My formal education in computing ended at the age of 14, about six weeks into a GCSE (The UK equivalent of the US’s High School Diploma) course in ICT. I’ve had a lifelong passion for computers, but despite this, I opted instead to study Design and Technology and never looked back.

Attempts to educate and evangelise to people about the benefits of free software are often frustrasted by the common perception that free software is made ‘by geeks, for geeks’ and is therefore of limited interest to a less ‘technical’ audience.

Like most people around the world, I have to work to earn a living. And again, like the vast majority of these people, often my work requires me to carry out tasks that I might otherwise find ethically problematic. As a supporter of free culture, I have often found it difficult to reconcile my own convictions on issues such as copyright and DRM with those of my employers. In my current job, this has not been a regular problem.

John Buckman has announced that Amarok, the popular KDE music player, now includes an integrated store for his company Magnatune, one of the largest netlabels offering DRM-free, CC-licensed music, and a fair deal for their musicians.

It’s unusual to see issues related to copyright law and its reform make much of an impact in the mainstream media here in the UK, but last week’s report from the Institute of Public Policy Research, entitled Public Innovation: Intellectual Property in a Digital Age has been a notable exception.