May 2014 - Free-software-melb - lists.softwarefreedom.com.au

Choice to inform public about graduated response policy.
by Ben M 02 Jun '14

02 Jun '14

It's not quite the TPP/FTA scale, but it's the internet, it's piracy, it's the vibe. Surprised to see Choice getting involved. -------- Original (cruft removed) Message -------- Yesterday, reports that the federal government is looking at so-called graduated response policies were confirmed. These policies will make the internet slower and more expensive, and there's no evidence that they will have any impact on the problem they are trying to address, internet piracy. Rather than increasing access to content, the government wants to penalise all consumers in order to protect the profits of American copyright holders. http://click.email.choice.com.au/?qs=b85453dd728ea6866654e252fc8c17cfd24352… Help CHOICE fund an ad to run in the national media that tells the government not to force costly policies onto consumers and ISPs without addressing the root causes of internet piracy. http://click.email.choice.com.au/?qs=b85453dd728ea6866654e252fc8c17cfd24352… Donate now! The government has never asked consumers what they think of these laws. It's time we tell them. So much is being considered in secret. Here's what we know: - The Attorney-General's Department has confirmed that it is considering establishing a graduated response scheme as one possible anti-piracy policy in Australia. - These policies will make internet access more expensive for all users - not just people illegally downloading content. - These policies will make the internet slower for everyone because your ISP (internet service provider) has to enforce clunky regulations. - These policies won't stop piracy. The most effective measure to stop piracy is giving consumers timely and affordable access to the content they want.By http://click.email.choice.com.au/?qs=b85453dd728ea6866654e252fc8c17cfd24352… donating just $10 , you will help us place an ad in the national media to tell the government that this is a #piracyfail. Best wishes, Angela Cartwright Campaigns Manager P.S For more information http://click.email.choice.com.au/?qs=b85453dd728ea686b0c67ccbba7dbe9389dc3f… check out the CHOICE website .

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BitCoin data continually triggering Microsoft malware alert
by Ben Finney 18 May '14

18 May '14

Howdy all, Apropos the BitCoin discussions, here is a Microsoft Windows user raising the issue that Microsoft's “Security Essentials” is continually flagging a user's BitCoin data as matching a 25-year-old defunct virus. Since this is only the virus signature and not the virus itself, there apparently is no danger to users in any way. However, MSE recognizes the signature for the virus and continuously reports it as a threat, and every time it deletes the file, the bitcoin client will simply re-download the missing blockchain. It appears to be a joke or prank, simply because this particular virus does nothing more than periodically show "YOUR COMPUTER HAS BEEN STONED" on one out of every eight computer boot-ups, and is over 25 years old. <URL:https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/protect/forum/mse-protect_updating/…> What are the chances Microsoft will address this correctly? What incentives would they have to make BitCoin more convenient / less scary for their users? -- \ “Every man would like to be God, if it were possible; some few | `\ find it difficult to admit the impossibility.” —Bertrand | _o__) Russell, _Power: A New Social Analysis_, 1938 | Ben Finney

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starting your own crypto currency
by Russell Coker 18 May '14

18 May '14

I'd like to start my own crypto currency. What's the easiest way of doing it? I'd like to use an Android phone client for payments if possible, hopefully a FOSS Android app at least. The total value of currency released will be only a few hundred dollars. Also I want to run the central bank and be the only issuer of currency. Any suggestions? I guess I could just buy half a bitcoin, but it might be more fun to start my own. -- My Main Blog http://etbe.coker.com.au/ My Documents Blog http://doc.coker.com.au/

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Id software, Mozilla and the Gnews
by Adam Bolte 17 May '14

17 May '14

Hey all, I was informed Thursday that it's pronounced I.D. software, but I do not believe that to be true. Here's a documentary on the company where they describe the origins of the name, and they definitely do not pronounce it that way. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCafnH_eisA From the meet-up, here are the links from the gnews items: New Firefox release, which has received much community backlash: * https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=14/05/12/133214 * http://news.slashdot.org/story/14/04/29/1638220/firefox-29-redesign * http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=13350353&sid=cee01d7621130bd3… New Screen release (first in over 5 years!): * https://savannah.gnu.org/forum/forum.php?forum_id=7961 New OpenSSH release which does not depend on OpenSSL: * http://it.slashdot.org/story/14/04/30/1822209/openssh-no-longer-has-to-depe… New Mailman beta (now using Twitter bootstrap!): * http://news.slashdot.org/story/14/04/29/0253247/gnu-mailman-3-enters-beta * https://lists.stg.fedoraproject.org/archives/ (demo URL) US Supreme Court Makes It Easier To Get Lawyers Fees In Patent Cases: * http://yro.slashdot.org/story/14/04/30/1555231/supreme-court-makes-it-easie…> MediaGoblin campaign a success! * http://mediagoblin.org/news/campaign-success.html RBDOOM-3-BFG hits 1.0 * https://github.com/RobertBeckebans/RBDOOM-3-BFG * https://github.com/RobertBeckebans/RBDOOM-3-BFG/releases/tag/v1.0.1 All Packages Needed For FreedomBox Now In Debian: * http://linux-beta.slashdot.org/story/14/04/16/1355220/all-packages-needed-f… New Privacy Badger Firefox and Chrome extension: * https://www.eff.org/privacybadger Why Oracle’s Copyright Victory Over Google Is Bad News for Everyone: * http://www.wired.com/2014/05/oracle-copyright/ * https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/05/dangerous-ruling-oracle-v-google-fede… Net Neutrality links: * https://openmedia.org/slowlane?src=156261 * http://cms.fightforthefuture.org/tellfcc/ * http://www.occupythefcc.com/ * https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/05/prepare-take-action-defend-net-neutra… SOPA's dead but pols ask ad companies to pretend SOPA is law anyway: * https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/05/pols-ad-networks-pretend-we-passed-so… Mozilla announces partnership with Adobe to support Digital Restrictions Management: * https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/05/14/drm-and-the-challenge-of-serving-u… * https://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-condemns-partnership-between-mozilla-and-adobe… * http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/may/14/firefox-closed-source-drm… * https://hacks.mozilla.org/2014/05/reconciling-mozillas-mission-and-w3c-eme/ * https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=14/05/14/1949257 Just on that last gnews item, there was some discussion Thursday around what Mozilla was actually bundling with its browser. From The Guardian link: "Mozilla says it isn’t providing DRM; it’s providing a fully open utility that automatically fetches and installs DRM from Adobe’s servers. I am unconvinced that there is a meaningful distinction between “installing DRM” and “installing code that installs DRM”." So while it is technically accurate that Mozilla isn't bundling proprietary code, depending on the implementation, they might as well be. Hopefully this is functionality that needs to be activated by the user, as opposed to having EME enabled in the browser by default (such as the way cookies are currently handled). I also found this interesting, but unexpected: "But if users modify the sandbox in any way – if they add new features or improvements to it – the Adobe plug-in can detect the alteration and it will refuse to pass any more decoded video. The Mozilla sandbox comes with total openness, but without any of the freedoms that the free software movement cherishes." I wonder if unofficial Firefox builds will work with Adobe's CDM. Probably not. I also wonder if Mozilla's EME sandbox will be compatible with other CDMs. Thanks all for coming along Thursday. I particularly enjoyed seeing how the Bitcoin ATM was put together. Cheers, Adam

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bitcoin in Melbourne
by Brian May 16 May '14

16 May '14

Hello, Last night, going from memory, Dale mentioned that there are 42 businesses in Melbourne that accept Bitcoin. Just wondered if there was a list somewhere? (would try contacting Dale, but don't have contact details) Thanks -- Brian May <brian(a)microcomaustralia.com.au>

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Legality of Bitcoins by country
by Brian May 16 May '14

16 May '14

Page I mentioned last night. Not sure how accurate it is, but useful as a general guide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_Bitcoins_by_country Read the corresponding talk page too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Legality_of_Bitcoins_by_country Not sure I understand the situation in Russia. People are saying it is illegal, but this Wikipedia article says otherwise. Apparently the local media were banned from talking about the Bitcoin Summit in China: http://www.coindesk.com/china-orders-media-silence-on-global-bitcoin-summit/ However lots of people attended anyway: http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1509436/hundreds-attend-chinas-first… -- Brian May <brian(a)microcomaustralia.com.au>

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Google, Microsoft face take-down request overload after European court ruling
by Brian May 16 May '14

16 May '14

This has some scary implications for free speech, I think. I assume this means, for example, in the highly unlikely event a politician breaks their pre-election promises, they can request to have the offending search results deleted. http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/google-microsoft-fa… Sounds like this is going to require one massively long blacklist. -- Brian May <brian(a)microcomaustralia.com.au>

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Bitcoin in Debian
by Brian May 15 May '14

15 May '14

The reference software is in Debian unstable. https://packages.debian.org/sid/bitcoin-qt However, before getting to excited, look at the following Debian specific bug reports. https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=731953 https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=718272 Full list: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?which=src&data=bitcoin&pend-e…

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Re: [free-software-melb] Meet up Thu 15 May: Bitcoin - the intro and demo, meet Les Kitchen
by Ben Finney 15 May '14

15 May '14

On 08-May-2014, Ben Sturmfels wrote: > Free Software Melbourne > ----------------------- > Thursday 15 May (3rd Thursday of month) > 6-9pm (inc. dinner at nearby restaurant) My apologies for the late notice: I won't be able to attend tonight. It sounds like a great line-up, please enjoy! -- \ “You can never entirely stop being what you once were. That's | `\ why it's important to be the right person today, and not put it | _o__) off until tomorrow.” —Larry Wall | Ben Finney <ben(a)benfinney.id.au>

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Can anyone swing by The Hub to borrow Bitcoin vending machine?
by Ben Sturmfels 15 May '14

15 May '14

Dale Dickins has kindly offered to lend us her Lamassu Bitcoin vending machine (https://lamassu.is/) tomorrow night if anyone is available to swing past The Hub to pick it up, and drop it back Friday. The Hub is on the corner of Bourke and Collins Street: http://hubaustralia.com/contact/melbourne/ The machine is fairly compact: 35cm x 48cm x 27cm Please reply to Dale at the above address if you can swing by. Regards, Ben

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