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Tux, the Conqueror

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DQI Bureau
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Any discussion on open source software in India draws the strangest of

crowds, and even stranger reactions from them. That was the case at the recent

‘National Conference on Open Source Software’, organized by MAIT in

Bangalore. Even as speakers from the bureaucracy, NGOs and academic institutions

gushed about open source possibilities for the government, there was an

incredible amount of confusion about what open source software could actually

do.

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At the same time, the increasing affinity of the government for open source

was palpable. There was talk of open source projects being implemented by state

governments, open source being included in the education syllabi of schools and

colleges and even government tenders calling for open source alternatives. It’s

easy to dismiss such optimism as a bout of over-enthusiasm of open source

aficionados but before doing so, analyze this:

Is

Linux Really Cheaper?
Always,

a controversial topic, this is what market research agencies have to say

about the cost factor of Linux. A Microsoft-commissioned IDC study found

that companies could spend 11% to 22% less with Windows 2000 systems over

a five-year span, than on Linux, given the following four IT scenarios–network

infrastructure, print serving, file serving and security applications.

An

earlier IDC study in early 2002 found companies that migrated to Linux

from RISC/UNIX could save as much as 45-80% on their infrastructure costs.

The study said associated costs with Linux were not only dramatically

lower for the hardware and software, but were also comparable or lower for

staffing.

A July 2002 study of

production Web server platforms by the Robert Frances Group, a

Connecticut-based research company, found that "Linux was the least

expensive platform to deploy and operate".

This study examined costs

based on a three-year server lifespan and found that the TCO of a Windows

2000 Web server was over twice that of a Linux Web server. A January 2003

study by the Goldman Sachs Group, titled "Fearing the Penguin",

found that "although the majority of corporations still appear to

view Linux as a nascent technology that is not yet enterprise-ready, and

some have already ruled out its use, our survey also suggests that

Linux-on-Intel is beginning to gain a foothold in the data center".

n As a part of

the Linux India initiative, the Indian government has asked private players and

its own scientific community (like C-DAC, BARC etc) to recommend how best

government could use free/ open source software such as Linux.

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n  The recently

tabled pre-budget Economic Survey says the Government of India is "actively

exploring how free software can be fully utilized in India." The report

also says that "the use of free software reduces costs, reduces computer

security threats, puts full control in Indian hands… Many government

government agencies have commenced exploiting free software, particularly in the

areas of national security, e-governance, Internet-related applications,

research and development, and utilization for low-cost computing in schools and

colleges."

n Nasscom says

several states including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and

Maharashtra are either implementing or proposing to take up Linux for their

e-government projects.

n During Bill

Gates’ recent visit to India, the chief minster of Madhya Pradesh was quoted

as saying that several government projects, including the Headstart program (for

computer-enabled education), would run on Linux.

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n The government

of Goa has decided to standardize on Linux for its schools computer project.

n States like

Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttaranchal, UP, Uttaranchal have begun to show interest in

Linux.

And it is not the Indian government alone that has discovered an affinity for

Linux. Governments across the worlds are warming up to open source and

particularly Linux. "Linux is highly appealing to governments on several

counts. One, it is a cost-effective solution for governments which have fixed

and limited budgets budget. Two, by adopting Linux, governments are not stuck to

any particular vendor. Hence they have the freedom of choice. Also, in a country

like India where Unix skills abound - it’s very easy to port these skills to

Linux. Skilled manpower is therefore relatively easier to find," says

Sandeep Menon, Linux business nanager for IBM.

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The scalps



Year 2002 was memorable for open source as far as acceptance by governments

was concerned. More than a dozen governments of countries across the globe

enthusiastically embraced Linux. Countries like the UK, Venezuela, France,

Germany, Belgium are looking to adopt Linux and other open source alternatives

(see box). Taiwan, for example, has announced its intention to pursue open

source over major commercial applications with an eye on loosening Microsoft’s

grip on the desktop software market. Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission had been

investigating whether Microsoft had abused its position as the leading provider

of OS software to inflate prices for its software. In Peru, a bill spearheaded

by Congressman Edgar David Villanueva Nuqez stipulates that software used by

state institutions should satisfy free software conditions.

Such legislation is worrying for the Redmond giant and other manufactures of

proprietary software. Gartner Dataquest has identified the government sector in

the US as a high growth vertical and has forecast US government IT spending to

touch a whopping $108.8 billion by 2005. Industry sources also estimate that the

Indian government would spend about $1.07 billion on IT in 2003 alone. With the

downturn hitting enterprises, state and fereral governments are the only cash

cows around.

The empire strikes back…



Microsoft, however, is putting on a brave face and has a launched an

offensive on two fronts. On one hand, it refuses to acknowledge Linux as a

direct threat. At the same time, it has mounted a campaign to counter the

runaway success of open source in government circles.

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Countries

Looking at Open Source
United

States (California):
Open-source

advocates have proposed legislation called the Digital Software Security

Act, which if passed would force government agencies to only use software

that didn’t have source code restrictions on it.

United States

(Oregon):
Legislation,

if passed, would mandate any state government agency to consider open

source software for all new software procurement and make purchasing

decisions based on a "value-for-money basis." Also, state

workers would have to avoid buying products that don’t comply with open

standards.

Peru:

Proposed legislation, which stipulates that software used by state

institutions should satisfy free software conditions

UK:

Policy which entails that government departments consider open source

software solutions alongside proprietary ones while making IT procurements

Thailand and the

Philippines:
Government-funded

computer research centers have created their own open-source software

applications which are distributing to government users and small

businesses.

Taiwan:

The government plans to start an open-source project that could save

it as much as $295 million in royalty payments to Microsoft

Germany:

Signed up IBM for a public sector computer contract for computer

systems based on Linux. The government is also "actively

exploring" open source alternatives.

South Africa:

Policy assuring "fair and impartial treatment" of

open-source software in procurement and create "opportunities for

trial use."

Venezuela:

Policy stipulating that the official accounting application for the

country be developed under the General Public License (GPL).

France:

Legislation pending (proposition number 117) "to increase the use

by the administration of the Internet and free software,"

The

Linux Numbers
Linux

on servers–13.7% marketshare of the $50.9-billion worldwide market.

Expected to rise to 25.2% by 2006, according to IDC estimates
Linux

operating system will be installed on 200,000 desktop PCs in India by the

end of 2003, according to Red Hat

"There is no doubt that awareness regarding open source software has

increased over the last few years, and the rising decibels on the topic have

increased government interest in open source and free software as an option. We

however, are skeptical of the actual successes that these models will see in

governments or even enterprises today. The Open Source and Free (freedom to

modify) software model has its merits but the number of organizations that can

actually benefit from this model are limited. Most organizations don’t have

the resources, or the bandwidth to develop software for addressing their needs -

and the risk associated with untried and untested software is too high for

anyone," says Sanjiv Mathur, Group Marke   ting Head,

Microsoft Corporation India

Even as Microsoft acknowledges the growth of stupendous Linux, the Redmond

giant is not willing to concede Linux as a threat. "The interest in Linux

has definitely grown over the last few years - and industry interest in the

product is high.

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However, in our opinion the actual usage of Linux today is limited. Linux is

currently being used in high volume - low value solutions or high value - low

volume situations - and we don’t expect this to change anytime soon,"

adds Mathur.

To counter the legislation in countries which give ‘preference’ to open

source software, Microsoft, along with Intel and a few others, is backing an

initiative called the ‘Initiative for Software Choice’, launched in May last

year. An industry body called the Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)

chairs the initiative, which will lobby with governments that are considering

open source alternatives. "We do not oppose government policies or

practices that use merit-based selection processes to solve their ICT needs. If

a product gets chosen in this manner–be it OSS, hybrid or proprietary–then

presumably it’s the best product for the job at hand, delivering the optimum

benefits to the government and its constituents," says Mike Wendy, CompTIA

spokesperson.

To bait or not to bait…



With several governments adopting definite policies for adoption of open

source, must India follow suit? Or should it wait and watch?

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"Though we can’t prescribe a course of action for the government, it

would be better if it comes out with a clear commitment to open source software

alternatives. That would give much-needed confidence to officials across

government departments to explore open source alternatives while making IT

procurements," says IBM’s Menon. The other school of thought is that the

government should take a leaf out of China’s book and use Linux as a

bargaining chip with firms like Microsoft.

The Chinese government periodically blows hot and cold on Linux in an attempt

to keep Microsoft on its heels. For example, just a fortnight before Gates’

visit to China, the government sent out feelers that it would consider adopting

Linux in a big way.

That prompted Microsoft to offer a chance to see the source code. So, even as

the Chinese government gets a peek at the top secret Windows source code by

signing up for Microsoft’s new government security program, the Redmond giant

hopes it can strafe off the China’s initiatives to adopt Linux for government

use.

That kind of game may work for the Indian government. But then again, it may

not. A nice way to start would be to bring out a report on the open source

projects undertaken by state governments across India.

TV Mahalingam

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