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20 years taking Open Source Software seriously.


In 1998, with little financial resources and difficulty in keeping the company focused on the technologic innovation sector, I got a business opportunity to develop a work in which it would be more than enough to bring the company’s financial status up to date. However, the hiring company requested some type of certification on the proper software. The cost of such certification was greater than the company’s debit plus the total amount paid for the requested job. At that time, a friend of mine lent me a free operational system based on Unix. Its name was GNU/Linux!

At that moment I was facing, for the first time, with an opportunity where ALL agents (individuals or corporations) were seen and treated equally in some aspects. In other words, the effort and expertise of each other were what would make the crucial difference. Therefore, I understood my success in that technology was directly related to my efforts.

It was in that scenario that I got involved in the world of open source. The first contact was frustrated as I could not even process a ls. On a second installation, I burnt a monitor as I processed the horizontal and vertical frequencies incorrectly. So i abandoned the  Linux system for 4 or 5 month.

When there was a work opportunity to link branches from different cities with VPN through radio, I was faced again with high costs related to licenses that could remain in my company if I had invested with Linux. It was then that I jumped, without thinking twice, towards my first journey of learning the Linux Cognitive with the Kenel 2.x. Such learning required the compilation of the IPSEC module to utilize open VPN with IP Forward and specific modules for the radio Orinoco PCMCIA boards.

It seemed impossible, for someone who could not even install the system and execute a ls (DIR command from MSDOS). However, there was no alternative, it was either that or fail. They first behavioral impact was with the community that was always willing to help the beginners. That was a lot different from that technological market back when individuals would either hide the information or charge to share the same information. With Kleber Zamperlini Alonso and Junior Quintella's support we finished the job successfully and the whole VPN was configured via radio.

At that same time I decided to direct my studies and company to innovation and I adopted GNU/Linux as the platform of study. It was from 1998 until approximately 2003 that I gained the knowledge from the community.

The open software community fit like a glove with my cooperative spirit as we can only grow when we are together and sharing knowledge. Here is what I always say: "Cooperation attracts friends, while competition attracts enemies". I made a lots of friends within the open software community, who I would like to thank for opening my mind:  Augusto Campos, Paulo Kretcheu, Cícero Moraes, Christiano Linuxmen, Djalma Valois Filho, Thalis Antunes, Fernando Galves, Pedro Paschoal Neto,Eduardo Neves, Piter Punk, Sulamita Garcia, Jomar Silva, Douglas Schilling Landgraf, Leonardo Vaz, Corinto Meffei, Rodrigo Troian, Rodrigo Padula de Oliveira, Marcos Siriaco Martins, Luciano Lourenço, Duda Nogueira, Silvio Americo Palmieri e Luiz Blanes. They were important individuals at my early stages with the open software, which consequently motivated my whole journey with SL, both direct and indirectly.


2003

Viva O Linux
and the first seminar

In 2003, with a little more experience now, I started to share knowledge/information through articles and seminars. My first published article was on Viva O Linux with Fábio Berbert de Paula's help.Today, Viva O Linux is reference for open information database, which I participate to present. The first seminar occurred in Campinas with André Luis Boni Déo's support. The seminar subject was "How to Become a Part of the Open Software Community"

2003

libHariCapture
and the first seminarand the first published article

It was also in 2003 when I shared the first of many open sources, the libHariCapture database. Its main differential was to promote productivity in C/C++, the use of api from Kernel V4L1 and V4L2 at that time. My first article available on Viva O Linux was then published on Geek Magazine (Movix: The Fantastic Multimedia Distribution)

2005

IBM Linux

The tireless studies with Linux and innovation related on face biometrics led to a partnership with IBM in 2005. Such partnership happened due to a Open Source event where collaborator Nuncio Natrielli Jr, Avi Alkalay and Leonir Silva, from big IBM suggested a meeting to learn about all the work related to Linux and computer vision.

2005/2006

Galicia/Spain

In 2005/2006 I had the privilege to represent Brazil in Galicia and Extremadura to explain the reasons to replace the Proprietary Software with the Open Software. Special thank you to Roberto Brenlla.

2008

ITA e Android

In 2008, before Androids were launched, I pledged to share with the community through Linux Magazine. It was Rafael Peregrino da Silva who afforded this possibility to show how to elaborate apps for Androids. 

Also in 2008, the ITA utialized libHairCapture database for drone projects based on Open Source on the fantastic work of Diogo Branquinho Ramos. With the purpose of better security and privacy, I shared all my studies on Free Biometrics on Viva O Linux and Linux Magazines. I then shared all the results on seminars such as FISL, Latinoware among other events.

The main goal was always to level up my knowledge with the community. Consequently, everyone will work collaboratively and grow fast. Without knowing, I was building a collective intelligence among all members of the free biometrics and computer vision community.



2008

Augmented Reality

We should always try to provide similar resources from the Open Software on the Proprietary software. Based on that idea, in 2008, I worked to provide a variety of augmented reality and virtual resources on the Linux platform with a similar level of quality, easy use and with documentation on Viva O Linux Portal.

2009

Mackenzie at LabSec

In 2009, with Mackenzie's partnership at LabSec (Laboratório de Pesquisas em Segurança Cibernética da Faculdade de Computação e Informática) with Professor Dr. Dra Inês Brosso, we were able to develop a studying material based on Open Biometrics for one of the specialization courses. At this same year, I participated at the Eviacam project, which was focused on people qith special needs. In this projects, those people were able to control the mouse by moving only their face.

2010

OpenSUSE Community,
VOL Day, FOCA Linux and LINUXCON 2010

In 2010, after endless work, I received the title of OpenSUSE Member and Ambassador. After that I adopted 100% OpenSUSE at the company and at home. By always thinking on how to program the evolution of Open Software, in 2010 we promoted the Viva O Linux community at the VOL DAY event in one of the cities in Sao Paulo. The main goal was to bring to those cities relevant individuals related involved with computer information and who knew the importance of sharing knowledge.

Also in 2010, thanks to the author of the project Gleyson Mazioli, I took responsibility for the maintenance of GUIA FOCA LINUX for mobile plataform ePub format. After that, I believe many professionals received the LPI Certification by studying FOCA during the displacement with their mobile equipments

It was a pleasure to meet Linus Torvald at LinuxCON in 2010. I never feel superior to anyone. Perhaps, the main reason is I always have as reference brilliant and genius people. After all, no human being is superior than the others. Some stand out for practicing their talents daily.

2010/2011

Neurotechnology

In 2011, I started a more humanist work. In other words, I started to work the Neurotechnology in Linux to help human society. Initially, I wanted to develop a wheelchair that could move by your 'thoughts', for people with disabilities.

2013

IoT, FirefoxOS and 5 million points on Viva O Linux

In 2013, all the material published on Viva O Linux reached 5 million visits. it was at that moment that I realized how rewarding it is to share knowledge, to make friends and to see how all that sharing knowledge can help others. Also in 2013, I took on another project with Linux Magazine to promote information about FirefoxOS and Ubuntu Touch. The purpose was to facilitate the decision to adopt that technology in the world of the free mobile platform.

Also in 2013, with the assistance of the Intel through the eternal friend  Jomar Silva , i direct the development  with IoT in Linux plataform with Intel Edison and Raspberry Pi. At moment, the main objective  to the community was to use all innovative resources to provide a new scenario technology and open.

2014

Open Life Log, Open Invention Network and Computer Vision

I had the privilege to become a well-known member of the Aria 31 HackerSpace's Community. In 2014, the OpenLifeLog project arise. I registered along with Dr. Neurologista Adler Andrade Barcelos in the Open Invention Network to guarantee the project as a world heritage guided by Nick Vidal. Basically, this project aims to prevent anomalies such as epileptic seizure prior to 40 minutes of it happening.

Once again, Jomar Silva and Juliano Barbosa Alves provided the studies of open technology in the computer vision segment in Linux with OpenCV, which provided a partnership with Intel for the usage of databases such as TBB (programação multi-nuclear and others).

2015

RealSense 3D and openCERTIFACE

In 2015, after 3 years of studies with Intel, we write an article to accelerate the learning process on 3D camera RealSense technology in Linux Platform. Along with the IoT equipments, I made available the openCERTIFACE with the constant collaboration of Grupo Honda (Sr. Carlos and Maristella Honda) as a form to reciprocate all the support from the Open Software community.

2016

OWASP ZAP and Mozillians

In 2016, I joined the OWASP ZAP community to promote os pacotes do utilitário to the main Linux distributions. I thank Mauro Risonho de Paula Assumpção  and Simon Bennetts for the guidance. In 2017, I was recognized as a Mozillian official member by my friends Samuel Moraes, Eduardo Urcullu Madrid , João Paulo Polles, Jaime Maretoli and Carlos Martins. Such recognition just made my responsibilities grow as a member of the Open Software community.

2017

OSAR and EducaTUX

In 2017, I published a Linux image (OSAR) to facilitate the usage of the Augmented Reality in the Linux Platform so no work would be needed to prepare the site. By doing so, I leave the developer to focus only in developing and improving the productivity in the Open Software.

With the launch of the OSAR project, I was invited to participate in the EducaTUX project by its creator Aderbal Botelho. This is a project that aims to bring a differentiated education to children. The objective is to make the world a better place by investing in the education of our children. My dream is that every child grows up with a good knowledge in programming.


Conclusion

The reason for me to share this text is to show others that it is possible to make a difference when we leave our ego behind and start thinking about the community as a whole. Nobody is so superior to the point of not making mistakes and nobody is so inferior to the point of not getting it right. "The next biggest step towards human evolution it will be the discovery that cooperating is better than competing". In addition, none of this and none of my achievements would have been possible without the tremendous support from my wife, family and friends. We should always work and help each other so the world can give us back what is necessary.