For many, free and open source software gives them access to programmes they could otherwise never afford to have. For others, it is a complicated and overwhelmingly technical environment that they would rather stay away from altogether; but for Jamie McClelland, Director of APC member May First/People Link in New York City, free and open source software (FOSS) is an important tool for political organisations – one gives them control over their resources and technologies and can be a planetary common good for all.
In an interview during the Allied Media Conference in July 2012, where hundreds of grass roots organisations from across North America gathered to cultivate strategies for a more just and creative world, McClelland explained what the common misconceptions around FOSS can be, and why it is important to make political decisions about our use of technology.
Listen to the interview: Why use FOSS?