Pamela Jones
Encyclopedia
Pamela Jones, commonly known as PJ, is the creator and editor of Groklaw
, an award-winning website that covers legal news of interest to the free and open-source software
community. Jones is an Open Source
advocate who previously trained and worked as a paralegal
.
Jones' articles have appeared in Linux Journal
, LWN
, LinuxWorld Magazine, Linux Today, and LinuxWorld.com. She also wrote a monthly opinion column for the UK print publication Linux User and Developer
. She is one of the contributors to the book Open Sources 2.0: The Continuing Evolution.
, Groklaw
, which covers open source
legal issues, notably the SCO-Linux controversies
. Her stated purpose for starting the blog can be found in the first interview she ever granted, for Linux Online, where she said:
Groklaw's Mission Statement says it is meant to be several things:
Groklaw has covered the various lawsuits involving the SCO Group
in detail but also covers general legal news of interest to the Free Software and Open Source community
. The site has won numerous awards.
, a Unix ownership timeline project, in February 2004.
tasks that new linux users will find simple and clear and easy to follow, using what they learn from their study.
During the first week of May 2005, Jones was attacked by Maureen O'Gara in an "exposé" appearing on the website Linux Business News. The resulting outcry prompted the website's publisher to distance itself from the publication by O'Gara and publicly apologize to Jones. O'Gara's column LinuxGram was subsequently suspended from all outlets of the owner Sys-con Media.
SCO executives Darl McBride
and Blake Stowell
have also denigrated Jones and claimed that she works for IBM
. Jones has denied this allegation, as did IBM in a court filing.
Groklaw
Groklaw is an award-winning website covering legal news of interest to the free and open source software community. Started as a law blog on May 16, 2003 by paralegal Pamela Jones at Radio UserLand, it has covered issues such as the SCO-Linux lawsuits, the EU anti-trust case against Microsoft, and...
, an award-winning website that covers legal news of interest to the free and open-source software
Foss
Foss may refer toPeople*Foss , people with the last name Foss*Foss Shanahan , New Zealand diplomat*Foss Westcott , English bishop...
community. Jones is an Open Source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
advocate who previously trained and worked as a paralegal
Paralegal
Paralegal is used in most jurisdictions to describe a paraprofessional who assists qualified lawyers in their legal work. This is true in the United States and many other countries. However, in Ontario, Canada, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada, giving paralegals an...
.
Jones' articles have appeared in Linux Journal
Linux Journal
Linux Journal is a monthly technology magazine published by Belltown Media, Inc. of Houston, Texas. The magazine focuses specifically on Linux, allowing the content to be a highly specialized source of information for open source enthusiasts.-History:...
, LWN
LWN.net
LWN.net is a computing webzine with an emphasis on free software and software for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. It consists of a weekly issue, separate stories which are published most days, and threaded discussion attached to every story. Most news published daily are short...
, LinuxWorld Magazine, Linux Today, and LinuxWorld.com. She also wrote a monthly opinion column for the UK print publication Linux User and Developer
Linux User and Developer
Linux User and Developer is a monthly magazine about Linux.Linux User and Developer is a UK magazine written specifically for Linux professionals and IT decision makers. It is available in newsagents, via subscription, or for download as a PDF for a fee from the magazine's web page.- External links...
. She is one of the contributors to the book Open Sources 2.0: The Continuing Evolution.
Groklaw
Pamela Jones (PJ) has a blogBlog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, Groklaw
Groklaw
Groklaw is an award-winning website covering legal news of interest to the free and open source software community. Started as a law blog on May 16, 2003 by paralegal Pamela Jones at Radio UserLand, it has covered issues such as the SCO-Linux lawsuits, the EU anti-trust case against Microsoft, and...
, which covers open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
legal issues, notably the SCO-Linux controversies
SCO-Linux controversies
The SCO-Linux controversies are a series of legal and public disputes between the software company SCO Group and various Linux vendors and users. The SCO Group alleges that its license agreements with IBM means that source code that IBM wrote and donated to be incorporated into Linux was added in...
. Her stated purpose for starting the blog can be found in the first interview she ever granted, for Linux Online, where she said:
I started my blog just before the SCO case was filed. Originally, my purpose was just trying to learn how to blog, because an attorney and I were discussing the possibility of me doing some telecommutingTelecommutingTelecommuting or telework is a work arrangement in which employees enjoy flexibility in working location and hours. In other words, the daily commute to a central place of work is replaced by telecommunication links...
work for him, including work on his blog. I had no knowledge of blogging, so I quickly got Radio, because he used it, and I put up one article to practice, which I never thought anyone in the world would ever see (ironically, about the Grokster decision and how I admired David Boies' Napster legal documents). I was just writing to the air.
My thought then was to try to explain legal news stories as they came along. I was forever reading SlashdotSlashdotSlashdot is a technology-related news website owned by Geeknet, Inc. The site, which bills itself as "News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters", features user-submitted and ‑evaluated current affairs news stories about science- and technology-related topics. Each story has a comments section...
comments about legal news and most of the comments would be way off, and I realized that there is a hunger for someone to explain what it all means, what the process is, how things play out, to people who aren't in the legal field.
Groklaw's Mission Statement says it is meant to be several things:
It's an experiment, something not quite like anything that has been done before. It's primarily a working site, not a discussion forum. First, it's a journalistic enterprise, with interviews, research, and reporting of legal events important to the FOSS community.... Second, we are applying open-source principles to research to the extent that they apply.... Third, it's an antiFUDFear, uncertainty and doubtFear, uncertainty and doubt, frequently abbreviated as FUD, is a tactic used in sales, marketing, public relations, politics and propaganda....
site.
Groklaw has covered the various lawsuits involving the SCO Group
SCO Group
TSG Group, Inc. is a software company formerly called The SCO Group, Caldera Systems, and Caldera International. After acquiring the Santa Cruz Operation's Server Software and Services divisions, as well as UnixWare and OpenServer technologies, the company changed its focus to UNIX...
in detail but also covers general legal news of interest to the Free Software and Open Source community
Free software community
The free-software community is an informal term that refers to the users and developers of free software as well as supporters of the free-software movement. The movement is sometimes referred to as the open-source software community or a subset thereof...
. The site has won numerous awards.
Grokline
Jones also launched GroklineGrokline
Grokline was a community-based, collaborative research project, designed to trace the ownership history and survivable legal enforcement rights of UNIX and UNIX-like software code...
, a Unix ownership timeline project, in February 2004.
Grokdoc
Grokdoc's goal is to create a useful manual on basic linuxLinux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
tasks that new linux users will find simple and clear and easy to follow, using what they learn from their study.
PJ
Jones reveals very little personal information, as she considers it private and has expressed from the beginning a strong preference for avoiding fame. Here are the reasons she gave in the early days for using just her initials:I originally wanted to stay anonymous, in a sense, by just saying PJ. Eventually media attention and other factors made it impossible to remain just PJ but I would have if I could have. I have no desire to be famous, for one thing. And I have been creatively influenced by Scott McCloudScott McCloudScott McCloud is an American cartoonist and theorist on comics as a distinct literary and artistic medium...
's work. He points out in Understanding ComicsUnderstanding ComicsUnderstanding Comics: The Invisible Art is a 215-page non-fiction comic book, written and drawn by Scott McCloud and originally published in 1993. It explores the definition of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in which these elements...
(p. 45–51) in a section on iconic representation that people respond most strongly to a drawing of a character that simplifies to the point that anyone can identify with the character. I guess I was hoping for that effect. In other words, I was hoping people could assume whatever they wanted and just focus on what I said, rather than on who was saying it. For that reason, I chose PJ, because it could be anyone, either sex, any nationality, anyone and no one in particular. I wanted participation by anyone interested in the SCO story. No politics. Nothing extraneous. Just an effort to locate and provide evidence that could be useful. I knew the community could answer SCO, if they just knew what was needed. And they have.
Media controversy
Jones is widely respected by journalists and people inside the Linux community. Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols wrote, "Jones has made her reputation as a top legal IT reporter from her work detailing the defects with SCO's case against IBM and Linux. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that her work has contributed enormously to everyone's coverage of SCO's cases."During the first week of May 2005, Jones was attacked by Maureen O'Gara in an "exposé" appearing on the website Linux Business News. The resulting outcry prompted the website's publisher to distance itself from the publication by O'Gara and publicly apologize to Jones. O'Gara's column LinuxGram was subsequently suspended from all outlets of the owner Sys-con Media.
SCO executives Darl McBride
Darl McBride
Darl Charles McBride is the former CEO of The SCO Group. He became the CEO of Caldera International on June 28, 2002.On March 7, 2003, during McBride's tenure as CEO of the company, The SCO Group initiated litigation against IBM, alleging breach of contract and copyright infringement claims...
and Blake Stowell
Blake Stowell
Blake Stowell was the director of corporate communications for The SCO Group, and as such, played a significant role in the SCO-Linux controversies. He is currently PR Director for Omniture Inc...
have also denigrated Jones and claimed that she works for IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
. Jones has denied this allegation, as did IBM in a court filing.
Publications
- Articles in Linux Journal, Linux World, Linux Today, LWN.
- Monthly column in LinuxUser, a UK print publication.
- Contributor to Open Sources 2.0: The Continuing Evolution.