Tag Archive for 'openservice'

eXMPi, XMP and Embedding Metadata

This is my comment to Hubert Figuiere, who is launching a library, eXMPi, for operating on XMP metadata in the Open Source world:

Yes, I think this is a great move Hubert! Unfortunately, Inkscape uses standard RDF, which can be formatted easily into XMP. Also, the Open Clip Art library reads SVGs which use this RDF.

Hubert, please point us to the code! Creative Commons is fully promoting XMP as the way to go for embedding metadata and the major freedesktop.org indexers are supporting it as well.

We should all push on adobe to get them to open source (GPL) their XMP toolkit which they are clutching. They can only gain from doing this sooner rather than later, especially now that Microsoft’s Vista Photo Gallery supports XMP.

How can we best accelerate this standard in open source? Linksvayer and I have looked at many standards and whatnot and the space is completely clogged up with the minions of metadata all over the web. So, between the complexity of systems for embedding and standardization of fields, XMP solves this nasty problem the best. The only area where metadata has somewhat standardized is in the music space with id3 with mp3s. Still, it would be good to have XMP support in the audio space to have uniformity.

Anti-DRM Statement by Steve Jobs, Lessig, Linksvayer, Sneakmove and More

Yes, its a very big deal to note Steve Jobs note to the community at large about the problems of DRM. The letter is obviously carefully crafted and has excellent points about the issue including some light-promises. As I expected, Prof. Lessig, Mike Linksvayer, Sneakmove, other hackers, and Mr. Boing Boing Doctorow all made comments on Steve Jobs great statement.

Doctorow’s post has notable constructive criticism:

This is a big day — a huge day. If Steve Jobs comes through with his promise to offer DRM-free music from artists who will allow it, we’re at the beginning of the end of the DRM wars. I look forward to the day when the iTunes Music Store catalog shows a little warning icon next to those few holdout tracks sold with DRM, a skull-and-crossbones to tell you that you’re about to buy some poisonous bits.

Especially if Steve follows this up by offering iTunes videos — especially the Pixar movies, which he directly controls as the single largest shareholder in Disney — without DRM! Link

It is now time to stick Apple to this and reminds me of the importance of how influential luminary figures like Jobs can be when they speak up from their closed offices on issues such as this (and I would add when its beneficial to their interests). I don’t mean this is in a naive way either, as this is America baby. Oh know…

CC Taiwan Conference Follow-up + Slides + Video

The CC Taiwan conference I participated in had to have been the most efficient and best-run conference I’ve been to in some time. Hats off to Tyng-Ruey Chuang and everyone who put that conference together. It also was interesting to be an official Creative Commons representative in terms of experience with the organization. I got to field many questions during the conference.

The fun of the event was getting to have a hack session with the CC Taiwan developers on ccHost the day after, which segued into a Wikimania 2007 planning conference (since its in Tapei in Aug. 2007 — mark your calendars).

I got an email from Tyng-Ruey today saying that video (ogm and wmv) is online from the conference, so check that out.

Also, I’m attaching my slides from the conference to this post here: CC Taiwan Open Content Library Presentation.

OpenMoko and Open Content on Open Devices

I wanted to add to the blogosphere about the OpenMoko first phone launch for developers on February 11. Looks like the OpenMoko team is sending me a test unit so I can explore development opportunities for this device and open content. That is great.

Check out Stefan Schmidt’s excellent todo list for his development efforts:

  • Port OpenMoko framework to the Motorola EZX phones. This includes making the Motorola TS07.10 vendor specifiec stuff ready for the new kernel infrastructure and getting the GUI ready for 240×320 and looking foreward into dialpad only handling. A lot work and a lot fun. I hope we have something nice in Q3 2007.
  • Sync with a linux desktop. One of the things I was pissed of by the most cellphones, even the linux ones, is the bad sync possibilities with a linux desktop. Why should we not be allowed to manage our contacs on desktop an cellphone without a hassle? This needs to be fixed.
  • GPS navigation under linux. This also itching me for a long time. I like to see two solutions here. First something working based on navit, maemo mapper, gps drive, etc. Using existing map data is fine for the start. Second step should be a always running and *easy* to use openstreetmap data logger. Not only gps tracks, but also something that allows tagging streets and POIs right while walking/driving. The current technics of osm are good, but need to be improved with ’smart autotagging’ and easy clientsoftware.
  • Suppourt for more phones. I like to see OpenMoko on as many phones as possible. For EZX phones we have already people promised to get it ready. I heard also about somebody like to start the work for the HTC linux port. What’s about greenphone and all the other linux smartphones? If you’re doing work in this area please add it to the wiki, it will open 2007-02-11. Whenever I’ll get my hands on such a device I’ll even take a look myself.

I will put this question out there. What do people want to see available on mobile phones and OLPC-like devices from the Open Content worlds? It is only natural to have Free and Open Content available on these Open platforms. This includes licensing and access to media collections either directly or through web services.

Anyway, it is so great to see the concerns about mobile phones getting addressed and encourage developers and others to look at OpenMoko. The OpenMoko code and devices are coming out February 11, 2007.

Sean from OpenMoko Video from CES

This is a good interview with Sean from OpenMoko. It is a good read for a crash course in this project.

Hats Off to Secondlife for Open Sourcing their Client

A big congrats to Second Life for open sourcing their client. This is a big move and goes a long way to addressing things I have brought up here before. It also heads off and support the project libsecondlife.

Come to the Creative Commons Birthday Party this Friday, December 15 in San Francisco, 9 PM - 2 AM

Hello everyone out there in digi-land. I’ve been pushing for this big international event behind the scenes at Creative Commons. And, its this Friday in San Francisco from 9 PM to 2 AM. Its going to be huge because it has the normal Creative Commons Salon mixture, its at Songbird’s (the great mozilla-based music player) loft in the mission, and drinks are free the entire night. Beat that!

Oh, also, the guys of SuperFlex helped brew up a special “Creative Commons Birthday Beer”. There is a limited quantity of 366 beers that are specially editioned and ready for you to get signatures and/or drink them.

If you are curious about plugging more into this event, check out the CC Bday wiki page and jump on in. Also, if you are NOT IN SAN FRANCISCO, there are a few different celebrations happening in other countries like China, Netherlands, Italy, and Denmark.