Today a new version of Ubuntu, the popular Linux distribution, was officially released. I've been using Ubuntu in both server and desktop environments at Calgary Arts Development for two years now and I can say from experience that the OS is robust, accessible, and just plain works (plus compiz-fusion is bling and how can you not like release names like 'Gutsy Gibbon').

As ICT Coordinator here I rely not only on Ubuntu, but on a whole host of open source projects. Yesterday I was handed a DV tape with the intention of publishing a video of our Art Spaces Investment Process Information Session. I'll trace the process with the open source software applied to the task:

• Ubuntu: The OS behind it all
• Kino: Digital video capture and editing
• Ffmpeg: Encoding video into a web friendly format
• Flow Player: Used to embed video into site
• Drupal: The CMS that powers this very site
• Web Server Tools: Apache2, PHP, mySQL, and all the other goodies that power the internets and keep the data pipes free of debris.

I hope that you're using FireFox to view this page to make the chain of open source software complete. I would like to give credit where credit is due and extend huge thank-yous to the communities of brilliant people who dedicate their time and effort into these projects. These people have assembled themselves and have created products which have the potential of benefiting everybody.

We are certainly at the beginning of an information age. Open source software not only provides great tools for getting things done but could be pointing toward what cultural changes will take place as our information age matures. Ubuntu the OS shares its name with Ubuntu the African humanist philosophy focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other.

One way we describe our organization is as a 'meta-hub'. We wish to make as many connection as possible in Calgary's arts and culture sector. We are using these open source tools in the hope of further fostering community and we strive to create conditions that will be beneficial to all Calgarians. I believe that there is value not only in what these open source development communities produce but also in looking at how these communities come together and make such startling achievements.

I'll be making an effort to better describe our organization's utilization of digital tools to share with the greater community (and to get any helpful suggestions on how we can better use these tools). Please subscribe to the RSS feed if you're interested: