FOSS as a Tool for Development: The Kerala Experience

Author

Babu, Satish

Author_Institution

Int. Centre for FOSS, Trivandrum, India

fYear

2011

fDate

Oct. 30 2011-Nov. 1 2011

Firstpage

108

Lastpage

110

Abstract

The mainstreaming of Free and Open Source Software(FOSS) has been one of the most visible changes in the domain of software in the last decade. Starting out as a rallying point for techno-activists, FOSS is today a valued option supported by Governments, Businesses as well as the civil society in most parts of the word. The State of Kerala in southern India, already quite unique on a variety of social, democratic and political indicators, was the first to adopt FOSS as an instrument of State policy in 2001. As it celebrates a decade of FOSS in 2011, Kerala demonstrates the remarkable transition of FOSS into a cost-effective, pragmatic, and technologically sound strategy that simultaneously upholds the principles of freedom and democracy. Given that software is set to permeate most aspects of humanendeavor, the use of FOSS is an example for a highly sustainable-socially, politically and technologically-model of use of ICTs for humanity.

Keywords

humanities; information technology; local government; politics; public domain software; social aspects of automation; FOSS tool; ICT use; State of Kerala; State policy; civil society; cost-effective pragmatic strategy; democratic indicators; free and open source software; governments; humanity; political indicators; social indicators; software domain; southern India; technoactivists; Adaptation models; Communities; Ecosystems; Government; Instruments; Software; FOSS; Free Software; Kerala; Open Source; Sustainable Development;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC), 2011 IEEE

Conference_Location

Seattle, WA

Print_ISBN

978-1-61284-634-7

Electronic_ISBN

978-0-7695-4595-0

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/GHTC.2011.82

Filename

6103617