[dundee] Understanding FLOSS

Mon May 11 06:35:40 UTC 2009

This is practically a talk - are you volunteering? (and that's a please).

On Sunday 10 May 2009 11:41:13 Digit (SG) wrote:
> 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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