Home >> Blogs January 2008 - Enterprise Insights

Does Virtualization Equal ‘Bullet Proof’?

Virtualization has been available to the IT world for more than four decades, yet it has still not really taken off in the multi system environment. Many vendors are pushing this approach to deploying ‘flexible technology’, yet it still has not emerged...

Published Tue, Jan 29 2008 4:01 PM by Paul E. Rummell

Analyzing when copyright levies are a good idea, and when they are a very bad idea.

Many people in the IT sector have a strong opinion about the levy on blank media such as CDs that go to the various parts of the music industry. With a number of proposals to remove existing levies, or add new ones, it is helpful to have a bit of background...

Published Mon, Jan 28 2008 12:01 PM by Rusell McOrmond

Filed under: Licensing, Compulsory licensing, Copyright holders, Regime, Proposals

Copyright lobby to IT sector: It's all your fault! In some cases it is.

While copyright holders already have the legal tools to sue people in Canada infringing copyright, statements made by a relatively large number of organizations from the Copyright lobby have named their real target: the IT sector. They are lobbying to...

Published Fri, Jan 25 2008 4:01 PM by Rusell McOrmond

Filed under: Sector, Infringers

Some sober second thoughts on 2008 IT predictions

The New Year always starts with a bang of predictions on what’s hot and what’s not. Most of these predictions are just more hype to get you going with some new technologies or get some more zip into your conversations. The best list of predictions I have...

Published Tue, Jan 22 2008 1:01 PM by Paul E. Rummell

Filed under: Security, Green computing

Copyright protesters got Industry Minister Jim Prentice's attention: now what?

The week of December 10, just prior to parliament going on winter recess, a bill entitled “An Act to amend the Copyright Act” was added to the notice paper . Earlier in December, Michael Geist had created a Facebook group called “Fair...

Published Tue, Jan 22 2008 12:01 PM by Rusell McOrmond

Filed under: Treaties, United states, Bill

Thoughts on Bill Gates eventual "retirement"

We have been hearing for two years about the eventual “retirement” of Bill Gates in July 2008. At this years CES keynote, supposedly his last, someone created an amusing video about his last day , and there were the inevitable spoofs . The...

Published Fri, Jan 18 2008 12:01 PM by Rusell McOrmond

Filed under: Sharing

Even in the "DRM" debate, Content is not King.

I am likely one of the strongest opponents to what is commonly called "Digital Rights Management" (DRM) that you will come across. Given this, you might assume that I would be cheering now that all 4 of the major music labels - EMI (Britain), Vivendi...

Published Tue, Jan 15 2008 4:01 PM by Rusell McOrmond

Filed under: Owner, Control, Labels, Lock

We’re not thieves. We just can’t read contracts (McAfee and Open Source)

I have borrowed a headline from an earlier posting by Shane Schick to discuss something I saw this week. McAfee filed a report last month with the Securities and Exchange Commission that made a few statements about risks associated with their use of some...

Published Fri, Jan 11 2008 12:01 PM by Rusell McOrmond

Filed under: License, Firm, Floss

When a hardware and software hacker meets lawyers and policy wonks.

Before I start to write for this BLOG I want to offer a bit of an introduction, so that the perspective that my articles will take will make sense. I started out in this business the regular way. I was introduced to computers at school in the early 1980...

Published Wed, Jan 09 2008 5:01 PM by Rusell McOrmond

Filed under: Owners, Libre software