''The Code-Breakers'' is a two-part (2x22') BBC World documentary on free open-source software (FOSS) and

computer programming Computer programming is the process of performing a particular computation (or more generally, accomplishing a specific computing result), usually by designing and building an executable computer program. Programming involves tasks such as anal ...

that started on BBC World TV on 10 May 2006. It investigates how poor countries are using FOSS applications for

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals a ...

, and includes stories and interviews from around the world. The film examines whether free and open-source software might be the bridge for the widening

digital divide The digital divide is the unequal access to digital technology, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the internet. The digital divide creates a division and inequality around access to information and resources. In the Information Age i ...

. A 40-minute version of ''The Code-Breakers'' is available for free download online as of 2014. FOSS contains

source code In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comment (computer programming), comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a Computer program, p ...

that can be used, copied, studied, modified, and redistributed without restriction. It has been around for over 20 years, but most PC owners are not aware that many internet search engines and computer applications run on FOSS. Directed and filmed by Maximillian Jacobson-Gonzalez, the programs were filmed in nearly a dozen countries around the world, to see how the adoption of FOSS presents opportunities for industry and capacity development, software piracy reduction, and localization and customization for diverse cultural and development needs. Stories from ''The Code-Breakers'' include computer and Internet access for school children in Africa, reaching the poor in Brazil, tortoise breeding programs in the Galapagos, connecting villages in southern Spain, and post-tsunami disaster management in Sri Lanka. The documentary also includes interviews from key figures around the world, such as

Nicholas Negroponte Nicholas Negroponte (born December 1, 1943) is a Greek American architect. He is the founder and chairman Emeritus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, and also founded the One Laptop per Child Association (OLPC). Negroponte ...

, free software advocate

Richard Stallman Richard Matthew Stallman (; born March 16, 1953), also known by his initials, rms, is an American free software movement activist and programmer. He campaigns for software to be distributed in such a manner that its users have the freedom to u ...

(filmed at the World Summit for the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunisia in 2005), and former Brazilian Minister of Culture and musician

Gilberto Gil Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administratio ...

. Representatives of

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the devel ...

, IBM,

Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Sun for short) was an American technology company that sold computers, computer components, software, and information technology services and created the Java programming language, the Solaris operating system, ZFS, ...

and

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation, multinational technology company, technology corporation producing Software, computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at th ...

all seem to agree that FOSS is a welcome presence in computer software. According to Jonathan Murray of Microsoft, "The Open Source community stimulates innovation in software, it's something that frankly we feel very good about and it's something that we absolutely see as being a partnership with Microsoft".

References

External links

The Code-Breakers
at BBCWorld.com
The Code-Breakers
at YouTube
The Code-Breakers
free download at

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music ...

''The Code-Breakers''
at dev.tv
''The Code-Breakers'' FOSS documentary for sale by TVEAPAsia-Pacific Development Information Programme. ''The Code Breakers'' – a BBC World Documentary on FOSS and Development
Archived on Archive.org Documentary films about free software BBC television documentaries {{UK-nonfiction-tv-prog-stub