The Meraka Institute Open Source Centre, a subsidiary of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), hosted Soweto`s first open source workshop at Funda Centre in Diepkloof on Saturday to highlight the benefits of open source software (OSS).
The workshop, attended by local entrepreneurs, students and government officials, was held to boost OSS uptake in the community and launch plans to build training centres for the youth in the area. Entrepreneurs were also shown how they could incorporate OSS in their own businesses.
"Open source has remarkable benefits in bridging the digital divide due to its free entrance and it can break monopolies if used wisely," says Nhlanhla Mabaso, open source centre manager at the Meraka Institute.
"With open source, people can roll-out a solution without paying huge fees. Other countries are growing their OSS plans and SA should not fall behind," he says.
Ntsika Msimang, focus area leader at Meraka Institute, says the biggest problem facing Soweto`s access to open source is resources. He says OSS is already well received in government and the private sector.
"People are interested in open source in Soweto but there hasn`t been a co-ordinated and collaborative effort in implementing the technology. This workshop will formally introduce open source in this area."
The National Institute for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of Offenders (Nicro) will be the first centre to adopt open source, together with Dipalo, a non-profit organisation based in Pimville. Other training facilities targeted to implement the software are Funda Centre and Ipelegeng Training Centre.
Jill Matshana, manager for research technology at the State IT Agency, says an OSS strategy has to have value creation for socio-economic benefits. She says the government`s task is to communicate a strategy that can lead to effective education and promotion of the use of open source software in communities.
"The OSS implementation process is facing some challenges, including software compatibility, hardware, de-centralised support and the potential maintenance cost. There is no one to provide a warranty and no one is legally obligated to replace non-working products," says Matshana.
A 16-member committee has been formed to plan more workshops and ensure more people, especially the youth, start to use OSS in their communities.
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