I've been working on a website for my music for a while now. It's been slow going and I haven't had as much time to work on as I would like. So, I thought this is silly. I was all ready going to open source the code when I finished. Instead of waiting I figured I would just create a project and upload what I have so far and hopefully I can solicit some help to finish the project. So, if there are any experienced Python/Django developers reading this that are interested let me know. The git repository for the project is located at here. The web repository is here. You can e-mail me at dworth@pipemanmusic.com. I'm exited and hope others are too.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Mono, No No?
With all the recent infatuation within the Free Software community over the potential threat posed by the free implementation of the .net framework Mono, I've tossed around the arguments on both sides and drawn my own conclusions. This isn't a topic I would normally comment publicly on however I've drawn some different conclusions than I've heard talked about and I want to throw them into the public debate.
I don't consider myself a Free Software zealot but I want nothing more than a world where there is no restrictions on the technologies we use. I am a believer in the philosophy of free culture and it's ability to unite in a way that nothing else can. So in short, I'm a pragmatist who leans towards being a fundamentalist.
I won't go into all the pros and cons of Mono as they are better covered by much more intelligent people than me. My purpose is to raise a few considerations that I haven't heard talked about.
Firstly, My dear ol' Mom, for a long time, was the President, and now Vice President, of the Wheat Ridge Historical Society. As such she instilled in me a reverence for history and our past culture. I am a sentimental guy at heart and feel there is a deep purpose to preserving the relics of the past. To that end I think having free implementations of technologies is important in preventing parts of our culture from being unrecoverable. I have an affinity for projects that allow me to relive my youth like DOSBox. Similar projects like Freedos, ReactOS, and Haiku are important to preserve the technologies of our computing past. I would hate to have Mozart's Symphonies or DaVinci's journal locked in DRM or in a technology that is lost or abandoned. So, I consider Mono as an important tool for preserving the ability to use .net software.
Secondly, On coat tails of Google's announcement of ChromeOS, witch brings the hope of greater Linux desktop adoption, I think a tool like Mono is necessary to entice developers to support Linux as that market emerges with a greater presence. In fact, I'll bet that just the announcement of Google CromeOS will get software companies to re-evaluate their Linux support. Also, it allows company's who didn't have Linux on their radar 12 months ago stay competitive by offering their software cross platform. It also has the benefit of allowing businesses that use .net software and want to migrate the opportunity to make the transition to Linux without extra development.
Third, if you can except that Mono is important to support freedom then I would argue than in order to have a usable implementation the .net framework you need developers who are using the tool to create software. Otherwise you risk an incomplete implementation that will turn companies away from Linux. In order for developers to use Mono you need users to use their software. So, active Mono projects are necessary to insure Linux is competitive with the Windows .net implementation.
Lastly, we all live in a world of compromise. Many of the people who are the most against Mono programs have been using MP3 playback and DVD playback and many other technologies with similar or worse potential for patent lawsuits. Very few people don't use other software that is certainly not free like Flash and the non-free Nvidia drivers without so much as a blog post or a tweet. That being said most of those are not install by default in the major Distributions. I don't think that the major Distros should install Mono apps by default but I take no issue with people who want to install them on their own. That being said, the popularity of Distos that do install software that posses a patent risk such as Linux Mint and the prevalence of using the ubuntu-restricted-extras package proves that most people don't care about the risk they just want a feature full and rich desktop experience. In the end choice is always better then the alternatives and using Mono apps doesn't make you any less of a lover of freedom.
I don't consider myself a Free Software zealot but I want nothing more than a world where there is no restrictions on the technologies we use. I am a believer in the philosophy of free culture and it's ability to unite in a way that nothing else can. So in short, I'm a pragmatist who leans towards being a fundamentalist.
I won't go into all the pros and cons of Mono as they are better covered by much more intelligent people than me. My purpose is to raise a few considerations that I haven't heard talked about.
Firstly, My dear ol' Mom, for a long time, was the President, and now Vice President, of the Wheat Ridge Historical Society. As such she instilled in me a reverence for history and our past culture. I am a sentimental guy at heart and feel there is a deep purpose to preserving the relics of the past. To that end I think having free implementations of technologies is important in preventing parts of our culture from being unrecoverable. I have an affinity for projects that allow me to relive my youth like DOSBox. Similar projects like Freedos, ReactOS, and Haiku are important to preserve the technologies of our computing past. I would hate to have Mozart's Symphonies or DaVinci's journal locked in DRM or in a technology that is lost or abandoned. So, I consider Mono as an important tool for preserving the ability to use .net software.
Secondly, On coat tails of Google's announcement of ChromeOS, witch brings the hope of greater Linux desktop adoption, I think a tool like Mono is necessary to entice developers to support Linux as that market emerges with a greater presence. In fact, I'll bet that just the announcement of Google CromeOS will get software companies to re-evaluate their Linux support. Also, it allows company's who didn't have Linux on their radar 12 months ago stay competitive by offering their software cross platform. It also has the benefit of allowing businesses that use .net software and want to migrate the opportunity to make the transition to Linux without extra development.
Third, if you can except that Mono is important to support freedom then I would argue than in order to have a usable implementation the .net framework you need developers who are using the tool to create software. Otherwise you risk an incomplete implementation that will turn companies away from Linux. In order for developers to use Mono you need users to use their software. So, active Mono projects are necessary to insure Linux is competitive with the Windows .net implementation.
Lastly, we all live in a world of compromise. Many of the people who are the most against Mono programs have been using MP3 playback and DVD playback and many other technologies with similar or worse potential for patent lawsuits. Very few people don't use other software that is certainly not free like Flash and the non-free Nvidia drivers without so much as a blog post or a tweet. That being said most of those are not install by default in the major Distributions. I don't think that the major Distros should install Mono apps by default but I take no issue with people who want to install them on their own. That being said, the popularity of Distos that do install software that posses a patent risk such as Linux Mint and the prevalence of using the ubuntu-restricted-extras package proves that most people don't care about the risk they just want a feature full and rich desktop experience. In the end choice is always better then the alternatives and using Mono apps doesn't make you any less of a lover of freedom.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Cheap and Easy..Just the way Dad likes it.
So it's been a while since I updated the ol' blog here. But I finally have something to say and damn it you're going to listen!
So fathers day is comming up and I have an idea for those of you that want to give an inexpensive gift that involves Free Software.
Step one:
Buy a Sandisk Sansa e250 for $30 from here.
Step Two:
Download the Rockbox installer here.
Step Three:
Use the utility to install the specific build for the Sansa e200 seiries. (This step is so easy!)
Step Three:
Pick a really cool theme you think he will enjoy.
Step Four:
Wrap it up and give it to your father for fathers day!
Step Five:
Download WinFF for his computer to convert video to the correct format for the player. It is a simple gui tool that is a front end for FFMPEG and has presets for Rockbox Sansa e200.
Step Six:
Download gPodder and set him up with some cool podcast about whatever your eccentric father is into...model airplanes, stamp collection even crazy conspiracys. Now you've connected him to the immense content that the internet provides.
Step Seve:
Download and settup Amazons mp3 downloader. This will give him access to all the music he wants.
What will he get?
A cool player:
The player has a microSD slot to extend it's capacity, an FM tuner to catch his morning radio shows and a voice recorder to help him remember things.
Extended media support:
Rockbox includes support for more media formats than it did out of the box meaning when your Dad downloads something off the internet to listen to on the player there is a better chance of it working without bugging you to convert it.
More functionality:
The Rockbox firmware provides a much plesenter user experience with faster fast forwards, video resume points, fade in/out on pause, more information on the now playing screen and much, much more!
Applications:
Rockbox comes with great applications that are helpfull everything like Calculator, Calendar, Clock, Stopwatch, lamp(turns the screen all white to help navigate the dark), and more.
Games:
Rockbox comes with quite a few time killers like Solitare, Blackjack, Roxblocks(Tetris Clone), and even Doom.
DRM free music:
You won't have to explane to him why the music he bought won't work when the next generation of players comes out.
It might not be as expensive as an iPod and some might argue not as cool looking, however, this baby does a lot with a little and will bring your father into this century with style.
What do you get?
The satisfaction on introducing dear ol' Dad to free software without turning his world upside down and getting him a cool gadget that he can use.
P.S.
All Apps listed are Windows and Linux compatible so if you turned him into a convert or not it will all work and make him a happy pappy.
So fathers day is comming up and I have an idea for those of you that want to give an inexpensive gift that involves Free Software.
Step one:
Buy a Sandisk Sansa e250 for $30 from here.
Step Two:
Download the Rockbox installer here.
Step Three:
Use the utility to install the specific build for the Sansa e200 seiries. (This step is so easy!)
Step Three:
Pick a really cool theme you think he will enjoy.
Step Four:
Wrap it up and give it to your father for fathers day!
Step Five:
Download WinFF for his computer to convert video to the correct format for the player. It is a simple gui tool that is a front end for FFMPEG and has presets for Rockbox Sansa e200.
Step Six:
Download gPodder and set him up with some cool podcast about whatever your eccentric father is into...model airplanes, stamp collection even crazy conspiracys. Now you've connected him to the immense content that the internet provides.
Step Seve:
Download and settup Amazons mp3 downloader. This will give him access to all the music he wants.
What will he get?
A cool player:
The player has a microSD slot to extend it's capacity, an FM tuner to catch his morning radio shows and a voice recorder to help him remember things.
Extended media support:
Rockbox includes support for more media formats than it did out of the box meaning when your Dad downloads something off the internet to listen to on the player there is a better chance of it working without bugging you to convert it.
More functionality:
The Rockbox firmware provides a much plesenter user experience with faster fast forwards, video resume points, fade in/out on pause, more information on the now playing screen and much, much more!
Applications:
Rockbox comes with great applications that are helpfull everything like Calculator, Calendar, Clock, Stopwatch, lamp(turns the screen all white to help navigate the dark), and more.
Games:
Rockbox comes with quite a few time killers like Solitare, Blackjack, Roxblocks(Tetris Clone), and even Doom.
DRM free music:
You won't have to explane to him why the music he bought won't work when the next generation of players comes out.
It might not be as expensive as an iPod and some might argue not as cool looking, however, this baby does a lot with a little and will bring your father into this century with style.
What do you get?
The satisfaction on introducing dear ol' Dad to free software without turning his world upside down and getting him a cool gadget that he can use.
P.S.
All Apps listed are Windows and Linux compatible so if you turned him into a convert or not it will all work and make him a happy pappy.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Little Girls Secretly Plotting World Domination
I'm generally not one to believe in conspiracy theories. In fact, one could say that I'm a skeptic who generally looks at wild theories with a critical eye. However, a recent conversation with a friend of mine now has my head reeling with the possibility that little girls are about to launch some sort of attack on me.
In retrospect my first suspicions of little girls began with the birth of my first daughter. Her ability to control my emotions with nothing more than a flippant look should have alerted me early on to the mounting storm that, I now suspect, is on the horizon. Now that I have two more daughters I know that the powers that infant girls hold over me is nothing compared that of a more experienced toddler who has honed her skills at captivation to the precipice of breaking point and even that is but child's play compared to their denarian counterparts. My oldest daughter, now ten years old, has achieved grand master status in exerting her will over me.
Now, until last night I was blissfully unaware of the scope of this problem. In a seaming innocuous conversation with a friend, that was purely innocent, the proverbial wool was removed from my eyes. Walk with me now down the road that led me to my current state of paranoia.
My daughter is, among other things, a girl scout and in that capacity she has recently been peddling cookies which arrived in their packaging to my house last night. This not so unexpected event sparked what I like to call "The Thin Mint Conversation." If, like me, you have a particular affinity for these little culinary wonders you have invariably had this conversation. It goes some thing like this:
Person 1: "Hey, I see you have procured some Thin Mints"
Person 2: "Indeed, they are a favorite of mine!"
Person 3: "I as well list these among my favorites. However, When consuming them I am unable to limit myself and invariably eat an entire sleeve."
Person 4: "I also find myself in a similar predicament."
or some variation and the two people continue there lives unaffected. I myself would have not given this common conversation any more though if this particular conversation hadn't included an addenda that include how Thin Mint's plastic sleeving splits all the way down the middle no matter how much attention and care is given to opening the packaging. This phenomena leads one to not risk wasting any that might have spilled out let alone those now unprotected cookies that will probably go stale if placed back in the box. As such, one finds themselves in a position of eating the entire sleeve to save them from an unfortunate loss of flavor. Having finished this conversation my friend left and probably didn't give it any mind. I however couldn't help contemplating the fact that this design might be intentional and part of a greater plan for little girls to advance some agenda I was unaware of.
I still do not know their demands, probably something to do with ponies, and I don't know if they will be forgiving overlords, but the execution of their devious plan is brilliant. Every facet is carefully crafted to make me completely docile and in their control. They leverage their cuteness and charm to get me to buy a frightfully addictive product who's very packaging is designed to coerce you into eating and buying more, all the while pacifying you and fattening you into complete complacency. If they apply these tactics to any other industry, well, god help us all. I can only hope that they remember how good I was to them when their regime finally gains control.
In retrospect my first suspicions of little girls began with the birth of my first daughter. Her ability to control my emotions with nothing more than a flippant look should have alerted me early on to the mounting storm that, I now suspect, is on the horizon. Now that I have two more daughters I know that the powers that infant girls hold over me is nothing compared that of a more experienced toddler who has honed her skills at captivation to the precipice of breaking point and even that is but child's play compared to their denarian counterparts. My oldest daughter, now ten years old, has achieved grand master status in exerting her will over me.
Now, until last night I was blissfully unaware of the scope of this problem. In a seaming innocuous conversation with a friend, that was purely innocent, the proverbial wool was removed from my eyes. Walk with me now down the road that led me to my current state of paranoia.
My daughter is, among other things, a girl scout and in that capacity she has recently been peddling cookies which arrived in their packaging to my house last night. This not so unexpected event sparked what I like to call "The Thin Mint Conversation." If, like me, you have a particular affinity for these little culinary wonders you have invariably had this conversation. It goes some thing like this:
Person 1: "Hey, I see you have procured some Thin Mints"
Person 2: "Indeed, they are a favorite of mine!"
Person 3: "I as well list these among my favorites. However, When consuming them I am unable to limit myself and invariably eat an entire sleeve."
Person 4: "I also find myself in a similar predicament."
or some variation and the two people continue there lives unaffected. I myself would have not given this common conversation any more though if this particular conversation hadn't included an addenda that include how Thin Mint's plastic sleeving splits all the way down the middle no matter how much attention and care is given to opening the packaging. This phenomena leads one to not risk wasting any that might have spilled out let alone those now unprotected cookies that will probably go stale if placed back in the box. As such, one finds themselves in a position of eating the entire sleeve to save them from an unfortunate loss of flavor. Having finished this conversation my friend left and probably didn't give it any mind. I however couldn't help contemplating the fact that this design might be intentional and part of a greater plan for little girls to advance some agenda I was unaware of.
I still do not know their demands, probably something to do with ponies, and I don't know if they will be forgiving overlords, but the execution of their devious plan is brilliant. Every facet is carefully crafted to make me completely docile and in their control. They leverage their cuteness and charm to get me to buy a frightfully addictive product who's very packaging is designed to coerce you into eating and buying more, all the while pacifying you and fattening you into complete complacency. If they apply these tactics to any other industry, well, god help us all. I can only hope that they remember how good I was to them when their regime finally gains control.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
SAE Ends Financial Support For Ardour
Unfortunately it was recently announce soon after the release of Ardour SAE Edition that SAE would no longer support the development of Ardour financially. That has placed the lead developer of the project, Paul Davis, in the position of considering how to supplement his income to make up for the shortfall. According to the main page for Ardour, he is considering consulting to other open source projects. This, of course, would leave him with less time to work on Ardour development. For the community around Ardour that would mean slower releases and implementation of new features.
Currently the project receives $1632 per month from 195 subscribers using their PayPal accounts to show continued support for Paul's work. However, Paul is making a plea to the community to increase the monthly contributions to the project to $4500 per month($54,000 per year). This would allow Ardour development to continues as it did with SAE's financial support.
I have to admit that, although I use Ardour nearly daily, I hadn't contributed to the project financially. As soon as I heard the news though I went to the site and subscribed at the $10 per month level. Shamefully, deep down I know the reason I didn't support the project financially before was most likely because of SAE's financial contribution. I guess I had the attitude that the project was doing all right and didn't need any of my hard earned money. I also think that this was pretty common among Ardour users.
So, in a strange way, albeit bad for Paul in the sort term, this might just be a catalyst in the community to take more responsibility for the project. It's just not acceptable to sit back and hope that another SAE is going to come along an make everything right. I don't use free software because I'm cheap, maybe complacent sometimes but not cheap. I use it because it's what is right.
It's scary to think that the music that is being recorded right now is held in proprietary formats and in 50 years from now, when the next great development in music technology comes down the pipe, we won't be able to work with that material in it's native format. Think about digitally re mastering audio for CD. Sure, Pro Tools might be an "Industry Standard" but the format is not a Open. There is no competition or alternatives that read all the info contained in a Pro Tools session. That means that very talented producers and mixers work is going to be forfeited to the history books because we won't be able to read automation data, what plug-ins they used, etc. Instead of taking advantage of digitals ability to preserve data we are trapping our data into undocumented file formats and doing nothing about it.
This brings us to the heart of "Free Culture". Enabling creators to create by giving them the tools to develop their art freely. Not based on how much money they have, but by how much skill they have at their art. Eventually art becomes public domain and I would hate to think that the works of Mozart or Bach would be lost to eternity because we couldn't read the paper it was printed on because of proprietary ink technology or even works some type of DRM that coded the music so it could only be read by special glasses that aren't made any more.
Art should not be about elitism, as Apple would wish, it should be about expression of anthropomorphic ideas and of the human experience. Supporting projects like Ardour breaks down barriers that are being forced on us by our technology. I urge everyone to step up to the plate and make the continued development of Ardour a reality.
Currently the project receives $1632 per month from 195 subscribers using their PayPal accounts to show continued support for Paul's work. However, Paul is making a plea to the community to increase the monthly contributions to the project to $4500 per month($54,000 per year). This would allow Ardour development to continues as it did with SAE's financial support.
I have to admit that, although I use Ardour nearly daily, I hadn't contributed to the project financially. As soon as I heard the news though I went to the site and subscribed at the $10 per month level. Shamefully, deep down I know the reason I didn't support the project financially before was most likely because of SAE's financial contribution. I guess I had the attitude that the project was doing all right and didn't need any of my hard earned money. I also think that this was pretty common among Ardour users.
So, in a strange way, albeit bad for Paul in the sort term, this might just be a catalyst in the community to take more responsibility for the project. It's just not acceptable to sit back and hope that another SAE is going to come along an make everything right. I don't use free software because I'm cheap, maybe complacent sometimes but not cheap. I use it because it's what is right.
It's scary to think that the music that is being recorded right now is held in proprietary formats and in 50 years from now, when the next great development in music technology comes down the pipe, we won't be able to work with that material in it's native format. Think about digitally re mastering audio for CD. Sure, Pro Tools might be an "Industry Standard" but the format is not a Open. There is no competition or alternatives that read all the info contained in a Pro Tools session. That means that very talented producers and mixers work is going to be forfeited to the history books because we won't be able to read automation data, what plug-ins they used, etc. Instead of taking advantage of digitals ability to preserve data we are trapping our data into undocumented file formats and doing nothing about it.
This brings us to the heart of "Free Culture". Enabling creators to create by giving them the tools to develop their art freely. Not based on how much money they have, but by how much skill they have at their art. Eventually art becomes public domain and I would hate to think that the works of Mozart or Bach would be lost to eternity because we couldn't read the paper it was printed on because of proprietary ink technology or even works some type of DRM that coded the music so it could only be read by special glasses that aren't made any more.
Art should not be about elitism, as Apple would wish, it should be about expression of anthropomorphic ideas and of the human experience. Supporting projects like Ardour breaks down barriers that are being forced on us by our technology. I urge everyone to step up to the plate and make the continued development of Ardour a reality.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Open Source Design Need Software
If you have read my blog you might have picked up that my day job is doing Computer Aided Drafting(CAD) design of commercial piping systems. You probably also picked up that I am an proponent of free software. What you should also know is that I am very concerned with poverty issues around the world. I spend a lot of time, like many of you, thinking about how to solve the worlds problems. Also, my view is slanted by my position. Meaning I think about the things that I would need to solve the problems I would work on in the developing world. So, what have I concluded. Well, the world is full of problems that the best solutions are elegant designs. The developed world can afford inefficiencies that Africa can't. To enable developing nations to catch up many people are working on amazing technologies that make things better, faster and cheaper to produce in order to aid the poverty stricken regions of the world. Some examples are the One Laptop Per Child program that has been working to get computers into the hands of children around the world. If you like to listen to TED talks like me there are lots of people working on these problems.
The obstacle as I see it is the lack of Free Software for CAD/CAM and CNC. While there are small projects out there for this sort of stuff it doesn't even come close to projects like Blender3d and other similar technologies. I get exited about Open Source Hardware projects that could really have an impact like the self replicating 3d printer RepRap. But, it doesn't matter if you build a $300 machine that is like a $30,000 if the software to produce with it costs $6,000. There are a lot of challenges to solving the worlds problems and if we want a new Renascence of design we need the free software to do it. So this is my plea to the community. If you want to take on a project that could change the world here it is.
The next obstacles is the closed nature of the DWG format. Autodesk has exerted too much control over this file format. They have created an industry that relies on one of the worst file formats for design. It's closed and impossible to implement in open source. They frequently make changes to the format that break backwards compatibility and no one is really doing anything about it. They have almost complete control over the way that your world is designed. The impact of the DWG format is profound and we desperately need an open format to exchange design information.
This could not only have an impact on poverty but on science as a whole. Inventors can invent and build using computers to power innovation in the physical world. Architectural design could be kept as public record in an open digital format. It opens to the possibility for digital submission of designs for patents.
A new CAD system similar to AutoCad that is extendable to suit everyones needs isn't just a good idea it's a necessity. If you ask me it more important than any other free software project out there and no one is really working on it. That makes me sad and unfortunately I lack the requisite skills to even know where to start but maybe my little rant hear will spark something and then again maybe not. I'll keep doing research on it and keep my eye on the horizon and maybe one day if I get to a point I think I could do some thing I will. Till then I hope someone who does know what they are doing is working on it.
The obstacle as I see it is the lack of Free Software for CAD/CAM and CNC. While there are small projects out there for this sort of stuff it doesn't even come close to projects like Blender3d and other similar technologies. I get exited about Open Source Hardware projects that could really have an impact like the self replicating 3d printer RepRap. But, it doesn't matter if you build a $300 machine that is like a $30,000 if the software to produce with it costs $6,000. There are a lot of challenges to solving the worlds problems and if we want a new Renascence of design we need the free software to do it. So this is my plea to the community. If you want to take on a project that could change the world here it is.
The next obstacles is the closed nature of the DWG format. Autodesk has exerted too much control over this file format. They have created an industry that relies on one of the worst file formats for design. It's closed and impossible to implement in open source. They frequently make changes to the format that break backwards compatibility and no one is really doing anything about it. They have almost complete control over the way that your world is designed. The impact of the DWG format is profound and we desperately need an open format to exchange design information.
This could not only have an impact on poverty but on science as a whole. Inventors can invent and build using computers to power innovation in the physical world. Architectural design could be kept as public record in an open digital format. It opens to the possibility for digital submission of designs for patents.
A new CAD system similar to AutoCad that is extendable to suit everyones needs isn't just a good idea it's a necessity. If you ask me it more important than any other free software project out there and no one is really working on it. That makes me sad and unfortunately I lack the requisite skills to even know where to start but maybe my little rant hear will spark something and then again maybe not. I'll keep doing research on it and keep my eye on the horizon and maybe one day if I get to a point I think I could do some thing I will. Till then I hope someone who does know what they are doing is working on it.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
I'm a bad bad blogger.
I think it's silly to apologize for not blogging on a regular basis. Nearly every blog I read has at least one post apologizing for having not posted in a while. Like they have million of loyal fans dieing to hear the crap they talk about on there blog. Let's face it I didn't post even once in November and this it the only post so far in December. Do I feel guilty. No. If the four people that actually read my blog are upset I haven't posted in a while then they would have let me know. So, I'm not going to make some self serving excuse as to why I haven't posted. I'm just going to mock those that post about it. Saver the irony suckaz.
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