[dundee] Understanding FLOSS

[Digit (SG)]

hi dundo luggers. :)

to respond to donna's inquiry  regarding artists and floss...

well, speaking as an artist,

i "get" FLOSS ideology/methodology.

but i also see the differences between art and software, and why there may
be reluctance to release works of art under copyleftishness.  software can
be so much more sterile and pragmatic, where works of art often have an even
greater sentimental preciousness.  artists can often be quite emotionally
involved with their creations, where often, software is there for the
practical benefits it confers.  thats not to say software is excluded from
being artistic though.

music seems to be leading the way a little further ahead than the visual
arts, and i've no idea really where the rest (writing for example) fall into
the picture.
services like http://www.jamendo.com/en/ (which i intend to get around to
uploading loads of my stuff to) show how the principles so familiar to
software creations can be applied to music creations.

i think alot of artists are still stuck on bill gate's open letter to
hobbyists from the 70s (
http://www.blinkenlights.com/classiccmp/gateswhine.html ), and i know why,
the need to eat food etc, and food being most readily available only with
money, is quite the reinforcement of this.

creative commons may think they are helping, but its a complex mine field
that can be a bit off-putting to those who have a sole focus in life to
create (not to navigate legalities).

it's something i'm striving towards solving, by cutting out the necessary
obliged financial outgoings, so that art can once again become detatched
from profit motive, and all the great works of art, both complete and
unfinished, horded by artists all over for sake of their future potential
financial riches, can become liberated and enter the public view, as well as
the re-churning of ideas as best represented/protected by the likes of the
GPL and FLOSSology.

now i realise you may have only been meaning the topic here to be the
software side of it, but i see no foul in highlighting that the product of
artist's creative endeavors could one day be as well shared and distributed,
bazaar style, as software.

"which one is it?"

both.  you already had your answer.  some get it, some dont yet.  some have
all their stuff released freely in recognition that copyright is not only a
farce, but illegal.  some have never heard of richard stallman, and dont yet
realise that everytime they view a copyrighted content on a computer they
are "breaking copyright".

as powerful an allure photoshop has with all it's bells n whistles, i still
understand that the race is won by open source's exponentials, leaving the
limitations of proprietary in the dust, and so i stick with the gimp.
(excellent link from gordon the other day btw.)
better to be onboard earlier methinks, rather than waste time keeping
one'self hog tied to being dumbed down by proprietary treating the end users
like helpless noobs who need to keep suckling gratefully on the proprietor's
machinations (however alluring they may be).

i actually tried going back to photoshop for a little taster recently after
hearing my cousin rave on about it's wonders, and to my surprise, i felt
more at a loss for the features it didnt have than marveled at what it did.
* cant help but think of sugar coated turds *  so i stick with the gimp.  no
point either forking out hundreds, or breaking the law, just for a couple of
features, which are only likely to show up in gimp in a better developed
form in good time.  also, besides having a plateful to deal with already,
theres nothing holding me back from learning what i need to to add these
features myself, gaining total control over my tool, tailoring it to my
exacting needs.   oh yes, i "get" FLOSS.  full intent to be a greater
contributor.  full appreciation for the contributions of others to our
collective tools.

anyway, that's about enough rambling on for now.  :)

-Digit.

ps, i still have an idea on the backburner for a lightweight artist's
distribution based on Slitaz, which i might have actually got around to
completing had my lenovo x60 not needed to go to the shop to be fixed again.

pps, ya just have no idea how amazing blender is until you get through some
tutorials.   wow.   seriously, wow.  (that coming from someone trained in
softimage|xsi)

2009/5/8 Donna Holford-Lovell <d.holford-lovell at abertay.ac.uk>

>  HI
>
> I have been thinking .... Which sometimes hurts.... You may know that I
> have been looking at the ideology/methodology of FLOSS and applying this to
> an art practice. I have had some excellent responses but I am still getting
> the impression that the art world are just not getting it.
>
> Obviously there are differing cultures and philosophies within the term
> FLOSS but both could offer a very new and productive way of working within
> the art sector. Some in the art sector say that it already exists in the
> practice and from the other camp that artists just don’t understand. ???? My
> question is ‘which one is it’?
>
> I was wondering if anyone was up for helping to organise a small series of
> talks that would cover this area and go someway to clarifying it. Try to
> come at from the philosophical side, yes the product is important but really
> try to understand its process. How can we learn and implement it to other
> areas.
>
> We can run it at the HMC, maybe as part of the Linux meetings? Happy to
> look at providing funding etc ..... Be good to hear your thoughts
>
> Best Donna
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> *Donna Holford-Lovell
> Cultural Projects Officer
> *
> University of Abertay Dundee
> Bell Street, Dundee, DD1 1HG
> Tel: 0044 (1)382 308 777
> www.abertay.ac.uk/exhibitions
>
> The University of Abertay Dundee is a
> charity registered in Scotland, No: SC016040
>
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