

Ask HN: Some questions for the linux community/the defenders of the open source - endif

	Hi everyone,<p>I am in an Engineering school and I am asked to make a presentation on the linux community and the defenders of the open source. One of my friends advised me to ask the HN community so here I am to ask you some questions:<p>- Why have you chosen linux and what do make it so particular for you &#x2F; its attractiveness?<p>- How can you define a linux user? Does he&#x2F;she have typical profil? Maybe the most convinced ones?<p>- Does your passion have a positive&#x2F;negative impact on your relationships? You can develop if you want.<p>- How do you define a hacker? In which category do you think you are? white hat, grey hat, black hat or blue hat?<p>- Have you contribute to the open source world? If you have, what is your contribution? What are your motivations?<p>- Is there activities&#x2F; gathering that you are used to do with other people of the linux community, around open source project or only for fun?<p>What can you advise to a beginner or someone who is curious and want to learn more about open source softwares? Someone who doesn&#x27;t know what he has to begin with for example?<p>If you want to say more or if you think I am not asking the goods questions do not hesitate to tell me and to add something.<p>Thanks to all!! Please forgive me for my English, I am struggling with it &gt;&lt;&#x27;
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J_Darnley
1 - I don't use linux as my OS (operating system) (I never found a distro and
software I liked), just all the tools that come from it. I am attracted to
open source because it is free, as in beer, and free as in speech which lets
me modify if I want to (and had the skills).

2 - A "Linux User" is someone who uses linux as their OS on their desktop or
laptop or maybe server. I don't think Android on a phone counts.

3 - What kind of relationships? Not that I have any of any kind.

4 - If I am speaking to a hacker I will use the original definition of a
hacker: someone who tinkers with a system. If I am speaking someone else I
will use the more popular definition of a hacker: someone who gains access to
a computer system without permission. I don't think the "hat" label can be
applied to someone like me who does not do remote access testing.

5 - Yes. My largest contribution(s) is(are) probably already on your computer
in FFmpeg's libraries. I wrote code for writing Vorbis Comment blocks, some
assembly for its yadif deinterlacer, and some assembly for flac encoding. I
did them because: I wanted metadata writing in my flac files; I was interested
in learning some assembly and SIMD; and because I wanted faster flac encoding.

6 - "Is there activities/ gathering that you are used to do with other people
of the linux community, around open source project or only for fun?" I don't
understand that question.

7 - I suggest that you start by trying to contribute to something you use. If
you use it already you probably already know how to use it, what features it
might be missing, or what bugs might be present. Okay, many projects may not
have low-hanging fruit for you to pick. This suggestion also requires that you
can already program at some level. Many projects would also welcome
contributions to their docs. If you want more advice on starting I suggest you
post a comment that gives more info about your skills, interests and maybe
what you want to learn.

P.S. Your English is already decent, it just reads like you need more
practice.

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veddox
1\. Linux gives you pretty much complete control over your operating system -
freedom I never even knew existed when still using Windows. Also, it's a
brilliant platform for developers, due to an abundance of high-quality, free
programming tools.

2\. Like J_Darnley said, Android doesn't count. Otherwise, anybody running a
Linux distro on a PC or server. A majority of Linux users could probably
described as "computer geeks", although some distros are getting user-friendly
enough to be accessible to non-techies.

3\. Well, I naturally gravitate towards other computer enthusiasts, but I have
not observed any negative impact on existing relationships.

4\. Talking about "<colour>-hat hackers" already implies that you are talking
about security-breaking hackers (aka crackers). I suspect most people on HN
would self-describe as "hackers", but they would mean hacker in the original
sense - somebody who loves to play around with the internal workings of a
computer.

5\. My programming skills are just reaching a level when I can start
contributing some code to projects. Apart from that I'm active on the Ubuntu
support forum. Why do I do it? 1) I really enjoy the community spirit within
the open source culture, and 2) I feel an obligation to give something back to
the community.

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theSage
1\. Linux lets me do what I please without worrying about legal issues. Also
if I make critical mistakes I can just reinstall for free. There is a lot of
help available online and I can learn from free sources.

2\. A ideal linux user is someone who can solve their own problems. That is
the core of linux in my opinion and most of the people I have seen strive
towards that goal.

3\. Most of my relationships are better off. Since I can get work done quicker
than earlier I have more time.

4\. The "hacker" field i sunknown waters to me but I think most people would
agree hacking is synonymous with problem solving.

5\. I have contributed nut only in small chunks. Being from a non computers
background it takes me time to understand things and so I contribute small.
The essential part is the contribution I feel.

6\. I try to attend as many PyCons as I can since I only know python. Most of
them are fun though I sometimes go because there is a talk on some library I
will be using.

7\. Interact with people. HN is a wonderful place to be on. Most of my love
from linux comes from the people I interact with. IRC is wonderful and
contribute as much as you can. The more you contribute the more you learn.

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endif
Why don't my questions appear in the ask section?

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J_Darnley
They do (now). It isn't in chronological order.

