Linux Conference Debrief at ANU Fellows Bar 5:30pm

Meet for a post-Linux Conference 2013 informal discussion (Debrief BoF)in the ANU University House "Fellows Garden" (beer-garden). Look for one of the long trestle tables on the lawn with people wearing LCA2013 lanyards. After the conference starting at about 5:30pm (food is available as well as drinks, from the bar under university house). In case of rain I have also In case of rain, I have booked the "Graduate Lounge" at the back of the Fellows Bar next to the fellows garden.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee Advocates Web Apps at Linux Conference in Canberra

Greetings from Sir Tim Berners-Lee's keynote address on the last day of Linux Conference 2013. We are in the  Llewellyn Hall at the Australian National University in Canberra. The hall is filled with conference delegates and government dignitaries. The introduction is being done by Simon Hackett. Simon brought along his Next computer, similar to that used for the first web server (there were some Next computers at ANU and I saw one in the CB1 Café in Cambridge in 1996). Simon pointed out that Sir Tim set up the W3C organization to foster web standards. In my view this was probably as important to its success as the original invention (just as the Internet Society fostered the Internet).

Sir Tim had the audiences on side even before speaking, by wearing the conference shirt.He pointed out that only one quarter of the world's population. Also most of the population can't code (like the majority of the conference delegates). He was making the point that many cannot access or create on the web due to language limitations, both technical and human.

Two issues Sir Tim touched on was that of the competition for the web from mobile "Apps". When information and services are provided via an App they are no longer accessible via the web. The Apps are locked away in separate systems and can't interact with the web. Sir Tim was advocating the use of web apps instead, which can be linked to and from, allowing the information to be found and knitted in. He nominated video chat embedded in the web as an exciting new feature. By using a standard web Api the web apps will be portable across platforms.

Sir Tim then talked about the activism by Aaron Swartz to make information freely available.  Part of the story I did not know was that public domain activist, Carl Malamud, worked with Aaron to put public domain material on the Internet. While explaining he is not a lawyer, Sir Tim expressed the view that Aaron had done no more than download a large number of academic articles, while prosecutors characterized him as a criminal hacker and threat to society.

Humanitarian Open Source Software Meeting at Linux Conference

Tim McNamara arranged a well attended meeting of those interested in humanitarian uses of open source software (and hardware) at Linux Conference 2013 in Canberra on Wednesday. The HFOSS BoF (Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software Birds of a Feather) was held at the Purple Pickle Cafe on the Australian National University campus (just opposite the College of Engineering and Computer Science: CECS). Topics discussed included: CrisisCommons, mailing list, Random Hacks of Kindness (RHOK), Sahana Software Foundation, Ushahidi, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), OpenMRS, RapidSMS, and the Serval Project.

Tim suggested one way organizations could assist is to provide a venue for volunteers to work on projects, especially during a crisis. It occurred to me that perhaps more work needs to be done to address on-line disasters. As we become more dependent on the Internet and telecommunication and as these come under threat from cyber-attack, as well as natural disasters, some form of crisis response is needed. This would provide a surge capacity in a crisis, beyond the resources provided by organizations such as AusCert.

Verifiable and Accessible Electronic Voting System

At Linux Conference 2013 today at the Australian National University in Canberra,  Craig Burton, E-Voting Manager, Victorian Electoral Commission, talked on "Designing a Verifiable and Accessible Electronic Voting System". I had considerable difficulty understanding the presentation, perhaps due to my limited knowledge of e-voting systems. Dr. Burton began by detailing at length the problems inherent with e-voting systems and asserting they should not be used. He explained how paper voting systems are vulnerable to "retail" voting fraud (such as ballot box "stuffing") but not wholesale tampering with the tallied results, which e-voting systems are subject to.

At this point I was more than a little confused as to why an E-Voting Manager would be arguing that e-voting should not be used. Why the Federal and ACT Electoral Commissions would have been using e-voting for the last few elections if such systems where known to be so insecure? Also if computerized back-end systems are very vulnerable, then the current federal and ACT voting systems are at a high risk, as the paper ballots are tallied by computer.

Dr. Burton argued for a system where the vote could be checked through a combination of paper slips and electronic safeguards. However, in my view there is no way to use technology to completely guarantee a secure vote. Ultimately it is necessary to rely on the integrity of the electoral staff.

My confusion increased when Dr. Burton showed a video demonstration of what was apparently a prototype Victorian e-Voting machine. This device was using a clumsy looking combination of a tablet computer and a bar-code scanner.  What made this demonstration even more confusing was a demonstration of its touch screen used for the blind. An interface with a mechanical keyboard (as used for the ACT and Federal systems), which provides direct tactile and sound feedback, would be the obvious choice.

It should be kept in mind that there are many circumstances where citizens are involved in making collective decisions and voting in state and federal elections are not necessarily the most important. As an example, I live in an apartment complex, with its own federated system of governance. An elected committee runs the body corporate of the building and elects a representative to the non-profit company which runs the complex of buildings. These non-government bodies provide the garbage collection, streets, street lights, park and gardens, as well as some of the energy supply and telecommunications. Similarly I am a member of various non-government bodies, and own shares in companies, which provide services to the public. Such bodies hold elections and have more effect day-to-day, on the lives of citizens, than do governments. The voting systems used by these bodes therefore need close attention.

Open Source Mapping for Disasters

Greetings from Linux Conference 2013 at the Australian National University in Canberra, where  Kate Chapman talked  on "Open Source and Open Data for Humanitarian Response with OpenStreetMap". She described work in Haiti and Indonesia on using using the OpenStreetMap open source mapping to help with disaster management. What I foound interesting wasthe effort put into learning materials for mapping.

Apps in HTML5

Jeremy Apthorp talked on "The Future of HTML5 Apps" at Linux Conference 2013 today. He described the history of the quest for web based applications which work outside the browser window and work on different operating systems. He described standards work by W3C. He showed how some of the problems of making such apps secure and run offline with Goggle Chrome Packaged Apps. One design decision I did not understand is that remote image files are not permitted, on the basis that the device may be off-line and so not have the image file. However the IMAGE tag of HTML included ALT to provide alternate text for when the image cannot be seen. This could be used when the image in not available. Application designers are required to implement this anyway for accessibility reasons. One curious aspect of this is that Google has two different operating systems (Google Android and Google Chrome) for the Apps to work in.

Open Government Live in Canberra

Greetings from the opening of the Open Government Mini-Conf of Linux Conference 2013 at the Australian National University in Canberra. Pia Waugh is introducing issues with Open Government/Gov 2.0, including citizen centric services. Pia will be working with John Sheridan, the new Australian Government Chief Technology Officer (GCTO). Pia is editing a Open Government Wiki with response from the conference delegates live at the podium. My suggestion is to use on-line workplace open access educational materials for educating both public servants and the private company employees which support them. I will be discussing this during a later session of the conference with "Learning Open Government Techniques Online".

Firefox OS at Linux Conference

Ben C. demonstrated the Firefox OS on a smart phone, as well as on the software simulator under Linux at the the MobileFOSS stream of Linux Conference 2013.This is intended as a more open alternative to Google Android. One issue which came up was accessibility.

Mobile Open Source Software

After the keynote I decided to join the MobileFOSS stream at Linux Conference 2013. Google Android is the leading smart phone operating system and is based on Linux, but there are other more open Linux based operating systems in development for mobile phones. One example is "Open Phoenux", a development of Openmoko. Others are Firefox OS , Tizen, Ubuntu Phone.

Linux Conference 2013 in Canberra

Greetings from Llewellyn Hall at the Australian National University in Canberra, where Linux Conference 2013 just opened. IThe hall is usually used for classical conference and it is curious to see it filled with people with laptops. One notable sponsor is DSD. The giveaway for the first day was a wireless energy monitor.The keynote is by Bdale Garbee with a plea for building things we like to use. As an example of what not to do he pointed to the "Evolution" email package and of what to do as xfce desktop.

University Websites Must Allow for Difference of Opinion

In "3 idioms reveal the truth about university websites" (13 December 2012), Dey Alexander argues that universities need a single coordinated web presence, not just a collection of sub-sites and there should be a clear boundary between what is boundary between internal and external content. However, universities are not corporations devoted to profit, they intended to educate and produce new knowledge, which requires differing views to be debated.

Education and research require that different views of the world be explored, debated and tested. There cannot be one central unified view on what is true at at university: everything has to be open to debate. The World Wide Web was developed by researchers in order to foster new knowledge. Unlike previous online information systems, it was designed to allow for diversity of view, not having any single point of control and allowing documents to be created ad-hoc. Tim Berners-Lee , the inventor of the World Wide Web will be speaking at the Australian National University in Canberra, 31 January 2013.

Here are the functions of the Australian National University, as set down in legislation:

(a)  advancing and transmitting knowledge, by undertaking research and teaching of the highest quality;

(b)  encouraging, and providing facilities for, research and postgraduate study, both generally and in relation to subjects of national importance to Australia;

(c)  providing facilities and courses for higher education generally, including education appropriate to professional and other occupations, for students from within Australia and overseas;

(d)  providing facilities and courses at higher education level and other levels in the visual and performing arts, and, in so doing, promoting the highest standards of practice in those fields;

(e)  awarding and conferring degrees, diplomas and certificates in its own right or jointly with other institutions, as determined by the Council;

(f)  providing opportunities for persons, including those who already have post‑secondary qualifications, to obtain higher education qualifications;

(g)  engaging in extension activities.

(2)  In the performance of its functions, the University must pay attention to its national and international roles and to the needs of the Australian Capital Territory and the surrounding regions. ...

From section 5, Functions of the University,

Australian National University Act 1991.

In universities, as in the corporate world and in government, individuals are not free to publish whatever they like. There are rules as to what you can say as a member of the organisation. However, academics are given a level of freedom to express their views. Unlike company employees and public servants, academics are encouraged to speak publicly on areas within their area of expertise. There is no requirement for an academic to seek approval for what they say, but with that freedom comes responsibility.

Academic Freedom

5. The University recognises the concept and practice of academic freedom as central to the proper conduct of teaching, research and scholarship.
6. Academic and general staff are expected to use this freedom in a manner that is consistent with a responsible and honest search for knowledge and its dissemination.
7. Academic freedom does not extend to behaviour that is harassing, disruptive and intimidating or that interferes with the academic or work performance or freedom of others ...
   
   From: ANU Code of Conduct, Policy 200103912, Vice-Chancellor , Australian National University, 26 March 2012

The situation with government is not that different to academics. While there are more secrets for public servants to keep, there is still an obligation to release information. In 2010, the then Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Lindsay Tanner, issued a "Declaration of Open Government" via a Blog. Freedom of Information legislation, overseen by the  Australian Information Commissioner. The most tangible change is the release of government information under a Creative Commons Licence. What has yet to change is a culture of rigid hierarchical control and hoarding of public information, prevalent in much of the public service. Ironically, during my time working as a civilian in the Defence Department, I found that the military personnel were better equipped to deal with distributed decision making than the public servants, as the military trains it officers to consult, decide and then act.

Open Government, like education and research at universities, is something which requires differing views to be expressed within reasonable bounds. Australian universities, in particular the ANU, had a key role in introducing the web to government. They can again have a key role in fostering a more open and efficient form of government. These techniques will be increasingly applicable to the corporate world as well. With the ubiquity of the Internet and rapid distribution of information, companies do not have the luxury of waiting for a rigid hierarchy to make decisions.

There will be an Open Government  Min-Conference, at the ANU in Canberra, 29 January 2013, as part of Linux Conference 2013.

Tim Berners-Lee at linux.conf.au in Canberra 31 January

Tim Berners-Lee will be giving the keynote address at at linux.conf.au 2013 in Canberra, 31 January 2013. The inventor of the World Wide Web will be in Australia from 27 January to 5 February 2013:

• Thursday 31st January: linux.conf.au keynote,
• Monday 4th February: Public lecture at the University of Melbourne,
• Tuesday 5th February: Public lecture, Sydney Town Hall.