"Das Buch ist in zwei große Teile gegliedert. Von der freien Software handelt der zweite. Einen möglichen Einstieg bietet etwa das Kapitel »Was ist freie Software?«. Für ein Verständnis der Wissensumwelt, in der sie entsteht, und der Wurzeln der technischen Kulturen, die sie hervorbringen, sin
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d die beiden Geschichtskapitel zum »Internet« und zum Betriebssystem »Unix« hilfreich. Wer skeptisch ist, ob es sich bei der freien Software nicht doch nur um eine Eintagsfliege handelt, wird sich zunächst über ihre »gesellschaftlichen und wirtschaftlichen Potenziale« unterrichten wollen. Unter der Überschrift »Die Software« finden sich kurze Portraits einiger wichtiger freier Projekte. Installations- und Bedienungshilfen darf man hier nicht erwarten. Für jedes der Programme bietet der Fachhandel eine Auswahl guter Handbücher. Freie Software unterscheidet sich von »unfreier« vor allem durch ihre offenen, sozialen Prozesse der Wissenskooperation. Die Freiheit, gemeinsam Programmcode zu entwickeln, wird ihrerseits in einem anderen Code geschrieben. Neben einem Verhaltenskodex, der Ethik des offenen Austausches, sind es die Lizenzen der freien Software, die den Freiraum absichern, in dem eine offene Kooperation nur möglich ist. Ohne den Schutz dieser Lizenzen und der zu Grunde liegenden Urheberrechte hätte die freie Software niemals ihre heutigen Dimensionen erlangen können. Besonders bei den »Lizenzmodellen«, aber auch an vielen anderen Stellen im zweiten Teil wird die Frage auftauchen, welchen rechtlichen Status eine geordnete Menge von Bits eigentlich hat. »Geistiges Eigentum ist die Rechtsform des Informationszeitalters«, schreibt der amerikanische Rechtsgelehrte James Boyle (1997). Wie es dazu kam, zeichnet der erste Teil nach. Er beginnt mit einem kurzen Überblick über die Geschichte des Urheberrechts, die heutigen Bestrebungen zu seiner internationalen Angleichung und das ökonomische Feld der an der Hervorbringung und Verbreitung von Wissen beteiligten Akteure. Mit neuen Medientechnologien wandeln sich die kreativen Praktiken, der Markt für ihre Produkte und dessen rechtliche Regulierung. Die beiden Hauptkapitel des ersten Teils beschäftigen sich mit den computergestützten Medien und den Bemühungen des Rechts, sie zu erfassen." (Seite 29-30)
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"This primer is intended to help policy-makers and decision-makers understand the potential use of free and open source software (FOSS) in education—where and how it can be used, why it should be used, and what issues are involved. In particular, officials in ministries of education, school and un
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iversity administrators, academic staff and researchers should find this primer useful." (Preface)
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"Selten hinterlässt ein Buch einen solch zwiespältigen Eindruck. Auf der einen Seite steht eine in der Art eines Lehrbuches konzipierte Monographie, die durch Detailkenntnis und informationswissenschaftliche Sachkompetenz ausgezeichnet ist, auf der anderen Seite ein Buch, das enorm an begriffliche
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n Schwächen leidet." (Klaus Wiegerling in: Publizistik, 50 (2005), 1, Seite 142-143)
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"There are five elements of USAID’s strategic approach to ICT for development: Policy Reform: Getting telecommunications policy right is the foundation for growth in the sector and for the affordable spread of ICT applications. Access: Connecting with those at the end of the “last mile,” econo
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mically and geographically, is essential for expanding access to the benefits of ICT applications to those of greatest concern to USAID. Capacity Building: Building the capability of professionals and the capacity of institutions leads to broader and more targeted use of these applications. Applications: Innovations in how to apply ICTs to benefit users can speed development. Partnerships: Implementing all these strategic elements depends on collaboration with partners to ensure the needed technical and financial resources." (Executive summary, page 1)
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"The important balance between access to copyrighted works and protection for authors is vital for developing countries and LDCs. Despite provisions for limitations and exceptions to the rights granted to authors/ owners of protected works, the WIPO treaties represent minimum standards from which co
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untries can deviate only by providing greater rights than required as the United States has done under the DMCA. The maximalist approach to interpreting the available scope of permissible limitations and exceptions is reinforced by the similarities between TRIPS Article 13, and Articles 10 and 16 of the WCT and WPPT. The similarities suggest that it is not improbable that interpretations of the Internet treaties can be influenced by the ideology of the TRIPS Agreement. Consequently, public welfare interests will require explicit limitations and exceptions that at a minimum facilitate access and use of digital works for study, research, and educational purposes." (Executive summary, page 2)
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"Volume 2 examines the setting, operations, and effects of community telecentres. It describes the telecentre experiences of a variety of local and often rural communities, exploring the management structures and mechanisms that have been established to support these telecentres. The book provides p
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rofiles of telecentre usage and discusses the potential and challenges of setting up and maintaining community telecentres in the context of poor information infrastructure and limited human capacity. It will be useful for researchers, policy- and decision-makers, and development practitioners and professionals with interests or active programs in the area of "ICT for development," particularly those with a focus on universal access and universal-service or public-access centres. It will also be a very useful reference tool for scholars, students, and academics." (Publisher description)
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"Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly seen as integral to the development process. This paper reviews some of the evidence for the link between telecommunications and the Internet and economic growth, the likely impact of the new ICTs on income inequality and anecdotal
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evidence regarding the role of the Internet in improving government services and governance. It looks at methods to maximize access to the new ICTs, and improve their development impact both in promoting income generation and the provision of quality services." (Abstract)
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"The concept of multi-stakeholder partnership (MSP) as an instrument for achieving development goals is sound, particularly when stakeholders with unique complementary strengths or core competencies add value to development efforts and pool their resources and assets in solving problems. But while m
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any laud the virtues of MSPs, most are struggling to make them work. The central challenge seems to revolve around the nurturing of a working relationship based on trust, mutual respect, open communication, and understanding among stakeholders about each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Stakeholders from each sector bring their own organisational mandates, interests, competencies and weaknesses to partnerships. Without open acknowledgement of these factors, and without processes in place to facilitate negotiations among stakeholders for optimal outcomes, effective MSPs will not emerge [...] Knowledge about MSPs as reflected in the contents of this publication is not perfect. It is meant to trigger debate and to serve as an open invitation for all stakeholders with MSP experiences in the area of ICT4D to share their perspectives and knowledge on the subject. What the GKP would like to obtain is a thorough and comprehensive understanding of how MSPs work and can be made to work effectively – knowledge which we ultimately intend to share with the rest of the world. The GKP is the world’s first MSP operating at the global level in the area of ICT for Development. It precedes the G8 Digital Opportunities Task Force (DOT Force) and the Digital Opportunities Initiative (DOI)." (Pages iii-iv)
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