[3997] in linux-announce channel archive
Linux-Announce Digest #289
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Digestifier)
Wed Jan 15 23:13:09 2003
From: Digestifier <Linux-Announce-Request@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu>
To: Linux-Announce@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu
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Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 23:13:03 EST
Linux-Announce Digest #289, Volume #4 Wed, 15 Jan 2003 23:13:03 EST
Contents:
NEWS: Steal This Book? A Publisher Is Making It Easy (Frederick Noronha)
New software to assist NGO documentation of human rights abuses (Frederick Noronha)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Frederick Noronha <fred@bytesforall.org>
Subject: NEWS: Steal This Book? A Publisher Is Making It Easy
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 12:14:57 CST
The New York Times
January 13, 2003
Steal This Book? A Publisher Is Making It Easy
By STEVE LOHR
The counterculture rules of the open-source software community are
edging into mainstream book publishing, thanks to Bruce Perens.
Prentice Hall is publishing a line of computer books, the "Bruce
Perens' Open Source Series." The first titles have already arrived
for sale in bookstores like Barnes & Noble, and the electronic
versions are expected to be available online soon afterward - and to
be free.
All the books - a total of six are planned for this year - will be
published not under a traditional copyright but under the Open
Publication License, which was created in 1999 by David Wiley, an
assistant professor at Utah State University. The license allows
people to copy, modify and redistribute works. It is modeled after
the General Public License for software, which sets the rules for
information-sharing and reuse of code for the GNU Linux operating
system (www.opencontent.org).
Advertisement
"If you want to take one these books, put it on a photocopy machine
and make copies, that's cool," said Mr. Perens, a leading open-source
advocate.
Such practices make most publishers cringe and call their lawyers.
But Prentice Hall, acknowledging the risk of lost sales, says the
experiment is a worthwhile attempt to earn good will and gain readers
among the growing ranks of programmers who work with open-source
software like Linux and the Apache Web server. The front-runner among
publishers of books for open-source programmers is O'Reilly &
Associates, which publishes most of its books under traditional
copyright.
In open-source projects, groups of programmers voluntarily develop,
debug and modify the code. The software is free. But Linux companies
like Red Hat and SuSE Linux charge their customers, who buy the
software in boxes that include the code on CD-ROM's along with
explanatory manuals.
Similarly, Prentice Hall, a unit of Pearson, is charging for the
books, printed on paper with CD's attached. The first two titles,
"The Linux Development Platform" and "Embedded Software Development
with eCos," are priced at $49.99 each. (ECos is an open-source
operating system developed for wireless devices like cellphones and
remote controls.)
The free electronic versions of the books will be available in a
couple of months - a delay intended to ensure that another publisher
does not just make copies and beat Prentice Hall to stores at, say,
half the price.
For Mr. Perens, the book series is a way to encourage the spread of
open-source software by supplying better written instruction for
programmers - who generally do not get their kicks from documenting
their labors. "We've been saying we've got great software, but we
don't actually have very good documentation," he said.
The electronic versions of the books, Mr. Perens added, can be
frequently updated, and the authors can edit readers' contributions.
He considers the series - in which his role is mainly selecting books
and setting policy - to be a step toward broadening the application
of open-source principles. "We are expanding the scope of
collaborative works beyond software," Mr. Perens said.
In the past, individual books have been published under the Open
Publication License at the insistence of individual authors like Mr.
Perens. But Mark L. Taub, an editor in Prentice Hall's professional
and technical book division, termed the Perens series a "strategic
commitment" to a continuing line of books with the open license.
There is nothing to prevent programmers from waiting a couple of
months to download copies of the books free rather than buying them.
But Mr. Perens, a member of the digital avant-garde, predicts that
serious programmers will buy the books for $50 each. Why? "People
like paper," he said.
Even though photocopying the entire book or making a printout of the
electronic version would violate no copyright law, Prentice Hall is
betting that most people will not bother, preferring to pay for the
convenience of the book itself.
Anthony J. Massa, a programmer and author of "Embedded Software
Development with eCos," agrees. "I personally like having the printed
version of a bound book in front of me," he said.
--
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From: Frederick Noronha <fred@bytesforall.org>
Subject: New software to assist NGO documentation of human rights abuses
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 12:15:38 CST
========== Forwarded message ==========
Bytes For All readers -
I wanted to let everyone know that the nonprofit I work for, The
Benetech Initiative, just released our human rights software,
The Martus Human Rights Bulletin System. The release (with URL)
is below; the main Martus site where people can download the
software is http://www.martus.org.
Sincerely -
Brendan Nyhan
http://www.martus.org/project_update.html
NEW SOFTWARE PROVIDES SECURE WORLDWIDE
TRACKING AND DOCUMENTATION OF HUMAN
RIGHTS ABUSES
The Benetech Initiative and The Asia Foundation team up to
deliver The Martus(tm) Human Rights Bulletin System
Palo Alto, Calif. - Jan. 15, 2003 - The Benetech Initiative, a
Silicon Valley nonprofit, today announced the release of The
Martus Human Rights Bulletin System, an open source technology
tool designed to assist human rights organizations in collecting,
safeguarding, organizing and disseminating information about
human rights abuses. Through a partnership with The Asia
Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit working on the ground in Asia,
Martus will first be implemented in the Philippines to provide
better resources to groups combating hundreds of human rights
violations per year.
Currently, much of the violation and abuse information gathered
by grassroots human rights groups is lost to confiscation,
destruction, or neglect, making it difficult or impossible for
prosecutors, truth commissions and others to use the information
as evidence to hold the perpetrators of human rights abuses
accountable for many of their crimes. The Martus software enables
grassroots NGOs to securely store their records on off-site
servers with easy-to-use software, preserving crucial evidence
for research, investigation and prosecutions.
"Grassroots NGOs told us it was essential that the software be
easy to use, so we modeled it after the simple interface of
email," said Jim Fruchterman, CEO of Benetech.
In the Philippines, The Asia Foundation is sponsoring and
facilitating the first implementation and training of the Martus
software in the 22 offices of the Philippine Commission on Human
Rights, and a network of domestic human rights organizations. In
February, the software will be installed on Internet-connected
workstations, allowing these organizations to securely document
and disseminate information on human rights cases for the first
time, which in turn will facilitate and improve the process of
investigation, prosecution, assistance, and advocacy for victims
of human rights violations.
"Information technology has the potential to dramatically improve
the ability of human rights groups to manage information, giving
them evidence to prosecute perpetrators," said Dr. Steven Rood,
Country Representative of The Asia Foundation in the Philippines.
"The Martus software provides a platform for nongovernmental
human rights advocates to communicate with the Commission on
Human Rights in a secure manner, and will provide detailed
information to help press for broader reforms."
The software was designed in consultation with human rights
groups and experts worldwide, including Dr. Patrick Ball of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the
world's leading human rights statisticians and Senior Advisor to
the project. Beta testing took place in Guatemala, Russia, Sri
Lanka and the US.
Aspiration, an organization specializing in nonprofit technology
implementation, has supported the development and introduction of
the Martus system. Jonathan Peizer, Aspiration's President, says,
"The Martus software is essential for human rights groups working
to document abuses. We are now working actively to help support
its deployment."
Future applications of the Martus software for social justice
groups include monitoring other issues like violence against
women, human trafficking, environmental destruction and hate
crimes. The software and its source code are available for
download at http://www.martus.org.
About Benetech
http://www.benetech.org
The Benetech Initiative is a Silicon Valley nonprofit that
develops technology projects addressing major social problems in
areas such as disability, human rights, literacy, education, and
the digital divide. Its purpose is to use the high technology
enterprise model to address pressing social problems. Many
technologies have compelling social applications that are not
developed because such efforts do not meet investors' financial
expectations. Benetech specifically pursues endeavors with a
strong social, rather than financial, return on investment,
bringing commercial technology and private sector management
techniques to bear in creating innovative, non-traditional
solutions to problems ranging from literacy to human rights.
The Martus Project was funded by a major grant from the
Information Program of the Open Society Institute, as well as by
individual donors and the Benetech Initiative itself.
About The Asia Foundation
http://www.asiafoundation.org
The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental
organization committed to the development of a peaceful,
prosperous, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports
programs in Asia that help improve governance and law, economic
reform and development, women's participation, and international
relations. Drawing on nearly 50 years of experience in Asia, the
Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to
support leadership and institutional development, technical
assistance, exchanges, policy research, and educational
materials.
With a network of 17 offices throughout Asia, an office in
Washington, D.C., headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation
addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. The
Asia Foundation has a proven track record of success. In just the
past fiscal year of 2002, the Foundation has provided grants,
educational materials, and other resources of more than $50
million to 21 countries in Asia and through its Books for Asia
program has distributed over 750,000 books to over 4,000 schools
and other regional educational institutions. During the past five
years, the Foundation has supported more than 800 public interest
NGOs.
The Asia Foundation has been working in the Philippines since 1954
and has a trusted network of partners. With funding from the U.S.
State Department, The Asia Foundation is supporting this first
implementation of the Martus system in the Philippines.
Contact:
Brendan Nyhan
The Benetech Initiative
Phone: 202/588-8269
Email: bnyhan@benetech.org
Contact:
Jennifer C. Betti
The Asia Foundation
Phone: 415/743-3367
Email: jbetti@asiafound.org
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