Pakistan's Open Source Initiative

1

• Pakistan's Open Source Initiative

2
GoP's Philosophy on Open Source

• Define Requirements independent of Technology
• Adopt standards that allow Interoperability
• Increase Opportunity for Participation
• Match technology with need
• Where necessary use Proprietary solutions
• Where possible use Open Source solutions
• Considering, Upfront cost, TCO, Support,
  Usability, Scalability, Robustness, Integration,
  etc.

3
Factors Driving GoP's OSS Initiative

• Affordability
• Local Employment Generation
• Respect for IPR

4
Historical Background

• In 2001 M/O IT created a working group to develop
  proposals for OSS adoption
• Working group met a few times and identified some
  initiatives
• Good work done by group, but there was a need for
  some concrete initiatives by GoP to take this
  further
• In 2003 Minister for IT directed the Ministry to
  develop projects around OSS

5
STRATEGY
6
DEMAND Industrial Automation on Open Source
Technologies

• M/o IT funded a Project to Develop specialized
  software solutions for industrial sectors in
  consultation with
• Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association of
  Pakistan (SIMAP)
• All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association
  (APTPMA)
• Pakistan Hosiery Mill Association (PHMA)
  Pakistan Ready-made Garments Manufacturers and
  Exporters Association (PRGMEA)
• Pakistan Association of Auto Parts and
  Accessories (PAAPAM)

7
Demand Generation Benefits

• Make the SME sector more efficient and
  competitive
• Maturity of Software Houses
• Opportunity to market low cost IT solutions to
  other countries
• Enhance solution and market to other companies in
  the sector
• Provide Training and ongoing support
• Employment Generation

8
SUPPLY OSS Trainings

• M/o IT funded a Project with the scope to Train
  4,000 end-users and 200 System Administrator
• Participation both from the Public and Private
  Sector
• Free for Public Sector
• 90 subsidy for private sector participants

9
Why Open Source Resource Center

• Voluntary support groups add value but have
  certain limitations
• Hence the need to have a fully funded
  institutional setup
• To serve as a focal point and center of
  excellence
• The Open Source Resource Center of GOP is one of
  the few centers in the Region

10
OSRC Objectives

• A centralized forte of experts in Pakistan, to
  shore up OS developers, administrators, faculty
  and students.
• OSS awareness propagation in Academia, Government
  and Industries.
• Provide technical and strategic support to
  sustain and migrate to open source
• Arrange trainings and seminars
• Maintain forum to exchange ideas among the
  experts nation-wide

11
Major Achievements

• Notification issued to all ministries and
  divisions to use Linux at the server level
• 2 labs in University of Arid Agriculture migrated
  completely to OS
• Linux
• Open Office
• OS Development Tools ( . )
• First round of 8-day LAMP training completed in
  Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar
• Collectively 480 trainees certified on LAMP

12
Current Activities

• Support to e-Government Directorate in setting
  up Linux based server farm at the Federal
  Government Data Centre
• Action plan for migration of Labs and Development
  environment of Engineeing Universities, nation
  wide
• Open source experts on servers, desktops, ERP web
  and security available for on site and remote
  assistance

13
Activities

• A web portal with all necessary information
  built. Discussion forums and downloads available
  for open source software and related books.
• Convinced large corporates like PSO, SNGPL,
  Cresent Bahuman, Masood Textiles etc. to use to
  Open Source.
• All new desktops to be purchased by the Federal
  Government will use OpenOffice.

14
Awareness Seminars Conferences

• Conference for the business community in Karachi
  with collaboration of IBM, representatives of
  larges corporates and SMEs were invited, received
  a lot queries requests to help develop migration
  plans.
• Seminar on Open Source awareness with the
  chambers of commerce for the business community

15
Awareness Seminars Conferences

• FOSSAC 2005
• Total Number of FOSSAC'2005 Participants 7000
  visitors
• Total Enrolment   5474 People
• On Spot Enrolment  3149 People
• PUCIT Student Enrolment  2325 People
• Total No of Organizations/Institutes Trained on
  Ubuntu-Linux 512 Total
• Regional Records 4 Children between the age of
  6-8 years