“This paper makes the political and ethical case for the
adoption of free software by Community Aid Abroad and other
members of Oxfam International. It should be applicable to
development agencies generally and to other organisations with
similar values.
“Free software has obvious pragmatic advantages for community
development processes, most notably in its empowerment of users.
But the ideological foundations and social structure of the free
software movement are also consistent with community development at
a theoretical level.
“Feedback on this document would be appreciated…”