A number of major players in the computer industry are throwing their weight behind the open source software movement and, as a result, open source software is maturing to the point where it can no longer be ignored by decision-makers in business, says Inus Gouws, a senior information management (IM) consultant at Computer Associates Africa.
He looks at some of the open source systems and applications geared towards desktop use.
The main attraction of open source software is that it is essentially free - the source code is available to anyone. Systems are being developed on the open source platform by a number of volunteer specialists worldwide whose product offerings are now rivalling many of the proprietary (non-open source) software vendors.
Their chief marketing weapon is comparable performance at significantly lower cost.
Their value proposition - and business case - is clear: Ready availability, low cost of acquisition and maintenance. These attributes make open source software an attractive proposition for business professionals.
The open source crusade began in the mainframe and distributed networking arenas, where the Linux operating system was developed to take on the best that the Unix and Windows developers could produce - particularly in the Internet environment.
Arguably, http://www.linux.org/ Linux is today one of the most used operating systems on the planet. Versions have been run on anything from the world`s most powerful supercomputers to handheld, laptop and desktop PCs.
It`s a jump to the right
Despite this success, the move to the desktop has not been without its challenges for Linux and other open source protagonists who are now finding themselves in direct competition with the proprietary software world.
Here, marketing expertise and clever advertising campaigns often outweigh intellectual capital and traditional business credibility.
Nevertheless Linux visionaries are becoming more commercial and less introspective in their approach to promoting their strategies for the future. Today there are many new business structures being put into place to address this new world.
Already there is a wide range of popular Linux software on the market including the very latest anti-virus solutions - available for immediate, free download via the Internet.
There are many desktop applications making their mark, such as Ximian Evolution. This package can access MS exchange servers and has advanced groupware features, such as meeting requests, personal information management (PIM) facilitating links with Palm Pilots and other PDAs as well as Windows CE devices.
Open Office is another gaining in popularity because it is 99% compatible will all MS Office files.
Open source graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are now more user-friendly. Gnome and KDE are the forerunners.
In addition, its database server and Web server solutions are growing rapidly and gaining momentum.
Support has always been a stumbling block. In the past, few specialist organisations offered traditional technical support for desktop users. There were no "Linux toll-free" support lines. Getting support required one to be a member of the "Linux club" - in other words, a member of the Linux users` group.
However, this is changing as commercial (and non-commercial sources) of support for Linux and open source software now exist. Based on the continued participation of key industry players such as CA, IBM and Novell, this support will increase significantly over time.
Security is key
Users of the Windows/Intel (Wintel) platform have for many years been the subject of malicious attacks from virus writers and hackers. These attacks are increasing exponentially.
One of the key drivers behind Linux for the desktop is that it is virtually immune to virus and hack attacks.
Linux has always had write protection on system directories, and survey reports confirm that Linux systems experience fewer viruses.
Linux supporters believe that appropriate security protection for Wintel users can add between 10% and 20% to what they are already paying in terms of licensing fees.
Performance: The decider
In many cases, companies have become familiar with Linux in their corporate data centres, where it often outperforms proprietary systems because of its inherent low demand on system resources and overhead.
This is true in almost any given environment, meaning that Linux applications can run on older, often outdated machines. This is an important benefit for desktop users too.
Other advantages of Linux include improved task-based functionality and better support for multi-user environments.
Vendor independence (because it is an open standard) is also a key issue. Access to more resellers - and marketplace competition - can assist users to gain increased performance at minimal cost.
South Africa
In SA, the government has come out in support of open source software and has accepted the Linux community`s vision - its business case - for the future.
As a result, we can expect Linux desktop solutions to assist in job creation and training programmes targeted at previously disadvantaged individuals.
The country will benefit because there will be less spending on overseas-sourced software and businesses will benefit as implementation costs to the average organisation will fall - particularly as legacy hardware can more readily be used, copied and re-used without penalty.
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