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Free tech is about much more than free software. It’s more than just being able to see and modify code and deeper than the rivalry between proprietary and FOSS or Windows versus Linux. It’s not just about computers. Free tech is also about freedom and rights, and keeping our lifestyle from being destroyed by the misuse of technology.

Oh, great. I finally get to sit down with the Jupiter Broadcasting crew at LinuxFest Northwest and I finally get to meet in person someone whose FOSS work I hold in the highest regard — that would be Matt Hartley’s work at Jupiter — and he has just announced that he is leaving Jupiter Broadcasting, moving on to “new exciting projects.”

Website publishers using the popular free and open source WordPress content management system (CMS) woke up this morning to find that their sites had been upgraded to version 4.2.2. Users who’s sites somehow missed being automatically upgraded are urged to update immediately, as this update addresses several important security issues.

Now, let’s go back to 2006: It would have been nice to have these articles when I started out in Linux and FOSS nine years ago, introduced by the IT guy from the Green Party of California when I asked where I’d get Adobe products for my statewide campaign for office that year. During the campaign, I kept thinking about how great this paradigm is — people working together to make software free (as in freedom and, in many cases, beer) for public use — and switched gears to work to advocate for FOSS.

Folks, I’m not talking about a stern communication. I’m talkin’ finger-poking-into-my-chest-slathering-frothing-yelling-losing-all-composure pissed off. He more than adequately suggested: How Dare Me! If I don’t write or understand software programming or the brilliance required to do so, then I don’t get a pass on judging what needs to be done, how it should be done, when it should be done, and finally, to what quality I might accept as “usable.”

After a 25 year gestation, Hurd has finally been born. It was a difficult birth and it’s now being kept in an incubator under the care of Debian.

If there were an award for best sticker/graphic at LFNW, it would have to go to the Free Software Foundation, which had “RUN GCC” stickers and T-shirts available at the event. They’re also available online as well, so grab ’em and take the shoelaces out of your pair of Adidas while you code.

What this means, of course, is absolutely nothing. The folks at Ubuntu have made it clear that this is mostly a server/cloud release, so it’s not surprising that it offers desktop users little reason to upgrade. Besides, except for those few users who insist on living on the bleeding edge, most desktop users should be using 14.04, Trusty Tahr, anyway, because it’ll be supported until 2019, and our vervet friend will only see support through January.

The idea behind OSWALD was simple: Every computer science student got one, for around $80, and it became their portable device for their studies — they could bring it to class, connect it to a monitor and a keyboard and, with SD card firmly in place, do their assignments, take it back to the dorm and continue with homework. In short, this hand-held device was powerful — powered by a Texas Instrument OMAP3550 ARM processor — and incorporated some of the latest technology available at the time.

“The owners want me to ask you if you are anywhere near transitioning your computer donations to the Microsoft Surface Pro or Windows. Their kids attend a private school and Microsoft donates 140 units a year for their students. He wants to know when your organization can confirm that you will begin getting Reglue recipients switched over to these devices.”

With Sunday being more low-key, I got to catch up with LibreOffice’s Robinson Tryon, who said that the show was a hit for the project. Without the cacophony of multiple conversations going on at the same time, like on Saturday, we got to talk about advances LibreOffice is making in Android, which is going faster than expected.

With around 2,000 registrants, this year’s LFNW seems to be the largest in its history. This not only bodes well for the widespread popularity and acceptance of FOSS in general, but it also bodes well for one of the longest-running FOSS shows here in the Pacific Northwest.

Back then, Nokia’s back was pretty much against the wall with no wiggle room, forcing it to make rash moves like hiring Microsoft’s Stephen Elop — a wolf in sheep’s clothing if ever there was one — who drove the company to the brink of bankruptcy for his once and future masters in Redmond.

Like it or not, during the second decade of the 21st century Ubuntu has been the operating system to watch. This, despite the fact that its gathered a large base of followers who loyally despise it. While it’s true that much of this animosity is deserved, just as much is because we love to hate a big shot, and our jealousy over the success of others is made worse when success comes to those who don’t act according to our plans.

LinuxFest Northwest — just south of the border (the Canadian one, that is) — is like Old Man River: It just keeps rolling along. Shows come and go, they grow and move, but the oldest community-run expo has put down some solid roots at Bellingham Technical College. The show has grown over the years, and so has the college. With recent improvements over the last few years, LFNW has grown to be a top-notch destination for speakers, exhibitors and attendees, with around 80 presentations being part and parcel of LFNW’s weekend fare.

David emailed me and stated that his interest was piqued by the fact that I wanted to explore the use of MaryTTS as part of our solution. While David’s talents were focused on Chorustext, his hardware project, he realized that his skills could greatly help our team effort and he asked to be brought on board.

Last week in Columbia, South Carolina, the developers’ conference POSSCON went through something of a reboot. Last year the conference was cancelled to allow It-oLogy, the organization behind the event, to put its energy behind launching the Great Wide Open conference in Atlanta. This year, with last year’s successful premiere of the Hotlanta event under its belt, IT-oLogy pulled-out all the stops to reestablish POSSCON.

I hate to be the look-a-gift-horse-in-the-mouth guy — to be honest, I hate raining on parades, even Ubuntu’s — but this news is not as great as it appears. For starters, buying one will set you back anywhere from $949 to $1,849.

Before I turn into Siskel and Ebert and give this computer two thumbs up, perhaps I’d better explain a few things first. On its own terms, the machine certainly would deserve the upturned thumbs, and maybe even a gold star on your refrigerator door. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’s necessarily a drop in replacement for the latest top-of-the-line offering from HP or Lenovo — even though for many uses it could be.

We’re talking about thousands of dollars worth of stuff that the kids we serve can use. So why don’t they do the right thing and donate this merchandise to organizations such as ours instead of throwing it away? Because they don’t want to do the paperwork. It’s the way business is done. That’s fine and I understand. But that doesn’t make it suck any less.