Hello Everyone,

I focused on the incentives behind contributors wanting to contribute to open source software for free.

I chose Apache and Linux, two open source software development communities, as examples. I showed that the benefits that programmers receive from contributing to open source software outweigh the potential costs. I demonstrated the strengths of Apache and Linux, and outlined the potential threats that they face.

I discovered that there were numerous incentives for programmers to contribute to open source software for free. The majority of programmers are contributing, not for the benefit of others, but for their own person gain. The private benefits received from contributing to open source software are varied and ranked differently in importance, according to the individual. Three key motivations behind programmers contributing to open source software include: The direct benefit from the software code that they develop, because they intend to use it themselves, the enjoyment of programming and the enhanced reputation that they can gain from their peers from making high-quality contributions. Regardless of the incentive, it is evident that open source software programmes such as Apache and Linux are here to stay.

Olivia Martin-Homework Assignment Topic 7

Hello Everyone,

I have just read an article this morning that Facebook are removing the privacy option, that once protected users from being searchable. Now all users are searchable for any other user. The old privacy setting was called “Who can look up your Timeline by name”, but Facebook claim that only a small number of users actually selected the option not to appear in Facebook search results. In addition, Facebook claim that this privacy option often caused confusion when users were searching for a friend, who they knew personally, yet their friend did not show up in their search results.  Furthermore, users who clicked this option were still searchable via the  News Feed and through Graph Search.

This new privacy change by Facebook has been met with some Negative reactions. As one critic wrote, Facebook has billions of users. Facebook said only a small percentage of their users had opted for the privacy setting anyway, however, this small percentage could in fact be millions of users. Facebook failed to disclose what percentage of users used this privacy option.

It would be interesting to know everyone’s thoughts on the privacy setting change. Do you think this will cause users to worry about their privacy more, and who can see what they post? Will this lead to users not wanting to share as much information about themselves as they did previously? Facebook’s business strategy is fuelled by people sharing their personal information, do you think changes such as these could in the long run, damage their business strategy?

However it is worth nothing, that Facebook are now going to notify users who are making a public post, that users who they do not know, might be able to see their activity. Could actions such as these counteract the above criticisms?

Hello everyone,

There have been numerous articles written about how it is expected that our heartbeats might eventually replace passwords on numerous devices, such as smartphones and tablets and how our heartbeats might even be used to unlock cars. A device that can do this, is currently being developed by a Canadian company, called Bionym.

This new invention, could prove to be a great success, as passwords can easily be lost or forgotten. In addition, when written down, passwords can lead to theft. Identity theft is a million-dollar enterprise, and I was surprised to discover that “Password” is still the most common and popular password that people use! However our own heartbeats are a type of identification that cannot be forgotten or lost. Furthermore, a person’s heartbeat cannot be replicated, as a person’s heartbeat depends on the position of their heart in their chest, in addition to the size and the shape of their heart. A person’s heartbeat is said to be 99% accurate.

The Nymi Wristband (pictured below), is the product Bionym are currently working on. The wristband is designed to monitor the pattern of the wearers heartbeat, and through this can wirelessly unlock smartphones, tablets, cars and and gaming consoles.  In addition, the wristband may eventually be used as a replacement of the credit card PIN number, when shopping.

So what do you all think? Do you believe that a person’s heartbeat is a solution to the problems associated with the unreliability of passwords?  Will the Nymi wristband stop all future stealing and hacking of people’s passwords? Or will traditional passwords remain, as there is always the ability to change a password whenever required?

I have just read an article about how Disney has discovered a way for people to “feel” the texture of certain objects/ images on a flat touchscreen.The technique involves sending small vibrations through the display that allows people to “feel” edges, bumps and ridges of an object. Disney believe the vibration-generating algorithm is easy to add to existing touch screens.

I personally think that this is an exciting breakthrough, which could lead to numerous opportunities for Disney and their products. This is because it is well-known that children enjoy and learn through touching objects and physical movement. I believe that children would love to be able to “feel” what certain objects feel like, rather than just seeing them on a screen.

It would be interesting to know other student’s thoughts? Do you think that this is a significant breakthrough for Disney, and could be a beneficial discovery for their numerous products? Do you believe that children would enjoy the sensation of being able to touch and “feel” the texture of what they see on screen?