This website focuses on topics around Open Source, Open Data and consequently Open Knowledge. „Open“ in this sense means available, accessible, usable, free as in freedom. I’m a great believer in the „on the shoulders of giants“ concept meaning that no progress is possible without the works of those who came before us and there will be others who will build upon our works. But without sharing knowledge in a way that can be used and is legal to be used our successors and even peers will have to re-do things, maybe „re-inventing the wheel“ and so progress slows down and knowledge cannot spread freely. I believe that it is in the learning and education of humanity that this world might become a better place.
One of the great success stories of the Open/Libre principle is that of software. One cannot overestimate the impact that the work of Richard Stallman, Linus Torvalds and their collaborators had on the world of software. Without GNU/Linux and all the Free/Libre Software libraries no single software product or device could be produced/developed and kept operational these days. Something similar can be said about the impact Creative Commons and their licenses had on written works, works of art, music and so on and on Open Data. Sharing knowledge without e.g. Wikipedia (yes, there is an article about Wikipedia on Wikipedia) is just not imaginable today.
I received university training in Media & Computer Science, in Atmospheric Physics (without degree) and in Cognitive Science focusing on Philosophy of Mind and Human-Computer Interaction. This diversity can also be found in the topics on this site. Whether it might be on history, nature, software or other topics – it revolves around the Open/Libre principle. While I try to follow licenses of other content as good as possible I also expect this of others that use my content I give to the world to use. It might be free but there are still conditions to it. It might be attribution or to share modifications in the same way and thus ensuring that Open/Libre stays Open/Libre and individuals or corporations cannot just take the hard work of others without crediting them or to make money with it (such people or corporations might exist I have heard).
In 2004 I began with editing on Wikipedia and came into contact with Creative Commons. I wanted to learn how to use Inkscape and focused on coats of arms and maps. In 2011 I started contributing to OpenStreetMap, the open world map, and worked on it ever since. My studies in Cognitive Science which I completed in 2013 sealed my interest in science and research. Also in 2013 I got a GitHub account and started contributing to Free Software. From 2016 I served as one of the maintainers of openstreetmap-carto which powers the standard map style for OpenStreetMap until I stepped down in 2018. Recently I got into history and made a revival in editing on Wikipedia. I still contribute to Free Software e.g. by translating ArchivesSpace into German and contributing smaller improvements to it.