For the second time in just three months, the European Parliament has called on the European Commission to to increase the share of free and open source software. On 19 January, in a so-called own-initiative report, the EP also urged the EC to use this type of software to promote reuse in and between public … Read more
The government of Galicia (Spain) has made available conference videos, presentation slides and training material that focus on the use of free and open source software by Non-Governmental Organisations. The ethical and philosophical characteristics of this type of software fits well with NGOs, including collaboration and community-building, argues Amtega, the region’s agency for technological modernisation. … Read more
Linux is everywhere these days. It runs our phones, the web servers that underpin everything from Facebook to Google, even our cars. That means there’s a bigger demand for people who know how to work with the operating system than ever before, and those jobs often pay good money. The Linux Foundation is a non-profit … Read more
The French Parliament wants to make it mandatory for the country’s public administrations to make public the source code of its custom-built software solutions. An amendment to France’s upcoming law for the Digital Republic was adopted by France’s lower house on Wednesday. The amendment by the National Assembly’s Law Committee makes source code of software … Read more
The French draft law Loi Numérique will be presented to the French Parliament on 19 January, after being co-created with citizens through an online public consultation. This is the first law in France resulting from a co-design process. This draft law is aimed at structuring the new French digital economy and includes new digital principles … Read more
Officially adopted on 25 November 2015 by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, ISA2 programme will begin on January 2016 and last until 31 December 2020 as a continuation of ISA. ISA programme, which ran from 2010 to 2015, was meant for the modernisation of the EU public sector. The proposal established a programme on interoperability … Read more
In an interview with the WSJ’s CIO blog, Lawrence Lessig proposes that the existence of cryptographic tools that allow for “zero-knowledge” data-querying, combined with the potential liability from leaks, will drive companies to retain less data on their customers. It’s a very lessigian analysis, grounded in the idea that social outcomes are driven by norms, … Read more
With a heavy heart Debian mourns the passing of Ian Murdock, stalwart proponent of Free Open Source Software, Father, Son, and the ‘ian’ in Debian. Ian started the Debian project in August of 1993, releasing the first versions of Debian later that same year. Debian would go on to become the world’s Universal Operating System, … Read more
The Europeana Space project is exploring different ways of reusing digital cultural heritage by running pilots in six thematic areas (TV, Photography, Dance, Games, Open and Hybrid Publishing and Museums). From 22-24 January 2016, the Open and Hybrid Publishing Pilot is organising the Hack the Book Festival in Athens, Greece, inviting designers, artists, publishers, programmers, authors, poets, … Read more
Plans to transition schools to Ubuntu and Debian Linux Grenoble, France’s 16th largest city, is committed to the use of free software. This type of ICT solutions facilitaties the sharing of knowledge, empowers citizens and institutions and helps to cut costs, the city said in a statement. The city also sees free software as one … Read more
