Glyn Moody is a prime supporter of open source software and often discusses its benefits on his Open Enterprise blog on Computer World UK. He recently posted “Another Reason Why Open Source Wins: Fairness” that discusses how open source offers a level of freedom for tweaking the program to meet the end users’ needs and being socially responsible for how the software is made that proprietary software does not offer. Moody uses a Fairphone as an example. A Fairphone is a smartphone, except it offers users more choices and responsibility for an everyday electronic:
We believe that through shared responsibility, shared value can be created for all stakeholders. In fact, by making a phone, and being part of the market, we will believe we will find the right partners. Partners, like KwameCorp, who will join us on our journey towards a fair phone. Kwame is a digital R&D agency, and believes that a fair phone deserves an OS which reflects ideals of transparency and fairness in its user experience and design. An OS which empowers the user to be conscious about his usage behavior, from energy footprint to hardware used. In order to support this philosophy, fair phone’s interface design needs to be free from clutter, simple, and very honest. Ultimately Kwame envisions a simple but better OS. One that allows for space to reflect and realize but also one that minimizes the time you need to get to what is important.
Fairphone’s mission is noble and if it gets the type of media attention it deserves it would change the way end users use a smartphone. The only problem is the phone is expensive at 325 Euros and it is a crowd-sourced project, needing 5000 pre-orders to go into production. Fairphone should succeed and it sends a message that reflects the open source’s community common morale: share and make things better for the common good. LucidWorks follows a similar approach with its open source search application that offers robust and powerful solutions for Big Data, enterprise, and the Cloud.
Whitney Grace, June 3, 2013
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