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Tim Dobson | 10 Aug 2009 01:20

DFEY-NW Meeting - August 15th

Details for the next DFEY-NW are enclosed...
Please forward this to anybody or any lists you think might be interested.

===================

DFEY-NW (Digital Freedom in Education & Youth - North West) is a group 
aiming to provide a social space for young people interested in 
technology, issues of freedom and technology in relation to education.
www.dfey.org

When
   Saturday August 15th 2009 12:00pm -> ~3:30pm

Meet
   Because the venue is not amazingly easy to find, we'll meet at 
Piccadilly station and we'll walk over there (it's about 5minutes on foot).
   Meet on the seats between platforms 1 and 2 in the main concourse.
   Look for people with laptops and perhaps some funky DFEY signs. :P

Where
   Substance.coop offices, Northern Quarter
   (the guys who helped us get to the "2morro festival")

Attending?
   if you are thinking of attending please add your name to the wiki page
   http://dfey.org/wiki/Manchester,_August_2009#Time
   or feel free to email us on team <at> nw.dfey.org to let us know you are
coming...

Young Rewired State
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MJ Ray | 13 Aug 2009 14:52
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Judge bans Microsoft Word sales - UK relation?

Via Debian-uk, Harry Rickards, Sussex LUG, Andrew Guard and BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/technology/8197990.stm
Judge bans Microsoft Word sales

Of course, it's being appealed on the grounds that the patent
is invalid and that Word doesn't infringe, but some are suggesting
it will show to the world just how flawed software patents are.
Which way do you think it will go?

The UK is probably the legal system most similar to the US.  Are
there lessons for us, or is our patent law sufficiently different?

Hope you're all having fun,
--

-- 
MJ Ray (slef)  LMS developer and webmaster at     | software
www.software.coop http://mjr.towers.org.uk        |  .... co
IMO only: see http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html |  .... op
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Free Software Foundation Europe | 13 Aug 2009 15:25

FSFE Newsletter - July 2009

Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) Newsletter - July 2009

This month has been full of activity, but one bit of news has cast a
shadow over it all. We have learned of the death of Richard Rothwell,
who was a prominent and respected advocate for Free Software in
education and a Fellow. We are saying farewell to him below.

Major activities of the month were: the support of our German Chapter
to OpenRuhr initiative, the participation to a Conference hosted by
the WIPO, an interesting Fellowship meeting in Berlin, our presence to
RMLL in Nantes, and the publishing of our statement about the latest
developments in the EU browser case.

						Giacomo Poderi

1. Fresh air at WIPO, but old habits die hard
2. A farewell to Richard Rothwell
3. FSFE supports OpenRuhr
4. FSFE booth at RMLL Nantes, France, 07-11 July
5. Fellowship Meeting in Berlin, 09 July
6. The Fellowship interviews: Smári McCarthy

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

7. EU browser case: FSFE says details of settlement will be crucial

IT HAPPENED IN THE PAST

8. FSFE supporting European Commission in their case against Microsoft
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Chris Croughton | 13 Aug 2009 18:27
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Re: Judge bans Microsoft Word sales - UK relation?

On Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 01:52:47PM +0100, MJ Ray wrote:
> Via Debian-uk, Harry Rickards, Sussex LUG, Andrew Guard and BBC:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/technology/8197990.stm
> Judge bans Microsoft Word sales
> 
> Of course, it's being appealed on the grounds that the patent
> is invalid and that Word doesn't infringe, but some are suggesting
> it will show to the world just how flawed software patents are.
> Which way do you think it will go?

I think that MS are correct on this and the patent is invalid.  I hope
so, otherwise almost any use of XML as an open standard (for instance in
Open Office) seems to be blocked.  Much as I like to see MS hoist with
their own petard I hope that it gets declared invalid, and that this
then causes other SW patents to be thrown out.

> The UK is probably the legal system most similar to the US.  Are
> there lessons for us, or is our patent law sufficiently different?

I think we are frighteningly similar.  Whether our patent lawyers will
take any notice is a different matter.

(Off topic, but thanks for posting the 'low' URL, I find the BBC's 'hi'
ones very annoying even in Firefox and unreadable in text-only
browsers.)

Chris C
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Tim Dobson | 14 Aug 2009 11:31

DFEY at Young Rewired State

Just a reminder that the DFEY-NW meeting is taking place tomorrow in 
Manchester from 12:00pm -> ~3:30pm
For more info go to DFEY.org

===================

DFEY (Digital Freedom in Education & Youth) is a network of groups 
aiming to provide a social space for young people interested in 
technology, issues of freedom and technology in relation to education.
www.dfey.org

== Young Rewired State ==

   This is all falling together! So far 8 young people from DFEY will be 
attending this 2 day event at Google HQ in London next weekend.
   If you are free on 22nd and 23rd August 2009 and wish to go get in 
touch ASAP.

   There will some assistance with travel and accommodation for those 
wishing to attend, but DFEY is trying to sort things out as a group and 
so all stay in the same place. If you are interested in coming, contact 
me(or team <at> dfey.org) ASAP. We're trying to get *everything* sorted by 
Saturday the 15th if possible

For those already intending on going, p-lease make sure your name is on 
the DFEY wiki page:
http://dfey.org/wiki/London,_August_2009

To find out more about the event visit:
http://rewiredstate.org/young
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MJ Ray | 17 Aug 2009 10:51
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DFEY and GNU Generation?

We've occasionally seen posts from DFEY – Digital Freedom in Education
and Youth - on fsfe-uk and I think the last one mentioned something
about a Google event.

The H Open reports that the Free Software Foundation are applying
Google Highly Open Participation Content to the GNU Generation
community, aimed at people between the ages of 13 and 18.
http://www.h-online.com/open/FSF-launch-GNU-Generation--/news/113992

The comments there criticise the logo, but not for the reason I would.
I thought it just looked a bit childish for 13-18.  Am I out of touch?

Anyway, my main questions:

How will DFEY interact with this, if at all?

Some of you may know that I'm not a fan of Google, its no-download
services and business methods.  It wouldn't be the first time that
no-download web service software was used to develop the GNU project,
after all - see wiki.list.org.  Should we be worried by this apparent
Googlisation of a new FSF project, though?

In general, does Google get an easy ride from FSF contributors?

Curiously,
--

-- 
MJ Ray (slef)  LMS developer and webmaster at     | software
www.software.coop http://mjr.towers.org.uk        |  .... co
IMO only: see http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html |  .... op
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Lee Braiden | 17 Aug 2009 12:00

Re: DFEY and GNU Generation?

MJ Ray wrote:
> The comments there criticise the logo, but not for the reason I would.
> I thought it just looked a bit childish for 13-18.  Am I out of touch?
>   
No, you're not out of touch.  It's much too happy and childlike for
teenagers who are busy with trying to be grown-up.  I'd even say the
project is doomed to failure (or at least very limited success) if
relying on that logo.

--

-- 
Lee
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Philip Hunt | 17 Aug 2009 22:01
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Re: DFEY and GNU Generation?

2009/8/17 Lee Braiden <lee.b <at> irukado.org>:
> MJ Ray wrote:
>> The comments there criticise the logo, but not for the reason I would.
>> I thought it just looked a bit childish for 13-18.  Am I out of touch?
>>
> No, you're not out of touch.  It's much too happy and childlike for
> teenagers who are busy with trying to be grown-up.  I'd even say the
> project is doomed to failure (or at least very limited success) if
> relying on that logo.

I agree. It'd be a nice logo for 5-8 year olds, mind.

(BTW, this list is badly set up, because it defaults to just replying
to the individual not the list. Yes I know there are arguments for
doing it that way, but IMO they are silly ones.)

--

-- 
Philip Hunt, <cabalamat <at> googlemail.com>
Campaigns Officer / Press Officer, Pirate Party UK
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Tim Dobson | 17 Aug 2009 22:57

Re: DFEY and GNU Generation?

Hey :)

See comments inline.

MJ Ray wrote:
> We've occasionally seen posts from DFEY – Digital Freedom in Education
> and Youth - on fsfe-uk and I think the last one mentioned something
> about a Google event.

Somewhat I guess. The event is Young Rewired State 
(http://rewiredstate.org/young). The event is at the Google offices in 
London, but sponsors include the Guardian and various government 
departments. There's a list on the website, I don't want to copy and paste.

> The H Open reports that the Free Software Foundation are applying
> Google Highly Open Participation Content to the GNU Generation
> community, aimed at people between the ages of 13 and 18.
> http://www.h-online.com/open/FSF-launch-GNU-Generation--/news/113992
> 
> The comments there criticise the logo, but not for the reason I would.
> I thought it just looked a bit childish for 13-18.  Am I out of touch?

To be honest, from my point of view my initial question is "does it 
matter"? If it gains momentum with that logo in place surely it doesn't 
matter.

Max has also just posted to the Gnu Generation mailing list, in light of 
that article, pointing out that the image included is not their logo, 
but this page is aimed at generating a logo:
http://groups.fsf.org/wiki/GNU_Generation_Logo
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John¹ | 17 Aug 2009 23:25

Re: DFEY and GNU Generation?

On Monday 17 August 2009 21:01:17 Philip Hunt wrote:

>
> (BTW, this list is badly set up, because it defaults to just replying
> to the individual not the list. Yes I know there are arguments for
> doing it that way, but IMO they are silly ones.)

Using Kmail, I just clicked on reply, and its addressed to the list and not 
to your individual address.

--

-- 
John Seago
GNU/Linux Registered User No. #219566 http://counter.li.org/
()  ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail
/\                        - against microsoft attachments
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Gmane