Use of free software in the State, part II

The second part of this exhaustive analysis on the use of free software in the State, and its advantages over the use of proprietary software. Those who could not read the first part, can access it from here.

Software and Operational Capacity

Once computing is introduced to a task, it begins to become essential. This is largely because data stored on digital media is, unlike that recorded on paper, impossible to decipher when the computer is not working. For this reason, it is essential that the technical means of data processing are available to the user, otherwise he is unable to fulfill his task.

"The system crashed"

No one is astonished at losing hours of work because they had to restart their system, or that their data disappears (along with those of several colleagues) due to the action of a virus, or the queues stopped because the computer does not respond. The user is resigned, and accepts these problems as part of the price to pay for the use of the tool. However, none of these failures is inherent in computers: they are just the tangible expression of the end-user's powerlessness in the face of the failures of a mechanism over which they have no control, and on which they depend in order to carry out their task. .

This lack of control reaches grotesque levels. Take for example the passport issuance system of the Federal Police. When Argentines living abroad have a child in a country governed by the Jus Sanguinis, let's say Germany, the child is neither Argentine nor German, he is stateless. Germany refuses to issue a passport for the child. Argentina does broadcast it, but when entering the child's nationality, the program lacks the "stateless" option, which is why it is noted as German, a decision as arbitrary as designating it as a Hindu. In short, we have here a case in which the defect of a software program actually modifies the legislation.

Free Software Allows You to Operate Correctly and Efficiently

The key to operability is in control. Free software is generally much more robust than its proprietary counterparts simply because when users find a defect they can fix it (or have it fixed) according to their own interests. And since the correction is free, just like the original program, it is enough that some user on the planet finds merits to solve the problem so that it is solved for everyone else. The user can adapt the program to his needs without asking anyone's permission, choosing deadlines, budgets and suppliers according to his possibilities and priorities, and solving his problems once and for all, instead of continuing to fight against them on a daily basis.

The Cost of the Software

The software doesn't just cost a license purchase price. It is also difficult to maintain, operate, adjust. It is important for the user to be able to keep these costs under control, otherwise they may be prevented from carrying out their goals, due to unplanned expenses.

Free Software belongs to the User

A nice detail of free software, a direct consequence of the characteristics that we have already discussed, is that its use is free: anyone who has it in their power can use it as many times as they want, on as many machines as they want, for whatever purposes they want. In this way, using free software, the user is freed from any dependence on a single provider, and can manage its growth and operation with total autonomy, without fear of hidden costs or extortion.

The Owner of the Ball

All the comparative disadvantages of proprietary software with respect to free software that we have mentioned translate into material financial losses for the user, in terms of lost work hours, lack of reaction capacity, forced decisions, technological dependence, data insecurity, unnecessary updates. , etc. Added to this are the licensing costs, both ostensible and hidden.

The limited use license under which proprietary software is marketed is not only expensive, but also puts the user in a multitude of problems. For example, the obligation to pay the system provider again each time it expands its operation, even though it does not contribute anything new. Worse still, the provider forces the customer to do their own audit regarding the correct application of the licenses. This problem is compounded by the lack of provision, by the copyright holder, of effective tools to control the use of software, so that as the number of machines and users increases, this same control is it becomes more and more expensive, until it exceeds the costs of the same license.

In short: the advantages of soft. free

Once the previous topics have been evaluated, it is necessary to make a comparison between both types of software (free and proprietary), based on six characteristics: functionality, reliability, usability, efficiency, ease of maintenance and portability.

1 Functionality

"Functionality" is the ability of a software to meet the needs of users. Because each software has millions of users to satisfy, both free and proprietary software are highly developed (although GNU / Linux did it in much less time).

When it comes to office software (the one that most of us use), Microsoft Office has more features. However, users hardly notice the difference with OpenOffice (free), because most people use only basic tools, which are available in both programs. In the case of database administrator systems, proprietary software does have advantages, but despite this, for many users of these programs the free version may also be sufficient.

Another advantage of free software with respect to the owner is that its systems are standard, that is, they have great interoperability. What is interoperability? It is the ability of a system to exchange information with a different one. This does not happen with proprietary software, because it keeps information about the internal details of your systems confidential, and it is difficult to make them compatible with other products.

2. Reliability

Has your computer ever "crashed"? In computing, "reliability" is the ability of a software to be reliable, that is, its ability to tolerate failures and recover after them. In the past, this was a severe criticism of Windows systems versus GNU / Linux, although now they have improved a lot, to the point that, for office use, there are almost no differences. When it comes to high-performance database management systems, proprietary software is even better.

3 Usability

In our times, after the evolution of personal computers, using software should be as simple as possible. In this regard, proprietary software still has an advantage over free, but the difference is less and less. In fact, it is estimated that a new OpenOffice user only needs a couple of hours of exploration to start producing documents with ease: visually, GNU / Linux has improved so much that it could compete with the newly released Windows Vista, successor to Windows XP.

4 Efficiency

As its name implies, "efficiency" is the ability of a program to optimally use the facilities that the PC has (RAM memory, CPU, disk space). In poor countries, such as Peru, computers are often old: this means that they have little space to store data and little RAM. With proprietary software, visual innovations require better resources - you cannot install Windows Vista on a Pentium 1 - but in GNU / Linux there are different options, depending on the age of the PCs.

5. Ease of maintenance

A software must be modified, as time passes, to be able to adequately respond to new needs. This is called "maintenance" or "updates." In the case of proprietary software, since the source code is not public, the company is the only one that can carry out these updates and, logically, it does not carry them out at the request of each user, but when the company itself plans to do so. .

What happens with free software is different. Because the source code is public, there are several ways to manage updates: organizations can decide, for example, to have their IT departments modify the code according to their needs; but they can also hire a company to do the necessary maintenance. Thanks to that, free software wins this round. 

Software and the State

The argument cited is certainly applicable to all types of large and small organizations. But what in private entrepreneurship is mere convenience, for the State becomes crucial. The State administers public and private information about citizens, and simultaneously property of citizens. Intrinsic insecurity in the "secret" operation of proprietary software implies exposing this data to an unjustifiable risk of theft and alteration.

Also from a social and strategic point of view, the use of free software is imperative. It is the only way to guarantee not only the democratization of access to information and State systems, but also the competitiveness of the local software industry, a potential source of high added value work. We believe it is important to note that this is not a protectionist measure: regardless of its origin, it is a matter of favoring software whose license encourages the participation and collaboration of professionals in the environment instead of discriminating against them, while stimulating competition.

The emerging technological dependence on the nature of proprietary software is clearly unacceptable to the state. There are already institutions twisting the laws to adapt them to the software that they sold them. Taxpayers are forced to purchase software of a certain brand and model for the sole purpose of meeting our tax obligations. The State is exposed to blackmail through the information it has stored in proprietary secret formats, to sabotage through deliberate vulnerabilities, and all this despite the fact that the necessary tools and knowledge are available to avoid being exposed to these problems.

The State, due to its size and its role as administrator of common goods, is particularly vulnerable to the risks of proprietary software, while being in a particularly strategic position to benefit from the advantages of free software, and also to contribute to its development. Take, for example, the provinces, all embarked on very expensive computerization programs, which could form a conglomerate to finance the development of a free solution to their problems, and share it among all. The National State is in a similar situation, if we count on the fact that the different regional divisions of the same entity require licenses for the use of additional software.

Sources:

• http://proposicion.org.ar/doc/razones.html, por Federico Heinz.
• Wikipedia.