NO TIME TO WAIT 3
25. October 2018
Peter Bubestinger-Steindlp.bubestinger@AV-RD.com

“Just using 'open stuff' won't x yourproblems.
It might even make things worse.”...which btw applies to any digital system/tool, if not incorporated or used properly.
Independent of its license.

Speaker notes
Adressing this, because of archivist's reply in Frankfurt: “We used OpenSource as free alternative for 'the real X', but it
didn't work as well as 'the real X', so we gave up and bought 'the real X'.”POPULAR "MISTAKES"
Underestimating environmental- and starting
conditions.
Do you value "digital freedoms" or just looking forcheap?
No continuous allocation of resources(time or money).
No community involvement: "I'm not a coder".
Speaker notes
Environmental / starting conditions:especially (tech-)knowhow, because: You either have to pay -or- DIY.
staff moral / willingness to "question mainstream".
Lack of interfaces with proprietary systems.
Unexpected vendor lock-in.
Proprietary file formats / dialects of open standards...

(YOUR) REASONS TO USE FOSS?

“I need a free alternative for X, because
we ain't got enough budget to get the realX.”“Your stuff's for free, right?
Good, because we need the money to pay
proprietary vendor-lock-in system X.”“We want to study/share/improve ourdigital work ows. Do you know a FOSS
system we could use or build on?”

DEFINE FREE/REAL?
Free X:

Real X:

Gratis?

The "Wow! you can afford that? I'mjealous." option?

Cheap - as in "unprofessional" or lessvaluable/reliable/awesome?
Worth less than non-free (water...)?

The professional tool?

Freedom to Use, Study, Share & Improve (USSI)?
Part of a digital commons infrastructure?

The one with the great GUI?
The well-supported one?

The number one that everyone uses?

Speaker notes
Different definitions of "free" change the outcome. Any software is as good as what the user "expects" it to be. Bad
software + excellent PR/image = perceived as great software ;P And the other way around.

WHAT IF...
Real = Free?
Any reason not to want that?
How much would that be worth to you?
Do you expect free to be as good as non-free(water)?
Speaker notes
Is this even possible? Well, if FOSS was the supported mainstream we'd be pretty close to that.

UNPOSSIBLE?!

Speaker notes
Compare it to: claiming a forest is a stable ecosystem - and possible - but noone ever saw a forest, and challenge you
to prove it. By letting you plant a tree (from seed) on a heavy-traffic highway.

“Environmental- and starting conditionsmatter.”Speaker notes
At least here the tree will survive. But will it become a self-sustaining forest?

“Shared, public code makes up the digital
infrastructure of our society today.”Speaker notes

www.fordfoundation.org/about/library/reports-and-studies/roads-and-bridges-the-unseenQuote: "In the face of unprecedented demand, the costs of not supporting our digital infrastructure are numerous. No
labor-behind-our-digital-infrastructure/individual company or organization is incentivized to address the public good problem alone. In order to support our
digital infrastructure, we must find ways to work together."INFRASTRUCTURE?
TAXES?
Good: Most publicly funded projects now require
FOSS license :)But: Public institutions sometimes not "allowed" topay for FOSS :(Demand/help change of rules:(publiccode.eu)
Public Money? Public Code!

ABANDONED ORPHANS“No developer likes to admit to have togive up, abandon his code work. It's quite
emotional. Seriously.”

How to make sure projects we like, or rely on, stay alive and ourish?

TOP REASONS FOR FOSS DEVELOPERS TO LEAVE A
PROJECT:lack of interest
lack of patiencelack of resources (time/money)
change of profession
creative differences
Speaker notes
These reasons
actuallyto: Common"why someone
quits a ofjob".
Therefore
also to proprietary
software,Projectsbut you just don'tSource:Theapply
MostCauses
FailedOpen-Source
Softwaresee it that often from "outside", as it's company-internal dynamics. Providing means for developers to stay on, or adopt
a project will not only avoid it becoming abandoned, but will improve its qualities: stability, features and GUI.

TAKEN FOR GRANTED?
Who of you is using:Mediainfo, VLC, Wikipedia, Firefox, FFmpeg, QCTools, Linux, etc...?

What if they disappear?
What's your (institution's) plan to keep theseapplications alive and kicking?

HOW MUCH DO YOU VALUE 'IT'?

Speaker notes
Difficult to judge the value of immaterial goods in our society... So what about real stuff? Let's try comparison with foodand sustainable environment.

YOUR PREFERENCE?
1. Industrial, patented, lock-in seeds, exploit nature for
pro t (= Proprietary)
2. organic, sustainable, community, handmade (= FOSS)
Which one's required for sustainable long-term?
Which one's the current mainstream?
Which pro ts whom?
Which one has the shinier apples?

YOU *ARE* 'THE COMMUNITY'CONTRIBUTIONS
Value FOSS like fresh air or clean water.
Offer your time or money.
Write documentation.
Publish tutorials.
Design graphics.
Testing.
Raising funds.
Demand FOSS and open le formats.
...

SUMMARY
Environmental- and starting conditions matter.
Encourage and value "digital freedoms".
Contribute, if possible :)Allocate continuous resources (time or money)
Think long-term & in collaborations.

- THE END QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?

LICENSE AND CREDITS
The text of this presentation is available under a Free
License:Creative Commons'Attribution-ShareAlike'(CC-BY-SA)

Peter Bubestinger-Steindlp.bubestinger@AV-RD.com

ABOUT MYSELFPETER BUBESTINGER-STEINDL
p.bubestinger@AV-RD.com

Studied media computer-science at the TU Vienna
Developer, trainer and tech-consultant since 2000
8 years working with broadcast audio archives
around the globe (NOA)
5 years R&D at the "Austrian Mediathek"Dec. 2015: Founding of company "AV-RD"