Re: [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 _______________________________________________ music mailing list music(a)lists.fedoraproject.org https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/music