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Open source software under development
The development of open source software in Laos is still low when compared to other ASEAN countries, said a software developer at the Free and Open Source Software Asia-Pacific Consultation II from September 1-4 in Cambodia.
Vientiane Times 7 September 2005
The meeting was convened to provide an effective policy platform for the exchange of information and experience in the use of free open source software for development. There was a growing need for raising awareness on the benefits of the software, assistance with formulation of national
policies and the study of implementation of the software.This was the second Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Asia-Pacific conference, with the first taking place in Malaysia last year.
The Lao government supports open source software because it is free and anyone can develop it. It saves a lot of money when compared to other software applications such as Windows, said Lao open source developer, Anousak Souphavanh. He added that the open source project, supported by UNDP, included e-policy, localisation, open office and email client and browser. He said one of the project's functions was translating email client and browser into Lao. When finished, Lao people who could not read English would
be able to use the Internet in their own language, especially email, without difficulty.
At least 60 participants attended the meeting, coming from around 20 different countries in South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. The event was supported by UNDP and Intel Corporation.
IT representatives from each participating country reported on the development of open source software in their country. They covered a wide of range of free and open source issues such as policy, open content and localisation. At the conclusion, they drew up resolutions to be pursued further.
Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, Minister in charge of the offices of the council of ministers and Deputy Chairman of the National ICT Development Authority, said in the opening ceremony that by adopting the open source software practice, Cambodia would benefit from years of development shared by the open source community. This would pave the way for Cambodian engineers to embrace the technology and programming techniques, which would not have been available without the FOSS movement.
It was an important occasion in Cambodia's development of free and open source software and marked a turning point for the Cambodian government in making the right choice to develop the ICT sector without having to depend on proprietary software. This way it could become an asset member rather than a liability member of the world community. Mr Sok An observed that the country may be a little late in IT development; but its political will in adopting FOSS was not.
Applying FOSS practice, future generations of Cambodians could tailor the software to their needs and utilise the abundant resources of the open source community without having to pay expensive licence fees.
An added benefit was that with software readily available locally, the cost of using it would drop drastically. This would eliminate the possibility of software piracy in Cambodia and strengthen the Cambodian position in the world trading body in protecting intellectual property.
By having a source code readily available, Cambodian students could study the code and understand its behaviour, learning to create their own programmes without being dependent on proprietary software. It was a unique opportunity for Cambodians to catch up with industrial practices in software development.
Source: Vientiane Times
The meeting was convened to provide an effective policy platform for the exchange of information and experience in the use of free open source software for development. There was a growing need for raising awareness on the benefits of the software, assistance with formulation of national
policies and the study of implementation of the software.This was the second Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Asia-Pacific conference, with the first taking place in Malaysia last year.
The Lao government supports open source software because it is free and anyone can develop it. It saves a lot of money when compared to other software applications such as Windows, said Lao open source developer, Anousak Souphavanh. He added that the open source project, supported by UNDP, included e-policy, localisation, open office and email client and browser. He said one of the project's functions was translating email client and browser into Lao. When finished, Lao people who could not read English would
be able to use the Internet in their own language, especially email, without difficulty.
At least 60 participants attended the meeting, coming from around 20 different countries in South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. The event was supported by UNDP and Intel Corporation.
IT representatives from each participating country reported on the development of open source software in their country. They covered a wide of range of free and open source issues such as policy, open content and localisation. At the conclusion, they drew up resolutions to be pursued further.
Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, Minister in charge of the offices of the council of ministers and Deputy Chairman of the National ICT Development Authority, said in the opening ceremony that by adopting the open source software practice, Cambodia would benefit from years of development shared by the open source community. This would pave the way for Cambodian engineers to embrace the technology and programming techniques, which would not have been available without the FOSS movement.
It was an important occasion in Cambodia's development of free and open source software and marked a turning point for the Cambodian government in making the right choice to develop the ICT sector without having to depend on proprietary software. This way it could become an asset member rather than a liability member of the world community. Mr Sok An observed that the country may be a little late in IT development; but its political will in adopting FOSS was not.
Applying FOSS practice, future generations of Cambodians could tailor the software to their needs and utilise the abundant resources of the open source community without having to pay expensive licence fees.
An added benefit was that with software readily available locally, the cost of using it would drop drastically. This would eliminate the possibility of software piracy in Cambodia and strengthen the Cambodian position in the world trading body in protecting intellectual property.
By having a source code readily available, Cambodian students could study the code and understand its behaviour, learning to create their own programmes without being dependent on proprietary software. It was a unique opportunity for Cambodians to catch up with industrial practices in software development.
Source: Vientiane Times
