Do you think Creative Commons and "Some rights reserved" are good ideas? Do you want to know more about Creative Commons licenses? Do you want to socialize with other CC-supporters in Jordan?

Join the "Creative Commons Jordan" Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=76228837413

Labels: Open Source

انتهى عدد من الخبراء الحقوقيين في الأردن من إيجاد مسودة لتراخيص "المشاع الإبداعي" Creative Commons المتوافقة مع قوانين الملكية الفكرية الأردنية. وقد طرح موقع منظمة المشاع الإبداعي هذه المسودة للنقاش العام، وكذلك الترجمة الإنجليزية لها والاختلافات الناتجة عن هذه الترجمة.

CC By Steren.Giannini

وقد بذل المسؤولان على هذا المشروع، السيد زياد مرقة والسيد رامي علوان، الجهد والوقت وقد طبقا كل ما لديهما من خبرة لتطوير هذه المسودة. وهذا بدعم من شركة طلال أبو غزالة للملكية الفكرية والتي لديها خبرة وسمعة طيبة في مجال الحفاظ على الحقوق الفكرية. وقد ساهم كل من أنس طويلة (مؤسس العموميات العربية) وهالة السلماوي (من مصر) في الجهود الأردنية في مجال رخص "المشاع الإبداعي" وكذلك المساهمة في التوعية المحلية لتحقيق أهداف منظمة المشاع الإبداعي. يرجى من الأفراد والمؤسسات الراغبة في بدء مشروع محلي للمشاع الإبداعي في أنظمتهم القانونية، وكذلك للراغبين برفع مستوى الوعي حول رخص المشاع الإبداعي في العالم العربي الاتصال بمنظمة المشاع الإبداعي العالمية.

وكذلك سوف تقام محاضرة لعرض فكرة "المشاع الإبداعي" في عمّان بعنوان "المشاع المبدع في المنطقة العربية: ضرورة ومزايا" يلقيها المدير العام لمنظمة المشاع الإبداعي السيد "جويتشي إيتو"

المشاع المبدع: عبارة عن آلية لتأسيس ترخيص قانوني لحقوق المؤلف تمنحه بموجبها حرية أكبر بهدف زيادة الإبداع الفكري عن طريق طرح حق المؤلف في غطاء قانوني منسجم بين "جميع الحقوق المحفوظة" وإتاحة استغلال المصنف للجمهور دون قيود.

Labels: Arabic, Jordan, Open Source

What is was Open Source Day 2008?
Everyone knows that JUST has the highest Jordanian rate of IT nerds, technology fanatics and pseudo-hackers. What do you think they would be capable to do if they were grouped and led by a person like me?!? :)
We (i.e. JUST Open Source Group) organized an open day to promote 'open source' between Jordanian students and it seems it is the first time such an event occurs.
To realize the hugeness of the event, these are some of the things we distributed: nearly 1500 CDs and DVDs, Mozilla and SUN gifts and a lot of giveaways (1000 pens, 500 notebooks, 500 folders and 20000 stickers) 450 donuts and unlimited coffee!!

Open Source for Dummies
If you are not a geek or a computer nerd, you'll probably not know what open source means.. I will try to make things simpler by giving an example. Suppose you purchase a car... it may be a Lamborghini, Jaguar, BMW (or more probably a Kia Sephia if you are in Jordan ). However, after you bought that car you will be free to do what you prefer. You can open it, try to fix the car if it's broken, change its engine and other parts or even modify its style (in the 'Pimp my Ride' way)!
Things are different when we talk about computer applications. You do own your car, but it's impossible to "own a computer program" at the same way. A software company which sells a program allows you to only use it. You are even not allowed to see how it works or to know how it was programmed.
You can get more freedom by using open source programs. Open source means that a computer program is accessible to everybody and that the 'source code' (the orders given to the computer) can be modified and changed as you like.

Open Day Highlights
- The day started with a deep philosophical speech of Prof. Bataineh (our faculty's dean), who stated that open source is a modern revolutionary response against capitalism and corporate ownership. He didn't say this explicitely, his opinions were thinly covered by ethicism and his personal Sufi theological views. But nobody can deny that what he said in the opening ceremony was a strong attack against new economic doctrines.
- There was a panel discussion titled "What Future for Open Source in Jordan?" with three key persons: Hussein Kawasmi, who is a main member of Jordan Computer Society, Razan Khatib, an open source expert and manager of important IT companies, and Zaid Mdanat, whose company is the REDHAT partner in Jordan. Unfortunately, the discussion became similar to a struggle between some Micro$oft-lover students and the guests.
- Mr. Joseph Shomali gave a very useful presentation about using Open Source software and tools in 3D and console game development. His company is now developing a state-of-the-art 3D game (For PC and XBOX) which will be sold in North America and Japan . The lecture was a must-see for all the gamers!

Firefox and JUST mozillaclub
We made a good work to promote Firefox and other Mozilla products (Mozilla was one of our global sponsors together with SUN Microsystems). It was really nice to know that people's lives changed completely after they've discovered Firefox. Students were also shocked by the large numbers of cool and useful add-ons they can download for Firefox.
The Open Source Day was also a great opportunity to spread Songbird. Songbird is a desktop media player mashed-up with the Web which you can download from here. (Yes, it's really nice.. I love it)

Creative Commons in Jordan
I suppose the Open Source Day was the first CC-related event in Jordan . Mr. Ziad Marqa gave an extraordinary lecture about intellectual property and Creative Commons licenses. The lecture was extremely related to Jordanian laws, as Mr. Marqa is officially translating the CC licenses to Arabic to make them compliant with Jordanian laws. (Yes, he is really making a good work).
We had some wonderful guests like Donatella Della Ratta who is now working with Creative Commons to support and promote CC licenses in Arab World. Two artists, Eileen Simpsons and Ben White attended the Open Day as milestone to their wonderful project: the Open Music Archive, a database that contains free and creative music, especially that which has fallen out of copyright. (It is interesting that Jordan Times published a good article about them all).
All the parts agreed on the necessity to 'build' a CC-supporting community in Jordan .

Labels: JUST, Open Source

You can enter the Guiness World Records without swallowing a sword or balancing 30 spoons on your face!!

JUST mozillaclub and other Firefox fans will participate in the Firefox Download Day 2008. A way to show our passion to Firefox and to set up a new Guiness World Record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours!!!

If you are interested, check the Download Day Headquarters. You can plegde to download Firefox 3 (Select Jordan as your country) and then download Firefox 3 when it goes live on Download Day (sometime on June).

Get Involved!!
Share the Download Day site with your friends and other students. You can also put a Download Day badge on your blog, profile or website!! And don't forget to join the Firefox in Jordan Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=14628888871

Labels: Open Source

I am sure you edit and open PDF and Microsoft Word Document files on a daily basis. But did you ask yourself how these types of files are stored on your PC? Or why you have to use specific software to utilize them?

Take .DOC files for example, you have to purchase the Microsoft Office suite to fully edit this kind of file. No one, except Microsoft, exactly knows how these files are created and stored on a computer; also no one knows how they are elaborated and processed, this means that other programmers and developers cannot create their own programs to process this type of files without Microsoft consensus and without knowing the full specification of this format.

However, there exists an international standard regarding electronic documents, it is the Open Document Format (ODF), it is standardized by ISO and it is considered an "open standard", this means that everyone can access this type of files and can develop applications which read and edit such files.

Why using ODF?
Normal users can see many benefits of the ODF format, since it is "open" everyone can develop applications which read and write in ODF format, this means more competition between software houses and best prices and service for you.
Because ODF is a standard, you can open ODF files on multiple platforms and operating systems. You can save a file on your Windows PC and then send it to other Mac and Linux users, all of them will open the file as exactly as you saved it.
Take also in consideration that you can chose between different software applications which support ODF in writing and reading documents, this allows you to collaborate with others regardless of which software they use.
In addition, the ODF will result in major portability, more freedom of choice and lower expenditures if adopted by your government or organization. ODF files are easy to use and have a good file size.

How can I open and edit ODF files?
There are many applications which support ODF, some of them are free. Try OpenOffice.org (Windows/Linux), KOffice (Windows/Mac), NeoOffice (Mac), Google Docs…

Technically speaking, what is ODF?
A set of XML files and directories, which can represent a set of type files (word processing, spreadsheet, presentations, mathematical formulas, drawings…)
You can save in these files vector graphics, 3D shapes, forms, animations, sounds…

Are there other standards?
The most similar standard is the OOXML, but it has many localization troubles, security faults, incompatibilities and bugs. To know more about OOXML problems check www.noooxml.org.

To know more visit this site (http://www.documentfreedom.org)

Labels: Open Source

If you are a Student in Jordan University of Science and Technology, you use or develop open source applications, and you are interested in spreading the open source philosophy please join us at:

www.just.edu.jo/opensource

Labels: JUST, Open Source