What is Public Software?

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Public Software is free software that is required by all, to participate in the digital society. Public Software needs to be seen as an entitlement, in the nature of public education or public health. As in the case of public education or public health, public institutions are responsible to ensure universal access to public software as well as support public participation in its creation, sharing, modification and improvement. Thus public software is free software, but it is more than that, it is also a public good.

Public software would cover operating system, basic text, number, image, audio and video editors, web browser, mail, screen readers etc. These applications are essential for universal access and participation in the digital society.


Contents

Why Public Software?

Achieving freedom through “Swatantra” software

Though India is an important software centre, it has largely been a low-value software producer. We have call centers, Business Process Outsourcing etc. However high value software is largely produced in the US, Europe and other developed countries, not in India. One reason for this is that Indians have learnt to be 'end users' of software and not 'producers'.

Likewise, with proprietary software, students can learn only to be mere surface-level users of software. This is because, proprietary software hides the source code that explains and controls what the program does. With free software, our students can learn not only how to use software, but also how to understand it and change it. This is why free software is also called Swatantra or Mukt software.

Free software puts knowledge in our hands, while in the case of proprietary software, this knowledge is hidden by the vendor .


“Samudaya” software – the social argument for public software

Promoting the local development through “Swadeshi” software

Free software has other important economic benefits: Development and Independence. When governments buy a software license, the license fees directly benefit multinationals based in foreign countries. However if free software is used, it can be further developed and customized by local software engineers, and local software enterprises and entrepreneurs can also provide support, consultancy, training, services etc. This means that money paid for such services remains in the local economy and also local IT capabilities are developed. This is a very critical consideration in the context of reducing imbalances in economic growth and livelihood opportunities.

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Software as a public good

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