Tag: Free Software

I protested BBC iPlayer in 2007, and I don't regret it.

5 March 2014

During the summer holidays of 2007, I was a teenage sailing instructor who was volunteering locally, to teach younger teens how to sail (better) for a week. On Tuesday, I skived off teaching, jumped on a train to Manchester and changed my life forever. But that's not the beginning… A few months earlier I was […]

How can the free software movement improve its communication?

23 March 2013

One thing that is challenging the free software movement is communication. Communication skills are quite a "known skill" – persuading people is not really cutting edge – people have been persuading other people about $stuff since forever. The question is, therefore, how we can be better at communicating free software, given we know how things, […]

The free software movement's dilemma

19 March 2013

The free software movement's aims are noble and I'm happy to say I support them. However, there are largely two ways of furthering the movement: Communication of the message Contributing to a software project Largely, the ideological "free software advocates" are focused on the first point, with people who are doing the second point falling […]

How does free software take over the world? What happens now?

18 November 2012

I love free software, I owe a lot to the free software communities and I care deeply about them. However, I am a realist and a pragmatist, so I'd like to ask a question that's been bothering me. Free Software has proven itself technologically, and proven itself in terms of creating an efficient working environment for developers, […]

Stephen Fry at Oggcamp? Awesome or Awesome?

29 August 2012

It's not often I go to events were well known people are speaking. It's even less frequently where the tech events I go to have well known broadcaster speaking. However, Oggcamp – the world's friendliest unconference – is a special sort of event and persuading Stephen Fry to give a video address, answering questions and […]

Remembering being taught Applied ICT at A Level

14 November 2011

I recently noticed that I got quoted in The Information Age, at the beginning of the year due to the UK Cyber Security Challenge.: "Tim Dobson, a 20-year-old university student, does not remember his IT A-level course fondly. “In one lesson, our teacher asked us how to find the YouTube website,” he recalled. Dobson added […]

Hellicar & Lewis at Northern Digitals BLAB Night

12 August 2010

Hellicar & Lewis gave a talk in June at Northern Digitals BLAB Night. It was a really awesome talk so I was very pleased that it was videoed. I really really enjoyed the talk – look at some of my reactions on identi.ca. "This has been one my favorite and inspiring events I've been to […]

David Cameron champions "Open Source Software"

3 May 2008

David Cameron, the UK Conservative party leader, has stepped in to champion Open Source Software. As an active member of Manchester Free Software Group I would prefer he used the term Free Software instead of Open Source, however it is extremely interesting he has taken this issue to heart. With Labour having only made a […]