Slashdot Mirror
Researching Open Source
philippInAfrica writes "bridges.org just released the software comparison study that looks at free/open source software and proprietary software in community computer labs in Africa. The announcement is on bridges, or you can download the full report in PDF form. To our knowledge, this is the largest field study of its kind in developing countries - we visited 121 computer labs in Namibia, Uganda and South Africa - and we are making all data available to other researchers. Feedback from the international ./ community would be great."
Comment removed based on user account deletion
got your attention? good.
in 1997, i did a talk on samba. when the question asked was "why should we bother to interoperate with proprietary protocols when we are [clever enough] to write our own and we don't _need_ to interoperate [with microsoft]", everybody clapped.
that was a _very_ interesting and defining moment, because it told me that everyone in that room lacked any sense of responsibility associated with their intelligence, capabilities, and the opportunities that their education and environment had presented them.
now, there's someone here at bridges.org pointing out that Free Software is pretty much useless to people who need it the most.
i hope that this article will bring that home more clearly - that the ignorance and ego [definition of arrogance] of free software developers needs to go.
if you HAVE the ability, ACCEPT the responsibility.
From the "Key ground-level findings":
Donations, fine, but unlicensed copies? So they're saying that one consideration in the FOSS versus proprietary software situation is the willingness of the public labs to break international copyright laws?
Okay, maybe I can accept that from an informational standpoint, but are decisions on how to proceed and what software is going to be used going to be made based on this information?
[This study] was published this week to provide needed background information and advice to people who want to make sound software choices that are right for their local environments...
Oh, I guess indeed they are.
Umm...
From the Samba home page:
Samba is an Open Source/Free Software suite that has, since 1992, provided file and print services to all manner of SMB/CIFS clients, including the numerous versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems. Samba is freely available under the GNU General Public License.
Am I missing something? Samba was developed by a bunch of (ignorant? arrogant?) free software developers.
In the old USSR, it was common for people to gripe "what good does it do to have freedom to say waht you want and worship the religion you want when noone guarantees you will have food on the table"
Well, the answer is A LOT, and all to oftern I see that attitude about the 3rd world express itself in ways like "well free software doesn't really do you much good when you're starving" and I find that attitude arrogant and condesending. Because what that is really saying is well "you poor souls are too stupid to learn and help yoursleves, so were just gonna worry about feeding you - and not give a shit and keep a neutral attitude about if you should have any freedom to help yourselves because you will never appreciate it"
Well bullshit! Freedom is not a means, it is an end that derives from the fact that people have free will and that demands things about how we treat people and how we run and organise our societies. That's why freedom is successfull, and not because it promises the most immediate reward.
In the information age, freedom means holding yourself accountable to the success of free software and respecting people right to copy and share information at their disposal. How can a social culture like that not lead to long term success!