Being an open source author

From the Slashdot, this is a very interesting view from inside as an open source author. Challenges, motivations, difficulties … worth to read.

http://www.jroller.com/jppf/entry/what_does_it_mean_to

Complexity comes as the project grows…

Open source tour of Europe: Romania

Very interesting approach of “451 CAOE Theory” related to European Football Championship 2008. They are going to analyze the presence of Open Source in the countries paying there, selecting the winner based on best performances with Open Source. More details at:

http://blogs.the451group.com/opensource/2008/06/06/were-all-going-on-a-european-tour/

Romania is playing there and the Open Source part of the game happened.

http://blogs.the451group.com/opensource/2008/06/10/open-source-tour-of-europe-romania/

Typically, some comments were out of the scope, just to label them only like this. Indeed, it is lot to do with respect to Open Source in Romania.

I got in touch with Open Source in my first University year. It can be an excuse that after communist regime it took some time to put the country on the right movement, but it still happens now, people get in touch with Linux at University, if they follow software programming. Otherwise, Open Source, Linux mainly, is like a Morgana, rumors that exists, but nobody tells something about it in the educational system.

As there are many Open Source applications running now on Windows, lot of people are not aware they use Open Source — case of Firefox or Open Office.

ROSDEV and eLiberatica are Romanian events that try to promote Open Source and I hope they will succeed. But will take time. As long as the educational system does not produce a minimal knowledge about Linux and other Open Source applications, the local business cannot afford trainings. I am not talking about IT companies, but about the rest which represents more then 90%. I can say that all I do privately with my laptop or as business with ASIPTO and OPENSER is 99% Open Source, that is insignificant at country level.

I am dreaming to the moment when going to Travel agency, administrative offices, a.s.o. I will see a Linux Desktop running … for sure I will blog it …

Truphone Anywhere

Just returned from a drive trip to Berlin, for Asterisk Tag and Linux Tag 2008 (see some comments at http://www.asipto.com/index.php/2008/06/04/remarks-asterisktag-and-linuxtag-2008/), I am catching up with latest VoIP news.

Interesting for me is the launch of TruphoneAnywhere, a new service from the UK-based VoIP mobile operator Truphone that allow you to do check calls from your mobile even if you are not connected to WiFi. These guys are going to reduce my phone bill a lot — last month I was 90% of the time in roaming. See here some price comparisons:

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/2008/05/truphone-40-with-truphone-anywhere.html

Here you can find more details about the service:

http://www.truphone.com/info/feature_anywhere.html