Re: [-empyre-] radio free linux

[adam <adam@xs4all.nl>]

hey

> I believe there is generally a growing interest in open source
>software
> and people do not any longer mind the trouble of going through the
> installation procedures.
> Maybe it is both sides opening up. The developers trying to include a
> larger non-specialist community by providing installers and packaging.
> The public by accepting that getting software which is under constant
> development, available for (almost) free and for all platform means a
> bit of action.
> It's probably the beginning of a real shift from a passive consumerist
> attitude towards active involvement. Which brings me straight streaming
> and the Free Radio Linux project.

hmmm...i would instead say that the technocratic class is enlarging, but
not growing as fast as the group of computer users that haven't ever used
a piece of 'open source' software on their local machine....


>
> However I think what makes this project really fascinating is the
> interest in listening to the open source code which most listeners
> weren't able to decipher.
> It's there and itīs open to see for everyone, even more, it is being
> broadcasted - and we are not understanding a single line of it (that's
> were the humor lies for me).

actually, in the terminology you use is part of te point of Free Radio
linux...the code was 'audiolised' not 'visualised' - users could 'hear'
the code not 'see' it...but this was a minor point, hopefully to be
examnied more closely in some projects we are working on now


>Still, if your were reading the
> ascii-gibberish of compiled windows source I guess nobody would bother
> to listen to. It rather be a humiliating experience, being laughed upon.
>


well, i would say the two experiences are almost exactly the same!! :) the
point is, that listening to the code does somehow make it more accessible
to some - maybe because its the first tiem they have been confronted with
code...but actually, the experience would be teh same in some sense to
these kinds of peopel as listening to a binary file being spoken - they
dont really understand it, nor can they do anything with it- thats the
critique of open source that we offer - even if you ahve it -what will you
do with it? ...really?


how many can have actually seen C+ scripts? how many of 'us' can alter
code? how many of 'us' could alter someones elses code? what kind of
freedom is this then? it certainly isnt "free as in speech"...infact it
seems a lot closer to an offer of a "free beer" to someone that
doesnt drink to me....or perhaps worse, maybe its an offer of some hops
and sugar... ;-)

 With linux source code however there seems to be an offer and a
> question for getting involved at the same time. Probably here it
> connects with streaming.

well, only that both are hard to do if you dont know anything about it!
;-) (I am enjoying this :)))  )


> The use of the Ogg-codec then and its acceptance by the audience
> signals that we got the message that in oder to understand things and
> be part of things we must get active ourselves.

...well, it does really, but this starts to sound quite masonic to
me....we can enter the church of open source (or the higher church of free
software) if we 'understand' (nudge nudge)...a secret encrypted handshake
(SSL) and we're in!

I would go as far as to say that we have got something very close to a
religon going on with open source...there are two churchs...Open Source
and Free Software, they both preach pretty much the same thing except one
is  abit more liberal that the other, one evangelizes more than the other
('bring those bad propriety guys into our ways'), but basically they are
the same...and they HATE each other!!!!

its not really a case of the cathedral vs the bazaar, its more like a case
of catholisim vs calvinism

I think Richard Stallman understands it and parodies this himself, which
is why I like him so much - hes not quite the bugbear hes made out to be

...Debian even has something that looks like the five points of calvinism
- http://www.debian.org/social_contract

anyway...i should point out that I do think that the general idea of open
source/free software is a good thing - i am not agnostic in that
sense....i just have a problem with institutionalised religons


Funny though that even
> if the Ogg-Stream wasn't decoded again it didn't make a big difference
> in terms of understanding. So a codec which is open encodes stuff that
> is open, still we understand less than if we connect to apple's movie
> trailers....


exactly!


>but we know we could, it is in our very own damn hands and
> this is were I see the fascination arising.
>


well, maybe its not worth the effort?



yours with tongue firmly in cheek

adam





> Felix
>
> _______________________________________________
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> empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
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>




Adam Hyde
adam@xs4all.nl

r a d i o q u a l i a
http://www.radioqualia.net
(working on http://www.radio-astronomy.net)

The Streaming Suitcase
Streaming Media Consultant

Free as in 'media'

phone : + 371 938 6752 (Latvia)
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