Open Source software is free. It is free of cost to use, share or modify. It also guarantees essential freedoms for the people using it.
This software is widely used within the IT industry by professionals. It is the software behind most of what powers the Internet itself and runs for instance on around 80% of the worlds website servers. All of the major IT companies have become involved in this type of software in the past few years.
Open Source software is made not by a single company, but by a community of programmers. The process is completely transparent and open to all (including companies). This means more flexible, powerful and reliable software which can inter-operate easily.
The immediate cost savings and the long term sustainable industry opportunities are clear. A home grown industry of expertise in this field could be promoted by the government by for instance adopting free Open Source software within the public service. This would in turn stimulate SMEs in the IT arena to further develop the skills needed, stimulating training companies in this area. Companies developing Open Source software would also be able to export software services and expertise around Open Technologies. This all further strengthens the Open Source industry itself. The government insisting on Open Technologies would also guarantee long term stability as technology changes, because this type of software adheres to international standards for data-interchange and communication instead of trying to tie-in the users to one product.
How many software licenses are purchased by state bodies in Ireland? There is a free Open Source alternative to almost any major piece of software in use. Can we justify the purchase for instance of Office software when there is a free alternative. Can we justify the purchase of large email systems where the cost increases as the number of users increase, essentially placing a burden on success (more employees). Are you aware that a laptop can be securely encrypted very easily and quickly using a piece of Open Source software at no cost. When document formats, or software versions are unnecessarily made obsolete the cost to the state is simply immense.
As a quick example of the type of financial savings that can be made, consider a single area - schools. There are around 4000 primary and secondary schools in the country. If you assume an average of 15 computers in each, this would total 60,000 computers. If 100 euro is saved by using free software on each, 6 Million is saved in total. This is only one area and probably widely underestimates the number of computers in use. Add to this the entire public and semi-state sector.
A quick look on the govenments eTenders website shows around 140 tenders in the IT area with a single mention of Open Source. In fact, many of these tenders ask for a single product by name instead of outlining the requirements and allowing the professionals present the best solutions. For instance, there are many tenders for document management systems. By using cost-free software, that conforms to international standards and simply bringing in the expertise to configure and maintain the software the cost of these can be reduced drastically.
PS. This is a quickly written proposal that I will formalize and re-submit in the coming weeks.
I'd like to provide a little extra information on my proposal, some background and clarity in a few areas.
The last few comments sum this up for me and the 'spirit of community and collaboration' is central to open source thinking.
Technology is now at the heart of all aspects of modern life. Our business and personal lives have been dramatically changed by the ease with which we communicate and share information.
The Internet has driven much of this change and it is the 'openness' of the Web that makes it unique. Built on the concept that the free exchange of ideas and information could empower people, promote engagement and drive further innovation, the Internet has become one of the most important inventions of our time.
But if the Web provides a channel for all of our interactions, it is software that provides a way in, the means by which we can engage with all of this knowledge. At the very point where people connect with technology is software, and in the same way that the Internet provides an open channel for connections, Open Source software can provide free and easy access to the tools we need.
Developed in a collaborative way by an open community of programmers, testers and users, Open Source software aims not to own ideas or restrict knowledge but essentially to place software into the public domain, and to protect technology users and guarantee free access to these important tools. The process is genuinely open to scrutiny and is available to anyone willing to participate in any small way.
There is a quiet revolution taking place in the world of software. If you've used Facebook, Moodle, Open Office, Android on your mobile, Google chrome or the Firefox browser then you've already used Open Source software.
As I pointed out, when people with expertise in technology choose software they choose Open Source because of the flexibility and reliability it provides. There are also other reasons for this.
The licensing involved promotes re-use, which means that there tends to be a lot less reinventing of wheels. As the global body of available Open Source software has increased, the pace and quality of software has grown dramatically. There are now many pieces of software in this domain that would take many years and substantial cost to produce. These are available free to use for anyone.
It's clear to me after over 10 years in the industry that this process is inevitable. These are the new software technologies and with a raft of new companies in this area, the new software industry. In Ireland we are very well placed to take this current opportunity and run with it, but there are many other countries well ahead of us in this regard.
Our nearest neighbors in the UK already have software procurement policies in place that promote the use of Open Source software. The software industry there is starting to flourish with a second wave (the first wave may have been the dot com boom of the early 00's). There is a big difference this time. The process is transparent and genuinely open. This is an arena where genuine expertise, creative thinking, collaboration and hard work pay off and middle-men resales won't work for long.
There is no doubt that Ireland will be involved in this new software industry. Indeed we already are with some of the biggest players in this new industry based here. But we also have an opportunity to be a leader by embracing this and generating our own home-grown expertise which would be an invaluable asset going forward.
The real question is how we could make this happen. My own thinking is that the first step would be genuine promotion of the use of Open Source products in the public service. This could be easily achieved by developing a new software procurement policy. This would generate a further need for expertise in the area and kick start some local software and support industries. A further promotion within the education sector and a public promotion campaign would develop much more awareness of Open Source. The business cost savings and benefits could be promoted by state agencies further driving demand for expertise in the area.
This three pronged approach of policy, wide adoption and business promotion could put Ireland at the forefront of the new IT.
It's almost 12 so it seems I've run out of time on this. Good luck to me and the next few generations of our fabled 'knowledge society'.
A truly GREEN idea arising from a community - the Open Source community - applicable to Ireland's communities so that we all might be part of the knowledge economy.
The potential cost savings alone should justify running this proposal. However, the benefit to our first and second level education could be massive. Best of luck. Shane.
Andrew Clarke 01/05/2010
I'd like to provide a little extra information on my proposal, some background and clarity in a few areas.
The last few comments sum this up for me and the 'spirit of community and collaboration' is central to open source thinking.
Technology is now at the heart of all aspects of modern life. Our business and personal lives have been dramatically changed by the ease with which we communicate and share information.
The Internet has driven much of this change and it is the 'openness' of the Web that makes it unique. Built on the concept that the free exchange of ideas and information could empower people, promote engagement and drive further innovation, the Internet has become one of the most important inventions of our time.
But if the Web provides a channel for all of our interactions, it is software that provides a way in, the means by which we can engage with all of this knowledge. At the very point where people connect with technology is software, and in the same way that the Internet provides an open channel for connections, Open Source software can provide free and easy access to the tools we need.
Developed in a collaborative way by an open community of programmers, testers and users, Open Source software aims not to own ideas or restrict knowledge but essentially to place software into the public domain, and to protect technology users and guarantee free access to these important tools. The process is genuinely open to scrutiny and is available to anyone willing to participate in any small way.
There is a quiet revolution taking place in the world of software. If you've used Facebook, Moodle, Open Office, Android on your mobile, Google chrome or the Firefox browser then you've already used Open Source software.
As I pointed out, when people with expertise in technology choose software they choose Open Source because of the flexibility and reliability it provides. There are also other reasons for this.
The licensing involved promotes re-use, which means that there tends to be a lot less reinventing of wheels. As the global body of available Open Source software has increased, the pace and quality of software has grown dramatically. There are now many pieces of software in this domain that would take many years and substantial cost to produce. These are available free to use for anyone.
It's clear to me after over 10 years in the industry that this process is inevitable. These are the new software technologies and with a raft of new companies in this area, the new software industry. In Ireland we are very well placed to take this current opportunity and run with it, but there are many other countries well ahead of us in this regard.
Our nearest neighbors in the UK already have software procurement policies in place that promote the use of Open Source software. The software industry there is starting to flourish with a second wave (the first wave may have been the dot com boom of the early 00's). There is a big difference this time. The process is transparent and genuinely open. This is an arena where genuine expertise, creative thinking, collaboration and hard work pay off and middle-men resales won't work for long.
There is no doubt that Ireland will be involved in this new software industry. Indeed we already are with some of the biggest players in this new industry based here. But we also have an opportunity to be a leader by embracing this and generating our own home-grown expertise which would be an invaluable asset going forward.
The real question is how we could make this happen. My own thinking is that the first step would be genuine promotion of the use of Open Source products in the public service. This could be easily achieved by developing a new software procurement policy. This would generate a further need for expertise in the area and kick start some local software and support industries. A further promotion within the education sector and a public promotion campaign would develop much more awareness of Open Source. The business cost savings and benefits could be promoted by state agencies further driving demand for expertise in the area.
This three pronged approach of policy, wide adoption and business promotion could put Ireland at the forefront of the new IT.
It's almost 12 so it seems I've run out of time on this. Good luck to me and the next few generations of our fabled 'knowledge society'.