Usability of Linux in the social
movement including labor movement
- Case study of some groups in domestic and foreign countries
Oh Byung il
( Korean Progressive Network 'Jinbonet', Technical manager)
1. Introduction
Usual understanding about Linux is that "Linux is for the expert and is very difficult to the ordinary people". And the major obstacle of using linux is that it has not much applications compared with that of Microsoft.
Although it's right for us to use linux politically, if linux is too difficult for the people to use easily, we can't assert that we should use linux. So, it's very important to examine how usable is linux now in the social movement
This article deal with following :
As domestic case, I'll introduce how Jinbonet use linux for network service and office job. Jinbonet already uses linux as a sever for network serivce and has plan to adapt linux as OS of PC.
As foreign case, I'll summerize the response to my email which I asked to the several persons (mainly administrators of NGO network) how they use linux. Concrete questions and answers are in the attached document.
2. Case Study 1 : Case of Jinbonet (Korean Progressive Network)
1) Use as a server for network service
Jinbonet provide two kinds of network service, BBS(Bulletin Board System) service and Internet service.
BBS host program, 'Maum system'(Maum means heart in Korean), runs on the solaris operating system of Sun.
Jinbonet uses linux on PC for Internet service like web service, hosting service, e-mail service, ppp service, and mailinglist service, etc.. Most of applications and development languages are open source software. We need not any extra cost for network service except hardware cost and fee for the leased line. (We just pay 10~20 US$ for the RedHat CD) We can modify the source for our own needs. Service is very stable.
Operating System - Korean version of RedHat 5.2 or RedHat 6.0
Web Server - Apache
Mail Server - Sendmail
Mailinglist Service - Petidomo
Database - MySQL
Search Engine - HtDig
etc...
2) Use for an office job
Most of Jinbonet's office computers still run on window 95 or window 98. Only some members of technical team use linux for their job. Following is the result of test how usable Linux is in work.
¥¡) Connectivity to the BBS
We can connect to the BBS or our server with Hanterm, which is provided in the Korean version RedHat distributions of linux. It's more fast than in the MS products, and better for multi-tasking with serveral windows opened. If you want similar interface with Serome-dataman, which is an popular emulator in Korea, you can use 'gau'.
¥¢) Word Processing
For simple documentation, you can use vi editor, which is somewhat difficult for a beginner though. You can use Emacs for editing, but you should MS word or HWP(Hangul Word Processor) for compatibility. You can't use word in linux. But, in social movement, they usually use HWP. To use HWP, you can use Hangul XR4 made by Mizi linux coperation. It's very similar to Hangul 96, but commercial program. (The cost of it is 55,000 won)
¥£) WWW surfing
Netscape Communicator is provided in the distributions. The main problem of it is that it's too slow in linux. I tested another open source web browser, but netscape showed the best performence. Another is that web sites look ugly because they are fitted for only MS explorer. Of course, if you have an good hardware, there is no problem. For reference, netscape is very slow on pentium 120Mhz and 32M Ram, but has no problem on celeron 400Mhz and 64M Ram.
You can use netscape messanger for pop3, but it's very slow too and has a problem to use Hangul. Instead, if you connect to the server and use elm or pine, you can use very easily.
¥¥) Graphic program
The graphic program running on linux, which is corresponding with photoshop on Windows, is GIMP. It has very similar interface and functions such as layer, filter and pattern, to the photoshop. But, Gimp is more user-friendly in some aspect. Because GIMP provides scripts which make normal user to use high-technical graphic easily, but photoshop is fit for professional publishing. We should do some work in the GIMP code to use hangul input. You can use windows fonts in the GIMP.
¥¦) Office program
One obstacle to use linux is that we can't use office program in Korea. We have to use office program to exchange the document with other group, although we don't use office program for internal exchange. In jinbonet, we use MS excell for the account, and MS powerpoint for the occasional presentation. We can't help waiting for Korean version Star-offiece being provided.
¥§) File sharing
When some use linux and others use windows, we can share files each other with Samba. We can access to the files of windows from linux, and vice versa.
¥¨) Graphic User Interface
Desktop environment KDE and Gnome of linux provides similar interface to the MS windows. They provide similar functions to the windows such as file manager, control panel, and clock, etc., and has similar performence.
¥©) And...
There exist some other functions which is not mentioned above. For example, I couldn't test multimedia function like internet audio with real audio program. And Jinbonet use direct internet line, but environment of other gourps would be different from jinbonet. They should connect to the internet by PPP networking with dial-up line. PPP networking was not tested, but it will run on Linux.
3. Case study of the groups in foreign countries
I couldn't examine the case of the groups in foreign countries sufficiently to mention it. I sent e-mail to ask some questions about their experience and opinion about linux, but four persons replied to me concretely. Three of them provide network service in their countries. C2O in Australia and E-mail Center in Philippine use linux for network service, and JCA-NET in Japan use FreeBSD, which is similar to linux in the point of open source. They have much experience in network, so they also use linux for other jobs as well as network service. They have much confidence on linux. It's noteworthy that they don't use commercial software without searching open source software first. Who are from the Republic of South Africa has no knowledgy and experience on linux. Each country has different situation in aspect of how much linux spreads.
4. Conclusion
In just technical aspect, we can use linux for almost office job in my opinion. At least, we can replace some of the computers in office with linux, and use other computers for applications which run only on MS windows. People say that linux is short of applications, but the software we need for office job is not many. Almost office job is just documentation, PC communication, web surfing, and e-mail communication etc.. User Interface is not so different from windows because desktop environment KDE or Gnome came out. Jinbonet will also replace almost computer with linux except one or two computer as planed earlier.
In technical aspect, linux will become more and more user-friendly in short time. Some vendor will sell computer which take linux as basic OS.
In fact, the bigger obstacle to introduce linux in office is social reason than technical one. First, we are not yet accustomed to linux. The feeling that windows is easy and linux is difficult, may come from the difference between what is accustomed to and what is not.
This problem could be solved by training. Moreover we should try to adapt ourselves to linux by using them continuously although it's not comfortable at the beginning.
Second, There are not many experts around us, so it's not easy to find someone to help us. But, It has only 50% truth. You will recognize that there are many people and resource who can help you when you try to learn it. Some of them are man pages, linux user group of each PC-Van, and many documents in the internet. The course to learn linux is also the course to make relation to senior linuxer.
Fundamentally, we should recognize why we should use linux instead MS windows, which is the purpose of this workshop. The course to learn linux is not only techincal one. But it's also the course to know how should information sociey become and what is the right culture of information society.