Naci is an advisory body appointed by the Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology.

The paper, entitled “Open Software and Open Standards in South Africa”, recommends the broad-scale promotion of open standards and open software within the South African public sector as well as promoting its use in education and business. Open software such as Linux and desktop environments such as KDE are highlighted in the paper as examples of what can be achieved by the open software movement.

In what is the strongest declaration of support for open source software, the document argues that rather than relying on foreign skills, SA should be developing local open source skills and paving the way to becoming a significant world software development nation.

"The trade-off between the proprietary and open approaches [to software] amounts to choosing between relying on foreign skills and developing local skills. If SA chooses the proprietary route, the cost in many cases will be higher, and much of the expenditure goes out of the country."

The document, which is currently in "discussion phase" according to Dr Titus Singo, Naci project manager, is open for public comment on the Naci Web site (http://www.naci.org.za) before being presented to the minister. Once external input has been incorporated, he says, the document will be presented to the minister as an advisory which will "carry significant weight".

The document highlights the fact that opting for the open source route will require significant skills development, but it is argued that the long-term benefits will be significant. "If SA chooses the open route, the cost in many cases will be lower and much of the cost will remain in the country. Further, SA can break dependencies on foreign companies and potentially become a player in the world software development and software services market."

Opposing patents

Other areas highlighted as being undesirable include software patents, and the paper recommends that the minister's department should oppose the patenting of standards, software and algorithms.

"Open software makes use of copyright law and distribution licences. However, broadly defined patents on software threaten software developments and open software in particular. The developing world is particularly vulnerable in this regard."

The most significant benefit, however, is that the source code for open software is freely available, significantly improving the lifespan of open software. "Proprietary software also has expensive long-term maintenance and support implications," according to the paper. "Producers of proprietary software have no interest in maintaining older versions. Because open software by definition includes access to source code, old versions can be maintained and enhanced."

The document concludes by putting forward a number of recommendations including making open standards a non-negotiable base for ICT in the public sector; encouraging government agencies and public institutions to use open software whenever feasible; and allowing open software to compete on a level playing field with proprietary alternatives in government software procurement.

The document also recommends that the department promote the documentation, translation and localisation of software; establish an open software development initiative; and promote education and training on open software products.