by Richard Stallman
There are general reasons why all computer users should insist on free software. It gives users the freedom to control their own computers—with proprietary software, the computer does what the software owner wants it to do, not what the software user wants it to do. Free software also gives users the freedom to cooperate with each other, to lead an upright life. These reasons apply to schools as they do to everyone.
But there are special reasons that apply to schools. They are the subject of this article.
First, free software can save the schools money. Even in the richest countries, schools are short of money. Free software gives schools, like other users, the freedom to copy and redistribute the software, so the school system can make copies for all the computers they have. In poor countries, this can help close the digital divide.
This year's event has lots of exciting activities, including not only the music but also seminars, a surfing contest, foot and bike racing, a film festival and more.
As an Open Source Advocate and musician/audio engineer, I will be actively promoting one of my favorite Open Source projects, Audacity, while at this years Festival.
Audacity is Free/Libre Open Source Software for recording anding and editing audio. It is cross-platform (ie, available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operatng systems).
With Audacity it is possible to record live audio from microphones or line inputs, convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs, edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files, cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together and change the speed or pitch of a recording. puts, convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs, edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files.cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together, change the speed or pitch of a recording, and more. Built-in effects allow altering frequencies with Equalization, FFT Filter, and Bass Boost, adjusting volumes with Compressor, Amplify, and Normalize effect, plus experimenting with Echo, Phaser, Wahwah and Reverse.
Audacity is available for free download at sourceforge.net. For those who are not able to download, I will send a free CD containing xxx whlie my supplies last. A small PayPal donation to cover postage and handling would be appreciated but is not necessary.
Effects feature allows you to change the pitch without altering the tempo, or vice-versa, remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises, alter frequencies with Equalization, FFT Filter, and Bass Boost effects, adjust volumes with Compressor, Amplify, and Normalize effects and experiment with Echo, Phaser, Wahwah, and Reverse built-in effects.
Audacity is available for free download at sourceforge.net. For those who are not able to download, I will send a free CD (Windows version only) containing Audacity while my supplies last. A small PayPal donation to cover postage and handling would be appreciated but is not necessary. Click Here!
Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 April 2008 )
Some Thoughts On Web 2.0
One certainty about Web 2.0 is that if you ask six Web 2.0 experts "What is Web 2.0?" you will get a minimum of nine different answers!
Sure it is social relationships and networking (del.icio.us and linkedin), virtual communities (Second Life) , content-driven (blogs and dynamic CMS websites), a new way of doing things (the open source movement), available to everyone (not just the wealthy) and it is available worldwide (Internet cafes and broadband access).
Fifteen or twenty years from now some aspiring politician will probably claim credit for Web 2.0. Clearly Tim O'Reilly coined the term and brought it into the popular jargon back in 2004. Unfortunately Tim was born in County Cork and is not eligible to be president of the USofA.
While no one can precisely define Web 2.0, I do strongly believe everyone can agree that it is new and it is exciting and it is fun.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 April 2008 )
Is it FLOSS, FOSS or OSS?
I prefer FLOSS . You may prefer FOSS or OSS or something else. That's alright with me.
The primary reason I prefer FLOSS is that people in the USofA are already familiar with the word. People only need learn a new meaning to a familiar word. There is no need for branding. With FOSS or OSS the need exists to learn a new TLA or 4LA term AND a meaning for that term. Plus, it is kind of catchy when someone says "FLOSS Today! ".
And, FLOSS is used in official English-language documents in Europe, South America and Africa.
Many USofAans prefer FOSS to avoid confusion with the already existing English word FLOSS. Lots of words have multiple meanings in our language. To me avoiding FLOSS for that reason is just dumbing down of our society.
When I use the term FLOSS I essentially mean free software as defined in 1983 by Richard Stallman and I consider that to be open source software, free software, libre sofware, swatantra software, malayang software, and anyotherkindofsoftware that follows the four fundamental freedoms as defined in the Free Software Definition.
Last Updated ( Friday, 23 February 2007 )
Studying vs Learning
Studying is tedious and boring; learning is fun and exciting.
I have set several personal goals for this year. One is to obtain some certifications and, of course, I purchased the requisite study guides.
But I really struggle with my study guides. (Let me stress that I use the term guides to mean regular, old-fashioned books made of paper. There is nothing mystical or magical such as when the term is used by Napoleon Hill and some others.) After about a page (or two on a good day) my mind starts to wander and I am thinking about other topics. Studying is just plain tedious.
Learning is something totally different. Watching a new video tutorial, doing a hands-on install of a new Linux distribution, meeting someone new and listening while newfriend explains what motivates and stimulates them, explaining over a cup of coffee to a friend what is in my mind so that it is clear and thorough and makes them want to hear more, reading thought-provoking blogs, etc. These all trigger my buttons and excite me.
I have shared this with some homeschooler friends in hopes they can instill a spirit of life-long learning in their kids and also some retired friends who are content to gather firewood in the morning, nap in the afternoon and watch ESPN in the evening. So many had their curiosity dampened by poor school curriculums.
Learning is indeed fun and should be for everyone. Today, like never before, we do indeed live in an information age where knowledge is available seemingly everywhere.
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