***************************************************** Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. *****************************************************
TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 08, 2003 IBM Fights Back Against SCO Lieberman Calls for Consolidated Alert Lists Freshmen Choosing Roomates Online IBM FIGHTS BACK AGAINST SCO IBM has responded to the legal challenges brought by SCO Group Inc. by filing a countersuit in federal court in Utah, where SCO is based. In March, SCO sued IBM for intellectual property violations, saying that IBM had included portions of protected Unix code in its version of Linux. In its countersuit, IBM alleges that SCO violated several patents belonging to IBM and that SCO's claims against IBM have damaged its business. A statement from SCO dismissed IBM's claims, saying this is the first time in two decades of SCO's selling the product in question that IBM has raised the patent-infringement issue. Linux distributor Red Hat has made similar allegations--that SCO's actions cause damage to Red Hat's business. Legal experts said IBM's suit, which carries potentially large legal fees, will push SCO closer to settling its claim against IBM rather than risk incurring such fees. Reuters, 7 August 2003 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=3241003 LIEBERMAN CALLS FOR CONSOLIDATED ALERT LISTS Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) has called on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Tom Ridge to provide a timetable for the consolidation of the federal government's terrorist watch lists. According to the General Accounting Office, the government maintains 12 separate watch lists at 9 different agencies. Steve Cooper, chief information officer at DHS, and Ridge have testified before Congress on separate occasions that work is being done on the consolidation. However, Lieberman said "a senior administration official" reported that no progress is being made. Lieberman and the General Accouting Office agreed that DHS should have primary responsibility for consolidating the lists. In his letter to Ridge, Lieberman said the continued existence of multiple lists "exposes the American public to unacceptable risk." Federal Computer Week, 7 August 2003 http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/0804/web-watch-08-07-03.asp FRESHMEN CHOOSING ROOMATES ONLINE This year Emory University is allowing incoming freshmen to choose roommates online using an application not unlike Internet dating services. WebRoomz, the developer of the tool Emory uses, charges $35,000 or more to a university for the tool, which allows students to post profiles of themselves and correspond using screen names. Profiles include typical roommate-screening information, such as study habits, preferences about food or music, and other lifestyle issues. The WebRoomz system is also being used by several other colleges and universities, though no one is sure yet whether the approach will be successful. Some schools assign roommates on a purely random basis, whereas others collect information and opinions from incoming students and work to find the best matches. Incoming students at Emory who have used the system have been generally very optimistic about it. New York Times, 7 August 2003 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/07/technology/07ROOM.html ***************************************************** 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. For information on EDUCAUSE publications see http://www.educause.edu/pub/ ***************************************************** CONFERENCES For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking opportunities, see http://www.educause.edu/conference/ ***************************************************** COPYRIGHT Edupage copyright (c) 2003, EDUCAUSE
