Copyright versus Community in the Age of Computer Networks
Richard Stallman provides a detailed speech on proprietary software and free software, sponsored by the School of Information Management at Victoria University of Wellington.
Richard has been working to promote software freedom for over 25 years. His ideas about software freedom and free access to information were used by Tim Berners-Lee when he created the world's first web server, and in 1999 his musings about a free online encyclopedia inspired Jimmy Wales to set up what is now Wikipedia.
Some interesting excerpts from Richard's speech:
"Free software is software that respects the user's freedom, and there are four specific freedoms that the user deserves always to have.
Freedom 0 is the freedom to run the program as you wish.
Freedom 1 is the freedom to study the source code of the program and change it to make the program do what you wish.
Freedom 2 is the freedom to help your neighbour; that is, the freedom to redistribute copies of the program, exact copies when you wish.
And Freedom 3 is the freedom to contribute to your community. That's the freedom to publish your modified versions when you wish."
"But any proprietary software gives the developers unjust power over the users. Some of the developers abuse this power more, and some abuse it less, but none of them ought to have it. You deserve to have control of your computing, and not be forcibly dependent on a particular company. So you deserve free software."
"As a result of this change, [copyright] is no longer easy to enforce, no longer uncontroversial, and no longer beneficial. It's no longer easy to enforce because now the publishers want to enforce it against each and every person, and to do this requires cruel measures, draconian punishments, invasions of privacy, abolition of our basic ideas of justice. There's almost no limit to how far they will propose to go to prosecute the War on Sharing."
Metro Conflict delivers a new generation of shooters to the world of free-to-play. Choose between various character classes, each with their own unique skills and weapon sets, to showcase your abilities in a fast paced, high adrenaline battlefield!
In Star Trek Online, the Star Trek universe appears for the first time on a truly massive scale. Players take the captain's chair as they command their own starship and crew. Explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before.
Marvel Heroes 2015 is the premier Marvel MMO-ARPG that you have been waiting for! Play as the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men and more. Battle infamous villains such as Dr. Doom, Loki, Magneto to save the universe.
Dota is a competitive game of action and strategy, played both professionally and casually by millions of passionate fans worldwide. Players pick from a pool of over a hundred heroes, forming two teams of five players.
Build insane Robot Battle Vehicles that drive, hover and fly; add weapons from the future and jump in the driving seat as you take them into battle in a team based capture the base Free-to-Win MMO.
Survarium is a post-apocalyptic online FPS game. If you are looking for a shooter where skills matter, look no further! The opposing players and deadly anomalies will never stop you on the way to victory, right? Then start playing now for free!
"When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth." A tribute to the highly acclaimed film series in which the above quote originated from.
The world’s first and premier Action MMO Third Person Shooter allows you to choose between two sides of the law. Play as Enforcer or Criminal, customize your gear for the task at hand and hit the streets and play how you want in a city filled with more action this side of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Strife® is a truly free to play, competitive, online ARTS / MOBA that features non-stop action and engaging combat. Take control of powerful and versatile heroes, each capable of dominating in unique ways, and exert your will in an epic battle between two teams.
War Thunder is a free-to-play, cross-platform MMO combat game for Windows, Linux, Mac and PlayStation®4 dedicated to military vehicles used in the World War II and the Korean War periods. Fight in major air, land, and sea battles, with international players in an ever developing environment.
Loadout is an outrageous new multi-player shooter that’s all about the guns, baby! Build a massive variety of absolutely insane weaponry - billions of combinations - totally customized, totally unique, and totally deadly.
Join thousands of players in Defiance, the Free-to-Play shooter MMO that defines MASSIVE CO-OP. Wield customizable weapons as you hunt for alien technology across a transformed Earth, and experience an evolving TV/MMO story with crossover content that expands the Defiance universe.
Join an all-out planetary war, where thousands of players battle as one in strategic, targeted missions against opposing empires. Utilize infantry, air and ground vehicles to destroy your enemies in this revolutionary, massive scale, first-person shooter.
Neverwinter is a free, action MMORPG based on the acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Epic stories, action combat and classic roleplaying await those heroes courageous enough to enter the fantastic world of Neverwinter!
You are an Exile, struggling to survive on the dark continent of Wraeclast, as you fight to earn power that will allow you to exact your revenge against those who wronged you. Created by hardcore gamers, Path of Exile is an online Action RPG set in a dark fantasy world.
Victoria's Secret, the largest American retailer of women's lingerie,
continues their annual fashion show in the city that never sleeps, New York City.
Alongside special guests Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, et al, the vivacious Victoria's Secret Angels makes a grand return to the catwalk with Victoria's Secret catalogue of lingerie for the year 2015.
Two pioneers of Massive Open Online Courses(MOOC) explain Connectivism
Connectivism is a learning theory that explains how internet technologies have created new opportunities for people to learn, share, and encourage others.
Who is Stephen Downes?
Stephen Downes leads the Learning and Performance Support Systems program at the National Research Council, a multi-year effort to develop personal learning technology and learning analytics. He is one of the originators of the Massive Open Online Course, is a leading voice in online and networked learning, has authored learning management and content syndication software, and is the author of the widely read e-learning newsletter OLDaily.
With Canada's National Research Council since 2001, Stephen Downes is a specialist in online learning technology and new media. He leads the Learning and Performance Support Systems research program.
Through a 25 year career in the field Downes has developed and deployed a series of progressively more innovative technologies, ranging from Canada's first academic MUD in the 1990s, to one of its first web-based courses, through the development of a learning management system, an online research Stephen Downes works for the National Research Council of Canada where he has served as a Senior Researcher, based in Moncton, New Brunswick, since 2001. Affiliated with the Learning and Collaborative Technologies Group, Institute for Information Technology, Downes specializes in the fields of online learning, new media, pedagogy and philosophy.
Who is George Siemens?
George Siemens is a writer, theorist, speaker, and researcher on learning, networks, technology, analytics and visualization, openness, and organizational effectiveness in digital environments. He is the originator of Connectivism theory and author of the article Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age and the book Knowing Knowledge - an exploration of the impact of the changed context and characteristics of knowledge.
Siemens is a prominent Canadian educator in the massive online open course (MOOC) format. In 2008, Siemens and Stephen Downes designed and taught a MOOC which was reported as a "landmark in the small but growing push toward 'open teaching,'" and has since offered various additional MOOCs which have gained popular worldwide attention.
Eve Online, one of the longest running MMO's on the planet with more than a decade of service, is currently enjoying a resurgence with their recent expansion: Galatea.
Explore the stars with the Serpentis Anomic Space Cruiser
"Battle with hundreds of players as part of a massive fleet, fight with a tight-knit group, or roam the stars as a deadly solo pirate. Battle-ready players and NPCs are waiting through the next jump gate."
Explore mysterious wormholes with fellow players
"The community in EVE Online is massive, active, and passionate. In-game, players organize by the hundreds for battles and events. On the web, they create and operate countless blogs, fansites and indispensable utilities. In real life, they gather year round at meet-ups and events across the globe to celebrate the incredible community and game they are a part of."
