To: premier@gov.nl.ca
Executive Summary
The cost of moving the standard word processing software for
the Government of Newfoundland to Microsoft Word will cost millions
of dollars in tangible and intangible costs, lock the province into
insecure, bug-ridden, proprietary software, and buck a global trend
towards free software, with absolutely no benefit to either the
Government or the taxpayers of Newfoundland. There exists the
opportunity for Newfoundland to continue to be the Canadian leader
in cost-saving ventures by becoming the first Canadian province to
embrace free, open-source software as part of its IT policy, and
investing the millions of dollars saved on proprietary software
into local industry.
Though no longer a resident of Newfoundland, I feel an
obligation to my home province. It has come to my attention that
the province is considering moving to Microsoft Word as a standard
for word processing. I must implore those in responsibility to
address the travesty that would result from that decision, and
examine alternatives that would be of significant benefit to the
government and its constituents, such as cost savings, increased
security, and greater software stability.
In the current age, the global movement is away from costly
proprietary software. Software from Microsoft in particular has
proven itself a haven for costly viruses [1], the costs of which
may be accurately estimated and are astronomical [2]. This cost may
only be mitigated with equally expensive virus protection software,
which is fundamentally unnecessary for free, open source software
such as Linux, OpenOffice.org, and Mozilla [3].
There is a global movement against proprietary software in
developing and industrialized nations. Indeed, “Samuel
Guimarães, executive secretary in Brazil’s foreign ministry,
told government representatives at the [United Nations] summit
meeting’s opening sessions that free-to-share software is crucial
for the developing world because it enables poorer countries to
develop their own technology instead of having to import it.” [4]
It is my understanding that Newfoundland is fiscally constrained,
and in being so, can look to the policies of developing nations for
their successful cost saving ventures. Open source software is one
such successful venture.
In addition to the general consensus of developing nations
towards open-source software, numerous first world countries have
also opted for extensive, if not exclusive, open-source usage
including Israel [5], Germany [6], Australia, China, Japan and
Korea [7]. It is no wonder, since as a result of added security and
stability, the elimination of software upgrades, and a reduction in
necessary support staff, open source software costs approximately
35% of its proprietary equivalents that offer no particular benefit
[8].
In line with the first objective of the Newfoundland Treasury
Board IT Procurement Policy, that “Government maximizes the
benefits and value it receives from all IT acquisitions” [9], it
would be nigh impossible to reconcile moving to Microsoft Word when
free, proven, equivalent open-source alternatives such as
OpenOffice.org exist [10]. Indeed, OpenOffice is Word-compatible,
fully supported by Sun Microsystems [11], and available on multiple
operating systems (Linux, MacOS, Windows, Solaris) [12], making it
a particularly easy, cost-effective replacement for Microsoft Word,
providing the potential to upgrade existing infrastructure from
Windows to Linux. The value proposition is so great that the
Government of Israel has recently suspended all contracts with
Microsoft, opting for an exclusive future with OpenOffice and Linux
[13].
In North America, the situation is similar to that of the global
market, in spite of the entrenched Microsoft regime. The city of
Austin, Texas, has a successful pilot project analyzing the use of
OpenOffice.org in government [14]. The government of the city of
Largo, Florida runs almost exclusively Open Source software, and
has done so since 2001, making it the first North American test
case of the enormous savings from open-source software [15].
California has recently proposed legislation that would make
proprietary software, such as Microsoft’s, illegal in Government
[16]. Massachusetts has directed its Government IT staff to move to
open source software, where “open-source software — and, more
importantly, open standards — [are] inevitably replacing much of
government’s IT resources”, in spite of the acknowledged
entrenchment of proprietary Microsoft software, citing budgetary
constraints [17].
The choice to use Microsoft Word would act against the interests
of both the Government and citizens of Newfoundland. Its tangible
and intangible costs are extensive and incalculable, including the
cost of licensing, cost of anti-virus software, cost of lost
productivity due to unstable software, cost maintaining the upgrade
cycle, cost of technical support. There are alternatives, and
failure to examine them would be a travesty.
In an effort to catch up with the rest of the world by moving to
Microsoft Word, I fear Newfoundland will only catch the tail end of
the dying paradigm of expensive proprietary software. There is a
major shift happening in the IT industry, effectively away from
Microsoft products, and Newfoundland has the opportunity to
introduce the rest of Canada to the cost savings, stability, and
security offered by open-source software by adopting this trend in
policy. In doing so, Newfoundland would not only catch up to the
rest of the world, but surpass all other Canadian provinces and set
an example for them. On the other hand, I humbly submit that, given
the global trend for free and open software, and the availability
of equivalent alternatives, a cash-strapped province embracing
Microsoft Word at this time would be nothing short of a ludicrous
tossing of public funds, bearing foresight akin to the Churchill
Falls deal.
Nevertheless, even if the Government decides to choose Microsoft
Word, the threat to use open-source software is an invaluable
bargaining tool. The Thai Government made similar threats, and now
has a 95% discount on Windows XP, at US$36 per copy. [18] It is my
hope that the Newfoundland Government similarly employs the option
to use open-source software as a bargaining tool, so as to not be
entirely exploited by the perceived auspices of choosing Microsoft
software. However, I must implore the value available in
open-source software as a choice, and not just a bargaining
tool.
The global grass-roots rise of open source has taken hold in
Newfoundland as well; the popular open source operating system
Linux is taught as a core part of the curriculum at Memorial
University’s computer science program, as it has in almost every
Computer Science program in Canada, and there is a user group for
Linux in St. John’s, a base from which the Government may draw
existing open-source human resources. [19]
There exists the fantastic opportunity for Newfoundland to
provide public servants with efficient, cheap, prolific software
choices by embracing open-source software. In doing so,
Newfoundland would procure Canadian leadership in the global trend
towards cheaper, open, and inter-operable software that permits the
Government to invest in the local economy rather than give to a
transnational monopoly. In choosing Microsoft Word, it would effect
a travesty, a mistake easily avoided, making it all the sharper for
me to sit idly and observe.
I hope this letter provides sufficient information and
references to mitigate the necessity for any substantial debate on
the matter, and that the Government of Newfoundland observes and
takes advantage of the best options available to it in the emerging
world of predominantly open-source software. I have no affiliation
with any open-source software or companies, though I have used
open-source software for over 5 years, and I can personally attest
to the extensive tangible and intangible benefits it provides to
any organization.
Humbly and Respectfully,
Brian M. Hunt
email: bmh_ca@yahoo.com
cc. Rod Forsey , Director, Economic Research and Analysis
Thomas Skinner , Senior Policy, Planning, and Reearch Analyst
Harry T. Hutchings , Director, Information Technology Management
Division
References
[1] Counting
the cost of Slammer,
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-982955.html
[2] The
Cost of a Virus,
http://www.cmsconnect.com/Marketing/viruscalc.htm
[3]
Addressing Security Issues in Linux,
http://www-124.ibm.com/linux/papers/security/Linux-Security-IBM-White-Paper.pdf:
“It is fundamentally impossible for Unix-based operating systems to
suffer system-level damage from a virus”
[4] Open-source
software gets boost at UN,
http://www.iht.com/articles/121033.html
[5]
Israel stops buying Microsoft Software,
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031231.gtisraeldec31/BNStory/Technology/
[6] German
Federal Government to Support Open Source Software,
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/6_408271
[7] Governments are
latching on to Linux,
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-1000992.html
[9] Treasury
Board IT Procurement Policy,
http://www.gov.nl.ca/exec/treasury/itpolicy/procurement.htm
[10] OpenOffice.org,
openoffice.org
[11] Sun
OpenOffice.org Software Support,
http://www.sun.com/service/support/software/openoffice/
[12] OpenOffice.org
System Requirements,
http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/source/sys_reqs_11.html
[13] MS
scorns Israeli OpenOffice defection,
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/34154.html
[14] City of
Austin pilot proves OpenOffice.org work,
http://www.newsforge.com/software/03/12/17/1440223.shtml
[15]
City saves with Linux, thin clients,
http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2860180,00.html
[16] Open
source’s new weapon: The law?,
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-949241.html
[17] Massachusetts
Moves from Microsoft to Open Source,
http://www.technewsworld.com/perl/story/31901.html
[18] The IT industry
is shifting away from Microsoft,
http://69.56.255.194/?article=13350
[19] “St. John’s Linux User
Group”, http://web.cs.mun.ca/~slug/