Open Source Software Development in Hong Kong

1
Open Source Software Development in Hong Kong

• Lionel M. Ni
• Department of Computer Science
• Hong Kong University of Science Technology
• ni_at_cs.ust.hk
• http//www.cs.ust.hk/ni

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About Hong Kong

• Population 6.8M
• Center of finance in Asia
• Governments efforts in making HK a
  knowledge-based society
• 1998-2003 first phase of Digital City
• 2004 beginning of Digital 21 Strategy

3
Hong Kong Government Digital 21 Strategy

• Government leadership
• Promote HKs image as a dynamic digital city
• Provide supporting infrastructure, environment
  and programs
• Sustainable e-government program
• Infrastructure and business environment
• Promote e-business adoption
• Public awareness of cyber security
• Institutional review
• Review the government structure to ensure
  effective implementation of the strategy

4
Digital 21 Strategy (contd)

• Technological development
• RD investment and commercialization
• Promote open standards and open source software
• Vibrant IT industry
• Promote a vibrant, competitive and innovative
  driven IT industry
• Human resources in a knowledge economy
• Bridging the digital divide
• Setup a Digital Solidarity Fund to fund relevant
  activities

5
Openness in Technological and Standards Adoption

• Keep up with openness and spirit of pioneering
• Adopt open and interoperable standards
• Enhance interoperability framework
• Implemented since late 2002
• Set out governments standards and practices to
  ensure data and technical interoperability among
  its IT systems and e-government services

6
Government Procurement Policy on Software Products

• Based on objective criteria
• Value for money, functionality, security, system
  compatibility, available of reliable technical
  support
• Promote the use of OSS technologies and solutions
  within the Government
• Widen product choice
• Maximize the potential for cost savings
• Showcases and trials organized by ITSD

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Government Procurement Policy on Software
Products (contd)

• Promote OSS development and adoption in the
  private sector
• Provision of funding support for projects that
  develop OSS
• Provision of funding support to assist SMEs in
  using OSS
• Conduct survey on OSS adoption in the business
  sector to identify barriers to OSS adoption and
  measures to promote wider adoption

8
Stephen Mak Deputy Government Chief Information
Officer

• HKSAR is supportive of choice and competition in
  the adoption of hardware and software for IT
  projects, including both e-government programs as
  well as day-to-day usage of IT as productivity
  tools.  
• Recommendation to bureaux and departments the
  notion (and potential impact) of open source
  software and have been facilitating their
  adoption through various centrally managed
  contracts.  
• As long as software is within the government
  interoperability framework in terms of
  compatibility and standards, value for money, etc
  we have no preference on open source software
  over proprietary software, or vice-versa.  
• In respect of open source software development as
  a means to encourage interoperability and synergy
  in the context of industry development, we have
  been supporting worthy projects and the open
  source model wherever applicable.

9
Hong Kong Academic Institutions

• Hong Kong has 8 UGC funded universities
• Hong Kong Univ. of Science Technology
• University of Hong Kong
• Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• City University of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Baptist University
• Hong Kong Institute of Education
• Lingnan University

10
2003/4 CS/IT Students
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OSS in Academic Institutions

• Academic does support the spirit of OSS
• Government funding to support technology transfer
• No visible special initiatives

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Thank You!