Re: [linux-audio-dev] MMA membership (rambling reply)

Interesting reply :) I was going to write a boatload of stuff, but I can put it more concisely (I think I have this from the latest Linux Journal or some other magazine or online article). Linux and the opensource movement in general is a very disruptive technology, its an enabler. People want to depict it as a destructive evolution, but that's not the case. Its difficult to see what the exact ramifications will be. I think we're just at the foot of the mountain of Linux uptake. This week I went by the International Magazine Store. The guy told me that it was incredible how much interest there was in Linux (resulting in a huge amount of Linux related magazines sold). As a developer, I can't live with the idea of not having the ability to make a change (correction) to an app, even when this will not happen often. As a user, the thing that I like most is the online forums, irc channels, mailinglists which are alive and thriving with people who *know* what they are talking about, in contrast to many commercial grade helpdesks. As a consumer I wish to have the ability to pay the person who is somehow directly responsible for the happiness I enjoy in using something, Paypal seems to be a possibility for this (maybe not ideal, I haven't used it much). I would have no problem donating to each individual project from which I am able to use the results from. As a human, the open source idea seems to be inline with my morals. No discrimination whatsoever. Every user, developer, ... is equal. Maybe this would be more difficult if we had to deal with eachother in person, face to face, but the result is at least there :) Open source, Linux as an equalizer. Hm, I have rambled far off the Linux Audio Dev track, but oh well ... :) This all applies to (Linux) Audio Software too. v