Filed under: Business, Kids, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Web services, Open Source
Blackboard promises not to sue open-source software makers
by Emily Price Feb 5th 2007
Blackboard Inc., "leading provider of enterprise technology to the education community," has given their support to open-source and homegrown course management software that might infringe on a patent they received last year. In their press release the company vows to "never assert its issued or pending course management software patents against open source software or home-grown course management systems. The Blackboard Pledge is legally binding, irrevocable and worldwide in scope, giving open source software makers comfort in knowing Blackboard isn't going to sue you. (Read the full statement here.)
Blackboard creates the software used for e-learning in a good deal of our U.S. high schools as well as colleges and universities. Last year they received a patent on their technology that was met with a great deal of backlash from the education community who felt that the patent was "an attempt to own the very idea of online learning" and felt they might be sued by the company if they created their own software to be used for coursework.
Blackboards pledge gives those professors and schools the opportunity to create their own software without the fear of being pursued by the company, however Blackboard has vowed to continue to go after their major competitor. Even with their statement of support many feel Blackboard should never have been awarded a patent on the technology in the first place.
[via TechNewsWorld]
So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
