LIBERATING THE CYBER-SPACE

ARTICLES- GENERAL
LIBERATING THE CYBER-SPACE

The invention of Charles Babbage has today gained so much popularity that there has been a tremendous increase in the computer users. The impact computer has had on a developing country like India is astonishing. Today even the three year old kid is best acquainted with the new arenas opened by this gadget. In India, a state has come forward with the proposal to provide one computer for every household. In Kerala, the government has launched the scheme ‘one laptop for one school’. Kudos to the efforts of the state governments. But the bitter side is that proper infrastructure facilities, especially, power supply has not been ensured in many schools with the added problem of lack of skilled personnel. E- literacy is one of the major agenda of both state and central governments.

Hardware and software are two quintessential parts of computer technology. The most popular software is those developed by Microsoft. The windows series has gained wide acclaim. But a general criticism raised against Microsoft sponsored software is that it largely limits the user’s freedom. Microsoft does not allow the user to effect modifications to the software so as to increase its efficiency and improve its capability. Moreover, curbing the freedom of users in the cyberspace also narrows down the horizon offered by Information Technology Revolution. For a long period this criticism had remained only in text as no alternative was introduced to supplement Microsoft. Thus, the company gained a monopoly status in software technology. The strategy of limiting users has strengthened their monopoly power as modifications of the existing system could only be done in consultation with Microsoft.
September 19 is observed as Free Software Day. How does this become significant? Free Software Movement is a social movement which was launched in 1983. Richard Stallman, the man behind the movement triggered this tradition by founding the GNU Project. In 1985, the Free Software Foundation was launched as an initial step in this line. The Movement aims in liberating every computer user in the cyber- space. The movement has gained popularity world- wide. In this era of globalization ‘liberalization’ is the logo of all popular social movements. Hence, the concept of liberating users in cyberspace is novel and timely. GNU and Linux are the major takers of Free Software Movement. Many governments have implemented free software laws providing momentum to this movement. For example, the Venezuela government has passed Free Software Law in January 2006; which mandated all government agencies to migrate to Free Software. Republic of Peru has also introduced a bill ‘Free Software in Public Administration’ popularizing the use of Free Software. In Kerala also, the computers in schools are using Linux software.
Frictions are common anywhere, so is the case with Free Software Movement. Within the movement, there are two groups- one, demanding the wiping out of non- Free Software and replacing non-Free Software with Free Software and the other demanding the gradual movement of the users from non-Free Software to Free Software. In effect both aim at popularizing Free Software Movement. Essentially, the monopoly of Microsoft is being gradually shattered. Though, Microsoft remains to be the major player, Free Software Movement volunteers are successful in spreading the idea of Free Software and initiating more takers to this movement. This is posing a major threat to the existing software giants. It is high time, they had accepted the change. The future of software technology is unpredictable because information technology is the most vibrant and dynamic field today.
Posted by asha at 9:54 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, April 7, 2010