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.