FIRE Attends Open Source Software Workshop to Explore Ways of
Breaking the Global Monopolies on Technology and Knowledge

By Margie Thompson

Using technology to improve the quality of life and productivity in developing countries will be more affordable and hence more possible through the use of Open Source Software (OSS), which is part of a global movement catching on in Latin America and Brazil in particular, as well as Africa, Europe and Asia. 

Global OSS trends were explored in a recent workshop in Amsterdam attended by FIRE staff, including co-director Katerina Anfossi and Ana Ugalde.  The workshop, which included participants from Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe, was sponsored by the Waag Society and HIVOS, and took place June 2-6, 2003.   

"Open Source" is software that is available free of charge, is non-copyrighted, and which may be read, modified and distributed at no cost.  Advocates of OSS say it will counteract discrimination that results with the high cost of proprietary or patented hardware and software such that governments, organizations and individuals in many countries get left on the wrong side of the digital divide. 

Efforts by many governments to close this digital divide with limited information-technology budgets have fueled legislation in many countries requiring government agencies and government-owned countries to use open-source or free software whenever possible.  Also driving this legislation are political motivations, including a desire to bypass the US monopoly in the global software market.

 As of 2001, there were more than 429 million Internet users worldwide.  However, the digital divide still exists:
  • Industrialized countries, which have 15% of the world's population, are home to 88% of Internet users. 
  • 41% of Internet users are in North America.
  • Only 4% of Internet users are located in South America.

(Sources: Digital Divide Network and Global Digital Divide Initiative)

Katerina of FIRE echoed these political considerations in reflecting on the OSS workshop.  "Open Source may have a lot of potential to provide greater access to the newest technology and software, and to the information and knowledge available through this access," said Katerina Anfossi.  She noted that OSS also has political implications for bypassing the global monopolies who control and make enormous profits from exclusive software, hardware and knowledge. 

OSS also allows for the improvement and evolution of software because programmers around the world can access the source codes and adapt the software to their own needs and also fix bugs, much faster and more efficiently than with traditional closed commercial models.  OSS also enables the building of communities of online support and a way of collaborating and knowledge sharing. While it is most often used on Linux operating systems, it is also available for other systems including Windows.

Ana of FIRE expressed her concerns that the digital divide is so vast, particularly related to access and training in technology, that adoption of OSS may not be all that effective in shifting this imbalance.  She noted that this is why it is so important that these issues be openly addressed at the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva in December, 2003, and be included in any kind of action plan adopted at the conference.

 

For more information on OSS:

Open Source Initiative (OSI):  http://www.opensource.org/

Available OSS:  http://www.asiaosc.org/enwiki/page/Major_OSS_packages.html

African Linux User Group:  http://globalcn.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/aflug

South African ICT Policy:  http://www.oss.gov.za/

Free and Open Source Software Foundation Africa:  http://fossfa.org