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Articles on Open Source

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New bugs in the code for OpenSSL. Flickr/Guilherme Tavares

Six more bugs found in popular OpenSSL security tool

Computer system administrators around the world are groaning again as six new security problems have been found in the OpenSSL security library. OpenSSL is a security tool that provides facilities to other…
Human rights monitoring can now be done by anyone. Allyson Neville-Morgan

Big data brings new power to open-source intelligence

In November 2013, the New Yorker published a profile of Eliot Higgins – or Brown Moses as he is known to almost 17,000 Twitter followers. An unemployed finance and admin worker at the time, Higgins was…
Microsoft has been at the forefront of allegations regarding the NSA. rhonogle

Using Microsoft products may be unethical for universities

Universities and researchers all over the world have a problem with Microsoft. It’s not just that the company forces expensive and dated software on customers. Using products like Microsoft’s email service…
Does Heartbleed expose flaws in the way some security-critical software is developed? Flickr/Kaleenxian

How the Heartbleed bug reveals a flaw in online security

The Heartbleed bug that’s potentially exposed the personal and financial data of millions of people stored online has also exposed a hole in the way some security software is developed and used. The bug…
Saving your old Windows XP. Flickr/MBK Marjie

Open source gives new life to old Windows XP machines

As the sun sets on Microsoft’s support for Windows XP this may be a great time to think about trying out a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) operating system for your still-working PC. This is especially…
Civil servants everywhere heave a sigh of relief. psd

There’s no better time for governments to go open source

The UK government has revealed that it is considering ditching Microsoft software for open source alternatives. Cabinet minister Frances Maude has said he wants to see a range of software being adopted…
Researchers burned by copyright ‘take-downs’ do have other options. marfis75

Riled up by Elsevier’s take-downs? Time to embrace open access

The publishing giant Elsevier owns much of the world’s academic knowledge, in the form of article copyright. In the past few weeks it has stepped up enforcement of its property rights, issuing “take-down…
Matthew Todd was honoured for his work on the Open Source Malaria project. ASAP Awards

Open Source Malaria project head wins Accelerating Science Award

Dr Matthew Todd – leader of the Open Source Malaria consortium in Sydney, senior lecturer at the University of Sydney and Conversation author – was awarded one of three Accelerating Science Awards in Washington…
A new study shows there are benefits to researchers sharing their data. opensourceway

Scientists must share early and share often to boost citations

“Publish or perish” is a well-known maxim within academia. It is introduced to researchers early in their careers, often by a PhD supervisor, keen for his or her students to start building a career. While…
The open education movement seems as though it’s here to stay – but why would anyone give away their work for free? Open book image from www.shutterstock.com

Giving it away for free: sharing really is caring in the open education movement

The New York Times dubbed 2012 the year of the MOOC. And for many, the seemingly unstoppable rise of Massive Open Online Courses – courses which are offered for free by prestigious universities – is where…
There’s still hope for open sharing of content on the web. Sue Waters

Google Reader is dying, but the open web lives on

Google announced today it will close its Google Reader service. Citing a declining number of users owing to the downturn in popularity of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, Google Reader - which offers…
Copyright law could make the job of creating Massive Open Online Courses more difficult. Legal image from www.shutterstock.com

Legal learning: how do MOOCs and copyright work?

Another university has jumped on the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) bandwagon this month, with the Australian National University joining up with Harvard venture edX. In ANU’s case, it will enable Nobel…
Is open best? Or closed? It depends how you look at it. Jer Kunz

Explainer: what is the open movement?

You’ll have read on this site, and perhaps others, about the push towards “open access” for journal articles. But what is open access, and how does it fit into the wider “open movement”? The topic has…
Art historians have welcomed the National Portrait Gallery’s move to make images available for academic use. AAP

Art historians welcome open approach to image copyright

Britain’s National Portrait Gallery has opened up its image database to allow free downloads for non-commercial and academic uses, in a move welcomed by art historians. “This is very welcome, and increasingly…
Collaboration leads to higher quality, lower costs and greater flexibility. loop_oh

Open source – ditching patents and copyright for the greater good

IDEAS AND OWNERSHIP: The concept of protecting ideas and innovation by legal means dates back to antiquity. But many of our existing laws are under strain, their suitability and ultimate purpose called…

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