BlinxS Establishment Marks Shift Towards Open Source OS
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Director of Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) said open source software such as Linux is much needed by the sultanate as it is handicapped by the lack of skilled human resources in ICT and the high cost of operating systems (OS), application software and licensing in its attempt to implement e-Government.

Dr Hi Kassim bin Hj Dasystem offers alternative solution because of its low cost towards providing software as well as its reliability.

He was speaking at the establishment of Brunei Linux Society (BlinxS) at the ITB Saturday afternoon.

"Linux is here to stay. It is getting stronger day by day, and it is a good OS from a technical, financial and economic point of view," he said.

"It is proven that by using Linux, we can save billions of dollars in the long run. Therefore, several countries have already considered Linux as the official OS. Countries include Venezuela, Sweden, United Kingdom, Peru, South Korea, India, Pakistan, Japan, Germany, Brazil, China, France, Denmark, Austria and many others."

Dr Hj Kassim added that Linux's affordability in terms of cost, no or low licensing fees, the ability to reuse any of the codes as chosen, and the capability of using inexpensive hardware and compatible free add-on applications has made it attractive enough for this country.

Dr Hj Kassim then congratulated and welcomed the establishment of the Brunei Linux Society "as a forum for sharing of experience and developing Linux features among Linux users in this country".

Meanwhile Hj Kamsani Hj Ahmad, the chairperson of BlinxS in his speech said the Society was established as local users had been spending a lot of money on expensive, non-open source' software, which were considered costly to upgrade and maintain. Hj

Kamsani also cited the lack of software developers in the Sultanate. "The Society has a role in encouraging training, software development and encouraging the e-Government and businesses to use the open source software nationwide," he said. Paul Turton, an invited speaker, spoke on the longterm benefit of Linux.

The new society then elected its committee members before Hj Kamsani read the general statement and declaration. The BlinxS constitution was later finalised.

The Minister of Communications, Pehin Dato Seri Setia Hj Awg Abu Bakar bin Hj Apong was appointed as the society's patron, and Dr Hj Kassim bin Hj Daud, the advisor.-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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