avoin koodi (open code) is a tabloid-format publication on FLOSS and open source culture. The 16-page extra was distributed with the July/August 2010 issue of Voima newspaper.
The purpose of the newspaper is to introduce FLOSS to the non-specialist audience and encourage new users to take up FLOSS tools. Finland is the home country of Linux, but the culture of open source remains very thin. Most activity is in business, while the use of open source in contexts of government, education, community and cultural production is very tentative. Our conviction is that this decade will bring FLOSS to the mainstream and see a rich culture of open source also in Finland.
Open code explains the work of FLOSS developers and presents Finnish organisations and social and cultural FLOSS/open source initiatives. It recalls the history of FLOSS and analyzes the current international landscape of open source policies, format wars and Microsoft counter-actions. The centerfold presents Desktop 2010: 12 key FLOSS tools and applications for work and creation, communication and entertainment.
Open code was edited by Minna Tarkka and Tomi Toivio, with Tytti Viljanen as graphic designer. The publication was produced with 100% FLOSS software: Scribus for layout (fonts Linux Libertine, Linux Biolinum and Liberation), GIMP for image and Open office for text editing.
The publication was made possible by a grant from FUUG (Finnish Unix Users Group) foundation, which supports projects to spread the use open standards.
The newspaper language is Finnish. A translation from the introduction in English:
FLOSS and open source have been around for almost 20 years, but remain relatively unknown for the general public. The collaborative production model and values of FLOSS have spread on the internet and given rise to new forms that range from social media applications to micro financing initiatives. Open content, open data and open innovation are some of the newer concepts related to open code.
A closer look at the phenomenon shows its many interpretations, conflicts and connections in global economy. Freedom of speech and democracy, free markets and cost savings, learning and collaboration – these are just some of the things open source culture is made of. Decide for yourself: this publication introduces backgrounds and makers of FLOSS, its culture and politics – not to mention the applications and the useful things you can do with them.