When talking about free software, a long-time colleague of mine always says, “You know, free as in speech not free as in beer.” That is to say that free software is about liberty not price. And when speaking about open source software, he refers to transparency and accessibility of the code that allows anyone to create and be involved. He marvels that both free and open source software (F/OSS) share the common dependency upon communities of developers and users to thrive - the ultimate “gift culture” in his estimation.
These concepts of freedom, transparency, accessibility, creativity, and inclusion should sound familiar to those of us working in communities. They are the foundations of much of the work involved in social change. Therefore, we owe it to ourselves and to our communities to explore and be open to free and open source software. These applications may benefit our organizations and our citizens not because they cost so little, but because they provide us ultimate autonomy over our own futures in the realm of communications. They ensure that the workings of the system remain knowable and accountable. They prevent us from being dependent on outside forces and put us in the driver seat. Controlling the code is the contemporary equivalent of controlling the core processes of democratic participation.
So what sorts of F/OSS applications should the well-equipped community media and/or technology center have in its toolbox? Community technology centers should be at least conversant about these tools in order to make informed decisions about their next round of communication infrastructure building.
The Core
First and foremost are the set of “core” applications known as LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP). For those of you unfamiliar with Linux, it is an operating system like Windows VISTA or Mac OS X. It comes in a number of “flavors” such as Red Hat (http://www.redhat.com), Debian (http://www.debian.com) and Ubuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com). Like any operating system, it sets the environment in which all hardware and software operate. It is the user’s primary control system.
Apache (http://www.apache.com) is a web server application. Currently over 62% of all web-hosting applications are running from an Apache server system. System administrators who favor Apache often comment on the reliability and security of the software for the critical running of the Internet. Additionally, as an open source application, it ensures that the workings of a powerful communication system are accessible and transparent to us all.
Add to the web environment a powerful database like MySQL (http://www.mysql.com), and dynamic content becomes possible. Everything from blogs to shopping carts to search engines depends upon data stored in a database such as MySQL. When coupled with a scripting language such as PHP (http://www.php.net), web content can now shift and change according to variable inputs. Basically, PHP allows the developer to write simple scripts that pull information out of a database or other locations and display within a basic web page. This allows content to be flexible and have multiple purposes.
If you aren’t up to installing and configuring your own LAMP system, there are free and low-cost providers that use this core in their operations. I personally use Dreamhost (http://www.dreamhost.com). It comes with a very useable control panel and lots of nice one-click installs and easy to setup MySQL databases. Grassroots.org (http://www.grassroots.org), The Community Software Lab (http://www.thecsl.org) and Riseup (http://www.riseup.net) are all nonprofits that provide hosting in a F/OSS world for nonprofits and other community-based organizations. Why not check out your web hosting service and see if they support a F/OSS solution. It is a simple step to transforming control over your communications infrastructure.
Desktop Must Haves
While there are an increasing number of community-led organizations that have moved core web and operating system solutions to F/OSS, it can be a hard and somewhat scary proposition to make this shift as the first step towards conversion. Luckily there are an increasing number of very user-friendly and useful free and / or open source applications available for the center that wants to explore simple ways to get involved.
Just like many of us don’t go out and build a windmill for sustainable energy, it is feasible for us to replace incandescent light bulbs with more energy efficient compact fluorescents. Here are some useful desktop applications that are easy to download and install. They are just as good, and in some cases better, than their proprietary cousins:
Web Browser: Firefox (www.firefox.com), Flock (www.flock.com)
Office Application Suite: Open Office (www.openoffice.org)
Contact Relationship Management: Organizers’ Database (www.organizersdb.org)
Moving to the Web
I remember the first time I used a porta-pak to create a video presentation for a high school project. This was an empowering experience. However, it didn’t compare to the first time I saw a show of mine on cable television. Suddenly my voice was amplified. The same is true when content makes its way to the web. Over the last three to four years, the web has been evolving from a consumer-based model of content distribution to a user-generated one. This is a significant shift from a web that is about pushing a message out there to one that engages and invites others in. For those involved in community-building, this is a powerful moment.
Tools for this new web environment (often referred to as Web 2.0) are entering the social sphere every day. Here are some web-based applications worth some exploration:
Contact Relationship Management: CiviCRM (civicrm.org)
Content Management System: Wordpress (www.wordpress.org), Drupal (www.drupal.org), Civicspace (civicspacelabs.org), Joomla (www.joomla.org)
Wiki: PBWiki (www.pbwiki.org), Media Wiki (www.mediawiki.org)
Email List: Mailman (www.list.org), PHPlists (www.phplist.com)
Bulletin Board/Forum: PhpBB (www.phpbb.com)
It’s a matter of liberty, not price.
There are countless other F/OSS applications that can be tested and used. Applications that can meet almost any need such as drawing (Inkscape - http://www.inkscape.org), photo manipulation (GIMP - http://www.gimp.org), and audio / video editing (NGO-in-a-Box - http://ngoinabox.org). Some are easy to install and use, and others are not so easy. Some cost little to nothing, and some require the investment of time and financial resources. Some are completely useless.
The thing about choosing F/OSS for your information and communication needs is that it is like making the choice to recycle, buy fair-trade coffee, locally-grown produce, or be a member of your local food co-op. It is a choice not just about the bottom line, but a choice that says we care about who controls important resources. It is not a fluke that so many of the resources detailed in this article have .org in their URLs. F/OSS is a stance about what kind of communication culture we want to create. Isn’t this what the mission of grassroots and community-based organizations should be all about?
(NOTE: a version of this article originally appeared in the April 2007 issue of the Community Media Review)
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