JRepin

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/34545365

From December 2002 to April 2005, a pilot was conducted in DG INFSO to evaluate the use of Linux based PC's in the Commission environment, which involved a selected group of users. This group consisted of about 40 persons with a wide diversity of functional profiles (project officer, secretary, financial officer, deputy director general, assistant, etc. …). The scope of the pilot was the testing of the interoperability between the Linux and the Windows environment in terms of electronic file and printer sharing, text processing, spreadsheet, presentation, email / groupware software, other software and support facilities, this specifically in the EC environment.

In co-operation with the Informatics Directorate, a reference configuration was set-up on a number of PC's based on the Linux Operating System and other Open Software products.

Main conclusions are:

• The integration of the Linux based clients in the Windows NT environment did not cause any problems. Integration in the newer NET1 environment (based on the Active Directory) was also successful without major problems. Electronic files and printers both from the Linux environment and the Windows environment could be shared with each other.
• Compatibility tests of the Open Source text processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software were generally satisfactory. Conversion of complex documents showed to be sometimes problematic because of the differences between MS Word and OpenOffice and some problems were encountered with the proprietary fonts of Microsoft. On the other hand, some features were available in OpenOffice that did not exist in the Microsoft Office suite. Further improvements are to be expected now that Microsoft is supporting XML based file formats. Some problems relating to important Commission-specific extensions to MS Word, such as the ones used for the preparation of official notes and legal documents, were identified. A redevelopment of these extensions would be required to solve this issue.
• At the level of the email most of the features are available and no major problems were encountered. However, the shared mail and calendar resources functionality caused several problems at the level of the interoperability with the present Commission email infrastructure. Interoperability tests with the future Commission email infrastructure (foreseen for implementation in 2006) were positive and most of the problems were solved. Some problems relating to specific extensions used within the Commission (Email Archiving System) remained. The question can be raised if a totally new environment based on Open Source at Commission level could be envisaged. Several Open Source solutions are available with functionality comparable to Microsoft's email platform. Initiatives worthwhile mentioning are the development of Kroupware (funded by the German Administration), eGroupWare and OpenGroupware.
• Compatibility tests of Commission-wide applications were negative. Redevelopment of these types of applications as web applications will resolve the problems. The Commission environment would evolve to a more Windows-independent environment, if a strategy could be adopted on these lines. Within the present planning of DG DIGIT it isforeseen that the corporate applications under their responsibility will be redeveloped by 2008. This is already a realisation of a large part of that strategy. However, it is imperative that any web application should be developed in a browser independent way, which should be feasible to do. The browser independence is further emphasised by the commitment of the Commission to implement the first level of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines for the Europa and the Intracomm website.
• The Open Source world has proven to have the ability to adapt to new versions of the Microsoft software / environment. This was demonstrated with the changeover from the NT domain to the NET1 domain and with the changeover from the older versions of Office / Email to the newer versions. Sometimes there was a delay in the development of the adaptation depending on the magnitude of the differences. Also, sometimes certain useful features available in OpenSource world do not exist in the corresponding software in the Microsoft environment.
• The availability of third party software is not completely positive and is greatly depending on the market and profit analysis done by the corresponding software vendor. The question can again be raised if totally new software based on Open Source could not be envisaged. Most of the time Open Source solutions are available with functionality comparable to the original third party software.

In general, the Linux platforms that were tested show a very fair level of usability and compatibility. An environment based on Linux is today technically feasible for limited groups with specific needs. Although there are many other factors that could play a role in the decision in favour of the implementation of an environment based on Linux, the present testing shows that is not possible to implement it at this moment in time on a large scale. Amongst the most blocking factors is the availability of Commission and local applications. The redevelopment of applications would be necessary to solve this problem. In any case, a migration of more than 25000 users is an entirely different project with different objectives, starting with a necessary cost/benefit analysis. The project of a general migration would need to be prepared and planned very carefully, in the hypothesis of a satisfactory OSS platform and a political and technical decision, in order to guarantee minimal disturbance to the users and a similar level of functionality.

Are you using KDE Plasma but still working the same way you did on Windows? Do you wonder if you're getting the most out of your KDE Plasma setup? Well, here are five game-changing features that completely transformed how I use and interact with my PC!

By default, KDE Plasma can feel like another desktop environment (DE) trying to nail the Windows look and feel, but it's so much more than that! Plasma offers unique features that can fundamentally reshape how you think about desktop computing, turning routine tasks into effortless interactions. These aren't just a different way of doing things, but rather a better way as they eliminate entire categories of friction and open up more efficient workflows. Here I've shortlisted my top five favorite KDE Plasma features, how they've changed my approach to desktop computing, and why I can't go back!

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/30862067

Germany has been one of the worst Western countries for whitewashing Israel’s genocide in Palestine. Now it wants to do it with AI.

Becker was consulted by the Tagesspiegel because of his affiliation with the Decoding Antisemitism project at the Center for Research on Antisemitism at the Technical University Berlin, which he led from 2019 until 2025. With the help of a large language computing model, the project aims to create “an [AI] algorithm that will automatically recognize antisemitic statements in web comments . . . so that antisemitic posts can be removed more efficiently and accurately” by online platforms.

The dataset is divided into labels of differing forms of supposed antisemitisms such as “analogies with Nazism,” fascism, apartheid, or colonialism; calling Israel a racist or terrorist state; accusing it of genocide; referencing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS); giving Israel the sole blame for the plight of the Palestinians; applying double standards; and denying Israel’s right to exist.

On the topic of Palestine and Israel, the glossary seems to operate within a logic that sees emotional responses to a live-streamed genocide not as a human reaction but as an indicator of antisemitic beliefs.

In an interview with Israeli news outlet Mako, Becker suggests that social media providers are opening their doors and hearing concerns like his. This strongly suggests hopes to commercialize and implement its findings with online platforms. Five years after its inception, it appears that its conceptual framework and glossary have been overtaken by reality.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/18147280

X, the social media platform owned by Trump megadonor Elon Musk, is promoting Trump campaign-curated content to all U.S. users, regardless of whether they have opted out of Trump-related content.

On the platform formerly known as Twitter, banner ads for the Trump campaign donning the #Trump2024 tag appear for all U.S. users, even those who’ve blocked words, topics, and hashtags related to the candidate or his campaign or muted the advertiser.

Additionally, the #MAGA tag displays an edited image of the former president from his attempted assassination and the #Trump2024 hashtag displays an American flag.

It is unclear whether the Trump campaign paid for the images on the #Trump2024 and #MAGA tags, though an advertisement for the tag on the site’s trending page reads “Promoted by Team Trump.” As Mashable noted, it is the first time the platform has enabled the image feature to promote a specific political candidate.

Clicking the Trump2024 tag also prompts American flag graphics to flood the screen.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/5431344

The enshittification of the internet follows a predictable trajectory: first, platforms are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die. It doesn't have to be this way. Enshittification occurs when companies gobble each other up in an orgy of mergers and acquisitions, reducing the internet to "five giant websites filled with screenshots of text from the other four" (credit to Tom Eastman!), which lets them endlessly tweak their back-ends to continue to shift value from users and business-customers to themselves. The government gets in on the act by banning tweaking by users - reverse-engineering, scraping, bots and other user-side self-help measures - leaving users helpless before the march of enshittification. We don't have to accept this! Disenshittifying the internet will require antitrust, limits on corporate tweaking - through privacy laws and other protections - and aggressive self-help measures from alternative app stores to ad blockers and beyond!

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/5400607

This is a classic case of tragedy of the commons, where a common resource is harmed by the profit interests of individuals. The traditional example of this is a public field that cattle can graze upon. Without any limits, individual cattle owners have an incentive to overgraze the land, destroying its value to everybody.

We have commons on the internet, too. Despite all of its toxic corners, it is still full of vibrant portions that serve the public good — places like Wikipedia and Reddit forums, where volunteers often share knowledge in good faith and work hard to keep bad actors at bay.

But these commons are now being overgrazed by rapacious tech companies that seek to feed all of the human wisdom, expertise, humor, anecdotes and advice they find in these places into their for-profit A.I. systems.