Making Money With Free Software
A competition to design the new 5 euro commemorative coin, set by the Dutch Ministry of Finance, has been won by Stani Michiels, the Belgian artist and free software developer. His winning design, developed entirely with free software, has now been realized and is a legal coin in Holland.
The theme of the competition was "Holland and Architecture" and a selected group of architectural offices and artists were invited to take part. Michiels says in his blog, "All the developing and processing was done on GNU/Linux machines which were running Ubuntu PCs," with some final touches being done on his Eee PC.
The free software used included Inkscape, Gimp and Michiels' brainchild Phatch, with most of the work done with Python. Besides his art, Michiels also provides his own Python IDE called SPE.
One side of the coin is covered with the names of important Dutch architects. The order and size of which was arranged according to the number of hits they received on the Internet. "Of course this order changes over time and as such this is another time stamp on the coin besides the number 2008." explains Michiels.
Together the names form a portrait of the Dutch Queen Beatrix. To achieve this effect, Michiels developed his own special font.
The back of the coin is decorated with the spines of books by famous Dutch architects and an array of birds to represent the capitols of the different Dutch provinces. The coin was released at all Dutch post offices on October 30, 2008. Solid gold and silver editions are also available for collectors worldwide.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Kernel Reducing Long-Term Support
LTS support for the Linux kernel is about to undergo some serious changes that will have a considerable impact on the future.
-
Fedora 39 Beta is Now Available for Testing
For fans and users of Fedora Linux, the first beta of release 39 is now available, which is a minor upgrade but does include GNOME 45.
-
Fedora Linux 40 to Drop X11 for KDE Plasma
When Fedora 40 arrives in 2024, there will be a few big changes coming, especially for the KDE Plasma option.
-
Real-Time Ubuntu Available in AWS Marketplace
Anyone looking for a Linux distribution for real-time processing could do a whole lot worse than Real-Time Ubuntu.
-
KSMBD Finally Reaches a Stable State
For those who've been looking forward to the first release of KSMBD, after two years it's no longer considered experimental.
-
Nitrux 3.0.0 Has Been Released
The latest version of Nitrux brings plenty of innovation and fresh apps to the table.
-
Linux From Scratch 12.0 Now Available
If you're looking to roll your own Linux distribution, the latest version of Linux From Scratch is now available with plenty of updates.
-
Linux Kernel 6.5 Has Been Released
The newest Linux kernel, version 6.5, now includes initial support for two very exciting features.
-
UbuntuDDE 23.04 Now Available
A new version of the UbuntuDDE remix has finally arrived with all the updates from the Deepin desktop and everything that comes with the Ubuntu 23.04 base.
-
Star Labs Reveals a New Surface-Like Linux Tablet
If you've ever wanted a tablet that rivals the MS Surface, you're in luck as Star Labs has created such a device.