Kerala   

Votary of free software for low cost solutions

‘The government should play an active role in promoting an ecosystem for FOSS.’

Rahul De’, architect of the mission plan for the International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS),

says the service will provide solutions for various applications in the government sector. In a talk with T. Nandakumar.

The International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS) to be set up in Kerala this year will act as a resource centre for the whole of the country in providing low cost computing solutions for various applications in the government and private sectors, according to Rahul De’, who prepared the mission plan for the project.

In his report submitted to the government, Dr. De’, a professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, has identified consultancy services and promotion of entrepreneurship as the thrust areas for the centre. Talking to The Hindu during a recent visit to the city, Mr. De’ said supporting sectors like education, e-governance, health, PSUs and internal government applications could benefit most from FOSS.

“Though ICFOSS will take off with government support, it should eventually become autonomous. The centre will generate revenue through training and certification and project consultancy. Research and development is another major objective.”

Dr. De’ said the major hurdles to adoption of FOSS were low awareness and the notion that it is obscure. “Big players in the private sector are high on awareness but markedly reluctant in adopting FOSS. That is because the services offered by most IT firms are largely client-driven. If a client is working on proprietary software, the company would naturally be reluctant to provide a solution in FOSS. However, the fact is that integrating two proprietary software is often more difficult than integrating FOSS with a proprietary software”.

Dr. De’ said students, educational institutions and the government sector were the most receptive to FOSS. “It is encouraging to note that engineering colleges in South India today use FOSS in their laboratories. Cost-effectiveness is a major incentive.

Another good sign is that buyers have now started asking for Linux-loaded computers.”

The government sector, he said, was the most promising user. “The sheer amount of data handled by the government sector makes it the primary target for FOSS. It takes a large amount of money to maintain data using proprietary software. But without access to the source code, the government has little control over the data. This is where FOSS can be of help. FOSS provides a common platform for data storage, making it easier to create linkages between different government departments.”

He added that FOSS was especially relevant for developing countries in view of the potential to save foreign exchange by reducing the dependence on proprietary software sourced from the West. “The government should play an active role in promoting an ecosystem for FOSS. A regulatory mechanism with proper legal support is essential.”

Dr. De’ identified piracy as the biggest obstacle to FOSS. “In India, the SME (small and medium enterprise) sector is the most prone to piracy.

“Peer pressure leads to a lock-in effect. It requires a sustained effort to achieve a switch- over.”

Asked about the efficacy of FOSS over proprietary software, he replied, “After all, 8 lakh Google servers around the world run on Linux. What better evidence is needed?”

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Votary of free software for low cost solutions

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