Social Implications of Free and Open Source
Software At the dawn of the 21st century, computers are an integral part
of life and
software is big business. Standing still in the middle of this stampede of capitalism is a group of idealists and socially concerned individuals who advocate for Free and Open Source Software. These two related movements propose that the developers who control
technology through software have a social interest, and even a responsibility to make sure that information technology remains open and equitable. The fruits of these efforts already include the Free Software Foundation, the Apache web server, and Linux-based operating systems, with more on the way. This session will outline the foundations of Free and Open Source software for a non-expert audience, and discuss the key social and ethical issues at their core.