open source and librarianship

[Eric Lease Morgan]

From: Eric Hellman <eric at openly.com>


> I think it's a mistake to look to Open-Source strictly for cost
> savings; we use Linux and Apache even though they've cost us more $$
> than commercial solutions would have. It's the stability, security
> and performance that make them compelling solutions.

This is true. Just because open source software is free doesn't
necessarily mean it costs less; open source software is "as free as a
free kitten." But that, as many people may or may not know, is not
necessarily the point. Open source software reduces the possibility of
monopolistic practices by vendors. It provides a safeguard against the
lifetime of software products, and it keeps everybody honest about what
the software can and cannot do.

I still believe open source software and librarianship have very similar
philosophies. Both understand that information is not free. Both are
gift cultures. Both use the "stength in numbers" concept through
consortiums and/or globally networked computers. Both discourage the
limited access to information.

Finally, I'm not saying we should all embrace open source software
tomarrow; I'm just drawing a comparision. Maybe open source software is
simply a Jeffersonian ideal reborn and reapplied in a computer age.

--
Eric "At Home" Lease Morgan
Digital Library Initiatives Department, NCSU Libraries
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/staff/morgan/