[TriLUG] Why do you/don't you use FOSS? (Was: Tablet Recommendations)

[Ken MacKenzie via TriLUG]

In the tablet world there is not much in a practical working format in the
FOSS space today.  We are touching on the other reason I strongly prefer
carrying my chromebook around vs my IPAD.

I want this to change but it has been slow.  Ubuntu Touch is still not
really here.  I will say though that in the recent tablet world I am
starting to more strongly consider x86 based windows tablets.  Even the bay
trail ones that are next to impossible to get a working linux install on.
MS is saying they are going to go more open source.  Not sure what that
means with regards to the core OS yet but let's just hope.  But with it
being a full windows OS one could install FOSS things like say gimp on it
or virtual box and open up a whole different world than the current tablet
offerings.

I think the next generation of Windows tablets could inadvertently open
 the door more for true Linux tablets.  My need for low latency audio is
what has kept the ipad relevant for me for so long.  The chromebook took
its place though in that regard and now the ipad is my big time waster.  In
other words most of the time I am on it it is playing clash of clans or
injustice.  I go back and forth about keeping the ipad because of some
higher end audio apps I bought for it.  Like I must see the investment pay
off in some strange fashion.

Ken

On Sun, May 17, 2015 at 1:36 PM, Randy Barlow via TriLUG <trilug at trilug.org>
wrote:

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> On 05/17/2015 12:07 PM, Ken MacKenzie via TriLUG wrote:
> > But unrooted they are tied to the amazon app store and purchases do
> > not cross over from the Play store.
>
> I think it's noteworthy that this is par for the course when you
> choose to use closed source closed protocol proprietary systems. The
> Google Play store is no different than the Amazon App store in this
> regard. This is vendor lock-in, and it is the strategy that has been
> employed by many companies to keep us "stuck" with them. Google,
> Apple, Amazon and Microsoft all employ this strategy. I think they are
> more alike than they are different for this reason.It frustrates me,
> and I want to see the open source world take over this market.
>
> It is true that the FOSS world is a little behind on mobile, but it is
> catching up. The more you rely on proprietary software, the more you
> suffer from problems like these. I think the greatest thing we can do
> as a community is to find out how we can contribute to the effort.
> Writing code is good, but it's not the only way to get involved.
> Simply using free software and filing bugs about your experience goes
> a long way on its own. FOSS projects also often need a lot of help in
> their UI/art, community management, mailing list participation, or
> documentation.
>
> I know that TriLUG covers the full spectrum of FOSS adoption. Some of
> us choose FOSS because it's our job or because it's free (as in beer
> even!). Some people use FOSS for pragmatic reasons, using closed
> source software for similarly practical purposes. Some of us are die
> hard FOSS fans and use it whenever they can because they believe in
> the values.
>
> Whether you are a pragmatist* or an idealist, I'm interested to hear
> where we fall on the spectrum as a group. I'd like to hear why each of
> you uses open source or closed source software. I believe that people
> come to FOSS for different reasons, and I find it interesting to think
> about how we can come together on something common for these varying
> goals.
>
> As is probably already obvious I'm an idealist, though I don't devalue
> the pragmatist view point. I am concerned about protecting my privacy,
> and I think open source software is important to help us maintain this
> right in the modern world. Free software grants us the right to study
> the software (which means having access to the source), and that
> allows us to be aware of what is happening to the data that we are
> entrusting to the software we use. I also value the right to modify
> the software I use, and the right to distribute my modifications. The
> right to study is the most important to me, but I've exercised the
> right of modification and redistribution as well. These freedoms also
> protect us from vendor lock-in!
>
> Why do you use or not use FOSS?
>
>
> * I think it's possible to use pure FOSS even while being pragmatic.
> Vendor lock-in is a real concern, and I think the freedom to control
> your data is pragmatic. Thus, being a pragmatist does not necessarily
> equate to using closed source software.
>
>
>