Karnataka Government should explain why consistently, in procurement
of computers, proprietary software is specified, when it has many
disadvantages.
Even now, the TAP (technical approval committee) insists on
proprietary operating system and proprietary office suite, which is
quite unnecessary and expensive, in all computer purchases. TAP and
all decision making bodies must justify why then insist on such
purchases
regards,
Guru
source -
http://www.firstpost.com/business/govt-notify-open-software-policy-soon-ravi-shankar-prasad-2174449.html
The government will soon notify the 'open software policy' as it
looks to bring in increased transparency in administration,
Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said. The
move will also help start-ups to participate in creating new open
software source and generating jobs, he said.
The Minister said under the new policy, all future requests for
proposals of e-governance projects shall include a mandatory clause
for considering open source software (OSS) as a preferred option.
"Suppliers and vendors shall provide justification for exclusion of
OSS in their response," he said. The new policy will also help in
bringing down the costs of the government's ICT projects as a lot of
licensing cost will be saved because of use of open source software,
sources said.
They added that the Minister has already signed the policy and it
will be notified in the next few days and it will not require the
Cabinet approval.
"The government of India has taken a major policy decision
whereby we have resolved by policy to promote open software source
as a preferred option in the government transactions and requests
of proposal," the Minister said.
He added that closed software source (CSC) codes, which are
proprietary, used to be monopolistic as there is not only a
lock-in but vendors also charge heavily for maintenance and
subsequent updates.Usage of open source software (OSS) is cost
effective, allows modification of source codes (key to any mobile/
computer programme or application) according to local needs and is
free from royalty. "By this policy having being adopted, now this
has become mandatory to have a preferred option in governmental
transactions and tenders to include open software source as a
mandatory condition," Prasad said.
The Department of Electronics and IT (DeitY) has formulated the
policy on adoption of OSS under which all government organisations
must compare OSS and CSS options with respect to capability,
strategic control, scalability, security, life time costs and
support requirements. The policy will provide a framework for rapid
and effective adoption of OSS, ensure strategic control in
eGovernance applications and systems and reduce total cost of
ownership (TCO) of projects.
Gurumurthy Kasinathan
Director, IT for Change | Tel:98454 37730
ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ಇಲಾಖೆಗೆ ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ
“Education either functions as an instrument which is used to
facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of
the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the
practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal
critically and creatively with reality and discover how to
participate in the transformation of their world.” - Paulo Freire