Tim willoughby open source-in-local-government

OPEN SOURCE
in
Local Government

Tim Willoughby
Assistant Director
LGMA

What Open Source mean?

Open source software (OSS) means the source code of the
software is open for viewing and editing. The users have the
freedom to edit the source code, rename it and use it as they
wish. This is contrary to proprietary software, which does not
allow the buyers/users to look at the source code.
OOS can be priced.

Free Software (FOSS) – not priced at all.

The similarity between the two is that both OSS and free
software enable the users to view and modify the software
code.

Types of Software
 Free Software – free as in free speech
 Proprietary Software – restricted use, hidden
source code
 Open Source Software – with source code
 Freeware – free as in free lunch

Source Code
Open Closed

P
R P>0 Open Proprietary
I Source
(OSS)
C
E
P=0 Free Freeware Or
&Open Shareware
Source
(FOSS)

Open Source- Lowering Barriers for Entrants

Low cost and scalable infrastructure (Linux,
Apache,MySQL, PHP (LAMP) )
•
Quality software available at no licenses cost
•
Key software components available for
integration
•
Can make changes to Open source code for
extra value
•
Development and run time environments for
fast and iterative deployments (PHP, Perl,
Python, Ruby on Rails)
•
Communities for instant help and fast
innovation cycles
•
Open Source as a Engine for Web 2.0

FOSS : It is matter of liberty not price.

Software is “free” if it provides all four freedoms:
Freedom 0: The freedom to run the program for any purpose.
Freedom 1: The freedom to study and modify the program.
Freedom 2: The freedom to copy the program so you can
help your neighbour.
Freedom 3: The freedom to improve the program, and
release your improvements to the public, so that the
whole community benefits.

FOSS – Free & Open Source Software

Characteristic of open source software


Based on open standards

Community driven

Interoperable

Innovative

Localised

Shared Ownership

Open Source Benefits

 Business model relies on service fees not license fees.
 Open Source is community driven and community serving
 Proprietary formats leads to vendor lock-in. what if vendor
collapsed? Charge too much? Monopoly?
 Software as a commodity.
 Open standards - Greater independence from companies.
 Customisable – community can develop their own add-ons.
80-20 Rule Applies to Open Source Also: -- 80% code of open source software is written by
self motivated individual developers, voluntarily .
20% code is written key developers/Project Leaders.

Open Source Benefits Con’d

 Interoperability
 Software is better when it is transparent.
 Secure –Nothing is left open for system vulnerability.

Open Source Disadvantage

 Proprietary software has more features and more user friendly.
 Difficult to integrate with proprietary software.
 Lack of service & support.
 Some open source solution not mature enough & continue to
improve.
 Compatibility issues.

Open Source - powering e-government

In the area of e-Government, government spending on software
development can be made more efficient if it adopts the open
source model that promotes the sharing of software code.
Local Government, Agencies and Departments have the same
requirements and instead of each government department
developing separate programs for the same task, they could
share the same code base and make minor changes to suit the
needs of each state.

Hurdles in the growth of Open Source?

 Lack of Policy
 Skill Development
 Change in the way we Procure
 Positive Analysis
 Willingness to Learn

How to Integrate Open Source into our IT strategy
•
Insist on Open Standards - Increases Agility
- flexibility and responsiveness Evaluate
Open Source and Commercial software
options
•
Can use a mixture of open source and
proprietary
•
Don’t need a separate Strategy—
interoperability I migration considerations are
important
•
Like all Software Solutions – have to Balance
up-front costs against recurring costs

What do we have to do?

Understand the Community and Maturity of Open Source - Broad
industry support are important
Sustainable business models are critical
Healthy ecosystem of Solution Providers and Business Partners
essential
Establish policies for working with Open Source software
Educate company teams about OSS before they work with it
Implement a management system to review, approve, and track the
use of OSS inside the company, and contributions of company
software assets to external OSS projects
Understand Open Source Licensing – need to establish a process to
help us understand the terms of the licenses and the procedures
required to comply with them
Make decisions based on both business and technical factors

In the Future
 Currently we have a stable Microsoft Platform

 The is not a huge supply of Open Source

 As our environments age and need to be managed out, our
demand for open source will increase along with the
increasing population of consumers who are also shifting away
from propietary solutions.
 Need to be placed well to meet this demand, understand the
possibilitites, potentials and have an Open Mind.

Conclusions

Can be fanatic or a zealot, but the show must go on
●

●
A growing number of OSS Government communities across
Europe
Every migration to Open Source Software needs a change
●

programme and TCO to justify it
●
OSS need not be an all or nothing scenario nor the universal
answer to IT future
●
The higher the dependence on proprietary office productivity
software the bigger the task to move to OSS
Need to overcome the support issue
●

Tim willoughby open source-in-local-government

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