The rise and rise of Linux

The rise of open source software into the mainstream has been backed by a number of major corporations, including Computer Associates (CA), IBM, Oracle and Novell.

Thanks to their efforts and the dedication of all open source protagonists, the future for open source software - particularly Linux - is rosy, says Inus Gouws, a senior information management (IM) consultant at Computer Associates Africa.

There is little doubt that open source software has entrenched its position in business in 2005. Its ready availability, low cost of acquisition, ease of maintenance, and ability to shrug off virus attacks have resulted in a fundamental shift in the operating system and business software landscape.

This has vindicated the long held beliefs of the open source visionaries that the "rapid evolutionary processes" that characterise open source software development produce a better product than the traditional, proprietary models have done.

At the same time, these "visionaries" have themselves become more commercial and less introspective - geeklike - in their approach to promoting their strategies for the future.

Today there are many business structures being put into place to address this new world. And there are many proposals on the table designed to further the open source cause.

For example, the South African government is intent on making open standards a non-negotiable base for IT in the public sector.

It is also actively encouraging government agencies and public institutions to use open source software to enable better service delivery to citizens by allowing it to compete on a level playing field with proprietary alternatives in government software procurement.

There is also money to be saved. The State IT Agency, for example, is driving the implementation of open source alternatives because it stands to save around R3 billion a year on licensing fees - according to quotes from agency chief information officer Mojalefa Moseki.

Some industry watchers have pegged the true cost of proprietary software to government at around R9.4 billion per annum, with support and upgrade costs included.

Adding to the weight behind the open source movement are joint public/private sector projects designed to channel the efforts of more universities and private companies into setting up resources centres to help develop open source programming skills.

What`s more, there is a significant pool of software programming talent in South Africa that could be expanded even further with the right incentives in place.

Where will this leave the multinational software companies? It is no secret that Computer Associates (CA), one of the world`s leaders in software development, is a keen supporter of open source and has kept an eye on developments in the Linux arena.

Although not the only open source software on the market, the widespread acceptance of Linux in this arena is a fact.

CA has, for example, placed the Linux-based Ingress relational database solution at the centre of its open source strategy, to the extent that Ingres has been released to the market under the `CA Trusted Open Source Licence` banner.

Many proponents of proprietary software believe that Linux - and other open source solutions - are immature and too unstable to be entrusted with mission-critical applications in government and quasi-government institutions.

They say that Linux will never become truly mainstream and will be relegated to very specialised and niche markets.

This is clearly not the case. Open source technologies have made rapid strides in the past year or two and have proved themselves conclusively in major global database server and Web server applications.

Other governments - in France, Germany and Peru, for example - have weighed the positions of open source and proprietary software carefully and have come out squarely in favour of open source. So too have the state authorities in California.

Even at desktop level there are many open source 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 facilitating links with Palm Pilots and other PDAs as well as Windows CE devices.

Open Office is another package gaining in popularity because it is 99% compatible will all MS Office files.

So, where does the smart money play?

One of the most prevalent arguments for Linux is that its applications can run on older, often outdated machines.

This is an important benefit for cash-strapped small and medium enterprises that increasingly characterise the business landscape in South Africa.

Other advantages of Linux include improved task-based functionality and better support for multi-user environments.

Finally, vendor independence is also a key issue. The number of Linux-oriented companies is growing exponentially.

Access to more resellers - and marketplace competition - can assist users to gain increased performance at minimal cost, always a key benefit for any company.