Creative Commons and Open Source Media
If you have not figured it out by now I am an avid proponent of open source software. I believe that people should have the opportunity to have access to technology, software, and information regardless of where they live, or their socioeconomic status. In addition to open source and free software, I am also a huge fan of the creative commons license.
This license is in a way, the direct opposite of DRM (Digital Rights Management) which places restrictions on music, movies, books, etc.. that you purchase. Creative commons has several different levels of licenses, but the ultimate goal is to promote the free sharing of information, music, movies, and art.
There is nothing wrong with making money, there is nothing wrong with selling the art and music that you spent your talent, time, and energy to create. There is however, in my opinion, a big difference between making a living - and selling your soul to your publisher who’s only goal in life is to make a profit - not promote art.
So in the spirit of creative commons (which also licenses this blog :) ) check out a couple places where you can find some great music and movies. If you like what you hear or see – donate to the artist. The same goes for open source software. If you are using LibreOffice or GIMP for your personal or professional use and you find that it is useful and allows you to get your work accomplished, do not forget that you saved over $1000 buy using them over the commercial product (MS Office and Photoshop). Donate something to show the people who worked hard to make this software that you support their cause and in turn your donation will help to facilitate even better open source software in the future.
When I say donate - I do not just mean give money. You can donate your time, you can spread the word on your own website, you could donate your talents (programming, marketing, documentation, web design) and your time. If we all work together - then great things will happen.
Thank you for reading! Share your thoughts with me on bluesky, mastodon, or via email.
Check out some more stuff to read down below.
Most popular posts this month
Recent Favorite Blog Posts
This is a collection of the last 8 posts that I bookmarked.
- No-One Escapes the Permanent Underclass from Fernando Borretti
- Is it ethical to use AI? from charity.wtf
- The logical destination of LLMs from Andy Bell
- Revised rules of engineering leadership. from Irrational Exuberance
- The circus freaks of open source from Drew DeVault's blog
- Clanker: A Word For The Machine from Armin Ronacher's Thoughts and Writings
- I ran a half-marathon! from gluecko.se
- My Running Tips from Kevin Bell's Blog
Articles from blogs I follow around the net
Art Doesn't Scale
Listening to two acquaintances argue about if AI art is "art" is not a new experience for me, the now eternal debate between Doomer and Boomer. In this particular context, I'm listening to it as I wait for my surprisingly expensive iced latte in downtown C...
via matduggan.com July 17, 2026i can finally talk about something i worked on!
It feels like it was about 18 months ago, but could be as long as three years ago, that my friend told me about a TV show he was developing. It was a brilliant idea, I thought. A science fiction action comedy? YES PLEASE. It was funny, and clever, and...
via WIL WHEATON dot NET July 16, 2026Generated by openring