Progbox, citizen media at its best!
On its homepage, Pete Savage introduces and describes Progbox as:
Welcome to pr0g80X.vid, an almost monthly show about technology, Linux, open source and many other topics. The format of the show usually contains a news section, book review, showcase of small open source project and two large tutorial/howto sections.
While Pete is not wrong in describing the show as such, I would like to point out that Progbox is so much more. For me, Progbox is a shining example of citizen media at its best; somehow, Pete has managed to produce a show which is not only entertaining and easy viewing, but preferable viewing over anything currently shown on regular UK television.
Having said that, I know I do not represent your average television viewer, my absolute distaste for what currently passes as Saturday evening viewing [excluding Doctor Who!] lends proof to that; still, if Progbox represents the future of user created media, I am going to be a happy man, looking forward to a time when there is enough of the same quality viewing material to turn on, tune in and drop geek out whenever I like.
Why the praise? And why now?
I think it is all too easy to undervalue/underestimate exactly what is involved in creating something like Progbox. Having recently attempted to create a small screencast myself, I have acquired a new found respect for anyone who manages such an undertaking, it is incredibly difficult; not only do you have to deal with the technical details, but there are also the personal performance hangups to consider [and Pete also has the added complication of styling his hair!]
Finally, not only does Progbox advocate Free and Open Source Software in its content, but also in its existence; Progbox is developed with FOSS on Ubuntu.
So, congrats Pete, you are creating something which you should be exceedingly proud of!
