[Fedora-music-list] Another GSoC 2013 Idea
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
Hi everybody!
Maybe we could propose multiple ideas for GSoC this year. (Speaking of
which, we'd better get started with posting our Ideas!)
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Summer_coding_ideas_for_2013
Here's an Idea that I'm willing to mentor, even though I previously
said I wouldn't: we sponsor an electronic musician to prepare a series
of musical works, using only software available in Fedora (including
PlanetCCRMA), and to document their process.
This would be a huge benefit for us, for a number of reasons. First,
we'd have more tangible demonstrations of the viability of creativity
with FOSS software. Second, we could require different software (e.g.,
PureData, SuperCollider, Csound) for a broad demonstration. Third,
we'd have more extensive documentation on "how to use computers to be
musically creative," that would hopefully inspire both "unmusical"
people and people who are "bad with computers." Fourth, we'd
demonstrate that "coding" doesn't mean "use JavaScript to write a
mobile app then profit lawlz" as "the media" seems to think, and to
demonstrate that Fedora isn't only the upstream to Red Hat Enterprise
Linux. Finally, and most importantly, we could use this as the basis
to create a musical community around Fedora.
When I first got here in 2010, what we needed most was a greater
number of dedicated and active volunteers. That's still true now, but
we're much better off than we used to be. In 2013, we have our own
spin, we have our own documentation, and I suggest that the only thing
we're still missing is the vibrant musical community. Whereas I used
to believe that providing "the right tools" would create an active
community, now I realize it's much more complicated.
Active communities reproduce themselves. More specifically, the power
relations of active communities tend to reproduce the communities in
which they were formed. What we need to do is create the relations for
the community we want, even though it doesn't already exist. It's a
complicated way to say "cool music attracts people that will make cool
music."
Consider that, on this music mailing list, we should be discussing
music and related issues, but we only discuss related issues (and
D-flat). I really don't know what musical things people here do, and
you have no idea what I do. I believe this is where we need to focus
our efforts now. If we can use GSoC to basically commission a
composer, and if a few more of us commit to producing at least one
musical thing this summer, and if we do a good job of circulating our
music through the right channels, I think we can kick-start the
community we (or at least I) have been hoping for!
Any thoughts?
Christopher
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v2.0.19 (GNU/Linux)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=I+NX
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----