Open source software could save millions

Published on Sunday 1 November 2009 19:18

SCOTLAND'S national and local governments could save up to £300 million a year and stimulate the country's software developers if they switch from buying traditional packages to using open source software, an industry expert has claimed.

Open source software can be rewritten by programmers and adapted for different uses, unlike traditional packages, which are usually covered by strict copyright rules.

While most open source packages – such as Sun Microsystems' Open Office – are distributed for free, companies can make money by adapting or extending the software, or by offering training or services.

Greg Soper, who is organising the first Open Source Awards in Scotland, said the software would create an open market and drive down prices.

He said: "I went through the tenders the Scottish Government and local government issued and the contracts that were awarded. About 75m of software was bought but there was no mention of open source in any of the tender documents.

"So we're maybe spending 300m a year and not engaging with open source. All that money is going back to companies in North America, like Microsoft."

Soper – who also runs an open source software business from Denny, near Falkirk – said other countries, including Brazil, were already embracing open source as a way of saving money.

He added: "If Scotland wants to have a vibrant, creative, hi-tech economy then it needs to start embracing open source.

"Open source underpins the internet, with 75 per cent of the top 1,000 websites globally, like Google and Facebook, all using open source to underpin their operations."

Soper said that the Scottish Government and local authorities needed to encourage open source software through its tendering process.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Procurement Scotland, which develops and implements strategies for the whole of the public sector, is currently managing a number of software initiatives. Open source software will be considered as part of the procurement strategy and if there is enough public sector demand, then an opportunity for a collaborative contract will be investigated."