Tag Archive for 'Ubuntu'

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Ubuntu Bug Jam

Published on 06/10/2009 in Blog. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

Ubuntu Bug Jam

From Friday 2nd to Sunday many Ubuntu, Linux and Open Source enthusiasts descended upon the Linux Emporium to take part in the Ubuntu Bug Jam. In the words of an Ubuntu blogger, the Ubuntu Bug Jam is:

…a world-wide online and face-to-face event to get people together to fix Ubuntu bugs – we want to get as many people online fixing bugs, having a great time doing so, and putting their brick in the wall for free software. This is not only a great opportunity to really help Ubuntu, but to also get together with other Ubuntu fans to make a difference together, either via your LoCo team, your LUG, other free software group, or just getting people together in your house/apartment to fix bugs and have a great time.

This is the second time I’ve been to a bug jam. The first time I went I hadn’t even used Ubuntu, so only managed to report one bug and otherwise mostly focused on reporting stuff in Inkscape as I use it more often.

This time was a similar affair. Apart from testing out the beta of the next release of Ubuntu (the Karmic Koala) and asking for help in fixing bugs in my own system I mostly spent time testing bugs in Inkscape and suggesting features for future releases of Ubuntu.

Overall, I think reporting any bug in any package or program helps everyone and one thing I really like about open source is its transparency and honesty in its errors. That is, it’s not ashamed to admit that there are a few bugs here and there.

Open Source software in design

Published on 01/01/2008 in Art. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Seems like I’ve started a rather interesting discussion over at the Computer Arts Forum about the use of Open Source software in design.

I think that the general consensus is that Open Source software apps such as Inkscape, GIMP and Blender will never replace their industry standard counterparts because there’s nothing wrong with these products in the first place. FOSS packages such as Open Office and Firefox (and to a lesser extent Ubuntu) have only really gained popularity because their counterparts are kinda rubbish. Neither Microsoft Office or Internet Exploder are as standards compliant as their FOSS counterparts and, in relation to Microsoft Office, you can save a lot of money by using Open Office that, whilst it has its flaws, offers very similar functionality to Microsoft’s product at zero percent of the cost! Brilliant!

When I start planning workshops soon, I’m still going to plan them assuming that they don’t have the necessary software (not all schools have Photoshop-like software) so will offer the use of FOSS packages. I think education is where Open Source will find its place in terms of design. What do you all think?