Linux, an alternative to proprietary software

Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta, vmahmud@yahoo.com

On July 29, the Indonesian Intellectual Property (HAKI) Law came into effect. Bootleg VCD/DVD stalls and software stores closed shop as they took a wait-and-see attitude.

Many businesses are also now in a panic, as they now face millions of rupiah in additional costs for legal software purchases. Hard decisions need to be made, and many are scrambling for cover. What choice do they have but to purchase original software licenses?

What about using software that does not require a license?

By now, everyone has heard of Linux, the open source, a.k.a. "free", operating system, but not many are well versed in its "mysterious" interface. If only there was someone who could help!

Enter Linuxindo (www.linuxindo.com), an information technology (IT) company that offers training, solutions and consultations on anything involved with the open source operating system.

According to the company's Marketing Manager Ferdinand Rudolf, Linuxindo hopes to attract new clients to the freely available Linux software, thanks to the passing of the Intellectual Property Law.

It is estimated that about 80 percent of businesses that have computers in Indonesia use illegal software. Rudolf hopes to convert some of them to Linux.

Why should companies even consider Linux?

"It offers a better Total Cost of Ownership compared to proprietary software," Rudolf replied. He states that in most of today's IT purchases, the majority of costs come from software licenses alone. "That is pretty high," he said.

Linux, he points out, has a worldwide community of programmers that vastly outnumbers any established software company. Its reliability and aptitude of creating quality software makes it an equal, or even a superior match, against proprietary software.

Rudolf has a point: It is a known fact that any bug or flaw in the Linux code can be fixed immediately, within days -- if not hours -- after discovery. Those fixes are then posted on the Internet and scrutinized by developers worldwide to ensure its reliability and security. Proprietary software companies have yet to achieve this rapid turnaround.

Any business in Indonesia that wishes to save money while increasing productivity can turn to Linuxindo. This "Linux shop" is able to "migrate" data from the company's servers and desktop to Linux, train the staff and guide the IT department towards open source efficiency.

Rudolf says that companies can even do it themselves. There are magazines -- Info Linux, www.infolinux.web.id -- and books available with a helpful Indonesian Linux community at www.linux.or.id to answer questions.

"For beginners, we would recommend Mandrake Linux. For productivity software, we highly recommend Open Office," said Rudolf. (You can find out more at www.mandrake.com and www.openoffice.org, respectively.)

He also lists a variety of software available for companies that need to move their e-mail, web and file servers at minimal cost, but with excellent reliability.

Moving to a new system can sometimes be a daunting task for employees, but past clients whose employees were trained at Rudolf's facilities realized that it wasn't all that different from the proprietary systems they usually used. Those who had difficulties the first time, he said, were trained again.

Although Linux is renowned as a highly reliable server operating system, it is also an ideal software development base.

Rudolf demonstrated the power of Linux with one of Linuxindo's products, the SMS Gateway. Connecting his Nokia cell phone via the serial port to his notebook computer, Rudolf powered up the short message service (SMS) server, opened his Internet browser and broadcasted a short message text via his computer.

The SMS Gateway software would be ideal for companies that wish to send product information or the latest sales offers to select clients. Also, incoming SMSs can be sent to other systems, such as on a TV screen during a talk show to allow interactivity.

He noted that the SMS server was used by a major retailer, a national airline and even a popular news station. The fact these well-known companies use Linux proves the operating system is a viable alternative for custom-made software.

Depending on the required specifications, Linuxindo can build a multi-port SMS gateway to send messages to 40,000 cell phones in minutes. The program can also be modified easily to send out specific SMSs to specific customers based on their own requests and requirements.

Perhaps what's even more shocking is that the source code of the programs is also given to the client, allowing them to modify the code themselves if they wish. Linuxindo can also create custom-made software based on their client's specifications at a very competitive price.

"Good software must no longer be exclusively expensive," he asserted.