The role of Open Source Software in Trinidad and Tobago (2006 - 2008)

Even though it has taken Trinidad and Tobago's FastForward too many years to discuss Free Software and Open Source in the context of a national ICT strategy, I suppose I should be happy that now they have a Public Consultation Paper on the Role of Open Source Software in Trinidad and Tobago (187K PDF). Three years after the FLOS Caribbean conference, I found out about this almost accidentally - I don't even look at the FastForward website anymore. It's like watching paint age.

But I did come across it, and it's pretty well written. Some key quotations:

...Open source software (OSS) is gaining momentum in both the public and private sectors around the world. It is software for which the complete source code is made available for examination and modification. The software is usually, but not always, free. OSS has become such a phenomenon now that several countries, China, Germany, France, Finland, the Philippines, Peru, South Korea, and Taiwan are all considering or have already embraced open source software. Trinidad and Tobago now needs to consider if heading in this direction is feasible and appropriate given our specific context. Some claim that OSS confers a promise of better software and independence from perceived monopolistic behaviour and vendor capture. Such a promise would also have far reaching consequences for employment and opportunity...

Again, it's about time. It's not as if it was a big secret, or some strange object that fell out of the sky. Some more:

...Many large proprietary software companies strongly condemn the adoption of
the OSS model from the stand point of:

o security threats:- as an example, proponents of the proprietary software model contend that having the source code of critical software open to viewing and modification by anyone
makes it more vulnerable to malicious attack; and

o economic impacts: - particularly associated with the free, libre
open source software movement.

Despite these warnings, industry leaders are yet to give substantive detail on the dangers of open source software...

Yes, that's true too. And it was true 3 years ago. Of course, I'll send in some comments for their public consultation, but I think the effect will be rather limited. It's good to see it being a public consultation, but if it takes another 3 years to hammer out policy then Trinidad and Tobago will be 6 years behind the curve.

You see, Free Software and Open Source can't compensate for sleeping at the wheel. Neither can proprietary software, for that matter. I wonder if the Trinidad and Tobago government acknowledges Moore's Law? Free Software and Open Source are tools, and the later you are to use them, the later you are to benefit from them.