I presented a paper on the social fairness of software at the just concluded
34th Regional Science Conference at Thrissur. The core theme is attached
herewith for remarks and suggestions from members of this list.
I deliberately avoided the terminology of 'Free Software' as the audience had
been economists and planning experts.
CK Raju
| Closed Source Technologies |
| Un-sustainable computerisation
Huge drain of economic resources for maintaining
efforts |
e-Governance
Optimal usage of economic resources. |
| Exploitative Services
Parasitic effect as efforts funded with public resources, but
gains reaching only a few. Often increases dangers of this 'gains of few' to
have adverse effects on society. |
e-Services
Need not necessarily be considered safe on society. |
|
Open Source Technologies |
Figure illustrates slim chances for true e-Governance
initiatives to take off smoothly, without hinderance. The combined power of
influential minority to force Government to include their needs at top priority
and the power of Closed source proprietary technology to force their way through
cannot be easily overcome, given the low political awareness on different
technologies by the society and the low-key marketing efforts of the Open Source
Technologies. The resulting balance of equilibrium would be loaded to favour an
onset of highly exploitative services, under the theme of e-governance, which
would have a negative impact on the prosperity of any State, given the
accelatory effects that information technology components are known to possess.
The core theme elaborated at the 34th Regional Science Conference
at Thrissur on 26 Oct 2002 on 'Social Fairness of Software and its implications
for local government' by CK Raju.
