Validating open source development...

As this article at techrepulic.com points out, Microsoft has been opening up to open source and Linux because it needs them to stay relevant. It's more of a pragmatic move, rather than Microsoft changing it's hearth about open source software.

The irony is not lost on me, but I'm happy about it all because it validates what the open source movement stands for. No matter what Microsoft says, Linux has shown that open source development of software is the way to go to develop software successfully.

That even Facebook, Google, and Apple do open source in some way, gives even more credit to the open source development model in both hardware and software development. Even if they do it on behalf on their interests, at the long run it helps everyone that they open to everyone their designs. Not only that, they benefit themselves, since any improvement made by anyone would also benefit them by allowing them to use it to improve their machines as well.

In some way, it was a matter of time that the open source development model would be validated. It has been more a question of when and how, never if it would happen.

The irony resides in the fact that Microsoft is doing so, even if it isn't what the company intended to happen. They had to validate open source software in some way to remain relevant, even if they don't explicitly advocate it. In a way, they are giving users motives to use open source software or at least see that software developed as open source is a valid option.

Yes, it might not be the best way to bring forward open source software. Yet, it gives open source software an opportunity to shine on a wider stage and for a bigger audience. It's up to us to take the moment, and make the best out of it.

Encryption is vital for any full and healthy democracy...

I'm not paranoid, or into doing anything unlawful, but I don't like the idea of anyone being able to eavesdrop into my conversations. So the fact that WhatsApp just added end-to-end encryption, is something I really appreciate.

Encryption has to do more with privacy, than with the ability to do crimes. It's more about keeping your private conversations that way, without having to worry about any third party getting into them. Each individual, has the right to keep things private and only share what he, or she, wants with those he chooses.

The computers, and other electronic devices, we own are meant for private use. As such, only the information we choose to share publicly should be considered to be at the public square. And that we choose to share on private channels should remain private.

Encryption is vital to the ability of individuals to be able to keep private information that way. As such, any healthy democracy should allow full use of encryption to their citizens. Even going as far as granting use of it should be a right granted to all of us, since encryption it's vital to privacy.

As such, citizens should be able to make full use of encryption on the services they use. Not to mention that their devices should have encryption on by default, so that we can have a reasonable level of confidence that our private information remains only available to those who we choose to share it with.

Privacy and encryption go hand in hand in our modern world, and encryption should be built into all communication, and personal electronic devices, that people use for private communications. There is a difference between our private and public lives, and that difference needs to be respected.

Nylas N1, nice open source alternative...

I've been using Nylas N1 as my main email client for almost a couple of weeks now, and I've liked it very much.

To be honest, I've been used it mostly as it came out of the box. I found that the base functionality and I liked the themes that came with it, since they are minimalist and elegant at the same time.

I had been using Mozilla Thunderbird for some years now, and though I still like it, Nylas N1 has become my go to email client. Mostly because Nylas N1 fills my needs better, and I simply like Nylas N1 better. There is also the fact that Thunderbird's future is becoming more uncertain as time goes on, as Mozilla is prioritizing Firefox's development.

One of the things I like the most of Nylas N1, is the fact I can see all my inboxes together or one of the time. Personally, I prefer seeing all of them together since it means I don't have to jump to different folders to read my emails. Or if I want to concentrate on just one of my accounts, I can do so.

While Nylas N1 has some way to go, I can see it getting momentum and a community of users to give it some love. It has been getting better with each update, and gaining usability.

For me, the fact that it's open source software and it looks so good makes me a fan. I strongly recommended it, since it's an email that can be used by everyday users,with the option for extended functionalities for those who want to hack it.

FOSS is more than good enough...

As a free and open-source software user(I run Ubuntu on my personal laptop and Android on my smartphone), every time I hear that it isn't user user friendly or that you can't get things done on it I can barely control my eyes from rolling.

Specially when the person that said that uses Firefox, or on a lesser degree Chrome. The over kill is when they use an Android power smartphone, since Android is the how user friendly and good a FOSS powered device can be. And if you add OSes like Ubuntu and Linux Mint to the mix, it gets harder to make the point that the average user can't use, or be comfortable with FOSS.

I agree that FOSS is far from perfect, then again most software isn't made to be perfect at everything. Every FOSS project is intended to be used at a certain field, and that gives it a set of strengths and weaknesses to make it work in the best possible way for the task it was design to do.

When someone ask me if I recommend FOSS, the first question is what do they do. After I know what they want from their computer, I can direct them to what FOSS they can use. Ubuntu and Linux Mint being my go to OSes for the average users, and something like Ubuntu Studio for those who want an OS geared for someone who is a multimedia producer.

There is something for almost every user needs, with SteamOS now covering gamers on the FOSS community. There are some areas that aren't covered, or at least not as they should be, as of yet. But, as more people are becoming aware of the benefits of FOSS it isn't all that far fetched to think that soon every user will have a place in the community.

As such, users that already can prove that FOSS is a viable alternative to come forward and bring more people in to use FOSS. Now more than ever, I'm certain that FOSS can be used even by non-technical people, and we need to bring those users in. Every user is as valuable as the developer, and both should be equally welcome to the community.

Technology made by the people for the people...

One of the biggest mistakes anyone can make, is to think that technology will solve their problems.

Any technology by itself won't solve any problem, since it's just a tool built to help solve an specific problem. Yes, as any tool it can be adapted to solve more than the problem it was originally built for, but that doesn't mean that we can relay on it to save humanity. People using technology will save humanity, or at least give it a fighting chance to see a tomorrow.

It's easy to forget that people are the ones that will lead other to a better tomorrow, and that technology will be forever changing and adapting to the needs of the people. And as time goes on, every new technology is going to be able to be ever more democratized.

We live at the time when people are able to be a part of new technologies, or at least of movements that make use of these new technologies, in a way that its hard to imagine in other time period. As such, its harder for elites keep the people out from these new technologies, much less keeping them from sharing them among themselves in any meaningful way.

As such, the information that is contained by the new technologies is harder to control or censor. And with more individuals being better educated, the people will have a better guide to make the best use of both the new technologies and the information contained in them.

Now more than ever, social revolution is at our hands. Most importantly, the revolution won't necesesary mean bloodshed. Even if said revolution doesn't come easy, it doesn't mean that blood will have to be sacrified for said revolution to come.

It seeems that revolution will come without much fanfare.

All software can be maliciously exploited...

This article points out the obvious, that Mac OS X isn't more secure that Windows. Or than any Linux distro for that matter.

Most of the safety in Mac OS X and Linux, comes from the fact that they are used by much less people than Windows. As such, most black hat hackers used to bypass Mac OS X and Linux in favor of Windows, since the odds of hitting valuable information, or money, was most likely to be found targeting Windows users.

Yet, with more people moving to Apple's ecosystem it has become more worth while target for black hat hackers. Most Linux users still are relative safe, since most Linux distros aren't worth targeting yet due to their relative shallow user base numbers.

Let's face it, all software has vulnerabilities that can be maliciously exploited. What made OS X different from Windows wasn't it's security, but the audience that it was targeted too. While Windows has been mostly a Jack of all trades, or a gamer's rig, OS X has been mostly been used by people that are more on the creative side of things.

All that is needed for black hat hackers to target an OS is incentive, for some is just it's to prestige while for others is financial gain. And as Apple's products gain market share, it's software will make a bigger target.

Safety doesn't really on the software development, it also relies on how savvy the user is and a certain degree of paranoia.

Social awareness and the Internet...

With Bernie's rise, even though he might just not get the Democratic nomination, might spell a change not only in America, but in the world in general.

Since most of Bernie's popularity is among the young people, who are becoming more socially aware and sensitive on social justice, one might ask how much of that awareness comes from being able to share and access information over social media on the Internet rather than on a more restricted media.

I hypnotize that the Internet has enabled socialism to become indirectly, by making people more aware and sensitive to social injustice. The Internet has allowed for people to come closer in a less restrictive, and sometimes with less censure that one could get from more traditional media outlets. As such, a larger amount of people comes to ideas that be dismissed as socialism pipe dreams and see that they are needed, and must be taken, if we want have a fair society and to build a better world.

The Internet, without it being design for it as such, has made the people not only aware of social injustices, but it has given us a tool to bring social justice about by allowing us to organize ourselves in ways that weren't possible before. It has become a platform that helps unite people across the world, in ways that are hard to control from a centralized point and allow different movements to have several ways to organize themselves.

We don't have to think if we can organize, rather we have to think how we can organize. More than ever, change is more a matter of will. If there is the will to fight and bring change about, the way to make things happen will be found by those who want the change to come about.

Most importantly, if you use well all the tools that the Internet has, more than one way to rally people can be used to bring social justice. All of those ways can be used as effectively as they can, to work together for the same goal. Good coordination is key, but the Internet allows this coordination to be possible if the different tools are used correctly.

At the end social justice doesn't mean we all must be the same, or think the same way. Social justice means that we all get a level playing field so live our lives as we see fit, and live our lives as we see fit without harming others. We can work together, while not being the same.

Socialism is about social justice, without taking the individuality of the people who compose said society. As such, how socialism is applied depends on each society to making better for those who live in it. The aim is to balance what's good for the individual and the good for the society. And the Internet is a vital tool to get this balance right.

Free as in free speech...

One of the most common misconceptions about free and open-source software, is that it must cost no money.

Yet , FOSS is not always meant to be free of monetary cost. It's meant to respect the users freedoms, yet it doesn't mean that it will be free of cost. As such, you can expect to have to pay for some FOSS software while expecting to be able to exercise the four freedoms on it.

It's sad to see that at the core of the FOSS philosophy is not monetary gain, but the ability to use the software you acquire(especially the software you pay for) as you see fit to use it. That means that you should get full access to every part of it, even the source code, in order to make it work as you want it to work.

As such, it's on our best interest to be able to make public those changes and to be able to share those changes with others. Any restriction to the users freedoms is to be avoided, since those restrictions don't benefit the user, but the only benefit a few people and restrict the advancement of the software in a way that benefits as much people as possible.

FOSS compliant software is doesn't mean that you can make money out of your work making it. You CAN make money while making FOSS compliant software, and being an active member, of any the communities that make FOSS software. At the end of the day, everyone has to make a living out of what they do.

You make money for working on software, not from the software itself. It means that you need to add code that adds value to the software in order to make money out of it. If you just code thing that already are out, there is no reason for people to pay for the software, or code, you do. That means that no matter if you make a brand new piece of software, or add some code to an existing app, you better make it better for the end user.

At the end, profits and FOSS aren't mutually exclusive.

The Internet as a meeting place...

With the Internet permeating all of lives, and becoming ever more integrated into our daily routines, it's easy forget that it's a tool. As such, it's best used when it enhances our lives and helps us to live a happier and fulfilling one.

The temptation to live our whole lives in the Internet, is one that many have found irresistible. In some ways, the drive to take failure out of lives as something to be avoided at all cost instead of a way of learning, has made many people not just afraid of it. It many cases, some individuals have become incapable of coping with it to the point of being unable to engage in daily life in a normal way.

For some, it was become a refuge where they can do thing without dealing with the consequences of their actions. The relative anonymity that it can still be found on the Internet lets them do some of the things they can't do otherwise.

At the end, many people fail to see that Internet is just a tool that allows people come together and engage with each other. How meaningful, positive and constructive this interactions are, is wholly dependent on how people choose to do so. When critics say that the Internet allows for bad behavior, or it brings negative things to the world, they forget that at the is the people who makes those things happen.

It's easy to blame the Internet, than actually face the fact that people are the ones responsible for their actions. We need to take our responsibility on how we use the Internet, and make sure to make responsible others for their actions as well. After all, the Internet is becoming a public square, where we all come together for our end and we should do so by respecting all others if we expect respect for ourselves.

As a public square, there is a space for everyone with our  different interests and ideas. There will be places where some groups in particular will congregate, and some that will be more open to a wider audience. This natural flow should be allowed to happen, since that's part of human nature.

Yet, let's not forget that what we do in the Internet should be just a fraction of our life as a whole. So, live your whole life as fully as you can.

Making a living with open source is possible...

In a way this article is right, the money isn't in open source. Yet, the money is on how you use open source and the services around it.

As with most businesses, the money isn't on the things you base your business on. The money is on the service you build around it, or the value you add to whatever you are selling.

Money isn't on open source itself, but you can make money with open source. One can see open source as a tool to make money with, rather than what will make you money in itself. And it can be seen as an ethical tool to use, since it allows to a greater degree of collaboration and it respects the freedom of the costumers.

Most importantly, open source is more than a tool to make money with. It can be applied to other fields, without financial gain having to be at the center of it. All depends on what's the final goal of the whoever uses open source for a particular project.

Just seeing to the money making potential of open source is missing the wider picture of how it can impact our lives.

But let's make something clear, making a money with open source isn't bad in itself while the core of the open source stands for is respected. Actually is great that people can make a living using and spreading open source far and wide, making it viable for as many people as possible.

Let's make open source for the people, and by the people. And that means that people need to be able to make a living with open source.

Open source resembles a bazaar, at least in some aspects...

While it's true this post has a valid point, I think that open source is like a bazaar in some ways.

In bazaars vendors, and often the same ones ones who actually make each product, and consumers can interact more directly. Most importantly, more often that interaction can be more meaningful and inclusive in more than one way. The consumer, or the user in the case of case software, can have a more direct impact on the end product.

Yet, the responsibility of still relies on someone. For any business at the bazaar to be successful, it has to be responsible of the quality of the software they produce, and that it fulfills the specifications it was made for.

Open source differs on how it does this, only how things happen are different. While projects begin with a core team, and often remain that way, their nature helps to build communities around projects that people feel that have that something that makes them rally around.

Not every shop in a bazaar is made equal, same goes for open source projects. As such, the road to success for each project is different. All depends on what targets they have, and how they set about to get to them.

Most importantly, there is more than one bazaar of open source projects. Each is different, with its own dynamics depending on the projects and people they attract. Some, are as lively as most bazaars we imagine. Others are more like shopping malls, while others are more like trade shows.

At the end, the bazaars tend to have a structure even if we can not make it out. If you take this view, the bazaar concept does apply to the open source movement like a glove.