Internet and Society 1999


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`FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY Copr. (C) West 1999 No Claim to Orig. U.S. Govt. Works 4/10/99 PITTSPOST A9 4/10/99 Pitt. Post-Gazette A9 1999 WL 5266227` `Pittsburgh Post-Gazette` `Copyright 1999` `Saturday, April 10, 1999` `NATIONAL` `GORE'S CAMPAIGN WEB SITE TOUTS OPEN CODE - USING CLOSED SYSTEM` `MARTHA MENDOZA, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS` Vice President Al Gore's attempt to talk the talk of computer programmers has developed into a high-tech faux pas. A message in the programming code for Gore's presidential campaign Web site touts his support for sharing software codes. But high tech aficionados found that the site was built using products from Microsoft Corp. - a company that refuses to share its programming code. "It's like he's saying he's all for buying American cars and then driving around in a Honda," said Jim Jagielski, a developer of the Apache software that powers most Web sites. This isn't the first time in recent weeks that Gore has tripped up technically. Besides trailing other presidential aspirants in launching his site, Gore drew ridicule when he said in an interview that he had helped create the Internet, although Internet experts say he was a leader in expanding it into what it is today. And just minutes before launching his campaign into cyberspace Tuesday, Gore's campaign staff rushed to remove questions from the Web site that asked children for their names, e-mail addresses and ZIP codes - a practice soon to be outlawed on some Internet sites by legislation Congress approved last year. It's not hard for an Internet user to peek behind the scenes of Gore's Web site. Simply log on to algore2000.com, choose "View" from the menu on top of the screen and click on "Source" or "Source Code." Suddenly, the tanned and happy image of Gore is replaced with this message: "Thanks for checking out our source code! . . . The fact that you are peeking behind the scenes at our site means you can make an important difference to this Internet effort." The site invites computer programmers to share their ideas about how to improve the Web site, "in the spirit of the open-source movement." Open source is a registered trademark referring to the free distribution of software codes; Gore's support follows a growing movement in the high tech community to share and communally improve the codes behind software. But the practice defies Microsoft's competitive practice of keeping its software source code private. John Witchell, a partner at USWeb who developed Gore's site, said Thursday that the site would shift to a true open source operating system and server in about three months. "This was an honest initial attempt," he said. "What you will soon see is a Web site that is widely respected in an open environment." ---- INDEX REFERENCES ---- `NEWS SUBJECT: National News Section (NTL) STORY ORIGIN: SAN FRANCISCO EDITION: SOONER Word Count: 408 4/10/99 PITTSPOST A9 END OF DOCUMENT`
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FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY Copr. (C) West 1999 No Claim to Orig. U.S. Govt. Works 4/10/99 PITTSPOST A9 4/10/99 Pitt. Post-Gazette A9 1999 WL 5266227

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Saturday, April 10, 1999 NATIONAL GORE'S CAMPAIGN WEB SITE TOUTS OPEN CODE - USING CLOSED SYSTEM

MARTHA MENDOZA, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Vice President Al Gore's attempt to talk the talk of computer programmers has developed into a high-tech faux pas. A message in the programming code for Gore's presidential campaign Web site touts his support for sharing software codes. But high tech aficionados found that the site was built using products from Microsoft Corp. - a company that refuses to share its programming code. "It's like he's saying he's all for buying American cars and then driving around in a Honda," said Jim Jagielski, a developer of the Apache software that powers most Web sites. This isn't the first time in recent weeks that Gore has tripped up technically. Besides trailing other presidential aspirants in launching his site, Gore drew ridicule when he said in an interview that he had helped create the Internet, although Internet experts say he was a leader in expanding it into what it is today. And just minutes before launching his campaign into cyberspace Tuesday, Gore's campaign staff rushed to remove questions from the Web site that asked children for their names, e-mail addresses and ZIP codes - a practice soon to be outlawed on some Internet sites by legislation Congress approved last year. It's not hard for an Internet user to peek behind the scenes of Gore's Web site. Simply log on to algore2000.com, choose "View" from the menu on top of the screen and click on "Source" or "Source Code." Suddenly, the tanned and happy image of Gore is replaced with this message: "Thanks for checking out our source code! . . . The fact that you are peeking behind the scenes at our site means you can make an important difference to this Internet effort." The site invites computer programmers to share their ideas about how to improve the Web site, "in the spirit of the open-source movement." Open source is a registered trademark referring to the free distribution of software codes; Gore's support follows a growing movement in the high tech community to share and communally improve the codes behind software. But the practice defies Microsoft's competitive practice of keeping its software source code private. John Witchell, a partner at USWeb who developed Gore's site, said Thursday that the site would shift to a true open source operating system and server in about three months. "This was an honest initial attempt," he said. "What you will soon see is a Web site that is widely respected in an open environment." ---- INDEX REFERENCES ----

NEWS SUBJECT: National News Section (NTL) STORY ORIGIN: SAN FRANCISCO EDITION: SOONER Word Count: 408 4/10/99 PITTSPOST A9 END OF DOCUMENT