OPEN SOURCE SOLUTION FOR e-GOVERNANCE

Outline What Open Source mean? Types of Software Free software – it is a matter of liberty, not price. Open Source : Pros & Cons Open Source limitations FOSS Development Process model Open Source & e-Governance Why Open source is better for e-Governance? Hurdles in the growth of open source. Open Source In the Future @JECRC,JODHPUR

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. @JECRC,JODHPUR

Free &Open Source (FOSS) 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 I C E P>0 Open Source (OSS) Proprietary P=0 Free &Open Source (FOSS) Freeware Or Shareware @JECRC,JODHPUR

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 @JECRC,JODHPUR

Characteristic of open source software Based on open standards Community driven Interoperable Innovative Localized Shared Ownership @JECRC,JODHPUR

Closed Vs Open Software @JECRC,JODHPUR

FOSS Community Interaction Users Developers Business @JECRC,JODHPUR

Proprietary Software Model Developers, Architects, Project Managers Business: Purchasers End Users @JECRC,JODHPUR

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 should be a commodity. Greater independence from companies. Customizable – 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. @JECRC,JODHPUR

Open Source Benefits Con’d Interoperability Software is better when it is transparent. No hidden elements. Secure –Nothing is left open for system vulnerability. Microsoft itself uses Linux server to protect its online operations. @JECRC,JODHPUR

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. @JECRC,JODHPUR

Open Source & e-Governance (By the people , for the people) MADE FOR EACH OTHER @JECRC,JODHPUR

Why Open Source is better for e-Governance Economical – Localization support- Lack of internet connectivity. Powering e-Governance Better Security – No need to install anti-virus Independence from western companies – @JECRC,JODHPUR

Economic India’s per capita income is INR 26,430($600), while personal computer costs INR 10,000($227) and proprietary software & office productivity costs approximately INR 11,000 ($250). A Cost comparison : Proprietary software Open Source Alternative Windows XP – INR 7500 to 9000 Microsoft Office – INR 20,000 Microsoft SQL database Server – INR 50,000 + (For small business) Up to 10 crores (For enterprise use) Linux(redhat,fedora,ubuntu etc.) OpenOffice by Sun Microsystem PostGresql, MySQL etc. @JECRC,JODHPUR

Localization Localization play a major role in adoption, as government can use technology to communicate to citizens in their own language. Red hat Enterprise Linux Desktop is available in 11 Indian languages – Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil and talugu. @JECRC,JODHPUR

POWERING e-GOVERNANCE In the area of e-Governance, the government spending on software development can be made more efficient if it adopts the open source model that promotes the sharing of software code. Government departments across different states have the same requirements and instead of each government department developing separate programmes for the same task, they could share the same code base and make minor changes to suit the needs of each state. @JECRC,JODHPUR

Security Since e-Governance software uses citizens personal data, there must be a efficient Provision of efficient security measures. Collaborative nature of open source development ensure better security. As the source can be evaluated, vetted & fixed by the open source community. System vulnerabilities often discovered by the community itself not by hackers. @JECRC,JODHPUR

In the Future Right now there are more software users than programmers Programming is getting easier all the time. Eventually most people will have learned programming to some extent. The demand for open source will increase along with the increasing population of consumers who can read and manipulate code. @JECRC,JODHPUR

FOSS Software Development Process Model Lose (global) community of developers Existence of a strong project leader but fluid structure Uses incremental development, frequent releases Requires code management and bug management system Developers offer free services, are self-motivated Often involves a global effort, code exchange via Internet Uses open source tools @JECRC,JODHPUR

THANK YOU @JECRC,JODHPUR