SA’s free software dream turns into telecoms nightmare
THE high cost of internet access is stifling SA’s software development industry, ironically thwarting the government’s commitment to use locally developed software packages.
Neither the government nor the business community can fully benefit from free-to-use software because developers cannot afford to spend hours online collaborating with other developers.
“Many gifted developers have not been able to live up to their potential because it’s too costly for them to access the internet,” said Lindsey McDonald, an analyst at Frost & Sullivan.
Unlike expensive branded packages, open source software is free to use, and can be modified to suit the needs of its users.
It is developed by communities of software engineers who collaborate online. This collaboration could take three or fours hours of online discussion, and since the internet “is very expensive in SA”, people were unable to afford it, she said.
The high price of telecoms was preventing the spread of software that promised to cut the cost of technology.
In February the cabinet agreed that all new software developed for government bodies should use open, rather then proprietary, standards. Existing software was to be replaced gradually by open source alternatives.
Millions of rands will be saved yearly by cutting out annual licence fees. It should also boost local skills and create more jobs as developers are hired to modify software to suit the government’s needs. Those were false hopes unless the cost of internet access dropped, McDonald said in an analysts’ briefing.
The government spends about R12bn a year on technology, much of it on software for about 400000 PCs. The drive to replace proprietary packages began in 2003, when the state IT agency was almost bankrupted by a R485m bill from Microsoft for 100000 three-year licences.
“With the ability to spend less on IT and software, the government can move those resources to healthcare or education,” McDonald said.
“However, the most important driver is the ability to customise open source software.
“There are 11 official languages in SA, and the ability to translate open source into the first language of any user is invaluable.” Software in different languages would support the government’s goal of helping more citizens access its services.
Internet cafes in townships could also use open source rather than pay costly licence fees for commercial software, enabling them to cut their prices, she said.
One of SA’s largest open source projects is the R10bn,
10-year Integrated Financial Management System to unite the government’s financial, human resources, asset management and logistics software.
In the private sector, Nando’s, Pick ’n Pay and First National Bank are numbered among those embarking on large-scale migrations to open source.
SA’s internet billionaire Mark Shuttleworth is a vocal advocate of the movement, describing it as a way for SA to develop its own technology skills, rather than rely on imported products.
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