6,873 research outputs found

    A Developers Bill of Rights: What Open Source Developers Want in a Software License

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    In this paper, we study open source developers' perspectives on the nature and structure of software licenses as well as the processes through which these licenses are designed. Recent history has shown that software licensing approaches are critical to the dynamics of the software industry and the open source ecosystem, and thus of interest to the many policy makers and practitioners that follow this part of the global economy. The study is timely, since it informs the debate on the revision of the GPL license, one of the most popular licenses in use. This revision has the potential to shape the software industry for many years to come; hence it is important that the governance process for this revision reflect the needs of the broader software community. Our study employed structured interviews to capture data on open source developers' opinions about software licenses. We focused on how license choices impact the relationship that exists between open source and proprietary software. Our findings reveal that developers are primarily interested in flexibility and choice when considering a licensing approach. Most developers we interviewed used open source licenses to tap into the open source development approach. They chose this option for flexibility in developing a great product, without necessarily espousing any particular philosophy about how the software should be distributed. Developers also generally valued flexibility in the choice of business model for distributing software. The actions of the Free Software Foundation, which is revising the GPL, appear not to reflect the opinions of the broader community, but the agenda of a small minority that may represent as little as 10% of the open source developer community. Sharing data on the needs and perceived rights of developers, both open source and proprietary, will help the software community, industry experts and policymakers to champion a more flexible and responsive approach to sharing and developing software. Policy makers should work to preserve what has made the software ecosystem successful: innovation, community input and involvement, and developer freedom of choice.

    The Myth of Superiority of American Encryption Products

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    Encryption software and hardware use sophisticated mathematical algorithms to encipher a message so that only the intended recipient may read it. Fearing that criminals and terrorists will use encryption to evade authorities, the United States now restricts the export of encryption products with key lengths of more than 56 bits. The controls are futile, because strong encryption products are readily available overseas. Foreign-made encryption products are as good as, or better than, U.S.-made products. U.S. cryptographers have no monopoly on the mathematical knowledge and methods used to create strong encryption. Powerful encryption symmetric-key technologies developed in other countries include IDEA and GOST. Researchers in New Zealand have developed very strong public-key encryption systems. As patents on strong algorithms of U.S. origin expire, researchers in other countries will gain additional opportunities to develop strong encryption technology based on those algorithms

    An Economic Analysis of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act

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    As an attempt by Congress to overturn a Supreme Court ruling by statute, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), although passed by a congressional landslide, was one of the most controversial pieces of legislation passed during Bill Clinton\u27s presidency. Wheeler examines RFRA from a law and economics perspective to show that, as a method by which Congress attempted to impose its definition of a constitutional right upon the courts, the Act was inefficient

    Being Forced to Code in the Technology Era as a Violation of the First Amendment Protection Against Compelled Speech

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    Over the past several decades, technological advancements led several courts to hold that computer code is protected as speech under the First Amendment of the Constitution. However, after fourteen people were killed in the 2015 San Bernardino massacre the U.S. Government sought to ignore those findings when it ordered Apple, Inc. to write a computer code to bypass the encryption software on the shooter’s cell phone. To access this particular phone Apple would need to write a code that could potentially compromise its customers’ data and personal information. Apple vehemently opposed the Government’s order and claimed that compelling it to violate its company philosophy infringed on its First Amendment rights against compelled speech. The American public became very divided over the legal implications of technology, privacy, and encryption, which warranted a discussion and analysis of the application of the First Amendment in the technology era. After discussing the history of the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment, this Note explores the law surrounding computer code as speech, compelled speech, and compelled affirmations. This Note then analyzes the Constitutionality of the U.S. Government ordering Apple to access an iPhone seized following the commission of a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. After considering Apple’s justifications for resisting the Government’s order, this Note argues that the First Amendment protects the company’s refusal to write encryption software needed to access the seized device. This Note then highlights the need for a solution created through legislation, rather than a piecemeal body of law decided by the judiciary to provide more definite guidelines

    Problem of gas accretion on a gravitational center

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    A method of the approximated solution of the problem of accretion on a rapidly moving gravitational center is developed. This solution is obtained in the vicinity of the axis of symmetry in the region of the potential flow. The solution of the problem of stationary gas accretion on a moving gravitational center simulates the movement of a substance in interstellar space in the vicinity of a black hole. A detailed picture of gas accretion on a black hole is of interest in connection with the problem of observation of black holes

    An Overview of Low-cost Housing Demand-Supply Gap in Malaysia: The Way Forward

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    The purpose of this paper is to assess the low-cost housing (LCH) provision with a view to suggesting ways to abridge the demand-supply gap in Malaysian LCH. The Malaysian government over the years have attempted to make home ownership for all households regardless of the household income monthly but it seems this is becoming an illusion because of the increasing gap between the demand and supply of LCH provision. Therefore, this paper presents the preliminary findings of an on-going study that is examining the demand-supply gap in Malaysian LCH provision as well as role expected by the 5-year housing plan. It is little wonder that both the public and the private sector providers of LCH have not been able to meet up with the planned (demand) LCH as against what was achieved (supply) over a long period of time. Hence, this paper serves as a basis for further research into establishing the actual demandsupply gap of LCH provision in Malaysia. Compliance by all stakeholders to Malaysian 2011 National Housing Policy can no longer be over-emphasised and long overdue. Also, increasing the supply of LCH via tax incentives, government grants, government guarantees for house loans, and Bank Negara Malaysia’s mandate investment lenders to lend to target group among others were recommended to abridge the demand-supply gap of Malaysian LCH

    No Law ... Abridging

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    A Hindi Poet from Allahabad: Translating Harivansh Rai Bachchan's autobiography

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