The software patent controversy explained
Software patents have been controversial for decades. They're now back in the news thanks to New Zealand's plan to make software "unpatentable". But what's it all about?
The Full Tilt
Stilgherrian delivers an undiluted dose of criticism and analysis of the ways digital technology is changing our world and the spin that goes with it. Mostly in words -- sometimes in audio or video formats -- always cynical. Incorporating the Patch Monday podcast.
Stilgherrian
Stilgherrian is a freelance journalist, commentator and podcaster interested in big-picture internet issues, especially security, cybercrime and hoovering up bulldust. He studied computing science and linguistics before a wide-ranging media career and a stint at running an IT business. He can write iptables firewall rules, set a rabbit trap, clear a jam in an IBM model 026 card punch and mix a mean whiskey sour.
Latest Posts
Conroy's filter masterstroke
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's Friday filter announcement was obviously designed to get the toxic topic of internet filtering out of the news before the election, giving an impression of progress without a real policy change. Clever, but will the strategy work?
Is Australia's data retention idea that scary?
Is the government really talking about recording all your web browsing? Is the European Directive on Data Retention, which the government is using as an example of what it could adopt, really benign?
Conroy, Lundy and zombies
All the news is from Canberra this week. With a new Prime Minister there's been renewed calls to sack Senator Stephen Conroy as minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and replace him with Senator Kate Lundy.
The future for Telstra, NBN and business IT
It's all about the future on Patch Monday this week. What key technology trends does your business need to consider in the coming financial year? And what does yesterday's agreement between Telstra and the National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) mean?
Microsoft versus the cybercriminals
It's National Cyber Security Awareness Week. The Australian Government reminds us to keep our software up-to-date, to choose better passwords, and to stop and think before clicking on links or giving out personal information. But what's happening at the corporate level?
Closing Adobe's security chasm
Adobe hasn't had a good time in recent months. Apart from Apple effectively banning Flash from the iPhone and iPad, Adobe's Acrobat and Reader products have been found to suffer serious security flaws. Some information security experts have even suggested that flaws in Adobe's products are now one of the most serious online risks.
Trawling for Aussie Apple iPad apps
Apple's iPad is about to arrive in Australia. Yes, there's plenty of hype. But the iPad is a new and different beast. How will it be used, beyond its obvious role, as a media consumption device?
Is Facebook the Antichrist of privacy?
Facebook is in the news this week for all the wrong reasons. Another change to its privacy settings and a new 5800-word privacy policy has triggered concerns by US authorities and European privacy organisations. And in Sydney the death of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff last week has been dubbed another "Facebook murder".
How can women win in IT?
If you thought women were doing better in IT these days, you'd be wrong. The Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) says that since 2006 the number of women in board and leadership roles in the IT industry has actually declined.