Lilux-info October 2007

lilux-info@lilux.lu

4 participants
5 discussions

HP muss italienischem PC-Käufer Kaufpreis für Microsoft-Software rückerstatten

by Schintgen Yves

Moien alleguer, _Dat klengt dach gutt:_ http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/98083 Gett awer och Zait... zur Informatioun, MbG, Yves

16 years, 6 months

Meeting next week postponed !

by Thierry Coutelier

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hello, As we will not be able to get the classroom next week we decided to postpone the October meeting to November 8th at 20h00 in the LGL. See you there - --- Thierry Coutelier Président LiLux asbl -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.7 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Fedora - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFHGJuGPOfrcNNQX7oRAkPmAJ9fBcBahIrGVHNmf+3HKiq5B8dsrgCfcZ3K xVUlp6QnlfZ5olE/qKd6tcE= =JkG8 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

16 years, 6 months

Next Meeting Thursday 25th of October

by Thierry Coutelier

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hello Free Software Fans, Our next meeting will be held in the LGL on the 25th of October at 20h00. I will present you the Tux Droid from Kysoh (http://www.kysoh.com). Best regards. - --- Thierry Coutelier Président LiLux asbl Tel: +352 406776 GSM: +352 621 350037 7, Rue Jacques Sturm L-2556 Luxembourg -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.7 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Fedora - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFHF2uPPOfrcNNQX7oRAuw5AJ9V6vwOUc4nJVfi3mM69MKTYNYOPwCghdcE MZatu6borDiSAOShjSkgu3Q= =JDKL -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

16 years, 6 months

[Fwd: [ffii] Economist Critic of Software Patents gets Nobel Prize]

by Thierry Coutelier

======================================================================= Economist Critic of Software Patents gets Nobel Prize ======================================================================== Brussels, Oct 17, 2007 -- The FFII congratulates Eric S. Maskin, an economist who has long criticised the patenting of software, for receiving the 2007 Nobel Prize for Economics. Prof. Maskin and two colleagues receive the Prize for research into the optimal design of economic mechanisms. By applying his theory to the IT sector, Maskin demonstrated "that in such a dynamic industry, patent protection may reduce overall innovation and welfare." The FFII has consistently argued that the patent model of broad 20-year monopolies is completely inappropriate for the fast-moving software sector. In its campaigns against software patents, the FFII has emphasised that they are an impediment to innovation. FFII president Pieter Hintjens says, "Software patents freeze innovation in areas where they are heavily used, such as multimedia or GSM. In unpatented fields, such as e-mail, web, messaging or peer to peer, innovation is fast, valuable and promotes competition." Small-and-medium sized businesses are especially harmed, says Hintjens: "large firms can afford the legal structures, and the heavy cost of patenting and litigating. Small innovative firms cannot and are kept out of the market." Recent studies in the USA also showed that less than 20% of software startups take software patents, four years after receiving venture capital investment. FFII founder Hartmut Pilch explains, "software patents are used by giants such as Microsoft and IP trolls such as Acacia. We don't see them creating any value for society or economy, except for some lawyers." The introduction of software patents in the USA provided a rare experimental test for Maskin's theory: "... when patent protection was extended to software in the 1980s, [...] standard arguments would predict that R&D intensity and productivity should have increased among patenting firms. Consistent with our model, however, these increases did not occur." The Nobel award highlights the solid scientific and economic basis on which the FFII demands a modern and innovation-friendly patent system. Thanks to people like Prof. Maskin, our understanding of the effects of the patent system has progressed, but the European Commission is still pushing for ever more and cheaper monopolies without any effective limits to either subject matter or inventivity, and the EPO continues to "interpret" the European patent law to grant thousands of legally dubious software patents each year. Both institutions pretend that this is in the interest of innovation and productivity in Europe, while it in fact hurts Europe's innovators and industry. The FFII calls on the Commission to finally acknowledge the insights of people like Prof. Maskin and abandon its naive proliferation policies: "How much more proof is it needed? If IT professionals, economists, and entrepreneurs - and now even a Nobel laureate - agree that software patents are bad for business and innovation, the Commission should take the hint and act to abolish software patents." ======================================================================== Background Information ======================================================================== Together with his colleagues Leonid Hurwicz and Roger Myerson, Eric Maskin has been awarded the "Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2007", commonly (and inaccurately) known as "Nobel Prize in Economics". In a joint paper with James Bessen, Maskin argues that standard reasoning about patents is not applicable to the software and computer industries. Whenever innovation is "sequential and complementary" (as is the case in the IT sector) "imitation becomes a //spur// to innovation, whereas strong patents become an //impediment//". The European Commission has been openly pushing for the legalisation of software patents with the Software Patent Directive in 2004/05 and by its support for the European Patent Office (EPO)'s proposal for an European Patent Litigation Agreement (EPLA) in 2007. The FFII was among the leaders of successful campaigns against both attempts to open the floodgates to software patents in Europe. ======================================================================== Links ======================================================================== * Nobel Prize Announcement http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/2007/press.html * Bessen, James E. and Maskin, Eric S., "Sequential Innovation, Patents, And Imitation" (January 2000). MIT Dept. of Economics Working Paper No. 00-01. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=206189 * Digital Majority article on VC funded software startups http://www.digitalmajority.org/forum/t-13940/study-shows-most-vc-funded-sof… * Permanent link to this press release http://press.ffii.org/Press_releases/Economist_Critic_of_Software_Patents_g… ======================================================================== Contact information ======================================================================== Benjamin Henrion FFII Brussels +32-2-414 84 03 +32-484-566109 bhenrion(a)ffii.org (French/English) ======================================================================== About the FFII ======================================================================== The FFII is a not-for-profit association active in over fifty countries, dedicated to the development of information goods for the public benefit, based on copyright, free competition, and open standards. More than 850 members, 3,500 companies and 100,000 supporters have entrusted the FFII to act as their voice in public policy questions concerning exclusion rights (intellectual property) in data processing. _______________________________________________ FFII Press Releases. (un)subscribe via https://lists.ffii.org/mailman/listinfo/news, or contact media(a)ffii.org for more information.

16 years, 6 months

Re: [Lilux-info] [Lilux-admin] LinuxDays 2008

by Eric Dondelinger

Hi again, On Mon, Sep 24, 2007 at 11:33:38AM +0200, Eric Dondelinger wrote: > for the next LinuxDays, there will be a "Desktop" track > where the LinuxDays ask us (LiLux) specifically for help > with that part. I didn't get any input just yet on what > "desktop" is to be, but I'll forward any info as soon as > I get it. > > What's for sure is that any submission we might want to > make will have to be submitted in time via the online > form that's soon going to be made available. We won't be > part of the event if we miss that deadline. > > Submission deadline: 15.11.2007 > > Date of the Event: 19th (Tuesday) and 20th (Wednesday) > of February 2008 The Call for Papers is online by now: http://www.linuxdays.lu/call-for-papers/linuxdays-2008/ As said in the last meeting, if you'd like to present a full desktop environment or more specific applications, please inform us and submit it to the LinuxDays team. It might be helpful if the application(s) presented weren't already subject of presentations or tutorials previously (such as GIMP, OOo, Digikam). Greetings, Eric

16 years, 7 months

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Lilux-info October 2007