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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2002 Report Hails Open Source, Faults Detractors RealNetworks Pursues Open-Source Strategy New Wireless Broadband Service Offered AND Maryland Opens Dorm Designed for CEOs Technology Centers Left to Support Themselves Touch Across the Ocean REPORT HAILS OPEN SOURCE, FAULTS DETRACTORS A new report says that because it is free and easily distributed, FOSS (free and open-source software) is already used much more widely in the U.S. Department of Defense than "generally recognized." The report also faults developers of proprietary software for making unfounded claims about the security of FOSS, preventing it from "reaching optimal levels of use." The report was written by Mitre, an engineering and IT nonprofit that works with the federal government. Mitre recommends that the Defense Department compile a "Generally Recognized As Safe" list of software and support a diverse set of applications. ZDNet, 30 October 2002 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-963869.html REALNETWORKS PURSUES OPEN-SOURCE STRATEGY RealNetworks has released most of the source code for its software, which lets computer users play audio and video over the Internet. The company said it plans to release the source code for its server and encoding software in December. RealNetworks' goal is to speed adoption of its software by sharing the code with developers. Other parts of its source code will remain secret, such as the design for burning compact discs. The release is part of the company's Helix strategy, announced in July. With 300 million existing users of its media-playing software, RealNetworks aims to reach 1 billion users within five years, on devices from PCs to cell phones to handhelds. Wired News, 29 October 2002 http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,56078,00.html NEW WIRELESS BROADBAND SERVICE OFFERED Monet Mobile Networks, a wireless network service provider based in Kirkland, Washington, announced its Monet Broadband service in Duluth, Minnesota. The network will use the CDMA20001x EV-DO wireless standard. Monet plans to offer the wireless broadband network in several cities in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin by November. The EV-DO standard reportedly provides downloads over a wireless network at speeds up to 2.4 Mbps, compared to 144 Kbps for the next-fastest wireless networks. Verizon Wireless is testing EV-DO networks in San Diego and Washington, D.C., said a company representative. Sprint PCS is still evaluating the success of its new wireless Web services and will wait to add EV-DO to its networks. CNET, 29 October 2002 http://news.com.com/2100-1033-963808.html AND ***************************************************** MARYLAND OPENS DORM DESIGNED FOR CEOS A new program at the University of Maryland gives 100 students the opportunity to live with other aspiring entrepreneurs in dorm space set up to mimic the corporate, technology culture of Silicon Valley. The university outfitted two floors of a dorm with a conference table and leather chairs, whiteboards, and a phone system that will ring a student's wired and cell phones at the same time. The Hinman Campus Entrepreneurship Opportunities (CEO) program began in 2000 with funding from College Park alumnus Brian Hinman, who has founded three technology companies. The Hinman CEO program brings in venture capitalists, attorneys, and other entrepreneurs to present information sessions and provide guidance to students in the program. Washington Post, 30 October 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37974-2002Oct29.html TECHNOLOGY CENTERS LEFT TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES A national initiative designed to provide community-based technology centers to bridge the digital divide will end this week, leaving the nearly 1,000 centers to arrange their own financing. The PowerUP program was started in 1999 by Stephen Case, then chairman of America Online. A group of financial backers provided roughly $100 million for the project, but many of them have ended their support. According to a spokesperson for PowerUP, the plan was always for the centers to become self-sustaining and that this "seems like a natural transition time." The Boys and Girls Clubs of America, which operates 434 of the centers, will keep many of them running. Others will be forced to find financial support. Supporters of the centers say they are important resources in many communities that otherwise would be unable to have such access. At least one critic said the program's "top-down franchise" style of operation is a poor model for community development. New York Times, 30 October 2002 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/30/technology/30POWE.html TOUCH ACROSS THE OCEAN A demonstration organized for a meeting of Internet2 showed how the sensation of touch can cross an ocean over high-speed networks. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University College London used haptic devices attached to a robotic arm and a computer for the demonstration. One researcher in Boston and another in London each held a stylus attached to a robotic arm, which they manipulated in tandem to pick up a virtual box displayed on the computer screen. The same researchers demonstrated haptic touch over a long-distance network in May. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have conducted similar experiments across the Pacific, but the technology remains primitive. Chronicle of Higher Education, 30 October 2002 http://chronicle.com/free/2002/10/2002103001t.htm ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EDUCAUSE Quarterly" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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