Open-source software proponents received a potential boost from the U.K. government today with a release of a report citing not only the well-documented advantages on the server side, but also growing maturity on the desktop front.
The assessments were made by the U.K. government's central procurement agency, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), in summarizing its trials of open-source software use in the public sector.
The OGC cited progress in desktop products, such as OpenOffice and Sun Microsystems Inc.'s StarOffice, for "transactional workers" who handle routine duties, but not for "knowledge" or "power users" who require more advanced capabilities. However, 85% to 90% of the desktop users at government trial sites were transactional users who could do their jobs with basic word processing, e-mail and spreadsheet tools, the report said.
"The desktop end of the market has matured a lot in the last 12 months, and we are not sure we are there yet, but it has made great strides," said Martin Day, spokesman for the OGC.
In addition to its maturing functionality, open-source software has benefits in terms of hardware, since it requires less memory and a slower processor speed for the same functionality offered by proprietary applications, the OGC report said.
The OGC's positive assessment of the desktop products may lend added weight to the open-source cause, which has gained increased recognition from public-sector agencies that may be looking for a lower-cost alternative to proprietary software.
"Coming from the influential OGC, this is undoubtedly a boost for open-source software in the U.K., where until recently interest has lagged that in many other European countries," Ovum Ltd. analyst Eric Woods wrote in an assessment of the report.
However, the OGC's endorsement wasn't without caveats. The agency also warned that user migration and interoperability of complex files still remain challenges. "Change is always daunting for people, and we need a solution that requires as little retraining as possible," Day said.
Coincidentally, the OGC report comes as the agency is finalizing a three-year extension to its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Microsoft Corp., which has enjoyed a lengthy partnership with the U.K. government. Day emphasized, however, that the MOU offers government organizations the option of Microsoft software at a good price and that it doesn't mean that agencies are tied into using Windows.
"That's why we offer MOUs rather than doing business deals that require us to buy a certain volume of software," Day said. "What we are doing is encouraging public-sector bodies to consider all solutions."
Microsoft responded to the report in a statement saying it understands that the government's role is to "promote a level playing field and to foster increased competition in any market." It added, however, that the report's findings "do not align fully" with feedback it gets from customers who weigh Microsoft software against open-source applications.
According to Woods, the idea that cheaper open-source desktop offerings would suit a majority of users while only power users need the full capabilities offered by Microsoft could be troubling for the company.
The OGC's conclusions aren't the first challenges that the software maker has faced in the public sector as governments worldwide have taken a closer look at open-source alternatives.
Advantages on the server side in terms of lower cost and strong performance have been documented by both government and private-sector organizations, the OGC said. And while open-source desktop alternatives haven't gained the same traction, the OGC indicates they could soon be nipping closer at Microsoft's heels.
Still, open-source business applications, which are limited and generally immature, face serious challenges, the OGC said. Current applications are more appropriate for small or midsize businesses than for large public-sector bodies because they "lack industrial strength," the OGC said.
The open-source pilots were run at various government agencies earlier this year using software from IBM and Sun Microsystems Inc. However, the vendors didn't sponsor the trials, which were considered independent, Day said.
"We heard that open-source was the greatest thing since sliced bread, but we needed evidence," he said.
While the agency concluded that "open-source software is a viable and credible alternative to proprietary software for infrastructure implementations and for meeting the requirements of the majority of desktop users," it recommended that agencies assess the development of skills for implementation and support, as well as migration and interoperability issues, before adoption.
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