Published May 16, 2001
More countries are following Mexico’s lead in wholly adopting the free open-source computer operating system known as Linux. It’s a matter of their competitive survival.
Outside the wealthy United States, the price for purchasing, licensing and maintaining software from Microsoft Corporation is beyond a luxury. The situation is an impossible burden for business, government and education in these under-developed countries. The viable alternative gaining rapid acceptance is open-source.
Eleven years ago, Linus Torvalds invented his Linux and gave it to the hacker hobbyists, around the globe, to interactively play with and definitively improve into today’s serious operating system. It is a flavor of Unix, uniquely different from other popular operating systems like MS Windows, IBM OS/2 and BeOS.
In fact, IBM has pledged $1,300M to general Linux development. Not to be left out, Hewlett-Packard and Compaq have their own set of Linux projects. William Swope, VP of Intel’s architecture group, is promoting Linux as the standard Unix development environment and has established a $25,000 prize awarded twice yearly to outstanding contributors to Linux improvements. Big businesses in Kenya evaluating Linux merits include Kenya Airways and Kenya Power & Lighting.
James Hill, writer for a British technical newsletter, ComPile, says, “Linux is about everyone learning to play nicely with each other.” One of the most remarkable characteristics of Linux, unlike other operating systems, is that is does not crash (unintentionally stop working)! And data is never in jeopardy of corruption or loss.
Diego Saravia (36), professor at the Universidad Nacional de Salta, teaches a postgraduate course in renewable energy sources. Students are encouraged to study at home using a Linux-based electric circuit simulation tool called Sceptre.
Because installing software on everything but a Macintosh is so complex, programmers from Argentina, and elsewhere among the open-source Linux group, developed their own version called Ututo. Ututo runs painlessly from a CD and includes applications software such as KDE graphics and StarOffice package, also free.
The desperate need for high-quality, low-cost open-source software is crucial to education and commerce, Saravia believes. The population of northwest Argentina lives in poverty. As head of the Department of Environmental Policy, Saravia has allied with Deputy Marcelo Dragán in passing a bill to systematically promote the use of Ututo Linux and free software on governmental computers throughout Argentina. It’s going very well.
Saravia predicts, “In five years time, no computer in Argentina will run Windows; there will be no reason to.”
On the African continent, an explosive political tug-of-war is focused upon the use of Microsoft Windows or Linux OS. Former Xerox Researcher, Githogori wa Nyangara-Murage says, “The free software model makes sense for Africa. It puts Africa and the rest of the world on an equal level.”
“Under the proprietary software model, Africa is investing in unattainable dreams because we cannot afford to pay all this money for proprietary software.” The rampant software piracy in Africa is a direct consequence of the extremely high cost and licensing difficulties of commercial software.
For example, the Windows operating system and the Windows Office Suite applications may cost as much as US$900 in Kenya. Bear in mind the average per capita income is less than $250.00 per year! That’s equivalent to a person in the States who earns $25,000 per year to pay $90,000 for the same software. It’s an impossibility.
Peter Gitau, at Kenyan ISP Interconnect Ltd., says that Linux users do not need an elaborate support system because all the support is on the Internet. Interconnect uses Linux in parallel with Solaris, Macintosh and Windows environments.
Piracy is estimated at 80% in East Africa, according to Microsoft’s Loiuse Otieno. Microsoft won a judgment against a Kenyan computer and software vendor, Microskills Ltd. for giving away copies of their software. The award of US$325,000 resulted in the company’s demise and further deepened resentment. Because of this backlash in Kenya, says Gitau, technicians are driven by a “devotion to Linux and a destain for Microsoft products and service.”
Passion is stirring for Linux, particularly by the much richer South African and Nigerian economies. South Africa has the 24th largest user base in the world. Trailing are Kenya, Algeria, Botswana and Egypt. Linux users can be found even in the most remote locations of the continent.
The distribution of Linux OS does not constitute piracy because no license for its use is issued and no money is charged. Sam Nganga, a technology columnist with the East African Standard, says, “Once businesses get to trust the Linux platform, it will catch on like bush fire.”