracle, created +its +Open +Standards Checklist with a fairly detailed description.

      -
    • Is X.org working? If the graphical login screen show up after -installation, X.org is working.
      • +
      +

      Creation and Management of an Open Standard -

    • Is hardware accelerated OpenGL working? Running glxgears (in -package mesa-utils on Ubuntu) and writing down the frames per second -reported by the program.
      • +
        -
      • Is sound working? With Gnome and KDE, a sound is played when -logging in, and if I can hear this the test is successful. If there -are several audio exits on the machine, I try them all and check if -the Gnome/KDE audio mixer can control where to send the sound. I -normally test this by playing -a HTML5 -video in Firefox/Iceweasel.
        • +
      • Its development and management process must be collaborative and + democratic: -
      • Is the USB subsystem working? I test this by plugging in a USB -memory stick and see if Gnome/KDE notices this.
        • +
          -
        • Is the CD/DVD player working? I test this by inserting any CD/DVD -I have lying around, and see if Gnome/KDE notices this.
          • +
        • Participation must be accessible to all those who wish to + participate and can meet fair and reasonable criteria + imposed by the organization under which it is developed + and managed.
          • -
        • Is any built in camera working? Test using cheese, and see if a -picture from the v4l device show up.
          • +
        • The processes must be documented and, through a known + method, can be changed through input from all + participants.
          • -
        • Is bluetooth working? Use the Gnome/KDE browsing tool to see if -any bluetooth devices are discovered. In my office, I normally see a -few.
          • +
        • The process must be based on formal and binding commitments for + the disclosure and licensing of intellectual property rights.
          • -
        • For laptops, is the SD or Compaq Flash reader working. I have -memory modules lying around, and stick them in and see if Gnome/KDE -notice this.
          • +
        • Development and management should strive for consensus, + and an appeals process must be clearly outlined.
          • -
        • For laptops, is suspend/hibernate working? I'm testing if the -special button work, and if the laptop continue to work after -resume.
          • +
        • The standard specification must be open to extensive + public review at least once in its life-cycle, with + comments duly discussed and acted upon, if required.
          • -
        • For laptops, is the extra buttons working, like audio level, -adjusting background light, switching on/off external video output, -switching on/off wifi, bluetooth, etc? The set of buttons differ from -laptop to laptop, so I just write down which are working and which are -not.
          • +
        -
      • Some laptops have smart card readers, finger print readers, -acceleration sensors etc. I rarely test these, as I do not know how -to quickly test if they are working or not, so I only document their -existence.
        • +
      -

      By now I suspect you are really curious what the test results are -for the HP machines I am testing. I'm not done yet, so I will report -the test results later. For now I can report that HP 8100 Elite work -fine, and hibernation fail with HP EliteBook 8440p on Ubuntu Lucid, -and audio fail on RHEL6. Ubuntu Maverik worked with 8440p. As you -can see, I have most machines left to test. One interesting -observation is that Ubuntu Lucid has almost twice the frame rate than -RHEL6 with glxgears. No idea why.

      +

      Use and Licensing of an Open Standard

      +
        -
    -
    - - - Tags: debian, debian edu, english. - - -
    -
    -
    - -
    -
    - 165 norske overvåkningskamera registert så langt i OpenStreetmap.org -
    -
    - 24th December 2010 -
    -
    -

    Jeg flikket litt på OpenStreetmap.org i går, og oppdaget ved en -tilfeldighet at det er en rekke noder som representerer -overvåkningskamera som ikke blir med på kartet med overvåkningskamera -i Norge som -jeg -laget for snart to år siden. Fra før tok jeg med noder merket med -man_made=surveillance, mens det er en rekke noder som kun er merket -med highway=speed_camera. Endret på koden som henter ut kameralisten -fra OSM, og vips er antall kamera økt til 165.

    +
  • The standard must describe an interface, not an implementation, + and the industry must be capable of creating multiple, competing + implementations to the interface described in the standard without + undue or restrictive constraints. Interfaces include APIs, + protocols, schemas, data formats and their encoding.
    • -Kartet -er fortsatt ikke komplett, sÃ¥ hvis du ser noen kamera som mangler, -legg inn ved Ã¥ følge instruksene fra -prosjektsiden. -Hvis du vet om noen flere mÃ¥ter Ã¥ merke overvÃ¥kningskamera i OSM, ta -kontakt slik at jeg kan fÃ¥ med ogsÃ¥ disse.

    +
  • The standard must not contain any proprietary "hooks" that create + a technical or economic barriers
    • + +
  • Faithful implementations of the standard must + interoperate. Interoperability means the ability of a computer + program to communicate and exchange information with other computer + programs and mutually to use the information which has been + exchanged. This includes the ability to use, convert, or exchange + file formats, protocols, schemas, interface information or + conventions, so as to permit the computer program to work with other + computer programs and users in all the ways in which they are + intended to function.
    • + +
  • It must be permissible for anyone to copy, distribute and read the + standard for a nominal fee, or even no fee. If there is a fee, it + must be low enough to not preclude widespread use.
    • + +
  • It must be possible for anyone to obtain free (no royalties or + fees; also known as "royalty free"), worldwide, non-exclusive and + perpetual licenses to all essential patent claims to make, use and + sell products based on the standard. The only exceptions are + terminations per the reciprocity and defensive suspension terms + outlined below. Essential patent claims include pending, unpublished + patents, published patents, and patent applications. The license is + only for the exact scope of the standard in question. + +
      + +
    • May be conditioned only on reciprocal licenses to any of + licensees' patent claims essential to practice that standard + (also known as a reciprocity clause)
      • + +
    • May be terminated as to any licensee who sues the licensor + or any other licensee for infringement of patent claims + essential to practice that standard (also known as a + "defensive suspension" clause)
      • + +
    • The same licensing terms are available to every potential + licensor
      • + +
    +
    • + +
  • The licensing terms of an open standards must not preclude + implementations of that standard under open source licensing terms + or restricted licensing terms
    • + + + + + +

    It is said that one of the nice things about standards is that +there are so many of them. As you can see, the same holds true for +open standard definitions. Most of the definitions have a lot in +common, and it is not really controversial what properties a open +standard should have, but the diversity of definitions have made it +possible for those that want to avoid a level marked field and real +competition to downplay the significance of open standards. I hope we +can turn this tide by focusing on the advantages of Free and Open +Standards.

    - Tags: norsk, personvern, surveillance. + Tags: digistan, english, standard.
    @@ -475,31 +302,171 @@ kontakt slik at jeg kan få med også disse.

    - Officeshots still going strong + Is Ogg Theora a free and open standard?
    25th December 2010
    -

    Half a year ago I -wrote -a bit about OfficeShots, -a web service to allow anyone to test how ODF documents are handled by -the different programs reading and writing the ODF format.

    +

    The +Digistan definition of a free and open standard reads like this:

    + +
    + +

    The Digital Standards Organization defines free and open standard +as follows:

    + +
      + +
    1. A free and open standard is immune to vendor capture at all stages +in its life-cycle. Immunity from vendor capture makes it possible to +freely use, improve upon, trust, and extend a standard over time.
      2. + +
    2. The standard is adopted and will be maintained by a not-for-profit +organisation, and its ongoing development occurs on the basis of an +open decision-making procedure available to all interested +parties.
      3. + +
    3. The standard has been published and the standard specification +document is available freely. It must be permissible to all to copy, +distribute, and use it freely.
      4. + +
    4. The patents possibly present on (parts of) the standard are made +irrevocably available on a royalty-free basis.
      5. + +
    5. There are no constraints on the re-use of the standard.
      6. + +
    + +

    The economic outcome of a free and open standard, which can be +measured, is that it enables perfect competition between suppliers of +products based on the standard.

    +
    + +

    For a while now I have tried to figure out of Ogg Theora is a free +and open standard according to this definition. Here is a short +writeup of what I have been able to gather so far. I brought up the +topic on the Xiph advocacy mailing list +in +July 2009, for those that want to see some background information. +According to Ivo Emanuel Gonçalves and Monty Montgomery on that list +the Ogg Theora specification fulfils the Digistan definition.

    + +

    Free from vendor capture?

    + +

    As far as I can see, there is no single vendor that can control the +Ogg Theora specification. It can be argued that the +Xiph foundation is such vendor, but +given that it is a non-profit foundation with the expressed goal +making free and open protocols and standards available, it is not +obvious that this is a real risk. One issue with the Xiph +foundation is that its inner working (as in board member list, or who +control the foundation) are not easily available on the web. I've +been unable to find out who is in the foundation board, and have not +seen any accounting information documenting how money is handled nor +where is is spent in the foundation. It is thus not obvious for an +external observer who control The Xiph foundation, and for all I know +it is possible for a single vendor to take control over the +specification. But it seem unlikely.

    + +

    Maintained by open not-for-profit organisation?

    + +

    Assuming that the Xiph foundation is the organisation its web pages +claim it to be, this point is fulfilled. If Xiph foundation is +controlled by a single vendor, it isn't, but I have not found any +documentation indicating this.

    + +

    According to +a report +prepared by Audun Vaaler og Børre Ludvigsen for the Norwegian +government, the Xiph foundation is a non-commercial organisation and +the development process is open, transparent and non-Discrimatory. +Until proven otherwise, I believe it make most sense to believe the +report is correct.

    + +

    Specification freely available?

    + +

    The specification for the Ogg +container format and both the +Vorbis and +Theora codeces are available on +the web. This are the terms in the Vorbis and Theora specification: + +

    + +Anyone may freely use and distribute the Ogg and [Vorbis/Theora] +specifications, whether in private, public, or corporate +capacity. However, the Xiph.Org Foundation and the Ogg project reserve +the right to set the Ogg [Vorbis/Theora] specification and certify +specification compliance. + +
    + +

    The Ogg container format is specified in IETF +RFC 3533, and +this is the term:

    + +

    + +

    This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to +others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it +or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published and +distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any kind, +provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are +included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this +document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing +the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other +Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of developing +Internet standards in which case the procedures for copyrights defined +in the Internet Standards process must be followed, or as required to +translate it into languages other than English.

    + +

    The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be +revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.

    +
    + +

    All these terms seem to allow unlimited distribution and use, an +this term seem to be fulfilled. There might be a problem with the +missing permission to distribute modified versions of the text, and +thus reuse it in other specifications. Not quite sure if that is a +requirement for the Digistan definition.

    + +

    Royalty-free?

    + +

    There are no known patent claims requiring royalties for the Ogg +Theora format. +MPEG-LA +and +Steve +Jobs in Apple claim to know about some patent claims (submarine +patents) against the Theora format, but no-one else seem to believe +them. Both Opera Software and the Mozilla Foundation have looked into +this and decided to implement Ogg Theora support in their browsers +without paying any royalties. For now the claims from MPEG-LA and +Steve Jobs seem more like FUD to scare people to use the H.264 codec +than any real problem with Ogg Theora.

    + +

    No constraints on re-use?

    + +

    I am not aware of any constraints on re-use.

    + +

    Conclusion

    -

    I just had a look at the service, and it seem to be going strong. -Very interesting to see the results reported in the gallery, how -different Office implementations handle different ODF features. Sad -to see that KOffice was not doing it very well, and happy to see that -LibreOffice has been tested already (but sadly not listed as a option -for OfficeShots users yet). I am glad to see that the ODF community -got such a great test tool available.

    +

    3 of 5 requirements seem obviously fulfilled, and the remaining 2 +depend on the governing structure of the Xiph foundation. Given the +background report used by the Norwegian government, I believe it is +safe to assume the last two requirements are fulfilled too, but it +would be nice if the Xiph foundation web site made it easier to verify +this.

    + +

    It would be nice to see other analysis of other specifications to +see if they are free and open standards.

    - Tags: english, standard. + Tags: digistan, english, standard, video.
    @@ -724,171 +691,172 @@ Congressman of the Republic of Perú.

    - Is Ogg Theora a free and open standard? + Officeshots still going strong
    25th December 2010
    -

    The -Digistan definition of a free and open standard reads like this:

    - -
    - -

    The Digital Standards Organization defines free and open standard -as follows:

    - -
      - -
    1. A free and open standard is immune to vendor capture at all stages -in its life-cycle. Immunity from vendor capture makes it possible to -freely use, improve upon, trust, and extend a standard over time.
      2. - -
    2. The standard is adopted and will be maintained by a not-for-profit -organisation, and its ongoing development occurs on the basis of an -open decision-making procedure available to all interested -parties.
      3. - -
    3. The standard has been published and the standard specification -document is available freely. It must be permissible to all to copy, -distribute, and use it freely.
      4. - -
    4. The patents possibly present on (parts of) the standard are made -irrevocably available on a royalty-free basis.
      5. - -
    5. There are no constraints on the re-use of the standard.
      6. - -
    - -

    The economic outcome of a free and open standard, which can be -measured, is that it enables perfect competition between suppliers of -products based on the standard.

    -
    - -

    For a while now I have tried to figure out of Ogg Theora is a free -and open standard according to this definition. Here is a short -writeup of what I have been able to gather so far. I brought up the -topic on the Xiph advocacy mailing list -in -July 2009, for those that want to see some background information. -According to Ivo Emanuel Gonçalves and Monty Montgomery on that list -the Ogg Theora specification fulfils the Digistan definition.

    - -

    Free from vendor capture?

    +

    Half a year ago I +wrote +a bit about OfficeShots, +a web service to allow anyone to test how ODF documents are handled by +the different programs reading and writing the ODF format.

    -

    As far as I can see, there is no single vendor that can control the -Ogg Theora specification. It can be argued that the -Xiph foundation is such vendor, but -given that it is a non-profit foundation with the expressed goal -making free and open protocols and standards available, it is not -obvious that this is a real risk. One issue with the Xiph -foundation is that its inner working (as in board member list, or who -control the foundation) are not easily available on the web. I've -been unable to find out who is in the foundation board, and have not -seen any accounting information documenting how money is handled nor -where is is spent in the foundation. It is thus not obvious for an -external observer who control The Xiph foundation, and for all I know -it is possible for a single vendor to take control over the -specification. But it seem unlikely.

    +

    I just had a look at the service, and it seem to be going strong. +Very interesting to see the results reported in the gallery, how +different Office implementations handle different ODF features. Sad +to see that KOffice was not doing it very well, and happy to see that +LibreOffice has been tested already (but sadly not listed as a option +for OfficeShots users yet). I am glad to see that the ODF community +got such a great test tool available.

    -

    Maintained by open not-for-profit organisation?

    +
    +
    + + + Tags: english, standard. + + +
    +
    +
    + +
    +
    + 165 norske overvåkningskamera registert så langt i OpenStreetmap.org +
    +
    + 24th December 2010 +
    +
    +

    Jeg flikket litt på OpenStreetmap.org i går, og oppdaget ved en +tilfeldighet at det er en rekke noder som representerer +overvåkningskamera som ikke blir med på kartet med overvåkningskamera +i Norge som +jeg +laget for snart to år siden. Fra før tok jeg med noder merket med +man_made=surveillance, mens det er en rekke noder som kun er merket +med highway=speed_camera. Endret på koden som henter ut kameralisten +fra OSM, og vips er antall kamera økt til 165.

    -

    Assuming that the Xiph foundation is the organisation its web pages -claim it to be, this point is fulfilled. If Xiph foundation is -controlled by a single vendor, it isn't, but I have not found any -documentation indicating this.

    +Kartet +er fortsatt ikke komplett, så hvis du ser noen kamera som mangler, +legg inn ved å følge instruksene fra +prosjektsiden. +Hvis du vet om noen flere måter å merke overvåkningskamera i OSM, ta +kontakt slik at jeg kan få med også disse.

    -

    According to -a report -prepared by Audun Vaaler og Børre Ludvigsen for the Norwegian -government, the Xiph foundation is a non-commercial organisation and -the development process is open, transparent and non-Discrimatory. -Until proven otherwise, I believe it make most sense to believe the -report is correct.

    +
    +
    + + + Tags: norsk, personvern, surveillance. + + +
    +
    +
    + +
    +
    + How to test if a laptop is working with Linux +
    +
    + 22nd December 2010 +
    +
    +

    The last few days I have spent at work here at the University of Oslo testing if the new +batch of computers will work with Linux. Every year for the last few +years the university have organised shared bid of a few thousand +computers, and this year HP won the bid. Two different desktops and +five different laptops are on the list this year. We in the UNIX +group want to know which one of these computers work well with RHEL +and Ubuntu, the two Linux distributions we currently handle at the +university.

    -

    Specification freely available?

    +

    My test method is simple, and I share it here to get feedback and +perhaps inspire others to test hardware as well. To test, I PXE +install the OS version of choice, and log in as my normal user and run +a few applications and plug in selected pieces of hardware. When +something fail, I make a note about this in the test matrix and move +on. If I have some spare time I try to report the bug to the OS +vendor, but as I only have the machines for a short time, I rarely +have the time to do this for all the problems I find.

    -

    The specification for the Ogg -container format and both the -Vorbis and -Theora codeces are available on -the web. This are the terms in the Vorbis and Theora specification: +

    Anyway, to get to the point of this post. Here is the simple tests +I perform on a new model.

    -
    +
      -Anyone may freely use and distribute the Ogg and [Vorbis/Theora] -specifications, whether in private, public, or corporate -capacity. However, the Xiph.Org Foundation and the Ogg project reserve -the right to set the Ogg [Vorbis/Theora] specification and certify -specification compliance. +
    • Is PXE installation working? I'm testing with RHEL6, Ubuntu Lucid +and Ubuntu Maverik at the moment. If I feel like it, I also test with +RHEL5 and Debian Edu/Squeeze.
      • -
    +
  • Is X.org working? If the graphical login screen show up after +installation, X.org is working.
    • -

    The Ogg container format is specified in IETF -RFC 3533, and -this is the term:

    +

  • Is hardware accelerated OpenGL working? Running glxgears (in +package mesa-utils on Ubuntu) and writing down the frames per second +reported by the program.
    • -
    +
  • Is sound working? With Gnome and KDE, a sound is played when +logging in, and if I can hear this the test is successful. If there +are several audio exits on the machine, I try them all and check if +the Gnome/KDE audio mixer can control where to send the sound. I +normally test this by playing +a HTML5 +video in Firefox/Iceweasel.
    • -

    This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to -others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it -or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published and -distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any kind, -provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are -included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this -document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing -the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other -Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of developing -Internet standards in which case the procedures for copyrights defined -in the Internet Standards process must be followed, or as required to -translate it into languages other than English.

    +
  • Is the USB subsystem working? I test this by plugging in a USB +memory stick and see if Gnome/KDE notices this.
    • -

    The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be -revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.

    -
    +
  • Is the CD/DVD player working? I test this by inserting any CD/DVD +I have lying around, and see if Gnome/KDE notices this.
    • -

    All these terms seem to allow unlimited distribution and use, an -this term seem to be fulfilled. There might be a problem with the -missing permission to distribute modified versions of the text, and -thus reuse it in other specifications. Not quite sure if that is a -requirement for the Digistan definition.

    +
  • Is any built in camera working? Test using cheese, and see if a +picture from the v4l device show up.
    • -

    Royalty-free?

    +
  • Is bluetooth working? Use the Gnome/KDE browsing tool to see if +any bluetooth devices are discovered. In my office, I normally see a +few.
    • -

    There are no known patent claims requiring royalties for the Ogg -Theora format. -MPEG-LA -and -Steve -Jobs in Apple claim to know about some patent claims (submarine -patents) against the Theora format, but no-one else seem to believe -them. Both Opera Software and the Mozilla Foundation have looked into -this and decided to implement Ogg Theora support in their browsers -without paying any royalties. For now the claims from MPEG-LA and -Steve Jobs seem more like FUD to scare people to use the H.264 codec -than any real problem with Ogg Theora.

    +
  • For laptops, is the SD or Compaq Flash reader working. I have +memory modules lying around, and stick them in and see if Gnome/KDE +notice this.
    • -

    No constraints on re-use?

    +
  • For laptops, is suspend/hibernate working? I'm testing if the +special button work, and if the laptop continue to work after +resume.
    • -

    I am not aware of any constraints on re-use.

    +
  • For laptops, is the extra buttons working, like audio level, +adjusting background light, switching on/off external video output, +switching on/off wifi, bluetooth, etc? The set of buttons differ from +laptop to laptop, so I just write down which are working and which are +not.
    • -

    Conclusion

    +
  • Some laptops have smart card readers, finger print readers, +acceleration sensors etc. I rarely test these, as I do not know how +to quickly test if they are working or not, so I only document their +existence.
    • -

    3 of 5 requirements seem obviously fulfilled, and the remaining 2 -depend on the governing structure of the Xiph foundation. Given the -background report used by the Norwegian government, I believe it is -safe to assume the last two requirements are fulfilled too, but it -would be nice if the Xiph foundation web site made it easier to verify -this.

    + -

    It would be nice to see other analysis of other specifications to -see if they are free and open standards.

    +

    By now I suspect you are really curious what the test results are +for the HP machines I am testing. I'm not done yet, so I will report +the test results later. For now I can report that HP 8100 Elite work +fine, and hibernation fail with HP EliteBook 8440p on Ubuntu Lucid, +and audio fail on RHEL6. Ubuntu Maverik worked with 8440p. As you +can see, I have most machines left to test. One interesting +observation is that Ubuntu Lucid has almost twice the frame rate than +RHEL6 with glxgears. No idea why.

    - Tags: digistan, english, standard, video. + Tags: debian, debian edu, english.
    @@ -897,236 +865,270 @@ see if they are free and open standards.

    - The many definitions of a open standard + Some thoughts on BitCoins
    - 27th December 2010 + 11th December 2010
    -

    One of the reasons I like the Digistan definition of -"Free and -Open Standard" is that this is a new term, and thus the meaning of -the term has been decided by Digistan. The term "Open Standard" has -become so misunderstood that it is no longer very useful when talking -about standards. One end up discussing which definition is the best -one and with such frame the only one gaining are the proponents of -de-facto standards and proprietary solutions.

    - -

    But to give us an idea about the diversity of definitions of open -standards, here are a few that I know about. This list is not -complete, but can be a starting point for those that want to do a -complete survey. More definitions are available on the -wikipedia -page.

    - -

    First off is my favourite, the definition from the European -Interoperability Framework version 1.0. Really sad to notice that BSA -and others has succeeded in getting it removed from version 2.0 of the -framework by stacking the committee drafting the new version with -their own people. Anyway, the definition is still available and it -include the key properties needed to make sure everyone can use a -specification on equal terms.

    - -
    - -

    The following are the minimal characteristics that a specification -and its attendant documents must have in order to be considered an -open standard:

    - -
      - -
    • The standard is adopted and will be maintained by a not-for-profit -organisation, and its ongoing development occurs on the basis of an -open decision-making procedure available to all interested parties -(consensus or majority decision etc.).
      • - -
    • The standard has been published and the standard specification -document is available either freely or at a nominal charge. It must be -permissible to all to copy, distribute and use it for no fee or at a -nominal fee.
      • - -
    • The intellectual property - i.e. patents possibly present - of -(parts of) the standard is made irrevocably available on a royalty- -free basis.
      • - -
    • There are no constraints on the re-use of the standard.
      • - -
    -
    - -

    Another one originates from my friends over at -DKUUG, who coined and gathered -support for this -definition in 2004. It even made it into the Danish parlament as -their -definition of a open standard. Another from a different part of -the Danish government is available from the wikipedia page.

    - -
    - -

    En åben standard opfylder følgende krav:

    - -
      - -
    1. Veldokumenteret med den fuldstændige specifikation offentligt -tilgængelig.
      2. - -
    2. Frit implementerbar uden økonomiske, politiske eller juridiske -begrænsninger på implementation og anvendelse.
      3. - -
    3. Standardiseret og vedligeholdt i et åbent forum (en såkaldt -"standardiseringsorganisation") via en åben proces.
      4. - -
    - -
    - -

    Then there is the -definition from Free Software Foundation Europe.

    - -
    - -

    An Open Standard refers to a format or protocol that is

    - -
      - -
    1. subject to full public assessment and use without constraints in a -manner equally available to all parties;
      2. - -
    2. without any components or extensions that have dependencies on -formats or protocols that do not meet the definition of an Open -Standard themselves;
      3. - -
    3. free from legal or technical clauses that limit its utilisation by -any party or in any business model;
      4. - -
    4. managed and further developed independently of any single vendor -in a process open to the equal participation of competitors and third -parties;
      5. - -
    5. available in multiple complete implementations by competing -vendors, or as a complete implementation equally available to all -parties.
      6. - -
    - -
    +

    As I continue to explore +BitCoin, I've starting to wonder +what properties the system have, and how it will be affected by laws +and regulations here in Norway. Here are some random notes.

    -

    A long time ago, SUN Microsystems, now bought by Oracle, created -its -Open -Standards Checklist with a fairly detailed description.

    +

    One interesting thing to note is that since the transactions are +verified using a peer to peer network, all details about a transaction +is known to everyone. This means that if a BitCoin address has been +published like I did with mine in my initial post about BitCoin, it is +possible for everyone to see how many BitCoins have been transfered to +that address. There is even a web service to look at the details for +all transactions. There I can see that my address +15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b +have received 16.06 Bitcoin, the +1LfdGnGuWkpSJgbQySxxCWhv8MHqvwst3 +address of Simon Phipps have received 181.97 BitCoin and the address +1MCwBbhNGp5hRm5rC1Aims2YFRe2SXPYKt +of EFF have received 2447.38 BitCoins so far. Thank you to each and +every one of you that donated bitcoins to support my activity. The +fact that anyone can see how much money was transfered to a given +address make it more obvious why the BitCoin community recommend to +generate and hand out a new address for each transaction. I'm told +there is no way to track which addresses belong to a given person or +organisation without the person or organisation revealing it +themselves, as Simon, EFF and I have done.

    -
    -

    Creation and Management of an Open Standard +

    In Norway, and in most other countries, there are laws and +regulations limiting how much money one can transfer across the border +without declaring it. There are money laundering, tax and accounting +laws and regulations I would expect to apply to the use of BitCoin. +If the Skolelinux foundation +(SLX +Debian Labs) were to accept donations in BitCoin in addition to +normal bank transfers like EFF is doing, how should this be accounted? +Given that it is impossible to know if money can across the border or +not, should everything or nothing be declared? What exchange rate +should be used when calculating taxes? Would receivers have to pay +income tax if the foundation were to pay Skolelinux contributors in +BitCoin? I have no idea, but it would be interesting to know.

    -
      +

      For a currency to be useful and successful, it must be trusted and +accepted by a lot of users. It must be possible to get easy access to +the currency (as a wage or using currency exchanges), and it must be +easy to spend it. At the moment BitCoin seem fairly easy to get +access to, but there are very few places to spend it. I am not really +a regular user of any of the vendor types currently accepting BitCoin, +so I wonder when my kind of shop would start accepting BitCoins. I +would like to buy electronics, travels and subway tickets, not herbs +and books. :) The currency is young, and this will improve over time +if it become popular, but I suspect regular banks will start to lobby +to get BitCoin declared illegal if it become popular. I'm sure they +will claim it is helping fund terrorism and money laundering (which +probably would be true, as is any currency in existence), but I +believe the problems should be solved elsewhere and not by blaming +currencies.

      -
    • Its development and management process must be collaborative and - democratic: +

      The process of creating new BitCoins is called mining, and it is +CPU intensive process that depend on a bit of luck as well (as one is +competing against all the other miners currently spending CPU cycles +to see which one get the next lump of cash). The "winner" get 50 +BitCoin when this happen. Yesterday I came across the obvious way to +join forces to increase ones changes of getting at least some coins, +by coordinating the work on mining BitCoins across several machines +and people, and sharing the result if one is lucky and get the 50 +BitCoins. Check out +BitCoin Pool +if this sounds interesting. I have not had time to try to set up a +machine to participate there yet, but have seen that running on ones +own for a few days have not yield any BitCoins througth mining +yet.

      -
        +

        Update 2010-12-15: Found an interesting +criticism of bitcoin. Not quite sure how valid it is, but thought +it was interesting to read. The arguments presented seem to be +equally valid for gold, which was used as a currency for many years.

        -
      • Participation must be accessible to all those who wish to - participate and can meet fair and reasonable criteria - imposed by the organization under which it is developed - and managed.
        • +
    +
    + + + Tags: bitcoin, debian, english, personvern, sikkerhet. + + +
    +
    +
    + +
    +
    + Pornoskannerne på flyplassene bedrer visst ikke sikkerheten +
    +
    + 11th December 2010 +
    +
    +

    Via en +blogpost fra Simon Phipps i går, fant jeg en referanse til +en +artikkel i Washington Times som igjen refererer til en artikkel i +det fagfellevurderte tidsskriftet Journal of Transportation Security +med tittelen +"An +evaluation of airport x-ray backscatter units based on image +characteristics" som enkelt konstaterer at +pornoscannerne +som kler av reisende på flyplasser ikke er i stand til å avsløre det +produsenten og amerikanske myndigheter sier de skal avsløre. Kort +sagt, de bedrer ikke sikkerheten. Reisende må altså la ansatte på +flyplasser se dem +nakne eller la seg beføle i skrittet uten grunn. Jeg vil +fortsette å nekte å bruke disse pornoskannerne, unngå flyplasser der +de er tatt i bruk, og reise med andre transportmidler enn fly hvis jeg +kan.

    -
  • The processes must be documented and, through a known - method, can be changed through input from all - participants.
    • +
    +
    + + + Tags: norsk, personvern, sikkerhet. + + +
    +
    +
    + +
    +
    + Now accepting bitcoins - anonymous and distributed p2p crypto-money +
    +
    + 10th December 2010 +
    +
    +

    With this weeks lawless +governmental +attacks on Wikileak and +free +speech, it has become obvious that PayPal, visa and mastercard can +not be trusted to handle money transactions. +A blog post from +Simon +Phipps on bitcoin reminded me about a project that a friend of +mine mentioned earlier. I decided to follow Simon's example, and get +involved with BitCoin. I got +some help from my friend to get it all running, and he even handed me +some bitcoins to get started. I even donated a few bitcoins to Simon +for helping me remember BitCoin.

    -
  • The process must be based on formal and binding commitments for - the disclosure and licensing of intellectual property rights.
    • +

    So, what is bitcoins, you probably wonder? It is a digital +crypto-currency, decentralised and handled using peer-to-peer +networks. It allows anonymous transactions and prohibits central +control over the transactions, making it impossible for governments +and companies alike to block donations and other transactions. The +source is free software, and while the key dependency wxWidgets 2.9 +for the graphical user interface is missing in Debian, the command +line client builds just fine. Hopefully Jonas +will get the package into +Debian soon.

    -
  • Development and management should strive for consensus, - and an appeals process must be clearly outlined.
    • +

    Bitcoins can be converted to other currencies, like USD and EUR. +There are companies accepting +bitcoins when selling services and goods, and there are even +currency "stock" markets where the exchange rate is decided. There +are not many users so far, but the concept seems promising. If you +want to get started and lack a friend with any bitcoins to spare, +you can even get +some for free (0.05 +bitcoin at the time of writing). Use +BitcoinWatch to keep an eye +on the current exchange rates.

    -
  • The standard specification must be open to extensive - public review at least once in its life-cycle, with - comments duly discussed and acted upon, if required.
    • +

    As an experiment, I have decided to set up bitcoind on one of my +machines. If you want to support my activity, please send Bitcoin +donations to the address +15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b. Thank you!

    - +
    +
    + + + Tags: bitcoin, debian, english, personvern, sikkerhet. + + +
    +
    +
    + +
    +
    + Martin Bekkelund: En stille bønn om Datalagringsdirektivet +
    +
    + 9th December 2010 +
    +
    +

    Martin Bekkelund ved +friprog-senteret har skrevet +følgende +korte +oppsummering rundt datalagringsdirektivet, som jeg videreformidler +her.

    - +

    Det pågår i disse dager en intens diskusjon om +innføring av Datalagringsdirektivet (DLD) i norsk rett. Kanskje +har du gjort deg opp en mening, kanskje er du usikker. I begge +tilfeller ber jeg deg lese videre.

    - +

    Samtlige fagmiljøer, både i Norge og EU, har konkludert med at +DLD ikke bør +innføres på nåværende tidspunkt. Den tekniske kvaliteten på direktivet +er dårlig, det griper uforholdsmessig inn i personvernet, det har +store mangler og viktige spørsmål som hvem som skal ha tilgang og +hvordan data skal lagres er fortsatt uavklart.

    -

    Use and Licensing of an Open Standard

    -
  • The standard must describe an interface, not an implementation, - and the industry must be capable of creating multiple, competing - implementations to the interface described in the standard without - undue or restrictive constraints. Interfaces include APIs, - protocols, schemas, data formats and their encoding.
    • - -
  • The standard must not contain any proprietary "hooks" that create - a technical or economic barriers
    • - -
  • Faithful implementations of the standard must - interoperate. Interoperability means the ability of a computer - program to communicate and exchange information with other computer - programs and mutually to use the information which has been - exchanged. This includes the ability to use, convert, or exchange - file formats, protocols, schemas, interface information or - conventions, so as to permit the computer program to work with other - computer programs and users in all the ways in which they are - intended to function.
    • - -
  • It must be permissible for anyone to copy, distribute and read the - standard for a nominal fee, or even no fee. If there is a fee, it - must be low enough to not preclude widespread use.
    • - -
  • It must be possible for anyone to obtain free (no royalties or - fees; also known as "royalty free"), worldwide, non-exclusive and - perpetual licenses to all essential patent claims to make, use and - sell products based on the standard. The only exceptions are - terminations per the reciprocity and defensive suspension terms - outlined below. Essential patent claims include pending, unpublished - patents, published patents, and patent applications. The license is - only for the exact scope of the standard in question. - -
      - -
    • May be conditioned only on reciprocal licenses to any of - licensees' patent claims essential to practice that standard - (also known as a reciprocity clause)
      • - -
    • May be terminated as to any licensee who sues the licensor - or any other licensee for infringement of patent claims - essential to practice that standard (also known as a - "defensive suspension" clause)
      • - -
    • The same licensing terms are available to every potential - licensor
      • - -
    -
    • +

    Jeg liker å tro at jeg er en hyggelig fyr. Jeg har et rent +rulleblad, og med unntak av to fartsbøter har jeg aldri vært en byrde +for samfunnet. Det akter jeg å fortsette med. Det er mange som meg, +lovlydige, pliktoppfyllende borgere som aldri vil utgjøre en trussel +mot noe som helst. Vi synes derfor det er trist og sårende at all vår +atferd skal overvåkes døgnkontinuerlig.

    -
  • The licensing terms of an open standards must not preclude - implementations of that standard under open source licensing terms - or restricted licensing terms
    • +

    Understøttet av faglige vurderinger kan du trygt si nei til +DLD.

    - +

    Ta kontakt med meg +hvis du har spørsmål om DLD, uansett hva det måtte +gjelde.

    -
    +

    Denne teksten er å anse som Public +Domain. Spre den videre til alle som kan ha nytte av +den!

    +

    -

    It is said that one of the nice things about standards is that -there are so many of them. As you can see, the same holds true for -open standard definitions. Most of the definitions have a lot in -common, and it is not really controversial what properties a open -standard should have, but the diversity of definitions have made it -possible for those that want to avoid a level marked field and real -competition to downplay the significance of open standards. I hope we -can turn this tide by focusing on the advantages of Free and Open -Standards.

    +

    Siste melding +fra Nettavisen er at regjeringen planlegger å fremme sitt forslag +til implementering av datalagringsdirektivet i morgen, i ly av +fredprisutdelingen for å få minst mulig pressedekning om saken. Vi +får snart se om det stemmer.

    - Tags: digistan, english, standard. + Tags: norsk, personvern.
    @@ -1135,39 +1137,37 @@ Standards.

    - What standards are Free and Open as defined by Digistan? + Student group continue the work on my Reprap 3D printer
    - 30th December 2010 + 9th December 2010
    -

    After trying to -compare -Ogg Theora to -the Digistan -definition of a free and open standard, I concluded that this need -to be done for more standards and started on a framework for doing -this. As a start, I want to get the status for all the standards in -the Norwegian reference directory, which include UTF-8, HTML, PDF, ODF, -JPEG, PNG, SVG and others. But to be able to complete this in a -reasonable time frame, I will need help.

    - -

    If you want to help out with this work, please visit -the -wiki pages I have set up for this, and let me know that you want -to help out. The IRC channel #nuug on irc.freenode.net is a good -place to coordinate this for now, as it is the IRC channel for the -NUUG association where I have created the framework (I am the leader -of the Norwegian Unix User Group).

    +

    A few days ago, I was introduces to some students in the robot +student assosiation Robotica +Osloensis at the University of Oslo where I work, who planned to +get their own 3D printer. They wanted to learn from me based on my +work in the area. After having a short lunch meeting with them, I +offered them to borrow my reprap kit, as I never had time to complete +the build and this seem unlike to change any time soon. I look +forward to see how this goes. This monday their volunteer driver +picked up my kit and drove it to their lab, and tomorrow I am told the +last exam is over so they can start work on getting the 3D printer +operational.

    -

    The framework is still forming, and a lot is left to do. Do not be -scared by the sketchy form of the current pages. :)

    +

    The robotic group have already build several robots on their own, +and seem capable of getting the reprap operational. I really look +forward to being able to print all the cool 3D designs published on +Thingiverse. I even got +some 3D scans I got made during Dagen@IFI when one of the groups at +the computer science department at the university demonstrated their +very cool 3D scanner.

    - Tags: digistan, english, standard. + Tags: 3d-printer, english, reprap.