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Thai Consortium Gives Open Source Software A Boost - Thailand's Open Source Software Consortium

In a display of unity from Thailand's private and government sectors, the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (Nectec) has teamed up with Software Park and the Thai Linux User Group (TLUG) to form the Open Source Software Consortium.

The consortium aims to encourage the use and development of open source software in Thailand as well as to boost local skills and opportunities, according to Nectec Director Dr Thaweesak Koanantakool, who addressed a 200-strong audience at the "Open Source Day of Thailand" at Software Park last week.

The idea was recently proposed by members of TLUG, who want to generate support from a range of parties.

Open source software is created through collaboration between developers and is made available for free, including the underlying source code. The software can thus be further developed or modified by the user.

Examples of open source software initiated in Thailand by Nectec are the Linux SIS Internet server and Linux TLE (Thai Language Extension) operating system for desktop computers.

The consortium will begin with five major activities: promoting open source software technologies; assisting developers by offering Web hosting services for virtual communication; publishing manuals; organizing training courses and courseware; and pushing for the use of open source software in both government and private sectors.

"Open source software is an alternative for government agencies and private firms to use and can help reduce the rate of software piracy," Dr Thaweesak claimed.

Open source technology will also help local developers by reducing the cost of production and leading to price competitiveness, he said.

Nectec also plans to cooperate with computer schools to set up courses for the Open Office Suite in the future.

To show its support, Thailand's Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment has recently adopted open source software. According to the Adviser to the Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, Dr Supachai Sukhanindr, it is government policy to encourage agencies to use open source technology.

"We see benefits in the technology and it will help save on the cost of software investment," he said, adding that to date the Secretariat Office of the ministry had already implemented servers based on an open source platform.

The Office is also a test site for Sun's OpenOffice suite, which is planned to be launched on December 5.

Cooperation from the Education Ministry and University Affairs Ministry will also be sought to promote knowledge of the technologies in educational institutions, he noted.

"We will act as a pilot project to educate other government agencies so that they will know that there is another choice for software," he noted.

But open source software was not the answer to all problems, according to some attendees at the Open Source Day. Association of Thai Software Industry (ATSI) Chairman Arporna Sribhibhadh recently said that users must be aware that open source software would not fit all situations and can often require skilled users and support teams.

General manager of Linux systems provider e4Asia, Dr Jochen Amrehn, noted that while many Linux applications are readily available, they cannot replace some specific applications such as AutoCAD software.

Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) system analyst Surapong Singshinsuk said that problems in implementing open source software included a lack of technical support and difficulty in modifying source code.

But he added that based on his experiences, answers to any problem can be found on the Internet, and those who are interested only need time and effort to adopt the technology.

EGAT has just announced a new policy to use open source software for future IT investments, according to EGAT Research and Development Office assistant director Chana Sobharaksha.

The Metropolitan Electricity Agency (MEA) has a similar policy to support an open source platform for investments next year, MEA IT department deputy director Pleedej Poongsawad told Database.

"We will change the proprietary platform we use today to an open environment in order to have more freedom of choice. It will bring flexibility and future scaleability and will also save costs," he noted.

Another satisfied user is the Police Hospital, which claims to have saved up to 60 million baht ($1.36 million).

Major Dr Viroj Lavbpaiboonpong said around 10 applications were developed including an MIS system, outpatient database and pharmaceutical system. "We invested 9 million baht ($204,082) in hardware but for software the only investment was our human resources," he noted.

Around 80 percent of the hospital's software systems are now based on open source, with plans to migrate the remaining systems.

"The good thing about open source technology is that we can change or add new modules as we want," he added.

Among educational facilities, Burapha University and Kasetsat University are at the forefront when it comes to using open source software. Both have open source projects and curricula to develop the skills of their students.

Corporate users in Thailand that have adopted some open source software include DTAC, Tesco Lotus and the Hard Rock Cafe.

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Reported By Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com .

20:54 CST

(20011128/WIRES ASIA, PC/)