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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2002 Homeland Security Act Kills Operation TIPS Justice Department Must Respond to Information Request Sun to Come Clean with OpenBSD AND Saint Leo University Opts for iBooks IDC Study Says Windows Could Be Cheaper than Linux Danish Group Sends Bills to Copyright Violators HOMELAND SECURITY ACT KILLS OPERATION TIPS Operation TIPS (Terrorism Information and Prevention System) was announced in January by the Justice Department as a way for ordinary citizens to report "suspicious activity." The program was attacked by civil liberties groups and even some conservative legislators as inconsistent with a free society, and the program officially died with the passage of the Homeland Security Act. Opponents characterized TIPS as a step toward a police state, not unlike an East German program that enlisted ordinary citizens as spies on other citizens. House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) in July added language to the bill that would ban the TIPS program, though this provision of the bill received little attention when it passed. Civil libertarians noted that although the TIPS program was defeated, other measures, including the Total Information Awareness System, did pass and present similar dangers to U.S. society. Wired News, 4 December 2002 http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,56701,00.html JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MUST RESPOND TO INFORMATION REQUEST The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in August requested information from the Department of Justice concerning the agency's surveillance activities since passage of the USA PATRIOT Act. Jameel Jaffer of the ACLU said that the breadth of the surveillance powers included in the PATRIOT Act allows for the possibility of their abuse. When the government failed to respond to the Freedom of Information request, the organizations sued, and a federal judge has set January 15 as the deadline for a response. According to EPIC's general counsel, the Justice Department has compiled 300 pages of information in response to the request but has not decided to release it. EPIC and the ACLU have asked for statistics showing how often the government has used its new surveillance authority for activities such as wiretapping and intercepting e-mail. PCWorld, 3 December 2002 http://www.idg.net/ic_968645_1794_9-10000.html SUN TO COME CLEAN WITH OPENBSD Acknowledging that it has not always been very responsive to the open-source community, Sun Microsystems has said it will release information to OpenBSD that the group has been trying to obtain for a year. Theo de Raadt of OpenBSD said his organization needs details about Sun's UltraSparc III chip in order to develop applications that will work on newer Sun systems. In a statement, Sun said it would provide the same information to OpenBSD as to other open-source projects, including Linux. De Raadt remains skeptical, however, saying he has consistently been stonewalled by Sun. He said he will reserve judgment until the promised documentation arrives. CNET, 4 December 2002 http://news.com.com/2100-1001-975941.html AND ***************************************************** SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY OPTS FOR IBOOKS Going against the grain in much of higher education, Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Florida, offers its residential students and full-time faculty iBook laptop computers rather than Windows-based machines, found at many colleges and universities. A commitment of support from Apple Computer was largely responsible for persuading the university to choose iBooks rather than PCs, which the school had planned to offer. Costs for the computers are included in room and board fees. Faculty concerned about compatibility of software with the Mac platform were allowed to try a PC and an iBook for a year and then decide which to use. The school's network will allow Windows-based machines to connect, and help-desk support is available for those users who do not use Macs. Still, many of the students and much of the administration, including the school's president and its vice president of academic affairs, have chosen the iBook. Chronicle of Higher Education, 3 December 2002 http://chronicle.com/free/2002/12/2002120301t.htm IDC STUDY SAYS WINDOWS COULD BE CHEAPER THAN LINUX A study funded by Microsoft and conducted by IDC shows that the total cost of ownership for Windows 2000 could be lower for many businesses than for Linux over a five-year period. The study says that staffing costs to support a system of servers represent the largest overall expense. Because staffing costs are 30 percent higher for Linux, the open-source software could end up costing more than Windows for a five-year period. Despite Microsoft's funding for the study, some observers said they agreed with the conclusions. Peter Kastner of Aberdeen Group said Windows is a more mature operating system than Linux and that "the maturity is reflected through lower costs of maintenance." The study does say, however, that the cost difference between the two systems is likely to decrease as Linux becomes more mainstream. NewsFactor Network, 4 December 2002 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/20147.html DANISH GROUP SENDS BILLS TO COPYRIGHT VIOLATORS The AntiPiratGruppen (APG) in Copenhagen has sent bills to more than 150 private individuals for copyright violations from files traded over peer-to-peer networks. Copyright owners have typically sought action from ISPs to eliminate trading of illegally copied files, but recently some have begun pursuing individuals. In a current case in the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America is trying to force Verizon Communications to release names of suspected copyright violators. Of the people who received bills from APG, which ranged from a little more than $100 (U.S.) to more than $13,000, about 75 have paid, according to the company. CNN, 4 December 2002 http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/internet/12/04/file.sharers.ap/ ***************************************************** 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 "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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