[A2k] South Africa Adopts Open Source Software Policy

[Manon Ress]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
South Africa Adopts Open Source Software Policy
http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/161338
Nov 1, 2007, News Report

While the South African open source software (OSS) market is still in
its development stage, the recent decision by the South African
Government to adopt a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) policy is
a significant boost for the industry, according to a release from
Frost and Sullivan.

A new analysis from Frost & Sullivan South African Open Source
Software Market, finds that both the public and private sectors will
benefit from the expansion of OSS, as the cost reductions realised
will not only encourage the start up of new businesses, but will also
allow the government to channel resources to much needed areas such
as healthcare and education.

"OSS provides South Africa with an alternative to the costly
applications of proprietary software vendors," notes Frost & Sullivan
Industry Analyst Lindsey McDonald. "The government's adoption of the
FOSS policy is a major driver for this market, as OSS will be used at
all levels of the government where it is comparable to or more
suitable than proprietary software."

There is a high level of collaboration among OSS developers and the
government policy should serve to further increase collaboration in
this market, continued the release. This in turn will result in the
development of applications uniquely suited to the South African
environment.

However, a general lack of awareness is threatening the extensive use
of OSS.
"Many potential users are not aware of the benefits or capabilities
of OSS," says McDonald. "These include the potential to customize it
for any purpose and the availability of the source code to all users.
Additionally, there is a perceived lack of support for OSS software."

While this is true in some cases, a growing number of companies are
also offering OSS support and customization services.

Overall, market participants need to challenge the view that OSS is
simply for technology enthusiasts, concluded the release. The
practical benefits of OSS should receive more attention. Focusing on
the strengths of OSS rather than the alleged weaknesses of
proprietary software would be a positive manner in which to promote
the use of OSS.


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Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@keionline.org,

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Il vaut mieux remuer une question, sans la d=E9cider, que la d=E9cider,
sans la remuer.
Pens=E9es, essais, maximes et correspondance de J. Joubert  p.249
http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/Visualiseur?Destination=3DGallica&O=3DNUMM-88671
Translation: It is better to debate a question without settling it
than to settle a question without debating it