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'Open Source' Around The World
by William New
As local and national governments around the world increasingly examine the possible benefits of adopting "open source" software whose underlying code can be viewed and altered, a debate over the issue is growing in Washington.
The United States is the world's leading software maker, but the open-source issue divides U.S. industry, essentially pitting companies like IBM and Oracle, which are more flexible about the consideration of open-source alternatives, against Microsoft, which offers proprietary software. Industry associations and consumer advocates are scrambling for common ground on the issue.
Most sources in Washington concede that it is reasonable for procurement officers in foreign governments to look at different options and pick the best for their needs. A minority appears to support government passage of so-called "preference" laws mandating that open-source software be purchased instead of proprietary products.
The Association for Competitive Technology (ACT), a Washington group that includes Microsoft, "believes that government [chief information officers] should be able to choose freely among all the software options available to them, both open source and proprietary," according to President Jonathan Zuck.
"ACT opposes any government procurement preferences or procurement mandates that artificially limit competition for government contracts," Zuck said. "These proposals are usually based on politics rather than performance and very well could violate World Trade Organization rules."
The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) strongly supports the availability of alternatives to Microsoft but not preference legislation. "You do occasionally get preference bills," said Will Rodger, director of public policy at CCIA. "There are some overzealous legislators."
But he said those legislators do not succeed. "The bottom line is, we're not aware of any open-source preference bill that's passed anywhere," Rodger said.
Rodger said governments must consider the long-term commercial considerations of choosing software and hardware products. Those considerations include getting locked in to using the same software for many years because of the high cost of switching, as well as licensing issues and fees that appear in the future.
What open-source software advocates want is respect for the different kinds of licenses associated with different forms of open source, Rodger said. "People whose business models are threatened by [open source] recognize the need to start shading the truth" about it, he said.
Zuck said claims about the danger of proprietary lock-in "ignore reality." That is because open-source programs are just as likely to require high costs for switching to another system after they have been adopted, he argued. He added that the proprietary software industry, including Microsoft, has been moving toward open standards.
Mike Wendy of the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) said the organization looks at open source as a "global phenomenon." CompTIA, which leads the Initiative for Software Choice, has Microsoft as a member but also makes money from an open-source, Linux-based product and has IBM and Intel as members. The latter companies are "hybrids" on the proprietary/open-source debate, he said.
"We're forced to be down the middle on this," Wendy said. "We believe no one wins when you start trying to restrict software or hardware options." He noted that the vast majority of proprietary firms are small to medium.
Wendy cited concerns about policies developing in some Brazilian states, Pakistan and Spain. He said a model policy is that of the United Kingdom, which in essence follows CompTIA's approach of choosing software based on the value for the investment and the ability to meet goals such as increased security or the ability to communicate with other systems.
In related news, ZDNet reports that the European Commission published a paper this month outlining an initiative that promotes open standards and open-source software for government services. The approach is a centerpiece of an e-government initiative.
Toward An Open Standard On Mobile Devices
A new international industry group is forming to define and promote an open standard for mobile products, Yahoo reports. The Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) Alliance was announced Tuesday by STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, ARM and Nokia. MIPI will focus on interfaces to mobile-application processors.
"Mobile-device users and wireless carriers are demanding a rapidly changing set of features and functions," said Allen Leibovitch, IDC's wireless semiconductor research manager. "Standards like the MIPI Alliance can allow mobile-device manufacturers and their semiconductor and software providers to more easily combine their best components and features and bring compelling products to market in a shorter time."
Study: United States Bests Britain On Privacy
Unregulated privacy practices related to e-commerce in the United States appear to be superior to those in the United Kingdom, which has implemented European Union laws on e-commerce privacy, a recently released study found.
In addition, the study, produced jointly by the American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution, found that regulation in Britain seems to stifle development of a market for Web assurance services. It also showed that consumers in both countries are vulnerable to a small number of Web sites that send unsolicited e-mail, or spam, to their customers.
Also in Europe, the European Commission this week acted to remove obligations on telecommunications network operators to provide "leased lines," which are used by large companies to create in-house company networks. Small and medium-sized firms also use them to access the Internet, network operators and service providers. The commission decided that open-market policies have generated sufficient competition.
Copyright Interests Plead Case To Pakistan
Senior representatives of the international and business software industries met with Pakistani government ministers late last week to urge action against the rampant piracy of compact discs in the country.
Tens of millions of pirated CDs are exported from Pakistan, one of the world's largest sources of pirated discs, according to a release from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The meeting included representatives from the Recording Industry Association of America and the Business Software Alliance.
The group urged the Pakistani government to: implement effective laws and penalties against optical-disc piracy, in particular plant-control measures and licensing law; direct and train law enforcement, customs officials and prosecutors to fight piracy; and launch a public offensive against piracy and create a task force to coordinate anti-piracy activities.
Palestinian Firm Defies Movie, Music Industries
The president of a new file-sharing software and network recently launched from the West Bank town of Gaza, Israel, said he is not troubled by threats of lawsuits made by the Motion Picture Association of America and Recording Industry Association of America.
"We don't worry about those kind of problems," Ras Kabir, head of peer-to-peer (P2P) network Earth Station 5, said from his office in the Jenin refugee camp.
Kabir said Earth Station 5 is the largest P2P service in the world, with an average of 11.5 million simultaneous users online at any moment, downloading software in 18 languages. Users' identities are protected when sharing music and movies over the Internet.
Singapore-Australia Trade Deal Activated
A trade agreement between Singapore and Australia, two countries working on separate trade pacts with the United States, took effect on Monday.
The comprehensive agreement includes services such as telecommunications, government procurement, intellectual property, e-commerce and streamlined customs procedures. It is Australia's first trade agreement in 20 years, with neighboring New Zealand as the last partner.
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