"According to this, the ISO are now calling a "standard" the Microsoft Office format (which is cynically called "Office Open XML"). [...] What is interesting is that TeX, LaTeX, OGG/Vorbis, OGG/Theora, Perl, Python, PHP, Ruby, OCaml, are not standardized by any organization.
Read more »The extinction of standardization dinosaurs on the software planet
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FSFE concerned about quality of standardisation process
"FSFE concerned about quality of standardisation process -- Today the International Standards Organisation (ISO) approved Microsoft's Office OpenXML format as ISO/IEC standard 29500 despite severe technical and legal concerns with the specification that have been raised by various parties.
Read more »Announcing our new free software jobs directory
"What could possibly be better than working on a challenging free software project and helping to create something of real value to your community?
Getting paid for it.
Read more »ISO to announce Microsoft Open XML result Wednesday
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) said it would reveal on Wednesday whether Microsoft (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) had won the support needed to have its document format made into a global industry standard.
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Mozilla's 10th birthday - March 31, 2008
March 31, 1998 is the date that Mozilla was officially launched. It’s the date the first Mozilla code became publicly available under the terms of an official open source license and a governing body for the project — the Mozilla Organization — began its public work.
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EU pumps €10m into open source privacy management
The European Union is contributing 10 million euro (around £8 million) in sponsorship to a project called PrimeLife, which aims to develop open source tools for personal privacy management and protection, and get the community at large to adopt them.
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Bill Gates is new Secretary-General of ISO
In a dramatic development, Bill Gates of Microsoft has taken over as the new Secretary-General of ISO. The outgoing Secretary-General, Illbeser Vile said that since most of the ISO members now belong to Microsoft, this is the most appropriate course of action.
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Is OOXML a Done Deal?
Despite a heated campaign to defeat International Organization for Standardization (ISO) status for Microsoft's Office Open XML (OOXML), over the weekend, even some staunch critics acknowledged that the company has likely garnered enough votes to win. However, that doesn't mean that they've given up the fight.
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Linux powers TV-enabled mobile phone
Motorola has used Linux to build a 3G, touchscreen-enabled mobile phone that can receive and record video broadcast in DVB-H format (digital video broadcast, handhelds). The MobileTV DH02 also boasts a GPS receiver and navigation software supporting advanced features, Motorola says.
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Norway asks to suspend its 'Yes' vote on OOXML
Due to 'serious irregularities,' Norway's OOXML vote could be suspended pending an investigation, adding further intrigue to the ongoing standards debate
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Setting up a nice looking KDE - For Beginners
KDE is my preferred choice of desktop and every time I install a distribution I spend around an hour customizing it to my taste. Most of the distributions provide customized KDE but most of the customization go into the functional aspect of KDE(which should be the case) . This guide does not intent to point out to a specific choice but rather tells what can be done with a fresh KDE.
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Communication with Free Software supporters, developers
I believe the problem of communication is by far the biggest problem and obstacle in the adoption of free software. I believe we have solved all the major technical problems in the adoption of free software, and the ones that remain are either being worked on or in testing. What has yet kept us from becoming the dominant supplier of software is our way of communication and marketing.
Read more »The state of open source: Bruce Perens, Open Source Definition
Bruce Perens, a longtime leader in the open source movement, is rarely remiss in speaking his mind on open source matters. Here's how Perens breaks down the key opportunities and challenges for open source in the years to come.
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2007: Microsoft in Review
It’s no small secret. I hate Microsoft. I think they are the most vile and corrupt corporation in the tech industry. Their monopoly hampers innovation and they favor litigation, corruption and marketing tricks to maintain their position over simply creating great products.
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Free as in Speech: The First Amendment, Anonymity, and the Internet
Groklaw's Pamela Jones is all too familiar with the concept of free speech and anonymity online. Jones enjoyed a brief period of anonymity when she started Groklaw, writing as “PJ” on the site, but soon her identity became a topic of speculation and controversy within the open source community. In this article, Jones answers questions about anonymity, free speech, and the Internet.
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Read contents from Free Software Magazine
Anybody up to writing good directory software?
Tue, 2007-02-20 11:17 — David JonathanFrom the very start, directories have served a very useful purpose on the Internet. (One I find useful for example is Free Web Directory). News sites can also be considered directories: they index and categorize news stories! What about categorizing software? In the open source world you get Savannah, SourceForge, Freshmeat; there are still, believe it or not, shareware and freeware directories like FileBuzz, PCWin Download Center and Freeware Downloads (although you need to be careful, as they are not like their free-as-in-freedom counterparts).
Is better education the key to finding better software?
Sat, 2007-03-03 03:25 — Edward RusselAbout Jonathon's article Anybody Up To Writing Good Directory Software?, it's clear that the topic of software directories is very hot. Most of what you find on Google, however, are not pointing to free and open soruce software -- or worse, they mix the two. Examples of such sites are Freeware Downloads and Shareware Download, which simply don't focus on "free as in freedom", and still can be used as good free software directories.






