Attack of the Pod Penguins: Not Why, Why Not?

Page 2 of 5

So, we embark from this point on a thorough examination of multimedia tools in Linux. A series of articles lie ahead, ranging from the practical to the frivolous to the pragmatic. We'll dive into both hardware and software. We'll overlay the demands of multimedia on the broad rainbow of Linux distributions. For the engineers, I'll detail the processes in both hardware and software that make the music sing. For the users, we'll focus on application of the tools, from commands and frontends to shortcuts and customization. And, unlike those who wonder why, you'll be one who wonders, like me, why not.

Of course, we have to start with what's grabbed our attention these days. We'd hardly be a publication of any rank if we didn't delve first into the buzz, the flash that's lit our collective fuses; if we didn't discover how to stir some of that buzz ourselves. As the collective of open source publications so often does, and is right to do, we have an obligation to talk about what's hot. More importantly, our higher-level obligation is to convey how you can use open source tools to achieve the same ends as the big boys. At its core, that's more than some grudgingly-accepted publisher's mandate. We share your dream: to do for ourselves what others pay to have done for them.

Few trends in the technology world over the past few years offer more opportunity for DIY satisfaction than podcasting. Some estimate that in the two short years since the first widely available podcast, more than 30,000 have sprung from basements and kitchens, commercial studios and mainstream media outlets. Some proclaim the death of terrestrial radio. Others see their growth, especially in the commercial realm, as a complementary service, demanded by the listeners and fed by the advertising dollar. And some, looking beyond the hyperbole that always accompanies such new technologies, see it as both evidence and validation of the new criticality of citizen media. Take those assessments as you will. They're really not the point of the articles to follow.

The point is this. If you have something to say—anything, really—it should be said. Open source multimedia tools exist to help you create that message and to move it to the appropriate, self-selected audience. You don't need to investigate the latest podcasting trialware then pay the price for software that may only achieve half your ends. The hallmark of Free and Open Source Software has always been the ability to utilize a collection of small tools, well made, to achieve a known goal. In podcasting, you can, in fact, have it all. With minimal expense, you can create the message. Utilizing a full kit of open source tools, you can save, edit, tweak, refine, and perfect that message, in context, sound and delivery. If a DIY sound is your preference, it's yours. If you lean toward a more polished production, that's achievable with open source tools, as well. Whether your topic of choice is music, politics, technology, or any other you can imagine, open source tools can make it happen.