Information distribution with KNOPPIX

[paradocs]

Hello All,

Re: Knoppix vom Bundesdatenschutzbeauftragten
http://www.linuxtag.org/cgi-bin/yabb...num=1058636651

Sorry but my German only goes up to 28 bits
so if I have this wrong please correct this.

Free governmental information is availabe on a
KNOPPIX CD. I expect you have to live in
Germany to qualify.
The files could be read from any operating
system without booting -- but if you wished
you could boot up KNOPPIX.

What a great idea.

Best Wishes
paradocs

[aay]

Paradocs,

My German is even less than yours. If some kind, bilingual soul wants to translate this, it looks interesting.

[Edwin]

Rough translation:

The Federal Data Protection Agency has published it's 19th Activity Report on
the years 2000 - 2002. This report is available to the public on CD at no
charge. The CD includes Knoppix.

follows some information where to order by web or email

This Agency is a privacy watchdog. From their website:

On the CD-Rom you will find (amongst others):
-The 19th Activity Report from the Federal Data Protection Agency
-FDPA-info 1 Federal Data Protection Act: Text and Comments
-FDPA-info 4 The FDPA in Government and Business
-FDPA-info 5 Data Protection in Telecommunications

On the CD-ROM are HTML and PDF files for these documents. These are readable on
all systems that support the ISO 9660 filesystem (Apple Mac, Linux, Windows
95 and higher). With the help of Knoppix the files can also be read without
installation and interference from a existing Operating System.

Interesting, but I wonder what the philosophy behind it is.

- - Edwin

[Stephen]

Interesting, but I wonder what the philosophy behind it is.

- - Edwin

The German government does not trust MS or the US government they think there could be back doors allowing them access to confidential information so they are looking at open source for the solution plus it doesn't hurt that they are German either they have supported SUSE for quite a while too.

[paradocs]

Hello All,

Thanks Edwin.

There are also significant economic benefits to
any region that can reduce software costs.

I always like to look for a bit of fun in things.
I think it a bit ironic that the
Bundesdatenschutzbeauftragten
is providing a great collection of hackers tool. :P

Best Wishes
paradocs

[andrei]

Interesting, but I wonder what the philosophy behind it is.

- - Edwin

The German government does not trust MS or the US government they think there could be back doors allowing them access to confidential information so they are looking at open source for the solution plus it doesn't hurt that they are German either they have supported SUSE for quite a while too.

Its not just the German government - its all of Europe which is headed this way. If you read European Linux mags (the French ones are the best - "Planete Linux" for example, or "Login") you will see that Europeans are gradually becoming aware that the software we use has major political, moral and ethical implications. For example, in Switzerland the government of the State of Geneva has shipped a copy of OpenOffice to every single taxpayer in the Canton (as part of a CD to make your tax returns on a computer). The folks there feel that it is crucial for them to break free of M$.

Besides, this is also what most of the rest of the world is doing (besides the "country of the free" that is :-)

[Edwin]

Its not just the German government - its all of Europe which is headed this way. If you read European Linux mags (the French ones are the best - "Planete Linux" for example, or "Login") you will see that Europeans are gradually becoming aware that the software we use has major political, moral and ethical implications. For example, in Switzerland the government of the State of Geneva has shipped a copy of OpenOffice to every single taxpayer in the Canton (as part of a CD to make your tax returns on a computer). The folks there feel that it is crucial for them to break free of M$.

I am not that optimistic. There has been some successes (Munich, a number of regions in Spain) But MicroSoft is anything but stupid. They can afford to seriously underbid big projects as they did in Munich. And they have anounced that governments can now have access to the sourcecode after all (on their terms). BTW, anti-Americanism in France is a fact. So expect French magazines to be a little biased.

But there is an ever bigger threat to open source: In September the European Parliament will have to make a decision on software-patenting. If they decide to allow it, and it looks that way, we are in for some nasty surprises in the future. For example, BT already tried to patent the Hyperlink. The case was trown out of court, but they might try again.

- - Edwin

[andrei]

BTW, anti-Americanism in France is a fact. So expect French magazines to be a little biased.

you know, we could argue about cause and effect here... to simply state that the French are anti-American really *explains* nothing, but only makes a dismissal of their point of view (assuming there is one such point of view). I would argue that the French were "linux aware" long before the recent troubles between France and the US (remember Le Monde's headline on Sept 11 - "nous sommes tous des americains"?).

Besides - have you actually read these magazines? They are not political - only socially aware which is, IMHO, very different. now, of course, anything "social" is labeled by most americans as "socialist" and therefore "anti-american". I saw no such reductions in France.

The threat in the European Parliament is, indeed, very serious. But even if the new legislation is passed, I would bet that the resistance to it would be very strong in much of Europe and things can be reversed (even if with great difficulty). The EP is much more the tool of the ruling elites than of the "simple folks" and I do fear that European elites are by and large firmly behind M$. So here we have it: Linux-issues are profoundly political at the core. so back to cause and effect: what does being aware and concerned about these issue make a person in the eyes of those who are not?

Cheers!

[Edwin]

you know, we could argue about cause and effect here... to simply state that the French are anti-American really *explains* nothing, but only makes a dismissal of their point of view (assuming there is one such point of view).

I did not state that _the_ French are anti-american. I said that there is anti-americanism in France. Ok, I should have added that that sentiment is present in a lot of European countries. But oddly enough France seems to be the center. And that has been going on for a long time, long before September 11. Let me rephrase it: there is an undercurrent in French public opinion and politics to evaluate any non-French 'invention' as an attempt to wipe out their culture and way of life. Do you remember who called Disneyland a 'cultural Tsjernobyl'?

For 'French' you may read Europe. The only interesting question of course is: why?

About the magazines I said '_expect_ them to be a _little_ biased'. That is an attitude I take with any material I read anyway. Bias is only human after all.

The threat in the European Parliament is, indeed, very serious. But even if the new legislation is passed,I would bet that the resistance to it would be very strong in much of Europe and things can be reversed (even if with great difficulty).

I wish I could share your optimism. Simular legislation is in existence in the USA and Japan since ...uhm ...1994(?) I do hope the resistance there is better organised than it is here. But even if it is, what are the chances of success: does Amazon.com still hold the patent on 'One-click-shop-and buy'? We are talking big money here. And serious pressure from the USA. And MP's that don't even know what 'Open Source' is. And there will be 10 new members in the EC in two years, some of whose economies aren't in that great shape. Dollar-diplomacy has it's little uses.

A votre santé,

- - Edwin

[andrei]

Howdi!

You don't think Disneyland is a cultural Chernobyl ;-)

[I write this sitting in Florida, of all places]

More seriously, I agree with absolutely everything you said. But I do believe that in Europe there is a powerful and well-established counter-culture which questions the "official" model shoved down our throats by the big $$$. For example, in Geneva where I lived for most of my life, I learned Linux in a squat (-: which is kinda of neat culture shock for an Ivy League graduate :-). Now these squats were government regulated (very clean and safe and cozy) and the courses were paid for by the very same government. Of course, Geneva is considered to be a nest of leftists by the rest of Switzerland, but at least the Canton authorities were actually pushing Linux and open source locally. I saw much of the same stuff happening in France. I believe that local authorities in Spain are also doing this. Now, OF COURSE all the big $$$ corporations and their mignons in various "elected" bodies will push M$ with all the power they have. But I simply cannot believe that the admittedly much smaller counter-culture (which does have some support and visibility in the local media and public opinion) will simply roll over, accept defeat, and start waving flags, singing songs about how proud they are to be Europeans "cause at least they know they are free" and declaring that "united they stand" or something like this.

As for the new EU members, they are bad news on one hand, but good news on the other. Their "elected" officials are even more for sale than the rest (see recent events) but at least they are used to tell their rulers to go and get lost. So that is a definite plus.

Europe is really at a crossroads. It can either join the "collective mind of the Borg" (to use a non-European cultural reference) or decide that Chernobyl is not a model of development they wich to emulate. In this context Linux will, I think and I hope, become somewhat of a banner and a symbol. I might be naive, but this is what I what to hope for. An American once said "defeat is a temporary condition, it is surrender which makes it permanent". I think that Europeans will remember this regardless of what their bureaucrats decide!

Once de Gaulle was exiting a building and someone screamed "mort au cons!" . He answered "vaste programme..."

Cheers!