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Hardware Hacking

Submission + - Milkymist System-on-Chip reaches beta stage (milkymist.org)

lekernel writes: "The System-on-Chip design of Milkymist, an open hardware platform for video performance artists, now has all the required features to implement many video effects. The next step for the project is to develop software that leverages the features of this architecture to render MilkDrop-like visual effects on a stand-alone FPGA development board in order to make the first good-looking demos using the system. For the FPGA hackers out there, the hardware design is entirely written in open source synthesizable Verilog. It notoriously features the LatticeMico32 WISHBONE-enabled softcore processor capable of running uClinux, a high performance DDR SDRAM controller, and graphics accelerators for texture mapping and floating point computations. A good introductory paper about the SoC architecture can be found here."
Announcements

Submission + - Paris hosts the second Hacker Space Festival (hackerspace.net)

zoobab writes: "Hackers from all over Europe will meet at the end of the month (27-30 June) at the second Hacker Space Festival (HSF), in Paris. The four-day schedule includes conferences and workshops on: Metasploit, HostileWRT, FPGA for beginners, ICT disaster recovery, Software Patents in Europe, Hadopi, Anonymisation or how to produce your own biodiesel... The future of Hacker Spaces will also be debated. The event will be hosted by the first french hackerspace /tmp/lab, located in an industrial zone in the outskirts of Paris."
Patents

Submission + - Red Hat's plan for software patents in Europe (digitalmajority.org)

WMGarrison writes: "In 2005, as the battle over software patents reached its climax, Red Hat explained their plan for software patents: extend US-style patents to Europe, make software patents stronger and harder to defeat, and create an interoperability niche that would prevent patent claims on Windows-Linux interoperation. Instead of working with the Abolitionists — FFII, FSF, and hundreds of small software firms — to end software patents in Europe, Red Hat was working to rewrite the law and remove the protection from patents that Europe's small software sector had enjoyed until then."
Patents

Submission + - European Open Source Software Strategy leaked (wikileaks.org)

Elektroschock writes: "A working draft of the European Union Open Source Software Strategy was published by Wikileaks. According to Wikileaks meta information it was co-authored by Jonathan Zuck from the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT), a lobby hitman for Microsoft; The European Commission lets ACT and CompTIA participate in all working groups of the European Open Source Strategy which defines Europe's future open source approach. A blue editor questions the objectives: 'Regarding the "Europe Digital Independence" our [working] group thinks it is, in general, not an issue.' "European digital independence" is a phrase coined by EU-Commissioner V.Reding, that is what her European Software Strategy (ESS) was supposed to be about. She didn't reveal that lobbyists or vendors with vested interests would write the strategy for the Commission. The leaked document's language on patent licensing sounds a bit odd and controversial to me given the recent frontal patent assaults on the European automative business by Microsoft."
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft will vote on Open XML

Elektroschock writes: "Rui Seabra reveals that the national standard organisation of Portugal plans to sent Microsoft as head of its ISO delegation to the Ballot Resolution meeting in Geneve. The Ballot Resolution Meeting (BRM) will work on amendments to the Open XML standard (DIS 29500) as put forward by ECMA International. The meeting will be held behind closed doors and last 5 days. While Microsoft would get privileged access and voting rights other interested stakeholders for instance Portuguese SMEs and software develoeprs are excluded from participation and review. The head of the delegation will exercise all voting rights for the nation, here Portugal. All national ISO members need to submit their list of delegates to ISO until Dec 11."
Microsoft

Submission + - Rodriguez slaughters Open XML

Elektroschock writes: "Stephane Rodriguez, a reengineering specialist who became popular for his article on MS-Office 2007 binary data, slaughters Microsoft's new Open XML format. With small case studies he demonstrates the disadvantages for third party developers. His conclusion: It is 'defective by design'. Next week members of the International Standard Organisation are likely to approve the format as a second official ISO standard for office documents. However, most nations submitted comments. Rodriguez claims to be "not affiliated to any pro-MS or anti-MS party/org/ass"."
Microsoft

Submission + - Two standards - more choice, or less?

pieterh writes: "There's a fierce argument raging about whether the world needs a single document standard (ISO26300), or two. On the one hand, advocates of Microsoft's 'Office Open XML' (aka OOXML) format say that two standards means more choice for consumers. On the other hand, groups like the FFII argue that two standards for documents is not really about consumer choice, and more about maintaining Microsoft's office monopoly. There has also been harsh criticism of Microsoft's format, a petition that has raised 10,000 signatures in a week, and the promise of a cash prize in the fight against OOXML."
Microsoft

Submission + - Say No to OOXML as a Standard

topcat-n-ep writes: Every oppression ultimately wades away in the tide of a revolution.Open source has been the revolution answering to the oppression of proprietary monopolies. Now the Borg tries to rise again using its old trick of assimilating innocent consumers. By proposing their OOXML format as a standard they hope to counter Open Source initiatives like the ODF standard — standards that have no ulterior motive other than benefiting the consumer. It is the job of all us Captain Kirks — captains of a fair world, to boldly kick them.....in line ;). Please take the time to go through the worldwide petition against OOXML as a standard at http://www.noooxml.org/petition
Software

Submission + - OOXML evaluation (fsfeurope.org)

H4x0r Jim Duggan writes: "With the holiday season about to make consensus work impractical, most national standards groups will decide in the next week or two whether to recommend MS's OOXML format for ISO standardisation. There's been a lot of private lobbying, and none has made MS's 6,000 page standard easy to review. With that in mind, FSFE have published Six questions to national standardisation bodies. If they think MS's standard answers "yes" to each question, they should approve. If not, they should reject. There's also a petition."
Microsoft

Submission + - ANSI receiving spam letters pro MS's Open XML

omz writes: this site reports that ANSI is publishing on a day to day basis all the comments received on the proposed OOXML specification. All the messages looks like this. But some submitters identifies the source of the spam: "Even though this is a form letter from Microsoft I thought I would add this personal touch..." Rob Weir's advice about "support form letters": [i]f you want to provide input into this process [...d]on't send in a form letter. It hurts your cause more than helps it, since it makes it look like you couldn't get real support if you tried.
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft Astroturfing ANSI in Favor of OOXML (noooxml.org)

Beware of Steves With Lawn Chairs writes: "Astroturfers are at it again. Now, ANSI is getting pro-OOXML form letters. But not all of them are without a personal touch, one said: "Even though this is a form letter from Microsoft I thought I would add this personal touch. I understand that there is a monetary drive from Microsoft in allowing Open XML to become an ISO standard[.]" Feel free to browse through all the comments yourself."
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft puppets spamming ANSI to support OOXML

zoobab writes: "ANSI, the American National Standards Institute, is publishing on a day to day basis all the comments received on the proposed Microsoft Office OpenXML specification to become an ISO standard. All the recent submissions in support of the Microsoft specification looks very similar to this contribution, and one of the contributor even mentioned that "Even though this is a form letter from Microsoft I thought I would add this personal touch"."

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