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    1. Interpreting the Open Database License

      For reference, here is the ODbL. There is a nice human readable summary. You can also read more in the Wikipedia entry. The most famous database available under the ODbL is OpenStreetMaps. I...

      For reference, here is the ODbL. There is a nice human readable summary. You can also read more in the Wikipedia entry.

      The most famous database available under the ODbL is OpenStreetMaps.

      I recently found out about OpenCorporates, which is a global database of companies, published under the ODbL. I thought this was great, so I applied for access to use the database for a project. I was denied because I'm not a journalist or a nonprofit and instead was invited to pay for access instead. And it's not cheap, likely because company databases are often used in the B2B space.

      I replied that this seemed to be in conflict with their mission, especially given that my project was focused on using the data to create a benefit to the public, and their response was that they wanted to protect against their database being copied.

      From my reading, this seems to be in direct conflict with the ODbL. Egregiously so, which has me thinking I'm missing something.

      Does anyone have any insight? It seems to me that the whole point of the ODbL license is to make data freely available. This is backed up by interpretations I came across while searching and by the ethos of other orgs using the license, such as OSM. What am I missing?

      6 votes
    2. I could use recommendations for an ultrawide monitor

      I recently had a bad monitor failure after six or so years of normal use. Specifically, my LG 34GK950F-B had an electrical failure that, in a limited sense, caught a ribbon cable inside on fire....

      I recently had a bad monitor failure after six or so years of normal use. Specifically, my LG 34GK950F-B had an electrical failure that, in a limited sense, caught a ribbon cable inside on fire. It is exactly the same failure as shown here, and I add a few images of documentation of my case here.

      Anyhow, I am now in the market for a new ultrawide, and I need one as soon as yesterday since my desktop currently has no display - I have been tunneling into it to do anything. General recommendations would be nice - but a few things specifically:

      • what is the burn in situation like on modern OLED monitors?
      • I would prefer not to spend a massive amount, is that doable while still supporting the following use cases?
        • lots of coding, needs to render text nicely as the top job
        • photo editing, needs to have good color accuracy or be trivial to calibrate such that it does
        • occasional gaming, I don’t game on my desktop much these days, but I don’t want the monitor to feel clunky when I do

      This post is a bit stream-of-conscience, so if any other questions or requirements come to mind I will edit it.

      Edit: I guess as much as I don’t want to spend a ton, I will also end up using this display for at least another five years - I don’t mind spending a little more to account for that.

      12 votes