Takers, Givers and Matchers in Open Source

I found the talk not only interesting, but also it made me think about the Open Source world, trying to apply the same concepts and thinking. I rapidly realised that the Open Source world also has its own set of Takers, Givers and Matchers.

Python should be the first language you learn!

For the better part of the past 15 years, I’ve been a PHP developer. Really, I’ve developed everything in PHP, ranging from server side services, web services, backends – you name, I’ve probably done it with PHP. Don’t get me wrong, I love PHP and it will always remain my language of choice for doing things really fast.

Source code and individuality

Developers! We are the modern day artists, the masters of the keyboard and the sculptors or algorithms and ideas. We turn obscure thought and imagination into real life creations, capable of doing things previously not done (well, at least not in the same form). As such, we are individuals and unique – each one of us in our own way. Whether we develop a mobile app or a web application, our unique style, way of thought, organization and coding style will be reflected into our creation – we can’t help it, this is who we are.

Can you say – antitrust?

Version control! one of the most controversial subjects in the software industry. Whether you’re a Subversion fanatic, a Git hard core or a mercurial elitist – everybody has something to say about version control. While in the past we had put our trust in local CVS and SVN repositories, today, most of use utilize cloud based services such as Github, BitBucket or Gitlab.

Mobile VoIP OTT is Dead! – Long Live Mobile VoIP OTT!

What do the following have in common: Skype, Viber, Whatsapp, Line2, Tango and Kakao? Yes, there are all OTT apps for your mobile phone that enable you to communicate with your peers. Skype, Viber, Line2, Tango and Kakao actually enable you to call one another. Each one dominates a section of the world, where Kakao and Line2 are dominant in the far east, Viber dominates Japan and Eastern Europe and Skype kind’a says: “Look at me bit**es, I’m all of you combined”.

Building your Asterisk based Business – Part I

Since the inception of GreenfieldTech, back in 2007, we’ve assisted over 40 different VoIP companies to bootstrap their activities and launch their products. During that period, some of these companies had become a great success and some had disappeared from the face of the planet. This series of posts will bring the story of some of them – and we’ll try to analyze what made each company into a success or a failure.

Hardware Review: Allo.Com GSM Card

Honestly, this is something I should have already done a long time ago. About 4 months ago, Allo.Com approached us (GreenfieldTech) to write a review about some of their products. After they agreed to the terms – mainly that they we’ll publish our findings, good or bad – we had to move offices, so everything kind’a went into limbo. Last week, finally, we got around to start reviewing the hardware. We currently started with 2 products, the Allo.COM GSM card (http://www.allo.com/gsm-card.html) and the Allo.Com MegaPBX (http://www.allo.com/megapbx-line.html).

Technology? Religion? or just pure Ego?

Open Source – What really drives it? is the desire to change and create something new? is it a firm belief in the idea that knowledge wants to be free and that software should roam the world? or when you boil down – is it just plain Ego?

Good bye Symbian, Hello Android

Well, it’s a fact, since the year 1998, I’ve been an avid Nokia fan. I think I’ve ranged from the old Nokia 51XX, through the 6XXX up to the E61, E62 and E90 …

Open Source, Philanthropy and Asterisk

When I started using Open Source software, it seemed like all Open Source projects are driven by philanthropic agendas. We were all focused on “sticking it to the man” – showing all these would be software vendors that community driven projects can do just as well – if not better.