Breaking Barriers: The Potential of Free and Open Source Software for Sustainable Human Development

From the introduction "The benefits offered by free and open source software (FOSS) have been
extremely useful for developing countries around the world. In particular,
the ability to obtain FOSS without licensing fees has proven to be
beneficial to users in these regions as this makes information and
communications technology (ICT) more affordable for them.

Over the last few years, as FOSS has matured and become more widely
accepted, many projects have been carried out that attempt to make use of
FOSS to help bring about socio-economic development and empower the people in
developing countries or regions. Some of these projects are highlighted in
this compilation of 14 FOSS case studies from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe
and Latin America. The benefits obtained and challenges encountered, as well
as valuable lessons learned are also highlighted."

The author gives the following reasons for using FOSS: it is affordable and high quality; it is free to run, to study, to redistribute and to improve as a result of accessible source codes; and it is useful in the development of local information technology (IT) industries.

The scope of project objectives in the case studies include:

• ICT awareness and bridging the digital divide;
• FOSS advocacy and capacity building;
• better government-citizen communication and interaction;
• assisting specific communities; and
• solving specific problems.

The report continues with descriptions of improvements and enhancements made to a variety of FOSS applications and programmes including web and portal applications. Major challenges cited in the report include the resistance of those who are accustomed to proprietary software, the fear of interoperability problems, the lack of knowledge about FOSS, the need for further deployment of ICT infrastructure, and project sustainability.
According to the author, lessons derived from these cases are:

• FOSS is a viable alternative to proprietary software.
• FOSS can bridge the digital divide and offer digital literacy to all people.
• Localisation (adaptability to local needs in local software languages) is a social requirement in order to engage proprietary vendors to consider the same to maintain their market share.
• Users, especially the less technology savvy, are hesitant to take on the challenge of technological changes.
• Grassroots level acceptance depends largely on a high degree of local applicability of the technology.
• For government-involved projects, policy and legislation needs to be in place.

In conclusion, the author re-emphasises the stance that FOSS can be widely distributed, adapted and used in an inclusive and non-discriminatory way. A strategic part of this is the built-in localisation tools to facilitate use in non-English speaking cultures, making it an available fit for the developing world.