sun

A long coming interview between the Libervis Community and Sun Microsystems representative is finally here. We have asked Patrick Finch, the leader of the OpenSolaris Content project and one of the guys working on FLOSS within the company, questions which we believe might be of interest to anyone who uses or values Free Software. Our interview was done as a cooperative community project, meaning everyone could propose a question to be asked and participate in a related discussion in our forums.

It seems that Sun Microsystems are considering GPL-ing Solaris. What's even more interesting is they are thinking of using the controversial version 3 of the license, which has yet to be published. This follows a post last January by Sun's Jonathan Schwartz where he indicated that Sun were looking into the use of the GPLv3 for Solaris.

If this follows through GNU/Solaris may become the operating system for computer users who value their freedom. Why? Well since Linus Torvalds stated that the Linux Kernel - the base of the GNU/Linux OS - will remain GPLv2, tensions have arisen within the Free Software community who wish that the Linux Kernel would be protected from things such as Tivoization in the future, a protection the GPLv3 hopes to offer. Thus with an alternative Free kernel, users who feel sore over the whole 'GPLv3 and the Linux Kernel' debate might dump the Linux kernel for the Solaris offering.

The Free Software community is without a doubt today an important part of the overall IT business ecosystem. This community counts everyone from individuals to large corporations and is gathered around the common good that is Free Software, licensed under Free Software licenses such as BSD and GPL which also shields this common pool from outside exploitation. Corporations should already be realizing that they have to count with this community and its stance towards them. It is always good to cooperate with this community.

Sun Microsystems is one of the companies that can be with full respect called a part of this Free Software community and is increasingly one of its greatest contributors and supporters. It has sponsored an OpenOffice.org project from the beginning, freed their own operating system under a Free Software license, albeit not GPL compatible, but considering a GPL license for it in the future. And to top it all it is now releasing Java as Free Software under the GPL, a bold move that serves as a great example to other companies.

Yet another month has passed, full of events, screaming thoughts and voices, virtual fights, victories and defeats. But the "war" is still raging. And this column is on the "computing liberty front", with small people like you and me with great multiplied power, fighting for a simple freedom to be masters of our own computers, our own digital destiny and our "hidden" urge to cooperate for our and everyone's benefit.

Software Patents: Screaming in the night: "Where is the light!"

But on the other front there are people afraid for their position in the world, for the destiny they planed to build on the expense of others. Software Patents in Europe and US are nothing short of that. Corporate powers of capitalism (read: profitland) are now more powerful than a country, or even worse, a union. So powerful that the union\'s principles are being thrown away for it - democracy (if there ever was such a thing) - rejected for \"higher interests\". The \"suspected\" collusion of Microsoft with European Commission when they, despite all of the major opposition, decided to pass software patents as an A-item leaving only one chance for it to be rejected, on a second reading to European Parliament, proves the already clear involvement of \"higher interests\". There is little chance that European Parliament will have majority for rejection and we, my dear readers, have come ever close to the worst threat our computing freedoms ever encountered becoming a legitimate reality.