The Promise of Open Source Software
Open Source Software (OSS) is revolutionizing the way software is developed and supported, but perhaps best, it allows for the creation of software solutions that can meet the needs of users in ways not possible through the commercial sector. Through open source developments, based upon implementations of open standard, improvements in information accessibility are possible, and in ways that serve the needs of the underserved populations.
Commercial software itself is undergoing changes that may both improve information accessbility, but also introduce new barriers. In contrast to the OSS world, where software is freely available, without restrictive licensing, commercial software is embracing subscription models, restrictive licensing, product activation technologies, and Digital Rights Management for content. While hindering software piracy, these new initiatives in the commercial will impact usability, economics, accesibility, and privacy. Take the simple example that recognizes the real world impact of unemployment. A user of a mainstream word procesing software suite with product activation, loses her job, and then uses the software to write her resume and letters to potential employers. Unfortunately, her annual subscription for the software is about to expire, and she does not have sufficient funds to resubscribe. With the expiration, her software may fail to work or limit functionality like printing. Due to economics, someone who needs the software, and should be entitled to use it, cannot. Now consider the impact on persons with cognitive disabilities who may not understand the implications of product activation and subscriptions, or the results when things go wrong (and they do!).
Open Source Software, though not without problems, offers an open model for software acquisition and use. Without licensing, or subscriptions, no one can take the software away from the user. An individual's economic condition will not impact the ability to use the software. For these reasons, OSS can and will have a major, positive impact in developing countries and for populations that are not presently well served by commercial software.
The challenge for Open Source is to ensure that products are accessible, exhibit good usability, and offer options for support and training. Fortunately, we are beginning to see development of open source projects from the accessibility community and we can expect that the numbers of such projects will grow. EMACSspeak, developed by T.V. Raman, can be found on the open source site http://www.sourceforge.net, and the Daisy Consortium is developing projects there, too. The Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities is developing AMIS, the Adaptive Multimedia Information System, as an open source project. Even Real Networks (http://www.real.com), recently announced that they will be releasing their multimedia streaming technologies, based upon W3C's open standard SMIL, into open source. There are open source implementation of a VoiceXML browser, though use of that source may run afoul of licensing problems that have yet to be resolved by W3C and commercial firms that hold patents on related technologies.
Another benefit of open source software is that it provide an opportunity for technology education and skills development in developing countries. From creating localized versions of OSS applications, to adding specific features required by a local population, to simply reviewing and studying sophisticated coding techniques, OSS can provide a valuable educational resource.
Look toward open source software to revolutionize the world of software. It is more than likely you will benefit from this revolution, whether you one day end up using open source software, or benefit from changes in commercial software which occur as a result of innovation or market pressure from the open source world.
Authors note: This article was written using the open source OpenOffice HTML Writer (http://www.openoffice.org)