Open Software Offers More Possibilities to Acquire New Knowledge and Skills
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Amila Akagic is President of the Linux User Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Akagic talked to OneWorld SEE about the promotion and use of free and open source software in Bosnia, and about the activities of the Linux User Association.
What is your information, to what extent is open software used in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Would you comment on the recent signing of agreement for cooperation between the University of Mostar and the Microsoft’s Zagreb Office? I hope that the leadership of the University will recognize the global trends and inform the students of other points of access to good software, because the students need good basis for the future upgrading of their knowledge. There are study subjects in the universities that can’t be taught solely through the Windows Operating Systems, having in mind that the producer of the software doesn’t allow access to the source code of its operating system. To use one analogy, how good a writer would a student of literature become if you prohibit him/her from reading books from other writers? Are there free software packages that could provide for the same level of education as Microsoft?
In what way can free software be useful for the work of the NGOs? It could be used in many ways. Alas, listing all advantages and benefits will take too much space, but I could mention the most important ones. In terms of money, the NGO avoid the obligation to pay the license to use a specific software product or package. In terms of technical support, you are not restricted to the limited number of persons that created the software. The source code for the software is free, which enables all the interested to learn how it operates, ergo, to provide support for those lacking professional programming skills. The widely accepted view is that the purchase of licensed software will solve all the problems and that all worries about maintenance will be left behind. The daily practice, however, says different. The free software can be upgraded or changed, without restrictions, to serve the specific needs of any organization, and all the changes can be implemented by any person that has the sufficient skills level. Therefore, you don’t have to wait or beg with the company that produced it to implement the necessary changes in the package. The purchase of licenses for use of licensed software, in the majority of cases, doesn’t include the right to access and use of the source code, in any sense of the word. So, it is impossible to make the changes that are most needed at a given moment of your work. Furthermore, there is the problem with incompatibility of document formats. You can easily get into a situation in which a company will insist on upgrades of your software, or purchase of the latest version, because users can’t open a document sent to them. The number of users and programmers of free software increases daily, which increases the quality of the programmes that can replace the licensed software. Is there enough information for the NGOs and the individual users about the existence and advantages of free software? Over the past period, we dedicated more attention to the individual users, especially in terms of support, advises, opinions, courses and other activities (for more information, visit www.linux.org.ba). We would gladly answer any invitation by NGOs interested to learn more about open software. I would add here that we are prepared to jump in with advise for the educational institutions that choose to use free and open software. What are the most common promotional activities used by your Organization? The Association of Linux Users exists for the specific goal of promotion of free and open software. Our goal is to bring the open software and the general philosophy that follows it closer to the interested parties. In the past two years, we organized six translating marathons. We managed to translate the basic user interface, the Office Package (OpenOffice.org), now available for Windows, too; then the Internet browsers like Mozilla Firefox, and other programmes into Bosnian language. We are especially proud of the first B&H Linux Desktop – BHLD. It is completely Bosnian product, a result of the long years of work of dozens of enthusiasts from all parts of the country. We wanted to present, thorugh the BHLD project, all the possibilities offered by the free software, as well as the fact that functional system can be prepared with very restricted resourses. You can find the results of our work on our website, download them freely, use them and make changes as you prefer. |
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