Open source given a ‘thumbs up’

Mark Shuttleworth says the correct adoption of open source will yield positive returns not only for SA, but for the rest of the continent

Mark Shuttleworth says the correct adoption of open source will yield positive returns not only for SA, but for the rest of the continent, since our country is the gateway to Africa’s economic development.

He says the goal for any country, including SA, should be sustainable economic growth, part of which is derived from the contribution made from a technology perspective. “In this context it is wealth creation that matters, since the former will potentially generate high-quality jobs,” he adds.

“The strategies proposed should be seen in the context of the transfer of economic power from the west to the east that is underway, and the emphasis on a strong and effective regulatory structure, but one that does not stifle development, i.e. legislation concerning open standards, followed by regulatory competition, as has been the case with cellular telephony in many countries,” he notes.

Shuttleworth says any strategy should include a smart choice for software platforms, but not at the expense of disengagement with the proprietary world. He says it should be remembered that many of the newer technology companies run on open source - e.g Amazon, eBay and Google.

“This choice will accelerate skills development, as it provides access to the community behind the tools and individuals who share a common interest - the availability of affordable bandwidth. Currently our costs are 20 times those of many other countries,” he adds.

Shuttleworth says that SA has the chance to be the trailblazer in this, but warns that it is currently losing out to countries such as Kenya when it comes to telecommunications. The creation of a common continental infrastructure is but one example of what can be achieved.

Shuttleworth feels that skills development is the current number one constraint in turning software into value, since the biggest software technology shift that has been seen is the move from licensing to the provision of services associated with the solutions.

However Nnenna Nwakanma, chairperson of the Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa, says that the information society is about society’s use of information and whatever technology that is behind it, and not the opposite. Nwakanma says the greatest technologies are those that have been created with the specific aim of solving problems for human beings.

“Development is still the sum total of our ICT initiatives. It becomes important to underline participation at all levels of government, private sector and civil society, and the benefits at those same levels in rating IT maturity and success,” says Nwakanma.

“The subject of moving beyond open source and ICT to the Open Source model in government should include sharing knowledge to increase its worth, transparency in decision-making as well as participative efforts, and not just top-bottom order-giving,” she says.

“Open source culture is the creative practice of appropriation and free sharing of found and created content. The Internet allows even greater access to inexpensive digital media and storage,” concludes Nwakanma.

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