[LAU] A year of Linux Audio revisited - would like to know your opinion

[david]

Patrick Shirkey wrote:
> On Thu, 2007-12-13 at 23:57 +0000, Gordon JC Pearce wrote:
>> Well, Sean Bolton stopped developing Xsynth-DSSI, and I took it to some
>> pretty strange places after that.  It's pretty easy to get your head
>> around.
> 
> If you want to be a professional developer you have to get your head
> around a lot of other peoples code so working on Linux apps is a very
> good way to train with instant positive benefits to the whole
> community...
> 
> I would rather see more people learn the development process with Linux
> Audio Apps and contribute something back to the community than pay money
> for new features. 

Like developers, non-developers have only finite amounts of time to go 
around. Perhaps its time for the developer-centric OS community to 
broaden its definition of what constitutes "giving something back". 
Personally, I think that if some musician makes a great song using 
(insert OS audio app of their choice), that should also qualify as 
"giving back."

> However we should have a way for people to contribute cash to a global
> fund if they want and the consortium has been dragging it's feet on this
> point for some time. There have been several conversations on this topic
> in the past and it is high time some action is taken.

You need some way to do that for people who are (1) not developers, (2) 
don't want to be developers, (3) have no training or even the kind of 
mind to become a developer, and (4) have to make the choice of whether 
they would use their available time doing something they like and know 
how to do (making music) or use their time struggling with a task beyond 
their training and interests.

One of the items on my (way-too-long) to do list is to "Decide fin sppt 
for Lnx & apps - Firefox, etc. Tax deductible?" (direct copy and paste). 
Ideas?

-- 
David
gnome at hawaii.rr.com
authenticity, honesty, community