News Archives: Year 2005

Once software patents are legalised, many websites will have to be closed because they rely on potentially infringing software or are offering such for reading/downloading.
I support the FFII's Web Campaign against Software Patents.

300 demonstrators standing in the cold outside the Council building in Brussels handed over two letters to Luxemburg's chief Council diplomat Christian Braun which points out flaws in the processes of the European Council and asks for cautious reform, with view to the software patent directive, which governments are trying to push through the Council without a real majority backing it.

• Software-Patent: EU-Parlament fordert neuen Vorschlag
• Bundestag gegen Softwarepatente
• European Parliament demands Restart, Conference of Presidents adopts JURI Motion
• Speeches and answers to questions by members of Parliament and FFII experts

In honor of the visit of George W. Bush in Germany I received the following »Büttenrede« Zum Besuch von Schorsch Dabbelju Bush in Mainz am 23.02.2005. It's very amusing.

It is known that OS/2 isn't well supported by companies that make software or by individual developers, and OS/2 faces a high possibility of being replaced and/or withdrawn from the market. Hence this petition to IBM so the much-loved OS/2 Technology can be freely distributed and developed around the world. We understand that making OS/2 Open source will be beneficial for the IBM customers as well as for IBM, if the hurdle of third-party supplied code can be overcome. To this end we are willing to contribute our own efforts.
This signed petition will be send to IBM requesting to make OS/2 Open Source or at least part of its components.

According to Spread Firefox!, the open source web browser Mozilla Firefox was downloaded over 50 million times. I welcome this news and wish this event is one step further to eliminate all these "Internet Explorer only" sites on the web, as alternative browsers now represent up to 20% of the web users.

The European Parliament will vote on next wednesday 6th July on the software patents directive. If the Parliament does not succeed in reaching 367 votes for the key amendments, software patents will be a reality in Europe.

According to tagesschau.de and heute.de the European parliament in Strasbourg voted against the proposed directive to allow software patents. FFII has not released any position yet but the Free Software Foundation Europe has and I believe that the fight that was enduring since 2001 is not over.

I've been reading the Calvin and Hobbes book "Something under the bed is drooling" and was in the mood to share some of the very cool strips with you. Have fun and enjoy them.

December 1st is World AIDS day. World AIDS Day will kick off with theme "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise."
Apart from encouraging organisations and individuals to campaign on World AIDS Day under our theme "Keep the Promise", the World AIDS Campaign has joined forces with United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and UNAIDS in promoting public awareness activities through local governments and city halls on the 1st December 2005.
Everyone can make a difference through personal pledges, statements of commitment, and by taking action to reverse the epidemic. Added together, these individual commitments can also make governments realise that all people care about HIV and AIDS and want to be part of an effective response to it and are willing to make their own commitments.

I would like to wish everyone around a merry Christmas and a happy new year. I hope you all enjoy the holidays and celebrate appropriately.