Older blog entries for atai (starting at number 45)

Is the DRM provisions really a big issue for GPL v3?

I am just thinking that assuming the difference between Torvalds and the FSF over the DRM provisions cannot be resolved to a consensus, and the final version of the GPL v3 keeps essentially the same language as the current draft. Then can't Linux move to the GPL v3 with the additional permission to escape from the DRM language? This can also be true for anyone else who has a problem with the DRM language.

Linux may not be able to move to GPL v3 for other reasons like requiring permissions from too many authors, etc., which I will ignore for now. But I think with the above avenue, the disagreement over DRM provisions shall not be a reason for the Linux kernel not go to a license of GPL v3 with an exception for DRM (as wanted by Linus).

Libsqlfs is freed to the world! Libsqlfs implements a POSIX file system on top of a SQLite database.

wingo, GNU Arch (tla) has been greatly simplified in the command line interface in recent versions. It shall not be more significantly difficult to use than bazaar, and the trend for simplification is continuing.

Wonder whatever happens to the WUXGA or some such (1400x1050) or alike LCD displays in the laptop market. These high resolution displays are great and used to be widely available but now I only see 1280x800 ones. Wonder where these high resolution panels go...

GNU Arch 1.3.5 released!

It is funny that some people want to bump version numbers for no good reason. The fact that a project can advance in the current framework without the need of a major rewrite is a good thing. And the current generation of GNOME seems to be in good shape, and if there is no 3.0 so much the better. And arguments over GNOME and Gnome seem like making storm in a teapot. GNOME it is, and that name already works well, and then so be it.

<person>Michael Crawford</person>, seems you were actually from the San Francisco Bay area. The job market in Silicon Valley is now very hot so you shall be able to find a job easily here. Of course it is up to you to decide if you want to leave the icy coast of Eastern Canada...

The modern version of the da Vinci code. Who can solve it?

According to this article on Eben Moglen and the GPL v3, http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1742104,00.html,

"The new version of the GPL licence says that creators of programs and embedded devices are free to add DRM to systems that use software released under the GPL (like GNU/Linux) - but on one condition: that users can change the underlying software."

Would source-code-available-as-free-software DRM systems like openmediacommons.org be allowed under the GPL v3?

New Tong Wen Tong (新同文堂） is very good at converting simplified characters to the traditional characters. For example, badvogato's poem seems to show up correctly (let me know if something is wrong):

作者：一里 標題：棋詩四手 - 2006-3-12 00:37

黑白懷君子，忘憂不記年。 橘中春夢短，燈下木狐妍。 沈醉澹容與，猜心盍忘荃。 輸贏無大事，流水自爭先。

桃葉秋風遠，湖山雨夜燈。 春唇充酒債，暈夢典文心。花影移簾動，曇香逐院深。 吳圖曾憶否，黑白擾行僧。

黑白爭疏發，年輪枉自匆。 山空人跡渺，雲外嶺無窮。城傍千山雪，時侵苦楝風。 人間春已老，仍不見桃紅。

閒坐敲棋韻，無朋竹下傾。茶煙浮石影，鳥語辯音名。枰面蔭蔭翳，棋長落落營。偶而逢難劫，拂了不相爭。