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OPEN SOURCE FOR E-GOVERNMENT
1. INTRODUCTION : E-GOVERNMENT
1.1 E-government, is commonly understood as electronic form of government. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are used by the govt. to provide its functions to the citizens. Some of the delivery models are Govt. to citizen, Govt. to Customer, Government to Govt. (G2G), Govt. to Employees (G2E), Govt. to Govt. (G2G) etc.
1.2 E-government is not only computerization of the various departments of the government and it is also not only use of internet by govt. It is much more than that. ICT are just tools, i.e. means, and not ends in themselves. In fact, use of any electronic mode by the govt. like wireless networks, Bluetooth, SMS, email, biometric identification, smart cards etc. falls under the purview of e-government.
2. INTRODUCTION : OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE (OSS)
OSS is a term used when the source code as well as the software (executable code) are provided to the user for free (Ken Coar, 2006). It also includes, free redistribution of the software, free distribution of source code, no restriction on modification of the source code and derived works, distribution of license etc. The commercially available software is termed as proprietary software (PS).
3. IMPORTANCE AND APPROPRIATENESS OF OPEN SOURCE FOR E-GOVERNMENT
3.1 Before advocating OSS for e-government, three issues are required to be examined.
a. Whether OSS is cost effective?
b. Whether quality of OS is comparable with proprietary software?
c. Whether OSS is the appropriate technology for e-government?
3.2 OSS is now a days openly embraced by the governments all over the world for e-government. Cost of the hardware is falling every day, so cost of software for any e-government project gains more prominence especially in third world countries where all projects work under a shoe string budgets.
3.3 For developing countries, starved of funds, cost effectiveness of the technology is an extremely significant parameter for judging technologies. A cash strapped country like India, always looks for reduction in cost while providing e-government. PSlike Windows, MS Office, ORACLE etc. are not only expensive to install initially but even after that we are dependent on them for upgradation, service etc. Cost reduction is an apparent benefit as the initial cost of acquisition is nil in case of OSS. However, this issue is required to be examined in detail before coming to any conclusion.
3.4 At present OSS like Apache, LINUX, Open Office, MySQL etc. are available. A small calculation is made below to demonstrate the cost effectiveness of OSS:-
Cost of PC=Rs 25,000+
Cost of Software=Rs 25,000+
MS-Windows+MS-Office+DBMS(like ORACLE)+Anti-Virus
Cost for Server Software
Now if OS is used then LINUX can replace Windows, Open Office can replace MS-Office, MySQL can replace ORACLE, Apache can be server software, we can substantially reduce the cost by more than half !
If we add to it the savings made on upgradation and inexpensive choice of hardware (which is possible in case of OSS) and savings made on ORACLE then the savings would be even more.
3.5 In fact, OSS also does not force the stakeholders to to either buy expensive PS or to use pirated software. The benefit to the society as a whole enhances many times if reduced costs of end users(citizens) are taken into account.
3.6 Besides the cost reduction, the other not so obvious benefits are as under:-
i. Enhanced collaboration with other government agencies and/or department: Though each govt. department is apparently independent but actually they are intrinsically dependent. OSS can assist in a big way in talking of all each departments to each other in common language with a resultant increase in not only efficiency but also citizens satisfaction.
ii. Improved software development and effective choice of software: The correct choice of software is sine qua non for effective and successful e-government projects. The visibility of OSS is certainly more than the PS as the experienced programmer can examine and evaluate the software.. The quality and appropriateness of the PS may be good or may be bad but under each circumstances we are solely dependent on the PS developer company and the assurance of the company becomes the final word as there is no way it can be truly examined. Besides the above, the network effect in the improvement and development of software is missing in a PS. The sense of involvement of the public in the particular e-government project will certainly be more in such cases enhancing probability of success of the e-government initiative.
iii. Security and reliability : OSS is more secure and reliable. Any doubt about the security in the minds of the stakeholders can be catastrophic for e-government projects where maintaining confidentiality of the information shared by the public is as important as the project itself. Any perceived lack of trust by the citizen will blow apart the future involvement of citizens.
iv. Scalability: For e-government scalability is an indispensable requirement as the projects are generally started for small users and depending on the success its reaches increases. Thus, the software should have the ability to provide scalability.
v. Efficient and effective dissemination : In the current world where information is power and dissemination of information is not only a priority area for the government but the demand for information from the citizens is equally vigorous. Use of PS for keeping government records can be quite tricky in such circumstances as it forces the stakeholders to acquire similar PS which is not in consonance with the spirit of right to information.
vi. Avoidance of predatory practices: Most of time, PS companies adopt predatory practices like costly upgradation, dictating the choice of hardware, limited number of users allowed etc.
4. LACK OF MOTIVATION FOR OS DEVELOPER?
4.1 How can be the software which is free of cost can be equally efficient, secure and reliable like a PS which has been developed by dedicated team of developers who are earning their bread and butter from this software?
4.2 John Caroll(2002) asserts that working for a OSS for free is not an economic rational behaviour, hence, it is not sustainable in the long