1
2008
Jesus Would Use Open Source
An article by 
Ok, so maybe the title takes it a bit far, but I have no doubt that a good argument can be formed to show that Open Source is the ethical and more than suitable choice for any computer user in this day and age.
Last night, after flirting with the idea of shifting my computer operating system to an open source Linux system for years, I finally made the leap last night, wiping Microsoft Windows off the machine and loading Ubuntu on my laptop, with the resolve to never look back and to never pay for software again, but remain completely legal.
I have never loaded an operating system onto a computer before and I’ve got to say, it was a relatively pain free experience. The only issue I encountered was with the driver for the wifi on my Dell Latitude D610, but the latest version of Ubuntu sorted that out when I connected it to the internet via a cable. It found the necessary driver and with a couple of clicks of the mouse, all was working fine.
I can see a little time will be needed to familiarise myself with the new system, but straight out of the box, everything I need immediately is right there. I don’t need to go and pay stupid money for Microsoft Office as Open Office came built into the system. I prefer Open Office. It also came with the open source equivalent of Adobe Photoshop (which also costs stupid amounts of money), GIMP (which I am already familiar with), and I don’t need to download any third party Instant Messaging systems as well, as it came with Pidgen, a program that interacts with many of the others and allows you to use multiple messaging systems at once. Oh, and it comes with the built in email system, Evolution. All in all the whole thing seems rather user friendly and let’s remember, it’s all free and built by a wider community of people.
It is the latter two that enable me to call it the ethical choice for todays computer consumer. I deliberately chose the image of Che Guevara for my desktop background as I introduce myself to an open source operating system with the motivation for the choice in mind. I don’t agree with all of the actions of the man who came to be known as Che, adorning the t-shirts of pop culture everywhere (which one could argue would be an insult to what he died for), but I do agree with what he was trying to stand for – a sense of placing power back into the hands of the dis-empowered people who were beholden to the whims of those who governed them.
Open source represents an ethical choice because it places knowledge, creativity and accessibility of many tools into the hands of the wider community and thus empowers the community without the exorbitant costs. Now don’t get me wrong, companies have the right to make a profit, but when there is a community driven option; a community driven solution that gives us all that we need for free, why would we not choose to support that option? Why would we not support freely available knowledge and community driven creativity? This, to me, is a compelling enough argument without needing to go into discussions about malicious software built into paid operating systems and software that could possibly breach ethical privacy practices.
Choosing open source not only supports free access to knowledge and creativity though, it also frees us from the need to spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on software when we could be directing those funds into other areas. If we are spending hundreds of dollars on software when there are viable alternatives built by the open source community that are absolutely free, we need to ask ourselves why? Are we doing it because it is the familiar option? Are we doing it to support the market? Are we doing it simply because we have not considered the options? If the best tool for your work costs money, then sure, but have all the options been considered prior to that spending decision?
It is my belief that when an organization or individual carries a concern for the world and wishes to use their resources wisely to serve the world, then open source should at least be considered as a serious option in the market of consumer software. Is it wise to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars when we simply don’t need to? Not only that, but where developing markets are moving into the use of computers, the implications of open source software are phenomenal and extremely positive.
I also believe that NGO’s and individuals working in the area of supporting community development and those stricken by poverty should be considering the ethical choice that open source presents as a “best practice” use (or in this case, non-use) of funds.
The more I think about it, the more I think that Jesus would use open source.
The following video illustrates the strength of open source in community development where expensive software is inaccessible:
Linux4Africa from Maël Guillemot, Klewel 3 on Vimeo.
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About the Author: Frank Ritchie
Frank is the Education and Advocacy Manager for TEAR Fund NZ. Frank is a licensed Minister in the Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand and has a keen interest in biblical perspectives of Justice and how this connects to service to, with and for the poor, disadvantaged and marginalized people of the world.
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interesting thoughts! I think of the large church organisation i work for, which over the entire world would most likley spend millions a year, could this be better used to build a well? or to train staff, or provide food for the hungry.
I have emailed the link to out IT people, will await their response.
Why didnt i think of this a few weeks ago, before i brought the new office!
Darren,
I would be very interested to hear their response. When you consider the licenses needed to run various operating systems and software such as Microsoft Office on many computers in large organizations, the amount of money spent quickly adds up. When the aim of an organization is to serve humanity then valid questions need to be asked about the wisdom of this money being spent when a free alternative is available.
Knowing and understanding the free alternative would probably then give many organizations engaged in the developing world, the confidence to offer this alternative in some of the projects they may be interacting with, where schools etc in the developing world might not be able to carry the financial load of purchasing software licenses.
The implications are great for developing areas – provide the hardware – which can easily be done relatively cheaply these days – the free software and presto, a great introduction to helpful technologies has been introduced.
I will never buy Microsoft Office again since OpenOffice.org does everything I need and then some.
To look at it in a way that many are familiar with, Open Source is THE fair trade of the software world.
Interesting Frank. I assume you’re familiar with Richard Stallman? He takes the argument a step further in saying that proprietary software is in fact, evil, because it restricts user’s essential freedoms. I think that’s extreme, but at least he’s honest about his views.
Also, interesting comment equivocating Open Source with free trade. As a someone who is in the middle of Computer Science degree, and finds programming fun, interesting, and challenging, I want to find a project I can latch on to and contribute to. I haven’t decided which one yet, though.
I’m using Ubuntu 8.04 on my machine, but it’s more of pragmatic reasoning than moral on my part – I personally prefer the work environment. But yes, software is expensive, and is largely how the world is working now. Free software is a way of lowering the entry costs for software.
I also find it appalling how many Churches blatantly pirate software. I suppose a lack of knowledge of alternatives. I know at one point there was a ‘Christian’ distribution of Ubuntu; with Bible software (Gnome-sword is excellent, btw) and the like installed. It gathered plenty of ridicule, and was of fairly limited utility over a vanilla install, but it shows how Linux distributions can be excellent at niche configurations.
Hey Frank – if you can find me something to take the place of MYOB I’ll gladly let someone who knows what they’re doing switch my software over. Am feeling somewhat guilty at the amount of ‘borrowed’ software I ‘own’.
Bernard,
May I suggest looking at a content filtering system for Linux based machines.
I am currently looking at an accountability programme called Net Responsibility to fill the gap left by not being able to use X3Watch, but am still on the lookout for an easy to use content filter. SO far I haven’t found anything that I am happy with. I’m specifically looking for something that operates much like what’s on offer here:
http://www1.k9webprotection.com/
That’s the one I use on our home desktop computer and it’s the one I recommend to friends.
I had a look at the Christian themed Ubuntu and figured I could add all that to the “normal” system. I’m liking the looks of Gnome-Sword. It’s that ability for niche configurations to be developed that adds some more excitement to the possibilities for areas in the developing world.
Rachel, I want to get a little more proficient with Ubuntu before I go playing with anybody else’s systems. But flick me a list of the “borrowed” software you have and I’ll see what can be replaced with Open Source software.
From what I can see, there might be a workaround to get MYOB running on a Linux system like Ubuntu, but it will be a while before I can say I’m confident enough to change the operating system on your computer, so lets just deal with individual programs first.
Use my http://www.hcweb.org email frank@hcweb.org to let me know what “borrowed” software you have and we’ll make you legal
Well, some googling seems to indicate that DansGuardian (http://dansguardian.org/) seems to be the most established project. Have you tried it? If so, what did you not like about it – what would need to be changed to make it viable?
In terms of MYOB stuff, you’d be hard pressed I think to find open source financial stuff (willing to be proved wrong) replacement, purely because it’s a small market. Open Source stuff is usually driven by people who are passionate about the project. It can be difficult to get passionate about accounting software; New Zealand’s small population just makes matters worse.
I have found an accounting program called GNUcash and have loaded it onto my laptop so we can take a look at it Rachel and see how it stacks up against MYOB. I am not familiar with such software at all, so it will come down to what you think.
Bernard, if I could get DansGuardian working on my machine then I could tell you. I am still familiarizing myself with installing programs. Have had no troubles except with DansGuardian.
Here’s a guide:
http://www.pilpi.net/journal/item-985.php
(I haven’t followed it, just an FYI)
DansGuardian looks to be more geared towards corporate proxies and the like so it’s not as user-friendly. Feel free to email me with tech-problems. http://www.ubuntuforums.com is good too.
I would love to see your workplace running on a ‘free-based’ system…
I don’t have an issue paying money for good software.
Cool, cheers Frank, will look at that next time I’m around. I’m about to start deleted ‘borrowed’ stuff, gulp…
But in reality most of it is stuff that I can go without, the only thing I’ll have to replace is my blatantly stolen off the previous employer MS Office (first they blatantly stole it, then I did the same, oops)! Aren’t I a good little Christian! Open office here I come…
I mean ‘deleting’ obviously.
You won’t regret it, I much prefer openoffice.org and wonder why I ever went through the hassle of trying to get MS Office at the cheapest price I could.
If any of the other stuff is stuff that you would like (but may not necessarily need), let me know what’s there and we’ll see if there is a free option.
It’s SLT software for assistive technology, it’s rare and I very much doubt that there’s any free versions. shame.
Have a look at this link and tell me if there is any stuff that would work:
http://www.oatsoft.org/Software
Sounds good Frank but you could also say that those opting for open source are looking to receive without giving. The ‘fair trade’ only works if you people really do divert the money saved into humanitarian causes. Assuming Microsoft went broke as people in their masses converted to open source…estimated 14.7 million jobs gone…and the 28 billion that Bill Gates charity has given wouldn’t have been. This charity, although far from perfect, is the worlds largest transparent charitible foundation. Pressure is put on businesses these days to be ethical and to prove it. Would the same pressure exist for individuals?
PS I’m not a big Microsoft fan (products or the business ethics) but just wanted to explore the issue a bit more
I would agree. That’s probably the motivation for a lot of people using Open Source, but it’s not the overriding ethic driving it.
“You people”… that has a certain ring to it
Let me be clear, I’m not saying that all people using Open Source should donate to humanitarian causes, it’s not why Open Source exists – I just happen to think it is a good side benefit that could take place if organizations chose to re-divert the funds they would have used… and hopefully articles such as this would encourage that.
I don’t see Microsoft dying anytime soon and have no problem with companies selling the technology they develop and making a profit. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a great charity. But I’m happy to encourage Open Source as an alternative for those looking for a different model and a worthy initiative to support in the realm of technology.
Where humans are involved there are always going to be problems. Anyone who thinks that a form of utopia can form around anything is naive, so yes, Open Source has and will have its issues, but I trust the ability of the democratic nature of Open Source to negate many of the negatives simply because the point of the creation of Open Source is not the profit of a few.
Thankfully it seems a lot more secure as well as those who create viruses seem more intent on targeting the big players.
I think as Open Source becomes more user friendly, the industry will be forced to change in much the same way that the music industry is changing as the market drives different methods of distribution and profit sources.
… it will also be interesting to watch the shifts in this area if the current economic instability flows down to affect smaller businesses and individuals. If people are unaware of the Open Source alternative, they’re more likely to delve into illegally sourcing the expensive options. I’m all for encouraging people to keep it legal.
Cheers Frank
Cheers for the clarification on that (and on co-ops in today’s post) – I can see some of the advantages of Linux. And I’m sorry for the “you people” – can’t believe I wrote that – I hate stereotyping! I think I was influenced by a recent article in our local paper by a guy Dave Thompson called ‘Toe the Linux’ – he set out to investigate the Linux movement and wrote “Sitting somewhere to the left of Mao and to the right of Idi Amin, Linux users aer a complex bunch of geeked-up, black-hat freedom fighters. Or, they are socially back-ward nerds with bad skin and cardies with elblow patches, depending on who you listen to. Either way , they want to see Bill Gates stripped and flogged and his company thrown into the depths of Hell, for reasons known only to themselves.”
Certainly some Bible analogies there, but a somewhat different take on Linux users
Wow! That’s pretty full on, but I’m sure it’s very accurate in describing some involved in Open Source, but I would say it is probably becoming less and less accurate as time goes on and Open Source operating systems become more user friendly and comparative to their commercial counterparts and thus more appealing to the average Joe Computer User like me
Average Joe Computer User – uh oh, there’s no going back to that Frank, you jumped in – Linux users are not average Joe Computer Users
Liked your comments Jack, made me think. I have to admit, that while I changed to Open Source because my software hadn’t been paid for, there is a big part of me that just wants free stuff… sad, but true.
I think Open Source stuff will ‘work’ because it’s a good enough option for those who can’t afford to buy the ‘real thing’, but not as sophisticated as many other products so their target market’s not really being impinged on.
(I personally think Bill Gates is great – perfect example of someone with an autism spectrum disorder who still conquered the world!)
- Just looked at that site Frank, it is AMAZING!!!! You have no idea how stoked I am. It doesn’t contain the stuff I had, but it’s got so much. And when you see the prices on general assistive tech stuff you’ll realise why I’m so excited! Will be letting everyone at work know about this. Cheers for that.
Jack,
I’m using a Linux based operating system, but I can’t rightly call myself a Linux user in the truest sense of the term.
I’ve had a couple of real Linux users who have tried to start talking with me about Linux once they have found out I am using Ubuntu and honestly, they’re speaking a language I just don’t understand… I didn’t even know that my operating system had a code name.
Maybe I represent a new breed of average Joe Computer User… slightly ahead of the game and happy to shop around.
Rachel, glad I could help
http://www.winehq.org/
will let you run some windows apps in linux
So, I thought I would relay my own experience with open source software. A few months back I downloaded Firefox (late on the train, I know). Last week I downloaded Mozilla Thunderbird to try instead of Outlook 2003, and OpenOffice to try instead of Office 2003 (which I have to admit I never paid for).
Now I gotta be clear; I don’t buy into this idea that open source is somehow the ethical choice. I see a lot of naieve condemnation of free market economics. Stat: in the 70′s, 70% of the world poor lived in Asia. But thanks to a growing middle class in Asia, less than 30% live there now. I’m not saying capatalism is great, just that it’s a bit more complicated, as I’m sure you’re aware. For me, I believe Microsoft has every right to create software and sell it at whatever price they want to. If people think the price is too high for the reward, then they have every right to do as you have done, and go open source.
Rant over.
So, all of this is to say I approached using these programs with one question in mind… are they better than the programs I currently use?
Firefox… absolutely better than Internet Explorer. The customization alone is great. I could not live without Adblock anymore.
Thunderbird… better than Outlook 2003, not sure if it’s better than Outlook 2007. Again, it’s customizable, but there isn’t quite as much content available as there is for Firebird. There’s enough to lead me to use it over Outlook 2003 though. The killer feature for me? This is going to reveal my shallowness… I think the calendar (Lightning – available as an add-on) is prettier.
OpenOffice… I really want to like this, but it just isn’t better than Office. If you don’t use Microsfot Office a whole lot, then I can totally see why you would download this over paying for Office. It suffices. But it also takes about 5x as long to load on my PC (2gb of RAM) as does Microsoft Office, and the “extras” such as WordArt are just not up to scratch for me.
So, in my not so humble opinion… Firfox – great, Thunderbird – very good, OpenOffice – not quite there yet.
[...] Low Cost Computing Frank Richie recons that Jesus would use open source. [...]
Posted some thoughts – link above
Really, your arguement is a red hearing – cost isn’t necessarily a factor, as you may be able to pick up an XP computer and license for pocket change these days. Other key software such as virus scanner can be free too.
Here’s another thought: would Jesus have an idolized, romantic picture of a mass murder on his desktop?