Posts published in “Community”

Online Vigilantes: Hacking Sony for a Cause?

By Ken Starks on November 3, 2015 |

It would seem the day of website defacements just for the heck of it are long past. I mean, that was so 1990s, right? Today’s hacker, the ones who have meaningful targets, are having a field day. Even the huge guard at the gate, Linux server space, has been knocked aside in order to gain passage.

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Ken Starks

Ken Starks is the founder of the Helios Project and Reglue, which for 20 years provided refurbished older computers running Linux to disadvantaged school kids, as well as providing digital help for senior citizens, in the Austin, Texas area. He was a columnist for FOSS Force from 2013-2016, and remains part of our family. Follow him on Twitter: @Reglue

linuxlock.blogspot.com/

Cheap Linux Laptops, Best Video Editors & More…

Cheap Linux Laptops, Best Video Editors & More…

By Larry Cafiero on October 30, 2015 |

Community, Hardware and Software

FOSS Week in Review

Before I start, a friendly reminder: You have until midnight tonight to submit a presentation to the Southern California Linux Expo SCALE 14X. The first-of-the-year Linux/FOSS show — on Jan. 21-24, 2016, at the Pasadena Convention Center — already has Cory Doctorow and Jon ‘maddog’ Hall lined up to speak (as well as our favorite FOSS funnyman, Bryan Lunduke), and if you want to join this list of esteemed speakers, sharpen that No. 2 and get cracking. Don’t make me check with your boss to make sure you’ve submitted…

** If our coverage matters to you, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **

Laptop keyboard — Psst. Want a cheap Linux laptop? If you’re in Philadelphia tomorrow, you’re in luck. (Photo Mira DeShazer/Pixbay CC0 Public Domain)

Psst, want a cheap laptop? Philadelphia’s Nonprofit Technology Resources wants to save a pile of laptops from the scrapyard. So Ed Cummings, the president of the organization, said the organization is having a “Linux Laptop Pizza Party” on Saturday in the City of Brotherly Love, according to Juliana Reyes writing in Technical.ly.

Larry Cafiero

Larry Cafiero is a journalist and a Free/Open Source Software advocate and is involved in several FOSS projects. Follow him on Twitter: @lcafiero

A Miracle Comes to Linux

A Miracle Comes to Linux

By Ken Starks on October 27, 2015 |

Community

His name is Morgan, but it hasn’t always been his name. What it was before doesn’t legally matter any longer. What does matter, to us, is the concentric circles by which “Morgan” arrived…came to be. Morgan doesn’t know any better. Many metaphors of consciousness can be applied, but for Morgan, your arguments on his condition fall outside of his realm of concern. Morgan is Morgan, and what Morgan does in the present is all that matters. What might have been his reality, to you, before “the incident,” is simply pabulum to Morgan. To Morgan, you are children trying to complete a puzzle with missing key pieces. You amuse him.

** If our coverage matters to you, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **

Ken Starks

linuxlock.blogspot.com/

Ubucon Slated for SCALE 14X, Bassel Offered MIT Job & More…

By Larry Cafiero on October 23, 2015 |

Community, Distros, News, Operating Systems and Politics

FOSS Week in Review

I don’t say enough good things about Ubuntu, so when they give me reason to, I’m on it. I also don’t talk enough about openSUSE either; good, bad or indifferent. Not that I’m turning over a new leaf or anything, but this week’s wrap up contains two items about these distros, and more. Don’t just sit there: Read on&hellip.

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Ubucon, a series of Ubuntu-based conferences, brings its traveling salvation show to SCALE 14X in January.

Ubucon at SCALE 14X: SCALE 14X is pleased to announce that Ubucon, a network of conferences focusing on Ubuntu, will take place during the four-day expo at the Pasadena Convention Center.

Larry Cafiero

Larry Cafiero is a journalist and a Free/Open Source Software advocate and is involved in several FOSS projects. Follow him on Twitter: @lcafiero

Saying Goodbye to ‘All Things Open’ Until Next Year

Saying Goodbye to ‘All Things Open’ Until Next Year

By Christine Hall on October 22, 2015 |

Community, News and Software

The 2015 edition of the Raleigh based open source conference, All Things Open (ATO), is now one for the history books. It’s also one for the record books.

We knew going in there would be a record number of speakers this year — 131 according to a count on the ATO website — and we learned on our way out — at the closing ceremonies — that this year’s attendance topped 1,700, much more than last year and nearly doubling the attendance from the first ATO in 2013. Todd Lewis, the master of ceremonies for the event — his official title, chairperson, doesn’t begin to describe what he does — said that next year they’re aiming for 2,500, a number they probably have a good chance of hitting.

** If our coverage matters to you, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **

The odd thing was that if you didn’t know that attendance was up, you might’ve thought that the numbers were actually going down.

Christine Hall

Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux

FOSSForce.com

Going Gonzo at ‘All Things Open’

By Christine Hall on October 20, 2015 |

Community

“Footballs in a basketball state,” I said wryly, looking down on a guy who was sitting across the table, absently playing with some small swag footballs imprinted with a company logo.

He didn’t catch my drift.

“What?”

** If our coverage matters to you, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **

“This is a basketball state,” I explained.

“You’re right!” He seemed as if this had just dawned on him.

Christine Hall

FOSSForce.com

Cory Doctorow at SCALE & CAH Linux-Style…

Cory Doctorow at SCALE & CAH Linux-Style…

By Larry Cafiero on October 16, 2015 |

Community and Copyright

FOSS Week in Review

What could be a better combination than one of the world’s foremost digital freedom advocates and Cards Against Humanity? Read on.

Cory Doctorow at SCALE 14X: While the Call for Presentations for SCALE 14X is ongoing and closes in two weeks — on Friday, Oct. 30, at midnight Pacific, so at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday morning the 31st, your unsubmitted proposal turns into a pumpkin — the SCALE team has announced it has chosen one of the keynoters for the four-day, first-of-the-year Linux/FOSS event.

** If our coverage matters to you, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **

Cory Doctorow will give the Friday morning keynote at SCALE 14X in Pasadena, Calif., in January.

Science fiction author, activist, and journalist Cory Doctorow has been tapped as one of the keynote speakers for SCALE 14X. Doctorow, the co-editor of Boing Boing and an author with a wide portfolio, works for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group. Born in Toronto, he now lives in Los Angeles.

Larry Cafiero

Larry Cafiero is a journalist and a Free/Open Source Software advocate and is involved in several FOSS projects. Follow him on Twitter: @lcafiero

Linux Text to Speech Tool Reaches Beta

Linux Text to Speech Tool Reaches Beta

By Ken Starks on October 13, 2015 |

Accessibility, Community and Software

Although the numbers behind the name do not reflect it, the currently-named “SpeechLess” front end for MaryTTS is now being released as beta software. I was able to assemble a three man team to create a GUI and to my way of thinking, it has come along nicely. Although the demo is web-based, these guys have been able to construct it so the entire thing is local. That means little to no latency between hitting enter and having the text replicated to speech.

** If our coverage matters to you, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **

I’ve talked at length about how TTS in the Linuxsphere is less than user friendly at about every turn. Our goal is to create a front end that makes MaryTTS easy to use for everyone. We’re getting there.

Ken Starks

linuxlock.blogspot.com/

Good Software, Bad Behavior

Good Software, Bad Behavior

By Larry Cafiero on October 12, 2015 |

Community

In last week’s wrap-up, I posted an item about both Sarah Sharp and Matthew Garrett ceasing their contributions to the Linux kernel, and I was going to leave it at that and let those who read their blogs, as well as reports here and elsewhere, draw their own conclusions.

But giving it some thought over the weekend — not dwelling on it, of course, because the baseball playoffs are currently in progress — it occurred to me that many of the issues are not being addressed, and that’s going to continue to fester. The result of that remains to be seen and, sadly, this is par for the course in FOSS circles. That has been mentioned on many occasions elsewhere, so we won’t go into it here.

** If you're finding this article useful, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **

To recap, Sarah is out — a long-time contributor who is no longer contributing. This, of course, led to Matthew being out as well, for somewhat related reasons.

Inside the Linux Kernel Mailing List where this drama transpired, my guess is that it’s business as usual: Square One at frat-boy central is moving along as usual, with caustic feedback to those participating. That is, when they’re not giving each other digital wedgies and noogies.

Larry Cafiero

Larry Cafiero is a journalist and a Free/Open Source Software advocate and is involved in several FOSS projects. Follow him on Twitter: @lcafiero

Is Microsoft Wooing Canonical & Important Departures…

By Larry Cafiero on October 9, 2015 |

Business, Community, Distros and Operating Systems

FOSS Week in Review

Ubuntu plus Microsoft — …sitting in a tree…?

It always makes for an interesting week when the first thing right off the bat, without reservation, comes a speculation piece from Linux Journal dealing with that company from the Isle of Man.

** If our coverage matters to you, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **

Grab some popcorn — make two bowls — and get comfortable.

Larry Cafiero

Larry Cafiero is a journalist and a Free/Open Source Software advocate and is involved in several FOSS projects. Follow him on Twitter: @lcafiero

All Things Open 2026

EncryptFest 2026

Ubuntu Summit 2026.10

Open Source Monitoring Conference

Posts published in “Community”

Online Vigilantes: Hacking Sony for a Cause?

Cheap Linux Laptops, Best Video Editors & More…

FOSS Week in Review

A Miracle Comes to Linux

Ubucon Slated for SCALE 14X, Bassel Offered MIT Job & More…

FOSS Week in Review

Saying Goodbye to ‘All Things Open’ Until Next Year

Going Gonzo at ‘All Things Open’

Cory Doctorow at SCALE & CAH Linux-Style…

FOSS Week in Review

Linux Text to Speech Tool Reaches Beta

Good Software, Bad Behavior

Is Microsoft Wooing Canonical & Important Departures…

FOSS Week in Review