While researching on Open Source software and freeware software I could not but take a look at what other countries are doing in my area, namely education.
I found a very interesting website called Open Source Schools, whose aim is to share information about open source software in use in schools around the UK. This website has a forum where contributors were encouraged to discuss whether Open Office (the office suite available free of charge from Sun-Oracle) was a suitable alternative to Microsoft Office. There were many positive remarks left by educators - such as the fact that in most cases the schools switched seamlessly from MS Office to Open Office, thus saving themselves thousands of euros. They found that students were able to do the switchover with very little difficulties.
The BBC also ran some interesting stories focusing on open source software in schools. Already in 2007 BECTA (the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency), said primary schools could typically save up to 50 per cent and secondary schools more than 20 per cent of their ICT costs if they switched to Open Source software. Andrew Miller (an independent journalist and editor of thinkabouttech.com) in 2009 asked why schools still pay a lot of money in licensing software when there is Open Source software that covers almost every requirement of the national curriculum.
On a European level, there is the Open Source Observatory and Repository (OSOR), a platform for exchanging information, experiences and software development code for use in public administrations that is financed by the European Commission. This website contains many articles describing how schools and other governmental bodies have successfully switched or are in the process of migrating from licensed applications to open source.
For example, the Dutch province of Groningen migrated to Open Office in January 2009. Since last year schools in Austria are no longer being compensated for software licence costs they make or office applications and instead, the Austrian Ministry of Education is promoting the use of the open source alternative Open Office by paying 10 euro for each PC switched over. The Polish city of Krakow switched to Open Office in 2008, thus saving the city €120,000. The Open Document Format (ODF), the ISO approved standard for electronic office documents, was made a Lithuanian standard in 2008. Laptops with open source software were distributed to students in northern France in 2009 and the applications installed include Open Office, Firefox browser, Thunderbird e-mail client, Gimp photo editing software and Pidgin chat client.
Despite all these examples from across Europe, the question still begs an answer: is it justified to switch from licensed software to Open Source software? Is this suitable for our Maltese context?
Well, it probably depends on whom this question is directed at and what the expectations are of the package. What do you intend to use your application for, and where? Will it be at home, at a school, and will it be at an administrative or governmental level? Switching from one software to another always involves a transition period, which can be plain sailing for some but more difficult to others.
This has to be handled with care. The Maltese government has been looking in this direction for a few years now. In June 2008 it published a paper outlining its views on Open Source software and its possible adoption in the public service. Just a few weeks ago the Malta Information Technology Agency, the government's ICT agency, announced it is seeking to adopt "cost-effective and non-disruptive" Open Source software within the government. To this effect it is launching Government of Malta Open Source End User Group.
The European Computer Driving Licence is the most popular computer skills certification in Malta and it is recognised around the world. Thousands of Maltese have studied and obtained this certification, most of them training on Microsoft Office software. However, according to the ECDL Foundation, ECDL "is unique in that it has been designed to be vendor-neutral. This means that the skills requirements in the ECDL/ICDL (International Computer Driving Licence - used outside Europe) syllabus are not linked with any specific software. Candidates therefore have the flexibility and freedom to acquire ICT skills and confidently apply them in a range of software environments."
This means that contrary to the popular perception in Malta, ECDL is not a certification in MS Office skills but in computer skills and competencies. It is just like learning to drive a car. You don't learn to drive a particular car by a particular manufacturer. You learn to use driving wheel, how to push the pedals, you learn the highway code. Car manufacturers change, the roads and the need for transport remain.
Ms Debattista is an e-learning support teacher.