OStatic

For most people, the most important part of a software license is the end. That's because they're totally uninterested in the license itself; they are merely interested in scrolling past it, so that they can click on OK and install the software that they are running. For users of open-source software, however, licenses should be extremely important, because they determine what you may and may not do with a particular program. Open-source developers have long debated the merits of the GNU General Public License vs. the BSD License. As open-source software becomes mainstream, and is integrated into larger systems, these age-old arguments are less theoretical than ever, and should be understood not only by developers, but also by managers and executives of organizations working with open source. Van Lindberg's new book is an excellent place to start.

In an article headlined The Pitfalls of Open Source Litigation , published today at InternetNews.com, Richard Adhikari claims that enterprises using open source are being sued for not complying with the multitude of licenses the software comes with, He suggests that businesses should think twice before using open-source software, lest they find themselves on the receiving end of a lawsuit themselves. Fortunately for the open-source community, his claims don't hold much water.

The creators of the copyright-critical movies Steal This Film and Steal This Film 2 are building a platform called VODO aimed at helping filmmakers get paid for releasing their works on file-sharing networks. The idea is to make VODO a feature of P2P clients as well as media players, so users can donate right when they download or watch a free movie. VODO also wants to use video fingerprinting to reliably recognize downloaded movies so that filmmakers can get their fair share. VODO is announcing a code sprint for developing a GPL video fingerprinting tool and is testing the GPL Foosic libraries for this application. Find out more at NewTeeVee, and if you're interested in open source filmmaking efforts, check out our review of Big Buck Bunny.

Check in with Chris DiBona, Google's open source chief, on how committed Google is to OSS, and more.....

Google announces OpenSocial 0.8.....

Bill Gates discussed Windows 7 at the D conference. It has a multi-touch interface--video and photos found here.....

Ruby on Rails upgrade may arrive this weekend.....

Eighteen universities say they are turning to Groundwork Open Source's network management software.....

Funambol, maker of open source messaging software, has a new version of its BlackBerry push e-mail and PIM sync app.....

The Software Freedom Law Center just announced its fourth victory over a software company that incorporated GPL-licensed software in its proprietary product. What happens when the SFLC sues a software company, and how can proprietary software vendors best work with the open-source world? The answer depends, as always, on the license.

Despite continued infighting between the Free Software and Open Source communities, the OSI has blessed the new AGPLv3 license.

Late last week the AGPLv3 license (Affero GNU Public License) formally completed the OSIοΎ’s (Open Source Initiative) license review process. The AGPL license differs from the ubiquitous GPL license in a number of important ways, the biggest of which closes the so-called οΎ“ASP loophole.οΎ”