IntroductionToFOSS

Minutes for Session: Introduction to FOSS

Facilitator: tiffany cheng and kris khaira and Andrew L.

• Programmers sharing codes with each other
• Philosophically political, anti*proprietor
• Creative, don’t have to redo, but instead work upon the one existent to make it better.
• Copyright was created to protect the creator but has now been used to protect corporations instead.
• A culture of sharing work, getting credit for it and helping people to promote their work by using your work.
• Important to become our own self publisher.
• Miro wouldn’t be possible without open source, it brought together bitorrent and vlc and mozilla.
• Open source operating system: ubuntu, linux, pleadora, redhat, penguinmerah,
• If any software crashes, ie: itunes or Microsoft, you can’t send them a complain and ask them to fix it. But with FOSS, you can submit a bug ticket directly to the developers and they can change it and make it better.
• Or you can take their entire code and make it better and rename and launch it.
• Ubuntu linux started from folks using linux and modify it.
• When one download FOSS, it comes with a licence (GPL1) that says once modified one must change the name, and one must contribute that software to FOSS.
• Mac os is modified from BSC licence, if you modify it, you don’t have to release the sourcecode to the world. And a few years have change their OS to linux. But Mac OS itself is not FOSS.
• If not for FOSS, we would need to pay for blogs and all other free web tools.
• Isn’t just about keeping software free, but keeing software development transparent and accessible for all. Patented free. Vis*à*vis medicine patent trade and keeping it free for all.
• Photoshop patented something that macromedia also patented something similar and they sued each other until photoshop bought over macromedia last year.
• Flash, used on youtube is patented but there is FOSS version of it so we don’t have to pay for it.
• Indie artists shouldn’t need to pay for expensive patented software that would gradually stop their creative process, but of cos artists still neeed to make a living but just not managed by corporations**** self publish!!
• Digital rights management is completely made up as it can put a lock on anything.
• Most FOSS credit creators and if one doesn’t credit, FOSS has a panel of lawyers that defend FOSS.
• GPL1 and GPL 2 is similar. GPL 3. General Public Licence, GMU foundation, drafted by Richard Stallman.
• BSD Berkely Software Development.
• Free software movement VS Open software movement.
• The making of licence is very transparent and anyone can comment on them.
• Free as in freedom vs free as in beer?
• The issue here is basically about TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESSIBILITY and FOR PEOPLE NOT PROFITS!! Something you all activists stands for!!!!
• FOSS in video distribution:
• Youtube is free as in beer. Not a great advancement for online video space. Great that is has much audience. But it’s off track, internet is about decentralizing power and make a name for yourself. Youtube offers you free service and makes money of you, and are responsible to their shareholders and can take your video anytime.
• Miro is allowing anyone and everyone to be your own publishers and your own video.
• Insert notes on why we shouldn’t use youtube.
• Framing FOSS for developing country by making FOSS easier and run better on lower or cheaper hardware, a practical reason to use FOSS rather philosophically.
• Better if the FOSS is superior than the existent one.

The issue here is basically about TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESSIBILITY and FOR PEOPLE NOT PROFITS!! Something you all activists stands for!!!!