Sunday, February 18, 2007

History of Open Source Software. Althought this weblog focuses on open educational content, I'm quite aware that the open educational resource movement emerged from and still draws from advances in the open source software movement. Robin Good provides an interesting text and video history about open source software. Coverage includes Richard Stallman, Linus Torvalds, Larry Augustin, and others. ____JH _______ The Open-Source Story: From Free Software To Revolution OS - Video. Open-source software is revolutionizing business, transforming governments and enabling education across the planet. Open-source is built on the principle that the source code of a program should be readily accessible, so that users have the right to maintain, adapt and improve the software they use in any way they see fit. Linux, Firefox and Wikipedia are just three of its success stories, which are too many in number to count. But where did open-source come from, and where is it headed [Robin Good's Latest News] [EduResources Weblog--Higher Education Resources Online] 9:54:12 PM      Google It!.

New Weapon in Web War Over Piracy. Content-recognition software could address a major entertainment industry concern[~] songs and videos being posted on the Web without permission. By BRAD STONE and MIGUEL HELFT. [NYT > Technology] 9:52:08 PM      Google It!.

Suppressed Report Shows Cancer Link to GM Potatoes. Doc Ruby writes "After an 8-year-long court battle, Welsh activists have finally been allowed to released a Russian study showing an increased cancer risk linked to eating genetically modified potatoes. While the victory of the Welsh Greenpeace members in the courtroom would seem to vindicate the work of the Russian scientists that did the original research, there are still serious questions to be answered. The trials involved rats being fed several types of potatoes as feed. The rats who were fed GM potatoes suffered much more extensive damage to their organs than with any other type; just the same, serious questions remain about the validity of the findings. The Welsh group wants to use this information to stop the testing of GM crops in the UK, tests currently slated for the spring of this year."[Slashdot] 4:46:49 PM      Google It!.