Why doesn't Congress fix the Telecom Act by simply stating that anything that is switched is telecommunications and that the cable provisions of the Act only pertain to pure broadcat. Mixed use cable (broadband, phone, etc.) are to be considered telecommunications carriers and are, especially, subject to the open access provisions for co-location, user selected ISP, etc.
Happened to me a while back. I sent a complaint letter to the Consumer Fraud division of the Minnesota (where I live) Attorney General's office. I cc'd the rebate center, Intuit corparate Customer Support, and corporate Sam's Club Customer Support (I bought the software at Sam's). Within days I had received two rebate checks (I only cashed one). A few weeks later I received a call from the woman at Intuit who had created the rebate program. She apologized profusely about the mixup. She said she had received three faxes about my case from Sam's, and people in Intuit. A few days later I received a third rebate check too.
Perhaps a company like Amazon, in order to enhance its public relations, might agree to "license" their patent to the free software community, at zero cost, provided that any software developed, that includes their patent, is placed under the GPL.
It is important to realize that projects are way bigger than just software. There are jpeg, midi, HTML, txt, etc. files that need a GPL'd component repository too. In fact, any work that can be copyrighted needs to find a friedly home in the Component Repository.
The Component Repository needs to be a home for artists, musicians, mathematicians, architects, philosophers and poets. Let's see, did I leave anyone out? Oh yes, programmers too.
I bought a single board computer from Siliconrax (www.siliconrax.com) with 12MB DiskOnChip (DOC). I am planning on hooking up a 1.44 MB diskette, keyboard and monitor to load Linux onto the DOC. Then I will disconnect the diskette, monitor and keyboard and let it reboot from the DOC. I will have Ethernet cards so I can upgrade the OS from the LAN. Course, if I mess up then I will have to reattach the peripherals.
I also considered using a keyboard/video/mouse switch so I can share those components among multiple CPUs (in my PCI segmented passive backplane) but the KWN switches are spendy. Also, I haven't seen a diskette drive switch so, if I goof, I will have to open the case anyway.
Require the feature in ALL future processors. Require that all computers sold have the feature. Establish import/export barriers to require it on all computers flowing into and out of the U.S.
You have hit upon the quintessential question. You face a daunting task. I have been struggling with the same barriers that stand before you. I have long pondered the nature of the barriers to non-programmer entry into the free software community. I have sought the ways in which those barriers might be lowered. I don't have the answers but I may be able to offer some consolation and some advice.
I find that the free software community is most intractable on certain issues. I sometimes observe a subtle bigotry: 1) the belief that programming is inherently superior to other skills, 2) the belief that free software only needs to be for programmers. I have encountered that bigotry but mostly I encounter many people who are simply crazy busy with their appointed tasks. Be prepared for the "programmer prima donna" experience, but don't feel that you ever need to genuflect to the "elect" or to apologize for yourself. Good programming is a team effort that involves the skills of many people. There are many astute members of the free software community, who understand the need for teams of people, of many talents. At this time, there is a severe cultural bias against non-programmers, but the situation is improving. Ego based programming is slowly giving way to ego-less team based free software efforts.
Your goal should be to find a free software team where you can volunteer your help. Pick a free software product that is of interest to you. You can learn the product and report bugs and offer suggestions to the maintainers. Offer to write some documentation. Offer to create flashy interface components. Use your existing tool set to create compelling, multi-media tutorial and reference content. Use your experiences in discovering free software, as fodder for your work.
I assume by your question that you do not want to learn programming. It would be easier for you if you were willing to do that but you would have to give yourself about six months for such a task. Unless you really want to do this, I would advise against it.
You could try to fit in by using the tools provided on Win95 but I would generally advise against that approach, because your involvement would be too peripheral. You will probably want to install GNU/Linux and begin to play with the free software tools. If you have at least 4GB of hard drive, it is a simple matter to partition your hard drive to contain multiple operating systems. You will have to learn some simple system administration techniques. Various listservs and Usenet news groups will be helpful. Give yourself about three months to complete this task. You will need to pick a distribution. I am using the Debian distribution because I want its copyleft purity. I am considering switching to the Redhat distribution in the hope of getting easier installation.
If you haven't done so, I recommend a visit to the GNU project's site and the OpenSource(tm) site to study the philosophical underpinnings of the free software culture.
To find good tools, I recommend the linart listserv as a nice way to connect with other graphic designers.
You will need to pick a graphical interface. I recommend the Gnome interface and its tool set. In fact, this may be the best place for a graphic designer to offer assistance. The Gnome interface is under active development and may become the foundation of the graphic designer tool set. If I were a graphic designer, that is what I would do.
This post tells you where I have been and where I am going. Good luck in your journey. I encourage you to hang in there, because the free software community is in dire need of your talent.
Assuming you are in the U.S., you can always setup a 501(c)(3) charity corporation and seek donations and/or write grant proposals.
You would need a Board of Directors. States vary of the requirements. Your state's Secretary of State website might have materials you can download. Your State's statute might be on-line and it usually very clear (once you get used to the writing style) about the requirements.
There are on-line organizations that will help non-profits.
There are special IRS requirements for non-profits. You must file all the paperwork associated with having employees.
If you have three committed people, a couple months, and a couple thousand dollars in seed money, to hire a lawyer, you could get rolling.
Non-profits cover costs, pay salaries, etc. so it is quite possible to make a living, assuming you can get donations or grants. Also, as a 501(c)(3) you can receive donations of equipment, software, etc.
There are many complex issues with this approach and I wouldn't recommend it for the faint hearted or for a whimsical idea. However, it does avoid the pesky commercial alternatives.
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Why doesn't Congress fix the Telecom Act by simply stating that anything that is switched is telecommunications and that the cable provisions of the Act only pertain to pure broadcat. Mixed use cable (broadband, phone, etc.) are to be considered telecommunications carriers and are, especially, subject to the open access provisions for co-location, user selected ISP, etc.
Many years ago I predicted that all Bill Gates of Borg really wanted was one penny every time someone presses enter.
The Leviathan cometh, seeking only to assimilate.
Happened to me a while back. I sent a complaint letter to the Consumer Fraud division of the Minnesota (where I live) Attorney General's office. I cc'd the rebate center, Intuit corparate Customer Support, and corporate Sam's Club Customer Support (I bought the software at Sam's). Within days I had received two rebate checks (I only cashed one). A few weeks later I received a call from the woman at Intuit who had created the rebate program. She apologized profusely about the mixup. She said she had received three faxes about my case from Sam's, and people in Intuit. A few days later I received a third rebate check too.
Perhaps the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html/A& gt; would suit your needs for a copyleft license.
Perhaps a company like Amazon, in order to enhance its public relations, might agree to "license" their patent to the free software community, at zero cost, provided that any software developed, that includes their patent, is placed under the GPL.
It is important to realize that projects are way bigger than just software. There are jpeg, midi, HTML, txt, etc. files that need a GPL'd component repository too. In fact, any work that can be copyrighted needs to find a friedly home in the Component Repository.
The Component Repository needs to be a home for artists, musicians, mathematicians, architects, philosophers and poets. Let's see, did I leave anyone out? Oh yes, programmers too.
Has anyone asked IBM to release portions of OS/2 under the GPL, so that it can be combined with Linux?
I bought a single board computer from Siliconrax (www.siliconrax.com) with 12MB DiskOnChip (DOC). I am planning on hooking up a 1.44 MB diskette, keyboard and monitor to load Linux onto the DOC. Then I will disconnect the diskette, monitor and keyboard and let it reboot from the DOC. I will have Ethernet cards so I can upgrade the OS from the LAN. Course, if I mess up then I will have to reattach the peripherals.
I also considered using a keyboard/video/mouse switch so I can share those components among multiple CPUs (in my PCI segmented passive backplane) but the KWN switches are spendy. Also, I haven't seen a diskette drive switch so, if I goof, I will have to open the case anyway.
Require the feature in ALL future processors. Require that all computers sold have the feature. Establish import/export barriers to require it on all computers flowing into and out of the U.S.
You have hit upon the quintessential question. You face a daunting task. I have been struggling with the same barriers that stand before you. I have long pondered the nature of the barriers to non-programmer entry into the free software community. I have sought the ways in which those barriers might be lowered. I don't have the answers but I may be able to offer some consolation and some advice.
I find that the free software community is most intractable on certain issues. I sometimes observe a subtle bigotry: 1) the belief that programming is inherently superior to other skills, 2) the belief that free software only needs to be for programmers. I have encountered that bigotry but mostly I encounter many people who are simply crazy busy with their appointed tasks. Be prepared for the "programmer prima donna" experience, but don't feel that you ever need to genuflect to the "elect" or to apologize for yourself. Good programming is a team effort that involves the skills of many people. There are many astute members of the free software community, who understand the need for teams of people, of many talents. At this time, there is a severe cultural bias against non-programmers, but the situation is improving. Ego based programming is slowly giving way to ego-less team based free software efforts.
Your goal should be to find a free software team where you can volunteer your help. Pick a free software product that is of interest to you. You can learn the product and report bugs and offer suggestions to the maintainers. Offer to write some documentation. Offer to create flashy interface components. Use your existing tool set to create compelling, multi-media tutorial and reference content. Use your experiences in discovering free software, as fodder for your work.
I assume by your question that you do not want to learn programming. It would be easier for you if you were willing to do that but you would have to give yourself about six months for such a task. Unless you really want to do this, I would advise against it.
You could try to fit in by using the tools provided on Win95 but I would generally advise against that approach, because your involvement would be too peripheral. You will probably want to install GNU/Linux and begin to play with the free software tools. If you have at least 4GB of hard drive, it is a simple matter to partition your hard drive to contain multiple operating systems. You will have to learn some simple system administration techniques. Various listservs and Usenet news groups will be helpful. Give yourself about three months to complete this task. You will need to pick a distribution. I am using the Debian distribution because I want its copyleft purity. I am considering switching to the Redhat distribution in the hope of getting easier installation.
If you haven't done so, I recommend a visit to the GNU project's site and the OpenSource(tm) site to study the philosophical underpinnings of the free software culture.
To find good tools, I recommend the linart listserv as a nice way to connect with other graphic designers.
You will need to pick a graphical interface. I recommend the Gnome interface and its tool set. In fact, this may be the best place for a graphic designer to offer assistance. The Gnome interface is under active development and may become the foundation of the graphic designer tool set. If I were a graphic designer, that is what I would do.
This post tells you where I have been and where I am going. Good luck in your journey. I encourage you to hang in there, because the free software community is in dire need of your talent.
Assuming you are in the U.S., you can always setup a 501(c)(3) charity corporation and seek donations and/or write grant proposals.
You would need a Board of Directors. States vary of the requirements. Your state's Secretary of State website might have materials you can download. Your State's statute might be on-line and it usually very clear (once you get used to the writing style) about the requirements.
There are on-line organizations that will help non-profits.
There are special IRS requirements for non-profits. You must file all the paperwork associated with having employees.
If you have three committed people, a couple months, and a couple thousand dollars in seed money, to hire a lawyer, you could get rolling.
Non-profits cover costs, pay salaries, etc. so it is quite possible to make a living, assuming you can get donations or grants. Also, as a 501(c)(3) you can receive donations of equipment, software, etc.
There are many complex issues with this approach and I wouldn't recommend it for the faint hearted or for a whimsical idea. However, it does avoid the pesky commercial alternatives.