Presentation of "Internodium" platform, Slobodan Marković

Biography: 

Slobodan Marković, founded Internodium 1998., he was also a member of expert group at federal Institute of Informatics for making the proposal of reform of YU NIC organization (Yugoslav Network Information Center) and development of the Yugoslav Internet.

Slobodan Marković, Belgrade
Summary: 

Slobodan Marković has presented Internodium, moderated mailing list. Internodium was founded in 1998. mostly because there was a need for a public dialogue regarding development of telecommunication infrastructure in Serbia. During his lecture, Slobodan Marković was focused on Open Source initiatives and everyone's right to have multiple choice in using software. He explained recent example when one sixteen year boy from Norway decoded program for reading (but not for copying) a DVD, and after that Motion Pictures Associations of America took a charge against him according to DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act).

Marković pointed out, that problem with the big software multinational companies is not the fact that they developed closed operative systems with needed aplication (this is naturaly good), but problem is when those companies are able to approach to secret information and documentation of their clients (especially governments and public institutions). Technical problems with noncorporate software are lack of organizations, agencies, companies whose are in charge of implementation and maintanence of Open Source systems (for example Linux). Instead of giving the implementation of noncorporate software to people from informatic universities or institutes, the easiest way for governments, institutions etc. is to hire companies who are taking care of implementation and maintanance of the system. In that case, if you want to change program code or even company, it is impossible to change something in a code or to make additional applications by yourself. Besides, it is quite a problem that such multinational company, which is basically in private hands, has a fundamental information about one still sovereign state (the example is the implementation of Microsoft windows in Serbian government).

Public discussion about these things is essential for understanding of contemporary communication systems and their negative following implications. Internodium has actively contributed that some negative elements became matter of debate and analisys (subversion of regime-close AIC - Academic Information Centre, with Branislav Ivković, during elections on 24.09.2000., or Zoran Djindjic and Bill Gates agreement).

www.internodium.org.yu