Free software culture

Last night I was too tired to really comment on the the idea of a free software culture. But the idea is worth more than a few comments.

I have really noticed a change in myself since I started using Linux. Of course, I had been using OpenOffice for a long time before switching to Linux, so the changes had probably been occurring gradually over the space of a couple years. As Byfield's article says,

A Do-it-yourself philosophy runs deep in almost every free software user. The longer they have been using it, the deeper it runs.

I know that I am constantly tinkering with my computer. I download new applications, try them out, switch to them or reject them as I see fit. I can use KDE programs and Gnome programs interchangeably; I am not locked into choosing one or the other. I use different applications for different purposes. I like that freedom to make my computer mine.

I constantly turn to forums for answers. And it doesn't end with forums about my particular software. I look on forums for answers to everything. I know that I can go out and get the answers to almost any question from someone who has actually had the same problem I am having. And if I don't understand the answer, I can ask for clarification. When I do that on a software forum, I have to be prepared to provide information about my own system. I have to go t the command line and get that information. But if I do my part, I can get the answers I need. And it doesn't cost me a penny.

All of this, though, makes me think about the importance of free software in education. This culture, it seems to me, should be the goal of education: individuals who can explore, investigate, ask questions, learn, share their knowledge, and apply what they learn to their own situation and to the situations of others. It is a mind-set that I think schools should want to encourage.

So why is it so hard to get schools and teachers themselves to change?

Free software users

Thanks to LXer, I found a great post by Bruce Byfield, 9 Characteristics of Free Software Users. I found it to be a very interesting list. And a pretty accurate one. Among the 9 are:

3) Free software users expect to work the way they choose

Switching from Windows to GNU/Linux, the first thing that users are likely to notice is how many customization options are available ...

These options are a direct result of the sense of control that free software encourages in its users. Not only do they expect to use menus, toolbars or keyboard shortcuts as their preference dictates, but they expect to control the color, widgets and even placement of desktop features easily and efficiently.

and

6) Free software users expect to help themselves

Free software users ... are far less likely than proprietary users to expect formal technical support. Instead, what they expect are the means to help themselves .... A Do-it-yourself philosophy runs deep in almost every free software user. The longer they have been using it, the deeper it runs.

The whole post is great, but what actually struck me most was his introduction, in which he talks about helping family and friends with their Windows machines. He said:

...I was able to solve problems that baffled the others -- not because of any technical brilliance, but because the free software culture in which I spend my days made me better able to cope.

I believe what he is saying is true. I also think it extends far beyond the questions of computers and software. But that is another topic for another day perhaps.

Change is hard.

Some people embrace change and others do not. And most of us, I guess, embrace it in some areas and not in others.

There have been a lot of changes at school technology-wise lately. For some of us it is easier than for others. One thing that I think is smart is that the tech guys are getting a few people on board with one or more of the different open source programs we are going to be using before springing them on everyone. It has been helpful, for instance, for me to be able to assure some of the office staff that they will be able to use OpenOffice without any problems, And someone else can tell us how convenient Zimbra is. There is a small group of "experts" who can take some of the pressure off the IT guys. But this is a stressful time for a lot of people.

The changes that are planned are good ones, I think. On both ethical and financial grounds I applaud the move to open source that has slowly been taking place on our campus. We've been using Moodle for over a year now, and we are running Linux servers. There is a long way to go still, and not everyone is as excited about it as I am, but I think this time next year few people will even remember what the fuss was all about.