Headline Feeds|
Shuttleworth and the Raging Inferno of the Great Sexism Debate October 05, 2009 
If the success of a conference can be judged by the duration of the conversations that follow from it, LinuxCon was a hit beyond measure. Here it is, two weeks later, and the repercussions are still being felt. What we might call "The Great Sexism Debate" gained considerable fuel there and, in fact, is now raging out of control. Put those safety glasses on!
|
FCC Chair Leads Charge on Net Neutrality Battlefield September 21, 2009 
For so-called Net neutrality advocates, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski's Monday morning speech at the Brookings Institution must have reached their ears like sweet music -- legally downloaded music, that is, delivered on a very fast wireless connection.
|
|
The Curious Case of the OIN Patent Coup September 14, 2009 
One of the best things about being part of the Linux community is that things are never boring. Take last week, for example, when some anti-Linux screenshots were leaked from a Microsoft ExpertZone training course for Windows 7 retail salespeople. Money just can't buy entertainment like that.
|
NTSB Practices What It Preaches About Cellphones and Driving September 09, 2009 
The federal safety agency that investigates transportation accidents is banning texting and talking on cellphones by its employees while driving on government business. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman said Tuesday she's adopting the policy because she wants her agency to follow the same safety practices it recommends for others.
|
|
Did Talking on a Cellphone While Driving Get a Bum Rap? August 17, 2009 
It wasn't all that long ago that the talk about cellphones and driving was all talk. That is, consumers, driving-safety advocates, and lawmakers debated whether using a hands-free device was enough to make talking on a cellphone safe, or whether talking on the newly ubiquitous devices while behind the wheel should be banned outright.
|
Is ICANN Cooking Up a Storm? August 11, 2009 
While it would be difficult to define a single theme of meetings as diverse and sometimes as contentious as the recent ICANN consultation sessions in July in New York and London, the most broadly based concern was clear. Rights holders, whether they own trademarks and brand names, or whether they own other intellectual property on the Internet, are worried.
|
|
Jimmy Wales and the Slippery Slope August 04, 2009 
Jimmy Wales, cofounder of Wikipedia, recently attempted to pressure ECT News Network into killing or drastically revising an article that was not to his liking. In an illuminating series of no fewer than 17 email messages, Wales demanded, threatened, wheedled and implored in a dogged effort to accomplish one thing: to get us to change our story.
|
File-Sharing Penalties May Be Scrutinized on Constitutional Grounds August 03, 2009 
The numbers in two recent copyright infringement lawsuits involving downloaded music are enough to get tongues wagging. Is a song really worth $22,500? Or even $80,000? Juries in Massachusetts and Minnesota, respectively, ordered those awards to the recording industry this year in cases involving defendants alleged to have illegally downloaded music from the Internet.
|
|
Behind-the-Wheel Texting Laws Might Not Change Habits July 30, 2009 
A proposed national ban on text messaging while driving is already drawing criticism that it doesn't go far enough and is unlikely to be effective without stringent enforcement and radical attitude shifts in the driving public. "The real safety problem is not just texting, but all cellphone use while driving," said Russ Rader, spokesperson for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
|
Shill-Shocked: The Dark Side of Community Discussion July 30, 2009 
Name-calling and accusations are nothing new on the Linux blogs, but lately the mud-slinging has become so intense that it seems fair to say a good cleaning is in order, for the walls and floors are covered. Much of the recent ferocity has sprung up over the seemingly never-ending Mono debate.
|
|
Google Has No Voice at the App Store July 28, 2009 
Apple has refused to add a Google Voice application to its App store. Google submitted the app some six weeks ago. Apple's rejection of the third-party app has disappointed users and raised questions about partner AT&T's suspected influence in the matter. It has also revived talk about the increasingly political nature of Apple's decision-making when it comes to what's allowed at the App Store.
|
The Front Line of the E-Commerce Tax Battle: Update July 21, 2009 
There have been three significant developments affecting the tax battles online travel companies have been fighting around the U.S. in recent weeks, and none are positive for the OTC industry. The issue at the heart of these tax controversies is whether the OTCs should be collecting and remitting hotel room taxes on the full amount of the price they charge their customers.
|
|
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf (Huntress)? July 20, 2009 
A mini-drama of particular interest to bloggers unfolded in the midst of the hoopla surrounding Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's resignation earlier this month. When a false rumor surfaced that she was stepping down because a federal investigation had been launched into possible illegal use of state funds, Palin threatened to sue a blogger who had repeated the scuttlebutt.
|
Obama Administration Plows Ahead With Controversial E-Verify Program July 09, 2009 
Despite strong opposition from business groups and a lawsuit, the Obama administration is making E-Verify, an online verification program, mandatory for businesses working with the federal government. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Wednesday announced support for the program, which lets businesses check employees' work status online.
|
|
Are Contentious Debates Derailing FOSS? July 06, 2009 
Well, the Mono debate has been raging in the Linux blogosphere for some time now, and it shows no sign of abating. Ever since RMS himself stepped into the fray to proclaim his own opinion, the fires have been burning higher than ever -- as we noted last week.
Close to 150 fresh comments appeared on the topic in just four days last week on LXer, for example, with no end in sight.
|
Large Tech Firms: Beware of Obama Administration's Antitrust Plans July 02, 2009 
In a dramatic repudiation of Bush administration policies, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Justice department withdrew its recent report setting standards for the prosecution of monopolization offenses. The report was controversial from the start. The FTC declined to join it after three of the commissioners called it a "blueprint for radically weakened enforcement" against anticompetitive practices.
|
See More Articles in Controversies Section >>
