reinvention

from bramilo.weblogs.com

In discussions about the development of a national CCD web site, I’ve advocated for using open source software as the preferred development platform. There are several reasons why I believe open source is the appropriate model for developing a CCD web site, including cost-effectivity — open source software is usually free.

The main reason I advocate open source, however, is that I recognise an affinity between the philosophies — and some practices — between CCD and the open source movement. The following quotation provides a good explanation of what open source is; while it talks about Linux (which is probably the premiere open source “killer application”), it applies broadly to the open source movement:

Linux has evolved, and continues to evolve, under the open source philosophy of the free sharing of ideas. If not for this massive, shared, open community environment, Linux — and much of the open source software that runs the Internet — wouldn’t be here. It’s a testament to this community and its philosophy that the creation of a powerful operating system such as Linux could have come about through the interaction and cooperation of thousands of people worldwide.

Linux is a symbol of what’s possible when we work together as a whole, sharing each other’s ideas and building upon each other’s work. It’s built by everybody, for everybody, and it’s free.

…

The quintessential guide to working within an open source project … is Eric S. Raymond’s “The Cathedral and the Bazaar.” It is available both as a hardcover book and free online from www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar .

- from “The Advanced Linux Pocketbook,” edited by Ashton Mills, published by ACP Tech, Sydney, 2001.

The significance of open source to CCD goes beyond the building of the national CCD web site. Open source software has been used by many community-based organisations (as well as government and commercial organisations) over the years. Many open source applications perform as well, if not better, than proprietary and non-free applications — community-based organisations or movements (like CCD) can obviously benefit from using free and stable applications.

Using free applications also increases the chance of getting more individuals and communities online/switched on cheaply and legally — like it or not, software piracy is rampant in all sectors, and as much open source software is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) scheme, users need not use pirated or expensive commercial applications. Under the GNU GPL scheme, apllications can be freely installed and distributed (with some conditions). More information on the GNU GPL is at www.gnu.org .

There is also the benefit of world-wide, community-driven support for open source software. Many of these applications where developed collaboratively by programmers, testers, documentors, and other supporters, sometimes involving dozens (or thousands, in the case of Linux) of volunteers working to solve problems and improve performance. There is, therefore, wider support from developers for many popular applications, often at no cost to users.

Using open source software, or being part of the open source movement, is a crucial way of contributing to the bridging of the “Digital Divide,” of democratising new technologies. For an excellent article on the Digital Divide, see Bridging the Organizational Divide: Toward a Comprehensive Approach to the Digital Divide, PolicyLink, September 2001 and other articles at Policy Link: Digital Divide (many thanks to Gareth Wreford at Australia Council for putting me onto this mob).

There are more advantages to open source that I’ll discuss in a future article. There are also, of course, like with anything else, disadvantages to using open source software and I will discuss those too in a future article.

from blogger:reinvention

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