Document Actions

India: Why doesn't government embrace open source?

by Khairil Yusof — last modified 2006-07-10 03:01 PM

Contributors: Pankaj Sharma

Though use of open source is an integral part of any e-governance project report, it fails to move beyond. In the end, proprietary software and environment win thumbs-up in bagging the projects.

While it may be true that issues such as ownership and after-sales support might be an issue in migrating to an open environment, neutrality offers certain inherent benefits, which can’t be offered by its proprietary counterpart.

In a country like India, we only have limited pockets of growth where technology has made an impact. Infrastructure and knowledge are a challenge for the masses and what is needed is a smart system where we can get maximum while spending minimum. The core logic here is penny saved is penny earned.

The other important issue is that of interoperability, which would not only result in a big saving but also provide a ubiquitous delivery of government services. In such a scenario, an open environment can really be a good option to migrate to.

We need to adopt an out-of-the-box approach towards technology neutrality. We have to propagate it and create a futuristic vision for it. The issue also has its roots in certain other things which might not be apparent in a bird’s eye view. But surely the solutions mentioned below can be helpful in providing a good breeding ground for promotion of technology neutrality.

Read full text of article

Source: Economic Times