Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Freedom to Run Means Freedom from Complexity: An Argument for Running FOSS on Windows
Free and open source software (FOSS) is founded on the four software freedoms: (a) freedom to run; (b) freedom to study; (c) freedom to modify; and (d) freedom to redistribute a program. However, it seems that wider adoption of FOSS can be achieved if greater development effort is focused on the first freedom – the freedom to run. More importantly, this freedom should be understood in the sense of “freedom from complexity”. It is often forgotten that, from the standpoint of an ordinary user, freedom to run a program means the program itself must be user-friendly and it must be easy to download, install and use. This freedom means nothing if the exercise of such right excludes people who do not possess high technical knowledge or advanced skills sets. Without the guarantee of “ease of use”, the freedom to run FOSS for most users is a hollow promise.
Current FOSS operating systems (OS) are targeted mainly at geeks, hackers and other technically skilled developers and users. While there have been some progress in making the installation and use of FOSS OSes like Ubuntu easier and simpler, they still do not have the “click-click-click” ease of installation of popular proprietary OSes like Windows XP or Mac OS X. In addition, even after one successfully installs a FOSS OS on a computer, a user will typically have to deal with issues like lack of drivers, incompatibility with third party devices or difficulty in installing new programs or software packages. A normal user wants everything to work out-of-the-box. This is especially true in developing countries where a computer costs more than a month’s salary. Since a computer is a major purchase, it’s usefulness and usability should be present at the moment a user turns on his or her computer. People are not interested in (in fact, most are adverse to) messing around with, tinkering or hacking a program – the second, third and fourth software freedoms.
The simplest and most effective way to increase FOSS use and adoption now is to push for the adoption by ordinary users, not of FOSS OSes, but of FOSS programs running on Windows XP. Installing and running a program like OpenOffice.org (OpenOffice) on a Windows system in lieu of the proprietary Microsoft Office is indeed truly free – it is free from complexity (OpenOffice looks and works like Microsoft Office) and it is free as in free beer (there is no cost to the user). Users who use and run FOSS programs on Windows do not have to concern themselves with driver issues and other technical mumbo-jumbo. The Windows OS is well-supported by hardware and device manufacturers and other service providers. For an ordinary user, the cost of purchasing and using the Windows OS is a small price to pay for his or her freedom to actually and productively use his or her computer. It should be remembered that true software freedom is not “free as in free beer” but “free as in freedom”. Freedom from complexity is an essential and inherent part of running a computer program.
Aside from OpenOffice, there are a lot of other FOSS programs that run on Windows XP – Gimp (photo or image editing), Firefox (web browser), Thunderbird (email), Audacity (audio recording and mixing), and Gaim (instant-messaging). Projects such as TheOpenCD, which advocate the distribution and use of FOSS programs on Windows, help bring FOSS to ordinary users. Initially pushing users to run FOSS programs on Windows also has a long-term benefit. When the FOSS community finally releases a FOSS OS that is as easy to install and use as any proprietary OS, users will have no trouble moving to this FOSS OS since the programs they know and love will run on it.
Freedom to run a program means guaranteeing to an ordinary user that he or she will be able to run and use a program productively and free from complexity. What is the worth of freedom if it cannot be enjoyed by everyone?
source:http://lawnormscode.sync.ph/?p=15
