'InfoLinux': A story of community-based publishing

By Vishnu K. Mahmud

JAKARTA (JP): It is so easy to publish things nowadays. With a regular computer, one can type articles, cut and paste them onto a master layout and then ship them off to the printers (or publish it yourself with a DeskJet printer). With the advent of the Internet, people can now publish their own newsletters, web magazines or diaries online for a fraction of the cost.

However, paper-based journals and periodicals still permeate our daily lives, continuing their role as a prime conveyor of information.

With that in mind, a group of Indonesian Linux enthusiasts yearned to spread the gospel of the free and stable alternative operating system. While there are hundreds of websites dedicated to this open source (source code or building blocks of the program are open to the public) phenomenon, many recognize that a majority of Indonesians do not have adequate access to the information.

Internet access in Indonesia is still expensive for many, a fee that must be paid in addition to normal telephone charges. PC ownership in the country is still small. Language is an issue since most of the content and information about Linux on the web is in English. Indonesia has also been stigmatized as a haven for software piracy, a charge that can be eradicated (activists hope) by the popular use of free (license wise, not as in "no charge") Linux operating system.

What was needed was a mass marketable medium that could teach Indonesians about Linux. To inform that it's not that difficult to learn, that it does not require massive amounts of cash or state of the art hardware (a 486 computer will do). The novitiate must also have access to media that can bring the "free" software to hid computer at no additional charge. In the end, a magazine with an accompanying CD-ROM was chosen as the ideal channel to introduce the system to the public.

Lead by Effendy Kho, entrepreneur and open source activist, the Indonesian Linux community banded together to create their own computer magazine. InfoLinux was born after a year of planning and plotting strategies. The idea to publish their own computer magazine popped up in the Indonesian Linux e-mail mailing list (whose archives can be accessed at www.linux.or.id) where the discussion forum metamorphosed into a working group of writers and editors.

Start up capital was raised by issuing shares in the new magazine with dozens of regular people (not venture capitalists) providing the bulk of the financing. Rusmanto Maryanto, Editor-in-Chief of InfoLinux Magazine, states that although shareholders may hope for direct profits in the form of dividends, they also expect indirect benefits. Such benefits include the satisfaction of educating and providing information to people about a technology that is inexpensive and stable.

Rusmanto hopes that if Linux and other open source software are used in Indonesia, more money can be put into new businesses such as training, support, software exports and others instead of purchasing expensive software licenses. Such businesses will provide more opportunities for Indonesians who wish to learn and use computer programming as a skill.

As with Linux and the Internet, online collaboration plays a key role for the magazine. Despite the fact that practically all of the writers and editors are computer professionals by trade with no journalistic training, they divided tasks and learned the ropes of the publishing business.

They read online how to prepare articles and magazine layouts. They searched for a printer and distributor. They found a company to manufacture their CD's. Most of them work from their offices or homes since many live far from Jakarta. Some of the contributors live in Canada, Australia and Germany so they e-mail their articles to Indonesia.

Rusmanto also proudly says that all the editing and writing for InfoLinux is done on Linux based software. However, for the layout and printing process, a non Linux operating system is used since the printing company could not (at least for the moment) accept Linux based files. That is a problem that Rusmanto hopes to solve!

The first edition of InfoLinux is already available in local bookstores and with magazine hawkers. Although the layout of the magazine is rather unorthodox, readers can find pertinent information about setting up Linux for the first time. Users can also try out the operating system by way of the CD-Rom that comes with the magazine.

With this distribution network, the magazine founders hope to instill a sense of curiosity and thirst for knowledge that can translate to more Linux users and programmers. The information is written in Indonesian with software that no longer has to be downloaded (thus avoiding expensive phone charges).

We have heard so much about desktop publishing, online collaboration, telecommuting, net communities and Internet start- ups. InfoLinux is one entity that encompasses them all. The desire of the community to teach people the advantages of an alternative way of doing things has not only benefited others by making the information widely available, but also the community gained a new experience -- starting up a magazine business.

With their contribution, Indonesian Linux users hope to free the country from expensive software licenses and monopolistic programming techniques. They see a future that is not dictated by a particular software or company, but by freedom of choice and openness. Not market share.

You can access the InfoLinux website at www.infolinux.co.id. The writer can be contacted at vmahmud@yahoo.com.