The government of South Africa is at the forefront of the adoption of free open source software (FOSS) both in terms of a visionary policy as well as implementation. The February 2007 Cabinet approval of a policy with five key points outlines a strategy in which the advantages of FOSS can be realised by the South African public. These points are: Choose FOSS, Migrate to FOSS, develop new applications with FOSS, implement Open Content Licensing, and Promote FOSS in South Africa.
That's according to Dr. Daniel Mashao, SITA CIO. Speaking at the recent SITA GovTech conference held in Cape Town, Mashao explained that it is standard government policy that it will implement FOSS unless proprietary software is significantly superior. "If proprietary software is selected, reasons must be provided as to why FOSS was not. The commitment of government to using FOSS is such that it is given priority, which reflects the growing confidence in the products, technologies and solutions based on open licensing," Mashao said.
Just why government is on this concerted drive towards FOSS requires an examination of what it is. Mashao explained that the Free Software Foundation (FSF) uses four points definition of freedoms as they pertain to software. FOSS allows the user to:
* Run the program, for any purpose
* Study how the program works, and adapt it to specific needs
* Redistribute copies to help others
* Improve the program, and release improvements to the public, for the benefit of the whole community
These initiatives and commitments to FOSS and open standards are a direct effort to make government information more accessible among agencies and to the citizen. Further to that, Mashao says government is seeking to act in a catalytic role by standing behind and actively promoting the concept of software and technology which is more accessible and affordable to all.
In addition to this commitment to all new software developed by government and its agencies based on open standards and licensed as FOSS, he says government will migrate present proprietary software systems to open platforms. "It is the further commitment to ensure that all existing and new government content and content developed by government is made open, unless analysis shows that it is necessary to protect or secure such content," Mashao added.
SITA FOSS Activities and Initiatives
With the establishment of a FOSS Programme Office, Mashao explained that SITA will ensure implementation of and migration to FOSS in government. This will be achieved in accordance with five Key Executables, which are:
* Coordinate all the FOSS work in Government
* Create FOSS skills
* Ensure that Government Procurement is FOSS compliant
* Ensure that MIOS and MISS are FOSS compliant
* Partner all FOSS migrations of Government departments starting with SITA's own FOSS Migration
"The key executables will coordinate all the work being done within government departments to encourage the documentation, sharing and exchange of knowledge and information within government," said Mashao; he pointed to the deployment of Apache worldwide as a highly viable FOSS Web server, yet said that at present 99% of government department are using Microsoft with the associated challenges of viruses and security. "By creating and sharing knowledge and skills, we can ensure that procurement for such requirements is FOSS compliant, as well as compliant with Minimum Interoperability Standards."
Further action on the part of SITA includes FOSS Proof of Concept projects on Transversal Systems, continued Mashao. He reported that SITA's research and development arm has tested the operation of Linux on systems including BAS, PERSAL and LOGIS; it has introduced an Open Document Format converter for Microsoft Office Applications and has its own website developed on the Apache platform. Further, a FOSS Tender has been awarded to 8 companies, enabling government departments to acquire FOSS solutions with confidence. "SITA and soon the Department of Science and Technology will make use of the tender to fulfill technology requirements," said Mashao.
Other departments are following suit; the Department of Communications is finalizing its FOSS strategy, the Department of Public Service and Administration has a request for purchase for 1000 Linux desktops and SITA is deploying Impi Linux. Statistics SA has a FOSS feasibility study underway, while the CSIR intends to have 75% of its 4000 user environment on FOSS by the end of the year.
Essential in an environment where skills are in relatively short supply, he noted that skills training has commenced with the recent selection of the first 30 interns for FOSS skills development in response to the needs of several departments. "One of the reasons companies have not developed FOSS skills is because there has been uncertainty as to where these skills will be used. We're eliminating this chicken-and-egg scenario by ensuring skills availability," Mashao noted.
There are challenges, he conceded, but the steady progress which government and SITA are making will continue to see the advancement of FOSS in essential roles. "These challenges include speed of execution, as it is not easy to just implement new systems, there are risks that must be mitigated, and the legal process [in terms of policy creation]. But we want to do this and we want to do it thoroughly and properly," Mashao said.
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