Open source software (OSS) - What the heck is that, you may ask?

Well, basically it is this: free software. Free to use for any purpose, to modify, and to redistribute. The OSS that many people are probably most familiar with is Linux, which is a variant of a GNU operating system. Links are provided at the bottom of this page which will explain the technical details of all of this. However, it’s important to know that, contrary to popular belief (i.e. a Microsoft-dominated collective psyche), GNU operating systems are very user-friendly platforms, with great desktops, and they work extremely well.

"But does your computer ever crash?" you ask.

"Crash? What the heck is that?" I reply.

I think right away you can see the potential for OSS in libraries. Libraries have traditionally been the place to go for free information. You can borrow it for free, modify it by writing a different version of that information, then redistribute it in a new form and format. I’m not talking wholesale plagiarism here. I’m talking about using information to create new forms of information. Using software to create new software.

"So what does all of this have to do with censorship in the New World Order?" you ask.

Well, on the face of it, not much. But ask yourself this, when was the last time you were shown alternatives to the all-domineering Microsoft world? Yes, Macs are an alternative, but they tend to be expensive, and you can’t alter them in any way. Redhat, for example, which uses a Linux kernel, runs well on older computers, even 386s. Although this isn’t censorship per se, outside of Internet websites and messageboards, there is a deafening silence surrounding Linux and the widespread potential for OSS and GNU systems.

Linux and OSS are not difficult to use, despite what you may have heard. Yes, there is a learning curve involved, just as there is with any operating system. In fact, it is the same, if not less, than if you were to switch from a PC to a Mac, or vice versa. The beauty about OSS is its alterability. You control the programming, and so can change whatever you want. Or, you can just run it like a regular operating system. Either way, you become part of a revolutionary new way of thinking about software and its place in our society. Imagine being able to fix, or have fixed, all of your software problems. All of those bugs, or aspects that you just don’t like aren’t a problem with OSSes because you, and people like you, are constantly changing, updating, and fixing the software, and making it freely available. Open source software is based on an exchange system, not a market. Skills, desires and needs are taken care of by the people using the software, not a faceless corporation.

A “social contract” philosophy is the driving force behind OSS. The idea that software is a tool which should be available to anyone, anywhere, is a very important one, and one which is akin to the idea that information is power, and thus should be a public commodity, not an over-priced stranglehold on the public’s conscience. OSS can not discriminate against anyone, cannot be restricted for use, and allows for derivations to be made. The idea is to improve society through collective effort and a peer review development process - the software is continually being developed collectively in order to share it with everyone.

The possibility of running an OSS-based system in a library, therefore, becomes obvious. Libraries are, as a rule, very cash-strapped. They also often have to take care of the IT side themselves; support and basic maintenance of systems are routinely performed by library staff.  Linux systems like Redhat (OS and server applications) can be downloaded for free, or bought on CDs (which is at least 10 times less than any Microsoft product). Plus, they come with all of the programs you would ever need, including a whole office suite, as well as graphics software. In other words, you don’t have to buy or install things twice! And, needless to say, there are no licenses that have to be bought. So why are we obstinately continuing to accept - and subsequently push onto our patrons - Microsoft and related environments, which are quirky at best, and a costly, copyright and licensing nightmare at worse?

Yes, it would involve learning new systems, and learning how to control your system, but wouldn’t that be worth it? Wouldn’t that be the best way to encompass the true library spirit? Information is power and librarians who are fully versed in IT technology (in other words, not simply fully versed in Microsoft’s version of IT) can only benefit from developing an in-depth knowledge of different operating systems. As distributors of knowledge and from a discipline that traditionally has been “for the people”, librarians should be at the forefront of the OSS revolution. As Linux and other OSSes become more polished, developed and even more user-friendly, this idea will become more viable, and it would be important for libraries to be the vanguards of this movement.

Plus the Linux penguin is a hell of a lot cuter than that damn window!