The Gandhian Software

On the Eve of completion of 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhiji, got a flash of thought on the parallels between the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhiji and Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). Thought of writing it as a blog post. Before writing it, did a bit of searching on the web and came across a few articles in which similar comparisons were presented. Nevertheless, decided to proceed with my version of the comparison:  

If you are new to Free and Open Source Software, let me tell you simply what it is. There are two types of software :

• Proprietary Software 
• Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)

A proprietary software is built by a company and sold for a price to its customers without letting them know the internal working mechanism of the software. The end-user is simply allowed to perform operations which the developer of that software has permitted. On the contrary, FOSS is built with the efforts of a diverse set of coders across the globe. The end-user has the freedom to know the internal working mechanism of the software and given the ability to modify as per their requirements. The term free in free software is more towards Freedom rather than free of cost. Few examples for FOSS: GNU-Linux (Operating System), Firefox (Web Browser), VLC player (Media Player).  

Let's compare the Gandhian philosophy and FOSS along the following dimensions: 

• Freedom
• Transparency
• Self-reliance 
• Inclusion & Empowerment

Freedom

One of the important advantages that the FOSS provides is the freedom from the control of companies which build the commercial software. If you are using commercial software, you are always under the control and watch of the company which has built that software, which is undesirable. Gandhiji is the synonym of the fight for freedom. Freedom from the company which was looting the country of course with the user interface of providing some benefits to the countrymen like Railways, Hospitals, etc. Proprietary software though looks easier to use at first, always comes at the cost of freedom. We get trapped into a problem called vendor lock-in which means that beyond a point user gets compelled to use that product even if he/she doesn't like it anymore. 

Transparency 

One of the mantras of Gandhiji is being transparent in our actions. This is very much evident from his autobiography. Gandhiji emphasized that if you are following the path of truth then there is nothing to hide. Free and Open Source Software are transparent to the core. As the source code of these software are publicly available, each symbol in the program is accountable. So there are no hidden agendas.  In the case of proprietary software, such levels of transparency are non-existent. We all agree to all the terms and conditions check-box without reading. Even if we read also, we don't have the option to accept partially. In the evolving cybersecurity scenario which can even impact the country's security, the use of transparent software gains increased significance. 

Self-Reliance 

Though we live in a world that has become a global village, it is critical to be self-reliant. Gandhiji has always emphasized self-reliance. The promotion of Khadi against its imported counterparts was an important mechanism Gandhiji adopted to make us self-reliant. Free and Open Source Software does exactly the same thing by making the user self-reliant. As we have the code with us we don't need to depend on the Policy Guidelines of the companies which are not even there in our country. Depending on the product of an external agency that permits you to perform only limited tasks, meaningful innovation, etc are out of scope.   

Inclusion & Empowerment

Gandhiji always advocated for Inclusion and Empowerment. He was able to reach Indians living in the remotest parts of the country, at a time when there was no fast communication channels were available. Gandhiji's approach was always inclusive. Inclusion leads to empowerment. Free and Open Source Software provides inclusion as the specific requirements of the users can be satisfied by customizing or extending the software. In the case of proprietary software, such users are at the mercy of the companies which build the software. The software companies will obviously focus on building features that might increase their profit. From a business perspective, it is perfectly alright. But the requirements of users with special needs such as Persons with Disabilities, elderly shall be very specific. In the case of FOSS, such requirements can be satisfied with the wisdom diverse set of coders. 

There is a cost angle as well to the Proprietary software. Free and Open Source Software are more inclusive due to affordability. Particularly, in countries such as ours with diverse needs, inclusion is the key to success. 

I imagine, if Gandhiji were alive today, he might have strongly advocated us to consider migrating to Free and Open Source Software due to the aforementioned reasons. Be the Change was his mantra. Free and Open Source Software as well promotes the Be the Change philosophy. 

Thus, Free and Open Source Software can be termed as The Gandhian Software.