THE high cost of internet access is stifling SA\u2019s software development industry, ironically thwarting the government\u2019s commitment to use locally developed software packages.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany gifted developers have not been able to live up to their potential because it\u2019s too costly for them to access the internet,\u201d said Lindsey McDonald, an analyst at Frost & Sullivan.<\/p>\n
Unlike expensive branded packages, open source software is free to use, and can be modified to suit the needs of its users.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cis very expensive in SA\u201d, people were unable to afford it, she said.<\/p>\n
The high price of telecoms was preventing the spread of software that promised to cut the cost of technology.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s needs. Those were false hopes unless the cost of internet access dropped, McDonald said in an analysts\u2019 briefing.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the ability to spend less on IT and software, the government can move those resources to healthcare or education,\u201d McDonald said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, the most important driver is the ability to customise open source software.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are 11 official languages in SA, and the ability to translate open source into the first language of any user is invaluable.\u201d Software in different languages would support the government\u2019s goal of helping more citizens access its services.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
One of SA\u2019s largest open source projects is the R10bn,<\/p>\n
10-year Integrated Financial Management System to unite the government\u2019s financial, human resources, asset management and logistics software.<\/p>\n
In the private sector, Nando\u2019s, Pick \u2019n Pay and First National Bank are numbered among those embarking on large-scale migrations to open source.<\/p>\n
SA\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n