On October 15th, I will be participating in Blog Action Day. (Click on the banner above to learn more.) The idea is that on one day – October 15th – a large number of blogs will dedicate that day to discussing this year’s issue, which is poverty. Since it is not yet October 15th, you may be wondering why I am posting about this.

This year I want to take a different perspective on a standard idea: using open-source software to help create equal opportunity for those in poverty or who simply don’t have enough money for a new computer. Since many members of the Linux community have probably been involved in (or know someone who has been involved in) projects aimed at giving open-source software to those who cannot afford traditional software, I would like to pose the following question:

What obstacles, either technical or otherwise, still exist to successful use of open-source software by those who may not be able to afford standard proprietary software?

Please leave a comment or use the contact link at the bottom of the page to tell me your answer.