ASEAN Learning "Open Source" from Indonesia

ASEAN countries Indonesia requested assistance in applying information technology based on open source software (OSS). Research and Technology Advisor to the Minister of Information Technology, Communication, and Transportation Dr. Ir Engkos Koswara APU said it was on the sidelines of the ASEAN Workshop to draft the Implementation Plans of COST (Committee on Science and Technology) Flagship Programmes, held in Bandung, on Tuesday (3 / 5 / 2011).

"At first the meeting of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Jakarta in 2005 during Kusmayanto Kadiman any ministers of ASEAN countries provided laptop. They were astonished Indonesia does not use Microsoft, but the use of open source, desktop systems nationally, and they were interested," said Engkos.

He said the ASEAN community has the potential to use open source software because it is more economical than proprietary software is expensive.

The development of OSS in Indonesia itself currently, he added, was encouraging. About 25 percent of the population, especially in local governments, are already using OSS, in particular Open Office. He gave the example that the Jembrana district, Sragen, Solo, Yogyakarta, Central Aceh have started to use OSS.

"Until now there are many who ask for our help (Kemristek) to migrate from proprietary to open source," he said.

ASEAN workshop to draft the Implementation Plans of COST Flagship Programmes was attended by delegates from the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, as well as the host. There are six excellent programs or Flagship Programmes that have been established at the meeting of ASEAN COST in 2006.

ASEAN winning programs are the Early Warning System for Disaster Risk Reduction, Biofuels, applications and OSS development, functional food, health, and climate change.

Indonesia was appointed as chairman in research and development program for Disaster Early Warning System, and chaired the research and development of information and communication technology through the OSS program.Kompas.com

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