GOV IT

Strategic IT for Government

Tuesday, December 09, 2003

U.K. gov't considers Sun in open source software push. LONDON -- The U.K. government has signed a five-year agreement with Sun Microsystems Inc. to potentially offer the company's new Java Desktop System (JDS) and Java Enterprise System (JES) software to public sector agencies as part of an overall open source push. [InfoWorld: Top News]
7:38:02 AM

How many years does an Azeri have to work to buy a copy of WinXP?. Over at FirstMonday, Rishab Aiyer Ghosh has published a table showing how many years an average wage-earner in various countries around the world will have to work if they are to buy a copy of Windows.

Country GDP/cap PCs ('000s) Piracy WinXP Cost [3] Effective $ GDP months Albania 1300 24 n.a. 15196 5.17 Algeria 1773 220 n.a. 11140 3.79 Angola 701 17 n.a. 28184 9.59 Argentina 7166 3415 62% 2757 0.94 Armenia 686 24 n.a. 28806 9.80 Australia 19019 10000 27% 1039 0.35 Austria 23186 2727 33% 852 0.29 Azerbaijan 688 n.a. n.a. 28708 9.77

Link [Boing Boing Blog]
7:34:57 AM

NY Times: Nations Chafe at U.S. Influence Over the Internet. Icann and the United States government are expected to come under heavy fire at the conference, which begins Wednesday in Geneva and will be one of the largest gatherings of high-level government officials, business leaders and nonprofit organizations to discuss the Internet's future. [Tomalak's Realm]
7:31:37 AM

Australian Researchers Push Near-Broadband IP Over VHF. Curmudgeon Rick writes "A research group at the Australian National University is getting symmetrical 250K bps at 20km, using "empty" 7MHz-wide broadcast TV ... [Slashdot]
7:30:33 AM

Las Vegas Schools Mix IP, Digital Communications. Looking to upgrade its communications capabilities and cut costs, the Clark County School District in Las Vegas is spending $31 million to install an IP-ready metropolitan-area network and about 27,000 phones that will be able to operate in both digital and IP modes. [Computerworld IT in Government News]
7:29:34 AM

U.K. government considers Sun in open-source software push. The Office of Government Commerce purchasing authority said it will soon begin trials of the company's new Java Desktop System and Java Enterprise System software. [Computerworld Software News]
7:28:56 AM

ObjectWeb, Apache team on open source J2EE. ObjectWeb and the Apache Software Foundation, which each develop an open-source Java application server, have reached a technology-sharing agreement designed to accelerate certification of their products under Sun Microsystems's latest J2EE standard. [InfoWorld: Top News]
7:27:53 AM

Lindows Defends Netherlands Resellers. 9 Dec 2003: Lindows.com today launched ChoicePC, a rallying point for citizens of the Netherlands who object to the Microsoft Corporation's threats of legal action against Dutch resellers who are offering Lindows.com products. "There is a real battle happening in the Netherlands,Â” said Michael Robertson. Â“The richest company in the world is trying to block choice and maintain their monopoly by intimidating smaller companies, just as they tried to do in the United States. I am... [Meerkat: An Open Wire Service]
7:25:33 AM

Immigrant Database Draws Fire. The United States is preparing to launch a massive biometric database to monitor the comings and goings of immigrants and visitors from abroad, but critics say the plan lacks adequate privacy safeguards. By Ryan Singel. [Wired News]
7:21:41 AM

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7:20:37 AM

US anti-spam law edges closer. An American anti-spam bill has come a step closer to becoming law after getting the backing of Congress. [BBC News | Technology | UK Edition]
7:17:17 AM