ODF as a default format was first adopted by OpenOffice.org (OOo). Naturally, when OOXML’s approval cast a doubt on ODF, we sought reactions of the OOo team, on how they viewed the future of OOo, ODF and OOXML. Thus, this interview, which was conducted over a series of e-mails, with Louis Suarez-Potts, community manager, OpenOffice.org.
Read more »Louis Suarez-Potts: OOXML Has Zero Effect On ODF
Google’s open source problem is Affero
The best open source protection for “the cloud,” as Gordon Haff notes today, is the Affero GPL license. (Picture from our Tech Republic’s GeekEnd blog, written by Jay Garmon.)vv
Read more »Patents in a Standard and Standards That Won’t Inter-operate
Digistan has just published an open letter signed by some high-level figures. It calls for people to adopt the right approach in the embrace of open standards. It’s worth a quick glance.
Read more »U.S. lawmakers introduce new net neutrality bill
Two Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a bill that would subject broadband providers to antitrust violations if they block or slow Internet traffic.
Read more »AGPLv3 Keeps Open Source Vibrant in Age of SaaS
Software as a service (SaaS) entered the IT landscape in 2000 and has revolutionized the deployment models of many software companies and even entire industries, such as Internet search. It has also becoming an increasingly popular form of consuming applications within enterprises of all shapes, sizes and geographies.
Read more »Software Patents, Microsoft Trolls and Intellectual Monopoly Miscellany
The intellectual insanity resumes. Let’s take a quick look at some highlights from the news.
Read more »Behind or ahead
The problem with Alex Browns validation test is, that he is using a document from OpenOffice.org 2.4 and validates it against the ISO-approved standard. Jesper Lund Stocholm claims that he has created some documents with various versions of OpenOffice.org that doens't validates correctly.
Read more »Latest Attempt to Expand Software Patents to Europe; Microsoft Shenanigan Revisited
A couple of days ago we included a link to this exploration of Douglas Goodyear and that connection to Microsoft. We have also been exploring Microsoft’s use of the United States government to push software patents into the European Union.
Read more »New attempt to brin software patents to Europe
European Commissioner McCreevy is pushing for a bilateral patent treaty with the United States. This Tuesday 13 May in Brussels, White House and European representatives will try to adopt a tight roadmap for the signature of a EU-US patent treaty by the end of the year. Parts of the proposed treaty will contain provision on software patents, and could legalise them on both sides of the Atlantic.
Read more »MySQL backtracks on closed-source plan
Sun Microsystems has backtracked on previous plans to release important backup features for its MySQL database under a proprietary license, following widespread criticism from the open source community.
Read more »








