If you’ve been vising our site for awhile now (thanks, by the way), you’ve certainly noticed that things have been looking a little less…terrible, as of late. We’ve been working on turning “The Powerbase” into a more modern and aesthetically pleasing site, and the recent change of theme is a major step in that direction. While we’re [...]
Negative to Positive: Interview with Mayan Developer Roberto Rosario
The free and open source software community operates on a very simple principle: obey the license which the software is released under. But what happens when the rules of engagement set down in FOSS licenses like the GNU GPL are ignored? What do you do if a rival developer or company takes your code and [...]
Android Community Demands MIUI ROM Comply With FOSS Licenses
A thorn in the side of many free software loving Android users, the Chinese MIUI ROM has long been accused of riding on the success of Android without fully complying with the free and open source licenses which it’s based on. MIUI’s developer, Xiaomi, has managed to cultivate a considerable fanbase for their ROM, adding [...]
Copenhagen Suborbitals Release Snowmix, an Open Source Video Mixer
The Copenhagen Suborbitals, if you weren’t aware, have a pretty simple goal: to launch a human being into space. As you might expect, this takes a bit of work to accomplish; and along the way they will be creating and researching many ideas and technologies that otherwise would be limited to global superpowers and corporate [...]
Mayan GPL Dispute Examined
It’s been an interesting few days for the Mayan Electronic Document Management System (EDMS). Mayan’s developer, Roberto Rosario, made quite a stir when he spoke out against forks of his software which he believed to be violating the GPL. Reactions over Roberto’s claims and his resulting actions have been varied, and give interesting insight on the [...]
Pulling A Lunduke: Holding Source Code Hostage
Last week, Bryan Lunduke, the renowned developer of multiple kitschy little apps that nobody is too concerned about, made a post on his blog where he claimed he was attempting to better serve the community by open sourcing all of his software under the GPL. Unfortunately, what should have been good news turned out to [...]
Tivoization: A Necessary Evil
Tivoization is a term coined by Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation (FSF) to refer to what they believe is a violation of the GNU Public License’s (GPL) spirit, if not its actual wording. In response to Tivoization, as well as a few other concerns, the Free Software Foundation released a third version of [...]
Open Source Versus Free Software
While open source software and protocols have been an important part of the Internet since their inception, today we’re seeing an explosion of open source projects entering the mainstream conciousness. From web browsers such as Firefox and Chrome wresting control from Internet Explorer, to the staggering success of Google’s Android mobile operating system, we may [...]
Official Petition: Open Source Palm OS
UPDATE: Please read! Do not sign this petition! The Powerbase, in its infinite wisdom, has made an awful mistake. Though our intention were pure, this petition with do nothing. The Palm OS, otherwise referred to as Garnet OS, is a product of Access. We still believe that the Palm (Garnet) OS should be open sourced, [...]