KBase that super repository of information has been thrown open. No longer does it require a login to browse. Cheers to the team who made this possible.

We are on a roll. We have:

o a first cut site up and running
o a decent number of hits to the site
o a ranking that we wish would go up a bit
o a plan to start coordinating with HPLIP

Now comes the part of getting a sustaining dialog going on with the Hardware partners. These include manufacturers of printers, webcams, scanners and the like. While we will put out the list of the next batch of devices we plan to attack (while releasing refined versions of the already out drivers), the proposed way out seems to be something like:

o keep talking with the vendors as to why it is necessary to release drivers under appropriate Open Source licenses
o collect and collate the minimum information that is required
o procure hardware, test and of course release drivers for the devices

The bare minimum information that can help a project involved in printer device driver creation could be:

o a list of the printer models that are known NotGood
o a list of the printer models that are known to work in a functionally incomplete way with existing drivers
o a list of printer models which require emulation (or more specifically Epson emulation) to work
o a list of printer models which work Well with proprietary/binary only drivers

The above information would enable the classification of the printers into various classes and also allow target devices to be selected. The entire objective of this exercise would of course be to push stuff upstream. For example, take a look at the CUPS site and search for TVSE – be pleasantly surprised.

Something so minor has become a considerable problem for relief workers, who are attempting to setup as many kiosks as possible for refugees. Workers on the ground have told Ars Technica that they would prefer to avoid setting up Windows XP workstations because they take longer to setup, and even longer to properly patch and configure for use. You may recall that in an experiment performed last year, a Windows XP SP1 box put on the Internet was compromised in 4 minutes flat. While Service Pack 2 and recent updates undoubtedly improve XP’s defenses, techs are wary of using the OS in this situation. Read more…

Someone was recently complaining about the IE tie-in for a Visa application portal and of course Air Deccan is (in)famous for not really allowing any other browser to pass through for an online transaction. For details look at this Hall of Shame