Security Bullet In

Two open source consortia have announced they are to join forces.

Paris-based OW2 Consortium, whose members include Alcatel Lucent, France Telecom, Red Hat and Thales, will merge with California-based Open Solutions Alliance, which represents organisations including Unisys and Ingres.

According to a press statement on Thursday, the two organisations will provide a "global platform for supporting research, development, distribution, and adoption of open source software."

"When you look at each organization's strengths in technology and market presence, as well as the global positioning of our members, OSA and OW2 look like two puzzle pieces waiting to be put together," said Cedric Thomas, OW2 chief executive, in the statement. "We can do much more together than apart, and a combined entity will provide a single voice for open source worldwide and a unique global pool of open source resources."

The merged organisation will be called OW2, and OSA will become OW2's North American chapter, an Ingres spokeperson told ZDNet UK on Thursday. No timescale for the merger was available at the time of writing.

Update: Nick Halsey of OSA told ZDNet UK that the amalgamation process should take 3 to 4 months.

"In terms of timescales, today’s announcement kicks off a process, where a 6-person merger committee will be formed (three from each organisation) to work through final implementation details," Halsey wrote in an email. "During this transition time, three OSA board members will be given seats on the OW2 board. At the end of the process (3-4 months) there will be an election to create a new slate of board members from both organisations."

Campaigners against the extradition of Nasa hacker Gary McKinnon have garnered more support at the Labour Party conference in Brighton.

McKinnon's mother Janis Sharp told ZDNet UK on Tuesday that MP Keith Vaz had agreed to write to American civil liberties campaigner Jessie Jackson outlining McKinnon's case.

The hacker, who admits accessing US systems in 2001/02, claims to have been searching for evidence of UFOs. Last summer McKinnon was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome.

The National Autistic Society (NAS) has requested a meeting with Sarah Brown, the prime minister's wife, to discuss McKinnon's situation, a NAS spokesperson told ZDNet UK on Wednesday. McKinnon faces extradition to the US to face hacking charges.

"It was hoped that we could meet Sarah Brown after the conference, but unfortunately that was not possible," said the spokesperson. "An alternative meeting is being arranged."

A developer body is to hold a conference at Bletchley Park to raise money for the home of British WWII code-breaking.

ACCU, which up until 2006 was known as the Association of C and C++ Users, will hold the conference on 7 November 2009. Speakers will include PGP encryption creator Phil Zimmermann; National Museum of Computing stalwart Tony Sale; and journalist and author Simon Singh.

The event will be open to the public. Tickets will cost £85 for ACCU members and £95 for non-members, while all proceeds will go to Bletchley Park.

The UK government in August rejected an online petition requesting it provide funding for operational expenses for the museum complex over five years. Number Ten said the government did not have the resources to provide the necessary £250,000.

Meanwhile, the Home Office is to spend over £500,000 of taxpayers' money marketing ID cards to businesses in the North-West between September and December this year. Interesting how budgets get allocated, isn't it?

An environmental lobby group has published a list of the relative amounts of electromagnetic radiation given out by mobile devices.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) said in a statement that while there is no conclusive link between mobile phone use and incidence of cancer, consumers could use the comparitive list to "make informed decisions".

"We would like to be able to say that cell phones are safe," said Olga Naidenko, EWG senior scientist and lead author of the list. "But we can't. The most recent science, while not conclusive, raises serious issues about the cancer risk of cell phone use that must be addressed through further research. In the meantime, consumers can take steps to reduce exposure."

EWG compiled the list of phones using technical information supplied by manufacturers.

Results of studies into phone use and links to cancer are inconclusive.

For example, one Institute of Cancer Research study in 2006 found no conclusive links between phone radiation and the most common type of brain tumour, glioma.

Another Institute of Cancer Research study, in 2005, also found no conclusive links between phone use and acoustic neuroma, a nervous system tumour that occurs close to where mobile phones are held to the head.

However, in the case of acoustic neuroma and other types of cancer, mobile technology is still too new to be able to gauge its long-term health effects, according to Institute of Cancer Research professor Anthony Swerdlow.

"The results of our [acoustic neuroma] study suggest that there is no substantial risk in the first decade after starting use," said Swerdlow. "Whether there are longer-term risks remains unknown, reflecting the fact that this is a relatively recent technology."

The Ministry of Defence has announced that it will pay contractor Thales £150m for the first wave of the Future Infantry Soldier Technology (Fist) programme.

The money will pay for thermal sights, close quarter battle sights, day sights, commanders' target locating systems, underslung grenade-launcher sights and fire control systems, ruggedised digital cameras, and periscopes.



An Irish Guards infantry soldier carrying an SA80 rifle with a thermal sight.



The sight has a zoom facility, and is powered by standard AA batteries.

"It is the infantry soldier that bears the brunt [of the fighting] and takes the losses," defence equipment minister Quentin Davies told a press conference on Tuesday. "We are investing in improving survivability and effectiveness."

The next stage of the Fist programme, which includes command and control technology, awaits a government green light for funding.

A National Audit Office report earlier this summer said the NAO could not sign off £6.6bn worth of equipment as there was insufficient evidence of the kit's existence. Davies told ZDNet UK on Tuesday that the MoD "have very good financial contracts".

"When we sign a contract for £150m, we expect to get the equipment," said Davies.

When quizzed by ZDNet UK about a £100m budget cut for defence research and development announced in the summer, Davies said that the funding cut would not affect the Fist programme.

"We announced months ago the research and development spending cut, which we have taken out of spending tasks that are not germane [to immediate military efforts], such as contracts with the Met Office," said Davies. "We will use the money for other defence purposes."