Is free software your (insert skin color or religion here) friend?
Yesterday morning I shared the Novell linux ads with a couple of colleagues. I don’t think they are the best ads ev-ar, but I do like one thing about them: they treat linux as an equal among Windows and Mac OS X.
All too often in the edtech echo chamber we hear the clarion call for a “conversation about FOSS,” as if free software is that “special” friend those lesser evolved folks like to compartmentalize with any number of categories like skin color, religion, or nationality. You know, “my Mexican friend” instead of just, “my friend.”
While I happen to be an advocate for free software and believe in its philosophical underpinnings, I also see the practical side. I don’t use free software because it’s free software, I use it because it helps me accomplish a task or goal; the fact that it is free is a bonus.
No, we shouldn’t be having conversations about free software. The question we should be asking is, why have our technology needs assessment processes been excluding free software as potential solutions? Let free software compete on equal footing with proprietary software, and let people make decisions about which solution best meets their needs. Free software doesn’t need affirmative action just because your boss is asking questions about it. Let it compete with non-free solutions, and may the best one win.
April 25th, 2007 - 9:40 am
Thank You