FOSSA 101, Session 5

We will think about each of the following FOSSA problems and experiments in a similar way. After talking about what a given problem can mean to different people, we'll try to work out a FOSSA experiment that makes things better.

The second problem on our list looks complex at first. If someone's tablet, phone or computer can't work with your Learning Thing, then... how could this possibly be a problem you can solve? And how could there be one experiment to try here - if there are so many machines out there, in learners' hands and homes?

It also often looks like a very technical problem. Let's say your Learning Thing was built to work on all latest computers running System A and System B. If someone comes along now, saying, "I can't run this" - and if they tell you they use System C - then the problem appears to be in the system, right?

In fact, there could be many more reasons why people's machines can't run your Learning Thing. Sometimes, even learners who should have no problems - latest laptops, all the system updates, and so on - can report that they are unable to use something you built for them.

Here's a short list of examples. I think some of them will look familiar to most people.

Alun bought your Learning Thing to prepare for an exam, which is in 48 hours. He didn't know that it comes with an executable file he must install on his laptop. He would need an admin password from IT for that, and as it's Friday afternoon, the helpdesk has clocked off. He's panicking and furious and wants his money back.

Beatriz has used Linux for 20 years. She's helped build software for it. And for the past five years, she's made all the computers in her business run Linux. As she's looking through your catalogue, she notices that half of your Learning Things are written for Windows users. "Do you have a Linux-friendly version?", she asks. "Or at least something that doesn't care which machines we use?" You don't. You lose the sale.

Chika leads training sessions for a group of teachers in his region. Chika is lucky enough to have a new, powerful laptop. But three years ago, Chika was still one of the many local teachers who rely on older machines. Every year, as they pick the Learning Things to use in their sessions, Chika switches from the new machine to one of their colleagues' old, battered laptops. "If it doesn't work on that", Chika says, "it won't work in our classrooms at all."

Daiya is from a government agency. She can't tell you what she does for a living - it's classified. She can't tell you much about her location, or her learners, or... not much at all. This is what Daiya knows: your Learning Thing won't work for her if it tries to check her location, or run JavaScript, or make any API calls, or as much as scan a port. "Fully offline, fully anonymised," Daiya says. To prove her point, she shows you exactly which of your Learning Things' files fail her tests right now. "The content is perfect, but the delivery won't work." Oh, and her "legal liaison" joins all the calls. Gulp.

Emil leads your project team. The team spent the past 6 months re-working all your Learning Things, so they work independently of Software A. Emil's team had to do this, after the company that owns Software A decided it was going to use all clients' data to train "AI" models. Your customers were not OK with that, so you had to pivot. Now all your Learning Things no longer rely on Software A. One day, Emil runs into your office with a news article on his laptop. "Guess what Software B just did," he groans.

We don't always talk about these kinds of problems when building Learning Things. I think that's because we've tried really hard to make schools and learning work just like businesses and jobs. And that means we've tried to make all our machines as similar as possible - and our apps, websites and Learning Things, too. Think about it: when was the last time you saw a website that was different from everything else out there?

I have a problem with that kind of thinking. It's OK for you if you want to run a business that way, I guess. But learning doesn't work like that.

Many Learning Things I'm working on look like they were built for a perfect world - where we all have one of 2 kinds of learning machines, and every year, we buy a more powerful model, without thinking.

Look around you. Even if you lived in a world like that once - do you still think that's the case?

And if not - what could you do for the learners who need something else?

Experiment 2: O stands for "Open"

There is no magical way to solve all the problems we just talked about. But there is a way to start searching for a good solution that works for you and your Learning Things. This is how I describe the second FOSSA experiment:

Open: You will provide a fully functional version of your Learning Thing which uses only open file formats.

An open file format does what the name suggests. Our computers and other machines work with all kinds of files. Files come in all kinds of formats. My machine can run files which yours can't, and vice versa. That's because the company that sells my machine owns the file format, and wants to keep making money from it.

No company owns open file formats. They are managed and shared by standards organisations. And the file formats are free for anyone to use.

If you think that's probably no good at all, think again. A huge chunk of everything you do online, and every website you visit - runs on open file formats.

Look up "list of open file formats" on Wikipedia, and if you've ever built a Learning Thing, I bet you'll recognise a few of these. There are plenty of useful formats for you to rely on.

This means you can build a fully functional version of your Learning Thing with them. A website. An ebook. an animation, or a video. Or an audio file.

Your Learning Thing could be used in almost any internet browser. Or with almost any office software. On new and old computers. On more than just one app.

This won't work for every single learner - but it works for a lot more of them.

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A quick note on combining Experiments

By now, you may be thinking, "Hold on, can I make the Free FOSSA Learning Thing the same as the Open FOSSA Learning Thing?"

That's the beauty of the FOSSA way - yes, you can, and I think in many cases, you should. But you don't have to.

The FOSSA Learning isn't a pact you sign in blood! If you want to try these experiments, you're free to follow your own ideas and work with what's around you.

There are five FOSSA experiments, and I tried to build them so that they make each other stronger, while also working well on their own.

So you can already see how the thinking you'll do on the Free Learning Thing can come in handy when building an Open Learning Thing. Your free download can use only open file formats - so that more users' machines can work with it. Meanwhile, you're more confident in charging money for the non-Free, non-Open Things, with all their bells and whistles. If something breaks - like in the stories below - you'll always have a backup version to direct your learners to.

But you don't HAVE TO go full FOSSA all at once. Join forces if it works for you, or take it one experiment at a time if that's what you prefer.

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Making "Open" work - ten FOSSA ideas

1. A good place to start here is a quick check: which of these formats is your Learning Thing already using? That's free progress - just like figuring out that a word in your language is the same as in a language you're learning!
   
2. As before - remember the "fully functional" part, and start from there. There are very, very few Learning Things which absolutely need a non-Open file to deliver their message. Map your "fully functional" thing using the open files.
3. The things you're used to, which you're now having to cut from the "Open" FOSSA version - don't give up on them. These are the features you can still market and charge for. Just make sure they are not essential to the "fully-functional" part.
4. You will find that you're giving up on some of the "fancy stuff" which used to come with the non-Open formats. Well, guess what. You still have the text, images, maybe animations, audio, or video. This is your chance to work on making these as powerful, convincing, helpful and beautiful as possible. And after you're done and decide to add the non-Open fireworks back in for another version - then you've really got a strong, Premium Learning Thing.
5. Try working on an older machine as you're preparing this one. We're always used to the latest, sleekest versions - but does your Open idea still work well on something that isn't the latest model?
6. CSS is an open file format. It's so, so tempting to make the most of this - after all, it's a proven way to jazz up a website... All I want to say is - test what you did, on every device you can lay your hands on. And here's a sneak preview of the fifth FOSSA experiment: "A" stands for "Accessible". Don't get drunk on the CSS power.
7. A variant of point 1 above: check how many of the open file formats your production software can already export to - and check that the exports *actually work*! You're free to use non-Open software, the experiment only focuses on what the learner uses.
8. It is almost impossible to be "trendy" when working on this FOSSA experiment. The latest software, the newest approach - that's always stuff you have to pay for, and something that separates the "haves and have-nots". But it's still possible to be relevant and tasteful, and maybe even beautiful. Train, cherish and respect your writers and illustrators.
9. Preparing elements for your Learning Thing can be done in batches, or automated. Let's say you export a chapter of the Thing - you can tell your software to export the same chapter, in all open file formats, to folder A, and then the non-Open version to folder B.
10. Version control matters here, and switching between open and non-open formats is a nightmare. If you commit to the Open experiment, then my advice is: see if it's possible to have everyone work only with open file formats until it's time to lock them down, and convert the final versions to non-Open formats if you wish. That way, the "Open" FOSSA experiment happens on the way to your business-as-usual.

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