Links to information about open source, including case studies and examples of best practice.

Exposure Drafts - Copyright Amendment (Technological Protection Measures) Bill 2006 and related Regulations (the Draft)

1. Summary
   
   1. OSIA is thankful for the level of thought which appears to have been put into this draft. OSIA is also grateful that the Draft evidences an intention to balance the interests of domestic copyright holders and new media publishers (such as OSIA and its members) against those of foreign old media publishers.
   2. By failing to permit interoperability between software and user data the Draft fails to support a free market for software. Section 47D in particular is out of date and needs to be updated. Both the Draft and section 47D should be changed to permit the interoperability between a program a user's data.
   3. The Draft is complex and relies on subtle terminology. The Draft introduces broad catch all phrasing to create criminal offences. Any exceptions must be clear if they are to be of practical value.
   4. The scheme may prohibit the sale of all DVD players (including authorised players).

This submission was made to the House Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs by Brendan Scott.

If you're an independent software vendor (ISV) with a product that currently runs under Windows, and you'd like to support Linux but can't afford to recompile or repackage your product, Wine might be able to help.

FreePatentsOnline.com provides fast, easy-to-use access to millions of patents and patent applications. With the most powerful patent search engine on the web, and an ever-expanding data collection, FreePatentsOnline is rapidly becoming the premiere way to search patents.

OSIA was asked by the Government to make a submission to the e-Research Coordinating. That submission is now available.

Systematically walks average IT directors of small to mid-size organizations through the process of assessing how open source software can impact their organizations.

For anyone who is exploring or planning for a Linux desktop migration

The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation's Free Software Portal gives access to documents and websites which are references for the Free Software/Open Source Technology movement. It is also a gateway to resources relate

OSIA, has prepared a position paper which outlines our analysis of the current state of the SCO vs IBM and related court cases. Our aim is to provide a concise overview for the Australian IT organisations who are either using or considering the adoption of Linux. We also provide recommendations to these organisations, in case they are approached by SCO.

Does FOSS create jobs in Australian?

Whether you are a government, corporate or home user, there are good reasons to consider using Free and Open Source Software.

If you're new to Free and Open Source Software, then the following document, provided by the Australian Open Source Experts Group is a great way to learn more.

Over the past 30 years, the computer industry has seen the following dramatic changes: development of PCs. The Macintosh and Microsoft Windows. The Internet. All of these have rejuvenated our industry; bought in fresh ideas, excitement and increased commerce. Open Source is the new, next big thing.