How FOSS am I?
The value of free and open-source software (FOSS) became clear to me throughout my PhD in energy systems analysis. In this field, mathematical models are used to inform decision-makers in the energy system (regulators, infrastructure monopolies and energy companies). Hence, modellers should be conscious about the 'power' they wield in shaping reality: value judgements take place in developing model structure and assumptions, but the results of such a model is often interpreted as 'factual'. Yes, you can only get a certain amount of GW through a copper wire of a certain diameter, but what will the investment cost of offshore wind turbines be in 2050...?This could turn into a longer discussion about theory of science - does objectivity really exist, or are we ever just bound to analyse and discuss our various interpretations of the world? I lean towards the latter, at least for sciences that get more complex than predictable physical processes. I do not see this as a 'pessimistic' view on these fields of sciences - the discussion is where the science lies - it just means that it should be democratic!
...this is where my open-source revelation comes in: If you agree with my theory of science, the act of analysing energy systems with mathematical models become an act of comparing and discussing world-views. That makes a proprietary energy system model like PLEXOS scientifically weaker than an open-source model, because an energy system modeller would be able to decipher the 'worldview' of an open-source model. This would not be possible, to a similar extent, of a black-boxed model.
Someone once described these mathematical models as 'vessels to provide blueprints of future energy systems to be discussed', or something like that. Obviously, that discussion cannot take place if it is not possible to figure out what the model is, or what data was input to it. Hence, open-source is an important goal of model-based decision-support!
With this appetiser, lets have a look at my own FOSSness. I'll list my current status, the next frontiers, and the proprietary softwares that I might cling to for a while to come, at least for the softwares that are most important to me.
NOTE: While I think it's a fun hobby to try and use as much open-source software as possible, I do not look down on people that don't try to do the same. My interests and programming experience perhaps makes it slightly more fun and easy, which is a privilege. But the climate protests of the 2019s and consecutive climate policies made me believe that a critical mass of people doing a little bit can result in cultural or political change at large - in this case towards a fully open-source digital life for all!
Current Use of FOSS
The Next Frontiers
I recently learned about Forgejo, and have started to move my personal programming stuff to a self-hosted instance of Forgejo, or simply a bare git repo on my server that I can push to. My server is accessible through a twingate tunnel, which is mildly more inconvenient compared to 'just' pushing, but I think it's worth it!
This should be straightforward to change. I just mostly read feeds on my phone, so I haven't quite figured out how to do this conveniently.
I host my website on Heroku, and in this case I think it is purely a matter of time until I try out the Cloudflare tunnel solution that brennan.day recently taught me with this amazing blog post that I wish I'd read a loooong time ago!
I guess it should be relatively easy to switch to some open source solution! I just need to find time to actually sit down and move all the GBs, heheh....
I recently switched from Gmail to proton mail, which is an improvement in privacy terms. But proton is still not open-source. Because of the recent switch, this might be farther away for me - but other than that I'm open to figuring out how I could self-host an email address or use an open-source alternative. This is simply a lack of knowledge - enlighten me!
I JUST now tried to jailbreak my old Nokia 6.1 to test LineageOS out. Unfortunately, they locked this device down pretty hard...! But I do have the feeling that transitioning to an open-source phone OS could be close.
Proprietary Softwares I Cling To
Let's start with the ones where I actually have a sort of 'reasonable' argument for not going open-source:We talk a lot about open-source at work, but the fact is that migrating from GitHub would be way down on the priority list of all the things we have on our todo-list. Maybe we could ask our work place to self-host a Forgejo instance?
Whenever I mention that I switched to Linux, LibreOffice and the like to my colleagues, a very scared expression comes across their face. I can tell that they fear that I will start some anti-Microsoft rebellion that will force them to waste a lot of time getting into a new software, taking away either valuable free time or work hours.
YouTube, Instagram and meta's messenger is simply where most public figures and my friends hang out, and while I'd wish they would all join me on the fediverse, I don't see that happening any time soon. The group chats, the sending of memes back and forth and simply 'being in the loop' is too important for me, unfortunately.
And now for the softwares, where my argument is just 'I am used to it' / 'I like them' / 'I can't be bothered':
Planyway was the only software that I was able to integrate my Outlook calendar at work with, enabling me to have one unified, digital calendar. Also, I really like the UIs of planyway and Trello... but enlighten me please!
I really like this app and all its plugins, and I can't be bothered to re-do all the configurations that I've spent many, many, many hours on perfecting, making Obsidian work with me, instead of against me, almost to the point where I would call Obsidian my most important digital assistant. This person made a similar blog post, making more articulate arguments for keeping Obsidian.
I also really love Ableton and its workflow. I did try Bitwig Studio recently, but felt the same dread that I see in my colleagues when I talk about Linux and LibreOffice. This leads me to my secondary OS...
I do keep a Windows dual boot on my desktop, as I couldn't get my music production software, Ableton, (see third category below..!) to work perfectly on Arch. But I think Ableton (or more specifically: Max for Live, as this guide made it possible for me to use most parts of Ableton on Arch..! Shout out to BEEFY-JOE!!!) is currently the only thing keeping this partition alive! I also have a Windows partition on my work PC, in case I have to be the one presenting something on a screen for a longer time - this is the only thing that seems unstable at work: Arch linux + USB camera + sound output and input for meetings, perhaps because I'm forced to use Microsoft Teams through a browser..?
I've had a look at funkwhale as a Spotify replacement, but the vastness of the Spotify library seems unrivalled, but maybe there's a development I don't know about somewhere? As a workaround for this addiction, I started actively collecting (buying..!) vinyls, CDs, as well as .mp3's for my server, as the most important thing here in my opinion is making sure that musicians can make a living. The 'library' issue is probably the same regarding TV/movie streaming services, but here I have less of an excuse: I don't actively buy TV shows or movies, other than going to the cinema once in a while! When it comes to open-source source gaming, I'm completely oblivious - does it also make sense to discuss open-source here? I use Steam, anyway...