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FOSSAP Findings and Recommendations Released
The summary findings and recommendations from the Free and Open Source Software Asia-Pacific (FOSSAP) consultation have been released. Contained within the final report include the experiences, needs and challenges facing countries in the Asia-Pacific region when attempting to fully utilized Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).
The FOSSAP consultation was held from Feb 9-11 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and organized by the International Open Source Network (IOSN), an initiative of UNDP's Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP). Over 50 policy-makers at national level, including director generals, senior ministry officials, technical directors, heads of ICT ministries and regulatory agencies, key national interest groups and non-government organizations from 20 countries attended to exchange knowledge, experiences and strategies.
Among the key findings of the consultation:
- All participants agree that FOSS is worth pursuing and that governments have a role to play in promoting it. FOSS provides more choices and alternatives and equal opportunities should be given to both FOSS and proprietary software
- There is a need for awareness raising among decision makers in governments, especially in procurement
- Three major problems hold back FOSS adoption in the region:
- Lack of FOSS technical capacity, especially related to localization.
- Equipment manufacturers are not supportive of FOSS
- Lack of robust change management plans to transition from proprietary platforms to FOSS platforms
- Lack of ICT localized ICT tools hold back ICT benefits
Read the full FOSSAP report for further details. Additional information about the consultation can be found at the FOSSAP consultation subsection of the IOSN website.
