Policy to use chapter software praised

Policy to use chapter software praised

Tony Hotland, Jakarta

Analysts welcome the government's decision to use "open-
source" software rather than licensed ones in its computer
network, saying the policy would promote the wider use of such
software throughout the nation.

The information and technology director at the Bandung
Institute of Technology, Budi Rahardjo, said over the weekend
that the policy would lead to the growth of the software
development business in the country, which provides such services
as installment, customization and training programs for users who
purchase open-source software.

Since installing open-source software is much cheaper than
licensed software, computers will become more affordable for most
people. As a result, the number of computer users in the country
is expected to increase.

"The government will have to spend money on training programs
for computer users to learn the new software. The budget may be
the same as buying proprietary software, but it's a different
kind of investment," Budi said.

He also said that in the beginning, the government might be
facing difficulties in introducing the new system to the public
as they are already familiar with proprietary software and will
probably be reluctant to learn a new system.

"First of all, the government has to make a kind of 'road map'
that sets the targets, time frame, and coverage in order to make
IGOS successful," Budi suggested.

The government has named the project: Indonesia Goes Open
Source or IGOS.

The government launched the project last week in a bid to curb
rampant software piracy and to cut its expenses for the purchase
of proprietary software. Under the IGOS project, the government
will first install open-source software in all governmental
offices throughout the country. Once it is completed, the
government will move to other institutions, such as schools.

Two of the most popular open-source software are GNU/Linux and
the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) Family. These software
were created to compete with various proprietary operating
systems available on the market, including software giant
Microsoft.

GNU/Linux, for example, can be downloaded for free at certain
websites or can be purchased from various distributors, such as
Debian, RedHat, Mandrake, Turbolinux, and SUSE Linux, for a
certain fee.

Given its basically free platform, the fee is mostly for
accompanying services, such as installment and operation training
programs service.

PT Microsoft Indonesia vice president director Ari Kunwidodo
agreed that IGOS could spur the development of software business
in the country.

He added that his company fully supported the government's
move as long as it assured fairness.

"It's fine as long as the government makes fair regulations,
especially in terms of product procurement ... that the
procurement regulations don't limit consumers to one product to
the disadvantage of a certain party like Microsoft," he said.

Ari said that the move would not have a significant effect to
Microsoft since it was actually eyeing a different market.

"Microsoft and other proprietary operating systems have their
own market, as does the open-source system. But what people don't
realize is up to 63 percent of PCs sold annually are naked (not
equipped with software yet). This is the potential market and
what the government must focus on," he argued.

According to data from the Indonesian Association of Computer
Industry (Apkomindo), around 800,000 to 1 million personal
computers are sold per year.

To keep its software competitive, Microsoft has been taking a
number of actions, such as by fully localizing its flagship
Windows system into local languages that are offered at a lower
price than the English version.