Pindar Wong

Open source¹  software such as the Linux² operating system, appears to be gaining wider acceptance in the region. It is now promoted by local user groups, conferences, universities and governments. However, the motivation for adopting open source software varies widely: from attraction to its royalty-free licensing scheme and superior security to its ability to process Asian languages and scripts. Whatever the reason, it appears that open source is here to stay.

When software is created, it is typically authored by human programmers, who write the software source code in an appropriate programming language. This source of programming instructions, while intelligible to humans, is unfortunately not directly executable on a computer. For this to occur, the source code is translated into object code by a program called a compiler.³ Traditional models of software distribution only include the executable object codes (frequently referred to as binaries or executables) coupled with various licence restrictions (e.g. where this code may be executed). The original source code is not included and thus options for others to read, understand and change the software are limited.

Another model of software distribution includes the source code in addition to the binaries. The source code is thus "open" to be read, understood, modified and compiled by programmers other than the original authors.

The motivation behind open source is simple: "When programmers can read, redistribute, and modify the source code for a piece of software, the software evolves. People improve it, people adapt it, people fix bugs. And this can happen at a speed that, if one is used to the slow pace of conventional software development, seems astonishing. We in the open source community have learned that this rapid evolutionary process produces better software than the traditional closed model, in which only a very few programmers can see the source and everybody else must blindly use an opaque block of bits."⁴

However, open source does not simply mean access to the source code, it is also associated with specific licensing terms. The Open Source Initiative has a formal definition of criteria for software to be considered open source.⁵ These criteria cover how the software can be redistributed free from licensing royalties and without discrimination against persons, groups or fields of application.

The royalty-free aspect of open source software is an initially appealing adoption factor in environments where monies paid to software royalties might be used to lower computing costs - or better used for other purposes. For example, educational institutions in Singapore are adopting Linux to save on royalty fees and ISPs in Bangladesh are using monies saved to increase their hardware expenditures and buy more components to keep as spares. Indeed, by developing lower-cost solutions, global initiatives such as the Linux Terminal Server Program (LTSP) are significantly influencing the development of school networking and Internet cafés in places like Indonesia.

However, software royalty savings (or dissatisfaction with existing licensing regimes) are not the only motivating factor in the region's adoption of open source software. The empowering ability to modify the source code to overcome existing limitations to address specific local needs is clearly another compelling factor. The most obvious need is to solve local language computing requirements, where the emphasis on local language representation and processing is currently unserved: Bhutan, Cambodia and Nepal are all examples of this. Lastly, concerns surrounding software security, software self-reliance and intellectual property independence are other concerns (particularly shared by governments) leading to open source software adoption being encouraged.

In the region, open source is being promoted and advocated by local open source advocacy and user groups (in particular, local Linux user groups), universities and educational establishments, conferences, local training programmes and in some instances the government itself (by encouraging local open source software procurement).

Indeed, the Philippines has at least eight major open source user and advocacy groups. China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam all have government-linked projects to encourage open source development and adoption. As a first step in its IT roadmap, Sri Lanka has even identified making itself an open source software hub for the region.

UNDP has recently established the International Open Source Network http://www.iosn.net to serve as a centre of excellence for open source software in the Asia-Pacific region. Although the future for open source software in the region looks bright, ironically software piracy may actually hinder its widespread adoption beyond existing niche user communities (e.g. ISPs, universities, schools). Even though open source software is royalty-free, and therefore available at low or no cost, it needs to compete to change consumer buying patterns, especially in economies where software piracy is common. Indeed, confusion and ignorance of open source software lead to consumers continuing to use pirated software when open source alternatives exist. Thus, the adoption of open source software faces significant social challenges in encouraging consumers to respect intellectual property rights by using legally licensed software - in the case of open source, this would be under the open source licences or its classic variants. ⁶

If we can find mechanisms to manage the piracy issue, while also encouraging local software development capability, then the region will be further empowered by the freedom and responsibility that open source software provides.

Notes

1. "Open source" should not be confused with "free software". For an important distinction, see http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/free-sw.html.

2. GNU's Not Unix http://www.gnu.org.

3. Programming languages that do not require compilation also exist and can be translated for execution in real time by an "interpreter".

4. Open Source Initiative http://www.opensource.org.

5. Open Source Initiative http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php.

6. Open Source Licenses http://www.opensource.org/licenses/index.php.