Baaad vista

I've signed today the campaign of the Free Software Foundation about the problems of the Microsoft Vista Operating System. I believe that, aside the problems of requiring more powerful and modern computers, this Operating System has the big problem, and maybe the big mistake, of trying to control the users' activities in order to prevent an inappropriate use of multimedia files and programs. I don't believe that limiting and monitoring users' activities is the right way to avoid illegality in the multimedia context. I believe that users' should be able to do what they want with their software and computer. After all, it can be trivial, but when a user gets a new car, she can do whatever she want with it: she can change the engine, can change the colour, can adapt the seats and so on. In other words, she can adapt the car to her needings. Why this should not be possible with software? Why am I supposed to be a bad person only because I'm storing a multimedia file on my hard disk?

There must be rules and laws for preventing people doing illegal actions with multimedia files, but the stree Vista is running on is not the right one, in my opinion.

Boycott Trend Micro

I've signed the petition to boycott Trend Micro, that has sued Barracuda Networks for a patent right issue based on the use of the latter of the Open-Source GPL Clam AV antivirus software.

I'd like to express my support to Barracuda Networks, that is exploiting a GPL product accordingly to its licence, and so in a regular way. I also would like to applaud Barracuda for informing the community about its legal problems, a thing that probably Trend Micro didn't think could happen.
I cannot believe that someone could be sued due to patent rights on open source and GPL code, and this is an example of the need for a stronger protection against patents (like GPLv3 does), as well as it represents a nightmare for the open source community.
Moreover, I cannot really see the point in scanning a file travelling into a network, especially when this is done with an open source product. And if there is really a patent right, who will protect us againt viruses? Patent right holders? That's sound ridiculous to me!

Manifesto for Agile Software Development

A few days ago I signed the Manifesto for Agile Software Development in order to express my support to the Agile Software Development. This paradigm focuses more on what the client wants, rather than on the right technique to design and write software, leading to a development that is more face-to-face and day-by-day with the customer. In other words, instead of promoting a static and big software analysis, the Agile Software Development promotes a continue analysis on site, and a development with quick and small releases, that are directly tested. There are also other things the Agile Software Development promotes, but the key idea in my opinion is that you should not get too far from the customer when developing, and you should also be able to get and support day-by-day changes.

I signed the manifesto with the following motivation:

Agile Development represents to me agood way of thinking the development of a complex software. What I like the most is that changes are not scaring, but they are accepted as the development proceeds. Moreover, forcing small and frequent releases gives you and your client the feeling of having a product, even if still not complete. This is very important for the client, that can feel the development and can take control on it (meaning that she can collaborate with the developers in a "just-in-time" way), and it is very important for the developers too because they are forced to concentrate on incremental and significant changes, and they will not blow away a build.