Governments and open source software...

It's quite sad, and unnerving, that governments seem to be so slow to adopting modern technologies to make it's functionalities as streamed lined to make it work more efficiently. With the limited resources governments have, they have to be a lot more conscious on how they use them with the biggest impact.

One of the areas that would help, would be using open source software to build a common platform for the government. Mainly because by using open source software, government wouldn't be tied up to a single provider to maintain the systems they use. They would be able to actually make better use of the resources they got, by actually being free to pick the service provider that gives them the best value for what they expend on their services.

The adoption of open source software by all the government agencies, has the added benefit that all their operations will become more transparent. Not by allowing full access to their data, but on how they work.

Not all the data that the government manages should be made available, since some some of is sensitive enough that being shared would do more harm than good. But, it order to keep them honest, how they operate should be as open and transparent as possible. And the open source software development model is the best way to achieve this end.

Most importantly, by coming to open source software the systems that the government uses wouldn't be at the expense of whatever the vendor that provides the services decides to do with the software it provides. Open source software would give the control over the government agencies, and ultimately to the people that they serve.

At the end, its for our best interest to make sure that governments employ open source at all levels.

There is a GNU/Linux for you...

When it comes to the GNU/Linux distros, and how to choose the one that's right for you, it seems to come down to what you want and need on OS.

There is no single distro that does everything, but there is one that will fit your needs like a glove. The distro that works for some, might not be the distro that would work for you. Because of this, it becomes vital to do some research in order to see what distros are the best fit for you.

If there more than one distro that does what you need, the best thing you can do is to actually try them before you settle for one. Not all distros are created equal, since the communities behind them will develop them with a different set of priorities.

As such, the way they approach things is different from each other. That's why it's important to give a try to the distros that are geared toward the areas you need, in order to find which one is the one that will allow you to work how you feel most comfortable.

This is why I love GNU/Linux, you can choose the distro that fits me the best. And for me, the distro that fits the bill is Ubuntu. The one that fits you might be quite another all together, but we don't need to be on the same distro to reap the benefits of the GNU/Linux community. By using distros based on GNU/Linux, and making people aware that they have a choice on what OS to use, we can give something back to the GNU/Linux community.

As it comes, there is no single right answer. It comes to what questions you are asking, only then you will find the distro that will answer you ask.

The FOSS way...

With time, I've come to become even more sure that free and open-source software(FOSS) is the way to go. Not only that, but some aspects how FOSS is developed could bring enormous benefits to humanity at large if there where replicated in other areas.

One such example is open science, that promotes scientific development could have great positive impact for everyone not only the scientists who work on the research.

Letting people coming together to work openly, and enable them to share their work freely, can help their work have the best possible impact in the widest possible way. Most importantly, since they'll be working in the open it will make it harder to make bad uses anything done this way.

Not all bad use can be prevented, but it will be harder to pull and it would be easier to hold accountable those who act wrongfully.

It's easier to audit things when they are done openly, than when they are done behind closed doors. Most importantly, when you use things that you can actually see how they are made, you don't have to just trust what you are being told. You can actually go, and verify that you are getting what you where promised without encountering road blocks that prevent you from actually knowing the process.

Working on the model that FOSS proposes, enables people work in a way that people naturally tend to do anyway. While there some aspects that can be kept secret, the generalities can be made public so that other can use, study and modify them in a way that's beneficial to all.

As demonstrated time and time again, people will get to the core of how something works and will share that information with others. By allowing them to do that freely, with some reasonable limitations, everyone can benefit from their work.

If we want to really bring people together, and do it for the good of all, we need to give people the proper incentives to do so. The current model only serves to divide, and creates a level of distrust that doesn't benefit anyone on the long run.

Something needs to give, and what must give is the model on which people work.

Back to the OS I call home...

I finally got a new laptop, and since it came with Windows 8.1 I decided to give try first hand. To be honest, it wasn't as bad as I expected from the reviews I've read.

Yet, Windows 8 is not an OS I want to us for several reasons. The main one, is that it's proprietary software and I'm an FLOSS advocate. As such, I avoid using proprietary software as much as possible, and in my case I can use FLOSS on my personal computer.

Also, there is the fact that I simply couldn't stand Windows 8. While it isn't all that bad, it still isn't usable for me. The way the OS is made, makes it hard for me to use the way I want to use it. The whole thing got in the way I do things, and that is not acceptable.

So, as soon I got the time I installed Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn on it. The feeling I got to be back to an OS I love is a real good one, it feels like coming back home after a long trip you didn't want to make but had to make.

I'm happy with my new computer now that I got Ubuntu on it, I got to the place I wanted it to be in a few hours. There where some little bumps on the way, but nothing hard to solve and I got to learn new things along the way. The whole experience has cemented my commitment to FLOSS and Ubuntu as my favorite GNU/Linux distro.

In many ways, I now see better why people who come to know FLOSS with an open mind become so passionate about it. It becomes part of you, and the way you see things.

For me, it even resonates with other aspects of my views on things like politics and community. It's hard not to make such connections, and not changing some of your views along the way.

Big changes seem to coming...

With Microsoft open sourcing its ASP.NET framework, and the fact that a replacement for the Internet Explorer browser called Spartan in the works to be shipped with Windows 10, radical change might be coming faster and deeper than anyone can imagine.

I believe that Microsoft might continue to keep making more of its software open source, yet I don't think that it would open source all of it. Ideally, Microsoft should make the move completely to open source. The move would be greatly beneficial for Microsoft itself, the users of its products, and the open source community.

The idea of having Windows becoming open source, is one that can really makes me happy and gives me some hope that it would make easier for open source software to reach more people. Having Windows as an example of open source, would make a lot to help people to trust open source software in a way they don't do at the moment.

What's more, turning software from proprietary to open source seems to be a path that many companies are taking because the benefits that comes with taking such a step. If the trend continues, it isn't that far fetched that Microsoft would take such a step. Profits aren't something that go against open source, if the software abide by the the free software definition.

Time will say how far, and deep, will Microsoft take those changes.

The right tool for the job...

At work, tablets proved to be a popular gift. And though I find tablets can be useful, they are not for me. My needs are not meet by tablets at all, I prefer ultrabooks and smartphone combination.

The main reason for this, is that I prefer the ultrabook when I'm not moving around. Since I tend to read, while I've several other thing running on the background like my audio player and IMs, or writing, the tablet doesn't really does a good job at that.

When I'm on the move, I like to have something I can get on my pocket and get out of the way when I'm not responding to messages, checking for directions, taking a picture, or listening to music.

As such, the tablet doesn't really fits my needs. When I write comments, and specially on my blog, I prefer the comfort that a physical keyboard gives me. Call me old fashioned, but I like the feedback I get from the keyboard with each stroke. And for the short messages on Whatsapp, Facebook, or Twitter, the smartphone does the job quite nicely.

I agree that tablets are quite useful, at the right place and time. As with ultrabooks and smartphones, they are tools that serve a purpose. Yet, none of these tools are the answer to everyone, since we all have different needs to fulfill. As such, we need to keep in mind that those needs determine which tool will be the best for each of us.

I don't see any tablets completely replace laptops or PCs. At the end, all will have their places.

Back to Unity...

It seems that no matter what, I keep coming back to the Unity user interface. After a couple of weeks of using the MATE user interface, I just had to move back to Unity.

I really liked the experience I got with MATE, yet it lack something that Unity gives me. It's not something tangible, it's mostly my personal taste. I do recommend MATE as an option, yet personally I prefer running Unity. The major change I make to the stock setting, is using the Numix theme and circular icons.

Personally, no other user interface quite fits what I want my desktop to work and feel quite as well as Unity does. My two other favorite user interfaces, MATE and Cinnamon simply don't work as well for me.

In a way, this is way I like GNU/Linux. I like to have my choice of how my OS works, and how it looks. My personal choice is Ubuntu running Unity, though I also like and recommend Linux Mint running Cinnamon. I haven't used Mate on Linux Mint, yet I do like it and recommend it on Ubuntu.

In a way, Ubuntu gives me all what I want and like on my OS. It runs all the apps I both love, and the ones I need to keep in touch with family and friends. Most importantly, it does it in a way that doesn't intrude with how I do things.

When I moved away from Windows, I never could have imagined how much I'd come to like the experience of using GNU/Linux. Most importantly, the level of choice that comes with it. In more than one way, I've always enjoyed computers and software. Most importantly, how they allow people to come together in ways most people don't give a second thought.

Computers, along with smart phones, can be powerful tools to build communities by helping people together around what they love, hate, or whatever they are concerned about. Used correctly, they empower the people.

Most importantly, this power can be multiplied by FLOSS. That's why I moved to Ubuntu on my laptop, and Android for my smart phone.

Dissent is welcome, but bullying isn't...

That Tallef Fog Heen had to quit as a Debian systemd maintainer do to bulling as he explains on his blog, reflects badly on all the open source community. There is an urgent need to change the way dissent is shown, since it is only given in a negative way which is not beneficial to anyone.

Though dissent, and the debate that comes with it, make communities healthy, we can't allow it to descend into bulling when other don't agree with the other's side view point. Sometimes the project we support, makes the choices we agree with. While other times, it will make the choices we don't agree, or like, with.

Keep in mind that with any change comes to a project, it must come with consensus of the majority. This means that not everyone needs to agree with the change, if the majority comes to the agreement to make the change proposed.

By resorting to name calling, and bullying, those who don't agree with us, we are not creating the kind of environment really needed to move the projects forward on a healthy way. What's more, it scares away people from adopting open source because they don't feel comfortable coming to a place where they don't seem to be able to be treated in a friendly manner.

While there are projects that are friendly, and where the interaction is much more mature, it's hard to sell them when people come along with examples where people are mistreated much more often. We are metaphorically shooting our own foot every time a debate becomes a shouting match of name calling and abuse.

It's time to change the way we engage in debate, and stop being sour losers. Sometimes you get want you want, sometimes you don't. So grow up, and move forward and change things.

If in the past it was okay to be nasty, now we can't tolerate it any longer. It's okay to disagree, but let's make that disagreement heard in a way that helps the open source community grow.

Loving the Mate desktop environment so far...

After hearing a lot of good things about the Mate desktop environment, and the fact that it became available for Ubuntu, I've decided to give it a spin.

So far, I've liked much. I got remained of why I fell in love with GNU/Linux, and Ubuntu in particular, in the first place. I felt right at home from the start, and I didn't have much trouble getting up to speed with it.

Ever since Ubuntu started using Unity desktop environment as default on the Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal release, Unity became my go to desktop environment. I've tried using Cinnamon desktop environment with Linux Mint a couple of times now, but never felt as comfortable with as I'm with Unity.

Yet, Mate has felt a lot better than both Unity and Cinnamon have so far. The best part for me, is that I can run it on Ubuntu with ease. Which means that I don't have to leave my favorite distro to use Mate, while getting the desktop experience I feel most comfortable with.

I know that I could get Cinnamon to run on Ubuntu, but I don't see the case since I prefer using Unity. But, now Mate is giving Unity a run for it's money to become my favorite desktop environment. And since I can use it on Ubuntu, I feel right at home with Mate. It might be a case of nostalgia, but if all goes as it has so far, Mate will become my go to desktop environment leaving Unity on second place.

Now I find myself wanting for Ubuntu Mate to become an official flavor of Ubuntu. Yet, even if this doesn't come to pass, I still plan to use Mate as my desktop environment on Ubuntu.

Open source software is for everyone...

One of the biggest misconceptions about open source software, is that one needs to be a skilled programmer, or even a hacker, in order to use it at all. Yet, even though having such skill do help trouble shoot some of the problems one can encounter while using any software, it's not mandatory since there are ways to get help from people who know how to fix the problems you might encounter.

What's true, is that depending on the GNU/Linux distribution the needed technical skill change. Distros like Linux Mint and Ubuntu are really friendly to people who don't have that many computers skills to use it.

Then you have distros like Arch Linux and Debian, where having a strong technical skill set is very important to have to use it to their full potential. It's not like your average user wouldn't be able to use it, but they will not have a good experience with them when they run into problems.

Open source software can be used by everyone, independently of how skilled they are on computers. If you know how to use and configure things on Windows, you can do the same on Ubuntu and Linux Mint. Most of it is just as easy, since this distros have made it really user friendly to do some customization.

Nowadays, open source software has made a lot of inroads to be a lot more user friendly. I find it hard not to see a lot of people who wouldn't feel at home in many of the more user friendly GNU/Linux distros in a short time. While there would be some getting used to the differences that exist coming from Windows or OS X, there aren't big enough for them to stick to the distro they like.

The best example of this that comes to mind, is how popular Android has become. With this in mind, it's not far fetched to think that people could make the jump to GNU/Linux if given the right distro for them.

Need to change how we convey what free and open source software is all about...

Robert Lindh's blog post over at opensource.com, make a good point arguing that open source software might need a re branding. There is no need to change the core principals of the movement, but how they are conveyed to people who are not familiar with them.

One of the biggest obstacles that keep people from embracing free software is their perception, and it only gets worse when it comes to free and open-source software. At the core of free and open source software are the user rights, so that they truly own their both their computer and software. They can do with them as they please, but that doesn't mean that others can do it as well.

It's also about people coming together to build communities around the software they use to make it better, by sharing the changes they made to it among themselves. Also, making it safer by looking for bugs and vulnerabilities in order to take them out.

Free and open source is not about people working for free, or stealing from others. It's about making the tools that people need for whatever reason, and to share them with others so that tools can benefit others. The benefit can come in many ways; from having access to the software that people may need and making the changes they need, to developers making money from their work.

Free and open source software has already proven that its quality and its security. While every software has its flaws, the communities around several examples of free and open source software projects have rallied together time and time again to prove that they can deal with them.

What it's needed, is to find a way to change the perceptions out their that stop the wide spread adoption of free and open source software. We need the find a way to convey what out story better, only then we can start bringing more people to adopt it.

We need to make it clear that free and open source software is not just for geeks, or computer guys. It can be used by everyone, for whatever purpose they want it for.