Free Software is based on the premise that some percentage of consumers can contribute back and share their changes.
Contributing requires skilled consumers.
Given a long enough time, and a trend towards increased computer literacy, I see a stronger Free Software community as an inevitability.
In the mean time, we need to focus on increasing the conversion rate.
@bastianilso This is "startup optimization 101". Increase the conversion rate of the "funnel", then add more people to the funnel.
@hergertme I think your thinking is right on!
@hergertme @federicomena : Or maybe we should simply focus on increasing computer literacy. Because the more you understand about computer, the more you are convinced that free software are the only way to deal with a technological future.
@hergertme agreed if computer literacy means learning to code. I read somewhere that in some countries programming has become a school subject. I think it is great. As a side benefit, people would be less dependent on those platforms that choose/close everything for you and make you think it means good UX.
@fredmbarros I'm less concerned about "syntactical code" and more interested in seeing people understand automation.
@hergertme ok, but what exactly do you have in mind?
@fredmbarros @hergertme Reminds me of Sam Aaron (of #SonicPi fame) asking about literacy in a scriptocentric context. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TK1mBqKvIyU
@hergertme I think that as long as they are verse enough to provide a good bug report is a well deserved consumer.
@hergertme the hard part is getting people who use the magic box to understand that it's not a magic box.
@hergertme I wish you were right...
Contributing requires skill, time, and the ability to decide of your own work. And you can't combine all that without having regular income... Free Software could be so much stronger if we had a chance to work on it without having to ask for money or work for an employeer which could fire you just because you're not profitable anymore.
I think it's more a matter of economics and politics, than time and trends.
@hergertme I think that the 'savvy' portion of users has become more capable, but that the 'savvy' segment is likely remaining the same absolute size over all. Most of us who love this stuff are already in it.
I think a bigger part of the advances we can see over the next five years will be more from platform-agnostic projects and the fact that more people will be using other devices as well as a PC.
