Planetary Madness

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For some time now planets, the websites that aggregate together blog entries into one rolling list of community blogs, have been all the rage for getting and consuming information. Jono Bacon and Stuart ‘Aq’ Langridge explore if planets are still the best way to find information, how they should be regulated and whether your blog is really your own, or the community’s…

Remember, we are the very start of the conversation! What do you think about planets? Do you read them? Do you get your news and information from there or elsewhere? How do you feel planets should strike the balance between on and off topic content? Do you believe that planets should censor or restrict content? Is it reasonable to post entirely personal content on a planet? Share your views in the shot comments below…

41 comments so far: add your views!

Getting In the Game

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In the continued rampaging growth of Linux, many users and critics alike have claimed that Linux will never be a serious Operating System until it is a top-tier gaming platform, akin to it’s Windows counterpart. Jono Bacon and Stuart ‘Aq’ Langridge the state of play (pun intended), the challenges it faces with technology and sales and what the future may hold.

Of course, we are the very start of the conversation, so what do you good folks think? Do you think that gaming is critical to the success of Linux? Are you games fan and use Linux as a gaming platform? Are you a games developer who can offer more insight into the discussion about the needs of games developers, both in terms of technology and the market? Go and share your thoughts in the shot comments below…

76 comments so far: add your views!

The New Hacker Generation

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Back in the days of yore, those of us of a certain (golden) age started our lives in computers with an ancient beige box which typically came pre-installed with BASIC. The old-school programming orientated environment gave many of us our first taste of programming, logic and an interest in our binary guzzling circuit-laden friends. Jono Bacon and Stuart ‘Aq’ Langridge explore this golden age of computing and how it arguably produced a generation of hackers and whether we should and could try and do the same with modern computers.

Of course, we are just the very start of the conversation, but what do you think? Was the BASIC-era a real inspiration for you to get involved in computers? Do you think that we should try and re-create it? Should we put programming more up-front in the eyes of kids? Or, are we trying to over-complicate computers and confuse kids? Share your thoughts below in the shot comments…

63 comments so far: add your views!

Opening The Filthy Lucre

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It is well known that if you can pay developers to work on software, we all get more software, quicker. Many Open Source projects have had a crack at trying to generate revenue and many have failed. Jono Bacon and Stuart ‘Aq’ Langridge explore the different options available to Open Source projects, determine which ones are viable and what challenges and opportunities some of these options have buried inside them.

Of course, we are the very start of the discussion! What do you think? Have you been involved in raising funds for a project? What were the challenges that you faced? Did it work out well for the project? Do you donate to projects? What methods would you be happy to give money to a project? How do you decide which projects to donate to?

42 comments so far: add your views!

Formatting Your Discussions

Since the start of Shot Of Jaq we have provided support on shotofjaq.org for formatting in your posts. This does not use HTML directly but instead Markdown. Some of you have spotted this and used it, and some have been curious about how to format your posts effectively.

Well, in the interests of ensuring everyone gets a good shots at making their discussions look awesome, I just wanted to let you lovely Shot Of Jaq citizens that I have just updated the Discussion Guide with details on how you can format your content really easily. It is a doddle to do and feels really natural: go and check it out and continue making the Shot Of Jaq experience rock!

You can always find the Discussion Guide by clicking the Discuss tab at the top of the Shot Of Jaq website.

Go and read the Discussion Guide now!

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Shot Of Jaq Publicity Bingo Win! Website Error Message

It seems that our lovable friend @lovebug was not only content with rocking one publicity bingo stunt but also wanted to rock a second too: this time making a custom 404 message that mentions Shot Of Jaq. Great work @lovebug! Go and find out the sorded details of this win here!

Inspired? Do you want to show off your kudos to the Shot Of Jaq community and succeed in achieving one of the Shot Of Jaq Publicity Bingo Stunts? Well, go to the Publicity Bingo Grid, pick something, rock it and let us know!

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Internet As a Human Right

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According to a recent poll by the BBC, four out of five people believe that Internet access should be a fundamental human right. Jono Bacon and Stuart ‘Aq’ Langridge explore the nuances of the issues involved such as what we consider the Internet, how it could potentially work, how different countries have approached the issue and what the potential could be if the Internet was truly enshrined as a core human right.

Remember, we are the very start of the conversation! This is a phenomenal opportunity for a fun and vibrant conversation in the Shot Of Jaq community. What do you think? Should it and could it be a human right? If so, how could it be controlled, how would be restricted and how could it be funded? Share your views in the shot comments below…

44 comments so far: add your views!

Two Shot Of Jaq Publicity Stunt Wins!

We have two victories from the legendary Shot Of Jaq Publicity Bingo effort put into play by b1ackcr0w:

• Pimp Shot of Jaq by getting Shot of Jaq mentioned in Podcasts that have nothing to do with Linux, Open Source or Computing – @thelovebug’s Music podcast The Bug Cast show 99, opens with Dave and Caroline spoofing the SOJ intro. Good work Dave and Caroline!
• Tastefully censor some porn with the Shot Of Jaq logo – @babipanghang decided to take one of b1ackcr0w’s more ludicrous ideas and rocked it: it has indeed been censored, in a similar vain to how a graffiti artist censors someone’s front door.

Inspired? Do you want to show off your kudos to the Shot Of Jaq community and succeed in achieving one of the Shot Of Jaq Publicity Bingo Stunts? Well, go to the Publicity Bingo Grid, pick something, rock it and let us know!

4 comments so far: add your views!

Community vs. Company

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For a long time there have been disagreements of where the line is drawn between communities who produce software and companies who invest in those communities and their software. Based upon a shot suggestion from Félim Whiteley, Jono Bacon and Stuart ‘Aq’ Langridge explore where the line could be drawn, the challenges in attitudes that we face and whether we could ever find inner peace between community and company.

Remember, you are the next step in the conversation and we are absolutely gagging to hear your thoughts! What do you think? Can a fair balance be drawn between community and company? Can companies do the right thing? Do communities give companies too much of a raw deal? Are all companies fundamentally evil? Should there even be a line? Share your thoughts in the show comments below…

51 comments so far: add your views!

Bridging The Bug Gap

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Bugs are part and parcel of software: human beings make software, and human beings make mistakes. Handling this influx of defects, errors and oopses is a complex job in itself, but the real challenge is how we bridge the gap between developers and users. Jono Bacon and Stuart ‘Aq’ Langridge explore the nuances of how we bridge this gap, whether it is possible and what opportunities we face if we get it right.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we are the very start of the conversation, so let’s dial up the heat and make this a rocking conversation by you good folks sharing your thoughts on how we bridge the bug gap. What do you think? What is your experience with bug reporting, how do you think it can be improved? What are your observations on the cultural differences between developers and users? Join the conversation in the shot comments below…

23 comments so far: add your views!