Common Resources: Knowledge Management

Ha! Just as I was thinking about IT for Change, I receive a mail from Guru about an interesting and important workshop for anyone interested in common resources, the open source and other guerilla means of combating the problems of proprietary software. A must attend for all public institutions. Visit www.Public-Software.in for application form and details on how the planned workshop can help your organization best use ICTs. Read on...

As "Public Institutions" (NGOs, CBOs, community media organisations, academic institutions, Government departments) we work for promoting the public welfare. An important part of our work is to develop, protect, promote and rejuvenate 'common resources' that are required for all – water, food, education, health, transport etc. As the 'digital society' becomes more and more widespread through greater adoption of ICTs in society, it becomes important for us to protect and promote the 'digital commons' – the space where digital resources required by all, are created by all, for the free sharing and use of all.

However, most of us use software (an important digital resource that actually structures the digital society) that is forbidden to be shared and whose creation  / modification is monopoly of a single vendor. Proprietary software applications are owned by the vendor and we are only a user/ consumer; with no right to share, no right to study, no right to modify and distribute these resources. Such proprietisation of essential digital resources, is harmful since it prevents our 'freedom to share and freedom to participate in its creation/customisation'. Such proprietisation is thus an obstacle to universal access to basic software* resources, required by all, to participate in the digital society and is antithetical to the principles of collaboration/sharing and equity, dear to the NGO/GO sectors.

In addition, the scarce resources of NGOs and other publicly funded institutions are used for procuring expensive software licenses (or pirated software is used). Fortunately, a huge 'community' of public-interest individuals and organisations have developed 'publicly owned' software tools that can be freely shared as well as studied, modified and distributed without restrictions. Such software that is publicly owned supports free sharing for universal access, as well as local participation in its design, development and customisation and can be termed 'public software*' in contrast to 'private' ('proprietary') software. 

Should our public institutions then still be 'locked-into' private software? 

UN Solution Exchange - Karnataka Community and Public Software Centre, IT for Change are organising a Capacity Building Workshop for Knowledge Management and Knowledge Networking with support from UNICEF and HIVOS, on the 16 - 18December 2010 in Bengaluru, to support organisations working in the Bengaluru Division of Karnataka to adopt public software. The workshop has no participation fee. Public Software Centre can also provide support / hand-holding to organisations keen to adopt public software. Please visit www.Public-Software.in for the application form and other details.

regards,

Guru

*Basic software that is essential for the participation of all in the digital society needs to be seen as an entitlement, just as public education or public health. By supporting and producing such 'public software' that being publicly owned, is free and open; public institutions and communities promote its universal access as well as participation in its creation (both are essential principles for public institutions).We can include operating systems, text/ number/ image/ audio/ video editors, web browsers etc as 'basic software' which all individuals and organisations need to use.