Subject: Warm fuzzy feelings
From: Tim Allen (tim@proximity.com.au)
Date: Thu Mar 08 2001 - 04:18:44 CST
I've recently been told that the Indonesian President has issued an
"Instruction" encouraging the use of Indonesian-language computer software
in Indonesia. This goes along with various other instructions that attempt
to establish programs to make cheap hardware available for the common
people; it's a serious attempt to allow ordinary Indonesian people to have
real access to the benefits of information technology. I gather the
program will involve training and installation around the country, but I
don't really know the details. I hope this does actually happen in
practice.
If you've never been to a developing country, it's probably hard for you
to visualise what it's like. Put it this way, those Nike factory workers
that everyone keeps getting concerned about are actually reasonably well
off earning their USD20 per month or whatever it is. A lot of Indonesians
would like to have that opportunity. But try to imagine those people
purchasing a licence for MS Office... Or even Windows, for that matter.
For people like me, and, I guess, most readers of this mailing list, the
prospect of free software is mainly convenience. It's convenient to not
have to use crappy software and not be able to fix it. It's convenient to
avoid the rent-seeking activities of the folks in Redmond WA. It's
convenient to be able to learn good programming techniques by looking at
the work of others. But it's not about necessity. If I really needed
software, and free software wasn't available, I'd just buy what was on
offer from Redmond, or Cupertino, or whoever, as many people do anyway who
can afford it. However, most of the world can't afford it; free software
is no luxury, it's the only option.
I'm told that the existence of AbiWord, which is 1) functional, 2) free
and 3) localised to Indonesian was one of the arguments that persuaded the
president to invest his own (rather precarious, currently) prestige in the
hope of software that ordinary Indonesians can access. I hope you all have
a warm inner glow of satisfaction, because you _are_ making the world a
better place.
Tim
-- ----------------------------------------------- Tim Allen tim@proximity.com.au Proximity Pty Ltd http://www.proximity.com.au/ http://www4.tpg.com.au/users/rita_tim/
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