Why developing countries need
to use and create Free Software
IDLELO
First African Conference on the Digital Commons
Cape Town,
January 2004
Rishab Aiyer Ghosh
rishab@dxm.org
Why Free/Libre/Open (FLOSS)?
l
Cost
– Total Cost of Ownership!
The broad,
socio-economic change long promised by ICTs would be limited to a tiny elite
without FLOSS
l
Performance,
flexibility, localisation
Many FLOSS
applications provide superior performance & security; adaptation is
permitted, e.g. for local languages
l
Skills
development
FLOSS is a
training environment that increases the earning capacity of community
participants without any explicit investment in training: a novel form of
technology transfer?
Why Free/Libre/Open (FLOSS)?
l
Cost
– Total Cost of Ownership!
The broad,
socio-economic change long promised by ICTs would be limited to a tiny elite
without FLOSS
l
Performance,
flexibility, localisation
Many FLOSS
applications provide superior performance & security; adaptation is
permitted, e.g. for local languages
l
Skills
development
FLOSS is a
training environment that increases the earning capacity of community
participants without any explicit investment in training: a novel form of
technology transfer?
The TCO bogeyman?
Software Total Cost
of Ownership:
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Licence
fees
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Associated
hardware costs
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Associated
software costs
l
Maintenance
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Integration
l
Support
l
Training
The TCO bogeyman?
l
Licence
fees
l
Associated
hardware costs
l
Associated
software costs
l
Maintenance
l
Integration
l
Support
l
Training
The TCO bogeyman?
l
Licence
fees: 5-10% (proprietary)
l
Associated
hardware costs
l
Associated
software costs
l
Maintenance
l
Integration
l
Support
l
Training
The TCO bogeyman?
l
Licence
fees: 5-10% (proprietary)
l
Associated
hardware costs
l
Associated
software costs
l
Maintenance
l
Integration
l
Support
l
Training
The TCO bogeyman!
Software Total Cost
of Ownership:
l
The
share of licence fees in TCO is small…
…when the share of labour costs is high (as in the countries or social domains
where TCO studies are normally conducted)
The TCO bogeyman!
Software Total Cost
of Ownership:
l
The
share of licence fees in TCO is small…
…when the share of labour costs is high (as in the countries or social domains
where TCO studies are normally conducted)
l
If
labour costs (average incomes) are low, their share in TCO is lower, with the
result that the share of licence fees is considerably higher
Licence costs seem low...*
Licensing Cost of
Windows XP + Office (USA):
$560**
**Standard
Edition, price from Amazon.com,
*The view from the
rich world!
...and not the #1 reason for FLOSS
But in Africa...
Licensing Cost of
Windows XP + Office* in the US:
$560
But in KENYA:
GDP/capita (average
annual income) $371
Effective cost of
Windows XP + Office (per capita)
18 months’ GDP
(I.e. the cost of a single copy is 18
months average income)
...Cost really DOES matter
Licensing Cost of
Windows XP + Office in the US
$560
KENYA: GDP/capita
$371
Effective cost of
Windows XP + Office (per capita)
18 months’ GDP
Comparing with US
GDP/capita: $35 277 p.a…
Effective cost in $ equivalent for a single
copy of Windows XP + Office in Kenya: $53 283
...Cost really DOES matter
Why Free/Libre/Open (FLOSS)?
l
Cost
– Total Cost of Ownership!
The broad,
socio-economic change long promised by ICTs would be limited to a tiny elite
without FLOSS. Although other barriers exist (hardware, bandwidth) software
licence fees are yet another additional barrier, but can be avoided.
l
Performance,
flexibility, localisation
Many FLOSS
applications provide superior performance & security; adaptation is
permitted, e.g. for local languages
l
Skills
development
FLOSS is a
training environment that increases the earning capacity of community
participants without any explicit investment in training: a novel form of
technology transfer?
Why Free/Libre/Open (FLOSS)?
l
Cost
– Total Cost of Ownership!
The broad,
socio-economic change long promised by ICTs would be limited to a tiny elite
without FLOSS
l
Performance,
flexibility, localisation
Many FLOSS
applications provide superior performance & security; adaptation is
permitted, e.g. for local languages
l
Skills
development
FLOSS is a
training environment that increases the earning capacity of community
participants without any explicit investment in training: a novel form of
technology transfer?
FLOSS can mean better security...
FLOSS helps localisation
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Proprietary
vendors are motivated by global profit-maximisation strategies
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They
often don’t care about local issues and user needs – unless they matter in “a
global context”!
l
Many
FLOSS developers may have absolutely no interest in software usability for
Xhosa speakers
l
But
FLOSS developers allow and encourage those with locally relevant motives
to adapt their software
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This
allows projects such as translate.org.za, LinEx, adapting software to local
needs, culture
Why Free/Libre/Open (FLOSS)?
l
Cost
– Total Cost of Ownership!
The broad,
socio-economic change long promised by ICTs would be limited to a tiny elite
without FLOSS
l
Performance,
flexibility, localisation
Many FLOSS
applications provide superior performance & security; adaptation is
permitted, e.g. for local languages
l
Skills
development
FLOSS is a
training environment that increases the earning capacity of community
participants without any explicit investment in training: a novel form of
technology transfer?
FLOSS develops local skills
l
Not
skills to use FLOSS applications, but skills learnt through participating in
the FLOSS community
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FLOSS
encourages not only passive “use” but active participation in the creative
process
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FLOSS
provides a very low barrier to entry for creativity – you don’t have to
be creative but if you want to, you easily can
What motivates FLOSS developers?
Learning skills – then sharing!
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78%
of developers join the FLOSS community “to learn and develop new skills”
(70% continue for this reason)
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67%
of developers continue their participation in the FLOSS community “to share …
knowledge and skills”
Source: Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) Study of Developers
These skills have economic value
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30%
of developers participate in the FLOSS community “to improve … job
opportunities”
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Over
30% of developers derive income directly through their FLOSS work
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A
further 20% derive indirect income as a result of their FLOSS wor
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18%
got job because of FLOSS experience
Source: Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) Study of Developers
Employers appreciate this…
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36%
of organisations “totally” or “somewhat” agree that employees can work on FLOSS
projects on employer time
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These
are not software companies! 16% of low IT-intensity companies (retail,
automobiles, tourism, construction) “totally agree” with this
Source:
Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) Study of Users
…but don’t pay for it.
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FLOSS
communities are like informal apprenticeships – but apprentice/students and
master/teachers contribute their own time for free
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Nothing
in life is free; but this is a social cost borne voluntarily by the
participants themselves and not paid for directly by those who benefit
(employers, society at large)
“To each according to need…”
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Everyone
can benefit equally from this training, though not everyone invests equally in
it – many “teachers” may have been formally trained at university or at work
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In
the larger perspective, this training system represents a subsidy – or
technology transfer – from those who pay for formal training to those who don’t
(or can’t)
“To each according to need…”
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Within
countries, this represents a technology transfer from big companies to SMEs,
who can less afford formal training
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Globally,
this represents a technology transfer from economies who can afford formal
training, to those who cannot
“To each according to need…”
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Sectoral
benefits: poor countries may have formal computer training during computer
science degree courses, but perhaps not in other subjects (biology)
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FLOSS
usage provides students of other subjects to informally learn computer
skills, programming skills and enhance their competence in their formal
training
But do we all want to program?
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How
will we know?
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HTML
is a programming language – the web only took off because it was open, so
people could learn to write their own sites just by copying and changing other
sites
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“Programming”
covers a very broad range of skills;
FLOSS allows entry at any degree with little investment in time or effort
But do we all want to program?
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In
a proprietary environment, you have to decide to be a programmer, then buy
development software, then spend lots of time and effort – all of which is a
risk and entry barrier
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With
FLOSS, you can tinker. You don’t need to buy tools. You can use them to
the extent you choose.
But do we all want to program?
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Learning
skills in FLOSS, you risk losing only your time and effort
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However,
since the barrier to entry is low (HTML!) you can control the degree of your
investment – paddle at the shallow end or dive in deeper.
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In
proprietary environments, the dividing line between user and developer is much
sharper – the pool has only a deep end, you have to dive in or stay out altogether.
Building ICT competencies
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Be
passive users of “black-box” software or active participants in global ICT?
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Being
active requires being able to create – and choose with the least barriers the
level of creativity
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Developing
countries need to avoid being locked out of skills and competencies
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Skills
development requires access to the ability to create – you don’t have to be a
programmer, but you should have the choice.
Why Free/Libre/Open (FLOSS)?
l
Cost
– Total Cost of Ownership!
The broad,
socio-economic change long promised by ICTs would be limited to a tiny elite
without FLOSS
l
Performance,
flexibility, localisation
Many FLOSS
applications provide superior performance & security; adaptation is
permitted, e.g. for local languages
l
Skills
development
FLOSS is a
training environment that increases the earning capacity of community
participants without any explicit investment in training: a novel form of
technology transfer?
FLOSS is the best way for developing countries to:
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Rapidly deploy
information technology
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Affordably deploy information technology
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Develop
an ICT infrastructure while respecting IPR, limiting “software piracy”
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Develop
a local ICT software and services skills base and foster a local
ICT software and services economy
More information…
The FLOSS project
pages & final report
http://flossproject.org
Licence fees &
GDP/capita paper:
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_12/ghosh/
Paper on FLOSS as
Official Development Aid,
By Jordi Carrasco
Munoz
http://www.i-today.com.vn/itoday/open_source/baocao/
jordi_europeancommunity.ppt