[openbeos] Talking about our operative system diffusion

Talking about our operative system diffusion

These lines in an essay way describe my exclusive point of view as an
user individual of BeOS. The first section is an introduction to my
point of view. The second is an exposition of the problem. The third is
a premise. The fourth and fifth parts present the alternative that I
expose. The section sixth and seventh speak more with respect to this
approach. The last one is an invitation to respond to these lines, and a
summary of this text. If you have just a short time, read the last
section, nothing else, but if you can read it complete, it would be
better. It is a little long, but I invite you to to think about it.

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And suddenly the computers appeared...

It was 1994. What it occupied to us then was how to be able to surpass
the game of Mario Bros. 7. In the office, the secretary had an
electrical typewriter of which she was very proud, because it had an
additional tape with corrector on it, and she took all files in the
office in order, in drawers, and with work cards of 6 x 4 in. Those were
other times. In order to copy, we used small coiled pieces of paper to
accordion way, and we felt super afraid at least to think about removing
them and be surprised by our professor, and the computers arrived
suddenly...

The Japanese lady who lives two blocks ahead brought a somewhat strange
device, described like: "a typewriter with television". That television
that showed the strangest letters (nor we knew still more what was
kanji) began to take terrain, later we could see them in Spanish. Then
we did not know that the applications used common routines, that they
shared archives, that the code was closed. Nothing of that. Nor we knew
that the archives were administered in blocks, that the hard disks like
the diskettes stored archives, that those archives went in a hierarchy,
that the three letters after the point represented an extension, that to
write "chmod +x" served to allow an script to be executed (nor that the
diskettes could be reused)... nothing of it. The only thing that we knew
was that if we ignited it, we could access to a place to write. Nor a
slight idea of all the symbols that were above and down. Nor even we had
the idea that we could change the size to the letters, nor that could be
justified the text (during long time we printed everything flush left).
With this I say everything: we used to print because there was an icon
with a little printer on it. If for any reason (and I say any) it did
not happened anything when pressing that little printer... chaos. We did
not know that to do.

By then we never reflected in which things came "inside" the computer.
We ignited, we saw an image, soon graphical surroundings, and began to
work. Days later, a friend lent a CD to us that he had obtained from a
place, and he said to us that "with this tool, you can do what you were
doing in a faster and efficient form". We took that CD, we saw an
article in English, and as we did not understand to it, in the end it
said "Do you agree?" and we did not have an alternative left but that to
respond: "Yes". We did not repair in thinking to what we said "yes"
about, and as we did not know the operation of the computers, "They
could get angry later and no longer it work if we say to them not". We
were able to reach the abilities that that CD provided, and to follow
with the life.

Later some folks began to notice that their machine no longer had the
yield of some time ago... -"I took it to repair, and they said to me
that there was necessary to change the operating system to it". - "Is
that very difficult?" -"I think so, because they charged me _______
(please insert here the equivalent to 10~20 days of general wage in your
community)". Those who dared to more, we, requested the CD that the
technicians used to "reinstall the operating system", and with greater
or smaller success, we could clean our machine. Soon some of us, those
that we could reinstall it, went to the houses of those who had not
obtained it, and we were acquiring experience in the branch. The others
were closed to that possibility by themselves and said that they would
call to us when they had problems again.

Soon the problems continued, because we could no longer change the
operating system "of always", because it requested more requirements of
those than our machines had... They said to us that our computer no
longer was able to support the new exigencies... We had to save more
money to change them. Then we could put more programs to them (by then
already we knew more terminology) and to change the operating system
again (What expert we were listened...) To put more programs to them...
A history without end.

Finally, with the network of networks it was told to us that the
operating system that we were using was a horrible monster that had to
be eliminated. Good. To eliminate it, but... What I replace it with?
They spoke that it existed other operative system that was more
powerful, better, and free. "Free of what" We thought. And we followed
with our lives, as if nothing had happened. The most ventured, we, tried
to obtain a copy of that operating system so sounded in the "cyberspace"
(How charming our speaking was). Then we spoke to our friends: -"Could
you install it" we said. -"Yes, but I do not listen to anything", -"No,
I couldn't, it requests something to me in English and there it
remained". -"Everything is black and white". -"I have it and works, but
I cannot run the program that I need at school". Or the worse one of
all: -"Not only I could not install it, but I already lost all my
information". Do you know when that last person will try something new
after he lost all its information? You answer.

With time, those that liked to complicate life with the computer, we
could find the way to have both operating systems together. It was not
simple but it was our triumph. And at some point the ambition arrived to
us to have many operating systems, as if they were hunting trophies. But
I believe that we were counted those that we could find (more
fortunately than by another thing) the BeOS. And still more fortunate
that it could recognize most of our hardware.

By last, we saw this growing up, to take conscience and stand up when it
was told to us that there would be no longer BeOS. How did we stand up?
That depended of each one.

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Reality hits us

All the exposed text previously has the following objective: How we will
be able to introduce the OSBOS in a world of people which happens to be
lacking of knowledge in computation related themes? All of us say "How
is it, that one is the richest man of the world?" without putting
ourselves to meditate that in part all of us contributed to it. I
include myself because the program that I use to manage my professional
work is practically exclusive of the capitalist mentioned ones, and
there is no form today to make a program of that spread in open code.

Partly, that specialization arrived because we supported them using
their software, but never we repaired in seeing what we were saying to
them with that agreement. They said to us so much time later our system
had some elements that were illegal, because we had obtained them from a
friend. Where in our experience we had faced something related? It would
be as incredible as that when we arrived at any store to get a soda, the
employee said to us: "When using our drinks You are in agreement with
the terms stipulated in this  End user Contract of License or End User
Agreement". And that requested to us to read 350 lines of text when what
we wanted it was to satiate our thirst: "You have the authorization of
us, (name of the vendor) to use our drink in 1 (one) alive organism in
the terms and forms stipulated by this agreement". "It is prohibited to
be done evil use of this drink, as it is: to use it in more than an
alive organism with a single authorization, to allow that it is drunk by
more than a user at any given time, to un-assemble it or to examine any
of its parts". "You can only drink the drink 'as it is', that is to say,
without being able to do change to it or to any part of its components".
I follow with the specifications? How many of us (again, I speak
particularly of me, and my circle of people) we put ourselves to analyze
what that "Contract" declared?

This somewhat philosophical analysis arrives in a flash at those who for
any reason had to face it. But nowadays there are still so many, and
when I say many, they are more of those than you imagine, that think
they are completely safe of all these topics. They do not consider that
their practices are illegal, until they get the state treasury to make a
"audit of software" to their companies. But how the people are left?
Those afraid ones to which it can happen with the state treasury, make
accounts and see that it is a very strong sum of money the one that they
would disburse so that all their computers are "authorized" to use the
software to which their staff put so much effort to operate and get used
to... And that is the history of 96% of the users of computers.

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The power of the custom. Who puts the custom?

In order to be able to be more or less efficient, the secretary who
works for the office (we say the young lady Way) had to battle much, but
now she feels trusted with the messages that appear in her monitor each
morning. Nevertheless not always it was thus. Before, she was the
incarnation of the uncertainty in front of the computer. With effort and
perhaps some tears she went accustoming to that so radical change: of
its typewriter and its archivists, to a computer and its archives in
diskettes, hard disks, and soon CD's. What would we say to her so that
suddenly "we changed" everything what it cost so much to her to learn?

It must have an improvement for her if we wish that she changes her
operative system "of always". Or, they can have an urgent necessity. If
to the company where works the young lady Way there were on the verge of
being judge advocate's court, What would his pattern, Mr. X, would say
to say to her? Please not misinterpret, this is not an invitation to
command to all the auditors on common to get all the current civilian
people, it is far from it.

I direct these lines towards the part of the improvement. As well as the
following version of the system "of always" prevails in the common
individual, that same way is the best form to show our alternative. What
do I talk about? Simple, To whom people it is recurred when something
leaves bad? Exact! Who knows about the subject. In the case of my
surroundings, to the one of systems in the office, to the guy of the
school that knows of computers, to the technician, the engineer. They
are they our fundamental objective. Why? Because they give the
solutions. And to be more specific, We need to go away on that to the
moment studying something related to the computation people, and to the
people who likes the computers, because they like them. The technicians
learned a single way to do things, and the knowledge that they have is
very mechanic. The engineers in active-duty for a long time (in this
nature) no longer want to know of something more than it is how to
obtain money. But those students, and in general who looks for something
more, are those than they made the difference 10 years ago, 7, 4 years
ago, and those that will continue dictating how the things will become
in the next future, medium future and long future.

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To eat an elephant you have to begin by the first spoon

At the moment all the operating systems are in a "low" moment, as well
as if they were international economies, all the operating systems are
in recession. The system "of always" continues living on its rents, and
not even it thinks about a date so that it would be on sale leaves their
new version the same, but more restricted OS. The extremists of the
opposite side have been undergoing the consequences of their liberalism,
because there are many deficiencies in relation to the system of always,
but altogether they make a mass of software that nowadays requests more
resources of hardware than the system of always, and to the novice it
continues seeming so difficult to configure as it has been for many
years, with the difference that it requests more things to work.

We ourselves are in something similar. This one is a group of very
capable and laborious people, who have many projects, and who all of
they are going to fulfill their projects, but those projects, all of
them, require time, and the time can be the best friend or the worse
enemy. It depends in how we take advantage of it.

It is spoken "to attract newbies to our alternative" but there is an
enormous problem: the inexperienced user will hope that the programs to
which he is used are present, that all their hardware is supported and
that the transition is not only without problems, but that rocks him.
But we are not in that state. Not even in the possibility of something
near. And although we were on it, in the mind of many it is not a need
to change.

Besides, all the manufacturers of hardware (except for whom they have
begun to reason) continue adapting their hardware to the operating
system of always, the software developers work for the operating system
of always, as well as the users and all the world. But who are anxious,
they continue looking for one better option. We have seen that anyone of
the two alternative limits is that, an extremist limit. As well as in
the policy the left and the right are completely opposed and the
critical citizen really does not adjust to any of them, our objective
group is realizing that the completely opened and completely closed code
or is not the integral solution to their problems, that a midpoint is
required.

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To focus efforts on the suitable group

This group of people, those that study something related to computation
or  those who simply like the computers, is the group that originated in
first instance all the movement that the OSBOS are causing. The people
who want more, than is arranged to sacrifices now to obtain benefits
later. To them it is possible to be asked today that they wait a while
so their hardware is supported by the system, or better, than they make
their own driver, and if we say to them how, that they develop it and
they publish it with his sign to the community. It is possible to be
asked to them that if does not exist the program which they need, either
to port it, or still better: that they elaborate it. Do you remember the
first time that somebody congratulated you for have done something to
this cause?

I say it thus because in this way it was as that the distributions of
the completely opened system got so much software... the detail is that
there are many alternatives to do the same things and they lack much to
cover the necessities to everybody. The difference here is that at this
moment it is at very good point for directing this movement, to avoid
arriving at which those scenarios at the moment.

First we must consolidate a group. We cannot ask to those who use a
specific software to watches towards this side, because simply we cannot
give them an alternative at this moment. Now it is outside our hands,
and so far, better nor to think of it. First, it is necessary to do to
us of the programs that the majority uses. Those programs are,
peculiarly, those that our multi mentioned group use. Those programs are
many, so those are the important ones and not others in via of while. We
cannot either ask to those who use games either, because they are
thirsty of more games. Nor to the engineers, whom they do not love to
know of problems. It is to those who have an inquietude, as you had
once, to which we have to convince. If they are satisfied as we are with
our OS, they will recommend our system to those who are on the verge of
to be in the judge advocate's court, to those who are on the verge of
throwing their computer after several years of good service because they
are told that no longer it is sufficient for the present programs, to
which are not conformists, etc. By then they themselves, next to us,
will have developed more software, more drivers, more software to offer
to more people.

You have the advantage to be contributing actively, and we that are in
the middle or under level of contribution are thankful to you because of
that reason. But think about that group of anxious people like the group
from where yourselves arose. Check in the forums and the places of
discussion. -"We are waiting to know more and more of this movement".
-"I don't know much of this but I have many desire to help". -"I am
barely learning but please tell me how I can help you". Do yo see it?

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Canalizing the inquietude

So, to leave them satisfied, we must offer an extra in addition to the
standard programs that this group could use. The extra to which I talk
about is the element that right now has all the community of OSBOS
working to the maximum. That is to say, feeling the operating system
like ours. In other words, in the knowledge. Today, right now, what we
can offer something that nobody (and with anybody I say absolutely no
other operating system) offers: the knowledge (the knowledge has been
the key in our civilization).

Who had the opportunity to use the completely open operating system will
not let to me lie: the first time that we could get that our sound card
worked in that system, there was reason to send shouts of joy to four
winds. We had made the most complicated thing, finally! We did not know
exactly what we had done, but we obtained it. How it was? More likely,
with an Internet page that, more or less, said to us step-by-step what
we had to do.

The best thing than has the HTML language is that anyone can learn to
apply it. Because it is not very easy or very difficult, but because
there are many resources to learn. Which is the program more spread to
make HTML? That text editor without any additional attribute than to
open a file, edit it and save it. Period. There were many sites in
Internet that spoke on the topic, that spread the language world widely.

All this has an essential point. It is the knowledge which made
irresistible to use the options I mention, and to many more than it
could mention. The knowledge that I can do it mine, with things that I
can add to it. Things that I can share with the entire world. But how
can I get what I want, that thing that You have now and that at the same
time makes this so irresistible this operating system at this point? How
is the knowledge is spread in this information era? Of course! By means
of...

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Documentation

An integral system of documentation is what people looks for when they
face something new. They have problems with something? We will not be
able to go next to them and solve it, but they can do it if we say to
them how. They want to use all the good things that the system can offer
them? Perfect! Let us explain to them in file how to do it. Many end
users of BeOS not even suspected that R5 came with a MIDI synthesizer to
make our own sounds without the needing of standard MIDI devices
connected the computer, for example. It did not serve as much that that
characteristic has been brought in our system, if many of us did not
have the slightest suspicion than that existed.

Documentation at all the levels is what now we can offer, or at least
for the final version of our product we could. Our objective group will
be arranged to read that content if it can solve their problem, or at
least a way to get to its solution. Do they wish to get his computer for
certain tasks? let's say them how. To use the programs that the system
has? Let us say to them how. What so to build a driver? Again, we say to
them how. To program? To learn to program? If what we need right now are
programmers! It is necessary to say to them how!

At this point many of you will say to me: Resources already exist so
that they can develop. But that it exists it is not a guarantee that
they would be reachable to them. In the official channels of the OSBOS
they must have links to the sites that offer that aid. I am proposing
something very difficult to obtain, but on the other hand, something
that still is within reach of our hands, and that is a data base with
all the resources of aid that our operating system arranges. And to
think that the most usual of those contents, are include them in the
help files that would come with the operating system. And along with
those links, extra links to the Internet sites that have more solutions,
and if being possible, a motor search in Internet to locate all that
aid. We still have a quantifiable number of Internet sources who we can
get united in a unique directory to link to all those contents. If being
possible, to cause that that content is available in different
languages. The European people are more used to the idea to speak
several languages, but the American people, we haven't had that
necessity, until some years ago, to learn a language in addition to the
Spanish, so we don't speak English. In the same way, that the programs
are translated is a determining element, because we will not be able to
master something to which we do not understand at.

Fundamentally, to include tutorials to make the main things. What I
think indispensable is programming. To teach to them to program WITHIN
our operating system is the way in which we can attract our objective
group. A tutorial in focused C to program WITHIN our system, with the
resources that our system must offer. And those tutorials already exist!
In addition, There is people who are arranged to make them still better!
They will think that it is enormous what I propose, but is due to begin
by something. Programs from the level of Hello a world! in a console, in
the graphical surroundings, and of basic programming in the graphical
surroundings it is the best form to attract our objective group.

Do you remember those banners that appeared recently in the official
pages of resources for the computers with Mac technology? Those banners
that said "Make your own programs for the Mac". Many people clicked that
banner! But what happened when they were said that it was tried to sell
them a product? They forgot the subject. Here there is people who are
arranged to teach to the community by means of documentation to make
basic things of programming, mainly to those anxious ones that wish
something more. Good, perhaps of them only one portion really will learn
to use it, but in while all that people knew of our system, and like our
system that was arranged to teach to them, or will have known the good
things that our OS offers.

While they are seeing that tutorial to learn a basic thing, for example
simple C programming, or the configuration that they want, they can
listen some music in a reliable and very stable program (that already
exists and it is continued fine-tuning), to surf the Internet with the
security that gives our system (and the navigator is improving), without
worrying about any virus nor nothing seemed, and if the instantaneous
messaging protocols are added to them (that is in very good point of
development now), they are ours. To that we can sum our audio edition,
our rising video edition programs, and the main thing: the possibility
of making their own programs. Some of them will use our OS for their
programming assignments at school, because they will see immediately
that the surroundings of programming in our system, in comparison to
those which they already know, requests less resources than the others.
The day will arrive where that surroundings are available in a program,
so that their programs wold be elaborated more easily. But right now it
does not exist, and perhaps it even does not interest to our objective
group to them, or perhaps it is the possibility of collaborating to make
that "program that makes programs" which finally enchants them in favor
to our operating system. That possibility exists.

When they are working in our operating system, their friends will arrive
and they will show to them what recently they have done. To many, they
will like what they see, although it is something very simple. Others
will even feel a little envy, and they will want to have the new OS.
Perhaps to those others it does not interest to program, but the
characteristics of navigation in Internet or some of those programs that
first showed to them. That one will show off that program to his
well-known ones as well: -"I have this, and it is superior to that you
use", and those third ones will approach Internet or the first buddies
to look for that which gives the possibility them of its own programs,
or surf free of virus, or that they have and I don't. That is the way we
are.

By then, in the tutorials that first ones have, for example in the
documentation that brings our operating system, it will be explained to
them what the software licenses consist of, and the characteristics that
each one grants. If the spirit is mentioned to them then whereupon our
system was constructed, they will realize the important thing that the
code is to share, but it will be left to them the alternatives because
in our system they have the determination in any of the two ways. If
they see that its program is simple and thus they wish it, they will
share it with code, without code, or they will not share it. But they
will continue learning and the point will arrive (because that point
does arrive) in which they are put to think: Where it is arrived to
using the alternatives that closed all the possibility to me of learning
their code? And to where with a opposed alternative that said that if
used a line of its code, it was mandatory to show all my code all world?
Each who will be forming its opinion.

We can help them to decide with the history of how it was that the most
powerful system arrived at its hands... That history that nobody puts in
its official documents, I do not know why, but it is that history the
one that would locate to them in the reality: that people like them,
people who have perhaps happened through the same things like them,
people who are not the richest individuals of the world, people that
still yet with the enormous sacrifice, inclusively personal, thought
about a dream, gave form to it and gave all their free time to it, and
sometimes its productive time for a long time, and that all that thought
is the spirit to have a powerful alternative, free, but non extremist,
the one that will incline the balance. The proof of it is that they put
within the reach of their hands that possibility of knowing, to use, to
learn, to create. That is to preach with the example! Then, my friends,
I suppose that we will obtain what we wished. They will communicate in a
genuine feeling to those second people about the spirit that we spoke,
and they to third ones that they will be then intermediate learners.

This will take time, time that at the same time happens very fast. With
that time more characteristics will be developed to adjust to new groups
of people, and will be our objective group along with we who we will be
able to continue spreading the system. When we are more, those than
develop proprietary software will think about a version for our system,
because with the knowledge of the types of license that our objective
group has, they will listen from a person, a human being, that if they
want it, they can free or close their code. Thus we will reach of the
most difficult groups.

No longer we can do anything, or almost anything, with those who now are
old and in the claws of the operating system of always, but the youth
people which will take the places of system consultants in the companies
will almost arrive with our idea, and then yes, they will speak of our
alternative and they will institute it because they know it. For that we
do not have thirty years left, is much less time... perhaps less time of
the one than we have for the final development of our OSBOS.

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The calling

We must join forces to spread our operating system to this group of
people who right now are studying, leaving the schools, or they are with
the inquietude that we once knew. They it would glad to contribute, if
we say to them how. If we try to arrive immediately at the masses, we
already have lost the battle, because we are very few... but if we go on
those individual ones, they will be in charge to spread it to the rest.
Let us teach to them so they can they teach others to use our system.
Its applications, Their options. Its possibilities. Its philosophy. Its
freedom. We have R5 to begin now, and with it we can encourage people to
learn and tell them what is coming. We can say to them R5 is a way to
start. I know you all know it, but the newbies that every day see a news
from you not. They don't know it yet.

This it is a call to join efforts. We are a few, we would not have to be
divided now. To maintain us united will cause that we receive force. To
focus to us on our strengths instead of our weaknesses will show firstly
the eager ones, and soon the others, of which we are able. To include
all the sites in which we wrote tips, related tutorials, in all the
languages, in a single unique directory or a motor search at which the
inexperienced and intermediate user arrives immediately. This is the way
to spread our OS now. It is not fair neither for them nor for us that
getting the information is difficult. It is the documentation the key
that will do that all of them, mainly our objective group, know the good
things in our system, and the spirit in which it was constructed. With
our tutorials they will feel the operating system as his as we now felt
it. Ours.

Before following with so many lines that begin to seem speech, I would
like to know your opinion. I am still an level of low average
collaboration individual in the system, but What do they think, you that
are in the top of the active participation? My humble opinion is that as
well as it is simple to use, it must be simple the way to find out how
to be able to do something particular within the system. At the moment
it is our lack of programs, drivers, many things which can attract our
objective group, those anxious guys and students, instead of scary them
away. That is our strength. We do not have all the solutions, but we can
say to them how it is possible to be arrived at each one of the
solutions. Being together, we have the master of the knowledge.
Knowledge that we know belongs to mankind, and that it is decision of
the humanity to acquire it. Knowledge gives force, and that I think will
give much force to us.

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