Watch the BBC getting grilled at the Parliament over its blind servitude to Microsoft, which it simply cannot defend.
Read more »Why BBC is Microsoft Media (Video)
“Money Trumps Justice”, Vendor Control Trumps Truth
An analysis of how Microsoft controlled the British press and committees, using wealth
Read more »OOXML battle bus is back in action
THE UK'S CHALLENGE to Microsoft's bid to have its documents become an official international standard is back on track.
Read more »RMS attacks Oyster's 'unethical' use of GNU systems & Free Software
RMS: «The GNU system (often called "Linux") has been developed, since 1984, for the sake of computer users' freedom. Ironically it is now the basis for a system designed to smother the freedom of the people of London, through online payments to Oyster cards. [...]»
Read more »UK Prime Minister’s Office Accepts Petition to Adopt the Hague Declaration
British citizens can now sign a petition that supports ODF adoption in the country
Read more »Has OOXML Broken the British Standards Institution?
Standards are supposed to be about a process of creating points of reference that people can rely upon, arrived at through a process of careful honing and consensus. Against this background, the manner in which Microsoft's OOXML has been put through the ISO has been astonishing.
Read more »Unix beardies sue BSI over OOXML
A BAND OF BRITISH Unix beardies has issued a High Court challenge over the national approval of Microsoft's OOXML document standard.
Read more »Expect a 2nd Official Complaint -- Against UK's OOXML Vote
Adding to the first official protest, against Norway's sudden Yes vote on OOXML, now we have news from ChannelRegister that there will be a second complaint filed, this one about the UK's sudden about-face:
Read more »UK to fly the flag for OOXML
The British Standards Institute (BSI) looks set to reverse its position on Microsoft’s Office Open XML (OOXML) file format by approving it as an international standard.
Read more »Software patents - yet more confusion
In a press release, the UK-IPO has highlighted Mr Justice Patten's decision of today (not yet on BAILII) to overturn the UK-IPO's decision to refuse an application by Symbian, on the grounds that it consisted solely of a computer program.
Read more »Microsoft ‘tax’ on Linux in schools must end says Becta
Becta has recently shown that it is unafraid of speaking out on behalf of schools. Unhappy with the value for money schools were getting regarding software licencing they first referred Microsoft to the government’s Office of Fair Trading then sent shock waves through schools when it issued its advice not to upgrade to Windows Vista or Office 2007.
Read more »Social inclusion with Xubuntu: A tale of free software changing lives
"M6-IT, a Community Interest Community in the UK, are part way through a project to equip socially excluded families with computers running Xubuntu. I was recently able to interview Richard Rothwell of M6-IT about this project and its progress..."
Read more »The £99 laptop: how can it be so cheap?
A new laptop computer for just £99 sounds like the kind of offer found in a spam e-mail or on a dodgy auction website. But the British company Elonex is launching the country’s first sub £100 computer later this month and hopes to be making 200,000 of them by the summer. It will be aimed at schoolchildren and teenagers, and looks set to throw the market for budget laptops wide open.
Read more »A sad state of affairs: open source in the UK
I stated yesterday that open source had not been widely adopted in the UK without really backing the statement up. Fortunately SiriusIT, the UK-based open source services firm, has revamped its site with a blog entry explaining the situation with the example of open source adoption in the schools sector.
Read more »UK Government: Closed Minds on Open Source
To its eternal shame, the UK Government uses far less open source than most. Worse, it seems to have a closed mind to the whole idea.
Read more »Category: Government Tags:









