Jun 06, 2019 23:00:00

Open Source Open Access Open Data Tool 'Bloom' for 'Free and Open Source Google'

A developer '

Silvain Kerkour ', whose mission is to 'energize the world with open technology', has launched a service ' Bloom ' that looks as if Google services were open source, open access, open data.

Bloom: a free and open source Google
https://www.kerkour.fr/blog/bloom-a-free-and-open-source-google/

Google offers various services such as Google search, YouTube, Google Drive, Chrome, etc., but it is basically available for free. However, as pointed out by foreign media that 'Google is under the exclusive control of open source browser development using digital rights management', utilizing digital rights management (DRM) etc. It is also true that competitive services are creating a difficult-to-grow market.

How does Google put open source browser development under exclusive control using digital rights management? -GIGAZINE

According to Mr. Kerkour, in order to raise the living standard of the world, 'a better distribution of wealth' needs to be done, and for that purpose, three elements of open source, open access and open data are important. about. Although Google services basically provide all services and data free of charge, as mentioned above, DRM and other techniques have finally been used to create a framework that will not be lost by Google. Therefore, Kerkour thought that he needed a truly open technology that could not be tied to such things, and he developed Bloom.

Open Source Open Data Open Access meets the three requirements, Bloom is a collection of tools that can be used on the browser.

Bloom
https://bloom.sh/

That's why I actually try using the browser version of Bloom. Access the above URL and click 'Try Free' in the upper right of the screen.

As you need to create an account, enter your name, email address and password and click 'Create Account'.

You will receive an email from Bloom to the email address you entered, copy and paste the numbers written there and click 'Verify'.

Click 'Complete registration' after entering your username with 4 or more alphanumeric characters.

At the time of article creation, from the top left, in order from the top, cloud service 'Platform' for developers, 'Drive' of cloud storage, 'Bitflow' that can download files on the Internet directly to Drive, 'Music' that can play music data on Drive 'Gallery', a tool for managing and sharing photos and movies on Drive, 'Contacts' for managing contact information, and 'Arcade', where you can enjoy the game The following 10 tools are available: Calendar service, which allows you to manage appointments, Calendar, which allows you to write notes in text, Notes, which allows you to write notes, and MyAccount, which manages account information.

Note that Bloom has already released a beta version of the Android app.

Bloom-Open technologies (beta)-Apps on Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bloom42.bloomx

All Bloom is developed with open source, so the source code is available from:

Bloom · GitLab
https://gitlab.com/bloom42

Kerkour argues that Bloom's open source, open data and open access benefits bring the following advantages over existing services:

◆ Open source
About the need for open source Mr. Kerkour, 'Professional software developers lose all the work they have done in their work if they change jobs, but they change jobs for open source projects. Even if you retire, you can continue to access the project. '

In addition, they pointed out the danger of relying on famous services such as Google , Twitter , WhatsApp , and open source projects, even if the service or tool makes a sudden policy change or the service is terminated It states the need to use open source services and tools as they can continue their business and development without being affected.

Besides, using open source tools that can be used free of charge, it is possible to reduce costs and improve quality.

◆ Open data
Open Data is the idea of 'making data freely available and re-published', which is the fuel for developing tools with open source.

The problem is that many companies are making their data proprietary. So Kerkour and Bloom's aim is to accelerate innovation in all areas by making data open access.

◆ Open access
The need for open access is clear if you know the current state of paid subscription services such as Elsevier. As Elsevier impedes the development of academic research, Kerkour believes that services that are not open access can be a factor that impedes the development of technology and business.

University of California announces that the subscription agreement with Elsevier, which publishes scientific papers, has been completely terminated-GIGAZINE

Kerkour says, 'Bloom is Linux for the 21st Century,' and he is collecting donations for development on his blog .