I’ve been asked to present at a campus Earth Week event on open source software, the environment, and social justice. As with the “9 Cool Web Apps Post“, I’ll be using this post as a kind of handout that people at the talk can go back to. I hope off-campus readers will get something out of it too.

Some Terminology

1. Open Source Software (in a nutshell)
   The code is open. Anyone is free to look at it, and anyone is free to modify it and redistribute. (See here)
2. Linux
   An open-source kernel. Most well-known open-source operating systems (aka “distributions”) are built on Linux. One of the most popular, mainstream distributions is Ubuntu.

Environmental Impact

1. Less Power – It’s estimated that Red Hat Linux can consumes up to 12% less power than Windows 2008. This article claims that the same test has Linux beating Windows on 13 out of 16 tests for power consumption.
   (UPDATE: Here’s a recent power test comparing Ubuntu 8.04 to Windows Vista. Ubuntu used 10% less power)
2. Less Hardware – Linux doesn’t need as many hardware replacements and could result in 50% less computers in our landfills. This UK Government study concludes that Linux could double server life. Also check out FreeGeek, a non-profit organization hat recycles old hardware by slapping copies of Linux on them. A nice write up FreeGeek them here.
3. Less Residual Waste – It costs money to protect your code. The current machinery involved in producing CDs, licensing agreements, shipping CDs leaves a huge footprint.
   (For additional info see – 10 Ways Linux Can Turn You Green)

The Environment and Social Justice

1. Give Poor Access to the Marketplace of Ideas. (See FreeGeek and One Laptop Per Child)
2. Access to the Marketplace = a voice in shaping public policy (I’ll discuss examples in the talk)
3. A related interesting read – How Linux Can Help Reduce World Poverty

A Modest Proposal for Our Campus
(FULL PROPOSAL HERE)
I’ve looked into our tech budget. We spend $430,000 a year on proprietary software, computer labs, and smart classrooms. If we cut that by 80% we would have enough money to buy every incoming freshmen a linux based, low-power netbook – with $100,000 left to spare. There are, I think, many benefits to this program. I outline them here. I’ll highlight some of the environmental benefits.

• Netbooks average 5-10 watts (Here are some netbooks that only use 3.5 watts). It seems that projectors average about 250 watts. A classroom with 30 students using 4 watt netbooks would use (58% less power than a smart classroom!)
• Widespread netbook use would reduce the number of desktop machines that are on all day in the computer labs. More importantly it would likely reduce the number of desktops in the dorm rooms that are on all day.
• Netbooks running Linux are likely to last much longer. There’s a good chance many of the students will continue to use them after college.

There are, I think, many more benefits that this program would yield. You’re also probably entertaining some possible objections. I’ve addressed as many of those objections that I could think of. You may read about this proposal in much more detail here.

What Can I Do?

1. Try Out Linux – I recommend Ubuntu.
   -Increase Market Demand for Linux-Supported Hardware
   -Create Market Potential for Supporting Linux-Help Make an Open Platform the Standard for Communication and Research
   -NOTE: You can try Ubuntu without making any changes to your computer
2. Help Out on Support Forums
3. Check out Open SUNY
   -I’ve organized a group to help encourage and support open source implementation on campus.

BONUS TRACK: Microsoft: The Not-So-Good, The Bad, and The Ugly