Why "Open"?
“Why open source? Why open access?” These are tough questions, but important ones. Information, technology, and even free expression are important tools of development. They are not perfect answers to the challenges of poverty and war, but they empower people and allow them to act to improve their own lives. The way they do this is not necessarily direct and obvious: by giving people technologies that they can modify, observe and make their own, and by giving people access to journals, textbooks, and newspapers, individuals gain the power to learn and improve their lives and the communities around them.
Technical Definitions
Specifically, open source software refers to software created by communities, with its inner workings available to anyone free of charge. When you currently used “closed source” software, very few people know how it works and even less can make any real changes to the software. With open source software, people can get involved in the actual development of the technologies and customize them for their own needs.
Similarly, open access refers to the idea that people should have free and unfettered access to academic research and journal articles. We take this technical definition further, encouraging all types of technologies and information to be freely available for anyone and everyone. This is no small task, and we do not plan to achieve it alone. By working with other groups and communities, we hope to spread the word – numerous other organizations are doing the same – and together, we can achieve this goal. Like a famous quote in this field says, “Information wants to be free.”
Open media is a combination of the two ideas above. By promoting open tools and technologies along with open information and idea, we're promoting an open, free, and accessible media landscape that anyone can use and participate in for fun, for social justice, and any other reasons they can think of.
