Digital Tipping Point: Lindependence 2008 co-organizer Ken Starks d... | |
by Christian Einfeldt | |
Thumbnail | |
Download | |
Web page | |
This is one of many short video segments which will be | |
added to the Digital Tipping Point (DTP) archive. | |
This series of 7 segments features Ken Starks, one of the | |
organizers of Lindependence 2008, talking about his role | |
in Lindependence 2008. He also talks about his role in | |
founding the Tux 500 project, a project aimed at getting | |
a race car entered in the Indy 500 bearing the Tux the | |
Penguin mascot, a project at which he and his team | |
succeeded. | |
The purpose of this video is to support a DTP story about | |
Lindependence 2008, which is an event planned by Larry | |
Cafiero and Ken Starks (aka Helios) to persuade a town of | |
6,000 people to try out Free Open Source Software for one | |
week, starting July 28, 2008. On July 13 and 15, 2008, | |
there were town meetings at the First Presbeterian church | |
on Highway 9 in Felton for the purpose of familiarizing | |
people with GNU-Linux, and helping them with any issues | |
that they might have in using Linux. This video was shot | |
inside the Felton Presbyterian Church. | |
In segments 001 and 002, Ken introduces himself, and | |
tells us that he started Helios Solutions to support a | |
charity he started called Komputers4Kids. He sets the | |
context of the scene by telling us that the events of | |
Lindependence 2008 will be held here in the Felton | |
Presbyterian Church. He says that he was a "computer | |
idiot" four years ago when he first encountered Linux. He | |
started using Linux because all of his Microsoft Windows | |
machines became infected with a virus despite the fact | |
that he took all of the recommended precautions against | |
viruses. In the course of one weekend, he switched to GNU- | |
Linux because this attack was so serious that it cost him | |
$12,000.00. He mentions the Tux 500 project briefly. | |
In segment 003, he outlines the purpose of Lindependence | |
2008. It will consist of 4 events, he says, all aimed at | |
increasing awareness of Free Open Source Software, and | |
trying to get the town to try out Free Open Source | |
Software on their computers for one week. He emphasizes | |
that he wants people to know that they have a choice in | |
using their computers that gives them control over their | |
hardware and software. On Microsoft computers, you don't | |
own your data or software, but on Linux computers you own | |
both. Linux is better because it is open for anyone to | |
see the source code, which means that thousands of people | |
all over the globe can contribute to its improvement. | |
In segmetn 004, he says that he would never have even | |
spoken with Lindependence co-organizer Larry Cafiero but | |
for their mutual interest in freedom in cyberspace, | |
because they are polar opposites in areas of politics and | |
religion. But cyber freedom is so important to both of | |
them that they have put aside their differences so as to | |
be able to collaborate on an issues which is much more | |
important to both of them. He then says that Microsoft | |
Windows is like a Cadillac, where as Linux is like a | |
Porsche. Microsoft Windows will give you a big | |
comfortable ride, but Linux will let you feel the power | |
of the ride. | |
In segment 005, he says he started Computers4kids because | |
computers are such an integral part of our lives. He | |
wanted to make sure that no kid fell behind because that | |
kid was not able to have a computer in his or her home | |
due to poverty. He says that he has given away hundreds | |
of Linux computers. He says that he gave away Linux | |
computers, rather than Microsoft Windows computers, | |
because Microsoft computers and software are too | |
expensive; because they require a lot of work to | |
maintain; and because you need anti-virus software just | |
to make sure it works. | |
In segment 006, he says that the thinks that the real | |
world digital tipping point happened when Microsoft | |
legitimized GNU-Linux by doing a commercial deal with | |
Novell and several other companies (Xandros, Linspire, | |
and TurboLinux). He says that the EEE PC gives simple end | |
users a great opportunity to be exposed to the excellent | |
software that Linux represents. He says that the OLPC, | |
which also runs Linux, is a remarkable machine becuase it | |
sets up its own mesh networks, and he jokes that it even | |
washed his car when he was not looking, that's how | |
versatile it is. | |
In segment 007, he sayst that he started the Buck-a-Month | |
club to try to encourage people to give to Free Open | |
Source Software projects such as OpenOffice.org or the | |
Free Software Foundation. He says that it is a mistake | |
that the Free Open Source Software community has not | |
focused on commercial marketing of the code. Money is a | |
dirty word in the Free Open Source Software community, he | |
says, which is a mistake. He then goes on to give a | |
detailed discussion of Tux 500. | |
This video is our rough edited "source code". It is | |
intended as an index for the DTP crew, and a way for us | |
to communicate. It lacks music, transitions, and special | |
effects. It is raw, rough-edited video. We hope it will | |
also be useful for someone else in some way. | |
If you like this segment, please consider typing up a | |
summary for it and emailing that summary to Christian | |
Einfeldt at [email protected]. Your work will be credited | |
and posted on this page. | |
The DTP will be many, many films created by the global | |
open source video community about how open source is | |
changing their lives. We, the DTP crew, are submitting | |
this footage for anyone to rip, mix, and burn under the | |
Creative Commons Attribute - ShareAlike license. We | |
welcome edits, transcriptions, graphics, music, and | |
animation contributions to the film. Please send a link | |
for any contributions to Christian Einfeldt at einfeldt | |
at digitaltippingpoint.com. | |
Or, if you would like to contribute by directly | |
transcribing this particular video segment, you can do so | |
by going here: | |
http://digitaltippingpoint.com/wiki/index.php/Tape_532[1] | |
and typing the audio as you hear it into the wiki. Please | |
be sure to add the transcription for this segment under: | |
Segment 004, Ken Starks discusses Lindependence 2008 | |
You can find other ways to contribute by going to our | |
wiki front page here: | |
http://digitaltippingpoint.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page[2] | |
Thanks for viewing our video! | |
References | |
1. http://digitaltippingpoint.com/wiki/index.php/Tape_532 (link) | |
2. http://digitaltippingpoint.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page (link) | |
Date Published: 2008-07-30 23:06:34 | |
Identifier: e-dv532_ken_starks_on_Lin08_003-004_004.ogg | |
Item Size: 26190568 | |
Media Type: movies | |
# Topics | |
Ken Starks; Starks, Ken; Felton, Cali... | |
# Collections | |
digitaltippingpoint | |
computersandtechvideos | |
# Uploaded by | |
@einfeldt | |
# Similar Items | |
View similar items | |
PHAROS | |